This
is a story about a people—with a group identity. This is a story about the law—the
word that meant so much to this people.
And this is a story about worship. As with most Biblical stories, it transcends
time, and it is our story.
The
people gather together to hear the law—the word. They have done this before. The 1st time they
were a ragtag bunch of newly-liberated Hebrew slaves. They had fled Pharaoh, crossed the Red
Sea and stood at the foot of Mt. Sinai.
There, the God of their ancestor Abraham, called them God’s treasured
possession and renewed his promise to bless them to be a blessing to the whole
world. They heard God’s word and
received God’s law as a sign of God’s covenant with them.
The
people gather together to hear the word.
They have done this before. About 250 years after their Mt. Sinai
experience, they gathered to hear the word at the dedication of the temple in
Jerusalem. They recalled how from wandering, newly-freed slaves, they eventually
became a people united under one great king, David. Anointed by God, held accountable by the prophet Nathan,
David’s dynasty seemed to promise continued covenant-keeping with God.
The
people gather together to hear the word.
They have done this before.
About 300 years after the temple dedication, the temple had fallen into
disrepair. Temple priests
encourage burnt offerings instead of changed hearts. Kings filled their coffers with the taxes instead of providing
for widows and orphans. In the midst
of a temple remodel program, the scrolls containing the law—were
rediscovered. And the people gathered
together to hear the word. Shocked by how far they had strayed
from the covenant, they renewed their vows to God.
About
50 years later, overrun by raiders from the east, the kingdom fell. The king & his cabinet—the leaders,
the priests & scribes—the literates, the artisans & craftsmen—the
skilled were led away to Babylon.
The unskilled, the poor, the peasant were left behind to tend what was
left of the land. 70 years pass, and the exiles return under Nehemiah and
Ezra’s leadership. The once-scattered
peoples gather together to hear the law—the word.
The
word reminds them of their identity—the covenantal people of God—blessed to be
a blessing to all families of the earth.
The word reminds them of their calling—to love God with all their heart
and soul and mind and strength and to love their neighbor as themselves.
This
is a story about worship. The
people gather together to hear the word.
All the people—men and women, adults and children—stand before the Water
Gate, “a place where everyone could be present, even those who are ritually
unclean.”[1]
All the people come together—as a group—to hear the
word. They come together, not to
hear about God—but expecting to hear
the Word of God, anticipating God’s
presence among them. The people gather
together to hear the word. God’s word is central to this experience, so they respond
with postures of worship—lifting hands in praise and bowing in awe. God’s word is central to this
experience, so they respond with shouts of “Amen and Amen!” The people gather together to hear the
word. And they are changed. When the word is read, the people
weep. “Perhaps they are overcome
with regret at the loss of the Torah [the word—the law] during the exile. Perhaps they have been reminded of how
far short their actions have fallen from God’s expectations of them. Or perhaps they are tears of joy, for
the recovery of the Torah and for this sense of God’s abiding presence and
providential care.”[2]
This is a story about a
people—with a group identity; it is a story about the word; it is a story about
worship; and it is our story. We
are a people—with a group identity.
We are Christians, followers of Christ. Our group identity has been evolving since 16 people
chartered this Presbyterian congregation in 1867. Standing together at building
dedications—the sanctuary & the education wings—and at
rededications—burning the mortgage—we’ve heard God’s word to use this resource
to develop and nurture faith and to care for those in need. We’ve experienced exile and
return. Standing together, we have
heard God’s word and revived our Presbyterian identity.
This
is our story—for we are the people of God—blessed to be a blessing to the people
in our community. This is our story—for it is in worship that our identity is
formed.
We
gather together to hear the word.
We use the language of our faith to form and re-form our group
identity. And we translate that
language, explaining words and phrases to include all—believers and seekers. We
come together to hear the word.
“While [our] private spiritual . . . practices are important, there is
no substitute for God’s people gathering together for worship”[3]
for it is together that we are the body of Christ.
We
come together to hear the word.
The word is central to our worship. Look at the headings on your bulletin: Gathering around the
Word, Proclaiming the Word, Responding to the Word, Bearing the Word into the
World. Our worship revolves around
the Word—Jesus the Christ, the Word made flesh. We come to know him through this word (the Bible).
We
come together to hear the word. Because
we welcome all in our worship—young and old; believers and seekers; members, friends,
and visitors—because we welcome all, our worship is changing. To engage our children, we sing songs
with repetition and offer opportunities for movement. To include seekers and visitors, we use inclusive language,
different Biblical translations, and contemporary music.
We
gather together to hear the word—again and again. We have many opportunities to celebrate our shared identity—to
dip our hands in the baptismal font and remember that while we are welcomed
individually into God’s family it is together that we are formed into God’s
people.
We
come together to hear the word—again and again. We have many opportunities to experience God’s presence—to come
to the table—to be fed, to be drawn closer to Christ, to remember his sacrifice,
and to give thanks for his grace that transforms our lives.
We
gather together to hear the word—the Word by which we are formed, the Word by
which we are transformed. “When we gather together as God’s people, when we are
conscious of coming into the presence of the living and holy God, when we
center our worship on God’s Word, when we offer all of ourselves to God, we
cannot help but be changed over time.”[4] We come together to hear the word, “to give
glory to God and to have God make a difference in us so that we can be sent out
to make a difference in God’s world.”[5]
We
have come together to hear the word.
Let us reflect in silence. Amen.
[1] W. Carter Lester, “Nehemiah
8: 1 – 3, 5 – 6, 8 – 10—Pastoral Perspective.” Feasting on the Word,
Year C. vol. 1. Edited by David L. Bartlett & Barbara Brown Taylor.
Louisville: Westminster John Knox
Press, 2009. p. 266.
[2] W. Carter Lester, “Nehemiah
8: 1 – 3, 5 – 6, 8 – 10—Pastoral Perspective.” Feasting on the Word,
Year C. vol. 1. Edited by David L. Bartlett & Barbara Brown Taylor.
Louisville: Westminster John Knox
Press, 2009. p. 270.
[3] W. Carter Lester, “Nehemiah
8: 1 – 3, 5 – 6, 8 – 10—Pastoral Perspective.” Feasting on the Word,
Year C. vol. 1. Edited by David L. Bartlett & Barbara Brown Taylor.
Louisville: Westminster John Knox
Press, 2009. p. 268.
[4] W. Carter Lester, “Nehemiah
8: 1 – 3, 5 – 6, 8 – 10—Pastoral Perspective.” Feasting on the Word,
Year C. vol. 1. Edited by David L. Bartlett & Barbara Brown Taylor.
Louisville: Westminster John Knox
Press, 2009. p. 268.
[5] W. Carter Lester, “Nehemiah
8: 1 – 3, 5 – 6, 8 – 10—Pastoral Perspective.” Feasting on the Word,
Year C. vol. 1. Edited by David L. Bartlett & Barbara Brown Taylor.
Louisville: Westminster John Knox
Press, 2009. p. 268.
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