Going to Church

It's a rare thing when I completely plagerize another's work for a sermon, but after reading Eugene Peterson's thoughts on Psalm 122 I knew that he was writing exactly what I needed to say.  Much of the material for this morning's lesson came from A Long Odedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society.  Chapter 4 is entitled, "Worship" and is an exposition of Psalm 122.  I loved the illustration Peterson used to close out the chapter but felt it didn't communicate well for a sermon.  He concluded his thoughts by talking about the pragmatic age we live and wrote, "It is inevitable that we ask regarding worship, is it worth it?  Can you justify the time and energy and expense involved in gathering Christians together in worship?  Well,
'look at the mower in the summer's day, with so much to cut down ere the sun sets.  He pauses in his labour--is he a sluggard?  He looks for his stone, and begins to draw it up and down his scythe, with rink-atink, rink-atink.  Is that idle music--is he wasting precious moments?  How much he might have mowed while he has been ringing out those notes on his scythe!  But he is sharpening his tool, and he will do far more when once again he gives his strength to those long sweeps which lay the grass prostrate in rows before him.'" [This illustration was taken from a sermon by Charles Spurgeon]

Praying at the Edge

Sermons are different on paper than when they are preached on Sunday.  How will this be heard?  Does this connect with people?  How should I say this?  Those are all questions I continually ask myself in sermon preparation.  Lament is a topic that is generating considerable discussion these days.  But how big of a role should it have in public worship?  I know there are times for communal lament such as when something terrible happens to the nation, city, or church community.  But how much room should we have in our weekly service for those who are hurting and in need of personal lament?  Perhaps Dr. Pemberton's suggestion of publically reading a Psalm a week would be a good start.  I don't know the answer, but I do know that every Sunday we have people deeply struggling with their faith, their health, and their emotions.  Perhaps a joyful service is just what they need.  Who could say that a weekly celebration of Jesus' resurrection from the dead is a bad thing?  But shouldn't we also leave at least some room for people to grieve and mourn what they've lost?  What do you think?
For more information on the two books I mentioned this morning click below:
Megan's Secrets by Mike Cope

Hurting With God by Glenn Pemberton

If you want to watch the interview Mike Cope did with Glenn Pemberton that I showed this morning click here.

On a different note, I am thankful for the privilege I have had of serving with Paul Arnold as a shepherd of this church. He has provided wonderful guidance in the years he has served and will be missed. Of course he will still be here at church and I am extremely grateful for that.

Songs for the Road

The Psalms connect us.  They connect us to our feelings.  They connect us to our heavenly Father.  They connect us to each other.  And, as we participated in praying the Egyptian Hallel Sunday, I felt connected to our deep heritage in Judiasm.  Christianity is not 2000 years old; her roots run much, much deeper.  As we continue to work our way through the Psalms I am amazed to find Jesus over and over again.  He is the stone the builders rejected that has become the cornerstone; "the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes" (Psalm 118:22-23). 

I was a little concerned yesterday that the sermon might not connect since there was little in the way of direct application.  Rather, it was a trip back into time where we could join with our brothers and sisters of long ago in the liturgy of the ancient festivals.  We could do so knowing that Jesus is the fulfillment of the feasts, thus Jesus is the point of each Psalm we prayed.  One comment I heard let me know that connection had taken place for at least one person.  She said, "I realized as we went through the psalms that God has always had a people."  Well said--God does not simply have individual sons and daughters; He has a people!  We are connected.

At The Rest Stop

As a naturally introspective person I like the idea of leaving the "highway of life" periodically and reflecting on the journey.  The image I used in today's sermon was of a gathering of people who talk to one another at a rest stop.  Is it unrealistic to think of church gatherings in such a light?  When do we take time to reflect on our faith journey?  We do better at planing for what we think will be next, or just doing the work at hand.  Both of these are of course essential, but what would happen if we regularly took time to just reflect on what is going on and what has been going on in our lives?  My suspicion is that we might have better direction for the future and feel more of call for what we need to be doing in the present.

Brueggemann's three categories of life: orientation, disorientation, and new orientation provide a wonderful analysis of not only the Psalms, but of life as well.  I find it strangely encouraging that disorientation birthed so many Psalms.  But disorientation is not the last word.  The new orientation, given as a gift from God, brings so much joy that celebration springs to life.  How can we balance our services so that they serve those living in secure orientation, those suffering painful disorientation, as well as those experiencing the blessing of new orientation?  That is a challenge we have not yet fully accepted.  May God guide us as we seek to grow in this area.

Creation Observation

I'm not sure how I would have preached today's sermon without pictures.  Psalm 104 provides the text, but the pictures provide inspiration.  I tried to preach today's sermon much like I was leading us through a picture book.  One could seek to help others understand by creating "mental" pictures, but one can only imagine based on what they have experienced or seen themselves.  Pictures don't replace the experience of hiking a Colorado mountain, but they do help give some sense of the awe one feels when standing before a mountain. 

My hope was that the idea of "creation observation" might stick with my hearers this week and that we might all be more observant to what is happening around us.  My backyard is full of blooming flowers with a great variety of shape, color, and texture.  Beautiful butterflies like to visit on occasion providing plenty of pondering possibilities.  How do they float so effortlessly?   My backyard has a small patch of thick green grass and plenty of other lush vegetation.  We are blessed to have a swimming pool and I find myself pondering the wonder of water.  It truly is one of God's greatest creations!  What king of Being would create these things?!
The Psalmist knows, "Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty" (104:1).

Off The Trail

I've been thinking about "should's" and "ought's" lately.  You know, the things we tell ourselves about what we should or ought to be doing or thinking or feeling.  They always have some truth behind them; it's just that it's not the WHOLE truth.  I've been thinking about these things while reading, studying and praying the Psalms.  Is it really o.k. to voice all the doubts, fears, and accusations found in the Psalms?  Should I really be praying from the dark part of my heart where hatred, jealously and anger dwell?  After all, a Christian shouldn't talk like that.  A Christian ought to be positive and full of joy.  Ah, there it is . . . the should's and ought's that try to keep us lined up and living right. 

The problem is that should's and ought's never have kept anyone on the straight and narrow.  They don't change a person's heart, thoughts or attitudes no matter how hard we try to use them to do this.  On the other hand, what if we took the prayers of Psalms seriously?  Instead of pretending and ignoring, we put full voice to our negative thoughts, feelings, attitudes and doubts.  And we voiced them, not to our best friend or our therapist (although in many situations that might be a healthy thing to do), rather, we voiced them out loud to God. 

My guess is that God would use that prayer to help us work through whatever the issues might be.  That is why so many of the angry, depressed, searching, lament type psalms (like Psalm 22), end up in praise.  The psalmists don't "should" themselves into change, they don't "ought" themselves to a deeper faith; instead they put honest words to real pain.  And, most importantly, they use those words in addressing God.  By doing so they are giving God some room to teach them something about himself.  And in the process they learn something about themselves, and in the midst of it all, somehow, God creates newness! 

Star Gazing

Psalm 8 is a work of art.  It begins big, "Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth."  It then moves inward into deep reflection where we contemplate our position as mortal creatures in the vast universe.  Finally it repeats the first verse with renewed meaning.  My goal this morning was to help us pray the psalm as a congregation. To help us as individuals reflect on what it means to be human in the light of God's creative glory and to praise him as the united people of God.

The beauty of praying the psalms is that they connect our head and heart as we pray.  They are not simply emotional outbursts (although that may be a part of some psalms).  Likewise, they are not abstract points of doctrine disconnected from our everyday lives.  Rather, the psalms give depth to our understanding of God while at the same time, give us words to express the deep feelings of our hearts. 

Reflecting on the service as a whole today, I especially enjoyed watching children of all ages taking flowers to their mothers.  The smiles were contagious!  It was also a great joy to see Casen Bury baptized today.  What a unique mother's day gift that was.  Most of Casen's growing up years have been as the only child of a single mom.  What a joy for Kelly to witness her husband, Kevin baptizing her son Casen into Christ.  Kevin was baptized just last year and when I asked Casen whom he would like to baptize him he mentioned that he had been present for Kevin's baptism and that if Kevin could baptism him that would be extra special.