Worship and the 5th Commandment

It is my father's 84th birthday today. Today I want to honour my father by telling you of some of the ways he has significantly shaped my life.

• He loves God and does whatever he knows to and can to follow Him
• He loves his family. When I was a young lad he took me along to where he worked - even when it was out of town. We had regular times of playing games together as a family.
• He loved to travel and instilled that in me. I got to go along on several of trips when I was 10 and then when I was 16.
• He was always early - we were always the first to arrive at church. I still prefer to be early.
• He worked hard. I remember many times when he would be covered in sweat from his hard work.
• He enjoyed music and led worship in church for years. Of course back then he was called a "song leader." We often sang together as family. Mom & Dad would sing together. And many times they would go to hospitals, senior homes, First Nations villages, and prisons to sing for people.
• Although I never did get to see him play, I am told he was a good hockey player.
• He heard me preach my first couple of sermons. The second one being at Miracle Valley, a rehab centre in the Fraser Valley.
• He did what he could to reach out to those who needed Christ. Even sending out literature to those who may be open to listen.
• Etc.

I don't think of it very often, but my Dad impacted my life in a major way. I thank him and honour him for being a man of God who cares enough to make a difference in this world - and particularly his family.

Boredom in Worship

Today I want to share some reading with you. From "Times of Refreshing" with this section being written by Tom Kraeuter.

I remember the first time we took one of our children to a movie theater. Everything about the experience was fascinating for the youngster. Even before we got inside the building, just buying the tickets was an adventure. Of course, after that, giving the just-purchased tickets to the guy who rips them in half took some explaining. Walking down the softly lit corridor to the correct theater caused questions about all the other movies being shown. Choosing a seat was a big dilemma: Was the first row too close to the screen? Was the back too far away? Would somewhere in the middle be best? Which side of the aisle? Near the aisle or closer to the wall? By the way, where is the rest room?

Everything was brand-new. I had to keep reminding myself of that. Over my lifetime, I'm sure I've been to a dozen movies. This was old stuff for me. Though perhaps I had never been to this particular theater before, I had been to many movies. My child, on the other hand, was a first-timer. Everything he saw was a brand-new experience for him. There was a wonder and amazement that I had lost in the movie-going experience.

Once we've done something once or twice it becomes old hat to us. Our usual reaction today to practically anything in life is, "Been there, done that. " What would be the reaction of Wilbur and Orville Wright if they took a ride on a modern jet. Their first flight was the distance of the equivalent of the wingspan of a 747. We, on the other hand, get on a plane and open a book or magazine to keep from being bored.

Unfortunately, we can too easily have the same complacency in our worship. Over time we can become accustomed to the words, the actions, the emotions, the music and begin to tune it out.

On the other hand, in (Psalm 92:4-5), the psalmist said, "You make me glad by your deeds...I sing for joy at the works of your hands. How great are your works...how profound your thoughts!" These are not words of complacency. There is clearly a freshness and enthusiasm in these words.*

When you and I approach a "worship service" are we complacent or do we come with a sense of amazement and expectancy?

*Times of Refreshing: A Worship Ministry Devotional, Tom Kraeuter [ed], Training Resources Inc., 2002, p. 27.

An Amazing Worship Event

One of my favourite Bible passages is Isaiah 6. As I was reading this I discovered some key elements of a worship service.

ISAIAH 6:1-8
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

We see here that worship involves
1) Connecting with & seeing God (for who He really is)
2) Actively Participating in Worship
3) Confession & Repentance
4) Receiving Forgiveness & Cleansing
5) Responding To God in Service

Follow the Leader

Leadership can be a fearful thing. Especially when people watch and follow. In the book "Times of Refreshing" Bill Rayborn writes,

Anyone involved in the church worship ministry is seen by people in the congregation as a leader. You may not want that to happen. You might dislike it when it occurs, but that won't change the fact that people see you as a leader. Whether you want to be or not, you are an example to someone. People will look at not only how you button your coat but also how you treat your spouse and children. They will take notice of how you drive and how you respond when you're tired or overworked. They will observe your actions when you're at a restaurant, at the mall, or in church. You will be an example for someone."

That is quite a challenge - and it not only applies to pastors, but to all leaders.

At first I respond and say "that's not fair." Then I read the Apostle Paul's writings and he invites people to follow him. To do as he does. As he follows Christ, so others should be able to follow him. Does that mean that we put on an act so people will "think" we are better than we really are? No. It means that as we genuinely life for Christ, people should be able to follow and be following Christ.

Your thoughts?

Holiness and Worship

At the conclusion of my Sunday School class this past Sunday, I asked my class to consider the following question. "Can a person live a sinful life during the week, then come to the church on Sunday morning and expect to be able to worship?"

This morning I read from Isaiah 1. Here is part of it. Read it and let me know how you think it relates to the question I asked my class.

Isaiah 1:13-18
Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations--
I cannot bear your evil assemblies.
Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates.
They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen.
Your hands are full of blood;
wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds out of my sight!
Stop doing wrong, learn to do right!
Seek justice, encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD.
"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

Skill and Worship

When leading worship in a corporate worship experience, is skill important? Or is it simply the heart that matters?

In reading from the book "Times Of Refreshing" this morning I found a quote from 1 Chronicles 15:22 where it says "Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was his responsibility because he was skilful at it." Often we read in the Old Testament that people were chosen for certain tasks (i.e. building the tabernacle) because they were skilful at it.

It is interesting to me that when it comes to worship leadership in the church that we tend to set aside the "skilful at it" part because we somehow get the notion that someone who is playing or singing skilfully is showing off.

Now, it is important that anyone involved in worship leadership - as the leader or team member - not only be skilful, but filled with and led by the Spirit of God. In the New Testament, when leaders or ministry personnel were chosen, the first prerequisite was always that they be filled with the Spirit. It would seem to me then, that those of us who are involved in worship leadership should be continually filled with the Spirit as well as developing our skill in worship ministry.

Church and Marriage

This coming Sunday, I will be preaching on "Keys To A Lasting Marriage." We were looking for a song to sing as a congregation after the message. It is almost impossible to find a song that relates to the subject that we can sing together - at least one that in on any list of songs we might sing in church.

It seems kind of strange that in a day when the church works hard whthin society to keep marriage Biblical and based on Christian values that we never sing about it in church. Does marriage have nothing to do with worship? If we bow down before God and serve him, is marriage not included in that worship?

What do you think? Why don't we sing about marriage in church?

Judgment and Grace

I finished reading Ecclesiastes today. In the final chapter the author begins by telling us to remember our Creator in the days of our youth. Then he lists a bunch of reasons why. My goodness, what a list! Remember your Creator before... you can hardly see, you stoop, your teeth are worn, you can't sleep in, you are afraid in the streets,... and then you finally die! Once again he states "Meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless!"

Then at the very end of the book we find a conclusion.
Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing
whether good or bad.

After reading this, I felt kind of hopeless. Once you are no longer young, life seems so awful and it all is meaningless. And then God judges EVERYTHING you have done. I get such a picture of being under intense scrutiny with the judge waiting to beat you every time you do something wrong.

Then I am immediately reminded of Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works so that no one can boast." The judgment that was/is/will be on my wrongdoing has all been laid on Christ when He carried our sin on the cross. When He paid the price for our sin in a way that we never could. I no longer need to fear the Judge. I now worship Him! I bow down and serve Him!

Breakforth

Breakforth Canada in Edmonton on the weekend was a wonderful experience. When the band began to play, we began to sing and I could "feel" the music, I began to weep as my whole being became engaged in worship.

For years, in many conservative, evangelical churches, we have been directed to worship with our minds alone - and maybe our mouths. Zwingli, the Swiss Reformer, taught that our senses should not be involved in our worship. He therefore removed musical instruments and any artwork from the Grossmunster in Zurich so that people would not be "moved" to worship but would choose to worship.

Are we really only to worship God with our minds? Are we not told to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength? Are we not to worship God with all of who we are? Does that not included the mind, emotions, body, etc?

At Breakforth, I picked up some materials on "Experiential Worship." Bob Rognlien teaches the very concepts that I have been thinking about for a number of years. I look forward to reading what he has to say.

I suspect that God intends for us, and invites us, to worship Him with our mind, soul, heart and strength. What do you think?