We run trends into the ground. It’s the same every time. It starts out new
and exciting and before long it’s been done to death. It’s boring, unoriginal, and
uninteresting, and you can’t help but roll your eyes every time someone tries to
beat that dead horse one more time.
Most of you have been raised in the church. Here, if anything’s been done to death, it’s
worship. We worship the same way, week after week, month after month, and year
after year. Most of you haven’t had to look at the hymnal for years. You know
what happens, there are no curve balls, and yes, you can even end up bored.
Liturgical worship is done to death.
Yep. Our worship
is done to death, but it’s not our death, and it’s not even the death of
excitement. Our worship is done to the death of Jesus. And at the highest point
of this worship, when we are blessed to stand in the very real presence of our
Lord, when we come to the Lord’s own Table to eat His body and blood, Paul
writes, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the
Lord's death until he comes (1 Corinthians 11).” And we don’t just talk about
it, Paul even says we participate in it. Our worship is done to the death of
Jesus, and we take part in that week after week for the forgiveness of sins,
for life, and for salvation.
When Jesus told us to do this “often”, it wasn’t for our
entertainment. It was to give us what we so desperately need in this life. For
in this life, there is no end to sin and suffering, or torments by the devil.
Here, we regroup; we are given strength to go on, forgiveness for where we fall
short, and life everlasting to look forward to because of what Christ has done
for us. When Christ gathered His disciples in that upper room during Holy Week,
it wasn’t to keep things interesting. The world is already all too
“interesting”, as the disciples could attest to over the next few days. The Lord’s Supper was given for them, and is
given for you to keep you steadfast, strong, and safe when life gets too
“interesting” for its own good.
I thank God that His church isn’t just set up to run a new
trend into the ground and forgotten every few months. I thank God that we receive the same help
from God every week, because there hasn’t been a week that’s gone by where at
least one of us hasn’t needed it desperately.
I thank God that our worship is done to death, even if it is boring
sometimes, because when we participate in the death of the Son, we also
participate in His life. When we worship, we receive from God everything we need
to keep us unto death in an all too “interesting” world, and unto life
everlasting in the world yet to come. This lent, I hope you join us in
participating in the Death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be
manifested in you.
