WORSHIP: CELEBRATING GOD
Exodus 20: 1-5a
John 4: 19-24

           Why are you here? There are plenty of other things you could be doing this morning--for those with school-aged children in your family, it is the last weekend of summer; you could be at the fair in Springfield. There are a multitude of things you could be doing, yet you choose to give up a part of your day to come to this place. Why? With this being said, I want to suggest that the more important question may be “what are you doing here?” The answer to that question is one word—worship. Our purpose is to worship. That is what we do—whether we are here in the sanctuary, in the fellowship hall, or in one of the classrooms, we are worshipping.

           In all my time reading the Scriptures, I have yet to find a good definition of what worship is. There are plenty of examples of people worshipping and of the worship that is pleasing to God, but there really isn’t a definition of what worship is, that I have found. I want to propose that worship is simply our act of yielding to God, of bowing down to God, of making God our focus, of celebrating God. However we define it, worship is also a means of grace; a practice that allows us to experience the grace God makes available to each one of us. I want to also add that our the availability of God’s grace is not dependent upon a particular worship style or upon things being done in a certain order. What is important, as we hear the words of Jesus, is that approach this time in the spirit of worshipping God, proclaiming the truth about God.

           Before we get into the ways in which we experience grace through worship, there is one other thing in which we all need to be “on the same page”. It is simply this—wherever worship occurs, whether it be a church building, a home, a school, a community center, etc., is holy ground. Friends, we are on the most holy and sacred ground on which we can ever be! With that being said, we can move into the ways in which we experience grace through worship, remembering that this list is by no means exhaustive.

           Perhaps the most important way in which grace is experienced comes from the idea that worship is invitational in nature. God has invited each of us to draw near to God through worship. There are several times in the Scriptures where God invites God’s people to “draw near to me while I will to be found”. Said another way, we are here and able to worship at God’s request and initiative! God has given us the permission to come near to God, and we do that through worship. To borrow an idea I used a few weeks ago, God does not seek worshippers because God is on a power trip. The urge to worship is just part of how we were created; when God created humans God put in us the desire to draw near our Maker—even when we wander far away. In considering this invitation from God, perhaps it might be helpful to think of an invitation to a party or other social gathering. The invitation means that we are wanted, that our presence is desired, that somebody wants us to share in what is going on. So it is with God. God desires our presence here so that God can spend some time with us and lavish grace upon us.

           This invitation we have received from God to worship also serves as our foundation for inviting others to worship. God has given us the permission and authority to extend to others that which we know and have already received, for the invitation from God is for them as well as us. As a way to experience this, I want to invite us to do something. For the next week, I want you to be thinking of a person or family who doesn’t have a church home (and we all know at least one!). You could probably guess where this is going, but humor me! Anyway, I would like to you come to worship next week with that person or family in mind. We are going to be doing something that God has laid on my heart.

           So, God has invited us to draw near to God through worship—this invitation becomes the primary means of grace experienced in worship and the foundation for all the other ways grace is experienced. One part of the invitation is to be in the presence of God. Scripture affirms that God is always present with us. The writer of Psalm 139 proclaims that “whether we go to the highest height or the lowest low” God is there. However, at worship, there is a special presence of God. The Hebrew word for this presence is Shekinah. The “shekinah” of God is the majestic, glorious, radiant, and powerful presence of God. The gospel writers tell of Jesus going up a mountain with Peter, James, and John and being transfigured on the mountain as Jesus speaks with Moses and Elijah and afterwards Jesus’ face shining with the shekinah of God. Moses, upon Mt. Sinai, was in the shekinah of God. We, as we gather to worship, are in the “shekinah” of God—we may not see radiance with our eyes, but it is here! Worship is the closest thing we are going to get to “heaven on earth”—the closest thing we will get to experiencing what John describes in Revelation, until we actually join the eternal worship of God. If we think, though, about the shekinah of God being present when we gather to worship, it puts a new perspective on what we do. We have an audience with the Holy of Holies! We are in the presence of Almighty God on God’s turf! All this we have because God invites us to experience this glorious presence.

           As we worship, we are not solely in the presence of God. We are also in the presence of one another. There is something special and precious about worshipping together. It creates a bond that no human device can match. In an age when those who use a computer have Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and other social networking tools available, nothing draws people closer than worshipping together. None of the fellowship events we have—the coffee hours, the Wednesday Night Out dinners, etc.—can match worshipping together. It creates community among us. It can serve to strengthen us on our journey with God. It shows us we are not alone as we seek to live as disciples of Jesus Christ, it shows us to whom we can turn when don’t think we can take the next step—whom we can depend upon for a hug or a listening ear. Look around…seriously do it (for those reading online, look around next Sunday). What you see is one of God’s precious gifts to you! We are a gift from God to one another! Worshipping together enhances the bonds we share with one another.

           I am reminded of many conversations I have had with others, asking about their church affiliation, and they have replied that they don’t have a church but they watch Charles Stanley or Robert Schuller or iWorship or any of the other number of churches that broadcast their worship services. Now, I recognize that some people are just not able to physically come to church because of physical limitations, etc. In that respect, praise God for those churches who do broadcast their worship services. For those that are able, though, “telechurch” is absolutely NO substitute for being physically present for worship. This community is God’s gift to us.

           If we combine all these elements—the invitation, the shekinah, the community—the situation is ripe for transformation. Transformation is yet another gift of grace available to us. Through worship, God can and does transform us; the transformation may be in the way we think, the way we live, or simply our perspective. Transformation is usually thought of something as large-scale. Through worship can do a radical transformation in a person’s life. God also works on the small-scale, too, though, and transformation can be as simple as a little tweak to things.

           Like the other means of grace, worship is a gift given to us by God as a way for us to experience grace. Do me a favor, will you? Next week, as you come to worship, I want you to come EXPECTING to encounter God’s grace. Not wishing or hoping, but EXPECTING to experience God through our worship. With all that we have going on in life, God invites us to come and lose ourselves in God’s grace and love. Thanks be to God! AMEN.

           || Home || Welcome || Pictures || Sermons || Maps || Special Sprouts || Opportunity || Missions || Newsletter in pdf || VBS || Women of Promise || Easter || Links ||