“Psalm 81…leads us to contemplate first the idolatry of feelings, which is terribly destructive in subverting Christian worship. The pervasive notion that our self is what is most important and that what we get out of worship is what determines whether the worship service is a good one or not is a total reversal of what genuine worship truly is…
When we gather together with others for worship, the truths of God we celebrate can subvert the idolatry of our selves so that we can discover who our true self really is. Our true self is much larger than the way we happen to feel at the moment. If worship can easily be subverted by the contemporary culture of narcissism, then one gift of genuine worship is that it invites us to know God, to praise God, to sing for Joy, because no matter what’s going on in our lives, God is there.”
- Marva Dawn, Living in the Lamblight
