Vicar Jacob Kieselhorst • February 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.
What do you consider your life’s top priorities? Many people start with family and friends. Financial security and health follow closely. Reputation and recreation make the cut. How about faith? Is it the top priority? What if other priorities must be sacrificed to keep faith the top priority? The Bible helps Christians keep worldly wealth in perspective. It can buy the things of this world, things that rust and decay, but there is something more valuable. True wealth is spiritual wealth. It can be found only in God and his eternal blessings for us in Christ.
This weekend is the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of the Independence of the United States of America. American citizens from many backgrounds are celebrating in many ways. What makes Christian citizens different? Christian citizenship is not connected to a particular political party. Christian citizenship is not connected to particular civic activities. Christians understand that they live in two kingdoms. God does not need our good works, but our neighbors do. God’s Word informs our choice of political activities as we seek to be faithful to our calling as Christian citizens.
Not all love is good. It is self-destructive to love bad things. It is just as harmful to love good things in a bad order. For example, it would seem to be a good thing for a man to love his dog. But if he loves his dog more than he loves his wife, his “love” for both is disordered. For love to be healthy, it needs to be properly ordered. Christians love the people whom God has placed into their lives. But when those people desire something that God does not desire, Christians love and serve God above all. Properly ordered love leads us to be faithful to God and his Word. We love God above all because he first loved us.
