Liturgy Lessons: Jan. 29, 2017
Call to Worship: Psalm 8:1,3-4 & Romans 11:33-12:1
Hymn: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (#53)
Confession of Sin: Titus 2:11-14
Assurance of Pardon: Titus 3:4-7
Hymn: Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing (#457)
Catechism/Congregational Prayers
Offertory: “My Shepherd Will Supply My Need”
Doxology: #731
Sermon: Rev. Casey Bedell
Meditation: “Nearer My God, to Thee”
Supper: At the Lamb’s High Feast (#420); There is a Higher Throne (Getty)
Closing Hymn: God of Grace, and God of Glory
Benediction
When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you
If your heart is in your dream, no request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star, as dreamers do
Fate is kind. She brings to those who love the sweet fulfillment of their secret longing
Like a bolt out of the blue, Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true!
Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio (1940)
Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart
Psalm 37:4
Disney has powerful liturgies. From the first morning’s greeting by Mickey and friends at the gates of Magic Kingdom, to the closing fireworks and laser show, it is an immersive experience charged with promises for the good life and “dreams come true.” As we were ushered down the impossibly idealized Mainstreet USA toward Cinderella’s castle, surrounded by the great cloud of witnesses, I was struck by how every soul from around the globe was so familiar with the Disney brand, singing along to every song, enthusiastically pointing and waving to their favorite characters. After our first day in the park, I wrote the following “confession”:
I am drowning in Disney, swimming in a saccharine sea, a swirling storm of sensory-overload sentimentality; drifting by me are thousands of life rafts filled with other smiling survivors, mothers, meltdowns, and general mayhem. It’s all campy and crazy clamor, like some incessant contemporary can-can, and we’re all dancing in time with the Muzak, high-kicking and high on the Disney drug of distraction, which, I confess, I am inhaling at every turn, and though I know this is all a plastic princess-and-pirate paradise, that it won’t satisfy my voracious need to be entertained, that it will leave a wicked hangover upon re-entry, I am loving it! I confess that standing before the huge golden statue of Mickey, I have chosen to bow down with the masses. For this week, I am weak. I have resorted to this resort, and fallen headlong into this version of Vanity Fair. Ah, what a blissful, bacchanalian binge! Lord, have mickey…I mean…mercy!
After we left the park, I read Revelations chapter 21 to my children, in which John describes the splendor of the new city “coming down from heaven.” I told them that the delight and longing they felt at Disney World was touching something true, that we were all made for paradise, and the Magical Kingdom God has prepared for us will be far greater than anything ever crafted by the hands of man. We spoke about how each fairy tale points to the Great Story of our redemption. After all, as their parents, we know how easily their young hearts are enchanted, and that dissatisfaction in life is near the root of all kinds of sin. We know that “wishing upon a star” will not bring them true happiness, and we also want to fill their hearts and minds with the truth of God’s word:
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger,
and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)
For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. (Psalm 107:9)
The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
May your hearts live forever! (Psalm 22:26)
In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)
At the root of my own dissatisfaction is a never-ending thirst that nothing in this world can satisfy. Why do we binge-watch television, or endlessly scroll through Facebook or Twitter? Why do people abuse drugs and alcohol, or sacrifice their family on the altar of their careers? We have all been duped into thinking that a better job, more money, a different spouse, or a better neighborhood are things we really need. Well, brothers and sisters, that version of the American dream amounts to little more than “zippidy doo-dah.” But, for us, we know that “plenty of sunshine” will be “coming our way” when the Lord comes to reign. Christ himself will be the sun, and there will be no more night, no more tears. We gather on Sunday as a foretaste of that great feast. We worship him, the source and satiation of all our desires, and we pray that, during our weekly feast, our affections would be steered back to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only in him that the hunger of our hearts will find its ultimate satisfaction.
At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing
Tune: St. George’s, George Elvey(1859) Text: Latin Hymn(6th cent.), tr. By Robert Campbell (1849)
This hymn text dates from somewhere between the 5th and 10th centuries. It was translated from the original Latin in the 19th century by Robert Campbell, who gives us a beautiful versification that preserves much of the imagery in the original poem. Each verse is like a theological truffle, densely packed with rhyming couplets that celebrate Christ as our paschal (“Passover”) Lamb. This hymn was commonly sung throughout Europe and was the hymn for Vespers during the Easter season. It continues to be sung throughout the Christian church today because it is a true gem of our hymnody. Because of its obvious connection to the Passover, and its festal language, it is the perfect hymn for communion. The image of heaven as a banquet, or feast, is common in the parables of Jesus, and throughout all of scripture. Just consider this passage from Revelation 7:
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
Amen, indeed! When we sing this hymn, we join that great multitude at the great supper of the Lamb. And, though our earthly table has no visible seraphim surrounding it, we declare that “where the paschal blood is poured, death’s dark angel sheathes his sword.” In this triumphant moment, we celebrate the death of Christ which brings us life, and victory over sin and death.
Link to sheet music: http://www.hymnary.org/page/fetch/TH1990/439/high
Link to piano accompaniment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KIV5xp4C0w