A Personal Liturgy

"Do you feel the world is broken?
We do.
Do you feel the shadows deepen?
We do.
But do you know that all the dark won't stop the light from getting through?
We do.
Do you wish that you could see it all made new?
We do."

Yesterday in church we did something very odd for a Baptist church.  We talked about liturgy.  That formulary of public religious worship.  Structured, communal worship.  Call and response.  The formalized ritual of worship.

Now, it's a bit of a misnomer to say that Baptist churches aren't liturgical.  They still have their structure, despite eschewing the books of liturgy.  The four hymns, offertory, and a message plan.  Knowing when to stand up, sit down, greet the person next to you.  What we have given up largely are the common prayers, the call and response, the repeated specific hymns, like the Doxology.

We like to believe forgoing these traditional orders of worship allow us to respond to the Spirit.  To go where the Lord leads us.

But what are we missing in moving away from these traditions?  What have we forsaken?

We looked at Psalm 146.  "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul!  I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my god while I have my being."  We see in Psalm 146 that the writer then lists the reasons to praise God.  It's a recitation of His wondrous works.  A remembrance.  An ebeneezer.

And that's why liturgy is important.

It lets us praise when our feelings betray us.  It reminds us of the wondrous works of the Lord when our memories fail.  It speaks for us when we cannot.

"Does the Father truly love us?
He does.
Does the Spirit move among us?
He does.
And does Jesus, our Messiah, hold forever those He loves?
He does.
Does our God intend to dwell again with us?
He does."

Through the sermon, Brother Paul referred to a song by Andrew Peterson, Is He Worthy?  In describing his writing process, Peterson talked about how he would hum the melody and then sing "We do" in answer.  He realized he had been talking about a Kenyan liturgy they used in church.

Celebrant: Is the Father with us?
People: He is.
Celebrant: Is Christ among us?
People: He is.
Celebrant: Is the Spirit here?
People: He is.
Celebrant: This is our God!
People: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Celebrant: We are his people;
People: We are redeemed.

He wrote in the similar call and response fashion because he finds himself edified in those situations in a liturgical service.  "I need to join my voice to a group of people reminding each other what is true, not just listening to a sermon, but partaking in one."

And that's what we need.  How often do we think of worship as something we can observe and not participate in?  How many people come to church, never sing, only listen, and then go home, unfulfilled?  In that situation, how easy is it for the service to be something seen and not lived?

For worship to be a scheduled time, not a way of life.

We need to be edified this way.  We need to be part of a group of people reminding each other of who God is.  Why He is worthy.  What is true.

From there we can personalize it to our situation.

Were I to write the verse I need to be singing, the liturgy I need reminding now, it would go something like this.

"Has my God always provided?
He has.
Does the Father truly love me?
He does.
Will He guide the path before me for the glory of His name?
He will.
And is He alone who's worthy of my praise?
He is."

What would your liturgy be?  What are you needing to remind yourself of?

Perhaps you simply need the reminder that He is worthy.  And all the rest will fall into place.

"Is anyone worthy?  Is anyone whole?
Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?
The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave
He is David's root and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave

From every people and tribe
Every nation and tongue
He has made us a kingdom and priests to God
To reign with the son

Is He worthy? Is He worthy
Of all blessing and honor and glory?
Is He worthy? Is He worthy?
Is He worthy of this?

He is"

I then encourage you, when your feeling leaves you, when words fail, when the Spirit seems distant, when praise seems impossible, find your liturgy.  Find the pattern, the structure that you can remind yourself of.  Find your ebeneezer, your token of remembrance that keeps faith alive.  Find what reminds you that the Lord is He who "made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry.  The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.  The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.  The Lord watched over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the father-less."

"Is it good that we remind ourselves of this?
It is."

Is He Worthy? Songwriters: Andrew Peterson, Ben Shive, The Bicycle Music Company, Music Services, Inc.

Good

“It’s so good,
I’ve got more than I ever thought I would. 
I can finally see how all the wrong turns and the heartaches,
The lessons in the mistakes
Help me count my blessings like I should. 
And it’s so good.”

I needed this reminder this morning.  Particularly in this season of Thanksgiving, I needed a reminder to be thankful.  That I have been so richly blessed.  That this is where my focus should be.

It’s not that I forget these things.  I remember them, but I allow other things to take the focus away.  I start to focus on the fact that I don’t have a a permanent job yet.  We’ve not started our new adventure yet.  That the contract job has not had as many hours as I would have liked this week.

And focusing on these things makes me frustrated.  A little depressed.  It becomes easier to be negative.  To question.  To doubt.

Paul in his letter to the Philippians addressed this problem.

”The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Philippians 4:5b-8

The outline is there to focus on the good.  That’s the way to stay in the peace of good.  For focusing on the negative robs us of peace.  Focusing on the things above, focusing on the good puts us in the right perspective. 

It reminds me that I have a wonderful family.  This includes the family that I was born into, the family I chose, and the family I have married into.  To be able to stay with Jamie’s family in this transition is a blessing that many people are not afforded. 

It reminds me that I have a job.  It is providing my needs.  The Lord is looking over us.  He is directing our paths.  And He has plan.  Things are unfolding to His plan and I never would have imagined for this to have happened this way.   I would never have imagined that I would have gotten new certifications, new experience that will be useful in rounding out my resume in this time.  But that is what is happening.

It reminds me that I can choose to view this all as a blessing or as a struggle. 

I’m going to chose the former

Because the truth is, it’s so good.  I do have more than I ever thought I would.  I have been blessed by his hand far more than I could ever imagine.

So, I will count my blessings. 

Particularly in this season, but always. 

It is so good. 

Ebeneezers

Ebeneezer - a commemoration of divine assistance.

"Here I raise mine Ebeneezer; hither by thy help I'm come."

We need Ebeneezers.  We need to hold on to them and we need to recognize them when they happen.

They are milestones.  Markers of divine providence.  Tangible memory aids to let us never forget what the Lord has done for us.  What He has brought us through.  

Biblically, Ebeneezers are literally “stones of help.”  They come from 1 Samuel 7, where Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, following the Israelite victory over the Philistines, naming the place Ebeneezer and saying “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”  From then on, every time an Israelite saw the stone erected by Samuel, they had a tangible reminder of the Lord’s power and protection.

It’s important to make and keep these and to recognize them as they appear.  To also recognize when the Lord reminds us of His faithfulness.

Today in church, I felt one such reminder.  All of the songs today really spoke to the Lord’s help through every situation, but we came in particular to Here Again by Elevation Worship.  The song speaks to being in the middle of the storm, but knowing the Lord is with you.  Recognizing that we are not enough on our own, unless the Lord meets us here.

Then we came to the bridge.

“Not for a minute

Was I forsaken”

And that hit me in a very unexpected way.  I’m glad I was not singing backup this morning, as it was a bit tough to keep my composure.

Because it’s true.  Not for a minute in all of this have I been forsaken.  Not in the minute where I was fired.  Not in the minutes in having to explain why in an interview.  Not in the minute the emails come back with a form rejection for various positions.  Not in the minute where a recruiter turns out to be more interested in selling a service.  Not in all the minutes in between.

But, paradoxically, we serve a savior who was forsaken, so that we would never be.  We serve a savior who took on our sins, so that we would bear them no more.   We serve a savior who felt his Father turning his back on him, so that we could be welcomed into His presence.

It's a reminder that I needed this morning.  A reminder that whatever doubt may say, there has never been a moment God has not been in control.  Never been a moment He has not cared for me.  

A bridge to serve as a figurative Ebeneezer for me.  And one I can never sing the same way again.  

"Here's my heart Lord, take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above."