There
is so much talk rolling around the church and maybe particularly through the
Christian focused blogosphere these days, questions fill our minds, how should
we be church, what techniques could be employed, is our theology questionable
or sound ( both I suspect). It seems we all have something to say, and I am no
exception.
I
wonder what we are looking for. All I can do is to offer you a few of my
thoughts;
Recently
the small corner of the blogging world that I engage with most has been focused
upon worship. I suspect that this is indicative of a growing hunger that for
something deeper, for a way of knowing and expressing our faith and a need to
know, really know the God we worship. To know what worship really is, if our
chief end is to glorify God, and to fully enjoy him forever1 then we
need to worship for worship expresses who we are.
We
make a mistake of course when we concentrate upon one hour on a Sunday morning
to the exclusion of everything else, for worship should be a whole expression
of life in relation to God not a boxed of corner of it set aside to be
super-holy! I for one am tired of sitting through and planning (hands up the
guilty) services that are disjointed and disconnected from the rest of my week,
yes I make connections through preaching and through prayers, and yes I try to
make sure that the hymns and songs are relevant and meaningful but I long for
something more. I am thirsty for living water and tired of trying to find
solutions, and feel that too often I dig dry wells and miss the source of life
in the process.
That
is why the Gospel reading set for this Sunday has challenged me so much, it is
the familiar yet astonishing and awe-filled story of the transfiguration; with
no apologies for those who don’t like The Message, I love the way that Eugene
Peterson captures the slow awakening of the disciples to the glorious presence
of God amongst them;
“About
eight days after saying this, he climbed the mountain to pray, taking Peter,
John, and James along. While he was in prayer, the appearance of his face changed
and his clothes became blinding white. At once two men were there talking with
him. They turned out to be Moses and Elijah—and what a glorious appearance they
made! They talked over his exodus, the one Jesus was about to complete in
Jerusalem.
Meanwhile,
Peter and those with him were slumped over in sleep. When they came to, rubbing
their eyes, they saw Jesus in his glory and the two men standing with him…”4
“Those
with him were slumped over in sleep….” Have I been asleep I ask myself, am I
just now awakening to the glory of God that shines around me, that calls me to
wake up and beckons me beyond my comfort zone to life a life of spirit filled
worship? A life of worship where I am not longer so concerned about the how’s
and the whys of form and function, but more concerned with the nature of the
God I worship, more concerned about my relationship to and with him.
Surely
the mystery of our relationship with God is that he would take us, ordinary and
sinful as we are and begin a work of glorious transformation in us, that he
would consider us worthwhile and worthy. If we are the body of Christ then his
glory is within us, veiled by these cracked pots, these clay jar lives, we
ordinary ones are made to be filled with an extraordinary glory2.
Scripture reveals that if we belong to Christ, his live woven intimately in and
through ours3 then his glory already fills us, his Spirit has been
poured into and through us.
Peter
typically jumped in with both feet, wanting to contain the moment and the glory
that surrounded it;
When
Moses and Elijah had left, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, this is a great
moment! Let's build three memorials: one for you, one for Moses, and one for
Elijah." He blurted this out without thinking.5
“Let’s
build three memorials…” I wonder how often the church is in the business of
building memorials rather than following the spirit. We find it so hard to
change, so hard to be flexible I wonder, are we stubbornly blocking our ears to
the new thing that God is doing again?
Where
does this growing thirst for meaningful worship come from? I suspect its source
is God himself and that the hunger is older than time itself stretching right
back through eternity’s timelessness. So what is happening?
Perhaps
the answer is simply that we who have so long been slumped over in sleep are
awakening to a new glory that has penetrated our dreams and is calling us to a
new wakefulness…
Our
task then will be to follow the flow of this glory not to contain it and
memorialise it … “for the time is coming and has now come when true worshippers
will worship…. in spirit and in truth…” 6 (again)
And
we will need to learn to pray, because we are not called to dwell on the
mountaintops but amidst the trials and tribulations of everyday life where tragedies
happen and darkness dwells;
When they came down
off the mountain the next day, a big crowd was there to meet them. A man called
from out of the crowd, "Please, please, Teacher, take a look at my son.
He's my only child. Often a spirit seizes him. Suddenly he's screaming, thrown
into convulsions, his mouth foaming. And then it beats him black-and-blue
before it leaves. I asked your disciples to deliver him but they
couldn't."
Jesus
said, "What a generation! No sense of God! No focus to your lives! How
many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put
up with this? Bring your son here."
While
he was coming, the demon slammed him to the ground and threw him into
convulsions. Jesus stepped in, ordered the vile spirit gone, healed the boy,
and handed him back to his father. They all shook their heads in wonder,
astonished at God's greatness, God's majestic greatness.7
BUT,
God is with us….
Can you hear
the unforced
rhythms of grace ?
Do you see
the heavenly
holy dancers?
Are you captivated
by the wonder,
freedom,
movement,
and life
that flows from their
uncreated song?
Can you hear the beating
of their hearts
as they whisper
softly
proclaiming their love
for one another,
and
for you?
Do you yearn
to join the joyful
throng
encircled in their midst?
For you are invited
to this heavenly
ceilidh!
Will you dare to take
the outstretched hand,
kick off your shoes
and dance?
1. Westminster
Catechism question 1.
2. 2 Corinthians
4
3. John 15:5
4. Luke 9:28-33
5. Luke 9: 34
6. John 4: 24
7. Luke 9: 37-43