When I first began teaching in the Seminary 42 years ago, one of the two classes I taught was Principles & Practices of Worship. I had never taught a course in worship or even taken a course in worship and if it is confession time—I can’t remember that I had read a book on worship before 1982—the year Robert Webber first published, Worship Old and New. But I have many wonderful memories of students and insights in that worship class. The major assignment of the class was for students to select a topic related to worship and wrestle with the universal principles that are true for all people at all times and the cultural practices that differ from culture to culture. They would present their papers to the class for class discussion. I remember Griff, a dentist from Peoria who was a Lutheran lay minister, doing a paper on baptism and his perspective on the place of liturgy in baptism. As a result of his study, on the last day of class as we worshipped together, he was immersed in a meaningful baptism service. I remember Danny from Liberia, West Africa doing a paper on music in worship. He was wrestling with the way American missionaries brought English hymns to African culture and ignored the rich history of music already there. I called a time out to admonish us arrogant Americans for thinking the whole world should worship the way we do. If we think that is what heavenly worship will be like, we may be disappointed.
What I remember most from the course has shaped my life in significant ways ever since. That was the realization that worship does not begin with us—our creativity, our ingenuity, our planning. Worship is now, and always has been, the second beat of a two-beat rhythm—a response—not the first word but a reply; not a first action but a reaction.
Thus worship has been appropriately defined as:
• “the response of the creature to the Eternal” (Evelyn Underhill)
• “the proper response of the creature to the Creator” (D.A. Carson)
• “a believer’s response of all that he is—mind, emotions, will and body—to all that God is and says and does’ (Warren Wiersbe)
• “an active response to God whereby we declare His worth” (R.B. Allen)
• “an intelligent response to God’s self-revelation” (John Stott)
In his book, Answering God (The Psalms As Tools for Prayer) Eugene Peterson explains it further, “The Psalms come from a people who hear God speak to them and realize that it is the most important word they will ever hear spoken. They decide to respond. They answer. The word they hear from God takes precedence over every human word: human wisdom, human advice, human discourse, human inquiry. These people made their mark in history not by understanding themselves or studying what they found around them in earth and sky, but in praying to the God who revealed himself to them in Word. All around them their Greek, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Egyptian neighbors gave themselves in intelligent passion to exploring the surface of the earth, plotting the stars and tracking the constellations, mastering the uses of power, pursuing questions of truth, figuring out how numbers worked. The results of all this physical and mental activity are breathtakingly magnificent. The Hebrews prayed. They were intelligent and passionate before God. They knew that God had invaded their history. They responded to the presence; they answered the address; they prayed.”
I would add that their response is what the Bible calls worship—an appropriate, adoring response to revelation and redemption involving prayer and praise. The point is unmistakable—God speaks, we respond; God acts, we respond; God is, we respond. The revelation of God’s character as holy and eternal and His work in creation demands a response that is rational and cognitive—but that is not all there is to worship. The response to the revelation of God’s character as loving and gracious and His redemptive act is not only rational and cognitive—it is also emotional and celebrative.
The Book of Ecclesiastes echoes this note of response. Let me remind you of the ground we have covered over the past few months—
• Have you discovered meaning full wisdom? Then praise God in worship.
• Do you enjoy meaning full work? Then worship God through your work.
• Have you experienced meaning full achievement? Then give thanks to God.
• Are you blessed with meaning full relationships? Then worship God.
• Have you found the key to meaning full righteousness? Then worship.
• Do you enjoy meaning full time? Then worship God through your use of time.
• Do you see evidences of meaning full justice? Then praise God that He is at work.
• Have you enjoyed meaning full wealth? Then bless God for blessing you.
• Do you know the value of meaning full words? Then worship God with your words.
• Are you blessed with meaning full citizenship? Then worship God as a citizen of Heaven.
• Do you enjoy meaning full desire? Then thank God.
• Have you discovered the secret to a meaning full life? Then worship God with your life.
I read this book with all these blessings like I read Romans where after eleven chapters of extolling the mercies of God Paul concludes by saying in Romans 12:1–2
1 Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1–2)
Solomon, the author of this book was King of Israel but I read his discoveries the way I read the book of Hebrews where after taking 12 chapters to argue the superiority of Christ’s kingdom over all other kingdoms he concludes in Hebrews 12:28-29:
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us hold on to grace. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28-29)
The New International Version translates our response this way-- let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.
Do you see the pattern? God acts; He extends His mercies to us and grants citizenship in His Kingdom to us, so we respond in worship—obedient, adoring, worship.
In the last chapter of Ecclesiastes, Solomon concludes with two words for worship that we often overlook. They are the reason for our response of worship and they remind us that worship is not a one-day-a-week response or a one-hour-a-week response but rather it is a way of life, an attitude expressed in actions. I contend that understanding these two words and obeying these two imperatives are the keys to making our worship response meaning-full.
So remember your Creator in the days of your youth: Before the days of adversity come, and the years approach when you will say, “I have no delight in them”; (Ecclesiastes 12:1)
Solomon commands us to ‘remember’ our Creator in the days of our youth. That term in Hebrew does not simply mean to recall something or to bring something to memory. It actually conveys the idea of commitment that results in action, reliving something from the past to impact us now. For instance, when God ‘remembers’ Israel in the Old Testament, he acts upon His covenant with them. So here we are called to do something and to act in a particular way. Since God is the Creator, He alone is worthy of our worship and obedience. As His created beings it is not our place to usurp His authority over our lives.
To remember is to savor which suggests enjoying or appreciating something or someone slowly with the senses not hurriedly. One of my tendencies is to eat too fast. It may be explained by the fact that I grew up in a family of five boys so getting seconds meant you ate fast to finish first. (Yes, I was a bit selfish back then). I have learned that it is far better to engage the senses and savor a meal—to see it, to smell it, to feel its texture, to taste it. This week around your Thanksgiving tables let it become a sensory experience. Take the time to see what is appealing about the food, to enjoy the aroma of the food, to let the textures and tastes linger in your mouth, listen to lip-smacking and then to properly thank the cooks who prepared it and ultimately give thanks to God who provided it. Savoring is a way of remembering or reliving past experiences that still impact our present lives and may even shape our future.
Look at how Solomon savors the image of seizing the moment while you are young before old age creeps in—
1 So remember your Creator in the days of your youth: Before the days of adversity come, and the years approach when you will say, “I have no delight in them”; 2 before the sun and the light are darkened, and the moon and the stars, and the clouds return after the rain; 3 on the day when the guardians of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, the women who grind cease because they are few, and the ones who watch through the windows see dimly, 4 the doors at the street are shut while the sound of the mill fades; when one rises at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song grow faint. 5 Also, they are afraid of heights and dangers on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper loses its spring, and the caper berry has no effect; for man is headed to his eternal home, and mourners will walk around in the street; 6 before the silver cord is snapped, and the gold bowl is broken, and the jar is shattered at the spring, and the wheel is broken into the well; 7 and the dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12:1–7)
Did you notice how he stacks metaphor upon metaphor to create an unmistakable mental picture? He is showing us how to savor something so it stays with us.
This reminds me of Job 38-39 where God questions Job to prompt Him to remember His Creator. Here are some of the questions God asks in rapid-fire fashion paraphrased in The Message: 4 Where were you when I created the earth?. . . 5 Who decided on its size? . . . Who came up with the blueprints and measurements? 6 How was its foundation poured, and who set the cornerstone? . . . 12 “And have you ever ordered Morning, ‘Get up!’ told Dawn, ‘Get to work!’ 16 “Have you ever gotten to the true bottom of things, explored the labyrinthine caves of deep ocean? 17 Do you know the first thing about death? Do you have one clue regarding death’s dark mysteries? 18 And do you have any idea how large this earth is? … 19 “Do you know where Light comes from and where Darkness lives 20 So you can take them by the hand and lead them home when they get lost?... 22 “Have you ever traveled to where snow is made, seen the vault where hail is stockpiled, 23 The arsenals of hail and snow that I keep in readiness for times of trouble and battle and war? 24 Can you find your way to where lightning is launched, or to the place from which the wind blows? 25 Who do you suppose carves canyons for the downpours of rain, and charts the route of thunderstorms … 28 And who do you think is the father of rain and dew, 29 the mother of ice and frost? 30 You don’t for a minute imagine these marvels of weather just happen, do you?. . . 34 “Can you get the attention of the clouds, and commission a shower of rain? 35 Can you take charge of the lightning bolts and have them report to you for orders? That is just the beginning of God’s claims!
The only appropriate response to such an awe-inspiring Creator God is worship—a life of obedient worship.
In addition to remembering, the other word used here to describe our worship response is the word revere often translated “fear.”
The conclusion: 13 When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is: fear God and keep His commands, because this is for all humanity. 14 For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13–14)
In these verses Solomon presents his conclusion to the whole matter. After all is said and done, one must fear God (revere God) and obey him. To fear does not mean to shake and shudder at something or someone who is scary. It means to revere Him, to be in awe of Him, to see that He is in His rightful place on the throne of my life.
I am not suggesting that we take God lightly or treat our relationship with Him casually. The God of all mercies described by Paul is also described by the writer of Hebrews as “a consuming fire.” One of the many reasons I value weekly corporate worship is this is an opportunity together to tell God regularly what He is worth, what value we place on our relationship with Him and with each other.
This is not the first time but the fourth time in this book that Solomon urges us to fear God. Here is Ecclesiastes 5:7: 7For many dreams bring futility, so do many words. Therefore, fear God. (Ecclesiastes 5:7) Fearing God (revering God) is the way to overcome the futility of life without Him.
Here again is Ecclesiastes 7:18:It is good that you grasp the one and do not let the other slip from your hand. For the one who fears God will end up with both of them. (Ecclesiastes 7:18) Fearing God (revering God) is the path to enjoying the life of blessing that can be ours.
Once again in Ecclesiastes 8:12: Although a sinner commits crime a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I also know that it will go well with God-fearing people, for they are reverent before Him. (Ecclesiastes 8:12) Fearing God (revering God) is the key to life going well with us.
I want to give a shout out to the Men’s Ministry here at Lakeside. A week ago yesterday at our monthly breakfast meeting we looked at several Scriptures where the phrase “fear God” is found. It was announced that beginning in January we will be studying together a book entitled The Awe of God. Plan to join us. Following our breakfast which I savored every bite of—the biscuits and sausage gravy, hash brown potatoes, and fresh fruit and every sip of coffee, several men in the group worshipped. They went out into the community to serve people with various needs. I thought to myself these guys get it. They understand that worship is not just singing and hearing a message on Sunday morning; it is performing acts of service on a Saturday morning or going to the workplace or school on Monday morning. That is the appropriate worship response.
This week as we celebrate a day of national thanksgiving may it mark the beginning of a never-ending season of remembering and revering our great God who alone is worthy of our worship.
One of my favorite worship songs that I frequently find myself singing begins this way—
… You are beautiful beyond description, Too marvelous for words
Too wonderful for comprehension Like nothing ever seen or heard
Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom? Who can fathom the depth of Your love?
You are beautiful beyond description, Majesty, enthroned above.
… And I stand, I stand in awe of You. I stand, I stand in awe of You.
Holy God, to whom all praise is due, I stand in awe of You.
Here are the lines that help us remember (savor) as we prepare for communion:
… You are beautiful beyond description, Yet God crushed You for my sin.
In agony and deep affliction Cut off that I might enter in.
Who can grasp such tender compassion? Who can fathom this mercy so free?
You are beautiful beyond description, Lamb of God who died for me.