Havin’ Church
Psalms 95:1-95:11
For every person in this room there is probably some different idea or memory about what a worship service is like or should be like.
-This morning our special guest Heather, has helped us in this service to be a little different than we normally do.
There are many forms of worship which we may find unusual at first glance. But if examine the actions and the process it would probably not feel too strange when we look at almost any Christian service.
If we went over to St Mary’s Catholic church we would probably see the most formal and strict service. Printed prayers and Liturgies. Half way through the service half the people leave as the actual mass starts (holy communion).
In other churches this morning there are all kinds of music, Rock and roll bands and orchestras playing music, people with hands raised and some even dancing. With the wide diversity of activities that people call worship we find that all of them call on the name of Jesus for their salvation and the promises of God.
A closer example would be last year when the youth went on a camping trip at the Boy scout camp. On Sunday morning, we held a service in the woods, technically in the open. We used the camp chapel. The pews were logs that were supported by stone pillars. The pulpit was a large round boulder. The kids came over to the place with sleep in their eyes because of the extremely short period of rest they had the evening before.
They were a little dirty, looking almost lifeless. Then we fired up a boom box with some praise and worship music. Several of the glassy eyed girls jumped up and volunteered to help lead the singing. Suddenly there were smiles and voices rising. There was a little movement a little clapping. The woods were filled with the sounds of human worship. Later there was a message related the importance of youth in Gods kingdom.
Then we have the worship we do here, which is structured and in a way formal. It is no less worship and no more worship than my other example.
The key point that we need to understand about worshiping God is that it has less to do with what we do and more to do with the source on the inside of each of us. Any time we block or restrict the internal desire to offer praise to God we are holding back on worship. I will admit to you that there have been a couple of times when I felt uncomfortable in a service. I could not worship like the people around me. When that happened it was partly the lack of structure or “rules” that threw me off.
In the scripture this morning we hear a call for the people to come to worship God. They are to start with songs of praise for the Rock of our salvation. The author is saying that they are sings the praises of God to God. While it appears that the form of worship being described involves singing. It does not define how the music is to sound. Or perhaps it does, What does a song of joy sound like. When I think Joy I think uplifting, happy, and maybe even upbeat and fast. Sort of a wake me up song. Something that will change our focus from sleep and boredom to a focus on the greatness of God and his actions.
The psalm goes on to define that God is the creator of the sea and the land. Part of worship is realizing how small we are from God’s perspective, but at the same time noticing how important we are to him that he hears and receives our worship and praise. When we come to worship we focus on how big and great our God is but not to cause fear, but to realize the presence of God in our lives.
The first five verses of the psalm are a call to rejoice.
When we come to church we are coming to be reminded about our God and all that he has done. We join other believers the share the experience and the individual joys in our lives. This morning I am talking about corporate worship. I am talking about joining together in common focus of our thoughts and prayers and even in many ways our actions.
The writer says “Let Us” which indicates that Worship is a corporate action. That believers come together for a shared experience. Not that there is not a level of private worship that all of us have. But the Psalmist is indicating that worship is congregational.
According to the scripture Worship is also vocal. It may involve testimony, it definitely involves songs. Both of those involve releasing the felling and emotions that are contained in our heart, our love of God and our praise for his actions in our collective lives.
Worship is or should be a reviving experience. When we worship God we should be come ore joyful and happy. Perhaps excited and even exuberant. From the psalms we learn that Old testament worship was exhilarating. These were shouts of joy and praise. You might think you were over at a football game and people told about the actions and promises of God and the people shouted for joy!
Friends, I don’t really know why our worship is not as vibrant and vigorous as what we see in the Old Testament or in other places around the world. I don’t know why mine is sometimes so somber. Maybe it’s a cultural thing. Or maybe we’ve just gotten into a rut. Maybe were just not very expressive in general. Or, maybe it’s because we don’t have much joy in our hearts. I’m not sure what all the reasons are but I’m personally challenged by this Psalm to become much more exuberant and expressive in my worship.
-- I probably won’t strip down to a bath robe and dance for God like king David did. And I don’t expect that I will do many other things that would be considered shocking today. But I hope that I will find a new excitement and joy.
Then the scripture gives a call to reverence, it says, “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.“
We are directed that our worship is to be humble. We are to kneel and bow down because he is the master. Today we don’t have a lot of understanding of a hierarchy. Kings, dukes , counts, all the way down to peasant. In our system, according to the Constitution of the US everyone is created equal and that concept comes form a much older source – the bible. So the poorest people have the same rights as the wealthy. We really won’t go into that tothe truth. But that this the concept.
In the days of this text, all the people would have completely understood the pecking order. Everyone had a place with people above and below. The lowest would have been the infirmed and homeless, the children of the poor would be at the absolute bottom as well.
This psalm was technically not written to everyone. It was probably used in worship and in the day, some people were not acceptable to come to church. But in our culture we should never think that way. God desires all of his creation to worship. Who may come is not our choice.
The tone of the psalm changes very quickly from enthusiasm and joyful songs to awe. Humility and reverence in the presence of God. The psalm describes falling on our face in humble silence.
Worship involves animated rejoicing and silent reflection and reverence all in the same service. The psalmist, is calling on the group to give reverence based on the relationship of on going care taker. The joy and excitement are a celebration of the sovereignty of our creator and the reverence is based on a daily relationship and care giving from God.
Sort of seems backwards. But the more I consider it the more I realize the closer I feel to God the more emotional, unworthy, awe I feel. I Guess it is fairly easy to cheer for a king that rues that I don’t know. But the emotion id different when the king knows and cares about me. The one that redeemed and saved me.
Before we move on to the final part of God’s invitation, I want to make the point that our corporate worship services should always contain elements of both rejoicing and reverence. Each worship service is to be filled with praise and prostration; shouts and silence; happiness and holiness; rejoicing and reverence.
The last part of a scripture today seems to be almost a warning. “Today, if you hear His voice.” This is an urgent sounding attention getter. Basically, if you have been listening here is the point…. The psalmist is telling the hearers the proper way to respond.
“do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me,
though they had seen what I did.
The psalmist is reminding the hearer of a time in the desert when the needed water and the people fussed and whined. The named the place Meribah and Massah – quarreling and testing.
What does that have to do with worship? Why would it be included?
Not everyone comes to a time of worship with properly prepaire hearts. Some come with the attitude that they need their batteries recharged that some how the service is about them. Their worship probably does not place God at the center of their focus. The real worship of God takes place within the hert and id your heart is hardened by tradition, selfishness, pride or anything that takes your focus off of your joy and reverence to God. You are doomed to wonder in the wilderness feeling shuned and alone.
Hardened hearts can cause many problems in our lives. The can break relationships, they can cause arguments, thay can cause all the joy in life to be repelled so as to make your existence rather pitiful.
God, does not like hardness of anykind, heard heads, hard feelings, hard luck but especially hard hearts. Heardned hearts lead to harder lives, lives without joy, or fellowship, and can leave you hard on the outside and weary and exausted on the inside.
A heardened heart can’t worship because there is always something wrong, the music, the time, the preacher and none of that is the point of our worship. A heardened heart also locks God out. God can’t gice the peace and rest. God can’t heal or show his love when we resist worshiping based on selfish views and opinions. When we come to church, you have to come with the opinion that were gonna have church. The who, what, when and how are les important that the desire to praise and presence of God.
Essentially, what God wants in worship is this: that we would listen to His voice. More than just coming together to sing, He wants us to live out what we hear. That’s why we look at our entire service as corporate worship, not just the singing times. Part of worship is listening and responding to God’s Word as it is preached.
I want to make two conclusions. First, worship is to be primary. The invitation from God to worship is fundamental. He is worthy of our worship and He longingly seeks people who are committed to worship Him in spirit and in truth. When we fail to worship, our hearts will become hardened which can lead to disobedience.
Second, worship is to be persistent. Every day is “today” with God.
Ruth Graham keeps a sign above her kitchen sink that says, “Worship services held here three times a day.” We can’t put off God’s invitation. When we do, it’s to our own peril. Instead of waiting until another time, do it today or it may be too late.
Did you come to church this morning or did you come to “have church?”
To me havin’ church is a lot like when we have a fellowship lunch, I go with the expectation of a lot of good stuff, fellowship, fantastic flavors. But I know that I Gonna have desert. When I come to a special function I have expectations. I am not really dependant on someone else to make it happen. You see, I have never been to a church dinner and been disappointed because someone failed to bring all the best stuff.
It is the same in worship, God is present and available. It is my closed or hardened heart that keeps me from the good stuff. The feeling of joy, peace comport, anything I came expecting. God satisfies. The choir and the sermon are a part of worship, but I can’t depend on them to change my heart. That has to be right or at least searching for right before leave home.
Not that its is going to happen, but every main dish could run out or be less than great but the desert is going to make up for it.
When we worship, you have to come with expectation, desire and a personal assurance that you are coming here to let God know how you feel, that would want more of it. Worship is a combination of personal and congregational connections. If you come to church and aren’t in the mood perhaps the friends and family will help you to really have church. But you can’t expect to he dragged into worship like a kid not wanting to come to church. We must come with an open heart and give worship and receive his touch.
All glory be to God!
