United in Worship
Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 3:8-12
All of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.
1 Peter 3:8
Do you like caviar? This fish-egg spread is considered a delicacy in some countries. In Russia caviar has traditionally been served when celebrating important festivities or holidays.
Once I was invited to a Russian- American wedding in Michigan. Somehow the bride managed to find Russian caviar and offered it to all her guests. To her surprise, not a single American guest liked it. Some didn’t finish their caviar; others didn’t even try it.
Even so, the wedding was a wonderful event. After all, we gathered not because we were hungry but to celebrate the couple’s love and commitment.
When it comes to worship styles, we all have our preferences. Some prefer traditional worship; others like more contemporary ways of praising the Lord. A worship style that is not to your liking may seem as strange as some exotic food like caviar. But then others might have similar thoughts about your preferences.
Because of worship-related issues and other disagreements, some congregations become rattled by “worship wars.” As a result, their unity suffers.
It’s good to remember that we go to church not just to enjoy our favorite music. There are concert halls and other venues for that. True worship is the celebration of our salvation in Christ. The Scripture calls us to be loving and patient with our brothers and sisters so that we can praise God in harmony.
Lord, give us humble and loving hearts. Give us strength to love and treasure all people. Amen.
About the author — Sergei Sosedkin
Rev. Sergei Sosedkin is the Russian-language ministry leader for ReFrame Ministries. He is a native of Moscow, Russia. As he oversees the Russian-language ministry, Rev. Sosedkin works from our office in Grand Rapids and in various locations in Russia.
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