LOOK UNDER THE BED

December 15, 1996
Russell Metcalfe
Looking Forward to Christmas
Advent III - John 1:26b Among you stands one
whom you do not know

This past week our grandson Jake was stuck at our house for a few
hours, which usually means watching Rugrats or sheer boredom for a
six-year-old. But somehow this week Jake got to exploring the
upstairs bedrooms. He discovered that his grandmother has turned the
guest bedroom into a sort of Santa's workshop with wrapping paper and
ribbons. And what is more, Jake discovered mysterious boxes and
packages of different sizes and weights. Jake proceeded to
investigate. Believe me, Jacob was pleased with himself. He was
excited! I'm not sure if Jake has what I could theologically call a
proper Advent spirit, but I can tell you he is certainly looking
forward to Christmas.

Of course, our anticipation of Christmas and all it stands for is
much more mature than a six-year-old's, or at least I would hope it
would be. Still, there is still something of that little child in
each of us, and I'm glad there is. Our Christian faith, when it is
mature, can enjoy human traditions, and gifts, and carols, and all the
rich human mosaic that brings families together again and again for
the holidays, just so long as the trappings don't become ends in
themselves. We understand that.

But maybe we think we understand Christmas better than we
do. Advent means Christmas is coming. Again. We've heard all the
sermons about "Let's keep Christ in Christmas..." We've been there
before. We've done that. We know the "Jesus part" of Christmas--
know who Jesus is-- don't we?

John the Baptist said two things that might help us anticipate
Christmas a little better this year. First, surprisingly, he said, "I
am not Messiah!"

John turned aside questions about himself, for he knew he was
just a messenger, a voice crying in the desert. It certainly sounds
like stating the obvious, but John told us something both about
himself, and about how to get ready for Christmas when he told us who
he was not. Sometimes we need to say what we are NOT.

When it comes to really changing lives, we need to understand
just how limited we are in ourselves, and how important it is to point
them to the One who can make all the difference. The sooner we realize
"I am not God!" the better. John the Baptist knew we all need to know
Jesus.

But then, John the Baptist said, "Messiah is already here with
you and you do not know Him!" Maybe this Christmas we need to look
for Jesus in ways we haven't looked for him before!

Certainly we Christians DO know Jesus! John was speaking to those
sinners who were coming to him for baptism when he said they didn't
recognize Messiah-- wasn't he? Certainly this does not apply to me! I
have heard about Jesus all my life! I cannot remember a time when I
didn't know about Jesus, and did not believe "Jesus loves me, this I
know, for the Bible tells me so!" I certainly DO know Jesus!

Yes, we do know Jesus! We do not need to get saved all over
again to understand what Christmas really is about. But in John the
Baptist's words is a kernel of truth for you and me, here today:
however much we know Jesus, and however precious he may be to us,
there are wonders and surprises in store for those who want to know
Him better, and are willing to ask Him into the scene where they are.

Jake will find as he grows older that while Christmas presents
are always nice, the good feelings they bring don't last forever.
He'll find out if he's spiritually smart that our hearts really crave
being loved, and being able to respond in love. That is what really
meets the needs of human hearts.

And if that is true on a human level, it is also true on the
highest level, our relationship with God. Advent is when we celebrate
the miracle of miracles: the fact that God loves us so much he gave
his only begotten Son to become one with us, to live among us, to die
on the cross for our sins, and by his rising from the dead provide
eternal life to every one who believes in him. Advent is when we
rejoice in the gift of a Savior. But Advent is also when we try to
grasp the fact that God is not just interested in our "souls" but that
he loves us, and wants us to love Him. Advent is a time when the
people who know Jesus best seek to express that desire to know Him
better. If we have not learned the daily walk with Jesus as Friend,
then in some sense "one stands among us that we do not (yet) know (as
we might.)"

Advent is for right NOW! It is not ancient history! We need to
understand that Advent is not trying to identify with the people who
sat in darkness, and imagine what it was like before Jesus came.
Millions of people still need the message John the Baptist shouted.
And we ourselves, in our deserts of isolation, or nights of darkness
of the soul, can cry out for God to come, even as we know He is now
with us. The "One among us" cares very much where YOU are right now.

Advent is for right NOW! It is not ancient history! But more
than 1,000 years ago hymns were written to express the deepest
longings of the human heart for Christ. There were seven titles or
names in those hymns: " Come, O Come!" (the "O Antiphons") Come thou
Wisdom from on High; Dayspring; Root (or Rod) of Jesse; Key of David;
Adonai (Lord!); Desire of Nations. But all these are summed up in the
most familiar of all, "O Come Emmanuel!" And that name means, "God
with us!"

God IS with us, waiting for us to ask Him into our lives where we
are right now!

It is in that coming-- in the certain knowledge that God is
indeed "with us" that there is JOY - an audacious thing, certainly NOT
the product of our will and energy, but rather the result of realizing
that we are not alone, not lost-- but that God Himself is here with
us. This Emmanuel does not "fix things" necessarily in the way we
think they ought to be fixed. He simply says, "If you will open your
heart to me, I will come to where you are and I will never, ever leave
you again!" We get the idea that if this is true, then maybe we can
face the unthinkable. We're still very human, very fragile. But
Jesus is, too-- human, that is-- and he shares his strength with us.

One very human story illustrates the power of love that comes to
where we are:

Henry Carter, a pastor and an administrator of a home for
emotionally disturbed children, tells of an encounter he had one
Christmas Eve that gave him a new insight and perspective. He
was busy with last minute preparations for the worship service,
when one of the floor mothers came to say that Tommy had crawled
under his bed and refused to come out. He followed her up the
stairs and looked at the bed she pointed out. Not a hair or a
toe showed beneath it. So he talked to Tommy as if he were
addressing the bucking broncos on the bedspread. He talked about
he brightly lighted tree, the packages underneath it and the
other good things that were waiting for Tommy out beyond that
bed.

No answer.

Still fretting about the time this was costing, Henry dropped to
his hands and knees and lifted the spread. Two enormous blue
eyes looked out at him. Tommy was 8, but looked like a 5
year-old. He could easily have pulled him out. But it wasn't
pulling that Tommy needed - it was trust and a sense of deciding
things on his own initiative.

So, crouched on all fours, Henry launched into the menu of the
special Christmas Eve supper to be offered after the service. He
told of the stocking with Tommy's name on it, provided by the
Women's Society.

Silence. There was no indication Tommy heard or that he even
cared about Christmas.

At last, because he could think of no other way to make contact,
Henry got down on his stomach and wriggled in beside Tommy,
snagging his sport coat on the bedsprings on the way. He lay
there with his cheek pressed against the floor for a long time.
He talked about the big wreath above the altar and the candles in
the window. He talked about the carols all the kids were going
to sing. Then, finally running out of things to say, he simply
waited there beside Tommy.

After a bit, a small child's chilled hand slipped into his.
Henry said, " You know, Tommy, it is kind of close quarters under
here. Let's you and me go out where we can stand up." As they
slid out from under the bed, Henry realized he had been given a
glimpse of the mystery of Christmas.

Hasn't God called us too, as Henry had called Tommy, from far
above us? With his stars and mountains and his whole majestic
creation, hasn't God pleaded with us to love him and to enjoy the
universe he gave us as a gift?

And hasn't he drawn closer through the Bible, and through
preaching, and conviction for sin? At then that very first Christmas
God stooped to where we live, and came all the way down to live among
us. And we have heard, and received, and found assurance of His
salvation.

But even this very day, wherever we are in our spiritual journey,
One is among us, where we are, that is willing to "get under the bed"
with us and stay with us until we have the courage to come out and go
with Him, and He will go with us.


PRAYER for Advent

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us;
and, because we often are so easily centered in ourselves, let your
light shine on us, to show us how very near You are to us, and how
very much You love us. We invite you to enter every part of our
lives. O Come and let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and
deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the
Holy Spirit, One God, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen

#155 - A Name I Highly Treasure

Song of Joseph

THE WORD IS HOPE
Matthew 2:21 "And (Joseph) arose
and took the Child and His mother, and
came into the land of Israel."

THE STORY IN MATTHEW

For a very brief time in the beginning of the Gospels' story of
Jesus, the focus of attention falls on Joseph. It is easy to pass over
the importance of the part Joseph had in the life of the Lord Jesus
Christ. For Joseph was the guardian of hope.

Everything that we know about Joseph is good. But in his
lifetime, so far as we know, Joseph never saw the full fruition of his
faith and obedience. Still, his obedience kept HOPE alive for us all,
and is still bearing fruit to this day.

Joseph is the guardian of hope. Before he ever SAW any of God's
promises fulfilled Joseph was willing to obey and believe. First
Joseph was confronted with misunderstanding and shame. He chose to
take Mary into his home. Then Joseph had the privilege of naming the
Holy Child "JESUS" in accordance with what the angel had told him.

His faith was rewarded, and there were visitors who came and
confirmed what he already knew; there were shepherds that very first
day; there were devout people in the Temple in Jerusalem, Anna and
Simeon, who confirmed and assured his heart that the Child truly was
Messiah.

Then came even greater surprises; kings, strange Gentile wise
men from distant lands came paying homage to the Child, and bearing
costly gifts, but at the same time speaking, perhaps in surprise, that
the local authorities were unaware and probably hostile to this great
HOPE of all the earth. Then that very evening Joseph had a vision of
the angel again warning him: "Take the young child and his mother and
go to Egypt. He is in danger!"

We see this story from the perspective of centuries; we read it
like a drama. How could anything ever harm the Lord's Anointed One,
even as a Baby? Would not the angels keep watch over Him? If Jesus
was truly God and the Son of God, why shouldn't he, Joseph, simply
take the Baby to Jerusalem and proclaim Him before all the world?

But Joseph was living out his relationship with Jesus in the
harsh reality of life. God's TIMING is impossible for us to figure.
All Joseph knew was that precious LIFE must be protected at every and
any cost! Whatever it took to keep the Baby alive and well Joseph
would do! That very night, before dawn, Joseph was on the way to
Egypt.

Where he stayed, what he saw-- so pleasant for our speculation--
the pyramids were already nearly 3,000 years old-- did Joseph and Mary
see them? What happened-- the Bible is silent. Joseph stayed in Egypt
until the angel sounded the "all clear." And then, with human fear
and trembling, the Holy Family made its way back to the home town of
Mary, to Nazareth, where Jesus spent the rest of his life until He
began His ministry.

Joseph had the discernment of humility and obedience. He kept
HOPE alive!

THE PRAYER IN EPHESIANS

What comes to us in a story in the Gospels Paul often packs into
a lesson in the Letters. The connection between Joseph's obedience and
this prayer in Ephesians 1 is not immediately apparent, but in both
there is underscored the importance of keeping HOPE alive and
well. Paul prays first of all for discernment, for enlightenment, so
that believers can see what the essence of HOPE really IS.

Paul's world was dark and gullible; it was impressed with
soothsayers and Caesars. Even believers were turned on by visible
gifts more than they were by love and integrity; they were challenged
by the show biz and glitz of their age, as we are by our own. And so
Paul prayed: Lord, help my people to be able to see what is the HOPE
of their calling, where the true POWER is to be found!

HOPE is not self centered! There is an element of risk
involved. Hope is the confidence that God will carry through-- in
God's own good time.

Hope must be nurtured in obedience and faith.

Hope is related to what God can and will do.

Hope on our part has to do more with BEING than it does with
DOING!

It is interesting just here how a best-selling book, The 7
Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey, interacts with
the Christian concept of the importance of discernment and keeping
genuine HOPE alive. In his book Covey says that:

For the first 150 years of our existence as a
nation we were challenged along the lines of CHARACTER:
the qualities that make for quality of life and
relationships: integrity, honesty, fairness, congruence
between profession and life-style.

For the last 50+ years the literature of practical
life has swung to the emphasis on PERSONALITY: those
attributes of human nature that make for success and
the appearance of completeness. Techniques and short-
cuts and seminars that bring about desired results
without the outlay of personal development. He says
that we have been taught that if we maintain (1) good
public relations, and (2) keep a positive mental
attitude we can accomplish "success," whatever that is.
"Success" can be had by shortcuts, including cheating
in school, being insincere in business relationships,
and selfish in our own families.

Interestinly, Covey says this is NOT SO. He calls
his readers back to the basics of CHARACTER FOUNDATIONS.

And really, that is what Paul is praying for: that we will
discern how important it is to keep HOPE alive!

THE PROMISE IN JEREMIAH 31

The third seemingly unrelated passage in this morning's message
comes from "the weeping prophet," Jeremiah; a man so burdened with the
hardness of his generation and the shallowness of worship that he
earned that pseudonym. "Weeping prophet!" But some of the most
beautiful and sensitive passages in the Bible come from Jeremiah's
heart! For all ages Jeremiah caught something of the extent of HOPE
which shall be, through Jesus, for all people.

How important to "nurture the Babe" and let Him grow and become
Lord on His terms! How important to seek the noble way, the way of
integrity and honesty before God, and leave the timing up to Him!
For, according to the promises of God through Jeremiah, HOPE opens up
these realities of faith:

I will gather my people

I will lead them

I will turn their mourning into joy [My people will be satisfied
with My goodness]

I will be their God; they will be My people [I will write My law
in their hearts and they will KNOW Me!]

CONCLUSION

Hope is what makes life worth the living. All these great
stories and promises are nothing if they are cut off from where we
live and where we are just now.

But HOPE must be sustained by obedience. HOPE does not follow
our agenda, nor does it follow a timetable which we set. We, like
Joseph, may have to move to Egypt for a while, whatever that means. We
WILL have to listen carefully for God's voice. If we think we hear
Him saying exactly what we want Him to say we had better be very, very
careful!

For God NEVER asks us to take short, cross-lot, cheap methods
into "success." God never compromises His demand that we serve Him
with excellence, with the best that we have. God never sacrifices
CHARACTER on the altar of PERSONALITY!

If we have the precious LIFE of Jesus within, then that LIFE must
be preserved at ALL costs!

CHARACTER OVER PERSONALITY
INTEGRITY OVER IMAGE
JESUS OVER ALL KINGS AND GIFTS

Who's that knocking?.....

IF ANYONE HEARS MY VOICE . . .
...how cxan we hear over the racket in our heads-- the stuff of life important and worthless all jumbled together?

IF ANYONE HEARS MY VOICE . . .
...I don't need to listen because I invited You in years ago . . . You're here somewhere among the stuff . . . aren't You?

IF ANYONE HEARS MY VOICE . . .
,,, my God! I'm sorry! I haven'tr been aware - - I think I DO hearYou . . where ARE You? Help me!!

. . . AND OPENS THE DOOR
...come in!

... AND OPENS THE DOOR!
. . . .how do I go about 'opening the door'? You open it!

. . . AND OPENS THE DOOR
. . . how do I go about opening "the door"? -what do You mean? Where have I shut You out?

REPENT! TURN!HOLD FAST! YOU HAVE COOLED DOWN! I LOVE YOU!
. . .I think I hear what You're saying HOw can I get this door open? it seems stuck! will you HELP me get it open?

REMEMBER OUR COVENANT? YOU SAID
. . . I said "I am not my own but Yours . . put me to what You will . . ." I still mean it!
the door is open . . .come in . . . this is Your Table

Wise and Foolish Virgins . . .

I wonder sometimes, knowing that God is just, and knowing how He judged Sodom and Gomorrah, what great impending judgment lies in store for the civilization in which we now live! We're so selfish!
Jesus said Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold! -- You really won't love Me any more!
Jesus did not say, "The righteousness of many will grow cold!" And He did not say, "The honesty of most of My people will be called in question." Or, "The faithfulness to committee meetings will grow slack." That is not what is breaking His heart!
The message I get in Jesus' parable about oil and brides and lamps and all is that I need to keep a light burning in that God-room of my heart, where I meet with Him every day! It isn't automatic, I'm sure! How can I keep it personal?
Lord Jesus, I want to know You better! You have been good, been kind, been patient with me. Help us-help me- to do whatever is necessary to keep close to You! Keep us all close to You. Don't let any be lost! Amen.

If I Could Preach One Sermon to the Christian World . . .

2 Chronicles 7:14
THANKSGIVING SUNDAY
Covenant for Life

On a Friday morning, April 21, 1747, to be exact, John Wesley rode
his horse into the village of Thirsk, about 25 miles north of York, in
beautiful north Yorkshire, England. John Wesley came intending to
preach and conduct religious services. But if the countryside there is
beautiful, the spirit of the town, as, indeed, the spirit of much of
the entire nation, was ugly.

Wesley wrote in his Journal that night: "I called at Thirsk; but
finding the town full of holiday folks, drinking, cursing, swear¬ing,
and cockfighting, I did not stop at all, but rode on to Boroughbridge,
and in the afternoon to Leeds."

In Thirsk, as well as in all of Britain, Wesley and his Christian
contemporaries faced a sea of evil. The people were scripturally
ignorant and illit¬erate. The living was hard. The character of the
average man in the street was coarse. What could one man, or a few
people, or even a few hundred people do to stem such a de¬generate
tide?

WHAT COULD GOD'S PEOPLE DO?

THEY COULD RESOLVE TO BE HOLY.
They could live to please God!
And THEY COULD MAKE THEMSELVES AVAILABLE TO GOD.

And a relatively small number of people set out to do exactly
that. They had no delusions of grandeur, but they knew that they
served a great God. And they determined to live to please Him. AND
GOD, THROUGH THOSE RELATIVELY FEW PEOPLE, BROUGHT ABOUT A SPIRITUAL
AWAKENING!

Perhaps it is not possible to make parallels between our modern
culture and early 18th century England, and draw spiritual and moral
conclusions. But I feel challenged by what I perceive to be almost
identical spiritual confrontations. I have no way of knowing whether
our pornography and abortion and political corruption are worse or
better than the brutality and prejudices and class discrimination
which Wesley faced. BUT I DO KNOW THAT WE ARE IN DANGER OF SIMPLY
ACCOMMODATING THE WAY WE LIVE TO THE TENOR OF THE TIMES.

We go home from our worship service, where we all agree that sin is
bad and God is good-- and we tell ourselves that we are on God's side
with all we have. And maybe we are. But I also do perceive that
UNLESS MORE HAPPENS TO STEM THE FLOODTIDES OF EVIL IN OUR DAY THAN IS
HAPPENING NOW, THEN WE SHALL SINK QUICKLY and quietly into a
post-Christian, hedonist, Godless society that will swallow up our
children and our own faith as well!

I believe I sense some of the same frustration that Wesley may have
felt as he rode his horse into Thirsk that spring morning. I believe
that he was at least tempted to say, "What can one person do against
such emboldened evil!" I know that I am tempted! But WE KNOW AS
CHRISTIANS WE MUST TO DO SOMETHING!

[Transition:]

I'm sure that it is natural to think first of all about doing; and
particularly about acting politically. It seems natural to see the
sinful conditions of society and begin by attacking those evils,
wherever and however we are able. It might do us well, instead, TO
LOOK TO Wesley for a working model, and beyond Wesley, to THE
SCRIPTURAL PRINCIPLES WESLEY USED in the spiritual awakening which
came during his lifetime.

These principles come into sharp focus in the words of our text:
(2 Chron. 7:14)

THIS IS A COVENANT STATEMENT.

It is not "contractual;" it does not give service rendered for value
received, and in no way can a spiritual awakening ever be earned,
merited, deserved, or "prayed down." But it is a covenant statement.

GOD SAYS "I'LL BE RESPONSIBLE AND DO CERTAIN THINGS, IF YOU WILL
BE RESPONSIBLE AND FOR YOUR PART, YOU WILL DO CERTAIN
THINGS!"

I. THE PART WHICH FALLS TO GOD'S PEOPLE IS CLEARLY OUTLINED:

(1) IF MY PEOPLE, which are called by MY name

I have made this phrase a separate "condition" even though it isn't
something to "do;" but it DOES tell WHO is called to be the agent of
God's healing. The call of God is not first of all to militancy
against the evils of society, but to the people called by His name,
that they will come to Him. The call is not to reform the terrible
conditions we see on the outside (although we must do what we can when
and where we can.)

GOD'S CALL IS TO SEEK HIS FACE, and His promise is that if HIS people
will hear and believe Him, then HE will heal the land. This task of
land healing is too big for any of us, and it is too big for all of us
put together! But it is NOT too big for God!

[Somehow I see Abraham standing on the edge of the mesa
over¬looking the valley of the Dead Sea below. I hear him
interceding to God for Sodom and Gomorrah, and hear God saying,
"If there are 40 righteous, I will spare the city! If there are
30 righteous, I will not destroy the people!"]

[And somehow I wonder who is holding back the fire and brimstone
of God's wrath on a society that has absolutely no time for any
god but pleasure and convenience and comfort?]

(2) SHALL HUMBLE THEMSELVES

This means putting ourselves into the "servant role." We see
ourselves as the agents of God's work; 'any great awakening depends on
US!' BUT GOD SAYS HUMBLE YOURSELVES!

Recognize the helplessness of all flesh apart from God! Cry out in
desperation to God! WE'RE so "cool!" WE know so "much!" Just a few
more seminars-- a few more hard prayers-- a little more sweat and
busy-ness-- and we'll bring in the New Jerusalem all by ourselves! WE
THINK!

God says: Either I do it-- or it won't get done!

(3) "Humble yourselves . . . AND PRAY AND SEEK MY FACE"

This means giving God TIME and giving Him ATTENTION for AS LONG AS IT
TAKES, until we get ourselves lined up with His good, and acceptable,
and perfect will.

It isn't a matter of praying to change God's mind. God is not
reluctant to help us against the forces of evil. He is ready and able
right now to move in and change our world under our feet. But our
problem is praying, without mixture, "I delight to do YOUR will, O
God!" Your kingdom come! In YOUR way!

God says: "Pray and seek my face until your whole being is on the
stretch for more of ME!"

(4) AND TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS

And how will we know when we are coming near to praying and seeking
God's face enough? The answer is: WHEN WE ARE WILLING PUT THE WAY WE
LIVE ON THE LINE, WHATEVER IT COSTS US TO OBEY GOD'S WILL! We think
of "wickedness" as violence and impurity and flagrant greed and denial
of God. But GOD SAYS WHEN HIS PEOPLE STOP PUTTING OTHER THINGS FIRST
AHEAD OF HIM-- WHEN THEY ARE WILLING TO PUT COMFORT AND SECURITY AND
LEGITIMATE PLEASURES WAY DOWN THE LIST OF THEIR LIFE PRIORITIES, and
absolutely put God FIRST-- THEN GOD'S PEOPLE WILL BE LEAVING THEIR
WICKED WAYS!

[This is 'our' side of the covenant. But God Himself has made a
promise of what He will do for His part of the covenant!] And
WHEN IT IS GOD THAT MOVES IN, then the dynamic, and the wisdom,
and all the glory are HIS!]

II. AND THE COVENANT PROMISE OF THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY IS CLEAR: THEN
WILL I:

(1) HEAR FROM HEAVEN

YOUR PRAYERS WILL "CONNECT!" Did you ever have a prayer "connect?"
I'm not sure how to describe "praying through." And I know that we
are called upon to pray in faith no matter how we "feel," and I am
also sure that some of our most effective prayers are "embattled
prayers." We are to "be instant in season and out of season."
(2 Timothy) BUT IT IS GREAT WHEN PRAYERS "CONNECT!" It makes all the
difference when, beyond mere emotional feeling, there is the
assurance, the certitude that God is not just "aware" of what you have
prayed, but that God has heard!

(2) WILL FORGIVE THEIR SIN

WHOSE SIN? The sins of the abortionists and drug pushers? Not yet--
THE SINS OF HIS OWN PEOPLE! The sins of NEGLECT-- of BROKEN ALTARS
and NEGLECTED BIBLES and UNKIND ATTITUDES and PRAYERLESS DAYS and
WEEKS. THIS FORGIVENESS IS KEY!

WHAT SIN? Once again-- THE SIN OF BEING "DISCONNECTED" from the
Source of Goodness and Life and Light. The connection once again will
be established. God will have a voice in the land. God's Word will
be heard in its glory!

(3) HEAL THEIR LAND

If the job is too great for us-- and the sickness too profound, it is
not for the great God we serve. This is a covenant statement! AND ONE
WAY OR ANOTHER, GOD WILL HEAL THE LAND OF THE PEOPLE WHO KEEP COVENANT
WITH HIM! And make no mistake, we will have a part, and an important
part to DO. For THERE DOES COME A TIME FOR "DOING!" GOD WILL ASK US TO
PUT OUR LIVES ON THE LINE! But it begins with HUMBLING, and continues
in PRAYER, and SEEKING GOD'S FACE, and TURNING FROM SELFISH WAYS!

Because God does the healing does NOT mean that we will not have any
part in the healing process. John Wesley was certainly an instrument
in the awakening of His day. GOD WILL USE HUMAN INSTRUMENTS IN THE
AWAKENING WE SEE. But remember: THIS COVENANT PROMISE CLEARLY DOES
MEAN THAT THE HEALING WILL COME FROM GOD.

Conclusion:

Wesley was dismayed and temporarily dismissed in Thirsk and a number
of other places because of the prevailing spirit of lawlessness and
sin in his times. But Wesley went back to Thirsk another day..and
another and another! There are 14 entries in his Journal that record
visits to Thirsk. After 1747 there are entries like June, 1755:

Thirsk: a little society; June 1763: intended to preach by a
house, but asked by gentlemen to preach in the marketplace; to a
large, deeply attentive congregation;

June 1764 "exceeding large congregation"

May 29, 1766 I preached in the new House (chapel) at Thirsk.

And Wesley kept on recording visits to Thirsk until 1788, a year
before his death! And if you go to Thirsk today there stands what to
Americans is a very old, substantial chapel built of brick, built by
the people called Methodists. Indeed, in just about every hamlet and
village in Britain there is a Methodist chapel that testifies to the
truth of our text,that: "if God's people . . ."!!

It is past time for another awakening in our world! And we are
frustrated-- we are helpless. We cannot begin by starting out to tilt
against the windmills of evil in our own righteousness and our own
strength and power. WHAT CAN WE DO AGAINST THE CURRENT OF DEGENERATE
TIMES?

WE CAN RESOLVE TO BE HOLY. We can live to please God. And WE CAN
MAKE OUR¬SELVES AVAILABLE TO GOD.

Prayer: Lord God, The task is too large! And we are so very small!
But we are NOT alone! Together with Your people today all over this
world we pray! Heal our land! Your kingdom come! In US as it is in
heaven! Amen.

An audio copy can be found (20 minutes long) at:

http://russellmetcalfesermons.nazarene.nl/AudioSermons/If%20My%20People.mp3

A QUESTION OF LOVE

April 30, 1995
A QUESTION OF LOVE
John 21:1-19

THE SETTING of the story in the last chapter of John's Gospel is a
beautiful lake at sunrise. The wind has died off as it often does just
at dawn, and some tired fishermen are rowing their boat through the
rising mists the last quarter mile to the beach. The sail hung limp in
the stillness, and the only sound was the thump of the oars against the
sides of the boat.

It had been more than two weeks since Easter. The disciples had
been in Jerusalem for the Passover; it was then that Jesus had been
taken from them and crucified. They believed he was alive- resurrected
from the dead. They had actually seen him twice, except Thomas had seen
him once. He had said something about meeting them back in Galilee.

They actually weren't quite sure what to expect, whether they would
start up their preaching from town to town again, whether now that Jesus
had risen from the dead he might set up his kingdom- they really didn't
know. The Bible makes that plain. But they did know that life goes on--
and they had to eat. Their boats were still on the beach-- their nets
were ready.

Peter said: "I'm going fishing!" There were finally seven
disciples whogot into the little sailing vessel and went off into the
evening to fish the night through.

As the boat got close enough to shore to begin to make out shapes
through the mist the fishermen could see a figure standing on the beach.
He called through the still morning air: "Children-- do you have any
fish?"

He might have been a shopkeeper from Capernaum looking for fish to
sell. He might have been another fisherman wondering if the fish were
anywhere to be caught. But we know, and the disciples were soon to find
out, it was Jesus Himself.

"Sorry! No-- no fish!"

The answer came back clearly through the still air: "Cast your net
off to the right side of your boat." It was not the first time these
men had fished all night and come up empty. And it was not the first
time they had been told to try again in the morning light. But as they
began to draw their big net back in this time they thought somehow they
had snagged bottom. As they kept pulling they realized the net was
completely full of big fish.

John immediately said, "That's the Lord! Jesus is on the shore!"
And before anyone could say a word Peter grabbed his robe and was over
the side swimming and then wading ashore. The other six had their hands
full with more than half a ton of fish. The cash flow of several
fishermen was about to improve dramatically.

It was probably as Peter was wading up the beach he remembered that
there was a cloud in his relationship with Jesus. He was so very happy
to see him that he would jump overboard, but then he was afraid to ask
him if he was really forgiven for denying him three times the night he
was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemene. So he just helped secure the
boats and haul the nets up on the beach.

THE WARM FELLOWSHIP that followed would never be forgotten by any of the
seven men. Jesus already had a fire burned down to a bed of coals for
broiling, and had some fish already cooking. He called to the men to
bring some more from what they just landed.

I don't know what they talked about around that breakfast fire. I
know there were a lot of questions yet to be asked. Somehow I am sure
that every one of those men was happy just to be near the Lord they
loved. But in the heart of one of those men was a big, hard lump that
wouldn't go away.

A TENDER PERSONAL SCENE is what came next. Jesus got up and motioned
for Peter to follow him down the beach. It was one of those very
private times; only John tagged along. And he took notes.

Jesus asked Peter some very tough questions that morning. Three
questions-- and yet they were all asked with the same words, or very
nearly the same words. [I know some ministers make a big deal out of
"agapeo" and "phileo." That's all right. But I don't think the main
lesson is as obscure as that!]

Three times Jesus said to Peter-- as Peter had denied Jesus three
times-- "Simon-- son of John-- do you love me more than these? Simon, do
you love me? Simon--son of John-- do you love me?" Tough questions--
and because John tagged along and took notes-- and wrote the questions
down-- and they are part of our scripture-- it must be that you and I
need to answer those tough questions, too.

"Peter, do you love me more than these?"

OUR LOVE MUST BE
BEYOND COMPARING WITH OTHERS

Before Peter denied his Lord and stumbled he "knew" that his love
was stronger than anyone else's. His doctrine was purer. His
understanding was truer. But it is always the wrong approach to tell God
we love Him in any comparison to others. "Lord, if all these deny you,
I will still go to the death with you!" Or, "I could never love the
Lord like that person!" If our faith must be in comparison and in
contrast to others the chances are it is on shaky ground. Some churches
build their entire message and ministry on "NOT being like 'the
unbelievers'."

Jesus is not the spirit that takes shots at other followers. Peter
had to say "I love YOU, Lord, and not in relationship to THEM."

"Do you love me?"

OUR LOVE MUST BE
BEYOND COMPETITION WITH OTHERS

Life is NOT fair-- some will have glamorous assignments. Some will
die young. Some will suffer while others seem to prosper. Jesus told
Peter that hard times loomed ahead for him. That didn't shake
Peter. But Peter did say-- "Look at HIM, Lord-- the one following along
here-- what about HIM?"

And Jesus had what seem like harsh words for Peter. But they are
words that every one of us need to take to heart if we are to really
tell Jesus we love HIM. "What is that to YOU? You follow ME!"

"Do you love me?" "Feed my lambs, my sheep!"

OUR LOVE HAS TO GO
BEYOND THE WORDS OF CONSECRATION

Each time in response to Peter's anguished answer: "Lord-- you know
I do! You know I love you..." Each time Jesus said: "Then you take care
of my lambs, my sheep!" Love is more than warm feelings in worship
services or quiet times. Peter understood that love is God, not Peter,
at the center of life and all.

And it was then, and only then that in the same place as three
years before-- with the same words as when he started out-- Jesus
renewed Peter's call: "FOLLOW ME!"

SO, HOW DOES THIS INTIMATE STORY APPLY in a sermon on a Sunday
morning in the spring of 1995 A.D.?

Somehow I want to hear Jesus-- I want to make certain that there is
nothing between Him and me-- I want to answer His hard questions: "Lord,
you KNOW I love You!"

1. I love you with a love that I will not compare to other's love.
I will seek YOU-- not the recognition from others that I am
seeking you.

2. I love You with a love that does not compete for position. If I
am in a place of responsibility, I hold it only on your command.
I do not grasp. If you put me aside, or anywhere-- in a hard
place--that is your wisdom, your will-- and I will love you!

3. I love you with a love that wants to be obedient. Not just
words, Lord, but with my body, my reasonable service.

With Peter I say "Lord, you know all things! You KNOW that I love
you! Let me hear you say, 'FOLLOW ME!' "

Prayer

Sing with me: "I Love You, Lord"

The JESUS we know . . .

The task of the church at large is not to make Jesus over into

something that fits and conforms to the needs of the world of today.

The task of your Bible study and prayer is NOT to discover that about

Jesus which will reinforce your lifestyle and help you achieve your

goals. The task of this church is not to underscore the servant role

of Jesus Christ.



For Jesus IS. He is the I AM THAT I AM. Our task is to lift Him

up, and introduce Him. We are the servants of the great King of Kings.



When we are seeking to use Jesus to enforce our aspirations we

may find principles that will help us succeed in some temporal

areas. But ultimately we shall be diminished and we shall fail at the

task of the Christian faith.



But when we are seeking to be used of Jesus in the work of His

kingdom; when our lives proclaim "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be

done!", then we shall find that all hell itself cannot keep us from

living in God's love.

Hope is the Anchor

BLACK HOLES AND ANCHOR LINES
John 20:31

One afternoon several years ago I was fishing along the edge of
Nantasket Roads-- the shipping channel that goes past the Boston Light.
It was well into the fall and past the summer heat. I had a VIP guest
in my little boat, and I really wanted to make sure he caught some
flounder. (He was Sam Hunt, the biggest line backer in the NFL and a
starter for the Patriots.) I was ready for a couple hours of good
fishing over the high tide and I swung my boat around to face the tide
and threw out my anchor. It was fifty to sixty feet deep and the tide
was beginning to run, and I let the anchor line run out through my
hands. As a matter of fact it ran out so fast that I came to the end
sooner than I thought and I watched with a sick feeling as the end went
overboard. I grabbed for it, and then I quickly started the engine and
tried to swing back and grab for it but it was out of reach and the line
was slowly sinking out of sight. We were drifting with no way to hold
steady.

How we finally got an anchor and had a good day of fishing is
another story. [Should I tell you?]

But I never will forget the sinking feeling when my anchor was
lost. It was a mini picture of what it is like whenever things we
really count on aren't there any more. Have you ever lost an anchor?

THOMAS LOST AN ANCHOR WHEN JESUS DIED. When Jesus died something in
Thomas died, too. Jesus simply had not performed according to Thomas's
idea of what a Messiah was supposed to do. Thomas thought he knew
Jesus. He found out he didn't know Jesus quite as well as he thought he
did. Thomas loved Jesus. Make no mistake about that. Do you remember
how when, before that last Passover when Jesus wanted to go to
Jerusalem, and the rest of the disciples tried to tell Him it was too
hot, too scary, too risky-- and Jesus insisted--do you remember it was
Thomas who said, "Well- let's go with Him and die!"

But when the actual death came it shattered Thomas. Thomas had
seen Jesus calm the wind and sea. He knew that Jesus had stopped a
funeral procession and given a mother back her son. He believed that
Jesus was powerful. but then Thomas had seen Jesus die in
weakness. Jesus was really dead!

Thomas really wanted to believe Jesus is alive. The rest of the
disciples had said they were convinced that Jesus was risen. They were
all hyper about it. Two men said they had met Jesus on the road to
their home in Emmaus; the disciples said that the Sunday evening three
days after the awful crucifixion Jesus had suddenly appeared in the
Upper Room with them, had actually eaten a little fish. They were so
sure. But not Thomas. "I'll have to see-- no, I'll have to feel it for
myself!" is what Thomas said.

Did you ever get the feeling that just about everybody else had a
closer, tighter faith than you? Did you ever wonder how they could be so
sure, when you have doubts? It may just be that there is more of Thomas
the doubter in each of us than we like to admit.

The fact is that Christians are not always honest and transparent
about the battles of doubt that we fight. We like to testify about our
victories, and it is right and good that we witness to our faith. But
also we need to be dead honest with ourselves and with God, never
seeking to hide the places where we fail, or where we fight a running
battle with temptation.

We think 'I am probably the only one who fights the battle I fight
like this. I am unworthy of being esteemed as a Christian.' Or, 'If
"they" knew the thoughts that come to my mind! they would never have any
faith in me.' What we may not realize is that every Christian has to
fight the good fight of faith. The wars and battles of faith are not
the neat, textbook, cut-and-dried black-and-white illustrations we hear
in sermons. They are real, and they are often confusing.

The only people who never fight battles with doubt are people who
never address the problems faith presents in a real world. There is a
name for these "ostrich people." It is "obscurantist." Only
obscurantists never fight battles of faith, and they give up their inner
core of integrity. They fight with everyone who dares to disagree with
them. They become the true fanatics. In some ways fanaticism is only
insecurity turned inside out. But genuine faith is forged on the anvil
of honest doubt. It says I wish I could believe, but here is reality I
cannot understand! Please, God, I want to know!

THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HONEST DOUBT AND THE SIN OF UNBELIEF.
Sometimes they superficially look alike. Perhaps sometimes they are hard
to tell apart.

Unbelief is grounded in a heart that will not give up its worship
of self. It says to God "Show me and I'll think about it and maybe I
will and maybe I won't!" Doubt, on the other hand says, "Show me and I
will gladly own You as Lord!"

I have based my entire life and my life's calling on the trust that
God answers that cry! Hebrews 11:6 says that the faith that destroys
doubt is a seeking faith. What do we do when we are seeking a Jesus who
seems hard to reach? What do we do in the dark moments of life when it
almost seems our God has failed us? Black holes of agony when we send
our desperate prayers winging their way to the Father, while NOTHING is
happening!

What sort of proof does it take to dispel doubt? How many times do
we have to break through again to spiritual reality?

THOMAS LOST HIS ANCHOR, BUT JESUS AS HE REALLY IS CAME TO THOMAS AND
BECAME HIS SURE ANCHOR!

Thomas said, "I need proof positive!" Jesus came and I think that
Thomas was almost embarrassed. Maybe not. But then Jesus told him that
there would be people who could not see or touch Him that still would be
able to believe. But still, we need that personal touch!

We need Jesus to speak salvation to us! Others can help-- we can
show you what the scriptures say. Here is where our text comes in.
John said that personal touch is the very reason that he wrote his
Gospel: "These words were written that you might believe that Jesus is
the Messiah; and that believing, you might have LIFE through His name!"
Come to the Word, come seeking the Savior. Ask the Spirit to show you
that Jesus died for YOU!

And Jesus does come! He comes with His own assurance to those who
seriously seek Him!

We need Jesus to be our anchor in the storms of life. Even after we
know Jesus, there are times when our faith is tested. It seems that
from time to time we walk as it were in the dark by naked faith. As
Dr. William Greathouse wrote years ago in a little book called The
Fullness of the Spirit, "Again and again we need to break through to
spiritual reality." In those times if we will trust Him, and cry to
Him, He will not fail us! He hears us!

I almost wish that I could share with you some of my darker
moments-- the desperate prayers that I have prayed. Some are simply too
involved with other people's lives. I have prayed those quiet prayers of
desperation. And even though at the time I could not see His hand, God
has been there.

[This past week a voice out of the past; a time when there was a
desperate prayer, and very little reason to think there was hope. After
the confrontation - and tears there were a few years of, from my
viewpoint, little spiritual progress. Imagine my joy to hear a clear
testimony from a professional person, a leader in his field of science,
saying: "My wife (he named her) and I have found the Lord. We're
teaching the fourth grade Sunday School class here in our local church!]

Conclusion

I lost the anchor on my little boat because I failed to hold on to
the end of the anchor line. But our eternal life does not depend on how
well we can hang on, but rather it depends on our saying to the Savior
who comes to us: "My LORD and my GOD!" God does not reveal Himself to
unbelief. But God always reveals Himself to seeking, honest
doubt. . . the doubt that wants to become faith.

The God of the Bible has always been a God who sets before us the
alternatives. Choose to live with CHRIST! The Resurrection is an
invitation to us to choose life!

A PSALM OF RENEWAL AND REVIVAL

On the Sunday evening before special services dedicated to

renewal and revival, it is good to turn to one of the Prayers of David

and let him help us express and focus our need and our desire.



Psalm 40



A PSALM OF RENEWAL AND REVIVAL



This Psalm speaks both of "waiting" and of "seeking."



It is good and right to actively seek God, and most of the time

way we well may know how to go about seeking Him. But even when we

are seeking God, we need to admit that in reality God is the active

party in any genuine renewal. Before we sought God, He was seeking

us! Before we were thinking of Him, He was thinking of us! Our

renewal always begins when we decide to listen, to be quiet, to wait

for God, Who is already speaking.



David tells us that he waited patiently for the LORD; and God

turned and heard him. This Psalm is full of certainty and praise!

Incidentally David tells us what every believer needs to receive:



I. THE NEED FOR A FIRM PLACE TO STAND . . .



(2)"He ... gave me a firm place to stand." "He set my feet upon a

rock..."



There are some things that we know that do not need to be proved. But

in the profusion of learning, and the explosion of knowledge in our

day, many people have lost their spiritual certainty. And then they

cannot regain it by listening to the same people that introduced them

to God, because they are listening to human explanations, or

obscurantism, or anything except listening to God!



Still, however it is lost, it is a tragic thing to lose

spiritual certainty! It is a tragedy when all you have is a slippery

slope or a miry pit of destruction when you need solid rock on which

to stand! I'M TALKING ABOUT SPIRITUAL CERTAINTY! KNOW-SO SALVATION!

IS IT STILL POSSIBLE IN 1990?



I don't know quite how to say this: I alluded to it in the

sermon this morning, in that Rev. Tom Nees says he never has to prove

God's existence or the reality of sin in the ghetto. We would say in

our arrogance that the reason is because they are not as educated or

sophisticated as we are. 'If they knew all that we know, etc. '



I'm glad for the study of epistemology, that study of how we

know. It is humbling to realize that even in the common ideas of life,

we hardly ever all see things the same, and probably none of us is

ever "right" about the details of the facts.



What this means is when I talk to you about GOD, and explain Him,

I can never be sure that (1) I am right, or (2) that you hear what I

say the way I meant it; or (3) that if you do what I say it will make

any difference in your life.



But there is all the difference in the world when God talks to

you through me, or by any means that He has at His disposal-- and you

are listening-- and when God gets through to you. When God speaks,

and you hear-- you can take it to the bank!



People who have been "talked into" cheap grace, and who never

"wait patiently for God" may wonder about the "knowing" aspect of

salvation. Call it a witness. or call it assurance, we need to know

God, and know that we know God. It is possible today! But we have to

get this firm place to stand on God's terms!



II. THE NEED FOR A NEW SONG TO SING . . .



(3)"He put a new song in my mouth"



A "revival" that simply beats us around the ears with new

"oughts" and "shoulds" is something I can do without. I can recall

many times as a lad when all I got out of revival was the scare of my

life. And I even remember a few since I have been pastor where I

wondered if anyone else felt as guilty as I did.



But I would like to remember the joy of first love of God; I

would like to do more than stand against the evils of our day, I would

like to be so full of the love of God that "Many will see and fear and

put their trust in God."



I suppose (I think) that cheerless and dull gray religion is

better than none at all, especially if there is any spiritual life at

all in it. But somehow the very first casualty in the process of

slipping away from God is genuine JOY!



We do not have any lack of religious excitement, or interesting

seminars, or things to do to keep busy for the Lord. But David says

that when he waited on the Lord he began to sing again! The song had

left, evidently, but God gave David a new song of praise! The world

can be changed by a people of God that are singing His new song of

praise!



I'M TALKING ABOUT JOY, NOW! WE GET IT BY WAITING PATIENTLY

(INTENTLY, ON PURPOSE) FOR WHAT GOD HAS TO SAY!



III. THE NEED FOR A TASK THAT DELIGHTS



Yes, there are things that we must leave in order to follow

after Jesus. [Some people didn't hear me quite clearly a week or so

ago when I spoke of 'leaving all to follow Jesus.' I did NOT say that

Jesus would require us to sell our homes and follow Him. But I did

say that there must be a willingness to leave all in order to be near

Him.] I suppose there are some "sacrifices" that are necessary.



But clearly the Psalmist isn't into long-faced, sorrowful lists

of things he has given up.



(6) "Sacrifice and offering you did not require" he writes "but my

ears you have pierced." He goes on, "Burnt offerings and sin

offerings you did not require. Then I said, 'Here I am, I have

come-- To do Your will, O God is my desire (delight!); your law is

within my heart.'"



Many scholars believe that the "ear piercing" has to do with the

ceremony prescribed in Exodus and again in Deuteronomy when a slave

was being set free, and he didn't want to leave his master's

house. When a servant became a love-slave his ear was pierced, and he

became a permanent family member; his "ear was pierced."



Romans 12:1 makes provision for believers to become "love-

slaves" of God-- to say, make me Your servant forever! I delight to do

Your will, O God!



CONCLUSION:



What I am trying to express, or to let God express to me and

through me this "revival eve," is the possibility that we can raise

our level of the experience of spiritual reality if we will wait

"patiently" (intently, on purpose) for our God.



You are some of the best people I know. I do not

un-Christianize any of you. But again and again we need to break

through to refreshing and reviving in the Lord.



And while the "waiting on the Lord" sounds passive, it needs to

be done deliberately. It is obvious that we cannot "schedule revival"

and say to God:



"All right now, Sovereign of the Universe, between

Tuesday and Sunday of next week we would like You to bless

us up a little-- not too much, now-- because we have very

full schedules. But bless us enough to keep us out of hell,

if there is one, and make us real nice people, and bless our

relationships and keep us pretty comfortable. Amen"



But perhaps we can say:



"Lord God, We walk through whirling mists and hear shouting

voices. Please help us make sure our feet are on the solid rock.



"And, Heavenly Father, We are full of causes and agendas and

burdens; please help us remember the old songs of praise, and, if You

would, give us a new song of praise that will lift us toward You.



"And, Lord, Help us to love You so much that serving You will be

our delight and our joy!



"You have promised that if we seek You we shall surely find You!

With the Psalmist we pray, 'May all who seek You rejoice and be glad

in You!'



"We will do our best to clear the way to begin this week. You

come as You see fit, for we wait patiently for You. Turn to us, and

hear our cry! In Jesus' name, Amen."



#83 EH He Touched Me

or

# 60 EH Give Me a Holy Life

———————————————————————————————————

Dr. Russell Metcalfe is Pastor Emeritus of the Wollaston Church of the Nazarene. Permission to reprint or publish this material is GRANTED as long as the reprinting or republishing is not-for-profit. You can access more of Dr. Metcalfe's sermons at his scripturally indexed sermon archives web site. Now with MP3 audio sermons and audio bonus material.




http://russellmetcalfesermons.nazarene.nl/sermons.html

Come on Home!

COME ON HOME[

Are you not tired of having just enough religion to make you uncomfortable at a cocktail reception and yet ill at ease in the presence of the Holy?

There is time to come back to simple holy living.
Time to come back to self-control, Christian simplicity, and spiritual discipline energized by God's grace. "Now is the time. We have been through it all-- the grasping, the looking, the searching. We have lived as people who try to serve God and mammon, and we know now that it cannot be done.
Too many Christians have drifted into letting the world tell them how to dress, what to drive, what songs and entertainment with which to saturate the soul, and just how to put me first at the expense of other people whom nobody puts first. Some who take the name of Christ seem owned by their ambitions, chained to a success formula, enslaved by the hunger for prestige-- diseases they have caught from our sinful culture. They fill up the ranks of the Christian jet set.
Visit any important Christian conference and you will see them-- "dressed alike, talking alike, smiling alike, looking over the shoulders of the people to whom they are speaking in order to see who else has come into the room."
The world has taught us to reach for the things that matter least while neglecting the things that matter most. Prayer, Bible study, devotion, and obedience have been elbowed to the margins as Christian self-help propaganda taught believers to dress for success, win through intimidation, fulfill themselves, enjoy sex, and lose weight.
Richard Baxter's 17th-century description fits today's cosmopolite evangelicals like a glove:
When we should study God we study ourselves; when we should mind God, we mind ourselves; when we should love God, we love our carnal selves; when we should trust God, we trust ourselves; when we should honour God, we honour ourselves; and when we should ascribe to God and admire Him, we ascribe to and admire ourselves: and instead of God we would have all men's eyes and dependence on us, and all men's thanks returned to us, and would gladly be the only men on earth extolled and admired by all. And thus naturally we are our own idols.
Even spirituality has become something to be utilized. We were coached to practice the spiritual disciplines in order to achieve self-fulfillment, discover happiness, become fully human, and overcome stress. Such behavior is a lilac-scented blasphemy. The only reason to practice the spiritual disciplines is because of who God is. Not even Hollywood has "out-glitzed" evangelical religion. Popular Christianity has been polled, charted, televised, and made "user friendly" by the best ad crews in the world. But now we know that making Christianity compatible with the loose living and undisciplined conduct of our culture does not work. The popular church "has lower standards for membership than those for getting on a bus."
But we have learned a few lessons, haven't we? "Now we can see . . . where uncontrolled living goes. We know the misery. We have felt it.
“ It is time to come home. Time to stop trying to be citizens of two countries. It is time to stop trying to blend God's way with our own wants and lusts. Come home to Christian simplicity, discipline, and holiness of heart and life. The journey is not easy. The worldly culture will try to sweep you back into its whirlwind of shallow gratifications, its conscience- deadening maze of greeds and lusts, its "cosmetic diversions and plastic pleasures."
Resist them in the power of the Spirit. They are vapors of fantasy that lead only to emptiness. On the other hand, the holy life to which God is calling you is "astonishing in its completeness," as Thomas Kelley writes.
Of the holy life, he says,
Its joys are ravishing,
its peace profound,
its humility the deepest,
its power world-shaking,
its love enveloping,
its simplicity that of a trusting child
... It is the life and power of Jesus of Nazareth.

(1) We need to deliberately break the insulation that separates us from entering into God's Presence, the "Shekinah." God's Presence is life-giving. We must enter into the Presence and worship, wherever we are coming from.
(2) We need to break the bondage of self-consciousness before the judgment of other human beings. "If I buy into this radical response I will be stepping back into the '30s-- I will be an ignorant sheep---

" NOT if it is truly GOD who is calling you to come HOME

Dealing with Existential Fear

Faith in the Presence of Fear
John 20:19-31
Psalm 16
Words for Our Day

The opening words of Psalm 16 are the cry, "Protect me, O Lord God,
for I am trusting in you!" The Psalmist, David, is using what seems
to me the language of fear. He probably had good reason to fear, for
his life was often in danger.

Do you ever feel fear? Is it a sin to feel negative emotions? Is it
evil to have questions or even doubts when it seems everyone else is
so certain about so many things?

In the very last chapter of the last book in the Bible (Revelation 21)
is a list that sometimes bothers me. It is a list of people who are
not going to enter the New Jerusalem. In fact John, the writer of
Revelation, says they will have part in "the second death."

Now part of that list I can understand would not fit in heaven: "the
abominable, murderers, whoremongers, sorcerers, and all liars" is how
the list ends. But the part that bothers me is how the list begins.
The list of those who miss heaven begins: "But the fearful and the
unbelieving... will have their place in the lake of fire." What does
this mean? Sometimes I feel like the Cowardly Lion, and I admit there
are a lot of questions I cannot honestly answer.

Can the feeling of FEAR keep me out of heaven? [Before I go any
farther, let me say I believe the answer is NO FEELING will keep
you or me out of heaven. Feelings are emotions-- feelings are
results, not causes-- and God is not seeking reasons to exclude,
but to INCLUDE. He is not willing that ANY should perish.
In the Gospel Thomas is afraid to believe and Jesus comes to him--
in the Psalm David is afraid, and he cries out "O God help me!"]
No the feeling will not exclude you.

Still, there IS a fear that can keep us from taking hold of the
gift of LIFE. And there is an unbelief that is not of the mind
but of the heart that says, "I will not submit to God even when
He speaks clearly to me." This passage from John helps us
understand how we can dare trust the Risen Savior.

I. THE DISCIPLES WERE AFRAID TO BELIEVE HOW MUCH GOD LOVED THEM

They lived in a time and place every bit as scary as our own
terror-threatened post-9/11 time. They thought: "It is too good
to be true!" Jesus came and dispelled their fears somewhat--
it took a while.

But Thomas wasn't there. He said, "I have to SEE for myself."
He was afraid to let himself get built up just to be let down
again.

Looking again to Psalm 16, David prays for God's mercy, but
even as he prays he recognizes how audacious it is to talk
to God. He says, "MY GOODNESS EXTENDETH NOT TO THEE." In
another place (Psalm 8) David says, "WHEN I CONSIDER THE HEAVENS,
WHAT IS MAN THAT YOU ARE MINDFUL OF HIM?"

Many of the theologians of our day (whether post-modern, or
process, or deconstructionist, or whatever-- I'm probably ten
years behind in labels) seem to be saying, "You common people
have no idea of how big God really is-- and so you can never
speak about Him with any kind of certainty!" And some of them
carry it so far they are saying 'GOD'S LOVE, IF IT IS THERE,
IS TOO BIG, TOO MYSTERIOUS FOR US TO KNOW AND BE SURE ABOUT.'
It is almost a blocking FEAR before the mystery of God's love.

BUT THE GOD OF THE BIBLE-- WHO TRULY IS BIGGER THAN WE CAN
IMAGINE-- HAS SPOKEN TO US IN THE LIFE AND DEATH AND RESURRECTION
OF HIS SON JESUS CHRIST!

That message is understandable even though we can never understand
WHY God should love us! That message IS: GOD LOVES YOU!

Jesus said: "Thomas, I'll help you believe! Blessed are those
who have NOT seen, and still believe! FAITH WITHIN US SAYS:
Jesus really DOES know and care about ME!

Even after the disciples began to grasp the fact that Jesus
was alive, and that He was with them again, there was a
hesitation to dare to believe what Jesus was asking them to
do (commanding them, actually).

II. THE DISCIPLES COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT GOD EXPECTED OF THEM

Jesus began outlining his assignment for the church that very night.
First, he BREATHED ON THEM, and said: RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT!
Be carriers of God! Be contagious with LOVE! Exude confidence
that God is GOOD!

I'm sure they did not grasp it fully then-- nor even fifty days
later at Pentecost-- but the disciples-- and you and I-- are to
be the place where God lives on this earth. We are God's housing!

Do YOU think of yourself as a tabernacle of God? Is God welcome
in YOUR body? In your relationships? is that a new thought to
you? Is it a bit frightening?

God is what this frightened world needs right now! And who do
you suppose God is wanting to use to meet your neighbors and
mine, face-to-Face?

Jesus began assigning His disciples a role in telling the
world that all their sins had been forgiven on Calvary. This
is mysterious, and not easy to understand:

"Those whose sins you forgive they will be forgiven... those
whose sins you don't forgive they will remain..?"

We can stop and get hung up on the translation of words here--
OR we can understand that WE have a part in sharing the Good News
of Salvation.

FEAR said, that night, "Lord Jesus we have all been afraid!
We have all forsaken you and run away! How can WE ever accept
such an assignment?"

But FAITH SAID: "YOU CAN SHOW ME HOW TO BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT!
YOU CAN HELP ME SHARE THE MESSAGE OF SINS FORGIVEN!" And that is
exactly what happened.

That is all well and good for the disciples..then..and for the
worship times in church. But what about the everyday fears that
come-- AND WHAT ABOUT THE REALLY DARK PLACES IN LIFE THAT COME
TO US ALL? Can fear defeat us when we face the worst life can
offer? It is frightening to think there are people who hate us
just because we live where we do, and believe what we believe-
but in the darkness is where even little lights can shine brightly!
Jesus loves YOU! He is with you and me! He says "Tell people that
God loves them! God is GOOD!"

III. WE ALL FACE FEAR'S CHALLENGE IN OUR DARK HOURS OF THE SOUL

Faith's victory over fear is NOT just doctrine or theory. We cannot
help at times FEELING overwhelmed-- even pushed toward despair.
In the Garden of Gethsemene Jesus Himself prayed like one who
hated, even dreaded what lay out ahead. He prayed, "O MY FATHER,
IF IT BE POSSIBLE, LET THIS CUP PASS FROM ME!"

In the Psalm (16) David wrote the script for the Messiah's hope
even though it was 800 years or so before the time-- he wrote for
Jesus-- and for all who follow Jesus-- "THOU WILT NOT LEAVE MY
SOUL IN HELL, NOR SUFFER YOUR OWN TO SEE CORRUPTION"

Our souls somehow become the battlefield of fear versus faith.
For insight into that aspect of the emotions of fear and temptation
to unbelief there is no better book than The Book of Job. Job
loved God-- and refused to believe God was anything but GOOD!
He certainly did not understand what was going on. But Job said,
"GOD KNOWS! I WILL TRUST HIM!" Faith went beyond what it could see,
and even what it could NOT see-- and reached for the hand of God.

In some of Britain's darkest hours in WW II, the people listened by
their radios on New Year's Eve as their king, King George VI, gave
his annual greeting to his people over BBC. It was truly a fearsome
time. The very existence of their nation was at risk. And the king
that night quoted words that have since become famous. He said:

"I said to the man who stands at the Gate of the Year, 'Give me
light that I may tread safely into the unknown.' And he replied,
'Step into the darkness, put your hand into the hand of God, and
that will be to you better than a light and safer than a known
way.'"

David said, "In your Presence is joy! If I can just BE WITH YOU I
will be all right!" We do not have to wait until we die and go to
heaven to know God's Presence. He is near, He is with us today.
If we will let Him he will live within us, and walk with us. We
may not know all about Him, but we may know Him. He loves us,
and his perfect love casts out fear, our own fear, and the fear
that we cannot tell our frightened neighbors with assurance:
"God is GOOD! God loves YOU!."

THe Jesus Prayer

THE JESUS PRAYER

Luke 18: 9 - 14



Two men went up to the temple to pray to the one true God. One

man stood by himself in his shining goodness. The other man stood

afar off in consciousness of his sinfulness.



This is a pointed story. Jesus told it to some people who were

trusting in themselves for salvation, and were actively putting down

other seekers after God.



In this story the first character, THE PHARISEE, was the sort of

fellow you think of as the pillar of society. He was regular in

paying his bills, he belonged to the Rotary Club, he drove a Cadillac,

he tithed a pretty hefty income.



The second character, THE TAX COLLECTOR, was different. He was

far down the social scale. He had a shady reputation. He had

business dealings with unbelievers. He would not deny being a sinner.



The PHARISEE had a LOAD of righteousness-- self-righteousness.

It was a comparative righteousness. He compared himself to people he

despised: "I thank You God that I am not as others are -- thieves,

rogues, adulterers, or, God forbid, even like this tax collector

standing there!" And he measured his religion in adding up the good

things he did. "Add these things up," he said to God. "I fast twice

in the week, I give a tenth of all my income, I'm really quite a

valuable addition to your temple, God!"



The TAX COLLECTOR, on the other hand, stood far off, away from

the altar. His head was down. He smote his breast. He acknowledged

his sin.



It is not acceptable in polite society today to talk about "sin"

and "guilt." We deserve a break today! Remember rights, and

entitlement! Guilt is always bad-- always unhealthy.



I agree that guilt is something we do not have to live with. But

I do not agree that all guilt is either inappropriate or bad. There

is a kind of acknowledging of guilt which is actually healthy, because

it accepts responsibility. Facing real guilt is the first step to

real forgiveness and real peace with God. "IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS," is

the promise, "GOD IS FAITHFUL AND JUST TO FORGIVE US OUR SINS, AND TO

CLEANSE US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS." (I John 1:9) [We like the "all

unrighteousness" part-- we don't always hear the "If we confess"

part!]



The Bible says that whether we are up-and-outers like the

Pharisee, or down- and-outers like the tax collector, "all have

sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) We are all

sinners by birth, and every one of us have sinned by choice. Sin is

putting anything or anyone ahead of God.



Two men went up the hill to pray. The PHARISEE went up the hill

to the temple knowing that he was better than most people. The TAX

COLLECTOR went up the hill to the temple knowing that he had come

short of God's glory. He didn't try to fool either God or himself for

even a minute. He prayed this prayer: "Lord, be merciful to me a

sinner."



Two men went down the hill from the temple that day. Jesus said

the tax collector went back home justified. The Pharisee just went

back home.



The simplicity of the prayer the tax collector prayed all too

often escapes us. We know that following Jesus involves doing as well

as being. Being Christian takes discipline and prayer. So we forget

how simple and how basic it is to say from the heart, "Jesus is Lord!"

We memorize Romans 10:9,10, but we forget the impact of that short

prayer.



When we get away from the simplicity of the faith we start

building our own righteousness. We begin to THINK like the Pharisee,

even if we don't actually put his prayer into our own words.



THIS IS REFORMATION SUNDAY - On this particular Sunday of the

year we recall one man in history who re-discovered the power of the

Jesus prayer and changed the course of history



Let me just mention again a few facts from Luther's life that

underscore this story Jesus told:



Martin Luther was born in 1483, and as a young man started out to

study law. About the time he finished law studies, in 1505, a

lightning bolt scared the wits out of him, and he promised God he

would become a monk-- went on to become a priest-- was a

brilliant but not-very-happy seeker after salvation.



The church of Luther's day was often guilty of praying the prayer

of the Pharisee. Like every human institution, our own included,

there was a strong incentive to preserve the machinery and to

forget the spirit of Christ-- to legalize and legislate, and

forget the simple truth of grace. Luther was frustrated,

unsatisfied in his own heart.



In 1513, the year after receiving his Doctorate and becoming

teacher/preacher at Wittenberg, Martin began lecturing on the

Psalms. When he arrived at Psalm 72, as he was lecturing to the

students he got new insight concerning "the righteousness of

God." (Have you read Psalm 72 lately? I had to re-read it again

to see what was so revolutionary as to catch Martin Luther's

imagination:



(Psalm 72:12) For (God) will deliver the needy when he cries

for help, the humble also, and him who has no helper. (13) He

will have compassion on the poor and needy, and the souls of

the needy he will save....)



Martin Luther began to see the compassion of God. Up until this

time Luther had only feared God, as a tyrant judge. He began to

see God's righteousness as a quality which God was willing to

give to believers, and which would make them acceptable in his

Presence.



Then in his study of Romans Luther re-discovered "The Just shall

live by faith!" Luther discovered that he had had it all

backwards: WE DO NOT ACHIEVE FAITH BY BEING RIGHTEOUS, BUT WE

RECEIVE CHRIST'S RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH! Still Luther asked

questions of himself, recorded in his works, such as:



"Are you alone wise? Can it be that everyone else is in error and

has been in error for so long? What if you are wrong and lead

into error so many people who might then be eternally damned?



But Luther could not remain quiet forever. Things came to a head

when fund raisers came through Saxony selling coupons to get

people out of purgatory. It was just three years after Psalm 72

had spoken to him, and after he had re-discovered the great truth

in Romans "The just shall live by faith!" that the crisis came.



On October 31, 1517, exactly 478 years ago this very week, Martin

Luther nailed his 95 Theses, 95 statements for debate on, among

other things, why the sale of indulgences were evil- on the

Cathedral door in Wittenberg, Germany. He wrote these

propositions for debate in Latin-- but the 95 theses were also

translated into the common German, and printed, and spread far

and wide. The business of indulgences, salvation from purgatory

by works, was ruined in that part of Saxony. The Reformation was

under way.



Nearly four years later, in April of 1521, Luther was summoned to

Worms to defend his position before a Diet of the clergy and

secular rulers. On the first day of his appearance Luther saw

that he would not be permitted to make a speech, and he begged

for a day to think of his answer.



Luther was not admitted to the Diet the next day until nightfall,

and he stood in the candle-lighted Episcopal hall next to the

great cathedral. After realizing again that there was no room for

debate, Luther made this statement:



"Unless I can be instructed and convinced with evidence from the

Holy Scriptures or with open, clear, and distinct grounds and

reasoning-- and my conscience is captive to the Word of God--

then I cannot and will not recant, because it is neither safe

nor wise to act against conscience."



And then he added the famous words: "Here I stand. I can do no

other. God help me! Amen" And with those words Luther became an

outlaw.



Thus endeth the "history lesson" this Reformation Sunday!



The "two ways of justification" are still with us today.



If we are honest-- there are times when we have stood in the

place where the Pharisee stood in the story. We have compared

ourselves to other mortals instead of seeing a holy God. We have

added up our good and hoped it outweighed the bad.



But there are NOT two ways to find peace with God. There ARE NO

human beings who can justify themselves in God's holy eyes. There are

NONE of us who dare to despise others, and compare our holiness with

other sinners.



In our Wesleyan tradition we need to learn to live in the healthy

tension between the call of God to holiness and the humility of

knowing that our performance often comes short of God's glory. Our

Savior can give us grace to live above willful sin in word thought and

deed. Our Savior also taught us to pray every day, "Forgive us our

debts as we forgive our debtors!" Can we live with the paradox of not

sinning and confession our sins? Can we seek to be God's instruments

and NOT seek to use God selfishly?



There is a prayer, an ancient prayer, actually, that came out of

this passage, no doubt. It is called The Jesus Prayer. I'm sure that

a number of Nazarenes would not want to pray this prayer because we

have been forgiven and are no longer in active, willful, outbroken sin,

no longer in rebellion against God. . . .



I can still hear the wisdom of my elders saying "If we start

calling mistakes 'sin,' it won't be long until we are calling sin

'mistakes.'" In other words we cannot excuse any willful sin in our

lives.



Still the fact remains that Jesus has given us the Lord's

Prayer-- and also he has given us this story to keep us from trusting

in our own righteousness, and comparing it with others. That ancient

prayer, the Jesus Prayer simply goes like this:



"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."



It is a powerful prayer when it becomes a way of life! Shall WE pray?





———————————————————————————————————

Tides and Currents don't Determine Destination

September 6, 1998
8:45 & 11 o'clock services
Wollaston Church of the Nazarene

A PLEA FOR USEFUL
-Philemon 10-

If you fish or sail in salt water you need to know at least
something about tides and currents and channels. When I first went
fishing on my own for flounder - you can ask my sons John and Steve -
I nearly got stranded on shoal. But I'm a fast learner, and soon I
learned a little about reading tide charts and watching weather fronts
and seasons of the moon. It was all new and wonderful for a
mid-westerner like me.

For years I owned a little boat. (I named it Conference.
That way the office people could say that the pastor was in Conference
for the rest of the afternoon.) I found that TIDES AND CURRENTS DO
NOT DETERMINE DESTINATIONS. That is what rudders and engines and sails
are for. While you don't dare ignore the tides and currents, you also
never get anywhere if you let them dictate where you go and how you
fish. When you can, you make them serve you. When you can't go with or
against them, you cut across as best you can with your destination in
mind.

[When one nor'easter threatened my boat at mooring at Squantum
Yacht Club, I took the launch out to the mooring, and slipped the
cable and started around Moon Island for the boat ramp at Boston Gas
ramp in Dorchester. Just as I started from the mooring I saw a man
waving his arms at me back at the Yacht Club dock, and maneuvered back
to pick up John Stark. John has forgotten more about salt water and
boats and fishing than I will ever know, and he wanted to go along for
the fun of the roller coaster ride into the nor'easter. Just as we
were about to go out of sight around Moon island one of the club
members said to Jim Stark, who was watching his dad and me through
binoculars, "Look at those two fools out there!" Jim said, "That is
my pastor and my father!" We respected the elements, but were willing
to take the risk for the safety of the boat and because we really
enjoyed the ride!]

THE TIDES AND CURRENTS OF LIFE CANNOT DETERMINE OUR ULTIMATE
DESTINATIONS. WE CAN GO WHERE GOD INTENDS FOR US TO GO!

IN THE TINY BOOK OF THE BIBLE, PHILEMON, which is actually a personal
letter from the first century, we have the story of how two men were
challenged to take a voyage across the strong currents of their day.
Behind this personal and private letter is the story of Onesimus and
Philemon and the course they felt they had to take across the tides
and currents of their culture.

TO THE CITY OF COLOSSE in western Asia Minor THE GOSPEL OF
JESUS CHRIST CAME ONE DAY in the message of Paul the apostle. A
church was established Among the households affected was that of a
wealthy man named Philemon.

In that day when a man converted so did his whole household,
his wife, children, servants, and relatives. Among the servants
slaves, really- was Onesimus. Whatever his real name had been, he has
been named "Useful."

"Useful" may have been officially baptized, but he watched his
chance and one day he escaped, and took with him a sum of his master's
money. He made his way into Europe, to Rome a thousand miles from
Colosse. In that huge city slaves could melt into the population and
be free forever. But there in Rome Onesimus, Useful, just happened to
meet again the very preacher who had baptized him back in Colosse.

It is impossible for me, or for you or anyone to know what the
tides and currents of culture were really like back then. We don't
know, either, how Onesimus decided he needed to go the thousand miles
back to the east to face Philemon. The Bible does not condone slavery
in any form. But evidently Jesus was making demands on Philemon that
seemed hard if not impossible. Onesimus knew he had to make good what
he had stolen. And so Paul wrote this letter. And Onesimus set off
to deliver it himself.

Think of the cost these men had to pay to face the tides and
currents! The cost to Onesimus is obvious. He risked his freedom and
his life. But the cost to Philemon was great as well. He would be
branded as a slave-coddler. He would be vilified by other wealthy
people in his society. He might even encourage slave-revolt.

Jesus made demands on both these men because he knew they
could make the destination he set for them. The letter doesn't tell
us what happened next. But tradition tells us that not only was
Onesimus received and forgiven, but that he became the pastor in
Colosse. Onesimus was one of the early bishops in Asia Minor.

JESUS HAS A WAY OF CHALLENGING EVERY ONE OF US to cut across the
popular currents and tides of our times. The strong tides today tell
us it is fine to be religious, but that we don't need to get carried
away by our faith. It is not the central thing around which to build
our lives.

The strong currents today say that morality is relative and
comparative. "I may not be perfectly honest in my dealings, but I am
not nearly as bad as my neighbors."

The accepted channels even in evangelical circles tell us that if we
have the proper views on abortion and say the right words about family
values then we are spiritual, and good Christians. Jesus challenges us
to dare to be honest with ourselves and with Him, and with one
another! Our faith must move beyond "experience" into the realm of
relationship. He asks us to dare to follow Him no matter which way the
tides are running and the wind is blowing.

(CONCLUSION)

It only makes common sense if you are fishing or sailing in
salt water to know something about the tides and currents. It only
makes good sense if you are living for Jesus in a secular, pluralistic
world to understand a little bit about the way the winds blow. You
may have to run for cover some times. You may have to wait while a
northeaster blows over. But the winds and tides do not determine your
final destination.

WHEN WE WERE BUILDING THIS SANCTUARY eighteen years ago (thirty years as this is copied into Facebook)we had quite a
discussion over just how the steeple would be. We all agreed this
building should be a testimony in itself to the worship of God and the
fellowship of the church. It is Georgian Colonial in architecture
inside and out and (except for the elevator and wall-to-wall
carpeting) as authentic as some gifted members of our building
committee could make it.

That committee thought a nice weather vane on the steeple
would add a great authentic touch to a New England house of
worship. Protestant churches in colonial times did not have crosses on
their steeples. But in my stubborn way I insisted I did not want a
church that seemed to say to the neighborhood "This is the way the
winds are blowing just now!"

A church is not primarily to tell people which way the wind is
blowing, but which way it is to heaven. So without any visible hard
feelings the steeple went up without a weather vane and without a
cross. I confess I may have hidden some pain! And the steeple really
looked "bare" up there 100 feet in the air!

But then Wesley Angell, a great member of our board who knew
more about building than anyone, noticed that the steeple was not
perfectly straight. Sure enough, it had been damaged in the
installation, and no one had seen it but Wesley. The steeple had to
come down for repairs. And in the meantime the committee got back
together. They inquired how much a cross would cost. And you can see
what happened!

Since that day when a crane carried the cross 104 feet to the
top of the steeple more than 6,500 days and nights have passed. There
have been hurricanes and blizzards and foggy nights and blistering hot
days. The wind has blown from every point of the compass and with
every intensity from dead calm to full hurricane. But the cross
stands there reminding us that there is a Way to heaven, and that if
we will follow Jesus nothing can ultimately defeat us from the
destination He has for us here in this life, and in the one to come.

For those with Patience, LONG

TEN YEARS AGO THIS WAS PUBLISHED
IN THE PREACHER'S MAGAZINE

I STAND BY IT:

Charting the Changing Scenes in Corporate Worship
Article written and published for Preacher's Magazine
by Dr. Russell Metcalfe, Pastor Emeritus,
Wollaston Church of the Nazarene,
Quincy, Massachusetts


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just what goes into the Sunday morning worship service at your church and mine? Why do we do what we do? Why do we have Wednesday night Bible study? Why does there seem to be a conflict between some of the needs, interests, and purposes of various representative groups in our congregation? What should we be seeking to accomplish in worship? Is worship a means to an end, or an end in and of itself?
Some of the tenets we stress, and some of the concerns we ignore, may reflect ecclesiastical and doctrinal battles that were old long before we were born. Some of the things we hold as absolutely sacrosanct may be handed down from scriptural times, or they could be derived from idiosyncrasies or personal convictions of some strong personality of comparatively recent years.

God has not been included in this study as a "component part" of worship, for God is what worship is all about. Worship is centered in God, and is directed to Him--or should be. It is taken to be a "given" in this article that real worship will be our attempt to bring our best, our all, to the loving praise of God's glory; and that real worship is not complete unless and until a dynamic connection takes place, a Presence.

Seven elements of worship, according to James F. White, in a fairly recent book, are people, piety, time, place, prayer, preaching, and music. People are "the primary liturgical document." Piety, Time, and Place are what he terms the circumstances of worship; while prayer, preaching and music are the acts of worship.

In graphic form the elements of worship might look like this:



2. Piety 5. Prayer

3. Time 1. People 6. Preaching

4. Place 7. Music [1]


1. "People," to quote James White, are "the primary liturgical document."[2]

Worship which does not connect culturally is like instruction in a foreign language. In any normal church setting there is a wide range of levels of moral and intellectual development represented. Age groups see similar issues from different slants. Birthright Catholics see things differently from past Pentecostals or former Baptists. When there are a variety of cultures represented, a special challenge obtains.

Added to this are the changing attitudes of society at large, attitudes that are often all-too-quickly reflected in the church setting. Deliberate choices must be made by worship leaders about when to seek to be like other voices in current society (culturally correct?) and thus "connect" with people in tune with entertainment, pop psychology, and success-oriented thinking, and when to confront popular thinking, me-ism and television influence with demands for clear separation of lifestyle. Currently we see some odd combinations of living in the name of Christ-likeness.

Much is currently written about the influences of the baby-boomer and baby-buster generations in American society. Depending on how recent trends are interpreted, the flower children and peace-niks of the late sixties and seventies gave way to narcissism and introversion of the eighties, with continued emphasis on physical appearance and youth.

Some of the changing dynamics reported in various denominations have included lack of loyalty to any tradition; supermarket mentality in consumerism; lack of interest in Sunday School or midweek services, and more recently in the necessity for two services on Sunday; relaxed dress codes reflecting sometimes relaxed behavior codes; swing away from classical modes in music, literature, worship styles; instant gratification; preaching that affirms instead of confronts sin or wrongdoing; increasing conflict between a movement's drive and a denomination's stability. [3]

2. Piety refers to the climate in which we relate to God and to each other.

Probably it has most to do with the deeply held concepts of God that we have formed.

People who think of God first as a "God of vengeance," always looking for faults and sins, will worship differently from people who conceive of God as "keeping score, but willing to forgive," which is different from others who see God as predominately interested in sharing His life and joy.

Worship can cover a spectrum from totally evangelistic, with the assumption that everyone present needs to be severely chastised for falling short of God's glory, to almost totally praise and positive thinking, assuming that the assembled church is already "family."

For the purpose of categorizing only, think of three viable evangelistic modes or "sets" of worship as:

evangelistic;
penitential (with confession/absolution as central focus); and
resurrection, or rejoicing and celebration.
It is my contention that an ideal evangelical church will have a blending of all three, without getting stuck in any one category.
3. Time refers to the various chronological cycles in which a church worships.

These can be thought of as daily, weekly, yearly, and lifetime. Also under the general heading of time in worship, we consider punctuality or lack of it (often a cultural key,) and the usual length of services, and that length in relationship to the overall time-usage of the worshipers. Highly scheduled people will respond differently from more casual approaches to time management.

In a lifetime cycle certain churches expect their members to do certain things at certain times of their lives in certain ways. Sacraments and sacramental-type events, baptism, joining the church, weddings, passages, and even funerals are observed in widely differing ways, even in the same denomination, in different areas of the country, and in different cultural pockets.

Each church has a yearly cycle, whether or not such has been officially recognized by pastor or people. The American versions of the free church often substituted their own local or national observances for the ancient church calendar abandoned in Europe by immediate forebears. Ethnic-based evangelicals brought old-country celebrations or prohibition of celebrations with them to this country when they came. Evangelicals of many denominations in recent years have discovered the richness of the yearly cycles observed by Christians across the centuries, of days of Advent, Lent, Pentecost, Trinity, and many others.

Also under yearly cycles come such events as revival meetings; district events such as assemblies; as well as unspoken or tacit "attitudes" at various times of the year, such as "easing off" in the summer time from choir and from strictness of form in worship to accommodate vacation habits of large proportion of our people; the gathering of intensity as school starts in the fall; the unspoken and often unrecognized weariness and temptation to negativism in the spring when fatigue sets in for many who have been "flat out" for eight months or more.

Weekly cycles, too, should be examined. How often do we observe the Lord's Supper? Why? Why do we worship at 11 a.m. on Sunday? (Why NOT?) Why do we hark back to a mid-week prayer service for as long as we can remember? What does a church encourage its members to do regularly in order to maintain vigorous spiritual health?

Daily schedules might refer to what is expected of each participant in a congregation; what sort of prayer/devotional schedule/time management is practiced as the norm (or professed.)

4. Place of worship is the third "circumstance" of worship and is probably more important than usually thought.

There is a saying among those who make worship a study: "The building will always win." That statement is probably very nearly true. Many churches have been started in very unlikely places, and "wherever Jesus is, 'tis heaven there.'" But function is often shaped by form. Certain types of worship are almost dictated by certain arrangements of seating, furniture, and participants, as well as respect demanded by or given to the place of worship itself. Building materials of themselves are not sacred, but even as we love and cherish our houses until they reflect our personalities and become our homes, so the House of the Lord becomes more than the sum of its constituent parts.


The "acts" of worship:
5. Prayer is a universal in worship.
It is unthinkable that there should be worship without prayer. How do the people speak to God? Literally, how do they call Him?--"Thou" or "You"?

[Is there something somehow "holy" about addressing God in Elizabethan language? Do we realize that even then the "Thou" was the more intimate and familiar address that one would use with close friends? But when one has grown up hearing only this form of address to God, it becomes a "language of prayer" and connotes respect; so often the "Thee" or the "you" simply denotes the generation of the pray-er.]

What form does the main prayer of the worship service(s) take? How about he use of printed prayers? Is it a "no-no"? How often is the Lord's Prayer used? Is that important? How are people taught to pray? What emphases on prayer are regularly reviewed?

6. Preaching is another basic "act" in the drama of worship.

It is central in most evangelical services of worship. Exegetical, doctrinal, evangelistic, narrative, topical are all styles or types of sermonizing, plus there are always "fads" of various kinds (participatory, team preaching, drama) that come and go. Personally, I have an almost mystic faith that preaching "connects" when God is Present' that the written Word becomes the Living Word for those who listen with the anointing of God as the preacher preaches with the same chrism.

Others have less lofty ideas of preaching, although it remains central in most Protestant worship orders. James White speaks of one task of preaching as "stressing the corporate memories." [4]

Preaching probably at once shapes and reflects, defines and describes, spurs and soothes, enlightens and condemns, influences and is influenced by the entire church and all of worship. It is not beyond the discussion of the governing board, but is so arranged in my mind that I need a separate agenda for talking about it.

7. Music is the last "act" of worship that we discuss here.

Like preaching, music has "life of its own" in the church and we can approach it from many different directions.

The songs and hymns a congregation often sings say a great deal about the communal mind-set. Spiritual songs and hymns reflect all the tenses and moods of all of life. But in worship we tend to begin and end where our emphases are.

First-person songs tell about "I" and "We." They reflect experience, and they are important and useful. They can also begin and end with "me." God is important because of what He has DONE FOR ME! Of course He is to be praised for what He does for us! To paraphrase another author, we sometimes get the idea that "Jesus, Lover of MY Soul" would be turned around to "MY SOUL, Lover of Jesus!" We easily become self-centered, even in our so-called spirituality. We attract attention to ourselves in insisting that WE will do it such and such a way, etc.

But, too, it is hard to improve on "The Lord is MY Shepherd!"

Third-person songs tend to be statements of fact. They can be exalted statements that lift and bless. But in them we stand back and make observation. "Isn't HE wonderful?" (Of course, He is!) "To God Be the Glory!" lifts us as we sing--and all can freely enter in the praise. Many great doctrinal hymns of the Wesleys and others are in this mood.

But second-person songs and hymns address God in the "I-Thou" mode; they are actually prayers put to music. Whether they are older, accepted hymns ("O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder") or choruses ("Thou art worthy, Thou art worthy O Lord!) they address God directly, and put the assembled congregation into dialogue with God in prayer even when it is not called prayer time. This second-person music must have a central part in any significant plan of worship.

Music is highly significant in the shaping of thought; it reflects our state of piety and belief. Nowhere in the church have the emerging technological advances made more impact; we not only have instant accompaniment by professional sound track musicians in the smallest churches, we have television-trained soloists to clone the stars that make the hits. In some cases, they are cloning the clones of secular singers. These technical facts are not in and of themselves bad or good. What we can lose sight of is the fact that genuinely good music is:

highly subjectively judged; and
not necessarily correlative to genuinely popular church music; and that
there are no spiritual short-cuts to becoming a means or channel of God's blessing, even though it is relatively easy to prepare a performance.
To sing the words and sound the tones may evoke excitement and even applause. To convey the message God intends for the particular occasion still requires preparation for which there is no instant fabrication.


Addenda:
The public worship experience itself is dynamic. In my lifetime I have seen a shift from passive participation, if that is not an oxymoron, where just showing up for church was considered worship, to a demand for more active participation in worship, with an emphasis on saying and doing and responding to the Word.
Where we go from here is hard to predict. I have my own strong preferences, but my tastes are far from universal. Hopefully those who chart a course of worship in their local churches will remember they must speak in a language their people can understand, but also that they do not necessarily need to always say, indeed they dare not always say what their people want to hear. As Wesley urged his preachers to preach Christ in all his offices--prophet, priest, and king--so we who seek to determine the direction of corporate worship must use all the elements of worship in sacramental intentionality solely for the glory of God.




1. White, James F. The Study of Protestant Worship,
(Westminster Press, 1989).


2. Ibid., p. 44.


3. See "The Christian Century," July 10-17, 1991, article by
Paul B. Tinlin and Edith L. Blumhoffer on the 'Dilemmas of
the Assemblies of God.'"


4. White, p. 112.

Permission to reprint or publish this material is GRANTED as long as the reprinting or republishing is not-for-profit. You can access more of Dr. Metcalfe's sermons at his scripturally indexed sermon archives web site. Dr. Russell Metcalfe is Pastor Emeritus of the Wollaston Church of of the Nazarene. You can reach Dr. Metcalfe at eflactem@aol.com.