There’s an old hymn that, in its day, created quite a bit of debate in the circles in which I moved. It went like this:
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace”.
I know that there may be some valid reasons behind the writer’s decision to include those words in the hymn, but I have always struggled with what that line has meant for those who sing it. In so many ways it can be tempting to see worship as an escape from the world and its struggles – a retreat from the daily wrestle for justice and peace, and a place to imagine, for a moment, that we are already in the heavenly bliss that awaits us in the future. But, when we allow worship to be viewed this way, it loses its purpose and power.
When we gather for worship there are at least two significant truths that, I believe, should impact us and change us. The first is that God’s Reign – or heaven, if you will – is not so much something that we can only experience after we die. Rather, as we sing and pray together we are reminded that heaven is among us and within us, and that we can experience and live God’s Reign in our lives now. The second truth is that worship does not offer us an escape from the world, but rather challenges us to engage the world from God’s perspective. So, rather than the things of earth growing “strangely dim” they should be growing “strangely clear” in the light of God’s presence and purposes.
When our worship is driven by these two truths, we cannot help but take what we do in church out into the streets. We can only claim to have worshipped authentically when our worship changes how we speak and act, how we choose to spend our money and cast our vote, how we interact with others and participate in works of justice. If other people don’t see a difference in us after we have worshipped, I wonder whether we have really worshipped at all.
Which is why the final act of worship carries such significance. The benediction, or blessing, that closes most worship gatherings is also a moment of challenge and sending. It’s a final call to commitment that demands a response from us. And when this call comes, if we seek to be true worshippers, we had better be listening. We cannot move into worship for a time, and then think that we can leave God and God’s call on our lives in the sanctuary as we go back to “business as usual”. No, it is how we respond to the final words that really reveal how much our worship has been a genuine giving of ourselves to God.
One of my favourite benediction prayers is an ancient one:
“Go in peace. Go in the power of the Spirit to love and serve God.”
It is difficult to hear these words without recognising that God has a claim on our lives, and that our worship must bring every thought, word and action into line with God’s purposes. The question we should be asking as we hear words like these at the end of our worship gatherings is this: have we come to worship to escape, or are we ready to be recruited into God’s service once again. I pray that more and more our answer will be like that of Isaiah - a resounding “Here I am. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8).
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John van de Laar is a Methodist minister, liturgical consultant and the author of the book Food for the Road – Life Lesson from the Lord’s Table. He holds a Master’s Degree in theology from UNISA, and is the founder of Sacredise.com, an international worship training and resourcing ministry. John is married to Debbie, and they have two sons.
Visit www.sacredise.com for more articles by John, as well as resources for personal and public worship – music, prayers, liturgies, images and drama scripts.