This Worship Life

I met a fellow named Darryl on my trip to Calfornia. Darryl is a hang gliding enthusiast. I had a chance to talk with him on a 45 minute drive back down the mountain after I watched my daughter jump off a cliff as she took her turn for tandem hang gliding.

I asked Darryl why he liked to hang glide. He said he loved hang gliding because it was an adrenaline high, ’sort of like cocaine’. Darryl had both his front teeth missing, had trouble putting words together to form a complete sentence and had apparently moved to California because people were ‘looking for him’ in another state. But, I like Darryl! One thing about him.. there are no pretensions.
After a moment or two, the neurons finally fired up and he realized what he had said. He cut his eyes toward me and said, “Not that I do that stuff though… any… um..” Then he told me that he was chased out of a previous state because his pothead friends thought he was going to turn them in.

Well, it seems that Darryl has flown high by several methods - BUT his favorite is hang gliding. He likes to soar above everything, just him and the occasional bird. He’s no longer earth-bound, but free! For that time, he relishes being above it all, no problems, no worries, nobody chasing you from a previous state.

I hope Darryl has many more good flights, but I also pray for Darryl that he will one day meet the Creator of those winds he likes to ride, that he will ‘rise up on wings as eagles’ in an unpretentious relationship with Jesus Christ. The true worshipper, worshipping in spirit and truth, has many opportunities to ‘fly high’ in communion with God.

Darryl - I doubt you’ll ever read this - but thanks for the high time in California! Catch a thermal, dude!

Sharon McDonald passed away on Saturday before Easter Sunday. She was a faithful and loved choir member of the FBC music ministry. Her smile and encouraging words will be missed but remembered. I was able to share in her service and introduce one of the songs performed by our choir just the week before in our Palm Sunday Easter program. Here is my text:

Sharon loved the choir. She loved to sing, she loved to fellowship with like-minded individuals and she loved to be a part of the special programs that lead the church in worship. But Sharon loved the choir most because she loved to praise & worship God. She loved the newer music of the church. I believe she loved it because it spoke most directly to her relationship with Christ.

All of us involved in the music ministry were so honored that she was able to attend our Easter program just over a week ago. And we will not forget how she testified on the very last song of the evening. She stood as we sang, not to give us a standing ovation, but in testimony of her abiding faith in the resurrection power of Jesus. The closing song was “He’s Alive” – the dramatic narrative that tells of that very first Easter Morning. We’re blessed to hear it today and we can only imagine the joy that Sharon is expressing at this moment as she stands face to face with Jesus, to find him not only alive, but reigning at the Father’s Hand.

Jesus gave an interesting discourse on the subject of worship in His conversation with the woman at the well. In John 4:24 he says, “God is a spirit and His worshipers must worship in spirit and truth.”

There is so much to explore in this one statement!

God is a Spirit
To our refined and learned 21st century senses, the idea that God can be an idol made of stone seems very primitive. However, how easily we slip back into those chains of needing only that which we can see, touch, hear, smell and perhaps taste, to get us to worship. No doubt about it, we are creatures of flesh - God-created beings with wondrous senses. Yet, God continually calls us to look beyond what our eyes can see; to reach further than our touch can determine, to turn both inward and outward to worship the God who is a spirit.

In Spirit and Truth
Jesus doesn’t give specifics of worship programming at this point. He has already mentioned to the Samaritan women, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” It’s not the place, the creed, the style of the music or the style of the sermon. It’s spirit and truth.

It’s your spirit (that which cannot be defined by our senses!) inspired by the Holy Spirit confessing and worshiping in the truth of how we are able to relate to God through the awesome sacrifice of Jesus Christ.