PODCAST
A Compelling Priority
March 10th, 2017
John 4:7-24
It was a billboard. It advertised a church, gave the time, and proudly proclaimed the service as “Casual Worship.” I know what they mean. But honestly, “casual” and “worship” do not belong in the same grammatical proximity. The word “casual” is a millstone around the neck of “worship.” It strips worship of its holy awe. It weakens worship’s true nature.
In John 4, Jesus is having a lovingly serious conversation with a woman–culturally, that’s “strike 1.” A Samaritan woman–that’s “strike 2.” And a sinful Samaritan woman–that’s “strike 3.” Jesus’ line of conversation was becoming uncomfortable for her. She needed a diversion–“Let’s talk about the worship-war-of-the-day, Jesus.” She would go on to argue about “where” true worship takes place. Jesus, however, was more concerned with something else. Worship is never about place or practice; it’s all about priority.
God’s Spirit together with God’s Truth produces authentic spiritual worship–every time.
Author: John Rabo
