Revelation and Worship

There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, ³⁷then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. ³⁸At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. Luke 2:36-38

What is the result of a lifetime of worshipping fully?  What happens to a person after dedicating their life to worship and prayer?  The story of Anna suggests it results in understanding what God is up to in the world.  Anna is a widow who has spent many years coming to the temple and dedicating her life to worshipping God.  The moment she sees the 8-day old Jesus she knows the truth.  It will be through this child that the redemption of Jerusalem will take place.  This child is the one they have been waiting for.  Anna sees Jesus and knows immediately. 

Like anything, the more we spend our time devoted in worship, prayer, and reading the word the more we will grow.  We do not become spiritual giants overnight.  Rather, we become more spiritually strong through a lifetime of discipline and effort.  Anna knew Jesus because she had read the word and knew intimately the promises of God.  She was actively looking for signs of God's work in the world and was open.  The revelation that came to her was the result of a lifetime of faithfulness. 

What might God be trying to reveal to us?  How would a lifetime of spiritual discipline better prepare us to see what God is doing in our lives and the world?

Living Sacrifice

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1

To worship fully means giving thanks and praise to God with all of heart, soul, and strength.  But worship is more than an hour a week at church discipline.  According to Paul, worship is to be understood as a whole body experience.  Our bodies themselves not only participate in worship, but are to be presented as worship.  This has tremendous implications for how we live. Worshipping fully means that all that we do should be done as act of thanksgiving to God.  When we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, offer acts of compassion, extend hospitality, offer grace, forgive others, or work for a more just world are lives are worshipful.  This is a concept that transforms how we think of worship and how we ought to think of our lives.

Jesus Models Prayer

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. ²³And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone. Matthew 14:22-23

To worship fully we must devote our heart to God, we must give thanks and praise for all that God has done in our lives and for all that God is.  Through Jesus, we not only have the opportunity to worship God but also to see an example of a worshipful life.  Jesus models a life of worship by taking intentional time regularly to connect with God through prayer.  He knows that he cannot sustain his ministry of healing and transformation without prayer and worship. 

After Jesus feed 5,000 people with five bread loaves and two fish, the scriptures say he "immediately" sent everyone away and went by himself to pray.  He didn't take a victory lap or enjoy the accolades from his disciples or thanks from the crowd, he simply went away.  Perhaps Jesus needed to spiritually recharge after exerting himself in such a way.  Perhaps he wanted to remain humble and not allow himself to take personal credit for such a feat, and in humility wanted to give God thanks.  Or perhaps Jesus just needed time away; time with God and apart from everyone always needing or wanting something.  Either way, Jesus went off and prayed and then returned the next day to continue the work he was called to.  Jesus provides for us a model for how to live a worship-filled life, may God grant us the grace to live it out.

Worship and Doubt

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Matthew 28:16-17

 What is the relationship between faith and doubt?  Is there a difference between having beliefs and having faith? Is it possible to worship God when you have doubts about what you believe? 

These are important faith questions that people often wrestle with.  When I was in college I had very serious doubts about God and what I believed.  Yet, I would find myself going to worship on a somewhat regular basis.  I felt compelled to be there, yet while I was there, I felt very conflicted. I could not recite the Lord’s Prayer or creed, and I could not bring myself to sing the words of the hymns. I had doubts and yet there I was in worship.  God was working in my life despite my doubts and questions.

When the disciples met the resurrected Jesus, they had doubts. The original Greek can actually be translated as “they worshipped and doubted.”  Rather than suggesting that some of the eleven worshipped and some doubted, the text implies that worship and doubt can fit together. It is only when we equate faith with belief that doubt becomes the enemy of faith.  Faith can be understood as distinct from belief when we see faith not as the absence of doubt or certainty, but trust in God.  I may not have all the answers or right beliefs about God, but I can have a deep and abiding trust in God.  Simply put, faith is a heart condition while belief is about the head.  While it is important to have beliefs and be able to articulate what we believe, ultimately believing the right things about God is quite different from having a relationship with God.

Life brings challenges and circumstances that can often shake the foundations of what we believe.  As people move through illness, suffering, and loss it is not uncommon to encounter doubts and questions.  Yet in the midst of our questions we can still have faith, we can still hold tightly to the presence and promises of God.  Yes, worship and doubt can and often do fit together and we should cultivate an open environment which lets those of who have trouble saying the words to worship and doubt.

Seeking God

Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. ²³For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. Acts 17:22-23

I believe that we were all created to be in relationship with God.  A fundamental level, this is the purpose of our life--to connect to God and discover the love and joy that only God can provide.  This is deep truth for me, one which I have come to believe over a period of time.  God creates in us the capacity or even hunger for relationship, but does not force it upon us.  I have experienced this as a journey.  Throughout my life I, as I look back now, have become more and more aware of God's presence in my life.  There were times when I ran from God and times when I ran toward God.  But whether I was cognizant of it or not, I have always been seeking God.  And I also believe God has always been seeking me (even more important). 

Not everyone's journey is the same, but God's heart is the same for each person.  God's loves everyone without exception and is calling each of us into relationship.  Paul certainly understood this for himself and for others.  He had dedicated his life to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, which made it possible for each person to receive and know God's love.  Through Christ, God was opening the door beyond tribal religion and unifying the people of God through God's amazing love and grace.  When Paul comes to Athens, he knows about their many gods.  As he studies the shrines and objects of their worship he notices a shrine to an unknown God.  The Greeks had numerous gods for every occasion and contingency, but they had a shrine to god they were not aware of.  Whether they seeking to cover all the bases or if they were truly open to something new is borne out in the results of Paul's efforts (some dismissed him, others wanted to hear more: 17:32). More importantly the natural openness of the Greeks to something new and something uncertain speaks to the deep truth that without God in our life we are left feeling empty.  No matter what other gods we worship, no matter how successful, educated, wealthy, or respected we might be, nothing can replace God's role in our life.  We are born to seek God and until we find God and are found by God, we will continue to restlessly search until our heart finds contentment in God's love.

Hope and Praise

Isaiah 2:2-4; Psalm 103:1-2

Worship begins with the acknowledgment that God is worthy of worship.  God is more than we can ever understand; more powerful, more loving, more mysterious.  God is God and we are not.  To worship fully we must seek to be in the presence of the living God, who has created, redeemed, and sustains all of creation.  We worship God and give thanks for all we are and ever will be.  We find our identity in our relationship with God and we find our hope for our future.

The prophet Isaiah spoke of the great hope we find in God.  Hope for our future, hope for our redemption, and hope for justice. 

He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. Isaiah 2:4

This vision of the future is filled with hope and filled with the expectation that God can and will bring peace to our relationships and our world.  We place our hope in God because we believe that God's vision for the world will become a reality. We have hope because we know God's promises will be fulfilled.  We give thanks to God in advance and we worship.

The faith community have been worshipping and giving thanks since the beginning and is captured perfectly in the Psalter:

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Psalm 103:1

The Psalms were written for congregational singing and this chorus offers great praise to the Lord.  It seeks not only God's blessing, but that the entirety of the singer be filled with God's presence and blessing.  To worship fully means that all that is within me is focused on God; my whole being is focused on giving God thanks and praise.  This is a song worth singing and a prayer worth praying each day!