I came across an ancient Persion poem by a poet named Hafiz, written in the 1300s. It made me think of worship.
Even after all this time
the sun never says
to the earth,
"you owe me."
Look what happens
to a love like that,
it lights up the whole
sky.
I've heard some refer to worship as a duty, as something we "owe" to God. But is that what it's all about? Does God have some kind of insecure ego that requires constant stroking to keep him from freaking out? Or does he simply take pleasure in pouring out blessing after blessing on the just and unjust alike?
I think the earth's most basic and appropriate response the the sun's light is acceptance. It is being warmed by the glow.
Perhaps worship is that faint reflective glow that bounces back toward the sun from the surface of the earth. Just like the moon has no light of her own but shines the sun's like back to him, perhaps that's what we do as well.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
3 comments:
I love thinking about God's love like the sun that lights up the sky. Your imagery paints a beautiful picture of worship.
The best poems are simple, image rich and in a few word reflect a deep truth. I love this poem for being so simple yet so deep. Worship to me is my response to being loved wholly, deeply, constantantly even when I least deserve it. God does not love me because he needs me, but because he created me. I love him because he created me and has never left me. I respond to his love with worship to acknowledge that.
Duty refers not just to an obligation but also to "a thing that is right to do." Children need to be taught duties ("obey your parents"), and even as adult husbands we may have to be reminded that our primary "duty (the right thing)" to our wives is to love them. Worship is a duty in the sense that it needs to be a learned, or at least developed, behavior - it's not quite as easy or automatic as reflecting sunlight... But your point is well taken, Peter, that the most mature worship is one where the worshipper is being "warmed" by and reflective of the Son Himself.
The highest form of worship I would imagine, is the kind that takes place either in the wilderness where you feel like the sun is sucking you dry, or during a storm when its light has disappeared.
Post a Comment