Homily                                                                                                         Pastor Dan Neary

Bountiful Worship

 

This has been an interesting week.

 

Ever since Pastor Joe announced last week that he wanted to introduce the congregation here in the main sanctuary at Bothell to the worship style we use at The Chapel… there has been a steady stream of comments.

 

Some of them were really funny: “I had a liturgy once; my Doctor gave me some cream for it and it finally went away.”

 

Many were simple and sincere questions about how our services are different.

 

A few of you seemed genuinely ticked-off… as if God wouldn’t be pleased unless there were drums and electric guitars… or as if God would somehow be constrained if we changed the order of things or relied on the Holy Spirit for inspiration as we prepared the service a few days in advance.

 

I appreciate Pastor Joe’s note in the bulletin.

 

He characterizes one of the main reasons we’re pursuing this
cathedral-church/branch-church model as an evangelism approach. Essentially, we are trying to appeal to folks who like this sort of worship style.

 

It is really a marketing approach… I get that… marketing is my background and training. I have an MBA. Many of you know that I serve as one of the Vice Presidents at Northwest College. I’m essentially the marketing guy.

 

Ask any business student about marketing… and they will likely spout-off the
4 Ps of Marketing

  1. Promotion
    1. There really isn’t much difference here
    2. Fact is: most people come to church (any church) because someone they know personally invited them
  2. Price – Well… we both charge the same
  3. Place
    1. This is interesting because we share a campus, Sunday schools, programs, etc.
    2. But the worship space is very different

                                          i.    Smaller

                                        ii.    Classical

                                       iii.    Artistic

  1. Product
    1. Same denomination, theology, doctrine
    2. Different approach

                                          i.    Structure

                                        ii.    Style

                                       iii.    Sound

                                       iv.    And, of course, we have treats

 

Assuming that there is a market that you can target, if any operation pays attention to these 4 Ps people will find what they are looking for and the organization will prosper.

 

So in our case, we’re endeavoring to give a group of people what they are looking for in a worship experience… and we’re building a church…
and that is a good thing.

I’m genuinely pleased that people are finding a worship experience that they like.

 

But is that the point?

Are our tastes and styles the point?

 

I find that one of the best times for me to think through an issue… especially an important issue… is when I find my presuppositions challenged.

 

So today might be a great time for many of us here to think through our philosophy of worship. Since today was a different approach to worship for many of us, let’s take advantage of today and really think through our ideas of worship.

 

It seems to me that the best place to start is the Bible. So I did.

I found that a survey of some of the passages that speak directly to worship provided something very interesting…

 

Instead of the 4 Ps of Marketing,

I found 6 Ps of Worship

 

You’ll have to forgive me… typically the preaching at The Chapel is more exegetical in nature, focusing on one passage of Scripture. By the way, the preaching at The Chapel is typically in a series as well. So for example, we went through Ephesians and John over the past several months at The Chapel. But today is special… and we’re going to take advantage of these special circumstances.

 

6 Ps of Worship… not an exhaustive list; just a good place to start

 

1st – Price (Sacrifice)

  • Genesis 22:5
  • The first mention of the word worship is tied directly to sacrifice
  • Not only the first reference, but throughout the Bible worship is tied to offering, service, and sacrifice
  • Have we thrown-out the baby with the bathwater?
    • We enjoy Grace… and rightly understand that our salvation is a gift from God… we can’t work for it… we can’t earn it
    • Do we forget that work is not for righteousness… but it is for worship?
  • I’m not sure that it is even worthwhile to think in terms of measuring our worship…
    • but if we could, I think we might be tempted to measure our worship by how well we sing, or how high we jump.
    • Could it be that the best measure of worship is how much we give?

 

2nd – Presence

  • Exodus 3:11-15
  • The second mention of the word worship is tied directly to God’s presence
  • This is the OT passage read earlier in the service
  • Moses asks “Who am I.”  - 
    God answers “I AM will be with you… and you will be a worshiper.”
    • When everything else is stripped away… I Am
    • Faithful, Dependable, Trustworthy
    • The Pre-existent
    • The All Encompassing
    • The Eternal
  • This isn’t a put-down… it is man’s highest post… it is our

 

3rd – Purpose

  • Exodus 7:16
  • Freedom is for worship
    • Freedom from Pharaoh
      • Worship in the desert… and in the promised land
    • Freedom from Sin and Death
      • Worship in this life… and in eternity

 

4th – Proprietary

  • Exodus 20:4 - 6
  • Possessive
  • Jealous
    • Not envy… our sinful perversion of jealousy
    • Jealousy is meant in a loving, exclusive-relationship context
  • I suppose there aren’t many of us here who are making idols and worshipping them… but we do have to guard our hearts so as not to let anything replace God as our focus of worship

 

5th – Provision

  • Exodus 23:25
  • Finally, something that is mostly about us… mostly about blessing.
  • Is worship rewarded with blessing? Maybe…
    • I think worship more accurately gives God the Homefield Advantage.
    • Worship puts us in an atmosphere for the miraculous

 

6th – Pure

  • John 4:19-26
  • “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
  • Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” John 14:6
  • He was speaking of Himself
    • True worshipers worship along the lines of God’s nature – Spirit
    • And in Truth – True worshipers worship Jesus

 

 

 

6 Ps of Worship… not an exhaustive list; just a good place to start

        1. Price
        2. Presence
        3. Purpose
        4. Proprietary
        5. Provision
        6. Pure

 

So What?

 

Worship is:

  • God and Me, or
  • God and Us, but
  • Always God first

 

Opportunities for Worship are Bountiful

  • Seek an expression that suits you best
  • Seize every opportunity, even if it isn’t your preferred style

 

This is what makes this cathedral-church/branch-church model so wonderful!

There is literally a bounty of worship opportunities…

  • From Skate Church to The Chapel
  • In Japanese, or Spanish, or English
  • From small-groups to a packed-house in this great sanctuary

 

Some of us worship best in a spontaneous atmosphere…

Others worship best in a context that is carefully, and prayerfully, planned

  • It is sort of like the difference between surfing and football
    • Both are sports
    • But in surfing… there really aren’t any rules… only goals
    • Football, has a liturgy
    • My game is golf… it is sort of a mix
      • I go with a plan and some level of preparation
      • I show-up equipped
      • But once the game starts, the improvisation begins
        • For example… I don’t plan to land in a sand-trap… but I bring a sand wedge (actually two)

 

Some of us worship best in an energized atmosphere…

Others worship best in a context that is more reflective

 

Some of us worship best by leading with our hearts (emotions)…

Others by leading with our heads (intellect)

Others by leading with our hands (service)

 

The question isn’t whether we worship in this building, or that

Mt. Gerazim vs. Mt Ebal (Zion)

 

The point is that we worship in Spirit and in Truth

  • That we put God at the center
  • That we pursue His presence
  • That we worship with all that we bring, sacrificially