Sermon for
Pentecost 11, Year B
Based on I Kgs.
8:22-30; 41-43; Ps. 84;
Eph. 6:18-20;
Jn. 6:56-59
By Pastor Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson
“The Priority of Worship”
Every so often, those wise scholars who
compiled the Revised Common Lectionary have managed to choose all of the
lessons with a common theological and practical theme. Hats off to these
scholars today, since all of this Sunday’s readings complement one another
beautifully! Inspired by our lectionary selections, in this sermon, I’m going
to explore with you a little, the common theme in all four readings of
“the priority of worship.”
According to Francis Gay, there was an
enterprising pastor who delivered a letter with these instructions to each of
his parishioners: “Please hold this page close to you, blow on it, and look
carefully at the result. If the paper turns green, call your doctor, if brown,
then call the dentist, if red, call your bank manager, if black, then call the undertaker. Should this page remain
the same colour as it is now, you are in good health and quite able to come to
church next Sunday. I look forward to seeing you!”
As humorous as we may find this, it does
get at a reality which most congregations have to struggle with, namely: that of the importance of attending worship services
on a regular basis. According
to some research done in recent years, it’s estimated that approximately 40
percent of an average congregation’s members are inactive.
Obviously, many people do not view
commitment to worshipping God as a top
priority in their lives. Everything else takes precedent over committing
themselves to worshipping God on a regular basis. In contrast to this recent trend in
our society, F. Gay has tells another, more encouraging story of commitment to
worshipping God on a regular basis.
The story goes like this: “It was a snowy
morning in January and the minister did not expect a large congregation. Least
of all did he expect Mrs. Brown, a crippled woman in her eighties, to be there,
but she was.”
"However did you manage to make the journey
on a day like this?” asked the minister as he welcomed her. “Ah, well, my heart
get here first,” she answered brightly. “After that, it’s easy for the rest of
me!”
One of the themes running through all of
our Bible passages today is that of faithfully worshipping God; of remaining
loyal to God by making worship a number one priority in our lives; of living in
a healthy, loving, grace-filled relationship with our God by regularly
participating in worship.
In our first lesson, King Solomon leads the
Israelites in an act of worship, by praying to God a prayer of dedication for
the Jerusalem temple, which he and his people have just finished building. In this prayer, Solomon is filled with gratitude, awe
and wonder towards God for having allowed the temple to be built as a place of
worship; as a living reminder to the Israelites and all foreigners that God
keeps his covenant and blesses all peoples with his mercy and grace.
Moreover, Solomon in his prayer intercedes
on behalf of all Israelites and all foreigners who come to the temple to
worship and pray. He prays for them all, by asking God to hear and answer their
prayers whenever they pray in the temple. Furthermore,
Solomon dedicates the temple in God’s name.
To dedicate the temple in God’s name means
two things in particular. First, it means
ownership. God’s name
on the temple means God owns it. Even more, to pray in God’s name means that God owns us too; that we belong to God. Second, to
pray in God’s name, means access. When we know God’s name, we can get in touch and stay in
touch with God more easily. It means that we can be in a healthy, loving, grace-filled relationship with God.
So wonderful, so
accessible is our God, that we can speak with God anytime, anywhere! That is very special! That makes us
feel secure!
In our
Ephesians passage, particularly the last two verses, this theme of worship
through prayer is emphasized again. We are commanded to be a people of prayer “at all times.” Those three words “at all times,” are very important. They
remind us that in everything God is available to give us help, guidance and
direction for our lives and the lives of others. If we’re praying regularly, then surely our relationship with God shall remain a close and healthy one.
Moreover, the apostle Paul instructs us in what kind of prayers we need to focus on too. He tells us: “always persevere in supplication for all the saints.”
In other words, the
focus of our prayers should be for one another as brothers and sisters in the
family of Christ. Why is this? Well, as those of you who are mature in your
prayer life know, it’s because if you’re focusing on others in your prayers,
you become less self-centred and you also grow more in your love towards those
whom you are praying for. That’s why it’s possible to love even our enemies,
because we are praying for God’s blessings upon them—as Jesus commanded us to
do.
In today’s Psalm, the theme of worship is
front-and-centre. The psalmist is expressing a deep longing of the soul in the
opening verse: “How lovely is your
dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!” As a pastor, I’ve visited many people who have been deprived
of worshipping God in church. Some of these people lived under communist
regimes, thus the right of freedom of religion was taken from them. Many of
these people refused to give up worshipping God. Some of them met secretly in
homes or elsewhere; some of them even suffering hardships and punishment from
the government due to their commitment to worshipping God.
Yet others have been deprived of coming to
church on account of health reasons. So often they’ve said to me: “Pastor, the thing I miss most in my life is coming to
worship God in church.” These
faithful people know well what the psalmist means in those words: “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!”
The psalmist develops this theme of
worshipping God in God’s house even further in verse ten: “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand
elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in
the tents of wickedness.” For the psalmist, worshipping God in God’s house is
not an option; rather, it’s a necessity! It provides meaning and purpose to all
of life.
Someone
–unfortunately, I can’t recall the source—tells the story of “a 55-year-old
church caretaker who had lived in what was then called Rhodesia, where he had a
lovely home and a well-paying government job with 250 people under him. He
didn’t like the racist regime, however, and when he finally couldn’t stand it any
more he quit his job, left his home and property and emigrated with his wife to
England. At his age the only job he could find in England was that of caretaker
of a church, but he and his wife were happy at it, happier than they had been
for years. Ask him if he wanted to return to Rhodesia, and he would have
replied literally, ‘I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than
live in the tents of wickedness.’”
Would that all of us here; would that all
of our congregation; would that the unchurched in our community be blessed with
this soul-deep commitment of worshipping God regularly in God’s house! Would
that worshipping God regularly became number one priority for everyone! Would
that we may see worshipping God as not merely an optional freedom, which we
tend to choose once-in-a-while. Rather, would that we see worshipping God as a necessity for the health and well-being of our
lives and the lives of everyone else too!
In our
gospel today, Jesus gets down to the nitty-gritty, heart-and-soul of the
matter, when he tells us: “Those who eat
my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” And again, when he proclaims: “It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is
useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”
Of course, some people
will always be offended by Jesus and his word and sacraments. Of course, even some who call
themselves disciples will turn away and abandon Jesus and his church for
countless excuses. But to us who are struggling to be faithful to and follow
Jesus, he puts the question: “Do you also
wish to go away?” What
is our answer to this question of Jesus—personally, and as a congregation? Do
we really believe in him, worship and follow him? Or, are we like the many in
this gospel passage who “turned back and
no longer went about with him?”
It’s not easy to be faithful and loyal to our Triune God and his
church in a world of so many competing, false gods all around us. Some of these false gods are hard to
resist, since they cater to most of our selfish desires and wants. But resist
them we must, if we’re going to be faithful, loyal followers and worshippers of
our Most Holy, Most Awe-inspiring, Marvellous Triune God.
May we, together with the apostle Peter be
able to answer Christ with commitment and
sincerity the following
words of love and trust: “Lord, to whom
can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know
that you are the Holy One of God.”
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