APOSTOLIC WORSHIP

So, as you can see, we have 2 churches heRE.  Both are rectangular, both have steeples ; both have crosses.  On the outside, they look very similar.  But on the inside on Sunday mornings, they look very different.

This church is very traditional –they have done church in the same way, at the same time, for 250 years. 

• ·       They rigidly follow the prescribed liturgy from their prayer book.
• ·       No one laughs.
• ·       The Choir sings; most others do not.
• ·       Sermons to often focus upon our sinfulness.
• ·       Very few smiles on faces.
• ·       The children have to be bound and ganged to  bring them into the service after Sunday School.
• ·       Most of the people coming to receive communion look like they are attending a funeral, and not a celebration of the Lord’s resurrection.
• ·       Announcements are brief, because there is nothing happening.

This next Church was the way Christ Church was last Sunday.

• ·       The order of the service was modified, so that we could hear an inspiring testimony on healing from Seth. 
• ·       Sermons focus on the reality that we are all important to God.
• ·       People sung, prayed and said the responses enthusiastically.
• ·       Some people laughed.
• ·       Some prayed right put loud, inviting those present to join them in their prayers and thanksgivings.
• ·       The children eagerly came into the church to receive communion with their families.
• ·       Those receiving communion did so with deep gratitude, and many smiled to receive the Risen Lord.
• ·       While communion was being distributed, the Prayer Team was praying for the concerns and needs of others with those who solicited their prayers.
• ·       The announcements took a little while, because there is lots going on.
• ·       Joy permeated the room.   (PAUSE)

Which church would you prefer to attend?  Some of us would prefer to attend the first service, which is quite traditional and fairly common in most churches on any given Sunday morning.

• ·       And to those who prefer that type of worship, I need to tell you that I know where you are coming from, because that is the way I preferred to worship up until 1990.  
• But over those years, I began to see that this style of worship lacked the (Mini pause) WHOLENESS of the full worship experience that Jesus wants for  us when we gather together as one family on Sunday morning.
•   There is a time and a place for quiet worship, which I love.  But when the whole parish family is together, through the resurrection of Christ,  we are meant to celebrate.  JJ

·       Worship as experienced in the early church was 

• not characterized by church buildings; they had none;  
•  it was not characterized by clergy; they had none; was not characterized by liturgy; they had none. 
• Rather true Christian worship was characterized by the free movement of the Holy Spirit, who was embraced by those worshipping.

Now to understand this better, please look at the sermon insert, where you will the ONE MIGHTY RIVER OF FAITH, which comes from God.  Worship which is complete, which is whole (w-h-o-l-e) and Holy (h-o-l-y) taps into the river of faith is 3 ways:

1  1.  It is catholic.  We are not talking about Roman Catholic. Rather, this word means the one universal church, of which Jesus is the head. This stream of worship is manifest through the sacraments of baptism and Eucharist.  This was central in the life of the early church, just as it is central to us.

2.2.    It is apostolic in teaching, focusing upon the Bible, the Word of God;

3.    And finally, it is Holy---being empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Many churches are fed by one of these streams; most of fed by two; but rare is the church that drinks from the full river of life, made up of all three streams.

Now, if you would turn to page 11 in your bulletin, there is a paragraph in the middle of the page, that refers to the 3 streams.  This paragraph begins with the words, Christ Church Quaker Farms is dedicated to ….

 I invite those of you, who are willing to join me in reading, saying,

Christ Church Quaker Farms is dedicated to JOYFUL WORSHIP utilizing:

1.     Relevant, encouraging, & positive Biblical preaching;

2.     Treasured traditions of the Episcopal church, including Holy Communion and upbeat hymns

3.      Spirit-filled worship (which includes appropriate informality, contemporary songs and creative enrichments) to our services.

So, just what is Spirit filled worship?  Jesus said, “The hour is coming, and already is, when true worshippers will worship in SPIRIT and in truth; for such worship is pleasing to the Father.”

Spirit filled worship is empowered by that presence//that power// which enlivens our words and songs, and makes them meaningful. Spirit filled worship occurs when a significant # of worshippers are open to the Holy Spirit, who is invited into our hearts individually, and as a family.

·       1. The Greek word for worship means Kiss.

     2.  Worship is our actively expressing our Love to God by enthusiastic singing and praying; by hearing and applying God’s word to our lives; by seeking and receiving forgiveness of sin; and by sharing Love through the PEACE.

3. Spirit filled worship is not a spectator sport where you sit passively and watch the choir sing and the clergy pray. 

4. Spirit filled worship is a participation activity of YOU expressing your love to God.

You notice, the name of our worship is called, “The service…the worship service.”

Once there was little boy who came to Sunday service, and he noticed the memorial plaques hanging at the church entrance.  He asked his father,” Dad, who are those people, whose names are listed there?” His father responded, “Well, those are people who died in the service.”

FOLLOWING THE SERVICE, the boy greeted the pastor on his way out. “Pastor, today my Daddy said that the service was so boring that he could just die. Those names on the plaque—are they people who actually

died of boredom in the service here at our church?” J J J J

Service. The worship service. We are intended to serve God by expressing love—whole hearted love, to Jesus.   “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart”

Whole hearted worship results in in blessings falling upon us...and this occurs automatically. This is what our Song of Praise meant when we sang, ”Come, now is the time to worship…for the greatest treasure remains for those who choose you now.”

So, we want to express our love to God, and one way we do that is through our financial offerings; and another way is through the altar flowers; or serving as an Usher, or the like.  Another way we express our love to God is creative enrichments to the service.

• ·       We serve the Lord by bringing Him glory by enthusiastic singing of both traditional and contemporary music.
• ·       We serve the Lord by sharing our prayers, as we pray out loud for those we love;
• ·       We serve the Lord by articulating our gratitude to God, during the Prayers of the People, or through testimonies, like the one shared by Seth last week. 
• ·       We serve the Lord through creative enrichments, which include our periodic family Eucharists, designed for the entire parish family.
• ·       Also, we make liberal use of visual aids, because a picture is of better than a thousand words.

The bible warns us, “Do not quench the Spirit…but in everything, give thanks.”

And as we do all of this, what does it produce?                 JOY  J  J  J

  

       Today our psalm says, pls repeat after me, “

                              BE JOYFUL IN THE LORD…

                               SERVE HIM WITH GLADNESS.

Over the years, it has been my joy to watch hundreds, thousands of faces enter into whole hearted worship. As that happens, I see many of those faces light up with smiles—or tears---or relief---or hope.  These folks, like us, can learn again, that the JOY OF THE LORD IS OUR STRENGTH. AMEN.

When we serve the Lord in worship with gladness in our heart, He returns the favor of releasing His joy from within us, through the grace of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Amen.