This is part 2 of 4. To begin at the beginning, read this one first.
Christian Worship is Made Perfect through Jesus Christ
One of the tenets of our faith is that through Christ alone
do we have salvation. Because of his perfect sacrifice, he paid the price once
for all sins. After going through the message series on Hebrews, and reading
through Hebrews as part of the Community Bible Experience, this much should be
clear.
Growing up, though, I never heard this connected to worship.
Just as we are presented as perfect in Christ before the Father, so also our
worship is perfect through Christ alone. Think of the worship imagery used in
Hebrews: Jesus is the great High Priest and
the perfect sacrifice(Heb 4:14-5:10; 9:11-14). Jesus sits at the right hand of
God, interceding for us, the mediator of a new covenant (Heb 4:15). He brings
our worship to the Father. Through Jesus we are brought into the mystery of the
Trinity, able to have communion with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Our worship, then, is the sound of gratitude. We may worship
with different attitudes and words: cries for mercy, petitions for healing,
prayers of forgiveness, songs of awe and wonder. But the primary theme is one
of gratitude: thanks be to God for His amazing gift in Christ Jesus.
This is why, when we pray, we often close with, “…in Jesus’
name, Amen.” We are proclaiming the centrality of Christ. The words are not
magic, assuring that our prayers are heard. They are a reminder to us and to
others that our hope, our salvation, our faith, and our worship are in Christ.
This is also why we try to make sure the majority of our songs proclaim the
name of Jesus.
Is Jesus the center of our worship? What is preventing you
from enthroning Him with praise?
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