In Search Of Worship - Simplicity

James (5 months) and Ah Kong

' Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.' Matthew 18:3

I used to sing the praise song, “I love you Lord” to my grandson James every night before he slept. James is 12 years old now, then he was 5 months old. Like every 5 month old, James will fight sleep but when he listened to this song, he would stop crying, become calm and would soon be ready for bed. It is a simple four line tune: 

“I love You Lord and I lift my voice to worship you. 
O my soul rejoice! 
Take joy my King in what you hear. 
May it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ears.” 

James just loved to hear this song repeated to him over and over again. In the singing I imagined we were praising God together, grandfather and grandson.

Worshiping God with a five month old in tow does not trivialise the act of worship. True worship is hard to find. If one could capture the right inspirational moment, an unfettered time, one should take the opportunity to worship. Make it simple. It is quite natural to worship with James in hand, for this baby is indeed a blessing from God; a clear and present evidence of God’s creative power and of His goodness.

Falzarego Pass, The Dolomites

In the same way if you happen to chance on a very simple church when you are hiking up some mountains go inside to pray and worship. Do not miss the opportunity to seize one sublime moment of simple worship. No need to be intellectual, nothing to be complicated about; even better if worship can be impulsive.

Once, when Jesus was in the temple in Jerusalem, the little children were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David," The priest and scribes were indignant at the commotion and they complained, "do you hear what these children are saying?" meaning to accuse him of instigating the children to blasphemy, "Yes," Jesus replied, "have you never read, "from the lips of children and infants, You have perfected praise?" (Matt 21:16 and Psalms 8:2). Perfect praise exudes from pure simplicity. Babies, by their very lives are testaments to God’s bountiful grace.

In contrast, there is much that is contrived and showy when adults worship. Words that come out forced can be hypocritical. Catchy tunes are sung repeatedly without thought to the adequacy and appropriateness of the lyrics. The Rev (Dr) Ben Witherington, Asbury Theological Seminary speaking in Singapore at the Aldersgate Convention in May 2008 asked the question, “Who is doing the worshiping? Who is the beneficiary?"

Speaking about congregational worship Dr Witherington (Ref 1) said, “We often hear people say I don’t go to that worship service because I don’t get anything out of it. But who is supposed to be doing the worshiping here? If it is the congregation, then the primary question should be where can I go to best give praise and worship to God, not where I can go to get the most out of it. Any experience that put us on God’s level is not worship. It is inappropriate and even shocking familiarity; indeed it can even be called idolatry. God condescends and remains God, we do not ascend and become as gods. Worship happens when the creature realizes he is not the creator and bows down to the One who is.”

In speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus told her that where one worships, what styles one would use do not really matter. He told her one day, the true worshiper will be worshiping in spirit and in truth. No hypocrisy. God is more concerned with the attitude of the heart than the melody of the song; the motive of the people than the performance.

A poor Methodist woman (Ref 2), probably a labourer in the work houses or a farmer’s wife in 18th century Britain wrote, "I do not know when I have had happier times in my soul than when I have been sitting at work with nothing before me but a candle and a white cloth, and hearing no sound but the sound of my own breath, with God in my soul and heaven in my eye. I rejoice in being exactly what I am – a creature capable of loving God and who, as long as God lives, must be happy. I get up and look for a while out of the window and gaze at the moon and stars, the work of an almighty hand. I think of the grandeur of the universe, and then sit down, and think myself one of the happiest beings in it."

When we worship, it is not fulfilling an obligation, it is a human delight. Come back to 'The Heart of Worship.'

Lionel

1 Methodist Message 110(7) Jul 08
2 Mary Tileston, ed. Daily Strength for Daily Needs

In Search Of Worship - Stillness

Photo taken at Scotney Castle, Kent 23 June 2005
'Be Still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.' Psalms 46:10

Just as the still waters around Scotney Castle reflect the castle so perfectly, one can reflect properly only when one is still. When we look within and still ourselves; we can know our God. Psalm 46:10 states "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." 

When we worship, come into the right frame of mind and atmosphere for worship. In that contemplative mood, seize the opportunity to worship the Lord. So often our 'busi-ness' detracts and subtracts from intimate moments of our thoughts and feelings. If we can release ourselves from the noisy distractions around us, we can come into a time of worship.

There is a fascinating book entitled Small Graces which I would recommend to you all. The book helps me to reflect and understand life. One snippet should entice you -"We dream our lives in grand gestures, but we live our lives in small moments." 

From our first rising at the dawn, to our last conscious thoughts at night, our lives are spent in tasks that absorb our attention and keep us from contemplating the bigger issues of life. Why are we here? What is love? Does God exist? What lives behind the veil of death? These are questions that make us human. But their answers, and even their contemplation, seem far beyond the ordinary realms in which we live our days

Kent Nerburn is a sculptor, writer and theologian. One reviewer wrote "one of the clearest, most exquisite books I have read in a long time. I believe it will become a classic." Share with you, one passage from this book "The silence is profound this morning. It is not portentous; there seems to be nothing in the waiting. It is a gentle silence, liquid and pastel, a shimmering on still water. It is good to listen to the silence that surrounds each day. In the same way that music is made alive by the silence that surrounds the notes, a day comes alive by the silence that surrounds our actions. And the dawn is the time when silence reveals herself most clearly." 

For a very long time most of the world's churches will not be allowed to worship together. No more the loud singing, no shouts of praises not even the ability to sit together as a congregation to worship. We need to redefine our worship when we cannot meet in congregations. We are now alone before God when we worship. There we will bow in silence.  

There is a song 'Be Still My Soul' (Click on title of song). What does this say about being still and knowing God?

Be still my soul the Lord is on thy side

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain

Leave to thy God to order and provide

In every change He faithful will remain

Be still my soul thy best, thy heavenly friend

Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end

Be still, my soul, thy God doth undertake

To guide the future as He has the past

Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake

All now mysterious shall be bright at last

Be still, my soul, the waves and winds still know

His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below

Lionel

A Wicked Problem

"In those days when your pray, I will listen.If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you" Jeremiah 29:12-13

A wicked problem is defined as 'a problem that is difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognise. It refers to a problem that cannot be fixed, where there is no single solution to the problem. The adjective 'wicked' denotes resistance to resolution rather than evil.' Ref 1

These days of the Covid-19 virus pandemic are unprecedented times. More than 187 countries and governments are navigating through life threatening and economy devastating realities. Recently the World Health Organisation stated that the virus will not go away; the whole world has to live with it and come out with work around solutions to save lives and livelihood. It has become a 'Thorn in the Flesh' for many a country and government. 

What about us personally? There are times when we will face with intractable problems. Some will face failures in business, others have family quarrels, some are out of work for a long time and still others have illnesses without cures. These wicked problems weigh heavily on our hearts and spirits. There appears to be no end in sight.

The Bible acknowledges that in this life, we will have problems. Old testament history tell of the struggles of the Israelite in times of famine, living in deserts and wilderness, oppressed by conquerors. But they remained God's people and God never left them. Oddly the Bible tells us to learn to live through these difficult times. James in his epistle said, "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance have a chance to grow."  James 1: 2-3

Peter said, "These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold - though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and honour on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world." 1 Peter 1:7

So, we are to endure suffering with cheerfulness, take it with a sense of humour and carry on with life. Aristotle observed, "Suffering becomes beautiful when anyone bears great calamities with cheerfulness not through insensibility but through greatness of mind." Aristotle also said, 'It is during our darkest moment that we must focus on the light' 

Indeed we are encouraged by Psalms 27:1 'The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?'

YouVersion published a 7 days devotional entitled Good News: Encouragement for a World in Crisis. It has this advice for us: When we remember who God is and what He's done, we'll be more likely to walk with hope when things are threatening to overwhelm us. What we fill ourselves up with everyday is important. 

• When we fill our minds with the truth from God's Word, we'll become so acquainted with it that when we're faced with something that isn't true, we'll know

• When we worship God through song or praise Him while looking at His creation, it'll build our spirits and lift our focus from the daily trials we face

• When we walk through life with like-minded followers of Jesus, there's built in encouragement for us in our experiences with them (Ref 2)  

Isaiah 40:31 'But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not be weary they will walk and not faint.' God says 'Walk with Me.'

Lionel

Ref 1: Wikipedia
Ref 2: YouVersion Good News:Encouragement for a World in Crisis

Water Everywhere Yet Not A Drop To Drink

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" Matthew 5:6

The Rime (Rhyme) of the Ancient Mariner was written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and published in 1798. It tells the story of a mariner, who was doomed to sail aimlessly through stormy seas and adrift in hot endless oceans. They were endlessly drifting because the ancient mariner, on an impulse, shot and kill an albatross who was leading the ship out of the Antarctic ice sheets on which they were trapped. The ship's crew blamed him for their misfortune and placed the dead albatross around his neck. 

The Albatross Around His Neck

The Ancient Mariner struggled to find a meaning to his suffering and solutions to the long-term predicament but to no avail. At one point the ship ran out of water in a lifeless ocean which spawned the memorable line in this poem, "Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink."

Like the sailors in the tale, we find ourselves adrift searching for answers to questions during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. Why is it taking so long for the pandemic to pass? Will we be able to maintain our jobs and livelihoods? We try to find meaning to this suffering and grief that affected so many families. We are apt to lay blame on anyone and anything. Some may even blame God. 

Yet, this is exactly the right time to look to God. The Bible often spoke of times of famines, hunger and thirst during which people turned to God. During such times we look to God to be filled. In his struggles, the Ancient Mariner managed to pray, the albatross finally fell from his neck, his guilt was expiated and his suffering alleviated.  

"Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink" is a refrain of despair. There are other words about thirst and water, the words of Jesus to the Samaritan woman at the well. It is one of reassurance, "whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst again. Indeed the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." 

This conversation, Jesus Met The Woman At The Well was made into song in the 1960s and sung by Peter, Paul and Mary. It began with a simple question by Jesus, "Will you give me a drink." Jesus was thirsty and He knew it; conversely the woman was thirsty but she did not know. He led her step by step, going over embarrassing facts about her life, until she  realised her greatest need. She met Jesus, He transformed her life. 

My elder daughter, Debbie said, "It is so amazing how Jesus always had the right words to say to people. He was able to tailor his conversation to inspire the educated as well as the despised. At the well, Jesus met a Samaritan woman and he offered her the water of life. How appropriate, to be meeting at a well and talking about water! It was the right thing to say at the time." 

We are all seeking for answers especially now than ever before. There will be an appropriate word for us today. Come to Jesus, Come to the Water.

You said You'd come and share all my sorrows,
You said You'd be there for all my tomorrows;
I came so close to sending You away,
But just like You promised You came there to stay;
I just had to pray!

And Jesus said, "Come to the water, stand by My side,
I know you are thirsty, you won't be denied;
I felt ev'ry teardrop when in darkness you cried,
And I'm here to remind you that for those tears I died."

Jesus, I give You my heart and my soul,
I know that without God I'd never be whole;
Savior, You opened all the right doors,
And I thank You and praise You from earth's humble shores;
Take me, I'm Yours.

Lionel

Lord, I Stretch My Hands to You

'I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— He who watches over you will not slumber.' Psalms 121:1-3

The “Creation of Adam” is a fresco painted by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican. Anyone who views this cannot mistake the special relationship of Man and the Creator God. The face of Adam is one of an innocent person who looks toward God as if looking for instruction and and relationship, a look for love. God appears resolute but also shows a fatherly countenance.

Adam’s nakedness indicates a certain vulnerability and helplessness. He stretches his hand as if to turn for refuge and direction; very dependent on God. The hymn ‘Lord I Stretch My Hands to You’ by Jay Althouse with lyrics adapted from Charles Wesley, succinctly described the vulnerability-dependency realities of the man-creator relationship. 

Lord, I stretch my hands to You

No other help I know,

If You should leave me all alone,

Where then shall I go, O Lord.

Lord, I stretch my hands to You

Oh Lord. I give my soul to You

I seek Your care and love.

No other blessings do I need

but those from You above.

Lord I ask You:

Give me faith, and help me understand.

And Lord, when I this life shall leave

Just hold me in Your hand.

In God we will find abundance but unfortunately, many of us fail to recognise this. We want to assert our independence and in so doing, we lose sight of God. What a pity! We withdraw our hands and go our separate ways. In this zealousness to break free, we become blind to our spiritual inheritance and lose the wisdom of God’s counsel. 

God's hand, however, remains outstretched.

In my lifetime, I have never experienced such dark times affecting the whole world as in these days when the Corona virus ravage the world. The old and those with chronic illnesses are the most vulnerable and it is as if, we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death. This is not the time to turn away from God but to keep our hands outstretched towards God to find strength and comfort. 

'I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.' Is 42:16 

Philip Yancey in his book, ‘Finding God in Unexpected Places’ recounted this story, “Theologian John S Dunne tells of a group of early Spanish sailors who reached the continent of South America after an arduous voyage. Their caravels sailed into the headwaters of the Amazon, an expanse of water so wide the sailors presumed it to be a continuation of the Atlantic Ocean. It never occurred to them to drink the water, since the sailors presumed it to be saline, and as a result many of them died of thirst. That scene of men dying of thirst even as their ships floated on the world’s largest source of fresh water has become for me a metaphor of our age. Some people starve to death spiritually while all around them manna rots.”

'The poor and needy search for water but there is none, their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs.' Is 41: 17-18

John’s Gospel recorded a gentle conversation between Jesus and a Samaritan woman; a woman looking for meaningful love and relationship.  

'When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:7-13, 

If only we all can recognize our lack of spirituality and wisdom! Then we would stretch our hands to God to establish a relationship that was meant to be from the dawn of time.  

'I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— He who watches over you will not slumber.' Psalms 121:1-3 


Lionel