Clean Clothes

One of my goals this year is to read through the Bible in its entirety. I have selected the Message Version to accomplish this goal. I have finished Genesis and half of Exodus, and have some thoughts I would like to share the next few days. The first is on worship.
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Imagine that you received a letter in the mail. The envelope is coated with shiny gold. The actual card inside is also coated with gold. It is simply an invitation, with the words:

“YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED
TO MEET WITH GOD IN 3 DAYS.
PROPER ATTIRE REQUIRED.
NO RSVP NEEDED. SIMPLY SHOW UP.”

Imagine what it would be like to actually meet with God. Imagine entering into the presence of the all-powerful God of the universe. What would you wear? How would you act? What preparations would you take beforehand? This was precisely what happened to the Israelites after they had left Egypt and were headed towards the Promised Land. From Exodus 19 in The Message Version:

“Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to the people. For the next two days get these people ready to meet Holy Yahweh. Have them scrub their clothes so that on the third day they’ll be fully prepared, because on the third day Yahweh will come down on Mount Sinai and make his presence known to all the people. Post boundaries for the people all around, telling them, ‘Warning! Don’t climb the mountain. Don’t even touch its edge. Whoever touches the mountain dies—a certain death. And no one is to touch that person, he’s to be stoned. That’s right—stoned. Or shot with arrows, shot to death. Animal or man, whichever—put to death.’

On the third day at daybreak, there were loud claps of thunder, flashes of lightning, a thick cloud covering the mountain, and an ear-piercing trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp shuddered in fear. Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God. They stood at attention at the base of the mountain.”

Every time I read this passage I am struck by the preparations God required and then they took to meet with the Holy God. First, they scrubbed their clothes for 2 days to get rid of all the dirt they had accumulated on the trip thus far. Then they posted boundaries on where to go and where not to go. They also abstained from sexual relations (not listed in my condensed version above). And what was the result? They arrived in God’s presence and His full power was put on display before them. It caused the people to shudder with fear.

Here’s the point for me. Most people, myself included, just show up for the worship service. Perhaps we bathe and put on nicer clothes, but our attitudes have not been examined. The stain of sin has not been removed. Church turns into another appointment on the calendar or a routine to go through each week. It is not what the Israelites experienced. It is not truly basking in the presence of God. It is not a time that is full of awe, wonder, and maybe even a little fear when God shows up, if he does at all.

And I wonder, is it because we don’t make enough preparations? Do we spend time in repentance beforehand? Do we concentrate on the fact that we are entering into God’s throne room? Perhaps if we took a little more time before “church” getting our minds, souls, bodies, and spirits ready, and not just putting on clean clothes we might experience something amazing this week in worship. It might not be lightning and thunder, but God might show up in power, and knock our freshly cleaned socks right off.