Folks,
It was inevitable. It was. There was simply nothing we could do to avoid; it was going to happen, eventually. No matter how hard we might have tried to deny, delay, or deter it; it was going to happen, and we were helpless to stop it, change it, or even slow it down. What was 'it?' "The Simpson's" might have to go the way of the Dodo. It was inevitable, but the longest running sitcom in television history might just be staring at the finish line of its long, amazing run.
How will life go on without that quirky family blessing our evening routines? Will life still have meaning? Will we ever fall in love with another sitcom again? First the demise of the daily soaps and now this, what's next? "Survivor?" One can only hope.
Obviously i don't really care what happens to "The Simpsons," daily soaps, or even "Two and a Half Men," but i illuminate the end for these shows because too many times we value what is not important, while ignoring what truly matters.
But what does truly matter?
This seems to be the age old question. What does truly matter? Or perhaps we could put it another way, why go to church? Why worship? Why gather as followers of Jesus? Why do anything that highlights our faith? Why not sit at home watching the National Football League or skipping rocks at the lake? Or why not sleep in and let the day pass away as we catch up on sleep?
We have so many options that distract us from worshipping together on Sunday; it does raise a valid question, why go to church at all? Why take the time to get up, get dressed, maybe drink some coffee, and then drive to worship when there are so many other things that seem to be more important or in the least, when we are honest, more enjoyable? Why worship?
Have i gotten your attention? Are you shaking your heads wondering if i have finally lost my mind? Then good, but no i haven't lost my mind. I am just asking the question that so many ask, whether they want to admit it or not. But most depressing is that we actually have to wrestle with the choice.
Sure we might go to church because we feel obligated to do so, or we think we might get to see so and so there, or we might want to focus on how much money has come into the offering, or we might want to hear what blasphemy the pastor might try to feed us. But doesn't this make worship shallow? Meaningless? Empty? Depressing? And shouldn't this raise a question for all of us, what is the purpose of worship? What is worship's function in our spiritual lives?
As i sat with these questions, this revelation came to me: The purpose of worship is to love God. Period. We worship because we love God.
Why then, i wonder, does worship become about music styles? And anyone who has heard or had conversations in the parking lots after worship know that there are dissenting voices about the music. If worship is about loving God, and we complain about the music, then one of two things must be happening. One--the music must be blasphemous, meaning it does not show or illustrate or empower us to lift our voices to God in love. How do we know? What does the lyrics invite us to sing? Do the words enable us to love God?
If they do then if we are complaining about songs in the parking lot, after worship, then the roots of the false worship must be us. If worship is about loving God, and the songs we sing, whether we like them or not, invite us to show our love of God, and we still complain, then arent we what's stopping the worship from being holistic? True? Powerful? How can we proclaim a love for God if we let a song or two deter us from showing God, showering God with that love? Would a song stop us from loving our spouse, our children, our parents? Then why do we allow it to stop us from loving God?
It seems we have made music an idol in worship, and like Jesus turning over the tables, its time for us to get our worship right. Worship is about loving God and loving neighbor. It is NOT about gossiping about the choices people make, the music styles, or Scripture focuses. When we complain about things as arbitrary and yet holy as elements of worship, we are really saying i am too good to offer my love for God in all circumstances, and when that happens we inch closer to becoming the money changers who abused the poor, the lame, and the Gentiles who could never make into the temple, but these ostracized persons had to stay in the outer courts to worship. The money changers, though they were selling elements necessary for worship, did not do it for love of God but for personal gain.
And Jesus tossed their tables and whooped them out of the temple area. When we make worship about what we want, about what we like, or about making our own personal statements, we are the money changers, and we need Jesus to come into our temple and toss some tables. Let's hope and pray He leaves the whip at home.
When we love someone, nothing stops us from showering them with our love, nothing. We do not make excuses. We do not find other things to do. And we do not allow others to interfere with our desires to demonstrate our love. We do all these things for spouses, parents, children, friends, and family, right? So why can't we approach our love of God the same way? What would worship be like if God's children, all of us, simply came to love on God? Would we sing as loud as possible? Would we need to sleep in? Would we complain about this or that? Or would we simply come, offer our voices, our gifts, and our time, doing all we can, all that we have in us to do, to shower God with love?
Jesus said, "It is written that my house should be called a house of prayer for all nations..." Meaning, to come to worship is about honoring God, not hearing ourselves. So lets try loving God holistically, what do we have to lose? Amen.
Shalom,
jerry
No comments:
Post a Comment