The things we say about worship can be very revealing. I hear things like - the instruments were too loud, I didn't like that kind of music, the choir was so nice, those musicians are really talented, we just don't pray enough during worship, we need more time for meditation, I don't like the way the worship leaders dress, we ought to start on time and end on time, and on and on -- all kinds of comments go. But what do our comments about worship reveal about the way we are looking at worship? Who is the object of worship? What is the object of worship? What is the ultimate goal of worship?
We certainly don't see in scripture somebody going up to Moses after the thunder and loud trumpet blast at the foot of Mt. Sinai and saying, "Why are we using trumpets now? What happened to Miriam and that tambourine-accompanied song we did when we were crossing the Red Sea? That song was really good - it was nice and peppy. This trumpet and thunder stuff is just too big and heavy." Or, nobody went up to Solomon when the ark was surrounded by the cloud of glory and said, "You know, this cloud of glory is keeping the priests from doing their jobs effectively."
Those are not the sort of things we see in scripture. Rather, the way things seem to go in scripture is that when God shows up, people are literally blown away. The actions are more that of falling to the ground, hiding their faces, begging for mercy, humbling themselves before God.
Worship is not just a service that we attend now and then, but a life-changing realization that Someone has shown up and totally changed everything that our society and culture has told us about human existence. Worship is a new way of seeing and feeling because "God is in the house." Lord, teach us. mjm
