Category: Exhortation

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Coming to Worship with a Heavy Heart

foggy lake

I know many of you this morning come into worship with heavy hearts and burdens. For some of you, it is health concerns, relational problems, financial difficulties, anxieties about family members making poor moral decisions, and a host of other issues. I want you to know that none of these catch God by surprise. God is not shocked by your pain; he oversees your pain as a tender Father, a compassionate Son, and a comforting Spirit.

When nothing else seems right in the world, it is right and good that you come to worship. It is right and good that the balm of Gilead is applied to your wounds. It is right and good that the Gospel is portrayed wholly, lucidly, and consistently. The worst decision you could make this season is finding refuge in idols and entering into the ugly dance of victimhood. But the best decision you can make is to worship the Triune God with believers in Messiah Jesus, our true victim.

There is nothing more alleviating than the name of Jesus to soothe our sorrows, heal our wounds, and drives away our fear. Jesus is the man of sorrows who took your sorrows and who rose from the sorrows of death for our salvation. He is the true healer who calls you today to cast your cares on him, for he cares for you.

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People of the Book

foggy lake

Christians are people of the book. The book of the Chronicles and the book of Zephaniah, and the other 64 as well. But we are selective hearers. We like what sounds good to the ears, and we don’t like the unknown. We are uncomfortable at times with irregularities of rhythms in the Psalter, and we are certainly uncomfortable with that whole dashing skulls against the wall business in Psalm 137. We like our Bible served comfortably with a God that is comfortably numb.

God gives us imprecations as gifts. If we use them all the time, it loses their power and authority. But if there is a special day to utter the uncomfortable words, it is the Lord’s Day. Today, we enter into the holy of holies by invitation only. The father invites us to be in his presence and to taste his truth. He further invites us to say hard things, to bring liberty to the captives, and to espouse a theology of courage.

You may be here half-heartedly, you may be here in quarter pieces, but you are here! So, Christ welcomes you into his life and his world. And in this life and world, there are curses to the wicked, uncomfortable sayings of the prophets, rebukes to the disciples, and lessons learned again, and again, and again.

Come and welcome to the uncomfortable message of redemption, but which to us is our only comfort in life and in death!

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Feeding on the Word

C.S. Lewis observed in his Reflections on the Psalms that a Christian can’t always be defending the truth, sometimes he needs to feed on it. This is very appropriate for the people of God on this Lord’s Day. This is the day to receive the blessings of God in word and sacrament. This is a day to feed on the One who gave himself for us. This is a day to be renewed and encouraged to assume our roles in this world.

We cannot defend something unless we have been transformed and fed by it. The first step to being fed by the Word is to allow the Word to cut through us and exorcise our sinful habits and thoughts. We cannot be truly fed by the Word if our hearts do not desire the Word.

As we prepare to confess our sins, let us receive and respond to this pure Word spoken by our Creator and Redeemer, the Beloved of God, Jesus Christ.

 

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Shame, Guilt and Worship

Sin affects us in several ways, but the two primary ways are through guilt and shame. Now both ideas may appear very similar, but there is a fundamental difference. Guilt comes when we become aware of particular sins. David says, “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse from my sin.” These are two ways of saying the same thing. “God, I am guilty before you.” David could point to his adultery with Bathsheba and make a direct correlation with his guilt.

Shame, on the other hand, is not as easy to detect as guilt. With shame, we can’t always identify what the wrong was, or we can think of many wrongs, though struggle to find which wrong leads us to shame.

As we come to worship this morning, it is likely that we are under the effect of both concepts: guilt and shame. The good news is that the many faces of shame and guilt take a blow when together we come to confess our manifold sins and wickednesses. We come this morning to seek God’s face where there is abundant life. God in His mercy is ready to cleanse you and wash you and rewrite your narrative of guilt and shame with the narrative of His love. Come and worship before Him.

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On Not Being Alone: Preparing our Hearts, Genesis 2

In Genesis 1, God offers a broad view of creation. In Genesis 2, the writer zooms into particular elements of creation, especially the creation of man and woman. Beginning in verse 18,

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

We have typically looked at this passage and assumed that Adam saw the animals pass by frustrated that he couldn’t find a partner; someone who could take away Adam’s loneliness. But the garden is actually a proto-temple. It would be the model used when many years later God would build a place for his people to dwell and worship. The garden was a place of worship. We know this for many reasons, but we especially see this in the warnings God gives in Genesis 2. God commands his son, Adam, to eat of almost all trees, but not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Gen. 2:17).

If Eden is a proto-temple, and if God tells Adam that there are certain things in this proto-temple not to touch, then we have the elements of a worship service. Throughout the Bible, God says there are things we can do and other things that are forbidden. This is what the second commandment teaches when it says, “You shall have no other gods but me.”

Since this is a context of worship to God, Adam was looking for a worship partner. And this is why God says that the animals were not fit for Adam. Adam needed someone to sing, to praise, to share, and to eat together. And because he found no one to do these things, he was alone.

Beloved, you are not alone this morning. From the body of Christ at his death, God formed his bride. God has found a suitable helper for the second Adam. We are his worshipers and together we are here to worship the God/Man, Jesus Christ.

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Eight Reasons Why Worship Must Be Hard Work

singingFrom Couch to Warfare

There is a great app called Couch to 5K. It’s designed for people who have become comfortable with the couch and have an allergy to the treadmill. It’s an incremental approach to working out. As the weeks go by we become more accustomed to the patterns established and we long to achieve the final level when we run an entire 5K. It’s hard work. My proposition is very simple: Worship is hard. We cannot remain comfortable in our pews. We need to start running the race. We may not be ready to run a 5K, but we need to be headed in that direction. And like running, worship requires habits and consistency. I am calling you to burn your calories in worship not because I am a controversialist or a tyrannical trainer but because I want you to be a healthy sacrifice to God. In fact, the formal synonym for worship is liturgy. Liturgy comes from two words: “Work” and “people.” Therefore, worship or liturgy can be accurately defined as the work of the people. 

Our Lord was so righteously angry by the easy business transactions (easy worship) of the Temple that he turned upside down the world when he overturned the tables of the money-changers (John 2:13-16). Such audacity should be imitated by God’s people, but cautiously exercised in light of our sinfulness. So here is my attempt to cautiously turn a few tables upside down with the hope that some will decide to keep it that way rather than try to put it back up or mend the broken pieces.

Worship has become perfunctory in our day. a The seeker-sensitive movement of the 90’s has morphed into a thousand strategic models for church growth. Some of these recommendations can be helpful, but the vast majority succumb to a moralistic therapeutic deismb that would be best spread in a meal for Baal than the God who made the heavens and earth.c Easy worship produces light Christians. Light Christians produce weak men and weak men produce feeble societies.

The Hard Work of Worship

These eight reasons are introductory in nature. Most certainly they can be edited or better stated, but in light of ecclesiastical trends and the high significance God puts in the worship of his name, these examples should be taken with great care.

First, worship must be hard work because God demands those who worship him to do so in “spirit and truth (John 4:24).” I take “Spirit” to mean in “Spirit-led” form. Worship must take a Spirit-shaped liturgy. It must be guided by the inspired words of the Spirit and a bathed dependence on the Trinity. Jesus demands that we take up the cross and follow him which is hard work lived out by the power of the Spirit.

Worshiping in truth also demands much from the worshiper. John the Baptist had borne witness to the truth (John 5:33) and that witness cost him his life. Thus, worshiping in truth is no easy task. Our gathered assembly must be prepared to fight hard to/in worship. If worship demands little or nothing from us, it fails the John 4:24 test.

Second, worship must be hard because God’s commandments require perseverance (Ephesians 6:18). Grace is not a synonym for a lackadaisical posture. Grace, rather, calls us to serve the Lord with our heart, mind, soul, and strength. The people of God are called to worship God by loving him and neighbor and both demand a high alertness to God’s principles for worship. Worship is a picture of our own spiritual walk. Passivity in worship may lead to passivity in our Christian walk.

Third, worship demands most work on the Lord’s appointed day. Many say that they can worship anywhere as a way to avoid worshiping in the consecrated time of worship on the Lord’s Day (Rev. 1:10). It is true that worship can take place anywhere, but the particular worship God commands is the worship of his gathered assembly (Heb. 10:25). Worship is hard because there are competing temptations that draw us away from the gathered assembly. Everything done in the name of God can be worship, but if it is used to substitute a clear call to worship him, it becomes less than worship and a violation of the principle of worship. God places a higher priority on gathered worship than on earthly tasks which are why we ought to apply ourselves with a greater fervency to Sunday worship than to other worshipful activities.

Fourth, worship demands postures. The Bible offers many postures for the Christian in worshipd) Worship has bodily demands for those who are able. It is hard work and requires a proactive response from the Christian. Passivity is not in the vocabulary of worship.

Fifth, worship teaches us patterns. The beauty of patterns is that it requires repetition. The angels in heaven maintain a glory pattern of worship day and night (Rev. 7:15). They are not discontent with the patterns or repetitions. They worship again and again. Similarly, earthly saints must repeat without fear, but with hunger to see such repetition become fervent and acceptable in God’s sight. Every stage of human life demand patterns whether kisses, hugs, sex, greetings, discipline in the home, waking, sleeping, eating, etc. Repetition is part of life. The thirst for the new and change in worship reflects a concern for human desires rather than God’s demands.

Sixth, hard work in worship stresses the mighty nature of God. It’s been many years since Christian Smith coined the phrase “moralistic therapeutic deism.” The phrase expressed a Freudian ecclesiology where the parishioner only sits and allows the clergy to do their thing. I once attended a church where one of the deacons faithfully recorded the member’s tithes and offerings during the service. He used the passivity of that worship service to “catch up” with work rather than working hard to participate and engage in the work of worship.

Seventh, hard work in worship teaches consistency in life. Someone who attended a congregation where hard work was expected from the people asked sarcastically: “Why do you all have to make things so complicated?” The question was addressed to a congregation that took worship seriously and demanded participation from its people. Ironically this individual cherished a hard work ethic and decried the lack of real men in our culture. “Work hard in school. Work hard to save money. Work hard to change a liberal culture,” he’d say. But be prepared to do little work when you come into worship was the implication. This inconsistency is consistent with the easy worship practices of many churches in our day. Let the experts do their thing, and our role is to simply sit and watch while we let others do the work for us. In economic terms, this is ecclesiastical socialism.

Finally, I offer four ways pastors and parishioners can train themselves to work hard on Sunday morning at the great assembly:

a) Disciple your children in worship. Fathers and mothers must be committed to keeping their children in worship with them. We don’t train children outside of worship so they can one day come into worship. Children are not distractions to be put aside during worship, they are disciples to be trained during worship. They have a fundamental role when we gather together (Psalm 8).e Children will generally become like their parents in worship. They will either work hard and sit passively while others do the hard work of worship.

b) Use hymnals instead of other means if possible. Hymnals demand musical knowledge.f You may not read music. You may not be musical. But using hymnals will require you to get out of your comfort zone and learn intricate and theologically rich melodies. I recently told my congregation that an Advent hymn we had just sung covered about ten essential theological doctrines in its seven verses. Hymns–and the Psalms–are sung religious education.

c) We are made to respond. Therefore, responsorial elements in worship are necessary (I Chronicles 16). Even in the easiest and relaxed worship environments, there are responses. If a pastor or a leader says, “Good morning,” the people will naturally respond similarly; the same with “Merry Christmas.” Theological greetings and responses should be an engaging part of the service (Ruth 2:4) that calls people to be attentive and prepared to answer with loud shouts of praise (Ps. 98:4). Worship is hard work and responses from the people serve to keep the people always aware and attentive.

d) Lastlyg, every service should have a bulletin; an order of worship. Worship becomes easy and flippant when the leader and the people go from one thing to the other without purpose or meaning or flow. I recall attending an evangelical church many years ago where the music leader chose our next song the moment he was called by the pastor. Quickly he flipped the pages and found a familiar tune to sing. Worship demands preparation. It’s hard work. And hard work leads to fruitful, engaging, and life-changing worship.

Offering Him Our Reasonable Sacrifice

These actions can be quickly taken by pastors and can be implemented without causing much consternation or division. Worship is discipleship training. We do the work again and again so we may become competent and equipped for it. Contrary to popular opinion, hard work in worship is not the invention of cranky Presbyterians who wish to take away our joy. In fact, the joy of the Lord is our strength. And the Lord takes joy when we are strengthened by worshiping Him. Working hard in worship has nothing to do with earning God’s favor; working hard in worship means God is deserving of our praise. We don’t come and offer Him the least we can give, we offer Him our spiritual sacrifice. Indeed we offer Him our entire self.

Worship is warfare. Warfare is hard. Worship prepares us for the race ahead. By the end of the hour, we should feel the exhaustion of having worshiped a great God who demands and is worthy of praise, confession, singing, adoration, kneeling, standing, and lifting holy hands. No one should come from such worship feeling lethargic. The liturgy–the work of the people–trains us for the hard work of perseverance through life. Let’s work hard with God’s people until our final rest when our work will be perfected by the God who calls us into His presence.

  1. This example serves only as an illustration of the kinds of things that are permissible in our day and highly encouraged.  (back)
  2. Language coined by Christian Smith  (back)
  3. See Terry Johnson’s Worshiping with Calvin for multiple examples of this: https://www.amazon.com/Worshipping-Calvin-Terry-Johnson/dp/085234936X/ref=pd_sbs_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=HRHPCNKJTWAT4RVM91VX  (back)
  4. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! (Psalm 95:6); Lift up your hands to the holy place And bless the LORD! (Psalm 134:2); Give praise, O servants of the LORD, Who stand in the house of the LORD. (Psalm 135:2  (back)
  5. I understand there is need for cry rooms and perhaps age-appropriate Sunday School, but these do not hinder the centrality for young and old to be together for worship (Joel 2:16).  (back)
  6. Here is a great piece advocating the use of hymnals: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/ponderanew/2014/07/22/reasons-why-we-should-still-be-using-hymnals/  (back)
  7. and this is only introductory; more could be added  (back)
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“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” Exhortation for First Sunday in Advent

Advent! The arrival of a notable person! The coming of a life changing event! In theology, we speak of the Advent of Jesus to refer to two events: first, the coming of Jesus in his birth and second, the coming of Jesus at the end of history. Either way, we retell the story of the coming Messiah to change the pages of history.

Advent is the start of the new year which means we are walking through those dark days of expectation as Israel awaited the promise of the prophetic writings the arrival of a new king. And one of the great Advental hymns in the last 700 years is the famous “Veni Emmanuel” translated “O Come Emmanuel.”

We will close with that great hymn today, but I want to stress two promises this song alerts us as we sing:

First, “free thy own from Satan’s tyranny.” Advent reminds us that when Jesus arrives he destroys the devil’s work among the nations. We sometimes sing this hymn without understanding its central message that Jesus takes back what rightly belongs to him. And what rightly belongs to him? The nations. Satan’s tyranny is ended and Jesus’ birth initiates a new era in history.

But second, another promise fulfilled in the birth of Jesus is found in the last verse of this great hymn: “Make safe the way that leads on high, and close the path to misery.” The language indicates that Jesus burst open the gates of heaven for all the saints. In other words, he came to set the captives free; those in exile, imprisoned by Satan’s tyranny. The coming of Jesus ended the misery of expectation. Imagine if we only expected but never saw the fruition of our expectations? But Jesus’ arrival ends our waiting and opens heaven for all nations. And for these reasons and many others, we rejoice today for Emmanuel has come to Israel and indeed the whole world.

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Life, Liberty, and Happiness: A Meditation for the 4th of July

We are nearing the 4th of July. It is a time of joy and celebration. And we hope to satiate our hunger tomorrow with good drinks, good food, and good friends. But beyond all the fireworks, parades, and the good and healthy national festivities, we will also remember that in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. Sovereignty is good. It is right. And I believe there was much wisdom in that threefold pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness. Undoubtedly we have not followed those principles too well in this nation. We have despised life by disposing of unborn infants, we have forgotten that God has set us free from ourselves and from the tyranny of sin, but we have also forsaken the liberty given to any nation whose God is the Lord. Therefore, we receive the just punishment we deserve, and that means the majority of our politicians and their policies. Washington has become a place of secret handshakes, unwarranted transactions, political elitism, sophist rhetoric, and cowardice. And finally, the happiness that we should certainly pursue is largely devoid of any form of Trinitarian rationale. Happiness–which is the pursuit of righteousness– without Nature’s God is temporary and unsatisfying.

We are first and foremost heavenly citizens. Our pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness are not granted by this nation, but by a heavenly nation that this country has largely ignored. But this should not be the case. We are not pessimists. We know that even in the darkest moment of this country’s history, God is still on the throne, and He did not hit the pause button on his kingdom advance.

Be good citizens of this nation. Sing Psalms so loudly that the enemies will think there is an army of giants coming at them. Speak truth so firmly that Washington will be unable to shut her ears. Stand strong that nothing will deter you from marching on. Love so convincingly that godly marriage would be honored. Obey the Lord your God and petition his mercy that God would spare. True patriotism rejoices when our country does right, and weeps when she chases after false gods.

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What is Holy Saturday?

The Passion Week provides diverse theological emotions for the people of God. Palm Sunday commences with the entrance of a divine King riding on a donkey. He comes in ancient royal transportation. The royal procession illicit shouts of benediction, but concludes only a few days later with shouts of crucifixion as the king is hung on a tree.

The Church also celebrates Maundy Thursday as our Messiah provides a new commandment to love one another just as He loved us. The newness of the commandments is not an indication that love was not revealed prior (Lev. 19), but that love is now incarnate in the person of love, Jesus Christ. We then proceed to sing of the anguish of that Good Friday as our blessed Lord is humiliated by soldiers and scolded by the offensive words of the religious leaders of the day. As he walks to the Mount, his pain testifies to Paul’s words that he suffered even to the point of death (Phil. 2). But hidden in this glaringly distasteful mixture of blood, vinegar, and bruised flesh is the calmness of the day after our Lord’s crucifixion.

After fulfilling the great Davidic promise in Psalm 22, our Lord rests from his labors in the tomb. Whatever may have happened in those days before his resurrection, we know that Christ’s work as the unblemished offering of love was finished.

The Church calls this day Blessed Sabbath or more commonly, Holy Saturday. On this day, our Lord reposed (rested) from his accomplishments. Many throughout history also believe that Holy Saturday is a fulfillment of Moses’ words:

God blessed the seventh day. This is the blessed Sabbath. This is the day of rest, on which the only-begotten Son of God rested from all His works . . .(Gen. 2:2)

The Church links this day with the creation account. On day seven Yahweh rested and enjoyed the fruit of his creation. Jesus Christ also rested in the rest given to him by the Father and enjoyed the fruits of the New Creation he began to establish and would be brought to light on the next day.

As Alexander Schmemann observed:

Now Christ, the Son of God through whom all things were created, has come to restore man to communion with God. He thereby completes creation. All things are again as they should be. His mission is consummated. On the Blessed Sabbath He rests from all His works.

Holy Saturday is a day of rest for God’s people; a foretaste of the true Rest that comes in the Risen Christ. The calmness of Holy Saturday makes room for the explosion of Easter Sunday. On this day, we remember that the darkness of the grave and the resting of the Son were only temporary for when a New Creation bursts into the scene the risen Lord of glory cannot contain his joy, and so he gives it to us.

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Confessing before the face of God

This is the third Sunday in Advent. The pink candle has been lit. Unlike the color purple in our first two candles, which indicate penitence and the royal color to welcome the Advent of the King, the pink candle indicates a nearness to Christmas. It signifies joy. It does not eliminate the need for a deeper meditation on sin, repentance, and preparation, but it does signal that the coming of the King is near.

As we prepare our hearts for the season of joy that awaits us, we need to be reminded that confession comes before joy. We may be tempted to read through our confession this morning and overlook that we have sinned and fallen short this week. Listen to the first line: “Your face is hidden from us because of our sins.” What a dreadful thought! This is a reality that we need to meditate upon as we confess our sins corporately each Lord’s Day: that in our sins we are declaring that we no longer need the face of God. If our call is to be in the presence and face of God, Coram Deo, then in our sin we are running from His presence and His face. Let us come and confess our sins and pray that we would always turn to God in our sins that His face may shine upon us and that we might anticipate with even greater joy the coming of Messiah Jesus, the Savior of the World.