Worship: Elijah and the Jesus Way - Emilie Griffin
"Worship in the biblical sources and in liturgical history is not something a person experiences, it is something we do, regardless of how we feel about it, or whether we feel anything about it at all. The experience develops out of the worship, not the other way around. Authentic worship means being present to the living God who penetrates the whole of human life."
-Eugene Peterson, The Jesus Way
Elijah - single minded, undivided heart
Elijah teaches us how to wait for God - solitude, submission, surrender
Elijah consistently accepts whatever God sends him, desolation and consolation. He knows that God is always with him.
Through Elijah's example we learn about embracing the tough stuff of life. Elijah accepted and sought to hear God's voice even in the tough times.
Elijah experiences rejection and goes into hiding. He runs for his life. This is because he is Yahweh's man, becomes he condemns the worship of false gods.
On the run, Elijah hears God while hiding in the cave. One translation is that he hears God in the sheer silence. St. John of the Cross calls it, "Silent music or music that keeps still."
Teresa of Avila: "God is enough"
How should we worship the Living God?
-Being present to the living God who permeates the whole of life
-Becoming temples of God's Spirit
-Walking the "hidden path" of interior formation
-Rejoicing/manifesting faith in God in community
-Letting your life speak: 'Responding to every movement of grace like a floating balloon" (deCaussade)
The worship service is a frame into which we pour our lives and the desires of our hearts for God. A frame in which we live and move and have our being. A frame in which we find ourselves present to the living God.
No comments:
Post a Comment