Call To Worship Transcript

We're starting a series that will bring us through the end of the summer today. We're going to take a look at what we do here in worship and the parts along the way. And we're going to talk about why we do it, but also how it can help us shape our life of faith outside of these walls. So that we can get away from this idea that sinks in the more you repeat something, the more it becomes just something you do. The more you repeat it over and over again, the more it just becomes that thing you do and we lose some of the meaning behind it, the reasoning behind it. Today we're looking at the call to worship. We begin our worship every week with it in some form. Unlike other parts of our service where it is written out the same every week, like the Lord's Prayer, this call to worship changes. And yet it is a battle. Back and forth. The leader says something and it is this calling, this moment where we begin that set aside time to say this marks the beginning of our worship. Now in the passage that was just read, we hear of David calling the soldiers, calling the people together, saying now is the time to gather for worship. The time for strife. The time. The time for struggle is over and now is the time for worship to begin. And so he calls them all. And they gather the ark before them and they're walking the ark to where it's ultimately going to be. Now they do that with animal sacrifices every six steps. But it was this mark in this moment that this was a time of importance. This was a time of gathering. This was a time to give God thanks and glory and worship God alone. And this is what we do. We have a hard time in our life separating out time. Separating out space. We try to compress everything together. If you're a multitasker like me, it's hard to even separate individual tasks out. Because if you're like me, you might work on one thing for a minute or two and then jump over to another. And we miss this idea that if we focus on something for a good amount of time, then we're more likely to get that done. This idea of worship, of setting aside space and time, setting apart what is ordinary and what is holy, and doing that intentionally is what we're doing here in worship. David also had this trouble, because just after today's passage, after he brings the ark, he looks from a distance and he says, See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God is in a tent. He's seeing this disconnect between what he has and what God has, and he wants to build God a temple. He wants to mark out that space. That it's not right. That it's not right for God to be in a tent amongst the people in such a lowly place, while he is separate from the people and separate from how they live by living in a house of cedar. Now, initially, he's told to go and do it. But God reminds them that, have I ever asked for this space? Have I ever asked you to build me a temple? Have I ever said that a tent was not enough? In the creation story, God says, God not only marks apart what is separate spaces, land and sea, air and land, the air above. He also marks apart time, first day, second day, and then the Sabbath day. That there is a holy time, the Sabbath, and that is to be kept separate from ordinary time. God has been creating these boundaries, and I know we often talk about how we build up boundaries, and they are often not good. But in these moments, I believe God is trying to help us to do what we need to do to recognize that space of worship. If we don't do it, then we're certainly not going to do it by accident. we don't train ourselves to say, this is a holy time, then it becomes even harder to recognize those holy times outside.

Now, Jesus both maintained these boundaries. He maintained these boundaries between holy space and separate spaces, but he also bridged them together. If you remember the story of the cleansing of the temple, where Jesus went in and he saw the marketing that was happening, the selling and back and forth trades that was happening in the temple, Jesus was angry, and he flips over their tables and said, You have turned the Lord's house into something common, into a marketplace. And he drives out of the temple. He drives out the money changers and the lenders. So he's maintaining and separating that space. This is the Lord's house. This is God's space. This is holy ground. You should treat it as such. And he's separating what is ordinary, the place where the market is, from what is holy. But he also set aside and bridged those places. All of a sudden, what was normal and an ordinary place could become a holy place. When he met up with the woman at the well, the Samaritan woman at the well. The well is an ordinary gathering spot, a place where people would meet up, where women would meet up, gathering the water for the day. They would share the news and talk and grow together. But the Samaritan woman went after everybody else was done. She was alone. She wanted to be alone for the ridicule that she had experienced. And that's where Jesus met her. Turning this ordinary space where gossip and talk and community can happen into holy ground where life change becomes. If we aren't aware of God in those places that we consider holy, how are we going to become aware of God in the ordinary spaces that become holy? So our worship becomes a training ground. Our gathering in this space where we expect God. To experience God. Trains us to recognize God in our midst. So that when we are going about our lives, when we are going about those daily living. We can see God in the normal ordinary spaces. I've talked before and my son is going out to Camp Horseshoe just today for the week. And on the hill there's a chapel that has a beautiful view of the valley and the Octorera River. And I remember going there. Going to worship in this space. The Wednesday night Vesper service. And I remember sitting on the wooden benches. I remember overlooking the valley. And I remember feeling the presence of God in those moments. Sun setting, getting darker, the land and the shadows growing. And the beautiful view.

But I would not have known to look for God and experience God in that space. If I had not known what it was to experience God in the places that I would have normally expected. And so when we gather for worship. But Jesus also transformed time. This understanding of this is holy time. These moments where we gather is set apart. We gather at the call to worship and we leave after the benediction. And that hour, hour and fifteen. Depending on how long winded I am on a given day. This is holy time. We prepare ourselves. We sit. We look. We prepare ourselves to listen. And then there's the rest. The rest of the week. The other 167 hours in a week where we're not in this building. When we mark this time as holy through that routine. That action of the call to worship. Then we know that this is a time set apart. This is a time to experience God. This is a time where I want to put my attention on what God is doing. If you know anything about productivity and working towards that understanding of this is a time to be working. To be productive. What you'll often hear is routine is extremely helpful. You have a workday routine where you sit down at the desk. You check your email. You check your voicemail. You grab your coffee. And then you sit. And you know that this space and this time because of that routine is marked as time to work. And the end of the day is true as well. One of the things that impact a lot of people working today because you're always on. You're always connected. You always have your phone. Is that it's hard to leave work at work so that you can set aside time for your family. And so a shutdown routine is often recommended. I've checked my voicemail. I've checked my emails. I physically turned off the computer. I've organized my desk. I've pulled the door behind me marking the end of my day. The bookend the day is bookended in routine so that my brain knows that this is the time for work for productivity. Now I don't want to talk about our spiritual lives in terms of productivity. But those routines can help. If you're struggling with saying I wish I read my Bible more. I wish I spent more time in prayer. I wish throughout the week that I could find a way to set apart some time as holy time where I focus on God. Where I recognize God's presence. I really wish I could do that. If we leave it up to accident we're not going to do it. But if we set a routine or set a space. What some people do you may find useful. Is if you have a space that you can set aside and say this is my prayer space. This is where I read my devotion. I've had some church members who have a sunroom and they have a chair. And they almost exclusively use that chair for their prayer time. So that their body knows when they sit in that chair. They've gathered their Bible. They've gathered their coffee. They've gathered any pens or a notebook or journal. They know when they are in that chair they are there to pray. They are there to read and study the scripture. They are there to spend time with God. And you can use routine and time of day as well. This is my prayer time. My 10 o'clock hour. My 9 o'clock. 6 o'clock if you're a morning person. 6 o'clock at night if you're an evening person. But you know that this time of day is that moment. And so you set that alarm. You set that marker. You say this is that time and I want to keep it. And you do it intentionally. And you build up your routine so that you move into that time. And you do it. So I don't like thinking about worship in terms of routines. Because routines become rote and rote becomes meaningless. But there is something. The way our brains work. The way we trigger our body to enter into that space. There are times when routine is important. And they can help us. And this call to worship. This call to worship that we enter in together. That we gather together in the same way. We responsively respond to one another. That routine of the beginning of worship puts us in that mindset. All that David had to the warriors. To the people that had been all fighting. The people that had been waiting for their soldiers to come home. The whole company of the people. That call to say come and gather. Now is the time to worship. Now is the time to be together for this time. As they went about bringing the ark from the Philistines home. And they knew that time was happening. Their bodies were brought into it with music and dancing. And shaped. That whole journey. Our worship does the same. Our call to worship helps us move into that space. So that when we are not in this space. When we are out about our normal lives. When we are out trying to follow God. And live out in devotional life. We can use what we do here out there. And we can recognize God in our midst. So I just want to share with you three things. That you can do. To help you with your devotional life. Shaped by our worship. And I have already said them. But I want to reiterate them now. So that you can pick one. Just start with one this week. If you want to grow in your faith. And grow in your time. One is that setting the same time every day. Setting that routine of the time. To say this time is for the Lord. We do it on Sunday mornings. At 10 o'clock in this space. Maybe 10 o'clock works for you other days. Maybe not. But look at your days. And say this is a time I am going to give to God. The other one is that sacred space. That chair. That room. At your table. Wherever it may be. But say when I sit at this space. I want to focus on God. And this is how I am going to do it. So that you use that space. To mark holy. And ordinary. I gather my coffee. I gather my Bible and pen. I gather my journal. I sit at this space. And now this time. Is holy. Your body and your mind. And your spirit will learn. That after you do those steps. That you have set out. Will learn that this next. What follows this. Is a time of prayer. Is a time set apart. And your mind will wander. It will always happen. You won't always do it every day. Things come up. Adding that routine. And going forward. Will help your brain. Help you establish. That you want. To spend more time with God. If there is anything. The Methodist system. The Methodist church. John Wesley's way of living out. Our faithful life is. Recognizing it doesn't happen by accident. Just saying. I want to spend more time with God. Doesn't make you magically do it. You have to do it. Intentionally. Decide how. And decide what. And decide where. And build up those routines. Those methods. To make sure that you do it. We know our faith.

We know the worship. That we do every week. Can model our faith. Can model how to approach God. How we gather. How we enter into holy time. And how we can take it from this space. Out into the world. Next week we are looking at. The prayer of confession. That we say every week. There is one printed in the hymnals. You can review. We don't say that one every week. We change that one every week. To that time. Where we enter in. To confession. Together. And individually. And together we are reminded. That we are forgiven. So I hope you will come back next week. If you are in town. Bring friends. Bring neighbors. As we look at why we do that every week. And how it can shape our spiritual lives. When we are not together.