Outdoor Worship - Ethan McConnell
Easter sunrise service is one of my favorite services throughout the year – not because of the day (although that is certainly worth celebrating) – because of the location. The cool morning air, the blue/yellow/red of the sunrise, and the echoing of the voices of the saints as they sing the praises of their God are but a few of the reasons I love it. There is, I think, a biblical concept that can be observed in this service – one that we rarely notice. More specifically, there is a particular beauty to congregational worship in nature.
From the very beginning of time, nature (in the garden) was the place of the worship of God. The garden was in a very real sense a perfect prototype of the temple. This is clear from Adam and Eve’s own worship (Genesis 3) and is further revealed through Israel’s worship. Not only was Solomon’s temple intentionally decorated in a way that reflected the garden, much of Israel’s idolatry was based in and around nature. Most assuredly, Israel understood nature to have divine elements that informed their worship. Psalm 19 speaks of nature as it declares the glory of God. Romans 1 explains that no man or woman is without excuse because what they need to know of God is plainly before them in the creation. Furthermore, the gospel of John picks up on this garden theme. In John 20, John describes the resurrection of Christ and, at its culmination, the man and the woman once again in the garden. Revelation speaks of the future restoration of the garden and in its center, the tree of life. There, believers will worship God for all eternity.
These are but a few of the examples of this theme in Scripture. C.S. Lewis picked up on this theme in The Four Loves. He wrote, “Nature never taught me that there exists a God of glory and of infinite majesty. I had to learn that in other ways. But nature gave the word glory a meaning for me. I still do not know where else I could have found one. I do not see how "fear" of God could have ever meant to me anything but the lowest prudential efforts to be safe if I had never seen certain ominous ravines and unapproachable crags. And if nature had never awakened certain longings in me, huge areas of what I can now mean by "love" of God would never, so far as I can see, have existed.” Elsewhere, he concluded that nature serves as a mirror (a theme we find in 1 Corinthians) reflecting the glory of God.
So, what’s the point? Having outdoor worship services is worth the effort. Not only on Easter, but during other times of the year. There is a special blessing to worshiping the Lord in His temple – a blessing we would do well to take advantage of. Moreover, spend time and effort to reflect on God’s great creation day in and day out. As you drive, take notice of the flowers, the trees, and the sun. Make a deliberate effort to enjoy the wonders of God’s creation and begin, even now, enjoying Him forever.