WORSHIP AND JOY By Noel Serrano from the Gala Foundation 2020

And the reason I say “essence” is because I know there are other emotions besides joy that are important components of corporate and individual worship. For example, the sorrows of confession of sin. “Weep you people with dirty hands,” James says. He commands them to weep! It’s not a command to rejoice. So I know that other emotions are necessary to a full orbed experience of worship — especially corporate worship. However, I’m staying with the word essence for joy because those sorrows are not true worship unless they are sorrows for not experiencing joy in God.