Freedom

I have a post today at jesuscreed: http://blog.beliefnet.com/jesuscreed/2009/06/friday-is-for-friends-joey-spi.html#preview . The topic is Christian freedom.

Worship is a model for life

Isaiah 6:1-8 has long been seen by Protestants as a model for worship. Not that it is complete or unchangeable, but the stages of Isaiah's experience in the temple are a helpful starting point:

v. 1-2 - Seeing God
v. 3-4 - Praise
v. 5 - Confession
v. 6-7 - Cleansing
v. 8a - Hearing God's Word
v. 8b - Commitment
v. 9ff. - Commissioning

As in all religions, Christian worship is a model for life. The seven stages of Isaiah's encounter with the living God (John 12:36-41 indicates that it was the Son of God that he saw on the throne) become, then, a suggested itinerary for finding our way through a day and through our lifetime. Let's aim to make this our experience.

(Thanks to Dr. Bruce Leafblad in a D. Min. course at Bethel Seminary for the analysis of Isaiah 6 as a model for worship, and to Dr. Mathias Zahniser of Asbury Seminary for the idea of worship as a model for living.)