Worship in the Temple

Worship in the Temple

When the Babylonians destroyed the temple in Jerusalem the Hebrew people were devastated. The Psalmist describes his reaction to this horrible event:

“They (the Babylonians) behaved like men wielding axes to cut through a thicket of trees. They smashed all the carved paneling with their axes and hatchets. They burned your (God’s) sanctuary to the ground; they defiled the dwelling place of your Name ... They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land.” (Psalm 74:6-8).

Israel was horrified because the temple is where God dwelled among his people. With the temple gone, would God’s presence ever be felt in the land again? This was a legitimate fear for the people. The Psalmist continued: “We are given no miraculous signs; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be.” (V.9). Apparently he wondered.

The temple was central to Israel’s relationship with God and to it’s own identity as a people. God was present in his temple. So long as the temple stood, the Israelites knew God was dwelling in their midst, and they felt free from harm. What would life be like if the temple was destroyed?

From later OT writings we know that even without a building God could still, and did, commune with his people. But from the perspective of an ancient Hebrew, the temple was central.

- A faithful Israelite wanted to live righteously so he could commune with God in the temple: “Lord, who may dwell in our sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous.” (Psalm 15:1-2)

- The heart of a faithful Israelite yearned for communion with God in this special building. “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God ... I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” (Psalm 84:1-2; 10)

- The Israelites who lived in communion with God and worshiped him felt secure in His protective care. “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore.” (Psalms 125:1-2)

Worship in the temple provided ancient Hebrews a sense of the transcendence of God. “In the temple, instead of want they found surfeit; instead of abandonment, care; instead of pollution, purity, instead of victimization, justice, instead of threat, security; instead of vulnerability, inviolability; instead of change, fixity; and instead of temporality, eternity.” (Madigan and Levenson, Resurrection, 93-94).

After the Babylonian destruction and exile, Israel did return to the land and were allowed to rebuild the temple. God was again present.

Christians don’t have a central building, an earthly structure, where God’s presence is located. Instead, God dwells in and among his people (1 Cor. 3:16 & 6:19). God dwells in his church, in you and me. God communes in and with us.

Can we bring that same zeal the Israelites had for their building to the church? Here, in the midst of other believers, we find abundance, care, purity, justice, security and eternity. We find these blessings not because of the perfection and faithfulness of other believers. We find it because God is perfect and faithful. “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!”

Warren Baldwin

MOVED TO WORSHIP

MOVED TO WORSHIP

Praise the LORD. Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. Let the name of the LORD be praised, both now and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised. The LORD is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens. Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people. He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the LORD. Psalm 113.

Are you afraid of God? I don’t mean do you fear him. To fear God means to respect him and hold him in awe. The Bible speaks of the fear of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom and of being in relationship with him. Deuteronomy asks, "And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God will all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?" (V.12-13) This verse connects fearing the Lord with having a relationship with him.

But some people are afraid of God, much like we might be afraid of an angry grizzly bear or a murderer holding a weapon. They view God as harsh and judgmental and fear that God will vent his anger against them in cruel ways. Most of us have a sense of our own sin and wrongdoing, and we may fear that God will judge us harshly and punish us painfully because of that sin, rather than forgive us if we repent.

We are we the first people in history with such a view of God. Ancient people, such as the Sumerians of Mesopotamia, were afraid of their gods. I say gods because they had many gods, not just one. They feared that their gods were cruel and vindictive. In the ancient mythologies gods were very much like human beings in their attitudes and even sinful behavior, and if they didn’t feel like they were getting enough attention from the people they could punish them severely. They would exercise their power in cruel ways.

To appease the anger of the gods the people would worship. But, their worship was not motivated by love and gratitude for the good things the gods did; their worship was motivated by fear. They hoped to appease the anger of the gods so the gods would not vent their anger against them.

As part of their worship and appeasement the ancient Sumerians, built temples or shrines to honor and worship their gods. Then, they would build their houses around the temples. The whole town was built around the shrine. They made it as elaborate and beautiful as they could, hoping the god or goddess would like it. The hope of the people was that if the god liked it, he wouldn’t destroy the town because he wouldn’t want to destroy his beautiful temple! The bottom line is, the Sumerians did not worship their gods because the gods were good and kind, but because they were powerful and vindictive. They were afraid.

Contrast that with the beautiful sentiment of Psalm 113. Here, the Psalmist extols the wonderful virtues of the God of heaven. God is powerful enough to be enthroned in heaven, but he is also kind enough to lift the poor from their misery and seat them with princes. He is also mindful of the barren women longing for children.

The God of Psalm 113, the God Christians worship, is a good God who sees the suffering of people and is concerned for their welfare. He loves his people and is moved to help them.

We are moved to worship this God not because he is powerful and mean, but because he his powerful and kind. He provides for our needs and we respond in love and appreciation. "Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?" What a blessed people we are to have a kind God like this, one who elicits in us the desire to worship, not because we have to, but because we want to, with a heart overflowing with gratitude.

Warren Baldwin

As The Deer

AS THE DEER
Psalm 42&43

As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after you
You alone are my hearts desire and I long to worship you
You alone are my strength my, my shield
To you alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my hearts desire and I long to worship you.

This is one of my favorite songs. As we sing it I can close my eyes and just be lifted by the beauty of the lyrics, the flow of the melody, and the harmony of the church. If I am singing it alone I miss the harmony of the church, but the song still has the power to lift my spirit.

I think I can enjoy this song so much because I sing it from a heart that is joyful. I live in a place I choose to live. We can afford to visit other places where we have loved ones, like Tennessee, Florida, Wyoming and Montana. Other than a few annoyances here and there, my health is good. My children are all healthy and doing well in their school work, jobs and sports. Cheryl and I enjoy the evenings we have at home alone. My life is good.

So when I sing this beautiful song, As the Deer, I sing it from a heart that is basically at peace, content, and grateful. Everything isn’t quite the way I would like for it to be, but if things continued on like they are until my death, I would die a very happy and satisfied man. This song resonates from a heart at peace.

Suffering Behind the Psalm

But the man who wrote this song was not a man at peace. His life was disturbed and disrupted. He reveals in his opening statement that, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you." (V.1). A deer, or its cousin the elk, is a stately creature. They are as fun to hunt with a camera as with a rifle. My photo albums bulge with pictures of deer or elk in fields, in mountains, in Yellowstone National Park, in people’s front yards. But when a deer is really, really thirsty, it loses some of its stately appearance. When a deer or elk is run by hunters or coyotes, and it craves water, it sweats and pants. It’s tongue hangs out and it gasps for air. It loses it’s attractiveness. But a thirsty deer isn’t trying to look attractive, it is desperate for streams of water to slake it’s thirst.

Something has run the life out of the psalmist. He has lost his composure and his stateliness. He pants for air and water to slake his spiritual thirst. He never tells us exactly what has happened, but he gives some colorful insights.

Physical Pain

"My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me." (42:10). Aching bones is a physical ailment. I’ll never forget walking into this church building one night after the pews had been moved into the hallway. I didn’t know they were there when I walked over to the light switch. The first I learned of it was when my right knee met the corner of one of the pews. As I rolled around on the floor I cried with the psalmist, "My bones suffer mortal agony!" I didn’t say, "As my foes taunt me," but I did add, "As some of the guys would be laughing if they were here to see this!"

The phrase, "My bones suffer mortal agony" can refer to physical ailment, but it can also function as a metaphor for deep-seated emotional pain or distress. Loss, abuse, failure, shame are all experiences and emotions that can cause us to feel agony so deep in our souls it feels like our bones ache and muscles throb. The Psalmist gives some indication of such emotional pain. He fears (42:33), mourns (42:9), feels forgotten and rejected by God (42:9 & 43:2) and he feels oppressed (43:2).

Longing for Home

Some explain the Psalmist’s oppression as being literal bondage in Babylon. In 587 B.C. the Babylonians invaded Palestinian. They destroyed everything of significance in the capital city of Jerusalem. The walls, houses and public buildings were destroyed. The most painful experience was to see the temple demolished, with stones and lumber littering the ground. The center of Israelite spiritual life was gone, leaving Israel without its heart.

As the survivors stood in the heart of the city they could see columns of smoke arising where once there were houses with children running and playing and mother’s baking bread. Today many of those children were lying in the streets, their mothers lying next to them. The laughter was gone. All one could hear now was the weeping of survivors. Was this the mourning of the Psalmist? Then, a bellowing voice announced, "Move!", and thousands of Israelites were marched out of the city toward captivity and slavery in a foreign land.

Perhaps it was in Babylon, hundreds of miles away, where the Psalmist wrote, "My soul is downcast with in me (42:5). He remembers the lines of people crowding the temple for worship. He says, "How I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God." (42:4). This man was not only a faithful worshiper: he led in worship. His heart burst with joy as he worshiped and fellowshipped with his brothers.

But now he is away. Instead of brothers greeting him with "Shalom," enemy soldiers of Babylon taunt him: "Where is your God?" (42:3). He cries out, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?" (42:10). Here, in a land spiritually dry and barren, the Psalmist longs for home.

In 1877 American soldiers defeated the Northern Cheyenne in the Dakota Territory. The government decided to move the Cheyenne to the reservation of their brothers in Fort Reno, OK. The change was devastating to the morale and health of the Indians. Instead of the dry, cool climate they were used to in the Dakotas, the Cheyenne now had to endure the heat and humidity of the southern climate. Instead of getting to hunt the deer and buffalo of back home, they had to live on the scanty rations provided by federal agents. Some Indians became so hungry they killed their own dogs and horses to feed their families.

Little Wolf, a leader of the Cheyenne, wrote,

"A great many have been sick, some have died. I have been sick a great deal of the time since I have been down here - homesick and heartsick and sick in every way. I have been thinking of my native country and the good home I had up there where I was never hungry, but when I wanted anything to eat I could go out and hunt buffalo. It makes me feel sick when I think about that, and I cannot help thinking about that." (Thomas Goodrich, Scalp Dance, p.296).

So great was the pain in Little Wolf’s heart that he and three hundred other Cheyenne men, women and children escaped the reservation, determined to go home.

That may be the longing of the Psalmists heart in this song. "I want to go home. I want to go worship. I want to be with God’s people. I pant for the worship of my God the way a deer pants for water and an Indian longs for home."

Beaten by Life

The Psalmist may have been in physical pain. He may have been subjected to captivity in a hostile, foreign land. Either of these explanations could be true. But there is one more possibility: the psalmist may simply have been beaten down by the traumas of everyday life.

How many of you enjoy reading the news today? Bailouts, Stimulus packages, market drops, job layoffs, suicides, outsourcing of jobs, projected food shortages, bank failures ... somebody stop me!! How much of this kind of depressing news can a people bear? Everyday news sources give us more reason to be sad, angry, depressed and distrustful. I read only so much of it then put my hands up and say, "Enough!" I don’t believe in hiding my head in the sand. I believe that we as Christians more than anyone should be able to face reality and say, "Oh well." Because the reality in the newspapers, even if it is true, is only a temporary reality for us. It is not ultimate. God holds the ultimate reality in his hands, and that includes us! So I read the news to be informed, but I can’t read so much of it that I allow it to form my view of what is real and permanent. Only God has the right to that much influence over our minds.

If we let it, life will beat us down and crowd out any sense of God. That happened to Nicole. Nicole grew up in Romania during the height of communist power. He parents were nurtured by the communist system, so they were atheists. Nicole had little chance to be anything but an atheist. She was married and had a teenage son when she began studying with missionary Charles Jackson. After the second session she said, "Charles, I must tell you that I don’t believe in God, but I want to." (21st CC, p.35)

Nicole spend her years in an atheistic, oppressive system looking for something of substance and value. She married and had a child. That is certainly important, but even our family can not take the place of a relationship with God. They can enhance it, but not replace it. She looked for meaning in a career, becoming a biochemist. But something was missing. Nicole didn’t know it, but she was panting for streams of water.

It doesn’t have to be something as extreme as communist oppression that leaves us feeling devoid of meaning, fearful of life, and despairing of joy. The daily trauma of rejection by friends, fear for our jobs, and discontent in our homes can leave us feeling beaten by life.

Where can we turn when any physical ailments, periods of exile or being beaten by life assail us?

Yet Will I Praise Him

The Psalmist has a thrice repeated phrase, "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." (42:5, 11; 43:5).

The Psalmist refuses to allow the vicissitudes of life to determine his spiritual outlook. An aching body, distance from his worshiping brothers, or a debilitating personal struggle may weaken him, even overwhelm him at times, but never defeats him. He keeps turning back to God, his source of strength.

He doesn’t wait until the pain is over or the misery is lifted. He doesn’t praise God because his struggle is lessened. He praises God even in the midst of his despair.

He is spiritually dry in a barren land. He is thirsty, ridiculed, disturbed, downcast, forgotten, mournful and oppressed. But he is first of all a believer, and he will never forget the God who ultimately delivers.

The yearning of the Psalmist’s heart pours forth in 43:1: "Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; rescue me from deceitful and wicked men." Notice his pleas for deliverance: vindicate me, plead my cause, rescue me. This man needs help. And he knows the one place he can turn: to God.

Near the end of the movie Old Yeller a tearful older brother, Travis, stands over the yellow dog’s grave. He is trying to make sense of the death of this precious dog that brought so much joy and help to his family. How can you explain how much love you can feel for a dog? How do you explain the friendship and comradery? How do you make sense out of a dog’s tragic death?

As Travis was mourning his friend his dad walked up behind him. "Your mom told me about Old Yeller. She told me about how strong and brave you were. I’m proud of you son."

"Dad, why did this happen?"

"I don’t know son. All I can tell you is that sometimes life picks you up and slams you down so hard it feels like your insides is busting all apart. All a man can do at a time like that is get up and get back at life." I’ve watched Old Yeller many times, and that scene melts my heart every time. I’ve stood with people over the grave of several Old Yellers. I’ve stood with family members over the graves of young husbands, young wives, and even children. I’ve listened to people pour out their pain about lost love, lost jobs, lost money, lost hope. What do you tell them?

Travis’s dad would tell them, "Get up and get back at life."

The Psalmist would tell them. "Get back to worship. We must be reminded that the grace and mercy of God is the ultimate reality. He holds the victory over every pain we experience right now. You are spiritually dehydrated. The worship of God is your refreshment."

As the deer pants for streams of water,
So my soul pants for you, O God.

Warren Baldwin
March 8, 2009

Worship

Ben Witherington wrote, "Worship is not about giving people what they want and crave, its about giving God what he desires and requires. "

Worship is humbling ourselves and honoring God. It is about taking ourselves off the throne and recognzing God's rightful place there.

Ben has a good article about worship at: http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/2009/03/sad-state-of-christian-worship-spirit.html

The Church at Worship, pt 1

THE CHURCH AT WORSHIP
Part 1: ACTS OF WORSHIP (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

God’s people have always been a worshiping people. When God called Moses he told him, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain."

Worship in the Old Testament

In Exodus 19 God came down to meet with his people. Great care is given to the preparation of the people (vs.10-15). The people have to prepare their minds and their bodies for the visit of God. They have to purify their bodies and clothes. They have to concentrate their minds on the appearance of God. Even the natural relation enjoyed by a husband and wife, and which God authorizes, is to be refrained from so they can concentrate fully upon God.

God spoke ten words on this occasion, ten words of command, order, ethics and worship (chapter 20):
"I am the Lord your God ... You shall no other gods before me." (Vs.2-3)
"You shall not make for yourself an idol ..." (V.4)
"You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God ..." (V.7)
"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy." (V.8)

Four of the ten commands were about our worshipful response to God. And God demanded strict allegiance! "Whoever sacrifices to any god other than the Lord must be destroyed." (22:20).

One way the people worshiped God was through sacrifice and festivals (23:4). In reaching out to the people, and offering ways of worship to them, what God wanted was communion with his people. "Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David." (Isaiah 55:2a-3).

Love is behind our acts of worship, love from God toward us and from us toward God. Love shows itself toward God in acts of worship: attending festivals and offering sacrifices.1 We live in communion with God our Father. We offer him our bodies and minds. We consecrate our bodies and renew our minds. When we do, we worship God acceptably.

Worship in the New Testament

Worshiping God acceptable today is to worship through and in Jesus. John 4:24 says, "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 14 says Jesus is the truth. Today we worship in the name of Jesus.

There are two parts to worship: our bodies and our hearts or minds; our actions and our attitudes. We worship from the heart but respond with our bodies. It is a total experience. There are several acts that we offer to God in worship today.

One is giving.

Paul speaks of giving as a "privilege of sharing in ... service to the saints" and as an "act of grace." ( 2 Corinthians 8:4 & 6). Financial gifts that are given to the Lord willingly are accepted by God: "For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have." (V.12).

Paul urges worshipers to give liberally: "Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:6-7).

Giving to God does two positive things: it supplies the needs of God’s people and it is an expression of thanks to God (v.12).

In the act giving or contributing, let’s keep in mind several perspectives on this part of our worship that Paul emphasizes:
One, giving is a community function. Gifts given can and may be used to serve brothers who are in need.
Two, giving is an act of expressing thanks to God for the gifts he has given us.
Three, God looks at the attitude of the heart on the part of the giver: God looks for a spirit of generosity and cheer.
Four, gifts given in this proper spirit are accepted by the Father.
Remember the poor widow who had only two small coins to offer in contribution. Jesus said of her, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put in more than all the others (the rich). All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on." (Luke 21:3-4).

Jesus saw the spirit of generosity and cheer in the heart of the poor woman, and he accepted her worship.

A second act of worship is partaking of the Lord’s Supper.

Each time we eat of the Lord’s Supper we have bread and fruit of the vine. There is a deep theological purpose for this which Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. As we eat the bread and drink the fruit of the vine, we are remembering Jesus. But, it is actually more than remembrance, it is also proclamation. "For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes." (V.26).

We proclaim two things when we take the Lord’s Supper. One, we proclaim Jesus’ death. Jesus died. His death on the cross was sacrificial and unselfish. He died for our redemption and salvation. He died so that we could be restored to an eternal relationship with the Father.

Two, we proclaim his return. Jesus died but he also arose! The grave could not contain him. Further, Jesus is coming again.

Every time we eat the Lord’s Supper we proclaim, "Jesus died for us, but he arose and is coming again for us. Jesus is alive." Because Jesus is alive, there is life in our worship, because the one we worship is alive. We have hope, expectancy and purpose in our worship and our Christian life.

Verse 26 is really a good statement for all of our worship. All of our worship celebrates a living God, a living Son and a living Spirit. Think of how bland worship could become if we worshiped a mere idol or the memory of a some great leader. We don’t do that. We celebrate life. The Lord’s Supper does that. So does our perching. Preaching celebrates the victory we have in the living Christ. Prayer is offered with view to Jesus returning. We sing praises extolling a living savior. Our worship is alive and vibrant because Jesus is coming back.

A third act of worship is singing.

Visitors notice that we sing a capella. That is, we sing without the accompaniment of instrumental music. Why? There are three basic reasons. One is reason is historical: the early church did not use instrumental music. They sang. Secondly, the scriptural witness is that the early church sang. Finally, the focus of singing is to make melody in your heart: "Sing and make melody in your hearts to the Lord."

Two important texts for singing are Ephesians 5:19,20 and Colossians 3:15-17. Three important reasons for singing can be seen in these two passages. One, when we sing we teach and admonish one another. We need words for that. Secondly, we make music in our hearts. "The worship of God will no longer focus on sensual elements such as holy cities, sacrifice, incense, special priests and temples, but now the worship of God will arise from the fountain of living water that wells up inside the people of God through the Holy Spirit."2

Thirdly, in singing we offer thanksgiving to God. Both passages connect singing to God with offering thanks to God. How can we refuse to sing? How can we be unmoved by a spiritual song? How can we simply offer judgment on singing? The very act of singing is to offer thanksgiving to God.

Preaching is a fourth act of worship.

Acts 3 records the first public proclamation of Jesus after Pentecost. Peter and John are going to the temple to pray when a crippled beggar asks them for money. Peter tells the man, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Strength returned to the man’s feet and ankles and he began to walk. But he didn’t just walk: he jumped and praised God. The people who saw him were filled with amazement and they gathered around Peter, John and the man who was healed. Peter asked the crowd, "Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or holiness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus." (V.12-13).

After beginning with these two questions Peter develops his sermon as follows: One, he announces the sin of the people. "You handed him (Jesus) over to be killed ... You disowned the Holy and Righteous One ... You killed the author of life ..." (Vs.13-15). Next, Peter Affirmed the work of God being performed in their place and time: It was by faith in Jesus that the crippled man was healed." (V.16) Thirdly, Peter quickly outlines a history of the redemptive work of God, from the preaching of the prophets until the return of Jesus (vs.17-16). Finally, Peter offered an opportunity for the people to respond: "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, and that time of refreshing may come from the Lord." (V.19)

This was an evangelistic sermon in an evangelistic setting. Preaching would be the means by which God would call people into his community of the redeemed. Preaching would form them in this community. Later, as people were called into the body, preaching would continue to keep them formed and rooted in the story of God’s ongoing redemptive work. As we continue to preach today, we continue in God’s ongoing purpose of calling, redeeming and forming people in the church.

The fifth act of worship we engage in is prayer.

Prayer is something we offer to God with each other and for each other. Prayer is not about getting what we want. Prayer is about seeking what God wants for us.

In Ephesians we have two model prayers for Christians and churches to offer today. The prayers are in Ephesians 1:15-23 and 3:14-19. Paul reveals in these prayers what he wants, and God wants, for Christians.

One, Paul prays that we would know God better. (1:17). "Know" is a relationship term. Paul is not praying that we would know more about God, but that we would enter more deeply in relationship with him. This would involve having a deeper faith and catching a vision of the character of the Father.

Two, the prayer continues with the desire that we would know the hope, glory and power God has for us. (1:18-19). Understanding the hope, glory and power God is ready to offer us will give us the strength to continue to endure in our relationship with God, even when the demands of the Christian life become difficult.

Three, Paul prays that we would be strengthened in our inner being by the Spirit so that Christ may dwell in us. (3:16-17). Paul knows the trials and temptations that can come to believers. He also knows that the strengthening of the Spirit will keep us living in faith.

Four, Paul prays that we would know fully and completely the love of God experienced in community. (3:18-19). Prayer is not just individual communication to God. Prayer is also a joint communication by the church. We pray together and we pray for each other. I pray for your strength and you pray for mine. We pray for unity, understanding and love for and with each other. Pray is our cement.

Worship is an attitude of heart we bring to God. But that attitude is expressed in specific acts when we come together as the Church. Each act has the function of focusing our hearts on God and of calling us together in unity.

Warren Baldwin July 2006

Notes:
1.Love also shows itself toward God in acts of love toward others. Cf. 1 John 3:16-18.
2.John Mark Hicks, "Instrumental Music." Available on line at www.johnmarkhicks.faithsite.com/content.asp?CID=3900.

The Church at Worship, pt 2

Part 2: ATTITUDES OF WORSHIP

There are actions to worship. We sing, pray, preach, take the Lord’s Supper, and give financially to the Lord’s work. But, before we can worship in action acceptably to God, we must first have a heart for worship. Actions of worship cannot replace attitudes of worship.

Worship as Adoration

Deuteronomy 6:4,5 - "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."

Is there a more profound statement in the whole Bible about the attitude in our heart toward God? So important is this statement that it is repeated, in whole or part, three times in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one."

"Hear, O Israel" is called the "Shema" after the command "to hear." To hear means to obey. "To hear God without putting into effect the command is not to hear him at all."3 I remember my Dad giving us boys instructions about working on the farm. "Make sure you pull all the weeds in the garden and clean the barn. After that, don’t forget to do the milking." Frequently after giving instructions like that Dad would follow up with, "Do you hear what I am saying?" Dad didn’t want to know if our ears were working. He wanted to know that we were going to obey and do what he said. That idea is at the heart of what God is presenting to Israel: "Listen to me with an obedient heart."

We listen to God because he is "one." He is unique, all-powerful and creative. There is no god like our God. He deserves our attention and worship. He deserves for us to hear him.

What was Israel to hear? What was she to obey? Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. We love God with all of our being, with everything we have to give.

The heart refers to our mind. To love God with our minds means we devote intellectual energy to understanding who God is. The soul refers to our inner person, or will. The soul is the essence of who we are. It is the home of our desires, plans and aspirations. Strength refers to our physical being. Even our bodies are called into lay when we love God. Loving God with our bodies means we conduct our bodies in purity and holiness. We abstain from sensual pleasure and abuse; we treat our bodies with honor and dignity. "To obey is to love God with every aspect and element of one’s being."4

How would God have us live? Notice that the Shema and the command to love God with everything we have comes right after the giving of the Ten Commandments. Six of the ten commandments have to do with how we relate to each other: honoring our parents; honoring human life by not killing people; being sexually pure; not stealing or lying; and not lusting or coveting another man’s wife or possessions. Four of the Ten Commandments are about our relationship with God: not honoring any other god but the one God of heaven; not making idols; not misusing the name of God; and setting aside a day for rest and to contemplate God. Forty percent of the commandments are about our worship and adoration of God.

Following the Shema are a number of admonitions for Israel to practice in respect to God: not forgetting God (6:12); fearing and serving only God (6:13-15) and keeping the commands of God (6:17). Also, when Israel takes the land God is giving her, she is to destroy all of the idols and pagan worship centers in the land (7:5-6). God will not accept any competition in our worship and adoration of him!

That was true in the Old Testament times, and it is true today as well. The command to love God with all of our being is quoted three times in Matthew, Mark and Luke. In two instances Jesus is asked what the most important commandment of the Old Testament is. He quotes this verse from Deuteronomy 6:5. In the third instance, in Luke 10, an expert in the law asked Jesus, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus challenges the man to answer that question from the Bible: "What is written in the law?" The man answers, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind." Salvation is found in our heart-felt response of love to God.

Different circles in the church today emphasize different aspects of the source of our salvation. Some say "preach Jesus." Some emphasize the Holy Spirit. Jesus says, "Love God."5

Whatever we adore is what we give our attention and energy to. My grandfather tried to teach a cousin of his about Christ. His cousin was extremely successful in business. He was very wealthy. "You seem to have everything," Grandpa said. "But you need God." "I need God?" His cousin spoke with a condescending and mocking tone. "What do I need God for? Everything I have I got on my own." This man loved his success. He gave everything for it - his time, his wife, his kids. He gave them all for his success ... he lost them all. But he had his business success. He loved his money, he adored his position, he was devoted to himself. All that love and energy is what God demands for himself. That is kind of love is one of the key ingredients of worshiping God with a proper attitude.


Worship as Allegiance

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
I remember saying the Pledge of Allegiance as far back as first grade. Every morning we would begin our school day by reciting this oath of allegiance to our country. We had a couple of older teachers in the four-room school house I attended who actually had us sing some of America’s patriotic songs as well. We’d sing the Battle Hymn of the Republic and America the Beautiful. I don’t know if the full significance of these songs touched me at the time, but as I grew older I think they did.

What our teachers tried to instill in us was a sense of loyalty and devotion to our country. With our right hands over our hearts we would offer through song or recitation the solemn promise of loyalty and devotion. Every day. This devotion was punctuated with an elaborate ceremony every year of walking to the local graveyard and placing little American flags on the grave sites of fallen soldiers. Allegiance.

Have you ever thought that what we do every Sunday in the singing of our songs and other acts of worship is a pledge of loyalty to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? We don’t have "a" pledge of allegiance. The entire experience of our worship functions as the pledge. We sing of God’s majesty and greatness; we recall the sacrifice of the Son for our redemption; we offer up a token of a responsive sacrifice with a financial offering; we offer a public proclamation of the Christ as the object of our devotion and we bow our heads in humble prayer, acknowledging our lowly state before the throne of the King. In all of this we remind ourselves that without God’s love for us, without Christ’s sacrifice for us and without the Holy Spirit’s continuing work of transformation among us, we would still be "foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures ... (living in) malice and envy, being hated and hating one another" (Titus 3:3). In worship we extol the "kindness and love of God our savior" which has appeared, saving us "because of his mercy" (Titus 3:4-5). Worship is a pledge of allegiance.

Everyday we face the daunting challenge of maintaining loyalty and devotion to our Savior. Numerous lesser gods vie for our attention and love. How many of us want to compare the time we spend in Bible reading to learn more about our savior with time we spend in front of the television? Take a quick look at your checkbook and compare how the money allocated for spiritual activities compares with money spent on personal pursuits or pleasures. Are we more proficient with knowledge of sports scores and statistics than we are with the number of missionaries we have serving in Africa and Asia? What songs roll from our lips when we are driving down the road - the current popular tunes, or songs of Zion? We must be careful lest we change our status as sons of the King of the Universe to become children of a lesser God.

That is why we need worship. Worship reminds us that there is one God. We sing to that God. We pray to that God. We proclaim the word of that God. We remind ourselves, "There is no one else. There is no authority above God’s authority. There is no power above his power. There is no savior but the one who came from the Father."

So we pledge allegiance. To God "we ascribe ultimate authority over our lives."6 Our worship is a declaration to the world, a pledge of allegiance to God, and a reminder to ourselves that there is no one higher, there is nothing grander, than the God we pay homage to in worship. God is our "all in all" (1 Cor. 15:28). Worship reminds us that God is our power for today.

Worship as Awe (Wonder)

Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created. Psalm 148:1-5

I think a lot about worship. How should worship be conducted? Every group has biblical teaching they have identified as incredibly important to who and what they are as God’s people. These passages influence what we do in worship. Some churches put more emphasis on singing, some on personal testimonials, some on the Lord’s Supper, some on preaching and even some on giving money.

Every group has traditions that build up over time. Not only do we like singing, but there are certain songs that become more dear to us than others. We like preaching, but some verses or some stories of the Bible proclaim more the heart of what we believe and how we perceive ourselves. We the Lord’s Supper, but certain ways of observing it speak more to our hearts than others. Every aspect of the actual worship service has some biblical teaching and some tradition that secures that observance in our hearts as real, biblical, meaningful and right.

That is good. When we worship we need some sense of, "God is pleased with what I am doing. My singing, my observance of communion and my attention to the sermon are all in some way feeding my spirit the way the Lord would want it to." That is important. But something else is important, too.

Have you ever been so far out in nature that you could see any cars, any houses, and roads, any power lines? That is an incredible experience. I’ve had that experience numerous times.

I remember one time being atop Pat O’Hara mountain outside of Cody, Wyoming. The snow was deep - I was sinking in the snow the full length of my legs and still not touching the ground. I slowly made my way to the top of a ridge. From this spot I could look out and see the most incredible display of untouched, uncontaminated nature that you can imagine. All around me mountain peaks poked holes in the sky. The valleys were deep, snaking their way through the mountains. I was hunting elk, but at that moment I quit hunting elk. I almost felt like the hunted, alone and exposed on top of that snowy ridge.

Emotions overwhelmed me. I couldn’t escape the majesty of this creation. The breathtaking view, the cold air in my lungs, the deep snow, the exposed rock ridges, the trees bent under the weight of snow. And the loneliness. I could scream and no one would hear me. If I hurt myself, no one was coming to my rescue. No one would know. I was alone. But it wasn’t a panicky type of aloneness. I didn’t feel fear as much as I felt reduced, reduced to someone pretty small in the grand scheme of things, nature, time, life.

But up there on that ridge I also had a sense of Wonder. Wonder at the grandeur of this natural masterpiece I was looking at. Wonder at the power of God to be able to create something this captivating of my attention and overwhelming to my senses. Wonder at the power of this natural environment I was in. Those mountains stood in proud defiance of our bulldozers and suburban sprawl. They were standing just as God created them, thousands and thousands of years ago. I wondered at the majesty, power, genius and eternity of the God who made all this. I didn’t sing, pray, preach or do any of those things we do in a worship service. But there is still a very real sense in which I worshiped that morning atop Pat O’Hara Mountain. Wonder.

The cold air dried my eyes. They teared up and I wiped them away, turned, and walked down the trail, trying to step into the holes in the snow I made on the way up. I was tired when I got back to the truck. But I was refreshed in a way, too. Wonder does that, whether it is on top of a mountain or in a church building singing along with 100 other people.

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts ... Psalm 95:1-8a.

We have to be true to the Bible verses and tradition that has shaped us. But may we never lose the sense of Wonder at the God who made us, calls us, and blesses us with his presence in our lives. And may our worship in song and scripture, in prayer and giving, and in the Lord’s Supper, ring out with our adoration, our awe, and our allegiance to the God of heaven.

Warren Baldwin July 2006

Notes:
3.Eugene H. Merrill, "Deuteronomy" in The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1994), p.162.

4.Merrill, p.163.

5.Lamar Williamson, Jr., "Mark" in Interpretation (Knoxville: John Knox Press, 1983) p.226.

6.Lee Camp, Mere Discipleship, (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2003), p.120. I owe Lee for the idea of worship being allegiance.