Just like a good come-from-behind baseball game, worship begins in humility, and ends in exaltation. We begin with the humble declaration, “Almighty God, our Maker and Redeemer, we poor sinners confess to you …” It kind of seems like a downer. It’s like the starting pitcher gave up a few runs and got knocked out in the first inning. Before the home team even comes to bat, we find ourselves at an insurmountable deficit.
But it doesn’t take very long for things to turn around, and by the end we hear the reassuring words,
“The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” (Num. 6:24-26)
This is like the center fielder jogging in to catch the last lazy fly ball. The home team wins, and we sing our victory song,
“Praise God from who all blessings flow.
Praise him, all creatures here below.
Praise him above, ye he heavenly host.
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”
If you turn off the ball game when things look bad in the first inning, and then tune in again to see the last out, you might be wondering what happened. Apparently the game really turned around. But how? Somehow these sinners became winners. How did this happen?
The answer is simple: Jesus takes over. Just after we confess our sins, we hear his pardoning word, “Almighty God, our heavenly Father, has had mercy upon us and has given His only Son to die for us, and for His sake forgives us all our sins.” Jesus comes in and the whole ballgame changes. He shuts down the visiting team’s rally. Then in the bottom of the first, he gets those runs back. And each subsequent inning, he keeps piling on to his lead.
So we confess our faith, listing the various things each member of the Trinity does for us. We hear God’s Word, where he teaches us what he did to earn our redemption. As we near the end, Jesus feeds us with his own body and blood. This is like the grand slam in the eighth inning to seal the victory. Then the benediction (blessing) is like the last lazy fly ball in the ninth inning. So we sing our victory song—the doxology (praise).
These humble sinners who came in with their heads bowed low, leave with their heads lifted up, giving praise to the God who won their victory.
This is the victory Jesus gives us in every service. May we never grow tired of his winning streak.
The peace of Christ be with you all,
Dan