“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” John 4:23

Dear Faithful Seed Sowers,

We have looked at the place of worship and the place of worship. Jesus surprised the woman at the well, “You will not just worship here or at the temple in Jerusalem. The place of worship is your heart” (My translation).  We have learned the that position of worship is to bow down, to humble ourselves, to fall flat on our faces. “Proskyneo” worshipers are those who are prostrate on their faces. We have learned that the purpose of worship is to ascribe worth to someone or something. Last week we were challenged to think about where we spend our time, our money and what we think about the most. What, or who, do we idolize and worship?

This week we will look at the person of worship.  We need to be careful what our idols are and what we worship because we become like what we worship.  That is a profound thought. The place of worship — is our hearts.  The position of worship — is bowing in surrender and humility. The purpose of worship — is to ascribe worth to someone or something —where do we invest most of our time, talents, and treasures for what we idolize, we become like.

I would like to flip the statement when Jesus speaks to the surprised woman at the well written above.  I would like to talk about worshiping in truth.

When we honestly worship in truth, we worship the person of Jesus.

Stop and think about the Old Testament people who followed God for 40 years in the wilderness.  We have only been in the wilderness of this Covid-19 shutdown over eight months now–for 40 years, we’d need another 400 months of covid.  I do know that if we keep our eyes on Jesus, we are going to make it through this season. 

When I think of worshiping in the truth, I think of the Tent of Meeting that Moses set up. Do you realize that the Tent of meeting was called the tabernacle? The Tent of Meeting was a tent, it was put up and taken down every time the cloud moved. I wonder how many times in 40 years that tent was taken down and put up? (The Seed Christian Fellowship is a portable church.  We rent a city room; we have rented it for almost ten years! 51 Sundays a year, plus Holy Week and Christmas Eve, we bring our trailer and we unload and set up and then tear down and store our portable TENT of a church.  Let me tell you, after ten years, it is a real sacrifice of the heart to oversee this enormous project called CHURCH. 40 years?)  Moses and company set up and tore down their tabernacle tent for not ten, but 40, years.

What was the original tabernacle, what did it look like? Was it a beautiful edifice or a building of great beauty? Were there stained-glass windows, great arches, fancy carpet, or wood flooring complete with paintings, ornate sanctuaries, and beautiful pipe organs? Not at all, not even close—the tabernacle of the Israelites was made of wood and animal skin. Nevertheless, every part of the old tabernacle was significant. Think of it this way, the tabernacle taught the way to God. First, the tabernacle had an altar for sacrifice that contained a laver, or a bronze wash basin, where the priests cleaned their hands. The traveling tabernacle, and even the magnificent tabernacle that Solomon built, had these items in the courtyard and in the Holy Place, and in the Holy of Holies.

I think the tabernacle is a perfect illustration of how a person must approach God.

The altar, which is the first thing we come to, is the cross of Christ. The cross was given to teach us that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission (no cancellation of our debt, no penalty) of our sins. First, we need the cross in order to direct our attention to the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.

Next, we find the laver — the bronze wash basin which is a picture of cleansing. Christ provides our cleansing when we confess our sins and enter fellowship with him. Next we find the table of shewbread or manna — bread of presence, within the Holy Place. This bread speaks of Christ as the bread of life. Now we come to the altar of incense. The altar is a picture of prayer, we grow by prayer as well as by feeding on Christ, the bread of life. Behind the altar of incense was the great veil, dividing the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. This was the veil that was torn in two at the moment of Christ’s death! It demonstrated that Christ’s death was the fulfillment of all these figures and the basis of the fullness of our ability to now approach our Almighty God directly because of what Jesus Christ did for us once and for all.

Finally, within the Holy of Holies was the ark of the covenant with its mercy seat upon which the high priest placed the blood of the lamb once a year on the Day of Atonement. And in the Holy of Holies there was symbolized–by the space above the mercy seat—the magnificent presence of God into whose presence we can now come because of the great mercy of God revealed in the death of Christ for us.

We all come to God through Christ.  The cross is the altar in which Jesus Christ became the sacrifice and it is only through this sacrifice on the cross that we can enter the Holy of Holies.  I can only imagine Christ with the wash basin.  Can you see Christ with the wash basin? Can you enter the story and see Jesus pick up the wash basin and wash the feet of His disciples?  Can you place yourself into the story? Imagine Jesus washing YOUR feet. Remember this amazing fact: Jesus washed the feet of all the disciples, even Judas’ feet–who would quickly betray Him, a pretty humbling act of worship. What a powerful illustration of worship: before Jesus shared the breaking of the bread and remembering the cup of salvation, He washed feet.

Jesus is the bread of presence, Jesus is the incense, Jesus is the prayers of the people.  It was Jesus’ death that tore the veil. The veil was torn in two so that we can come straight to the mercy seat. We can worship in spirit and truth. We can go right to God.

When Jesus stood before Pilate and was questioned, Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?”   I think that is the question that we are all asking now.  What is truth?

After Jesus picked up the basin and towel, He washed the disciple’s feet. Then He shared the bread of presence and He told them of His soon-coming sacrifice: Jesus must be lifted up so all who believe in Him would have eternal life. Then in John 14 Jesus shared those comforting and challenging words …

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. ² In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.” ⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” John 14:1-7

So What?
God truly has a sense of humor. With the COVID 19 upon us, some of us cannot even enter our churches! What in the world is God doing?

Could God be teaching us to learn how to worship Him in truth?

Have you ever stopped and pondered the room that Jesus has prepared for you and me? I have.  It’s been a hard year of loss for our family. My dad died two days ago as did my cousin. I’ve also lost my mother-of-love, and my older brother. My wife and I have moved her 88 year-old dad into our home. Life is very different these days.

In our church, I have brothers and sisters who have lost loved ones, too. Many have had no opportunity to grieve with their family over their losses. “God, what are you doing?” I trust that God is sovereign. I must trust that God will be with us. For me, there is no other way.

God is doing something new in our worship.  God wants our true place of worship to be in our hearts.  God wants our position of worship to be on our faces in humility and adoration.  God wants our purpose of worship to be about the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. There is no room for any other idol of our making.  God wants our worship to be about the truth, the way, and the life. No one can come to the Father unless they come through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, His humble servanthood of the wash basin, His cleansing us of our sins, and of our partaking of the bread of life—His body and of the cup of forgiveness, His shed blood.

Listen — Jesus says, “God is spirit, and his worshipers MUST worship in spirit and in truth.”

Here’s your homework for the week, so what?

What is the most magnificent church building I have ever been to?
What was so magnificent about it?
Describe that church…
Now ask yourself:
Is my heart anywhere near as beautiful a place for me to worship God?

I think of visiting the Vatican City, the Sistine Chapel, the Cathedral of St. Peter. I can see the tall, arched ceilings. I can see the statues, the magnificent pipe organ. I can see the candles and the altar. I can smell the incense. I see the Bible sitting on the altar. And I wonder, what does the chapel of my heart look like?

Have you ever seen a picture of the Pieta?  It is the picture in our opening for this SEED OF FAITH for today.  It is found in Old St. Peters Basilica in Rome. Michelangelo sculpted this beautiful work saying it was the most perfect block of marble he ever worked with.  “In her utter sadness and devastation, Mary seems resigned to what has happened, and becomes enveloped in graceful acceptance.” All these years later, I still remember standing there. There was a large crowd with me, I do not recall that at all.  What I recall is being moved by love.

This week I want you to think about the church of your heart and what it looks like.  Maybe it is time to clear out the old and bring in the new. Maybe it is time to worship in truth. Is Jesus Christ your truth? Do you believe his words to the woman at the well?

Take a long drink from the wellspring of our Lord and Savior. I am now imagining my heart’s chapel in a whole new way. Does it matter how many songs I sing? Is there even such a thing as too many times of prayer? Does it matter if I sing hymns or praise songs? Kind of thinking we humans may have this whole thing backwards a bit. Start with your heart. Start there. Worship God in truth.

I think the Old Testament Israelites had a great start: a tabernacle that moved where they moved.

My heart…moves where I move.

May this scripture be true of you and of me: …a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers MUST worship in spirit and in truth.”

See you Sunday. Stay safe out there. I will be flying alone to my dad’s funeral this week. Please cover me in prayer.  I will be wearing my mask, face guard, gloves and social distancing. I will wash my hands and spray colloidal silver spray everywhere I go. I covet your prayers. Prayers for my wife as she stays behind and does the caregiving for her dad. God is at work in us recreating the PIETA in our hearts. If you’ve stayed with me until now, I’m guessing God is at work in you, too. I’m praying for you.

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

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