That Baby Just Told Us to Repent!

The first words out of Jesus’ mouth in the Gospel of Mark are “The time has come, the Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news,” (1:15). This is an important message for us as we begin this Christmas season. Matthew and Luke tell of angelic messengers, a miraculous conception, and a heavenly child. John preaches the cosmic Word becoming a human like you and I, dwelling among us, and blessing us. Mark’s account of Jesus’ arrival also has something to teach us about worship. So what is it?

It tells us that we should repent and submit to Jesus’ authority. Mark states this right out of the gate: “The time has come, the Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news,” In other words, “Check yourself! The Son of God is looking you in the eye. Pledge your undying allegiance to me!” Mark does not mention the birth or childhood of Jesus. He allows the other Gospels to fill in that information. Mark instead announces a grown up Son of God who proclaims God’s authority, demands repentance, and imparts the Holy Spirit. This not-so-cuddly Jesus is just as much a part of the Christmas story as the baby Jesus introduced in the other gospels. Jesus Christ, Son of God, has the authority to announce God’s kingdom, call us to repentance, save us from sin, and save us from death. Merry Christmas!

This is a different Christmas message than what we hear at the mall. While the other gospels go on to tell the full story of Jesus’ coming, the retailers stop with Jesus’ birth. The scene is set: everyone adores the sweet baby Jesus because He is as cute as a cabbage patch doll (a great stocking stuffer for your daughter, on sale for only $29.99 at Toys R US). Seldom does the mall’s depiction of the Christmas story tell the rest of the story. It doesn’t mention the perfect God of the Old Testament. It doesn’t mention human sin and the death that sin causes. It doesn’t mention that because God became human in Jesus Christ, God has conquered sin and death! That little, wonderful baby conquers sin and death and holds the keys to the world’s salvation! The mall doesn’t share that message. It might be bad for business.

But as for our church family, don’t let the mall’s portrayal of Christmas change the Christian’s portrayal of Christmas. This Christmas, don’t let your worship stop at the historical fact that Jesus of Nazareth was born a couple of millennia ago. As you are surrounded by the flurry of Christmas plays, dinner parties, shopping, gift exchanges, and vacation, come to terms with the fullness of Jesus’ arrival on planet Earth. Let the reason WHY Jesus came penetrate your life. Whether you are a new convert or lifelong believer, take Mark’s good news to heart. Jesus Christ is Lord of heaven and earth. He is declaring the closeness of His Kingdom. He is calling you to repentance. Believe His good news and follow Him. Worship Him! You will be saved.

Get in the Game

I played little league baseball when I was a kid. I wasn’t very good. My coach frequently put me in the outfield because the ball would rarely be hit my direction (2nd graders have a hard time hitting for power). As a result, I got board. After a couple innings, I would pick grass, my nose, stare at the sky, whatever. Then, if the ball happened to be hit into the outfield, I was surprised – even shocked. One game my father noticed my meandering approach to America’s favorite pastime and pulled me aside. He said, “Tommy, you’re not paying attention. Get your head in the game. Assume the ball is going to be hit to you. Play baseball.” What my Dad was telling me is that my physical presence on the playing field did not make me a baseball player. I had to actually focus on the batter, anticipate the pitch, judge where the ball might be hit, et cetera. In order to play baseball, I had to actually play baseball.

On the topic of worship, 1st Chronicles shares a similar message: “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness,” (1 Chronicles 16:29, Psalm 29:2). So like my little league story, Chronicles suggests that you have to do what worshipers do in order to be a worshiper. Simply being in the area of worship does not make you a worshiper. It asserts that ascribing God’s glory, bringing an offering, and coming before him makes a person a worshiper. This is because worship is an activity that the believer does, rather than an event the believer attends.

There have been times in the past that I’ve sat in a church building on Sunday morning, heard the songs being sung, watched the scripture being read, observed the sermon being preached, and noted the pastor praying. And, I can honestly say that I was not a worshiper. I was a passive bi-stander watching the Christian community around me worship. Jesus Christ was ascribed glory. Offerings were made. The Church approached Jesus collectively and delighted in His Spirit’s holiness. But, I had very little to do with it. I like to think that if my Dad observed that worship service, he would pull me aside. He’d say, “Tommy. You are not paying attention. Our God is awesome! Get your head in the game! Sing loud and proclaim His splendor. Focus on the scripture and take it to heart. Offer yourself to God. Expect to experience the splendor of His holiness. Worship!”

You see, worship is not something that happens by default because you attend one of our services. You do not worship by simply attending church. You worship by doing what worshipers do. You participate in the worship services. You prepare your heart for the worship services. You take an attitude/posture of worship. You sing the songs to declare God’s holiness. You recite scripture to declare and reflect on God’s good character. You open yourself (or offer yourself) to the preaching of God’s word in order to be transformed by its message.

None of us want to be shocked if God actually hits a spiritual line drive our direction. Right? We want to be pursuing God’s work in our lives, ready for His direction. Right? If so, get in the game. Be active and intentional about worshiping Jesus. Take responsibility for your devotional life. Don’t spiritually pick your nose while the game of the spiritual life swirls around you. There is too much at stake. Jesus Christ is alive and His Spirit is saving the world! Anticipate His saving work in your life and delight in it. Worship!

A God to be Reckoned With

Throughout Pastor Bryan’s sermon series on Moses and the Exodus, the character of God (as emphasized in Moses’ journey) caught my attention. Exodus 15 states, “The Lord is my strength…The Lord is a warrior…Your right hand, O Lord, was majestic in power…In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling…The Lord will reign forever and ever.” The examples of God’s power and strength are easy pickings. But what does this facet of God’s character tell us about how to worship? The Bible is full of references, from Genesis to Revelation, about God’s power and strength. So what does that mean for us as we come together, weekend after weekend, to express the God of Moses’ end-all-be-all value?

First and foremost, I think it forces a reckoning between the worshiper and the One who is worshiped. What I mean by this is that by grasping the all-powerful, almighty, all-knowing character of God, we better understand our brokenness as worshipers and our need for God’s grace. God is great. We are not. But we are still allowed to delight in God’s presence because He loves us so much.

When Christians enter the church sanctuary as a church family, we come to worship the Creator of heaven and earth (Genesis 1-2). We come to worship the God who delivered little-old-Israel from the mighty world power Egypt (Exodus 12). This is the God who has put a lump in the throat of many-a-worshipers. I know that for me, sensing this aspect of God’s character helps me realize that I serve a God that must be reckoned with. It forces questions like, “Who am I to speak this God’s praise? Who am I, chief of sinners, to enter God’s house?” All the missteps of the previous week - the pride, the greed, the selfish ambition - come rushing forward to the front of my mind. Suddenly, I don’t feel worthy to worship as part of the Christian community. But it is so important, and fundamentally Christian, that the worship does not end there. Questions like ‘who am I to speak this God’s praise?’ are the starting line of sincere, heart-felt worship.

By asking, “Who am I to worship God,” we can then hear God’s answer. We can hear God’s good news. You are not worthy to enter God’s presence as a community, but God Almighty loved His people so much that through His Son Jesus Christ we can enter His presence in worship. Therefore, our ability to enter God’s presence in worship is a reminder of God’s lavish grace. Though unworthy, the Creator of heaven and earth loves you. Though unworthy, the God who delivered little-old-Israel from the mighty world power Egypt LOVES YOU! Doesn’t that inspire more worship? Being confronted with the awesome power of God and then experiencing the depths of that God’s grace makes me want to shout!

So as we come to worship together this weekend, remember we worship a God that must be reckoned with. In that reckoning, delight in the fact that God Almighty cares enough to grace you with His presence. This is a reminder of how much the Creator of the Cosmos loves you! Hallelujah!¬

The Need for Worship

What do people need in order to worship Jesus Christ? Do we need great resources to facilitate worship? Do we need great talent to inspire worship?

A while ago I witnessed a church service that was absolutely impressive. It involved well choreographed dance routines, at least a dozen person band, multiple LCD screens displaying cutting edge video production, top tier sound reinforcement, dynamic preaching, and on, and on. While this experience was remarkable, I don’t know if any of it was necessary.

Now I want to be clear: I don’t think that this church’s leadership would suggest that the resources/talent required for such a service are necessary for worship to take place. My guess is that they would say, “We are very blessed to be able to put such a high level of talent and resources into our worship service, but this is not what we NEED to worship.” And if they said such, I would agree.

The 21st chapter of Luke begins by saying, “As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. ‘I tell you the truth,’ he said, ‘this poor widow has put more in than all the others.’”

Obviously this widow did not have a lot of resources to put toward worship. She gave a lot less than the others. But according to Jesus, the widow didn’t need resources to worship well. She needed something else.

What we see in this scripture is that Jesus celebrates the person that gives fully. She had very little in terms of worldly wealth, but what she did have was completely devoted to God. So in answering the question, “What do people need in order to worship Jesus Christ,” it is not wealth, talent, resources, or privilege. It is an attitude of full devotion. This widow brought an attitude of devotion to God into the Temple and it is exactly what was needed for true worship.

Let this be true for the worshipers at the Cathedral too. Let us recognize what we really need in order to worship Christ. Though our local community might be blessed with the talent/resources to produce an engaging worship service, don’t let those blessings serve as a substitute for our right attitude. Let us all enter worship ready to fully devote every aspect of our lives to the Lord who is watching.

Worship as One

I went with Leah to one of the conferences that she attends. The conference focused on one movement within Christianity and included people from all over the world. I bet there were people from every corner of the planet: Africa, Asia, Australia, South America, and on, and on. These people did all kinds of different work: scientists, psychologists, theologians, historians, and other fields that I might not be able to spell correctly. It was probably the most diverse group of people I have ever been a part of. Attending such a conference, some might wonder, “What in the world can all these people have in common? They come from different parts of the world, identify with different cultures, possess very different levels of wealth, and study/teach/work in many different fields. What in the world unites them?" That is a good question.

On the last evening of the conference, this diverse community gathered for a banquet at which the keynote speaker gave his closing remarks. I could understand very little of what he was talking about, but at the end of his talk he began to sing, “At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light.” I understood that – and so did everyone else. Immediately, the audience comprised of very different people joined in. They sang loudly. Some added harmony. Some hummed the words they didn’t know. In the middle of a conference filled with people who, at first appearances, didn’t seem to have anything in common, a “worship song” broke out. That seemed to be the answer. The conference goers had their worship of the risen Jesus Christ in common.

On a smaller scale, the same might be true for us at the Cathedral. Though we may be a diverse mix of people, we have the worship of the risen Lord in common. We come together week after week and make hundreds of different voices into one. “At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light.” Young, old, rich, poor, men, women, Kennewick, Prosser, Connell, Pasco, those new to the faith, those raised years in the faith: we all come together in our worship. “At the cross, at the cross, where WE first saw the light.”

Now this is very different from what we hear every other day of the week. Some say, “The young hang over here and the elderly spend time there. The rich live in the neighborhoods over there. The poor live ‘on the other side of the tracks.’ Kennewick is like this. Prosser is like that. Men do this and women do that.” The division is everywhere.

Not so in Christian worship. We can be united by our worship of Jesus Christ. To repeat the words of the Apostle Paul, We “all have sinned and fall(en) short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23). That means that the ground is level at the foot of the cross. As we approach it, we do it as equals. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus,” (Galatians 3:28 and Colossians 3:11).

As we come together in worship this weekend we do so as one. We are rich, poor, young, old, male, and female sinners who have come to delight in the marvelous grace of a God who loves the world enough to save it. As you approach the cross in worship this weekend, join in the one voice of the Cathedral of Joy. Sing with all your heart. Sing as a member of ONE body. Worship the ONE true God!

Faithful Worship: Impractical Worship

There have been many times that I attended a church worship service and gotten just what I needed. The stresses and challenges of the preceding week had been just about overwhelming. I went to church, expressed my worries to God during the worship service, and walked away feeling refreshed.

Other times, I have attended a church worship service and gotten more than what I needed. The preceding week had been uplifting and encouraging. Life was enjoyable and I felt like things were under control. I went to church, expressed gratitude to God during the worship service, and walked away on a spiritual “high.”

With that said, there have been other times when I worshiped and felt nothing. There was no spiritual pick-me-up to get me through the coming challenges. I left church having to trust that God would see me through the difficulties even though I didn’t get a warm-fuzzy feeling in the church service. Other times, I knew I had been blessed, expressed heartfelt gratitude to God through worship, and felt nothing in return. I left the worship service feeling as if I had put a lot of energy into a heartfelt “thank you” and God didn’t have the courtesy to say the obligatory, “You’re welcome.”

So what do we do with that? What do we do when we worship and walk away feeling nothing spiritually? Well, I want to propose that we keep doing it anyway. My opinion: I think it is important to worship God through the best of times and the worst of times, through sickness and health, when we feel spiritually high and when we feel spiritually low. My reason: Christian worship is an issue of faithfulness and not practicality.

Christians worship God because it is part of the faithful life. We do not worship because we get something out of the action. We worship God because God is the ultimate “end-all-be-all” and it is totally appropriate to declare the ultimate worth of that “end-all-be-all.” Christians worship God because worshiping God is right and good. Again, we do it to be faithful.

This might be hard to understand in our hyper-consumerist world. Everywhere we go and everything we do is built to give us something. We go to work to get paid and, hopefully, some fulfillment out of the job. We watch movies to be entertained, get our mind off of work, and relax. We go to the grocery store to…well…get groceries. The list goes on and on. All of these activities are fine and dandy, but they are practical activities. We do such activities with our desired end in mind. In other words, we do them in order to get what we need or want out of the action.

Christian worship, in contrast, does not begin with our desired end in mind. It is not practical. We worship God as an end in and of itself. Warm fuzzy feelings are not a commodity that we “get” out of the God dispenser. Therefore, we worship in order to be faithful.

So let me challenge you today. Regardless if you feel a spiritual “high” or not, be faithful in your worship. Let your worship be an expression of your gratitude simply because you are grateful. Let your worship be an expression of your obedience, simply because you are obedient. Let your worship be an expression of your discipleship simply because you are one of Jesus’ disciples. If I know anything, I know this: Jesus is worth it.

Expressions of Worship

Every weekend our church sings songs to begin our worship services. Many times we clap along to the music. Some raise their hands. Every week we close our worship services with a song and people come to the front of the sanctuary to take communion. Many people get on their knees during this time. To some folks such actions might appear odd or they might wonder, “Why are they doing that in church?” Well, I would respond in suggesting that such physical expressions are actually a part of Christian worship. Physical expressions are actually intricately connected to the ideas or beliefs we communicate in a worship service.

I think that, sometimes, people understand Christian worship as an entirely intellectual exercise. As the church sings songs, we reflect on the spiritual implications of the lyrics. As the church recites scripture, we mentally wrestle with the intellectual ideas being proposed. As we listen to the sermon, we try to cognitively grasp the idea being presented and “understand” it. This is all wonderful and I would argue that such activities are a vital part of experiencing Christian worship. But I would also suggest that they are not the only part of our worship experience.

Psalm 95 begins by saying, “Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation…” Six verses later, it continues, “come let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our maker.” I find it interesting that the author of this Psalm encourages the faith community to sing as well as kneel before the Lord. Now, I am sure the writer is not suggesting that the only correct way to sing praise to the Lord is by getting on one’s knees. But the writer might be suggesting that the worshiper’s physical posture is connected to the worshiper’s spiritual posture. In other words, a good way to better understand and express humility is to physically express humility by kneeling. The author of this Psalm might be hard pressed to find an audience if writing, “Come let us worship in humility, look angry and shake your fist in the air defiantly.” It seems that what we do physically is interwoven with our ideas and beliefs.

So, when we clap our hands or raise our hands in our worship service, those gestures can actually be a part of our reflection on the words. Kneeling when taking communion may actually be THE reflection OF the words. If we really, truly feel that “the joy of the Lord is our strength,” hearty hand clapping might be warranted. If we really, truly believed that our Lord’s body was broken and His blood was spilt for us, wouldn’t kneeling at least be an option? Why in the world would our reflections on the joy, hope, humility, grace, love, forgiveness, and mercy of God Almighty be divorced from physical expression? It is hard to believe a person who says that the joy of the Lord is their strength when they have an angry scowl on their face!

As we worship together as a community and people clap their hands, raise their hands, or get on their knees in prayer, may we understand that their physical expressions are one way of reflecting their attitude of worship. Let me borrow from the lyric of “Holy is the Lord.” When we sing “we stand and lift up our hands,” may our raised hands proclaim an attitude of surrender to the Lord. When we sing, “we bow down and worship Him now,” may our knees bend in awe of our Infinite Creator. When we sing, “for the joy of the Lord is our strength,” may the clapping of hands be an authentic overflow of our joy in Christ!

A Case for Going to Church

The last post spent a little time discussing the importance of living a lifestyle of worship. I tried to emphasize that a Christian can worship Jesus Christ in acts of service and faithfulness everyday – whether that is caring for the poor, the beauty of creation, et cetera. After reflecting on that you might be wondering, “So what is the point of going to church?” I mean, our church family did a lot of “going to church” during the last week (Easter Week). We had eight different worship services over the course of nine days. This might lead you to ask, “What’s all the fuss about. We can do that all the time!” Well, let me make a case for the importance of worshiping God in church.

First, worship in church communicates that God is worthy of praise just because God is God. When we come together as a community for weekend worship services, those worship times have one (and only one) purpose: communicating the end-all-be-all worth of God. There is no other goal, no other agenda. God is told through every activity that God is the most valuable (worthy) thing in our lives. Where caring for the poor glorifies God because God is in the midst of the poor (Matthew 25), the Christian worship service worships God because God is. There is no other agenda. God is not worshiped because acts of service are taking place. God is not honored because wonderful things are being accomplished. God is worshiped because God deserves it. This activity is good in and of itself.

Second, worship in church gives us the opportunity to glorify God together. Much of our world emphasizes our individualism. We can customize just about everything to fit our personal wants, needs, dreams, desires, et cetera. We can put together a paragraph just to order a coffee: vente, non-fat, half-calf, 200 hundred degree, one pump, sugar free, vanilla latte. Even in our devotional lives, we use terms like “personal devotions” or “prayer closet.” Such phrases might be undergirded with the assumption that connecting with God involves some type of withdrawal from other people. This is not the case with worship in church. In church we get the chance to worship together. Once a week we have the opportunity to say, “For this hour or two, we as a community are going to center ourselves on God in Jesus Christ. We are going to tell God that God is of the highest, end-all-be-all value in our lives.” We can do this all the time as individuals (as stated in the previous blog), but we only get to worship once a week together!

Third and finally, worshiping God (1) as an end, (2) in community, empowers us to live a lifestyle of worship. Because we weekly join together as a community to place worth where worth is due (God), we have the right focus for the rest of our lives. Christians have worshiped on the first day of the week for centuries. This practice allows us to keep “first things first.” We proclaim God’s ultimate worth on the first day of the week. This then gives us the correct perspective for the rest of the week. So when we care for the poor on Tuesday, we are drawing on the resources of Sunday (worship). When we are gracious with the rude waiter on Friday, we are drawing on the resources of Sunday (worship). The lifestyle of Christian worship that I described in my first blog always needs, and draws upon, Christian worship in church.

A Lifestyle of Worship

If you are involved in music at the Cathedral, you have heard me promote “a lifestyle of worship” several times. I want to be clear about what I mean when I use such a phrase. So, I thought I would write some brief thoughts about the phrase in order to avoid any confusion.

Anglican Bishop Tom Wright describes worship as “acknowledging the worth of something or someone,” (Simply Christian, pg. 144). I think most Christians would agree that Christian worship is the acknowledgment of the ultimate worth of God in and through Jesus Christ. God is of ultimate, highest, undivided value.

So, when we gather in weekend worship services as a church, we sing songs to express the end-all-be-all value of God. The scriptures that we read and recite point to the end-all-be-all value of God. The words that are preached proclaim the end-all-be-all value of God. The Christian community gives its highest honor to God through various activities of worship. So, how do we make this a lifestyle when we are only in the church building a few hours a week? Should we sing a song of praise at the DMV? Should recite scripture while we mow the lawn? Maybe. The DMV offices that I have been in could certainly use it! But these are only a couple of options.

When we recognize God’s worth above all else, God’s worth can be found in many forms of our daily lives. You might call this “derivative worth.” We can worship God by delighting in, and caring for, creation. When we do so, we recognize where Creation’s worth comes from. Creation is not of ultimate worth, but creation has value because it reflects the end-all-be-all value of a marvelous Creator. Also, we can worship God by caring for the downtrodden. As Christians, we recognize that all peoples have worth regardless of what society makes of them. They are created in the image of God, right? So, we worship Christ when we care for the downtrodden because we serve the image of God in them (Read Matthew 25).

When you stop to pick up litter that is scarring a beautiful landscape, you are worshiping the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Our environment is valuable because it reflects the worth of our God. Caring for it is a way to worship. When you serve a person in need, know that you are worshiping. You are recognizing that, in spite of their circumstance, they have worth because they bear the image of God. As a result, loving that person is a way to worship God.

So today, worship like you have never worshiped before. Proclaim the worth of Christ and His character in everything you do. It is my prayer that the people in your life today (insurance agents, grocery baggers, mechanics, et cetera) will take notice and join in. Glory to God in the highest!