Family Update November
Greetings, Saints of King's Church!
With Reformation Day behind us and Thanksgiving before us, enjoy the rich blessings that the Lord has given us. Below you'll find simply a lone devotional thought; we're planning to post the preacher and Scripture reading schedules elsewhere, so we appreciate your patience while we do that. Rest assured both the preachers and Scripture readers (normally) know well in advance when they're scheduled :). Till then, enjoy a beautiful fall, and the thoughts below. And as that great Presbyterian preacher, J. Vernon McGee used to say, "May the Lord richly bless you, my beloved!"
Ben, for the elders
Ben, for the elders
Fuel for Life and Joy
“Worship is warfare”; a common refrain amongst ourselves. We might similarly say, “Adoration is aggression”, or “Happiness is Hamburger Hill”. Our normal way of saying it has worn off the edges that would catch our attention. It’s a weird mantra.
As is often the case, though, truth strangely worded is much more familiar to us when we encounter it in the “day to day”. The reality is that when someone deeply delights in something that you don’t, your aversion or indifference is often overcome; you are, as it were, defeated. The battle is lost, and you have become a convert to a line of clothing, or a sports team, or a foreign food, or a foreign god (may it never be!). In such cases, the joy of another was victorious over your resistance.
In the OT, of course, the context of such evangelistic worship is battle, combat, literal warfare. And it may even be true today in a confrontational setting that our joy in Christ, or in Scripture, or even in God’s people or in psalm singing, is the means of eroding an opponent’s hostility. But short of that, we find that our joy can often dispel another’s gloom. While Eeyore is often part of Pooh-bear’s story, he’s not the main character and he usually succumbs (or should more often) to the happy ending.
If something is worth getting angry about, it’s worth rejoicing over. A husband is angry that another man has approached his wife because he loves his wife and values her affection. A woman grieves a torn garment because the fabric or design was more valuable than most of her other garments. The greater our love, the greater our grief or anger at it’s ruin. It’s things like worship, adoration, and delight that are more worthy of our (and others’) attention than anger, wrath, and displeasure.
Worship is warfare, but as we live together, work together, grieve together, and laugh together, let our worship of Christ, our delight in his word, our joy in his presence, and our pleasure in his Father’s love for us strike the dominant note, and let that fundamental orientation of adoration do our combative work for us. May our joy in the Lord be so potent that all which opposes him, and us, give way before it, and perhaps even without our knowing it. It is, after all, our strength, and a potent one at that.
As is often the case, though, truth strangely worded is much more familiar to us when we encounter it in the “day to day”. The reality is that when someone deeply delights in something that you don’t, your aversion or indifference is often overcome; you are, as it were, defeated. The battle is lost, and you have become a convert to a line of clothing, or a sports team, or a foreign food, or a foreign god (may it never be!). In such cases, the joy of another was victorious over your resistance.
In the OT, of course, the context of such evangelistic worship is battle, combat, literal warfare. And it may even be true today in a confrontational setting that our joy in Christ, or in Scripture, or even in God’s people or in psalm singing, is the means of eroding an opponent’s hostility. But short of that, we find that our joy can often dispel another’s gloom. While Eeyore is often part of Pooh-bear’s story, he’s not the main character and he usually succumbs (or should more often) to the happy ending.
If something is worth getting angry about, it’s worth rejoicing over. A husband is angry that another man has approached his wife because he loves his wife and values her affection. A woman grieves a torn garment because the fabric or design was more valuable than most of her other garments. The greater our love, the greater our grief or anger at it’s ruin. It’s things like worship, adoration, and delight that are more worthy of our (and others’) attention than anger, wrath, and displeasure.
Worship is warfare, but as we live together, work together, grieve together, and laugh together, let our worship of Christ, our delight in his word, our joy in his presence, and our pleasure in his Father’s love for us strike the dominant note, and let that fundamental orientation of adoration do our combative work for us. May our joy in the Lord be so potent that all which opposes him, and us, give way before it, and perhaps even without our knowing it. It is, after all, our strength, and a potent one at that.
| Table Talk Question |
Think of something that often or easily angers or upsets you and ask yourself, “What is it that I value that would lead me to be upset in this situation?” Then think of ways to actively pursue and display your joy in that.
For example, if you greatly value quiet mornings before others awake, and an unexpected early-riser unexpectedly disrupts your reverie, ask yourself what that time provides to you and how you can draw in said early-riser into a similar experience of joy in a way they would understand an appreciate. Point out how delightful a warm fire is on a quiet morning. Read a line of poetry or a verse of Scripture and reflect aloud on it’s meaning. Position yourself by the window and describe the beauty you see and explain the way it reminds you of your grandparents’ yard. Hypothetically, of course. :)
For example, if you greatly value quiet mornings before others awake, and an unexpected early-riser unexpectedly disrupts your reverie, ask yourself what that time provides to you and how you can draw in said early-riser into a similar experience of joy in a way they would understand an appreciate. Point out how delightful a warm fire is on a quiet morning. Read a line of poetry or a verse of Scripture and reflect aloud on it’s meaning. Position yourself by the window and describe the beauty you see and explain the way it reminds you of your grandparents’ yard. Hypothetically, of course. :)
Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns...
On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written,
'King of kings and Lord of lords'.
~ Revelation 19
For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns...
On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written,
'King of kings and Lord of lords'.
~ Revelation 19
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