Nice flower- its called a red velvet tuxedo rose and it is quite beautiful!!! I looked at this and remembered last week, when Linda and I "dressed up" for a community picture book. It took me quite awhile to find a suit that I could actually get into- the recently purchased one was WAY TO BIG and most of the others were WAY TO SMALL. But, everything worked out and soon I should be replacing my online pictures with a very recent ones. All this reminded me of something I read a long time ago, by Frank Viola. He has written several books about New Testament Christianity and I recall his discussion on our current custom of getting "all dressed up" for church services. Basically, he said this has nothing to do with real worship and I tend to agree with him (I know that not everyone will). What is true worship, anyway? This passage gives us some insight...
John, Chapter 4
19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, will you worship the Father. 22 You worship that which you don’t know. We worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshipers. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, will you worship the Father. 22 You worship that which you don’t know. We worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshipers. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
True worship (literally, to bend the knee [in submission]); defined by Jesus as being from the Jews and obviously through Jesus and his word. In spirit (right attitude) and truth (right standard). These things are a MUST. Anything else is NOT true worship. So, we have standards to worship by. So, examine yourself. Do I have a proper attitude? Am I following a Biblical example? Do I worship the same God as Christians did in the New Testament? Don't be obsessed as to your appearance, but do be concerned with the above questions. That's the heart of the matter and something to contemplate. What you do about these things is, of course, up to you, but remember verse 24 and that one little word that Jesus used that makes all the difference- MUST. God is seeking true worshippers, looking good is optional.