Worship pt 1

Spiritual Practice; worship Park UMC Sept 7 2008

As you can see from the sermon title we’re going to think about worship this morning
Back in the church newsletter
I said I was going to give some attention to some spiritual practices this year
spiritual practices are tools or disciplines that we use to help us spiritually grow as Christians

I said I would give some type of emphasis or topic each month..
I might do that with a hand out.
I might have some homework for you to try
maybe you could actually try to do some fasting or tithing.
. prayer or spiritual reading
or silence ..maybe some attention to beauty or art.
..but I said that worship was going to be the first spiritual practice
And in fact....
.... lists spiritual practice or spiritual discipline
very often
put this at the top of the list.....
So here we are
Now as soon as I got working on this
I realized that this was One of those way "too much to cover" kind of topics
so this might end up as a two part sermon
ok?
we could look at Bible verse on worship
and we will
we could look at the traditions in the history of worship...
Do you think we have traditions!
well maybe a little
we could look at styles of worship ....
and you know there is a lot of variety out there.
Its one of those things where everybody has an opinion
we get so opinionated about worship!
" I don’t like those kinds of songs or that kind of music
and I want this or that (A s if its about you)
well
we’re not going to go there
maybe we could talk about "why" we worship
how to prepare for worship
think about it
..what did you do.. to prepare for worship?


and then of course
there is some thing very practical as well
I want to increase worship attendance!
just get here
And I would love to see you doing that this month...
I would love to set some attendance records this year
..Do you know that when you compare our membership..with average worship attendance
we get less than 50% attendance and we consider that normal in most churches
for a lot of churches we only plan on 50 percent attendance
in fact
if all the members from park church
w anted to show up
for the 9:30 service..
we wouldn’t have room for much more than 50 percent..
What does that say about expectations?
Does that sound right?
I want you to show
and up and be here.
We gotta count attendance every Sunday
Hey
I got file a report on that every year..
And You know people judge us by how many people come here.
..its just a fact//
we look better ....when we fill up the place..
So do your part..
Show up and get counted
Ok now that’s my confession

well... Not really....
You know im teasing you ..being a little cynical
I know there’s much more to it.
This goes way deeper than doing reports
it goes deeper
its what we do here
gathered together
in the name of Christ
this thing called worship
I believe this is the most important thing that we do
it becomes the center
that connects
al the res t of the ministry that we do as the church..
So its not just about numbers and statistics
its being the church

worship is one of the most important connections that we have with God and with each other
in the spiritual life
and I believe
that if we don’t get worship..right
in our church life.
,everything else is going to be in trouble
\
now
how about some Bible verses
you want to hear about worship
read the Psalms (Psalm 148)
all that talk about Praising the Lord
come let us worship and bow down
worship the lord with gladness
come into his presence with singing..
Make a joyful noise to the Lord
.I could go on
worship is all over te psalms
its what the psalms are
the psalms
are the song book
and the prayer book
for the Jewish people and for the church
and you see that it has a lot of joy
. And celebration
I think one of the best reformations in the life of the church
has been the rediscovery of joy and celebration
as the mood of worship
now I understand that the dark colors in sanctuaries
and the minor notes in the music
and the sense of solemnity and order
that was the main mood for a lot of the church.....
it meant well
holiness and reverence.
This .kind of solemn assembly..
.look your best,,sit up straight..don’t talk.
Respect and dignity in the presence of God
I understand that
..but ...did we squeeze out the Biblical joy of worship !..
Is it possible to make worship into something dull and boring/
God is not dull or boring.
.now on the other hand
I think we might have gone overboard
when we try to make worship into entertainment shows..
.I personally don’t want to feel like Im at a concert or some kind of Jesus Las Vegas show
(personally I like things on the quieter ..slower side..that’s just me.. I am an introvert)
so Getting ourselves hyped up for the lord ..and feeling good.
is not always the same as worshiping the lord
can we keep some sense of balance
or maybe variety in the mix.
Here at park church,
we have what I call a spirited traditional style.
.. I don’t see us as too high church or formal
..although we use the organ.. And we have the robes for the choir and for the pastor.
.except in the summer.
.and we do have something less formal here at 11;15 service

we also know that we have to offer some other choices in style and music
we are going to have the Awe services starting on October 19th
Sunday evening service..at 5 pm at the light of the Lakes
AWE as in alternative worship experiences..
It might not be your style and that oks,,
but it also might be
just what your looking for..

Worship has to have variety ...one size doesn’t not fit all..
but...... it needs to fit in somewhere in your life....
And its my job..
one of my jobs
to say that you just need to be in worship
.
And if you want that in a Bible verse
here it is
Hebrews 10:25
it doesn’t say that its... Specifically about worship
but the translators think it is.
It says "et us not neglect to meet together..as is the habit of some "
you hear that ?
As is the habit of some..
even the early church had people skipping the worship service..
Peterson in the Message translation
it says let us not avoid worshiping together

we know that gathering for worship
was a pattern in the early church ..
it was part of the Jewish tradition that the church started with.
Now
let me say two things about worship
#1
worship is a sign of Gods invlovment in your life
#2 worship is a sign of being in Gods new community
let s take them one at a time
first of all if you believe that god is involved in your life.
.then worship is how you show it.
Do you remember
when God was calling Moses to lead the people out of slavery
to lead the exodus
and Moses wanted proof.....a sign / .that this whole thing was real
and that this God was real
and God said back in Exodus 3:18
the proof
the evidence ,would be that the Hebrew people
would come out to worship God
..three days out into the wilderness.
They would worship God
Think about that
these Hebrew slaves
will not be worshiping the god of the pharaoh
or the gods of Egypt
the first sign of the exodus
the first sign of salvation
was worshiping this other God..this true God
Worship is a sign of Gods deliverance at work
worship is a sign
that we belong to God
you belong to God
not to some pharaoh
not to some other ruler
some other nation
not to the economic power of the world
not to the government
not to your job
not to you past
you are not a slave
you are not a prisoner or a captive
but rather
a child of God..
.Gods people..yes you are a chosen people
worship is a sign that you are being set free
by the power
and the claim and the call of God
do you believe that?
now that should excite you
Why would you want to miss that
or
forget that..even for a week..
every time you come to worship god
you are living in the great truth of a god who is saving you and loving you

and working to over come all the chains and the shaming
and the oppression of the world in your life
no wonder
it was expressed with joy and thanksgiving and songs of praise..
It was good news ..and hope and promise
worship is a time to live out that kind of life ...that god has for us...
Worship is an experience
of entering into this new world
into this life that god is working ..to give us..
again
If you were a Hebrew slave
and you were out there worshiping God
it was a sign that you were getting away from your old life
you got away from Pharaoh and the abuse
and the degradation of that life that was trying to use you
to break you down and keep you down
worship was sign of God.at work
and it was sign..of course that pharaoh...or any ruler of this world
does not want to see true worship threatens the order of the world
you know if you want to really control somebody..you gotta control their religion.too...
(If you want to oppress people..you gotta suppress their religion)
worship was a sign that there was greater power happening in this world
worship in that sense becomes a witness of defiance
it this holy rebellion that says
..w e belong to God
to this God and this God alone

because this is the only God who saves us.
That’s what you are saying... (oh ..you bunch of radicals.!
You are saying that you have this Holy God working in your life..
Powerful stuff
do you want to say that.
. Then come to church and worship
worship is a sign of belonging to God
we are Gods people.
And nobody else owns us.
that’s my first point
now .
related to that
worship is also sign of community. Holy Community
In Bible faith
in Biblical spirituality
your "God life" and your "people life...cant be separated.

This is not just something private and individualistic
In the church
we can talk about this in a uniquely Christian way a s well..
Its about Communion..
..(And this might surprise us as United Methodists)....
communion
was at the very center of Christian worship services
they had some kind of communion meal all the time
not just once a quarter
or even once a month
the lords table was the central image for Christian worship
we gather in Christ around the bread and the cup..
.and John Wesley by the way
tried to keep that central importance
but we lost it along the way..
now
why was that so important to the worship life of the early church ?
Because they saw it..in Jesus
its what Jesus did.
. Jesus formed his life
and he formed his followers around the idea of an open table..
Look at his parables about banquets and wedding parties .
About who to invite
and where to sit..
Look at his his lifestyle and his practices..
He embodies this gracefully open table
But in the Jewish culture of his day ...
and also a lot of the Roman culture.
this table talk was full of rules..
was very structured and hierarchical
status and prestige got demonstrated at the table
power got demonstrated at the table
your table was like a miniature model for your society
your table was like a microcosm of the world
and who you ate with
was a statement...and you didn’t just eat with anybody..
Except that Jesus did..
and he got in trouble for it..
one of the clearest things we know about the historical Jesus
is that he ate with tax collectors and sinners...
and in some of the verses it refers to harlots..
..now that word needs to be clarified
it meant that he included women who didn’t fit in with the strict rules of society..
they might have been single
but they stayed more independent of male ownership
or control
.they didn’t become some mans property
and so they were disgraced...or just left out
they didn’t fit in..except with Jesus.
.he took them in
and it looks like the early church did that pretty well at least for while
and the communion table
this open table..
.this shard life in equality.. And acceptance
Was ritually built in to the worship service of the Christian church..
It was there In the practice of Holy communion
the lords table was a key to Christian worship services
Worship therefore
is a sign of being a new kind of community..formed by different values
formed by God in Jesus Christ
formed around forgiveness and grace.
That makes a different community
I remember the words that were written over the door way of Marsh Chapel back in Boston University
it sais :Abandon rank all who enter here."
worship is a sign
that God had made us one..
One level.
God has overcome our brokeness ..our sinfulness that spiritually divides us
even though we still have our diversity and our differences.


pay attention to that..
In Christianity worship and fellowship are intertwined
God has given us all value and equality
God has called us to care for each other....
.and we worship God by Demonstrating that in our life

we embody what Jesus said
and
its about experiencing the great commandment
about both loving God
and loving our neighbor as ourselves
worship again
is a sign of what God is doing our lives
God is bringing us together in new way.
.something very different than the rest society
worship points to our higher obedience
The lords table ..the communion table
is our microcosm
or little example
our foretaste.
of the kingdom of god
and the new creation..the new social order
God is making us into this kind of people.
.God is making us one in Jesus Christ
or as st Paul put it
in Christ
we are neither slave nor free
Jew or gentile
male or female..we are one in Christ,,

and in Christianity
it means
that when we leave people out
when we demean others
exclude others
when we treat others as inferiors
as less than the way
that Christ treats them

.then our worship is not in spirit and in truth
why ?
because it is not worshiping in the name of Jesus Christ.

there is a little piece of wisdom form the Persian poet Hafiz
14th century mystic poet
If Godinvited you to a party andsaid,"Everyone in the ballroom tonight willbe my specialguest."
How would you then treat them when you arrived?
Indeed, indeed!
Have you ever thought about worship like that.
.it is your invitation as Gods special guest.
At the banquet the feast
the ball room
. not only you..
.but everyone else..
Everyone here
called by name
chosen people!
Graced people
loved by God

And how
would we then see,
and treat
each other in light of that invitation

You know...
we try to have this special open house month every September
in the United Methodist church..
.try to be extra nice..
.we are nice. .its not an act. and polite
and practice hospitality.. And I know sometimes we miss people and we mess up.
but this also has to be more than a program or something to try for a month
its part of worship..its worship.
Its who we are in the spirit of Christ
.it how we are to be
together
in the presence of God
worship
is who you are....
It who we are as the body of Christ
the body of Christ is a body of worship glorifying God
It’s a powerful way for us to grow as Christians
Again in the words of Hebrews
let us not forsake or miss the habit of meeting together

Its time for the call to worship