Worship Is Like Orange Juice

Back when I was serving Telkwa CRC, a wise man once told me that worship is like orange juice. The service you attend on Sunday is the concentrate. But you add water so you can experience it all week long.

We need the concentrate. Without it there’s no juice. Similarly, God puts the desire – the need even – for us to gather with others to worship him. When we miss Sunday services, we miss out on God feeding us through his Word and the sacraments. We miss out on our hearts being stirred and our wills equipped for action through the songs and readings. We miss out on receiving encouragement from other worshipers. These things are like the concentrate necessary for making orange juice.

By stirring in water we enjoy the orange juice for several days. Similarly, the concentrated form of worship we experience on Sundays propels us into a life of worship all week long where we offer every aspect of our lives – from our work, to our leisure activities, to our time with family – to the glory of God. We can invite God to be the center of our lives all week long.

Then each Sunday we receive more concentrate as we gather again for worship services. Glorifying God together refills and rejuvenates us and our love for him and one another. Ignoring opportunities to worship together is like expecting to be able to drink orange juice indefinitely without adding any new concentrate.

That’s not to say there aren’t times I wish I could do without the concentrate. The concentrate keeps fresh in my mind and on my taste buds what orange juice truly tastes like. But sometimes I don’t want fresh reminders of who God is and who God calls me to be because I’d rather water things down and do my own thing. I’d rather not consider what God would have me do with my paycheck or what kind of Friday night entertainment strains my relationship with him and others. Sadly, I miss out on the real thing God offers, drinking some sort of substitute that will never satisfy like God does.

But when I come to my senses, God always has ready a fresh supply of concentrate. The opportunity to gather with others to worship him and be refilled is always less than seven days away!

Regardless of what your weekend routine currently looks like, consider how participating in a worship service might be like the concentrate in the can that you stir into the rest of your week. I’ve become convinced that allowing Sunday to launch me into a life of worship all week long is the most meaningful way to live. But don’t just take my word for it: Taste and see it for yourself this Sunday and the week that follows.