Do you have to have it all together to worship God?

No. You start with willingness, and God meets you there. In John 4, Jesus talks about worship with a Samaritan woman who lived on the edges of her town, and she became one of the first people to tell others about him. That is the heart of this message from our EMBRACE series. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqXibngcGmg.

Why do so many people stay away from church?

Many people feel they aren't good enough or ready yet. For years people have been driven away from church because they thought they had to get their lives in order first. I told our church plainly that "none of us will ever be ready." Deacons, ministers and pastors included, all of us are broken, and none of us will be perfect.

What does Jesus say about worship in John 4?

Jesus says the time has come when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, and the Father is looking for people like that. He says this to a Samaritan woman at a well, someone a man in his position was not expected to speak to. He knew her story and her struggles, and he still talked with her about worship.

Why does spirit come before truth?

God reveals the truth to people who come to him in spirit. I think the church often flips the order. We hit people over the head with rules and hope they find the Spirit later. The passage puts spirit first. As I said that morning, "come in spirit and God will reveal you the truth." You don't need a degree. You need a heart for God and the willingness to take one step.

What are signs, and why do they matter?

Signs are the ways God shows himself in our world, the spiritual becoming visible. In EMBRACE we talk about word, deed and sign. The church is good at words, and we do good deeds. Many of us have quietly stopped expecting signs, because we can't control them and they don't fit on a spreadsheet. Every Sunday I pray for God to move in our church, because that is how people know he is present.

Can we make God show up the way we want?

We can't. I once attended a church where some people got happy the same way every single week, and it started to feel manufactured. God might move at the altar, or in a quiet moment at the communion table. Our part is to come open to however he moves.

Why does worship matter for busy families?

Something will always compete for your Sunday morning, whether it is a soccer game or a brunch. Silicon Valley has plenty of good causes you could give a weekend to, and you can be a good person without ever coming to church. What the church offers is a relationship with God. When people experience God in worship and hear how he is working in other people's lives, they know he is real, and they want to come back.

What happened to the woman after she met Jesus?

She went and told her town. She never went to seminary. She had an experience with Jesus, she talked about it with people who didn't believe, and her community changed. Worship does something similar in us. "My worship is transformative because it shows me that God is real." That experience is what equips you to talk with the people around you, and it is enough to start.

Join us Sundays at 10 AM PT at 3549 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94306, or watch live at youtube.com/@uamez. Plan your visit at uamez.com.