Formal Vs Orderly Worship

We have all been in worship services in which the prayers sound scripted and memorized, the hymns are sung with little passion, and the Lord’s Supper is treated as an afterthought. Not only is this discouraging, it is hardly pleasing to our God who expects us to love Him and worship Him with the best our heart can give.

Because of these deficiencies, it is easy to imagine that the solution to the problem of cold, formalistic worship is to change the format of worship. If the problem is that our services are too orderly, it is logical to imagine that a less rigid format would create a more spiritual atmosphere. Perhaps more spontaneity, or a different seating arrangement, or some other structural change will solve the problem.

I believe this approach to improving worship is well intentioned, and may indeed temporarily inspire more heartfelt praise, but will not make a lasting difference. I truly believe that if worship is not genuinely spiritual, the reason is not because the services are too orderly. After all, if you read First Corinthians 14, the apostle Paul laid down one rule after another to regulate what the Corinthians were doing in their worship assemblies – even in the time when there were miraculous spiritual gifts. Apparently Paul did not think that orderly worship was the same as cold, formal worship.

I would have no problem with changing the plan of worship every service if my congregation thought that would be more edifying. But if we want to get to the root of the problem of indifferent worship, we must go to the heart of the worshipper rather than making artificial and synthetic changes to format. In Revelation 4-5, the celestial creatures around the throne of God burst with praise. In Revelation 4:11 they praise God for His power as the creator; in Revelation 5:8-9 they praise Jesus for His sacrifice as the redeemer.

That to me is the key to truly spiritual worship. We must recover a sense of awe and wonder at our Creator and our Redeemer. If we do that personally, then our worship will be everything it should be corporately.

Georgia on My Mind

On Friday mornings I teach a Bible study at Morningside of Belmont, a retirement community (NOT a “nursing home,” an unfortunate term I once used and for which I was promptly upbraided by the residents!) in Nashville. The study was organized by one of our members, Mrs. Waldeen Philips, before I even moved here a year ago. For the first few months I was here I taught it every other week, trading off with another preacher. But he has since movcd, and I have the class to myself now.

The first person I met and got to know at the study besides Waldeen was a dear lady named Georgia. I could remember her name because I have an aunt named Georgia. Georgia was always at our studies, and could not have been more kind and encouraging.

Today when I got there, Mrs. Waldeen met me in the lobby to tell me that Georgia had passed away. It was shocking news, and it really hit me hard. And yet, from a logical standpoint, it should not at all be surprising that over the course of a year someone would have passed at retirement community.

I realize that life is uncertain, and that time and chance happen to all (Ecclesiastes 9:10-11). We should never take anyone for granted, young or old. But the reality is that death tends to come to those who are older. Since older people have a lot of limitations and cannot be out and about as much, it is easy to take them for granted, to let the “out of sight, out of mind” perspective lead us to take such folks for granted.

Time is short for all of us, but for some the “vapor of life” is quickly dissolving into the mist of eternity. Make every moment count with those who are older. “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:32).

And may God grant my friend Georgia a peaceful transition into His presence.

Some Thoughts on the Middle East (Part 2)

There is an old cliché that says the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. If there is any truth to that saying, then by definition our policy in the Middle East is insane. I would like to present an alternative view of our role in the Middle East.

Currently, our interests in the Middle East revolve around two issues: oil and Israel. In the Cold War, an argument could be made for American presence in the Middle East to maintain an advantage against the commies. That is why we not only supported Israel but also had friendly relations with some unsavory characters, most notably Saddam Hussein. Our view was that if you were against the commies we were your friend. And course, our major ally in the region was Israel.

Since the Cold War ended, we have not seriously readjusted our policies in the Middle East, even though a much different dynamic is in place. There is no major super power threatening us. There is of course the threat of radical Islam, but as the current sectarian violence in Iraq demonstrates, the fundamentalist Muslim world is hopelessly divided against itself. Further, unlike the Cold War years in which our presence in the Middle East deterred the commies, our presence in the Middle East actually incites and encourages radical Islam.

Therefore, I believe the US should strategically disengage from the Middle East. I have no problem with selling Israel the materials it needs to ensure its ability to defend itself. But there is simply no need for us to have troops on the ground anywhere in the region, and there are many reasons for us not to. Nor is there any reason for us to do business with Arab states that seethe with hatred for the US. This of course would necessitate independence from the Middle East for our energy resources, a long overdue development in my view. We are not wanted in the Middle East, and we do not need to be in the Middle East.

The chief sticking point in the region is the Palestinian issue. And until it is resolved according to the mandates of international law, the region will never have a chance for peace. Sadly, the US has disqualified itself from the unique position it had to be an honest broker for peace. Our one-sided support for Israel has ruined that. However, it is my hope that the European Union and Russia might be able to fill in the vacuum and forge a lasting peace. At least, I think that is the best bet, since London, Paris, Rome and Moscow are not Israeli-occupied territory like Washington D.C. is.

Some would argue that disengagement would only encourage and strengthen radical Islam, and make the world less safe. But this logic flies in the face of reality. The reality is that our current policies in the region are spawning more terrorists, more hatred, more instability. Disengagement from the region and allowing truly neutral parties to negotiate the Palestinian issue would remove two of the major instigators of hostility in the region.

I am not at all optimistic that any of this will happen. And of course, as I have said over and over again, only the Prince of Peace can truly teach the nations to beat their swords into plowshares. I believe Christians should pray for justice to be done and for the gospel to spread.

So What's the Answer? (Part 1)

I have written several posts about the Middle East on my blog, each one very critical of current US policy. One of my friends asked, “So what is the solution?” And of course, I deeply believe that in the final analysis the only real solution is Jesus. But there are also some changes in our foreign policy that could make a positive difference, which I will suggest here (fully aware of the fact that President Bush does not check in periodically to learn how to do his job!).

First, a quick review of the recent Lebanon situation. Who were the winners? Certainly, Hezbollah and its allies in Syria and Iran. By once again fending off the mighty Israeli army, Hezbollah became heroes to all Arab nationalists. And by implication, Syria and Iran grew in stature as well. The big losers were Israel (whose government is soon to be in disarray over the fiasco in Lebanon), the United States (who refused to condemn Israel and shipped smart bombs to use against the people of Lebanon), and most of all, the Lebanese. Hundreds dead, thousands wounded, and close to a million left homeless.

Is there any solution to the Middle East situation? Before we can reach a solution, we must understand the problem. The reason our policies in the Middle East so often blow up in our face is because our nation has yet to understand why we are hated by so many people in the Muslim world. In fact, there are two myths about the Muslim world that must be demolished. Myth number one is that Islam is a religion of peace and that terrorists like Osama bin Laden are perverting Islam, and myth number two is that radical Islam hates America because we are so good, so free, so tolerant. The first myth grows out of political correctness, and the second myth grows out of naïve nationalism.

The easiest way to expose these myths for what they are is to actually read what Osama bin Laden has said. In the two Fatwahs he issued (one in 1996 and one in 1998), bin Laden explicitly spelled out why he wanted to make war against America. You can read those statements here:

http://www.mideastweb.org/osamabinladen1.htm

As you read through those statements, two basic points emerge. Number one, Osama’s beliefs reflect a very legitimate interpretation of Islam. His Fatwah is saturated with quotations from the Qu’ran and precedents from Muslim history. I don’t mean that his view is the only legitimate interpretation of Islam. There are statements in the Qu’ran that speak of tolerance and peace, and most Muslims focus on that stream of tradition. But it is simply untrue to say that bin Laden represents some sort of radical, heretical view of Islam.

Number two, it is clear that bin Laden’s critique of America has little to do with who we are and everything to do with what we do – particularly, our policies in the Middle East. His grievances center on the presence of US troops in the Arabian peninsula, American support of corrupt dictatorships in the Arab world, and our polices regarding the Israelis and Palestinians. Osama did not wake up one morning shocked to learn we have a Bill of Rights and decide to wage war on us.

Until we face the truth of why radical Islam hates us, we will never find a solution. (more to come)