"Best.Worship.Ever." (What is The Best Worship You Ever Experienced?)

1800Gospel.com ^ | 16 Apr 08

[xzins]

The following is notes taken by a member of Joel Osteen's church on a day a substitute was preaching. That's not really the point.

What is the best worship experience you ever had?

For me, I can think of a few:

1. The Cincinnati Billy Graham Crusade in Jul 2002. Third Day and Gaithers sang. Third Day was clearly led by the Spirit. Graham gave a simple sermon about the prodigal son that touched thousands of hearts. The simplicity of the message and appeal stunned me. An amazing event.

2. The year I was ordained Deacon in our denomination, the preacher was Bishop Kenneth Goodson from Mississippi(?) I believe. His sermon was "Is there any Hope?" and I was rapt by the question and the simple answer. (Yes. Jesus)

3. A Todd Agnew concert a few years back. A contemporary Christian musician who'd speak between songs. The music thrilled, but the message was basically, "If you're bee-bopping to the beat, then you're missing the point. This is about worshipping Almighty God." The message was direct and extremely convicting.

What was/were your best worship experience(s) ever? What made it so?

Whether or not you like Joel Osteen isn't the point, but the writer below shared a worship experience that meant something to him.

[MarkBsnr]

"Is there any Hope?"

Sadly, not any more...

I'd have to say during the short time I spent in Sioux Falls, SD. I was apart from my family and went to the Cathdral for Sunday Mass. The local Knights of Columbus Council had a small display area set up in the entrance hall, and I started talking to the attendents.

I was asked to serve as usher and was volunteered to take up the collection during Mass. These two ushers stayed at the front and knelt on the stone steps during the Eucharistic prayers. This was less than a week before a scheduled operation to remove cartilage from my knee. Needless to say, the pain was intense. But somehow I got past that and got into the prayers more than I ever had before as the bishop was saying them. It was more intense than I had ever experienced before.

This is a church built to the Glory of God.

There is no doubt where the Tabernacle is...

[Campion]

Any really well-sung Byzantine Catholic Divine Liturgy in a beautiful church. There's actually a certain sadness I feel when it gets to be communion time, because I know it will be over soon and I don't want to leave ... sort of like Peter not wanting to come down from the mountain.

When Prince Vladimir's emissaries returned to Kiev in 998, they said of Divine Liturgy in Hagia Sophia, "We no longer knew whether we were in heaven or on earth for upon earth there is no such sight or beauty; we only know that there. God is present among men." I know what they were talking about.

[LadyDoc]

Best worship experience I’ve ever had?

You mean, worship is about ME ME ME?

If I feel uplifted and happy, it’s a good worship experience? Is that what you mean?

Silly me. I thought worship was about praising God. Actually, for Catholics, “worship” implies a communion service, where we offer ourselves to God and he offers himself to us in the Eucharist.

Good singing etc. that uplifts you is nice, but not the center of worship...

And sometimes the “best” worship experience is when we sit in the back of church with empty hands and say “God be merciful to me a sinner” and feel his comfort...

[samtheman]

Wow, man, it was like, wow, the time I smoked a big bong and sat in like wow, this really big church.

You’re right. The question is BS. It’s not how you feel in some prettified moment that counts. Its your life long relationship with God that counts.

This question smacks of petty narcissism.

[xzins]

Yes, I of course meant that it was all about you.

There’s no way I would have been using the American English understanding of “worship” as meaning “worship service” or “worship event.”

As when people say, “How as worship today?”, and they obviously mean, “Did you have a good time as people worshipped you today?”

That is, of course, what I meant.

[xzins]

Yes, I of course meant that it was all about you.

There’s no way I would have been using the American English understanding of “worship” as meaning “worship service” or “worship event.”

As when people say, “How was worship today?”, and they obviously mean, “Did you have a good time as people worshipped you today?”

That is, of course, what I meant.