But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (I Peter 2:9)
“A son honors his
father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor
due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the Lord Almighty. “It is you priests who show contempt for my
name.”
“But
you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’
“By offering defiled food on my altar.
“But
you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’
“By
saying that the Lord’s table is
contemptible. When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is
that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not
wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you?
Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 1:6-8)
Therefore, I urge
you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as
a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper
worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but
be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test
and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans
12:1-2)
We must begin with the understanding that
every Christian is a member of a royal priesthood. In other words, the words
from Malachi apply to us. So, we have questions we need to ask ourselves. Are
we showing contempt for His name by giving defiled sacrifices and offerings? Is
what we are giving to God top quality stuff, or leftovers and rejects from thrift
shops? Is the manner in which we are giving it an expression of our love for
Him, or is it a means of seeking power for ourselves?
The passage says that we defile Him by
saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible. Do we treat our fellow Christians
– who are living sacrifices - with contempt? Do we reject them because they’re “hypocrites”
who don’t live up to our standards at the same time that we don’t live up the
standards of Scripture? Do we refuse to have anything to do with them, and
therefore reject what is currently called “The Lord’s Table” – communion?
In Malachi, God goes on to ask whether the
governor would be pleased with your sacrifice. If you showed up at your job with
the regularity that you attend church, would you still have a job? This brings
to mind a question that is sometimes asked. If Christianity were a crime (as it
may become) would there be enough evidence to convict you?
Do you pay
attention in church? Or are you thinking about lunch, or how someone else is dressed
or behaving? I know I struggle to pay attention at times. That’s one of the reasons
I take my computer with me. I’m hoping to take notes. It baffles me why people
don’t take notes. Sometimes, there are no notes to take. And other times, I
admit, my mind goes off on a tangent that I take notes about more than I do the
sermon. But at least I’m prepared to take notes if the chance arises.
How do you
dress for church? It seems as if few people think God is worth putting forth
effort in dress. Yes, we’re trying to be inclusive, so that someone who can’t
afford to dress well, or doesn’t understand that dressing well is appropriate
doesn’t feel excluded – and in a way, that’s commendable. But when we do this,
are we making the feelings of the other person more important than our respect
for and treatment of God?
I’m not
saying these things to attack anyone. But this is a matter of basics. Are we treating
God the way God should be treated? Are we doing it because we love Him, or so
that we look good?
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