First of all the book of Hebrews shows us that worship is to be rooted and grounded in the person and work of Jesus Christ. That is central. He is the King-Priest over the household of God. Our worship of Him must go beyond sentimental and emotional devotion and be fully rooted in a mature faith in the fullness of Christ. It leads to full obedience of life lived under His Lordship.
In an age of the cult of "Self" and a consumerist approach to life, we must emphasize the uniqueness of Christ in both His person and work. Through Him and Him alone is granted access to the Father, only on His terms. Hebrews undoes any thought of mystical communion with God apart from the mediation of Christ. We are challenged in this book to never allow the thought of this world being our home. We are to continually emphasize that the church is a pilgrim people. This gives us the spiritual maturity needed to deal with the sufferings of life in the midst of worship.
Also, Hebrews makes it clear that we must take seriously the gathering together of the people of God and His incredible power of the Word revealed in our midst. This is where the people of God are empowered to endure the sufferings that come with the identification with Christ in our worship of Him. We are strengthened to bear up under the world's hostility against God and His people in the midst of worship. Christ is right in the middle drawing our eyes and hearts to the throne of grace, where the needs of sinful and suffering people can find mercy and grace.
As elsewhere in the New Testament, Hebrews reminds us of the tie between our public and private worship lives. We must see that our worship extends past the gatherings of God's people for formal worship; but we must do it without minimizing the power and importance of corporate acts of worship. There must be an acknowledgment of the important interrelationship between both realms of worship. One writer has said, "In Hebrews substance has replaced the shadow, and the eternal has replaced the trivial." The reading and study of Hebrews truly shapes today's worship. mjm
