Imagine with me a man in large black robe standing in front of a crowd of people. He holds up a child and presents it to the crowd, then holds the child heavenward presenting this child to God. Then, he takes the child to the altar where there is a basin filled with water. He takes the child and symbolically drowns the child with water, sacrificing this child. Then, after the ritual sacrifice and the prayers said over the child, the child is sacred. Which of course is what sacrifice really means, to be made sacred. Thus, this child is holy and acceptable to God. Is this worship?
Yes of course it is, but is this all that can be considered worship. Baptism is definitely a form of worship. It is nearly an undisputed sacrament of the church. But we only do baptism once, so what do we make of the rest of our worship experiences. The ritual of Baptism points toward the old sacrificial system. First the sacrifice is presented to God through the priest, then the sacrifice is made through killing. Then, the people are made holy and acceptable in the sight of the Lord. This is a way that worship has been ritualized since Moses. In Romans 12:1, we see this very concept. "I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." (NRSV) Here is the pattern for your "Spiritual" or "Reasonable" worship (the Greek word there logikos can also be translated reasonable): you present your bodies as a sacrifice which makes you holy and acceptable to God. The catch is that now we are living sacrifices. Life is what God's about, so how do we worship with this kind of pattern without always re-enacting baptism.
Let's look at the other nearly undisputed sacrament, Holy Communion. In this sacrament we have the sacrifice of Jesus saying "this is my body" which is presented, sacrificed (broken), and thus is Holy and acceptable. In the Eucharist we receive the body of the living Christ into our bodies making us one with Christ and one with one another through the Holy Spirit. So here is another example of worship following this theme. We have presentation, sacrifice which leads to holiness and acceptance in God. Because of the power of the Resurrection we see again not death but life as what is spiritual/reasonable worship. We through symbolically taking Christ into our bodies are then to present our entire lives to God as holy and acceptable. There again we have the old sacrificial system as the model for worship.
Do we do this in our worship service? When there isn't a baptism or it's not the first Sunday of the month in the UM church then do we really do this? Do we do this in our daily lives? Are we presenting our bodies (all of our being) to God as living Sacrifice that is holy and acceptable to God? Do you give of yourself in such a way that you become the sacrifice that someone else needs to participate in? Do you give of yourself to such an extent that you are a living sacrifice which brings about holiness and acceptance in Christ through the Holy Spirit?
This is your Spiritual and Reasonable worship! To offer your entire self to God in all parts of your life so that you can both be holy and acceptable, and bring about holiness and acceptance in those you meet.
Sacrificially yours,
mark
