WATCHWORD:
1 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation. Psalm 100
15 God took the Man and set him down in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and keep it in order. Genesis 2:15 (The Message)
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Meditation:
God’s Tutorial
Over the last nearly 10 months what have we learned about worship? I mean, what have we learned about giving God all glory, expressing gratitude for the day that is made and offering our prayers for friends and family? Has streaming become a substitute for worship? Has the Pastor become more of a producer of a tech production, then a shepherd for people?
Worship is an interesting word. Over the centuries, it has taken on different meanings. Regardless of what meaning we may assign to it now, at the core is praise of God and joyful thanksgiving as described in Psalm 100. Yet the Hebrew word translated “worship” is more often translated as “serve” or “work.”
Our Daily Bread offers this explanation: “Adam was to “work” (same Hebrew word) the ground in the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15). Later this word became associated with the “service” of God in the tabernacle and temple (Numbers 3:7). Because tabernacle and temple service involved praise of God, offering sacrifices and other religious practices, the word came to mean “worship” as we understand it today.”
Do we consider “worship” to be service and work? More likely, I think our understanding of “worship” may follow an outline (also known as the Bulletin) that we count on as part of our time with the Lord. There it is, right in our hand, point by point, building our worship of God. In the “outline” we see Confession, guided prayers, Hymns, Old and New Testament readings, the Gospel lesson, we might recite the Apostle’s or the Nicene Creed, perhaps there would be the Service of the Sacraments, a reciting of the Lord’s Prayer, a benediction. All laid out for us, ready for us to recite, a formula for worship of God. Right?
Well, maybe. Going to “church” is important, and it keeps us focused on our Heavenly Father. Streaming of worship services is a good thing, and there are many televangelists out there with good messages. All this is important to us when the actual “going to Church” is off the table.
However, (this is where the ‘but’ comes in) in my mind, “worship” is a personal matter between me and God. We sometimes hear the comment, “I felt like I had been to church” following an especially meaningful service. You and I both know that feeling. I feel that, with some frequency, during my private time with God. From my readings of devotionals, the Bible, my prayer time and my journaling. It is a powerful feeling of the Presence of the Lord.
How about you? During these ten months God has taken us to school. Have we been open to His lessons? Have we drawn closer to Him? Has this time strengthened our faith, and, when we are back in the brick and mortar building for worship, how will that impact our expectation of worship? I wonder about that.
So, give it all to Him. That is what we should be doing. Not agonizing over our current situation or wondering about tomorrow. Worship of God is a simple act of surrender. If we have learned that one; well, we graduate with honors, His honors. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
Someday, after we have mastered the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity,
we shall harness for God the energies of love.
Then, for the second time in the history of the world,
we will have discovered fire.
–Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we praise You for these lessons on strength and joy, and for Paul’s faithful life witness left behind for us to learn from. Father, You command us to be joyful always, but You do not expect us to be able to figure out how to attain or retain that joy ourselves. You gave Your Son Jesus to light the way to a joy-filled life. Through His earthly footsteps, we study the example He left for us to follow. Thank You for Scripture. We know that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. All of creation reminds us of You. The beauty of nature and marvel of the changing seasons. The uniqueness in all of us and the diversity in the daily horizon. Surround us with reminders of You often, through nature, the people You place in our lives, and the Bible. May the Holy Spirit help us to understand Your Word, and will for our lives. Bless our hearts with sustaining joy, and the strength to hold onto it no matter what. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
