Love Expressed

There is a feeling I get when I hold my daughter in my arms. It is as though I can physically feel my own affection for her. Something in my chest reaches out beyond my own skeletal frame and binds itself to her. It is a warm and satisfying feeling. I am overwhelmed with love for her. This unquenchable love is just a taste of what our good Father God feels for us. It was because of that love he sent Jesus to die for us.

Similarly, when I come home from work, before I even enter the house, my son hears the garage door opening and runs through the house to the back door shouting “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!” When I enter, he is there happy to be in my presence. I receive and return that affection. I believe that our Father God longs for our times of corporate worship to be filled with that kind of affection.

We previously defined worship as "ascribing worth" to someone or something. Let's tweak that traditional definition just a little. One of the best definitions of worship I’ve ever heard is this: "love expressed." Our songs, rites, sermons, and classes are not offered to satisfy personal tastes. We do not work in mission locally, nationally and internationally to help us feel good about ourselves, or even because it’s a good cause that we need to get behind. We do not study scripture so that we may be more knowledgeable than others. We sing our songs, work in mission, study scripture, and participate in corporate worship as an act of affection to our God! We once were helpless in our sin, but while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!

We are the children of God by adoption. What will we do when we hear the garage door opening? Will we dutifully perform our chores and tasks? Will we try to impress him so he will be proud of our accomplishments? Or will we run through the house to get to the door before he does that we might express our affection to the one who gave everything to be with us?

Homework this week: All throughout the week, but specifically on Saturday evening, contemplate what it means to be a child of God. Contemplate how you have expressed your love to God in the past week. Prepare your heart for corporate worship on Sunday.

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