Worship Old and New

Don: The road from Egypt to Canaan—the road from bondage to the Promised Land—is a metaphor for the road back to God. In the Garden of Eden, humankind fell into slavery to evil. The reconciliation with God began in the Garden of Gethsemane.

The story of the exodus from Egypt is rich in worship symbols and rituals, to the extent that over time the Israelites began to worship the symbols and rituals rather than God himself.

God made it clear to Moses that the exodus was his (God’s) initiative, conducted by his grace—a grace which included incitement to plunder before they left:

Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”

Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations. Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt. So I said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ They will pay heed to what you say; and you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt and you will say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ But I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion. So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go. I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. But every woman shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house, articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. Thus you will plunder the Egyptians.” (Exodus 3:10-22)

God also made it clear that worship would be a central part of the exodus, and he established the goal of that worship as being to establish a dwelling place for him in their presence:

Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. (Exodus 25:8)

His dwelling with them during the exodus was a sort of installment on his ultimate return and restoration in the land of Canaan and the establishment of his permanent presence among the Israelites. The product of worship is thus simply to be in the presence of God. Most of us, however, forget that and replace it with our own desired end product: Something for ourselves.

But during the journey back to Canaan, the Israelites were required only periodically to worship and enter into the presence of God. On our journey back to God, we too worship and enter into the presence of God only periodically.

For the Israelites, the tabernacle in the wilderness was not the only tangible evidence of God’s personal presence. There was also a pillar of fire by night and of cloud by day. There was the ark of the covenant.

The turning point with regard to worship came with the presence of God incarnate, God in the flesh, God in the body of Christ. Through the mission and the message of Jesus, followed by the dispensation of the holy spirit, we no longer need a tabernacle to manifest and worship God’s presence. The trappings of the old covenant are no longer necessary. Instead,

… the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us…. (John 1:14)

Jesus confirmed this transition from the tabernacle of old by referring to his body as a temple:

The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will consume me.” The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body. So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken. (John 2:13-22)

The body of Jesus is now the tabernacle, the temple; and it is in Jesus that God meets his people. This explains his statement to the woman at the well:

“Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:21-24)

Jesus substituted his own body for the sacrificial system of worship:

[Jesus] does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. (Hebrews 7:27)

Worship became centered in the word of Jesus, in his sacrifice, in his atonement and redemption, in his grace and forgiveness. This enabled Paul to redefine worship, as follows:

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. (Romans 12:1)

No longer do we present ourselves at the tabernacle with a spotless lamb to sacrifice. Instead, we present ourselves—our bodies, our lives, our selves as living sacrifices. Our lives are thus an ongoing experience of self-sacrificial service to God. It can be expressed through service to others (a type of corporate worship):

Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. (Hebrews 13:15-16)

In this way, our bodies become temples also:

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

…and…

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

The proper focus of worship is therefore to build up our bodies, and here is how:

… keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him— a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. (Colossians 3:1-17)

The goal of the weekly worship service is not about ourselves but about the building up of one another. My obligation in worship is to you; yours is to me. By worshiping God together, we build up one another. Why should we do that?…

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16)

The building up of the body, the unity of the faith, the maturing of the Wo/Man is the end product of love, the true worship. Paul emphasized this, and introduced the elements of song and praise we know so well:

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. …. [Worship by] speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. (Ephesians 5:1-2; 19-21)

In summary: Jesus first became the temple of corporate worship. Then, through his mission and message and through the influence of the holy spirit, we are to become temples ourselves. We are to join together as builders of the body of Christ, to become a mature unity, in order to practice the love and the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.

David: The turning point in worship was made very evident at the Transfiguration, where (as I interpret it) God told the disciples to forget about Moses (representing the Law) and Elijah (representing the prophets) and only “listen to him” (i.e., to Jesus; my emphasis added). To abandon the law and the prophets meant to abandon the tabernacles and all the old symbols and rituals of worship. It’s hard to imagine a more heretical proposition to the Jews. No wonder they wanted to kill it dead!

Robin: How do we worship when we work, if it is even possible?

Don: That’s a practical question about the definition of worship and its application—where and when. Is it confined to a church or similar setting, or is it like prayer—something we should be continuously engaged in?

Robin: From today’s readings, it seems that individual worship is something to engage in all the time, as opposed to corporate, organized worship.

Jay: It raises again the question whether worship and communion with God are personal or corporate matters. The worship described in today’s readings—being a living sacrifice, building up the body—has service to one’s fellow wo/man at its core. Since that cannot be done in total isolation, it is thus corporate in that sense.

Kiran: When I first became a Christian, worship seemed to be all about me and whether I was doing things correctly. It took a while for me to realize that personal piety has no place in the eyes of God. I was deeply impressed by Jesus’ injunction to quit worship immediately to go reconcile with someone with who a dispute arises. Our relations with each other are more important than personal piety. Another key passage from John notes that one cannot truly love God if one does not love one’s fellow wo/man. The author of the Message Bible was asked on NPR about where to worship. He recommended the smallest church you can find close to home, since in a small congregation you cannot be anonymous—you have to interact with the others even if they are different from you, and interaction is the necessary first step to developing mutual understanding, respect, and ultimately love. This reflects the community aspect of building the body by looking out for and loving one another. We grow and mature together. It also reflects the grace of a God who loves us despite the huge difference between us and him.

Reinhard: Maturity is a key concept for Christians. It’s a never-ending process.

David: Is it a passive or an active process? The answer to the question about whether we should worship while at work, to me, is yes, because the scriptures we have been studying describe worship as a way of life, and work is part of life. But that can be a passive form of worship. It need not involve going out to evangelize or do good works. Jesus gave us the example of the Good Samaritan: a person who was not out actively looking to do a good deed but always ready to do one when called by the spirit. Yes, worship can be communal or “corporate” as long as we restrict their definition to being ever-ready to serve others if needed, as Jesus was and as indeed he lived his life. This passive form of worship can (and by my reading of today’s passages it should) be “practiced” at work or indeed anywhere.

Donald: Apparently, the fisherman disciples went to work even as they followed Jesus. They didn’t worship him one day a week, as we do. On workdays we tend to focus on sustaining ourselves and our families through our work. Jesus was a carpenter—I wonder how he integrated his divine mission with his day job!

Robin: One cannot fake worship—one cannot serve people at work or anywhere if one’s spiritual cup is empty. Filling it requires personal worship time devoted to spiritual replenishment. Worship by works alone tends to lead to burnout.

Jason: Can one not fill one’s spiritual cup by serving others? Is this not more productive than going it alone? Personal worship tends to be about one’s self, but (except for that moment of his greatest distress in the Garden of Gethsemane) the ministry of Christ was not about Jesus. The need for a personal connection with God in order to serve others is not clear to me, but the establishment of a personal connection with God by serving others is.

Jeff: Atheists can serve other people, so not even belief in God—never mind a connection with him—is necessary. I struggle routinely with the fact that some non-Christians behave in a more Christian way than I do!

Donald: We have to be careful of “us and them.” Our lives may not be as stable as we pretend, and we might well sometimes need the help of others. It’s not just a matter of needing to serve—it’s also a matter of needing to be served.

Jay: I agree, but it’s not always either/or—it can be both: We might be in a position to serve even at times when we need help ourselves. Or we might have the resources to serve one person but not the other. We have to weigh and husband our resources to serve. If we are called to serve and have the resources to do so, then we should do so. If not, there is no blame. Jesus said something like “You must be prepared to abandon your family to follow me.” Few of us are capable of sacrificing our families or our lives in order to serve at that level, but we should heed calls to serve at levels we can afford at the time. It’s passive service in that sense.

Robin: What motivates us Christians to serve? Love. What motivates atheists to serve? Love, I would think. The love has the same source, regardless of belief.

David: Yes. In the judgment scene, those judged fit to enter the kingdom of heaven asked in evident amazement: “What did we do to deserve this?” Had they been actively trying to worship by doing good, they would have expected this reward. The fact that they clearly did not expect it must mean that they had not actively sought to do good as a way of worshiping. They had simply loved their fellow wo/man. Like the Good Samaritan (and unlike Don Quixote) they were not on the prowl for good deeds to do, they were not seeking to top up their spirits, to feel good about themselves, or anything else. They just did what they did out of a love that is passive, that—like the “I AM”—just IS.

I do think we need topping up spiritually from time to time, but I also think we are all born full of it. Perhaps some people achieve it through active service, while for others, quiet contemplation with God might suffice. Perhaps the balance is different for each of us. Jesus did both.

Kiran: I confess I don’t feel I have enough love for others. But I do feel I owe God for all he has done for me—for his love for me and his grace toward me—and I feel compelled to share that with others. That’s my motivation. It might be defined as love, but I don’t feel that it is. I feel it as my duty. Sometimes he equips me to fulfill my duty; but when I don’t feel I have the resources, I hold back. I feel that God helps me discern.

Indian gurus and sadhus (holy men) sometimes go off in impoverished seclusion for years at a time, to meditate. They visit houses to beg for food. I don’t think that would bring me close to God. But the Sabbath forces me to stop and think about my life and my relationship with God and with other people.

Jeff: You feel that your impetus to serve comes from the spiritual power God gave you. I don’t think it’s the same for everybody. I experience inner conflict whenever I pass by a beggar. Should I give them something or not? I end up giving to some and not to others, without rhyme or reason. I don’t think that has anything to do with my spiritual background or religious upbringing—I think it is innate and human. One sees a need and is drawn to try to meet it, but whether one heeds the call or how one heeds it is not an easy decision.

Jay: Most of us feel that tension in our souls. Different people of different faiths or non-faiths and different life experiences have different names for it, but it’s the same innate human thing.

Donald: I know many good people who are not religious. So again, where does goodness come from?

Jay: The question should be whether goodness exists. If we agree that it does, then that’s all there is to it—we are united. But when we start to define it (by origin, nature, appearance, etc.) we invite debate and argument and division.

Donald: If we can’t talk about where it comes from, a lot of walls would tumble down!

Jeff: That’s the point. To define is to set parameters, to build walls.

Jay: Most members of most faith communities would probably agree that salvation does not come from one’s sect. That being so, sect cannot be important.

Jeff: The problem is that humans cannot function without definitions.

Jay: There are people who don’t let definition get in the way of sharing love. If we were to recognize that we live by definitions and that they change how we act, it might change us for the better.

Michael: I think spirituality should not be equated to religiosity. They are different. It is not true that an atheist, who is non-religious by definition cannot be spiritual. Everyone is spiritual. But it’s hard to say whether spirituality develops and matures at home or in church or wherever. Spirituality is a mystery.

It’s interesting how Hebrews re-interprets Jewish symbols into other symbols, such as a fixed place of worship being re-interpreted as the body of Christ. Whatever the symbol is, it is used to define. The body of Christ is thus a symbol of Christianity, and yet scripture says it is something that applies to everyone everywhere. We cannot limit worship in any way, because true worship is spiritual, not religious.

Donald: What is the relationship between being saved and being good? Being saved is about me again. Goodness is not about reward.

Jeff: What’s the goal? That there is a goal seems to be the general human belief.

Chris: In the Garden of Eden, there was no goal. No-one had to be good in order to gain entry to heaven—they were already there! All we had to do was be.

David: Just being was worshipful. Today, we are told to worship not just in the body of Christ but also (and perhaps more often) in his name. That’s clearly a red rag to any non-Christian, yet it seems important to our questions about what is worship. We need to understand it.

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