Worship

Worship
“And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and all that is in them, saying, ‘To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and  forever and ever!’ And the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ and the elders fell down and worshiped.” -Revelation 5:13-14

 The season of Lent is upon us. I looked up some things about Lent. Not a deep dive, just a quick peek; but I learned enough to know that Lent is somewhat of a controversial thing in terms of its purpose and its importance. There are a few things I do know about Lent. For about five years growing up, I lived in a corner of Northwest Indiana where the population was largely Roman Catholic. Most of my friends were Catholic. The first time I heard them talking about Lent, little Baptist me had no clue. I did have the impression that some of them did not take it very seriously. When they talked about what they were going to give up for Lent, the majority of them said something like broccoli or brushing their teeth. Even I knew that probably wasn’t exactly the point. Anyway, it seems that Reformed folks even have some dissent among themselves about the whole issue. In general, however, it appears that for most of us, Lent should be a time of preparation for Easter. It is a time to reflect upon the sacrifice of Christ and His life, death, and (obviously enough) resurrection.

One thing I know for sure about Lent is that it does not include Sundays. If you don’t believe me, look it up. Better yet, do the math. Start with Ash Wednesday; count the days through Holy Saturday but leave out the Sundays. Yep. That’s exactly forty days. Whether one is Catholic or Reformed or some other flavor of Christian, no one includes Sundays in Lent. Or at least they shouldn’t. There is a simple reason for this: Every Sunday is a little Easter. Every Sabbath Day we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. No Sunday should ever be mournful or gloomy. No remembrance of the day when the stone was rolled away and death was defeated should be shrouded in sorrow or draped in black. Every Sunday, we should, we must, worship in joy. Week after week, no matter the season, we should praise the Savior with loud singing and grateful hearts.

The passage above from the book of Revelation describes the moment spoken of in the book of Philippians, when all of creation will praise Him. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. Imagine that moment—the entire universe worshiping God. This is what we are foreshadowing every Sunday. I think maybe we should sing a little louder. I think maybe we should smile a little more widely. I think maybe—just maybe—it would be okay if the neighbors heard us and wondered exactly what in the world we were up to. Okay, that last one might be asking a bit much, but you get what I mean, I hope.

Actually, I don’t think God requires that we be loud (I mean, I don’t think He would mind, but…). I think what He does require is that we pay attention and worship from our hearts. I think what He expects is that we don’t just go through motions or practice rituals—like giving up broccoli for Lent. He just wants us. He wants every bit of us. He is owed that, in fact. Scripture is clear that He is worthy of all glory, honor, and praise. It’s almost literally the least we can do, isn’t it?

There is a contemporary song called “King of Kings.” I love it because it echoes the praise that began with the angels, in time before time, and will continue into all eternity: “Praise the Father, praise the Son Praise the Spirit, three in one; God of glory, majesty Praise forever to the King of Kings.”

Hallelujah! Amen.