Beautiful things and varied shapes appeal to [the eyes],
vivid and well-matched colors attract;
but let not these captivate my soul.
Rather let God ravish it;
he made these things exceedingly good, to be sure,
but he is my good, not they.
~St. Augustine
Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries,
And daub their natural faces unaware.
~Elizabeth Barrett Browning
I feel I am walking on holy ground — in order to open my eyes, I must remove my shoes.
Only then may I approach. Only then am I aware of what surrounds me.
True worship can only take place when we agree to God sitting not only on His throne in the center of the universe, but on the throne that stands in the center of our heart.
~Robert Colman
Last night we had the joy of worship on the hill on our farm for a summer evening of Wiser Lake Chapel‘s outdoor church. Together we came from far and wide: from Japan and Myanmar to South Dakota and Colorado– sixty five people ranging from a 5 week old premie baby making her church debut to a 93 years young woman who treasures each and every chance to worship with her church family.
Our hearts cannot be empty and longing when God sits at the center of Who we are.
Before the throne of God above; before the throne of God within. Our hearts are full indeed.
Human beings by their very nature are worshipers. Worship is not something we do; it defines who we are. You cannot divide human beings into those who worship and those who don’t. Everybody worships; it’s just a matter of what, or whom, we serve.
~Paul Tripp
“We are here to abet creation and to witness it, to notice each thing so each thing gets noticed. Together we notice not only each mountain shadow and each stone on the beach but we notice each other’s beautiful face and complex nature so that creation need not play to an empty house.”
Annie Dillard
Creation is in desperate need of an appreciative audience. Beyond polite applause and positive reviews, it deserves a devoted following with reverential bowed heads and bended knees, not missing even one tiny detail of its expanse and grandeur.
Yet, instead of adopting an attitude of submission and gratitude for the small part we play, our modern culture claims every one of us has a hidden leader inside needing to be spawned and molded by strength-based leadership training initiatives. The ultimate fulfillment of our destiny is to learn to take charge, be empowered, overcome weaknesses, assert needs, demand to be seen and heard and followed.
No.
Our destiny is noticing, hearing, appreciating, witnessing, sacrificing, obeying.
Our fulfillment is in worshipful followership.
Otherwise, we will forget
we came from dust
and to dust we must return.
