Jesus Comes To Us In Worship! Really!

“The Lamb who was killed is worthy to receive power, wealth, wisdom, and strength, honor and glory and praise!” Revelation 5: 12

I’ve got a couple of true or false questions for you. Just answer them according to what you really think. Your answers will be known only to you. Here they are:

True or false: Worship is the most important thing the church does. True or false?

Number two: True or false: Worship is the most important thing you and I will do this week. True or false?

They way you answered those questions depends on your understanding of what worship is. What is worship? To echo a question I asked on Easter: what brings you to worship? If you had to describe a worship service to a non-Christian friend, what would you say?
It may come as no surprise to you that I am of the opinion that worship is the most important thing the church does and it is the most important thing you and I will do this week. I believe that with all my heart. Why do I believe that? Well, simply put, worship is a unique and specific way that Jesus Christ himself comes into our lives. We hear his words; he gives his own body and blood in His Holy Supper; He adopts new family members at the baptismal font; and we respond to our living Lord and Savior. The focus of our worship; the center of our worship; the object of our worship is Jesus—the Lamb of God—as the songs of Revelation teach so clearly. In short, Jesus gives himself to us in worship and we react. With that understanding, those true or false questions are pretty easy to answer.
However, it’s no secret that there are many obstacles that get in the way of this simple understanding. If worship is the most important thing we can do, then of course the devil is going to try to distract us or mess up our expectations of worship, or, best of all, prevent us from even making it to worship! Let’s take a moment to identify those obstacles that can rob us of a closer experience of Jesus Christ.
One obstacle—and it is huge—is the fact that you and I live in an entertainment culture. Everywhere we go today, we expect to be entertained. We even have TV shows and entire networks devoted to being entertained. We want to continually be on the edge of our seats. We want to be made to laugh. We want our emotions to be skillfully manipulated; scare us! Make us cry! Inspire us! Make us feel like winners! So we fiddle with the remote until we feel a part of what is happening. We want entertainment. Not only do we want it, we have come to expect it, and if we are not careful, even committed Christians can bring that quest for entertainment into the pew. Because of the culture we live in, we need the reminder that worship is not meant to entertain. Worship is after bigger, better, and deeper goals.
We also find ourselves living in a highly politicized culture. Now hear me right. Holy Scripture can and does speak to every issue of human existence. Our faith ought to be the primary thing that shapes our politics. But if and when political ideology takes the place of God’s Word in the congregation; then you might have a political pep rally, but you are not at worship.
All of this comes together in the fact that our entertainment-centered, highly politicized culture is also consumer-driven, where everything is about me and the bottom line. Worship is really about me, right? Fix me. Entertain me. Make me feel good. Pump me up. Recharge me. Make me feel better. And if you don’t, I’ll go down the street to a church that does. Or I’ll find another god that will revolve around me. This begs the question, “When me-centeredness drives worship choices, who is the one really being worshipped?”
As you can see, we are up against it when it comes to authentic, God pleasing worship. But when we turn to Holy Scripture it becomes all so clear. If you are going to take cues from anyone on how to “do worship,” wouldn’t you take those cues from the Bible—and from heaven itself? So, according to Revelation 5, what is heaven’s worship service like? Let’s take a look!
You have the passage in your bulletin as the Epistle Lesson. The picture is painted in simple strokes. The Lamb, that is, Jesus, is on the throne of God. Angels and faithful people have made a circle around the throne—their worship is literally Christ—centered—and they sing. And as you look at that passage, take note of who the song is directed to. Who and what is this song about? It’s all about what Jesus has done; what Jesus is doing; what Jesus is worthy to do. The focus, the center, the object of worship is Jesus, whose blood purchased people for God from every language and nation.
At the funeral of Louis XIV, perhaps France’s greatest king, the cathedral was packed with mourners. The funeral was held at night, and the only light in that vast sanctuary was one lone candle right by the king’s casket. At the appointed time, the court preacher got up to address the assembly, and he began by snuffing out the candle that had symbolized the greatness of the king. Then, in total darkness he spoke four words: “Only God is great.”
Only God is great. Worthy is the Lamb. The words of our hymns and our liturgy are about what Jesus has done and what He is still doing. Our hymns and services put God’s own Words into our mouths, so that we recount and repeat what God has done for us in Jesus Christ.
That brings up another important idea. The Christian faith is a singing faith. Music can express things that words alone cannot. Music can support and enhance our understanding of God’s saving Word. Here in Revelation 5, the heavenly chorus bursts into joyful song. Therefore the church throughout the ages has used music as a vehicle to transport the good news of Jesus. Now having said that, music alone does not save us. That is the work of the Lamb who was slain and lives again. His Word and Sacraments are the pipelines through which his forgiveness and new life flows. The music that has the privilege of carrying this good news serves the message, and as a carrier of the Word it has great power; it conveys a wide range of emotion; and above all it is directed at Jesus; crucified and risen. In the church, we enjoy a vast tradition of faithful song—in today’s service alone, we’re using church music from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. One of the hymns we sang today says it best: “Through the Church the song goes on.” The Song of the Lamb goes on and on…we who make up the Church on earth continue to practice for heaven by encircling the throne of the Lamb and directing our song about him to him. Our slain and living Lamb feeds us and comforts us. Worship that has Jesus at its center really is a slice of heaven on earth.
And boy, how we need to be plugged into that. In a world of car bombs and burnt bodies, how we need Jesus to give us himself and to have the chance to react to him. In a world of false friendships and broken promises, we need to have a place that is ruled by truth and faithfulness. In a world of school shootings and sex offenders, we need to know that in the end, evil does not win. In fact, the kingdom of Jesus Christ has already broken into this world, and it’s found wherever people gather to receive his gifts and to give thanks. How we need heaven to touch down on earth. The secret that is right under our noses is that it does, week after week. The Lamb of God comes to you in Word and Sacrament; and your song blends with heaven’s song.
Maybe the better question to ask about worship is: How can you live without it? Amen.