Worship And Service
Stories
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Contents
"Worship and Service" by John Fitzgerald
Worship and Service
by John Fitzgerald
Psalm 15
There is a story told which is helpful in understanding our scripture lesson from Psalm 15: A man fell into a pit and could not pull himself out. A Christian walked by and said, I feel sorry for that person. An atheist walked by and said, It’s logical that someone would fall into the pit. A news reporter walked by and asked for an exclusive story on the man who fell into the pit. A government official walked by and asked if taxes had been paid upon the pit. A fire and brimstone preacher walked by and declared this man deserved to fall into a pit because of his sin. A psychologist walked by and said, your father and mother are to be blamed for the act of falling into a pit. A optimist walked by and said, things could get worse. A pessimist walked by and said, things will get worse. . . Jesus walked by, seeing the man, got down into his pit, and lifted him out.
Christian faith is intended to be practical and helps believers deal with concrete problems. Far too often we are guilty of ignoring this and wait for someone else to pull a needy person out of the pit.
The church can be set in its ways and limited to four walls of a particular building. All of us are guilty of not getting our of our comfort zone to minister in the name of Jesus. There are wounded and dying souls all around us, and yet we are content to sit in a cozy fellowship while singing “Kum Ba Ya” together.
Worship at its best allows us to open our eyes and unstop our ears while seeing the world with God’s vision and listening to a voice divine. Psalm 15 suggests that if we do not enter God’s Temple with a pure heart and holy attitude than we will not see or hear the Lord in Worship.
The Psalmist goes on to define exactly what purity of heart and holiness lead to in daily life. Our words will not bring slander to a neighbor. We will honor the Lord and be removed from vulgar expression. The ability to keep pledges and not change our mind will be part of our walk. The poor will not be taken advantage of in our sphere of influence. Our behavior will not be changed by receiving more money. All of these are hallmarks of a righteous person according to Psalm 15.
What the scripture is talking about certainly needs to take place in our world today. We currently worship at the altar of rude and crude. Our culture celebrates anyone who can be vulgar. The return of righteousness, purity, and God’s holy living would be a welcome return in America of 2017.
To worship rightly leads us towards those who need a hand of divine mercy. We can be like Jesus and pull out of the pit those who have fallen. Our behavior is transformed by Christ when being in God’s house with the proper attitude. There is a saying found on many Sunday morning bulletins at various churches which describe our goal: ENTER TO WORSHIP DEPART TO SERVE.
John Fitzgerald lives in Leesburg, Ohio, with his wife Carolyn and has served as pastor at the Leesburg Friends Meeting for the past 27 years. Cornfield Cathedral (Fairway Press, 2013) is the second book authored by Pastor Fitzgerald. John has earned a Master's of Ministry Degree from the Earlham School of Religion in Richmond, Indiana.
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StoryShare, January 29, 2017, issue.
Copyright 2016 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
"Worship and Service" by John Fitzgerald
Worship and Service
by John Fitzgerald
Psalm 15
There is a story told which is helpful in understanding our scripture lesson from Psalm 15: A man fell into a pit and could not pull himself out. A Christian walked by and said, I feel sorry for that person. An atheist walked by and said, It’s logical that someone would fall into the pit. A news reporter walked by and asked for an exclusive story on the man who fell into the pit. A government official walked by and asked if taxes had been paid upon the pit. A fire and brimstone preacher walked by and declared this man deserved to fall into a pit because of his sin. A psychologist walked by and said, your father and mother are to be blamed for the act of falling into a pit. A optimist walked by and said, things could get worse. A pessimist walked by and said, things will get worse. . . Jesus walked by, seeing the man, got down into his pit, and lifted him out.
Christian faith is intended to be practical and helps believers deal with concrete problems. Far too often we are guilty of ignoring this and wait for someone else to pull a needy person out of the pit.
The church can be set in its ways and limited to four walls of a particular building. All of us are guilty of not getting our of our comfort zone to minister in the name of Jesus. There are wounded and dying souls all around us, and yet we are content to sit in a cozy fellowship while singing “Kum Ba Ya” together.
Worship at its best allows us to open our eyes and unstop our ears while seeing the world with God’s vision and listening to a voice divine. Psalm 15 suggests that if we do not enter God’s Temple with a pure heart and holy attitude than we will not see or hear the Lord in Worship.
Verses 1-2 from the Psalm state this matter well: Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain: The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks truth from the heart.
The Psalmist goes on to define exactly what purity of heart and holiness lead to in daily life. Our words will not bring slander to a neighbor. We will honor the Lord and be removed from vulgar expression. The ability to keep pledges and not change our mind will be part of our walk. The poor will not be taken advantage of in our sphere of influence. Our behavior will not be changed by receiving more money. All of these are hallmarks of a righteous person according to Psalm 15.
What the scripture is talking about certainly needs to take place in our world today. We currently worship at the altar of rude and crude. Our culture celebrates anyone who can be vulgar. The return of righteousness, purity, and God’s holy living would be a welcome return in America of 2017.
To worship rightly leads us towards those who need a hand of divine mercy. We can be like Jesus and pull out of the pit those who have fallen. Our behavior is transformed by Christ when being in God’s house with the proper attitude. There is a saying found on many Sunday morning bulletins at various churches which describe our goal: ENTER TO WORSHIP DEPART TO SERVE.
John Fitzgerald lives in Leesburg, Ohio, with his wife Carolyn and has served as pastor at the Leesburg Friends Meeting for the past 27 years. Cornfield Cathedral (Fairway Press, 2013) is the second book authored by Pastor Fitzgerald. John has earned a Master's of Ministry Degree from the Earlham School of Religion in Richmond, Indiana.
*****************************************
StoryShare, January 29, 2017, issue.
Copyright 2016 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
