Accidents... In my Driveway

Psalm 96

1 Sing to the Lord a new song;
    sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
    proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
    his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

4 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
    he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
    but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
    strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

7 Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    bring an offering and come into his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness;
    tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
    The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
    he will judge the peoples with equity.

11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
    let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
    let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
13 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
    he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
    and the peoples in his faithfulness.

I have never been someone who really enjoys shopping.  I always spend too much money and seem to think I need about 12 more things than the one thing I actually went to the store to get.  Whether it’s for groceries or clothes or a home improvement store, this is usually the case.  Now, add three kids to that scenario and taking them shopping only adds to the stress of the whole thing.  This means that I am now a huge fan of Amazon.  I can do my shopping right there from the chair and it shows up on my doorstep.  It seems a little counter-intuitive but it actually keeps me from buying things that I don’t really need because I get on the app and only buy what I am looking for.  Plus, I do not have to expose three kids who haven’t had their nap yet to the general population.  You are welcome.  Lately, I feel like I have preached a lot on the negatives of social media and the internet but there are a lot of good things too.  For example, parts of our service are available online and I see several of my other pastoral friends doing the same.  Communicating through email or Facebook makes staying in touch that much easier and quicker.  In today’s world, people can work, shop, communicate, attend school and even have church right there in the comforts of their pajamas and couch.  As it specifically relates to church, it begs the question of “Why can’t I just go to church online?”

Before I can answer that question, I have to share this story with you.  A couple weeks ago, I was involved in a very minor accident... In my own driveway... And it was no one’s fault but my own.  In a rush to get to Griffin’s football practice, I backed out the garage and right into Cheyanne’s van.  I would love to justify my own lack of awareness by telling you that Cheyanne didn’t pull into the garage like she normally does and was not parked as far over as she should have been.  But I can’t... I have backed out of the garage with her van parked in that same spot several times before and never made contact with the two vehicles.  As difficult of a pill as it is to swallow, it is my fault and my fault alone.  That pill becomes more and more difficult when I tell you that I am perhaps a little too critical of Cheyanne when I see minor scrapes or dings on her van and there I am causing more damage to two vehicles than she has ever caused to one.  It’s been a very humbling experience to say the least... especially since the repair bill for the two vehicles is around $4,000.  Thankfully, we only have to pay the deductible.

In a way, going to a physical church is a similar type of humbling experience.  We share our celebrations and concerns; we come to the table and are forgiven; we worship, we pray and we give.  And we do all of these things together.  In an age that is incredibly easy to be isolated even though we are more connected than ever, going to a physical place of worship is that much more important.  While the ease of hearing or reading sermons online may make us want to take that route, going to church still has its relevance.  The services that church’s offer online are meant to supplement your faith, not be a replacement for going to church.  Cheyanne still likes to go to shopping even though the ease and convenience of online shopping exists.  A, it gets her out of the house and B, she can still touch a physical product.  It is that touch that our society is shifting away from.  Don’t get me wrong, God can still make connections through those online outlets but no one is there to give the widow a hug, to say a prayer for a specific loved one that you would like lifted up, to physically share in the Lord’s Supper with.  While each of our struggles may be different, we are in constant need of healing and knowing that those sitting around us are gathered seeking God’s salvation is an important step in that healing process.  Physically going to church, being in a relationship with God and fellowship with your neighbor are all important steps in the healing process.  It reminds us that we aren’t alone and at the same time it humbles us.  

The Psalm that I picked for this morning serves as a great reminder of three things.  First, it reminds us who we worship.  “The Lord made the heavens.”  We worship the Creator.  “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.”  We worship a God that wants all peoples to hear of his strength and glory.  “He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.”  Yes, God will judge but that is part of our sacrifice to him.  It is part of the two way street that is salvation.  That may be hard to hear at times, but God’s judgement is fair and based solely out of love.  Second, this Psalm reminds us how we worship.  There are various ways we can worship but proclamation of who God is and what he has done  is at the heart of it.  “Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.”  I encourage you to sing to the Lord your song.  Proclaiming God as the king of kings, the savior of humankind, and the Creator of the heavens and the earth and proclaiming Jesus as the Son of man who loved us so much that he died for our sins is heart of our worship.  And third, this Psalm reminds us why we worship together: because we are called to be in a relationship with Him.  The true love and grace of God is only better understood within the scope of all peoples.  God forgives us of our individual sins, which is fantastic and gracious, but when our sins are placed within a collective group of sin, we only begin to better understand the greatness of God’s grace.  Look at it like this: with the recent hurricanes in the south, the Red Cross has been asking for $10 donations.  One $10 donation doesn’t seem like a lot and it’s not if only one person gave.  But if one million people give $10 they have raised $10 million dollars for hurricane relief.  The forgiveness of one person’s sins seem miniscule when compared to the forgiveness a hundred people, or a million people, or 7.3 billion people.  

I don’t say this weaken one person’s convictions about their individual sin; rather, I want to help you realize the magnitude of God’s love and grace.  Christianity is both individual and collective.  Search out those ways to supplement your faith but do not forget the importance of seeing your faith within the scope of God’s creation.  There is humility to be found in knowing that God died for you and acknowledging he also died for all of humankind.  Psalm 96 encourages us to rejoice in God’s salvation, but it also serves as a reminder of the greatness, strength, majesty and righteousness of God when placed into the context of God’s creation.       Amen.