Sermon Blogging: I'll bring you more than a song
- Paul Coleman
- 8 hours ago
- 5 min read
I got to preach on worship this morning ... this makes me very happy.
This is also the first time I've gone off lectionary since I started training at Queen's. I've enjoyed it but also found it surprisingly challenging. As much as I struggle with structure and routine in daily life, I have found the structure of the lectionary and the routine I've developed in preparation to be useful. Going away from that, even for a theme which I am passionate about, was a little stressful. However, it also meant that I wrote more of my own prayers and liturgy, I often rely things other people have written, whereas in this case writing my own felt right and was the only way I could hang the entire service together.
So here it is, I've written it out to help me think, although I can guarantee it didn't get read word for word. I am finding that writing does help me avoid going off on too many weird tangents mid service and it i do helps me get back on track.
For context the readings were:
I wonder which of the earlier readings spoke to you the most?
Is it the commands in the Psalms to sing and make a joyful noise to the Lord? … You will be unsurprised to hear that I love to worship in music, I enjoy singing, I love playing the piano … although I do have issues with people who play tambourines in worship …. Especially when they can’t count. Music is probably what most of us think of when we think about worship. But God asks for more than melodies and harmonies.
When we think about worship in scripture, we often turn to the psalms. The Psalms, it is here we get some of the most direct commands to worship God in song, (and even with tambourines). They also tell us why we need to worship, reminding us that as the creator and sustainer of the universe, God is worthy of our praise.
Yet our songs and words of worship are only part of the story. Our praise must be an expression of living faith, a trust that we carry into every moment of our lives. In other words, true worship isn’t limited to the music in church; it flows out into how we live, how we serve, how we love.
The psalmist in Psalm 150 commands us: “Praise the Lord!” and then, with jubilation, adds trumpets, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and every breath joining a final “Hallelujah!” We remember the first thing this song calls us to do: praise God for his mighty deeds and surpassing greatness. But it also leaves the deeds unnamed, inviting us to recall them.
What are the mighty deeds of God, both in scripture and in our own lives, that we want to recall?
By remembering these, we show faith: when we praise God for his great deeds, we declare that we trust Him with our lives.
But worship in music alone is half the picture. The book of Isaiah warns us that God is weary of our ceremonies if our hands are full of wrongdoing. In Isaiah’s day, people were bringing sacrifices, songs, festivals, and prayers, but still they ignored justice and oppressed the vulnerable. If worship does not change how we live toward our neighbours, then we have missed the point of God’s presence in our lives. God loves justice, and true worship always leads us to act justly, showing mercy to orphans, widows, and the poor.
Jesus taught the same lesson about true worship when He spoke with the Samaritan woman at the well. Focusing on place, she asked where God should be worshiped. Jesus replied that a time was coming when worship would not depend on mountain or temple: “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth”. True worship is not about buildings or rituals but about a genuine relationship of the heart. Jesus then reveals He is the Messiah and the source of living water, showing that through Him we can worship the Father authentically. Worship in spirit and truth welcomes all, Samaritan and Jew, man and woman, and calls us into new life in Christ, not just admiration of His outward person.
It is worth noting that at no point in the Gospels does Jesus command us to “worship” him. Instead, there is a repeated call for us to come and follow him, to follow his example. Not a religion based on rules and creeds which tire us out, but a way of life which moves in time to the rhythm of God’s heartbeat. In Matthew 11: 28-30 we read.
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Worshipping in spirit and truth, with our whole lives as an act of worship is lifegiving.
Finally, the Apostle Paul picks up this theme of whole-life worship in Romans 12:1–2. Instead of offering animals on an altar, Paul says our very bodies become offerings: “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God”. We do this not to earn salvation, but in grateful response to God’s mercy already shown in Christ. We don’t conform to the world’s patterns, but we are transformed by renewing our minds. Every choice we make, how we use our time, money, strength, and speech, becomes part of our worship. These daily choices accumulate into a “body of work,” a lifestyle of sacrifice that honours God. In Romans, Paul reminds us that worship is about the whole life; it is the sanctification that flows out of being saved, showing the gospel in action.
So, this morning, as we sing with joy, let us ask: What else will we bring? Will we bring mercy to those in need and justice where there is oppression? Will we bring the Spirit’s love to lonely hearts? When we say, “I’ll bring you more than a song,” we mean we will bring our very selves. Lives shaped by the gospel, hearts softened by grace, and hands ready to serve, these are the true, full worship God calls for. In spirit and truth, let us offer every part of our life to God in worship.
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