What is Worship. “To worship is to get caught up in the acknowledgment of God,” said Father Duane Thibeau. To worship is to touch reality, to break into the Shekinah of God. Worship is the human response to the divine initiative. Forms, rituals, and liturgies do not produce worship. They are tools available to us to enhance our worship. 
 
 
Importance of Worship. If the Lord is to be the Lord in our lives, then worship must have its priority in our lives. True service comes out of true worship. Worship provides a group-sized firehose which the same number of individuals, worshiping apart, cannot provide. Worship should place us before God, so that he can transform us.
 
Preparing for worship. Worship requires us to gather with a holy expectancy. Cultivating holy expectancy consists in our practicing the presence of God on a daily basis. We must live throughout the week as an heir to the Kingdom of God. We must listen to and obey God. It would be well to arrive 10 minutes before the service to open oneself up before the Lord, to lift up those who will be conducting the worship, and to otherwise lift up those who need it. 
 
Who Is the Leader? Human leadership is necessary and must not be shy. Yet, Jesus is the leader worship because he is present by his Holy Spirit to teach, guide, rebuke, and comfort. Whatever he teaches he gives power to do: healings should be common within the context of worship. 
 
Other Suggestions. Vary your worship experiences (Holy Eucharist, Daily Offices, a Prayer and Praise Meeting et al.). Go to bed on time the night before worship. Be yielded to being gathered in the power of the Lord. Cultivate a holy dependency on God. Absorb distractions in the midst of worship with the grateful attitude. Offer the "sacrifice of worship," even if you don't feel like it.
 
In Him Who makes us one,
Fr. Dennis