"I John, am the one who heard and saw all these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me. But he said, 'No, don't worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this book. Worship only God!"
--Revelation 22:8-9 (NLT)
When I was a boy I LOVED the sport of baseball.
I can remember being in the first grade, and during recess one afternoon at school, being introduced to this historic sport. The pickup game started quickly and I stood in our makeshift "on deck" circle waiting for a friend of mine to finish his turn at bat. I watched him, mesmerized as he took three swings from the pitcher and struck out.
Once it was my turn to bat, things seemed to fall in place with a sort of ease for me. I gripped the rubber of the metal bat and watched the pitch come in gently. I swung and immediately my heart began to race as the ball flew off the end of the bat and towards the second basemen. I ran for first base, my friends cheering and yelling at me to run faster as the second baseman scooped up the ball and ran to first base to tag me out instead of throwing it to the first baseman...I did mention this was first grade, right?
I wasn't a fast kid, so I was tagged out...but that first glimpse into baseball had me hooked. A bunch of my friends told me about "Little League" and I went home that very night and begged my parents to sign me up...which they did...and so began the many years of my youth that I would spend on a baseball diamond.
As I grew up playing baseball I also became a die hard fan of the game. The Texas Rangers and the Atlanta Braves were my teams to watch with my dad most every night on television. Though I had many favorite players during that time...the one man who grew to be my baseball hero...was Nolan Ryan. To me, there was no greater player than him in baseball. Truth be told, I'm still pretty sure Nolan Ryan is the greatest baseball player to every stand on the pitchers mound.
Over time, I began to model my pitching game after Nolan Ryan...my parents even bought me a glove that had his signature printed into the palm. Remember those? I watched all his games and did everything I could to collect all his baseball cards. To say that I was innocently practicing a sort of hero worship would be totally accurate and understandably understood by most people. This act is simply something kids do.
But what happens when that boy or girl becomes an adult?
Do we every really grow out of hero worship? I mean, we see kids wearing sportswear popularized by their favorite players all the time...but in a lot of cases you see adults wearing the same jerseys, t-shirts, and ball caps as well. And what if you looked beyond sports...we all have our favorite musical artists, movie stars, authors, presidents, and so many other professions that I could never possibly list them all; that we tend to obsess over and think about a lot. I know I do.
So is hero worship harmless?
The Disciple John's worship of the angel that guided him through his visions of the future was considered unacceptable...and that was AN ANGEL! As soon as John hit his knees to worship, the angel stopped him saying, "No, don't worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this book. Worship only God!" (Revelation 22:9)
So Jeremy...are you saying I shouldn't wear my favorite players jersey or get excited about my favorite sport?
No, not at all. But what I am trying to say is that we need to keep our worship in the proper perspective. The angel made it clear to John, and so it should be clear to us, that our worship is meant for GOD ALONE.
I love the writing of Stephen King and Ted Dekker. The music of Andrew Peterson, Bebo Norman, and Thirdday have spoken to my heart in ways that have enriched my life. The preaching of Billy Graham and Mike Schirle...the lessons I learned in my youth from Chris St. John; changed my life and how I process the world around me. But I have to remember that these heroes of mine, while worthy of my thanks, are not deserving of my worship.
True worship...comes from an obedient heart that understands that God is the Alpha and the Omega. The Beginning and the End. The unconditional lover of a sinner like me and THE CREATOR of a universe that seemingly has no end.
Brothers and sisters, have your heroes and look up to them...but never forget who is truly worthy of your worship.
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