Thought of the Week

The Problem of Shrinking Worship

Posted on by Shannon

A newspaper article warned about buying meat in large quantities. It reminded consumers that there is a considerable shrinkage in cutting and packaging meat. A person who buys a hundred pound side of beef will not have a hundred pounds when he gets it home and in the freezer.

This leads us to think about the shrinkage in worship. The usual service is about one hour long, but few worship for a full hour. Some arrive late, so that time must be deleted. Those who come on time are distracted by late arrivals and various interruptions. It may take a little time to decide where to sit. And a few feel they must leave before the final prayer. All that must be deducted.

Then there is the time to look around to see who is there and who is not. Time may also be taken to chuckle at a misprint in the bulletin. Some feel they must text on their phones. We must also deduct the time when our minds wander during the sermon, the prayers and communion. We might be surprised to discover how little time we spend in actual worship to God.

A holy man described worship in this way: “To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.”

Worship means, “to feel in the heart.” It renews the spirit as sleep renews the body. We should try hard to take advantage of the time.

– Adapted from an article by David Johnson

The Man to Whom God Will Look

Posted on by Shannon

For thousands of years men have spent huge amounts of time and money building cathedrals, shrines and monuments to God. Notre Dame in Paris took 185 years to construct, a building that has stood complete for over 600 years. And what is the motivation for such expensive structures? Often it is to capture the attention of God.

After Solomon’s temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC, returning captives wanted to build an even grander structure to somehow secure God’s blessings. They were disappointed when the replacement seemed so small (Haggai 2:3). Through prophesy, God stated in Isaiah 66:1-2 that they had it all wrong. “Thus says the Lord, ‘Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? For My hand made all these things, thus all these things came into being,’ declares the Lord. ‘But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.”’

Man doesn’t have to build a world monument to get God’s attention. The Lord will listen to people who have humility before Him, who willingly admit their shame and regret for their failures, and who believe His word with all their heart.

This should comfort us, for it is something we can all do. But it should also caution us, to make sure our hearts are healthy. Are you just building monuments with your life, or are you offering God your heart? It’s an important question to ask yourself on this first Sunday of 2016.

-Tim Johnson

New Year: 2016

Posted on by Shannon

The new year will be born at midnight on Thursday, and Friday will be its first day. Lot’s of exciting things are planned in the world for 2016. Here’s a few: It will be Leap Year again; Brazil will host the summer Olympics; the Americans will have their national election (will Donald Trump last that long?); the last remaining American, British and Australian troops will withdraw from Afghanistan.

It will also be a big year for space events: A new orbiter will arrive on Mars; the Juno spacecraft is expected to arrive on Jupiter (taking 5 years to get there); a space hotel for tourists is to be launched from Russia; the Chinese will complete the 5-year construction of the world’s largest and most sensitive radio telescope.

All of these expensive events and projects are interesting, and hopefully will be of some benefit to man. However, they only affect us in our world, and perhaps one could say in our solar system. Peter reminded us that the entire universe is destined to be destroyed on the day of the Lord (2 Pet.3:10-11). There are therefore more important things that affect people eternally and should occupy our minds. Things like sharing the gospel that saves man from judgment (Mk.16:15-16), helping people improve their lives as Christians so they will be ready, relieving the sufferings of brothers and sisters (1 Jn.3:17-18), and strengthening the church which is “the pillar and support of the truth” (1 Tim.3:15).

We can enjoy the achievements of man, but it is a greater joy to be involved in triumphs of the faith. Let’s especially be involved in these.

-Tim Johnson

Profound Parents

Posted on by Shannon

In a single verse Luke describes the 30-year upbringing of John the Baptist: “And the child continued to grow, and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel” (Luke 1:80). Nothing is said of the hard work of his parents, Zacharias and Elizabeth. But those of us who are parents know there is a world of work in that verse!

What an unusual child he was. His father had been told of John’s future work as the forerunner of Jesus, and that he would be “great in the sight of the Lord” (v15). Knowing this, how did they take their newborn baby and raise him to become such a great preacher, as God wanted? He must have prayed every day for wisdom, and talked with his son regularly of what God had in mind. They lived in the hill country of Judah (v39), and it was in these deserted areas that John lived. He became a rugged outdoorsman and could exist by foraging. He would need these skills later in life because he would preach to crowds away from towns and cities.

We must admire his parents – both of whom were senior citizens – for their fine work raising John. They challenge us to work hard and sacrifice to raise our own children wisely, teaching them about Jesus Christ and what they can accomplish for God in this world. Our work doesn’t end when they move out on their own; they will need us for advice and encouragement for decades to come.

Years ago a teacher in Europe was asked why he bowed down to his students before class every day. He said one never knows who they will become.

-Tim Johnson

Overcoming Evil

Posted on by Shannon

We’ve all been shocked this week to hear about more violence in the world. It is bewildering to try to understand why human beings hurt and kill each other, especially when innocent people are the victims. These things will continue to be debated for a long time to come.

Cruelty, violence and murder have been with man since the days of Cain and Abel. The real reasons for such crimes has also been with man just as long: hatred, jealousy, revenge, and a lack of respect for human life. These are the reasons why God judged and wiped away the human race in Noah’s day. When Noah and his family emerged from the ark, God lectured them about the sin of shedding human blood, “For in the image of God He made man” (Gen.6:6). Human life must be treated with great care and respect. This is a principle many people in our world have forgotten.

You may wonder, “what can I do to make the world less violent?” We’re taught in the New Testament to treat others kindly and to be patient when we’ve been offended. Paul told the Ephesian Christians, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Eph.4:31-32). Paul also said, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” We are to practice, teach and model these principles in a world that far too often favours violence. This is how we change things.

-Tim Johnson