What Our Worship Reveals

Ever stop to think about how Jesus came and declared "no one knows (God) the Father" to some of the most religious, dedicated, sincere people to ever live? They had an impressive array of knowledge about scripture, rituals, and the like, they just didn't know God.

As jarring as this can be when juxtaposed against the modern religious class, one can get a bit depressed as the parallels multiply. The thriving industry known as religion today rakes in billions a year pimping a false narrative of a god that no more exists than the one the Pharisees and Sadducees were pushing.

Jesus comes to reveal a God that "will never leave you or forsake you", who will be "with you always, even to the ends of the earth". John reiterates in John 1 that Christ "lights every man", Paul in Colossians 3:11 declares "Christ is all and in all". Jesus encourages us that he has bread that if we eat of it we shall "never be hungry again", and water that if we drink it - we will "never thirst again". But what about the god that many worship hits reveal?

"Come Holy Spirit - oh how we need you..."

"Holy Spirit - come flood this place..."

"Purify my heart...."

"Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary"....

"Hungry, I come to you For I know You satisfy. I am empty but I know Your love does not run dry"

Distant... Withholding... Wanting to purify our hearts (didn't the cross achieve that?), but we need to do our part to beg him to finish what he claimed was finished thousands of years ago.

The hunger and emptiness claim is extremely revealing. It's the language of orphans and widows. The homeless and impoverished. This is a "father" that leaves his children hungry and empty. Maybe one meal a week on Sunday. I saw a Facebook post asking people what their favorite worship songs were regarding being hungry for "more of God" - as though He is doling himself out one little bit a a time. Needless to say - dozens of christians eagerly posted their favorite pleadings to their stingy deity. I posted - "I'm not hungry - I'm satisfied". This was not met with a lot of celebration:) The chiding began - starting with "Blessed are those that HUNGER AND THIRST for righteousness!!!! My response "... for they shall be filled."

It goes beyond a "nitpicking of semantics". Our worship reveals the god or God we know and are revealing to the world. If your deity involves separation, then you have no problem segregating others in your heart and mind. Black, white, conservative, liberal, protestant, catholic, rich poor... Paul reveals the good news that there is "no Jew nor Greek, male female..." If your deity is withholding, waiting for you to beg or perform, then that is what you expect from people. They behave good - then they get a cookie. If they don't behave the way you like, then you're justified when you gossip and slander them.

The God that actually exists indwells everyone. God reconciled the whole world to himself and doesn't count their sins against them. If that's your God, then it's natural for you not to count peoples sins against them. And I'm not talking about reckless exposure to dangerous, hurtful people, but even those people can be viewed through the lens of faith to see that they have been saved by grace.

God didn't wait for your hoop jumping, confession, belief, repentance, acceptance, bead rubbing, sprinkling, immersion, tithing, or quiet time to save you. Of course the bible reveals that everyone will believe and confess that Jesus is Lord (not that the religious believe what the bible says), so I'm not claiming we shouldn't believe or confess, I'm just revealing the father that "while we were enemies...forgave us of all our sins".

What does your song reveal about your savior?