Our need of worship and religion

Buddhism: Philosophy or Religion

Visit to Karen Village

Daily offering to the village monks

Cultural exchange evening

Our need for inspiration

Romans 12

• I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

•  For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

•  Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

•  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Religion/worship refers to the practices and community that

reinforces this

• Rational philosophies are important but weak

• We need symbols, stories, rituals, disciplines etc. that experientially engage/connect us with each other, with nature and with God, creating common (i.e. community) meanings

Tangent – how religion got a bad name

• When the rules and practices are the point instead of the helpers

• When religious institutions are used to exploit, oppress and exclude instead of liberate (healthy religion should be about liberation/empowerment not control)

Moving toward a smaller or bigger world

FearSelf-p

rotection,

competition, exploitation

& violence

Trust

Empathy, cooperation,

inclusion

1. Stop doing it by yourself, there’s “something more”

• It’s not about (or up to) us/me

• I honour the light, the goodness, that is in me/you the most when I recognize that this light is a part of something larger than me

• That this is bigger than me (“something more”) is a huge relief – and awakens hope, forgiveness of self/others

• That the goodness/light in me is a sign of what the “something more” is like is a huge relief – and awakens trust, love, awe, service

5. Don’t see a small world, there’s “something more”

• A regular grounding of our reality

• (This means it is crucial that our regular worship reflects a God that is loving and larger than us.)

• Protects us from people like Donald Trump or Jerry Falwell Jr. – only shoddy, small worship could enable them to look like a reflection of truth/God

8. Don’t be afraid, there’s “something more”

• Acceptance, love and forgiveness are the heart of God

• Calms and soothes our deepest and most ultimate fears

• Community of worship reinforces this so that it sinks deeper than our head into our heart

12. Religion/worship (all the above) empowers us/encourages us to serve

• This is the sign that all the prior reasons are on the right track.

• If it doesn’t lead to service of others (neighbours, “widows & orphans,” strangers, enemies etc), it’s not Christian worship

James 1.26-27

•  If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.