Whenever Rev. Morris Waymer welcomes new faces to worship at New Francis Brown UMC, he tells them to expect God to do something every time they walk through the building’s doors. On Sunday July 30th, New Francis Brown UMC (NFB) and Cokesbury UMC gathered as a single worshiping body on NFB’s campus, and God was certainly doing something with us! The Holy Spirit was moving in the midst of the music, prayer, and proclamation revealing the kingdom of heaven as a present reality to all who were present. All this got me to thinking (I know, I know, it’s dangerous when I start thinking!), do we expect God to act every time we come to worship on our Dorchester Rd campus? Do we expect God to act in our everyday lives? If no, why not? If yes, does God always meet our expectations, or is God calling us to expect and experience more?
One of the things scripture tells us is that we have a role to play in how we encounter God. If we do not expect God to act, we might not even recognize God when we come face to face with the divine (Mark 6:1-6). If we live our lives expecting God to act around us, in us, and through us, then we can have front row seats to what God is doing in the world today (Matthew 14:13-21). God wants to be a part of our everyday lives; however, God is not going to force God’s self on us. As with many aspects of our lives, we have a choice. What we experience often times is a direct result of what we choose to expect, so I ask the same questions of ourselves with slightly different wording. Do we expect worship to be boring, or do we expect worship to be life giving? Do we expect God to be absent in our everyday lives, or do we expect to encounter God daily?
One of the things I greatly admire about Eastern Orthodox theology is their expectation to be transported to the heavenly realm every time they gather to worship. In order to help that process, their worship is filled with icons for the eyes, music for the ears, incense for the nose, and scripture and proclamation for the spirit. Through these multiple avenues it is hoped that at least one of them will give each worshiper an understanding that they are experiencing the kingdom of heaven now.
In much the same way, our worship is a combination of song, prayer, liturgy, scripture, proclamation, and sacrament. By engaging all the senses, it is hoped that we not only get a foretaste of the feast to come, but that the kingdom of heaven is revealed to us a present reality that we can engage in now. If you are encountering God throughout the worship hour, great! Keep it up. If there is only a part of the service that is speaking to you, concentrate on that and maybe, just maybe, you will start to experience God’s presence in the other parts you currently do not find engaging. If there is something that you think would help you in experiencing God in our presence in worship that we are not doing now, please let me know.
As it was mentioned earlier, what we expect when we come into our sacred spaces will often time directly affect what we are experiencing. Take time to pray before you even leave your house to come to worship. Read from your favorite devotional as you get ready. Listen to your favorite hymns or praise music as you eat breakfast and travel to Sunday morning worship. It’s amazing how much easier it is to experience God when we prepare ourselves and expect God to act.
Likewise, in order to experience God more in our daily lives, we need to prepare as well as expect an encounter. Start your morning off with the Lord’s Prayer meditating a moment on each line as you pray it. Spend time in scripture as you drink your favorite morning beverage. If you are not currently spending time in scripture daily, I encourage you to devote this time to Matthew Chapters 5-7. Pay attention to those around you and the circumstances you find yourself in every day. In taking time to listen to a coworker who is hurting, in sharing a meal with the hungry, and in visiting the sick (this is by no means an exhaustive list!), we will often times find we encounter God working in the world today with us and through us. Give it a try, and let me know how it goes and what you experience!
Of course there are multiple ways for us to encounter God through the ministries of Cokesbury UMC too. Consider singing in the choir, being a liturgist, an acolyte (it’s not just a job for children and teenagers you know!), ushering, greeting, or helping with communion. Invite a friend(s) to come to worship with you, especially the skeptical ones (It’s biblical for those who follow Jesus to invite others! (John 1:43-49)) Volunteer at the food bank at New Francis Brown UMC (Our next dates are August 17th & 18th starting at 8am.) Volunteer to read to or mentor a child/children in our local schools. Make plans to be a part of our Trunk-Or-Treat on October 21st. Join our visitation team. Get involved with the UMM or the Women of Faith. Sign up to attend the fall retreat for your own spiritual renewal. If you know of a need in the community you feel like Cokesbury has the gifts and graces to respond to as a local church, let’s talk about it. We might just get to encounter God together in a new way!
As we enter into this new season in the life of Cokesbury UMC, expect God to do something. God is reaching out to each and every one of us to assure us of God’s love for us and to engage with us in revealing the kingdom of heaven as a present reality. God is at work in us and ready to work through us. We just have to be willing to see God and God’s work in and amongst us; moreover, once we see it, we cannot unsee it (as if we would want to unsee the kingdom of heaven!) I cannot wait to see what God does with us, in us, and through us next!
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Bryan