Should Acolytes Wear Sneakers?
Preaching
Lions And Cows Dining Together
And 111 Other Sermon Ideas
Object:
Purpose Statement: How formal or informal should we allow our worship services to become?
It is difficult to believe some of the things that have been seen or heard in our traditional Sunday morning worship services. Some of the innovative activities or foolish incidents, depending on your perspective, done in the name of being modern or getting people's attention certainly must go beyond good taste or appropriate worship. Where do we draw the line? We all remember Jesus going into the temple at Jerusalem (John 2:13-17) and getting angry over moneychangers and the presence of cattle as improper for meaningful worship. The incident is found in all four gospels, and records Jesus saying the house of worship had become a den of thieves and a marketplace. John 2:17 expresses the sentiments that our devotion for God's house should burn within us like a fire. Isaiah 6 likens worship in the temple unto an awesome and very holy experience. Moses (Exodus 3:5) is instructed to remove his shoes, for being in God's presence is like standing on holy ground. Exodus 28:1-14 describes how the priests are to dress for temple worship with gold and precious gem stones because worship of God is to be stately, awe-inspiring, and regal. Exodus 40 elaborates on the anointing and consecration of worship and worship things. Verses 34 and 35 tell us that because of God's presence in the tent of worship, Moses could not even enter. As a contrast, in many churches, on Sunday morning we see the candlelighters wearing lovely formal robes with sneaker accessories peeking out from the bottom of the robe. You may have been at one of those weddings where male attendants were decked out in formal tuxedos complete with matching work boots or sneakers. The major question we all should ask ourselves is, "What is appropriate and what isn't?" Clearly there have been some performances in our worship services that have gone over the edge. What is, and what isn't, appropriate?
a. Purpose of worship. Perhaps some questions to begin with would be: What is God like and what are we doing when we worship? Why are you here this morning and what do you expect to happen? The answers to these kinds of questions would go a long way toward dictating what constitutes a meaningful worship environment.
b. Dignity and respect. We stand at attention, remove our caps, and place our hands over our hearts for the flag (perhaps bordering on the idolatrous), but how do we give respect to God and dignity to our worship? Our modern choruses place almost exclusive emphasis on praising God, and how awesome God is, while our posture and demeanor may belie this attitude. And yet, God is a God of joy and excitement. Our worship should include humor, joyfulness, celebration, and creativity. Finding that appropriate balance is the secret.
c. Formality. Back to the sneakers. How formal should we dress to express the respect we desire and the devotion we feel? Are T-shirts, short shorts, jeans (with or without holes), and the like, acceptable or too tacky? The concern that quickly comes to mind is that some persons do not have "nice" clothes and we certainly want them to feel comfortable coming to church with whatever they have. We have quite a dilemma: clothes affect us psychologically -- our attitudes and how we behave -- and yet there are persons who cannot afford to dress with anything approaching formality and we want them to feel welcome.
d. Propriety. One of the concerns at the last church I served was over proper conduct upon entering the sanctuary. Some members wanted silence to prepare prayerfully for worship. Others wanted it to be a time of greeting and friendliness. Both seemed to be appropriate postures, and yet the issue seemed small potatoes compared with the distractions we often encounter today. We go back to the fundamentals and ask what kind of activity, dress, and behavior will be most conducive for us to worship meaningfully.
It is difficult to believe some of the things that have been seen or heard in our traditional Sunday morning worship services. Some of the innovative activities or foolish incidents, depending on your perspective, done in the name of being modern or getting people's attention certainly must go beyond good taste or appropriate worship. Where do we draw the line? We all remember Jesus going into the temple at Jerusalem (John 2:13-17) and getting angry over moneychangers and the presence of cattle as improper for meaningful worship. The incident is found in all four gospels, and records Jesus saying the house of worship had become a den of thieves and a marketplace. John 2:17 expresses the sentiments that our devotion for God's house should burn within us like a fire. Isaiah 6 likens worship in the temple unto an awesome and very holy experience. Moses (Exodus 3:5) is instructed to remove his shoes, for being in God's presence is like standing on holy ground. Exodus 28:1-14 describes how the priests are to dress for temple worship with gold and precious gem stones because worship of God is to be stately, awe-inspiring, and regal. Exodus 40 elaborates on the anointing and consecration of worship and worship things. Verses 34 and 35 tell us that because of God's presence in the tent of worship, Moses could not even enter. As a contrast, in many churches, on Sunday morning we see the candlelighters wearing lovely formal robes with sneaker accessories peeking out from the bottom of the robe. You may have been at one of those weddings where male attendants were decked out in formal tuxedos complete with matching work boots or sneakers. The major question we all should ask ourselves is, "What is appropriate and what isn't?" Clearly there have been some performances in our worship services that have gone over the edge. What is, and what isn't, appropriate?
a. Purpose of worship. Perhaps some questions to begin with would be: What is God like and what are we doing when we worship? Why are you here this morning and what do you expect to happen? The answers to these kinds of questions would go a long way toward dictating what constitutes a meaningful worship environment.
b. Dignity and respect. We stand at attention, remove our caps, and place our hands over our hearts for the flag (perhaps bordering on the idolatrous), but how do we give respect to God and dignity to our worship? Our modern choruses place almost exclusive emphasis on praising God, and how awesome God is, while our posture and demeanor may belie this attitude. And yet, God is a God of joy and excitement. Our worship should include humor, joyfulness, celebration, and creativity. Finding that appropriate balance is the secret.
c. Formality. Back to the sneakers. How formal should we dress to express the respect we desire and the devotion we feel? Are T-shirts, short shorts, jeans (with or without holes), and the like, acceptable or too tacky? The concern that quickly comes to mind is that some persons do not have "nice" clothes and we certainly want them to feel comfortable coming to church with whatever they have. We have quite a dilemma: clothes affect us psychologically -- our attitudes and how we behave -- and yet there are persons who cannot afford to dress with anything approaching formality and we want them to feel welcome.
d. Propriety. One of the concerns at the last church I served was over proper conduct upon entering the sanctuary. Some members wanted silence to prepare prayerfully for worship. Others wanted it to be a time of greeting and friendliness. Both seemed to be appropriate postures, and yet the issue seemed small potatoes compared with the distractions we often encounter today. We go back to the fundamentals and ask what kind of activity, dress, and behavior will be most conducive for us to worship meaningfully.
