Seeing God as He Is

In the book, Simply Christian, N.T. Wright’s chapter on worship begins this way: “When we begin to glimpse the reality of God, the natural reaction is to worship him. Not to have that reaction is a fairly sure sign that we haven’t yet really understood who he is or what he’s done.” (page 143)

That’s a mouthful and provides the kind of stimulation that can keep our brains working overtime! Think about it – if we don’t naturally desire to worship God, Wright would say that we really haven’t understood who He is or what He has done!

I remember a sermon I preached years ago where the central theme of the sermon was that “worship is a lifestyle, not a weekly appointment.” I thought I had carefully pointed out that such an idea did not mean that the “weekly appointment” wasn’t important, just that it wasn’t the whole story. I remember with equal (probably greater) clarity that the worship leader of the congregation where I preached that sermon missed that point – and let me know!

So, to be clear, I’m not suggesting that what happens when believers meet together on the Lord’s Day is somehow unimportant. I’ve read the warning in Hebrews 10:25 about “not neglecting to meet together” which most likely includes the idea of what we would describe as “worship on the Lord’s Day.” And I know about the implications of texts like Acts 20:7 where we are told the early church “met on the first day of the week to break bread.” I’ve actually got a pretty good track record of worshiping the Lord on the Lord’s Day consistently my whole life.

But is Sunday morning (the time most of us meet to worship) the only time in life we “glimpse the reality of God?” Surely not. And if Wright is reflecting what the Bible has to say about God, then it would seem to me that worship is this lifestyle reality that is constantly appearing in our daily living.

One of our challenges in finding a way to make Sunday worship appealing is that so little worship as lifestyle goes on, that real worship is hard – if not impossible – to manufacture in an hour or so on Sunday mornings. What if, through this whole week, I kept letting the world about me remind me of the greatness of God, praised him for the beauty of creation, the goodness of His people, and for the willingness on His part to let me be a kingdom person. Would I really be all that concerned about whether they sang my preferred songs or not?

Psalm 19 begins with “The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims His handiwork.” Psalm 19 ends with “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Between those two verses are words that speak to noticing the glory of God in the world in which we live and our engagement with His law – His perfect law that revives the soul. Sounds as though a “lifestyle of worshiping” God is going on in the psalmist’s heart.

These days, I am trying to notice creation. To notice the goodness of God’s people. To notice the opportunities around me. To notice everything. And it all speaks to the glory of a God who invites me to worship Him. I’ll keep doing that on Sunday mornings – and at other “gathering times” that come in life. But I also want to make my life the kind that sees reason to praise God at every turn.

When I get that figured out, I am guessing I will not be so dependent upon a style of worship or a selection of songs or any other thing to have determinative influence on my Sunday morning experience of worship.

Right now on Sunday mornings, Vicki and I have about 45 minutes of driving time heading to church. Typically, we listen to a satellite station that plays Christian music. Over the past few months, we’ve been able to watch the cold months of winter give way to spring; the barren hardwoods come back to life; brown grass turn green; and in general, the amazing cycle of nature express itself in ways that seem to me to be much like “the firmament proclaims his handiwork.” That has proven to be a pretty good way to “drive to church.”

I encourage you to read Psalm 19. Let it do its work on you as all week long you worship the glory of God and as you prepare to join with fellow believers next Sunday morning!