By Rev. Kenneth Chorle, pastor Union Presbyterian Church
Introduction: Burnout- It happened to God’s people in the OT and in the NT, and it happens to God’s people today. The term was first coined by a New York psychologist by the name of Herbert Freudenberger. The term “burnout” as defined by Freudenberger referred to “a state of fatigue or frustration brought about by a devotion to a cause, a way of life, or a relationship that failed to produce the expected reward.” The symptoms of burnout are: loss of enthusiasm, emotional and or physical exhaustion, frustration, negativism, detachment, and resentment. In some extreme cases, it may lead to a person who deeply cared about a cause or relationship to not caring at all.
Burnout happens in occupations. Some occupations that are highly susceptible to burnout are those who are in care giving professions such as doctors, nurses, social workers, and ministers. Teachers can easily get burnout. But, any job or occupation can lead to burnout. Parenting can also lead to burnout. Sometimes especially mothers are subject to burnout.
Burnout happens in the life of the church. Those who labor faithfully and diligently in the church in positions of leadership and teaching are easy prey for burnout.
Preview Statement:In this message, I will explain to you how to experience personal renewal through the insights that come from the prophet Isaiah in chapter 40.
I.Personal renewal begins in the mind.
A.The prophet Isaiah was speaking to a group of future brunt out people. The faith of Israel was almost extinguished as a fire that is drowned in water. The Babylonians would invade Israel and destroy the city of Jerusalem and the temple. The Babylonians would take the leaders of the faith captive back to Babylon, 600 miles from their home land. It would in some future day appear to the world that the faith of Israel had been extinguished. The people were so burnt out it looked like the faith was completely gone from the nation. A few hundred years before this would happen, Isaiah would give the words necessary for the renewal to occur. Isaiah said: “Do you not know? Have you not heard?” Isa. 40.28 The despondent attitude of a nation that almost lost its faith could only be dealt with by means of calling to mind the things of God.
B.When I show people the photo taken of my son, Jonathan, with Colin Powel, I like to give the first time lookers a little quiz. I point to the person in the center of the photo and ask “Do you know how that person is?” Most people were able to come up with the right answer. But, I did have one person look at Colin Powel and identify him as Henry Kessinger. Somehow they had the right idea of the position of Secretary of State. But, Henry Kessinger was Sec. of State back in the 70s under Nixon. What I am asking people to do is to dig in the files of their minds, and recall information. Isaiah was asking people to do the same thing. They were to dig into the files of their minds and recall God.
C.Paul, the apostle, also tells us that personal renewal begins with the mind. He said “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” Rom. 12.2 God cares about the thought process in our minds. What we think is important. Renewal is inviting God into our thought processes. If we are burnt out, it is in some measure due to the fact that we are not thinking properly about God. Our minds are a battlefield today. Advertisers know that the message about their product must first get into your mind before you will go into your wallet or pocketbook and buy the product. If you first think the product is great, then you will probably buy it at the store. Renewal comes when we let God come into our thinking process.
II.Personal renewal comes when we see that God is our one and only true resource.
A.Isaiah describes God to the people. He says: “The LORD is the everlasting God.” Everlasting refers to God’s eternality. God was here before it all started. God is here today-here and now. And God will be with us tomorrow and forever. Burnt out people have a hard time seeing how things will work out in tomorrow’s world. God is the same in all times. He is eternal. He can handle tomorrow’s problems because He does not change. A burnt out person does not feel that he or she can handle tomorrow’s problems. Why? All the energy was expended today and there is none left for tomorrow.With God, it is different.
B.The next thing Isaiah says is that God is the “Creator of the ends of the earth.” God as creator had an immense amount of power to speak the world into existence. God said “Let there be light.” and light came into existence. The whole universe came into existence because God spoke it into existence. A burnt out person needs to be reminded of the very power of God. When a person is burnt out, he or she has been depleted of power. In a sense, the person becomes unplug from the electrical outlet. A reconnecting with the electrical outlet needs to happen. The very power that put this universe into existence is at our disposal.
C.A third thing Isaiah says about God is that “He will not grow tired or weary.” There is evidence to suggest that Americans are not getting enough rest and they go about their daily schedules very tired and weary. Sleep deprivation is a problem and sometimes it is the direct cause of auto accidents. Prior to coming to be your pastor, I was teaching at 2 colleges and pasturing a church half time. I recall that often I would pull into the parking lot of the college and set an alarm clock and take an hour to sleep prior to teaching a class. I usually did this if I was up late the night before creating or correcting a test or preparing a lesson. I do not worry anymore because I am getting the proper rest. But, when I was teaching I was very worried about falling asleep at the wheel of my vehicle. I was tired and weary and run down from my overly full schedule of teaching and pastoring. God never feels the way I felt. God never experiences exhaustion. God is not like us. He can stay awake 24 hours of every day 7 days a week and not be the slightest bit tired. The psalmist tells us that God “neither slumbers nor sleeps.”
D.A fourth thing Isaiah says about God is that “He gives strength to the weary.” The wonderful little hymn we learn as children is “Jesus Loves Me.”The one verse in this hymn is “I am weak, but He is strong.” The most important thing is that God is strong even when we are weak.I am sure you remember the cartoon character “Popeye.” Popeye does not have much strength at all. But, when he eats a can of spinach, he can knock out the bad guys and rescue Olive Oil. Our strength does not come from spinach, but it comes from God. Another way of putting this is when Isaiah says “and increases the power of the weak.” A car battery charger is a handy thing to have in your garage. If you car battery is weak, you hook up the charger to give power to the weak cells in your battery. God is like a battery charger; he charges us up when we are weak.
III.Renewal comes through hope.
A.I find it interesting that Isaiah says that even youth can be burnt out. He says: Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall.” Isa. 40.30 The youth of the nation of Israel would also fall victim to despondency and experience burn out. When a crisis as severe as the Babylonian captivity hit the nation, even the youth experienced great despair. Don’t think for one minute that youth are exempt from burn out. The schedules of our youth are very full today. This is one of the great problems today. The youth have so many activities to attend to that the church sometimes only appears to be one activity among many others. Youth can easily get burnt out from a high dose of school activities and sports events and other things. I have never seen a youth burn out on church work and church life in my 24 years of ministry. If youth are burnt out today, it is not the church that is doing it. I think it is all the other things that they are scheduling such as school events and sports.
B.The answer for the youth is the same answer for all of us. It is hope. Isaiah says “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” The KJV says “those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength.” The two words hope and wait are related. Both words involve expectancy. Hope is a little stronger than wait. To wait is just to expect something with nothing definite. To hope is to expect something definite that is positive.
C.One time I had a Bible that was coming apart at the center of the binding. I recalled that it said the Bible was guaranteed for life. I was hopeful that something good would happen. I called the publisher and informed them of the condition of the Bible. The publisher sent me a brand new Bible to replace the worn out Bible. I had hope of something good happening and it did happen. When we get burnt out, we need to be hopeful. All kinds of negative emotions happen to the burnt out person. Don’t listen to the negative emotions in burn out. Turn to hope. Through hope, God will renew the person who is burnt out.
IV.Renewal affects our lives.
A.There are three major effects of renewal. You will know you are renewed when you feel like you are an eagle. Isaiah said “They will soar on wings like eagles.” By the mountains of Lebanon people observed the eagles soaring on an invisible updraft of wind. When the birds feel the wind blowing, they jump off their perch, spread their wings, and they are filled with the wind of God. Eagles don't exert themselves to flap their way upwards. They just let themselves be moved right up into the sky without effort. When you are renewed by the Holy Spirit, you will experience a soaring sensation like an eagle in flight.
B.The next major effect is that “they will run and not grow weary.” My nephew, Ben, ran cross country in his high school. I went to a cross country meet last year. It was interesting to observe the runners before the start. They were filled with energy. But, 15 minutes later, the runners were all weary from the run. Running is tiresome. To run is a reference to practicing the faith. The promise is that when renewed, you will practice your faith and not discover weariness.
C.I have never really fainted in my life. But, one time I was at the dermatologist, and he was cutting a growth off my chest. The nurse kept asking me if I was alright. I insisted I was fine. A few minutes later, the nurse was holding smelling salts under my nose. I was in the process of passing out. I don’t mind doctors cutting other people. But, I can not entertain the thoughts of one cutting me. Isaiah promises that we will not need smelling salts because ‘they will walk and not be faint.”
Summary:
I.Renewal begins with the mind.
II.Renewal comes when we see God as our one and only true resource.
III.Renewal comes through hope.
IV.Renewal affects our lives.
Conclusion: In my 24 years of ministry, I have seen elders, deacons, teachers, and church workers burnt out. In almost all situations, the tendency of the burnt out person is to want to quit the position and let someone else take over. I am not convinced that this is the answer. The reason is that God issued a call. The person burnt out is always someone who is very good at what he or she has been called to do. To just quit, is to forsake a divine call. Indeed, the burnt out person may be in much need of a good time period of rest. Indeed the burnt out person might need some help and have his or her load lightened. Indeed, the responsibility needs to be spread out and not fall on any one person for an extended period of time. Others need to come forward and offer their time, gifts and talents to serve and help.
The real answer to burn out is not leaving a ministry to which you have been called. Rather, the answer is to find and discover the power of God to renew us personally in our calling. Let us pray.
“Renewal in the Church Part-One”
Joshua 24.14-27; Titus 3.5-7
By Rev. Kenneth Chorle, pastor Union Presbyterian Church
Introduction: Back in the 1980s a Presbyterian Church was desperate. There had been years of decline in the church. After the minister of the church retired, someone said: “What we need is a dynamic new pastor?” The congregation created a PNC or Pastoral Nominating Committee. After searching for about a year, the PNC was ready to make its report and present the candidate for the position of pastor. The candidate was very young and energetic.The candidate was asked to meet with the congregation prior to preaching to the congregation for the final vote. In listening to the congregation talk, he noticed a few things that appeared to be out of date. Next, the candidate was asked about his leadership skills, gifts and strengths. Finally, the candidate made a concluding statement. The pastoral nominee said: “With God’s help, I intend to bring this congregation into the 20th century.” The chairperson of the PNC got up to correct the candidate and said: “You mean the 21st century.” To which the pastor politely said: We will take it one century at a time.”
Preview Statement: In this message on “Renewal in the Church,” I am going to focus on first, the need for renewal. Second, I will discuss the nature of renewal. And third I will discuss the outcome of renewal.
Definition of Renewal: Before I begin I must define the term renewal I am using it in my message. Renewal is the Holy Spirit working through willing believers to help the church discover the Christian faith in both old ways and in new ways. Let me expound on my definition before I get into the meat of the sermon. Renewal begins with the Holy Spirit. Renewal is truly a work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God brings renewal and is not simply the creation of new church programs or service or ministries. New opportunities in the church without the work of the Holy Spirit are void and empty. The work of the Spirit is done through willing and cooperative believers. The vessels of the Holy Spirit must yield and cooperate with the work of the Spirit in renewal.
The second thing you will notice about my definition is that it involves both the old and the new. The old and the new must sit side by side for effective renewal. It is like going to the grocery store and discovering a leading food company is now offering a new product. The new product sits on the self next to the old traditional products offered by the food company.
Transition: Now that we have reviewed the definition of renewal, let us go the meat of the sermon.
I.There is a need for in the church today.
A.Our need for renewal actually began at the Reformation. The Reformation happened only because the Roman Catholic Church at the time was unwilling to change and adjust to new discoveries of what God was doing in their heart and life of an Augustinian monk by the name of Martin Luther. Out of the Reformation a slogan emerged. The slogan is in Latin. “Ecclesia Reformata Semper Reformanda” The slogan translated means “the church reformed, always reforming.” It emerged because of the great fear that the new church begun by the great Reformers of Calvin and Luther might some day also fall into a rut and end up again like the Pre Reformation Roman Catholic Church. The job of reforming only began with the Reformation and it continues on until our current day. The process of being reformed is ongoing and continues to the present day.
B.The lack of church attendance is affecting churches everywhere in the US. Unfortunately, we are living in day and age of church closings. While there are many outside forces such as secularism that have produced church decline and church closings, there are also some forces within the church that may have lead to the decline and closings. In other words, the church needs to be asking: “What are we not going right to reach people? What are we failing to do that we should be doing to draw people back into church?” I am not a believer in gimmicks to lure people back. But, I am interested in looking at the genuine needs of others and the community and seeking to find ways to meet the needs present.
Renewal takes an open and honest look at the church and seeks to find both old ways and new ways to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
II.The nature of renewal is found in Joshua chapter 24.
A.Church renewal comes through the recall of God’s activities in history. We are forgetful people. Sometimes I can’t even recall where I parked my car, and I spend additional time walking up and down the aisles of a parking lot looking for my vehicle. If I have a hard time remembering where I parked my car, how can I ever recall all of God’s activities in history?
At the end of the Book of Joshua, Joshua hears God saying to call all the people together. He spoke directly to all the leaders the Word of God. Joshua said: “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says:” (Joshua 24.2) God, through Joshua reminds His people of three major events: the call of Abraham, the flight out of Egypt, and the defeat of the Amorites.
The people of Joshua’s day needed reminded of what God did for them. People today are no different. We all need constant reminders of what God has done for us. When the church begins to remember all that God has done, then renewal begins to happen.
B.Church renewal comes through recommitment. Joshua tells the people “throw away the gods your forefathers worshipped.” Next, he challenges them to rededicate themselves solely to the one true God. “chose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” (Joshua 24.15) Joshua was demanding a recommitment of the people.
I am appalled today at the disregard present in modern society for commitment and vows. I am almost at the point at which I think those words have totally lost meaning in our society.
What about in the church? Members take vows to be a part of the church and often drop out and become inactive. Youth go through communicants class and take vows for church membership and then soon disappear. Looking back over my years of teaching communicants classes and seeing youth drop out and disappear, I would say that if a church retains 25% of the youth who go through communicant’s class it is successful. Why is it that a drop out rate of about 75% seems normal in churches today? The nature of commitment has disappeared in the minds of people today.
Renewal happens when God’s people recommit themselves to God.
C.Church renewal comes when the church is renovated. The term “renovation” comes from the Latin word “renovation” which means “making new once more.” The home in which I grew up in was sold a few years ago. It was about 100 year old home. The ones who bought it renovated it. They completely remodeled every single room. They added central air. From the inside it appears to a brand new house. Yet, the structure is over 100 years old. Church renewal is taking the old and making it new once again.
Illustration: The Swiss are famous for watch making. A Swiss person even invented a new type of watch some years ago known as the quartz watch. The inventor brought it to Swiss manufacturers who immediately rejected it because it was electronic. It did not have the conventional parts that watches have such as: gears, springs, and other parts. The rational for rejecting it was that the public would be too slow to accept this new quartz watch. As a result in the 1980s, the Swiss lost most of the market for watches. Up until this point, the Swiss dominated about 80% of the market. Soon it dropped to 10%. This mistake almost destroyed the Swiss in the watch business.
Just because something is new, it is not necessarily bad or wrong or not appropriate. Sometimes slowness to embrace newness can be a mistake. The Swiss learned this lesson. Have we learned this lesson in the church?
I once heard the famous last words of the church will be “but, we never did it that way before.” Are we open to new ideas and new ways along with the old ideas and old ways?
III.Renewal brings results in the church.
A.One result that happens in times of renewal is that God’s people get excited about their faith again. Going to church is no longer a duty that must be performed and a boring irrelevant time. Participation in the life of the church becomes exciting and very meaningful.
B.Another result is that renewal attracts new life. The world around us gets interested in the church and begins to show up for church events and services. Like a magnet, the Holy Spirit uses the time of renewal to pull and draw in the public.
C.Not only does renewal bring growth in numbers, but it also brings growth in our faith. People grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus.
Summary:In this message, I have tried to show that:
I.There is a need for renewal today in the church.
II.Renewal comes through recall of God’s activities in history.
III.Renewal comes through recommitment.
IV.Renewal brings results.
Conclusion: In conclusion, renewal does involve that word that people tend to despise. The word is change. But it is not a word that we need be afraid of. Change can be positive and helpful to all if it is done with God’s love and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Renewal is linked to making the transition of generations. Joshua was dealing with all the sons and daughters of God’s people who died off in the wilderness. It was a whole new generation. And the generation that Joshua dealt with needed to discover for themselves the things their parents discovered in Egypt and in the wilderness. The context for Joshua’s generation was different.
I was disturbed to find out that General Motors was no longer going to make the Oldsmobile. The major reason was that the new generation did not want a car that they thought was a parent’s car. My thought was “how could this generation not like or want an Olds? It worked for me; why would it not work for them? But, the truth is that the newer generation has different tastes and different likes than my generation.
Renewal happened at Shechem in Joshua chapter 24 because it was time for a new generation to experience God in their context.
Friends and members of Union Church, there is a whole generation of youth today that need to discover the love of God and the worship of God. But, they will not necessarily discover the same ways you did. Sometimes the new and creative ways reach the youth and draw them into the church. Maybe some new ideas and new ways do not appeal to your tastes, but I would ask that give your support so that the mission and ministry of Union Church can come alive to a whole new generation. Let us pray.
“Renewal of the Church-Part 2”
“Renewal of the Laity”
Exodus 19.5-6; Rev. 5.6-10
By Rev. Kenneth Chorle, pastor Union Presbyterian Church
Introduction: The term laity is used to refer to the worshippers in the pews as a group of people distinct from the clergy. The English word laity comes from the Greek word “laos.” The New Testament church is often referred to as the laos or people of God.
But the problem today is similar to a problem that was present in the Roman Catholic Church prior to the Reformation. The laos or people of God allowed all aspects of worship and ministry to center exclusively around the clergy. The clergy became the sole active participants in worship and ministry while the laity remained passive and non-participants in worship and ministry.
Preview Statement: In this message, I will be using the Reformation doctrine of the priesthood of all believers as the key for the laity to experience renewal.
I.The doctrine of the priesthood of all believers makes clergy and laity equal in the eyes of God and in the eyes of the church.
A.Martin Luther formulated a doctrine known today as the priesthood of all believers. All Protestant reformers accepted this and we in the Presbyterian Church also accept this doctrine. The doctrine of the priesthood of all believers basically says that whatever an ordained clergy person does you as a member of the laity can do. It places ordained clergy and the non-ordained laity on equal terms before God. In other words, each and every one here, could do all that I do as a minister.
B.I only know of one exception. You could not be the one to officiate a wedding and pronounce a couple as husband and wife. The Commonwealth of PA reserves that right for clergy and for others such as Justices of the Peace. I did a wedding one time where a lay person basically conducted the entire service. But, I did the pronouncement. I technically officiated, but I let the lay person lead the couple through all aspects of the service. Officiating at a wedding is a state legal issue and not necessarily a theological or biblical issue.
C.Ordained clergy and lay people stand on common ground and are 100% equal before God and are both capable of doing the same spiritual things of worship and ministry.
Illustration: Back in the 50s, 60s and even 70s, computer knowledge and skills were only for a select few. Primarily, computers were used at Universities, the military, and in large companies and corporations. Only a select few knew much about them and had computer skills. I was in college at Pitt 1973-1977. I never took a computer class while in college. I could have, but I chose not to do so. I did not think it would ever be helpful or be important. Now computer skills are taught from first grade up. My sons were fortunate to get training in elementary, middle, and Sr. high on computers. In fact, my sons served as my teachers to help their outdated father learn about computers. The senior population got into the computer revolution. Now most everyone has some modest level of computer skills. What started out as being reserved for a select few, has spread to the entire population.
In the same way, prior to the Reformation only priests or ordained clergy were actively participating in worship and ministry. But, with the Reformation and Luther’s doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, the laity began to do the very same things ordained priests were doing.
II.The main duties of a priest were: making sacrifice, making intercession, speaking in behalf of God, and helping people in their relationship to God.
A.The Old Testament priests were called upon to make animal sacrifices as offerings. Lay people are called upon today not to offer up animals as sacrifice, but to offer up praise to God as a sacrifice. The writer of Hebrews tells us: “let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that confess his name.” (Heb. 13.15) The sacrifices to be offered are not physical such as animals. Rather, the sacrifices to be offered are spiritual. Praising God from your lips is something that all the people of God can do. We praise him through hymns, songs, and choruses. We praise him through liturgy.
B.Priests were also expected to make intercession before God. The priests were the representatives of the people to God. The priests brought the petitions of the people to God in prayer. In the New Testament, all of God’s people are expected to pray to God and bring petitions and requests to God. Jesus expected his disciple to petition the Father. Jesus said: “I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” (John 16.23) Paul says: “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…” (Ephes. 3.20)
In my 24 years of experience as a minister, I have discovered that almost everyone in a congregation prays. Most people prefer to keep prayer something very private and are not comfortable praying out loud in a group setting. I understand this concern and I do respect it. Most of this is I think due to our fear of public speaking. The number one fear is speaking before a group. In the same way, prayer is like speaking before a group. People can be afraid of not saying the right things or being criticized by others for their prayers. It takes a little bit of time and patience and just a few words of instruction to help conquer this fear.
As a minister, I have been accustomed to doing this. This is the only difference between us. The words that you pray do not have to be eloquent words or sound like you have a degree from a seminary. Simple and appropriate words are all you need.
C.A third duty of a priest is to speak in behalf of God. Priests were often called upon to interpret the law to the people. Sometimes priests were called upon to speak to troops before going into battle. (Duet. 20.2) Not only did the priest represent the people to God in prayer, but the priest had to represent God to the people so that God’s word and will was clearly made known.
Objection: Of course I can hear your voices speaking just now. They are saying: “I am not a preacher. I can not give a sermon before a congregation.” I understand your objection. I don’t think that God is calling all the laity to preach on Sunday mornings. But, thank God for Licensed Lay Preachers, Jack and Bob and others in our Presbytery. They will stand in a pulpit and preach. But, God is not asking you to speak in his behalf here in the pulpit. However, God might be expecting you to say a few words about His ways at your place of employment. God might be telling you to offer His words of hope, love, and forgiveness to someone in your family or in your neighborhood.
The people of God are fully capable of speaking up for Him at their place of work, and within their homes and communities. In this sense, everyone is a preacher.
DAnother duty of a priest was to help people in their relationship to God.
People with leprosy were to report to a priest to be declared either clean or unclean. People accused of certain sins or crimes often had to appear before a priest. Priests were to be available and help God’s people in time of need or crisis. It one point of irony that in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10.31) the priests ignore the injured man and walk on the other side of the road. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are all called upon to help others in their relationship to God. Everyone here has a minister has a ministry. What is your ministry? What is God calling you to do to help others in their relationship to God?
III.The name of the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers should be updated and reworded.
A.In today’s world, the word priest conjures up negative association with allegations of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests against children and youth. The sexual abuse scandal of Roman Catholic Church severely harmed the credibility of the Roman Catholic Church and created negative associations with the word priest.
B.In addition to the negative connotations of the word priest, we also have the bias of the word priest. In Roman Catholicism, only males can be priests. Women are excluded from priesthood. Women are not excluded from the priesthood of all believers as defined in the NT. Woman are given the full opportunity to participate in the main priestly functions of sacrifice, intercession, and speaking.
C.I would like to suggest that we substitute the word “ministry” for “priesthood.” The doctrine might be called “the ministry of all believers.” We just studied Samuel in our Wed evening Bible study. There is a passage that says “the boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli.” (I Sam. 3.1) The word serve could be substituted for ministered. To minister is to serve. And the word minister is often used for priest in the OT.So, the priesthood of all believers is really the service of all believers to and before God.
D.As of June 14, 2005 Union Church has 252 active members. So, we might include on our bulletin that we are a church with one hired pastor and 252 ministers. Everyone who professes Jesus Christ is a minister. Everyone is technically able to do the very same things I do as your hired ordained clergy person.
IV.Despite Reformation teaching on the priesthood of all believers or my revised title of the ministry of all believers, there still is a wide gap between clergy and laity.
A.In other words, many Christian members of churches are quite content to live a lot like the pre-Reformation church and allow the clergy to be the entire focus of worship and ministry. There are excuses given by laity as to why they are not engaged in ministry.
B.The first excuse is that the clergy are trained professional and the laity is not trained. Jesus chose people from common occupations such as fisherman and tax collector. Jesus worked with them and Jesus taught the twelve. Jesus did not send them to rabbinical school to get a degree. The only significant one in the NT who is highly trained and highly educated is the apostle Paul. Other than Paul, all the individuals encountered are common people with a desire to do ministry.
C.The next excuse is that the laity does not have the time. It is true that many today are very busy with their work and occupation. However, the issue today is not that the laity does not have the time. Rather, the issue is that time is not made for ministry. It is a matter of priorities.To do ministry as a lay person today, requires that time be given and priorities be set for ministry.
D.Another excuse is that some people believe that a minister is the one paid to do the work of ministry and therefore, the minister is the only one to be doing ministry. Yes, it is true I am paid to do ministry. But, as one person there is no way that I can cover all the needs represented here in our congregation. To leave all the load of ministry on one person is like sending out the pitcher and the pitcher alone to play a game of baseball. He can pitch the ball into the batters, but not field it. All the positions in the infield and outfield will be empty. The message of the church today is that the ordained clergy can’t do it all. The work of ministry must be shared among all the members of the congregation.
Summary:
I.The doctrine of the priesthood of all believers means equality of clergy and laity.
II.Because we are all priests, we can offer sacrifice, make intercession, speak in behalf of God, and help people in their relationship to God.
III.A better way of expressing the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers is to refer to it as the ministry of all believers.
IV.The gap between the ordained clergy and the laity needs to be removed in order for the laity to discover renewal.
Conclusion:The true power of a church to make a significant impact on the community and the world lies more in the pews than in the pulpit. I am convinced that good biblical preaching is needed in the modern world. I have given 24 years to preaching. But, I can see that the real impact of the church comes from all of you who sit in the pews.
I had an unforgettable experience. One day my eyes popped open and I looked up at the ceiling as I was lying flat on a bed of some kind. I honestly did not know who I was. I had no idea of my name or identity. In addition, I had no idea where I was or what was happening. No, I was not drunk on alcohol. Suddenly, I began to feel intense pain. Then, I remembered it all. I was in a recovery room coming out of the anesthesia form my gull bladder surgery.
I think that today many have “spiritual amnesia.” They can not remember who they are. Their identity seems unclear. I am here to clarify your identity and remove the amnesia. Everyone here in this sanctuary is a minister of Jesus Christ called to minister or serve before the Lord and called to help people in their relationship to God.
“Renewal in Worship”
By Rev. Kenneth Chorle, pastor Union Presbyterian Church
Introduction: Dr. Robert Wagner is a professor at Wheaton College. Wheaton College is a Christian college. Dr. Wagner , in addition to teaching, also is a popular Christian author and speaker. He it the editor of a massive amount of excellent material on worship entitled The Complete Library of Christian Worship. In his book entitled Renew Your Worship, Dr Wagner says:
“I first became aware of the need for worship renewal in my local church in the late sixties. I was involved in a church that I could best describe as formal and distant. While my best friends were in the church, friends that I clicked with on a personal and social basis, there was something lacing when we gathered together for the purpose of worship.
I am not sure that I can put my finger on what was wrong. I only know that something was amiss. How is it, I asked myself, that this same community of people can have so much fun at a church outing, a church picnic, a potluck dinner, or social gatherings in the home, but become so rigid, so lifeless, so formal and cold when gathered for worship.”
(Quote by Robert Wagner Renew Your Worship page 2.)
Preview Statement: In this message, I am going to share with you some thoughts on worship renewal.
I.Worship renewal is recapturing the joy of celebration of our salvation.
A.Most of the worship presented in the Book of Genesis is individuals or families in worship. We don’t really see a large number gathered for worship.
B.The first real large scale worship service is in Exodus 15. Israel has been released from bondage. The people wish to celebrate. God has won them victory over the Egyptians and gave them deliverance. This was a fine example of spontaneous combustion. The people just exploded into worship. It was not planned. It just happened as a response to the salvation given to God’s people. I wish I were there on the banks of the Red Sea to see this marvelous service of worship. What an awesome sight it must have been! The exact population of the Exodus was unknown. John Bright in his book A History of Israel says it was a few thousand. Others have estimated the actual number much higher maybe ½ million. The point is that this is the first large scale worship service.
C.At the edge of the Red Sea, there was joy and celebration. Worship is celebration of salvation. Think about the times we really celebrate. Cities go wild with celebration when a sports team wins. Look at Boston this past year with the Red Sox coming back from what looked like apparent defeat and winning. The city went wild with joy. How many of us feel that sense of excitement and joy on Sunday morning? Yet, we should have a joy like people feel and know when their team wins the World Series or the Super Bowl. Jesus Christ did for us what the LORD did for Israel. He brought us out of bondage and destroyed our enemy. Can we have the joy that was there at the Red Sea? Worship renewal is trying to recapture the joy and celebration aspect of worship. Worship renewal is not mere emotionalism. It is a true joy that God gave us salvation in Jesus Christ.
II.Worship renewal respects the old and adds the new.
A.Some people might tighten up inside with even the mention of worship renewal. The reason might be that worship renewal means throwing out the old and familiar elements of worship. Genuine renewal respects and builds upon the old familiar in worship.
Worship today needs to maintain certain elements of old traditional services. The wonderful hymns of the church need to be utilized. The ancient creeds should not be forgotten. Some aspects of liturgy need to be maintained. True renewal in worship seeks to include the elements of the past and give them fresh meaning.
B.Worship renewal seeks to use the new that God has created.
Illustration; A teenager went to church one Sunday. He came home and complained about the deplorable singing in the worship service. His father challenged him with these words: “Well then, young man, why don’t you give us something better to sing?” The teenager took his father up on the challenge and later brought to the church the first known hymn in the English language. Each week he wrote a new hymn. The teenager was Isaac Watts. This great hymn writer compose the first official hymn book in the English language in 1707. He would create such masterful hymns as: “Joy to the World,” “When I survey the Wondrous Cross.” Isaac Watts is the father of English hymnody. He literally transformed and renewed Christian worship in the 17 and 18 hundreds.
Prior to Isaac Watts there were no English church hymns. What happened? Did Christians and churches ready embrace the new idea of church hymns? No!! Many congregations were split over the use of singing Psalms only without musical accompaniment and the use of singing hymns with the use of musical instruments. Often it was very hard to carry any kind of melody and the words sometimes were very obscure and hare to relate to.I recall research that I did on the history of a small Presbyterian congregation here in Western PA. In the 1800s the church actually locked people out of the building if they favored the use of hymns as opposed to singing acapella the Psalms. Christians fought did get the right to sing hymns in a worship service. Worship wars existed long before the introduction of contemporary music and choruses. Worship as we have known it with the use of familiar hymns took hundreds of years to establish.
B.The Scriptures tells us to “Sing a new song unto the LORD.” Ps. 96.1; 98.1 New songs and choruses are being created everyday. Right now there is an explosion of new Christian music that can be sung in worship. Often these new choruses and songs differ somewhat from hymns.
1.They are very short and to the point.
2.They are sung directly to God and not sung about God.
3.They are very intimate and often are like love songs sung to God.
4.The music is simple and easy to sing.
C.The renewal in worship uses multimedia projection with an overhead or LCD. The words are given on a screen to free the whole body for worship. Holding a hymnal can inhibit the use of hands and arms for worship. There are many texts in the Bible that tells us to use our hands in worship. The words on the screen free us to lift our hands, or clap with our hands and use our whole body in the act of worship.
III.Worship renewal seeks to engage people to participate in the act of worship.
A.We are a spectator society. The television set is on about 8 hours in the average household. People sit back and watch television and movies. Americans love to go to sporting events and watch. Unfortunately, the attitude of being a spectator comes with people on Sunday morning. This creates a huge gap between the worshipper and God.
B.The worshipper needs to be engaged in the act of worship to personally interact with God. There are two kinds of worshippers: passive and active. The passive worshipper is content to let someone else do the act of worship for him or her. He or she wants to sit back and simply watch the minister do the worship service or listen to the choir. Let’s go back a few Sundays. What was one of the most important doctrines to emerge out of the Reformation besides justification by faith alone? It was the priesthood of all believers. Everyone here is a priest and everyone here should be offering the sacrifice of praise.
C.The challenge before us is to get everyone actively involved in the act of worship. All ages: our little children, our teenage youth, our young adults, our middle aged segment, and our Sr. citizens. Creating a service that engages all ages is not necessarily an easy task.
IV.Worship renewal is a work of the Holy Spirit.
A.Genuine renewal must be Spirit led. The Holy Spirit is charged with doing renewal in our lives and in the church and in the world. The Holy Spirit creates and recreates to please God.
B.Yes we can make some outward changes such as projecting words on a screen. But, renewal is not simply about outward changes. It is about inward changes in our hearts and minds. It is about accepting new ways and new ideas to worship. Along with new ideas and new ways come new people. Renewal means some outward and some inward changes to please God and to include more people in worship. People from our immediate membership and friend roster and people from the community near our church.
C.When renewal is a true work of the Holy Spirit, there is nothing to fear. The number one fear that can happen is that the familiar might be replaced with the unfamiliar. It is truly amazing the transitions and changes that people make in their lives when it comes to careers or technology. Think about how so many people purchased computers and now can operate computers in their own homes. When it comes to things like computers, people are willing to adjust to newness. Should we not be willing to adjust to newness in the realm of worship?
If you look at the history of worship, you will see that worship evolved gradually. In the New Testament, the early Christian church sought to follow many of the ways of Old Testament Jewish worship. At first, Christian often met in the synagogues. But through time, Christian worship changed. Do you know that in the 17th and 18th centuries the Scripture reading alone could last up to ½ hour? It was common for the sermon to go up to 2 hours. The prayer time alone could be ½ hour. So, now Christians seem to think that the whole service alone should not be more than 1 hour.
In my first pastorate, there was a clock in the sanctuary on a front wall. I was tempted to remove it. Also, in my first pastorate the church purchased carillon bells to chime for the whole community at exactly 12 noon on Sunday. Guess what happened ever now and then at Sunday morning services in my firs pastorate?
It is truly ironic that we can easily spend 2 hours watching a movie or watching a sporting event. But, if worship goes for more than one hour-Well?
All this is to say that worship has evolved and keeps on evolving. True renewal is letting God guide the process.
Summary:
I.Worship renewal is recapturing the joy of celebration of our salvation.
II.Worship renewal respects the old and adds the new.
III.Worship renewal seeks to engage people to participate in the act of worship.
IV.Worship renewal is a work of the Holy Spirit.
Conclusion: Worship renewal is not optional. It is a matter of life and death for a congregation of the size of Union Church. We must capture and sustain the children, youth, and young adults if we are to survive and grow. Without renewal, the current generation will look elsewhere and not to Union Church.
In the story I shared with you about Dr. Weber, he and along with others left their mainline churches and met in a home to experience worship renewal. Why did he do this? The answer was because renewal was not happening in that mainline church, and Dr. Webber and others desperately needed to experience renewal. After two years the group broke up and went back to their home churches to try and spark renewal.
Probably the biggest turnoff to potential new young members is if Union Church gives the impression that it is a collection of stubborn old stiff necked Presbyterians who can not and will not change for any reason.
The congregation that I served in my second pastorate experienced decline for two reasons. One- people got old and died off and new people did not take their places. Second it was located in the city and people were not attracted to go to church in a declining troubled city. The congregation desperately needed renewal.
The good news was that the church did experience renewal for a time. However, the bad news was that the renewal was stopped by spiritual grumbling and complaining about the newness of the service of worship. Soon those young people that attended and could relate to new music and new ways found other churches where they were not put down for their new ways.
The congregation now has only about 20 older members in attendance on Sunday mornings and little or no hope of pulling out its decline. It will probably be dissolved or merged in about 2 or 3 years.
Renewal is not optional. It truly is a matter of life and death. If something new is not pleasing according to your tastes, please consider newness not for your sake, but for the sake of our children, youth and young adults. Without them, the church will not exist tomorrow.
Let us pray.
“Renewal in the Nation”
II Chron. 7.11-16; I Tim. 2.1-3
By Rev. Kenneth Chorle, pastor Union Presbyterian Church
Introduction: This past fall I had the opportunity to ride the elevator up to the top of the Washington Monument in Washington DC and look out over the city from this historic landmark. On the top of the Washington Monument, there is a Latin inscription. The inscription reads “Laus Deo.” The Latin phrase means- “Praise be to God.” A woman by the name of Catherine Millard serves as director of Christian Heritage Tours based in Springfield, Virginia. She used this inscription as a title idea for her book entitled God’s Signature Over the Nation’s Capital. The book journeys her research into the godly historical roots of our nation. America was founded and built on Christian love and Christian values.
But, today the Christian foundation of our nation is eroding before our very eyes.
Preview Statement: The basis for the renewal of our nation comes from II Chron. 7.14. I will use this text as a basis for directing our nation toward spiritual renewal.
I.First, as a nation we need to confess our sins.
A.The text begins: “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways….”
America needs to acknowledge before God its faults and failures and sins.
B.I see four major sins. I like to call them the “isms.” Each one ends in the suffix “ism.”
1.Secularism: This is the attempt to remove the sacred from society. Secularism won when Bible reading and prayer were removed from our schools. Secularism wins each time something spiritual such as a listing of the Ten Commandments is removed from a public place. There is a battle over the Ten Commandments posted outside the Allegheny Courthouse in Pittsburgh. So, far it remains, but who knows how long it will last.
2.Eclecticism: This is the attempt to put all religions together to make one true religion. I was not pleased that in our national service of mourning after 911 a Muslim cleric was included on the platform along with Dr. Billy Graham. Now, America wants to include the Muslim faith along side of Judaism and Christianity. I have a real problem with this. The Koran is not God’s word. Mohammed was not a prophet and Allah is not the true God.
3.Materialism: Materialism is the acquisition of wealth and material goods simply for the sake of having things to the complete neglect of the spiritual. The story that best illustrates materialism is the story Jesus told about the farmer who was not satisfied with his barns and strove to build bigger and better ones. The farmer was completely oblivious to the fact that night he was going to die. God called him a fool. Luke 12.20 I like the words of the black preacher that said to his congregation: “I have never seen a hearse pull into a cemetery with a U-Haul behind it.”
4.Relativism: Relativism is rejecting absolute truth and allowing truth to be whatever you desire it to be. There was a time in the history of our country that everyone was using their own definitions of a pound or a yard. Measurements, such as a pound or yard, varied from state to state, county to county, person to person. It was all resolved when our country established the Bureau of Weights and Measures. When I get gasoline, I look for the little seal on the pumps from the Bureau of Weights and Measures signifying that the gas pump had been checked. In other words, the filling station is not using its own idea of one gallon. It is using the exact amount established by the Bureau of Weights and Measures. Relativism says there are no objective standards of right and wrong. What is wrong for you may be right for me.
In my view, all our problems in America stem from one of these four sins: secularism, eclecticism, materialism, and relativism. As God’s people, we need to acknowledge the sins of our land before God and seek forgiveness as a nation.
II.The second thing we need to do as a nation is pray.
A.The text says: “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face….”
B.Please note that this call to pray goes out to “my people, who are called by my name.” God has a personal name. It is written in the OT and NT as capital L capital O capital R capital D. “LORD” Or sometimes the name “Yahweh” is used to indicate the actual name of God. The name of God was used to call his people to be his possession. The name Chorle was given to me at birth. It is my family name. I am a descendant of that family name. God’s name is used to call his people because they belong to Him. The responsibility to pray for our nation falls on the shoulders of Christian believers, those who are called in the name of Jesus. If we as Christians do not pray for America, then who will?
C.The text calls us to humble ourselves. To humble ourselves means we need to admit our position before God. America is certainly a great nation. We are the most prosperous nation in the world. We possess one of the greatest military forces in the world and have one of the greatest nuclear arsenals in the world. Yet, all of this means nothing in the eyes of God. The prophet Isaiah tells us “the nations are like a drop in a bucket;” Isa. 40.15 Before God, nations rise and nations fall. America is mighty and great in the eyes of the world, but in God’s eyes, America is like a drop in the bucket.
III.God made promises to Solomon for the nation. The text gives us three promises.
A.First, the text says: “I will hear from heaven.” God is not deaf. In one sense, God hears everything. But, the sense in which the Bible is using the term “hear” means “apprehension” and “acceptance.” In other words, God will accept our confession of sins. God will notice our humbling of ourselves.
B.Second, God assures any nation that will properly confess its sins that He will forgive their sins. God is ready to let go of the sins and not punish a nation for their sins. I think as a nation we have taken God’s forgiveness for granted. It is not automatic. It comes only through asking.
In my first experience of teaching high school students, a class incident occurred. Some students were fooling around while I was trying to teach American history. Suddenly a young girl leaped up from her seat and began screaming “Oh, my eyes!” She ran out of the room in pain holding her eye. She ran to the rest room. I sent another young girl to go and check on her. My supervisor heard the whole thing and quickly entered the room. He helped me get to the bottom of the incident. The students were shooting rubber bands while my back was turned and one hit the girl right in the eye. Later, my supervisor worked with the students involved and had them, as a group, my forgiveness. They came as a group. They even wrote me a wonderful card seeking to be forgiven as a class. This sounds to good to be true, but the students did seek my forgiveness in a public school. I did not hold the misbehavior of shooting rubber bands against them, and I went on to finish teaching the summer class on American history. The class was much better behaved for the rest of the summer. God wants us as a group, as a nation, to seek his forgiveness and experience His forgiveness.
C.The third promise is that God will heal their land. I find it interesting that the term “heal” is applied to the land. The land of course refers to the nation of Israel. When sin entered the world in Genesis chapter one, both the people (Adam and Eve and their descendants) and the land were affected by the fall. Nations are like people and can suffer from various illnesses and diseases. Nations, like physically ill people, need to be healed. At the end of the Bible in the Book of Revelation, there is the presence of the tree of life. We are told that “the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” (Rev. 22.2)America, like any nation on the face of the globe, needs to be healed from the harmful effects of sin.
Conclusion: II Chronicles 7:14 gives us God’s blueprint for renewal of our nation. On file in the church office, is the blueprint used for the construction of the Union Presbyterian Church. A blueprint is a guide to be strictly followed by the builders. By following the blueprint, the structure can be successfully built.
Who are the builders of our nation? Every American citizen whether born in the USA or born outside the USA and immigrating to America is a builder of this great nation. Builders of America follow God’s blueprint and watch for renewal in our nation.
