Everett Henes: Less outward glory
When you read the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, worship can seem so complicated. This is especially true once the Tabernacle and the Priesthood had been established. God’s people approached him in a particular place at a particular time through a particular person by particular means. Everything was exact and demanding. To make matters even more stark, in the Old Testament there was only one people who could approach God. The place they approached was the Tabernacle and, later, the Temple. The particular person was the high priest. So exacting were the instructions that even the high priest could only approach God one day out of the year.
There are a few clear illustrations of this in the Old Testament. The first is in Exodus 19, where the people of God had been gathered to Mount Sinai. Moses is instructed that the people cannot approach the mountain. If they touched it, they had to be devoted to destruction! Later, in Leviticus 10, we read of two priests who offered up “strange fire” to the Lord, which he did not command. The Lord struck them down and they died! When the Bible says that God is a “consuming fire” in Deuteronomy 4 and Hebrews 12 it has in view that episode in Leviticus 10. By Leviticus 16, God established that only one person could come into his presence and then only once per year. God’s exclusivity has to do with his holiness and the seriousness of worship.
It might surprise us to learn that when we turn to the New Testament, it’s not as though these requirements merely go away. There is a shift that takes place, but it’s not one that lets us simply decide how we want to approach and worship God. The changes are significant. It’s no longer just one nation of people, but people from all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). It is no longer about an earthly place or temple, but the heavenly Mount Zion (Hebrews 12:24-25). The high priest is no longer chosen through physical descent, but instead is the fulfillment of all these things, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 7). The shift that takes place is one of fulfillment. There is less outward glory, but greater spiritual efficacy.
Perhaps one of the greatest reasons for such a shift is the tendency that humans have toward superstition and idolatry. Symbolic gestures, rituals, and outward ceremonies are a snare for so many people. The principle of worship known as simplicity opposes excessive symbolism in worship, viewing it as potentially distracting or prone to superstition. Instead, biblical worship emphasizes the centrality of Scripture and seeks to avoid practices that are not explicitly commanded or regulated by biblical teaching. This simplicity helps to both focus and protect worship.
Biblical worship affirms the importance of heartfelt devotion and spiritual engagement, it also seeks to maintain a sense of reverence, order, and sobriety in worship. It opposes overly sensational or manipulative practices that rely primarily on emotional appeal or sensory stimulation. Simplicity in worship ensures that worship practices remain faithful to the principles and commands found in Scripture. By adhering to the clear teaching of the Bible, simplicity guards against the introduction of human traditions or innovations that may detract from or distort the true essence of worship.
Simplicity in worship directs attention toward God rather than human performance or elaborate rituals. By minimizing distractions and unnecessary elements, simplicity helps believers to focus their hearts and minds on God's presence, character, and word during worship. Simple worship practices are accessible to all believers, regardless of their background, education, or socioeconomic status. Simplicity ensures that worship remains inclusive and welcoming, allowing people from diverse backgrounds to participate fully and engage meaningfully in corporate worship.
Simplicity in worship promotes spiritual depth and authenticity by encouraging genuine expressions of faith, reverence, and devotion. It creates space for believers to encounter God in a personal and transformative way, fostering intimacy with Him and deepening their relationship with him. Simplicity in worship fosters unity and order within the church community by providing a common framework for worship that is grounded in biblical truth. It helps to minimize divisions and conflicts that may arise from divergent worship styles or preferences, allowing believers to worship together in harmony and mutual edification.
This, after all, is the goal of Christian worship. We gather together to worship our God and to do so in a way that is free from distraction and superstition and in a way that tends to our mutual benefit.
— Pastor Everett Henes, the pastor of the Hillsdale Orthodox Presbyterian Church, can be reached at pastorhenes@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Everett Henes: Less outward glory
