While I was visiting an individual the other day, we got around to the topic of worship. The individual shared with me something that is attributed to the theologian Soren Kierkegaard. Kierkegaard said something to the effect that we tend to think of church as some kind of theater: we sit in the audience, attentively watching the actors on stage. If sufficiently entertained, we show our gratitude with applause. Church, though, should be the opposite of theater. God is the audience for our worship.”
It is true, isn’t it, that what matters most in worship takes place in the hearts of the congregation – not “on stage.” The question that we should ask ourselves after worship is not “What did I get out of it?” The real question is “Was God please with what I offered?”
In the Old Testament animal sacrifice served as a way to indicate that God is the center of Worship. Yet God didn’t need the animals, they were already his. What God desires is the sacrifice of the heart, an internal attitude of elevating God to God’s worthy place (the word worship really comes from an old word which means “worthy”.)
Ultimately, the goal of our worship is nothing more than to meet God and to please God with the offering of ourselves in fellowship, song and praise.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Counting the Stars:
The other day I heard a person talking about the stars and the amazing number of stars that dot the galaxies of our universe. The number 1 trillion came as a round number to number the stars.
The question was raised, “Do you have any concept of what 1 trillion is?” Well, of course I don’t.
Think of it like this, I learned. If a person could count from one to 1 trillion, saying 1 number every second (of course that would be hard when one gets to 575,637,438, for example – but for the sake of this illustration say that it were possible) it would take 30,000 years to count that far. That’s right, it would take 300 plus life times to count from 1 to 1 trillion, to number the stars, if you will.
Chris Tomlin in the song “Indescribable” says of God, “You placed the stars in the sky and you know them by name....”
Can you capture that? God not only created this wonderful universe, but he took the time to ‘name’ every one of the stars. I have to think that his naming process wasn’t as flippant as a name every second. I think he poured over his creation and thought deeply about the names he’d give even the stars. And after giving those names, he remembers and knows those names.
I recently had a conversation with an individual whose extended family of grandchildren and great-grandchildren has grown into the range of 30. The individual said, “I can’t even keep their names straight any more.”
But God can. He keeps the names of the stars straight and he keeps our names straight.
If you’re ever having one of those days when you feel like you don’t count. Please know you do count. Not only do you count, God knows your name, your hurt, your weakness and your needs. And God will tend to you because he not only created you, but he knows you by name. More than that he knows you well enough to die and rise again for your eternal well-being, your eternal destiny.
The question was raised, “Do you have any concept of what 1 trillion is?” Well, of course I don’t.
Think of it like this, I learned. If a person could count from one to 1 trillion, saying 1 number every second (of course that would be hard when one gets to 575,637,438, for example – but for the sake of this illustration say that it were possible) it would take 30,000 years to count that far. That’s right, it would take 300 plus life times to count from 1 to 1 trillion, to number the stars, if you will.
Chris Tomlin in the song “Indescribable” says of God, “You placed the stars in the sky and you know them by name....”
Can you capture that? God not only created this wonderful universe, but he took the time to ‘name’ every one of the stars. I have to think that his naming process wasn’t as flippant as a name every second. I think he poured over his creation and thought deeply about the names he’d give even the stars. And after giving those names, he remembers and knows those names.
I recently had a conversation with an individual whose extended family of grandchildren and great-grandchildren has grown into the range of 30. The individual said, “I can’t even keep their names straight any more.”
But God can. He keeps the names of the stars straight and he keeps our names straight.
If you’re ever having one of those days when you feel like you don’t count. Please know you do count. Not only do you count, God knows your name, your hurt, your weakness and your needs. And God will tend to you because he not only created you, but he knows you by name. More than that he knows you well enough to die and rise again for your eternal well-being, your eternal destiny.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
March 2011 Sketchings
“TAKE TIME TO WORSHIP”!!
In Washington, DC, at a Metro Station, on a cold January 2007 morning, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on.
About 4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.
At 6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
At 10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The child stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. Several other children repeated this action, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to quickly move on.
After 1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all. During the time he played only 6 people stopped to listen for a short while. About 20 people gave money – a total of about $32 -- but continued to walk at their normal pace.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where people paid an average of $100 each to listen to the same man play the same music.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station was organized by the Washington Post (see: http://tinyurl.com/3x9s2a) as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.
There are, obviously, a number of implications that could be made, and have been made, about this experiment.
For my purposes, though, I just want to say this: In our faith, we need to pause for some moments on a regular basis and to be in awe of the “greatest One” in the world. In our busyness, we miss too many things of beauty. In our busyness, we too seldom break our stride to stop and listen, to stop and be in awe, to stop and marvel at the wonder of our God in action around us.
Worship, being drawn into very presence of God, is a break in our routine to be in awe of God, to hear the wonderful “music” of God’s voice and word, to stop and see the abundance and riches that God is pouring our for us. Worship brings us into a place where we can set aside all the cares and worries of daily life to be ministered to by the God who works miracles in our midst.
As we approach Lent, as we move through life, let your Spirit be open to the presence of God and be disciplined in moving out of busyness to enter into the shadows of God’s loving grace and mercy.
In Washington, DC, at a Metro Station, on a cold January 2007 morning, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on.
About 4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.
At 6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
At 10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The child stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. Several other children repeated this action, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to quickly move on.
After 1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all. During the time he played only 6 people stopped to listen for a short while. About 20 people gave money – a total of about $32 -- but continued to walk at their normal pace.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where people paid an average of $100 each to listen to the same man play the same music.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station was organized by the Washington Post (see: http://tinyurl.com/3x9s2a) as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.
There are, obviously, a number of implications that could be made, and have been made, about this experiment.
For my purposes, though, I just want to say this: In our faith, we need to pause for some moments on a regular basis and to be in awe of the “greatest One” in the world. In our busyness, we miss too many things of beauty. In our busyness, we too seldom break our stride to stop and listen, to stop and be in awe, to stop and marvel at the wonder of our God in action around us.
Worship, being drawn into very presence of God, is a break in our routine to be in awe of God, to hear the wonderful “music” of God’s voice and word, to stop and see the abundance and riches that God is pouring our for us. Worship brings us into a place where we can set aside all the cares and worries of daily life to be ministered to by the God who works miracles in our midst.
As we approach Lent, as we move through life, let your Spirit be open to the presence of God and be disciplined in moving out of busyness to enter into the shadows of God’s loving grace and mercy.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
A Meaningful Devotion:
These thoughts from Joyce Sequichie Hifler in A Cherokee Feast of Days (pg. 54) spoke to me this week:
"Turn around right where you are and face the frightening situation, the lion, on your path. Don't waver and dodge. Look the problem in the eye and call it nothing. Speak to it in definitive words so that there is no doubt that it must go. Wisdom tells us to get out of harm's way at times, but it never tells us to weep with fear. Once we turn to face it, a quieter determined strength pours in to end the terror. Fear is terrorism. It is not running from it that cripples us but refusing to call it what it is. When fear takes over it flows through all our thinking. If we have any faith at all, it is a sacred faith, but faith will grow when we charge it with determination and powerful words."
I thought about Paul's words to the Romans, Chapter 8, "Nothing (Not ONE thing) can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
If we name our fears and threats what they are in God's eyes, "nothing", they lose their power and faith grows and deepens.
"Turn around right where you are and face the frightening situation, the lion, on your path. Don't waver and dodge. Look the problem in the eye and call it nothing. Speak to it in definitive words so that there is no doubt that it must go. Wisdom tells us to get out of harm's way at times, but it never tells us to weep with fear. Once we turn to face it, a quieter determined strength pours in to end the terror. Fear is terrorism. It is not running from it that cripples us but refusing to call it what it is. When fear takes over it flows through all our thinking. If we have any faith at all, it is a sacred faith, but faith will grow when we charge it with determination and powerful words."
I thought about Paul's words to the Romans, Chapter 8, "Nothing (Not ONE thing) can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
If we name our fears and threats what they are in God's eyes, "nothing", they lose their power and faith grows and deepens.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Thoughts from Sailing:
During our recent vacation, Teresa and I, along with her brother and sister-in-law, were doing some sailing in the Virgin Islands. In so doing we decided to tackle something new – making a bit of an “open water” passage to the island of Anegada. By no means is this passage like crossing the Atlantic, but it is a passage that takes a couple of hours or so during which one is guided only by the compass, with no visible landmarks ahead. (You see, Anegada’s highest land point is only 13 ft above sea level so you can’t see the island until you’re almost there.) Sailing to Anegada is an exercise in trusting the compass, an exercise in being guided by a “truth” that is out of one’s personal control. Along the way, one can encounter unexpected squalls and gusts, ocean surge and rogue waves. It is a time to trust and have faith.
The Bible is full of images that are related to the sea, to storms and open seas. The calming of the storm by Jesus (Mark 4: 35 – 41) is probably the most well known (and it is the theme of our Welcome Center Stained Glass window).
Beyond the Bible, my attention was also drawn to a couple of song choruses that were part of our worship the weekend we returned from our sailing adventures:
“Your Love Never Fails” by Chris Quilala
Chorus:
You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There may be pain in the night but joy comes in the morning
And when the oceans rage
I don't have to be afraid
Because I know that You love me
Your love never fails
Verse:
The wind is strong and the water's deep
But I'm not alone in these open seas
Cause Your love never fails
The chasm is far too wide
I never thought I'd reach the other side
But Your love never fails
“You Never Let Go” by Matt Redman
Verse:
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I'm caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won't turn back
I know you are near
And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?
Chorus:
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me
I share this to tell you, that an “open water” sailing adventure opened my spirit to ponder in a new and different way God’s presence, love and care for me – and for you!!
The Bible is full of images that are related to the sea, to storms and open seas. The calming of the storm by Jesus (Mark 4: 35 – 41) is probably the most well known (and it is the theme of our Welcome Center Stained Glass window).
Beyond the Bible, my attention was also drawn to a couple of song choruses that were part of our worship the weekend we returned from our sailing adventures:
“Your Love Never Fails” by Chris Quilala
Chorus:
You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There may be pain in the night but joy comes in the morning
And when the oceans rage
I don't have to be afraid
Because I know that You love me
Your love never fails
Verse:
The wind is strong and the water's deep
But I'm not alone in these open seas
Cause Your love never fails
The chasm is far too wide
I never thought I'd reach the other side
But Your love never fails
“You Never Let Go” by Matt Redman
Verse:
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I'm caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won't turn back
I know you are near
And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?
Chorus:
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me
I share this to tell you, that an “open water” sailing adventure opened my spirit to ponder in a new and different way God’s presence, love and care for me – and for you!!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Making our Own Music:
In an interview with William Parry, a pianist and composer who got his start in accompanying silent films, the interviewer commented, “That (being a silent film accompanist) must have required great attention. You must have followed the action frame by frame to reflect in the music what the audience was seeing on the screen.”
“Yes,” Parry agreed, “but it also worked the other way. The music I played affected what moviegoers saw.”
He remembered one Charlie Chaplin film, with its trademark blend of humor and pathos, where he could underscore a scene either way. “If I played bright, bouncy tunes, the audience would roar with laughter. But if I accompanied the very same scene with mournful music, handkerchiefs would come out all over the theater.”
I think it is that we go through life, each hearing our own background music. For some it is brisk and stirring, for others it is in a minor key. For some it is full of dissonance, for another melodic and harmonious. The same set of circumstances in two different lives can be handled in different ways – depending on the background music with which one accompanies life.
I know for myself, about a year ago I changed the background music on my radios. With the change to more positive music, I found myself seeing events and circumstances differently. The same can be true of the background “music” of the books we read and the movies we watch and the TV programs that are selected.
In the end, you see, we may not be able to change the circumstances or events of life, but we can change the music to which they are set.
“Yes,” Parry agreed, “but it also worked the other way. The music I played affected what moviegoers saw.”
He remembered one Charlie Chaplin film, with its trademark blend of humor and pathos, where he could underscore a scene either way. “If I played bright, bouncy tunes, the audience would roar with laughter. But if I accompanied the very same scene with mournful music, handkerchiefs would come out all over the theater.”
I think it is that we go through life, each hearing our own background music. For some it is brisk and stirring, for others it is in a minor key. For some it is full of dissonance, for another melodic and harmonious. The same set of circumstances in two different lives can be handled in different ways – depending on the background music with which one accompanies life.
I know for myself, about a year ago I changed the background music on my radios. With the change to more positive music, I found myself seeing events and circumstances differently. The same can be true of the background “music” of the books we read and the movies we watch and the TV programs that are selected.
In the end, you see, we may not be able to change the circumstances or events of life, but we can change the music to which they are set.
Worth Repeating:
“Worship is a weekly opportunity to practice not being God.”
“If we stay away from worship too long, we start to make God into our own image. The privatization of our spiritual journey only transforms God to be virtually anything we want. Once back in the habit and flow of worship, however, and surrounded by a mix of people who don’t mirror every fact of our life, something delightful happens. We discover God to be quietly remaking us into God’s own image. We encounter a rhythm stronger than our heartbeat. We find ourselves full of more joy than we can contain.”
These are the words of Pastor Peter W. Marty from the series “A Lutheran Christian Life for Today” titled “Praise in an awe-deficient world” (The Lutheran; January, 2011, page 3). Marty is Pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church of Davenport, IA. You can find Marty’s whole article on the Lutheran Magazine Website.
“If we stay away from worship too long, we start to make God into our own image. The privatization of our spiritual journey only transforms God to be virtually anything we want. Once back in the habit and flow of worship, however, and surrounded by a mix of people who don’t mirror every fact of our life, something delightful happens. We discover God to be quietly remaking us into God’s own image. We encounter a rhythm stronger than our heartbeat. We find ourselves full of more joy than we can contain.”
These are the words of Pastor Peter W. Marty from the series “A Lutheran Christian Life for Today” titled “Praise in an awe-deficient world” (The Lutheran; January, 2011, page 3). Marty is Pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church of Davenport, IA. You can find Marty’s whole article on the Lutheran Magazine Website.
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