acceptable

This week we begin worship with:

Hebrews 12:28

Let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let

us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.

Because of this verse (and others) we follow the regulative principle of worship, understanding that how God is to be worshiped is laid out in scripture, as opposed to the normative principle of worship where any sort of worship that is not prohibited by scripture may be used.  

In Genesis 4:3-8, even prior to any such proscription, we see that Cain's worship was rejected as unacceptable while Abel got it right.  Cain had given the produce.  Abel sacrificed the producer.

We each receive an unshakable "kingdom".  We each receive 7 days a week.  And in gratitude for that gift, we are told in Exodus 20:8-11 to sacrifice one day, during which we could have been the producer.  We worship by sacrificing that day.  And during which we sing, pray, read scripture, receive instruction, and receive the sacraments.  

So strictly speaking, it is in duty, rather than worship, that we bring the tithes and offerings.  For our produce is never acceptable worship.

beautiful

 This week we begin worship with:

Ecclesiastes 3:11

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s

heart.

Reader, you are beautiful.  God loved you so much, He made you. He made you for this time and for eternity.

Job 14:14-16

If a man dies, shall he live again?

    All the days of my service I would wait,

    till my renewal should come.

You would call, and I would answer you;

    you would long for the work of your hands.

For then you would number my steps;

    you would not keep watch over my sin;

Reader, God loves us so much, He will call you into eternity.  He will not leave the beautiful work of His hands in a grave. 

Sevant

This week we begin worship with:

Luke 17:7-8

“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him

when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he

not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me

while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’?

This passage is strange by modern standards. I regularly thank my employees for what they have done (v9) and in a few weeks I will take my team leads out for a celebratory dinner. 

The servant here is doulos.  It means “slave” and comes from the word deō, which means to bind.  This is not the law we operate under in North Carolina, where employment is at will. Rather they are bound to their current circumstances. 

We too are doulos and serve God.  The point of this passage is that no matter how good we serve we are still a servant (Romans 6:22).

Luke 17:10

So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants;we have only done what was our duty.’”

Yet

This week we begin worship with:

Hebrews 10:37–39

“Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my

righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure

in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of

those who have faith and preserve their souls.

This is cited from the prophecy of Habakkuk:

Habakkuk 2:3-4

For still the vision awaits its appointed time;

    it hastens to the end—it will not lie.

If it seems slow, wait for it;

    it will surely come; it will not delay.

“Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,

    but the righteous shall live by his faith.

It explains the simple thought that faith requires patience. If waiting was not required, neither would be faith. But it also gives the stern warning that shrinking back from that patient faith is the path to destruction.  

We need to start every day saying to ourselves “Yet a little while”.

 

 

despised

 This week we begin worship with:

Isaiah 52:7

How beautiful upon the mountains

    are the feet of him who brings good news,

who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,

    who publishes salvation,

    who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

This is the start of a victory song.  While the text points to a singular "him" that brings the good news, and may indeed point to John the Baptist, or our Lord Jesus himself, Paul rightfully expands this to every individual for it can point to anyone who brings the Good News.

Romans 10:15

And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 

The song ends with the victory march.  Slow, determined, safe, and well supplied.

Isaiah 52:12

For you shall not go out in haste,

    and you shall not go in flight,

for the Lord will go before you,

    and the God of Israel will be your rear guard. 

What prompted this battle?  Why did God bare His holy arm (v. 10)?

Isaiah 52:5b

. . . Their rulers wail,” declares the Lord, “and continually all the day my name is despised. 

I awoke this morning hearing in my dream the name of our Lord Jesus Christ being misused.  My response in the moment was "May He have all the glory and honor due His Name". 

according to

This week we begin worship with:

Isaiah 63:7

I will recount the steadfast love of the LORD, the praises of the LORD,

according to all that the LORD has granted us, and the great goodness to the

house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according

to the abundance of his steadfast love.

Oh, praise be to God who does not deal with us according to our merit!  Reread the verse and concentrate on the phrase "according to".

This introductory verse describes the intention of the prophet.  That to recount, which he does in Isaiah 63:7-14 how God, despite their rebellion, God carried them through the exodus all for His glory.

Isaiah 63:10a

But they rebelled

    and grieved his Holy Spirit;

 

Isaiah 63:14

Like livestock that go down into the valley,

    the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest.

So you led your people,

    to make for yourself a glorious name.

Nothing they did merited His gracious compassion and love. 

granted

This week we begin worship with:

Isaiah 63:7

I will recount the steadfast love of the LORD, the praises of the LORD,

according to all that the LORD has granted us, and the great goodness to the

house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according

to the abundance of his steadfast love.

Here Isaiah is leading in prayer and announcing his intent to glorify the name of the LORD.

In the word "granted" (gāmal) there is no merit, but also no gift.  One commentator uses the idea that it is not a ladder to be climbed, but rather a window to be opened.

The opposite "hurts" (ʿāḵar) is found here. It active and unpreventable:

Proverbs 11:17
A man who is kind benefits himself,
    but a cruel man hurts himself.

Let us join with Isaiah in praising our Lord, that when we turn to Him He deals with us with compassion, abundance and love. 

light

This morning we begin worship with:

Hebrews 1:1-2

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the

prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he

appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

These are big statements, which the author of Hebrews does not leave unsupported.  A quick read of Hebrews 1 yields verse after verse of Old Testament quotations pointing to the Son and as the Son, the heir.  But for a moment though, let's concentrate on "spoken", that Jesus is the voice of God.

John agrees and begins his Gospel similarly and also points to Jesus Chris as creator:

John 1:1-5

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

 What was the first recorded thing spoken by the Word?  

Genesis 1:3
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

This was not simply a flashlight, it was the light that created all matter as Einstein eventually understood.  And it was not simply matter.  It was life itself.

Job 33:30

. . .  to bring back his soul from the pit,

    that he may be lighted with the light of life. 

John 1:4

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 

2 Timothy 1:10

. . . and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, . . . 

Sunglasses, anyone? 

peace

 This week we begin worship with:

John 20:21-22

Jesus said to [the disciples] again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit."

Locked in a room out of fear, Jesus miraculously appears among them.  He greeted them twice with "Peace be with you".  

This is not simply to calm them down.  This was to convey on them the peace of God.  His sacrifice was now complete.  Perfect and permanent atonement had been made.  They now had peace with God!

All the rituals repeated from their youth to make themselves ceremonially clean only to temporarily enter the temple were now unnecessary.  Through the righteousness of Christ they themselves were now suitable to be the dwelling place of God.

Then came the same breath that put life into lifeless man.

Genesis 2:7

. . . then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

The Fall has been undone.  We can now walk with God in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8) without shame.

Peace be with you.

oil

 This morning we begin worship with:

1 Samuel 16:1

The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have

rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will

send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among

his sons.”

Why oil?  Nine times in the Old Testament oil was used to anoint someone for service.

But in the New Testament we find something different:

James 5:14
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

Why then was oil used during healing?  When elders pray over someone who is sick, God may heal them supernaturally and immediately, heal them through the skills of the doctors and the design of the human body, or God may have decreed that this illness would be fatal.

In all cases, we are commanded to anoint them in faith for service.  Heaven will be another opportunity to serve our God.

wait

We start worship this morning with:

Psalm 130:5-8

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

    and in his word I hope;

my soul waits for the Lord

    more than watchmen for the morning,

    more than watchmen for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the Lord!

    For with the Lord there is steadfast love,

    and with him is plentiful redemption.

And he will redeem Israel

    from all his iniquities.

Those on watch know the middle of the night is the most dangerous.  As the light of day breaks, the danger abates.  They would greet the cock crowing with delight.

The Psalmist was waiting for "redemption" (pᵊḏûṯ).  Job too was waiting:

Job 14:14-17

If a man dies, shall he live again?

    All the days of my service I would wait,

    till my renewal should come.

You would call, and I would answer you;

    you would long for the work of your hands.

For then you would number my steps;

    you would not keep watch over my sin;

my transgression would be sealed up in a bag,

    and you would cover over my iniquity.

But we don't have to wait!  

Isaiah 51:11

“And the ransomed of the LORD shall return

and come to Zion with singing;

everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;

they shall obtain gladness and joy,

and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

On this blessed Advent Sunday, let your dark sorrow flee away as with the dawn, for our Redeemer has come!