"Also for the house he made windows with artistic frames." - 1 Kings 6:4
The
windows in the temple of God communicate much to us about worship.
First, we know based on how other translations rendered this verse, they
are "latticed","beveled" or "recessed" (i.e. the windows of the temple
have blinds!). What does God's interior decorating teach us? First and
foremost,worship must be functional. The blinds serve a basic purpose,
light the sanctuary so the priests can work. So whatever is done in
corporate worship must be done for a purpose, so the people of God
(priests) may do the work they are meant to do (the meaning of liturgy
is “public- work”). What is our work? Our work is to worship God
through proclaiming the Gospel. All of a worship service is about the
Gospel: from the songs we sing (Col. 3:16),to the ordinances we observe (Roman 6, 1
Cor. 11:23-34), to the sermon that is preached (Luke
24:44). Our worship must function for the end of proclaiming the
Gospel.
Second, these blinds teach us what worship must be
simple. This design is straight forward and does what it needs to do. I
am not saying we do not use instrumentation (though this principle may
certainly effect the way we do instrumentation), what I am saying is that
Solomon didn’t need to reinvent the wheel. How much more should this
reflect in our worship? Our message must be simple. We are not called
to make the Gospel comfortable and showy, but to make it clear and show
it to be sufficient (that is what contextualization is all about). If
out worship isn’t about simplicity and clarity, we are not pursuing biblical worship. The Word of God through the Spirit of God was enough
in the first century; it is for the people of God enough today. We
don’t need a flashy light show to captivate people, the Glory of God is
more than enough to captivate people of every century.
On the same token,
we must realize that while these blinds are functional and simple; we
cannot deny that they are nonetheless artistic. The song we sing, the
prayers we sing, the sermons that are preached, none of it can be
separated from the artistic gifts and talents God has given us to
communicate His message; that we may enter into the Presence of God,
only through His broken temple; Jesus Christ. God does not call us to
bland and blind ritual, but to expression and every expression must be
expressed uniquely even while expression is done corporately. “When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation…”
– 1 Cor.14:26. Now, this comes with a warning;our artistry should
never cover up the simplicity and function of communicating our message,
it should serve them. Artistry within structure is God glorifying.
Unique expressions of God within the structure of local church worship
are God exalting. “But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner”
– 1 Cor. 14:40. So use your artistry in God’s presence and invites
others to come inside the true temple of Christ, where the light shines
and God dwells within the Gospel and through repentance faith and we can
enter in.
"Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let
us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having
our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed
with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not
forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but
encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing
near." - Hebrews 10:19-25
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