Good day dear friends. What a storm blew through San Marcos last night! It was 12:55 when the thunder and lightning awoke us and brought some much needed rain. We had had some drizzle but I guess God decided to turn on the faucet and bring some nice rain.
We studied the meaning of worship yesterday. Interesting how sometimes the best ideas come on Sunday morning. Sometimes the ideas aren't the most popular. For example, I asked God in my morning prayers, "Lord, what kinds of people come to worship?" I didn't get an immediate answer and so after reading The Upper Room online, I did a Google search of 'Types of people who attend worship' and got nothing to speak of or much less, preach on. Then it was as if God was saying, there's three types of people: seekers, streakers, and reekers. I knew what that meant and I said, that won't be too popular! Yes, God replied, but there's Good News, for folks don't have to stay there; that's why I sent Jesus. The text was from John 2:13-22 about Jesus going to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover and finding a permanent bazaar/livestock auction/cattleshow, etc. For your reference, that passage will appear at the bottom of today's email. I also will include Luke 4:16 which I mentioned stresses the importance of worship for Jesus.
Here's our study guide for today:
Monday: In yesterday’s sermon we studied the passage from John 2 dealing with what had taken the place of worship. It is very easy for fellowship and social purposes to take the place of the real reason for worshiping together as a community. It is up to the individual to make the purpose of worship meaningful for his/herself. It’s not about what we “get out” of worship, but what we bring. We leave it to God to bless and use our time in worship, because it is all about God and not about us. Read Exodus 8:1-2. In most versions of the Bible the word for “worship” is “serve.” It is more modern versions such as The Message that uses “worship” instead of “serve.” What notion do you suppose is intended in using “serve” to mean worship?
Here is Exodus 8:1-2 in The Message: God said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and tell him, 'God's Message: Release my people so they can worship me. 2 If you refuse to release them, I'm warning you, I'll hit the whole country with frogs."
"I don't get anything out of worship!" How many times have you heard or said that? I love hearing church people, and I'm referring to the unpaid kind, speak against that. I've had dedicated church people in all the churches that I've served. This would fall under the category "seekers" that I mentioned yesterday. But these folks, who love God and everything dealing with God, especially worship, would say things like, "You can go to Luby's (a cafeteria), and see all that is laid out before you and 'not get anything out of it' because you're not hungry." And that would make me think about days growing up when my mother would make something that someone didn't like (I loved everything! Can't you tell?) and they would say, "I don't like that!" And Mom would say, "Then you're not hungry!"
When God called Moses to lead His people, God first asked Moses to get permission to go out of the city, into the wilderness, to worship Him. As I mentioned in the study guide most versions say "serve" instead of worship. In understanding this, we must remember worship is all about God and not about us. If we love God and seek God's blessing each time we go into worship, we should enter in with a servant's heart. And I'm talking about a servant that loves his/her job, and can't wait to get to the next assignment. If you worship in a traditional setting, I know you won't love ALL the hymns, especially some that don't get sung that often, but that shouldn't ruin your worship experience. And in the contemporary setting, the band may not play all your favorites every Sunday and the same is true. If we enter into God's house, expectant and excited to be alive and to have that wonderful opportunity to reach spiritual heights in praise, we're going to be lessed. (Notice I used one of the acronyms from yesterday: W.O.R.S.H.I.P.: Wonderful Opportunity to Reach Spiritual Heights In Praise). To a certain extent, how "hungry" do you come to worship? And I'm not talking about physically hungry, because at 11 most folks are hungry; but how spiritually hungry are you to be fed by God in all that has been prepared for you in worship? Can you be fed by a hymn, a prayer, a reading, the children's sermon, the sermon, etc? Yes, you can! But it depends on you and how you enter.
PRAYER: Loving God, let me seek to serve You today in my devotional time and in the rest of the day. Let me know worship is all about my surrendering to You and seeking You. Let this spill over to others, so that Your Kingdom might grow. I pray in Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
John 2:13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers at their business. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; you shall not make my Father's house a house of trade." 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for thy house will consume me." 18 The Jews then said to him, "What sign have you to show us for doing this?" 19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 20 The Jews then said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?" 21 But he spoke of the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.
Luke 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went to the synagogue, as his custom was, on the sabbath day.
