Who do you think is making a better world Caesar or Jesus? As Christians we would all answer Jesus; but what if we were never asked the question . . . what if our lives were the answer to that question,” who do you think is Lord”? For some the answer would be Caesar and for others the answer would be, ourselves. For some of us the answer would be, “I think I am making the world a better place all by myself.” For others it would be my job is making the world a better place. We were all created to worship. Where though do we worship? As Westerners we find the concept of alter sacrifice difficult to comprehend. If our very lives are an act of worship, and the time, money, and effort we spend are the sacrifices; who then do we worship? Most Buddhists, and Hindu homes have an alter displayed in a prominent part of their house set aside to venerate their gods for the sake of worship. I recall going to the home of a Hindu and seeing their alter set up for the god their family worshiped. They would make sacrifices of food, incense and of course money to their god. They would also spend a good deal of time in prayer and silence before the alter. I remember being shown the alter and being told not to point at it because it was irreverent to do so. As soon as the young lady left the room I pointed at the golden statue and giggled to myself about it. “How silly” I thought, “A god made of gold and silver that sits in the corner of the kitchen that doesn’t like to be pointed at.” Some Buddhists, Hindus, or any number of eastern religions spend large amounts of money on the shrines in their homes, they feel as though all of this time and money spent on the object of worship gets them closer to their god.
Where is the shrine in your house Christian? Again remember, we worship with time spent at the shrine, with money spent on the shrine, and the amount of reverence we show in the presence of the god enthroned on the shrine or alter.
I would say most Christians spend the most time in worship either at work or in front of the TV.
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In Thailand, nearly every home has a "spirit house" on the corner of the property. These shrines (roughly the size of a generous birdhouse) are meant to be dwellings of past/passed residents. Food and drink offerings are placed in front of them for the appeasement of said spirits. And I will admit how silly I found it, as a Westerner, to see a Fanta Cola sitting on one. No sillier than lawn gnomes, I suppose. And I agree: the majority of American Christians are essentially vain hedonists worshipping at their own alter (TV, workplace, etc.), myself included. A visit to the mission field is a sure remedy.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget to mention the marketplace. Westerners obsession with consumerism is blind worship.
ReplyDeleteI confess that there are times I get more excited about fast food than the kingdom. God forgive us.
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