October 19, 2008 Message

Isaiah 6:1-8; Colossians 3:12-17; Luke 4:14-30
“Passionate Worship”

A number of years ago, the Smothers Brothers did a routine on TV that went something like this.

Dick asked, “What’s wrong, Tommy? You look unhappy.”
Tom replied, “I am! I’m worried about what’s happening in America.
Dick said, “Well, what bothers you about it? Are you worried about poverty and hunger?”
“Oh, no, that really doesn’t bother me.”
“I see. Well, are you concerned about the war?”
“No, that’s not a worry of mine.”
“Are you upset over the use of drugs by the youth?”
“No, that doesn’t bother me very much.”
Looking puzzled, Dick asked, “Well, Tom, if you’re not bothered by poverty and hunger, war and drugs, what are you worried about?”
Tommy replied, “I’m worried about apathy.”

There may be good reason for us to worry about people’s apathy or lack of interest, but there is definitely no lack of passion for some things.

The passion we have for sports in our society is evident almost everywhere. There are few things more important in this country than the World Series or the Super Bowl or March Madness. People will go crazy and do some strange things when their team is playing. They jump up and down, they scream and yell, they dress up in weird clothes on game day, and they paint themselves in team colors. They will drive hours to get to a game and then walk more than mile to the stadium where they will sit and stand for three hours in an open-air stadium in sub-zero temperatures to watch and cheer their team. We are passionate about our sports teams!

And beyond sports, as a society, we are passionate in our romantic relationships, about our hobbies, and certainly about “making money.” Political activists are passionate about this year’s candidates. And young people are passionate about the music they listen to or about “texting” their friends. We are surrounded by passion in every part of daily life. People are passionate about things that are really important to them.

So what does it mean when we add the word passionate in front of the term worship? Does it mean a high energy, emotional, loud, “over-the-top” kind of worship or one in which the people are simply excited and enthusiastic about being there? Of course it is the latter, a worship defined by those who are there. We could question whether United Methodist, or mainline Christians in general, are known for being passionate on Sunday mornings. We could even question whether we are that kind of church!

Yet when we look at our history, why aren’t we? After all, John Wesley, founder of “Methodism in the 1700’s,” was a passionate preacher. He led worship services full of excitement and enthusiasm, the kind people wanted to go to and take their friends. People believed God was present in those services, working to make their lives better. They looked forward to being there, ready to hear a word from the Lord, and prepared for the Spirit to move in unexpected ways. During worship then, they sang with great joy, they prayed earnestly, and they proclaimed passionately the Gospel.

Most Christians of the early Protestant movement were passionate worshipers, but something happened along the way. Perhaps we began believing it didn’t make all that much difference where we were at or what we were doing, we could still worship God. Or perhaps we thought why limit God to a certain place on Sunday morning - we can take God with us. And little by little, we lost our passion for worship. Wouldn’t it be great if we recovered the passionate worship of earlier years of our denominations history?

Passionate worship is alive, authentic, fresh, and engaging. Worship without passion becomes routine, boring, and predictable; it can lack the spirit, especially when persons come out of obligation rather than joy. Authentic worship is found in the experience of God’s presence, the desire for God’s Word; and in the seeking of a changed heart. Those participating, in Bishop Schnase’s words, “are actively engaged, genuinely connected, personally addressed, and deeply challenged.” There is a definite sense of community where people are welcomed and supported. And there is a real sense of belonging - even for the newcomer.

In our reading from Colossians, the apostle Paul connects God’s work on our behalf first to how we are to live our lives and then to how we are to worship when he writes, “Let the message about Christ completely fill your lives... With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.” In gratitude for the work God has done in our lives, we live a faithful and moral life before Christ, all of which leads us to worship “with thankful hearts.” An important ingredient in passionate worship is genuine gratitude.

There is little passion in worship when people gather, not in gratitude to God, but in anticipation of receiving something from God. Worship is not about us; it is about God. Because of who God is we can show our gratitude and give glory to God – by our worship. Therefore we come to worship to give, not to receive.

And yet, we do receive something. An ever-generous God provides us with the word of help we need. But still that is not why we worship. It is never a matter of what we will get for our time on Sunday morning, rather that we come anticipating the same kind of experience as the psalmist who writes in Psalm 100: “Shout praises to the LORD, everyone on this earth. Be joyful and sing as you come in to worship the LORD!” We worship so that we might give thanks to God.

Our worship, whatever it looks like, is to always be filled with joy and gratitude toward God. When it is not, then it runs the risk of being about us. And worship about us soon becomes routine, boring, and predictable. However, worship is never any of those things when it is about the God who makes all things new and who transforms all of life.

Christianity offers good news; our worship should offer the good news of Jesus Christ as well. In Jesus Christ, God has entered into our sorrows and takes us beyond our pain and hurt. That is why our response in worship is a joyous one. Worship helps remind us every week that the bad news of this world is not the end of the story; Good Friday is followed by Easter Sunday. Our worship reflects the good news we have been given, and in those God-given moments, we express our deepest gratitude toward God.

Bishop Schnase also says, “God in Christ can change people’s lives through Passionate Worship. Worship stirs people’s souls, inspires them, and strengthens them. People are so impacted by passionate worship they cannot help but talk about it during the week.” Remember the “big” play in the game this past week – it could be any game, it doesn’t matter? Some of us will be talking about it for days. But will any of us be talking about today’s worship service a day or two from now or even this afternoon? Maybe - if you have been touched or moved or changed by what you have found here.

Our worship is crucial in “making disciples of Jesus Christ.” What this church has to offer in worship every Sunday cannot be gotten anywhere else – not from drinking coffee on Sunday morning while reading the newspaper, not from playing a perfect round of golf at Tara Hills, not even while hunting or fishing in the colorful setting of God’s creation. The good news of Jesus Christ found here makes all the difference in the world. Our offering ourselves completely to God during our worship does as well. That’s why people come - not the type of service we offer or the music we sing.

We come because God loves us… and for that, we are grateful. In our worship people will see those who love the Lord with all their heart soul, strength, and mind; and who love their neighbors as much as they love themselves. That’s how we are to worship God… in a way that no one will ever leave our sanctuary wondering, “So what?”

Such grateful worship is indeed passionate!



Based on a sermon by Allan R. Bevere, First United Methodist Church, Cambridge, Ohio.