Monday, March 12, 2018

Why do we take time to worship?

Colossians 3:12-17 by Rev. David L.S. Robertson
Series:Why Bother - Winter 2018

Why bother with worship? Psalm 100: 2-3 says, Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing. Know that the LORD is God. It is God who has made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. (Ps. 100: 2-3) This is why we worship. We are designed to worship God. It’s in our DNA. It’s rooted in our tradition. Our theology of worship is grounded in ancient wisdom that affirms a special, intimate relationship with the One who has made us; the One who claims us as his beloved—his people, and the sheep of his pasture. I mention Psalm 100 because it lies at the very foundation of everything that follows into the time of Jesus and Paul as we consider prayer and public worship. The collective wisdom of our Judeo-Christian roots proclaims that we pray and worship not because of want but, need. Our greatest purpose as human beings, according to the wisdom of our faith is to offer God our gratitude, praise, and worship. Consider prayer for a moment. In the Muslim Tradition, prayer is offered 5 times a day. In the Jewish Tradition, it’s 3 times a day. In the Christian Tradition, according to the rule of St. Benedict and earlier (4th – 6th centuries), prayer is still offered 8 times a day in monastic settings. These prayers are called the liturgy of the hours. In the Middle East where all the Abrahamic traditions intermingle, the call to prayer is proclaimed from the minaret, by the time on the clock and/or the place of the sun in the sky. In every case the call to prayer is meant to be an interruption in the day. Work stops. Tasks cease. Room is created to pray. What I appreciate is the notion that prayer interrupts. Prayer is designed to get in the way of the many things that serve to keep bread on the table, keep others happy, keep things operating. Worship and Prayer go together. They exist to get in the way of the many things we deem important or that otherwise serve as distractions from tending to our soul’s need to commune with God. The intent of prayer and worship is to get at the very center of our life in order that we may be reminded again and again about who and Who’s we are.
Duration:20 mins 41 secs