.jpg)
Pastoral Points
Some time ago on Facebook, I saw this quote that pops up from time to time: “One man asked an Orthodox priest: ‘If God is everywhere, what do I go to Church for?’ The priest replied: ‘The whole atmosphere is filled with water; but when you want to drink you have to go to a fountain or a well.’” This seems to be a fairly common way of thinking. Many people talk about enjoying the presence of God in his creation — they like to go fishing or camping or hunting, and they encounter God through the beauty of the natural world.
That is a wonderful thing! God has done some spectacular work in creating the wondrous world in which we live. It’s good and right that we should enjoy it and praise God for it. But that appreciation is not a replacement for worship.
First of all, don’t forget that God’s creation is not all sunsets and rainbows and peacefully babbling streams. It’s also tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes. Nature is unpredictable, uncontrollable, and not always on our side. God delights us through the beauty of creation, but this is not where he speaks directly to us with his loving promises.
He does that in worship. God has promised to be found in the gathering of his people in his name (Matthew 18:20), in his holy Word (Isaiah 55:11, John 1:14, 1 Corinthians 2), and in the Sacraments (Mark 16:16, Luke 22:19-20). Worship is where we get all of that — Word, Sacrament and fellowship.
In creation, we are indeed surrounded by the presence of God. In worship, we get to drink in not just God’s presence, but also his promises — the gifts he gives directly to us. In Word and Sacrament we get forgiveness of sins, life and salvation that creates us anew and strengthens us for the various work God has given us to do.
Nothing can replace that. As the priest in the quote said, it’s like the difference between being surrounded by the general water content of the atmosphere, and being nourished by the water that actually keeps our bodies going. Worship is how we learn who God is and what he’s like, which enables us to see God in the many other gifts he gives us and in the many other places he’s at work.
By all means, enjoy the magnificent gifts of God — in the beauty of creation, in the joy of family and friends, and in the wonder of the arts. Then come to worship the giver of all good gifts, and to receive the promises that make those gifts meaningful.
