Finding Their Voices
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Finding Their Voices

Sermons by Women in the Churches of Christ

D'Esta Love

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eBook - ePub

Finding Their Voices

Sermons by Women in the Churches of Christ

D'Esta Love

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About This Book

Finding Their Voices is more than a book of sermons. It seeks to honor a generation of women who stand at the headwaters of a stream of change in Churches of Christ in regards to women in ministry. It records history in the making and preserves the words spoken by 29 women from pulpits across the U.S. and Canada. It also recognizes the churches and institutions that welcomed these women and provided space for their voices to be heard.

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THE HEART OF WORSHIP

This sermon was preached at the Bering Drive Church of Christ in Houston, Texas, September
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Melanie Fudge Simpson


Preface to the Sermon

At the time this sermon was preached, I was serving as the worship and children’s minister for the Bering Drive Church of Christ. This material was originally written as one of three classes on worship for our women’s Bible study. On this particular weekend, I received a call from our administrative minister, giving me the news that our preaching minister was ill and unable to preach on Sunday. He went through the list of possible substitutes. “What do you think we should do?” he asked. I quickly answered, “I have a wonderful lesson on worship, and I would just love to preach!” “Sounds good,” he said. And so, I did! This is the first part of a two-part series that I preached at Bering Drive.

The Sermon: The Heart of Worship

Good morning! It is a great honor to have the opportunity to speak to you today about something that is near to my heart—worship. When I was asked to teach three Wednesday classes on worship for the women’s Bible study, I was wonderfully excited. One thing you must know about me is—I love being a worship minister! I love worship! I love worship planning and worship leading. I love when a song can flow into another song and when someone prays a prayer in such a way that a holy silence occurs. Then, as I began my preparation, it hit me. I wasn’t being asked to preach about worship services. I was being asked to preach about worship. Then I went into panic mode.
I am no Beth Moore! Maybe they meant to ask my mom or my dad. There must be some sort of mistake! I do not think of myself as a theologian per se. I don’t know how to read Greek or Hebrew. I do not even own a commentary! But I love the Lord and I wanted to honor the opportunity. So, I put my fear and self-doubt aside and asked God to speak his words to me and to use me. As we begin this journey to the heart of worship, I’d like us to start at the beginning:
Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”
So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” (Gen. 1:26–28 NRSV)
God defines the relationship between himself and humankind at the beginning of their existence. We were made in God’s image. We are not to miss this fact, because it is repeated twice—“So God created humankind in his image.” Then, in case you missed it, “In the image of God he created them.” From the beginning, we have a unique and special purpose that sets us apart from all of creation. We are created for relationship with God, commanded to be fruitful and given dominion over the rest of creation. We are the stewards of the earth, but God is the Lord over all.
In the second chapter of Genesis, the man he created gives names to all the animals. But God is also the creator of the animals. The “worship” we see is true intimacy, which results from creation in its proper order or alignment. God is at the head, and humankind knows its place to be under God.
So our first picture of “perfect worship” comes at the beginning. Humankind walks with God in obedience and trust. There is no power struggle; there is complete reliance on God. The job of the man and the woman is to be fruitful. There is no call for sacrifice, as there has been no sin. Worship is a natural response to the creator, and worship is relationship. Keeping this in mind, let’s move through the Scriptures a little bit. Bear in mind that when we look at these pictures of “worship” in Scripture, we are not necessarily looking at a corporate experience, but at an individual’s personal encounter with God. Let’s turn to the seventeenth chapter of Genesis.
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.” (Gen. 17:1–7 NRSV)
Notice that when Abraham hears God’s voice, his first response is to fall facedown—to assume a posture of humility. I have to assume that this is not a premeditated “Let’s all get on our knees now,” but it is more of a “Hit the deck!” response to God’s awesome presence. People don’t fall facedown on purpose. Even babies know that the best place to land is on your bottom! I have had one occasion in my life in which I fell facedown. It was in fifth grade after PE class. The teacher blew the whistle; I ran to the line and locked my knees, and that was all she wrote. When I opened my eyes, I was facedown. I am fairly certain that Abraham didn’t lock his knees. This is complete awe. This is humility and surrender.
After this, God fills Abraham in on the covenant, which will be a covenant of circumcision. This moment has tremendous gravity in our understanding of worship. I like the observation that Jack Hayford made in his sermon entitled “The Price of Worship.” He points out that God is asking Abraham for a sacrifice. But the sacrifice is not simply physical. This is the sacrifice of Abraham’s very identity. It is his identity as a man, the most intimate part of himself. God is looking for something deeper than a physical modification. He is asking for a circumcision of the heart. Paul would later write these words: “For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. Rather, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart—it is spiritual and not literal. Such a person receives praise, not from others but from God” (Rom. 2:28–29 NRSV).
Friends, I think God would ask us today: Are you willing to sacrifice what you think is at the core of your identity? What about your pride? What about your control? What about your comfort zone? What about your “rights”? Later on, Abraham is faced with this test of sacrifice once again. This time it involves his only and long-awaited son, Isaac. Again, he is willing to make the sacrifice, to offer up what he holds most dear. Although, this time, God spares him from it.
Let’s take a peek into Exodus where we see another worship service already in progress. The “worship leaders” are Moses and Miriam. After the Israelites have fled from Egypt and the Lord rescued them from the Egyptians, Moses and Miriam lead the people in song.
Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord,
and said,
“I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted;
The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation;
This is my God, and I will praise Him;
My father’s God, and I will extol Him.” (Exod. 15:1–2 nasb)
The enemy boasted, “I will pursue, I will overtake them.
I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them.
I will draw my sword, and my hand will destroy them.”
But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
Who among the gods is like you, Lord?
Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory,
working wonders? (Exod. 15:9–11)
Notice the pronouns used here. The enemy’s repeated use of “I” is in obvious contrast with Moses and Miriam’s use of “you.” With this in mind, we eavesdrop on David’s prayer of praise in 2 Samuel.
Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? . . . How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you! . . . You made a great name for yourself when you redeemed your people from Egypt. You performed awesome miracles and drove out the nations and gods that stood in their way. You made Israel your very own people forever, and you, O Lord, became their God. And now, O Lord God, I am your servant. (2 Sam. 7:18; 22–25a NLT)
What is striking about both of these songs of worship is the common denominator of humility. There is an acknowledgement by both Moses and David that God is God, and that they are human beings. They recognize and verbally affirm the proper order God established. There is reliance on God. This is not about building up God’s ego. We don’t acknowledge God’s greatness because God needs to hear it. We acknowledge God’s greatness because we need to hear it. The relationship is in its proper order. And the result is not indentured servitude. The result is fruitfulness! Abraham would be the father of nations. Moses would continue to serve God and lead the people into a covenant relationship with their creator. David would be the man after God’s own heart. He became a worship leader like no other and would model for us not only hunger for God but also repentance and restoration. All of these men’s lives would indeed be fruitful for generations to come.
Let’s look at another memorable encounter with God.
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!” (Isa. 6...

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