glory party pt I

what do i love when i love you
what is the object of my affection
God? what is my God?

who do i love when i love you
who is my hope and my salvation
Lord? who is my Lord?

you shine into my soul where space cannot contain you
you speak with a sound that does not fade with passing time
the fragrance of your presence remains with me in essence
the sweetness of your name does not grow stale

what do i preach when i preach you
what is my message of exhortation
word? what is my word?

salvation belongs to our God and our God alone
all honour and praise to the one who sits on the throne
“worthy is the Lamb, worthy is he…”
is the eternal song of a soul set free

where do i go when i seek you
where do i look for your revelation
God? where is my God?

this is a song that came from some life, some scripture (revelation 5.6-14; 7.9-12) and a section of augustine's confessions. although at first glance the lyric might come off as faithless, in fact it is probably one of the most faith-filled lyrics i've ever put to music... it takes great faith to ask questions freely, knowing that God's answer is there, if only as yet unrevealed. as a call to worship, it invites us to explore just what it is we have chosen to accept about the nature of God- what outdated defaults may be in place and how we might, through the questioning itself, refresh our relationship with the divine creator of all things.

probably not an easy song to sing some days.

but up to my eyeballs in fallenness,
i'm not sure true worship can come without some effort.

when we take in the scene as described in revelation 5 and 7, we are served up a veritable feast of cosmic worship imagery that makes even the largest earthly worship events seem a bit spare by comparison. however, too often we see revelation as a section of the bible that reveals to us things that are to come, and whereas that is true, it's not the only truth. revelation also reveals to us things that are taking place in this very moment at the throne of God.

time and space are created for us, and God exists outside of them, as does his throne and those who attend it. therefore, when we read of things that take place around the throne of God, we need to remember that these are things that are taking place in the eternal now, outside of this orderly succession of moments that we see (from the inside of them) as the dimension of time.

in other words, closing the worship loop by joining with all of the angels and heavenly creatures in an intentional and active giving to God of that which is his (1 Chronicles 16.28-29) effectively unites us with those who exist with God outside of time in a perpetual and ongoing glory party.

worship isn’t simply activity, it is being. it is not something we initiate- it is a response to the overtures and grace of God. it is not a flow we generate- it is a tapping into that which is already flowing.

Worship is the highest priority of the human race.
It is what we were created for and it is why we are here.
It is our defining characteristic.
(Mike Pilavachi)

although i've said this before, it bears repeating here:
worship isn’t a designated time or place- it isn’t a calculated emotional curve or a mosaic of isolated holy moments. no, although these can all be part of worship, it is a gestalt of all of them for the earnest servant of God… it is a day by day, hour by hour, breath by breath, heartbeat by heartbeat song to God.

it begins at the foot of the cross, through the moment of acceptance and straight on ‘til morning. it is both active and passive and therefore all consuming. it is the reason that all of creation exists- to reflect back the glory and the love of Almighty God.

worship is saying ‘Your Are’ to ‘I Am.’

ascribe to the Lord all power
ascribe to the Lord all strength
ascribe to him and enter into the glory of his name
and worship the Lamb for sinners slain

the word of the Lord can raise a mountain
the word of the Lord can calm a sea
the voice of the Lord has broken the silence of the fall
so all who would follow shall go free