The mainstream churches are boring."

To judge by attendances - and media reports - the above statement sounds reasonable. Apparently to worship God, it's claimed, there must be excitement, bodily movement, noise.

Indeed one London church is so full of these elements that it has attracted attention from its neighbours - who want a noise abatement order. And so
big that the local Council worries about parking problems and safety.

God Himself is far from 'boring' - so why shouldn't His worship be enthusiastic, attractive, exciting! He has the infinite power to create - and from nothing -

the magnificent spectacle of billions of galaxies, stretching out the heavens like

a curtain. Yet He also created the strangest looking creatures, the intricacy of
the snowdrop, heart-stopping vistas. God doesn't do boring!

The Scriptures testify to joyful worship of the Creator by Israel. In their daily life they were urged to: 'Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints. Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp' (Psalm 149:1-3).

Anglo-Saxon culture tends to minimize such exuberance. The greatest excitement may be when someone drops the collection plate! What ought to be exciting, however, is the 'message', the 'sermon'. Now how often does that happen?

Worship is the daily life-blood of a Christian - 'singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord'. Sadly, among some it tends to 'take over' corporate worship - to the exclusion of sound instruction from the Word by competent teachers. Worship is important. But, without the added 'spice' of intensive exposure to the truth, as expressed in the Scriptures, services can indeed be 'boring'.

James McBride