January 26, 2000
FAMILY BIBLE SERIES:
It's hard to worship during
one of life's pit stops
___Matthew 21:1-17
___By Stacy Conner
___First Baptist Church, Muleshoe
___It is quite logical really. We do it all the time. We make worship more convenient. If people are willing to get out of bed on Sunday morning (or up from the recliner on Saturday night), we should do everything possible to make their experience as convenient and effortless as possible. For instance, we should provide envelopes larger than a check.All that is required is that a person must slip in a check without any hindrance or resistance to giving. Parking must be convenient. The climate should be as comfortable as possible. The seats should be soft. If a person just shows up, we will take care of everything. This is the modern church-growth model of worship.
___So, before we critize those money-changing scoundrels selling sacrifices in the Temple, we might want to step out of our own glass houses. Pilgrims travelling to worship at the Temple are expected to bring a sacrifice. Leading a lamb 20 to 40 miles is a headache. Carrying a bird cage is especially tiring. (Having to catch a dove would provide a special challenge.) And toting a bag of grain makes for a back-breaking trip.
___"The whole pilgrimage experience would be more enjoyable if we could simply provide what people needed when they arrived for worship," is a reasonable philosophy. Most woshipers would even pay a bit more for the added convenience such a service could provide.
___Often, we focus on Jesus' cleansing of the Temple as if his priority is eradicating temple commerce. The merchants and sellers of approved sacrificial animals are by the nature of their business accepting foreign currency which is stamped with the images of foreign idols. And the removal of graven images is certainly a portion of the truth behind Jesus' action.
___But the primary concern is worship. "It is written," he said to them, 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a den of robbers." And like the merchants in the Temple court, we often make the mistake of thinking worship should be convenient.
___Genuine worship involves giving ourselves to the God of our salvation. Worshiping means to focus singularly on God. Worship demands the priority of our thoughts to explore the majesty and holiness of our Creator, the mystery of grace and the miracle of mercy. Deliberating the lofty requires undivided attention. Contemplating the amazing history of our salvation requires a pause. Yes, our God is the same God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. As worshipers, we miss the brilliance if we are rushing past on the highway of least resistance.
___Perhaps Jesus is not as concerned with the problems created by the merchants as the attitude they represent. If we are not careful in our rush to do the minimum, we may miss the majestic. It is difficult to gaze in awe if we allow only for a quick glance.
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