Worship on a "God-Sized" Scale
By Kelly Crull
I remember reading in Western Civilization about a church in Florence, Italy called the Church of San Lorenzo. It was built in the Middle Ages, and from the outside, it looked like any other cathedral. Looming arches and towering spires overwhelmed the worshipper on a "God-sized" scale. But the interior of the Church of San Lorenzo is what set it apart from other Gothic architecture--It was made to fit human, not divine dimensions. The interior had been rebuilt to glorify humans and not God.
I don't think we should start building Gothic-style churches today, but I do wonder if our worship takes place in world built like a Medieval cathedral or a world built like the Church of San Lorenzo. What makes worship "God-sized"?
The first step to answering this question is establishing a definition of worship. In a very broad sense, we worship someone or something when it is at the center of whatever we are doing. Whether we are kyaking down the Arkansas River or sharpening a pencil, we are engaged in godly worship if our whole being is centered on God.
The next step is realizing how incredibly gigantic God is in comparison to us. Listen to what Isaiah says, "He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing" (Isaiah 40:22-23). When we begin to fathom what "God-sized" truly means, we understand that God is already at the center of whatever we are doing, whether we acknowledge that or not. We have a choice: either we worship something created by God, or we go straight to the source, and worship God Himself. Isaiah tells us that worshipping God is to our advantage, "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength" (Isaiah 40:29-30). We were created to worship God. He structured the world so that we could worship Him. I know we fight to have control over what we can and cannot do, but God demands our praise (Exodus 23:24-25).
Worship is only limited when we cannot surrender a part of our lives to Him (Hebrews 12:1). I get discouraged when my test scores don't reflect my effort. And I get frustrated when I realize I haven't been spending enough time with my friends. But when I worship God, he says to me, "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. . . . those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagels; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (Isaiah 40: 28,31).
I pray that we will not limit God by defining our worship in human terms. Does worship end after Praise and Worship on Wednesday night, or does it continue when we marvel at His beautiful stars during the walk back to our dorms. Can we learn how to worship God only at church, or is it possible that the art gallery in the classroom building can teach us something about worshipping God. I challenge each of us simply to live, worshipping God in every dimension of our lives.