Flying on an airplane is a real trip. We arrive at the airport hours before takeoff and then begin taking things off:
- We take off our shoes and walk around in our socks.
- We take off our belt and hope our pants stay up.
- We take out all the contents of our pockets and place it in dishes.
- We take out our laptops and place them alone in bins.
- We watch agents take our carryons apart looking for 4 ozs of shampoo.
Then we put everything back on our bodies and in our bags then get on the plane. Then they tell us to turn everything off.
- Turn off your cellular service.
- Turn off your large electronic devices.
- Turn off the recline function of your seat.
- Turn off your tray table.
And you know what? Everyone does it! It is amazing! As someone with experience leading groups I am amazed at the compliance from all in the airport and on the plane. But why do we do these things? You may know why we do SOME of these things, but does anyone really know why we do ALL these things?
You may remember the shoe bomber, but may be unclear why your cell phone might crash the plane! The more we are in tune with the WHY of each of these regulations, the more we are inclined to adhere to the custom.
But that principle is not just true in air travel, it flies in church as well.
Think about the typical Sunday morning:
- People gather into rooms all over the world for church services.
- People (who never gather with friends to sing songs in other settings) stand and sing for 20 minutes together.
- Often at the end of these gatherings, people eat bread and drink wine/juice in a ceremony called communion.
- Every so often people don swimsuits and then allow themselves to be submerged under water in baptism.
- Pastors stand on stages and pray out loud while others listen silently, heads bowed.
- Church services are free, and yet people give money in bins and baskets as people gather.
- For extended periods of time, Pastors read from an ancient book called the Bible and then talk about its significance for our contemporary life in sermons.
All these are parts of the WHAT of worship in contemporary churches, including Wildwood. Amazingly, people do this each and every Sunday. But why do we do these things? Why gather, sing, have communion, be baptized, pray, give an offering, or listen to a sermon? Knowing the WHYS of WORSHIP will help us understand what we are doing on Sundays, and why it is so important.
Throughout 2024, I will be preaching on the topic of worship from a number of different angles. Later this year, we will have a sermon series on the Psalms, Ezra/Nehemiah/Haggai, and more. But we are kicking off the year with a series entitled “WHYS of WORSHIP.” So before we takeoff into another year, let’s unpack why we are doing what we are doing. This Sunday, we begin our series by looking at why we gather from Hebrews 10:24-25. See you Sunday, January 7 at Wildwood Community Church in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 service … and bring friends!