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?
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3 comments:
Relics have been worshiped from the earliest days of the Old Testament. They just change with the times. Today's relics are the pulpit, the organ, the altar,the candles, the pews, the flowers, the choir risers, the old hymns, etc. Tomorrow's relics will be the screen, the powerpoint, the microphones, the sound system, contemporary music,etc. The relics may change, but God is the stability that does not change. Martin Luther knew that, and through him, God brought us into a new relationship with Him. Maybe the relics are the indulgences of out times. Maybe we need someone like Martin Luther to set us on fire again for God. There is your challenge Jay!
Maybe I should have said that Martin Luther brought us back to right relationship with God. Can you tell that I just watched the movie Luther? What an awesome movie. Makes you just want to go out and nail something to a wall or a door or a grand piano.:)
hey j., great thoughts. i especially liked your insight into the way we use the bible, and how it shouldn't be something to be worshiped, but to help us worship the Only One who is worthy of worship.
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