Ephesians 5:15-20
I get the first 3 verses of this passage: because the days are evil, we need to be careful to make the best of every opportunity (good doesn't cut it anymore, we need to make the most of it). It's like Paul is saying: "There's no time to fool around anymore! The days are evil and we need to make the most of of every opportunity to do the Lord's will."
After an intro like that, I'm expecting these grand pronouncements about what the Lord's will is. And... (drum roll, please!)... "Don't get drunk!"
What? This is how we make the most of every opportunity? I guess it sort of makes sense that we can't be doing the Lord's will and making the most of every opportunity if we're drunk but it seems a little out of place here. It also seems out of place when I look at what Paul asks me to replace getting drunk with (I realize that sounds like I get drunk. I don't.): being filled with the Spirit. This is another interesting comparison. Strip off drunkeness and replace it with the Spirit. Drunkeness leads to all kinds of selfish indulgence and the Spirit leads to... singing? Really?
While I might not understand the comparison that Paul is making, I do understand that our concept of corporate worship is way off. Usually we see it as a chance to get together and worship God in a crowd of individuals. Paul (and Christ) have a way higher calling for corporate worship - we are supposed to be speaking to each other in song. When you sing in a service, you are not just singing to God but you are preaching to me. You are building me up by the words you sing, the expression on your face and your posture of worship. When I look across from the youth section and see you pouring your praise out to God with your whole heart, that tells me that God is worthy of worship and worthy of everything I can give him (and more). Your song is your sermon and when I join with you we get to preach it together.
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2 comments:
This is a new way of looking at worship. How do we keep the urgency of our worship and our times before us? How do we cultivate a sense of desperate worship. The knowledge that we are desperate for God, and we are in evil times that require all our hearts to be focused? I think someway we need to keep the need of the world for God in front of us. I don't have any really good ideas right now.
I like that thought - so, for example, when we're singing "Jesus, Hope of the Nations" we don't just rejoice in our praise but we weep as we preach the truth that without Jesus the nations have no hope.
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