10/29/2020 -
Are we enamored with the pomp and circumstance within our church? Do we make the liturgy we follow more important than the Word of God, or the gospel of Jesus Christ? Sometimes we lose sight of who we really worship as the procession of priests enters the sanctuary, the elements of communion are doled out as if they were a reward, or in some churches, the choir and performers become the focal point of the service. Let’s step back from what we have “always done”, and refocus our praise and worship on God and Jesus alone.
“Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;”
1 Timothy 4:7 ESV
So much of what we do in the name of religion can be done with good intentions, yet is void of the faith we seek. A good example is prayer. There is no argument that prayer is a gift to us, and that there is no time spent with God which is more rewarding than the time we spend in prayer, but when it loses the personal connection with God that the Lord desires, and our words become self gratifying, then it ceases to be useful to our faith, and leads us away from Him.
““And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.”
Matthew 6:5 ESV
Another example is fasting. When we fast it brings us closer to the Lord. Our pangs of hunger become a constant reminder to pray, and of our need to remain centered on our faith, but if done wrongly it too loses any significance. How many people announce that they are fasting and then walk about as if they were suffering for all to see? Fasting, like prayer, is a secret to be shared between ourselves and God... it is not a badge of faith to be worn for all to see.
““And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.”
Matthew 6:16 ESV
Are there things we do in praise, and worship that have lost their meaning? Has our desire for the music in our service now taken over the spirituality of the praise it is meant to convey? Has our choir become a thing of pride to us, and become a hindrance to the worship and faith it was intended to promote?
Like so many of you, my boys played high school football, and on Friday nights the entire school would come out to the games. The band would play and the cheerleaders lead everyone in cheer after cheer, but something interesting happened regarding the band... at half-time they would perform on the field, but when their performance was over, they and their families all left the game and went home. The section of the stands that they had occupied was empty. They had no idea who eventually won the game. If we are not careful this can become our Sunday worship services. We can lose sight of why we are there, and find ourselves singing and praising, and being entertained... but missing Jesus, and God, along the way.
“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.””
John 4:23-24 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for sending your Son Jesus to teach us how to worship you, and to redeem us from sin and death. Thank you Lord for sending your son clothed as a carpenter and with calloused hands. As we go about worshipping and praising you help us to do so rightly, and not to promote our own self-interests. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God for you are worthy of our unwavering praise and worship always. Help us Father to use our finest gifts in praising you, but give us the strength to deny ourselves the glory that they might bring us if we are not careful. If we ask you to heal then let that prayer remain in secret, and bring glory to you alone. If we ask you for deliverance then let our tears fall before you alone, and the glory of your mercy be unfettered by the presence of our loud prayers on the street. Teach us to praise you, and worship you in the quiet places of our lives, so that in these places you can bless us always. Holy Father, wash us with the blood of Jesus, and lift us from the living waters of baptism to the sound of angels singing. Find us worthy through your son, and seat us at your table forevermore.
Rich Forbes