Week of May 30th
“Trinity Sunday”
Sermon Noodles
Sermon Noodles on why we worship the way we worship
There is a reason why we worship the way we worship and it goes back to John Calvin who was a major leader of the Reformation and pastor of the church in Geneva.
Calvin was a brilliant biblical scholar. He wrote a commentary on every book of the Bible except the Book of Revelation. He was and is the major shaper of the way Presbyterians do church. As the Reformation was taking root Calvin combed the scriptures searching for what an authentic encounter with God might look like. What he settled on was Isaiah 6 and Isaiah’s dramatic encounter with God in the temple.
In this week’s devotional guide you will find how Isaiah 6:1-8 shapes our order of worship. In addition, here are three reflections:
Reflection:
1. Our order of worship is profoundly BIBLICAL.
Our traditional form of worship may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I don’t think we give ourselves enough credit for the discipline of our worship experience. Our model for worship is profoundly biblical and strives for an authentic encounter with God.
2. An authentic encounter with God always has a BITE to it.
There is always something in worship that pricks our conscience; upsets our apple cart; tells you once again that life is not about you but you are about life. The purpose of worship isn’t just about making us feel better. Worship is also about hearing God’s voice and cultivating an intimate relationship with a holy and loving God.
3. An authentic encounter with God always involves a CALL TO ACTION
Hearing God’s voice always involves some kind of response in a call to action. Worship reminds us we can always increase our capacity for love, always increase our capacity for faith, always increase our capacity for hope. Our call to action is a resounding, “Here am I! Send me! As Jesus has sent us into the world (John 20:21).
Devotional Guide
Trinity Sunday! The lectionary text is Isaiah 6:1-8
6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Why do we worship the way we worship? John Calvin!
A. Notice Isaiah 6:3. This the ______ ___ ________.
B. Notice Isaiah 6:5. What is Isaiah’s response to the words of the seraphim? This is the _______ __ _________.
C. In Isaiah 6:6, the seraphim performs a dramatic act in response to Isaiah’s confession, touching the lips of Isaiah with the burning coals from the altar. What does the seraphim say to Isaiah? This is our ___________ __ __________________.
D. What happens in Isaiah 6:8? The ______ of the Lord, and this is our ___________
E. How does Isaiah’s authentic encounter with God end? This is the _________ of our lives in ____________ to God’s Word
Reflection:
Our order of worship is profoundly __________. (Biblical)
An authentic encounter with God always has a ______ to it. (bite)
An authentic encounter with God always involves a _____ __ _______. (Call to action)
Key:
A. Call to worship
B. Prayer of confession
C. Assurance of forgiveness
D. Voice, sermon
E. Offering, response
Reflection:
Biblical
bite
Call to action