But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people's weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.
Ezra 3:12-13
As the returned exiles began construction of a new temple for the worship of God in Jerusalem, a spontaneous worship service erupted as the foundation was laid. And it was highly emotional. The elderly among them who had seen the temple of Solomon as children wept with the memory even as the new generations rejoiced that the work of rebuilding could begin.
And this has me reflecting on both worship and motives for ministry. First... worship. It would seem that worship is what people bring to it, in terms of emotional connection at least. That is what happened here. The place we come from in our own personal walk with God emotionally charges our worship experience. God is the same for all those assembled, but emotion is highly affected by experience.
And concerning motivations for ministry, this is also true. We serve from differing backgrounds and our experiences of serving God are also influenced by this back story. It is OK to both serve and worship God with joy. It is also equally OK to have some sorrow in these things when it is godly sorrow. God is bigger and blesses both experiences to draw us closer to Him.
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