05/25/2026
WHEN REVERENCE IS LOST
We’ve all done it. Checked our phone during worship. Rolled our eyes at the sermon running long. Treated Sunday like a box to check before brunch. Slowly, without meaning to, the holy becomes casual. And when reverence is lost, something sacred slips through our fingers.
1. The House Still Matters
Jesus walked into the temple and flipped tables. Not because He hated commerce, but because He loved His Father’s house. “My house shall be called a house of prayer,” He said, “but you have made it a den of robbers.” Matthew 21:13
That wasn’t just about first-century Jerusalem. It’s about us. The church building isn’t divine, but it is dedicated. Set apart. When we stroll in late, disengaged, or critical, we communicate something: “This isn’t that important.” God notices. Malachi 1:6: “Where is my honor?”
2. How We Lose Reverence
Reverence doesn’t die in one blow. It erodes:
• Familiarity: We’ve been here so often that awe feels awkward.
• Consumer mindset: We rate the music, the preaching, the coffee — like the church exists to serve us.
• Contempt for people: Gossip in the lobby. Side-eyes at visitors. Paul reminds us we are God’s temple, 1 Corinthians 3:16. Disdain for His people is disdain for His house.
3. Why It Costs Us
God isn’t insecure. He doesn’t need our applause. But we need reverence. Isaiah saw the Lord “high and lifted up” and immediately saw himself clearly: “Woe is me.” Isaiah 6:5. When we lose reverence, we lose perspective. God feels small, we feel big, and worship becomes entertainment.
A church without reverence is just a social club with better music.
4. Getting It Back
Reverence isn’t about dress codes or whispering in the pews. It’s about the heart.
• Prepare: Don’t just show up. Pray on the drive. Ask God to open your eyes before the first song.
• Participate: Sing even if you can’t. Listen even when it’s not “your style.” You’re not the audience — He is.
• Protect: Guard the atmosphere. Encourage the pastor. Welcome the awkward guest. Treat the sanctuary like what it is: holy ground.
David said, “One thing have I asked… that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.” Psalm 27:4. That’s reverence. Not duty. Desire.
When reverence is lost, we lose more than decorum. We lose wonder. Let’s not let that happen. The King is still in the room.
-BAJ
