Worshiping With The Saints

Sermon by Rev. Laurel Bobb

  Today is All Saints Day, the day we remember those who have gone before us, and we look forward to that time we will be united in God’s presence to worship around the throne. In the Book of Revelation we are told that there will be a great multitude worshiping God--so many that no one can count. We will be a part of a great community of believers. There will be people from every tribe and nation, every socio-economic group, every Christian denomination, biblical characters, and virtual unknowns. Just think you could be standing right next to Queen Esther, King David, Peter, Paul, Priscilla, one of the Marys, Martin Luther, Billy Graham, your loved ones, or you could be standing next to someone you wouldn’t have even thought of getting to know during your life. The great thing about it is it won’t matter because you will be so wrapped up in worshiping God. Neither will any be thinking about the sleep or the fantastic sale they’re missing, the football, soccer, or baseball game they’d like to get to, nor will they skip worship to play golf, go boating, or to go to the amusement park.

Worshipis one function of the Church here on earth. Our purpose in coming to corporate worship is to experience a renewed reverence for God, to sit in the presence of God, and to gain a deeper sense of the community of God. Worship is both a personal and a corporate experience. Every Sunday our desire is to be transported into the throne room of God. It then won’t matter, if you know the person next to you or not. It won’t matter if the pews are too crowded or there are only a few at worship. We will sense our community not only with those who are here, but also those who have gone before and those who will come after us. We will be so focused on God we won’t notice whether we particularly like the hymn or the sermon, or if the atmosphere was friendly--not that we don’t wish our services to meet individuals’ needs.

Worship is the purpose for which we were created. The Westminster Catechism of the Reformed tradition states that the whole purpose of humanity, "is to glorify God and enjoy him forever." In our society today this is a difficult concept to grasp. How can just sitting around praising God be enjoyable? Isn’t it rather boring? What can be fun about standing around yelling or singing? Oh, wait a minute, isn’t that what we do a rock concerts or sporting events; people seem to enjoy those just fine. God is greater than the greatest home team or pop star, so we have a whole lot more to sing and shout about.

According to Douglas Rumford,a Presbyterean minister, "Worship is the clearest expression of what we value," and "What we value most, defines us best." ["Worship: The Pacesetter of Life" We Will Glorify Church Leader’s Manual. p.B-5] What we should value most is God who created, redeemed, and sanctifies us. We are commanded to love God with all our hearts, souls, strength, and minds.

We were not created to be in a rat race. We were created not to have our minds on earthly things but on heavenly ones. Our worship on earth is after all a dress rehearsal for eternity, and a training ground for ministry. We need to get our focus on God.

We can change have our focus changed. Christ came to transform our lives in the here and now as well as to triumph over death in the end. Worship gives us the opportunity to listen to God speak to us, so that we can speak God’s message to others. We need to take time within our worship to reflect on what God is saying to us so that we will know how to respond faithfully. That reflection should be carried on throughout the week so that we can better put into practice the principles of God’s Word in our lives.

William Temple emphasized this when he wrote, "This world can be saved from political chaos and collapse by one thing only, and that is worship. For to worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God." [op cit]

Another purpose of worship is to gain rest. This is not the rest of inactivity but a rest that influences all other activity. It helps us prioritize our lives. It gives us an eternal perspective on life and thus releases us from the stress of the every day. I had a friend who said her mother used to ask her when she was fretting over something, "Will this matter 10 years from now? If not, why worry about it?" Worship is that time we look towards eternity and get that foretaste of the feast to come. We get a glimpse of what should be our priorities by remembering the lives of those saints who have come before us. We also want to leave a legacy for those who will come after. We remember that we will one day stand in the presence of God.

We are able to enter the throne room of heaven as we praise God. Praise completes the enjoyment of something. Imagine going to a football game and nobody cheering when the home team scores, or imagine a new parent or grandparent not showing pictures of their pride and joy. That is as unthinkable as believers not praising God. When something is important or exciting we just have to sing its praises.

Praising also takes our focus off ourselves and our petty problems--no matter how big they seem to us, to God they’re little--and puts the focus on God and his sufficiency. This strengthens our faith. It reminds us that God is with us through it all, and helps us reflect that attitude of faith in our lives. It also helps us to remember that our purpose on earth is to bring glory to God’s name.

As we worship we also keep the memory of God’s mighty acts alive. God has given us tangible reminders in our Sacraments. In Baptism we are reminded of the Exodus event in which God brought his people out of slavery, through the water into the promised land; we also are reminded of our freedom in Christ. Today we celebrate that freedom will Isabella Caston. It is our initiation into the family of God.

Holy Communion is our on-going sustenance. As we partake we remember that Christ gave himself up for us on the cross, and that he gives us his power through the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives. It is a visible sign of God’s love and care for us. Douglas Rumford wrote, "Do you doubt God’s love? See here is life poured out for you. Do you doubt God’s power? See here the risen glory of Jesus Christ! Do you need God’s comfort? See here that all his promises are fulfilled in the New Covenant. Do you need God’s strength? Be nourished on the Bread of Life. Do you want to acknowledge that you will obey God’s call? Take this cup and drink it with him. Do you long for assurance that you will live forever? Come to the table--a sign of the banquet we will one day share for all eternity!" [Op cit]

Banquet people are blessed people. They are the ones who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. They are the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, the ones who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, and the reviled. They are the ones who should be glad. They are the ones who are moved to praise.

We are those banquet people. We have been invited to the feast. We are asked to fellowship not only with those who are present here today, but also with those who even now are worshiping around the throne, and those who will one day worship around the throne.

That will be a party to end all parties! No one will have to tell us to sing louder or to keep awake. We will joyfully lift our hands in praise. We will probably even applaud, if God should be moved to speak to us. We may even dance with Jesus in good Hebrew tradition.

So what can we do to ensure we will truly have a worship experience when we come? It is easier to worship when you are prepared. Get ready the night before. Lay out your clothes; get to bed at a decent hour. Make an inventory of your life in the last week. What victories have you won? What defeats have you experienced? Where have you disobeyed God? Read the lessons ahead of time. You can find them [in the bulletin on the back/by calling the office or buying a lectionary.] Come expectantly to the service. What does God have to say to you? What does God want you to do? How can you praise God while you’re here, and show when you leave that your being here has made a difference.

It’s no wonder some people don’t come to worship. If they don’t see it doing anything for us who claim to be faithful, why would those with no experience even want to darken our doors? Our worship should light our fires so that we can take that light out into our dark world. Our worship should remind us of God’s value and power so that we reflect that in our daily lives. Our worship should give us that peace which the world does not have and cannot get without God. Worship is something that if we miss it, we should hunger after, as if we missed a meal. What would it take to encourage you to really worship--to worship with abandon? Whatever it is, think about that having been done. Then let yourself go. Worship! Imagine yourself right alongside those heavenly hosts singing, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen!"