Living in the in-between.
A call to worship.
Themes
Pain • Joy • Belief • Doubt • The humanity of Christ • Loneliness • Abandonment • Despair • Shame
Jesus said, “Be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect.” And this would be an intolerable burden for us… except that he was perfect. And his fulfillment of a perfect life is our life.
Scripture reading
Luke 22:31–32
This call to worship1 are words that Jesus spoke to Peter.
Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.
Prayer
Father in heaven, we seem to live within two realities. We live in pain and we live in joy. We live in belief and we live sometimes in doubt. In all of it, we long for another world — a world without pain or death, one without doubt, or despair, a world without loneliness, or shame, or anxiety. But right now, Father, we’re living in the in-between, in a place where doubt rips at the fabric of our being. We doubt so many things, Father. What kind of society is this that tolerates this crime or that crime… and so we doubt our culture. We ask, what kind of world is this? And so we have doubts about this world. What really does my own life mean if it can be so unexpectedly diseased or terminated? And so we have doubts about ourselves. And why would You, God, allow all this. Which unveils our most wrenching doubt: doubt about You. We live in doubt. At the deepest level of our being, at the very core of who we are, we doubt. But thank You, Father, for the humanity of Jesus Christ. However deep our humanity goes, His does too. You desired to recreate humanity — To recreate us — at the deepest, deepest level of who we are — at the level of our anxieties and our doubts, the level of our despair and our shame and our weakness, the level our guilt and loneliness; the places deepest within us. And so Jesus took upon Himself the totality of our humanity in all its depth — not just our spirituality. He took our body and our soul, not only so that His death could become our death, but also so that His life could become our life. His humanity is our humanity. His living is our living. And so, He is in the midst of our experiences. Even our godforsaken experiences are known infinitely deeply to your Son — “My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?” He once cried out. We may be lonely, but we are not lonely alone. We may be abandoned, but we are not abandoned alone. We may be in places of despair, but we are not there alone. We may feel shame, but we do not feel shame alone. And… Father… He kept the law that we couldn’t keep. And that law-keeping life is our life. He turned his other cheek. And that other-cheek-tuning life is our life. He loved his enemies. In fact, while we were enemies, He reconciled us to Himself. His whole life was a life in service to You, Father, not to mammon. And that life of service is our life of service. He said that only the ones who do Your will will enter heaven. He did Your perfect will. And that perfect will-doing life is our life. He said, “Be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect.” And this would be an intolerable burden for us… except that He was perfect. And His fulfillment of a perfect life is our life. In the end, Jesus is awarded for being the one who is poor in spirit, who mourns, who is meek and hungry, who is thirsty for righteousness, who is merciful, pure in heart, and a peacemaker, who is persecuted for righteousness’ sake. And so, it is He who possesses the kingdom of heaven. It is He who is comforted, who inherits the earth, who is satisfied, who obtains mercy, who sees God. It is He who is called the Son of God. This is His life. And His life is our life. In the name of Jesus who does for us what we have been unable to do for ourselves, Whose faith is our faith, Whose belief is our belief, Whose life is our life, Amen.
Inspiring resources
A call to worship creates wonderment, amazement, curiosity, yearning, captivation, provocation, hopefulness, thankfulness, affection, rapture, delight. As these mix together, the response is worship.
If this call to worship leaves you wondering or curious or provoked or hopeful, consider diving into this awesome book which inspired me to write this call to worship.
1
This call to worship was given to the small assembly of Christians that gathered in Pathway Church, Beaverdam, Michigan, on June 12, 2022.