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Vicar Jacob Kieselhorst • Feb 25, 2024
Rethinking the Worth of Worship
Person A never attends worship. He can’t see the point. Person B attends every week out of a slavish sense of obligation. Her mind wanders during the services, for she views the activities of worship merely as tasks for her to complete. Who is worse off? Rather than debating the point, let us just admit neither understand the true worth of worship. And that is exactly what Satan wants.
Many think worship is about what we do for God. It is the other way around. As we gather around Word and sacrament, the Spirit moves us to love and trust in God above all things. Moved by the cross of Christ, we bow down before our God. We commune with him. And that’s exactly what God wants.
The entirety of God's Word can be summed up in one word: love. God's Law is all about love. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart..." and "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37,39). The gospel is all about love: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son..." (John 3:16). From his compassion for the sick & broke, to his sacrificial death on the cross, to the peace he provided after His resurrection, Jesus was the perfect embodiment of love. Love is his business. Therefore, love is our business too. The resurrection reality is that with the same supernatural power by which God raised Jesus from the dead, God now enables us to live a new life - one marked with radically selfless love. The motivation and ability to do this comes from seeing the endless love Christ has for us. We love only because he first loved us.
Scripture frequently pictures spiritual care in terms of a shepherd watching over sheep. Even folks unfamiliar with shepherding are able to grasp the meaning. Sheep are helpless animals - an easy meal for predators. For sheep to survive the needed a shepherd who not only leads them to sources of food, but who also is willing to tangle with a pack of wolves. Jesus is such a shepherd. He proved He is willing to lay down His life for His sheep.
A platitude is a statement aimed at helping sooth some sort of emotional unease. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Or “Life is a mystery.” Or “Good things come to those who wait.” While platitudes may be well-intentioned, at best they come off as trite. And since platitudes provide no real help, they can actually make a situation worse. Tell the one whose heart is shattering, “Life is a mystery.” They won’t appreciate your platitude or you. The resurrection gives believers the ability to offer more than platitudes. We have a meaningful message to share—of repentance, of forgiveness, of peace, of power. The reality is we have something important to say to every single person that God brings into our sphere of influence. And our risen Savior gives us the courage and power to share that meaningful message.
