How Broad Is The Kingdom Of God: Series Introduction
various Scriptures Jan 8, 2006
Intro:
• “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2:19
• “David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might.” 2 Sam 6:14
• “Ahab went to meet Elijah. When he saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?" "I have not made trouble for Israel," Elijah replied. "But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the LORD’s commands and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table."” 1 Kings 18:17-19
• “1 (God said): "Now, (Ezekiel) son of man, take a clay tablet, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it. 2 Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it. 3 Then take an iron pan, place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel… 9 "Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the 390 days you lie on your side. 10 Weigh out twenty shekels [b] of food to eat each day and eat it at set times. 11 Also measure out a sixth of a hin [c] of water and drink it at set times. 12 Eat the food as you would a barley cake; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement for fuel."” Ezekiel 4:1-3, 9-12
• “The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.” (a chapter later…) “So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD.” Genesis 12:7-8; 13:18
• “Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This girl, who was also known as Esther, was lovely in form and features, and Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.” Esther 2:7
• “1In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." 3This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, ’Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ " 4John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.” Matt 3:1-4
• One of the Psalmists wrote: “3 Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars. 4 Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. 5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created. 6 He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away. 7 Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, 8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, 9 you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, 10 wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds” Psalm 148:3-10
• “God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.” 1 Kings 4:29
What’s The Connection?
By now, no doubt, most of you are trying to figure out what those nine passages of Scripture have in common; what those nine people share that would merit their inclusion in my introduction. So let me tell you: nothing.
In fact, it gets even worse. Imagine with me, for a moment, that those nine Biblical characters were all a part of the same church. The church called a meeting to talk about how to conduct the next week’s worship service… and these nine people came. Let’s imagine the conversation:
Cast:
Moderator – Steve
David – Sue
Solomon – Trevor
Abraham – Ray
Ezekiel – Kelly
John – Joshua
Psalmist – Brian Wiens
Mary – Lyn
Mordecai – Cathie
Elijah – Matt
Moderator (Steve): “Ahem… I’d like to call the meeting to order. If you’d please grab your coffee and find a seat, we’ll begin. I’m glad you each came this evening to talk about how to conduct next week’s worship service, I respect each of you and know that you have a close walk with God and will have a lot to contribute. Let me start with David – you know a lot about worship, what do you think?”
David (Sue): “We’ve really got to crank it up a notch! There is no enthusiasm, no excitement, I mean, don’t you people know who God is?? We have to celebrate, we have to dance and shout and really, truly rejoice! Let the Holy Spirit free, and go for it! Who cares what anyone else thinks – we are worshipping the incredible God of the Universe!”
Solomon (Trevor): (interrupting) “Ok dad, ok, take a breath, settle down, let’s get a little more realistic. Of course there is a time for that type of worship, in fact there is a time and a season for everything, but we shouldn’t try to manufacture it artificially. We need to understand God more, we need to study His word, and when our minds are renewed we will be transformed, and then our worship will be a true response to who God is.”
Moderator (Steve): “ok, thanks, umm, Abraham – what do you think?”
Abraham (Ray): “Well, I believe we need to get back to our roots. We keep changing everything, and throwing out a whole bunch of great and godly things. We need to come to the altar, we need to rediscover our traditions and the things that have held meaning and brought God’s people to worship since the very beginning. If we could reconnect to those things we would discover so much depth and meaning.”
Ezekiel (Kelly): “I agree, and we need to take it a step further. We need beauty, we need things that will grab a hold of our senses and involve our whole being. I encounter God through taste, smell, sight, and we need to bring in all those things into worship so that we can worship God with all of who we are. We need a more beautiful building, we need to fill it with sound and texture and beautiful sculptures and paintings and…”
John (Joshua): (interrupting) “all right, I’ve heard enough! All that stuff is just a big distraction and waste of money. If we really want to worship, we need to strip everything away. Bare walls, sit on the floor, silence. The problem with worship is that there is too much noise, too much activity, and we need to cut that all away so that we can just sit in quiet and listen to God. Better yet, let’s all go to the desert for a while and there, I can promise you, we’ll learn how to really worship.
unknown Psalmist (Brian Wiens): “That last part is right on, John. Our problem is that we sit inside the sanctuary hoping God will come to us. But we need to go to Him, get out of our pews and go for a walk, look up at the mountains, listen to the birds, sit beside a stream. Haven’t you read Psalm 23 – “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures… leads me beside quiet waters… he restoreth my soul…?”
David (Sue): “Of course I’ve read it – I wrote it! But you can do that all week long on your own – when we come together we have to celebrate and rejoice and get excited…”
Moderator (Steve): “Alright, thank you all, I’d like to hear from some of you who haven’t said anything yet. Mary, what do you think?”
Mary (Lyn): “Well, umm, I like a lot of what John said, and the unknown Psalmist, about being quiet and alone, but there is more to it than that. We each need to examine our hearts, down deep, and let God speak to us. We need to be intimate, climb up on God’s lap and sit quietly and listen to Him and softly tell Him how much we love Him. I mean, that is the heart of worship, isn’t it, telling our precious bridegroom how much we love Him. It is that simple.
Mordecai (Cathie): “Yes, now we are getting closer! But it can’t just stop there – we have to express that love for God by loving one another. Paul wrote in Eph 5:19 that we are to “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.” If we ignore the needs of our brothers and sisters around us who are hurting, we are being just like the goats in Jesus’ example about the sheep and the goats.
Moderator (Steve): “well, umm, you all make a number of good points but we aren’t really making much progress on planning next week’s worship service… so I think I’ll take one more comment from Elijah, whom we haven’t yet heard from.”
Elijah (Matt): “I’m not sure you really want to hear what I have to say…”
Moderator (Steve): “yes, we do, we know that God speaks through you and we want everyone’s input…”
Elijah (Matt): “ok, you asked for it. With all due respect, I think this whole conversation is a waste of time. There is a world full of people dying without knowing the truth. There are injustices and innocent people being abused and none of the Christians are standing up and fighting for the needy or feeding the hungry or running for office because we are all sitting in meetings arguing about what our worship service should look like next week!”
Moderator (Steve): (after a bit of a stunned silence) “yes, well, umm, thank you all for your input… we’ll certainly take it all under advisement… I guess we’ll take Elijah’s comments as a motion for adjournment!
So, Who’s Right?
So, who is right? There are lots of perspectives, lots of possibilities, lots of truth in each of those statements. But who is right?? Whose vision of worship should prevail and be the predominant one on a regular basis?
Naming The Pathways:
I chose those nine to represent each of what author Gary Thomas calls “Sacred Pathways”. Basically, he identifies 9 different “paths” through which we discover, worship, and experience God.
David is the “Enthusiast”; who is an example of the people who need and desire excitement, joy, and celebration in worship. Worship needs to explode from within, they need to get caught up in the vastness and mystery and power of God. They want a worship service to be sort of like the home crowd when the Eskimos win the Grey Cup.
Solomon is the “Intellectual”, an example of the people who know and find God deeply through the mind, through Biblical truth, through concepts and ideas. They feel closest to God when they first really understand something new or deeper about who He is. Intellectuals want a worship service to be full of captivating teaching that stretches them and remind them of who God is, sort of like the best lecture imaginable.
Abraham is the “Traditionalist”. I began by reading about how he built altars all over the place, to set markers in the places where he met God. They are often disciplined, faithful, and find deep meaning in connecting with Christians throughout time as they participate in symbols and rituals that have held meaning for a long time. Traditionalists believe that worship services need to be structured, consistent, and predictable so that they can get past the “form” and to the depth of meaning. The way we usually celebrate communion here at Laurier is an example of the kind of worship these Christians crave.
Ezekiel is and example of what Thomas calls a “Sensate”. Basically, these are Christians for whom their physical senses are the pathways through which they meet, experience, and worship God. They love art, architecture, sound, even taste and smell. They find in difficult to worship in barren places, and instead long to be lost in the beauty and awe and greatness and majesty of God. For these Christians, a quote “High Church” type of service with incense, grand buildings, rich tapestries, and that type of thing is what they crave. When I plan a Christmas Eve service, I hope that it connects with Sensates in a way that other services might not.
John the Baptist is the “Ascetic”; note the spelling. We can think of the classic monks, or of many of the religious orders that emphasize simplicity in life. For these Christians, most of the things that the “Sensates” need are distractions. They value silence, and getting rid of the clutter so that Jesus can be the only thing for them to focus on. The ultimate worship experience for an Ascetic is a fasting retreat in an isolated cabin with nothing but a few clothes and their Bible.
The Psalmist is a “Naturalist”; who discovers and experiences God through nature. These Christians hear and see and worship most when they get out of a building, breathe fresh air, study a leaf, walk through the woods, or climb a mountain. In nature, they discover God alive and big and powerful and respond in worship.
Mary is the “Contemplative”; which is a type of those Christians who want nothing more than to sit at Jesus’ feet, gaze into His eyes, and love Him. Most often this is a private, personal experience, and they are drawn to the ideas of Jesus as the bridegroom, the loving father, and for them worship is just being in God’s presence and experiencing His love.
Mordecai is an example of the “Caregiver”. Care givers see and experience and worship God as they serve others, especially the most needy. Mother Theresa is another example. For these Christians, the deepest moments of worship and of meeting God come as they share their love for God with other needy people in a very tangible way.
The last one, Elijah, is an example of the “Activist”. These Christians tend to be confrontational, and are passionate about working for justice and evangelism. For them, moments of worship and closeness to God come in “the heat of battle”, fighting injustices and working for the Kingdom of God. Worship means standing against evil and calling sinners to repentance.
Overview:
Over the next couple of months, we are going to spend time together discovering the great variety and richness that comes through this kind of diversity, and God willing we will see a bit more about How Broad Is The Kingdom of God. My goal through this series is that we will grow to understand, value, and love one another more as we discover our own “Sacred Pathway” and as we see how even when others choose a different path, we are each heading towards Christlikeness. Although I haven’t talked about it today, the other resource that will guide this adventure is a book called “Streams of Living Water” by Richard Foster.
(first service). As we discover the different pathways, we are going to try to incorporate elements of those into our service. Obviously, some weeks that will be more difficult to do than others – anyone really want to meet out in the snow?? – but as much as we can, we are going to try to not just talk about them but to see them and maybe experience them. So I’m going to ask us all to be open to new experiences, and to rejoice that they might be really meaningful to someone you know and care about even if it is not a pathway that resonates with you. To help that along, many of the coming weeks we are planning to have the “teaching” or “sermon” part earlier in the service and then have a time of worship afterwards where we can put into practice some of what we have just talked about.
(both services). In your bulletin you’ll find the schedule for the series. I plan to begin each demonstrating that approach to worship in Jesus’ life, and I’d love to have some of you share some testimonies of how you met and worship God on your “pathway”; so if you’re willing to do so please get in touch with me. You’ll also find a little “quiz” in your materials that is just a simple tool to help you begin to identify which pathways (and for most of us there will be a combination). I also have an email version that you can do in Microsoft Excel if you’d like to do it that way. I’d really like everyone to take that little quiz this week.
Conclusion:
Let me wrap up by quoting the end of Gary Thomas’ book:
“We were made to love God. Think about that for a minute – we were made to love God. Like two gardeners… each of us stand before an open plot of land. God will search heaven and earth to provide us with what we need to plant and maintain a beautiful garden of love, intimacy, and fellowship with Him. Not a second of our existence passes without God thinking about how to turn our hearts toward him. Not a single second.
The almost unbelievable joy is that you can enjoy a relationship with God that He will have with no one else. And God eagerly, passionately, yearns for that relationship to begin. God is just as eager to love and know you as He was to know Moses, David, and Mary. You are no less precious to Him than were these heroes of the faith. But each one of these saints – Moses, David and Mary – spent time cultivating and growing their relationship with God. Each one made knowing God the chief passion of their heart. Will you respond that invitation today?” (Thomas, p. 223-224 emphasis original).
# Question Response (Low 1 High 5)
1 I really enjoy having thirty minutes of uninterrupted time a day to sit in quiet prayer and “hold hands” with God, writing love letters to him and enjoying his presence.
2 I feel closest to God when I’m cooperating with him in standing up for his justice: writing letters to government officials and newspaper editors, picketing at an abortion clinic, urging people to vote, or becoming familiar with current issues.
3 I would enjoy reading The Transforming Friendship.
4 I feel closest to God when I’m in a church that allows my senses to come alive- when I can see, smell, hear and almost taste His majesty.
5 I would really enjoy developing a personal rule (or ritual) of prayer.
6 The words lover, intimacy, and heart are very appealing to me.
7 I get very frustrated if I see apathetic Christians who don’t become active. I want to drop everything else I’m doing and help the church overcome its apathy.
8 The words service and compassion are very appealing to me.
9 I spend more money on music and worship tapes than on books.
10 I would like to awaken the church from its apathy.
11 The words celebration and joy are very appealing to me.
12 I would enjoy reading the book The Mystery and Excitement of Walking with God.
13 I feel cut off if I have to spend too much time indoors, just listening to speakers or singing songs. Nothing makes me feel closer to God than being outside
14 If I could escape to a garden to pray on a cold day, walk through a meadow on a warm day, and take a trip by myself to the mountains on another day I would be very happy.
15 The words courageous confrontation and social activism are very appealing to me.
16 I fell closest to God when I’m surrounded by what He has made- the mountains, the forests, or the sea
17 God is an exciting God, and we should be excited about worshipping him. I don’t understand how some Christians can say they love God, and then act like they’re going to a funeral whenever they walk into church.
18 I feel closest to God when I’m participating in a familiar form of worship that has memories dating back to my childhood. Rituals and traditions move me more than anything else.
19 A book entitled 99 Ways to Help Your Neighbour would be very appealing to me.
20 I enjoy attending a “high church” service with incense and formal communion or Eucharist.
21 I would really enjoy using drawing exercises or art to improve my prayer life.
22 I feel closest to God when my heart is sent soaring and I feel like I want to burst, worship God all day long, and shout out His Name. Celebrating God and His love is my favourite form of worship
23 A book called Nature’s Sanctuaries: A Picturebook would be very appealing to me.
24 The book written by Frank Schaeffer, A Time for Anger, would be an important book for me to read.
25 I would prefer to worship God by spending an hour beside a small brook than by participating in a group service
26 A book titled symbolism and Liturgy in Personal Worship would be appealing to me.
27 The words concepts and truth are very appealing to me.
28 The most difficult times in my faith are when I can’t feel God’s presence within me.
29 The words tradition and history are very appealing to me.
30 I sense God’s power when I am counselling a friend who has lost a job, preparing meals for or fixing the car of a family in need, or spending a week at an orphanage in Mexico.
31 I grow weary of Christians who spend their time singing songs while a sick neighbour goes without a hot meal or a family in need doesn’t get help fixing their car.
32 Individualism within the church is a real danger. Christianity is a corporate faith, and most of our worship should have corporate expression.
33 I would rather nurse someone to health or help someone repair their house than teach an adult Sunday school class, go on a prayer and fasting retreat, or take a lonely walk in the woods.
34 I feel close to God when I participate in several hours of uninterrupted study time –reading God’s Word or good Christian books and then perhaps having and opportunity to teach (or participate in a discussion with) a small group.
35 Participating in a formal liturgy or prayer-book service, developing symbols that I could place in my car, home or office and developing a Christian calendar for our family are activities that I would enjoy.
36 When I think of God, I think of love, friendship, and adoration more than anything else.
37 Taking an overnight retreat by myself at a monastery where I could spend large amounts of time along in a small room, praying to God and studying His Word, and fasting for one or more days are all activities I would enjoy.
38 I would enjoy reading the book A Place Apart: Monastic Prayer and Practice for Everyone.
39 I feel closest to God when my emotions are awakened, when God quietly touches my heart, tells me that he loves me, and makes me feel like I’m His closest friend. I would rather be alone with God, contemplating His love, than participating in a formal liturgy or being distracted by a walk outside.
40 I feel closest to God when I am alone and there is nothing to distract me from focussing on his presence.
41 Seeing God’s beauty in nature is more moving to me than understanding new concepts, participating in a formal religious service, or participating in social causes.
42 I get frustrated when the church focuses too much on feelings and spiritual experience. Of far more importance is the need to understand the Christian faith and have proper doctrine
43 I would really enjoy spending time on a night watch, taking a short vow of silence, simplifying my life.
44 I feel closest to God when I see him in the needy, the poor, the sick, and the imprisoned. I feel God’s presence most strongly when I am sitting quietly beside the bed of someone who is lonely or ill or taking a meal to someone in need. You can count on me to offer a ride or volunteer for helping activities.
45 I spend more money on books than music tapes.
46 The words sensuous, colourful and aromatic are very appealing to me
47 A book called The Beauty of Worship would be appealing to me
48 Activism like confronting a social evil, attending a meeting to challenging the new curriculum before the local school board, volunteering on a political campaign are important to me.
49 A book on church dogmatics would be appealing to me.
50 I would enjoy attending a workshop on learning to worship through dance or attending several worship sessions with contemporary music. I expect that God is going to move in some unexpected ways.
51 I’d have a difficult time worshipping in a church building that is plain and lacks a sense of awe or majesty. Beauty is very important to me, and I have a difficult time worshipping through second-rate Christian art or music.
52 I feel closest to God when I learn something new about Him that I didn’t understand before. My mind needs to be stimulated. It’s very important to me that I know exactly what I believe.
53 The words silence, solitude and discipline are very appealing to me.
54 I would describe my faith as more “internal” than “external”
Scoring Key:
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Sacred Pathways
1= Naturalist Loving God Out of Doors
“Where we worship can have a profound impact on the quality of our worship. The naturalist seeks to leave the formal architecture and the padded pews to enter an entirely new “cathedral”, a place that God himself has built: the out-of-doors.” “…the Bible is meant to be read outside…The phrase “river of life” seems quaint when the words are projected up on a wall; but its power is nearly overwhelming when you stand by a swiftly flowing river.”
2= Sensate Loving God With the Senses
“Sensate Christians want to be lost in the awe, beauty, and splendour of God. They are drawn particularly to the liturgical, the majestic, the grand. When these Christians worship, they want to be filled with sights, sounds, and smells that overwhelm them. Incense, intricate architecture, classical music, and formal language send their hearts soaring.” These Christians delight in sensuous onslaught. “The five senses are God’s most effective inroad to their hearts.” “Biblical accounts of the glory of God in the heavens are elaborate affairs, and rarely quiet.”
3= Traditionalist Loving God Through Ritual and Symbol
“Traditionalists are fed by what are often termed the historic dimensions of faith: rituals, symbols, sacraments, and sacrifice. These Christians tend to have a disciplined life of faith. Some may be seen by others as legalists, defining their faith largely by matters of conduct…. Traditionalists have a need for ritual and structure.” “Rituals provide structure for our faith. Once we learn to use them, traditionalists can also incorporate the use of symbols, which provide meaning.”
4= Ascetic Loving God in Solitude and Simplicity
Ascetics want nothing more than to be left alone in prayer. Take away the liturgy, the trappings of religion, the noise of the outside world. Let there be nothing to distract them – no pictures, no loud music – and leave them alone to pray in silence and simplicity. Ascetics live a fundamentally internal existence. Even when they are part of a group of people, they might seem to be isolated from the others. Uncomfortable in an environment that keeps them from ‘listening to the quiet’.” “True ascetics are strict with themselves but treat others with supernatural gentleness.”
5= Activist Loving God Through Confrontation
“Activists serve a God of justice, …their favourite Scripture is often the account of Jesus cleansing the temple. They define worship as standing against evil and calling sinners to repentance. Activists may adopt either social or evangelistic causes, but they find their home in the rough-and-tumble world of confrontation. They are energized more by interaction with others, even in conflict, than by being alone or in small groups.”
6= Caregivers Loving God by Loving Others
“Caregivers serve God by serving others. They often claim to see Christ in the poor and needy, and their faith is built up by interacting with other people. Such Christians may (consider) the devotional lives of contemplatives and enthusiasts (to be) selfish. …caring for others…recharges a caregiver’s batteries.” “Some Christians will have a particular gift and calling for (caregiving). These acts of mercy are a very practical way for them to show their love for God, but also to grow in their love for God. Caregivers may hear God more clearly when they change an adult’s diaper than when they sit quietly in prayer.”
7= Enthusiast Loving God with Mystery and Celebration
“Excitement and mystery in worship is the spiritual lifeblood of enthusiasts. …enthusiasts are inspired by joyful celebration… cheerleaders for God and the Christian life. Let them clap their hands, shout ‘Amen!’ and dance in their excitement, that’s all they ask. …They don’t want to just know concepts, but to experience them, to feel them, and to be moved by them.” “Enthusiasts enjoy a celebratory form of worship as well as many of the more supernatural forms of faith. …like to let go and experience God on the precipice of excitement and awe.”
8= Contemplative Loving God Through Adoration
“Contemplatives refer to God as their lover, and images of a loving Father and Bridegroom predominate their view of God. …The focus is not necessarily on serving God, doing His will, accomplishing great things in His name, or even obeying God. Rather, these Christians seek to love God with the purest, deepest, and brightest love imaginable.” Contemplatives want nothing more than some privacy and quiet to gaze upon the face of their heavenly Lover and give all of themselves to God.”
9= Intellectual/Conceptual Loving God with the Mind
“Intellectuals…are likely to be studying…doctrines like Calvinism, infant baptism, ordination of women, and predestination. These Christians live in the world of concepts. “When intellectuals’ minds are awakened, when they understand something new about God or His ways with His children, then their adoration is unleashed. (They) may feel closest to God when they first understand something new about Him. “Intellectuals remind us of the high calling of loving God with our mind. …The Bible is emphatic that our mind is one of the key elements that we can use to love God.” “The sermon…does not follow or precede worship – it is worship.”
