Worship Re-Imagined ...

In our last study, John revealed to us that the city of heaven, the bride of Christ in which we will live in a level of intimacy with our God that is today akin to marriage – is 1500 miles wide, long, and tall.  That is a city bigger than any that has ever occupied our planet.  It is larger than most countries.  No matter if from a distance it resembles a cube with buildings of equal height, or a pyramid with the throne of God at its center, and every other structure descending in height until you reach the walls around the city, the population this city is capable of holding is well beyond our comprehension.  At a minimum, we will reside there forever.  But heaven may be bigger than just a “human” home, as two thirds of the angels may well reside there with us.  Where else would they live?  In addition to our angelic neighbors, heaven may well be filled with animals, birds, even bugs perhaps, as all living creations long to be near their creator.  Heaven may well be filled with plant life.  The city may look less like a “concrete jungle” than we might at first imagine.  Just because it has streets of nearly translucent gold, does not also mean that beside them is grass of softest texture and hue. 

But in addition to what is reasonably possible for us to imagine heaven will be like, there may also be other residents there that were sentient creations of our God before we came to life.  The 4 “beasts” John saw before the throne of God may well represent other sentient life forms that pre-date our creation and may also occupy residence in the city which has been prepared by Christ for our new home.  But no matter what kind of “life” does live there, no matter whether we occupy homes that are 1500 miles above ground, or perhaps in a basement who knows how many floors below it, the entirety of the city is filled with the light of God, with His presence.  The goal of having a city like this is literally for us to live with our God, to be with Him.  God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit reside here.  This was their home before it will be ours.  This was where they were located, before there was an Eden created in our world.  Perhaps Eden will now reside there like heaven’s version of Central Park in NYC (minus the crime and decay).

Companionship is the central theme.  We are not alone.  Nor will we ever be alone.  Even in a crowd of people numbering in the billions, each and every one of us will directly and uniquely experience the nearness with our God.  Loneliness of any kind will become extinct.  All of mankind is related to each other as in some way as we all trace our roots back to Adam and Eve.  I wonder if this is the scale God thinks about when He proclaimed be fruitful and multiply.  It is in the context of this level of scale, we are forced to re-examine how we think about “worship”.  John offers us a simple text in his book of Revelations about Jesus Christ in chapter 21 and verse 22 saying … “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.”

What is missing from the city of heaven is any sort of temple or church.  There are ZERO buildings dedicated to the assembly of people intent on “worshipping” our God.  Think about that statement as this is not by accident, and is a condition that will be permanently the case in our future home – there are ZERO buildings set aside for the purpose of “worshipping” our God.  In our world today, Catholic Cathedrals are some of the most beautiful structures that have survived the decay of the ages.  They are artistic and ornate and inspire mankind to elevate his thinking towards the divine.  But none exist in heaven.  Neither are there Mormon Temples, or simple white-steeple Protestant churches, or Asian shrines of any kind.  There are no place where candles are burned, incense is offered, or alters or pulpits constructed.  This does NOT mean worship is no longer a part of heaven.  How could we avoid worshipping the God who has done so much for us?  NOR does it mean, we no longer assemble ourselves together, as the whole point of having a city home, is to be in close proximity with each other and with God.

And this is more than a practical acknowledgement that to build a single building designed for worship might take a construction equal to the size of heaven itself in order to fit us all in it.  This is not about practical architectural constructs.  This is not about limitations.  This is not about accommodating the laws of physics.  This declaration is by intent.  John offers the reason for the noticeably absent structures in the same verse … “for the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb are the temple of it.”  Worship has NEVER been about buildings, it has been about WHO we worship.  How we love matters.  Who we love matters.  It is our love for God that underpins our desire to worship Him at all.  Our gratitude must find expression.  But real worship is more than simply saying “thank you”.  I venture a guess, that if Bill Gates gave you 10 billion dollars, you might not limit your expression of gratitude to a single one time verbal offering of just “thank you”.  Likely you would feel the need, the desire, to “do something” nice to show him your gratitude.  How much more it is for our God, who has given us everything.  To say “thank you” will never be enough.  We will be compelled of our own desire to “do something”.  We will want MORE than words, more than music, more than sitting around listening to someone else teach scripture.  We will want to LIVE our praise, LIVE our worship, LIVE our gratitude.

The beauty of heaven is that no matter where we are, God is right there with us, visibly.  His light illuminates our city such that there is no dark corner in it.  Our planetary sun will reflect light from God, originating here on our earth, instead of the other way around.  So to worship God, there will be no need of a temple, as He will be ever present.  This does not mean that all the residents of heaven will never get together all at once, at one location.  However it does mean, we need no building dedicated as a temple to do it in.  Every building offers us that same level of ability.  We can worship God in every structure from the library, to the central park, to the farthest outpost in the most seemingly unlikely place.  Buildings do NOT define, or constrain our worship.  They never have.  They never should.  Buildings are only a practical construct that allows us to assemble for a specific purpose.  WORSHIP is something that can and should happen everywhere regardless of the building around us at the time; just like it will be in heaven.

One of the chief “false measurements” of our faith here on earth is whether or not we … “go to church”.  This implies that faith is found and enriched by a building dedicated to that purpose.  But it is not.  “We” who choose to follow Christ, are His church, no matter where we are.  When we gather together, when we bring other parts of the body, with different perspectives of our Lord, into the same location, we are effectively creating a temple.  When we get beyond the need to say a simple “thank you” and find ourselves driven to “do something” – sitting in a building dressed in fineries will just not get it done.  Listening to a sermon, while awesome, is simply not enough.  We will want more.  We will need more.  We will desire to “do” more.  Our faith cannot be content in only a listening posture, it needs exercise.  Let’s take church (which is us) outside of our temples and cathedrals, and to others who need our love … you know … like how it is done in heaven.

Our biggest problem with how we worship, is that we continue to keep it self-centric.  “Worship” music has become a phenomenon in Christian churches.  It makes us “feel’ closer to God when we sing it.  It gives us the warm fuzzy of “being” with God.  But touching hearts CANNOT be constrained to only the lyrics and melodies we recite ad nauseam in our sanctuaries.  It MUST be experienced in the street to be real.  Our families need our love in a practical sense.  Our co-workers need our love in a very real sense.  Our communities need our compassion in a real sense.  There are real needs everywhere around us, and we would only offer God our songs, but not our hearts.  We would offer God our time once a week for 3 hours, in a particular building where we have a particular role (most often sedate, and in listening posture).  But upon “going home from church”, our “worship” ends.  That is not worship, it is ritual.  For most of us, the lyrics in the song’s we sing to honor God, bare a testimony we have never had in our hearts, for ourselves, but this need not be the case.

Worship happens at home.  Worship happens at work.  Worship happens at entertainment venues.  Worship happens when we choose to love others and in so doing offer back to God a “do something” expression of our gratitude instead of a “talk about it” offering.  In heaven worship is something that can occur 24x7 in every building there.  So it should be here on earth.  Seventh Day Adventists like to make a huge distinction by only choosing to “worship God” on the day He created for it.  But ONLY on that day.  And most often, ONLY for 3 hours in the local church.  THEN we go home, we go back to our lives, and we do not think much about worship until the next Sabbath arrives.  Instead of the Sabbath being the pinnacle of our worship, instead of it being the height of our worship, it is the only 3 hours we spend in worship.  The rest of the week is “ours”.  Heaven forbid we find ourselves in a cathedral on Sundays, or in any other structure dedicated to “worshipping” God on Sunday, or a Mosque on Fridays.  For an Adventist, this is a sin.  The symbolism of false worship is a problem.  But is that symbolism really constrained to being in the “wrong” place on the “wrong” day … or is it because we are holding the “wrong” ideas in our hearts even when done in the “right” place on the “right” day?

“Worshipping” God only on Sunday, is as limited and short sighted as only doing it on Friday, or only on Saturday.  Our God is not a weekend-warrior nor should we His servants be.  Worship should be happening constantly.  Not the proscribed formats that have become our weekend rituals, but the free flow expression of love for others that can actually change the world around us for the better.  A real “do something” form of worship that makes a tangible difference in the life of someone other than you.  Do that, and then sing about it.  Do that, and then share about it.  Do, and find, that in doing, there is real worship.  So long have we decried our youth for not “attending” church anymore.  Perhaps we should go to our youth and have them join us in church, right where they are.  Let us show them the beauty of “doing something”.  Our churches, and our Sabbaths, should be the pinnacle of our assembly and desire to share our experiences of worship that have occurred every other day of the week (yes including Sunday).  God is not dishonored by our worship and expression of love to others on any day … He is most often dishonored because of our refusal to do so, unless and until it is convenient for us.

True worship is not about making us feel better, or warm and fuzzy.  It is about a desire to give back to God the offering of gratitude that simply cannot be constrained.  When we “do something” about how we love our God, we get dirty.  Sometimes loving others means taking action that makes us sweat, in heated environments that are not air conditioned.  Sometimes working tirelessly for someone else is not too glamorous.  In fact, it is often quite humiliating.  It requires patience.  It requires long suffering.  It requires dedication.  It is rarely appreciated.  But it is NOT work … it is reward … it is gratitude expressed … it is worship, the real kind.  Whether we help change a tire for a stranded motorist we have never met, or cut the lawn for a neighbor who we know lacks the strength to do so; when we perform random acts of kindness for others, we most often find it is hard to do so wearing our best clothing.  Simple clothing designed to serve is more appropriate for random acts of kindness.  A suit is too constraining for a worshipper bent on “doing something” about how they feel towards God.

I am not advocating the abandonment of “church”.  Instead I want to redefine it.  Instead I want to expand what it means to worship.  I want to break the self-imposed limitations of our rituals we call church, and replace them with something more, something real.  You do not need a pastor and a support system of like-minded believers to reimagine worship between you and God.  You can begin worshipping God right where we you are, and right where you work.  In so doing, you will be worshipping in the model heaven intends for all time.  Take up your random acts of kindness and love and recall the results in the place you call church.  Do not limit your worship to 3 hours on a particular day, but instead let that 3 hours become the pinnacle of worship you have accumulated on every other hour of the week ahead.  Most of all, break the cycle of associating a building for a specific purpose as being “church”.  “You” are His church.  “You” represent Him to the world around you.  “You” are a part of His body, not the whole of it.  You will need the perspective of other body parts so that you do not come to believe you know everything there is to know.  Gather as many parts of the body as you can find, and join together in your efforts to make a real difference in the world around you.  In so doing, you provide better service to others.  You can lean on each other’s strengths, cover each other’s weaknesses, and learn about Him in humble service with each other - meant for others.

The Revelation of heaven given to John causes us to rethink what worship is, and how we do it, where we do it, and when we do it.  Having a special day of God’s creation upon which to enjoy special time with Him, was not meant to replace all other times as being for “ourselves”.  A special time, is exactly that, a special time – not the ONLY time.  In heaven God will be with us all the time.  The one day in seven when that is something special is like the icing on the cake, not a replacement for the cake.  One day in seven things will be even more extreme, more beautiful, closer still if that is possible.  It does not mean that a 3 hour window in sedate posture accomplishes the goal keeping a day holy.  It means we will long for the next full 24 hour window when that level of “special” arrives.  It is the difference between “talk about it” religion and “do something about it” religion.  Most of us eat two or three times a day, but we ALL still appreciate a “special meal”.  Our worship should emulate the same thinking.  We can express our love to God by serving others all the time, and find a special blessing on the day He intended to free us from all our other concerns.

If there is no need for a temple in heaven for all of eternity … why have we created a need for them here upon our earth?  If our buildings serve as headquarters for an action oriented approach to worship, if they serve as places to coordinate and organize our service for others, then they are well suited for the purpose of worship.  If however, our buildings serve only our “need” for ease and opulence, and as a place in which we can demonstrate our wealth in cars, clothes, jewelry, and accessories to the neighbors who sit next to us in the pews, and for whom we care barely muster a care … our buildings have lulled us into a false worship that no holy day can ever correct.  Buildings should be tools in His service.  They should serve a function that makes a difference in the lives of others.  They should not be thought of as the ONLY places where worship, or church can occur.  Heaven finds no such limitations in it.  Why should we impose such limitations on ourselves in this world?

A heart that has been transformed by the love of God, who reflects that love and passion for others, is simply not content to sit for 3 hours a week, and be done.  A transformed heart craves more.  It is insatiable.  It has a hunger to do more, to experience more.  It cannot be bound or constrained by a building.  For those who have a transformed heart, there is too much opportunity to sit still.  There is too much love that is needed, to hold any back.  There is too much pain around us to focus only on our own needs, failures, pains, and desires.  The transformed heart yearns to provide relief to others, not to itself.  The transformed heart will never be content to remain still while a single need goes unfulfilled in the life of someone within their reach.  The love of God is such.  The life of Christ on the earth was as such.  It remains so even today.  As we are transformed by the power of the love of Christ, we begin to reflect that love, and that passion, and it causes us to reimagine what worship is, and how, and when we do it.

And the insight into heaven was not over yet …