What Is Worship?
Sermon
Big Lessons From Little-Known Letters
Second Lesson Sermons For Sundays After Pentecost (Middle Third) Cycle C
It's a typical Sunday morning at St. Stephen Presbyterian Church in Orlando, Florida. The people file in and sit down in plush pews. Their attention is drawn to the chancel where they see choir members calmly seated, robed in dark blue and white. The mahogany altar table is draped with a silk parament. Two bronze candleholders stand guard at the table edges.
But then one's gaze notices something seemingly out of place next to the richly finished furniture. It's a Roland XP-80 M.I.D.I. keyboard. Standing behind the device is a pony-tailed gentleman strumming an acoustic six-string guitar. On the other side of that altar table is another unfamiliar sight. It is a full percussion ensemble of congas, bongos, and chimes.
As the soft prelude ends, six young people walk up on the platform. After the call to worship, a jazzy, rhythmic song set begins. It's a hand-clapping, toe-tapping, praise song titled "The River is Here." After this song, an upbeat version of the Apostle's Creed is sung to lush, layered keyboard horns and strings. The singing concludes with a choir-backed soloist singing Rich Mullins' "Awesome God." Applause breaks out in the congregation, with a few robust "Amens." Is this Presbyterian worship? It depends on who you ask.
Norman regularly maintains those skyscraper candles on the altar table. That morning he came early and did his duty with the candles: removing old wax and polishing brass. But after his task was done, he didn't go sit in the pew with his wife. Norman tossed his offering envelope in the plate and made a beeline for the door. Within earshot of the choir, he blurted out, "We're going over to Grace Covenant Church where they still offer real Presbyterian worship!" Is Norman accurate?
If you talk with Leslie, a member of the worship team, she would say something different. Leslie was baptized and confirmed in this church, but then fell away. She loved the people, but was bored with the worship. This blended worship they were now doing fit her musical preferences. After all, how many teenagers get in their car and crank up a classical organ medley? Is Leslie closer to defining real worship accurately?
John Buchanan is a well-known pastor in Chicago. He has a definition of worship that would satisfy both Norman and Leslie, while aligning accurately with the author's intent in Hebrews 12:28-29. According to Buchanan, "Worship is not a matter of style, but practicing the presence of God." But as any church in the renewal mode knows, definitions mean different things to different people. That's where leadership gets sticky.
Add to that dilemma the claim of George Barna in his book Virtual America. In his research, Barna found that 34 percent of the people who attended religious services never experienced the presence of God in a service of worship. Never! If nearly one third of the people in a given worship event have never experienced God in God's house, a question naturally emerges. What is worship? If it is practicing the presence of God, which works theologically and biblically, then there is still a problem for our barren 34 percent of churchgoers.
Perhaps that is why the writer of Hebrews reminds us in verses 18-24 how we are to practice the presence of God. We are not to experience God as Moses did on Mount Sinai, with fear and terror (vv. 18-21). We don't come cringing to God. That's not worship. Worship in the New Testament and in Hebrews 12 is relational. We experience God as card-carrying members in a heavenly covenant community (vv. 22-24). The contrasting Mount Sinai/Mount Zion themes here help us embrace God's acceptance into this community. Mercy, not judgment, punched our membership ticket.
Because of this grace God has given us, we are to avoid saying, "No thanks" (vv. 25-27). Here we have ancient Israel as a negative example. By their lifestyles they in effect refused "the one who is speaking." The stakes will increase also because if God's hospitality was rejected once, the second time won't be pretty.
Noctilucent ice clouds are very rare, forming at extremely high altitudes, shining brightly in the summer, night sky. For the past 100 years they have been seen mostly over Alaska, Canada, and Scandinavia. They are actually quite impressive, appearing as glossy white wisps streaked with a silver-blue tint. There is often a strong illumination on the horizon behind them.
But these breathtaking clouds may have a dark lining. Many scientists believe they are an ominous warning that earth's atmosphere is being upset. Because they are forming in the upper atmosphere, experts are worried. The clouds are an ice formation of sorts, which spell cooling in the earth's upper atmosphere. When the clouds began showing up in Colorado and Utah, latitudes much farther south, scientists noticed -- and became concerned.
That's because rising levels of carbon dioxide and methane cause upper atmosphere cooling, both products of an industrialized earth. A meteorology instructor named Richard Keen said he was "shocked" to see them as he drove west into the Boulder, Colorado, foothills one evening. He believes it could be an isolated event, but prefers to assign it to cooling in earth's upper atmosphere. He concludes soberly, "But once they've happened here, that tells you it can happen again."
What's in store for humankind if we don't heed these warnings? If we refuse to listen to the authorities now, what will be the outcome later? The parallel principle with those noctilucent clouds and our passage in Hebrews is this: listen carefully and obey, and do it in confidence based on a promise.
That promise comes to us in verse 28 where we are assured of "receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken." Earth's upper atmosphere may very well be disintegrating, but God's kingdom is firmly intact. So we can rejoice, be confident, and thankful. We can pursue a lifestyle pleasing to God, which the writer terms "acceptable worship." What is that?
Broadly defined, acceptable worship is serving God in all of life with honoring choices. It's much like question number one in the Westminster Confession, which asks, "What is the chief aim of man?" The answer is, "The chief aim of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever." That is acceptable worship.
More narrowly defined, acceptable worship is marked by "reverence and fear." In keeping with the author's emphasis on warning in this chapter, it's best to think of "reverence and awe" as healthy respect. One does not run across a four-lane interstate highway without looking both ways repeatedly. We tend to have a healthy respect for cars traveling at 75 miles per hour.
Whether we interpret "acceptable worship" broadly or narrowly, we can quickly see that both Norman and Leslie at St. Stephen are right! If our worship is done "decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40), in "spirit and truth" (John 4:24), it's acceptable. No particular style is any more sacred than another is if they are marked by "reverence and awe."
Take the style of gospel singer, Kirk Franklin. He is fusing hip-hop dance music with traditional gospel, and it's spreading like wildfire. In 1997, this segment of the music industry earned an estimated 550 million dollars. It outsold all classical and jazz recordings. With its frantic tempo, throbbing bass lines, and rapping lyrics, is it worship? Yes. According to Danny Wilson, the creator of "Holy Hip-Hop," a hip-hop radio program which airs Sunday mornings in Atlanta, it is meeting the spiritual needs of people. Remember, worship isn't a matter of style, it's practicing the presence of God.
One Saturday morning, a minister was listening to some new Christian music. A CD titled "Nitro Praise" was playing. As you can imagine, it rocked. A college-aged neighbor popped over to pick up his younger niece who had been playing with the minister's two daughters. The college man overheard dynamic hip-hop music blasting from the minister's study. Now, in the past, these two men waved to one another, but had never really talked. The college man was hooked by the music. It was his style. He said, "Reverend, what in the world are you listening to?" The pastor explained how he was trying to get familiar with the explosion of contemporary, Christian music by listening to "Nitro Praise."
Pastor and college man talked for forty minutes about music, life, and faith. Seeds for the gospel were planted. Toward the end of their conversation, the college man made an observation. He told the minister, "If music like this were played in church, I'd be there every Sunday." The minister never forgot that comment. In fact, it helped him see that God is bigger than our standard liturgy.
That's the truth when it comes to addressing those "worship wars" so many churches are embroiled in. We live in a world of choices. No longer must we drink Coke in a bottle. We can get Cherry Coke, Diet Coke, Classic Coke, Caffeine-Free Coke, and Caffeine-Free Diet Coke. If soft drink companies understand that, surely the church can as well. One size does not fit all in cars, homes, or clothes. That's true for worship as well. Different styles mean more people touched for Christ. Remember that it's not about any style. It's all about practicing the presence of God.
But then one's gaze notices something seemingly out of place next to the richly finished furniture. It's a Roland XP-80 M.I.D.I. keyboard. Standing behind the device is a pony-tailed gentleman strumming an acoustic six-string guitar. On the other side of that altar table is another unfamiliar sight. It is a full percussion ensemble of congas, bongos, and chimes.
As the soft prelude ends, six young people walk up on the platform. After the call to worship, a jazzy, rhythmic song set begins. It's a hand-clapping, toe-tapping, praise song titled "The River is Here." After this song, an upbeat version of the Apostle's Creed is sung to lush, layered keyboard horns and strings. The singing concludes with a choir-backed soloist singing Rich Mullins' "Awesome God." Applause breaks out in the congregation, with a few robust "Amens." Is this Presbyterian worship? It depends on who you ask.
Norman regularly maintains those skyscraper candles on the altar table. That morning he came early and did his duty with the candles: removing old wax and polishing brass. But after his task was done, he didn't go sit in the pew with his wife. Norman tossed his offering envelope in the plate and made a beeline for the door. Within earshot of the choir, he blurted out, "We're going over to Grace Covenant Church where they still offer real Presbyterian worship!" Is Norman accurate?
If you talk with Leslie, a member of the worship team, she would say something different. Leslie was baptized and confirmed in this church, but then fell away. She loved the people, but was bored with the worship. This blended worship they were now doing fit her musical preferences. After all, how many teenagers get in their car and crank up a classical organ medley? Is Leslie closer to defining real worship accurately?
John Buchanan is a well-known pastor in Chicago. He has a definition of worship that would satisfy both Norman and Leslie, while aligning accurately with the author's intent in Hebrews 12:28-29. According to Buchanan, "Worship is not a matter of style, but practicing the presence of God." But as any church in the renewal mode knows, definitions mean different things to different people. That's where leadership gets sticky.
Add to that dilemma the claim of George Barna in his book Virtual America. In his research, Barna found that 34 percent of the people who attended religious services never experienced the presence of God in a service of worship. Never! If nearly one third of the people in a given worship event have never experienced God in God's house, a question naturally emerges. What is worship? If it is practicing the presence of God, which works theologically and biblically, then there is still a problem for our barren 34 percent of churchgoers.
Perhaps that is why the writer of Hebrews reminds us in verses 18-24 how we are to practice the presence of God. We are not to experience God as Moses did on Mount Sinai, with fear and terror (vv. 18-21). We don't come cringing to God. That's not worship. Worship in the New Testament and in Hebrews 12 is relational. We experience God as card-carrying members in a heavenly covenant community (vv. 22-24). The contrasting Mount Sinai/Mount Zion themes here help us embrace God's acceptance into this community. Mercy, not judgment, punched our membership ticket.
Because of this grace God has given us, we are to avoid saying, "No thanks" (vv. 25-27). Here we have ancient Israel as a negative example. By their lifestyles they in effect refused "the one who is speaking." The stakes will increase also because if God's hospitality was rejected once, the second time won't be pretty.
Noctilucent ice clouds are very rare, forming at extremely high altitudes, shining brightly in the summer, night sky. For the past 100 years they have been seen mostly over Alaska, Canada, and Scandinavia. They are actually quite impressive, appearing as glossy white wisps streaked with a silver-blue tint. There is often a strong illumination on the horizon behind them.
But these breathtaking clouds may have a dark lining. Many scientists believe they are an ominous warning that earth's atmosphere is being upset. Because they are forming in the upper atmosphere, experts are worried. The clouds are an ice formation of sorts, which spell cooling in the earth's upper atmosphere. When the clouds began showing up in Colorado and Utah, latitudes much farther south, scientists noticed -- and became concerned.
That's because rising levels of carbon dioxide and methane cause upper atmosphere cooling, both products of an industrialized earth. A meteorology instructor named Richard Keen said he was "shocked" to see them as he drove west into the Boulder, Colorado, foothills one evening. He believes it could be an isolated event, but prefers to assign it to cooling in earth's upper atmosphere. He concludes soberly, "But once they've happened here, that tells you it can happen again."
What's in store for humankind if we don't heed these warnings? If we refuse to listen to the authorities now, what will be the outcome later? The parallel principle with those noctilucent clouds and our passage in Hebrews is this: listen carefully and obey, and do it in confidence based on a promise.
That promise comes to us in verse 28 where we are assured of "receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken." Earth's upper atmosphere may very well be disintegrating, but God's kingdom is firmly intact. So we can rejoice, be confident, and thankful. We can pursue a lifestyle pleasing to God, which the writer terms "acceptable worship." What is that?
Broadly defined, acceptable worship is serving God in all of life with honoring choices. It's much like question number one in the Westminster Confession, which asks, "What is the chief aim of man?" The answer is, "The chief aim of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever." That is acceptable worship.
More narrowly defined, acceptable worship is marked by "reverence and fear." In keeping with the author's emphasis on warning in this chapter, it's best to think of "reverence and awe" as healthy respect. One does not run across a four-lane interstate highway without looking both ways repeatedly. We tend to have a healthy respect for cars traveling at 75 miles per hour.
Whether we interpret "acceptable worship" broadly or narrowly, we can quickly see that both Norman and Leslie at St. Stephen are right! If our worship is done "decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40), in "spirit and truth" (John 4:24), it's acceptable. No particular style is any more sacred than another is if they are marked by "reverence and awe."
Take the style of gospel singer, Kirk Franklin. He is fusing hip-hop dance music with traditional gospel, and it's spreading like wildfire. In 1997, this segment of the music industry earned an estimated 550 million dollars. It outsold all classical and jazz recordings. With its frantic tempo, throbbing bass lines, and rapping lyrics, is it worship? Yes. According to Danny Wilson, the creator of "Holy Hip-Hop," a hip-hop radio program which airs Sunday mornings in Atlanta, it is meeting the spiritual needs of people. Remember, worship isn't a matter of style, it's practicing the presence of God.
One Saturday morning, a minister was listening to some new Christian music. A CD titled "Nitro Praise" was playing. As you can imagine, it rocked. A college-aged neighbor popped over to pick up his younger niece who had been playing with the minister's two daughters. The college man overheard dynamic hip-hop music blasting from the minister's study. Now, in the past, these two men waved to one another, but had never really talked. The college man was hooked by the music. It was his style. He said, "Reverend, what in the world are you listening to?" The pastor explained how he was trying to get familiar with the explosion of contemporary, Christian music by listening to "Nitro Praise."
Pastor and college man talked for forty minutes about music, life, and faith. Seeds for the gospel were planted. Toward the end of their conversation, the college man made an observation. He told the minister, "If music like this were played in church, I'd be there every Sunday." The minister never forgot that comment. In fact, it helped him see that God is bigger than our standard liturgy.
That's the truth when it comes to addressing those "worship wars" so many churches are embroiled in. We live in a world of choices. No longer must we drink Coke in a bottle. We can get Cherry Coke, Diet Coke, Classic Coke, Caffeine-Free Coke, and Caffeine-Free Diet Coke. If soft drink companies understand that, surely the church can as well. One size does not fit all in cars, homes, or clothes. That's true for worship as well. Different styles mean more people touched for Christ. Remember that it's not about any style. It's all about practicing the presence of God.
