On Wearing Prom Clothes to Worship

No, I did not go to the prom this weekend, do not worry. I am not the 23 year old weirdo that hangs out at the local high school prom....

However, my sister did go to her senior prom this weekend. At her high school, they do this thing called the "Grand March" where every single person that goes to prom lines up at the football field and walkes through this little archway with their dates while everyone oohs and aahs and takes pictures.

Well, I went to the Grand March this year with my parents to watch my sister. I'll be honest: it took foroever. She goes to a really big high school. After waiting about 45 minutes, my sister finally came through the arch for her 15 seconds of fame.

As I sat there watching everybody going through the archway, decked out in their prom best (or worst--depending on the outfit), I thought it was pretty representative of how we treat worship. No, I'm not talking about the way we dress--not at all. Instead, I'm referring to the condition of our hearts.

Let me explain.

Before prom, everyone goes and spends tons of money on these expensive outfits so that they can dress up really nice for the big event. Some families drop over $1000 on this thing. I just don't get it, but that's beside the point. All this money goes into the outfits and everything, and what's the result? Most of the kids don't wear the thing for more than a few hours. Why? Because it's not really them.

I remember when I went to prom, most of the guys took their coats, ties, and vests off immediately after they got their picture taken. They could care less about the tux. They just wore it because they felt like they had to. Most of the girls take their shoes and fancy jewelry off after awhile for the same reason. Then, as soon as they leave the dance, they change into something more comfortable.

How does that relate to worship? In worship, we put on this show of everything being nice and in order, and then a few hours later, we turn into different people. We want everyone to see us looking good while we "walk throught the arch" of publich worship, so to speak, but then as soon as the main event is finished, we drop the facade and we go back to living a completely unholy life.

Sure, some people take worship seriously. But most of us just put on the front while we're in front of people.

God hates that. He doesn't care what we look like on the outside. He doesn't care about the presentation that we put on for the people around us. He's concerned with our hearts, with the innermost parts of our being. Our glam and flashiness don't impress him. He just wants us to be genuine.

And I'd much rather have God's approval than anyone else's.