Never forget that the point of worship is identical to the point that God has established for the history of our world. The meaning of worship is the same as the meaning of history. God is engaged in remaking the human race in Jesus Christ. Easter Sunday is a powerful reminder of this.
There are three main points to the Christian worldview, which is to say, to the Christian gospel. Those three points are creation, fall, and redemption. God is our maker and creator—He is God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. But the second point is that something has gone terribly wrong—our first parents introduced rebellion and death into the world, and we have followed them in this. And third, God determined not to leave us there in the wreckage that we created. He is rebuilding the human race—in Christ—and He is doing it here and now.
The thing we haven’t gotten used to yet is the fact that God is remodeling the house without having us move out of it. He placed the resurrection in the middle of history. So He is restoring everything—heaven and earth—as He is preparing us for eternal life on a restored earth, an earth reunited to heaven. This is our hope as we long for the resurrection of the dead.
Why does human history continue? What is the point? The point is the maturation and glorification of the Bride of Christ. Human history since Pentecost is the morning of the wedding day, as the Bride of Christ puts on her jewelry and make-up, adorning herself with gladness. We worship to learn how not to be a hassled bride. And the final day of resurrection is when we walk down the aisle.
“God is engaged in remaking the human race in Jesus Christ” — What if … Adam & the little woman were themselves needing further making in Jesus? >> right from the beginning? What if … the intention was to help them spread their wings, get there feet wet, and slowly guide them into a maturity that would result in the ban on that last tree being safely lifted? So, God has always been engaged in the making & remaking. The happy coule wasn’t done yet, and Eve tried to short-circuit the process. We have similar temptations: ways to get-rich(mature)-quick: Ignore… Read more »
“What is the point? The point is the maturation and glorification of the Bride of Christ.”
LOL! I do not pray, “Lord come quickly,” as some do, because the place is a mess, the bride is trashed, and we need more time to clean up. We cannot possibly have a wedding in the midst of such chaos.