And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.
– Luke 4:14-16
Habits are not bad. For some reason, religious habits get cast in a negative light. The idea of discipleship is grounded in discipline (thus the close similarity between the words), and discipline involves intentionality and regularity.
The series Practical Christianity is about how to model our lives after the life of Jesus. Often when we ask about the practicality of something, we are asking the question of how to translate an idea or theory into something that is tangible or observable in daily living. By considering the life of Jesus we will see (dare I say) habits that must have held some importance. If they did so for Jesus, surely they must for us also.
For Jesus, worship was both private and public. That is to say, it is something he did alone, and something he did in connection with others. Whether for the annual pilgrim feasts to Jerusalem or for weekly gatherings in the synagogue, Jesus gathered with his people “as was his custom.” Why was it his custom? Because it was his parents’, and grandparents’, etc. Why was it theirs? Because they came to understand that it was God’s will for them. Modern equivalent: I go to church not because I feel like it, but because it is my habit to do so, and it is my habit to do so because I understand that God desires for me to do it.
Why did God prescribe worship for the Hebrew people? (To continue hearing the scriptures taught AND interpreted, to declare the glory of God, and to keep people oriented to their identity and purpose as people chosen by God.
The gospel accounts do not overly-emphasize the worship habits of Jesus, but neither do they portray those habits as unimportant to Jesus. The picture we are given is of a man who embraced the meaningful habit of corporate worship. (See John 7:1-14. A feast is near, and Jesus tells his disciples to go without him, as he will not attend this feast. However, after they have gone, he goes also, even if quietly.)
Worship creates a Word-formed community
Synagogue gathering was more necessary for people to hear scripture taught. It was not like today where every home has multiple copies at hand. But access isn’t the only issue. Worshipping together is a means of being formed by God as a body who understands God’s truth and is prepared to serve God together.
This is one of those appropriate times to consider what scripture does NOT tell us. Gospel writers only tell us of the few instances when Jesus went to synagogue and something pertinent to their account happened, something like the revelation of his mission, casting out a demon or healing someone. The writers do not tell us of the years of weekly attendance that helped to shape Jesus in his human understanding. He lived in community with people who gathered to be shaped by God’s word.
Worship declares the glory of God
2 Chronicles 7:3 “All the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the Lord upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave praise to the Lord, saying, ‘Truly He is good, truly His lovingkindness is everlasting.’”
We need consistent reminders of the majesty of God. Without those reminders we forget—which leads to a view of God that is too small and, correspondingly, a view of ourselves that is too large. We need to stand in the place of the writer of Psalm 8 as he expresses his awe with these words:
“O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
Worship keeps us properly oriented
Recall the 1999 plane crash that killed John F. Kennedy, Jr. and two other passengers. The crash was attributed to pilot disorientation. The flight was made at night under poor visibility conditions, and the pilot had not completed certification for instrument flight. The point is that instruments in an airplane provide the necessary information for a pilot to keep a plane properly oriented in flight.
In the same way, worship keeps a person oriented for living. Worship keeps fresh in our minds the sovereignty and goodness of God. A properly-oriented life is one given wholly to serve Kingdom purposes. Without that we are left to drift like ships without mooring or rudders, like leaves helpless to be blown with any wind that comes. Worship is vital to our ability to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Jesus came to the most difficult point of decision in his life when he was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane just before his arrest. How much harder would it have been to submit to the Father’s will if Jesus had not oriented his entire life in worship?
Prepare and Commit
In the weeks to come prepare yourself for worship by 1) remembering why we worship, 2) challenging your expectations of “going to church,” and 3) dedicating yourself to follow Jesus as one who is committed to a life of worship.
The Winding Path 