Pastor Edgar Mayer; Living Grace Community Lutheran Church; Message on Worship (1); Date: 6 January 08

For more sermons and other writings check out pastor’s homepage: http://www.geocities.com/mayeredgar

Worship Wars

Christians do not always get on well with each other even inside the worship building. An incident happened a few days ago inside the church in Bethlehem, Israel – the birthplace of Jesus. This is from a newspaper article – a Christmas story of another kind: “Robed Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests went at each other with brooms and stones … the holiday cleaning … turned ugly after some of the Orthodox faithful stepped inside the Armenian church section, touching off a scuffle between about 50 Greek Orthodox and 30 Armenians. Palestinian police [most of them probably Muslims], armed with batons and shields, quickly formed a human cordon to separate the two sides so the cleaning could continue … Four people, some with blood running from their faces, were slightly wounded.”

What a perfect message to send to the world from Bethlehem at Christmas. Jesus was born and those that have come to worship him, forget themselves – brawl with each other – even inside the church. That’s not very edifying and from a distance we wonder why there could be so much contention over simple cleaning procedures.

However, we are not much better. There is a debate going on in most national churches across the western world – including our own – that has been dubbed “worship wars”. We don’t use brooms and stones – and we may not draw real blood – but nevertheless the animosity between the camps runs so deep that the term fits: “worship wars” – Christians at each other over worship. Why? Not everyone may agree but many a time the bones of contention do not seem to be much more substantial than the cleaning procedures at the Bethlehem church and that – more than anything else – is a tragedy because the wars about nothing – or nothing much – obscure (mask, eclipse) that we do have a need (all of us) to learn more about worship.

Over the last few years there has been a steady stream of letters to the editor of our national church magazine. As I quote from a few, listen to the current war and listen to what preoccupies our minds: “ … it’s arrogant to ‘pretend’ there’s a need to change the liturgy … “ (The Lutheran, 2 April 2007). “ … My children are bored with traditional hymns and organ music … I believe that God wants us to feel passionate and alive as we worship, but my pastor calls this ‘purely entertainment’ … “ (The Lutheran, 23 July 2007). “ … If these people are bored with traditional hymns and organ music, are they also bored with confessing their sins and receiving forgiveness … “(The Lutheran, 17 September 2007). “ … President Voigt in his address implored us to let go of the ‘worship wars’ … “ (The Lutheran, 15 October 2007). “ … Isn’t it about time our seminary realised and taught that God can also be worshipped in non-traditional ways … “ (The Lutheran, 15 October 2007).

It seems that we are at war with each other quarrelling over whether we must use ancient liturgies or flexible running sheets, whether we must use the pipe organ or the electric guitar, whether we must sing traditional hymns or contemporary songs. We sling off at each other with accusations of boredom on the one side and mere entertainment on the other side. But is this not just about worship traditions and styles rather than the substance and dynamic of worship itself? This is not going deep enough.

The tragedy is – apart from the unedifying tone of the debate – the tragedy is that this pointless war has obscured (masked, eclipsed) real deficiencies in our understanding of worship. At the risk of opening up still another front – or more than one front – let me offer a few observations. Both sides of the debate often seem to operate with an understanding that if you only get the method and style right, then worship is going to be attractive and effective. If you only have the right words and the right teaching and the right flavour, then God is going to be present and the worship will bear fruit.

That is wrong. That is too mechanical a view. Worship is not like pushing a button and then having an automatic God-outcome. Worship is more dynamic than that because worship involves a relationship with God as a real person and a real person cannot be put in a box. God – the Lord of the church – cannot be reigned in or manipulated with fixed worship formulas.

In the past when nothing much seemed to happen in the worship service, I was taught to rely on Isaiah 55:10-11 where God promised – I quote from the Bible: “ … my word … will not return empty … “ That was reassuring: the word of God will not return empty but the dynamic word of God – the timely word which he wants to speak into our current situation – either a call to repentance or a word of encouragement or a word of guidance – that dynamic word of God is not necessarily the same as the stagnant letters of our traditions or what we may come up with on any given Sunday. Jesus himself warned the people of God – John 5:39-40: “You diligently study the Scriptures [we might add: even read the Scriptures at worship] because you think that by them you possess eternal life … yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” Therefore, in this case the word was there – the traditions were there – but nevertheless the word did return empty – at least for most of them. There was no connection to Jesus and no life in him.

Then there are people who – the Bible again – 2 Timothy 3:5: “ … have a form of godliness but deny its power … “ Thus, according to this verse it is possible to maintain a form of godliness – it is possible to maintain a godly kind of worship – but at the same time deny – or rather remain ignorant about – the power of God.

Therefore, when we sense that nothing much seems to happen in the worship service, maybe – just maybe – we are actually right. There is indeed nothing much happening. God in his power is not there yet. Is that a surprising thought? In our case we may not even deny the power of God or refuse to act on the Scriptures and come to Jesus. We are simply facing the fact that none of us can presume on God’s presence just because we have made the decision to turn up at 8am/10am on Sunday morning for seventy-five minutes.

We are going to unpack this further. A pastor – with over fifty years of experience in leading worship and growing a church by pursuing God in worship – he writes: “ … there are theologians of a certain stripe who take issue with this proposition. ‘Worship brings His presence?’ they say with critical inquiry. ‘Why,’ they continue, ‘God is present whether you or I ask Him to be or not!’ … “ (Jack Hayford: Manifest Presence, Tonbridge: Sovereign World 2005, p27). This quote signifies where we may suffer confusion as well. How can we say in worship: “There is not much happening yet. Please, Jesus, come. Pour out the Holy Spirit.” How can we say that in our worship services when Jesus promised – I read from the Bible – Matthew 28:20: “ … I am with you always … “? Jesus said: “Always! Permanently!” Therefore, how can we ask him to come when he’s already there? Then the Bible says – 2 Corinthians 1:22: “ … [he] put his Spirit in our hearts … “ meaning: the Spirit has been put in our hearts now. The Spirit’s there now. Why then should we pray at worship: “Jesus, make him come.”

What’s going on here? This is of the utmost importance for us to understand because this needs to inform all of our worship here at Living Grace. There is a level in our relationship with God where he is always present – no argument here – he will never leave us – but at the same time there is also another level in our relationship with God where his presence manifests – intensifies – moves with power and purpose on dynamic occasions. It’s hard to put this in adequate words but listen to a few instances in the Bible – Acts 2:1-4: “ … they were all together in one place [worshipping]. Suddenly … all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit … “ Acts 4:23-31: “ … When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God … After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled [or refilled] with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” Acts 13:2: “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit [came and] said … “ Acts 16:25-26: “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God … Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that … all the prison doors flew open … “ 2 Chronicles 5:13-14: “ … [they] joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the Lord … they raised their voices in praise to the Lord … Then the temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God.”

In all of these instances there was worship and then at the time of God’s own sovereign choosing – often suddenly – he came with power. He was there before but now – quite clearly – he was manifesting his presence with fresh intensity and purpose – refilling people with the Holy Spirit and power, making them bold in preaching, speaking words of guidance through the Holy Spirit, shaking the earth, filling the temple [the church] with his glory. There is a need for us to understand that we are dealing with a God who is acting out his relationship with us in dynamic visitations.

Now this is – or can be – exciting – a dynamic God is better than no action – but on the other hand this does pose a few challenges for us. How are we to structure the worship times when we script beforehand what should happen but then God suddenly comes with his manifest presence and scripts his own running sheet? Then, how are we to know when he has come and how are we to know what is on his agenda?

Especially this last question – coming back to our fondness for worship wars – especially this last question may open up still another front. How are we to know when God has come into our midst and how are we to know what is on his agenda? The only answer we can give is: by experience. You experience the coming of God’s manifest presence on you and you experience – sense, know, discern – what is on God’s heart.

I know that this is opening up another big topic but let me be brief. I am not saying that experience is the measure of all things. There are seasons of struggle and temptations in a Christian’s life where we do not seem to experience much that is uplifting. On the contrary God seems to be distant – even though he’s not – and therefore the bedrock of our relationship with God remains a life lived by faith – not by sight – on the solid ground of the written Word of God in the Bible.

Then – another disclaimer –, we are not always good at interpreting experiences. Did this particular emotional high come from God or did I just have one too many cups of coffee? Did I hear this word of guidance from God or is this simply a product of my own wishful thinking? Experiences can be misunderstood.

However, let me quote the scholar and preacher Martyn Lloyd-Jones. He writes: “ … Let us make no mistake about this; the truth of God is something that is to be experienced. It is not a philosophical system, it is not a mere ethical teaching. The whole object and end of the Christian religion is to bring us to a knowledge of God; and God is not some kind of philosophic ‘X’. He is not an abstraction, a mere postulate in philosophy. God is! He is a Personal Deity. And he is to be known” (Martyn Lloyd-Jones: Christian Warfare. An Exposition Of Ephesians 6:10 to 13, Edinburgh: The Banner Of Truth Trust 1976, p198).

Yes! God – a person – is to be known and we are to experience a relationship with God as a living person who can speak, who can love and comfort, who can and does take an interest in what we are doing every day. This is essential. Consider a few more Bible verses – Ephesians 1:17-18: “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart my be enlightened … “ Philippians 2:1-2: “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then … “ According to these verses – for these Christians – there were a whole lot of experiences with God happening: the Spirit was touching them with wisdom and revelation, hearts were becoming enlightened, there was encouragement in the union with Christ, comfort from feeling the love of Jesus, intimacy with the Holy Spirit and thus a filling with tenderness and compassion.

That’s the Bible and I think that we are on board with this because if our faith was merely an intellectual exercise, we wouldn’t be here this morning. We haven’t come to this building to be clever and exchange world-view ideas about God. We have come here to meet him and know him.

However, coming back to the practical considerations of what this means for our worship, let me ask again: How are we to know when God has come – with power and glory descending on us – and how are we to know what is on his agenda? As we have said, we are to know by experience – by discerning what’s going on – but that requires a openness on our part and a tuning in of our hearts into the heart of God.

One fact becomes clear from the outset. Our worship services will not always look the same. Depending on the circumstances God may purpose to do different things. Even in the Bible readings from before there were variations. At one time God simply immersed everything in his glory so that no one could move. At another time he shook the earth and came with a violent wind and fire for mission and bold preaching. Then there are times when he comes to us in gentleness – so quietly that we can easily miss him. I read to you from the Bible – 1 Kings 19:11-13: “The Lord said: ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ … the Lord was not in the wind … the Lord was not in the earthquake … the Lord was not in the fire … [then there] came a gentle whisper … “ God was in the whisper and therefore – on occasions – if we are too noisy we will miss him in our worship.

Can we appreciate now that leading worship is not easy and requires the active engagement of everyone? Has God’s manifest presence already come or should we continue with worshipping him and waiting on him by singing another song? Is God using this particular song to release us in praise and adoration and should we therefore stay with this song for a little while longer allowing God to complete his work – or maybe we should be singing another – similar – praise song? What has God done in the preaching? Has he worked repentance and should we therefore allow time for further humbling ourselves before God or has he filled our hearts with understanding and awe and therefore we need to stand up, sing and clap our hands – praise him? Does he want us to give an altar call? When is God’s presence there to heal people and could it be that during the service he has moved on certain people with prophetic insight that is to be shared – but when and how?

There is still much to learn for us but isn’t it exciting? The issue is not whether we use pipe organs or electric guitars – traditional hymns or contemporary songs – the issue is to allow God the freedom to visit us with his manifest presence and then move with his agenda – rather than our own.

I close with one more practical consideration. How can we get ready to meet God in worship? The answer is: Prepare yourselves. Repent and believe. Trust the promises of God and then have a go practising your relationship with him – and we do that together as a church. God loves us and won’t mind baby-steps into maturity. Then the Bible also says – Hebrews 12:14: “ … without holiness no one will see the Lord.” Holiness – another important ingredient. You and I – commit to a holy life – a life that welcomes and invites a holy God – worship God with a pure heart for then we will see him. He will come to manifest himself to you. Amen.