Words'nTone

The tension between being a citizen of this great county, the US of A, and being citizens of God’s kingdom is real.  Or, it should be.  In fact, I think there should be many sleepless nights and burden filled days for American Christians.  I do love being an American.  I enjoy the benefits that our form of government and the way our economic system works, and I appreciate the responsibilities that come with the role of citizen.  I served in the Air Force, a volunteer, and I even served on the local Town Committee for the Republican Party (now, don’t go pigeon holing me—make sure you read a lot of this blog before making me a stereo-type conservative).  And like Daniel and his three friends, I hope I contribute to my country’s welfare.  But also like these four young men, I hope I know where to draw the line between what is acceptable in the emperor’s kingdom (i.e., the state) and what is pleasing as a member of God’s Kingdom.  For any Christian, this is a tough task.  Or, if should be—for too many, there is no tension at all.

Sometimes making this distinction and living it out can lead to a lion’s den and a fiery furnace (as in Daniel’s story).  I hope when it is my turn, I live up to my convictions.  In July, Americans get all patriotic—even Christians.  Around the 4th many churches include such patriotism as a part of its worship, including the singing of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, the Star Spangled Banner, O Beautiful, and God Bless the USA, and in many churches, replacing the Apostle’s Creed with the Pledge of Allegiance.  The Red, White, and Blue becomes the center of many American churches during this month.  I have a problem with this—you should too!  The worship service is to be characterized in such a way to reflect God’s throne and our allegiance to His Kingdom.  Sermons—which ought to be a reflection of God’s Word, not American religiosity or civil religion—ought to be the place we learn about this tension and how to deal with it.  In some countries and some places in history such kingdom-centered worship led to a lion’s den and a fiery furnace.  The New Testament itself, especially books like Galatians and Revelation directly argue against aligning our church-life and Christian experience with the State, or a race, or an ethnic group.  The worship of a Christian Church should not promote patriotism at any time, even if it’s only for the 4th of July; but, should celebrate that the church—no matter what country its adherents belong or living in—is a reflection of the eternal worship found in the consummation and in the nature of the Gospel itself.  When we portray the Gospel as aligned in any way with a State or culture, we should listen seriously to what Paul said in Galatians 1:8-9:

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!

Better yet, we should make sure that our worship reflects God’s Kingdom rule as Daniel portrayed it in Daniel 7:13-14:

“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.  He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

I only pray, despite whatever harm or result of my allegiance to God’s Kingdom comes my way, I can say as the three who faced the fire,

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter.  If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.  But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up” (Daniel 3:16-18).

We owe it to the martyrs of old and even those facing the same throughout the world today, who didn’t and doesn’t allow their faith to be a reflection of their civic duties and discovered as a result that their worship was welcomed by the face of lions and the flames of fire.  We owe it to the truth of the Gospel.  Sometimes, even when it seems unpatriotic, as Christians and citizens of the kingdom of God, we need to know where that line is.  I need to know where that line is…daily.

PS In a few following posts I’d like to reflect on that line a little…

The concert was slightly out of my preference range. Three bands, one of them a headlining alternative metal, (oops) I mean alternative Christian metal rock band, Disciple. Yes, I know, but still it seems we have to justify for some that there is a category for Christian anything rock and roll, let alone for alternative Christian metal or Christian heavy metal. For many the two words and concepts just don’t go together—Christian and alternative metal or rock’n roll.

My family was actually there to support the family who managed the evening event and whose son was playing the drums in the opening band. Like I said, this was not a preference in the style of music, but support for a family committed to reaching out to young people who will never set inside a church building, let alone a “Christian” concert of churchy-music.

There was even a mosh pit. Now that even crossed my own cultural barrier. For those who don’t know, “Moshing” or as some refer to it “slamming,” refers to when audience members at concert or live performance “aggressively push or slam into each other.” I watched them—the kids, some ranging up into the early 20’s, actually did this and enjoyed the experience.

Now, what was truly amazing to me was the presence of a few, perhaps a half a dozen, “older folks.” Now I am not here to judge age, but they were definitely not the moshers, or groupees, and well beyond the possible 30-somethings obviously enjoying the concert. Most that I am identifying here had grey hair—and yes even I have a little grey, so let’s go with an older-than-fifty-group beyond myself. When I saw the first senior citizen (you know, anyone now old enough to enroll in ARRP, which I am a member!) came through the ticket line, I stood there amazed. No way they were in the right place. But there they were. Now, that began the worship and ministry for me. None walked out, so they knew they were in the right place at the right time and on purpose. I was impressed—Christians far removed from both the style of music and the youth culture that enjoys it, but there they were, supporting a small, but loud expression of outreach to a rather narrow, but growing part of our cultural make-up. I believe I saw Jesus walk in too, to a place where hearts sought him to reach out to younger people, fringed by society and the Christian community, where alternative rockers gave solid testimonies of their faith in Christ, and where a Disciple opened His word and shared how even those with alterative music preferences and who enjoy moshing can have hope and find forgiveness.

I was planning a comment about worship.  But something had gotten in the way.  I was with my wife at the Fairfield Stopn’Shop, picking up milk and cheese and bread.  The town bag lady, wheelchair bound with plastic bags filled with her cans and other useful collected items hanging all around, had knocked over an end-cap of cookies.  She was trying to pick them up.  She couldn’t reach them on the floor.  Perhaps working where I do at a Community Action Agency (a human service agency) that helps low-income families made it second nature to respond and help her.  But I must confess, it wasn’t.  I still had to think twice.  What bothered me in this nice super-market on the edge of Suburbia was that she was being ignored, avoided by people who could plainly see she needed help.  I was more angered by that—so I forgot my discomfort, my own tendency to avoid such unbecoming, unkempt, unpredictable, undesirable people and picked up the packages of cookies for her.

She was grateful.  Even asked blessings on me and told my wife to give me a kiss for her.  And she smelled.  Man, did she smell.  I patted her on the shoulder and told her it wasn’t a problem to help and that I was sure my wife would give me a kiss later.  She rolled off.  Lisa and I went to look for some cheese.  My wife commented, “People can be so mean.” I didn’t disagree, but I replied, “I don’t think it’s meanness.  I think people are uncomfortable.  They don’t know what to do with people like the bag lady.  I’d even say they are scared.  Unfortunate people like this are unpredictable, messy, smelly…I bet you anything, that was the first time she had been touched in a long time.”

Here’s where my mind wandered as Lisa and I finished our shopping:  Leviticus 19:9-10 says:

“Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest.  Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger.  I am the LORD your God.”

What does it mean to the Christian community to worship (see I got to that subject) in a place where there are those that are “needy” and who are “strangers”?  How do we not reap to the “very corners of your fields,” leaving nothing for the needy and economically vulnerable?  In other words, how does the Christian community, my church, your church, obey this command?  Or, do we safely say, it is the Old Testament and we are under no obligation?  We’re excused.  We’re safe.  In worship every Sunday I think about these things.  How can I go before God and not think about it?

Vulnerable.  That’s how God seems to like us to be.  What I mean is simply that God appears to enjoy when we are weak, for this allows Him to shine through and become the manifest presence and Doer (primary Actor) in what we are doing as humans.  This is no more important in our worship that at any other time.

I still have a hard time clapping—applauding—in a worship service as if it’s a theater where actors are performing.  Don’t get me wrong.  Of course I want those performing during worship to know my appreciation.  But it seems that we judge the worship by how much yelling, “praise the Lords,” and the amount of clapping occurs.  This is where I find it purely a human event, rather than something that occurs in “Spirit and truth.”

On Sunday morning we had a guest preacher and some of his congregation to help us to worship and to hear the ministry of the Word.  The minister was from a Brazilian Church planting ministry and only spoke Portuguese. Two things about their ministry heightened my worship and really caused me to worship the Most High.  And, trust me, its nothing you (well most of you) would be expecting, nor anything that would trigger your “worship” sense.

First, a young man (who latter we saw was also the minister’s translator) sang a solo (in English) and led us in worship.  The first thing that happened that moved me toward worship—yes, of course the song itself, but it—was when the young man’s mic failed (oh, the trust in technology we have) and he had to, without any hesitation switch mics to keep the song going.  It was that moment—I know strange.  That moment where the singer was so vulnerable because “it wasn’t working” and had to make a change, do something unexpected, recovery from a trust in technology—whatever or however one wants to put it—where God presented Himself.  I saw Him.  I don’t know about anyone else.  But I did and it was a most worshipful moment.  I even told the young man so afterward—it wasn’t just the song, but the failing of his mic and his recovery in switching to another mic…that was worship.

Second, also with this young man, but now it was the interaction between the Portuguese preacher and the translator.  For some reason, over the years I have been drawn to God through times when speakers, preachers, and testimonies are in a foreign language to my own and a translator is needed.  That interaction back and forth creates an overwhelming sense of worship for the Most High.  Perhaps because it’s a parable of how God has to translate His love and action into our humanness.  Perhaps because I love the idea and action of missions.  But mostly because it creates vulnerability among those trying to minister.  The message was good—the Word preached.  But it was seeing each of these men struggle through the language—the moments of hesitation, words being lost in translation, the waiting of his men for the other to finish—all adds up to a rather lengthy moment of worship.

It is those vulnerable moments in our human presentations that make for the most worshipful times for me.  I love mistakes, forgetting lines in a song, stumbling over thoughts.  Don’t get me wrong—practice is a good thing, every preacher should practice his or her art (and that’s what it is).  But our trusts in technology and in our abilities mask God’s presence.  Vulnerability in our attempt to lead others in worship actually helps God to be worshiped and not the worship leader or preacher.

“This kind of development is what David Lyon calls ‘Disneyfication,’ what ‘diminishes human life through trivializing it, or making involvement within it appear less than fully serious.’ It is a fearful idolatry and the immediate judgment that is being visited upon us is that our culture has become shallow, cheap, and vulgar. And far from challenging this emptiness and futility, evangelical churches have too often been its exemplars, as I shall argue in a later chapter, pitching their ‘product’ to ‘consumers’ and emptying themselves of every vestige of spiritual gravitas as if striving for a serious faith were a failing of great magnitude and one to be avoided at all costs” [David F. Wells in Above All Earthly Pow’rs: Christ in a Postmodern World, p 47]

When my daughter turned into a teenager, I happened to be watching “politics” in action and I couldn’t help but hope that she will be a better teenager and less sophomoric than the Senators I am watching on TV showboating to their voter-base and baser instincts…and it makes me think of our culture, which is very much like a teenager…anyway… Reading David Wells book, Above All Earthly Pow’rs, isn’t quite like a breath of fresh air. It is more lot a ton of bricks falling. He hits the nail right on the head—Church as exemplar of our culture. Being creative and seeking how to “sell our product” to the unchurched consumer are not the same things. I have often thought the community at large and the unchurched don’t take us as very serious, because we aren’t—we do not show them serious, we show them entertainment, happy theme park, Disney-faith. I remember reading Neil Postman’s book, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business, and learning that Sesame Street didn’t work as well as they had originally thought—that is, the show didn’t actually help prepare kids for school. The big problem: school, once they were there, didn’t look or sound or feel like the Sesame Street TV show. I have often wondered: Life doesn’t look like or feel like or sound like church-life or worship, and maybe that’s why our faith doesn’t penetrate into society. People don’t live at Disneyland: they might work or play there, but they don’t live there. It is for escape, forgetting, for fun, a pause in life, not for developing life. No wonder we have it so awfully wrong within our church-life and worship habits.

[A repeat posting I feel needs to be reread—again and again]

A while back I read a rather intricate essay on getting to church on time—no wait, I mean it was on preparation for Sunday worship begins on Saturday.  It was church mail.  And believe it or not, the same ideas were repeated at church the very next Sunday as well.  Almost like pastor-talking-points.  Nonetheless, it stirred my thinking.  First, although I agree that the church corporate, for the most part and throughout church history, has met on Sunday for worship, there is actually no biblical demand or command to do so.  In fact, Paul in Romans scolds those who lift one day above another.  (Friends, this is the New Testament era, not the Old—a rather important redemptive concept we keep forgetting.) Second, corporate worship, like the Old Testament day of rest (which is Saturday by the way), is cumulative, a climax, an ending, a final celebration marking the passing of time.  I had always thought that preparation for the Sunday gathering of God’s people and corporate worship actually started on Monday.  And this leads to my third thought:  It is not about what I do or don’t do on Saturday, it is about who I am and who I belong to—all week.  This last idea is what keeps the experience of corporate worship out of the realm of law and under grace.  These are hardly definitive or exhaustive thoughts, but I am always amazed how much we constantly put ourselves “under law” in our Christian life rather than “under the Spirit” and grace.  I am all for preparing for corporate worship together, but I’d like to see (hear) the discussion from a Biblical, rather than, pragmatic perspective.  Again, this idea of preparing for Sunday on Saturday reminds me that our Christian and worship experience is built on my experience and participation in the American way of life, and not a reflection of the redemptive potential (my Pastor’s term) of who we are in Christ; built on the modern (and postmodern) American social and cultural values we have become accustomed to rather than expression of a biblical worldview we are being discipled in.

A while back, I was reading a rather intricate essay on getting to church on time—no wait, I mean it was an essay on preparing for Sunday worship which begins on Saturday.  It was church mail, and strangely enough, not too far from receiving that Christian junk mail, ironically the same theme was echoed at church one Sunday morning.  It stirred my thinking.  First, although I agree that the church corporate, for the most part and throughout church history, has met on Sunday for worship, there is actually no biblical demand or command to do so.  In fact, Paul in Romans scolds those who raise one day above another.  (Friends, this is the New Testament era, not the old—although the Old is still a word to heed for today, it is a new redemptive era, especially as regards to “law.”) Second, corporate worship, like the Old Testament day of rest (which is Saturday by the way), is cumulative, a climax, an ending, a final celebration marking the passing of time and the acknowledging of the God who created the heavens and earth in the first six days.  I had always thought that preparation for the Sunday gathering of God’s people and corporate worship actually started on Monday.  And this leads to my third thought, it is not about what I do or don’t do on Saturday, it is about who I am and who I belong to—all week.  This last idea is what keeps the experience of corporate worship out of the realm of law and under grace.  These are hardly definitive or exhaustive thoughts, but I am always amazed how much we are under law in our own church contexts rather than under the Spirit, grace, and freedom.  I am all for preparing for corporate worship together, but I’d like to see (hear) the discussion from a Biblical, rather than, pragmatic perspective, or pastor-preference one.  Again, this idea of preparing for Sunday on Saturday reminds me that our Christian and worship experience are built, too much so, on my experience and participation in the American way of life, and not a reflection of the redemptive potential (a term actually coined by my pastor) of who we are in Christ.  Too much of our Christian experience is built on the surrounding modern (and postmodern) American social and cultural values; we have become accustomed to living out our Christian and church-life in this context, rather than as an expression of a biblical worldview we are to be discipled in.

A conspiracy is when two or more people plan and set in motion an activity that overtakes, usurps, or overthrows someone’s rightful place as ruler, king, or emperor.  Worship, in the biblical context, is not about us.  Just listen to Ps 96, an inspired song, explaining the content of worship.

Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.

Sing to the LORD, bless His name; proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.

Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.

For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.

Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

Ascribe to the LORD the glory of His name; bring an offering and come into His courts.

Worship the LORD in holy attire; tremble before Him, all the earth.

Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns; indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.”

I am not saying, don’t have announcements about the church picnic, or times of prayer for those in the congregation.  But I am saying…musing really…that worship is practicing and affirming the authority, rulership, and Lordship of God over and above everything else.  If we get it wrong in worship, we get it wrong everywhere else.  If worship is used to grow a church, build a budget, or show off the abilities of a preacher, then it is a conspiracy to overthrow God’s rightful place.  This is one reason I believe God doesn’t care about the size of a congregation, nor the ability of the preacher to communicate (well, sorta), nor the talent of those who sing in front of the congregation.  The whole worship experience should put the spiritual reality of God’s rightful place as King and His purposes back into our weekly, mundane lives.  Anything less is both not worship and a conspiracy to replace Him with us.

Worship should have aim, namely to magnify God Most High.  The aim can have a wide range of descriptions, but they should all boil down to one, that is to magnify, lift up, glorify the Creator God of the Universe, the Ancient of Days.  When worship becomes anything else, it becomes less, and in fact is not worship at all.  What got me thinking about this was my reading of the David and Absalom story in Second Samuel.  King David had grown old and his son, Absalom, had developed a grudge against his father and was seeking to usurp the throne.  Absalom had already begun “acting” like a somebody, making his movements and activities grand (15:1-6) to give the impression of importance.  He began to always travel with an entourage of chariots, horses, and runners to give the public impression that his every movement was a royal procession.  At one point the narrator writes:

Now it came about at the end of forty years that Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go and pay my vow which I have vowed to the LORD, in Hebron” (2 Sam 15:7).

Absalom was using worship as a cover for political activities and a personally agenda, namely one that would seek to unseat the true king, his father David.  In fact the writer tells us this activity was a conspiracy.

While Absalom was offering sacrifices…[a]nd so the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept on increasing (v 12).

When our worship is anything other than affirming God’s Lordship over His people and affirming his rights over creation, it is a conspiracy to usurp the true King.

I am suspicious and concerned by comments that diminish corporate worship, and especially when such comments make the local church out to be like a business or some entity trading commodities.  My goodness, everything about the church militates against it being a business.  Now granted a group of business-like people can change a church into a business, but it then ceases to be God’s body, the church.  On this subject, I was impressed by some turn of phrases by David McCarthy, author of a new book called The Good Life: Genuine Christianity for the Middle Class.

“The center point of our relationship with God is corporate worship.” No other event describes best the true, biblical picture of both the church’s nature and its mission.  McCarthy continues:

The church is the body of Christ.  Go to a church as it prays and look around.  You will see it, the subversive friendship of God’s hospitality.  You will see Pharisees congratulating themselves for their own righteousness.  You will see tax collectors and those who cheat on their income taxes.  You will see sinners.  You will see many saints, but you will see adulterers, thieves, liars, petty embezzlers, and colossal hypocrites.  You will see elderly folks and kids who misbehave.  You will see the kind of people whom God has befriended.  This is no photo-op with the president.  It is not lunch with the CEO.  The church is not the kind of gathering that bodes well for running an efficient corporation or effective government.  It is not the kind of gathering that many think is most valuable for church growth or for proper political or social mission of the church in the world.  However, it is precisely the kind of gathering that represents God’s people.

As McCarthy concludes, “What are these people qualified to do except worship?” Exactly!

They can gather, confess their sins, ask God’s mercy and be changed by God’s friendship.  They can hear the word of the Bible and God’s story told.  They can share the gift of God’s presence.  They can break bread and drink from the cup of the crucifixion.  They can be bound to each other…

The church, a local church might do business, might act as a business at times, and even be called upon to make good business (or bad) decisions.  But the church ain’t no business.  This is God’s way in this world.  The corporate gathering of God’s people, Sunday after Sunday, corporately living throughout a geographic region or local, expressed in and through local congregations all around the globe, from the sun’s rising in the east to its setting in the west—this is God’s sign, his miniature, his diorama of his world-wide mission and plan of grace.

© Chip M. Anderson (August 2004)
    Words’nTone, Habits of the Mind

In yesterday’s Margin, I said that the more our preaching is a mimic of the cultural values and entertainment habits that are part of our societal and cultural milieu, we’ll continue to be hard of hearing, i.e., dull of hearing.  And that’s the problem with idolatry.  Okay, so I expanded my idea from yesterday a little—but that’s why I wanted to do another post on the subject today.  I have heard it all regarding preaching: “You need more illustrations and less academic,” “can’t be too intellectual,” “they won’t understand it,” “unless its entertaining, they won’t connect with it, nor will it keep their interests,” etc.  Some of this might actually be true, and I hardly advocate dry and boring exposition being dribbled out from the pulpit.  But that’s not the point.  Or, at least’s not my point.

Over and again, Jesus chides his disciples that they, too, are dull of hearing.  And there is the universal call of Jesus “to those who have ears to hear.” This phrase is taken from passages warning against idolatry and the hope of calling out a remnant of God’s people.  The most famous OT passage regarding hard of hearing (i.e., dull of hearing) is, of course, Isaiah 6:9-10.  We read:

    He said, “Go, and tell this people:
      ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive;
      Keep on looking, but do not understand.
      Render the hearts of this people insensitive,
        Their ears dull,
        And their eyes dim,
        Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
        Hear with their ears,
        Understand with their hearts,
        And return and be healed.’”

This is an importance passage, given that each Gospel utilizes it at the place of introducing either Jesus’ ministry, the explanation of the Kingdom, or the call to discipleship.  Luke ends his historical account of the beginning of the church with Paul referencing Isaiah 6.  And, Paul alludes and quotes it in Romans.  I cannot do the passage justice here; but, I can make a few observations that (hopefully) anyone can make reading the text itself.

Ever notice that preachers and pop-Christian writes like to quote Isaiah 6:8 to encourage obedience to missions and/or evangelizing (or witnessing)? 

Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Certainly a nice verse to utilize in calling the church and especially proclaimers of the Gospel to obedience.  But, rarely do they connect the call to go to the content of the proclamation of those sent.  Again, we read in Isaiah 6:9-10:

    He said, “Go, and tell this people:
      ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive;
      Keep on looking, but do not understand.
      Render the hearts of this people insensitive,
        Their ears dull,
        And their eyes dim,
        Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
        Hear with their ears,
        Understand with their hearts,
        And return and be healed.’”

This is a tough message to proclaim.  Maybe thyat’s why we exchange this severe message for a nice-nice, comforting message about the Gospel.  Well, it is the Gospel, for sure, but not the way we typically hear it or preach it.  The call is to send someone to proclaim a message that brings the result of the consequence of idolatry, i.e., dull hearing.  And, it is a message to the visible people of God—to Israel of Isaiah’s day.  This is the same way the text is used in the Gospels and by Luke and Paul.  The message of the Gospel is proclaimed to the visible people of God, whether to Israel as a whole or to Jesus’ own disciples.  The idolatry exposed in Isaiah 1-5 offers some background in that the people of God had so mimicked the culture that turned people away from the Creator-God (which made it an idolatrous culture).  The message would come to re-enforce the consequences of being idolatrous--the people would, like the idols they worshipped and the culture and social habits that had developed around the idolatry, become dull of hearing—incapable of hearing.

Secondly, Isaiah’s response, of course is to heed the call, to say “Send me.” But after hearing the content of the message he was to proclaim, he asked what to us may be a strange question.  He asks in verse 11a, “How long shall I preach this message?” To which the Lord indicated (vv 11b-13):

    … And He answered,
       “Until cities are devastated and without inhabitant,
        Houses are without people
        And the land is utterly desolate,
        The LORD has removed men far away,
        And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.
        Yet there will be a tenth portion in it,
        And it will again be subject to burning,
        Like a terebinth or an oak
        Whose stump remains when it is felled
        The holy seed is its stump.”

The message would be proclaimed until the judgment had fully been executed, captivity had occurred, and the land totally lay in ruins.  Not necessarily the Gospel as we know it.  But it is in this message of judgment that God calls out His hearers, that is His remnant (v 13).  The idea of the tenth portion, the stump, and the holy seed were to indicate that God would bring about His redemption and His remnant would be drawn out through this preaching, through this proclamation.  This is why it is important to be hearers and not dull of hearing when it comes to the Word.  This is why it important to not mimic the culture for the sake of simplicity and relevance in our worship, for such mimicking merely renders the judgment, that is makes us dull of hearing.  The task of the preacher—as well as those who design and lead in worship—ought to be to make us hearers, and not to contribute to our continued dullness of hearing.  If we be idolatrous in our worship in that we utilize the means and methods of our consumeric, market-driven culture as well as relying so heavily on technology and technique, we will be rendered hard of hearing and not be able to hear with our ears, understand with our hearts (i.e., not have a hard-heart), and return to the Lord and be healed.

In Harry Blamires’ novel, Cold War in Hell, there is a great scene where he describes English villagers exiting a quaint chapel after Sunday Evensong.  An angel called Lamiel and the main character of the story (the first person telling the story) are observing the scene. Listen in to the conversation.

     “That is a good thing to see,” said Lamiel.
     I thought [Lamiel’s comment] rather a sentimental utterance.  .  .  .  I decided to take him up on it.
     “Can we really decide whether it is a good thing, when we don’t know what these people are thinking or feeling?” I asked.
     “We can indeed,” Lamiel replied.
      “But suppose they go to church only because they think it is the proper thing to do?”
     “What better reason is there for going to church? Would you have them go on the grounds that it is an improper thing to do?” .  .  .
     “Well,” I said, “for all we know, they may have sat through a church service, paying very little attention to what they said or to what was said to them.”
      “Knowing human beings,” said Lamiel, “I should think that almost certain to be the case.”
      “Then isn’t it very hypocritical?”
      “Nonsense,” said Lamiel.  “It is merely human, in a justifiable sense of that much abused word.  .  .  .  They certainly cannot live at a feverish level of intellectual concentration or spiritual activity for more than a few moments at a time.  They must necessarily go through a great deal of unanalyzed repetition in the course of public worship.  Does that detract from the value of their worship?”
     “Their hearts ought to be in it—” I began, but Lamiel interrupted me.
     “Their hearts are most certainly in it, or they wouldn’t be there.  They’d be in a pub instead.  Let me ask you a question.  Suppose your son comes into your room in the evening before he goes to bed.  And suppose he says, `Good night, Father.’ Would you stop him and rebuke him, asking, `My boy, did you really mean that? Was your heart in it?’ Of course not.  His heart is in it, for he does it.  He does it because he knows it is the proper thing to do.  .  .  .  In the same way, men go to church not only because they wish to worship God, but in order that they may wish to worship God.”

This is a brilliant dialog, insightful, and defining.  I like this dialog because it reminds me why worship is important: It is practice for the very thing we were created.  Of course there is more to worship than this, but the weekly experience is so I become practiced at worshipping the God of the universe.