as was his custom

How do we declare God worthy in worship? First of all, we show up.


 16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. (Luke 4:16)

“As was his custom?” Why does God have to worship God? This is not so difficult to understand if you consider God in the Trinity. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have always given each other honor, praise, and adoration in their relationship together. When God becomes man the worship is natural and it is memorable. If Jesus found regular worship essential to his life, we do well to follow his example.

Two immediate observations can be made from the model of Jesus for worship.

First, if you ever ask yourself, “Why should I ‘go to church?” one answer is simple. Jesus considered it normal for his life. For some reason, he found it necessary. Probably a good idea to join him.

Second, If you have ever caught yourself saying, “I didn’t get anything out of the worship today,” think about Jesus. Especially when it comes to the preaching. In one sense, unless he is always doing the preaching for the day, logically, what is a preacher going to say that Jesus would “get anything out of?”

My hunch is Jesus would pray for and encourage the other rabbi’s. If he heard teaching that was not helpful, he could always take care of it in his teachings around town. It wasn’t as much what Jesus got out of worship that was important. It was (and is) what Jesus brings into worship. His presence and his attention.