Consuming Worship

In the film Castaway, veteran actor Tom Hanks, artfully portrays Chuck Noland, an executive with FedEx whose plane crashes in the south Pacific. Miraculously, he survives and washes up on a deserted island.  Noland quickly seeks to meet his essential needs.  Among these are the need for communication with the outside world and warmth through fire. Impressive scouting skills employed, Noland faces the challenge of starting a fire with a stick and a palm branch.  Interestingly, when he finally achieves a raging fire he proclaims, “Ahh yes, look what I have created.  I have made fire.  I.. have made fire!”

The Temptation

When we do seemingly significant things, it is natural to be enthusiastic about our accomplishments.  In worship, a similar temptation may be to take a step back from the proverbial campfire and say “Ahh yes, look what I have created”.  We may not use those words, but the question might be, what stimulates us to consider worship good or bad?

As with fire, worship is not created by man.  Like Chuck Noland, we are tempted to think that a firestorm of authentic corporate worship begins by something we create.  Does experiencing things a certain way, preferred music, lights, effects, the right message, or the perfect flow make the power of God more tangible and present?  Not to negate the necessity of well planned and thoughtful worship, but a common human failing is  to lean on things that are attainable, familiar, and comfortable, rather than utter dependency and trust.  We only need to look so far as Samson to see what man can do in his own strength. (Judges 16) So strong the tendency, deceptive the heart, and frequent the opportunity to become consumed by self that many miss the one life altering reality that awaits a worshipper.  The beginning and end of worship, without exception, is an all consuming desire and hunger for one thing; God himself.

The Test

So, what should authentic worship look like? To my knowledge not a single instance in Scripture exists where a person who encountered God in an authentic way left that encounter unchanged.  Even in cases where the response was not faith change occurs.  To authenticate this simply consult, Adam, Eve, Cain, Abraham, Lot’s wife, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Pharaoh, Samuel, David, Isaiah, Mary, Joseph, the disciples, Zacheus, Lazarus, the woman at the well, the Roman Centurion, and Paul. For this discussion consider examining an encounter by the Old Testament prophet Elijah.

The ministry of Elijah was one of the most dramatic of the prophets. The zenith of this epic drama could be his encounter with the prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel.  Sunday School lessons taught us this quintessential “battle of the gods” was designed to prove whose god was real and would manifest their presence.

1 Kings 18:30-38 is as real as it gets. There are some observable attributes of Elijah as a worshipper which may serve as a litmus test to how one should desire God’s all consuming presence in worship.

Boldness

30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” And all the people came near to him.

Thousands of people surround him.  His life on the line, the prophet confidently comes before God and the people.  A humble confidence is owned by Elijah as he approaches because he knows “whom he has believed” . When it comes to corporate worship are we confident in His presence, or is so gripping the fear and self awareness that a paralysis consumes us for fear of being heard or seen? Some might argue that they do not have the boldness of a prophet. Then again, none of us have been asked to put our life on the line, and call down fire from heaven either.  Our calling is simply, “rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice.”  (Phil: 4:4)

Preparation

31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name,”

This wasn’t Elijah’s first rodeo.  He knew what it meant to have audience with God. He grasped the manner and meaning behind all he did.  His intimacy with God prepared him for worship. He didn’t come to Mt. Carmel hoping to be inspired. He came ready and prepared to meet with God publicly.  His desire was not to satisfy family, culture, or fulfill a duty. His single motive for the Glory of God should inspire each Christ follower today to “seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness”. (Matt 6:33)

Faith

And he said, “Do it a third time.” And they did it a third time. 35 And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water.

Not once, twice, but three times the altar and offering are doused with water.  Elijah expected God to do a great work but God, expected faith.  The prophet put himself in a position that the only way success could be found would be if God did the work.  No safety net. No back up plan.  Either God showed up or all was lost. In a life of true worship how much faith gets exercised?  What levels of trust and/or dependency are faced?  Do you regularly put yourself in an vulnerable position to risk all for His glory?  Have you taken the opportunity by the “mercies of God to offer yourself as a living sacrifice, holy and blameless which is your spiritual act of worship”?  (Rom 12:1)

Surrender

37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”

Elijah demonstrates that he also understands the goal of worship.  His achievement is not calling fire from heaven but surrender. God is the sole object of affection and His glory is consuming.  Elijah’s prayer reveals that he was not there to “get something” out of worship. He surrendered his will, if necessary his life, so that “this people” may know God.  He was consumed by a desire for God’s glory long before the first spark was ignited in heaven.  The prophet surrendered himself knowing that work of God is not a work of his hands but a result of “doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

The Triumph

38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

In what must have been a magnificent display of God’s glory, Elijah and company see first-hand the power and faithfulness of God.  There is much to study in this passage but examine the effect left on the offering itself.  In Elijah’s boldness, he labored to prepare, have faith, and surrender himself.  So, what was left?  Nothing.  Nothing but the aroma of God’s glory and that was enough.  When God shows up He leaves no room for doubt.  He is doing something.  In worship if anything is left that smacks of humanity it is at best subject to wonder if it was of God to begin with.  The remaining question is; Are we content with campfires of our own so-called creation, or will we pursue Christ himself? What happens when God is sufficient, and the observing world is left saying, Ahh, yes look at what God has created?