In the year that King Uzziah
died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of
His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings:
with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he
flew. And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of
hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!" And the posts of the door
were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with
smoke. (Isaiah 6.1-4)
The majesty
which Isaiah witnessed when he saw God being worshipped in Heaven was also
expressed in the Temple which God commanded Moses to construct for His People
to worship Him on Earth. For a better description of how Moses was commanded to
construct the Temple, read Exodus chapters 25-28 all of which express the
majesty of God.
This
SAME majesty is expressed in Orthodox Christian worship. Golden candlesticks,
incense, Altars, Thrones, Vestments, precious metals and stone are all
integrated into Orthodox Christian worship for a reason – to prepare us for
being in Heaven.
Many Protestant
Churches today express quite a different atmosphere to their worship. Rather
than the majesty of heaven, many Church services Sunday mornings “feel” more
like a night club. Rather than bowing and reverencing the Altar of God, many
Church services Sunday mornings lift up the human passions rather than the
mantle of God. In fact many Christians validate this by using the expression “It
felt awesome today in Church!” or “I get so lifted up when I go to Church!”
On the
contrary Saint Paul and Saint John the Theologian had quite the different
reaction to seeing God being worshipped in heaven, much the same as Moses and
Isaiah.
And when I saw Him, I fell at His
feet as dead. (Revelation 1.17)
And I know such a man -- whether
in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows --how he was caught up
into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man
to utter. (2 Corinthians 12.3-4)
The
Orthodox Church has a centuries-long witness in the lives of countless holy men
and women who have had visions of God, ALL OF WHOM express similar stories as
we find the Holy Scriptures. So, if we are preparing as Christians to worship
God in Heaven for all eternity, why would we not express that same majesty in
our Earthly worship? Of course as Orthodox Christians, we do, are at least we should.
The
trend in mega-Churches toward the night club atmosphere is obviously attractive
to many in today’ entertainment culture, but does it REALLY prepare believers
for what is coming for all eternity? If God taught that the way to salvation
was in taking up our cross and denying ourselves, it would seem that Sunday
worship would focus, not on what makes us FEEL good, but the awesome majesty of
being in God’s presence. Would a believer, if they were in the presence of God,
REALLY worry more about feeling good than bowing in reverence at the Altar of
God?
When you
come to Church on Sunday, please consider the REAL reason you are worshipping
God. If you are focused more on how you “feel” rather than being in His
Presence and glory, you may not be preparing yourself and your family for what
is coming in Heaven. Don’t you want to be prepared?
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