As many of us head to Worship Services this morning, I wonder what we expect will happen while we are there. Sure, we know there will be hymns, some Scripture and a message from the pastor. We likely expect to see some friends, pray for our church family, and hear the list of announcements. All this and more may well happen, but that is not the kind of expectation I am thinking of. I want to know what we expect God is going to do in us and through us as we gather.
Too often, we reduce our Sunday morning Worship Service to something that resembles a play or a concert. We go to observe and listen; to sit in our seats and have the drama of the service unfold before us. We may share a concern, offer our tithe and sing the praise songs and hymns, but do we come with an expectation that something great is going to happen?
Even as the pastor, there have been times when I’ve come to worship expecting very little (thankfully, not as often now). For many people, church services have become, well, boring. Nothing unexpected happens, and nothing really significant is expected. It is easy to go through the motions and miss the meaning, but when we begin to realize what worship is, it can transform our experience.
In Luke 19:46, Jesus makes the simple, yet stunning declaration, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” This statement is nestled in Jesus’ rebuke of the money changers at the temple. The drama of Jesus’ anger and his overturning of their tables is so interesting, that we miss these important words. Jesus is not just condemning their behavior, he is challenging his listeners to understand the importance of worship and prayer.
The temple was not a place to make a profit on people’s needs, nor was is merely a place for dutiful attendance. It was a place of prayer, a place of communion with God. It was a place to encounter the Holy and be made holy by the experience. It was an experience of transformation that would lead to the transformations of families, cities, and nations. It was a place of prayer for, “all nations.” The same is true for our churches today.
When we gather together, it is not just to see our friends, sing our favorite songs and feel better about ourselves when we leave. Rather, we gather to encounter the dynamic presence of God, who challenges and encourages us to be who we are meant to be in Christ. We come to be changed and made new, so that we can go forth to do the same in the world. Most importantly, we come before the throne of Grace to carry the needs and concerns of our of our families, our communities, and the world to God. In intercession, we ask God to move in our world and to put things right, to make the kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
Maybe today is a good day let go of our expectations of the common, the ordinary, the boring, and embrace the awesome plans of God for us and for the world. Just imagine the possibilities.
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