Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
Week 11: Chapter 10 — Worship
Read Chapter 10 of Celebration of Discipline. Key Scripture: John 4:23–24; Psalm 95:1–7; Romans 12:1.
Worship is the Corporate Discipline that is most familiar to churchgoers and perhaps most misunderstood — Foster argues that true worship is not a style of music or a length of service but an encounter with the living God that transforms the worshiper. This week, examine what actually happens when you gather with others to worship.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Foster writes that 'worship is our responding to the overtures of love from the heart of the Father.' How does that description reshape the way you think about what is happening — or what should be happening — when you gather for corporate worship?
2.He distinguishes between worship that is focused on the worshiper's experience (how I feel, whether I was 'moved') and worship that is focused on God. How common is worshiper-centered worship in your experience? What does it look like, and what are its costs?
3.Foster suggests that preparation for worship — coming with expectation, clearing the heart of bitterness and distraction, arriving ready to receive — is itself a discipline. How do you typically prepare for Sunday worship? What would change if you were more intentional about it?
a.What practical steps could you take on Saturday evening or Sunday morning to arrive more fully present?
b.Is there anything — a relationship, a grievance, a distraction — that regularly prevents you from entering fully into worship?
Closing Prayer
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