Go Where You Go and Do What You Do- #1
I proudly claim being a UNC graduate and fan. For us Tar Heels "football is fun, but basketball is religion." I've watched countless basketball games in person and on TV. Sometimes I can actually watch the TV with the volume muted while listening to the Tar Heel sports network on the radio. The play by play voice for Carolina football and basketball is Woody Durham, a man who has become an institution in nearly 40 years broadcasting UNC games on the radio. When a basketball game is coming down the wire he will frequently say that it's time to "go where you go and do what you do." In this case he's encouraging his listeners to pull out whatever good luck charms they may have. It's time to put on the old T-shirt from college or sit in the right chair. Whatever superstittion you may have, it's time to do it. Silly it is because none of us listening to the radio can affect the outcome of a basketball game, but it is a brilliant way to make nameless, faceless listeners become a part of the drama.
Over the next several blogs I want to muse some on what it is that we as a church do. We gather regularly and enjoy each other's company but so does the Rotary Club. We have our own particular rituals and ceremonies that may seem somewhat strange to the uninitiated, but so do the Free Masons. We try to look after the sick and the poor, but so does the United Way, Meals on Wheels, and countless food banks around the country. What then makes the Church any different?
The first, and I would argue, most important thing the church does is worship. Revelation in chapters 4,5,7,11,15, and 19 offers spectacular and moving visions of worship around the throne of the Almighty. In these worship scenes we find mighty cherubim, the unnamed elders, the innumerable hosts of heaven, and then the entire company of those who've been redeemed by the Lamb all joined in worship. This is instructive for us. First, it tells us what our eternal occupation will be in the Kingdom; we will be worshipping. We find that worship is corporate. The entire heavenly host and all the redeemed are involved in the worship. Far too often in our churches worship seems to be something that a handful of musicians, worship leaders, clergy do and the congregation is simply an audience. Third, the object of our worship is always God Almighty and his Son Jesus Christ. God is the audience and we the congregation are the participants, the worshippers. The key questions for worship are not: What do I prefer? What will bring in the young people? What did my grandparents do? The key questions are these: What will honor God? What draws people into a closer relationship with God? What is glorifying to God? What gives the worshipper an experience of the divine.
Next week in our church I will begin a six week series where we will explore some of the hallmarks of Christian worship. In this we will learn why we worship when we do. We we learn what the historic elements of worship are. We will consider the role of music in worship. We will discover that such things as architecture and furniture arrangement can speak louder than any preacher. We will learn about the Christian year, the meaning behind the seasons like Advent, Lent, Pentecost, etc. as well as some of the other lesser known holidays many churches observe such as Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Reformation Day, All Saints Day, Christ the King Sunday, etc. To my good Church of the Covenant friends I'll resume this conversation next Wednesday. Now, church of Christ, "go where you go and do what you do."
Over the next several blogs I want to muse some on what it is that we as a church do. We gather regularly and enjoy each other's company but so does the Rotary Club. We have our own particular rituals and ceremonies that may seem somewhat strange to the uninitiated, but so do the Free Masons. We try to look after the sick and the poor, but so does the United Way, Meals on Wheels, and countless food banks around the country. What then makes the Church any different?
The first, and I would argue, most important thing the church does is worship. Revelation in chapters 4,5,7,11,15, and 19 offers spectacular and moving visions of worship around the throne of the Almighty. In these worship scenes we find mighty cherubim, the unnamed elders, the innumerable hosts of heaven, and then the entire company of those who've been redeemed by the Lamb all joined in worship. This is instructive for us. First, it tells us what our eternal occupation will be in the Kingdom; we will be worshipping. We find that worship is corporate. The entire heavenly host and all the redeemed are involved in the worship. Far too often in our churches worship seems to be something that a handful of musicians, worship leaders, clergy do and the congregation is simply an audience. Third, the object of our worship is always God Almighty and his Son Jesus Christ. God is the audience and we the congregation are the participants, the worshippers. The key questions for worship are not: What do I prefer? What will bring in the young people? What did my grandparents do? The key questions are these: What will honor God? What draws people into a closer relationship with God? What is glorifying to God? What gives the worshipper an experience of the divine.
Next week in our church I will begin a six week series where we will explore some of the hallmarks of Christian worship. In this we will learn why we worship when we do. We we learn what the historic elements of worship are. We will consider the role of music in worship. We will discover that such things as architecture and furniture arrangement can speak louder than any preacher. We will learn about the Christian year, the meaning behind the seasons like Advent, Lent, Pentecost, etc. as well as some of the other lesser known holidays many churches observe such as Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Reformation Day, All Saints Day, Christ the King Sunday, etc. To my good Church of the Covenant friends I'll resume this conversation next Wednesday. Now, church of Christ, "go where you go and do what you do."
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