WORSHIP DURING THE PANDEMIC (I)
Testimonies of Students from the Course on “Theology of Worship”

Never Take the Worship Service for Granted

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I have attended church with the thought
that I can go to the church every week without missing a service in my
whole life. My attendance of churches in Korea and Singapore was
without failure, as both countries enjoyed freedom of religion. My parents
taught me to attend the worship service diligently every week. However,
as I was still not yet born again, I did not understand the significance of
worship. Worship was just a pattern of life at that time.
After I was saved by grace a few years back, my eyes were opened.
Worship was no more a mere routine in my life, as I was worshipping my
God and Saviour. As time went by and my faith and understanding of
God’s Word increased, the worship service was no longer a weekly
routine. I began to pay attention to every part of the worship service – the
call to worship, the invocation, the hymn choices, the announcement, the
Pastoral Prayer and the sermon. I enjoyed worshipping God every Lord’s
Day, as well as study the elements of worship little by little.
I have never thought that a virus could affect my daily life, nor disrupt the
worship service. I was naïve in my thinking. When the COVID-19
pandemic broke out, I had to attend the online worship service. I have
never attended worship service on an “online platform”, as my parents
taught me the importance of worshipping God together with the saints as
the body of Christ at church. I was confused as I was not used to this
arrangement. The online worship at home (which is FEBC) was awkward
for me.
For the first two months, I remembered that although I was not physically
in church, I was still worshipping the omnipresent God. I wore the clothes
which I used to wear for service each Lord’s Day, and I took care with my
posture during the worship service. However, as time went by, I became
careless in my attitude towards worship. I began to drink beverages
(water, tea or coffee) during the worship service which I had not done
before. I slackened in my sitting posture. When I look back, I realised that
this lax spirit was wrong before the eyes of God. I must worship God in
spirit and in truth. Early this year when I could finally go back to church
to worship physically, I had learnt that wherever I am, whether at home or
in church, I am worshipping God the Almighty. This made me appreciate
every opportunity to worship Him with the rest of the saints at the worship
service.

PJH

What Worship Means to Me

A writing by Charles Spurgeon in a devotional (Morning & Evening,
Morning reading September 30th) I read recently says: “It is not left to our
own option whether we shall praise God or not. Praise is God’s most
righteous due, and every Christian, as the recipient of his grace, is bound
to praise God from day to day… You are bound by the bonds of his love to
bless his name so long as you live, and his praise should continually be in
your mouth, for you are blessed, in order that you may bless him; “this
people have I formed for myself, they shall show forth my praise”; and if
you do not praise God, you are not bringing forth the fruit which he, as the
Divine Husbandman, has a right to expect at your hands. Let not your
harp then hang upon the willows, but take it down, and strive, with a
grateful heart, to bring forth its loudest music. Arise and chant his praise.
With every morning’s dawn, lift up your notes of thanksgiving, and let
every setting sun be followed with your song. Girdle the earth with your
praises; surround it with an atmosphere of melody, and God himself will
hearken from heaven and accept your music.”

This devotion reminded me of what we have learnt through the course- of
how we are called to worship God. We are commanded to have no other
gods before God. Because of His grace and mercy that was extended to
me, an undeserving sinner, I have been saved; I have been called out of
darkness and into God’s marvellous light. How can I not praise Him? How
can I not desire to worship Him?

Apart from the goodness that God has extended to me, I also realise that
worshipping God is to be done simply because He is God- because He is
deserving of all worship and praise. Revelation 22:13 – “I am Alpha and
Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” He is the
Creator- omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient. Because there is none like
unto God, He deserves all worship and reverence.

1 Corinthians 14:40 “Let all things be done decently and in order.”

During the course, we studied how our entire life is a life of worship unto
our Lord. We also studied how formal worship should be conducted. I
thoroughly enjoyed how we were taught, what each element of the
worship service was, and why it was conducted. This allowed me to
realise how meaningful each element is, and not to take any portion
lightly.

SC

Worship in Godly Fear

One of my favourite verses taken away from this course is Psalm 5:7,
where it is said,“But as for me, I will come into thy house in the
multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy
temple.” This verse struck me in one of the lessons and stayed in my heart
throughout the semester. This course helped me to realise that I can only
come before the Lord to worship Him in the multitude of His mercies. It is
only of the Lord’s mercies that we are not struck dead like Nadab and
Abihu, or Ananias or Sapphira, for many times I have rendered
unacceptable worship unto Him. In realising more of who I am
worshipping, there is now more fear and awe as I worship God each week.
I pray that this verse will stay in my heart till I am called home to glory.
GL

The Heart and Worship

I thank God that this course was not simply about learning the theory of
worship, nor the knowledge of it, but most importantly, the heart behind
worship. I learned the importance of checking my heart before God, and
the need to worship God with the right heart. If my heart is right before
God, my attitude and action, including the way I conduct myself before
God in worship will all fall in place. I honestly did have questions about a
number of things concerning the Lord’s Day and worship. However, once
my heart was resolute to please God, many questions were already
answered.

As a girl, I was thankful that the topic of dressing was tackled. I was
encouraged by how matters such as dressing were still taught to us instead
of being ruled off as legalism, as there was a need for me to be instructed
in these matters. Contrary to the doctrine of clothing in the world which is
to expose, flaunt, and bring undue attraction to self, standing before God
in worship must be done in all purity. In coming to meet the Lord, there is
a need to be reverential even in our dressing and we ought not to dress
carelessly. Through shameful clothing, I can bring shame to the name of
Christ.

GL

Theology and Worship

I also learned the importance of the theology of worship and how we can
easily detract from the glory of God simply by minimising theology in
worship, which is most frightening to me. When the course was first
introduced and offered to us students, I did not think much of the name of
this course. However, having completed the course, I understood how
important theology is in every aspect of the course, for without theology,
worship is dead.

GL

Editor
’s note: God must be worshipped in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). There is no
true worship without the truth.