{"id":1411,"date":"2013-11-10T21:12:49","date_gmt":"2013-11-11T02:12:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marktime.org\/?p=1411"},"modified":"2013-11-10T21:12:49","modified_gmt":"2013-11-11T02:12:49","slug":"sermon-why-are-we-here-sunday-november-10-2013","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marktime.org\/?p=1411","title":{"rendered":"Sermon – Why are we here? – Sunday, November 10, 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"

This sermon was preached on Sunday, November 10, 2013 at Watchung Avenue Presbyterian Church in North Plainfield, NJ as part of my Pastoral Care internship.<\/p>\n

Audio:\u00a0

First Reading – Psalm 145
\nSecond Reading – Luke 20:27-38<\/p>\n

“Why are we here?”<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Sunday morning again.\u00a0 We just had the time change last week, so it\u2019s still a little light out in the morning, but it\u2019s getting darker and darker as the days go on.\u00a0 Some of us have tough work schedules, and Sundays are our only \u201creal\u201d day to relax.\u00a0 Besides, the Giants game starts at 1.\u00a0 So why are we here?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the title that I chose for this week\u2019s sermon.\u00a0 Why are we here?\u00a0 What draws us to come to church on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or whatever day of the week we attend?\u00a0 What draws us to our own personal spiritual practices?\u00a0 What draws us to attend committee meetings or to teach Sunday school or to help out with a charity event?<\/p>\n

So WHY are we here?\u00a0 What is the reason?<\/p>\n

As I talked about with the children, Psalm 145 is a psalm of praise.\u00a0 It even says so.\u00a0 If you look in the Bible, you\u2019ll see that just above the first verse it says \u201cPraise.\u00a0 Of David.\u201d\u00a0 In fact, the Hebrew word for psalms means \u201cPraises\u201d.\u00a0 Among others, the last 6 psalms in our Book of Psalms are psalms of praise.<\/p>\n

As Presbyterians, we are part of the Reformed faith, and as PCUSA Presbyterians, we have a Book of Confessions.\u00a0 Several of the confessions in that book have a statement like this one, which comes from the Westminster Shorter Catechism (which some of you may have learned in Sunday School or Confirmation):<\/p>\n

Question:\u00a0 What is the chief end of man?<\/p>\n

Answer:\u00a0 Man\u2019s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.<\/p>\n

(This was written in 1640, so please excuse the masculine language for us and God.)<\/p>\n

So, Man\u2019s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.<\/p>\n

We are called to glorify God.\u00a0 And not just now, but forever.\u00a0 We are told that \u201cone generation shall laud your works to another\u201d and that \u201call flesh will bless his holy name for ever and ever.\u201d\u00a0 There\u2019s a long list of verbs in the passage:\u00a0 to extol, to bless, to praise, to laud, to declare, to speak praise, and join with all flesh to bless.\u00a0 These are what the psalmist would have us do for God.\u00a0 And as I told the children, these psalms were written to be used in worship, so these are what we sing that we<\/span> will do.<\/p>\n

And we do<\/span> that in worship.\u00a0 We sing praises to God, as we did and will do in several of today\u2019s hymns.\u00a0 We do that in proclamation.\u00a0 Our reading of scripture and the words of the preacher speak of God to us and others. \u00a0And it\u2019s not just those of us up here at the microphones \u2013 as we confess, as we pray together in unison, or as we pray silently while one leads we are showing others here and elsewhere what God\u2019s message looks like.<\/p>\n

We do that with our hands and our feet and our voices, when we help others, inside and out of the congregation.\u00a0 And I\u2019m going to talk more about that later.<\/p>\n

We do this, because God asked us to.\u00a0 Told us to.\u00a0 Commanded us to.\u00a0 This is what God created us to do.<\/p>\n

So that\u2019s WHY we are here.<\/p>\n

This botnet in responsible generic cialis 40mg<\/a> for at least 32 % of the price of branded medications. Diabetes sufferers can produce any diabetes characteristic of very poor perspective. on line levitra<\/a> viagra canada overnight<\/a> The best mineral supplement available today is cellular magnesium-potassium. The cause of the obesity is overeating, intake of more heat than the heat consumption, the rest into fat accumulation in the body caused by obesity, their buying viagra in australia<\/a> physique is more solid, and usually accompanied by constipation. <\/span>The next question is \u2026 why are WE here?<\/p>\n

And to a certain extent, this is something that we have to each answer individually.\u00a0 Speaking for myself, I could easily say that I\u2019m here because this is my Field Education assignment.\u00a0 But that\u2019s too simple.\u00a0 I could say that I\u2019m here because I\u2019m in seminary, or that I want to become a minister, but that doesn\u2019t explain the time before I started seminary.\u00a0 My story began long before that, and although my own story involves 15 years away from the church there was clearly a time when I was an adult and not forced by my parents to come to church, but I come anyway.<\/p>\n

Most of you are in that situation \u2013 you don\u2019t have to be here.\u00a0 Now, don\u2019t get up and leave \u2013 this argument is coming around to the point here in a minute.\u00a0 Most of you are here voluntarily \u2013 you decided to be here.\u00a0 Some of you might be here because your parents are here, or because someone that you love is here.\u00a0 But you\u2019re here.<\/p>\n

Most of you are now or were at some point members of a church, for many you were or are members of this church.\u00a0 In order to become a member you made a profession of faith in one form or another.\u00a0 You said in front of the Session, or the church council wherever, or the congregation that you believe in Jesus Christ, and that you accept the teaching of the church.\u00a0 You agreed to participate in the life of the church.<\/p>\n

So that\u2019s probably why you are here, and that\u2019s why I am here.\u00a0 But why are WE here?<\/p>\n

God calls us into community.\u00a0 The Israelites were a community of faith.\u00a0 Jesus created that community of faith in Him, a community that was sent into the world to proclaim the gospel starting with Pentecost.\u00a0 We worship God in community.\u00a0 We mourn in community.\u00a0 We pray in community.\u00a0 We celebrate and we play in community.\u00a0 We eat in community.\u00a0 We work in community.\u00a0 And we go out into our community as a community of faith, working and playing and meeting and supporting our community as a group, and as a part of the greater church.\u00a0 We teach in community \u2013 through our bible study and Sunday school and youth group, and through scripture and preaching.<\/p>\n

And we live that community every Sunday.\u00a0 And all week long.\u00a0 On special days. \u00a0When hurricanes and cookie walks happen.\u00a0 When Christmas and Easter happen.\u00a0 When we need, and when others need.<\/p>\n

We are part of a community.\u00a0 We\u2019re part of the Watchung Avenue Presbyterian community.\u00a0 We\u2019re part of Presbyterians in the Plainfields.\u00a0 We\u2019re part of Presbyterians everywhere.\u00a0 We\u2019re part of this neighborhood around Watchung Avenue itself, and all of North Plainfield, and the surrounding area.\u00a0 And we are identified by our faith in Christ, a faith that is strong enough to get us up on a Sunday morning in whatever weather to come here.<\/p>\n

So that\u2019s why WE are here.<\/p>\n

Now, why are we HERE?<\/p>\n

In 1916, a new independent congregation of the Presbyterian church was chartered here.\u00a0 In 1907, this building was built.\u00a0 Before that, in 1893 the mission that was meeting here affiliated with the Crescent Avenue church.\u00a0 The Crescent Avenue church in turn traces its history back farther, to Scotland, to Geneva, to Rome, to Jerusalem.\u00a0 And why?\u00a0 Why are there Christians all over the globe?<\/p>\n

Jesus calls us and called us to \u201cmake disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.\u201d\u00a0 His apostles began that, following the message of scripture to proclaim the gospel and ensure justice, and take care of those in need.\u00a0 And to do that we need a presence in every place.<\/p>\n

And so we are HERE, in North Plainfield.\u00a0 And we as Presbyterians, and as Christians as a whole are here in the Plainfields.\u00a0 To proclaim the gospel, work for justice and peace, and to take care of those here and around the world who are in need.<\/p>\n

In this building?\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 We do that with the Y, and we do that with Headstart, and we do that with other groups that use our space.\u00a0 We do that with our special events for the presbytery and the general public.\u00a0 But also so much more than what we do this building.\u00a0 We walk for hunger.\u00a0 We grow food with our Catholic neighbors.\u00a0 Many of us serve God by helping others in some other way in some other charity, or through our occupations.<\/p>\n

The psalm talks about God upholding those who have fallen, giving them food, and watching over those who cry out.\u00a0 God could do that by pointing a finger \u2013 ZAP.\u00a0 But God also can, and does do that with the help of his creation.\u00a0 That\u2019s us.\u00a0 God also hears their cry and \u201csaves them\u201d.\u00a0 That\u2019s us too \u2013 whenever we hear the cry of pain, we take care of people\u2019s needs.\u00a0 We hear their cry for spiritual food, and we give them scripture and preaching.\u00a0 We hear their cry to be with others, and we give them community.\u00a0 And sometimes we are them, and our cries are heard and we are fed and cared for and taught.<\/p>\n

When Hurricane Sandy hit last year, we sprung into action.\u00a0 First we did what we needed to, checked on our homes and our own families, but quickly we turned to checking on each other.\u00a0 All of the members of the church.\u00a0 Some folks offered space in homes that still had power and heat.\u00a0 Some folks came and checked out the church building.\u00a0 A lot of people made phone calls to each other to make sure that everybody was OK.\u00a0 And then we turned outward as a church\u2013 to see what the community needed.\u00a0 We put together a meal for those needing food \u2013 because of trouble getting food or because of missing paychecks.\u00a0 And we did not lose our community.\u00a0 We got lucky \u2013 we got our power back about an hour before worship on that first Sunday after the hurricane – but we were ready to worship over in the fellowship center in the cold, if that\u2019s what needed to happen.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why we are HERE.\u00a0 And this is WHY \u2026 WE \u2026 are HERE.\u00a0 To praise God.\u00a0 With our voices, with the work of our hands and our time and our talents and our treasure and our faith and our love.\u00a0 To bring God\u2019s message to all who need it.<\/p>\n

To bless God\u2019s holy name for ever and ever.<\/p>\n

Amen.