07-16-23

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
July 16, 2023
Yesterday, I started my Etching with a question: Does worship have a purpose? I did not necessarily answer the question directly, though I hope the Etching echoed some of the concerns the Prophet Isaiah had with the way certain worship practices were used to conceal unethical behavior. Let me suggest that I not only believe worship has a purpose, but I also believe it will be part of God’s transformation of the world. Why do I believe that? Simply put, worship shapes people’s lives. Sadly, I think some worship shapes people in the likeness of something other than Jesus. Worship with the underlying theme of guilt or fear shapes highly anxious and non-peaceful people who are in search of someone to blame for all their problems. But a worship experience where the far-reaching love of God is taught and people are challenged in their own understanding of love will shape the participants in such a way that they will better reflect the Jesus who we meet each Sunday at the table of welcome. Is Cypress Creek Christian Church perfect in its work of shaping people in the Love First Life? No! Far from it! I’m sure if I reflected on sermons I preached ten years ago, I would find illustrations and language that did not reflect a more glorious and abundant understanding of love. With all certainty, there have been moments when worship has fallen short of the high ideal to which we have been called. At the same time, I do believe there has been a holy evolution happening, not only in worship, yet the act of prayer and praise, sermon and song, has been the central place of transformation. This did not begin when I arrived, for in fact, in its 50+ years, CCCC has been on a trajectory of growing in faithful proclamation and sacred welcome. Today, I give thanks for the way God continues to act and work in worship. Let us gather to celebrate a God who continues to find a way of bringing us into a more genuine expression of the Jesus-life.

​Today, as you always have, meet us in worship. Holy and Grace-filled God, whether we gather in person or online, allow words, melodies, and beautiful rituals to be just some of the tools you use to bring us closer to mercy and love made real in the life of Jesus. Amen.