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Bi-Weekly Bible Study & Newsletter Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church in North America M G S O S A
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Celebration of Discipline Apr 02th 2006 |
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Christian discipline is the continuous process of forging one's life and lifestyle into a fragrance pleasing to God, relying upon the Holy Spirit and the Church for strength and direction. Join Ruho as we study discipline with material provided by The Water's Edge missional community or Michigan. Though not in any way affiliated with our church, this group has issued a study that we might find of compelling. Read on! ... spiritualdisciplineslesson7 : Worship & Celebration from The Water's Edge, Hudsonville, MI www.watersedge.tv
"A
Christian should be an alleluia from head to foot."
-St. Augustine
Worship: Experiencing the Greatness of God In the context of our culture, it seems more fitting to describe what worship is not. We have confused it, lopped off its various appendages, mistaken form for substance, and found ourselves very unsure about what worship really is. Worship is not contemporary or traditional-it is not a matter of personal preference. Worship is not liturgical or spontaneous-it is not a matter of order. Worship is not for Sunday morning or Saturday evening-it is not a matter of schedule.
Worship is the engagement of one's entire being with the greatness of the God Who Is. Worship is a life of conversation with God. God speaks, we respond, God responds, we respond again. Worship involves listening, looking, tasting, feeling, and smelling. We breathe in the presence of God wherever we are. We inhale the memories of His faithful acts in the past. Just as we suffocate for lack of air, worship suffocates for lack of attentiveness to God's presence and faithfulness.
Worship is our response to who God is. As we meditate on God's nature and character through prayer and study, the Holy Spirit reveals who God is more and more fully. As we experience who God is and what He is like, we give him more worth in our lives. This is what the worshippers in Revelation 4-5 are doing.
The more we come to understand who God is, the more we desire to open our lives up to the change that He desires in us. Paul wrote, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." It is in this way that true worship is transformational. Perhaps the clearest image of such conversion in worship is found in Isaiah 6:1-8.
What elements of conversion can you identify in that passage? _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ How has such an awareness of who God is transformed your life? _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________
Worship is our response to what God has done. Richard Foster wrote, "Worship is our response to the overtures of love from the heart of the Father." That is what Paul communicated when he wrote, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your act of spiritual worship." (Romans 12:1).
Throughout the Scriptures, God's people are constantly recalling God's acts of salvation. In fact, all of Scripture may be seen as a retelling of how God has reached out to save his lost children, and how He desires them to live in Him and with Him.
Can you think of some examples from Scripture? _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________
_______________________________________________ _______________________________________________
How does corporate worship reflect such remembering? How might your personal worship throughout the week reflect this? _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________
Worship is the experience of the greatness of God. It is an encounter with the God who is with us. Such encounters are not limited to clocks and calendars, pianos and guitars, or dramas and dancing. We worship wherever and whenever we experience the living Christ.
When we see the beauty of God in a perfectly still pool of water, when we hear the innocent laughter of children, when we feel the warmth of morning sun, when we taste the sweetness of new wine, when we smell the fields ripe for harvest, worship happens.
When our conscience is brought to life by thoughts of God's holiness, when we grasp a deeper understanding of God, when we grow in compassion for others from knowing God's love for us, when we surrender our desires to the will of God, worship happens. It would be a
sad spiritual life if worship were only in our life as a spiritual discipline.
However, if we take up this practice with the intention to experience God
in every area of life, worship will no longer be a practice, but a way of
life. The life of the Christian is a life of joy. Too many Christians, however, believe that smiling, laughing, and celebrating are improper for the pious. Consider the image that comes to mind when you hear the word "pious." You tend to think of tight-collared, somber-faced pilgrims, right?
The life of Jesus' disciples is one of celebration. Even though we live in a world full of darkness-suffering in which we often participate-we live with the confidence that God has overcome the darkness. Jesus told his disciples, "In this world you will have troubles, but rejoice, I have overcome the world."
I once suggested that when dealing with death, we can celebrate. How is it possible to celebrate in such a sad time of loss? We can celebrate because we know the mystery of the cross. In his dying, Jesus swallowed up death's power over us. It is no longer a scary unknown, but a conquered enemy.
We celebrate, even in our suffering, because we know the God who is with us. Henri Nouwen writes, "Joy and laughter are the gifts of living in the presence of God and trusting that tomorrow is not worth worrying about." Nouwen also writes that we celebrate because "we see that God, not the Evil One, has the last word."
Beyond suffering, there is much to celebrate in life. God has given us things to enjoy. Pleasure is good, not in the hedonistic sense of a life's pursuit, but as a gift to be received with gratitude (1 Timothy 4:4). In the history of God's people, there have been those who deprived themselves of all pleasure thinking it evil. Certainly we all face the danger of making pleasure a god, however it may be received as a gift and "consecrated by the word of God and prayer."
In C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters, the demon-uncle Screwtape comments, "All the same, (pleasure) is His invention, not ours. He made the pleasures: all our research so far has not enabled us to produce one."
God is good and the life He gives us is good. There is beauty to celebrate. There is love to celebrate. There is answer to prayer to celebrate. There are victories to celebrate. There are changed lives to celebrate. There is a wonderful future to celebrate.
Read Deuteronomy
14:23-27. How might such Biblical celebration challenge your attitude toward
having a good time? _______________________________________________
Understanding that our culture has made "having a good time" into a god, how can you redeem celebration as a spiritual discipline? _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________
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Of all the people on earth, God's people have the most reason to party. Can you think
of some ways you might practice the discipline of celebration? |
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Ponderous ideas |
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