This is #42 in Crossing the Threshold series.

I would like to bring this series to a conclusion with a few after thoughts and an invitation. First I would like to make note that this series of notes came from teachings I did numerous times which were recorded and are on the “Teaching” page of this website. In these notes I skipped over one week entitled Sacred Time and Sacred Place; for those interested in what day of the week Sunday is and the church calendar I would recommend listening to that talk. One of the quotes I used that week was by Robert Webber from his book Ancient Future Time:

“I am of personal opinion that the true meaning of Sunday worship has been lost in many of our churches. In some communities Sunday is revival, the day for the seeker, or the day to teach. Historically Sunday is the day of God’s re-creation, the day that promises that God will renew the face of the earth. Historically Sunday worship expresses three truths: It remembers God’s saving action in history; it experiences God’s renewing presence; and it anticipates the consummation of God’s work in the new heavens and the new earth.”

I think this last sentence is the best description of what Christian worship is all about. I believe in the very beginning of the Book of Acts as the first disciples met (Acts 4:12), this is what they were doing…remembering God’s saving action of sending His Son into the world to redeem it, experiencing the renewing presence of the triune God in the Holy Spirit, and anticipating the consummation of God’s work in the new heaven and earth.

In Crossing the Threshold I have laid out the life of Jesus Christ in the story which touches all hearts the Hero Journey, for he is the one true savior of the world. I have taken the stages of Christ’s life and laid them over a traditional Christian worship service to show how the early church was entering into and experiencing the very life of Christ in Sunday worship. They were being gathered out of the ordinary world, crossing the threshold into the special world of his presence, remembering in word his saving action, and experiencing his presence and anticipating his return in sacrament and then returning to the ordinary world with an invitation for all to enter “The Great Dance”.

“The whole dance, or drama, or pattern of this three-Personal life is to be played out in each one of us: or (putting it the other way round) each one of us has got to enter that pattern, take his place in that dance. There is no other way to the happiness for which we were made….Once a man is united to God, how could he not live forever? But how is he to be united to God? How is it possible for us to be taken into the three-Personal life?...Now the whole offer which Christianity makes is this: that we can, if we let God have His way, come to share in the life of Christ…The whole purpose of becoming a Christian is simply nothing else.”(C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity)

My invitation to you is quite simple: go on the hero Journey with Christ next Sunday, enter into the pattern and take your place in the Great Dance for which you were created…Blessed is He. Amen

This is #41 in Crossing the Threshold series.

Act III Return

The third act of the Hero Journey finds the hero returning to the Ordinary World with something he has gained from his adventure. It can be a treasure, a lesson, or an elixir for healing; whatever it is, it is not just for the hero but for the Ordinary World as well. As we have said the Hero Journey is the life of Jesus Christ; after his ordeal of the cross and his resurrection from the dead he ascended into heaven returning to his Father’s house with redemption accomplished. Heaven and Earth have now been united in Christ, and he has poured out his Spirit so that his body can become the living temple filled with the glory of God, thus fulfilling the prophetic promise of Habakkuk 2:14, For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

For the worship journey we have been on, following the life of Christ, Act III is the sending forth of the church back into the world. Having ascended into the presence of Christ in heaven and been fed in word and sacrament we return to our “ ordinary world” filled with his Holy Spirit who is the treasure…the elixir of healing not just for us as individuals but for the world. We are to be for the world what Jesus was to Israel, as the Father sent him so now he sends us (John 20:19-22).

This is #40 in Crossing the Threshold series.

 The first part of Act II ends with the confession of sin; in most traditional services this is a corporate confession followed by the proclamation of a minister’s absolution reminding the church of the finished work of the Cross. In the Hero Journey this stage is called the ordeal and it is where the hero hits bottom and has to face his greatest fears; he must die a type of death in order to be born again. As we weave the Hero Journey and Worship together it should be evident that the ordeal/confession stage is far more than a rote recitation of a liturgical prayer; rather it should be the result of the Holy Spirit’s work in a person heart after hearing the word of God in scripture and in sermon. It truly is a coming into the inner most cave of self and seeing what is left of the old creation and have a willingness to ( confess) die to it, in order to be transformed into the image of Christ.

Act IIB Initiation/Sacrament commences with the receiving of a reward. For the hero on his journey there is usually some type of reconciliation to be experienced after having passed through the ordeal. In the worship services we have been following, “the peace of Christ” is passed after confession. Peace with God has been affirmed in confession and now that peace is to be manifested one with another ….or another word to use would be reconciled one to another. This is absolutely critical for the next stage of the journey is the “road back” where in the worship service the church makes her ascent into the very presence of her Lord in heaven, she does this as one body.

Holy Communion, The Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, and the Mass are all terms used by different denominations to describe the sacramental meal the body of Christ participates in by receiving bread and wine. The one thing that can be agreed upon about this meal is that it looks back to Genesis 1 and forward to Revelation 21 and brings the union with the triune God that was and will be into this moment to experience now. It is the life of the new creation much like the manna in the wilderness was for the Israelites as they journeyed to the Promised Land. In the Hero Journey the road back is followed by resurrection, what better word could there be to describe the sacramental meal that Jesus himself instituted for his disciples?

This is #39 in Crossing the Threshold series.

The second act of the Hero Journey is divided into two parts; descent and initiation, as is the second act of worship; word and sacrament. I think it will become abundantly clear why the two parts of Act II should never become separated; they are two parts of one act. 

Act II commences with the crossing of the first threshold as the hero descends further into the special world. At this point he is fully engaged, committed to the adventure and the story really takes off. In worship having entered into the courts of heaven with praise and thanksgiving, having been equipped with the word of God which has been read, the congregation is ready to begin its own descent and cross the first threshold going deeper into the kingdom with the sermon. The fact that your heart just went thud shows how much of the story has been lost….so we need to pause here and exercise our imagination.

I want you to place yourself in a company of soldiers on the front line of an imminent battle in World War II. Your commanding officer has orders he believes are accurate when suddenly a messenger with a word from the highest command breaks through enemy lines informing him it’s a trap (This is the plot line of the excellent movie 1917 by the way). Wouldn’t it be good to know this vital information?

The sermon should be viewed as a message from the High King of Heaven carried by the Holy Spirit to the Pastor who with his/her congregation is on the front lines in a very real spiritual battle informing them of what they need to know….now.

This part of the service has to be seen in this context for the church’s mission is to implement Jesus’ victory of the cross in the world. The sermon contains orders; the creed is our response, a willingness to receive and obey; the prayers of the people are the weapons we engage with, and at the very bottom of our descent is the inner most cave of confession of sin and absolution. We are to be holy people; royal priests who die to self, pick up our own cross and follow the King.

https://www.movieglimpse.com/1917https://www.movieglimpse.com/1917https://www.movieglimpse.com/1917https://www.movieglimpse.com/1917

This is #38 in Crossing the Threshold series.

We have finally come to the climax of our series Crossing the Threshold and will begin to weave the story back into worship. We want to see using our imagination the whole story instead of simply going through motions of ritual which we process like pieces of information. More importantly we want to see with the eyes of our heart the person who is the focus of our worship; the one in whom all of ourselves; body, soul, and spirit ought to be centered as we enter his presence. Lastly we want to enter into his Kingdom, his story, his life and have union with him in order that we might be transformed into his image. This is what worship is all about…. so here we go.

We have seen there are four parts to the Hero Journey which is the life of Jesus Christ; the four Acts are: Act I Separation, Act IIA Descent, Act IIB Initiation, and Act III Return. This is his life, his story, his journey it is all about him.

We learned there are four “Acts” to the early church pattern of worship which has been carried on through most Christian denominations, they are: Act I Gathering, Act IIA Word, Act IIB Sacrament, and Act III Sending. This is the life, the story, the journey of his body the church, and it too is all about him.

Act I Separation/Gathering

Just as the hero receives a call to adventure to leave his ordinary world and enter the special world; the church each Lord’s day is invited to leave the world of space, time, and matter and be gathered together to enter the special world of the Kingdom of God….to enter His presence. Refusal of the call is always a possibility; one does not have to go and can remain in the ordinary world or one can go physically but not mentally ; there are always threshold guardians who pop up desiring to subvert the journey and prevent the body from connecting with its head. This is one reason why prayer in preparation for worship is not an option it is a vital necessity.

The opening songs of praise and adoration, along with prayers and the reading of scripture are all led by the Holy Spirit; he is the teacher, comforter, mentor given to the body of Christ to come along side and help them cross the threshold into the presence of their God and King. Just as in the Hero Journey the mentor gives the hero a special weapon; ….the word of God is…sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). The reading of the scripture in a service is powerful and serious, the Holy Spirit is speaking individually and collectively to the congregation with words they need to know for their lives and their mission.

This is #37 in Crossing the Threshold series.

I am going to try and wrap things up for the series Crossing the Threshold by weaving narrative (story) back into worship. Just as a brief reminder, in the first part of the series I took you on a journey into the world of story; specifically the story which is known at all times and in all places as the Hero Journey. I proposed that the reason this story is mythic in scope and touches peoples hearts is because it is God’s eternal story of his son Jesus Christ.* Then we diverged and went into a whole section on the what, who, why, and how of Christian worship and now we are going to put the two parts, story and practice, together to try and recapture a truth which has been lost. It is a truth which can transform your worship, your life, and call you into a much larger story…but in order for this to happen you will need your imagination.

Imagination is something which is seriously lacking in Christianity as it is so often practiced in a sacred/secular split world. I want to recommend a lecture given by Kevin Vanhoozer entitled In Bright Shadow: C.S.Lewis on the Imagination for Theology and Discipleship. Don’t let the title scare you …it is wonderful and can be found on the internet and on You Tube. One of the many quotes I liked in this paper (I printed all 28 pages off to save) is: “Where Reason excels in taking things apart and analyzing individual pieces, the imagination perceives the whole of which the pieces are a part. Imagination is the organ of discerning meaningful patterns. It is the power of insight, that Eureka moment when all the parts fall into place, transforming what would otherwise be an incoherent jumble into a meaningful whole.”

 Ever since the 18^th century “Enlightenment” reason has excelled taking apart the Bible, making the 66 books individual pieces…you know “Bible stories” not a story. There is no qualm now about taking verses out of chapters and using them for inspirational posters or bumper stickers in which they lose their entire context and meaning. Worship services have also been broken down into pieces and parts which can be rearranged and changed by every new pastor. It is no wonder then, most people are unable to see the world in biblical terms and often find their faith waning.

What we need is a “baptism of imagination” (C.S. Lewis’ term). We need not only to see the whole story to which all of the pieces are a part, we need a way to enter and embody the story. To prepare for the journey it might be good to stop and pray asking the Lord to baptize your imagination!

*Ecclesiastes 3:11

https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/in-bright-shadow-c-s-lewis-on-the-imagination-for-theology-and-discipleshiphttps://www.desiringgod.org/messages/in-bright-shadow-c-s-lewis-on-the-imagination-for-theology-and-discipleshiphttps://www.desiringgod.org/messages/in-bright-shadow-c-s-lewis-on-the-imagination-for-theology-and-discipleshiphttps://www.desiringgod.org/messages/in-bright-shadow-c-s-lewis-on-the-imagination-for-theology-and-discipleship

This is #36 in Crossing the Threshold series.

Years ago I was involved with a prayer group for a Christian school. Every year before the year began the school held what could be described as a holy convocation; administrators, teachers and families would come together to consecrate the year to the Lord. The headmaster would cast his vision for the year and principles and teachers would share what they hoped would spiritually take place in their respective schools and classes. Last but certainly not least everyone would unite in prayer.

However a day came when a new headmaster arrived. He was a godly man I have no doubt but it seems that no one told him about the convocation. So a “back to school” festival was planned, which looked more like a picnic and trade show. Tables were set up in the gym where every club and sport was represented. Teachers were in the classrooms so parents could visit and see where their child would be. The campus was filled with people but no one was connected; each was doing their own thing. From that day the school took a different turn. Something precious and powerful had been lost.

I tell that story to illustrate how much the true meaning of Christian worship has been lost over the years. The whole concept of leaving the world and entering the Kingdom as I shared in the last post has disappeared. Most church goers if they were told that truth today might well say “What Kingdom”? But I have to say that the loss of the Sacramental portion of the service and its meaning is to me the greatest loss by far.

I am not getting into Catholic verses Protestants debates over what takes place in the Lord’s Supper, as I have already recommended N.T. Wright’s wonderful book The Meal Jesus Gave Us which discusses the Eucharist in great detail and a balanced way. What I want to share which has been lost is that it is at this point in the service of worship that the church enters into heaven. The Sursum Corda is the Latin meaning of “Lift up your hearts” the salutation offered by the minister to the congregation; with their response being “we lift them up to the Lord”. As Simon Chan writes in Liturgical Theology; “In this dialogue the liturgical journey reaches another critical point. The Sursum Corda signals the church’s ascension to heaven” (pg142).

After being gathered out of the world and immersed in the whole story by the word portion of the service (sermon, scripture reading, creed, and prayers of the people) the individuals have been shaped into a corporate body. The body of Christ now ascends into heaven to be united with him, sitting down at his table to share in the life of the New Creation to come.

As Galadriel spoke in the opening lines of the Lord of the Rings……. “And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost”.

This is #35 in the Crossing the Threhold series.

Most people reading this have probably seen at one time or another Disney's movie The Lion King. The opening scenes of the movie are both memorable and powerful; the music is stirring and the scenes are beautiful but I want to suggest there is much more going on as Circle of Life plays than meets the eye. If we look “along and through" rather than “at” as C.S.Lewis would say (Meditation in a Tool Shed) we are being given a glimpse of the first chapter of Genesis where God is creating the heaven and the earth and filling it with all “kinds” of beautiful things. The crown of creation of course comes on the sixth day when God says “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” He gives to Adam and Eve the role of royal (king) priests over His creation; they are His image bearers. Can you not see now how they might have been held up before all of creation by God their Father as young Simba was by his?

What on earth does this have to do with “going to church”? Well everything! As Simon Chan writes in Liturgical Theology “the first act of worship is the act of going to church” (pg.130). The people of God are leaving not just their homes and their work; they are leaving this world and entering the Kingdom of God. If you have ever attended a liturgical church where there is a procession up the aisle of choir and robed ministers with a priest, vicar, or pastor at the end you are once again seeing a re-enactment of the opening lines of the story. We are the first fruits of the New Creation and as such we are being gathered out of the world to enter His courts “joining with the hosts of heaven to sing praises to the One who sits on the throne” (LT pg130). God the Father is holding up His Son the Anointed One (Messiah) for all to come and worship Him. He is the one True King to whom all of creation gives glory honor and praise…..this is quite simply the meaning of “going to church”.

This is #34 in Crossing the Threshold series.

Ok what did I mean by that last sentence about leaving the earthly dimension and entering the heavenly realm? I think the best way to explain this and to open eyes to the beauty of Christian worship is to take you to a little island in the heart of Paris. Right in the middle of the Seine river are two small islands, with the largest one holding the most glorious chapel built in the 13^thc. by King Louis IX to house his collection of Passion relics.

Sainte-Chapelle ( Holy Chapel) has two chambers; a lower chamber built for the King’s household and an upper chamber where the relics were kept and the King himself worshipped. Today one enters the lower level first, it is a beautiful room having a dark blue ceiling with gold stars and golden arches, giving one the feeling of being on earth and looking up at the night sky. There are small windows letting in limited light which adds to the impression of being “underground”.  In the corner  is a small staircase which leads to the upper chamber and when one “ascends” and comes into the King’s chapel it is difficult not to gasp. Actually there is a holy hush in the room as people file in and sit transfixed by the incredible stained glass windows of Sainte-Chapelle.

What King Louis was trying to capture in his masterpiece was the “New Jerusalem” coming down, described by John in Revelation 21 and 22. The windows sparkle like jewels when the light shines through and the twelve pillars of the apostles are all meant to give one the feeling of having entered  the heavenly city. Yes, Sainte-Chapelle proclaims heaven and earth have been reunited in Christ; he is the staircase, the gate, the door, the ladder whatever metaphor you want to use to say that in him one can now ascend into the very throne room of God ( Hebrews 4:16).

Look up some images of Sainte-Chapelle’s lower and upper chambers as an exercise of your imagination. We will go back to “ going to church” in the next post, but it might be good at this point to pause and give thanks to our glorious God for all he has done in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is #33 in Crossing the Threshold series.

The church is a called out community of people who belong to one another because they belong to the God we know in and through Jesus Christ. They are the recapitulation of Edenic “royal priests” created to offer “right praise” (meaning of orthodox) and then reflect the image of their Creator back into the creation. In other words they are to be actors in God’s story; the one he is writing, producing and starring in, a story going forward, a living story.

They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:24 NASB)

In Acts 2:42 we see the four part basic pattern or “liturgy” that will extend throughout the church’s history ….gathering, word, sacrament, and sending. A called out people responding to the revelation of the incarnate God in Christ Jesus gather out of the world to come to worship him (offer right praise). The service consists of two parts hearing of the word (apostle’s teaching) and sacrament, (the fellowship of the breaking of bread). At the end they are not dismissed they are sent forth to be the image bearers of their God and King to reflect his glory into the world (Christian means “little Christ”) and to tell other the “good news”.

Word and sacrament were always meant to be held together for they are indispensable to each other. The word portion; reading the scriptures, sermon, creed celebrate the whole salvation story of who God is. The Sacrament portion (Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion, Eucharist, Mass) is the means by which the church proclaims the Lord’s death until he comes (I Cor. 11:26). Word is how our minds are transformed, sacrament is something we do with our bodies and doing it says it like a kiss or a handshake. I highly recommend N.T. Wright little books The Meal Jesus Gave Us for those who want a greater understanding of the importance of sacrament.

I am including a link here to the quotes I used in the talk on the early church pattern and would encourage anyone who is interested to listen to the talk. As we will see in the next few posts “going to church” was never just an intellectual exercise or religious thing to do. It was and is a leaving of the earthly dimension and an entrance into the heavenly dimension/realm.

https://lesliehand.com/chth05