The Red Letters of Worship
Recently I had to say my final goodbye, this side of eternity, to my grandmother, Elwauna Hudson. There are many memories that I will cherish about my grandmother. For example, as a small child, I would only ride on the tractor with my grandmother because she would turn off the engine so that I could climb into the cab without fear of getting caught in the motor. She taught me how to swim underwater in a horse tank outside the old farmhouse. And I owe a great deal of gratitude, and so does my wife, to my grandma for teaching me how to bake biscuits. But one of the things I will cherish the most about my grandmother is the fact that she taught me so much about studying the Bible and worshiping God.
My grandmother grew up in a church that encouraged taking notes and marking in the margins of the Bible. As I have had some time to visit her house in the last few months, my favorite thing is to pick up one of her 20+ Bibles and thumb through them for her notes in the margins. A lot of the notes were taken in the new testament in the red letter portion of the Bible.
This recently got me thinking about what Jesus had to say about worship. Now in full disclosure with my current process, I am only looking at scriptures that have the translated word worship in the text. Jesus has a lot to say about worship and how to live our lives without the term worship used in the translated text.
There are only two stories in the new testament that Jesus uses two words that get translated to the term worship when he speaks. The story of the disciples not washing their hands before they eat (note to everyone, please wash your hands before eating) found in Matthew 15 and Mark 7. And the story of the woman at the well located in John 4.
In the first story, we learn a lot about Jewish traditions versus God's commands. Pharisees and Scribes came to Jesus, furious that his disciples broke long-standing traditions of the elders to ensure that they are clean before eating after coming from the market place.
It was a long-standing tradition that you would wash your hands and "cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches (Mk 07:04)" before eating a meal. The religiously pious leaders of the day thought that they were going to catch Jesus and his disciples in a trap by saying, "That's not how we do things 'round here" (Jeff's Texas Translation).
Jesus responds to the leaders by quoting the law of Moses and through a pointed quote from Isaiah 29, showing the hypocrisy of their statements and concerns. They are furious about his disciples not following man's laws/traditions but are ok setting up separate traditions that circumvented the law of Moses to take care of your father and mother. The Pharisees justified not financially taking care of their family by saying it is "Corban” (that is, given to God)."
“These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.”
Jesus goes on to clarify what defiles a person, "There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him” (Mk 07:15). His point is that the state of our heart is what matters to him. He doesn't want a show or "lip service" from us in worship based on human traditions. He wants heartfelt, authentic worship.
These verses also stood out to me because I cannot possibly imagine setting up a way to get out of helping my family when they are at the end of their lives and in need. I would never want the time and money I spent to see my grandmother back, even if it was going to the church.
The second use of the word worship comes from John Chapter 4 in the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. After a very eye-opening conversation for the Samaritan woman, Jesus goes into a somewhat cryptic explanation of worship.
Jesus said to her,
“Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. ”
This is a beautiful and somewhat confusing description of worship. In Jesus' words, we learn that there is hope for all people to worship God, not just the Jews. We also learn that the presence of God will dwell in us and not only in a temple in Jerusalem or on a mountain. We learn about the state of our Father (God), who is not like us but is a spirit. And that true worship is in spirit and truth.
In other words, we learn that our worship is to come from our heart (spirit). That when we pay homage to God, we need to bring 100 percent truth to our worship. And that salvation is for all, for indeed, this is the good news of the season.
After hearing this news, the Samaritan woman was so excited that she went and told all of her friends, showing them the way to Christ and salvation.
Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” (John 4:39-42)
This Lent and Easter season take some time to reflect on your own worship. Think and pray about the following questions:
Is my worship 100% true and authentic? Or am I just following traditions established by men and institutions?
How does this good news show in my life?
How does this good new show in my religious practice?
What is my good news story that I can share with friends and family, much like the Samaritan woman?
Are there religious/personal traditions that I might be clinging on to too much? Does it contradict Jesus' description of a true worshiper?
God, I thank you for all that you have done for us. For the many things we don't take time to reflect on, the legacy that we were handed down, and the hope and assurance of a savior. As we progress through Lent into Easter, I pray that you can help deepen our walks as true worshipers. Please help us to worship you with 100% honesty, bringing you all that we are and in truth — always seeking your will, guidance, and discipleship. It is in your name I pray, Amen.
“Verse 1
How great the chasm that lay between us
How high the mountain I could not climb
In desperation, I turned to heaven
And spoke Your name into the night
Then through the darkness, Your loving-kindness
Tore through the shadows of my soul
The work is finished, the end is written
Jesus Christ, my living hope
Verse 2
Who could imagine so great a mercy?
What heart could fathom such boundless grace?
The God of ages stepped down from glory
To wear my sin and bear my shame
The cross has spoken, I am forgiven
The King of kings calls me His own
Beautiful Savior, I’m Yours forever
Jesus Christ, my living hope
Verse 3
Then came the morning that sealed the promise
Your buried body began to breathe
Out of the silence, the Roaring Lion
Declared the grave has no claim on me
Then came the morning that sealed the promise
Your buried body began to breathe
Out of the silence, the Roaring Lion
Declared the grave has no claim on me
Jesus, Yours is the victory, whoa!
Chorus
Hallelujah, praise the One who set me free
Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me
You have broken every chain
There’s salvation in Your name
Jesus Christ, my living hope”
“Verse 1
Beneath the cross of Jesus
I fain would take my stand,
the shadow of a mighty Rock
within a weary land;
a home within the wilderness,
a rest upon the way,
from the burning of the noontide heat
and the burden of the day.
Verse 2
Upon the cross of Jesus
mine eye at times can see
the very dying form of One
who suffered there for me:
and from my stricken heart with tears
two wonders I confess,
the wonders of redeeming love
and my unworthiness.
Verse 3
I take, O cross, thy shadow
for my abiding place:
I ask no other sunshine than
the sunshine of his face;
content to let the world go by,
to know no gain nor loss;
my sinful self my only shame,
my glory all the cross.”