Lesson 14: Worship 155
BIBLE COMMENTS
Understanding the Context
All too frequently, it would seem, our frame of reference with respect to
worship is our preferences. Do we or do we not like contemporary wor-
ship music? Do we or do we not like “PowerPoint® preaching”? Do we or
do we not like suits and dresses? Do we or do we not like stained glass?
While it would be both foolhardy and unnecessary to set aside entirely
our druthers regarding various approaches to and accoutrements for
worship, these illustrative questions signal a common mistaken notion
among would-be worshippers, namely, that worship is primarily about
our tastes and sensibilities.
The two texts being studied today can help rid us of this misunder-
standing. Both Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4 make it clear that God is to
be the focus of our worship. What is more, these well-known passages
remind us that worshippers’ greatest need is to encounter God in his
splendor and power and to allow transformative worship experiences to
alter the course and patterns of our lives. After getting a glimpse of God
and hearing from God, the prophet Isaiah and the prophet John were
in no hurry to get home in time to catch the Sunday afternoon football
game!
The passage we are considering from Isaiah recounts the prophet’s
vision of and commission from God. It follows on after five chapters
of judgment oracles. Isaiah’s prophetic task will be neither pleasant nor
popular—he is to preach a message of repentance, one that will be met
with resistance. As for Revelation 4, it is a throne-room scene. John the
prophet, who has already reported his vision of Christ on Patmos in
chapter 1 and delivered messages from Christ to seven congregations
in ancient Asia Minor in chapters 2—3, recounts his initial vision in
heaven. Both texts should fire our faith and inform our worship.