Wednesday 3 August

1 Chronicles 15:1-16:36

Ahhh.  How refreshing.  This has got it all.  Reverence, diligence, adoration, a sense of privilege, a sense of awe.  And then, at the end, a token of the Lord’s love for all his people being given out in the form of cakes (some fragments of this passage suggest that Krispy Kreme doughnuts were also provided but this has not yet been substantiated).  Worship should be a dramatic event.  A huge summoning of the energy and resources of the people to be lavished at the throne of the King.  It should resound with splendour and majesty, it should reverberate with glory.  It should focus on the attributes of God, with all God’s people ascribing to him the strength and the glory that he is due.  It should be defined by us bringing an offering to Him, by us trembling, worshipping, giving thanks and rejoicing.  It is all about Him.  He should be the sole subject of it.  And then, perhaps at the end, perhaps at the closing verses there is space for some appeal to the God who loves us.  Once we have acknowledged the splendour of his holiness and his enduring love, then perhaps we could cry out to God to save us.  Sure there is intimacy in worship - ecstatic and life-changing intimacy with our heavenly Father, but it is intimacy directed towards him, not towards us.  I fear that in some quarters of the broader church worship is considered to be for us as much as for Jesus.  People talk about prophetic worship and stop during worship slots to speak words of teaching or comfort to the congregation.  I love that we want to hear from God and I love that we want to encourage one another but when does He get His time?  When does He get to be the exclusive centre of attention?  When do we - the simple, sinful recipients of His grace - acknowledge before Him that He is God, and we are not?

Romans 16:1-27

Good old Phoebe, flying the flag for women in leadership.  The NIV calls her a servant but I think the common word would be “deacon” or what we would call.... hmm, what do we actually call those sort of people in the Vineyard?  I guess we’d call her Phoebe.  Or maybe Ma’am.  One thing is clear though - that Phoebe has been foundational for the church in Cenchrea and hugely influential all across the early church.  Women have always been critical to the advancement of The Way.  And so have hard workers.  It’s interesting how many people in this list of greetings are listed as ‘working very hard’ or ‘working hard’ or even ‘risking their lives’.  Church was never meant to be confined to Sunday morning activity.  Church was about showing hospitality, making journeys, hosting meetings, spending time in prison, building loving relationships, caring for each other, supporting one another, supporting the apostles and greeting each other with holy kisses.  Church was about working hard.  Churches were a vibrant hub of 7-day-a-week activity and community.  And it was a community that overlapped and extended across hundreds of cities around the Mediterranean.  This took huge amounts of effort and took its toll on many in the congregations in terms of their finances, energy levels and lack of privacy.  But Paul speaks the words of God here when he expresses his deep gratitude and appreciation to the individuals who have been willing to knuckle down and get on with it.  God is deeply pleased when we work hard for his sake.  Many in SWLV do huge amounts of work, much hidden and much never called out in a letter that all will read.  But the Lord sees it.  And he writes all these things on His heart.  He will repay all people abundantly for even the smallest thing they have done for him.

Psalm 90:11-17

Sometimes life is tough.  And God is the one to turn to in these times.