Texts: 2 Samuel 6:12 – 15 and Nehemiah 8:1b – 10
It is good to be back. Thank you for sending me to help lead worship last Sunday at First Congregational UCC in Elkhart. Together we celebrated the ministry of Anne Cubbage who has a new call to ministry in Massachusetts. There was singing, reading of scripture, teaching, exhortations, more singing, and dancing. It was a beautiful, if not a bittersweet, celebration. The air was electric with emotions and the presence of God was palpable.
I remember thinking, “This is a special celebration for a special time in this community. It is right that we are pulling out all the stops to make this a memorable occasion.” But then I began thinking. I walked into the church service anticipating being intensely engaged – emotionally and spiritually. And I was. I was fully present for what was happening. I know that this level of engagement is special and periodic, but I think there’s more to our weekly worship service than we give credit.
Every week we gather to be in the presence of God together. Every week we call upon the Holy Spirit within us in prayer and in praise. Every week we re-engage our intention to be followers of Jesus in a world that is rife with greed, exclusion, oppression, and violence. Coming to church is no small thing. Do we come to church every week anticipating a heightened engagement with our God? Why do we come to church? Have you ever asked yourself that question? Why do we take the time Sunday morning to come to church (or to tune in on the radio)?
I have a couple of ideas. Some reasons we come to church …
To Worship God
For Fellowship in our Faith
To Mark Time in Our Lives
For Motivation in our Christian Walk
To Celebrate our Relationship with God
Today we are going to talk about coming to church to celebrate.
In the scripture passages we read, we heard about special days of celebration. Miriam led the women in dancing and singing after they were saved by God while fleeing from the Egyptians. David danced before God while bringing the Ark of the Covenant into The City of David. Ezra read the book of the law of Moses to the people. This wasn’t a weekly reading, but the first time the book had been read in a long time. You see, the Israelites had been taken captive and were exiled to Babylon for 50 years. When they returned to Israel and found their book it was a very exciting and holy time.
When Ezra opened the book of the law of Moses … after just opening it … “all the people stood up.” The story continues, “Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, "Amen, Amen," lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.” Ezra hadn’t even begun to read the book yet. After he read from the book the people began crying. Ezra dismissed them saying, "Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."
Ezra is telling them to celebrate! Do you remember the teaching from Ecclesiastes, “Eat, drink, and be merry?” This is similar. Eat the fat, drink sweet wine, share with others, and rejoice! The joy of the Lord is your strength.
What all three of these celebrations have in common – Miriam’s dance, David’s dance, and Ezra’s reading of the book – is the intention of God’s people gathering in God’s presence. We do that every week.
We are so blessed! But because we gather every week it may feel commonplace to us. Gathering together to be in God’s presence as a community is awesome, even though we do it regularly. Coming to church isn’t just something we do; it is something God calls us to. God wants to be in relationship with us. Through Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit we are one with God and with each other. How then should we come to church? Should we not be anticipating the very presence of God? Should we not celebrate how awesome it is that we are reconciled to God in Christ? I believe church is an opportunity for us to engage our whole selves in the acts of worship and prayer, as well as fellowship with Christ and with each other.
Celebration means more than dancing and singing. Dancing and singing, raising our hands and bowing our heads are ways to celebrate, but where does all this come from? When we celebrate it is because we have some kind of investment in what is going on. Miriam, David, and Ezra were emotionally and spiritually invested in what was happening. They all had something at stake. They cared deeply.
What we celebrate indicates what we care about. Whether you’re a White Sox fan or a Cubs fan, you know what it means to celebrate. Whether you like the ballet or a mosh pit, you know what it means to celebrate. When your heart becomes attached to something, celebration of some kind is near.
When we are emotionally and spiritually invested in our relationship with God, celebration of some kind is near. We may not dance, although some of us may. What is important is engaging in the feelings as well as the rituals of our common time together. When we come to this place, (whether it is physically entering the building or turning on the radio,) do we anticipate being engaged by God? Are we looking forward to the experience of interacting with God together?
I know that it is unreasonable for us to expect the air to be electric with emotions and the presence of God palpable each and every Sunday. But I think it is very reasonable for us to come to church every Sunday knowing that this is a special time of the week. We come together to be in God’s presence. Together we lift our voices to God. Church is a place where we can increase our expectations of hearing and feeling our Divine Beloved without embarrassment or apprehension. Every week we recommit ourselves to the purpose of our baptism and to what we were confirmed – having a personal and a communal relationship with God. This, more than anything else that I can think of, is cause for celebration!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Holy Labor, Holy Rest
Ecclesiastes is my favourite book of the Bible. In it the writer, who only names themselves as “The Teacher, son of David, king of Israel,” probes the difficult questions. This person looks at dreams, hopes, riches, poverty, health, sickness, wisdom, folly and work. Some find this writing to be depressing. It is surprising in its candor, but I think the conclusions are insightful and hopeful.
The two sections that I’m going to read are specifically about work. The word used in this translation is toil. These are the sections where I see hope. Because this book is so dense, I think it helps to begin seeing some of the Teacher’s conclusions, otherwise it is easy to become overwhelmed.
Ecc 2:22 – 24 What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity. There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in their toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God; for apart from God who can eat or who can have enjoyment?
Ecc 3:9 – 15 What gain have the workers from their toil? I have seen the business that God has given to everyone to be busy with. God has made everything suitable for its time; and moreover has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; moreover, it is God's gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil. I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has done this, so that all should stand in awe. That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already is; and God seeks out what has gone by.
There’s a song that I think speaks to this. It’s from the musical, “Godspell.”
We plow the fields and scatter
the good seed on the land..
But it is fed and watered by God's almighty hand.
God sends us snow in winter,
the warmth to swell the grain
The breezes and the sunshine,
and soft refreshing rain
All good gifts around us
Are sent from Heaven above
Then thank the Lord, thank the Lord for all this love.
We thank thee then, O Father,
for all things bright and good,
The seedtime and the harvest,
our life our health our food,
No gifts have we to offer for all thy love imparts
But that which thou desirest,
our humble thankful hearts!
All good gifts around us
Are sent from Heaven above..
Then thank the Lord, thank the Lord for all this love.
I have been listening to this song a lot lately. It captures the simplicity of praise for our basic human needs. It mirrors the exhortation from The Teacher who said, “I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; moreover, it is God's gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil.”
The Teacher also acknowledges that we mortals toil and strain, that our days are full of pain and that our work is a vexation. The Teacher knows that even at night our minds do not rest. This is counted as vanity. This kind of vanity indicates an emptiness … that these things are like a vapor or a chasing after the wind. There’s nothing concrete to it. There’s a lacking in substance. The substance comes in partaking of God’s gifts – eating, drinking, and taking pleasure in what we do.
There may be some of you who have had experiences like me. I have had some pretty rotten jobs. Enjoying the toil with which I toil under the sun is easy now, especially compared to other times in my life. There were times I felt like all I was doing was striving after the wind and living in a vapor. Praising God for the good gifts in my life did not come easy. If it was not for that sense of past and future that The Teacher says God puts in our minds, I would have been hard pressed to praise at all. Knowing that what I was going through at some point would be the past and holding on to hope for a better future gave me some courage and strength to praise God.
Along with that, I found I could lift my voice and my life as a praise to God with my understanding of this teaching, “they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” On the one hand it might feel like a negative thing that we cannot find out. But on the other hand, it opens up the mystery of God. We can not predict God. We do not know the beginning and we cannot know the end. We can only live in now. While we are in “now,” where is our praise?
If you are someone who has a lot, praise might come easily. Or it might be easy to forget to praise. If you are someone who has nothing, praise might be difficult. Or it might be easy to see the gifts of God because up against the rest of life they are easy to spot. Regardless of where you are in life, according to Ecclesiastes, “There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in their toil. This… is from the hand of God; for apart from God who can eat or who can have enjoyment?”
Monday we celebrate a national holiday, Labor Day. It began as a holiday for the working-person; for those people who did not get regular vacations and days off. Now it seems that many people are required to work on this holiday, people who could probably really use the day off. People need days off. We need to have a regular Sabbath. Just like our toil is given to us from God, so is our rest. In Ecclesiastes 8:15 The Teacher writes, “So I commend enjoyment, for there is nothing better for people under the sun than to eat, and drink, and enjoy themselves, for this will go with them in their toil through the days of life that God gives them under the sun.“
It doesn’t matter what you do for a living. It doesn’t matter how you make your money. It doesn’t matter if you spend most of your time looking for a job, taking care of kids, wrestling with a disease, being CEO of a company, or digging ditches … we all need a Sabbath. It is a gift from God.
Every moment of every day is precious. Gifts of God are holy gifts. Our toil is holy. Our rest is holy. We come to church to draw near to God as a community. The time we spend here is sacred and important. Our communal worship is an opportunity to lean on one another, to pray together, to remember that we are not alone in our life and in our faith. It is also a time where we can actively let go of our toil and shrug off that which is heavy and painful.
However, it is important for us to understand that the rest of life is holy and sacred. How you live your life makes a difference. How you work and how you rest can glorify God or not. How you speak to your friends, what you post on Facebook, how you drive, the way you look at people wherever you go can honor the gifts that God has given you or not.
Your work is holy. Your rest is holy. When we come together to worship, to share this communion meal, to pray and to praise we are gathering together all the gifts that God has given us. You are a gift to this community. This community is a gift to you. God is present in every moment of every day. Open up your awareness of the holiness that surrounds you. Remind each other that God is present. When you work, remember that if it is possible, it is a good thing to find enjoyment in your toil. When you rest, remember that God has given this to you as a gift as well.
We live in the mystery of God’s presence. God's gifts to us are simple; that all should eat, drink, take pleasure in all their toil, and enjoy themselves.
The two sections that I’m going to read are specifically about work. The word used in this translation is toil. These are the sections where I see hope. Because this book is so dense, I think it helps to begin seeing some of the Teacher’s conclusions, otherwise it is easy to become overwhelmed.
Ecc 2:22 – 24 What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity. There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in their toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God; for apart from God who can eat or who can have enjoyment?
Ecc 3:9 – 15 What gain have the workers from their toil? I have seen the business that God has given to everyone to be busy with. God has made everything suitable for its time; and moreover has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; moreover, it is God's gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil. I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has done this, so that all should stand in awe. That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already is; and God seeks out what has gone by.
There’s a song that I think speaks to this. It’s from the musical, “Godspell.”
We plow the fields and scatter
the good seed on the land..
But it is fed and watered by God's almighty hand.
God sends us snow in winter,
the warmth to swell the grain
The breezes and the sunshine,
and soft refreshing rain
All good gifts around us
Are sent from Heaven above
Then thank the Lord, thank the Lord for all this love.
We thank thee then, O Father,
for all things bright and good,
The seedtime and the harvest,
our life our health our food,
No gifts have we to offer for all thy love imparts
But that which thou desirest,
our humble thankful hearts!
All good gifts around us
Are sent from Heaven above..
Then thank the Lord, thank the Lord for all this love.
I have been listening to this song a lot lately. It captures the simplicity of praise for our basic human needs. It mirrors the exhortation from The Teacher who said, “I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; moreover, it is God's gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil.”
The Teacher also acknowledges that we mortals toil and strain, that our days are full of pain and that our work is a vexation. The Teacher knows that even at night our minds do not rest. This is counted as vanity. This kind of vanity indicates an emptiness … that these things are like a vapor or a chasing after the wind. There’s nothing concrete to it. There’s a lacking in substance. The substance comes in partaking of God’s gifts – eating, drinking, and taking pleasure in what we do.
There may be some of you who have had experiences like me. I have had some pretty rotten jobs. Enjoying the toil with which I toil under the sun is easy now, especially compared to other times in my life. There were times I felt like all I was doing was striving after the wind and living in a vapor. Praising God for the good gifts in my life did not come easy. If it was not for that sense of past and future that The Teacher says God puts in our minds, I would have been hard pressed to praise at all. Knowing that what I was going through at some point would be the past and holding on to hope for a better future gave me some courage and strength to praise God.
Along with that, I found I could lift my voice and my life as a praise to God with my understanding of this teaching, “they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” On the one hand it might feel like a negative thing that we cannot find out. But on the other hand, it opens up the mystery of God. We can not predict God. We do not know the beginning and we cannot know the end. We can only live in now. While we are in “now,” where is our praise?
If you are someone who has a lot, praise might come easily. Or it might be easy to forget to praise. If you are someone who has nothing, praise might be difficult. Or it might be easy to see the gifts of God because up against the rest of life they are easy to spot. Regardless of where you are in life, according to Ecclesiastes, “There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in their toil. This… is from the hand of God; for apart from God who can eat or who can have enjoyment?”
Monday we celebrate a national holiday, Labor Day. It began as a holiday for the working-person; for those people who did not get regular vacations and days off. Now it seems that many people are required to work on this holiday, people who could probably really use the day off. People need days off. We need to have a regular Sabbath. Just like our toil is given to us from God, so is our rest. In Ecclesiastes 8:15 The Teacher writes, “So I commend enjoyment, for there is nothing better for people under the sun than to eat, and drink, and enjoy themselves, for this will go with them in their toil through the days of life that God gives them under the sun.“
It doesn’t matter what you do for a living. It doesn’t matter how you make your money. It doesn’t matter if you spend most of your time looking for a job, taking care of kids, wrestling with a disease, being CEO of a company, or digging ditches … we all need a Sabbath. It is a gift from God.
Every moment of every day is precious. Gifts of God are holy gifts. Our toil is holy. Our rest is holy. We come to church to draw near to God as a community. The time we spend here is sacred and important. Our communal worship is an opportunity to lean on one another, to pray together, to remember that we are not alone in our life and in our faith. It is also a time where we can actively let go of our toil and shrug off that which is heavy and painful.
However, it is important for us to understand that the rest of life is holy and sacred. How you live your life makes a difference. How you work and how you rest can glorify God or not. How you speak to your friends, what you post on Facebook, how you drive, the way you look at people wherever you go can honor the gifts that God has given you or not.
Your work is holy. Your rest is holy. When we come together to worship, to share this communion meal, to pray and to praise we are gathering together all the gifts that God has given us. You are a gift to this community. This community is a gift to you. God is present in every moment of every day. Open up your awareness of the holiness that surrounds you. Remind each other that God is present. When you work, remember that if it is possible, it is a good thing to find enjoyment in your toil. When you rest, remember that God has given this to you as a gift as well.
We live in the mystery of God’s presence. God's gifts to us are simple; that all should eat, drink, take pleasure in all their toil, and enjoy themselves.
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