The ancient prophet Malachi, speaking for God, about the words and attitudes of the priests who offered the tainted and corrupt animal sacrifices said, “You say, ‘How tired we are of all this!‘ and you turn up your nose at Me. As your offering to Me you bring a stolen animal or one that is lame or sick. Do you think I will accept that from you?” [ Malachi 1:13, Good News Translation]

Day after day, throughout the centuries, the Israelites brought their animal sacrifices for their sins to the priests who offered them each day to God. However, these worship acts had become mundane, ritualistic, and tiresome to both the people and the priests. They had become so tired of these sacrifices they no longer cared about the purity of the animals. The people brought polluted sacrifices, and the priests offered to God whatever the people brought without inquiry or inspection.

It could be said everyone was bored with their worship to God. The people and the priests had grown weary of the same thing over and over. Apathy set in and few cared about offering genuine heartfelt worship and service to God.

Boredom is defined as a state of mind that is characterized by a lack of interest, stimulation, or challenge. Boredom and apathy occur when you’re not fully engaged in what you’re doing or that it’s not meaningful to you.

Church goers today are no different from the ancient Jewish worshipers. Church goers often complain about how bored they are at the church’s worship to God. Often people say, “Church is boring. We do the same thing over again and again.”  Young people stop coming to church because they find it boring. Many who do come out of duty and habit sit there bored, uninterested, and unparticipating in the singing, praying, and listening to the message.

How often do we hear a call for more exciting services? Prayers are too long, keep them short. Sermons should be no more than 20 minutes, or we lose focus. We need constant variety. We keep doing the same thing over and over. If we don’t make church services more exciting our attendance will decline.

No doubt all of us have experienced times of disinterest and boredom at church. But it is the consistent and prolonged periods of boredom each time we attend the worship service that we should be concerned about.

But I ask you, is it the fault of God that worship is boring or is it the fault of the worshiper? God did not change the temple worship just because the people became bored with it. God ordained how He wanted people to worship, and He did not change it. Instead, He called the people to change their attitude to their worship of Him, He said, “…My name will be great among the nations.” [Malachi 1:11]

Worshipers today must realize church worship is not like attending a theater play where we go as spectators to be entertained. Worship is about God’s people engaging in praise and glory to Him and learning more of His will through the proclamation of His word.

Meaningful worship involves loving God with all your heart, mind, and strength. If you have a casual attitude towards God, if you have no real interest in the things of God and in things eternal, then boredom is inevitable. The spiritual mind is concerned for the things of God. The unspiritual mind is concerned with the things of this world, not the things of God. If you have no sincere interest in God or things eternal, it is no wonder you are bored. It is only a matter of time before you withdraw from God and His church, unless you change your attitude.

Meaningful worship involves engagement. Here are some ways to become engaged in church worship and activities.

1)            Engage by participating in the singing, praying, partaking the Lord’s Supper, and listening to the sermon.

2)            Engage by speaking to fellow members. Don’t rush out. Stay and talk. Make friends and acquaintances.

3)            Engage with the speaker by taking notes during the sermon and writing down Scriptures to review later.

4)            Engage with God by reading His word as regularly as you can during the week.

5)            Engage in serious heartfelt prayer. Open you heart to God and ask for a mind more concerned for spiritual things and ask for a deeper love for Him.

6)            Engage by aligning your life actions with the conduct God calls us to incorporate into our behavior.

7)            Engage in the participation of the Sunday services by offering to publicly pray, pass the communion, read Scripture, lead singing, work in the audio visional booth, prepare the communion, etc.

8)            Engage by volunteering to teach in the Sunday school program with our children and our adults.

9)            Engage by attending the weekly Bible classes on Sunday, ladies class Sunday night, and Wednesday Zoom Bible Study.

10)         Engage by volunteering in the church’s community service projects. It will increase your spiritual development by helping others.

11)         Engage by volunteering to help on workdays or the weekly upkeep of the building and grounds.

Of course, let me encourage all who lead in the public weekly service, do so with some degree of sincere enthusiasm. Pray sincere and meaningful prayers. Lead a variety of songs at various tempos. Read Scripture with some inflection in your voice. Give sermon messages with clearly understandable points and with love, compassion, and enthusiasm for the Word of God.

May we never say, “How tired we are of all this!” Instead, may our attitude be one that desires to make God’s name great among the nations! — Tom