Making Contact with God

The wealth of our worship is
not primarily related to the
silver-tongued rhetoric
of our sermons . . .

or to the soaring sounds
of our anthems . . .

or to the amazing fact
that on a Sunday morning we actually managed
to lift ourselves out of our beds and find our way to a church.

Rather, the wealth of our worship
is related directly to
the worthiness of Him whose name
we actually dare to take upon our lips
in praise, penitence and prayer.

It is only a sense of His worthiness that makes worship anything,
and that lifts it out of the category of a useless bleating at the gates of God,
a travesty and an offense against Him who will one day be our Judge.

"Guard your steps when you go to the house of God" (5:1).

There is, one person put it, "an inveterate tendency in men to seek to make use of God, to subject God to themselves and their own concerns, to treat Him as an ally, an anodyne [someone to reduce the pain of living] or an insurance agent [to guarantee us final victory over death]."

All of that is a problem of
attitude!
And we must get rid of it, if we really want to meet God.

"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).

We must meet God in worship entirely on His terms! With complete humility!

Not using God. Not qualifying God. Not trying to add anything to God. Not assuming that any fashion or offering of our worshipping tradition and liturgy can add one microunit of quality to the being and well-being of the Lord of the universe!

We need to check our attitude in worship.

It is also crucial that in worshipping the Almighty and Merciful God, Father of us all and of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we have a real sense of expectation. And a genuine expectation.

So, when you and I come to worship, what do we look for?
What do we hope for?
What do we expect?

A little comfort?
A little insight?
A little encouragement?

If that is all we expect, that is all we are likely to get!
A little of this or that!

As Moses met Him, face to face (Exodus 33:11).
As Elijah met Him, in the still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12).
We should expect the real presence of God in our worship!

Just as the glory of the Lord filled Solomon's new temple, the glory so strong, so pronounced, so all-pervasive, that they could hardly start the service (1 Kings 8:10-11).

Just as Isaiah saw a vision of the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, His train filling the temple, the foundations of the thresholds shaking at the voice of Him who called, and a sense of holiness and awe settling over all as Isaiah's sins were forgiven and the call came to him to serve (Isaiah 6).

"Guard your steps when you go to the house of God."

If worship is the supreme locus wherein we should be able to make contact with God, what are the practical things we can do in worship to ensure that we DO meet God, to ensure that our attitude is the right attitude, and that we have at least some sense of expectation? HOW are we to guard our steps when we go to the house of God?

We are given three answers by Ecclesiastes. The first is this:

"To draw near to listen is better than the sacrifice of fools."

Man-centred worship and service is verbose. It tends to fill up the time with sounds, and with paper. Administratively, it produces a never-ending stream of reports, statements and pronouncements. It multiplies committees and task-forces. Liturgically, it fills up the moments where silence could be the threshold for God's arrival in our lives. The Psalmist said,

"For God alone my soul waits in silence" (62:1-5).

Ancient Israel filled up its worship time with sacrifices and rituals. We do much the same with our orders of service and our formalities.

We need to learn to listen!

We need to take time to LISTEN!

After we read some Scripture, perhaps we should reflect in silence upon what we have read. After singing a hymn, perhaps we should take just a few moments to reflect on the verses we have sung. After the service, before we rise to go home, perhaps we should consider the whole service and ask ourselves: "Have I met God face to face today?"

"To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools."

The second answer given by Ecclesiastes as to how we ought to guard our steps when we go to the house of God is to acknowledge God's authority!

"For God is in heaven and you upon earth" (5:2).

"For when dreams increase, empty words grow many: but do you fear God" (5:7).

That is, make sure you stand in awe of God!

We really cannot worship God unless we come with
a deep respect for Him in our hearts.
Faith
and worship
and service
are by-products
of
wonder!

Unfortunately today we have such little respect for anything that our attitude towards God is also affected. We may be curious about God. We may be familiar with God in a kind of folksy way. . .

But are we smitten with the
wonder
of His love . . .
and holiness . . .
and power?

Today everything is awesome except God.

We need to stand in awe of God.

The third answer given by Ecclesiastes as to how we ought to guard our steps when we go to the house of God is to be sure that we keep our commitments to God!

"When you vow a vow to God,do not delay in paying it. . ." (5:4).

How many of us have been baptized and confirmed? How many of us once made a commitment to God? Perhaps one day long ago we said to God:

"I'm yours!"

But then other things got in the way. We had our work, our friends, other things we wanted to do. And God got pushed onto a siding!

No longer was He front and centre.

All the while we wondered
why God wasn't blessing us.

Why we weren't meeting Him
face to face.

The answer is simple:

we broke a fundamental law of God
(cf Deuteronomy 23:21-3).

Perhaps we need to remake our commitments to God!

"Guard your steps when you go to the house of God."

Worship is the prime locus where we should be able to make contact with God. Where we can meet Him face to face!

... CONTINUED

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Updated January 19, 2006.

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