Worship, pt 1

The Privilege of Worship

Picture this...It's 9:55 on Sunday morning.  The church service is about to start.  You have made the rounds greeting your friends; shaking hands, passing out hugs, smiling, talking, catching up on the previous week's events, TV shows, the movie you saw last night, and so on. You make your way to the seat you have chosen.  Perhaps it's the seat you sit in every Sunday.  Or maybe "your" seat is occupied by someone else.  How dare they?  The nerve; taking MY seat.  At straight up 10:00 someone takes the microphone and issues the standard corporate welcome, perhaps says an opening prayer, and we're off.

In the "standard" course of events in the modern-day church, what occurs next?  We enter into a period of time widely known as "Praise and Worship."  What is this time?  For some it is "what we do" to take up the time between that opening prayer and when the Pastor or other speaker takes the pulpit to deliver a message from the Word.  Ordinary.  Mundane.  Ritual.  Tradition.

Others see this time as great entertainment.  A time when very talented people sing some awesome songs written by awesome people.  A concert where the only difference between this and any other concert we might attend is that in this one the words to the songs are flashed a screen so we can follow along.  Thoughts cross our minds, "That's nice."  "NOW I know what they are saying."  "What a beautiful song." "WOW!  I've heard that song a hundred times on Christian radio and I never knew that's what that line was!  You mean I've been singing it wrong all this time?!"

Others see this time for what it should be.  A time to come before God and pour our hearts out.  A time to recognize Him for what He has done...what He is doing...what He will do...for who He is.  Worship is not a ritual; it's not a tradition.  It's not a rite; it's a right.  It is a privilege.

The sin of Adam and Eve caused a wall of separation between God and man.  The Book of Genesis tell us that when Adam and Eve listened to the serpent and disobeyed God's instructions to them, He banished them from the garden and place an angel to guard the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:23,24).  Why?  Was this some great punishment for their wrong-doing?  Was He angry because they had not listened?  We find the answer to these questions in a previous verse.

Genesis 3:22Then the LORD God said, "The people have become as we are, knowing everything, both good and evil. What if they eat the fruit of the tree of life? Then they will live forever!"


Their banishment from the garden was not a punishment.  Scripture does not tell us that God was even angry.  He banished them from the garden so that they would not live forever in their fallen state!  His concern was that they have the opportunity to be forgiven and freed from the curse they had brought on themselves.  He was protecting them!  


It took some thousands of years for their (and our) freedom to come.  Again, it all comes back to the cross and the work done there.  Seems to be a common theme of this blog, doesn't it?  The work accomplished on the cross.  


Matthew 27:50, 51Then Jesus shouted out again, and he gave up his spirit.  At that moment the curtain in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom... 
The curtain, or veil, in the Temple represented the separation between God and man.  It separated the Inner Court from the Most Holy place where the Ark of the Covenant, which represents the very presence of God Himself, was kept. According to some scholars, the veil was crafted from the finest material and was some 30 feet high and 3 feet thick and weighed hundreds of pounds.  Scripture teaches that at the exact moment of Christ's death, that veil was ripped in two from top to bottom demonstrating that no man could have accomplished this feat.  The rending of the veil represented the reality that because of Christ's death, ANY man could enter freely into God's presence at any time, not just a certain man at specific times of the year.  ANYONE could now enter into the presence of God without fear of retribution unlike the Priest who entered cautiously and with trepidation, hoping that no fault could be found in him so that he would be struck dead in the presence of the Holy God.
Ephesians 3:11, 12 This was His plan from all eternity, and it has now been carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.  Because of Christ and our faith in Him, we can now come fearlessly (with freedom and without fear) into God's presence, assured of His glad welcome.  (emphasis added)
What a privilege we have been granted through Christ...the ability to enter God's presence at any time.  All because of Christ and what He did for us on the cross.  No work of ours could have ever made us worthy to come to God. We were separated from Him.  A wall prevented us from coming to him.  We were lost and alone without hope.  But He came to bring hope and help in time of our greatest need.
What an awesome privilege!
Next week's blog entry will focus on The OBJECT of Worship.