It is a shame that my second From the meeting needs to be a little negative: It is unavoidable. Today we heard that those that worship God must do so in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). The topic of Worship really made me ask: How would I instruct people to worship God? Well, obviously, in spirit and in truth. But what does that really mean? And I think the meaning is different for everyone. To me, its hard to describe, but it has something to do with Lifestyle, Attitude and Humility.
What’s the negative part then? During the second meeting we watched a documentary (it was actually something new, not just a remake for those who were wondering). The documentary promised to observe and explain certain severe weather and then, at least in theory, use this to demonstrate God’s awesome power over His creation. First warning sign: Belief in God assumed. After a brief introduction the documentary walked through lightning, tornadoes, and hurricanes, lasting approximately 40 minutes. At an elementary level the information was good, scientifically sound and well presented. All Good!
Where things went pear shaped:
- The documentary was interspersed with “interviews” with survivors of severe weather. People struck by lightning, lived through tornadoes, etc… They didn’t add to the science; all they really did was soften people up for the conclusion. In fact it made the documentary feel more like an episode of Worlds Worst Drivers than anything else.
- The concluding 5 minutes of the film tried to reconcile the documentary with God’s awesome power. Ignoring the lip-service time period; I seriously felt I had missed some important connection. I can’t quote literally but the line went something like this: through science we observe the great power and complexity of weather so we can see the great power God has over His creation. What???
This documentary was seriously flawed. However, in the theme of worship, they truly were seeking to show people the power of God: A God truly worthy of our worship. As we discussed above, worshipping God is an exercise for the spirit, something which must be approached truthfully, whole heartedly. Be awe struck that God can put such powerful forces in motion. But worship God through the connection you have too Him; not through the power of a storm.