That which leads to joy…

Delight in God cannot occur in an intellectual vacuum.  Our joy is the fruit of what we know and believe to be true of God.  Emotional heat such as joy, delight, and gladness of heart, apart from intellectual light (i.e. the knowledge of God) is useless… The experience of heaven’s inhabitants confirms that our knowledge of God (education) is the cause or grounds for our delight in him (exultation), which blossoms in the fruit of his praise and honor and glory (exaltation).

What this tells us is that the ultimate goal of theology isn’t knowledge, but worship.  If our learning and knowledge of God do not lead to joyful praise of God, we have failed.  We learn only that we might laud, which is to say that theology without doxology is idolatry.  The only theology worth studying is a theology that can be sung!  (Sam Storms, One Thing, page 82)

When one gets right down to it, the ultimate goal of all of life is worship… isn’t it?

He has found us!

“Our dull, culturally saturated churches have too often forgotten what and how to celebrate. The dull church goes through the liturgical motions mechanically, without passion. The dull church must ask itself, “Why theater/church at all?” In contrast, there are now megachurches in North America that, while far from dull, are unclear as to what is being celebrated. Some celebrate the physical facilities, others the music, and still others this or that therapeutic program. But the cry of Christian celebration is not “Eureka, I have found it” but “Eucharisto, He has found us!” The church, as the theater of the gospel, celebrates the good news that God is with us and for us… The company of the gospel celebrates the body of Christ, given for us-celebrates being the body of Christ“

Kevin VanHoozer, “The Drama of Doctrine” (WJK, 2005), pg. 407

I came across this quote in a recent newsletter I receive.  I was so arrested by the second half of the quote that I wanted to post it.  Surely this is the way that all rescued people feel…  Surely this is the way that we should respond every time we are encountered with the truth of the Gospel…  Surely this sentiment should be the motivation that compels us to cry out to the Lord in praise and adoration… Surely the realization that “He has found us!” should awaken our hearts in exultation. 

Perhaps church should be more like a rescue site where formerly hopeless people are now excited, thrilled, and amazed, because their friends and family, who had been trapped in a collapsed cave, were finally dug out after 2 days without heat, light, food, or hope… and were rescured alive!… perhaps church should be more like a neighborhood street where families are gathered and celebrating over the fact that two children were pulled from a second story window before the house went up in flames, and saying “thank you, thank you, thank you” to the firemen who rescued the children… or perhaps church should be more like the young mother who is crying, laughing, rejoicing, and hugging her child after the 8 year old was lifted from the bottom of the pool – without pulse, blue in the face, not breathing – but the lifeguard who was simply doing his job, revived her… “thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“He has found us!”… in the cave of sin that collapsed around us … without air, without light, without human touch, without knowledge of what to do, water converting dirt to mud, time was out – BUT, “He has found us!” 

Ephesians 2.11-13:

¹¹ Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh…

¹² remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

He has found us!