Musings on the Daily Lectionary

Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD, O my soul!
I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.

I don't remember exactly where I saw it. It may have been on a bulletin at a church where I attended a meeting, or it may have been on some congregation's website. But if I can't remember where I saw it, I vividly recall seeing those words and reading them. It simply stated, "Worship is the most important thing that we do."

I grew up in the Presbyterian Church at the time when study of the Catechism was disappearing. I never learned to recite it the way some previous generations did, but I did receive my own little pink copy of "The Shorter Catechism." And the very first question and answer read, "Q. What is the chief end of man?" (This was written in the 1600s when no one had thought about gender inclusive language.) "A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever."

Obviously glorifying God can and should include much more than Sunday worship. But the very notion that we are best suited to a life lived to glorify God runs counter to much we learn in our culture. We measure most things by whether or not they make us happy, fulfilled, or feel better. And God is no exception. How could the most important thing we do be worshiping God or glorifying God?

Most of us have fallen in love at some point. When we do, nothing is so wonderful as to make that other person happy, to do something for that person. Life is animated by and lived toward that person. Maybe I need to fall back in love with God.

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