Worship Corner: People Make Terrible 'gods'

I had a mentor in college who used to tell me that I "chase girls like a dog chases a firetruck." I think there was deeper meaning to what he was saying that goes beyond a simple college dating scenario.

I've been reading a book lately called Look and Live by a guy named Matt Papa. He is the writer of a song I love to hear Westchester sing called Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery. Granted I've only read the first chapter but I feel like he has some incredibly profound things to say. This book is about Glory. He explains a couple of different facets of glory. The first he calls glory-within which he describes as the qualities someone or something possesses. The second he calls glory-given which is the response we have when we see glory-within. This is what happens when we worship-- we marvel at the magnificent Glory that is found in God-- his goodness, majesty, holiness, and justice-- and we respond with praise, awe, and obedience.

Our response of giving glory is something innate within us. We were made to see glory and respond to it. The problem that comes with being fallen people is that we take things created by God and expect them to hold the entire weight of glory given to them. Created things will only crumble under the weight that comes with glory given to them. (A recent example would be how University of Kentucky's basketball team eventually crumbled under the weight of being an undefeated team in the NCAA tournament---never mind even the crushed dreams of Iowa State's team)

The author of this book takes common idols we make and explains the letdown of idolatry:
    "Money isn't secure enough. Sex isn't thrilling enough. Entertainment isn't interesting enough. Food isn't satisfying enough. People aren't reliable enough... Only God, the highest and greatest good, the infinite holy One, is finally enough"

What my mentor in college was trying to get me to realize is that I was treating girls in this way. Before even going on a date I built up that girl I had seen from a distance to be someone who could hold all of my baggage, give me a name or a label that I desired, and fulfill all of my hopes and dreams. Like a dog chasing a firetruck, I was disappointed and lonely when what I chased did not meet my expectations. When I finally got into a relationship, there was eventually the disillusionment that this created being could never hold the weight of glory I put on them. They were crushed under that weight, and the false god I gave that glory to would die.

The realization we have to come to with the idols we create is that only our One True God can hold the weight of our baggage: to be acquainted with our sorrow, to be the unchanging stability we can rely on, and to be the one who can show us love in a way that honors who we are created to be, and brings Glory to our magnificent creator.

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Austin Hilmer

About the Author:
Austin serves on staff at Westchester as Associate Pastor of Corporate Worship

Our Grass Wasn’t the Greenest, Our House Wasn’t the Cleanest

      It was a pretty normal summer Sunday afternoon for the us.  As the van (lovingly called the Flash not because of its speed but because of the one red stripe on the side) drove up to our house I could see the neighbors outside working on their yards.  Seemingly every Sunday was yard day in our area with people out cutting grass, planting flowers, or fertilizing.  We pulled into the garage after church and then sat down for lunch. 

     After lunch the work would begin.  Mom would clean the house and do the dishes, and the guys would go out to mow the lawn.  My brother and I would take the two push mowers and get around the house and in amongst the trees, while my dad rode the tractor and got the majority of the yard. 

When I was there it all seemed normal and I didn’t really think any more about it.  But as I look back I realize there are a few things that I am extremely thankful to my parents for modeling. 

First, I see now that my dad was intentional with his priorities.  Church and the fellowship with God we experienced there were number one.  Our grass wasn’t the greenest and our house wasn’t the cleanest because my parents wanted God to come first. 

     Second, being a part of a community is important.  We didn’t have to mow the lawn on Sunday; we could have done it a different day.  But to my dad it must have been important to be out when our neighbors were.  Even though there wasn’t much talking going on there is a bond that forms when you are out working at the same time.

     And third, both my parents took advantage of the time they had while they worked.  During his ride my dad worked on memorizing James.  His ear phones would be as loud as they could so that he could hear.  And while my mom was inside she would be praising God along with a Point of Grace CD blasting in the living room. 

     Chuck’s sermon on Sunday helped me to realize that having the right priorities was modeled to me from a young age.  Learning from Christ came first, and then even when they were doing the good things that needed to be done, my parents were intentional with their focus, and that focus was on God. 

     As I move forward with my life and family it is a great to have parents who tried to teach me Godly values.  However I also realize how hard it is not to get caught up in the “good” things like Martha did.  We have a loving God who wants to teach us and too often I find myself distracted by things of this world instead of having a eternal perspective. 

Stress is a strange thing; at least I have found it to be.  While I am in the midst of a stressful time I find myself complaining, wishing that I could just slow down like we talked about on Sunday.  But soon after things start to slow down I feel the need to throw myself back in to the middle again. 

Dear God please help me to slow down and always make you my first priority. 

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Josh Earhart

About the Author:
Josh serves on staff at Westchester as Associate Pastor of Student Ministries

Worship Round-Up (April 12, 2015)

a weekly review of Sunday worship to provide resource and further reflection from our Sunday service.

Sermon

"Slowing Down"
Pastor Chuck Mullikin
Listen to the sermon here

Music
The focus of the service for this week was to emphasize our new series on Stress by indicating where we need to have our gaze instead of our reliance in the works of our hands and the name we can make for ourselves.  The place of our focus needs to be on Christ and particularly upon the work that He finished on the cross. "This is all my righteousness" and "Not of good that I have done" proclaim the lyrics of "Nothing but the Blood". The power comes from the fountain of blood springing from Jesus to "Wash all my sins away" declares "There is a Fountain". From "It is Well" we sing that "Christ has regarded my helpless estate and has shed his own blood for my soul"-- that we were helpless by our own works, by our own name, yet Christ had compassion on us and laid his own life down to redeem us. Finally we sang the many great words and phrases from "My Worth is Not in What I Own" that challenge us to subvert our gaze from what we can attain in this life (which I believe in turn only stress us out) and to fix it upon the cross. I encourage you to listen again to this song especially. 

Nothing But the Blood
by Robert Lowry

There is A Fountain
by William Cowper
Listen on YouTube




It is Well
by Horatio Gates Spafford | Philip Paul Bliss



My Worth is Not in What I Own
by  Graham Kendrick | Keith Getty | Kristyn Getty
Listen on YouTube

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Austin Hilmer

About the Author:
Austin serves on staff at Westchester as Associate Pastor of Corporate Worship

God is Our Strength and Our Portion-- Psalm 73

In anticipation of our new sermon series on Stress (April 12-May 17) I was reflecting on a phrase that occurs a few times in scripture-- "God is my portion". To investigate this phrase I looked to Psalm 73 to find out more about this idea. I encourage you to read Psalm 73 on your own in conjunction with this post.

The writer of this Psalm puts to words some feelings in the Christian walk that I think we may be hesitant to admit. "For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked...They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind." (v. 3-5) "They set their mouths against the heavens and their tongue struts through the earth... they say 'How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?'" (v. 10-11) The thing that is striking to me about these verses is how the writer says that he was envious of these wicked people. The writer states that the wicked are always at ease, they increase in riches, they are prideful, and above reproach and suspicion for the evil that they do. All of this while not having a care about the existence of God or striving to obey. Meanwhile the writer feels "stricken and rebuked every morning" and even feels that it was "in vain" that he strived for righteousness and holiness and followed the ways of God.

If we are honest, we see people around us who have no fear of God, no striving for righteous or holy living, and they seem to carry on without a care and even increase and prosper where we may decrease and be left wanting. We are even tempted to be envious of this life even to the point of forsaking God's commands with how we should live our life because we think it is all in vain. All of this striving after what the world has that we are jealous of does not lead us to desire God. The psalmist has strong words to describe this saying, "My soul was embittered...I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you." (v. 21-22) This jealousy and discontentment does not sit idly in us. They are not neutral feelings. These sinful longings actually harden us and we become bitter towards the Lord because we want something that He has not given us.

The psalm continues that the writer takes these concerns to God when in his sanctuary. There the writer discerns the end of those who live in such a way. Their life is a slippery place, they fall to ruin, they are destroyed in a moment. All that they worked for, all their prosperity, all they had gained is gone in an instant.

So what is gained in the life lived with God? It might not be material possessions, it might not be a name that is elevated above others, it might even be a hard life. But the writer tells us what is gained saying, "I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory...My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

To say God is my portion is to say that God is our inheritance. What we receive from a life with God is that in the end we get God. The psalmist discerns that a life apart from God may have wealth, possessions, and easy living in this life but all that is inherited for that life is death and destruction. If we trust in God-- in His sovereignty, in His faithfulness-- then what we will receive is God himself, and He will receive us to glory. If we have become embittered toward God because of our sinful desires, we need to follow the psalmist's example and repent of this sin and remember anew that God is faithful and eternally satisfying. Nothing in this world could be that everlasting portion, only God and He alone.

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Austin Hilmer

About the Author:
Austin serves on staff at Westchester as Associate Pastor of Corporate Worship

Worship Round-Up (Good Friday & Easter 2015)

a weekly review of Sunday worship to provide resource and further reflection from our Sunday service

Good Friday

Our Good Friday service this year was a walkthrough experience highlighting the events that took place in Jesus' arrest, trial, sentencing, and death on the cross. The experience was meant to use most of our senses to see a new reality to the events. Pastor Chuck spoke briefly about how our Redemption was Deliberate (John 10:17-18), Thought Out (John 19:28-30), and Final (Hebrews 10:11-14).

Music

The Passover Song
by Caroline Cobb
Listen on YouTube
Listen and Purchase here

(I apologize the following recordings are not with the amazing accompaniment from Good Friday night, I only had these demos available)

Were You There?
Words: Verses 1-3 Traditional; Verse 4: Austin Hilmer
Music: Clint Wells



Amazing Grace
by Edwin Othello Excell | John Newton | John P. Rees

Easter

Sermon

"Jesus the RISEN King"
by Pastor Dave MacKinnon
Listen here

Music

Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed
by Ed Cash | Keith Getty | Kristyn Getty
Listen on YouTube



All Things New
by Andrew Peterson | Andy Gullahorn | Ben Shive
Listen on YouTube



Jesus What a Friend for Sinners (Our Great Savior)
by John Wilbur Chapman | Rowland Hugh Prichard
Listen on YouTube

 
The Passion Song
by Sean Carter
Listen on YouTube

Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery
by Matt Papa | Matt Boswell | Michael Bleecker
Listen on YouTube

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Austin Hilmer

About the Author:
Austin serves on staff at Westchester as Associate Pastor of Corporate Worship

Worship Round-Up (March 29.2015)

a weekly review of Sunday worship to provide resource and further reflection from our Sunday service

Sermon
Journey To the Cross

"Jesus IS the King"

Pastor Dave MacKinnon

Listen to the sermon here

Music

The emphasis of our service this week was to show that Jesus truly is our king. As Dave proclaimed in the sermon-- Jesus is our Prophet, our Priest, and our King. The kingdom that Christ rules over is not only one that exists in the future, but one that is present here and now. We proclaim that reality in these songs. From "All Our Praises" we sing "Sing to the one who sits on the throne, offer to Him all your praises. In the remake of Come Thou Fount, it is expressed in our title that we await the coming not only of our blessing but of our King. In "Behold Our God" we sing, "Behold Our God, Seated on His throne, Come let us adore Him!" Let us sing these songs to declare His kingdom here and now!

Hosanna

by Paul Baloche

Listen on YouTube

All Our Praises

by Austin Hilmer

Come Thou Fount, Come Thou King

by John Wyeth | Robert Robinson | Thomas Miller

Listen on YouTube

Behold Our God

by Jonathan Baird | Meghan Baird | Ryan Baird | Stephen Altrogge
Listen on YouTube

All I Have is Christ

by Jordan Kauflin

Listen on YouTube

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Austin Hilmer

About the Author:
Austin serves on staff at Westchester as Associate Pastor of Corporate Worship