The Rebirth of the Church. William Powell Tuck
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foundation. We would see if we could find the place where Jacob experienced the angels ascending and descending a ladder before God. We would see if we could find the remains of the bush that was burning where Moses had an experience with God. We would see if we could discover the ruins of the temple where Isaiah saw God high and lifted up. We would see if we could find the footprints in the sand where the disciples followed Jesus and left their nets and went to become fishers of men. Or we could see if we could find the place on the Damascus Road where Paul had his blinding experience with Christ. We would move on down through history and see if we could find the garden spot where Augustine heard the voice that said, “take up and read,” and he himself was converted. Or we would climb the stairs in Rome where Luther searched to find the Spirit of God. Or we could go to Aldersgate where Wesley’s heart was strangely warmed.
But there are several problems with that kind of a tour. For one thing, you probably cannot find those spots. But the biggest problem with it is that it is always focused in the past. We seem to think that we must go back someplace and find out what God did for somebody back there in the past. But the angel said to those who came to the tomb searching for Jesus, “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, but he is not here, he has gone before you.” Christ is always going before his Church and seeks to draw us into the future. He is not content with what we have been or where we have been. We are built on that foundation, and we are aware that Jesus Christ is indeed the central foundation. Where Christ is, there is his Church. Where Christ is absent, his Church is not there, no matter what kind of building we may have. Churches need to construct a building in which the living Christ is Lord. In fact, a part of what Paul is saying in this passage is that the loving God wants to be in a living temple. Paul changes the metaphor about the stones and pictures the stones as living. The Church is not just brick and mortar, but it is made up of living people.
Robert Raines was putting his young son to bed once when the boy looked up at him and said: “Daddy, tell me again what does Maundy Thursday mean?” In their Church tradition, they were celebrating a special service on the Thursday before Easter. Dr. Raines told him that Maundy Thursday was the night that Jesus had his last meal with his disciples. They ate together, and Jesus talked to them about what that meal symbolized. He left the upper room and later was crucified on Good Friday, and then he was raised from the dead by God. We celebrate Easter because of the great event of the resurrection of Christ. Then the young son looked at his father and asked: “Daddy, will Easter ever happen to me?
Isn’t the Church supposed to be composed of those who claim that we have experienced Easter? We worship a living Christ who is Lord of the Church. A strong sense of a vital, personal experience with Jesus Christ is the foundation of the Church, if it is to be authentic Church.
The Foundation of Worship
You will also notice that Paul writes about the Church being knit together as a holy temple. The Temple is a place where people focus on worship. I frankly do not know how people live who do not worship. I spend a lot of my time dealing with religious matters and reading religious books. But I know that there is an absolute necessity for worship in my life. Worship is not something I can choose to do or not do. It is not a decision I make like whether I will go swimming or go to the mountains or to a lake or beach. Worship, according to the biblical understanding of it, is something a Christian does. It is not debatable. A Christian worships, if he or she really does care about God. Worship is essential to the vitality of an individual and to the vitality of a church.
Let me tell you a parable. One day Mr. or Ms. Spider walked out on a limb. He or she dropped a silver thread down from that limb and began to spin a beautiful web across a rushing stream that lay beneath it. Now Mr. or Ms. Spider sat on this delightful web and enjoyed it for some time capturing whatever came along for lunch, supper, or other occasions. Time went by and there was a great sense of satisfaction and delight in Mr. or Ms. Spider. But, then, one day the spider looked up at the silver thread which attached it to the limb, and asked: “What is that for? I don’t need that.” With one sweep, it was severed and the whole web went crashing into the stream below. And the spider was swept away.
I am astounded at how often we live like that. We think we can live without the vital cord that relates us to the God of the universe. So, we sever it, and we go our way without any kind of focus on God. Then we wonder why our life seems to be caught in the rapids of destructive elements which toss us in all directions. Worship sustains us; without it we die spiritually. To be meaningful, worship is not an occasional affair, but is practiced day after day, week after week, and year after year.
The Bible depicts many persons falling prostrate before God in worship and declaring: “Holy, holy is his name.” They freely acknowledge the mystery, power, and the awesome nature of the God of the universe. I worship for many reasons. I worship out of a sense of thanksgiving. I recall the time when my wife came back from surgery, and we received word that everything was fine. A sense of thanksgiving came to my lips. When my children were born, I remember going in their room and examining them and, then, expressing my sense of thanksgiving to God. I can still envision standing as a young man in the mountains of Virginia on an early summer morning and watching the sun rise above the lake as it sent its silhouette against the water and expressing a sense of thanksgiving to the Creator – God.
I also worship out of a sense of need. I acknowledge my own vulnerability. I acknowledge that I am not sufficient in and of myself and that I am not self-made. I need the great God of the universe, and I need the fellowship of the community of faith. I acknowledge my need as you also have a need. Some of you have moved to this community full of strangers, and there is a need. Some of you look across the table at an empty chair, and there is a need for worship. Some of you are struggling with problems with your family, with your husband or wife, your children, or aged parents, and there is a need in your life. There are those present who have financial problems. Many here are struggling with all kinds of dilemmas and difficulties and need the strength and power that comes from a source beyond ourselves. We have to acknowledge that we are not sufficient for all of this. I worship because of my own vulnerability. One accident in the bathtub, or one drunken driver who has lost control of his automobile, can change my whole life in an instant.
Worship becomes for us an oasis in time. We set apart a segment of time to focus our lives on the eternal God of the universe. We worship to draw on the strength and power of his presence to face the difficulties of life, as well as to express our thanksgiving. The word “sabbath” comes from an old Babylonian word which means “stop doing what you normally do.” Every one of us needs to stop doing what he or she normally does in one’s work and play and focus upon God so that each of us can draw the power of God’s presence into our lives. We are a holy temple, the people of God gathered to worship. We need worship as surely as our eyes need light to see, our ears need sound to hear, our lungs need air to breathe, and the body needs food to sustain it.
The Foundation of Community
The Church is also a community. It is a fellowship. It is a group of people who reach out to one another to draw strength from each other. As Paul reminds us, “We are bonded and knit together, no longer aliens, strangers, but we are fellow citizens.” We belong now to the community. We are not strangers; we are a part of the family. That is what the Church is — family.
I recall seeing a movie several years ago in which two prisoners, a black man, and a white man, were chained together in a prison camp. Anything they tried to do could not be done if they worked in discord. They had to learn to work in harmony. One day they escaped from the prison camp and, they learned quickly that if they were going to run, they had to do it together or else they would continuously fall. They were bonded together. Since we are bonded to the life of our neighbor, whether they are sister or brother, here in the fellowship of the Christian faith, we are involved in the lives of others. Our faith is always very personal, but it is never private. As a part of the Church, we live in relationship to others and never exist just in isolation. We reach out to others in their particular needs to show them that we care for them.
I know something of the concern and community of this congregation which has reached out to touch the lives of many in this community and I hope it will spread even more. Some of you are not really a part of that kind of community yet. In the Sunday School classes, W.M.U. circles, youth