Saturday, December 16, 2017

day no. 14,299: we is more loved than me

I recently listened through a series of conference talks by Doug Wilson on "The Fooleries of Preaching." There were 4 talks total and after the last one there was a brief Q & A session (click HERE)

In response to a question about private consumption of sermons via YouTube, Vimeo, Podcast, etc… versus corporate participation in breathing the same air as the preacher, Pastor Wilson, made reference to Psalm 87:2.

Psalm 87:2
The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.

God loves the communal gathering of His people MORE than the individual, private times of devotion. This isn't at all to poo poo private, devotional seeking of the Lord, but rather to emphasize that corporate worship is loved MORE by God than private. I think we assume the opposite. We find this Word from the Lord surprising. We would have expected it to be the other way around. Clearly the collected gathering is strengthened by the integrity of its individual member's private commitment and faith, but there is something peculiar and particular about meeting together as a body that brings delight to God that cannot be produced by individual consumption of spirituality. There are some things that can only be done in private, like praying before the Lord as Jesus commands in His sermon on the mount. But we are more loved by God than me. And that is hard to get your head around in an individualistic, privatized religious milieu like ours.

for more on Psalm 87 from Pastor Wilson, click HERE.

1 comment:

  1. First of all, I love this point. It's so challenging, but so true! I think it really challenges the individualistic bent in religion that so many people lean toward. "I worship best in the woods," or "I love Jesus, but the church isn't for me," etc. Second, I love the phrasing! "We are more loved by God than me." Clever and true!

    I think we should talk about this more, even in terms of our own family - together we worship in a way that we can't on our own. We need each other!

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