There was a guy who was supposed to be a greeter at our last church. He didn’t last very long. Every time the music started, he would turn around, lift his arms, and stare at the ceiling, in worship. Tons of people didn’t get their program while he was manning the door. Those who had placed him on the “greeting” team mentioned, “He needed to stay focused”. I stayed quiet, but inwardly, I applauded. It seemed he was focused. Maybe, more so than the rest of us… For this guy, worship wasn’t a choice or something he did, it was natural reaction, who he was.
It’s interesting that the Burnt Offering of Levitical Law was an offering of choice (Leviticus 1:3-6). A chance for people to come to their place of worship and show God that they loved Him and wanted to live for Him. The bible says that this offering was a “soothing aroma to God.”
It’s also interesting that the Burnt Offering didn’t matter to God if you weren’t walking with a heart of humility towards Him and with a love for those around you (Jeremiah 6:20, Psalm 51:16, Isaiah 58). Worship wasn’t an action, something you could just do, it was an exemplification and amplification corporately of who you were privately.
We’ve made worship a verb. Is it possible for worship to be a noun? Not what we do but who we are? Like my friend who was supposed to be greeting but felt himself prompted to turn and look skyward, ushered into the holy heavens and unable to control himself? I’m saddened at how often I’ll listen to a song in my earphones that speaks of “shouting from the rooftops” but feel too ashamed to whisper the words publicly in a crowded Starbucks. When was the last time I lifted my hands to Jesus while at work? Prayed over a stranger in the grocery line? Made up my own worship song to the Father in my car? Allowed my fingers to text him a note, that comes back “invalid” but makes it’s way as a “soothing aroma” to the heavens? Is He forefront, always, constant, talked to, felt, required, and prominent in my words and deeds?
Not because I’m TRYING to worship but because everything inside of me IS worship of my God. Does my weekend offering make it’s way to the heavens or is it blocked by a weeklong ignorance of the One I supposedly worship? How I hope my Christmas weekend is approved by the Christ who came to make it possible!