Response to a blog post by Drew Tatusko on the disconnect of the body (and sexual desire) from Christian doctrine: http://notes-from-offcenter.com/2010/09/21/self-and-the-sex-problem-in-church
I believe that the disconnect between doctrine and the embrace of our sexual selves runs deeper than scripture and historical context. It’s in our foundational God concept as well. We offer good lip service to the notion of being created in the image of God, yet, we profoundly limit what that image might be and include. The conventional image of God has altruistic characteristics like compassion and love yet lacks the vehicles to share and experience those attributes.
Sensuality is a remarkable gift connected to our embodiment. When a child is born, it feels and hears. The other senses will develop and deepen over time; however, all the senses will form fully before the child will attain logic capacities. With these senses, a baby is led to do things that are truly good and pleasing like eat and snuggle into a comforting embrace. If a baby achieves goodness and growth by trusting those unpolluted senses, then I find that to be proof enough that sensuality is part of the image of God gifted to us.
To embrace sensuality as part of God’s image in me means to embrace the feelings and desires that are connected with those senses, including sexual yearnings. Yet, that does not mean I should over emphasize sensuality above the gifts of the mind. To do that is engaging in the same idolatry of the intellect that Paul and so many others do.
Regardless of how I may engage the debate, the practical matter is for me to honor and embrace all the gifts God has imagined in us. However, my faith community in general wants to continue the idolatry of overemphasizing logic and exploiting the privilege of developing well crafted doctrinal statements. While I am supremely grateful for my mind, I fear that doctrine and debate will never lead a path back to the body.
Faith, that utterance of assuredness, is what reconnects me to my body. Faith supersedes doctrine and precedes belief. Faith comes from our whole self, including our body. Faith is the gift that leads us back to unification with the lived image of God. That image includes sex, desire, wonder, awe, love, and so much more than most of us allow ourselves to honor and experience.
May a full faith convict and compel us all. Amen
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Sing A New Song
Sing A New Song <-- Audio File - Sermon based upon Psalm 98
Good morning. It’s wonderful to be here with you again in this sacred place for worship. So to start off, I hope you’ll be patient with me because I want to share a few questions that I begin with each and every time I prepare for worship.
You see, when I sit down to begin, I ask God in prayer what do we hope to get out of this time together? What do we hope to give to this time? What does God want us to experience? And how can we offer worship to God that is pleasing? But the question that I begin the whole process with, the question that holds my center of attention is why are we here?
Now I’m not trying to sound simplistic or sarcastic though it might sound that way. I earnestly know that we all have reasons for coming to worship. I’m here because you invited me and I felt called to be here. Some of you are here for the community or the spiritual growth or the beautiful music. Maybe you’ve been members here your whole life. Maybe this was the church home you found later in life. The reasons that bring us here to this church are endless. But I am specifically talking about worship. Why are we here?
I start with the question “why are we here” to keep me grounded in the belief that ALL worship is about God. We are here because God invited us. We are here because we responded to that invitation. We are here to worship God.
The bible repeatedly reminds us that we are to worship God and only God. Worship is always God centered in the bible. And if you look into the Presbyterian constitution, meaning The Confessions and the Book of Order, you’ll find that worship is held in the highest esteem there too. We are very intentional about reminding ourselves that worship is about God lest we fall into the idolatry of worshiping the church as an institution. Phrases like “The church gathers to praise God” and “God alone is to be adored and worshipped” echo throughout Presbyterian doctrine & governance.
This leads me back to our scripture reading for today that Cindy read from the book of Psalms.
Now I feel the need to pause here and say something about this word “victory.” If you look at different translations of the bible, some translate it as victory while others use the word salvation. The original Hebrew word is a very nuanced word that is wrapped up in concepts of wholeness and integrity and atonement. It’s a word that describes an act that only God can do… make things as they should be. So when I said that the history of faith and our everyday lives reveal God’s victory, I’m talking about simple things like the experience of blessing. But I’m also talking about complex things like justice and miracles and the unexplainable mysteries around us. And I’m also talking about faith in the eternal promises of God. Victory is God’s work of creation in and amongst us, that comes before us and goes after us. And it’s in the presence of that victory that David stands in awe and tells us to turn our eyes toward the origin of that victory, God.
David doesn’t just stop at the invitation though. He tells us a good bit about what worship should be too.
Well, in some ways, there is. The Book of Order offers guidance on a pathway to “ORDER” worship. It draws from our biblical and faith heritage to offer us a pathway to, yet again, stay focused on God.
But some people say, “well that’s just boring.” And you know what I say back? Yes, it could be but it should NEVER be. Friends, we are invited to sing a new song! Entering worship is about entering anew with a different experience of God from the last time we were here. So even though I’ve been through the lectionary many times in my life, the sermons are different or at least I hear them differently. The song selections change and have new meaning to me. I and those around me have entered the space of worship differently than the last time we were here.
So what does it mean to sing to the Lord a new song in this time and place? Well, the scripture describes this new song as joyous and gushing forth. To me, this seems like the invitation to throw off the cloak of our fears and inhibitions and let out our joy and light because it is God’s light beaming forth. The psalmist also tells us to use voice and instruments to make a melody. Now does that mean that worship should only be music and it should be only joyous? No, worship is not only song and there are most definitely times such as funerals when our worship is much more somber. Instead, the psalmist is telling us to do what will be meaningful and remembered.
You may ask, “Pastor Lavender, how did you get that from a passage that talks about making a joyful noise with instruments and song of praises?” So please bear with me and I’ll explain where I got that. Many of you may know that in the time when David was writing these Psalms, most people couldn’t read and writing tools were very expensive and scarce. So whether it was in gatherings of faith and worship or in a public square for entertainment, song was used as a storytelling device. David wrote in his poetic style because it was to be put to song. And if you read the bible in Hebrew, much of it has a melodious verse structure or repeating sounds that made it easier to sing… AND also easier to remember.
Think about it. When was the last time you had a famous speech stuck in your head? You never hear someone say, “Gosh, the Gettysburg address has just been stuck in my head all day long!” It just doesn’t happen! But very frequently, we all have these moments where we get songs stuck in our heads.
A song that tells a good story and has a good melody stays with us. And that’s what David wanted for people. David invited us to pour out our worship to God in a way that had beauty and meaning and would remain with us as a continuous reminder of the gift and presence of God.
So what does that mean today? Why are we here? How are we singing a new song? Well, this morning we are gathering in what’s called a traditional worship service because it’s a meaningful expression of our faith and hopefully we’ll experience God’s continued presence with us after it’s finished. We all have different preferences on what kinds of worship experiences feel more authentic to us. And what those things are sometimes changes with time.
For example, I know a woman who as a youth loved contemporary style worship services because the music connected more with her teenage life of constant change but as a young adult she longed for familiarity and a home so traditional worship became more meaningful. I know that sounds like I’m saying that choosing worship was about feeding her but I’m not. It’s about where she experienced God in her life. God was present with her in her time of flux and transition so for her to sing a new song at as a youth meant worship that spoke of how dynamic and powerful God is. And when she longed for stability God was guiding her in that too. So her expression of worship at that time felt more authentic in a setting that expressed her experience of God’s every presence and sovereignty. Personally, I go through periods of time when I crave contemplative worship that is meditative and reflects a calmness. I crave this because it is where I am in life and God is there too.
The people in the bible were much the same way. At times they brought God offering in the form of animal sacrifice to represent their trust that in such an unstable land, they knew God would provide. Other times they offered worship in the form of dance like Merriam’s dance of joy and gratitude after Moses led them out of Egypt. Still other times it was song and other times it was in the form of alters of remembrance. Regardless of when it was, the worship reflected their experience of God’s works in and around them. It reflected what was meaningful and memorable. It was authentic.
Sing to the Lord a new song! We have entered this space to worship God and our private inner expressions as well as our collective shared expressions are about reflecting where God has been, where God is, and our faith that God shall always be. So when we recognize that we like the music, that tells us about a way God speaks to us. And when we like to come to worship with our loved ones, it tells us about God’s work in community. And when we experience a sense of calling when a mission project is announced, it tells us that God has a future for us. And when we feel unable to connect with a particular element of worship it tells us about just how diverse and different our experiences of God are… which is also holy.
You see the sacred space and time of worship comes in all shapes and sizes. Presbyterians may have a documented formula for worship but it is not meant to limit worship. It is meant to keep us centered on what God is doing and what it means in our individual and collective lives as people of faith. Singing a new song is as much about how much we pay attention to God’s moving in and amongst us as it is about the literal format of worship.
Which brings me to the final part of the psalm…
So you may ask why would God do that? When the bible talks about God judging and people judging it means two different things. People are repeatedly shown to be fallible in their judgment. Consider the parables of Jesus. They tell us of all kinds of ways that people foolishly assess what should be done or how we make assessments based only on the little picture. God’s judgment, however, is always expressed in a big picture context in the bible. Big picture, as in a way that we in our limited selves could never see. It is about seeing fully. And seeing fully goes along with this victory. God’s victory is bigger than our small selves can fully appreciate and so it takes God’s presence to also see fully and appreciate that splendor. We only catch glimpses of it’s wonder, but God takes in all of it.
So what does this have to do with our worship? Well, it has to do with us seeing more glimpses of God’s great works. The scripture tells us of all creation singing praises to God. And if we pay attention, we can hear, experience, and worship in those glimpses of God’s victory.
Worship is most definitely what we do together as a body of believers. But it also happens outside these walls. The scripture tells us of the singing mountains and clapping waters. Who among us has not felt God’s presence when sitting next to water listening to the waves rush in and out? How could anyone miss God’s might works when we lift our eyes to the mountains? Creation shouts with praises to God and when we honor God’s victory in creation we worship God too.
So in practical ways, what does that mean to us? Well, we most definitely worship God in our admiration of creation. But like I said, when we honor God’s victory we worship God. So whether we realize it or not, much of our life is an act of worship and truly holy. Consider our second scripture reading from today that talk of the gifts God has given us. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a yours is prophesying, then bring the word. If it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is encouraging, be an encourager.
Sisters and brothers, this is a holy time of worship where I pray we sing a new song. But our lives are holy times of worship as well. When we sit and have a cup of coffee with a struggling friend offering the compassion God has cultivated in us, we are being good stewards of that victory in us and our sharing is an act of worship. When take the skills we have and apply them to our career, we are honoring the way God made us thus making our work a holy act of worship. When we use the cheerfulness in our heart to offer a smile of encouragement, that is a sacred moment. When we bring who we are, our true selves, to each present moment, we celebrate God’s good works are on holy ground.
Sisters and brothers, worship is about God, it is about intentionality, and it is about singing a new song with each and every moment. Amen
Good morning. It’s wonderful to be here with you again in this sacred place for worship. So to start off, I hope you’ll be patient with me because I want to share a few questions that I begin with each and every time I prepare for worship.
You see, when I sit down to begin, I ask God in prayer what do we hope to get out of this time together? What do we hope to give to this time? What does God want us to experience? And how can we offer worship to God that is pleasing? But the question that I begin the whole process with, the question that holds my center of attention is why are we here?
Now I’m not trying to sound simplistic or sarcastic though it might sound that way. I earnestly know that we all have reasons for coming to worship. I’m here because you invited me and I felt called to be here. Some of you are here for the community or the spiritual growth or the beautiful music. Maybe you’ve been members here your whole life. Maybe this was the church home you found later in life. The reasons that bring us here to this church are endless. But I am specifically talking about worship. Why are we here?
I start with the question “why are we here” to keep me grounded in the belief that ALL worship is about God. We are here because God invited us. We are here because we responded to that invitation. We are here to worship God.
The bible repeatedly reminds us that we are to worship God and only God. Worship is always God centered in the bible. And if you look into the Presbyterian constitution, meaning The Confessions and the Book of Order, you’ll find that worship is held in the highest esteem there too. We are very intentional about reminding ourselves that worship is about God lest we fall into the idolatry of worshiping the church as an institution. Phrases like “The church gathers to praise God” and “God alone is to be adored and worshipped” echo throughout Presbyterian doctrine & governance.
This leads me back to our scripture reading for today that Cindy read from the book of Psalms.
“O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory… He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness… All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.”It’s an amazing song of praise where David invites us to the space of worship. David knows that we are singing to God because God has already come before us and prepared a way. God is here now inviting our relationship. And God’s victory that he writes of is an ultimate gift. It’s seen throughout the entire history of faith. And it’s also in the everyday moments of blessing. And it’s also in the things yet unseen. God has been faithful and loving to us so we respond in grateful worship.
Now I feel the need to pause here and say something about this word “victory.” If you look at different translations of the bible, some translate it as victory while others use the word salvation. The original Hebrew word is a very nuanced word that is wrapped up in concepts of wholeness and integrity and atonement. It’s a word that describes an act that only God can do… make things as they should be. So when I said that the history of faith and our everyday lives reveal God’s victory, I’m talking about simple things like the experience of blessing. But I’m also talking about complex things like justice and miracles and the unexplainable mysteries around us. And I’m also talking about faith in the eternal promises of God. Victory is God’s work of creation in and amongst us, that comes before us and goes after us. And it’s in the presence of that victory that David stands in awe and tells us to turn our eyes toward the origin of that victory, God.
David doesn’t just stop at the invitation though. He tells us a good bit about what worship should be too.
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises. Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody. With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.”This image has always struck me because it seems so energetic compared to the stereotype of traditional worship. Some people call us the “frozen chosen” and other names to point to our “decently and in order” way of doing even worship. If you look at your bulletin for this service, it’s divided into these sections as if there was a particular formula for worship.
Well, in some ways, there is. The Book of Order offers guidance on a pathway to “ORDER” worship. It draws from our biblical and faith heritage to offer us a pathway to, yet again, stay focused on God.
But some people say, “well that’s just boring.” And you know what I say back? Yes, it could be but it should NEVER be. Friends, we are invited to sing a new song! Entering worship is about entering anew with a different experience of God from the last time we were here. So even though I’ve been through the lectionary many times in my life, the sermons are different or at least I hear them differently. The song selections change and have new meaning to me. I and those around me have entered the space of worship differently than the last time we were here.
So what does it mean to sing to the Lord a new song in this time and place? Well, the scripture describes this new song as joyous and gushing forth. To me, this seems like the invitation to throw off the cloak of our fears and inhibitions and let out our joy and light because it is God’s light beaming forth. The psalmist also tells us to use voice and instruments to make a melody. Now does that mean that worship should only be music and it should be only joyous? No, worship is not only song and there are most definitely times such as funerals when our worship is much more somber. Instead, the psalmist is telling us to do what will be meaningful and remembered.
You may ask, “Pastor Lavender, how did you get that from a passage that talks about making a joyful noise with instruments and song of praises?” So please bear with me and I’ll explain where I got that. Many of you may know that in the time when David was writing these Psalms, most people couldn’t read and writing tools were very expensive and scarce. So whether it was in gatherings of faith and worship or in a public square for entertainment, song was used as a storytelling device. David wrote in his poetic style because it was to be put to song. And if you read the bible in Hebrew, much of it has a melodious verse structure or repeating sounds that made it easier to sing… AND also easier to remember.
Think about it. When was the last time you had a famous speech stuck in your head? You never hear someone say, “Gosh, the Gettysburg address has just been stuck in my head all day long!” It just doesn’t happen! But very frequently, we all have these moments where we get songs stuck in our heads.
A song that tells a good story and has a good melody stays with us. And that’s what David wanted for people. David invited us to pour out our worship to God in a way that had beauty and meaning and would remain with us as a continuous reminder of the gift and presence of God.
So what does that mean today? Why are we here? How are we singing a new song? Well, this morning we are gathering in what’s called a traditional worship service because it’s a meaningful expression of our faith and hopefully we’ll experience God’s continued presence with us after it’s finished. We all have different preferences on what kinds of worship experiences feel more authentic to us. And what those things are sometimes changes with time.
For example, I know a woman who as a youth loved contemporary style worship services because the music connected more with her teenage life of constant change but as a young adult she longed for familiarity and a home so traditional worship became more meaningful. I know that sounds like I’m saying that choosing worship was about feeding her but I’m not. It’s about where she experienced God in her life. God was present with her in her time of flux and transition so for her to sing a new song at as a youth meant worship that spoke of how dynamic and powerful God is. And when she longed for stability God was guiding her in that too. So her expression of worship at that time felt more authentic in a setting that expressed her experience of God’s every presence and sovereignty. Personally, I go through periods of time when I crave contemplative worship that is meditative and reflects a calmness. I crave this because it is where I am in life and God is there too.
The people in the bible were much the same way. At times they brought God offering in the form of animal sacrifice to represent their trust that in such an unstable land, they knew God would provide. Other times they offered worship in the form of dance like Merriam’s dance of joy and gratitude after Moses led them out of Egypt. Still other times it was song and other times it was in the form of alters of remembrance. Regardless of when it was, the worship reflected their experience of God’s works in and around them. It reflected what was meaningful and memorable. It was authentic.
Sing to the Lord a new song! We have entered this space to worship God and our private inner expressions as well as our collective shared expressions are about reflecting where God has been, where God is, and our faith that God shall always be. So when we recognize that we like the music, that tells us about a way God speaks to us. And when we like to come to worship with our loved ones, it tells us about God’s work in community. And when we experience a sense of calling when a mission project is announced, it tells us that God has a future for us. And when we feel unable to connect with a particular element of worship it tells us about just how diverse and different our experiences of God are… which is also holy.
You see the sacred space and time of worship comes in all shapes and sizes. Presbyterians may have a documented formula for worship but it is not meant to limit worship. It is meant to keep us centered on what God is doing and what it means in our individual and collective lives as people of faith. Singing a new song is as much about how much we pay attention to God’s moving in and amongst us as it is about the literal format of worship.
Which brings me to the final part of the psalm…
“Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who live in it. Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.”Now before I go too far into what this passage might mean to us, I want to look at the word “judge.” That’s a word that makes some us uncomfortable because we have bad experiences with others judging us. For some, the word brings comfort because it means justice. But much like the word victory from earlier, it is not a simple word at all. In this passage, David speaks of God coming to judge something that has already been made whole by God.
So you may ask why would God do that? When the bible talks about God judging and people judging it means two different things. People are repeatedly shown to be fallible in their judgment. Consider the parables of Jesus. They tell us of all kinds of ways that people foolishly assess what should be done or how we make assessments based only on the little picture. God’s judgment, however, is always expressed in a big picture context in the bible. Big picture, as in a way that we in our limited selves could never see. It is about seeing fully. And seeing fully goes along with this victory. God’s victory is bigger than our small selves can fully appreciate and so it takes God’s presence to also see fully and appreciate that splendor. We only catch glimpses of it’s wonder, but God takes in all of it.
So what does this have to do with our worship? Well, it has to do with us seeing more glimpses of God’s great works. The scripture tells us of all creation singing praises to God. And if we pay attention, we can hear, experience, and worship in those glimpses of God’s victory.
Worship is most definitely what we do together as a body of believers. But it also happens outside these walls. The scripture tells us of the singing mountains and clapping waters. Who among us has not felt God’s presence when sitting next to water listening to the waves rush in and out? How could anyone miss God’s might works when we lift our eyes to the mountains? Creation shouts with praises to God and when we honor God’s victory in creation we worship God too.
So in practical ways, what does that mean to us? Well, we most definitely worship God in our admiration of creation. But like I said, when we honor God’s victory we worship God. So whether we realize it or not, much of our life is an act of worship and truly holy. Consider our second scripture reading from today that talk of the gifts God has given us. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a yours is prophesying, then bring the word. If it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is encouraging, be an encourager.
Sisters and brothers, this is a holy time of worship where I pray we sing a new song. But our lives are holy times of worship as well. When we sit and have a cup of coffee with a struggling friend offering the compassion God has cultivated in us, we are being good stewards of that victory in us and our sharing is an act of worship. When take the skills we have and apply them to our career, we are honoring the way God made us thus making our work a holy act of worship. When we use the cheerfulness in our heart to offer a smile of encouragement, that is a sacred moment. When we bring who we are, our true selves, to each present moment, we celebrate God’s good works are on holy ground.
Sisters and brothers, worship is about God, it is about intentionality, and it is about singing a new song with each and every moment. Amen
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