Bethany Bullet-Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Being in attendance at worship is not the problem for most Christians; being attentive during worship, however…

We have all allowed our minds to wander during worship. For some of us it is a perpetual struggle to focus on that, which is given to us, proclaimed to us, presented before us—the mercy of God in Christ. We can pray the Lord’s Prayer, recite the Creed and sing the hymns all the while wondering why the gal in front of us is wearing that dress or why the guy next to us employs the “comb-over.” Our bodies can be fully engaged in worship standing, sitting, bowing, and folding on key, while our minds wander and think about napping, jogging or running around here and there following worship. Being in attendance is easy, being attentive, however—that is something else entirely.

When in the desert confronted by Satan’s temptation—Jesus displayed perfect attentiveness to His Father’s will and His own surroundings.

The Temptation of Jesus
(Matthew 4: 1-11)

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus answered him, “It is also written; ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Each time Satan made an offer and each time Jesus refused to focus on Himself. That is the key to attentiveness in worship.

We are self-absorbed & self-preoccupied and before long we give in to that which is about us. Jesus never did. He was always focused on His Father’s will and our need, to the bitter end. Jesus selflessly offered His life to grant us forgiveness of the core sin of human nature: being curved-in on ourselves. Even the sin of being self-absorbed in worship has been forgiven in Jesus.

Now as His forgiven children we are called to be in attendance and attentive at the same time, so that we might focus on what God is doing in His house and our homes.