Call me old-fashioned, but I wish modern evangelical churches would reinstate a bit of the reverence traditionally held in mainstream denominations. Yes, we should be free to worship and praise God with singing, dancing, and rejoicing when he has done a great work in our lives. But we should never forget our proper place in our relationship with the King.
In scripture, Jesus is called the King of kings, a title which originated when King Xerxes (Esther's hubby) first established his expansive Persian empire. It was a title of great position and power, the ultimate of both being found in Jesus, himself.
The most touching image in this metaphor for me is the idea that we are constantly in a spiritual battle. The king is sending us out to do his bidding, to advance his kingdom, and we, his soldiers, commanders, what have you, are to follow his orders to the utmost degree. This does not mean we will never fail, but it means that we put our whole effort into the battle, and when we fall, we pick ourselves up and report again for duty. Jesus is not our "homeboy." He is our Commander-In-Chief. Let us dance before him in celebration when the time is right, but let us never forget the power and glory of the one who commands the universe.
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Katie, I couldn't figure out how to write back to your message!! I didn't know all that about you playin the guitar and calligraphy and everything, very cool!! So I'm feeling a lot better about this class together than our last class...
ReplyDeleteI like your last line in this blog, btw.
Katie, I really loved what you had to say. I really agree with you. I appreciate the emotion that people display in worship and feel that it is completely warrented and appropriate. However, I don't want to lose sight of the fact that God is holy. There should be a reverence that we have in His presence. Nice thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI have never much cared for the evangelical churches message myself. I have really never considered myself a soldier either, like in your metaphor. I do enjoy the traditions of the catholic churches best and plan on joining the church soon. I should have after I took CCD as a teenager. I think some of the things you listed do get out of hand.
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