Every event has a focus. And, everyone anticipating an event looks forward to something as the focus of their attention. When I would go to the Iowa Sate Fair, I looked forward to the plethora of deep fired junk food. When I went to the 4th of July fire works show in Nashville
OK, so what about the event of corporate worship? Some of us look forward to good advice that will help us to manage our relationships; we want our families and friends to function in a way that gives us greater happiness. Some of us look forward to dropping our kids off in a great kids’ program; we want our kids to turn out right in order to make us proud. Some of us look forward to a soul stirring worship performance; we don’t want to be bored. Some of us look forward hear some pleasant thoughts and good words; we want to know we are alright in order to feel better about ourselves.
What are we to look forward to in worship? What did the pilgrim in Psalm 123 look forward to as he anticipated worship? The beginning of Psalm 123 gives us a direct answer:
“To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the Heavens!” (v. 1)
With everything we tend to look forward to as we approach worship, all pale in comparison to God. Why would we look forward to a modicum of self-help advice when we could come face to face with truth of God? Why would we settle for a spiritual baby sitter for our kids when they could be getting to know God? Why would we put up with a so-so performance when we could be speaking directly to God? Why would we accept simple platitudes designed to boost our self-esteem when we could hear the Word of God? When we gather together for worship, we gather together for a grand corporate conversation with God. Worship is a God-centered dialogue among God’s people. We hear God’s call to worship. We respond in praise and adoration to God. God calls us to confession, and we offer our confession to God. In return, we hear God’s words of assurance. We respond with praise and thanksgiving – through song and tithing. We ask God to help us understand his Word, and his Spirit helps us to understand the Word as it is preached. We pray and ask God to help us to apply the Word to our lives. God sends us out to love and serve him. We sing praises to God in thanksgiving for the Word, and God sends us out with his benediction. Worship is a God-centered dialogue.
That may all sound well and good, but, all too often, when we gather together, we approach God inappropriately. We look to God, but only as a cosmic genii in a bottle. We approach God, but we do so with all our bargaining chips in hand as if we are approaching some heavenly negotiator. We have all come to God in worship with good intentions only to find ourselves focusing on our own long laundry list of wants (and sometimes a few legitimate needs). To offer a parodied caricature, at times, we can come to God like this:
“Ye, God, thanks for all you do. You’re great and all. So, by the way, while we’re talking, could you help me with my home refinance so that I get that 3.98% rate? And, you know my son; could you help him to fit in at school? I’d love for him to get in with a great group of friends who could boost his self-esteem. And, could you bless my folks with an awesome anniversary trip to Hawaii
Well, verse 2 of Psalm 123 sets us in our proper place preventing us from assuming that we can approach God as equals (or, more true to our nature, preventing us from assuming that we can approach God as his superior).
“Behold, as the eyes of servants look tot eh hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD God, till he has mercy upon us.” (v. 2)
When we gather together in worship, we are servants addressing the sovereign King of the universe. We don’t look upon our own lives with the self-centered expectation that God will address us and our requests.
So, what do servants look to from their king? At least four things: 1) the king’s word, 2) the king’s provision, 3) the king’s protection, and 4) the king’s honor/reputation. First, a king issues commands, gives orders, makes covenant promises, offers commendations, gives advice, shares wisdom, makes judgments, and gives blessings. And, good servants don’t just listen to the words of their king; good servants are moved to action by the words of their king. So too we look forward to hearing God’s Word and living out God’s Word. Second, especially in more ancient times, servants are completely dependent upon their king for their daily sustenance. So too we look forward to our daily bread for the hand our Heavenly Father. Third, (picturing the epic battle scenes from the Lord of the Rings) a king provides shelter for his subjects who posses no castle of their own. King Jesus provides himself as a refuge from sin, death, and the Devil. Fourth, a good king’s name and reputation rests upon his servants as they serve in his kingdom. So too Jesus Christ gives us his righteousness and grants us the honor of bearing his name as we serve in his kingdom.
But, there are a couple of problems. First, serving a king puts a person at odds with all other authorities and rulers. This was definitely true of the Jewish pilgrims singing this prayer on their way to Jerusalem Palestine Jerusalem
“Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough contempt. Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.” (vv. 3&4)
But, this prayer raises a second problem, why would God have mercy up us? If we take an honest assessment of our lives, we realize that we are worse than wretched servants in God’s kingdom – we are treasonous rebels in God’s kingdom (Romans 5:10 ). We pay God lip service and then we worship other things with our lives. Our jobs become our hope and salvation in uncertain economic times. We pay homage to a royal court of entertainments that offer us a refuge so we can escape from the grind of daily life. People lord over our lives as we eagerly seek to please them like we’d become a court jester. We dishonor God by claiming to serve him while at the same time we serve all sorts of false gods.
So, what hope is there? When we are condemned by those who scoff at us and hold up our sin before God, what are we to say? As we have said before, there is no hope in the Psalms apart from Christ. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Psalms. Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” And Romans 5:6—10 says,
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person – though perhaps for a good person one would dare even die – but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”
When you approach worship you will be scorned. You will be scorn yourself as you dredge up old sins, shame, and guilt. Those around you will scorn you by implication, minimalization, depreciation, and marginalization. The Devil will scorn you with lies and accusation. These three will scorn you by holding your sins against you and then calling your value into question.
So, what are you to do? Take your sins and throw then in the face of your accusers and claim Christ as the one who has saved you from those very sins. If you hear a little insidious voice saying, “You thing you’re the kind of person God wants worshiping him, aren’t you the same scum who . . . ?” Respond by saying, “Yes; I am that person, and Christ died to pay the price of those sins!” There is no accusation that overpower the saving work of Christ.
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