Harmony of Word and Deed
There is something interesting going on with the connections
between our words and our deed
in today’s readings.
God admonishes Ezekiel
for using words from scripture
at the wrong time and place.
“By what authority?”
they ask Jesus,
and he returns the favor,
and tells the tale
of words and actions
being out of sorts
—I will go…
and he does not go…
I will not go…
and he goes.
And then, Paul encourages the Philippians
to match not only their words and deeds,
but also their worship,
by making reference to one of the earliest Christians hymns,
the Christ hymn,
that beings:
“He gave up his grip on Godhood,
So he would have no advantage…”
Paul hopes that:
the voice of their worship,
the thoughts of their hearts and heads,
and their lives lived in the church and out
Will be harmonious.
What he is getting at
is worship, belief, and life
all being played from a single score.
Worship, Belief, and Life
all a single song.
Prayer
“By what authority?”
Is not just a question in Jesus’ day…
it’s the question on the mind of many folk
when they run into any Religion these days
And when they encounter the Church specifically
—when they hear Christians talking about the faith,
or just as often commenting, about the lives of others…
It would be a mistake
if we thought that question,
“By what authority?”
is asking a doctrinal question,
or a worship question…
They’re asking a life question…
how do those thoughts of yours,
those things you do in worship,
whatever it is that goes on at Church
—shape your life?
So, let’s go there,
how does what we do
on a Sunday morning,
matter?
Now, I can’t answer that for you,
but I can for myself…
Because of Christian worship I:
value and can navigate community,
have an increased sense of self-worth,
have tools to get over slights and make sense of life,
and am more content, generous, and gentle.
I am better at being in community,
because of Christian worship.
I trust Christ’s promise
that when we gather together
he is here among us…
I believe together
we are Christ’s body in the world.
I experience this reality every time we gather together.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed,
how people in our society are doing community these days
(check out a school board or borough meeting sometime)
—but the possibility
that Church could help people value community more
and navigate is better,
is good news.
I have an increased sense of self-worth,
because of Christian worship.
I believe that God chose
not to grasp onto godhood
in order to be one of us.
I trust that the God we find in Jesus Christ
values us so much
that he loves us to the end and beyond the end.
I experience this every time I touch the waters in the font
and remember I am a baptized Child of God!
There are plenty of folk
struggling with a sense of their own dignity and self-worth…
come to the water!
I am equipped to get over slights,
because of Christian worship.
I believe that God is
a Relentless Forgiver and Fearless in Reconciling…
in fact, we Christians
are called to be ambassadors of God’s ongoing reconciliation
with & of
the whole world!
Today we began this service with confession and forgiveness,
there I experience that wave of reconciliation
that is over covering the world.
This world could use some practice at reconciling
—could learn to repent of wrongs and,
repair breaches,
forgive the failings of others and ourselves…
the world would be a better place
if the human impulse for revenge was blunted.
I have some tools that help me make sense of life,
because of Christian worship.
I have faith that God’s story
is one of ongoing faithfulness…
that the stories of scripture
help me to understand my story and our story…
God’s stories call on me
to seek righteousness and justice…
and it is ultimately a love story.
I experience these sacred stories
every time we gather together
and seek a word of the Lord.
Having time honed stories
that offer ways to make meaning,
getting to practice telling and hearing our stories…
there is much freedom in this!
I am more content,
because of Christian worship.
I believe all that I have
is a gift from God.
God provides all things that are necessary and nourishing for this life.
Because this is true,
we humans ought to live as stewards of creation and our existence,
not consumers or careless tenants.
I experience this contentment,
because we have a habit of thankfulness;
every Sunday we affirm that
it is right and salutary
to give God thanks and praise.
The average person
is bombarded with so many messages
of scarcity,
disappointment,
and obligation.
Truly it can be a radical act
to count your blessings.
I am more generous,
because of Christian worship.
I believe that the small sip of wine
and mere touch of bread of the Holy Meal
is participation in the commerce of the City of God.
I trust that God has first acted generously
—offering his very self,
and I am now freed to respond in kind
—however imperfectly.
I experience a moment of absolute generosity
in Holy Communion,
the Body and Blood of God Incarnate.
“There is no such thing as a free lunch,”
is a reality for so many,
“Taste and see that the Lord is good,”
is a transformative hope.
I am gentler,
because of Christian worship.
I trust that the road to Emmaus
was not a onetime event,
that we do in fact entertain angels unaware,
that God is present
in the last, lost, and least.
I experience a charge
to be aware of the holiness of other people,
every time we are sent out from this sanctuary.
I’ve lost count of the number of people
who have described their day to day
as dehumanizing and disconnected.
They feel like they have grown rougher and meaner
in the last couple of years.
Yet here,
we are polishing that roughness
and cultivating kindness.
As I said, because of Christian worship I:
value and can navigate community,
have an increased sense of self-worth,
have tools to get over slights and make sense of life,
and am more content, generous, and gentle.
“By what authority?”
Before we dare talk about doctrine
or what we do here on a Sunday morning,
may those things already shine forth in our lives.
May our lives, thoughts, and worship
be harmonious.
May our worship, belief, and life
be played from a single score,
all singing the same song.
A&A
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