Clear Glass, Stained Glass: Worship God vs Worshiping Worship

 

A few weeks ago, I was working on my Bible study and the lesson referenced a story from Numbers 21 that made me feel confused, honestly. It's a story about the Israelites who had yet again grown impatient with God and crabby about the food He was giving them and well, just plain mad about their deliverance wilderness experience! So, God, in response to their faithlessness in His promise to provide, protect and deliver, sent "fiery snakes (vs 6) among the camp and they bit the people, and many died. This caused a wave of repentance among the Israelites. They took responsibility and stopped the complaining. And so, God instructed Moses to make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole and anyone who looked at it would be healed and live. 

This was confusing to me. 

So, I dug in and began to look at what this snake on a pole was all about. The snake on a pole wasn't magical, so what was its significance? I found it mentioned again in the book of 2 Kings 18 where, many years later King Hezekiah, while destroying all the idol altars and high places, he also destroyed the snake on the pole, smashed it pieces. 2 Kings 18:4 says that the people of Israel had made offerings to it and named it, "Nehushtan." 

Hmm. What was once an object or means of God's saving work, redemption, what was once a vehicle of worship, something that pointed the people to God had become an object of worship itself. The snake on a pole had no power in of itself, of course, but it was meant to be a reminder of the One who did have power, who held all the power...and grace, forgiveness and mercy. But somewhere along the way, stopped looking through the snake on a pole to God the Healer and Redeemer, and they started looking at the snake on a pole as their healer and redeemer. The snake on a pole and ceased being transparent. 

Transparent. See through. 

It makes me think of glass, clear glass rather than stained glass. Transparent clear glass is meant to be looked through to see the object on the other side vs stained glass which is meant to be looked at. A clear glass window channels light so we can see clearly what is beyond it. A stained-glass window harnesses to magnify itself. This is nothing against stained glass windows...just an analogy! But I think there's something to be looked at with this snake on a pole. We have many objects given to us, available to us to help us worship God. The Body of Christ is filled with talented preachers, music leaders, beautiful buildings fitted with beauty and technology - sound systems, lighting, furniture, screens, art - etc. All of these things contribute to our ability to feel and enjoy God's presence. But we're in dangerous territory when we move from love God in worship to loving those feelings that we get in worship. 

God can use all those things, the stuff, to make Himself known as the true object of worship, just as He intended Israel to see Him through the snake on a pole. It's one thing to appreciate these objects of worship...it's another thing altogether to depend on those things to worship:  if you can't hear God's word without a talented preacher, there's a problem...if you can't feel like you worshiped because the music or song selection isn't right, there's a problem...if you can't encounter God outside the beauty of a man-made sanctuary, there's a problem.

Where are the dangers in our worshiping community? What are the sacred cows or the "snakes on poles" of our worship services? Is it the music? Is it the actions and behaviors of the pastors and worship leaders? Is it a driving desire for this style vs that style? I think a good litmus test is asking this question - what are people saying when they drive home? "Wow, that preacher can really preach!!" or "I wish we had sung those songs instead" or "that worship leader is/isn't my favorite." Ultimately, we hope people are saying none of those things. If our house of worship, our objects of worship, our hearts of worship are transparent then people will be exclaiming things like, "Isn't Jesus beautiful?" or "Hallelujah what a Savior!" 

King David learned to worship God alone...in a field...with sheep. Nothing entertaining or feel-good about those props! It was hot, cold, dangerous, lonely and stinky. If it was all stripped away, if all comfort was removed would Jesus be enough to catch your attention, to capture your worship? "The Lord is my Shepherd; I have everything I need. (Psalm 23)"

Clear glass, not stained glass.