Newsletter 6/20/2025

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”  - John 4:24

I’ve been studying and thinking a bit about the narrative of Cain and Abel. The story depicts two brothers  that take two different approaches to worshipping God. 

Cain opted to present God with whatever he grew out of his garden. He appears to have seen worship as a ritual, a routine, something to get done and get over with. He did not necessarily have a heart for God. He was not thankful or appreciative. It is possible that he was bitter about something…living in the shadows of Eden, working and laboring in a harsh environment, who knows. One can imagine Cain plopping his fruit down on the altar, expecting for God to call down fire and approve of his sacrifice. Only that never happened. His worship was not accepted. And neither was he. That seems a bit mean spirited on God’s part doesn’t it? Not so. Cain knew what was required, what was desired. He understood the religion. But his heart was not in it. So he went through the motions. He had the form of godliness but not the power or the transformed life. But he still came to worship anyway. Cain’s omission was a silent protest. In his mind he did not need to bring a blood sacrifice because he was likely not repentant and maybe he imagined he was not really that bad a person, so why waste a life? His indifference to God was on display. He was self absorbed, unfaithful, and thought his own grubby works could make God happy. He was wrong. 

Abel however chose to give God a sacrificial animal as a form of worship. He offered the Lord the first and best of his herd. For Abel, worship was not just something to rush through, or push through and then check the box on the way out. He was enamored with God. He was living in the joy of redemption. He knew he was a sinner. His sacrifice was admission of that fact. He trusted in God, not himself, for salvation. He understood the significance of the fact that his life was rescued by the life of a substitute and he bowed in praise and gratitude. Abel was obedient to the Lord. He followed through with the requirements but not as a means of gaining approval. It was for the love for his Creator. Abel’s humility and trust were on display. God accepted both him and his sacrifice. The fire of endorsement consumed the sacrifice. Abel too was consumed with a living fire and passion for the Lord. He sought God’s presence and must have delighted to know Him on a spiritually intimate level. He worshipped, not as a form, but as an act of faith. He gave himself fully to God. He believed that denying self and relying on the work of redemption would please the Father. He was right. 

God is looking for true worshipers today. Those who will seek to worship in the manner of Abel. He is disappointed with Cain-like worshippers. 

What kind of offering will you bring to God? Where is your heart during the act of worship? Are you about forms or faith, ritual or being spiritual? Is your soul true to God or masking a root of bitterness and fakeness? Is worship about self or the Savior? Do you watch the time or lean into the atmosphere of God’s presence? Are you checking boxes or examining your own heart? Are you confessing sin or hiding it? Are you Cain, or are you Abel?

Pastor Dean