The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

“The Hope of Worship”

Isaiah 6:1-13

The Revelation 4:1-11

R. Tim Meadows, Ph.D.

Associate Pastor

It is a dark and stormy place. A seemingly endless journey that is long, lonely, and fraught with difficulty. Have you ever been there? How did you get back?

I’m talking about the journey into despair, a place we all go from time to time, and a place from which we must return if we are to have any quality of life. In my own dealings with despair, I have often found that worship serves as a place of respite and a reminder of how to return to the happier paths of life. For me, worship is a source of hope necessary for dealing with the inevitable despair of life. What I find in worship is:

I. Hope For A Return To Normalcy: Both the prophet and the revelator were dealing with unusual times and both found worship to be an ordering force in their lives. Have you experienced this? I have. It was not that worship was my first inclination or even that I wanted the experience, however in the midst of worship I have often had my world reordered, my perspective restored, and my priorities realigned. Worship speaks into our chaotic lives to restore our hope in and focus on God. Will life ever be “normal” again? I do not know, but I know the hope for normalcy begins with worship.

II. An Encounter With Mystery: Both the prophet and the revelator communicate a sense of mystery in their experience of worship. Unfortunately, in our effort to make worship accessible, understandable and palatable modern Christianity has often robbed it of mystery. What is the value of mystery to worship, you ask? Mystery is a humble reminder that we cannot explain and control everything in our world. Mystery reminds us that we need a support and supply of power outside of ourselves. Mystery allows us to connect emotionally with God at levels beyond human explanation. It is in the mystery of worship that we encounter God! Have you encountered the mystery of God?

III. Cleansing & Renewal: Both the prophet and the revelator focus on these aspects of worship. In the presence of God we realize our undone condition and our need for spiritual and emotional healing. Fortunately, God’s presence is the place where this kind of healing can occur. God accepts us where we are and through the cleansing and renewal of worship grants us strength to become all we can be. Have you experienced God’s cleansing and renewal?

IV. The Ability To Share Good News: In the midst of the judgment, of which both the prophet and the revelator speak, do not miss the promise of rescue for those who ask. Worship is the place where the “good news” of God’s hope should be communicated. In worship, we should hear that though the world around us appears in dire straits, there is hope in God, and we should share that hope with those around us who need to hear a word of hope. Have you experienced God’s “good news”? Are you sharing that “good news” with others?

The prophet, the revelator, and us, we all know the hope of worship. We know that worship is a place to return to normalcy, to encounter mystery, to receive cleansing and renewal, to experience the message of “good news” to share with the world. So, in the dark and stormy places of life, always remember the hope of worship!