Why We Worship – Part 4

This is a continuation of a series on the importance of regular worship of God.

2. The Church’s Role

How does the church play a role in all this? When we talk about worship, the first thing we think of is “church.”

Worship usually takes place within a church (the building); by the church (the people); and according to the church (the denomination’s or universal church’s traditions). The Greek word translated as “church” in the New Testament is ekklesia, which has the sense of a people being called out of the world. Placing that in a worship context, it refers to calling people out of their day-to-day life to gather together in a sacred time and space. Worship can breathe life into the community of Christ’s followers, especially after a tough week of stress, problems, and maybe even conflict.

God works through the church to make disciples, and worship plays an essential role in this process. For example, most people attend worship in a church for a period of time before making a commitment to Christ. Often as a result of their worship experiences, they will receive Christ as Lord and Savior, and become his disciples.

In worship, we express love for God and one another, and we experience God’s love and grace, offered freely to us. This becomes especially meaningful when we have become his disciples. So the results of the communal worship experience are to form and strengthen communities; shape souls to be more consistent with God’s will; correct self-interest – turn people from self-centeredness to compassionate and caring; and bind people to God and to each other.

Another way of looking at it is to say that through worship people seek to connect with God; they allow God’s Word to shape them; and then they respond in faith because of the work of the Holy Spirit. Are you open to the leading of the Holy Spirit as you participate in worship?

Passionate Worship in Particular

All of these things should happen in worship, but let’s examine what passionate worship means. Passionate worship engages the intellect as well as the heart. Regarding the intellect, worshipers learn about he content of their faith. They learn about God, Jesus, the stories of Scripture, morals and ethics, the practice of their faith, and gain some insight about the world around them.

Regarding the heart, worshipers are helped to grow in mercy and hope, as well as to experience grace and learn to receive and give forgiveness. In passionate worship, the heart senses the Holy Spirit through the music, the prayers, the stories, the fellowship, and the sacraments.

Sometimes we react to that sensing of the Holy Spirit with tears, or a feeling of overwhelming love, or some other emotion that often surprises us. These emotional responses result from the Holy Spirit touching us in a profound way that goes deep to our inner being. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about when you react to the Holy Spirit’s moving in you – it shows you have a sensitive spirit. Passionate worship eliminates all distractions, is authentic, and is focused on God that also touches us in a way that goes beyond intellectual assent.

Conclusion

In conclusion, let’s ask ourselves some questions.

·Am I allowing God’s Spirit to form me, change me, and transform me though the worship experience?

·Am I allowing myself to be challenged, sustained, and led the God’s Spirit?

·Is my week better because I attended worship on Sunday?

·Do I feel welcomed and supported as a part of Christ’s church?

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, then ask yourself “why not?”

The answer could be in your attitude, your approach to worship, or other factors that are preventing you from experiencing passionate worship. Don’t allow distractions to disconnect you from an encounter with God. Worship is our gift to God, but also God’s gift to us. Your spiritual vitality comes from passionate worship as a body of believers in a place where God changes hearts, redeems souls, and transforms lives. Don’t miss out on God’s best for you.

Note that some thoughts in this post are based on the book Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations by Robert Schnase, Abingdon Press, Nashville, Tennessee. © 2007 Robert Schnase

Why We Worship – Part 3

This is a continuation of a series of posts on why it is import that we worship God on a regular basis.

4. Early Worship

From what we can determine about worship in the early church, we know from earliest times that people gathered together to pray; sing; listen to God’s word; have fellowship with one another; and share in a common meal. Our worship today, while more formalized, still consists of prayer, singing, the proclamation of the Word, fellowship, and eating. Of course the common meal we have today is Communion. But we also have the breaking of bread with one another during the coffee hour and at certain events.

In both the Old Testament and in the early church, we see that worship can define a people. God’s people, the Israelites, were defined by their worship of one God, and by their unique way of worshipping him. God gave them their form of ritual worship plus another form of worship, keeping the Law. The Israelites’ daily worship consisted of observing the various ceremonial laws, such as the dietary rules and a strict observance of the Sabbath.

Today our daily worship consists of how we live our lives and glorify God, and keeping the moral law. Our daily worship should also include prayer and daily devotions, but these are no substitute for coming together as a community to worship God. Why is it important for us to come together as a community to worship?

Worship in General

Essentially, worship connects people to God and to one another. We should gather together with the right attitude, deliberately seeking an encounter with God in Christ. In worship, we meet Christ through singing, prayer, Scripture, preaching, and Holy Communion.

1. Results of Worship

God can and will use worship to benefit us by transforming lives; healing wounded souls; renewing hope; shaping decisions; provoking changes in our lives; inspiring compassion; and binding people to one another in Christian love. God through Christ actively seeks a relationship with us through worship, and will change lives. Has your relationship with the Lord improved because of worship?

More about worship in a future post. Note that some thoughts in this post are based on the book Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations by Robert Schnase, Abingdon Press, Nashville, Tennessee. © 2007 Robert Schnase

Why We Worship – Part 2

This post is the second in a series of posts concerning the importance of worship. The first post gave a brief history of worship before the giving of the Law to the Israelites.

2. Giving the Law

Eventually, God formalized worship when he gave the Law to Moses and instructed him to build a tabernacle in the wilderness. The tabernacle was portable so it could be disassembled and transported wherever the Israelites went during their 40 years in the wilderness. It was critical to God that the people worship him in the way he specified, using the tabernacle he designed as the center for worship. Eventually Solomon built a temple in Jerusalem, and that became the new center of worship for the Jews.

3. The New Covenant

Later, Jesus talked about worship under the New Covenant with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:21-24):

“Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” NRSV

The worship under the New Covenant of Jesus Christ has these attributes:

(1) The location of worship is no longer centered in the temple in Jerusalem, but can take place wherever God’s people gather.

(2) People can worship God with a fuller understanding now that Jesus, the true Word of God, has been to earth.

(3) Worship is inspired by the Holy Spirit, with the focus on Jesus Christ and what he has done for us, is doing for us, and will do for us.

(4) Worship is not a duty requiring animal sacrifices, but is a joyful experi­ence, a time of spiritual renewal, of learning God’s truth, and of fellow­ship.

(5) The purpose of worship is no longer to atone for our sins by offering sacrifices, but to give thanks and praise for what God did for us in Jesus.

We don’t have to atone for our sins again and again at the temple, the main form of worship before Jesus died on the cross. However, the one thing we must remember is that worship is about God, not about us. God uses the worship of his people as his throne, as we read in Psalm 22:3: “You sit as the Holy One. The praises of Israel are your throne.” (NCV) We benefit from the worship experience when we worship in spirit and in truth, but we are not the focus of worship, God is.

More about worship in a future post. Note that some thoughts in this post are based on the book Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations by Robert Schnase, Abingdon Press, Nashville, Tennessee. © 2007 Robert Schnase

More on Homosexuality

I read in the Poughkeepsie Journal this morning (3/24/09) that the anti-Gay church group from Kansas didn’t demonstrate at Natasha Richardson’s funeral in Millbrook (see my earlier post), for which I am thankful. The issue of homosexuality is much too complex for a full discussion in a blog, but I do want to bring out a few points on the subject for your consideration.

(1) The Bible is pretty definitive and specific about condemning homosexual practice. Although Gay rights sympathizers try to water this down by bizarre misinterpretations of Scripture, I think the better way is to accept what the Bible clearly says and then deal with it in a Christ-like manner.

(2) The Bible condemns all kinds of behaviors such as divorce, yet most Protestant churches accept divorced people, allow them to receive the sacraments, and even ordain them (to the RC Church, divorce is the unforgivable sin). If we can accept divorced people, why can’t we figure out how to deal with practicing homosexuals?

(3) What is an example of dealing with Gays in a Christ-like manner? Loving them as fellow human beings made in the image of God, and lovingly accepting them into our fellowship. Christ had hated tax collectors in his fellowship of the first disciples, he ate with sinners, and he forgave the woman caught in adultery. To hate Gays as that church in Kansas does it not at all bring Christ-like.

(4) Having said all this, I do believe marriage should be between people of the opposite sex. Marriage is what it is and has been for thousands of years, and shouldn’t be redefined to fit an agenda. For legal purposes, civil unions make sense, but not “marriage” between same sex people. I know some disagree with me on this issue, but that’s what I believe. I don’t mean it as a slap in the face to Gays, but my position is based on the Bible and biology.

(5) Unfortunately the issues of Gay marriage and the ordination of those engaged in the practice of homosexuality have seriously divided denominations. The Episcopal Church is the most visible, but the United Methodist, Presbyterian and Lutheran churches are all facing divisions over these issues. Sides have become so polarized that I’m not sure if people will be able to reach some sort of accord. The positions seem to leave no room for compromise or finding an acceptable middle ground. Please pray for wisdom for these churches in this regard.

Richardson Funeral Protests

I read with dismay in Sunday’s (3/22) Poughkeepsie Journal that a church in Kansas was sending some of its members to Millbrook to stage a protest at Natasha Richardson’s funeral. The reason for this protest is that Richardson raised funds for research for a cure for AIDS, and this church is virulently anti-Gay.

Such a protest at someone’s funeral is obnoxious and certainly not in the Christian spirit. After all, Jesus ate with sinners and forgave the woman caught in adultery. This protest reminds me of other protests that were just as bad, and those were the anti-war protests staged at the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq. No matter how noble you feel your cause is, there is also something called consideration for others. Why rub salt into a grieving family’s wounds?

Regardless of your views on the practice of homosexuality, Christians are called to be caring, compassionate, merciful, and loving. This church in Kansas is none of these, and churches like that give Christians a bad name. I suspect this church teaches that AIDS was sent by God to punish the sodomites, and so working towards a cure is going against God’s will. Let me assure you that such a church and such teachings are on the lunatic fringe and are not in the mainstream of Christianity.

Jesus died for Gays and Lesbians just as much as He died for you and me. Although the Bible clearly condemns the practice of homosexuality, the fact is that as Christians we are not to condemn those who are homosexuals. We all sin and fall short of God’s standards of behavior. Why has homosexuality become the unforgivable sin for some?

Beacon’s Pub Crawl

I read with dismay the article in today’s (3/16/09) Poughkeepsie Journal about the bad behavior of some of the patrons of Beacon’s Pub Crawl. It is unfortunate that a few bad people ruin what could be a good time and fun event. I have a couple of points to make about this situation:

(1) First of all, I don’t think offering unlimited booze is a good way to raise funds. The Beacon Community Center, for example, raises funds by having a “Taste of Beacon” event at which local restaurants offer various food items. There is also a 5K run. Certainly there are better ways of raising money for worthy causes than offering the temptation of overindulging, because some immature people will overdo it.

(2) Second, I’m not sure if there was adequate provision for handling the large crowds that attend this event. I wasn’t there, so I can’t say for sure, but I suspect there was an inadequate police presence, and inadequate toilet facilities. If you’re going to hold such an event, do it right, or don’t do it at all. If there had been a better police presence, those who were obviously drunk could have been hauled away before they started any trouble.

(3) Third, since the near riot happened by the Knights of Columbus hall, I presume that the K of C was a participant in the Pub Crawl. Since the K of C is a Roman Catholic layman’s organization, I don’t think it is a good Christian witness to be participating in this event, thus encouraging public drinking. Rather than offering booze to outsiders, the K of C should have been giving away coffee and food. That would have been the Christian thing to do, rather than conforming to the world’s ways (which I’m assuming happened – if not, I apologize).

(4) Fourth, this debacle is another proof, if anyone stills needs it, that the human race has a propensity to sin. People will take anything, such as the telephone, TV, movies, games, and the Internet, and pervert it to do evil. The Beacon Pub Crawl, while misguided in my opinion, was established both as a fund-raiser for a worthy cause and a means of having a good time. Unfortunately, people were having too much of a “good time”, and that’s where humankind’s fallen nature becomes evident.

(5) Fifth, I’m not painting everybody who was a part of the Pub Crawl with a broad brush. Most people were well-behaved, I’m sure, just out for a little fun. Most, I suspect, didn’t overindulge, pee in someone’s yard, puke on someone’s stoop, or pick a fight. A few rotten apples spoil things for everybody, so this is probably the last year for the Pub Crawl, and I say good riddance.

May I make a suggestion to those who live in the Beacon area? Rather than hitting the pubs, why not spend an hour or so on a Sunday morning or evening and attend church? I know of a great church in Beacon, one that has open hearts, open minds, and open doors to all. Email me if you would like more information.

Central Hudson Utility Rate Hikes

I read in the Poughkeepsie Journal today (Friday, 3/13) that Central Hudson Gas and Electric (“CH”) wants to raise its rates. CH’s lame excuse for this proposed increase is that conservation has reduced their revenue. So we are told to conserve energy, and then we get penalized for it! What’s wrong with this picture?

This is another example of the morally bankrupt thinking that has ruined our economy and resulted in the Northeast being so expensive. CH is merely following the example of local governments, which have significantly increased property taxes because sales tax revenue is down. So your local government is hitting you with tax increases when there is higher unemployment, the risk of more layoffs, people having lost wealth, and retired people’s income is down because of stock market losses. Nothing like kicking people when they are down. Thank you, elected officials.

Unfortunately, CH doesn’t have the backbone or the competence to adjust to the “new normal” of decreased revenue due to conservation. Why don’t CH and the various municipalities try cutting back on frivolous and unnecessary spending? Why not eliminate duplication, waste, and pet projects? No wonder more and more people are leaving New York State for less expensive states. I know I’m certainly going to retire elsewhere when the time comes.