Today, I want to offer a new theme for this year. A theme that comes from the very heart of God. "Let's make Worship great in 2008!" I've been thinking about this theme because worship is our highest calling as Christians. I also know that life gets busy and our devotional life can sometimes get pushed aside. Even as good Christians we can get so busy doing the work of the church that we forget to pray, meditate on God's word and worship God. We can become like Martha, the sister of Lazarus, who was so busy fixing dinner for Jesus and the Disciples that she missed out on the best thing which was simply sitting at the feet of Jesus to listen and worship. The better example for us is Mary, Martha's sister. As you look at her throughout the scriptures she is always sitting at Jesus feet. Now you might say isn't there room for Mary's and Martha's. Don't they both have their spiritual gift? One is a worker and one is a worshipper. The problem is that all people are called to balance both their devotion life and their work. This reminds me of the Church at Ephesus spoken of in Revelations. John says to them, "I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance. I know that you cannot tolerate evildoers; you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them to be false. I also know that you are enduring patiently and bearing up for the sake of my name, and that you have not grown weary. (All of that sounds real good doesn't it) but I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first." Can you see their problem? Yes, they were diligent and even sacrificial in their good works and they even tested the evil spirits but they had lost their passion and their love for God. And it is for this offense that Jesus, speaking through John, says that they need to repent. There is a time for work but work without passion to God is & pleasing for God and actually in the end it is not as productive. One of my favorite quotes regarding worship speaks to this point. A. W Tozier wrote this, "We're here to be worshippers first and workers only second. We take a convert and immediately make a worker out of him. God never meant it to be so. God meant that a convert should learn to be a worshiper, and after that he can learn to be a worker.... The work done by a worshiper will have eternity in it." I believe this is true for us as well. This year may we strive to be worshipers who sing God's praises and bow down in humble prayer. The best way to start is to come to worship this Sunday. May it be said of us that our work has eternity in it because of our vibrant and heart felt worship.