worship.

“Easter” meant two very important things in my small, elementary school mind:

A new dress
and
A big basket of awesome candy.

in other words, Easter was all about receiving gifts.

I mean, originally I thought that some creepy little bunny would sneak into our house (like Santa) and leave us some treasures. First of all, who would let a rabid rabbit into your home? I mean, did anyone think of disease or rabies, or is that just my anxious, pragmatic adult self? And why in the world would he want to leave me gifts? Does this rabbit even know me?

Did he know that I had a terrible tantrum earlier that week with my parents? Or that I selfishly fought with my sister and called her mean names? Did this bunny even know my life, much less care that I might not be worthy of any gift (edible or monetary) that he could give to me on this day known as Easter?

I didn’t care. My child self was all about what was going to be given to me. Sure, I made sure to thank Mom and Dad for the signed card. But, thanking this deliverer of good gifts (the Bunny) was out of my mind. I didn’t know this guy personally, I didn’t care to. Never once did I ask my parents if I could meet this bunny, give him a hug, and ask him why he wanted to give me things, or even want to try to repay him.

…

I praise the Lord that church isn’t just an event that my family attends on a twice-a-year basis now – thank you, Lord, for changing hearts. It’s real for my parents now. It’s real for me now. It’s real for my husband (who didn’t become a follower of Jesus until college, before we met). We gather with other believers to CELEBRATE the Lord, to praise Him, to learn more about Him and our place in His plan…

to worship Him.

worship.

Worship LOUD. Soft. In silence. With music. Through song. By prayer. In scripture. Painting. Dancing. Sharing. Loving. Serving. I am so thankful that worship isn’t limited.

I love music. I love leading people in worship alongside my husband through song. I can communicate easily and freely through music, and I am so blessed by the connection that I get to have with the Lord through it. It’s like a secret that I have with a best friend. An experience that I won’t ever have with anyone else. Whether its a full band with power notes, or the quietest singing of the simplest phrase. I love returning thanks and praising His name through song.

I think my most favorite truth/definition of worship is that it takes the focus off of us and puts it on God. I’ve really been thinking a lot about this lately. It’s not only that it can take the focus off of ourselves in the good kind of light, but even in the dark, bad, yucky one…right?

Let me explain.

Sometimes I think about how worshipping idols or self is exalting something’s awesomeness. We can look at something and say, “Wow. You are worthy of my time and affection and I love you so much.” But then, when we take the focus off of that and point it towards the Lord, the awesomeness of subject A decreases, and the awesomeness of God increases.

But what about this…what about when the thoughts of self-UNworthiness that consume heart and head turn to thoughts about worthiness and holiness of the Lord?

Stay with me.

You see, I have a tendency to focus on myself. But, I don’t just mean that I focus on how awesome I am. No. I have a tendency to focus on how awful I am. Like, I can sit and obsess over my imperfections, my shortcomings, even my sin. Seriously, if I chase that rabbit trail, the one-sided conversation in my head can last a long time.

But when I take all of that focus and energy on my sin and apply it to focusing on the truth and fact that

it is no more. finished. complete. gone. away. erased. forgiven. forgotten.

Gosh, there is so much more rejoicing in my spirit when I do that. Like, the kind of rejoicing that gets deep in my bones. My marrow rejoices!

In John 12, John writes that a large crowd came to meet Jesus with excitement and shouts of praise. But, I don’t feel like the “marrow-type” worship was coming from them….or the disciples. John writes that the disciples didn’t really understand what was going on, either. The huge crowd was there just because they heard that Jesus (you know, the guy who raised Lazarus from the dead) was going to be there. Maybe they had a surface level understanding of what was going on. I don’t  know, maybe some of them really and truly understood what Jesus was talking about, and what was going to happen. I’m not about to try to convince you either way. I mean, they were shouting praises and phrases like, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” These people were shouting,

Hosanna! Hosanna! 

I love this. “Hosanna” literally translates to “Horray for salvation!” Does your soul do this? Mine does! When I focus on God, on the good news of the gospel, I feel like the hands of my heart grab palm leaves and wave them frantically – just like those people did when Jesus was making his triumphant entry.

What a precedent to what was about to happen! These people had no idea how their world was about to be rocked. Wow. I’m excited that I can read this testimony and rejoice because I know the ending!

I feel like this is the core of Easter. We can’t truly worship without knowing and understanding who God is and what He has done for us. Holy week has worship weaving all through it. Can you see it? Worship through rejoicing at the arrival of a King. Worship through reverence at the sacrifice of a perfect and spotless lamb. Worship through glory revealed by a prophecy fulfilled, a promise kept, a resurrected and living Savior! 

I’m so glad that Easter is not about a bunny. Those edible and monetary gifts were nice things. But, I have received such a far greater, sweeter, richer gift…one that is lasting and not perishable, something that doesn’t ever lose value…by Someone who is completely and totally worthy of worship.