We all can remember a scenario that made us uncomfortable. That awkward moment when something out of the ordinary occurs and we are not exactly sure how to react. Our internal reflex seems to go haywire. Not knowing the appropriate response, we often remain silent and blush, or we blurt out something even more inappropriate to make the situation that much worse. Or perhaps we just retreat from the situation altogether, leaving someone else to face the tension and break the ice. 

Can I be honest with you? I truly despise these scenarios. As an introvert with a semi-passive personality, I prefer to steer away from these instances completely. You know what is worse, though, than your everyday awkward moment? It is when that moment happens in the context of worship. You know what I am talking about. It is when we’re content to give Jesus the bare minimum of our adoration and someone else isn’t. They do something extravagant and outrageous, like dance in front of the altar, while our hands are in our pockets, and we’re thinking about the next meal that we will eat. It’s a painful combination of awkwardness and conviction. Awkward because it breaks the status quo. Convicting because it bruises our pride.

Mary of Bethany is someone who caused this same concocted blend of awkward conviction to fill the room of Simon the Pharisee’s dining room. She barges in to this nice and cozy dinner scene, pays no mind to any other guest except the one she came to worship- Jesus, the Messiah. You know the rest of the story. Breaking open an expensive alabaster box of perfume which costed a year’s wages, she lavishly pours it all over her Lord. To the other guests, it smelled like waste. To Jesus, it smelled like worship. 

I have been truly moved by our worship volunteers in the prayer room. They display this same tenacity of worship week after week. In a context that many people would call wasteful, the Lord receives their 21+ hours of worship every week as true and authentic worship. And you know something? God has been moving by His Spirit in response in ways we could’ve never manufactured by putting those hours into other less “wasteful” pursuits than ministering to the Lord. These Marys’ of Bethany know a secret, though, that many in this world are not privy to. In worship, nothing is wasted. And it is always worth it.

The following videos give you just a snippet into the hearts and minds of our worship volunteers. Listen as they share their hearts on what worship has meant to them in their lives. Let it move you closer to the true desire of Jesus. He is looking for worshipers who will reflect His worth appropriately. Tenacious, extravagant, wasteful. Sometimes awkward. Always worth it.     

-Brandon McKenzie, Harvest House of Prayer Coordinator