The Privilege of Worship

,p>When the New Orleans Saints went to Super Bowl XLIV in 2010, those of us living in Louisiana were excited. When they actually won, we were ecstatic.

As my wife Rebecca and I watched the game, she commented how incredible it would have been to join the ecstatic joy of the Who Dat Nation, feel the confetti hit our faces, and witness sports history in the making.

That certainly would be a great privilege, but I can think of an even greater privilege. What if Drew Brees had called us up and said, “Hey, Stewart and Rebecca, I have a couple of tickets beside my family I’d like you to have. I’ll cover all your expenses to Miami and back home. And, when we win, you can come down on the field. You can high five the players, hold the Vince Lombardi trophy – I’ll even make sure you get a cap and t-shirt. Then you can come celebrate with the team at the after party.” Would you agree that would be a great privilege?

Sure it would be. But there is an even greater privilege – and it is one that not only could happen it does happen! When you and I worship, we are invited by the Lord Jesus Christ to come onto the field in the middle of a cosmic Super Bowl victory and celebrate a championship that was won 2000 years ago and has been won forever. There have been other Super Bowl Champions and there will be more, but there will never be another cross and tomb. That victory has been won forever. Each time we gather for worship, we get down on the field with the winning team. We are surrounded by other fans, people who have found victory in Jesus, and we have the privilege of coming right into the middle of the celebration and honor our Lord for who He is and what He has done. Unfortunately, many Christians often miss the privilege of worship. When we could be in the midst of the celebration, we settle for a worship encounter that is like listening to the Super Bowl over AM radio. Why would anyone let this happen? Why don’t you commit right now to find out how to celebrate the privilege of worship?

Before you think I’m advocating confetti shooters, dousing the preacher with Gatorade after each worship service, and having an after-party every Sunday, let’s take a moment to understand what worship really is before we talk more about our privilege of worship.

God Desires Worship

In the Garden of Eden, we find a perfect depiction of worship. Before humanity sinned, God apparently had the habit of walking in the garden with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:8). There was an ongoing conversation, a close relationship, a face to face encounter. There was nothing between God and mankind except love. There was no fear. There was no shame. There was no guilt. There were even no distractions. There was only a close relationship with God.

Then sin entered the world. When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and subsequently chose to continue in sin by lying, a veil fell between man and God. When God entered the garden on that day, He did not find Adam and Eve eagerly waiting to walk with Him. Instead, they were in hiding, and God had to ask, “Where are you?” (Gen. 3:9). God’s question was not one of physical locality. It was a question of spiritual relationship – where are you in relationship to Me? I believe God was giving Adam and Eve a chance to confess their sin. We do not know what the outcome would have been had Adam and Eve repented. Perhaps the rest of history would have been far different.

When Adam and Eve chose the course of sin and disobedience instead of the course of love and obedience, a veil fell between them and God. Curses rang out from God’s mouth upon the serpent, Adam, Eve, and thereby all men and women. No longer did Adam and Eve get to walk with the Lord in a close relationship. Sin separated them from God. Now, it would take more to get to God.

God granted the nation of Israel a great privilege. Out of all the peoples of the earth, God chose to reveal Himself to them and allow them the privilege of worship. Still, while their privilege was great, it was also limited. The Old Testament law set forth an elaborate worship system that emphasized the distance between humanity and God created by the presence of sin.

The worship facilities that God designed, the tabernacle and later the temple, demonstrated the separation between the Israelites and their God. The courts, lavers, altars, and rituals reminded the worshipers time and again, “Only the privileged can come into God’s presence, and some are less privileged than others.” The Israelites were taught a clear lesson: approaching God is a sacred privilege.

A New Privilege – Children of God!

Thankfully, God ushered in the New Testament. The Gospel of John declares, “To all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). Immediately, a new privilege was established – the privilege of being children of God.

You have the privilege of being a son or daughter of God because of Jesus Christ! Worship as we know it today is a privilege the saints of the Old Testament would have relished. It is a privilege we should enjoy to its fullest extent. The privilege allows us to get close to our Father, to sit at the feet of Jesus, to experience God like never before, and to communicate with Him as a son communicates with his father. Why would you ever pass on such a privilege?