Matthew continues. The disciples have gone to their sacred space, the mountaintop, to meet with Jesus in Galilee after the resurrection. “When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. (Matthew 28:17)” Ouch. Some worshiped but some doubted. The post resurrection experiences are watershed experiences. The resurrection is a watershed experience today. Some believe, we call it faith, and others doubt.
We have those experiences in life that impact the direction we are heading. If we say, “I do” to marriage, our life changes forever. I often joke that I did not read the fine print in the marriage contract. A baby is born and life changes. We accept a job and life changes. I love Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Less Traveled.” Two paths in a woods lead in two different directions and the person chooses the one less traveled. It has made all the difference. When faced with the resurrected Christ we choose, worship or doubt.
I like this definition of what Christians mean by worship that I found on the Internet,
“Put simply, worship is declaring the greatness of someone or something. … It is the act of giving up your own glory to make sure everyone knows that the thing being worshiped is pretty awesome. To put it even more succinctly, worship is bowing down to lift up.”
So doubt is questioning the greatness, the right to glory, the truth of something. Not everyone believes or worships. So ponder for a moment what you worship, what you think is great, what you are willing to bow down before. I can believe Pres. Biden is president of the United States but I may not bow down to that belief. The disciples believed the reality of the risen Christ and it led to worship, to bowing down to lift him up.
Bowing down is a relinquishing of our rights. I bow down and worship by going to church on Sunday rather than sleeping in. I bow down and worship when I sing music that focuses me on eternal values. I bow down when I respect and take care of that which has been entrusted to me by God, sharing and loving. If you are discouraged today, think of the things, people, places, and happenings that make you forget self and bow down in awe. The disciples when they saw Jesus, alive, worshiped. He meets us today. Let us not be doubters but worshipers.
On the Way to Wonder 