Living in the Spirit
July 7, 2021
Scripture Reading: Psalm 24
The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
the world, and those who live in it;
for he has founded it on the seas,
and established it on the rivers.
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the Lord,
and vindication from the God of their salvation.
Such is the company of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. –Psalm 24:1-6
The above is part of a song sung as the Hebrew congregation enters the temple to worship. Apparently friendly greeting and conversation were transacted outside the temple itself. If you entered my church on Sunday in preparation for worship, you would observe a lot of friendly visiting and last minute getting everyone in the right place. We open with some announcements to get our attention and then share a song followed by a call to worship.
What does worship mean to us? The word worship in the English language is both a noun and a verb*. Even when used as a noun the word describes action. Other English words used to describe worship are venerate or adore*. The Hebrew words describing worship as to do homage, bow down to. The Greek speaks of showing reverence or doing service**. That word selection sounds like it was influenced by Jesus.
Psalm 24 proclaims the Lord as the source of the earth and an entity of such power must be approached with respect. To come with clean hands and pure hearts, we must spend some time literally getting the dirt off our hands and figuratively cleansing our hears of anything that might separate us from God such as idol worship and deceit. We are the ones who receive blessings in the act of worshipping God.
Steeped in New Testament theology from childhood, I have always viewed Sunday as a day of spiritual renewal preparing me for my future work particularly that of the week ahead. I also appreciate the Sabbath God ordained in Genesis. I think we do need time to rest and pray—good preparation for a new beginning each week.
Prayer: Amen.
*https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/worship
**https://biblescan.com/searchhebrew.php?q=worship
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.