Worship Wednesday
Worship is central to what we do. Our main gathering is considered a “worship service".” But I want us to really think about what worship is, why we worship.
To help with this inaugural Worship Wednesday Post, I turned to one of my favorite pastors, H.B. Charles Jr. who wrote a book on worship. He creatively titled it, “On Worship.” When we worship, what is our ultimate priority? That is the question he seeks to answer in his first chapter.
He begins by introducing a principle of biblical interpretation called the Law of First Mention. Essentially, the first time something is mentioned in Scripture, we ought to pay attention to it.
In Genesis 4:1-8, we see the first offering of worship.
Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord.” Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
Now, likely Adam and Eve had made offerings of worship to God before this, but this is the first recorded offering of worship in scripture. The first mention of an offering. God had regard for Abel and his offering, but he did not have regard for Cain and his offering.
H.B. Charles makes it very clear that, “the first recorded act of worship was definitely not about what “Cain and Abel” got out of it. The crux of the matter is “was God pleased.” The text does not specify why one offering was accepted and the other’s wasn’t. It could have been the quality of the offering, the motive of the offerer, or something else.
While this is only the first act of worship, and certainly does not answer all of our questions about worship, H.B. Charles points out a truth that we can understand: The priority of true worship is to make sure God is pleased.
He tells a story that, well, Ill let him tell it to you. This is from his book, “On Worship, Chapter 1, Page 16, “The Ultimate Priority of Worship:”
After worship on Sunday, a member bluntly said to the pastor, “I did not enjoy the service today.” Reciprocating the member’s bluntness, the pastor replied, “That’s okay. We weren’t worshipping you!
While that may seem to be a bit of a harsh response from whoever this pastor was, he is absolutely right. Worship is NOT about us or what we get out of it. Worship is about God being pleased. Worship is not about our felt needs, our preferences, or desires, but what kind of worship does God accept. What kind of worship is God pleased with.
He shares another story from a century ago in Brooklyn. at The Plymouth church in Brooklyn, many worshippers filled the auditorium to hear its famous pastor, Henry Ward Beecher. When it was discovered that he wouldn’t be preaching, but his lesser prominent brother Thomas Beecher would be filling the pulpit, people started to get up and leave. He then announced, “All those who came here this morning to worship Henry Ward Beecher may withdraw from the church, but all who came to worship God may remain.”
Ultimately, worship is not about you. Worship is not about what you like, or how you prefer to worship. Worship is about pleasing God. Worship is about worshipping God as he desires to be worshipped. Worship is about pleasing Him.