So I’m thinking that familiarity is the enemy of worship . . . that you don’t extol that which is considered mundane. You might be thankful for the expected . . . you might acknowledge the blessing of the commonplace . . . but I’m thinking that voice lifting praise is born out of an appreciation for the extraordinary . . . that wonder leads to worship.

And great crowds came to Him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at His feet, and He healed them, so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.    (Matthew 15:30-31 ESV)

Imagine the scene. Perhaps a bit chaotic? Perhaps a bit mind-bending. Mute people testifying of a miracle . . . crippled people doing push-ups . . . lame people doing cartwheels . . . blind people looking you in the eye and pointing to the Healer. In hope, and by faith, they brought the infirm to the feet of Jesus . . . and behold, they witnessed the mighty works of God in their midst. And it says “the crowd wondered” . . . and it says “they glorified the God of Israel.”

Other translations say “the crowd marveled” and “the people were amazed.” They were up close and personal with the power of heaven . . . they were having a close encounter of the spiritual kind . . . and the result was awe . . . and the response was giving of glory to God.

Now, as amazing as it is to consider blind people seeing and lame people walking, what is it to encounter dead people living? I hang out with them every Sunday. They are those who were once dead in their trespasses and sins but are now those who God made alive together with Christ. They once limped along in darkness, following the course of this world, but now they run the race of those who have been saved by grace and raised up into heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:1-6). And shouldn’t that fact alone rekindle a bit of wonder . . . and lead to a bit of worship.

It’s so easy to “go to church” and not be in awe of the church.

Not that we’re something . . . we’re just lame people trying to get our legs underneath us by His strength . . . deaf people still digging the wax out of our ears by His Spirit . . . blind people still focusing our eyes on our Savior by His grace. But we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:10). Unreal!

Isn’t that something to marvel at? Isn’t that reason enough to be amazed? Doesn’t the loose the tongue to declare the praises of God?

Oh, that the salvation that is ours would never become commonplace. Instead, as we gather together that we would be in awe . . . that we would be captured by wonder . . . and in that wonder, be moved to worship.

By His grace . . . for His glory.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.   (Jude 1:24-25 ESV)