August 1, 2010 Worship: Share the Vision

(All messages posted here are rough sketches of the message given)

Last week, I introduced this series of messages: Share the Vision. Over the next several weeks, we are going to look at different elements of what the church is and does, but more importantly, where God is calling us to go and do. Well, this morning we are going to begin with probably the primary function of the church – worship.

Before we begin, let me ask you a simple question - What is worship? Well, maybe that is too big of a question right now. Let’s begin simpler. Give me a description of what worship looks like.
(ALLOW RESPONSES)

Worship has a myriad of descriptions
- Music
- Style
- When
- Where
- Architecture
- Dress

Next question, what happens in worship?
(ALLOW REPSONSES)

Well, I thought it might be a good idea to tune into a live church cam to see what goes one in another church. Let’s take a look

(video clip)

Now, let’s get back to the original question – What is worship?

In the simplest definition, it is to give adoration to someone or something. So what do we worship? Some worship a college basketball team, or The Dash, or a NASCAR driver. Some worship the spouse or girlfriend or boyfriend. Some worship their cars, house, or job. Some worship money. But when it comes to Christian worship, who are we to worship? Jesus (God)

In the Old Testament, the word used for worship meant to bow down or prostrate oneself to show extreme honor to God or a god. This was basically expressed by the term “serve.” That’s why the general term used for what we are engage in here today is “worship service.”

But friends, if that is true, then there is a problem in a lot of churches today. This diagram shows the Popular View of Worship today.

What’s wrong with this? God isn’t in it. The focus is on the “Audience” – that is, what makes them happy.




I believe a better way of understanding worship looks more like this

The pastor, worship leaders (think about that title) and band are the conductors helping you, the people who have come to worship, serve God in worship. This means that God is the Audience. It also means this:



Worship is Not about you!

Our wants, wishes, and preferences have plagued worship for, …well, as long as worship has existed.

In the Bible, John 4, there is a story about an incident where Jesus engaged in a conversation with a Samaritan woman while she was drawing some water from a well for him. Now, it’s important to remember that the Samaritans were not looked very favorably upon by the Jews. As a matter of fact, they were despised to the point that any good and decent Jew would go out of his way to avoid contact with a Samaritan. So for Jesus to be carrying on a conversation was a huge deal. When the woman realized that Jesus had something life-changing she became excited. Jesus told her to get her husband. She confessed that she didn’t have one and Jesus then told her more about herself than she was ready to reveal. This is where we will pick up with our scripture lesson for today.

John 4:19-24
19 "Sir," the woman said, "you must be a prophet. 20 So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?" 21 Jesus replied, "Believe me, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father here or in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans know so little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. 23 But the time is coming and is already here when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for anyone who will worship him that way. 24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth."


When the woman is faced with her own hidden problem, the woman quickly switches the focus of the conversation. She tries to turn the direction about religious customs, such as where is the proper place to worship.

That sounds rather familiar, doesn’t it? Many people would rather talk (and argue) about style and type of worship rather than get to the heart of worship - the meaning, the reason for it. The problem is that this leads to a failure in developing an authentic relationship with God.

But Jesus was not deflected from the point of the conversation. He quickly brought it to the crux by saying that real worshipers do what? Worship in spirit & truth. But what does this look like?

I believe a simple way to understand this concept is to think of Spirit as the Heart – and Truth as the Head. Our hearts yearn for a mystical experience of God and our heads crave knowledge of God. But in authentic worship, one can’t exist without the other. There has to be a connection between the head and heart. That connection is worship – when what we know about God meets our desire to be in God’s presence. As Jesus exclaims, that is what God is looking for in us.

So, how does all of this fit into the Sunrise Vision? Well, the course I believe God is laying out for us will comprise these three things:

1. Right Attitude – entering into worship with an attitude of being in the midst of God the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer. This doesn’t mean that worship will be somber, but instead a celebration of what God has done for you and me through Jesus. It means being open to letting God’s Spirit flow freely through the celebration and most of all it means keeping God the center of attention – not the band, not the leaders, not the children, or anything else. Just God.


2. Spirit-filled worship – To have a Spirit-filled worship experience is to be open to the direction God’s Spirit takes us. Now this doesn’t mean that we will not be planning out worship -not at all. I have found that God’s Spirit works heavily through intentional prayer, discernment, and discussion. This better affords that God is in control rather than a whim or personal agenda. So, in creating Spirit-filled worship experiences, some changes in what we are used to may occur.


3. Participatory – This is one that may cause a slight bit of discomfort for some of you. If you remember the earlier diagram

in authentic worship, God is the audience and we are the performers. We do this as our response to what God has done, is doing, and will do in our lives. But don’t get too stressed about this; I will not ask you to do anything that you can’t do or will cause you to lose focus on the purpose of worship.


Now to evaluate how we are doing grasping this vision, I am proposing some benchmarks – visible signs that will reveal progress.

A. Increase participation – possible examples
- Videos made by some of you for worship
- Skits – performed by some of you
- Interaction – You are already getting good at this – but we can always get better
- Varying venues of expression, such as liturgical dancing, various ways to express your feelings and passions (painting, prayer stations, healing stations…), interior designer for worship…


B. Increase attendance
- Spirit-filled, Spirit drawn – when God is present, people know it and are drawn there (consider reading Acts 2 to see what I am talking about)
- Invite friends – When authentic worship happens, you will be excited and will want to invite your friends, family, anyone and everyone
- Guests inviting guest – This is a real indicator of authentic worship and spiritual vitality – when our guests (those who are new to Sunrise) not only come back, but are coming back with their friends and family.

- I know some are wondering, so what does an increase in attendance looks like? Give us a number. Okay, I say we at least double our average worship attendance by the end o f next year (that’s 250-300 over the week).

Brothers and sisters, I earnestly believe God is casting this vision. But, in following this vision, we cannot, we must not forget to keep Jesus as the center of attention. It’s all about Jesus.