“Why Do We Worship the Way We Do?”

Sunday, October 3

John 4:7-15, 19-24

Introduction: You might of heard the story of the man who woke up one Sunday morning, and told his wife he didn’t want to go to church. She responded, “Honey you have to go to church?” “Why,” he asked? She thought for a moment, and then said, “I can think of three reasons. First, it is good for your soul. Second, it is a good way to start out the week. And third, you are the pastor!”

There are many people who struggle with the desire to go to church. Maybe it has to do with a busy schedule, and that might be the one day they have to rest. Maybe it has to do with the fact that they plan other things to do that day. And for some, it has to do with the worship. They maybe have trouble connecting with the worship and understanding why we worship the way we do.

This morning I want to talk about worship: why we worship the way we do. I want to talk about how worship should help us to encounter God. I want to talk about how worship should deepen our relationship with God, and that through this experience of worship we are transformed.

I. Worship should help us encounter God-

a. Our relationship with God- A reality in our North American culture

is that there are many people who believe in God, and who go to church, but who don’t know what it means to encounter God. For many, God is not a personal God who cares about our lives and who desires to be in relationship with us. For many, God is disconnected from their lives.

When talking about worship, you probably wouldn’t think to go to the Book of Order as a resource. In fact, you might not even know that the Book of Order exists, and what is in it, even though I talk about it at every new members class. In the Book of Order there are three sections: Government, Worship, and Discipline. Let me read for you the first paragraph in the section on worship:

“Christian worship joyfully ascribes all praise and honor, glory and power to the triune God. In worship the people of God acknowledge God present in the world and in their lives. As they respond to God’s claim and redemptive action in Jesus Christ, believers are transformed and renewed. In worship the faithful offer themselves to God and are equipped for God’s service in the world.”

That is a beautiful statement of worship. We will talk about being transformed in a little bit, so let me focus on the first part of this statement for a moment. This statement tells us that as Christians, we are to give praise to God, honor God, acknowledge God’s glory and power, and recognize that God is present in the world.

As you travel through the worship section of the Book of Order, you see that it talks about time, space, matter, as well as the elements of worship. It is wonder-fully designed to teach, guide, and inform us of the elements of worship (you really should read it). It talks about how worship can happen at any time, ‘for all time has been hallowed by God.’ It reminds us that from ‘the earliest times, the church has gathered on the Lord’s Day for the proclamation and exposition of the Word and the celebration of the Sacraments.’ So how we spend our TIME is important, and we should allow TIME for worship, which helps us to connect with God.

We also learn that we can worship in any SPACE, but that over time the space has been uniquely designed to help people have an encounter with God and so the meeting time will be enhanced. The sanctuary is set up in a way that helps you to focus on God and be drawn toward God. LIKEWISE, the service is designed for this same purpose. That is why the service includes prayer (time to talk with God and reflect on God), singing (because music has a unique way of lifting up our spirits), scripture (because the word of God is designed to teach, challenge, encourage, and rebuke), and the preaching of the word (so that we might understand it fully, and seek to put it into practice).

So I wonder, do we worship the way we do because it is what we are best at? Or because it is what we are comfortable with? I hope it is because we can connect with God.

b. The power of rest- Rest is important. The Sabbath day is supposed to

be a day of rest from our busy schedules and our daily routine. Church is to be a place where we can come and rest in the presence of God. God has designed us to have rest when we sleep. God has designed for us to rest by giving ourselves down time (time to relax). But God has also designed us to rest in His presence, and love, and grace, and forgiveness, and blessing. In this time of rest we can CENTER on fostering an encounter with God. Worship is to be this venue where we can access the spiritual.

But too often, when we come to worship, we are not centered. So many people still have many worries on their minds. People come tired and overwhelmed. People can’t focus on God, because there are too many other distractions. REST in worship is what calms us down, stops us, and allows us to think about the encounter we want to have with God.

Illus. When I was in college I majored in music. My main instrument was the tenor saxophone. Since I was an education major, and not a performance major, I only had to play one recital; a senior recital. I was given some very challenging music. One piece that I had to learn was a Johann Sebastian Back piece for Viola de Gamba and harpsichord. Now a Viola de Gamba is a stringed instrument, where do you don’t have to worry about breathing, whereas a saxophone is a wind instrument, where do you have to worry about breathing. The piece had NO RESTS! That was a challenge, because you can’t play it on saxophone without taking a breath. I had to go through the whole piece and figure out what notes to drop so I could get a breath in, and the notes I dropped were only sixteenth notes, which gave me very little time to breath!!

You see that “rests” are important in music. For breathing, but also for the silence. The silence can be as captivating as the music, and the silence sets you up for the next bit of music.

Listen for a moment to the opening portion of the song “I Could Only Imagine” by Mercy Me. (PLAY 1:25 of the song)

Did you notice how he didn’t just sing straight through? He paused. Sing: “I could only imagine…..PAUSE….. what it will be like…PAUSE…when I walk by Your side...PAUSE…. You get the idea. The pauses, the rests, prepares you for the next words.

It wouldn’t be as powerful if you sung it straight through: “I could only imagine what it will be like when I walk by Your side…. The truth is, our lives are not as powerful, as meaningful, and purposeful, if we do not take time to rest with God and encounter God in worship!

II. Worship should transform us- (John 1:14; Romans 12:1-2;

Hebrews 12:1-2)

a. God focused- If you haven’t already gotten out the outline from the

bulletin, I want you to do it now, because we are going to do an experiment. As I talk over the next 20-30 seconds, I want you to look at the picture of Jesus in your outline. There are four dots where his nose is. I want you to stare at those dots until I tell you to stop, and then after you are done staring at the dots, I want you to look at the wall and just let the face of Jesus come into focus. Now I hope it works here, because we might have to have a white wall for it to work. Trust me, it does work, I have done it myself, so if it doesn’t work here, go home and try it on a wall in your home. It is amazing how Jesus’ face slowly manifests itself on the wall! Okay, look up at the wall and just stare for a little bit.

The point of worship is for us to focus on God. Jesus, who is the Son of God, Jesus, who was God in the flesh, is actually the way we are able to see God better. In the gospel of John, chapter 1, verse 14 it says: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” In Christ we see the glory of God. In Christ we see the unconditional love of God. In Christ we see how far God has gone in His love for us to save us. In Christ we know how we were created to live.

So, it is in Christ that we are drawn into a relationship with God and are able to be focused on God. As Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” When we fix our eyes on Jesus, which we just did with the help of the picture, and which we can do with the help of worship, then we will be able to draw close to God, and receive the transformation that God has for us.

b. God like- Example- Many women, on the day of their wedding, go to a

beauty salon to have their hair, nails, and make-up done. They do this because they want to look very beautiful for their wedding. When they leave the salon, they have been TRANSFORMED./ This too is to be the goal of worship, and why we worship the way we do. In Romans 12:1-2, the apostle Paul tells us: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. ²Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

The power of worship is its ability to foster a deeper relationship for us with God. The most powerful kind of worship is worship that enhances the relationship between us and God. The prayers build a bond between us and God. The sermon helps us to explore that relationship and understand it more fully. The Bible reading reminds us where we are to go to encounter God on our own, and takes us to that deep place of the spiritual. The whole experience is to forge a union where the love of God is placed deep inside us, and we are then motivated to change who we are. It is in worship that we offer our body to God, and make the determination that we will not live according to the ways of the world, but the way of God. When we leave worship, it is like the bride-to-be who is transformed in appearance. Only our transformation is not physical, but spiritual. We should not be the same spiritual person after we have been in worship!

Going back to the Book of Order, the last part of the paragraph I read earlier says: “…As they respond to God’s claim and redemptive action in Jesus Christ, believers are transformed and renewed. In worship the faithful offer themselves to God and are equipped for God’s service in the world.”

Conclusion: More important than the type of music (although that is important because it helps us to connect to what is going on), and the look of the sanctuary, is the attitude of our hearts. If we come longing to grow closer to God, and we come desiring to be more like Christ, then our time of worship will indeed transform us. When I am with my children, it doesn’t matter if I’m playing dolls with my daughter, or helping her change the water in her fish tank; it doesn’t matter if I’m playing Wii with Tyler or throwing the baseball with him; it doesn’t matter if I’m on a romantic dinner with Tami, or just sitting in the living room reading a book; what is important is that I spend time with them. When we come to worship with the attitude that we are going to “spend time with God,” then we will experience worship. Our worship will help us to encounter God, and be transformed by Him. Let us seek to do this in worship each and every week. Amen.

“Let Down Your Nets”
Luke 5:1-11
Sunday, September 26, 2010

Introduction: Life is full of endless possibilities! If you don’t believe it, all you have to do is look around and see how technology is constantly changing. For example, we thought it was great when we had dial up internet. Then came along DSL, and now we have fiber optics. It is possible I’m not even aware of something better than that. The point is, we think we have found something wonderful, but something even “better” comes along.
This is true of the possibilities of life as well. This is because we have a God of endless possibilities behind us. God’s power is so great, and Jesus Himself told us in John 14:11-12, “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” It’s really about having the right perspective, and letting God lead us to our full potential.

I. Find the Right Perspective-
a. Ordinary or extraordinary- Everyday we see things all around us.
The question is, do they appear to be ordinary, or extraordinary? For some, looking at a flower can be ordinary. You see flowers all the time. But if you really examine them, they might seem more extraordinary. Or in the hands of the right photographer, the picture they capture could indeed be extraordinary. They take a simple flower, frame it just right, with the right lighting and texture, and the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
So it is about framing our surroundings. In photography and cinemato-
graphy, framing is a technique used to bring the focus to the subject. It is a way to be able to focus more on a particular object in a way that maximizes its beauty. It is gaining the right perspective. Of course the perspective we have will affect the way we think about our life, our world, and existence. Too often we have a negative perspective based on the challenges and struggles we encouter.
EX. For example, there have been some years where we have taken a nice vacation: a trip to Disneyworld in Florida, trips to the Black Hills in South Dakota. But those vacations cost a lot of money, and took a long time of saving up to do them. This year we dind’t have the money to take that kind of a vacation, and so we decided to do something simpler: we went to the beach for a couple of days, and then rented a hotel room at Howard Johnsons, across from Disneyland so that we could not only use our Disneyland passes, but in the heat of the afternoon we could go back to the hotel and swim and relax, then go back to Disneyland in the cool of the evening. One of the highlights of our time together was when we were walking back to the hotel one night, about 10 p.m., and we decided to stop at McDonalds and have an ice cream cone.
It was less about the extravegance of the vacation, and more about the perspective of the time we had together.
b. The right angle- But what about more difficult circumstances, like the
sickness of a loved one. I don’t mean coming down with a cold or the flu. I mean a serious illness. How can we have a positive perspective on this? EX. The truth is, when we have to deal with life threatening illnesses of loved ones, it is a great blow to our world. We hate to see those we love in pain. We hate to be in a position where we can’t do anything to help. But I have seen relationships grow deeper than at any other time in their lives when a loved one gets sick. They spend more time together. There is more time for caring and sharing and talking, and reflecting on the wonderfulness of life and relationship! Some families can really turn a tragedy into a blessing when they frame it just right; when they have the right perspective about life and death. When they have an eternal perspective.
With God we know that we can reframe a problem into an opportunity. In God we can be confident that the right answer is there for us if we just can get the “right” angle on it. Often times the right answer doesn’t come immediately, especially if we get lost and overwhelmed in what we are going through. Our minds can become numb, or angry, or bitter. But if we seek the answer from different angles, we realize there is often more than one answer.
Ex. Going back to a photography example, I’m sure you, like me, have seen how a photographer can take a tragedy (like an earthquake, or tsunami), and out of that tragedy can come up with some beautiful pictures: pictures of people helping other people who are in dire need of help; pictures of heroic acts; pictures of families comforting one another. With just the right angle, the picture becomes breathtaking.

II. Refine the Right Technique- (Luke 5:1-11)
Along with having the right perspective, we might have to refine our technique.
a. Jesus at the Lake- In our passage this morning, we see how Jesus is
at the Lake of Gennesaret. We know that Jesus had started His ministry because He was teaching. This event took place some time after His testing in the wilderness. We see a turning point here in Jesus’ ministry, as He now moves from teaching in the Synagogue, to teaching out where people live and work. It also changed, because Jesus knew that the “religious” people in the synagogues would not be as open to His teachings as those away from the synagogues.
Jesus was so pressed upon by the people, that He decided to ask Simon if He could take Him out away from the shore and the people, so that He could teach more comfortably. This Simon agreed to do, not knowing what this would mean for Him a little later.
After Jesus is done teaching, He has a surprise for Simon. He wants Simon to go out and fish again, so He tells Simon to put out to the deep water. Simon is tired, and does not want to fish any more. But, Jesus is His Master, and so he agrees to this. On top of this, Jesus, WHO IS NOT A FISHERMAN, tells Simon, WHO IS A FISHERMAN, to put out the nets. Simon has mentioned to Jesus that in their working all night, they had not caught any fish. Night was the preferred time to fish, and in essence Simon might be hinting to Jesus that if they didn’t catch any at night, then why would they catch any now. Simon believed he had employed the right technique to catch the fish.
b. Following Jesus’ lead- When Simon puts out the nets, they catch so
many fish, its as if the fish are jumping into the net. At this Simon Peter falls down at Jesus’ feet in humility saying: “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” Why did Simon Peter say he was sinful? Because he had doubted Jesus; he did not have the right attitude. In fact, he did not have the right technique, because the right technique always starts with obedience. Simon’s lack of willingness to be obedient was sin, and Simon recognized it as such.
Not too long ago someone sent me this illustration, that says:
RECALL NOTICE: The Maker of all human beings (GOD) is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart. This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units. This defect has been technically termed "Sub-sequential Internal Non-Morality," or more commonly known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed. Some of the symptoms include:1. Loss of direction; 2. Foul vocal emissions; 3. Amnesia of origin; 4. Selfish or violent behavior; 5. Rebellion
The Repair Technician, JESUS, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required. No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Jesus will replace it with:
1. Love; 2. Joy; 3. Peace; 4. Patience; 5. Kindness; 6. Goodness;
7. Faithfulness; 8. Gentleness; 9. Self control
Please see the operating manual, the B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth) for further details on the use of these fixes….
While Jesus was here on the earth, the disciples and others were able to learn the technique of living by watching and learning from Jesus. Now that Jesus is gone, we have the Bible to guide us in our living. Hopefully we can learn that at the core of our living, there needs to be obedience!

III. Put ourselves in the place of most potential- (Luke 5:11; Matt. 11:28-30))
a. Put the nets down- I already mentioned that Jesus took Simon out to
the deep water. Who knows if that was in a similar place that Simon had been during the night, or a completely different place. Who knows if Jesus had a sense about where the fish might be. Whatever it was, we do know that Jesus directed Simon to the place in the water Jesus wanted him to go, then told him to put out his nets. Jesus believed this to be the place of “most potential,” and we see that it indeed was, since they caught so much fish that it filled not only the 2 boats already on the water, but more boats had to be called to help drag the fish nets in!!
Illus. Last Sunday I was watching the show “Undercover Boss.” Have you watched that show? It is an interesting concept. The concept is this: the boss of a company goes undercover to do the jobs of the ordinary workers; but even more to experience the inner working of the company through the eyes of the workers. It is quite funny at times, especially when the boss has trouble doing the ORDINARY jobs, and is looked at by the workers as incompetent. But it is also touching, because the boss builds relationships with the people, and finds out about their lives, and their struggles, and their dreams.
The show last Sunday was the CEO of Seven-Eleven going undercover. At one particular store he was asked by the manager to make a call to the maintenance division to have some lights and circuits shipped to the store. It wasn’t put as a high priority by the maintenance division, and they responded by saying it would be about 30 days until they got the lights. This upset the “boss” because it was a work hazard to not have adequate lighting. So, he went out to his car, called one of his vice president’s, and had him put in a request to the maintenance division. Lights were received soon after!!
The moral of this story, and our sermon, is that when you have the BOSS around, the potential for great things to happen in life increases dramatically; exponentially.
b. With Jesus- Ultimately, the place of most potential is with Jesus. Hear
again Luke 5:11- “When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed Jesus.” Simon and James and John were so moved by where Jesus had led them, that they decided they would leave what they knew, fishing, to learn how to live a more fulfilling life with Jesus. And over the next 3 years these men would be challenged, they would be tired, confused, rejected, and much more. But I truly believe that if you asked them if it was worth it, they would say yes.
We too need to learn that the place of most potential is with Jesus. This is true, because life will bring to us what it will. On our own, we will be able to manage here and there, but there will be many times when we feel outmatched, overwhelmed, or just plain exhausted. We are not designed to live our lives by our own strength. We are meant to bear it with the help of Jesus. And when we have Jesus in our lives, we will have a much different perspective on how to deal with life’s troubles.
As Jesus told us in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” In Jesus we get the strength to rest, and be built up, and then are able to serve the Lord! In Jesus we have wisdom. In Jesus we have the Holy Spirit guiding us, and preparing us, and empowering us. In Jesus we have the ability to do greater things than Jesus did!! Without Jesus, the disciples were just fishermen, or tax collectors; but with Jesus they started the church, and changed the world!

IV. Be Ready to take advantage of the opportunities- (Matthew 13:47-48)
We read in Matthew 13:47-48, these words from Jesus: “Once again, the
kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.” There are many opportunities around us. We don’t always see them as such. If we are not ready to take advantage of the opportunities when they arise, then we will miss out on bearing fruit for the Kingdom of God; we will miss out on living a productive life; we will miss out of really experiencing in our life all that God has designed for us.
Story: There is a story of a stranger who wanted to buy a barn that sat by the highway. The owner thought he was crazy since he was a city type. He said he was driving by, and saw the old barn, and he wanted to know if it was for sale. He thought it was a beautiful old barn. The owner thought his idea of beauty was funny. It had been a beautiful barn once, but there had been a lot of winter’s, and wind, and many years of the sun beating down on it. The paint was now gone and the wood had turned to a silver gray. The stranger said he was going to use the wood to line the den of his new country home that he was building down the road, and that you couldn’t get paint that beautiful; only years of standing in the weather, bearing the storms and the scorching sun could make the wood that beautiful color. That’s the beauty we have as well as we bear the years, and the sun, and the storms.
If the disciples hadn’t been ready, then they wouldn’t have chosen to follow Jesus, and they would have missed out on learning first hand from the Savior. If Abraham hadn’t been ready, he would not have left his hometown, and his family, and chosen to go do the work of the Lord. He would have missed the opportunity of being the “father” of all nations. If Noah had not been ready, he would not have taken the charge to build an ark, and he and his family would have perished.
Windows of opportunity are just that, windows. They are not huge openings that stay open for great amounts of time. They pass by us. We must be ready to see them, and even more, ready to act upon them. This doesn’t mean that missed opportunities will make our life worthless. God will continually put opportunities in front of us. But if we are unwilling to act upon these opportunities, then we will not experience the fullness and joy that God can bring to our lives!!
You can ready yourself in several ways: 1. start the day out with prayer, asking God to open your eyes; 2. be intentional about looking for “opportunities” to bring the Lord into a situation; 3. Have a willing attitude about stepping out of your comfort zone, because not all windows of opportunity will require your normal giftedness (God will give you special gifts for special opportunities).

Conclusion: What is most important is caring about what you do. If you start to just go through the motions, or if you start to let life overwhelm you, then the chances increase that you will not put forth your best effort, and you will not persevere to be fruitful. Simon Peter was tired, and at first was not enthusiastic about putting out the nets. But did you notice that at the end of the story, when they had caught all of that fish, his energy level increased, even though he was tired. He was motivated to get down and confess; he was motivated to haul in the fish. He was motivated to follow Jesus. It didn’t say that he went home to take a nap and then follow Jesus!
When we see the right answers, because the Holy Spirit is giving us enlightenment, and we have the right perspective, because God is giving us “eyes to see,” then life will not be ordinary; life will be extraordinary. In fact, life can be extraordinary every day. Part of my prayer each day is to thank God for the “excitement” He brought to my life that day. Excitement can come in many forms, and we see the excitement of life, and the extraordinary aspect of life when we are obedient to God’s call in Christ. Amen.

“Building Community: Part 2”

Resource: “Rhythms of Life,” by Christopher S. Webb

Romans 12:9-13

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Introduction: Our lives are shaped by many things; by our upbringing, by our family, by our friends, by our workplace, and on and on it goes. We need to realize that God has established church life so that we can become a community of believers. In this community we are meant to share many things. Last week we talked about joining together in our intention for living, our praying, and our working. It was part 1 of a 2-week series on “Building Community.”

I believe it is important for us to understand community, because this should be at the core of what the church is to be about. Church is to be a place where we build community together as God’s people. Building community in the church, as God’s people, is what makes the difference in our lives. So today I want to finish the series by talking about Hospitality, Mission, and Commitment.

I. Hospitality- (James 2:1-4; Rom. 12:13; Matt. 25:34-40; Col. 3:23-24)

a. Receiving newcomers- All too often, when we think of being

hospitable, we think about having guests over for dinner, or for dessert and conversation. It is opening our home to friends and family. It is deciding if you want to host the Thanksgiving dinner this year. It is deciding whether or not you will allow your children to invite their friends to come over and play. It is thought of in terms of those with whom we have a relationship.

Church father Benedict, in his expressing the extraordinary commitment we are to have to the commitment of hospitality, once said: “All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ.” How they received guests at the monastery became the litmus test of the community’s true quality, since in every guest the person of Christ presents himself to us anew; either as welcomed or rejected.

As a church, we need then to consider how we will receive newcomers and strangers; both those who might wish to join the church, and those who are simply visiting because they happen to be in town for the day, or a family member who is dropping in. Regardless of the length of their stay, we should be equally hospitable. We shouldn’t treat the one who might become a member better than the one-time visitor. If we do this, then we are not truly interested in the person, but only in what they might “do” for our church. As James says in James 2:1-4, “My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring, and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, saying: ‘You sit here in a good place,” and you say to poor man, ‘You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool.’ Have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil motives?” Or as Romans 12:13 says, “…; extend hospitality to strangers.”

STORIES FOR THE JOURNEY- “The Same Kind of Folds, p. 46

There is a story of a farmer who was working in his field when a stranger approached him. The traveler asked: “What kind of people live in the next town?” The farmer asked in reply: “What kind of people lived in the town you just left?” The traveler answered: “Oh, they were horrible. They were dishonest, selfish, and inconsiderate.” The farmer shook his head and said: “I’m sorry to say that’s probably the kind you’ll find in this town too.” With that the stranger moaned and walked away.

Later that day another stranger happened by and asked the farmer the same question. And the farmer asked him back the question he had asked the first traveler. This man responded a little differently: “The people were thoughtful, friendly, and kind. I hated to leave.” The farmer smiled, and then answered: “I’m pleased to say that is the kind of folk you’ll find here.” The traveler returned the smile, shook the farmer’s hand, and headed toward his new home.

The outlook we have toward others will determine how we see people, and how we react to people, and how hospitable we are to them.

b. Being attentive to Christ- For Benedict, hospitality was such an

important value, that the normal rhythm of their community life would be stopped and refocused if a guest happened by. In a Benedictine community, as soon as the presence of a guest is announced the abbot and other brothers are encouraged to drop whatever they are doing in order to attend to the visitor. Work may be left undone. The routine of the kitchen may be disturbed. Those who are fasting are to break their fast so that they might eat with the guest. The purpose of their rhythm of life was to be more attentive to Christ, and what greater way is there to be attentive to Christ than to be attentive to a guest? For it was Christ who said: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Even more than this, it was Christ who told us that by our actions we would be known as followers. In Matthew 25:34-40, Jesus gave us a profound teaching about hospitality: “Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' ³⁷Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' ⁴⁰The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'”

This is one of the truly profound passages of the Bible, because it challenges us to think of our service to others as if we were serving Christ. And that is indeed what the apostle Paul challenges us to do as well, when he says to us in Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, ²⁴since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” If we really believe that we can greet Christ in each guest, then attentiveness to our visitor becomes more important than the service itself! We will then live out hospitality as a community.

II. Mission- (Hebrews 4:12; Romans 1:16-17)

So we have seen that community should consist of Intentionality, Prayer, Work, and Hospitality. Next we look at Mission.

a. God’s people being active- It is important to have meetings times,

worship times, Bible study. But we are called to be “active” as Christians, active as a church as well. This activity is called MISSION. In mission we are to go out into the world, as God’s people. The Franciscan community had this passion: “Let any brother who wishes to go among Saracens and other nonbelievers, go with the permission of his minister,” writes St. Francis. Francis himself traveled to a crusader camp in Egypt, crossed the lines of battle, and shared the gospel with Sultan Malek el-Kamil, the leader of the Saracen forces. Francis pioneered an approach to mission in which the good news was lived as much as it was explained. He also wrote: “One way is to not engage in arguments and disputes but to BE subject to everyone for God’s sake. The other way is to announce the Word of God when they see it pleases the Lord.” These statements have been summarized today to say: “Preach the gospel; use words when necessary.”

“The Letter,” Stories for the Journey, p. 26: There is a story of a young man, who before he left on a long journey wrote a letter to the woman he intended to marry. He said: “This letter is a pledge of my honor and love.” Days turned into months, which turned into a year, all the while the woman never heard from her beloved. Her friends urged her to start seeing other men, but she refused, as she remembered the promise in his letter. Finally, after a couple of years, the man returned. When he saw she was still waiting for him, he was grateful, but amazed. “How was it possible for you to wait?” he asked. “Even you don’t understand? I believed in you because I had your word in the letter!”

We hear this story and might think it preposterous, because words don’t have the power they once had; the power they were meant to have. Hebrews 4:12 tells us: “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” This powerful word of God is the word we are to take out on our missions. The apostle Paul agreed with this, when he said in Romans 1:16-17, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. ¹⁷For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith.”

b. What is the mission? So what is our mission to be? The general

mission for us, as I mentioned last week, and as you will find on the back of the bulletin is: “The mission of this church is to bring people to know Jesus Christ, to help one another grow in faith, to be committed and responsible members, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, to share God’s love beyond the church.” But what about being more specific? What is this mission to look like? We need to understand that each church is to have their own specific mission based on the giftedness and make-up of the people.

However, even with saying that, it stays somewhat general until a specific opportunity arises. For example, we have had the mission to reach out to our community. This has seen specific opportunities come about like working with His Nesting Place, the WomenShelter of Long Beach, the computer classes, the bread ministry, expanding our food pantry, and renting our chapel to the Vietnamese church (to reach out to the Vietnamese of our community), and now the Hispanic church. If we are ready to respond to opportunities, then we can continue to do mission.

Along with this, we are looking to start a small group ministry in January. These small groups will be designed to build community AND to do mission. They will be a time to meet together as God’s people,, learning God’s word, but also to reach out to our friends. They will start with a core group for our church, but we will be looking to invite our friends who don’t know Jesus, and/or who don’t have a church, to come and grow with us. These groups will be in the areas where you live: Lakewood, Long Beach, Cypress/Anaheim, Los Alamitos. Where the group will meet will depend on who steps up to be the leaders. We will do a leaders training, and then kick-off the groups in January!

When we are involved in Mission, when we are active in ministry, then we will see our community grow in number and in closeness, and we will see God’s Kingdom grow as well!

III. Commitment-

a. Lack of commitment- Of course, to do mission in this way involves

commitment. And that is something that is lacking in our society. People no longer make commitments the way they used to. How can they? They are too busy. We have too many activities in our lives. It is challenging enough for people to come to church regularly, much less make a commitment to be involved.

Churches are struggling to get people to join the church; to become Elders and Deacons. To be ministry leaders. Why? Because people don’t see the church as important as it once was. I had someone tell me the other day: “I can’t come on Wednesdays anymore because I have football practice. Now I’m not trying to say that the only activity you should have in your life is church. The problem is, that other organizations don’t think about people’s religious activities when they plan their activities. It used to be that nothing was open on Sundays, thus making it much easier to choose to go to church.

But we need to understand that community is based on commitment; commitment to our common cause, and commitment to each other. In regards to the question of obedience, Benedict insisted on it, and actually legislated punishment for those who resisted being obedient. Augustine emphasized the need for community members to: “Obey your superior as a father;… both love and respect are necessary.” Francis of Assisi maintained that “holy obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ” entailed obedience to church authorities and to the structures of the community.

b. Obedience and submission- When I say the words “obedience and

submission,” how do you respond? Take some responses from the congregation….

Yes, for many people, these words have a very negative connotation; although for some they might be willing to accept it in their life. Yet, if you were to join a team (baseball, bowling, football), and the coach were to tell you that commitment was needed, and there would be practices twice a week, you would probably be okay with that. Why? Because you understand that for a team to do well, it must practice together so that it can improve and be competitive.

We need to have a similar idea when it comes to the church. We need to make a commitment to the work of God, because God’s work has eternal implications.

Illus. “Soap and Religion,” Stories for the Journey, p. 99. There is a story of a Teacher who was speaking with a group of children, when a soapmaker spoke up trying to embarrass him: “How can you claim that religion is good and valid when there is so much suffering and evil in the world? he said. What good are all the books and ser-mons that your religion has produced?” With that the Teacher motioned a small child to move through the crowd. “This is Eric,” the Teacher said. “He is three. He is also dirty. I ask you, what good is soap when Eric and hundreds of children like him are dirty? How can you pretend that soap is effective?” The soapmaker protested: “What a foolish argument. If soap is to be effective it must be used.” “Precisely,” the Teacher answered. “If the teachings of our Master are to be effective, they must be used.”

Without commitment we are not willing to put forth the effort to use the teachings of Christ, and thus the Church struggles to be victorious in this world!

We need to consider carefully how a life shared together might help deepen our commitment. Submission to one another for the common good helps us to be less concerned with our likes and dislikes, and turns the focus back onto the giftedness of the community, and how each of our gifts work together. As Romans 12:10 says, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

Conclusion: So, we have talked about 6 elements—intention, prayer, work, hospitality, mission, and commitment. We have talked about how these 6 are some of the key building blocks in the life of the church, because they help us to live as a “community,” and less as individuals; they give our church a rhythm of life. When we reflect on each of these areas, and on our unique calling and giftedness as a church, we will indeed be more intentional about living our lives for Christ, and being Christlike together.

How can you become more of a part of this community? How can our times together be less of just a gathering of people, and more a gathering of the body of Christ? What keeps you from becoming more committed? How is God tugging at your heart to be more concerned about the life of this church? Today we celebrate the fact that this church has been around for 80 years! How wonderful is this truth. But we don’t want to dwell too much on our past achievements, without being concerned with what God wants us to do now, and in the future. Let’s indeed rejoice today, and give ourselves over to the hope of tomorrow. Amen.

“Building Community: Part 1”

Resource: “Rhythms of Life,” by Christopher S. Webb

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Hebrews 10:19-25; 1 Corinthians 15:33

Introduction: Today we start a 2-week series on “Building Community.” I believe it is important for us to do this series, because community should be at the core of what the church is to be about. Church is more than a meeting place. It is also more than a place to learn about God. It is to be a place where we build community together as God’s people.

I would like to read an experience penned by Peter Steinke, because I

believe it presents an important component of community: Steinke says, “Visiting a relative who lives on the Great South Bay off the shores of Long Island, several of us joined him for a boat ride. We were on the bay in early afternoon, enjoying the breeze and fast ride. Some dark, scattered clouds cast shadows on the water, but the sky was mostly blue. The weather forecast called for sunshine with scattered showers in the evening. But several of the dark clouds suddenly bonded together. A strong breeze accompanied the darkening sky. Within minutes, everything became gray, concealing any sight of land. The wind-driven rain made visibility even more difficult. Unable to see land, the skipper turned to his boat's compass to orient himself and the boat. Motoring slowly, he was able to dodge other boats on the bay as we headed for the now-invisible shore. Eventually, we saw partial outlines of beach houses as we approached land. Totally drenched and hyperalert on our own adrenaline, we docked at our destination. Oriented by the boat's compass, we escaped harm's way, landing safely. To be headed in a direction serves people well in life, just as it did for us on the bay.” The reason I chose to share this in regards to our talking about building community, is because being in community is not always a clear path; often times there is a cloud cover that makes for low visibility. Building community is about heading together in the same direction, with the same purpose.

So this morning we will look at setting up rules, or guidelines in regards to how we can best be in community. Today we will look at “intention, prayer, and work.” Next week we will look at “hospitality, mission, and commitment.” My hope is that at the end of these two weeks, we will have a greater understanding and resolve in regards to being in community with one another!

I. The Shape of Our Lives- (Hebrews 10:19-23)

a. More than the building- It is easy for people to think that

Church, is the building, because if this building was not here, we would be challenged in where and how to meet. The building is the visible part of the church. When we talk about Community Presbyterian Church, we say that it is at 6380 Orange Ave., in Long Beach. If we want to direct people to the church, we give them directions to this location. When we come here, we are drawn to the Sanctuary, or the CE building, or the Fellowship Hall, because this is where we MEET.

But even more than the building, it is the discipleship we receive in Jesus that is really what forms community life. The building is the place where this discipleship can take place, but the discipleship itself, that is done together, is what is to shape us. It is the worship we experience, and the prayers we lift up, and the serving together that highlight our community. It is about providing a context for Christ to be shared, and that allows us to be in a place where we can grow in our relationship with Christ and with one another. As we read in Hebrews 10:19, 22- “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,… let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

As I talk about community, this concept is nothing new. In fact, ground-breaking work was done by people like Basil of Caesarea, Benedict of Nursia, Augustine of Hippo, and Francis of Assissi. These names may not mean that much to you, but they are very important Christians in regards to moving forward this concept of community life. They have taught us that the “patterns of our activity” can lead us to have great spiritual development. Meaning, that if we set-up in our lives regular patterns of spiritual activity, then our spiritual development will happen more profoundly, as opposed to thinking that coming to church every so often will lead us to spiritual growth.

b. Being intentional- So in a moment, I’m going to talk about

some ‘community rules’ that will help us in our community building and our spiritual growth. But when I talk about these rules, don’t think of them in terms of something that confines us, but rather something that guides us. It is about creating patterns of living both as individuals, and for our sake today, as the people of God. It is about guiding us to that place that will help us to have a more “Christ-immersed” life together.

These community rules that we are going to talk about need to be specific for our congregation. While they are general rules, we need to think of them in terms of our own setting. Usually churches are very haphazard in how they try to live in community, and as such don’t have the kind of community God desires. I believe this is true of our church in many ways. We have not been intentional in how we have tried to be a “community.” Hopefully, these next two weeks will help us to do better in this.

These community rules are also meant to shape our activities, the way we follow Jesus together, and being more intentional in how we care for one another.

II. Community Rules- (Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Corinthians 15:33)

As I said before, we need to be more intentional in building community if

community is going to exist. I remember that when I was in high school, because of the busyness of our schedules, (my family consisting of my dad, my mom, my brother, my sister, and me), we got away from eating meals together. We also got away from doing things together as a family. Consequently, for many years, our family did not have community. We existed together in the same house, but we weren’t building up our relationship with each other. As each of us children left, there was a void of family time together. In fact, just in the last few years have we re-established more “family meeting times,” which has helped to draw us closer to each other again. But we had to be intentional to make this happen.

In building the rules for our community, what each person thinks is important. Since each of us will be a part of the community, we must feel like we have a voice. If and when you have creative and constructive suggestions, it is always a good thing to share them with me or with one of the elders. I say “creative and constructive,” because community should not be a place where we are harsh with one another. We cannot follow the command to “love your neighbor as yourself” if you are harsh and negative and condescending.

It is also important, in building the community rules, for us to be creative. The rules should fit with the personality of our church, as well as the ministries and passions that we have. And we should keep it simple. The rules are meant to inspire, not to be a burden, because the goal is to draw us together in Christ, and draw us deeper into our spiritual walk with Christ.

1. Intention- There is a story of a father who took his young daughter

out for a “date breakfast.” After they had ordered and received their pancakes, they began to eat. At one point the father decided to tell his daughter how he loved her, and how her mother and he had prayed for years for her to come, and how blessed they felt to have received her as a gift from God. He told her a few more things, then reached for his fork to start eating, but before he could get the fork to his mouth, he felt his daughter’s hand on his harm, and then heard his daughter’s voice: “Longer, daddy; longer.” So he put his fork down, and told her some more reasons of why he loved her. Then he again reached for his fork, but again the daughter spoke out, saying: “Again, daddy, again.” This happened four times!

I too try and take my daughter out for a breakfast every so often for the purpose of letting her know how much I love her, and to build up our relationship by spending time together. I have been intentional about this since she was born. If we are going to be a community people, we have to be clear about our intention; about what we are to be. This intention will direct our choices.

Each church, each community, has its own diverse intentions. Benedict saw his monastery as a practical college for spiritual formation; a school for the Lord’s service where people can share in the sufferings of Christ and in His Kingdom. Augustine saw participation in the community as an end in itself; living together in harmony and being of one mind and heart. Basil sought to create an environment where attention to God could be nurtured. And Francis of Assissi desired to see people share together in the imitation of Christ, and so came up with the single phrase: “To live in obedience, in chastity, and without anything of our own, and to follow the teaching and footprints of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

I believe our vision statement on the front of the bulletin (“A loving place to learn how to make a difference with your life”) and the mission statement on the back (“The mission of this church is to bring people to know Jesus Christ, to help one another grow in faith, to be committed and responsible members, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, to share God’s love beyond the church”) gives us a good rule for community. I believe it sets our intention to be a place where we know Christ, help others to know Christ, love others, and seek to discover how we can make a difference for Christ. Again, it is this intention that sets us forward on our path together.

2. Prayer- All the Christian fathers agree that praying is a key

ordering principle or rule for Christian community. It is not something that should be added to the periphery or squeezed into the gaps. It should be a part of our time together. That is why we have a time of prayer each week in the church service, and why we always open and close meeting times with prayer. Also, it is why we have had special gathering times for prayer, and something we need to get back to doing again on a regular basis. Saint Benedict says it well: “Nothing is to be preferred to the work of God, “ explaining that the work of God is to have a pattern of daily worship, including prayer. Every other aspect of the community’s life is to be ordered around this cycle of prayer—prayer must never be allowed to become mere formality or duty, but to be done with heartfelt devotion.

So our foundational community rule is to establish a “rhythm of prayer.” This prayer time can take on many forms, and if any of you have suggestions from what you have heard, or seen, or experienced yourself, the leadership of this church is interested in your input! Again, we will need to develop it around the personality and profile of our church, but it is an important aspect that needs to be established.

This prayer life can look like a special prayer meeting after church (like we have done in the past), a special prayer “service,” maybe on a Sunday night or Wednesday night once a month where we sings songs and hymns and have readings, times of silence, and times of prayer. It could also be a commitment we make as God’s people to ALL pray at a certain time of the day. Augustine called this “persevering faithfully in prayer at the hours and times appointed.” Regardless of what it looks like, we need to commit to do it as God’s community.

3. Work- Third, we need to acknowledge and recognize that our daily

work is much more than something we consider to be a burden, or something that brings us a weekly check. From the beginning of time, with Adam, we see that he worked the soil, even before sin came into the world. God made our labor to be a part of who we are; a part of creation. In this work, we express the image of God, who worked for six days in creating the world.

Where this idea leads us, is that as the community of God, we don’t forget each other once we leave church, but remember each other as we are doing our daily work, and realize that our daily work is not only a part of who we are, but a part of our connection to God’s creation and God’s people. Even those who lived in monasteries had their daily work: the Desert Christians weaved baskets and had them sold at the market; the Benedictines and Cistercians tilled the soil and grew their own food; the Franciscans served the poor; the Dominicans and Jesuits often earned pay in schools and universities. In their work they lived by faith.

Last week I talked about Hebrews 10:24-25 in regards to encouraging each other. This week I mention it again: Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. ²⁵Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” When we meet together in community, we are strengthened and encouraged in a way that allows us to go out and do our work in a way that blesses the Kingdom of God. We see our work as an oppor-tunity to do good deeds, and a place where we can love others!

We need to understand that our working lives—together and apart—will contribute to the Kingdom of God being revealed among us (Remember the Lord’s Prayer, where it says ‘Your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven?”). Coming together as God’s people helps us to be built up in Christ so that we have the right frame of mind and motivation to do our work “for Christ” and for His Kingdom. It also helps us to put our workplace into perspective, remembering the warning that Paul gives us in 1 Corinthians 15:33- “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’" The church is where we remember what we believe, and how we are to live and love, and the example we are to follow in our daily lives.

Conclusion: Mary Korzan wrote a wonderful poem called When You Thought I Wasn’t Looking: “When You Thought I Wasn't Looking, I saw you hang my first

picture on the refrigerator, and I wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you feed a stray cat, and I thought
it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me,
and I knew that little things are special things.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I heard you say a prayer, and I believed there was a God that I could always talk to…When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw tears come from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it’s all right to cry..

This thought is true of community life as well. We might say: “When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you be friendly to a visitor, and I realized I needed to be more friendly. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you were touched by the music, and I realized that all aspects of worship are meaningful. When you thought I wasn’t looking, you gave some money to someone who was in need, and I learned the importance of giving.

When we live in community, we learn from each other, and we encourage each other, and we pray for each other, and we remember the importance of our call to “work” for God in all aspects of life!

Our lives are shaped by many things; by our upbringing, by our family, by our friends, by our workplace, and on and on it goes. We also need to realize that God has established church life so that we can become a community of believers. In this community we are meant to share many things. Today we talked about joining toge-ther in our intention for living, our praying, and our working. Next week we’ll talk a little bit more about what it means to be the community of God together, and the difference that it can make in our church and in our lives. Amen.