Church bulletin for November
One Monday night last month Cameron was at cricket training when an ominous sight began to unfold before us. The bright blue sky was disappearing as heavy black clouds rolled in from the south west. The wind picked up, lightening flashed and thunder rumbled in the distance. Training stopped once the first drops of rain began to fall. We made it to the car just as a sheet of water descended. The conditions driving home were treacherous; visibility was limited and the rain came down in torrents. I was glad to get home safely. The storm lasted all night and continued on and off for several days. The bureau of meteorology said it was the kind of whether that occurs once in a century. The SES was inundated with hundreds of calls for help.
I must admit I love storms. I love the noise; the sense of power; the ferocity; the driving rain. I’ve sometimes reflected upon the plaques and posters which are sold in Christian bookshops. Apart from religious imagery they most often present pictures of little fury animals or pleasant scenery. I wonder whether it’s because these images convey the kind of God people are comfortable with; a God who is calm and placid; a God who does not overwhelm or threaten. The God of fluffy kittens and tranquil sunsets is tame. True enough God brings peace to our troubled lives, and for this we are thankful, but is He not also the God of the tempest and the raging sea and the booming thunder.
We will never worship God aright unless we fear Him. Fear doesn’t mean the absence of joy, it means a correct understanding of the One before whom we come; it means we see ourselves for what we are – unworthy sinners. Joy can accompany fear because we know that through Christ God accepts us. Much of the worship we find today conveys the sense that God exists to make us feel good about ourselves. It is banal and does little to glorify God or edify the soul. Where is the language that expresses fear, humility, and sorrow before the Almighty? True worship is focused upon the right God but it goes further, we must worship the right God the right way, with right understanding.
John 4:23, “The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” Heb 12:28, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29For our God is a consuming fire. ”