Worship God - August 19, 2008

Good Tuesday morning! Whoops! School started yesterday in Sidney. I still expect it to start one week before Labor Day, but times have changed a bit. I wonder how long until they just forget summer break entirely. I would pray for the kids at that point; everyone needs a break from work and study at times. Not too long ago, BASF had a series of commercials that you may remember. These commercials used a similar line repeatedly to make a point about the manufacturer. "We don't make x product, we make it go faster..." In our Christian faith we worship our Lord Jesus and His Father in Heaven. However, non-believers tend to confuse things. We have at times been called cross worshippers. No doubt a play on words involved there too. Well we do not worship the cross, nor do we worship in an angry state of mind. Using a simliar line: we don't worship the cross; we worship the one who died for our sins on the cross. We don't worship the empty tomb; we worship the one who rose on the third day. We don't worship the Sea of Galilee; we worship the one who walked across it. We do not worship the Via Dolorosa; we worship the one who carried his cross on that street.

Many times in history, we and others have been tempted to worship objects. The lance head that pierced the side of Jesus, fragments of apostles' bones, pieces of the cross, the shroud of Turin, and many other objects have caused the gullible to waste money and even the devout to fall in worship. However, we are not to worship objects or idols. Even angels tell us to worship only God. If we are not to worship angelic beings, then we certainly shouldn't be worshipping objects of wood, cloth, and other earthly materials. Be careful what you bow down to! We might think it funny, but I could see a child in many households, asked what their father worships, saying: "My daddy worships God." And then grabbing a crucifix off the wall saying, "and this is God!". We do not need objects between us and God, and we do not need to manufacture representations of God or Jesus. Worship in your heart, in whatever position you feel called, and pray to God for wisdom in this matter.

God loves you!

Bucky