Why Worship

Sermon by Steven McClelland on why worship needs to proceed mission and social change.

Anthem by Simona Frenkel and choir – I’m Gonna Sing and Shout – by Mary McDonald.

Christian tradition typically describes Luke as a physician, but I tend to think he was  also a pastor.  A pastor keenly interested in and attentive to the life and worship of his community.  Luke is writing his whole Gospel, he says, so that his community may be confident of the things they have already heard and learned (1:4).  Luke is writing for folks who have heard about Jesus and have come to believe but want to understand more deeply about what it means to follow the way, the truth and the life of Jesus.

What Luke is outlining in his Gospel is that if they want to see Jesus and hear the good news of his life story then come to worship.  And in these verses of Jesus’ transfiguration Luke is instructing us on the form and mission of our worship.  Of all the Gospel writers Luke is the only one who describes Jesus going up the mountain to pray.

Luke’s gospel says that on the “eighth dayafter these sayings” – which was understood by the early church as Sunday, the day of the resurrection and worship, the first day of a new week and a new era.

Jesus discusses with Moses and Elijah his impending crucifixion.  And the voice from heaven is directed not to Jesus but to the disciples saying, “Listen to him.”  And this combination of prayer, word and reflection is what the 8^thday’s worship is to be.  This is what Sunday worship should entail.

Which is why the next scene following the transfiguration is so important.  Because the time for worship, its time of prayer, word, song and reflection is designed to energize us to return to the tasks of the other six days of the week. Worship is where we recharge our spiritual batteries so we can go out and do as Jesus did.  Heal the sick, cast out demons, and witness to what Jesus is doing in our lives.  Basically we are in an apprenticeship learning how to be disciples ourselves so we can pass these lessons on to the next generation.  And to do that we need to be recharged by our weekly worship.

A day of rest and reflection, because Monday is coming.

So for Luke worship is the recharging station for our life in Christ.  It is the place where we listen to God’s word.  We lift each other up in prayer.  We sing and smile.  We laugh and we cry and we do this because we need to be energized, fortified and ready to do the hard work of loving the people who God will place in our lives each and every day.

That’s why the first act following worship according to Luke is Jesus’ immediate challenge to cast out the demon that is possessing the young boy.  It wasn’t easy to do because Luke tells us the disciples were unable to cast the boy’s demon out, but by this story Luke is saying we are also called to be physicians to our community, providing healing, restoration, through our faith, hope and love.

So the question is does our worship do this? Are we recharging our spiritual batteries and are we going out and healing the rest of the week?  Is that how you experience worship?  Does our worship motivate us to walk the talk the other days of the week?

Worship can be the place where we hear God’s voice, focus on the nature of grace as we also experience the reality of the cross in our lives and it can be a time and place to meet each other in prayer, fellowship and song.  Hopefully leaving with a renewed sense of purpose and direction in life.

A number of years ago a young couple that was relatively new to the church I was serving explained to me how important church had become for them.  Whenever one of them could not make it to worship – for example, if one of their children was sick – they’d do a quick two-minute check in with each other to see who needed church more based on the previous week and the week to come.  They told me:  “Church is what helps us make sense of our lives.  It’s that pick-me-up that connects us with God and our calling and sends us back into the week.”

Can you imagine if our congregation felt that way?  What a difference that would make in our lives, the lives of our families and friends.  Well, that’s the opportunity we have before us, to remind people each and every week that they are God’s beloved children who have been called, commissioned, and equipped us to make a difference in the lives of those around us.

Just imagine what would happen if everyone suddenly got Jesus, not as moralist, or as a supporter of our ideologies and biases but truly how scripture portrays him, as a non-violent, champion of God and the least liked and loved people who also happened to be the poorest whether in pocket book or in spirit.

To awaken to the fact that we can do the things Jesus did and greater things if we simply gather to worship, pray and listen to the stories of our ancestors who remind us how much we need each other to battle the demons we all have to face.

With Paul I am reminded that we work out our salvation with awe and trembling at times, but we never do it alone, for the one who abounds in steadfast love and mercy is with us now and until the close of this age. Amen