Some good friends & co-workers (and actually my boss) are in town briefly and staying with me (which is always fun). So, I'm trying to finish a book they lent me a little while ago. I've read most of it, but have yet to finish it (as unfortunately is often the case for me with books). The book is Exiles, by Michael Frost.

Anyway... I am reading the chapter entitled "Exiles at the Alter" and thought I might jot down some notes, some good points he is making in relation to Christians and worship. Some of this is what is written and some are my paraphrase, in fact, primarily the later.

"Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever." Westminster Catechism

This statement implies a twofold action: glorifying and enjoying God. First of all, there are two components of God's glory - essential glory and declarative glory.

The essential glory is that of God's own self, intrinsic glory... it is impossible for God not to be glorious. God's glory cannot be added to or shared with another (Is 48:11).

God's declarative glory is that the glory that is ascribed to God, or that creation labors to bring to God. This is the bit we can "contribute". We cannot add a thing to God's essential glory, for it is who He is. To glorify God means to exalt God's name in the world and magnify God in the eyes of others.

The Westminster Catechism states that we glorify God in four primary ways: appreciation (admiration, respect), adoration (public worship), affection (to love, take delight in), and subjection (obey & serve).

As Micheal Frost defines them:

Appreciation: This is to esteem God, to value God above all in our thoughts and admiration, to venerate God in our imagination, thinking, and belief. When we admire and respect God in this way, we glorify God.

Adoration: This is to worship God in a formal, liturgical sense in a public, corporate setting. The Westminster Catechism, based on the Confession, makes copious references to Old Testament injunctions to worship correctly in the temple an in the exact method prescribed by the Lord.

Affection: This is to love God, to offer a love of delight, as we take delight in a friend. This is to love God indeed, with our hearts set upon God. It is an exuberant love. It is superlative; we give glory to God when we offer the best of our love.

Subjunction: This is to dedicate ourselves to serve God through our actions. This can take various forms... To obey the divine will through service brings glory to God.

"In other words, when I feed the poor or share my food with a neighbor, I am glorifying God. When I study the Bible, I am glorifying God. When I walk along a beach and pray, giving thanks to God for all his blessings, I am glorifying God. When I sit in the Impressionist Room (or the Reina Sofia) at the Getty Center in Los Angeles and feel deep affection and admiration for the divine beauty in Van Gogh's irises, Monet's haystacks, and Cezanne's apples, I am glorifying God. When I visit an orphanage in Vietnam, filled to overflowing with unwanted children dumped on the streets of Saigon, and I saddened, I am glorifying God. When I write to my government representatives demanding that they procure greater overseas aid, I am glorifying God. When I attend a gathering of fellow believers to sing or pray or undertake some other corporate worship activity, I am glorifying God. So although attending worship meetings is one of the ways we glorify God, it is not the only way." MF

I have to say that while there are a lot of things to think about, so far this is one of my favorite chapters, probably in part because it brings the focus more to God and less to what we DO for him. It involves loving and following Him, which will of course then change all that we DO and think.