Worship

6/7/09 editted version of my sermon for today from Isaiah 6:1-8

(sing) This is the air I breathe, this is the air I breathe
Your holy presence, living in me

This is my daily bread, this is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me

And I..I..I...I'm desperate for you
And I...I...I....I'm lost without you

This is the air I breathe, this is the air I breathe

We are desperate for worship. We human beings were made for worship. We need more than politics. Kings like Uzziah come and go. We need more than financial reports. Stock markets rise and fall. We need an encounter with the living God. We are desperate for what the world cannot give. We need worship.
Yet we avoid worship. True worship rocks our foundations like it does here with Isaiah. How awesome it is to come into the presence of the living God! I mean if we really came into the Lord's presence, the Lord might just show us who we really are, and that scares us. We would have to deal with the fact that we are people of unclean lips.
Remember when the Hebrew people encountered the LORD at Mt. Sinai. "That's alright Moses. You be the go-between. We are fine right where we are."
I know we come to church but how rarely do we really worship. We have many ways to avoid an encounter with God, even in worship. We can get busy. At another church I served, there was an annual barbecue. The men really liked that time of year because they could stay up all night cooking and miss worship so that they could serve us a meal. Now that's a good thing--to serve a meal....but not at the expense of worship.
We have other ways to avoid worship. We can critique the pastor...or the sermon...or the music....or the worship space...anything to keep God at bay.
Maybe we need to pause once again right now in worship and confess how we are trying not to worship. How are our lips unclean? Take a moment and give that up.
Thank God that that is not the last act in worship. An angel comes with a hot coal and touches Isaiah's lips and cleanses him. We can be forgiven, cleansed, given a fresh start in worship. I wonder if we don't feel cleaner more often because we don't confess more often. I know deep down we really desire this because I have learned to ask the question, "Anything else." People will get to talking to me...and I will ask, "Anything else?" And the layers continue to get peeled back until we get to the bottom of things and get real.
We come to a table where all are welcome today. This is a table that we approach not because of our goodness but by God's grace. This is our table of new beginnings, of "do-overs," of forgiveness.
Then God comes with a word for us. God is still speaking to us. God is not silent. The Word of the LORD came to Isaiah; the Word still comes to us.
I have seen evidence this past week as I attend annual conference, where some 1300 United Methodists from the 78 counties in the Southwest part of Texas gathered to worship and do the business of the church. Our emphasis was on raising up younger clergy. And it is happening in our midst! God is calling! People are answering.
You know that God speaks not just to ordained people but to all believers, even you. Also this past week, I spent some time at Lebh Shomea, a Catholic retreat house for prayer and quiet. We don't speak at meals or on the property, except at worship. There we listen to the scriptures read, and then turn to a neighbor for just a minute to share in faith the word we heard for us. I'm wondering if we could do that now. Perhaps you have heard a word for you today from the scripture, or a song, or the quiet. Could you turn to a neighbor now and share what is the word for you?
You see, God is still speaking.
And finally, Isaiah is sent on a mission. "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? And I said, 'Here am I. Send me.'" I hope you know that worship doesn't stop here. I hope you know that Sunday has something to do with Monday. I hope you know that our mission field begins right outside these doors. Here we are the church gathered. We leave to become the church scattered. I hope you can say, "Here I am. Send me."
The good news I have to share with you today is that you were made for worship.