Reverence

Somewhere along the way something got lost.

When I was trying to describe my experience in the Balkans, viewing the various religions of Islam, Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Evangelical-Protestantism, I just couldn't find the right word to set them apart from the Church in America. A lady at my church helped me out. "Was there a feeling of reverence?" she asked.

Reverence.

I think we've gone way too far in the wrong direction. We've latched on to the fact that Jesus was God made man, and that He is Love. God is Love. And we've created for ourselves a "Jesus is my boyfriend" religion. When He clearly is not. Or as my Bib Lit professor put it "The Bible says that God is Love. This DOES NOT mean that God is some giant mystical Care bear in the sky, just waiting around to love everybody!"

Where's the reverence?

Some people will take a look at those previously mentioned religions and say "well, they're just following the traditions they were taught. It doesn't mean anything to them. But MY relationship (because it's not a religion) means something to me!" But what if that's not the case? Sure, there will always be people who go through the motions and don't believe in what they're doing. But there must be some who believe.

Now, I'm not advocating a return to "the old ways", or simply coming up with some strict traditions to follow for the sake of following them. But what if we approached God with the same reverence they approach either the traditions, or God Himself through the traditions? What if we stopped kidding ourselves by saying "when the Bible says to fear God, it actually means to respect" and admit that we serve the One who created the entire universe - just because He could. He gave us free will - just because He could. The only reason we're breathing right now is because He feels like letting us breathe. Does this sound like a giant Care bear to you?

The book of Hosea beautifully illustrates the contrast in God's love for us. He loves us and pursues us as a husband does his wife - even to the point of paying for her ransom when she has sold herself into slavery. It is a tender, yet powerful love. He longs to have her call him "my husband" instead of "my master". Yet He still says that when the Israelites return to Him, they will do so with trembling. Just because God was willing to send His Son to die because of His great love for us, doesn't mean we shouldn't approach Him with fear and reverence.