Worship is a serious business. Sometimes you’ll hear people talking about what worship they like, maybe what makes them feel good. But what if the important question is not what we like, but what God desires?
In Numbers 3 we’re reminded of an incident that we read about back in Leviticus 10, two men used the wrong type of fire and they died before the LORD. Why? Because God is a holy God and we can only approach Him in the way He prescribes. We cannot just decide, I like to worship Him this way. But someone may say, that was in the Old Testament, surely it’s different now? In some ways, yes, there is no longer any need for blood sacrifice for sin, because as our reading from Hebrews 12 tells us, Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant. And yet, the writer warns us that it is more serious to reject Jesus after all He’s done for us. He also instructs us to offer “acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29)
I wonder if we are sometimes in danger of just going through the motions in our worship, not thinking carefully about what God commands. What is pleasing to God? It is to approach Him recognising we are unworthy, and yet dearly loved! To see our sin is so serious it led Christ to shed His blood for us, and that He loved us so much He was willing to pay the price.
It means taking His Word seriously. Coming with an expectation that He will speak to us. Two areas where we surely need to be very careful are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. These sacraments are a huge privilege, and Christ’s church must take them very seriously. Baptism is a sign of belonging to Jesus, a sign that replaced the bloody sign of circumcision. Since Jesus’ blood was shed, there is no longer any need for blood to be shed, and instead the sign is of our sins being washed away by Jesus. It’s a sign that the Bible tells us must always be accompanied by repentance and faith, either of the individual or of the parents in the case of a child.
The other sacrament is the Lord’s Supper, this replaced the Old Testament Passover celebration. It is a wonderful, tangible reminder of the depth of the love of Christ. His body broken for us, His blood poured out for us. The Bible commands us to examine ourselves before we partake so that we do not do so in an unworthy manner. Examining ourselves will include repenting of our sin, and reminding ourselves of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice for us and so being grateful.
Worship is a serious business, are you taking God seriously?
Heavenly Father, we thank you that we can draw near to you. What a privilege, please help us not to take this for granted, help us to remember that you are a consuming fire. Please forgive us for times we have just gone through the motions of worship, please help us to both see the seriousness of our sin and to see the depths of your love in giving your Son for us. Amen
Light and Momentary Troubles 
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