I’m not one for good scary movies or good scary books — to me, it’s an oxymoron. How can something be both good and scary? Well... something can. Like this verse from Hebrews 12. It says... actually, it warns us, “Worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” That’s good... but it is scary.
Donald McCullough puts it this way, “Visit a church on any Sunday morning, and you will most likely find a congregation comfortably dressed and comfortable sitting in the pews, relating to a deity who fits nicely within their precise doctrinal codes, a deity who lends His almighty support to their social crusades and who conforms to each person’s individual spiritual experience. This is what you will find...
“But you may not likely find much awe or sense of mystery. The only sweaty palms will be those of the preacher unsure whether the sermon will go over, and the only shaking knees on a Sunday morning will be those of the soloist about to sing the offertory.”
Boy, Mr. McCullough’s got something here, doesn’t he!
But the New Testament warns us to worship God acceptably — that’s the scary part — and it is acceptable to worship Him with reverence and awesome respect. For our God is a consuming fire. Well, I’m afraid the consuming fire has been domesticated into a candle flame, adding atmosphere, perhaps, but little heat and no blinding light and no power for purification.
Annie Dillard, another favorite author of mine, puts it this way: “We ought not to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares, and they should lash us to our pews.”
Hey friend, this is no guilt trip, because I’ll be the first to admit that when the communion cup is passed, I’m still trying to shake the sleep out of my eyes. When it comes time for confession, I’ve got to jerk my thoughts in line and keep from thinking about lunch. A spark to strike the match of reverence and awe can be found in Isaiah 33 where it says that God is our sure foundation, a rich storehouse of wisdom and knowledge... and here’s the good and scary part... but mostly good part: “The fear of the Lord,” it says, “is the key to this treasure.”
This Sunday on your way to church... grab that crash helmet and strap it on.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
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