"Complain at Your Peril"
The importance of worship
Sermon Preached by
The Rev. Dr. Andrew Stirling
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Text: Psalm 95
According to an article in the Kansas City paper, a few years ago a woman in Kansas City went into a Häagen Dazs store to buy some ice cream. She went up to the counter and bought her favourite flavour. As she turned around, to her absolute amazement, right behind her was Paul Newman! He was in town filming The Mr. and Mrs. Bridge Story. Well, her knees buckled as his piercing blue eyes went through her soul. She had loved Newman for years and couldn't believe she was in his presence. She mumbled something incomprehensible. He said “Good morning” to her and she walked out of the store in a daze. When she got to the street she realized she didn't know where her ice cream was. She turned around and went back into the store. As she was entering it, Paul Newman was leaving. Her knees buckled again. He asked, “Are you looking for your ice cream?”
She said, “Yes, yes, I am!”
He said, “It is in your purse, along with your keys.”
Isn't it amazing? You meet someone you just think is awesome, and you don't know what to do with yourself. You are so completely blown away by the experience, so utterly amazed at what is taking place, that you lose yourself completely.
In many ways worship in its truest sense should be just like that -, to be in the presence of someone and something awesome; something or someone you love; to be in the presence of the Lord of Life and the source of your being. Worship should cause us to forget ourselves and become totally overwhelmed by the power of the experience.
Some months ago, someone suggested I should go to a website called Seti. When I entered the website I thought it was a little strange -, it was about the study of extra-terrestrial intelligence. I thought, “Why on Earth am I being directed into this?” But as I went through the website, I realized that, far from being a fly-by-night website, this is a serious, scholarly investigation of the universe and the solar system. There are scientists who have the support of NASA and other foundations, as well as scholars like Carl Sagan and others, who want to look at the universe and see whether there is life beyond that which we know here on earth. Fascinating!
In one particular essay, Dr. Shostak talks about the conditions that are necessary for life to exist on a planet. As I read this, I soon became overwhelmed at the enormity of the task that is set before a creator in making a world that is able to sustain life. These are some of the things Shostak said are necessary in a planetary sense for something to be able to give and sustain life:
The system's star, the sun, must not be a giant star because these burn out too quickly before life can fully develop. The system's star must not be a dwarf star because such a star locks in the close planets, meaning that one side of the planet forever faces its sun, resulting in horrific weather and unlikely venues for life. The system's star cannot be a double star because the unusual gravitational forces created by a double star sun might not allow stable planetary systems. The system's star must not be a young star because stars less than one billion years old have not had enough time, so astronomers think, for life to develop. Ideally, the planet would have a large moon which creates active tides. The planet would have tectonic activity which allows nettles to come to the surface that could therefore be mined and maintain life. The planet should have a large planet farther out in its solar system, which by its great gravitational pull cleans the solar system of deadly asteroids and comets. And finally, the planet should not have a highly elliptical orbit which is unsuitable for incubating life. For life to live on the surface, the planet must have an atmosphere.
Then, Shostak concludes, “But earth has this.”
All of these are there in our solar system -, and it is awesome! Here we are, as human beings living in a solar system that has the ability to sustain life. This incredible combination of events is there for us astrologically, and because it exists, we exist. Psalm 95 sums up this very idea. The psalmist is caught up in the wonder of the universe, caught up in the power of creation -, not as sophisticated scientifically as the scientists of today, but nevertheless with an insight into the very importance of this creation and our place within it. He ascribes to the Lord the very presence and power of this, saying, “The Lord is great. The Lord is our salvation.” Then, using contrasts, he talks about God caring for the whole creation; from the depths of the sea to the highs of the mountains, from the waters to the dry land, “Everything is in God's hands.”
He takes this awe for creation and reads into it the very presence and power of a God who is its creator, sustainer and source of life. For the psalmist, there is an upswelling of praise, and a profound response to the magnificence of the world around him. So much so, that he says he wants to bow down and get on his knees; he wants to confess to the nations that God is the Lord and the earth is the Lord's. The response is one of praise and glory and adoration.
Most scholars believe that this psalm was used as the liturgy during the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, when Israel celebrated the protective power of God. This psalm is a tribute, a doxology, and praise to the Creator who looks after the world and, ipso facto, looks after Israel. Israel, knowing that it is in the hands of the Creator, should just get on its knees, bow down, worship and praise.
As I read this psalm, I think it is a profound message for our time. This earth, this cosmos that has been created, is not an accident. This world is a miraculous thing and should result in a sense of awe and praise. We should not take for granted the fact that we have life. The alignment of the planets -, the very existence of the solar system itself -, is here for us and we are here because of it. What an awesome thing to think about! Far more important than an ice cream and Paul Newman! To come into the presence of the Lord, who is the creator of the universe, to bow down, worship and acknowledge him -, what a great and a glorious thing it is!
There is within this psalm, however, a warning. It is sort of a Lenten message for the world and for subsequent generations. We should not forget that we live in this magnificent creation; we should not take God's divine protection and guidance for granted. The great problem that the people of Israel faced was that they were often not just complacent, but grumbling, complaining and anxious.
In what is called a midrash by rabbinic scholars, they write this incredible story of Israel on the basis of a psalm. It basically states that Israel has lived in the wilderness for 40 years but, as a result of living in the wilderness, they have now come into Canaan, the Promised Land. The problem according to the midrash, and indeed according to the psalmist, is that when Israel was in the wilderness, and even beforehand, it did nothing but complain, grumble and mumble and fail to appreciate God. In fact, in classic Jewish terms, Israel complained 10 times, which correspond, of course, with the Ten Commandments. When they crossed the Red Sea, they complained twice to Moses, even though they had been set free, even though they were leaving Egypt and going into freedom. When they were fed by the quails, they complained that the birds were dry and tasteless. Even though they were being fed, twice they complained! When manna dropped down from heaven and they were provided for, they complained. When there was a golden calf, they complained and worshiped it. They objected to what God had done. Israel was continually complaining about God. Yet, as the psalmist says, it was God who was taking care of Israel. It was God who was providing for the people, but still they kept on grumbling, complaining and not taking into account God's graciousness.
The opposite of worship, my friends, is really complaining, not recognizing in awe the wonderful things that God has given us. It is the lack of recognition of God's provision, power, plan and purpose. When we complain, grumble and when do not acknowledge the power of the Creator, we have ceased to worship and to bow down.
I read a lovely little poem. It is not by one of the great poets and the source is unknown, but it is very simply entitled, The Story of Grumble Tone. As I read this, I can't help but see myself in it at times. There are times when I grumble and complain about miniscule, unimportant, secondary things, rather than primary things; when I lose the sense that we have been blessed by God.
But, is this not more about attitude than actual circumstance? This poem suggests that it is. It is just delightful! See if you find yourself in it.
There was a boy named Grumble Tone
who ran away to sea.
“I am sick of things on land,” he said,
“as sick as I can be.
A life upon the bounding wave
will suit a lad like me.”The seething ocean billows
fail to stimulate his mirth
For he did not like the vessel
nor the dizzy rolling berth,
And he thought the sea was almost
as unpleasant as the earth.He wandered into foreign lands
and saw each wondrous sight,
But nothing that he heard or saw
seemed just exactly right.
And so he journeyed on and on
still seeking for delight.He talked with kings and ladies fair,
he dined in courts they say,
But always found the people dull
and longed to get away
To search for that mysterious land
where he would like to stay.He wandered over all the world,
his hair grew white as snow;
He reached that final bourne at last
where all of us must go.
But never found the land he sought,
the reason you would know.The reason was that north or south,
where'er his steps were bent,
On land or sea, in court or hall,
he found but discontent,
For he took his disposition with him
everywhere he went.
His disposition went with him, a disposition of discontent, grumbling and complaining.
There are a lot of people today who are complaining, worried and anxious about where the road of life will lead. But in the midst of all this do not lose the power of worship; do not lose the sense that we are privileged here on this earth to have the things that we need, to have the world that supports us and maintains us. In fact, most scholars argue that everything that we human beings need for all the billions of us on this earth is still here for us if we will but use it wisely.
The other problem the psalmist points out is that when we grumble and forget what God has done, we do not find our rest, our peace. There is no question that when the psalmist talks about rest, he is talking about arrival in the Promised Land, in Canaan, the place where Israel will be finally be free. Although he is writing after the people have arrived in Canaan, he is reminding people that when they were in the wilderness they were complaining, and yet God still saw them to their place of rest.
But, it is more than just a location in the Promised Land that the Psalmist is addressing. He is talking about the rest which means a life and a peace with God. Nobody picks that up better than the writer of Hebrews in the New Testament. He actually quotes from Psalm 195 and makes the case that the people of Israel never actually found the land they were really looking for. They found Canaan, but they didn't find that eternal kingdom, that ultimate place of peace. He said that it would be through the coming of Jesus Christ that people would find the rest, the peace that they really need in life. Rather than just searching, striving and trying to force the hand of life, they should accept what God has given them. They have been given the grace of Jesus Christ and the peace of God, which, according to Paul, “passes all understanding for our hearts and our minds” and is here right now, accessible to us in the presence and person of Jesus of Nazareth.
All that Israel hoped for is found in the coming of the person of Jesus Christ. But, my friends, herein lies the problem. We are so driven in our lives that we do not take the time to experience that rest. We are so concerned and anxious, and busy striving and complaining that we do not have that marvellous experience of worship.
What the psalmist is really talking about is the Sabbath; he is talking about the day of rest, the moment you know that you are in the presence of God and nothing else on your mind seems to matter. I often hear people bemoaning the fact that people don't worship enough: “Doesn't it bother you, Andrew, that people don't attend worship like they used to do in a former era?” and “Why isn't society just shutting down and worshipping like they did in eons past?” I say to them, “No, I am not angry. I am not upset. I am just sad.” I am sad because this magnificent creator of the universe, this God who has given us not just life, but eternal life, who has not only given us things that sustain our existence, but also the power of Christ to give us eternal life, is not being worshipped.
Who are the losers? God? No! It is those who do not take the time to experience the joy, awe and love of God. Often, though, we are so driven, so busy forcing ourselves in our lives, that we do not take the time to rest, be still and simply worship our maker. I once heard someone say, “I was told that the devil never takes a vacation, so therefore we should never take a vacation and rest.” Then the person stopped and said, “But since when was the devil my example?”
No, it is God who says “rest.” It is God who says “be still, and know that I am who I am.”
Vaclav Havel, a great Czech writer, addressed a group in the 1990s in Washington DC and he talked about the power of transcendence. He suggests that, in this post-modern world, we are losing that sense of transcendence, that sense of something beyond ourselves, greater than ourselves. In our agenda, we have been consumed with ourselves at the expense of being consumed by the transcendent. He says we need to reach out our hand to those who are around us, to recognize that on this earth we are connected with so many people -, those who are like us and those who are unlike us. We need to be in harmony with the world around us, he said. This world that God has created, this incredible place, needs us to understand it, appreciate it and love it. Havel says that if we do not have that sense of transcendence, all we have coming is extinction. Deep words! But then, in the final phrase of his address, he said,
The Declaration of Independence states that the Creator gave man the right to liberty. It seems man can realize that liberty only if he does not forget the One who endowed him with it.
Is that not what the psalmist is saying? This world, this incredible place in which we live, is not just here by accident; it is a gift. The Lord of Life, the source, the foundation of the world, is to be praised. “Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess,” the majesty and power of God. If that is the case, then let us stop our complaining, our introspection and our worry about ourselves. Rather, let us recognize the peace that comes from knowing that we are in the hands of a great, glorious and mighty God. When we do that, we find our peace and the awesome worship that causes our knees to buckle in the presence of the living God. That is all I have to say, but surely, it is everything. Amen.