[Click here to listen to the sermon.]

Throughout the month of January we are exploring the meaning of worship. In worship we hear the Eternal Affirmation that rises out of the heart of God. God who creates us, also blesses us. In the song of creation found in Genesis 1, God affirms what he has made saying, “It is very good.”

This word of affirmation continues through out the biblical narrative. That God remains faithful to his promises of blessing is a demonstration of the value, the goodness that is the basis of every human life.

The best-known and perhaps the most beloved verse of the New Testament expresses the Eternal Affirmation. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

We gather in worship to hear, yet again, the Eternal Affirmation.

Students of the Bible know that worship involves both a vertical dimension as well as a horizontal dimension. Hearing the Eternal Affirmation of God, receiving by faith that God’s Word is true, our hearts fill with gratitude. In gratitude we return thanks and praise to God (the vertical dimension of worship). We also turn to our neighbor and share the Eternal Affirmation we have heard (the horizontal dimension of worship).

We find expression of this two-dimensional affirmation in the first words of our liturgy:

Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

And blessed be His kingdom, now and forever! Amen!

Life soars when lived in the midst of the Eternal Affirmation.

Unfortunately, not everyone hears the Eternal Affirmation. Some come into worship and, instead of hearing an empowering word of praise, they hear a dark word of condemnation.

Alas, it seems the church has not always been faithful in expressing the Eternal Affirmation. Some have been raised in churches where all they heard were words of reproach. Having had their ears tuned to hear only disapproval and criticism, some have a difficult time truly experiencing the Eternal Affirmation.

Some people also grow up hearing harsh words at work and in school. More tragic still, children can grow up hearing only criticism at home. This “habit of hearing” increases the challenge of speaking words of affirmation in ways that can be truly heard.

Worship, therefore, becomes an environment of transformation as well as affirmation. A person who has been knocked down and beat up by constant denials of their God given goodness can rise to great heights in the power of God’s word of Eternal Affirmation.

The task of a faithful covenant community is to lift up constantly and consistently the affirming Word, even, if this means standing against a wave of condemnation. Though the risk of condemnation may cause a heart to fear, the resurrection of our Lord declares that Eternal Affirmation will always, and everywhere prevail.