True Worship

By Russ Ramsey

Last summer, my daughter and I took a trip to London. It was my first time in that beautiful city, and it happened to coincide with the Queen’s Jubilee—the national celebration of her seventy years as the monarch. We were walking through Trafalgar Square and noticed a bunch of men in formal uniforms spreading about four inches of dirt all over the road leading to Buckingham Palace as crowds began to line the sidewalks. 

We asked one of the police officers what was going on, and he told us the queen might be coming through in her horse-drawn carriage, and they were preparing the road. Think about that. A downtown London street covered in dirt so one carriage could pass through in regal formality. No one questioned the expense. This is just what was done for the queen.

I want you to imagine something with me. Imagine that carriage riding by with all the military escorts, soldiers on horseback, and security details. Picture the uniforms and the regalia. See the thousands of Londoners pressing up against the barricades lining the sidewalk to get a look at the queen—to see her wave from inside her coach, hat matching her dress.

Now imagine as the procession approaches you, the queen’s carriage slows and stops—dust rising from the horses’ hooves. The queen opens her carriage door and invites you—Who me? Yes, you!—to climb in with her to join her for tea in her palace. The constable pulls back the barricade to let you through. Your feet sink into the dirt—you’re walking on a cloud. How are you feeling as you climb aboard? (Trust me, this has to do with today’s reading.)

You ride the remaining kilometer or so to Buckingham Palace and are led into a room opulently appointed with relics from the royal tradition going back hundreds of years. You are shown to a velvet-cushioned chair that sits across the table from one other—the one Her Majesty will occupy. The waitstaff bring a silver pot of tea and some biscuits, both perfectly steaming. Are you with me? 

As you’re waiting for the Queen to come in, do you reach for the tea pot and pour yourself a spot? Do you put away a biscuit or two while you’re sitting there? Do you move over to the couch and put your feet up on the coffee table? You don’t, do you. Why not?

Today’s text invites us to think about our posture when entering the presence of the Lord (Amos 5:18–24). On whose terms do we enter? Whose agenda do we follow? For what purpose do we participate? Think of such things, worshipers. The Lord is holy. Like Him, there is no other.