Now, friends, it's a great delight to be here in these four weeks as we talk about kind of the theology of worship.
I figure that we know the elements of a church service.
We know that we're going to sing, we know that we're going to pray or listen to the scriptures read and taught.
But I find, at least at home, that there isn't great depth in understanding why we do what we do.
So, adding to that, the kind of contemporary issue that people think regular church attendance is twice a month.
Now, it might be a little different here, I'm not sure, though some of the pastors at Trinity think that probably that's becoming more and more of an expectation or a standard in the US as well.
But certainly at home, if a person turns up twice a month, they see themselves as being very committed to this church.
Now, when I first became a Christian when I was 13, it wasn't just you went to church twice a month, you went to church twice a Sunday.
You were expected to come to church to the morning worship and the evening.
We used to call it a gospel service, kind of a youth service.
And notice then, just in the course of my own life, how our expectations have changed.
So, it's a good question to ask, not just what do we do in a church service, but why do we do it and how do we think we should benefit from doing it regularly.
So, that's kind of driving my interest in this four-part series.
Now, I love you guys asking questions along the way.
There are no dumb questions, there are just dumb answers.
So, please don't feel self-conscious about putting up your hand, rugby tackling me from the microphone or something like that.
But, I love your interaction.
So, please feel free to do that, okay?
I know that on Sunday morning, it's probably easier to err on the passive side and kind of listen.
And if that's your thing, that's fine.
But, please don't feel afraid to ask a question if you have a question that's...
Just a comment.
Or a comment even, of course.
Yeah, yeah, do it all you want.
No, the more the merrier.
My comment is that we're called to worship, the why is that we're called to worship because we were built to worship.
And because God tells us to worship Him.
Sure, sure.
Does He tell us to worship Him every week?
He gives us a Sabbath that He made it holy.
Sure.
Yeah.
Sure.
Well, then that still begs other questions, doesn't it?
Whether the Old Testament Sabbath is for Christians today and what it means that we have an eternal Sabbath that we're waiting for.
So, these are the kinds of questions that I want to raise.
And to do it in a friendly way, I'm trying to give us each week a big metaphor.
A big idea that will somehow build our conversation, but perhaps as well help our memory.
And this week, the metaphor that I'm appealing to is that worship is a compass.
With my students, at least, having some of these picture words is very, very helpful because it's not just that I want to teach them, but I want them to teach others as well.
And so, the more tools they have in their kit, pictures or kind of ideas that are readily transferable, that helps me and helps them too, I hope.
Now, I want to start with a definition, though it's pretty loose.
I want to say that worship is simply a God-centered life.
We could unpack it more.
For example, we could say that it's about both adoration and actions.
We could unpack it further and say that it's response to God's revelation.
I think all those are helpfully true.
But it's the first phrase, worship is a God-centered life, that I really want to hold on to in particular.
Because there are big debates about this.
Is worship something you do every day of the week?
Or is worship something you do on Sundays?
Or is worship just that part of the service that's singing?
So there are very broad definitions of worship and very narrow definitions of worship.
And this is a hot debate in many circles.
How do you define worship?
Is worship more about the actions of your week?
Or is worship more the attitudes and responses on Sunday?
And according to your kind of tight or broad definitions, this sometimes becomes quite heated.
So we had Don Carson come to Ridley where I teach to do a preaching school.
He's known for that, right?
And we arrived in chapel and one of my students stands up to begin the chapel service and says,
Welcome this morning to worship.
And at morning tea, not because of Don Carson's kind of influence,
but at morning tea after the chapel service, there was this hot debate.
Some people say you cannot stand up and say welcome to worship.
You're worshiping every day of the week, right?
You can say welcome to chapel or welcome to church, but not welcome to worship.
But if you're on the more Pentecostal end of the Christian spectrum,
you'll define worship even more narrowly to deal with a very particular kind of song
in a very particular place in the church service.
So when I first became a Christian, we had a hymn book in church, right?
There aren't many hymn books around anymore.
But in those days, in a hymn book, you'd have the section called Praise,
and the section called Worship, and the section called Daily Christian Living,
and the section called The Lord's Supper, and the section called Christ's Coming,
or the section called Christ's Passion.
In those days, worship was just a tiny bit of your singing.
But it's as if these days, worship is just that part of the hymn book
that's the first 30 songs.
So there are big debates about how broad or how narrow we should think of worship.
I actually think the Bible uses the worship language in both ways.
So when you look at Romans 12, 1-2, you'll be reminded that worship is for every day, right?
Let me read it to us.
I appeal to you, therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds
so that you might discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
So at least for Paul in Romans 12, worship is just giving your body to God.
And I presume you do that on Sundays and Mondays, right?
That's the broad definition.
Everything you do in your body can be a kind of worship.
But when you get to Revelation chapters 4 and 5,
the word worship is applied to singing.
Either in Revelation 4, singing about the Creator,
or in Revelation 5, singing about the Redeemer.
In both instances, the songs of worship are offered before the throne.
You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power,
for you created all things, and by your will they existed and they were created.
So I take it that the Bible can use the word worship narrowly,
or can use the word worship broadly.
And I'm happy with both usages of the word.
However, in these four Sunday school sessions,
we're going to be using kind of the more narrow definition,
what we do in church.
Please don't hear me saying that I don't think your Monday to Friday work is worship.
What you do in your body is worship.
But for these weeks at least, for our purposes,
we're narrowing a little our focus.
So I'm going to take a pause for a moment
and ask if you've got any comments or questions
about our learning so far.
Please, Lydia.
You mentioned worship singing to the Creator and the Redeemer.
And I know not very many, but many songs also make a point
to praise the Spirit.
I wondered if you had a comment for or against that or anything.
Yes.
So I think there's no biblical reason why you ought not to worship
or name the Spirit in your worship.
It's just that the Spirit is the shy one
who keeps pushing the glory to the Father and the Son.
So I'm not...
I don't think it's wrong.
And you could ask the same question about your praying.
Should we pray to the Spirit?
I think there's nothing wrong with that.
The Spirit is the Lord, according to 2 Corinthians 4.
But it seems to me that part of the way God works
is that the Spirit helps me in my prayers
to the Father through the Son.
So I think it's probably more appropriate
that we pray to the Father in the end.
In the Scriptures.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's right.
He leads us to the Scriptures.
The Spirit leads us to the Scriptures as well, yes, of course.
And then illuminates them for us in our heart and mind.
Well, this is my basic idea this morning.
I'm a simple man, so there's only going to be one big idea each week.
The big idea is that when we come to church,
when we come to worship,
our main goal is to practice being the creature
and letting God be the creator.
That whatever else we do,
however long the sermon goes,
however long the singing goes,
however long the praying goes,
we've only got one job to do,
and that's to practice being a creature.
Now, this might sound kind of patently obvious,
that you can never escape being the creature,
but let me tell you,
I think that's basically the human problem, right?
That we pretend from time to time
that we actually have the rights of the creator
to create our own world in our own image.
We're created in God's image, of course,
but on the seventh day,
God rests, having made men and women,
so that he might just enjoy the creation
with men and women at its climax.
In a sense, the point of Genesis chapter 1
is to show us how God loves for us
to enjoy fellowship with him.
He's the creator,
and we've just recently been created, right?
It seems to me the right attitude to have to God
is to see ourselves as creature
and not as a creator.
And in Romans 1,
the inverse is explained,
that basically sin is worshipping the creature
rather than the creator,
who is forever to be praised.
So it seems like to me,
and Romans 1 is important because,
let me read it then,
it contains the worship language.
Romans 1.24,
Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts
to impurity,
to the degrading of their bodies amongst themselves,
because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie
and worshipped and served the creature
rather than the creator.
So the fundamental description of sin,
in this part of Romans at least,
is that we try and act like the creator
and worship incorrectly.
What is worshipping correctly?
It's practising being the creature
and not the creator,
letting God be in his place
and we in ours.
So what are we going to do this morning
when we go upstairs to worship?
Well, the only thing you have to do
is realise that you're practising
in any element in the service,
no matter what part of it we're up to,
you're practising being the creature.
You've just got to let go.
You've got to let God be God
and pray to him and sing to him
and learn from him.
I don't want to argue
that church is an instrument
to achieve or do something else.
Church is a way of doing evangelism.
Well, it might be on the side.
Church is a way of growing in our minds.
Well, yes, of course it is.
But actually the most basic reason
why we worship
is to practise being creatures
and dependent.
My second point is related to that
and then I'll break again
and you can ask some questions.
Is that church reflects the relationship
between the one who calls
and the ones who are called.
So God calls us.
That means we are the called ones
and we turn up in response to his voice,
in response to his initiative.
And if you read the first chapter
of 1 Corinthians,
you'll see how often the language of call
is used there to describe God
or to describe us.
It's an important point.
Lots of people will assume
that we turn up to church
and then through our intense emotions
or through our beautiful voices
or through a structure of the service,
God sees fit to come and join us.
He's a bit resistant, right?
Because it's Sunday morning after all.
He was having a nice snooze
but our loud praises somehow
kind of wake him
or our loud praises give him a throne
to sit on.
Now actually,
the basic relationship in church
is that God is here before we turn up.
God calls us.
You and I, brothers and sisters this morning,
have heard his voice
and we respond to his voice
and arrive.
He is the one who calls
and we are the ones
who respond.
It's kind of the same point
about creator and creature
with slightly different language.
He's the creator.
We're the creatures.
We learn dependence.
He's the one who calls.
We are the called ones.
So we listen to his voice
and trust his words.
He is the creator
and knows best after all.
Now this is also
pretty controversial
in lots of circles
because assumption
in lots of places is
that God will respond
and come to be with us
if our words,
our emotions
or our services
have particular characteristics.
It drives me crazy
when people start the church service
and say, you know,
please Lord,
be in our midst this morning.
Please Lord,
may you take your place
on our praises.
It just drives me crazy.
He was there in the first place.
He's the one who called us.
We're only here
because he was here first.
That's the whole point
of being a Christian, right?
God's voice
comes before our response
to his voice.
So it's good
and it's lovely
that here at Trinity
we do this,
that we begin the service
calling on
or recognising
the name
of Jesus Christ.
For he's the one
who draws us together
as his body.
It's not like we turn up
and then God
scratches his head
and realises
that he should have done
something this morning
as well.
It was his initiative.
It's his power.
It's his voice.
It's his love
which draws us together
in the first place.
Now, next week
I'll unpack this
a little bit more
because it makes
a big difference
to the elements
of a church service
and how we might
approach
or how we think
about praying
or how we think
about singing
or how we think
about Bible reading.
But both
these points
from Romans
and from Corinthians
are trying to suggest
that
the purpose
of Sunday
meeting
is that we
practice
a God
centred
life.
And if we can
practice it for an hour
on Sundays
then perhaps
some of
the muscle memory
that we've
practiced on Sundays
will carry over
into Mondays
and Tuesdays
and Wednesdays
as well.
You can also say
that we're practicing
what we're going
to be doing
for eternity.
Yes, that's right.
That's right.
There will be singing
forever.
Correct.
Yep.
And we'll be depending
on God forever.
Yeah, indeed.
I'm taking a pause
so that you can
gather your thoughts
and ask some questions
or make some comments.
What do you think
like a right
understanding
of how we do
church together
with our body
here in Trinity
how does that
help us
in our mission
as Christians
on this earth?
Like what are
the practical
implications
of having this right?
Like as we think
about we come here
and this is what
we're doing
like what are
some of the benefits
that we experience
the body
by getting this
problem.
I think about it.
Yep, so
and I'll unpack
some of it
in the next few
weeks as well.
Primarily
the church
is a gift.
It's something
God's giving to us.
He's giving
to us each other
and if we
don't regard
each other
in church
as a gift
then what we
end up doing
is making
of church
a burden
or a challenge
and I think
that just
impacts
how we
approach it
how we
invite others
to come along
what we
imagine we're
doing here
what we think
we should be
achieving
or not
achieving
so I think
it has
a whole range
of spin-offs
the next
few
picture words
that I'm using
are the church
is a gym
church
is a dinner
party
and church
is a
classroom
and church
is a
party
and so
I want
to unpack
using those
metaphors
more of
the
value
what do we
lose if we
don't turn up
is the other
way of putting
it
so
lots of
people
decide not to
come to church
because they
could listen to
a podcast
and what
they say
is get more
from the
podcast
and turning
up a church
or they
could put
on their
Christian music
on a CD
or people
don't use
CDs anymore
do they
that just
dated me
on Spotify
whatever
and that's
it has
better production
values than
their local
congregation
and so on
but I just
think that's
so wrong
headed
because
it's assuming
that it's
about achieving
a certain
kind of
standard
rather than
receiving
a generous
gift
and
that we're
doing it
together
with others
not by
ourselves
with our
earpiece
the temptation
with podcasts
for example
is that you
put in your
earpiece
or put on
your headphones
and it
sounds like
that celebrity
preacher
is whispering
to you
right
you and
he have
this kind
of really
close
relationship
he's just
talking to
you
and so
you kind
of feel
special
the problem
is of course
he's not
and secondly
you haven't
understood
his applications
because you
receive it as
application for
an individual
rather than
application for
congregation
so it's
you kind
of end up
missing all
the gifts
that God
wants to
give
yeah
and with TV
evangelism
and with
podcasts
I believe
that God
turns out
being the
second banana
and the
pastor
the speaker
ends up
being the
first banana
and takes
away from
God
yeah
it certainly
does take
away from
God
and
the hair
or the
charisma
of the
pastor
you know
I often
think about
celebrity
pastors
hair
that's
right
Mesopotamia
yeah that's
right
it's very
easy to be
distracted by
the immediate
yeah
one of my
students said
he wasn't
reading the
Bible in the
morning for
himself anymore
he was just
listening to
podcasts
and I said to
him he'd
become a
medieval
Christian
where he
now had a
priest who
was getting
him to
God
rather than
reading the
Bible for
himself
right
that's what
he was doing
he was effectively
not turning up
at church
because he
thought that
he could get
the good
oil from
the podcast
but he was
just missing
the gifts
that God
wants to
give
he says in
his word
do not forsake
the assembly
of one
another
that's
right there
yeah
yes
and he'd
say he
wasn't
he was still
turning up
once or twice
a month
that is
the assumption
about weekly
attendance
has gone
missing
yes sir
what gifts
do we get
by coming
together
to worship
that we
don't get
you know
I'm agreeing
but can you
be a little
more particular
like when we
come together
what gifts
are we
receiving
that we
don't
when a
great
worship
song
comes on
and we're
just
we turn
and we're
praising God
by ourselves
yeah
it's maturity
so I don't
think you can
be mature
alone
that is
I think
sermons
are primarily
I hope I don't
get into trouble
for this
I think sermons
are primarily
to build a
congregation
of which
you will
benefit as
an individual
but I
think corporate
maturity
is the
primary
goal
of a church
service for
that matter
for worship
as we
together
learn to
be the
creatures
before the
creator
but of course
in our world
we think
individual
maturity
and therefore
we say
well I'm
individually
maturing
by listening
to my
podcast
but actually
you're not
corporately
maturing
you're not
actually
maturing
as God
wants you
to mature
which is
to learn
your place
in the
body
in the
fellowship
right
this is
the thing
when I
give these
talks
or these
seminars
that one
of the
things that
people react
most strongly
to is that
church is for
corporate maturity
not for your
personal maturity
and that gets
often lots of
pushback
yes brother
yeah I
agree
yeah sure
so that
I do
in the end
benefit
individually
too
but I
can't say
I'm not
going to
turn up
at church
because I'm
not going
to get
anything
out of
it today
you turn
up at
church
because we're
going to get
something out
of it
today
and so
the danger
of highlighting
the individual
maturity
at the expense
of the
corporate
maturity
is that
then you
say the
podcast is
going to
do me
just fine
could you
touch on
the historical
worship
aspect
with
Israel
and the
relationship
to God
versus now
sure
so
one of
the
biggest
lessons
in
Leviticus
or in
God's
instructions
for the
temple
and the
sacrifices
is that
you have
to do
things on
God's
own
terms
he's
the one
who sets
the rules
for how
you worship
he's
the one
who's
at the
center
of the
holy
of holies
and you
can only
approach
him
recognizing
the way
he wants
us
to approach
him
so I
think
this
point
I could
expand
it
is
actually
deeply
embedded
in the
Old
Testament
storyline
that we
worship
according to
the rules
that God
has made
for worship
we can
only
approach
him
because
he's
first
approached
us
we can
only
approach
him
on the
terms
that he's
laid
down
and of
course
in
the
worship
of
Israel
they
held
strongly
to it
being a
corporate
experience
it was
after all
the whole
nation
of the
Hebrews
that God
brought out
of Egypt
through
the
Passover
sacrifice
on a
potentially
pastoral
application
level
how does
this
how would
you translate
this to
someone who
says
I'm battling
feeling just
really discouraged
and depressed
and church
just feels
overwhelming
to me
or my
boyfriend
broke up
with me
and I
just can't
get myself
out of
bed
or
my
feelings
were hurt
by someone
and I
don't want
to go
and deal
with them
how
might this
be a
helpful
thing
how would
you
communicate
this to
someone
who's
saying
it just
feels
really hard
to go
to corporate
worship
yes
so I
understand
that
there'll
be
seasons
in a
person's
life
where
corporate
worship
is very
challenging
either
they have
a kind
of a
social
phobia
that makes
being
in groups
hard
and so
on
but I'd
say this
at least
at some
level
meeting
with other
Christians
in those
seasons
is really
important
even if
it's not
in Sunday
worship
for a
small
time
but a
small
group
in the
week
or a
prayer
triplet
as a
minimum
but the
other thing
is of course
you could
say to the
person
why don't
you come
five minutes
late
and leave
five minutes
early
so that
you don't
have to
talk to
anyone
but that
you can
remind
yourself
with
the
practices
of the
service
what
God
wants
to give
and how
you've
been
blessed
what your
responsibilities
are
despite
this
season
of
depression
or
trial
one
lesson
that I've
learned
in my
Christian
walk
is that
you go
to church
especially
when you
don't
want to
go
I was
battling
addiction
for a
decade
and a
half
and I
want to
go to
church
only
when I
had
some
clean
time
under
my
belt
and it
was like
get your
act
together
and then
you can
be in
God's
presence
and I
was at
Redeemer
then
under
Keller
and I
just
couldn't
and I
just
believe
that
you go
to church
especially
when you
don't
want to
go
when you
want to
go
but especially
when you
don't
want to
go
and I
never
regretted
going to
church
especially
when I
didn't
want to
go
yes I
agree with
you brother
that's great
and it
happens to
me like
that where
I'm
thinking oh
my goodness
I'm feeling
overwhelmed by
this that or
the other
why don't I
kind of
cut myself
some slack
and not go
everything
no no that's
just ridiculous
that's exactly
right doesn't
doesn't actually
in the end
help you
doesn't actually
what I need
to do then
is to practice
being the
creature rather
than the
creator
and church
will help
me set
set my
compass right
again
yeah the
reason why
I've used
this picture
of the
compass is
that I
think when
you're on a
long walk
or a long
journey
then repeated
appeals to
the compass
is exactly
when you
need to
find your
bearings again
right if
you're going
two paces
a compass
isn't actually
of enormous
use but if
you know the
journey is long
and hard
with lots of
distractions
and lots of
ways that
you can be
set off track
then looking
at your compass
repeatedly to
work out are
you still tracking
north one
degree
here or
there after
a year two
years five
years ten
years can
make an
enormous
difference you
can be so
far away from
the Lord if
you've only been
the first day
one degree
off so I'm
trying to argue
that coming to
church
practicing being
the creature
rather than the
creator learning
again to be the
called one
responding to
God's call
is a way of
weakly
recalibrating
celebrating our
journey
weekly
setting
ourselves
due north
again
and I
think
we need to
do that
regularly
and I'd say
weekly
in Hebrews
2 we're
reminded that
often people
stop being
Christians
because not
because they've
made a
moral
a bad
moral choice
but they
kind of just
drift
like the
boat that
is no
longer
tethered
to the
jetty
and without
realising it
you're very
quickly a
long way
away from
where you
want to be
given the
pull of the
sea and the
winds
yes please
brother
a couple
of times
you made
implicit
references to
how often
yes
one you
just made
and I'm
just wondering
if you're
going to do
any more
than what
you just
did
which is
I think
weekly
would be
good
and you
said something
yes
sure
yes and
I do
think
weekly
is best
that is
it might
be good
if we
went to
church
twice a
day
I think
it's not
going to
happen
anytime
soon
but
weekly
is a
pattern
that the
scriptures
give us
both in
terms of
Old Testament
worship
and New
Testament
worship
as well
for the
reason that
as that
final point
makes
we're
setting our
compass to
north
we're
recalibrating
our walk
weekly
churches
like a
compass
because
the
first
Christians
moved
their
worship
day
from
Saturday
to
Sunday
to
the
Lord's
day
to
the
first
day
of
the
new
week
rather
than
the
seventh
day
of
the
old
week
that
is
what
we're
doing
on
Sundays
is
recalibrating
our
journey
around
the
new
world
that
was
begun
with
the
resurrection
of
Jesus
Christ
and
consequently
it's not
to say
therefore
it's not
the only
argument I
give for
weekly
worship
but at
least
this
that
we are
being
reminded
every
Sunday
of
the
new
world
that
we've
begun
to
celebrate
on
the
Lord's
day
and I
need
that
I
need
that
reminder
and that
shaping
every
week
to
orient
my
heart
to
true
north
to
the
new
heavens
and
the
new
earth
when
I'll
meet
the
Lord
face
to
face
I'll
give
in
some
texts
there
which
point
out
the
novelty
of
the
Lord's
day
the
Sunday
as
the
day
for
Christians
meeting
but of
course
in
Hebrews
4
9
as
well
we're
reminded
that
what
we're
doing
on
Sundays
is
practicing
for
the
eternal
Sabbath
and
so
it's
not a
bad
way
of
honoring
Sundays
this
being
our
Sabbath
rest
as a
way of
practicing
the
Sabbath
rest
forever
I
work
hard
and I'm
a single
man
so I
work
kind
of
too
much
basically
but
a good
thing
about
a
Sabbath
rest
is
I'm
telling
myself
I'm
not
stronger
than
God
I
need
to
rest
as
well
if
God
did
and
Sundays
might
be a
good
day
to
do
it
menos
back
신
hey
any
other
thoughts
means
so
the
original
Sabbath
was
from
sunset
Friday
to
sunset
Saturday
correct
and that
transition
into
Sunday
do you
know
exactly
how that
took place
and why
it took
place
Yes, so the earliest Christians wanted to recognise the resurrection of Christ
and on the first day of the week, on the Sunday,
and because of his resurrection and his resurrection power
and the new power we have as God's New Testament people.
So it was a model recognising the centrality of Jesus' resurrection.
I thought I read something about a Catholic priest initiating it,
inaugurating it on a Saturday, taking it away from the day, Friday,
I mean on a Sunday, taking it away from Saturday, put it on a Sunday, so I didn't know.
Yes, I say, no, it's a long time before there were Catholic priests.
So in those texts I've given you there, even the writers of the New Testament
recognised that now this day, this Sunday, this Lord's Day,
is the day where it's appropriate for Christians to gather to worship their risen King.
In the Western world, I assume it's typical in Australia as well,
like we kind of have a rhythm now of five days of work and two days of weekend.
In Australia we do two days of work and five days of work.
Have you thought much about sort of the difference between maybe a biblical view of a week
and a cultural view of a week?
Interesting.
So you mean the biblical view being six and one rather than five and two?
Well, and also, like, it just occurs to me,
there are some people who feel very inconvenienced by going to church in the morning
because it's right in the middle of their weekend.
Yeah, sure.
And you just sort of described it as being,
hey, this should be the beginning of our week.
Yeah, and if, you know, like in some of our churches in Melbourne,
people have a holiday house or a vacation house and they go away for the weekend
and they don't get back.
They think they're doing well to get to church once a month
because they're down at the beach the other weekends, whatever it might be.
I think the pattern of one and six or five and two has been the most successful in history.
So in the French Revolution they tried to make the working week ten days.
You work for nine and have the tenth off.
That didn't last very long.
And it's actually why when the French decided after their revolution to have a ten-day week,
that's when the English turned up the volume on having a Sabbath rest
because they wanted to be unlike the French, right?
And so the importance of Sabbath in Victorian England
became increasingly important to show that we're not the French.
We have a very strict six-on-one rule here, right?
Yeah, of course, and kids have sport, at least in Australia.
Kids have sport on Sunday morning, Saturday morning, Sunday morning.
So that means that it's more difficult.
It might mean that we need to think more flexibly about service times.
So I know that there are churches in Melbourne that have Sunday night services
so that those folk who've been away for the weekend at their holiday house,
their vacation house, can get to church on Sunday nights as part of their strategy.
You think, well, being as a person who doesn't have a holiday house,
I don't have much sympathy for them.
If I did, I'm sure I'd like the arrangement.
Our son used to go with us from age 11 to like 14 or 15
to the RP in Cambridge, and he got baptized,
and I'd go to Bible school and all that, and worship.
He knew the language and really loved the Lord,
and he's an oboe player, and he went to conservatory.
First boarding school, then conservatory.
Now he's in L.A., and he's auditioning all over the world for an oboe player.
And early on in his career, it was oboe on Sunday.
He's completely left to faith.
And it's a heartbreaker, and we wish, you know, what do you do?
What do you say?
Yes, that's awful.
This is his career.
He's a world-class oboe player, but he doesn't know the Lord.
He's fallen away.
Yes, so we, of course, wish that things had otherwise eventuated.
But I'd say this.
We ought not to develop our theology and our practice around the exceptions.
That is, there are going to be people who do work on Sundays,
either in trades or in professions where they have to.
That's just their job.
And you kind of go, okay.
But let's not then say, therefore, Sunday isn't the right thing to do.
Sunday, weekly worship isn't the right thing to do.
We still want to say it is, right?
We just recognise there are going to be exceptions.
We can't make law around exceptions.
You have to establish the principles and then help individual folk fit into that model,
given their own life situation.
Yes, but...
Do you have strong opinions, including communion, every time we get together,
as some denominations do, or just periodically,
or is there a biblical view of this that we can...
No, I don't know that there's a particular biblical view.
And there's a lot of theology that you have to sort through first
before you make the decision how often you have communion.
I'm an Anglican, so I do it more often than less often.
But that's just my tribe.
Good.
Well, I think we'll call it quits there.
I'll say a prayer for us, and then we can get ready for worship.
Our dear Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we thank you so much for this morning,
this opportunity to talk and to listen,
to spur each other on to love and good deeds.
Even now I ask that you'd help us in the next hour or so to worship,
to practise being creatures before our Creator,
to respond to your call,
which comes before our obedience.
And I pray that you'd help us to learn these things such that we might teach others.
For we ask it in Christ's strong name.
Amen.
If those of you in the back could take your chairs and just fill them around the tables,
and if you're up in the front, if you want to stack the chairs over here,
that would be great help.
Thank you.