One evening the group, by prior agreement, met at Mars Hill near midnight for a devotional period. We had planned only a short worship time, thinking that the late hour would make everyone want to get back to the hotel. When we arrived, I realized that the cover of night provided the only chance we would ever have to get Joyce to the top of Mars Hill. Her fear of heights was much too powerful for her to ever manage if she could see where she was going. A chain of students guided her to the rugged top of the rock.

When we were all seated or standing on Mars Hill, a chilling breeze welcomed us. James led an opening prayer that showed awareness of this place’s part in the church’s history. Doug then began reciting Paul’s speech at Mars Hill: he had memorized it for this occasion. Kevin started “How Great Thou Art,” and others started favorite, appropriate songs. Jack quoted Psalm 8.

Although we could see the bright lights of the Parthenon, we were all in darkness. Nothing distracted us from focusing on God and the ideas we were singing and hearing about. The sharp night air kept us alert. The camaraderie we had developed in our travels bound us to each other. The sense that we were communicating with God was so powerful that I experienced a peace and joy exceeding any other worship experience, before or since. The planned 30-minute devotion lasted more than an hour and a half before Jeff led a prayer and then suggested that we should probably get out of the night air. Still we lingered to talk with different ones about our feelings and our awe for the God who had blessed us.

I think God intended for his people to bring their hearts and minds into harmony with his power and majesty. In one sense, he wants us to empty ourselves, to press our identities against his presence. Worship helps us lose our small, pitiful lives in the vast ocean of God’s greatness. Worship fine tunes our thoughts and feelings by increasing our sensitivity to God and his love for us.

How do we capture again the attitudes of that Mars Hill-worship or whatever experience we recall as the apex of praise? Why do we let our pre-occupation with the trappings of worship keep us from focusing on God—our creator, savior and Lord. How do we discipline ourselves to tune our hearts and minds to the greatest spiritual communion of our lives? How do we help each other worship so that we please God and learn from our experience with him? How do I keep myself aware that what I am doing is for God, and that people leading in worship are not performing for me?

Friends who excel in athletics tell me that when they are running, playing basketball or playing tennis, they are unaware of anything else. I know that when I am reading an exciting novel, I can read so intently that I lose track of time or don’t hear anything going on around me. Friends watch television so intently that they do not hear the phone ring or a conversation someone begins. All of these activities are extremely interesting to those involved.

People lose themselves in what they like.

Do we not like God or worship? I do not think that is the problem for most of us. The real problem is that we are too passive. We don’t feel responsible for the singing; we are only listening to prayers, sermons, Scripture readings; we take communion without having to think. We go through motions, but we don’t have expectations.

A runner does not race without warming up. A singer has to prepare his voice before a recital. But most of us begin worship without any preparation. We just show up at an announced time in a given place. All the preparations most of us make has to do with our appearance.

What if we set aside 30 minutes before public worship for our warm-up? We could begin by reading a Scripture that we know has a special application to our lives. We could also make a list of the sins we know we have committed and pray specifically for God’s forgiveness and strength to resist those temptations. We could even make a list of the blessings God had given us during the past year. I think we could even give ourselves a stern talking to about concentrating on every thing that we will do in our worship with the church. Focus on God is our purpose.

Worship is a demanding spiritual discipline. It takes head and heart in unison to make worship effective. But worship is a demanding spiritual discipline that empowers hearts and minds to serve God.

Contact BAILEYMcBRIDE at bailey.mcbride@oc.edu.

• More from The Christian Chronicle