Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church

Luke 15:20-32, Psalm 23

This fall we are exploring some thoughts about worship. Many of us have joined a home group in order to discuss the book by Buddy Owens, The Way of a Worshiper. Others of us are reading the book on our own without being in a discussion group. The very fact that some of us enjoy discussing with others what we are reading together, while some of us prefer to read the book on our own reveals interesting personality differences

Kate and I both love to read books. But we read books in very different ways. She finds a quiet chair with a nice lamp. She pulls a quilt around her, gazes for a moment into the fire, smiles over at me and then gets quiet for an evening of reading. As she reads, she disappears into a quiet place in her own mind. Kate is a private reader.

I, on the other hand, am a social reader. I find it difficult to read more than a few paragraphs before I need to read something out loud and comment on it. Sitting across the room on the couch, pretty soon I am reading sentences or paragraphs out loud. “Listen to this… It says here that 95% of people who pray feel unfulfilled by their prayer life.” It doesn’t matter whether I am reading non-fiction or fiction. “Wow, this is a lot like me isn’t it? The woman in the story is upset that her husband….”

I do the same thing when I am at the office. When I am studying in my office, I often step out my door to read something to Cami, my assistant. If she isn’t at her desk I wander down the hallway looking for some unsuspecting person to interrupt so I can read something out loud. “Rochelle, listen to this.” “Anne, I just read an amazing statistic.”

Reading recharges my batteries. How do you get your batteries recharged?

Does worship recharge our batteries? To use the language of the Bible, if our relationship with God “restores my soul,” how does worship help us do this? I suspect most of us have preferences for which aspects of worship we think restore our souls. Some of us prefer the quiet and thoughtful moments in church worship. We come to church seeking time to center, breathe, slow down and break out of the stressful, frantic pace of the rest of the week. Others of us come to church wanting to connect and feel included. We are refreshed by the joyful party atmosphere of worship that includes lots of external stimulation—sound, movement, visuals. Is it a matter of personal taste then? God restores our souls by giving us what we like and prefer? Or is restorative worship more than that?

Buddy Owens does an interesting thing with chapters five and six. He gives us two contrasting images of worship. In chapter five, he describes worship as being like a party where everybody is invited to come celebrate with the Prodigal Father. In chapter six, he says worship is like being quietly and securely folded into a hiding place away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. So which is it? For worship to “restore my soul” must we join the party or get quiet? Let’s explore how worship restores my soul.

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside still waters; He restores my soul.

He leads me in right paths for His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

I fear no evil; for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff— they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD

my whole life long.

Palsm 23

The Sunday school teacher was explaining the story of the Prodigal Son to the children. “You see, children, when the younger son returned home his father put on a big party to welcome him home. But Jesus said someone was not happy about the party. Do you know who wasn’t happy about the party?”

A boy raised his hand and said, “The fatted calf?”

Today we combine two of the most well known parts of the Bible. Most people, even non-religious people, have heard the phrases, “The prodigal son,” and “the Lord is my shepherd.” Notice how each of these describe opposite styles of worship. The Prodigal Son is a story about a party. The celebration music and laughter of the party pervades the story. Turn up the lights, crank up the band. We are here to paaaartaay! The Shepherd’s Psalm, on the other hand, describes a place of afternoon shadows and quiet streams. This is a place where the distant sounds of the city fade and we sit alone in God’s presence. It is a place of serenity. Which do we need in order to have God restore our souls?

“I prefer… quiet.” “I prefer a high octane, loud drum beat.” Wait. What if it turns out that God wants to restore us, not according to our preferences, but in the surprising places beyond our shallow likes and dislikes. After all, our preferences are merely reflections of our background. We tend to like what is familiar. But God wants to restore the eternal soul within us.

I find it interesting that each of these famous Bible passages contain both aspects of worship: quiet, contemplative moments and loud, celebrative moments. Have you ever noticed how the Shepherd’s Psalm ends at a party? This party does not serve a fatted calf, invite loud boisterous neighbors, and cannot be heard all the way out from the farm house to the fields. But it is a party nonetheless.

The journey past quiet waters and green pastures ends up at a bountiful table of thanksgiving. “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” The host of the party welcomes the guest by pouring anointing oil over his head. This is expensive oil that symbolizes refreshment and joy. The host pours a cup of wine for the guest and there is so much laughter and fun that he accidentally pours the cup to overflowing. The quiet time of solemn reflection concludes with a celebration that all is well and the enemies have not been victorious. Psalm 23 ends at a party!

Healthy, restorative worship, then, cannot be limited exclusively to solemn expressions of quiet prayer. There needs to be moments of excitement and celebration.

Studies of animals have shown there is a clear medical impact of isolation. Animals that are isolated in cages tend to have multiple medical and emotional problems. They lose interest in food, sex, have trouble sleeping, and develop mental confusion. Monkeys that were isolated developed blockage of the arteries and heart disease. Bunnies that were held and petted lived 60% longer than isolated bunnies in cages. Insurance companies have actuarial tables showing the connection of heart problems and isolation. In other words, we all need to be included in the party.

On the other hand, healthy restorative worship cannot be exclusively celebratory. There are quiet moments in the story of the Prodigal Son. Notice that before the youngest son gets home he becomes solemn and prayerful. He practices his speech on the road. “Father, I have sinned against heaven and you….” He heads home with quiet and thoughtful demeanor before the party breaks out and he discovers he is welcome. Healthy balanced worship needs to include both quiet prayerfulness and celebrative joy. Worship isn’t either/or it is both/and.

In fact, if we don’t maintain a healthy balance of both prayerful reflection and joyful celebration, we will tend to lapse into the mistake of the older brother in the story of Prodigal Son. Notice that his refusal to join the celebration for his brother’s return led to his own private “pity party.” If we don’t take personal time to reflect on our own failures, then our celebration turns out to be hollow. Likewise, if we don’t take time to join the inclusive party our self-imposed isolation can turn into jealousy and even bitterness.

So what does this kind of healthy, balanced worship look like in our daily lives?

I recall Dr. Fred Craddock’s personal story related to the Prodigal Son. He describes the family down the street whose daughter had gotten into trouble and ended up in a youth correctional facility. Then the rumor went through their little town that the girl was pregnant. Not only had she done some illegal things that led to her arrest, but also she was “knocked up.”

Several months later Fred heard the neighbors whispering that the girl had the baby in prison. And then a few months after that the rumor went through the neighborhood that she was being released. Some of the neighbors said they had heard the she was not only coming home to live with her parents but bringing the baby with her.

Fred recalls how many neighbors needed to mow their lawns on the morning the girl was due home. He had nearly finished his lawn and was slowing down to cutting one blade at a time as he kept glancing up the street toward the girl’s house. Pretty soon cars began parking in front of the house as aunts and uncles, grandparents and extended family arrived. They were hugging each other and then one last car arrived. He saw the girl climb out of the car holding her baby.

That family gathered around, hugging her and passing the baby from one to another. They were smiling and laughing and acting like it was a party. To be honest Fred Craddock says he felt embarrassed watching this public display of affection for the daughter who had been lost and was now home. Just as he was turning away to put up his lawn mower, the father of the girl called down the street and invited him to their welcome home party.

When I first heard Dr. Craddock’s story I heard it as a challenge to those of us who have judgmental tendencies, who think parties should be reserved for college graduates and responsible couples who get married before they have children. But as I reflect on balanced worship from Buddy Owens’ book I notice something in Fred’s story I had missed before.

I am thinking about Fred’s quiet, reflective time while mowing the lawn. I suspect he needed that private thoughtful time to pray and examine his own heart. Mowing the lawn became his worship time so that God could restore his soul. Only then was he ready to accept the invitation to the party and celebrate with his neighbors.

So let me ask you a question: How is God restoring your soul?