When Reverence Turns Casual: Have We Forgotten Who God Is?

There’s something that’s been on my heart for a while. I’ve noticed that many people - even those who love God - sometimes approach Him too casually, forgetting that He is holy, righteous, sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.

Yes, God is approachable. His Word reminds us that we can “approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). But approachable does not mean ordinary. Scripture never tells us to treat God like a familiar friend we can take lightly. The Bible calls us to reverence: “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him” (Psalm 33:8), and “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). God invites us near - but He also expects honor and respect from His children.

Recently, I’ve heard about certain church events and programs with themes like “Pillow Talk,” “Denim, Watches, and Pearls,” and even “Baby Shower for Jesus.” While I understand the creativity and good intentions behind these efforts, they’ve caused me to reflect on how easy it is for the church to adopt worldly ideas and simply dress them up in spiritual language. It’s like trying to make something worldly look holy by giving it a new label - but God looks at the heart, not the packaging.

I’ll share a personal example. When our denomination was reviving its men’s and women’s fellowship after a long pause, I created a flyer called “Ties and Tiaras.” I thought it was beautiful - ties representing godly men, and tiaras representing the crowns of the King’s daughters. Later, when planning a joint winter fellowship, I came up with the name “Suspenders and Stilettos.”

Looking back, I thank God the event never happened. The Holy Spirit revealed to me that the focus had shifted. People would have been more concerned about what to wear - which suspenders or stilettos to buy - than about drawing closer to Jesus. That realization humbled me. It reminded me of 1 John 2:15: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Sometimes, without meaning to, we allow the world’s way of doing things to creep into the church.

If only we put the same effort into cultivating our prayer lives and growing spiritually as we do into creating catchy program titles, selecting themes, and matching color schemes. God cares less about our creativity and more about our consecration.

Now, I’m not condemning anyone. My goal is to stir reflection - to help us ask not, “What’s wrong with it?” but rather, “What’s right with it?” For instance, a title like “Pillow Talk” may sound cute, but it carries worldly associations that have nothing to do with holiness or spiritual intimacy. We must ask ourselves: Would the early church, filled with the Holy Spirit, have hosted something like that? Would Jesus Himself endorse it?

Even names like “Denim, Watches, and Pearls” can subtly shift the focus away from Christ. Instead of thinking about God’s message, people start thinking about outfits, accessories, and appearances. That’s not where our attention belongs. 2 Timothy 3:5 warns us of those “having a form of godliness but denying its power.”

Then there’s “Baby Shower for Jesus.” I understand the desire to engage young people and make the church appealing, but if that’s what it takes to get them to come, we’ve missed an opportunity to teach them true reverence. Scripture tells us, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). The goal is not to entertain the next generation - it’s to disciple them.

It grieves me to see how casual we’ve become in our approach to a holy God - the same God who “can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). His Word is not a menu of clever ideas for themed events; it is sacred and life-giving truth.

My prayer is that God will open our eyes, soften our hearts, and help us sense what grieves His Spirit. May He teach us to honor Him in all we do and resist the temptation to make His house of prayer a place of empty performance. Jesus said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer” (Matthew 21:13). Let’s be careful to keep it that way - a place of reverence, truth, and genuine relationship with Him.