So, after some gentle prodding from a few individuals (thanks, Slater), I've decided to make a concerted effort to return to blogging (I never really "quit", I just let it get swept away with the rest of life). And I'm going to attempt to post a blog at least once a week, amidst the job hunting, music playing, people seeing, book reading, Scrubs watching, Final Fantasy VII playing summer I have ahead of me.
A Discussion on Worship
Over the past few months, possibly even over the past year, I feel that my knowledge and view of worship has been expanded tenfold. I used to only think of worship as the act of us singing songs and playing instruments on Sunday mornings and (in college) Thursday nights for twenty to thirty minutes. Even predating that, I used to only think that worship was songs written by Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Charlie Hall, and I had even "broadened my horizons" to Australia with Hillsong United. And of course your standard hymns.
However, God revealed a huge truth: while all of the prior things mentioned are a part of worship, they do not make the whole.
To begin with, lets start with musical worship. Maybe its second nature, maybe its the American exceptionalism that influences our culture, but for the longest time, I assumed that God was only worshiped in English. I just pictured people in Kenya, China, Eastern Europe, and millions of other people around the world singing praise and worship songs in English. However, this is definitely not the case. Multi-cultural worship is a clear picture of what Heaven will be.
Revelation 7:9-10 (NIV)
After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
"Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb."
This is a picture of Heaven that John portrays in the book of Revelation. He says that there was "a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb." The worship in Heaven will not be pertained to Chris Tomlin and David Crowder, or the old hymns. It will include praise and worship songs in Mandarin, Swahili, the languages of Native American tribes, and thousands of languages that none of us can count the total number. We will all be there, singing the praises of God in our own tongues. The worship of God is not contained to one style or language, but encompasses all.
Now onto worship itself. At a retreat I went on earlier this summer (Rockbridge for all those who know it), I was provided a simple definition of worship. Worship is the act of ascribing worth to an object, person, idea, etc. When we are worshiping God, we are ascribing worth to Him. However, we do this with some many other aspects of our culture. Money, sports, celebrities, you name it, and you can think of at least one or two people (including myself and yourself) that ascribe worth to it. This new perspective on worship really helped solidify a lesson I was learning: Worship is a lifestyle. It is not contained by songs on Sunday mornings or Thursday nights, but it is a daily part of life.
Go read Genesis 22:1-19 and you will see what I mean. To give a short synopsis of what happens, God commands Abraham to go to the region of Moriah with his only son Issac ( I repeat only son), climb a mountain, and then offer his son Issac as a burnt offering. Let me repeat: Take only son --> climb mountain --> bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. No joke people, I promise you I'm not making this up.
Anyway, as Abraham, his son, and his posse of servants near the mountains, Abraham stopped and looked up at them. I could only imagine what was running through his head. The craziness of the situation, whether or not he was going to go through with it, memories of teaching his son Issac how to survive, nights of telling Issac stories when Issac was younger. After staring off at the mountains, Abraham tells his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you." (Genesis 22:5)
"We will worship". Abraham didn't have an acoustic guitar and a songbook for him and Issac to go "Holy is the Lord" or "Reign in Me" on the mountaintop. No, he had a knife, some wood, and a fire. But here's the crazy thing: Abraham meant what he said. He wasn't telling his servants "we will worship" as a way to cover up what he was about to do, or possibly try to make himself feel better. His sacrifice of his only son was an act of worshiping God. He was saying to God, his son, and himself that "Look, I ascribe more worth to God than my son, or my role as a father". Abraham identified himself in God above all else. Not in himself, not in his son, not in his role as a father. If he did, I'm going to assume that he would have never started climbing that mountain in the first place (I know I wouldn't). Worship is how we live our lives. Worship is in our words, our actions, and our songs.
Currently Reading- Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller
How People Grow by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
A Discussion on Worship
Over the past few months, possibly even over the past year, I feel that my knowledge and view of worship has been expanded tenfold. I used to only think of worship as the act of us singing songs and playing instruments on Sunday mornings and (in college) Thursday nights for twenty to thirty minutes. Even predating that, I used to only think that worship was songs written by Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Charlie Hall, and I had even "broadened my horizons" to Australia with Hillsong United. And of course your standard hymns.
However, God revealed a huge truth: while all of the prior things mentioned are a part of worship, they do not make the whole.
To begin with, lets start with musical worship. Maybe its second nature, maybe its the American exceptionalism that influences our culture, but for the longest time, I assumed that God was only worshiped in English. I just pictured people in Kenya, China, Eastern Europe, and millions of other people around the world singing praise and worship songs in English. However, this is definitely not the case. Multi-cultural worship is a clear picture of what Heaven will be.
Revelation 7:9-10 (NIV)
After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
"Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb."
This is a picture of Heaven that John portrays in the book of Revelation. He says that there was "a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb." The worship in Heaven will not be pertained to Chris Tomlin and David Crowder, or the old hymns. It will include praise and worship songs in Mandarin, Swahili, the languages of Native American tribes, and thousands of languages that none of us can count the total number. We will all be there, singing the praises of God in our own tongues. The worship of God is not contained to one style or language, but encompasses all.
Now onto worship itself. At a retreat I went on earlier this summer (Rockbridge for all those who know it), I was provided a simple definition of worship. Worship is the act of ascribing worth to an object, person, idea, etc. When we are worshiping God, we are ascribing worth to Him. However, we do this with some many other aspects of our culture. Money, sports, celebrities, you name it, and you can think of at least one or two people (including myself and yourself) that ascribe worth to it. This new perspective on worship really helped solidify a lesson I was learning: Worship is a lifestyle. It is not contained by songs on Sunday mornings or Thursday nights, but it is a daily part of life.
Go read Genesis 22:1-19 and you will see what I mean. To give a short synopsis of what happens, God commands Abraham to go to the region of Moriah with his only son Issac ( I repeat only son), climb a mountain, and then offer his son Issac as a burnt offering. Let me repeat: Take only son --> climb mountain --> bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. No joke people, I promise you I'm not making this up.
Anyway, as Abraham, his son, and his posse of servants near the mountains, Abraham stopped and looked up at them. I could only imagine what was running through his head. The craziness of the situation, whether or not he was going to go through with it, memories of teaching his son Issac how to survive, nights of telling Issac stories when Issac was younger. After staring off at the mountains, Abraham tells his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you." (Genesis 22:5)
"We will worship". Abraham didn't have an acoustic guitar and a songbook for him and Issac to go "Holy is the Lord" or "Reign in Me" on the mountaintop. No, he had a knife, some wood, and a fire. But here's the crazy thing: Abraham meant what he said. He wasn't telling his servants "we will worship" as a way to cover up what he was about to do, or possibly try to make himself feel better. His sacrifice of his only son was an act of worshiping God. He was saying to God, his son, and himself that "Look, I ascribe more worth to God than my son, or my role as a father". Abraham identified himself in God above all else. Not in himself, not in his son, not in his role as a father. If he did, I'm going to assume that he would have never started climbing that mountain in the first place (I know I wouldn't). Worship is how we live our lives. Worship is in our words, our actions, and our songs.
Currently Reading- Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller
How People Grow by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
