Worship Essentials Blue – Week 3 Post: Humans: Worm or Glory?

For The institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Red Online Worship History Course with Dan Wilt.

One of the main things that hit me in our studies this week was the balance that we need to have of our place in the universe.  On the one hand, man is limited and tiny compared with our infinite God.  And after the fall, of course, we all have sin marring our record.  On the other hand, humankind is the crown of God’s creation, the creature that even at it’s worst still is an image bearer of God.  We can’t help but show the same attributes as humans that God has.  Just as God rules as King, humans hunger for power and that isn’t always a bad thing.  We make tools, we overcome, we are in charge.  We can’t help it.  Just as God is Creative, so are we.  We aren’t nearly as proficient as He is, but even the most evil cult can’t help but write songs and do art.  Just as God isrelational, we are relational.  Even at our worst, when we try to ruin relationships over and over again, it is still about relationships.  We can’t get away from it.  We have a need to be a part of a community, even if it’s as the antagonist.  I suppose on the last one, maybe not everyone tries to Save the way that God does, but if you look at all the stories of pagan Hollywood, they can’t seem to help but tell and retell the redemption story over and over and over again.  It is written into our core.  We can’t help but be image bearers.  We can be distorted, twisted image bearers. Or we can ask for his restoration, his redemption, his resurrection, his recreation to start in us now so we become worthy image bearers, accurately reflecting our Creator’s character.

Lord, grant us mercy to reflect your nature well to a world that so desperately needs to know the real YOU.

Amen