Matthew 18:20
[20] For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.\u201d (ESV)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I tend to be one of those people who hates being late. If you are on time, you are ten minutes late. That is just the way that I look at the world. Now everyone is late from time to time. Things happen. The kids are having trouble getting themselves up ad ready, you are having trouble getting your self up and ready. Or in the case of where we live, traffic is just horrendous and even though you leave with plenty of time, it is still not enough to cover the traffic. So these things happen. But what about being late for Church? Or just showing up for one part of the worship service? Say just the sermon or just communion?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is this okay or acceptable? Well part of the problem is that we as a Church have accepted that as long as you are there for the sermon, that is the most important part of the worship service. But is this the case? Is one part of worship more important than another and if so what is the hierarchy of each part of the service. Is singing just something we do for fun because it makes us feel better? Is prayer just a rote exercise and can we all get by with just hearing the sermon. After all is not the sermon speaking from the very word of God? Who would not want to hear from God and all other things would seem to be far less important than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here is the problem. If we look at the theology of this line of thinking, it shows us that we believe that each part of the worship service is there for us. Much like anything else that we choose or do not choose to do. I choose to go to that concert, because it is my taste in music, but not that one because it is not my taste in music. I do this activity as a hobby because it interests me and these other things do not interest me at all. If we look at worship by its components and place value on one part over another, we have turn the worship service into a buffet for our wants and needs. I find value in the singing so I will be there for that but not anything else. I find value in the sermon but not in anything else so I will make sure to not miss that. I only find fulfillment or purpose in this one part and do not find it in other parts of the worship service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With this line of thinking, it makes the worship service about us and not about God and the worship of him who is holy and perfect and worthy of worship alone. Which we should get something out of the worship service. This is not an error to desire to connect with God and walk way with encouragement and purpose and other benefits that come from worshiping God. But the reality is that worship and all its parts is important and God does care about how he is worshiped. As we look through scripture, we see that God wants the following to be done in the worship of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First is that we to read his word. For example the Apostle Paul exhorts with the following in 1 Timothy 4:13
[13] Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. (ESV)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Secondly, we see that we are to preach God\u2019s word. 2 Timothy 4:2
[2] preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. (ESV)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ephesians 5:19
[19] addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, (ESV)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally the Church gather together to then practice the ordinances of the Church that is Baptism and communion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew 28:19\u201320
[19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.\u201d (ESV)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew 26:26\u201329
[26] Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, \u201cTake, eat; this is my body.\u201d [27] And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, \u201cDrink of it, all of you, [28] for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. [29] I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father\u2019s kingdom.\u201d (ESV)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While we might like or prefer one part of worship over another, they are all a part of worship and are for the glory and honor of God as well as the edification of the Church. One cannot simply say that I only need one part over another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we regularly show up late to Church, this is what we are saying that these other parts of the worship service are less important than other like the preaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One could even make a case that we have created this situation by one tolerating members being continually late but also because we ourselves might hold out one part of the worship service more than another. I do not know this as a fact, and would let people with far more insight on this speak to those points. You could also say that each part of worship is there for us as much as it is God. But the problem is we do not need yet another reason to elevate ourselves, our desires and our wants and wishes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But instead I would encourage us all to look at the totality of the worship service and realize that being there is important. That not being disruptive by coming in late is important and realizing what it communicates to the Church and to God when we are constantly late. Realizing that the worship of a holy and perfect God who loves his people and desires them to love him in return is important. Important because the things or this world, its trials and tribulations are fleeting and will soon be gone. In the end it is our relationship with God, through our faith in the Son and the repentance of sins that matters in a world that is seemly and oftentimes without purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Being late says to God that he is less important than whatever it is in our lives. But the reality is that we are all in his hand and we are his people and he is our God. So this Sunday, let us all be ready to worship. Ready to gather with the body of Christ and ready to lift high the name of Christ. Let us be on time, let us read the word, sing the word, pray together and hear the preaching of the word. Ready and eager to do all these things, but most importantly ready to worship in spirit and in truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
John 4:23
[23] But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. (ESV)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Matthew 18:20 [20] For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.\u201d (ESV) I tend to be one of those people who hates being late. If you are on time, you are ten minutes late. That is just the way that I look at the world. Now everyone is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,7,12],"tags":[126,131,102],"class_list":["post-173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christian-living","category-christian-world-view","category-personal-growth","tag-christ","tag-christians","tag-god"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inabiblenearyou.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inabiblenearyou.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inabiblenearyou.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inabiblenearyou.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inabiblenearyou.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=173"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/inabiblenearyou.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":174,"href":"https:\/\/inabiblenearyou.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173\/revisions\/174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inabiblenearyou.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inabiblenearyou.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inabiblenearyou.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}