Have we replaced God?

The complaint came again today..."what happened to the pulpit?" Along with it came others related to the worship space, like the addition of a baby grand piano, or the absence of choir risers, or the position of the altar. Sometimes I think we have replaced God with those material things, and have made those things the object of worship - if not God themselves.

I've often wondered that about the Bible, too. The above mentioned items are all material objects. The Bible is God's word for us - we affirm that every Sunday when the reader says "This is the word of God for the people of God," and the congregation responds, "Thanks be to God!" Yes, it is God's word for us, and it is important as a way to form and shape our lives to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ...but the Bible is not God. At times, we become so intent on proving our point or become so bent on following God's word that we forget to follow God. The Bible, in and of itself, is a good thing for us, but reading and following the Bible does not replace a living relationship with God. At best, it can point us to God.

The same is with those material objects...a pulpit, a baptismal font, an altar, a cross, a stained glass window, a piano, banners, or any other object used in the worship space should point us to God, but they should never become our God. What is your God?