This week we are going to put a cap on the topic of redeeming worship and really drive home some of the ideas we've been talking about.
Worship is simply giving honor or homage to a being that is greater than one's self. It is ascribing great value to that being. We all worship; even the atheist worships. The question isn't whether or not we worship, it is who or what we ultimately worship. For the Christian, the answer to that question must be God.
In the biblical story worship starts on the first pages. In the garden worship is described in its purest, most wholesome state. God's presence was fully in creation with Adam and Eve. They had full access to God's presence always. In Genesis 3:8 God walks in the garden in the cool of the day like an ancient king would walk in his pleasure garden in the evenings.
Genesis 2:15 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
This is a garden variety hyperlink to the priestly duties of Israel. The word translated put is most often translated as "rest" implying a Sabbath, Seventh day rest theme. The word translated "work" is usually used in reference to the priest's work in the temple. The for keep is often used to describe how the Israelites must uphold the Law of Moses.
The creation of man in the garden is then meant to be a symbol of the tabernacle and temple where God’s presence dwelt and worship of God was carried out. It also represents the Promised Land of Israel where God’s people work and keep his law and rule that specific land area under God’s authority. This was their worship. It was more than just the ritualistic practices. It was to be how they treated and ruled the land as well as how they upheld the Law—all of the law, including the social laws and personal moral laws as well as the ceremonial laws. The story of Scripture is of a return to this idyllic Eden state in the new creation where our worship will be us ruling, working and keep the earth fully in the presence of God. It is a story of God's work to redeem the wayward worship of his creation.
Here we see that our concept of worship should expand to everything that we do. We should worship God in everything that we do to work and keep the Garden. We should worship God in making culture, as he called Adam and Eve to do in the first chapter of Genesis in what is knows as the cultural mandate. Worship is more than just our singing together on Sunday. It is certainly not less than that but it is indeed more than that. Everything we do we should view as an act of worship to God.
Additional Content: plan on joining us for the conference week content. check out the website at https://lifebridge.church/campaigns/the-redemptive-life/ for the full schedule.