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Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Yesterday we learned that the first reality of worship is that you must have a genuine relationship with the one True God. Frankly, that reality is vital. It won't matter what songs we sing, or how well we sing them, or how we give, or anything else if we don't have a relationship with the God of the Bible. Our worship won't be authentic or meaningful.
A second reality of worship can be found in John 4.
Sure, most of us have heard the story before: A woman at the well in the middle of the day. Jesus, the Jewish rabbi, breaks about a gazillion rules in talking to a woman. A Samaritan woman at that. A "loose" Samaritan woman beyond that. Et cetera.
Anyway, the discussion of this passage centers on Jesus' words about living water. Basically, their little chat comes down to her not wanting to haul off and get water every day, and Jesus turns the discussion to her spiritual need...not the physical one. (More on that tomorrow)
When she tells Jesus that she wants this "living water," Jesus tells her to go get her husband first.
She tells him she doesn't have a husband.
Then, from her perspective, the story gets kind of peculiar. This stranger she's never seen then tells her about herself...her "loose living." He tells her that not only is she correct when she said she didn't have a husband, but she has in fact had five husbands and the man she's with now isn't her husband. How would you like a stranger to know those kinds of things about your life? What would you be thinking?
Just like us, she was thinking, "Hmmmm. Sir, you must be a prophet."
Just like us, when the Prophet gets too close to changing her life, she gets all religious on Him. Throws out the "hot button" religious topic of the day. This particular one involved where the best place to worship would be. It might be akin to a discussion we might have about whether or not we should use drama in worship...most people have an opinion, but it could get heated if the parties involved decided to let it. No matter what, she definitely took the focus off herself and changed gears.
Then Jesus gets to the heart of it all in verse 21. (From The Message) "Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark, we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God's way of salvation is made available through the Jews. But the time is coming--it has, in fact, come--when what you're called will not matter and where you worship will not matter. It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is looking for; those who are simply and honestly themselves before Him in their worship...Those who worship Him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration."
Wow.
It's who we are and the way we live before that matter. That reality affects our worship.
We must be pursuing truth in our spirit...or be "truly spiritual." That reality affects our worship.
We must be ourselves. Mike Yaconelli, an innovative youth pastor once said it was important to stop pretending in our Christian life because when we stop pretending, it shows others where they are pretending. Phoniness in all its forms affects our worship.
Our very being, our spirit, our true selves must get involved. That reality affects our worship.
Worship is meant to adore God and if we're doing it right it will affect our very soul. Our lives must be tied up in it or it won't be authentic.
It's more than pretty pictures behind our Power Point slides or our coffee in our auditorium or our communion grape juice out of plastic cups or a folded check in a felt bottomed brass plate. None of those things are wrong. In fact, they're good things.
But it's our lives and mindset when we're doing those things.
Being real before God and loving Him. That's the second reality of worship.
How real are we before God today?
Brent 4:16 AM
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