September 14, 2008

Five Practices: Passionate Worship

Seeing with New Eyes

Isaiah 6:1-8

Opening Words: East Ohio Resident Bishop John Hopkins has asked each congregation within the Annual Conference to look at Robert Schnase’s book, Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations. Schnase is the Bishop of the Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church. He says these five practices are critical to the success of any congregation. Their presence demonstrates congregational health, vitality and fruitfulness. These five practices are radical hospitality, passionate worship, intentional faith development, risk-taking mission and service and extravagant generosity. These things are not new but they do hold the key to reaching the majority of our society.

As I read Schnase’s book I discovered two things. First, these ideas are not completely foreign to us at Western Reserve. We have demonstrated some of these qualities in the past. Second, we have not mastered a single one. We still have some work to do in each area. We began our study last week by looking at radical hospitality. We continue our study today with passionate worship. Let me call this message Seeing with New Eyes. Let us hear this morning’s scripture lesson from Isaiah 6:1-8.

Isaiah 6:1-8 ¹ 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. ² 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. ³ And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."

⁴ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

⁵ "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."

⁶ Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."

⁸ 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!"

I love the story of the little boy who went to church one Sunday morning. That evening as he was going to bed he bowed his head to pray. He said, "Dear God, we had a good time at church today--but I wish you had been there!"

Have you ever been to church and felt like you missed God? There seems to be a great deal of that happening in our time. Well-meaning pastors stand in their pulpits and proclaim the word but the word is falling on deaf earns. It is not always the fault of the parishioners. It is not always the fault of the preacher. It is easy to go to church and miss God. It happens all the time. It doesn’t make you a bad person. It just makes you a person. It doesn’t mean you have a hard heart, it means you have a busy schedule.

Has anyone here ever gone to church and gotten distracted during worship? It happens all the time. The God of the universe was waiting for you but you missed him because mentally you were absent. Has that ever happened to you or am I the only one? Many things can distract in worship. Have you ever been to church and were distracted by your own children? Other people’s children are not a problem but your children seem to be extra loud. Have you ever been distracted in worship by someone else's children? They are not able to sit still or they are not able to be quiet? Have you ever been distracted in worship by an adult? They are not able to sit still. They are not able to be quiet. Have you ever been distracted in worship by some church responsibility? The tables need to be set up for the next fund raiser or the dinner needs to be served? Have you ever been distracted in worship for, let me say, environmental reasons. The sanctuary is too cold or the sanctuary is too hot. Have you ever been distracted in worship because of church dynamics? There is some internal issue brewing from within the church? You have told the story over and over. You know every word of the ugly story but you miss every word in worship. Have you ever been distracted in worship because the preacher is boring? (That certainly isn’t the case here!) Do I have to go on? Many things can distract us in worship. Have you ever been to church and felt like you missed God?

Have you ever been to worship and experienced God? It is one of those moments when everything seems to fall in place. The hymns speak to your heart. The prayers are powerful. The fellowship is sincere. The message seems to be written just for you. Experiencing God in worship is one of those mountain top experiences. You find yourself playing the role of Peter. He didn’t want to leave the mountaintop and you don’t want the benediction to be given. But the benediction is given and you find yourself in your car driving home, where your problems are waiting for you. Experiencing God in worship is one of those sacred moments in your life. Warren W. Wiersbe tried to explain those experiences to us in his book The Integrity Crisis. He said, “True worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose -- and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable.” Have you ever been to worship and experienced God?

If you have ever really experienced God then you can relate to this mornings scripture lesson. We are in the sixth chapter of Isaiah. The first verse tells us it was the year King Uzziah died. That was the year 740 BC. That is a significant year in the story of God’s Chosen people. It was a year of transition. As a nation, their power and prosperity was declining. What is waiting for them is foreign domination. The Assyrians are coming to exile them. Change is coming and no one likes change but a wet baby. Yet, it is in the major changes of life that we seek out God. We don’t think much about God when life is good, but we seek out God when life is changing for the worst. When the marriage goes south, we look for God. When our health is poor, we look for God. When the money is running out, we look for God. We look for God every time the problem seems bigger than our resources. The Assyrians are coming. There is nothing politically or militarily that Jews can do but seek out God. Isaiah had been to the temple many times in his life but maybe this was the first time in a long time he was really seeking God! The problem was bigger than his resources.

The good news is he does experience God that day. He sees God with new eyes and uses apocalyptic words to describe the experience. Apocalyptic literature is always used when the experience is more than mere words can express. The problem is apocalyptic words seem strange to our ears. Isaiah says he saw God seated high and exalted on a throne in the temple. Above God are six winged creatures called Seraphs. Two of the wings enable it to fly. Two of the wings are covering its eyes. The last two wings are coving its feet. The words seem strange but the point is clear; God is holy. And with these words Isaiah explains his experience of experiencing God. When was the last time you experienced God? What words would you use? But let me say this clearly. The words really don’t matter. The only thing that really matters is that Isaiah experienced God. The only thing that matters to me is that you experience God.

If you want to experience God then you must do three things. Each one is illustrated for us in the scripture of the day. First, you have to stop. We live busy fast paced lives. It is not always easy to stop. Second, you have to look. In other words, you have to compare yourself not to other people but to Jesus. That can be a humbling experience. Third, you have to listen and discover what God wants you to do with your life. So if you are ready to see God with new eyes say, “Amen!”

Stop

The first word is the word stop. In the scripture Isaiah experienced God because he made himself available to God. Isaiah was in the temple when he had this experience. He wasn’t in the temple because he was trying to kill some time. He was in the temple because he wanted to experience God. The Bible tells us God is omnipresent. In other words, the Bible teaches us God is everywhere. Yes, you can experience God on the golf course, walking in the woods or at the beach. However, your best chance of experiencing God is at church. One of the primary goals of the church is to help you experience God. When people come to church, they should expect to experience God. If you don’t experienced God at some level every Sunday then I have failed. The first word is stop. When you come to church you stop the parade of your life and stop to focus on God. Of the three words the word stop may be the most challenging for you.

In 1993 I was part of a Volunteer in Missions team to the Philippines. We worked with the homeless of that island nation. We stayed a Harris Memorial College, a United Methodist Women’s college for Christian workers. Our host was a woman by the name of Nora. She was a wonderful woman, who was educated at Northwestern University and Garrett Evangelical Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. We asked her if she would like to come back to America for a visit. She said, “Yes!” We asked if she would like to come back to America to live. She said, “No!” She was the first person I ever met that didn’t want to be an American. Why? She said, “Americans live too fast.” Americans do live fast. That is why the word stop is so difficult.

It isn’t just true of people. It is also true of organizations. It is also true of churches. It is true here at Western Reserve. This building has become a busy place. If you don’t believe me then you need to look at the church's calendar. Look at last week, for example. Day care is here Monday through Friday, 8:00 in the morning until 6:00 in the evening. On Monday night the Boy Scouts had a picnic in the pavilion. Missions and the die hards from Mill Creek Work Camp met inside. On Tuesday there were the wonderful ladies from Helping Hand, who give me something to eat and the nasty sewing ladies, who give me grief. In the afternoon recovering Presbyterians came to make Methodist coal slaw. The finance committee came on Tuesday night to study the ugly numbers. On Wednesday people were back in the kitchen to made pepperoni rolls and cook for a teacher’s sorority for that evening. They ate chicken, it was outstanding. The choir was here to practice in the evening. On Thursday we had a funeral here at the church. We celebrated the life of Lee Mellott. We served the grievers lunch at the same time the United Methodist Women met. To make it interesting a truck load of pumpkins arrived for the Fall Festival. When everyone left the Parkinson’s support group came in. The TOGGLE Team came on Thursday evening to practice for this morning. On Friday people came get ready for the Fall Festival. On Saturday there was the Fall Festival and teachers got ready for Rally Day, which is today. Nora said she didn’t want to live in America because we live to fast. Do you think we live to fast?

Worship is truly an amazing thing because it makes us stop. It makes us focus in on God and develop an eternal perspective. If you want to experience God then the first thing you have to do is stop. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” In worship we stop.

Look

The second word is the word look. Isaiah made contact with God and noticed something horribly wrong. Verse 5 says, "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." The closer you get to God the more you are aware that you have fallen short or missed the mark. When you make that discovery it is both humbling yet it is also liberating. For when you discover your imperfections, you also discover that God values both confession and repentance. God loves to forgive sinners. In the text the burning coals on his lips are a symbol of forgiveness. You have heard it a million times; confession is good for the soul.

Some things don’t change. In 1884, 124 years ago, Grover Cleveland was running against James G. Blaine for the presidency of the United States. Blaine’s Republican supporters discovered that Cleveland, who was a bachelor at the time, had fathered a son by Mrs. Maria Crofts Halpin, an attractive widow who had been on friendly terms with several politicians. Subsequently, Republicans tried to pin an immorality tag on Democrat Cleveland. He was a man ahead of his time. Instead of denying the relationship, Cleveland decided to tell the truth and admit to the affair. Historians tell us his confession helped him win the election. He was suddenly one of us, who valued honesty.

What you stand to gain in confession is much more important than four years of public service. What you have to gain will last for eternity. What you stand to gain is the salvation of your very soul. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” In worship we stop. In worship we look.

Listen

The third and final word is the word listen. One more time look at the scripture with me. Isaiah is in the temple. He experiences God and he confesses his sins. Because he confesses he is forgiven. It is only then that he listens. Verse eight says, “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!"

Vincent Van Gogh was not always an artist. When he was young he wanted to be a pastor and was sent to serve a poor Belgian mining community in 1879. He discovered that the miners there endured deplorable working conditions and poverty-level wages. Their families were malnourished and struggled simply to survive. He felt concerned that the small stipend he received from the church allowed him a moderate life-style, which, in contrast to the poor, seemed unfair. One cold February evening, while he watched the miners trudging home, he spotted an old man staggering toward him across the fields, wrapped in a burlap sack for warmth. Van Gogh immediately laid his own clothing out on the bed; set aside enough for one change, and determined to give the rest away. He gave the old man a suit of clothes and he gave his overcoat to a pregnant woman whose husband had been killed in a mining accident. Van Gogh lived on starvation rations and spent his stipend on food for the miners. When children in one family contracted typhoid fever, though feverish himself, he packed up his bed and took it to them. Why did he sacrifice so much? He believed that if he wanted them to trust him, he must become one of them. And if they were to learn of the love of God through him, he must love them enough to share with them.

There is an old saying that floats around many churches. It is displayed so the worshippers can read it as they leave. It simply says; The worship is over, let the service begin. Worship was never meant to be something that happens on a Sunday morning. Worship should be life changing. For it is in worship you stop and position yourself to experience God. It is in worship that you look and discover you need to confess and receive God forgiveness. It is in worship that you listen and discover that the world has needs. God is sending you and me to help! And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” I end with this story.

During the tenure of the great orator Henry Ward Beecher, a visiting minister (Beecher's brother) once substituted for the popular pastor. A large audience had already assembled to hear Beecher, and when the substitute pastor stepped into the pulpit, several disappointed listeners began to move toward the exits. That's when the minister stood and said loudly, "All who have come here today to worship Henry Ward Beecher may now withdraw from the church. All who have come to worship God keep your seats!" It is my sincere pray that you come every week prepared and expecting to experience the God of the universe. Will you please pray with me…