Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Psalm 29:2 (NKJV)

To the preacher/speaker it’s the accolades of those who have heard his/her latest presentation. To the author it’s seeing your work in print, or better yet on the best sellers list. To the builder it’s seeing the superstructure rise to the sky as planned. To the parent it’s watching your child receive that diploma (whether it be for a doctorate or kindergarten graduation). To the young bride it’s coming home to flowers and chocolate from her husband for no apparent reason. To some, it’s the beauty of wildlife living free in the wild, for others it’s the euphoria of the successful hunt.

Each of us, in whatever role of life, has those things that bring us joy. Those things that say “all that hard work was worth it.” It’s paid off.” They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that’s true in so many areas of life. I have friends who love to knit and find beauty and fulfillment in a new scarf or handbag or whatever else you can knit. While I admire their work and ability, to be honest I have a hard time finding the beauty in fancy string (sorry knitters).

On the other hand, the things I find beauty in may not be the things you find beauty in. That’s a part of human nature. We each find beauty in those things we have a special connection to.

So what does God find beauty in? Generally, beauty is found in those things closest to our character. God, Jehovah God, by the very nature of his name tells us what he finds beauty in. The name Jehovah, a name so beautiful, so powerful that the Hebrews dare not even say his name, brings us a picture of mercy, love, power, and wisdom. These are the things that make up our heavenly Father, and they are the things that are beauty to him.

The priests in the OT/NT times wore robes. Beautiful, elegant robes to approach Jehovah. Growing up in the church, I saw certain standards that were to be met to approach God. Men wore suits and ties, women wore dresses. Some pastors wore robes.

Today we have moved beyond that in some circles. Shorts and T-shirts are perfectly appropriate for church goers, although some still hold pastors to a different standard of ties/suits or robes. But does God see beauty in those things? I think not. Our Father is far less concerned about how we adorn the exterior than he is how we dress up our hearts.

We come before him this weekend to worship him for his mercy, love, power and wisdom. Does he see those things in us? Let me vent just a little here. Over the years we’ve fought for position over what kind of ‘worship’ we do. Do we follow a lectionary or experience ‘free worship’? Do we hold to traditional worship or move towards contemporary worship. Do we allow pastors to wear shorts and T-shirts in the pulpit or require they dress more ‘suitably’?

The question isn’t how our worship looks to each other. The question is, is our worship beautiful to God. Worship isn’t one day a week, or a segment of our weekly club meetings. Worship is wearing the character of God in such a way that there is no question of who we belong to. That’s true beauty to God. That’s true worship.

PRAYER: Father, here I am to worship you. I confess my worship has been shallow and surface based. Empower me with your spirit to show the world your beauty. In Jesus name, Amen.