I am blogging on Fred Sanders book pictured here.
Today I want to reflect on one of the implications of his exposition of the nature of God in Trinity.
Sanders notes,
“God the Trinity is the end, the goal, the telos, the omega. In himself and without any reference to the created world or the plan of salvation, God is that being who exists as the triune love of the Father for the Son in the unity of the Spirit. The boundless life that God lives in himself, at home, in the happy land of the Trinity above all worlds, is perfect. It is complete, inexhaustibly full, and infinitely blessed.” (62)
I was thinking about this the other day and realized that it shapes my understanding of worship. As a matter of fact, many liturgists figured this out a long time ago!
What do I mean by that?
When God's people gather on Sunday for worship -- or when we kneel in prayer for worship -- what is going on? There are times I have the impression that the worship leader is engaging in a pep rally for God. "Lets here it for Jesus. J-E-S-U-S ." He is stirring up the affections of the people, calling them to raise their voices to God so that God will be pleased with their worship. It sounds like worship in some sense starts with us.
People with a sense of God's great glory rightly revolt against this debasing activity. Surely worship is not a pep rally. Coaxing people to sing louder somehow misses the point.
But so does retreat into formal and expressionless worship. God did not make us to express delight with our hands in our pockets.
Sanders points to a different path.
If the assertion above is correct, then there is an eternal song of worship in the Godhead. That song of love and joy and glory between Father, Son, and Spirit is constant, fervent, unchanging, and will never end. Think about this. It is going on right now. They cry out day and night, "Holy, Holy, Holy." That is the cherubim -- if that is a reflection of God's delight in God in Trinity, what sort of intensity is there in God himself?
I have been in the Arizona wildat basketball arena when the team was on a tear in the 90's. There were times when i could not hear my own voice shouting. It was electric enthusiasm.
If that is what goes on for basketball, what is the fervency and loudness and joy in the Godhead?
Here is the implication: when we gather for worship, our first step is to recognize by faith that the song is already started, that we are turning our hearts to that song, and that we are tuning our souls to the complete, inexhaustibly full, and infinitely blessed life of God in the happy land of the Trinity. The Father is delighting in the only begotten Son, whose wounded hands and side bear witness to the depths of his love and the Son's sacrifice. He delights in the Spirit who calls, indwells, and unites his redeeemed people to the Son. The Son delights in his love and obedience to the Father. The Spirit relishes being sent by the Father and Son intot he world. Etc etc
That is what we enter when we worship.
I do not have to conjure up joy. I need to engage with their joy by faith through Christ. I do not need to strive to access this circle of love and delight. I need to lay hold of Christ by faith for his purpose is to bring us into this circle of love as adopted and exalted sons.
I have been to football or basketball games where the team is not so good and the cheerleaders are working really hard to stir up the crowd. They jump and leap and somersault themselves into a sweat to get the smallest response. But let there be a touchdown or an interception or a rally from behind to win the game and their efforts are drowned out by an exhuberant crowd.
Worship leaders are not leading a pep rally for a losing team. The team on the field is so triumphant that those who see it by faith are swept into its glory. Worship leaders simply tell people of the glorious song that is already being sung and the Savior who has ushed us into the best seats in the house to enjoy it.
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