August 23, 2009 Message

Psalm 84; John 6:56-69
“Worship’s Where and Why”

Children’s Message: A story about God’s house. God is not limited to a certain place – and neither should be our worship of God.

This summer I have focused my study on our readings from the Psalms – which for the most part have been songs of praise and gratitude, of thanksgiving and worship. Last week the message based on Psalm 111 ended with my saying, “… it is a wise thing to praise God whole-heartedly, to love God completely, and to fear God totally - when fear means being overwhelmed by God’s gracious love. When we give thanks with our whole heart, when we "study" the works of God through worship, when we cultivate an "irresistible attraction to the grace of God," we truly become wise. And in our wisdom we are almost as infatuated with God as God is with us. It is good to be wise, isn’t it?

Today’s Psalm is about worship, especially the ‘where’ of it. When we want to praise God with our whole heart, when we want to love God completely, when we want to be overwhelmed in God’s presence - where do we go? Psalm 84 is also about the proper attitude of worship – of being in a ‘right’ frame of mind and doing things for the ‘right’ reasons. The psalmist models for us why we worship and what it looks like when we do.

Psalm 84 is a joyful song of praise not of a building but of the God whose presence is mysteriously and powerfully experienced there. It serves as a reminder to God’s people of where their praise is to be directed. And yet the ancient Hebrews, over time, got it all wrong. They looked at their temple as more than a sacred place. It became for them a reminder of a better and happier time. To them it represented their ‘glory days’ when everything was at its best and life was secure. Their faith and hope became centered on a place – the temple. So when the temple was destroyed, the people’s hopes and faith were crushed and broken as well. Over the years, their worship became misaligned. Their hope and trust was placed in a building– rather than in God who was found there.

Walter Brueggemann says that Psalm 84 "lives at the edge of self-congratulation," and warns us that our own tendency toward "exaltation of the church as building or institution runs the risk of falling in love with an idol." However, he says, if we read it carefully, we'll understand "that the celebration of the Temple actually points beyond itself to the reality of God, who is the real source of life and the real focus of trust." That's the key, isn't it? Keeping God at the heart of everything, especially our worship. Place is important only when the worship there is directed toward God.

Psalm 84 is also about an attitude of worship – being in a ‘right’ frame of mind or doing things in a ‘right’ way and for the ‘right’ reasons. In verse 2 the psalmist says, “My soul longs, …it faints for…; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.” There is a deep passion for God, maybe even infatuation, in the psalmist voice and a longing to be in the presence of God. This is evidenced by the prayer at the end of this psalm, which is not a petition or asking for something but rather the expression of a deep yearning for communion with God and desire to be in God’s presence.

For some that communion and presence may be in the place where the church meets – a building. Perhaps that is what it means for us and why we are here today. More than anything else in the world, we yearn to be with God here in this place. We look forward to coming every week. We are glad always to worship God. If that is why you have come, I hope you find God here today. 20th century American writer Kurt Vonnegut once said, “People don't come to church for preachments, of course, but to daydream about God.” In other words, people don’t come to be preached to, they come so they can think about God in ways they have never thought of before. People come to expand and enlarge their understanding of God. They come seeking to actually be with God.

Brueggemann says the temple (or church) may be "only an access point to the reality of God, and that God is always and everywhere with us.” So, is he saying the church is not the only place God can be found? There are other sacred places? If he is saying that, then wherever we are, we can be “on holy ground” and "at home with God."
Imagine what our worship of God might look like if it were not here. What would the house we seek look like, or the nest in which we might find safety? Where would the place be you would feel most blessed? Where could you hardly wait to go? If all week long you have been battered by the world, by busyness, by disease, by financial hardship, or by family problems, where would you go? Would it be a place where your worries could be left behind and where you could enjoy just being with God. If we found ourselves daydreaming today, what would we dream?

20th century author and theologian Thomas Merton suggest this daydreaming isn’t necessarily an easy thing to do when he says, “Just remaining quietly in the presence of God, listening to [God], being attentive to [God], requires a lot of courage and know-how.” As the title of Ringo Starr’s hit says, “It don’t come easy!”

What does this church building represent to you? Is it your home, or God's home, or both? What does it mean to gather here in prayer, to petition and praise the God who cannot be contained even in the whole universe let alone confined to one place? What are we to do here? Do we have a responsibility to provide a place of prayer for people shaken by a life changing, and sometimes shattering, events? Do we open our doors so any one who comes might find God here? Are we seen as a place of sanctuary, where those who hurt might find safety?

If not, why have we come? The Psalmist reminds us there is only one reason for coming to church. We come to church, first and foremost, to be in the presence of God. We come to meet with God. We don't come out of habit or obedience. We don’t come for the announcements or to catch up on the latest news. We don't come because of the prayers and the music. We don't come because of the pastor and the sermons. We don't come because of the building and fellowship. We come because we want to meet God, here in this place. And if in meeting God our aim is to glorify God and enjoy God forever, then our worship IS really about the praise of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – that is why we come. And in our worship of God, we are transformed. That is good news indeed!