Last night, I was blessed with a pair of tickets to the Sounders game. They were the all inclusive tickets which meant that my wife and I got a break from the kids, and enjoyed an evening full of hot dogs, popcorn, pretzels, nachos, and other stuff that’s not good to eat on a regular basis. We had a great time, and got to learn some stuff along the way.
Imagine yourself standing amongst a large group of people. They have assembled on a Sunday evening for a great celebration. In unison, they stand and begin to sing songs together. They sing at the top of their lungs, sustaining a volume that will leave them hoarse by the end of the night. They stand together. They put their hands in the air and wave them. They stand in lines to receive a little something to eat and drink. They embrace one another. For a moment, people who had never before met, enjoy a few moments together as though they were long time friends.
Now, where are you? Where does this scene happen? Or perhaps its better to ask what is happening in the moment I just described. The scene I painted came from the Sounder’s game I attended last night. But it could have just as easily been a description of a Church service. Both are places where people gather. Both are times where people stand together to sing and lift their hands. Both are places where strangers become family. Both have people standing in lines to receive something. That’s because both are places where people gather for the purpose of worship.
People who are not yet Christians see Christian worship as odd. But the reality is that all people gather to worship. We all sing to our hero’s. We all stand to honor those we love and admire. In fact, we all want to wear somebody else’s Jersey. (Isaiah 61:10, Zechariah 3:1-4) We all identify ourselves with the success or failures of another person. Everybody worships.
To be continued…
2 comments:
Nice thoughts Jon. This is definitely so true. It's intoxicating to be at a Sounders FC game but it's also an amazing reminder of why we worship God. Just like anything other than Christ, the Sounders let us down, a little more often than we would like this year. But Christ on the other hand is rock solid and remains faithful to us with his deep love always.
Couldn't agree with Josh more.
When we are singing to the Sounders in the Brougham End we are trying to lift them up...give them a little more energy...let them know we are behind them. We want to lift them to victory.
It's just the opposite when the people of God sing to him as a body...we sing praise and worship to him for lifting US up, for giving US more energy and for PERFECTLY having our backs. He gives us the victory and so we sing.
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