Sunday's Message: The Great Ends of the Church - The maintenance of divine worship

As a denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA) has some guiding principles that shape our mission. They’re called The Great Ends of the Church, six statements written in the early 20th century that guide both the vision and work of the Presbyterian Church. And that’s going to be our focus during this series. You see, during the next six weeks, we’ll look at each one, seeking to understand what it means and how we can accomplish it within our community. 

• August 11 - The proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humanity
• August 18 - The shelter, nurture and spiritual fellowship of the children of God
• August 25 - The maintenance of divine worship
• September 1 - The preservation of the truth
• September 8 - The promotion of social righteousness
• September 15 - The exhibition of the kingdom of heaven to the world

On Sunday, we continued the series by looking at the third great end of the church: The maintenance of divine worship. Below is the text and a recording of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page. 

Now, as you may remember, two weeks ago we started a new sermon series dealing with what’s called The Great Ends of the Church, six ideas that the Presbyterian denomination has used for about one hundred years to define its identity and mission. And back on August 11, we focused on the first one, namely “the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humanity,” and we spent some time talking about what that means and why it’s important and of course, how we might do it right here, in Sligo, Pennsylvania. And then last week, we considered what it means to say that part of our job as the church is to provide “the shelter, nurture and spiritual fellowship of the children of God,” and we considered that, since we really do need one another as both individuals and a community, we can actually provide this shelter and nurture and fellowship by rejecting divisiveness and doing everything we can do to strengthen the body, both here and around the world. Now, to this point, that’s what we’ve done.

And this morning, we’re going to move on to Great End number three: The maintenance of divine worship. And I’ll tell you, from where I stand, not only is this the one thing that everybody both inside and outside assumes the church should be doing, I’m not sure anything has changed as much in my thirty-seven years as a minister. I mean, when I got my first church back in 1987, when it came to worship, we all kind of did the same thing, at least we did in the Presbyterian Church. Now I recognize that some churches have always been more formal than others. Still, we all followed the same basic structure, you know, order. For example, we all sang pretty much the same hymns, often from the same book. And we all had the same kind of readings, some of them responsive and some of them unison. And we all prayed the same prayers and sang the same responses and often repeated the same creed. My goodness, as a kid, before I could even read, I remember being excited because, although I couldn’t sing the hymns, I did know The Doxology and The Gloria Patri. And of course, when I was a little older, I can also remember seeing how fast I could pray The Lord’s Prayer and say The Apostles Creed. You see, that’s the way it was in the 1960s and I’ll tell you, it hadn’t changed all that much when I served my first church in the 1980s.

But since then, worship has changed a lot, and I don’t think you need to be a theologian to understand why. I mean, although the formality we had in the past may mean a lot to us, it’s actually a turn off for many younger adults, particularly those who weren’t raised in the church. For them, our “Old Favorites” are just old. And the idea of reading out loud a whole bunch of stuff is kind of boring and don’t get me started on having to sit quietly and listen to sermons that go on and on and on. You see, many people now-a-days are fed by something that’s more relaxed and dynamic and frankly fun. They’re seeking experiences, not just communities. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s caused a real divide in the Body of Christ, you know, between the traditional and the contemporary, with some congregations going so far as to offer two separate services, so one group is protected from anything new and the other from anything old. And in many places, bands have replaced pianos and organs and smoke machines and lasers have been added to provide a little pizzazz. Now, that’s life in the worship fast lane. 

And even though that kind of stuff makes me grumble and talk about going back to a better time, when I’m really honest with myself, I’ve got to admit there’s really nothing wrong with bands or pizzazz. Still, with all the different stuff that’s going on with worship, somehow in the middle of all this, I think we may have lost touch with what the maintenance of divine worship is all about and why it’s important and how it might be done regardless of the style we happen to prefer. And I’ll tell you, that’s going to be our focus this morning. And hopefully, by the end, at least as it relates to worship, we’ll be able to look past the wrapping so that we can better appreciate what’s inside the box.

And you know, to do that, I think we need to be clear about what worship actually is. And although I know there are all kinds of definitions out there, many of which are very good, I’m going to offer three characteristics of worship that make biblical sense to me. 

You see, first, I think worship is about praise. I mean, it’s about us focusing our attention on God and sharing with him just how happy we are that he chose us to make us his people and to redeem us through Jesus Christ and to open our eyes and our minds and our heart by the Holy Spirit so that we can see and understand and trust. Put in a slightly different way, when we praise God, we’re thanking him for doing for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves. And I’ll tell you, this idea of offering praise goes back to the way the people of Israel used to worship God. For example, as they were approaching The Temple there in Jerusalem, the place where they believed God was present in a special, more intimate way, this was the sort of thing they would say:

Shout praises to the Lord!

    Praise God in his temple.

Praise him in heaven,

    his mighty fortress.

Praise our God!

His deeds are wonderful,

    too marvelous to describe.

Praise God with trumpets

    and all kinds of harps.

Praise him with tambourines

    and dancing,

with stringed instruments

    and woodwinds.

Praise God with cymbals,

    with clashing cymbals.

Let every living creature

praise the Lord.

    Shout praises to the Lord! [Psalm 150:1-6, CEV]

Now, although having trumpets and harps and woodwinds may be out of our price range and I know the Gallagher girls would object to me dancing, that’s exactly what the people of Israel did as they approached God. Why? Because, first, worship is about praise.

And second, I think it’s also about prayer. In other words, it’s about taking who we are, and I’m talking about what we think and feel, what we regret and fear, what we hope and dream, it’s taking these things and laying them before God, trusting that God really is the one who deserves all our thanks and praise. As a matter of fact, it’s doing the same thing Jesus taught his disciples to do when he said this:

When you pray, don’t be like those show-offs who love to stand up and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners. They do this just to look good. I can assure you that they already have their reward.

When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private. He knows what is done in private and will reward you.

When you pray, don’t talk on and on as people do who don’t know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need even before you ask.

You should pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,

help us to honor

    your name.

Come and set up

    your kingdom,

so that everyone on earth

    will obey you,

as you are obeyed

    in heaven.

Give us our food for today.

Forgive us for doing wrong,

    as we forgive others.

Keep us from being tempted

    and protect us from evil. [Matthew 6:5-13, CEV]

Now this is really what it means to pray, the second thing that worship is all about.

And third, I also think it’s about preparation. You see, in my opinion, worship actually prepares us to leave this building and to face all those challenges of living on the other side of the stained glass. In other words, it gives us the ability to cope and to endure with hope as well as the tools to roll up our sleeves and to work. I’ll tell you, it’s less like a drug which demands that we constantly come back for our next fix and more like an exercise regimen that makes us a little bit stronger each and every time we come. And personally, I think that’s what Paul was getting at when he wrote this to the Ephesians: 

Christ chose some of us to be apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors, and teachers, so his people would learn to serve and his body would grow strong. This will continue until we are united by our faith and by our understanding of the Son of God. Then we will be mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him. [Ephesians 4:11-13, CEV]

You see, along with praise and prayer, right here and now, we’re being prepared. And for me, that’s what worship is all about.

And why is it important? Why is it important for us to gather to praise and to pray and to prepare? I mean, why is it important for us to take the time and make the effort to leave the mundane for just a little while so that we might enter the divine? Well, for me, man, I think the answer is pretty clear. 

I mean, on one hand, I think it connects us with God. Now don’t get me wrong, God is with us all the time. As a matter of fact, his presence is constantly flowing around and through us. That’s what the word “omnipresent” means. But I’ll tell you, when we gather to worship, when we decide that we’re going to praise and pray and prepare, I mean when we’re singing the songs and praying the prayers, when we’re listening to the music and trying not to doze through the sermons, and certainly when we gather around the Lord’s Table and share the bread and the cup, we’re connecting to God in a special way, something that I believe Jesus explained when he said this again to his disciples:

I promise you God in heaven will allow whatever you allow on earth, but God will not allow anything you don’t allow. I promise that when any two of you on earth agree about something you are praying for, my Father in heaven will do it for you. Whenever two or three of you come together in my name, I am there with you. [Matthew 18:18-20, CEV]

You see, on one hand, worship connects us with God.

On the other hand, though, I think it also connects us with one another. And I’ll tell you, for me, that’s why the gathering is important. You see, even though we can certainly praise and pray and prepare all by ourselves and I think we can even connect with God while streaming or watching a video or listening to a podcast, I think there’s a real difference when we all get together at the same place at the same time. I mean, when we’re here, worshiping God, we become more than a bunch of people, we become a community, a family where we can offer comfort and strength and support to our brothers and sisters. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s probably why the writer of the letter to the Hebrews said this:

So let’s come near God with pure hearts and a confidence that comes from having faith. Let’s keep our hearts pure, our consciences free from evil, and our bodies washed with clean water. We must hold tightly to the hope we say is ours. After all, we can trust the one who made the agreement with us. We should keep on encouraging each other to be thoughtful and to do helpful things. Some people have given up the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord’s coming is getting closer. [Hebrews 10:22-25, CEV]

I’ll tell you, if you want to know why worship is important, well, for me, it’s because, in a special way, it connects us with God and with one another. 

And finally, how can it be done? How can we worship with a focus on praise and prayer and preparation? And how can we do this most effectively because we know it’s going to connect us with God and one another in a special way? In other words, how might we maintain divine worship? Well, without getting into the weeds, as a congregation, I think there are two things we can do.

I mean, one, we can certainly provide a place. Now I know that, in our world, we’re becoming increasingly digital. And personally, I think joining this communication revolution is an incredible way to share the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit to folks who would never wander into a church. As a matter of fact, I’ve said that I believe the internet is for us what the Roman roads were for Paul. Still, having said all that, if we’re going to gather physically, man, we need a place, a place to praise and pray and prepare, a place to connect with God and one another. Of course, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a church building, but I’ve got to tell you, buildings are really nice and convenient. But regardless of what it looks like or what it’s called, we can provide a place for people to worship, something that must be important to God, because it’s part of his instruction to his people as they were about to enter their Promised Land. He said, 

Soon you will cross the Jordan, and the Lord will help you conquer your enemies and let you live in peace, there in the land he has given you. But after you are settled, life will be different. You must not offer sacrifices just anywhere you want to. Instead, the Lord will choose a place somewhere in Israel where you must go to worship him. All of your sacrifices and offerings must be taken there, including sacrifices to please the Lord and any gift you promise or voluntarily give him. That’s where you must also take one tenth of your grain, wine, and olive oil, as well as the first-born of your cattle, sheep, and goats. You and your family and servants will eat your gifts and sacrifices and celebrate there at the place of worship, because the Lord your God has made you successful in everything you have done. And since Levites will not have any land of their own, you must ask some of them to come along and celebrate with you. [Deuteronomy 12:5-13, CEV]

You see, as a congregation, we can provide a place to worship, and that’s one thing we can do. 

But that’s not all, because, two, we can provide a path, and I’m talking about a process and a procedure by which we can approach God. And even though this may take different forms, because, if the last thirty years have taught us anything, when it comes to worship, one size doesn’t necessarily fit all, still the focus and the goal really doesn’t change. In other words, I believe that some structure is necessary as we approach God, because let’s face it, if we don’t know where we’re going, we’re probably never going to get there. And I’ll tell you, I think this need for some kind of focus and order was behind this advice Paul offered the church in Corinth:

My friends, when you meet to worship, you must do everything for the good of everyone there. That’s how it should be when someone sings or teaches or tells what God has said or speaks an unknown language or explains what the language means. No more than two or three of you should speak unknown languages during the meeting. You must take turns, and someone should always be there to explain what you mean. If no one can explain, you must keep silent in church and speak only to yourself and to God.

Two or three persons may prophesy, and everyone else must listen carefully. If someone sitting there receives a message from God, the speaker must stop and let the other person speak. Let only one person speak at a time, then all of you will learn something and be encouraged. A prophet should be willing to stop and let someone else speak. God wants everything to be done peacefully and in order. [1 Corinthians 14:26-33a, CEV]

You see, in my opinion, by providing a place and a path, that’s how we as a congregation can maintain divine worship. 

Of course, I have no question in my mind that the form worship takes will continue to change. I mean, what was meaningful to baby boomers aren’t necessarily meaningful to Gen X or to Millennials much less to Gen Z or, God help us, to Generation Alpha. As the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “the only constant is change.” And as I hold on to my “old favorites” with bloody fingernails, I either need to accept it or be left behind. And that applies to worship just like it does to everything else.

But I’ll tell you, I think dealing with this evolution just might be a little easier when we recognize that, at its core, divine worship is about praise and prayer and preparation, and that, regardless of the style, it’s important because it connects us with God and with one another, and finally, that in spite of the details that, based on a whole bunch of things, we might like or “not so much,” as a congregation, we can provide both a place and path. You see, for me, that’s the what and the why and the how involved in the maintenance of divine worship.