A Week of Sundays

"So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out." —Romans 12:1, Message

Somewhere on planet Earth this morning, it has already begun. It will continue throughout the day and into the night. Whether in a home living room, under the African stars, in a white-steepled New England church, or in dozens of variations of every size, someone will urge everyone gathered:

“Let’s worship.” And millions will sing, and speak scripture, and pray, and bring offerings to bless others, and hear and receive the Word, and sing some more. And it will all rise to heaven and influence the atmosphere. And it will be good.

But in looking back over journal entries from the quickly-fading summer, seemingly random ideas, quotes, and heavenly downloads had an unsurprising but heart-rekindling reminder:

“Let’s worship” means a whole lot more than all of the goodness that will be sung, said, and prayed by Believers gathered around the world on The Lord’s Day, September 16, 2018. "Let's worship" means Sunday every day of the week….

June 5…"To the holy—set apart, persevering—and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace and peace to you…” (Colossians 1:2, NIV). What is striking about this verse of greeting is that the apostle Paul had never been to Colosse!—it was their witness in daily life for all to see beyond Sunday. Word had gotten out and spread. Worship beyond Sunday morning looks like living authentically, simply, and with integrity, even when you think no one is looking. 

“Is the excellence of Christ displayed in our lives? That should matter to us, not whether we ourselves are praised.”—John Piper

July 3…"And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all His glory.” (Colossians 3:4, NLT). I am struck by this again as I ponder home group and Bible study in the coming weeks, whether at home or at church. What will it be? What? No. Maybe it’s never suppose to be a ‘what’ but always a ‘Who’? 

“God’s priority is that the Lord Jesus be lifted up. The coming harvest will be the result of Christ’s presence. It will not be our programs and methods that bring the harvest into God’s barns; it will be the glory of the LORD.”—Francis Frangipane

August 26…"so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.’ And here is the second: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment that ranks with these.”—Mark 12:30-31, Message. What is this love for God supposed to look like, I mean really look like? It is more than a fleeting feeling as great as that may be. It is definitely more than a song, as powerful and stirring to the soul as they may be. AW Tozer points to The Rev. Samuel Rutherford of Scotland (1600-1661) as an example of one who seemingly lived unafraid to say he truly “loved” Jesus—not just the idea of, teaching, or character of Jesus. Loving Jesus, really loving Jesus, suggests Rutherford, looks like walking with Him beyond Sunday morning, listening, talking, believing, obeying, laughing, overflowing, being thankful, grateful, and watchful. Not perfect, just steady and steadfast:

“In our fluctuations of feelings, it is well to remember that Jesus admits no change in His affections; your heart is not the compass Jesus saileth by.”

“Every day, we may see some new thing in Christ. His love hath neither brim nor bottom.”

“It is no small comfort that God hath written some scriptures to you which He hath not to others. Read these, and think God is like a friend who sendeth a letter to a whole house and family, but who speaketh in His letter to some by name that are dearest to Him in the house.”—Rev. Samuel Rutherford

“Let’s worship.” And today, millions will sing, and speak scripture, and pray, and bring offerings to bless others, and hear and receive the Word, and sing some more. And it will all rise to heaven and influence the atmosphere. And it will be good. 

And as we go, it will be even better to remember to keep humming throughout the week: "I'll bring You more than a song, for a song in itself is not what You have required. You search much deeper within, through the way things appear; You're looking into my heart..."