When the 112th Congress convened in Washington yesterday, they had several priorities, including reading the Constitution of the United States aloud today. Even a 200+ yr old nation knows that sometimes before you can get down to business, you need a reminder of WHO you are intended to BE. That’s what we’re doing here at Come Have a Peace in January.
Since the Book of Luke finds followers of God worshiping in the temple in the first chapter and again in the last chapter, it’s not surprising that in the body of the Book, Jesus shows He wants us to Be Worshipful.
Though He is God, Jesus modeled a worshipful attitude when He gave His pattern for prayer in Luke 11. His “Lord’s Prayer” begins with addressing and acclaiming His Father, ascribing worth to Him. On the day Jesus entered Jerusalem in the “Triumphal Entry,” the whole crowd of disciples cried out in praises, calling Him King. When the Pharisees chimed in with their usual complaints, Jesus said “if these (people) were silent, the very stones would cry out” (Lk. 19:40). Our God must be worshiped. It’s the only right response to Who He is.
Knowing WHO I need to be begins with understanding more of Who HE is. It’s not hard to see why we get distracted by the “cares of this world.” Just make a short mental list of your personal concerns, pressures in your local area, and global issues of distress……….. Satan uses trouble to derail our trust in God’s greater power, our worship of Who He is.
In Luke 12 Jesus said we don’t need to fear those in this world who can only impact us “here and now.” He warns us to take Satan seriously, but He underscores that warning with a statement of our value: “Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Lk 12:7).
When we understand God’s love for us, the value He places on our lives, and the promises He gives us, our only right response is to pour out worship to Him. My Scripture Dig Sister Kristi shared a profound quote yesterday about how those who know Christ have to respond with reverence. That’s exactly what a sinful city woman did when she heard Jesus was having dinner at a Pharisee’s house. (Read it here.) She came in with a costly bottle of perfume, and she gave a first century pedicure to Jesus’ tired, dirty feet. Jesus said “she loved much.” He was deserving, and she was not, and it was the only right thing to do because of it. Be Worshipful.
As I write, the new Congress is scheduled to start reading our Constitution shortly, and as they remember WHO our nation is to be, they’ll respond with appreciation and a new sense of its worth. They will be more prepared to know what they need to do.
I won’t give you a copy of the Constitution, but read the story of the worshipful woman aloud. It gives us a fresh appreciation for God’s worth in our lives and shows us Jesus values a woman is a worshiper. And if we don’t … the stones will do it for us.
