Advent One: Orans

Isaiah 64:1-4
1.  O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence—2 as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil—to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence! 3 When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. 4 From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him.

Recently, I went Googling for an image of people in worship.  I found hundreds, possibly thousands---I didn't look through all the pages.  All of them, it appeared to me, were people standing with arms raised high, faces looking upward.  Why?  Nobody worships this way in my church...should we?

This posture is called Orans, (latin for "praying") and it's actually nothing new.  The origin of Orans stems from the posture of the early church leaders or priests, in which the priest intercedes during the liturgy on behalf of all.  His arms outstretched, eyes raised upward, simply a humble posture for one who is pleading for help--reaching out to God saying, essentially, "We beg you, help us."  When you think about it this is actually a very natural human gesture for anyone who is humbly pleading for help.  

But, the people in the pictures I Googled do not look very humble, and they don't seem to be pleading for help.  To me, their posture seems more like that of someone cheering at a concert.  Curious---I Googled "crowd at concert" and the images were exactly the same.

What does it say about us Christians that the popular images of our reaction to the presence of God in worship is the same as that of the presence of a rock star on a stage?  

Personally, I prefer the posture of this text from Isaiah.  These are not the words of one who is cheering a rock star god.  These are words of a humble servant, pleading with God for help.  I imagine Isaiah's arms outstretched, eyes tilted upward, begging God, "O that you would tear open the heavens and come down..."   These are humble words, yet they are mighty in faith.  They are not self-pitying, or grandiose.  They are hopeful--expectant of God to come down and save.  When I am facing the darkness in my life, I want these to be my words; my faith to be this strong; my hope to be this expectant.  Don't you?

I don't need a rock star god that I can cheer on as he does his work from "up there" in heaven.  I need a God who is willing to tear open the heavens to come down here and help.  Don't you?

The promise of Advent is that God comes down!

With a baby born in a stable, God tore open the heavens and came down for us!  He answered the pleading prayers of Isaiah, and came down.  With this event, we might remain strong in our faith, trusting in God's promise to come down for us again and again.  

So, then, how shall we respond in worship?

In the end, it doesn't really matter what we do with our hands, eyes or the rest of our posture.  What matters, I suppose, is what we're doing with our hearts.

  

Prayer...
O God, that you would tear open the heavens and come down...for me...for all of us!  In Jesus' name.  Amen.