Sermons at St. John’s Presbyterian Church

Why We Worship

Transcribed from the sermon preached August 29, 2010

The Reverend Max Lynn, Pastor

Scripture Readings: Micah 6:6-8 Acts 10: 22-26,34-48

I was drawn back to this passage in Acts this morning by the scene when Peter shows up at the Roman Centurion’s house: [24] And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his kinsmen and close friends.
[25] When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.
[26] But Peter lifted him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am a man."

Before this scene, Peter has received a vision from God that foods traditionally thought to make one unclean are no longer prohibited. He discerns from this, as he is called to visit Cornelius, that God has shown him not to call any person common or unclean.

About the same time, Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and god fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by an angel to check out this guy Peter.

This is a funny phrase, God-fearing man. We liberal would like to believe that there is no need to fear God, since God shows no partiality after all. But last week we heard the command that we are not to curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but fear God who sees and hears all. I think gives us a good indication of what the term God fearing means. It means there is something or someone beyond ourselves, with vision and hearing beyond any man or woman, who has a purpose we are called to live up to whether it is the convenient or popular thing to do or not. God fearing would be equivalent to trust worthy, a person who has integrity and is honest, even when it looks like they don’t have to be. Within the context of his job and position, Cornelius does his best to do the right thing and he is respected for it.

Now this is interesting because even as we often like to see people and issues in black and white, we know that life is often more complicated, and while we would like to think we are on the good side, since we are mere men and women, and we live in a complicated world, we can only see and know so much. Thus as our book of order says, there are things to which men and women of good conscience will differ. This congregation has decided that it will often, by the grace of God, take a stand on an issue of conscience. We feel that just worship and no action is not enough. In fact, true worship is to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God whether in church or out in the world. But is often the mistake of activists to forget that last part about walking humbly with our God.

Too many fundamentalists and activist liberals act as if they are God. So even as we take a stand for immigration reform, we acknowledge that immigration is a complicated issue worthy of discussion. Even as we proclaim God shows no partiality and advocate for inclusion of gays and lesbians in ordained ministry and marriage, we understand the need for discussion on a sexual ethic that will safeguard children and public health, and honor the power and beauty of a committed sexual relationship. We see Palestinian homes being bulldozed, and radical Israeli settlements being protected by the Israeli government on a constant, ongoing basis, and we realize there is a historically justified fear among Jews that they will be singled out as the bad guys. I was once in the supermarket when a man went bonkers in front of the lobster tank. He was so committed to animal rights that he was yelling at the butcher like he was the devil incarnate. I wondered, was this man as militant about driving cars and using oil, or about abortion. Walking humbly with our God means that while we will take a stand for justice, we will also keep our eyes and ears open to the other side. We do not expect that others should worship us as if we were God and have a monopoly on all truth. Stand up, for I am a man too. Our first order of business as the Church is to be clear about whom it is that we worship- someone bigger that you or me. I am a witness to Christ, we hope a God fearing man, but not worthy of worship.

What we hope and pray is that those with power above us, and those on the other side of whatever issue, are God-fearing, work to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with their God. We hope that they do not seek to abuse power, to act as if might made right, to accumulate wealth regardless of how it deprives others, or with malice to do others in just because they have the means of communication or weapons to do so.

We realize that politicians and all of us work in a world with systems and bureaucracies that are more complicated and convoluted than any one man or woman can fix, and so as campaign promises and revolutionary slogans are cheap, actually working with systems to create change demands compromise. We think God wants us to think outside the bottle, to promote safe and cheap public water, but we will not condemn to hell the mother who walks into childcare with a water bottle in her butt pack. Or, for example, when our government overthrows the Iraqi government and destroys the army, we hope there are surviving members of that government and army who are men and women of good will who will work with us to rebuild. Even as we have been against the war from the beginning, we hope there are God-fearing men and women within our military who don’t act as if they or America are God, and can recognize and honor the good leaders in Iraq when they find them, even as they are of a different race, nation and religion. Cornelius is one of these good guys working in the system of the occupying power. And the Jews would rather have him in that position than someone else who would be worse, for Cornelius is a God fearing man.

While I disagree with John McCain on many issues, I would have preferred him as President over many other possible candidates, though the Sarah Palin running mate plan made me laugh and tremble with fear. But we could have done worse than McCain.

Now if you are getting a bit nervous about me offering compromise on behalf of God’s church to the point of dilution of the truth and collusion with unrighteousness, then you get the touchy point of Peter in this passage. Our author Luke understands the immensity of this claim and slows down the story telling for emphasis. We get Peter’s vision of the food, we get the angel’s message to Cornelius and then they both tell about their visions again. And we are told Cornelius is not just a centurion, but an upright and God fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation. We see that Peter is not alone, but is accompanied by witnesses from Joppa. Cornelius has invited his whole household, which would include not only his family but also his extended kinsmen and close friends.

Peter can see in this gathering that indeed, “God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” And in the telling of the Gospel story, we hear that Jesus is not just messiah of one people, but Lord of all, and that as witnesses, they are to testify that he is the one ordained by God to judge the living and the dead. And the prophets too, even before Jesus walked on earth, died and was resurrected, testified to his coming, to this one who would offer forgiveness of sins to all who believed.

While Peter was still saying this, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. The circumcised with Peter were witnesses to this amazing event, gentiles with the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues and extolling God.

Then Peter asks, “Can anyone forbid water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? “ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

So, where are we in the story? Perhaps we are the ones who are comfortable with the way things are, we like the community the way it is, the order and the music and the laws and our enemies well defined. And we are a bit nervous that new folks from different generations or backgrounds could upset things.

Or, perhaps you showed up today because you had some sort of vision. Maybe there has been a shake up in your life and you had the sense you need to go outside your usual channels for answers. And while you don’t know much about church and worship and the rituals and laws we follow, you sense that there is a force in the universe larger than yourself, a force worthy to be feared, yet somehow you feel drawn by the possibility and hope of forgiveness in Christ and a closer relationship with this God we worship.

My job as the witness is to point beyond myself. I hope you like me, but admiring me or any of the other folks around is not why you should stay. The Gospel is not about being Republican or Democrat, heterosexual or homosexual, educated or uneducated, black, white, Jewish, Mexican or Anglo-Saxon. It is about fearing God and asking for forgiveness for when we have ignored God. The Gospel of Jesus Christ tells us that God forgives our sins. Whoever we are, all we have to do is believe it. Nothing more. You are forgiven. Everything else is fluff, culture, less than ultimate.

Now I think it is kind of funny, but I have to admit I am afraid of speaking in tongues. I think it is a middle class thing: we are afraid of outward show, of losing control, of appearing fanatical. We like to think we have control of our mind. We fear insanity and mass hysteria. Now we know the Holy Spirit shows her presence in many ways, and that great offerings, or music or tongues doesn’t mean anything without justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with our God. So there is no need to speak in tongues, no obligation, but the opposite is also true. There is no need to fear speaking in tongues, no reason to avoid it, no reason to hold onto middle class status and presentation. What if we were to let go of our control for a moment, as a congregation and as individuals here in this place, and invited the Holy Spirit to show her presence now, however she may want or lead? Maybe it wouldn’t manifest in tongues, but perhaps it would be something else just as powerful.

Come Holy Spirit, as we are forgiven in Christ, pour out your power upon us, that we would feel this forgiveness and manifest your power, that in this moment those who come questioning and seeking answers would sense your presence, and those who come comfortable: stir us up with words and visions of your presence in our lives and in the Church. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear your power and love in us. Give us words to proclaim, in whatever tongue, that we and others maybe transformed by your grace. May all who have walked through those sanctuary doors this morning be free from the constraints of cultural laws and expectations, from sins and desire to control. Remove from us any obstacle that may inhibit your word from being received or spoken or lived. We ask this, saying to ourselves, stand up for I am just a man or a woman too, we ask this in Jesus name, come Holy Spirit. Come Holy Spirit. Come Holy Spirit. Despite our fear and lack of faith, we pray with the little faith that we have for we know that it is not by our efforts but by yours that we live and move and have our being. Come Holy Spirit, come. We worship you.