When our boys were toddlers, we had an unusual Sunday rhythm. We lived in the country 40 minutes from Hope. One way. We loved attending the 11:00 am service, so every week we packed up and headed to Hope. Then, with special permission, we would lay our kids down to nap in the church. We hung out, played games, read books. We didn’t leave Hope on Sundays until 8:30 pm – after Alpha concluded.
Our entire Sunday was set aside. Ironically, this inconvenient drive taught us a rhythm of worship. It showed us how life-giving it was to have a routine with God. Ultimately, we became thankful for the inconvenience. When we ended up moving 10 minutes from Hope, those sacred Sundays shifted. We, however, were forever changed.
Today’s passage can be hard for us to grasp. Neither burnt offerings nor sacrifices are part of our modern worship routines. As we read these passages it may be that our eyes glaze over, we skim over the details, and think these passages don’t apply to us today. It seems so far removed.
Let’s take another look. Among other things, we see God teaching his people to set up a rhythm of their worship. He spent time earlier instructing them on how to order their lives physically. Now, he is showing them how to order their lives spiritually.
We, like the generations of believers before us, need rhythms of worship. We put our heads down. We get to work. We carry out our lives. We forget to look up. We can forget to turn our hearts to God. We can forget what God has done and promises to do.
When we come face to face with God’s instruction to worship regularly it may challenge our busy lives. Let’s face it, we may not be cutting up offerings for altars, but the effort to prioritize worship may seem as daunting.
I am grateful God established in us the necessity for worship. It changed my life.
It changed my family, too. It’s like God knew exactly what we needed.
Questions for reflection:
- How would you describe your personal rhythm of worship? What is one of your favorite ways to set aside time with God?
- What might be some things (big or small) that you could try this week to refresh or recharge your worship routines? (ex: meet friends at worship, read Scripture before bed, listen to Scripture on your daily walk, set aside 3-5 minutes of quiet reflection, etc.)
- Take a moment to imagine what it would be like to practice the sacrificial systems of Numbers 28-29. Now, take a moment to thank Jesus that he became the ultimate sacrifice for us on the cross.