God’s Timing #3 – The Present

The Rev. Canon Dr. Brett Cane, December 13, 2009

2^nd Sunday in Advent; 10:00 a.m. Holy Communion

“God’s Timing #3 – The Present”

Luke 3:7-18

Opening Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you have called us to count the cost of being your disciple; help us now, by your Holy Spirit, to offer you the sacrifice of our time, that we might find release to worship our Father in Heaven.  Amen.

Introduction

One of the common problems of clergy is that we want to please everyone – we don’t want anyone to go away upset.  John the Baptist had no such reservations!  How’s this for a sermon opener: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?” (Luke 3:7).  Things didn’t improve as the sermon went on: “The axe is at the root of the trees…cut down and thrown into the fire…his winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor…he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (verses 9, 17).  John wasn’t aiming to win any popularity contests!

Well, that’s my situation this morning!  Today, I am going to address an issue that has been simmering for a number of years but has been brought into sharper focus this fall.  It is the concern over the length of our worship services.  For some of you, this may not be an issue – but for others, it is.  In speaking to this, I know I am going to upset many people – people I love and care about – but I feel I must do it.  I hope to show that the problems of service length are really the tip of an iceberg and that there is a much deeper issue that needs to be looked at which will help everyone – both those who are concerned about length and those who are not.

As this is our 80^th anniversary Sunday, I could think of no better occasion to look at our life together as a congregation and the subject fits into our Advent theme of “God’s Timing” at many levels, and especially the topic of today: “God’s Timing – The Present.”  At the end of this sermon, after I have spoken “hard words,” I hope that the message will be received the same way as that after John the Baptist’s “hard words” – “And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them” (verse 18).   We will begin with the concerns, move on to some solutions, look at the deeper issue and close with how to enjoy Sunday morning.

The Concerns

First, some will need a bit of background.  Before we combined our 9 and 11 a.m. services into one in the Fall of 2008, service length was often dictated by the pressures of another service looming or growling stomachs.  One and a half hours was the norm.  Now, with a 10:00 a.m. joint service, more people and less time pressure, service length has been creeping up to one and three-quarter hours or longer.  This is particularly the case for special services such as Remembrance or First Sunday in Advent or when we have additional elements such as on Commitment Sunday or when the Sudanese congregation came and made their presentation.

Concern has been expressed that certain groups – e.g. those who can’t sit too long, students, families with young children, etc. – are being disadvantaged.  Other concerns are that life is so pressured and a longer service eats away too much into the day.  Another worry is that a longer service is not as attractive to the unchurched and we are harming our ability to reach out.

Some Solutions

Before addressing those concerns (and the deeper issue), may I assure you that they have been heard and we are trying to take steps to stop unnecessary lengthening of the service.  One thing we have done is to keep the announcements shorter by not allowing individuals other than myself to make them.  One thing we will do on Festival Sundays, when there are extra bits of liturgy or music (e.g. the litany on the first Sundays of Advent or Lent) is ensure that the sermon is shorter.  When there is a special guest Sunday, such as when the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts visit, the service will be less complex and sermon more visitor-friendly.  We are meeting with the intercessors early in the New Year to review that part of the service to allow time to listen to God and adapt to what the Spirit may be doing in the service.  We are open to other suggestions!

At the same time, you need to realize that the bit of the service you want to shorten may be the one that others want to maintain or even lengthen.  Some can’t understand why we spend so long singing worship songs and want to get right to the lessons and sermon while others feel that period is too short and we need to cut down on sermon length!  Others have asked for more time for testimonies or feel that we rush the Eucharist too much.  Plus, there are no complaints from the Sunday School, Youth or Nursery – they are happy with a longer service.  As your senior pastor, I see the broader picture and try to balance the needs but I will never please all of you all of the time!

However, here at St. Aidan’s, we also have other options for worship.  Your Sunday is full?  Every week there is an 8:30 a.m. service which is done within an hour; you have the rest of the day free!  You want more worship songs or prayer time?  Come to our Sunday evening bi-monthly healing services or monthly “Let God Arise” worship times.  They are two hours long and no one has been concerned about that.  We need something for the unchurched?  Sunday morning may not be the best time for them anyway so why not pray about starting a seeker-friendly, shorter non-Eucharistic service on a Saturday evening?  We can’t do everything at the main Sunday morning service but at St. Aidan’s we do have other options.

The Deeper Issue

But these solutions do not address the deeper issue we need to look at.  I will lead into this by reading the following which you may have heard before:

Funny or Sad?

• Funny how a $20 bill “looks” so big when you take it out as the plate passes by at church, but so small when you take it at out the check-out counter in the grocery store.
• Funny how we can’t think of anything to say when we pray, but don’t have difficulty thinking of things to talk about to a friend.
• Funny how hard it is to read a chapter in the Bible, but how easy it is to read 100 pages of a good book.
• Funny how we need 2 or 3 weeks advance notice to fit a church event into our schedule, but can adjust our schedule for other events at the last moment.
• Funny how long it takes to serve God for an hour, but how quickly a team plays 60 minutes of basketball.
• Funny how long a couple of hours spent at church are, but how short they are when watching a movie.
• Funny how we get thrilled when a hockey game goes into overtime, but we complain when a service is longer than usual.

Funny or sad?

The deeper issue we need to look at is simply the cost of discipleship.  In Luke 3, John the Baptist challenged the people with the cost of what it means to take God seriously and seek his kingdom above all else.  After his preaching, three groups of people came to him and asked, “What should we do?”  Here are his responses:

1. To the crowd: “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same” (verse 11).
2. To the tax collectors: “Don’t collect any more than you are required to” (verse 13).
3. To the soldiers: “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay” (verse 14).

Each of the responses involved a cost.  It costs to be a disciple of Jesus.

Then John spoke about the Holy Spirit, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (verse 16).   When we speak today of Christ’s gift of the Holy Spirit, we think in terms of power, blessing, etc – but here it is his purifying role – “with fire.”  This is elaborated in the next verse, “His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (verse 17).  Purification by fire hurts – discipleship costs!

Now the central focus of discipleship is worship – giving God his rightful place in our lives begins with our praise and adoration, our listening to his word and our enjoying his presence together.  King David spoke about the cost of worship.  On the occasion of taking over the future site of the temple, the previous owner offered animals free of charge for the necessary sacrifices.  But David replied, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24).  Yes, Christ has been sacrificed for us and our sins have been paid for freely by him, but we respond with the sacrifice of our lives in return.  We often summarize this as offering our treasure, our talents and our time; usually we see time as how many hours we give to the church for volunteer work (committees, leading a group, etc.) – but the first time we give to God is in worship – alone and together.

I have three questions for you:  would you stop coming to worship…

• if you were offered money?
• if you were threatened with persecution?
• if you didn’t have time?

Don’t fit God into your schedule – you fit into his.  Be willing to pay the cost and put your time of worship with God and your Christian family first.  This is the deeper issue we all need to face.

How to Enjoy Sunday Morning

Having recognized the deeper issue of putting time with God first, how then are we to enjoy Sunday morning together as the Body of Christ, the People of God, at St. Aidan’s?  I have a few suggestions – I am sure many of you could add to and elaborate on them:

1. Plan ahead: Set aside the day and prepare for it as you would do if you were going away for a holiday.  Jewish Sabbath practice can be a great help to us here.  For them, the day of rest begins at sundown the previous day.  Get into Sunday mode ahead of time.  Get major items such as food preparation and homework done in advance.  Buy gas and wash the car the day before.  Set out your clothes the previous night.  For those of you in families, work together to ensure you can be free from unnecessary chores and relax the next day.
2. Simplify the day: Avoid unnecessary work and events.  I try to ensure that church committees don’t meet on Sunday – just those that provide for fellowship and enjoyment of life together.  Don’t try and do too much – do you have to visit grandma and your cousins and your friends all on the same day?
3. Make worship the focal point: Develop a mind-set which sees worship not as an intrusion on your busy schedule but the highlight of your week.  Give up your time to God as your first offering of worship – protect that time with God and your brothers and sisters as you would your most valuable possession.  Cultivate it and let it grow and flourish as you would a precious plant.
4. Practice good worship habits: Aim to be on time so you don’t rush in so flustered it takes you the rest of the service to unwind.  Take time before the service or earlier to pray and read the lessons and prepare your heart and mind.  Try and enter fully into all the parts of worship, especially those that you aren’t as comfortable with.  Worship songs not your forte and can’t wait for the sermon?  You need that time of praise to have God prepare your heart so you can receive what is in the sermon.  Sermon too tedious?  Try focusing on one point and let God work that into your life.  Prayers too long?  Listen to hear God speak to you.  Have to leave the sanctuary for the washroom or before the service ends?  Don’t feel guilty – just do it at a moment when others will not be disturbed and if returning, wait at the back until there is a break where movement can take place.  I am so pleased that the many in the congregation with ADHD and related issues feel free to move when necessary – just do it at an appropriate moment!
5. Take Time: Finally, take time to be with God and one another.  Receive it as a gift and offer it as a sacrifice.  And remember – this is good news!  “And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them” (verse 18) – the cost, the purifying, the sacrifice is worth it!