Worship; familiar and new.

I love this place in the world where I live.  I went into Brisbane city today, and I walked along the river, through my old university, through the Botanical Gardens and just spent time soaking up the atmosphere of a place I really enjoy being.  Every time I go into the city I do similar things, sit and watch life at similar places - go and have a coffee at the same cafe - check out the same stores that I don't see anywhere else.  I enjoy the place so much that I enjoy doing those same things when I get the chance.

In some ways I find worship the same.  I don't mind singing the same songs, or going to the same place, or playing the same instrument, because I enjoy praising Jesus.  I love Jesus, and praising Him in worship, through music and church, is the place I love to be.

I understand for some people they want to be creative and experience something new... and I enjoy that as well, I remember a few years back going to New York, and Washington D.C - they were completely new places and I loved extending my experience of life by exploring those cities as well. Over the past few weeks I have been experiencing different worship experiences as I visit different churches... it has been refreshing too and I have found times of deep and thoughtful worship, even if it is not the familiar routine of what I've been use to.

I think we need to have a balance though, because I do enjoy the familiar, and I get something meaningful from it.

So let's not be afraid of the familiar when it comes to worship, but let's also not dissuade the ability to experience something new as well.  Our heart of worship comes from our love of Jesus, and that focus allows us to worship no matter where we are, and we can use whatever experience, familiar or not, to encourage our heart to worship Him all the more.