OBSERVATIONS and Exploring the Transcendent in the Tangible

Have you ever had someone say to you, "oh, you are just looking for attention!" How often is that an affirmation? Not usually, in my experience. But, I've been thinking; what is that really about - "attention?" We are looking for connection.

Looking at it from a different angle (not getting, but giving attention) it is just as challenging. We talk about it all the time - we are a culture of ADD and ADHD and multi-tasking, scanning and sound bites. How much time and energy are we actually able to give to really paying attention? to anything?

A couple of weeks ago we explored the passage in Luke 10:41-42, where Jesus calls out Martha on her lack of attention. He rebukes her for being worried and upset about many things when there is only ONE thing that is needed. I completely relate to Martha. This is my trap. It so easy to get worried about all the little things and forget to make time for the ONE thing that is truly needed.

In The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron speaks about attention. "The quality of life is in proportion, always, to the capacity for delight. The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention." And, she says, "attention is an act of connection."

"Attention is an act of connection." We desire connection with God and with others, but paying attention is difficult because we are distracted. We talk about the times when we are able to get away to the mountains or the ocean and see amazing views and all of the sudden we see God everywhere in our surroundings.

But, it isn't only the scenery that has changed. It is us - we are actually seeing - we are paying attention. What might we see if we really looked in our own backyards?

Georgia O'Keefe said, "Nobody sees a flower, really. It is so small it takes time - we haven't time - and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time."


(Autumn's Glow, photograph on canvas, Carrie Schilling)

We talk a lot about "whole life worship" in our community - the idea that we are worshipping God all the time (especially in the everyday) and that our time of communal worship is an act of fellowship, but also a time to practice and learn in ordered to be prepared to worship in the everyday. Last night's gathering was a time to practice connection with God through acts of attention. A time to attend, see, look, taste, touch, smell, feel, that the Lord is good.

Carrie and Fred Schilling led us on a fascinating tour of their exhibit, OBSERVATIONS, in the Gallery at Convergence. What we learned was just how different the world can look when we slow down, change our perspective, go off the beaten path, really explore our back yards, get down on our knees or bellys and see patterns and shapes and colors and light. God is truly present in the beauty of creation as well as the browning, limping, imperfections.

There is nothing more worshipful to me than to see a group of people of all ages with cameras in hand engrossed in the project of of paying attention to what God has placed in front of them. Inspired by our tour we went out to complete our own photo assignment below. Later this week we will have the photos developed and some sort of project will come from that as well - I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, feel free to take on this assignment yourself and post the results of your favorites here. Please post a response to your experience of taking time and really paying attention!

• Take a picture of something that immediately grabs your attention. Shift your perspective and take another shot.
• Take a picture of something that you think is ugly or boring. Step back or get closer and shoot it again. Take time to really see it.
  
• Shoot something that looks really alive
• Shoot something that looks really dead.
• Ask God to help you see the divine hand in everything you see. There is seeing and then there is seeing.

Please join us Thursday, August 20th from 6-9 pm in the Gallery at Convergence for the official reception of OBSERVATIONS with Fred and Carrie Schilling.

from the Calvin Institute Conference

I just finished the poster session at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Grant Colloquium. This was a time for recipients of grants from last year and this to talk about their projects.

Our project attracted a lot of interest; I had dozens of great conversations with people curious and excited about Convergence. Several people are trying to do similar things with artists, and with collaborative worship planning, and are eager to learn from us.

I made several connections that I'm sure will continue into the future.

This morning we talked about expressive worship v. formative worship--expressive worship being when we express thoughts, feelings, ideas, beliefs in our worship. Formative worship being when we are spiritually formed as we worship--learning about God, our relationship with him.

Expressive worship reflects, but formative worship also shapes our thoughts and emotions.

From a Barna study: 47% of worshipers understand worship as activity undertaken for their personal benefit...Only 29% indicated that they view worship as something that is focused primarily on God.

I think we've done a good job of experiencing formative worship at Convergence. I know the language I use to express my faith and my understanding of worshiping God has grown in these three years.

transition

Below is the announcement I made at Convergence last night:

The past three years have been a wonderful journey--I am honored and grateful to be a part of such an amazing community. My family and I are at a time of transition, and believe this is the time to step out of my role here at Convergence.

I am resigning as co-pastor effective June 30. There are several factors that have influenced my decision--please know that none of them have anything to do with the people of the Convergence community. I love each of you and hope our friendships will continue.

Living an hour from Convergence is a huge challenge. We had hoped to move closer, but the economy has made that impossible. Because we're so far away, it is difficult for my family to be as involved as we would like to be. We hope to find a faith community closer to home where we can all be involved.

My primary ministry gifts are teaching and pastoral care. While those gifts have helped us build a healthy sense of community, they don't match as well with what Convergence needs to grow and increase its influence, and we all want what is best for Convergence.

From the beginning, we knew Convergence would be a community marked by innovation, change, and experimentation. I am confident that the staff, the advisory team and the trustees will work together to create an effective plan to move forward and achieve even greater success through this transition.

As hard as it is, this is what is best for my family, and I think this will be a positive for Convergence as we strive to involve more people in leadership, and continue to multiply people and ministries.

My focus will shift to completing my Master of Divinity degree at the Leland Center for Theological Studies next year. At the same time, my family and I will be praying and looking for the next steps in our journey.

I will miss being at Convergence, and will miss the people here tremendously. I am grateful for the ways you have supported and encouraged me over the past three years. I want to thank Lisa, the advisory team and everyone in the Convergence community for their support and encouragement.

I'll be in the office most of this week if you would like to stop by. Next week I will be in Grand Rapids, Michigan, representing Convergence at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Symposium.

June 28 will be my last Sunday; I hope it will be a time of celebration of what God has done and what God will do in our lives and the life of Convergence.

Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of such a wonderful endeavor. I will always cherish the relationships and accomplishments of the past three years, and will pray that Convergence continues to break new ground and make a positive impact in our community.

Sincerely,

Todd Cullop
tcullop@gmail.com
703-599-0532

P.S. After June 19, please send all Convergence communication to office@convergenceccf.net. You can reach me at tcullop@gmail.com.

article about church and culture mentioning Convergence

Some Churches help Christians view culture through spiritual lenses
by Jennifer Harris, Word & Way

What does it mean to participate with God in “making all things new”?

Many feel the answer to that question is key to the life and liturgy of the church. “We think of ‘creating culture,’” said Winn Collier, one of the pastors at All Souls in Charlottesville, Va. “We are part of—and contributing to—our culture. The question is whether we are doing it faithfully, purposefully and well.”

Brad Andrews, worship arts coordinator for Missouri Baptist University, agrees. People live in culture, he said. “We’re doing a disservice if we don’t help our people connect the dots and see culture through spiritual lenses.”

He cautions against churches using popular culture to seem culturally relevant, however. He feels many churches have gone too far, forcing contextualization in ways that are both inauthentic and unwise.

Andrews visited one church that used a Saturday Night Live skit in worship. Not only did the skit not connect to the rest of the service, it also was poorly executed.

“You have to be honest with yourself in your ability to pull something off,” he said. Churches must use discernment and follow their giftedness.

George Mason emphasizes the need to interact with pop culture, but not allow it to take the lead. Mason, pastor at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, points out that the gospel has a culture of its own. Pop culture is sometimes in conflict with gospel culture but often depicts some of the basic longings of creation.

“I love books, movies and music,” he said. “I think it is valuable to watch and read and listen for those places culture is getting it right and doesn’t know it.”

Biblical literacy is key, he feels. People must first know their own story—the gospel—otherwise they are likely to be drawn into another story.

“If our people don’t know their story, anything that sounds spiritual or religious, they’ll think is the same,” he said.

Convergence in Alexandria, Va., tries to influence, rather than mimic, culture.

“One thing that we have seen is that churches that strive to be relevant to culture tend to be behind,” pastor Todd Cullop said. “By the time they examine and evaluate culture, find ways to emulate it in their programs and style, and implement something, the culture has continued to change and the church is already behind.”

Convergence provides space for studios, concerts, rehearsals, performances, workshops, meetings, classes, artist salons and exhibits.

“We try to connect with emerging artists, those who will create and influence culture in the future, not necessarily in the present,” Cullop added. It is so much a part of community that transforming culture’s values through the work of emerging artists is in Convergence’s vision statement.

The Luminary, an art gallery at The Journey Church’s Tower Grove location in St. Louis, Mo., has a similar approach. Director James McAnally said the church views the Luminary’s role as service.

“It’s a way to serve the people around us,” he said. Some churches serve by starting soup kitchens. “We felt strongly the need to serve artists by finding out what they need and try to provide in meaningful ways.”

The Luminary provides space for artists to work and helps provide resources for aspiring artists to network and become professionals.

An artist’s work is incredibly personal, he said. “By showing them we care about them and what they do, we are serving where it is most personal; it’s a tangible way to speak of the gospel.”

All echo that engaging culture is an essential part of faith. Collier believes influencing culture is theological in nature.

“Creating a culture that lives in line with kingdom reality is an act of Christian obedience,” he said. “God meant what he said—he intends to ‘make all things new.’ He is in the work of creation and recreation. Do we believe that and join him, or do we stay about our own narrow agenda?”

All Souls is planning film nights and book events to help identify the art forms’ inherent value.

“Our conviction is that God speaks in all sorts of ways—and we actually short-circuit the subversive and wildly true nature of the gospel when we try to manipulate everything,” Collier said. “And in truth, with that kind of shortsighted mentality, we often miss the truth that form is offering us.”

Life--1 John

From worship tonight:

My talk today is not so much a sermon as it is a reflection, my thoughts as I work through this idea of “life” in 1 John. It’s less about conclusions than ideas and questions—my hope is that it will spur the same in you.

Please feel free to respond with questions, arguments, responses; we'll continue the conversation next Sunday.

Part I. Life

One thing the game of life (we played a short version in worship) captures about real life is an attitude or perspective that life is about me. All of us do this—as much as we don’t want to—we see life with ourselves at the center, and everything else in terms of how it affects me.

For John, the idea of “life” is very different. In this letter, as well as in his Gospel, the word “life” is the Greek word zoe—which refers to God’s life and the life he gives.

It’s not life in the ways we heard it defined. It’s not just about being alive, but being alive in a way that is similar to the way God is alive. The life John talks about is not just a result of being born; it’s a result of being created by God, in God’s image, and having His life breathed into us.

This life is about connection to God; about being in relationship with God. Jesus doesn’t just give life, He IS life. The life we have comes from him, and includes him. We are able to interact with and relate to God, because in some way, we have his life in us.

God’s people were alive in Him before Jesus came, but in coming, Jesus helped people connect more intimately with God. We’ve talked before about how the crucifixion and resurrection connect us to God. There are many ways to look at the atonement, but the basic idea is that in his death, Jesus reconciled humankind to God.

We’ve also talked about how Jesus came to help us see God, and understand God—as He lived out God’s character in human form. We have life in Jesus because of his life, as well as his death and resurrection.

In OT life comes through keeping the commandments. The NT emphasizes that life comes through faith, from knowing and experiencing Jesus. Knowing Jesus means having life. Life is intrinsically linked to God’s presence.

For John, life is connection to God—to know God is to be alive. Life is from God, in God, with God, for God, of God.

I mentioned earlier how as humans, we all live as if we are the center of life. Our default mindset is one of self-centeredness. We struggle because that’s not how life is meant to be lived.

I think what we are aiming for, what we ask God to help us with, is to live a life where Jesus is the center—that’s when we best live in the reality God created, and continues to create in our world.

We are created to know God and be known by God. We are created to partner with God. God gives, sustains, leads, provides; but we are active as well in this relationship—receiving, responding, sharing, growing…

We’ve talked about how many of us live compartmentalized lives; we have our work life, our family life, our spiritual life…but John says God is a part of everything—and not just a part but the foundation, and everything in life is connected to God.

So it makes sense that life works best, when we live in the context of a relationship with Jesus. When we realize that all of life—not just a part—is about Jesus.

This is part of what we mean when we talk about whole-life worship. Worship should encompass all of life, because we are connected to God not just once a week, or when we pray, but all the time.

Another piece of this life is the community aspect. This life in and of God is not just for us individually—we are meant to live it in relationship with others.

In his Gospel, John likened the relationships that we have with each other to the relationship between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Life is about being intimately connected to God and to each other.

By coming as a human, Jesus gave us the message and example of how we can live the way God created us to live. But that doesn’t happen in our power or strength or ability—it happens because of the life we have in Jesus…because His spirit is a part of us, and we are a part of Him.

Part II. Eternal Life

In the modern church, especially the evangelical church—we have placed a huge emphasis on what we call eternal life. In my early education and experience of Christianity, it was usually the focal point.

I was taught that life on earth is temporary, and that our primary focus as Christians should be on where we will spend eternity—how to get into heaven and avoid hell.

Think about how self-centered that is—my primary focus when it comes to my relationship with God is making sure I’m taken care of.

This leads to another concern for me. We can tend to focus so much on heaven, that we don’t give much time and attention and energy to this life, at least spiritually. We tend to separate life here and now from eternal life—one happens before death, the other after.

And because our time here is so short, and our time in Heaven is forever, we minimize what happens in our time here on earth. We don’t realize how much is possible for the church in this world.

But when John talks about eternal life, he means something different. For John, eternal life is not about time—a stage of life that begins after death; but a quality of life, a kind of life. It’s not just about the state of being alive. Eternal life is simply life from God, about God, with God—a life that reflects God’s life.

It’s a life that’s not just about the future, but right now. It reflects Jesus’ words that the kingdom of God is at hand, the kingdom is available, the kingdom is here.

It’s not just something to look forward to after death; it’s something to experience in the present, in this time, this place.

I think it’s profound that Jesus came into this life to meet us; he didn’t wait for us to get to the next.

What would life look like if we lived it with this in mind…that we are living eternal life here and now? That we live in the kingdom of God here and now?

We tend to think that this life can have some good and beauty to it, but that most of that stuff will only come in heaven, after we die. What if all the goodness and beauty and wonder and unity that Jesus talked about and said life can be—were possible for us, here and now?

We get so caught up in work and money and responsibility and expectations—it’s hard to look beyond the task at hand, the problem we’re trying to solve, the relationship we’re struggling to make work…

Imagine the possibilities if we could move beyond all that, and really connect with God and one another in ways that help us experience this life we’re talking about. If we as a community truly lived out God’s Kingdom…if we truly lived eternal life here and now!

Part III. Life with or without God

One final piece I want to talk about—that is really getting me thinking lately, one that I hope will lead to more discussion in the days ahead.

John says those who have the son have life, and those who don’t have the son, don’t have life. Now at first listen, that can seem like a pretty simple statement, but when we think about it in the context of this idea of life being so rich and complex, it’s not so simple to me.

I think John is emphasizing that true life is deeply and powerfully linked to God; that those who know God have a quality, a manner, a way of life that is different from people who don’t know God.

But I think we need to be careful to not assume we have too much power in deciding how much God is or isn’t involved in our lives.

I’m not getting into a Calvinism-Armenian debate; it’s not about God choosing us or us choosing God.

But I think we sometimes act or speak as if life can be separated from God. As if we have the power to include God in our lives, or to exclude him.

When I read how God works and interacts with people throughout the Bible, I don’t think it works that way. Now we can choose or choose not to respond to God’s reaching out to us, loving us, inviting us to connect with him. We can refuse to be in intimate relationship with Him, and partner with him in what he is doing all around us.

But we don’t’ have the power to completely keep God from us, from our lives, our circumstances, our relationships. We are created by God; created in his image. Whether or not we want it, God’s divine spirit touches us, works in and with and through us.

It’s like when music is playing—you can get up and dance and allow the music to fill you and speak to you. You can be moved and inspired and affected by the music. You can interact with the music.

Or you can pretend the music isn’t there. You can try to ignore the music. You can refuse to dance, or sing along, or move. But you can’t remain separate from the music forever. Sooner or later, the music has an impact.

It reminds you of something, or someone, or someplace, or sometime. It affects your mind, or heart, or body; without realizing it, you are tapping your toes or moving with the music.

Even in refusing to interact with the music, you must acknowledge it is there and make a decision about how you will or won’t respond to it. You can try to keep separate from the music, but somehow, someway, you cannot deny that the music exists, and that it impacts, in some way, everyone who hears it.

The same is true of God. God is life. God created life. God created all that is experienced in life. Life apart from God is impossible. It wouldn’t be life.

Now you can choose to reject God’s person and will and leading; but I propose that you cannot completely reject God, to the point where God is completely absent and removed from life.

Jesus is the center of life. Just as we are created to breathe air, and drink water, and eat food; just as we are created to love and be loved--we are created to live in relationship with God.

Jesus came as the word of life.
Jesus brought, in words and actions, the message of life.
Jesus was and is the source of life.
Jesus is life.

faith v. belief

"An openness to the truth, no matter what the consequences, no matter where it leads you and when you don't even know where it's going to lead you. That's faith. Not belief, but faith. Your beliefs give you a lot of security, but faith is insecurity. You don't know. You're ready to follow and you're open, you're wide open! You're ready to listen."

-Anthony De Mello, Awareness, p.18

Jesus' presence

The good shepherd, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=48288 [retrieved April 27, 2009].

From my talk at Convergence Sunday:

Today we’re talking about presence.

Presence is powerful. Many experiences in life—those that are good or positive—are made more powerful, more meaningful by the presence of others.

Some events—those that are sad or difficult or challenging—can be more bearable by the presence of someone else.

For me, the presence of my children is a powerful force. Sometimes the most spiritually and emotionally powerful moments with my children are when they sleep; and we’re not doing anything—I’m simply being present with them.

I put my hand on B's back and feel his breathing, or I look at C's face--his pouty lips and puffy cheeks. I stroke A's hair and stare at her beautiful face…They impact me deeply, simply by their presence.

An example of presence in a difficult time happened five years ago, when my father died. On the day of the funeral, I was at the funeral home, greeting people, feeling heavy, preparing myself for the talk I was going to give in the service.

A car I didn’t recognize parked, the door opened, and a man got out. When he turned and walked toward me, I saw that it was my friend Dale. Dale is my oldest friend; we've been friends for 35 years. We were best friends through high school.

We were in each other’s weddings. Although we’ve both moved several places around the country, we have stayed connected through the years. At the time of the funeral, Dale lived in Texas.

On just a few days notice, after hearing of my father’s death, Dale took off work, said goodbye to his family, and got on a plane to Virginia, just to be present with me as I grieved my father’s death.

He didn’t have to do or say anything. By just being there, by being present, Dale blessed me incredibly.

John starts this first letter of his recorded in the Bible by talking about Jesus’ presence.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. (1 John 1:1-4)

John reminds his original listeners or readers, and he reminds us, that Jesus was real. He had a physical presence. His followers experienced His presence.

We talked earlier about how powerful the presence of other people can be--this passage reminds us that even though it is different, Jesus is present with us, in a way that is very real.

We worship a God who is a spirit, but also became a man. I think that Jesus’ presence with us is more real and powerful and intimate than we usually realize.

(at this point we spent some time in prayer and reflection; experiencing Jesus' presence. In between periods of silence we read the following words of Jesus)

I am the bread that gives life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

The Father gives me the people who are mine. Every one of them will come to me, and I will always accept them.

I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and my sheep know me.

I am the way, and the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me. If you know me, then you know and see God.

Father, I want these people that you gave me to be with me where I am. I want them to see my glory...

Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest.

I will be with you always, even until the end of this age.


While today we have focused on Jesus’ presence with us as individuals, we also see that John is also emphasizing how Jesus’ presence is also a community thing.

John 17--Father, I pray that they can be one. As you are in me and I am in you, I pray that they can also be one in us.

John says that the relationships we have with each other, the blessing that comes when we are present with each other, is made even more special, more spiritual, more powerful, more alive--because Jesus is present with us.

Today, I am thankful for Jesus’ presence, and for yours.

Who Then Can Be Saved? Great thoughts on evangelism

Elizabeth Chapin on the Doable Evangelism blog:

I’ve been thinking about Christian conversion and how we often view our own stories in a linear fashion and want to mark some point in time on a straight line from birth to death that marks our transition from not-a-Christian to Christian.

I have had discussions over the years with Christians on topics like, “Once saved, always saved,” and, “Can someone lose their salvation?” Interestingly, there are verses in the Bible that seem to leave these questions open.

All of this talk presumes a view of conversion as an “in-out” proposition. Let’s take a look at this in-out question…Read more here.

1 John

Sunday we began a series on the book of 1 John. While short, this book is full of encouragement and challenge for those who are followers of Jesus. I love the opening words:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched...

John wanted to share his amazing experience of Jesus. John, often referred to as the beloved disciple, was one of Jesus' closest friends. So when we read his words, we're not reading the thoughts of a theologian writing about someone from the past.

For John, Jesus was not a concept, or a spirit, or a theological topic. John is not discussing theology or philosophy on an intellectual level. For John, Jesus was real, physical, and personal. He is writing about someone he heard, someone he saw with his own eyes, someone he touched with his hands...

In John's Gospel we have a close, personal look at Jesus' life. In 1 John, we have this friend of Jesus telling Jesus' followers how they can live life in the way that Jesus intended.

We are going to spend the next couple months in this rich message--and are asking people to spend time in this book, and see how God leads them to interpret some of it's words or ideas or images in creative ways.

We invite you to jump in--write a song, draw a picture, compose some poetry, paint, sculpt, create something--and allow it to contribute to our worship.

Please join us Sundays at 5 PM for this journey through 1 John.

Time to die and be raised--Walter Breuggemann

“Time to die and be raised”

A selection of the informal comments by Dr. Walter Breuggemann in a film by The Work of the People:

“Being out here and seeing these tombstones, first thing that came to my mind is that place in Matthew where Jesus says to the religious leaders of his society that they’re like mausoleums or “white sepulchers.” So what he does is to take the tombstone as a metaphor for people that have shut down reality, and have no energy and no imagination. So I suppose that a cemetery is a good place to talk about the imagination of death and the imagination of life. And if you draw that to our moment in society about the economy having collapsed and about Barack Obama’s audacious hope, you could entertain the thought that we are in a life and death moment in our society.

“All kinds of people and all kinds of institutions are having to decide whether they’re going to continue the patterns of death to which our society has subscribed or whether they are going to have the energy and imagination to break out of those patterns and come alive.

“So I think that the Bible is this field of imagination in which we are constantly watching people rise up to newness. And one of the narrative images for that is this little baby that is born to Abraham and Sarah. The text says ‘and they were as good as dead,’ which, I suppose, means that Abraham couldn’t have an erection and Sarah was not ovulating any more, and they were as good as dead. And then a baby is born and everything changes.

“And I think that we’re in a society where many people are deciding we’re not going to settle for the old patterns of death and despair and denial. But we’re going to dance and sing and we’re going to practice neighborliness.

“So I think the Bible often imagines we are in an either-or moment. And I think this is one of them for churches and church people. And it’s nice to be talking about this in the season of Lent, because Lent is about getting all set to die and then be raised. And if you are in denial, you can’t get ready to die and you can’t be raised. The Old and New Testaments are clear that you have to go into the abyss. ------said, ‘The son is Father-forsaken and the Father is son-forsaken.’ Everybody is forsaken. You can tell people don’t want to go there because, by and large, very few people go to church on Good Friday. Lots of people go on Easter Sunday, but you can’t have Easter without Good Friday.

“…in the failure of our social institutions, ‘Friday’ is a way to name what is happening to us. We are really in a shut-down of the way it used to be. One of the things that’s clear as you read the New Testament narrative is that neither Herod nor Pilate had a clue about what to do. And I think we live in a time when the old rulers have no clue about what to do about anything.

“Which means it’s time to die and be raised: that’s what I think.”

when does worship begin?

Great post from our friend Jan's blog:


Sabbatical as Worship

I cringe a little when I hear the words "Contemporary Worship."

The cringe is about a couple things:

- Sometimes it's said by churchy people with great pride as in, "We also have a contemporary worship service" as if we are to congratulate them for being so . . . contemporary.

- Sometimes it's said as if that term has only one meaning. Do you mean hot metal music? Folk music? Jesus-is-my-boyfriend music? Taize? Do you mean people are sitting on sofas and drinking coffee? Do you mean it's exactly like the "Traditional Worship" but with drums? Guitars? Is everybody wearing Hawaiian shirts?

- Mostly the cringe is about the word "worship" in general - that it happens only in church buildings and with a set liturgy that includes all The Big Pieces: adoration, confession, supplication, thanksgiving. And sacraments.

We are all so busy that I'm a big believer in carving out a set time (every day?!) for worship. [Note: I believe in it but I don't do it because I am A Bad Christian.] We need that 11 am hour on Sundays - or whenever. We need liturgy.

But the liturgy of our lives is bigger than what happens between The Call to Worship and The Benediction. Or The Prelude and The Postlude - whether played by a pipe organ or a DVD...

Read the rest here.

From Easter worship

We live in a radical time when people are asking what it truly means to be a follower of Christ, rather than just living as “cultural Christians.” People are wondering what the Kingdom of God is all about in the here and now.

The Church has experienced many such times before—throughout church history there is a pattern of people seeking and hungering for God, followed by times when the church tends to settle into routines, and in a general sense, the church loses its edge, its passion.

But every few hundred years, there is a resurgence, when people begin to ask hard questions, truly seeking to see and know and experience God in real and powerful and new ways.

We are in such a time now. We look at the world around us and realize that being “saved” does not just have to do with being "safe from Hell."

This is the time of year where the Church celebrates its birth. The Church was born out of the need to share the good news of God's love for us--radical love that changed life in the here and now as well as the hereafter.

That news prompted people to leave jobs and families and ways of life. It prompted them to hear God's calling in their life. It led them on missionary journeys; it led them to sacrifice and give to support the spread of the gospel and the building of the church. It spawned questions and arguments over how to live, and what it meant to live in the Way of Christ.

As we take communion together, allow it to be a symbol of the new life that is born in you. Let the bread nourish you and the wine refresh you. This wine is not sour like the wine we drank last week, it is sweet and refreshing.

Imagine this as an awakening in your own life, let it tune your senses to hear, see, smell, and taste God. We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, and also the chance for resurrection in our own lives.

Ask God to lead you to the next step in the resurrection of your life. And give thanks for the gift of new life that Christ has given to us.

Each time we eat this bread, and drink this cup, we are joining ourselves to Jesus, our Lord. We remember his life, honor his death, and celebrate his resurrection. We also celebrate the resurrection that God gives to us; and we look forward, with hope, to the final resurrection when all will be made right, and God’s kingdom will reign in full.

Saying No To Sunday

Great piece by Tom Ehrich from the Religious Herald:

For five decades and in growing numbers, American Christians have been saying no to Sunday church. I think it is time we listened.

We have labeled them “unchurched,” “nonbelievers,” “former Christians,” “happy pagans,” “lost” and a “mission field” that’s “ripe for harvest.” These negative terms imply that the absent have a flaw that needs to be addressed.

New congregations have harvested some of these former mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic churchgoers. But even their numbers rise and fall — especially when the founding pastor slips up or retires, and the overall trend in church participation remains down. In some Western states, Sunday churchgoing has fallen below 10 percent of the population.

When this slide commenced in 1964 as baby boomers began graduating from high school, many church leaders didn’t even acknowledge it. For years, they kept counting the absent as present. Then, when the losses couldn’t be ignored, they blamed them on whatever hot-button issues were roiling the religious establishment, as if new liturgies, women in leadership and liberals (or conservatives, take your pick) had driven people away.

We need to see that these “formers” aren’t saying no to God, or to their Christian identity, or to their yearning for faith. Many are simply saying no to Sunday church.

They are expressing a preference for something other than getting up early on Sunday, driving across town, sitting in a pew for an hour or more, making small talk with people they don’t really know, and driving home again.

They are saying no to Sunday, the only day they can get a slow start in this everyone-works-hard era.

They are saying no to being an audience in an age of participation and self-determination.

They are saying no to institutional preaching, repetitive liturgies and assemblies controlled by small cadres usually older than themselves.

They are saying no to being told what to believe.

They are saying no to having their questions ignored.

Instead, they find spiritual enrichment on the Internet and on television. They read faith-related books. They pray on their own. They find their own networks of faithful friends.

The problem isn’t their faith. The problem is Christianity’s delivery system. We are stuck in trying to lure people to physical locations at a time of our choosing, to do what we think they ought to do, and to be loyal in paying for it. It is time we looked beyond the paradigm of Sunday church.

I think the future lies in “multichanneling”: a combination of on-site, online, workplace and at-home offerings that create networks of self-determining constituents, many of whom might never attend Sunday church.

The first challenge, however, is to recognize how deeply wedded we are to Sunday, on-site participation as the only true expression and measure of faithfulness. Almost everything about our institutions — facilities, ordination training, staffing, budgeting — aims to draw people to a central location on Sunday.

We need to see that what works for some doesn’t work for others. Not because the others are flawed, nor because our culture has collapsed and turned against God, but because things change. Just as Jesus took his ministry out of the synagogue and radically rethought the meaning of Sabbath, so God is drawing us away from “former things,” even ones we treasure and consider our duty.

Tom Ehrich is a writer, church consultant and Episcopal priest. His Web site is www.morningwalkmedia.com.

counterintuitive church

Here is an excellent post from Ernest Goodman at his blog Missions, Misunderstood. I think it reflects a lot of our thinking at Convergence about church. The post is about the problem of pragmatism in our church culture. You can read the whole post here; but I want to share a few of his thoughts:

Everyone’s traditional. Some of us just start new ones rather than following someone else’s. There are consequences to the tradition of pragmatism. You might be seeing “results” with the way you’re doing things but consider this:

• If people come to faith through confrontational, guilt-trip evangelism, they’re coming to a confrontational, guilt-trip faith.
• If your church’s myopic focus on Biblical knowledge makes it more lecture hall than place of worship, you’re likely going to get a bunch of armchair Reformation theologians and wanna-be ancient Greek scholars who are more concerned with being right than anything else.
• If you allow your church to get so large that it’s a challenge to really know everyone (anyone) else in that local body, (versus starting smaller, more local gatherings,) you are discipling your people into a less personal expression of Christianity and, therefore, a less personal view of Jesus. [Pragmatic argument:] Of course, relational church can happen in your megachurch (through small groups, cliques, informal social circles, etc.), but as you add programs and square-footage, it begins to happen in spite of how you do church, not because of how you do church.
• If your church mired in legalism, it won’t last. Legalistic religious people eventually can’t keep up with their legalisms. To them, God is only pleased with an impossibly demanding cycle of performance. They usually end up abandoning their “faith” or isolating themselves for fear of secular contamination.
• If your church worships worship, your people might not learn to worship God. At the very least, they could be left unable to worship without a worship band and Mediashout® video backgrounds. Believers need to learn to worship, learn, serve, and share without the help of the professionals who make their livings by (intentionally or otherwise) perpetuating dependence.
• If your church sits in grandstands with the lights dimmed, staring at a jumbo-tron, don’t be surprised if they act like spectators.

While we don't want our identity to be based on what we are not--we can learn from the successes, mistakes and struggles of others. I am grateful that the vision God has given us for Convergence, and the faithfulness of those involved at Convergence, have helped us create more of what Goodman describes as a "counterintuitive church" than a pragmatic one. I also realize it will take continuous prayer and work to keep moving in that direction.

different perspectives

I put this on my personal blog; but then thought that it fits here too.

I came across this from Andrew Perriman at Open Source Theology:

I’m very conscious of the fact that pretty much all of our divisions and disagreements arise because we find it almost impossible - emotionally - to choose one path through the forest without denigrating all those who choose to follow a different path.

This is something I've been thinking and talking about when it comes to Convergence. This dream that we can be a faith community made up of people with different ideas, different interpretations, different takes on issues, different callings and passions.

I had lunch with a friend and Convergence member last week. We have different perspectives on an issue facing churches these days. I told her my hope was that she and I could tell each other our perspective without feeling the need to convince the other to agree; that we could listen and seek to understand one another; that we could be open to the possibilities of another perspective; and live and fellowship and serve in community, even when we don't agree.

As a pastor, I don't want to build a church where everyone agrees with me (I'm well-aware that I'm often not right!) But I do want a church where people are free to explore, dialog, hold and share different opinions, perspectives and interpretations; and that the common ground is to know and experience and love and reflect Jesus.

Rhythms of Moses' Life-from this past Sunday

We’ve been exploring and discussing the idea that life is guided by rhythms—both internal and external. When we speak of rhythms, we’re talking about the movement, or change, or flow of life because of the actions and events and practices of our lives.

External rhythms are dictated by things that happen to and around us. Some are natural—the things that life brings to us. But some are caused by other people—work situations, family, other relationships.

The key is, they are situations, times, seasons, events, that come to us from outside ourselves; the ebb and flow of good and bad times, the ups and downs of joys and sorrows, life and death, joinings and separations, losses and victories, the frustrations and rewards that happen when starting or ending a relationship, raising a child, working a job, playing a game…

Our character is based and built on how we respond to these situations given to us—especially the challenges—and if we make the most of them or let them victimize us.

Healthy Internal rhythms are guided by practices, or habits, that we discover or establish, to find balance in life. If my life is mostly ruled by external rhythms, than I struggle for balance—there is so much demanded on me by work, family, other relationships…

The internal rhythms are guided by practices that we determine. If I have established practices that help me stay spiritually focused and centered, then I am better prepared for the challenges and problems that come at me in life.

I can handle the crises better. I can find the positive and grow through difficulties, rather than just get angry or despair.

For me, healthy internal rhythms, and the practices that create them, are not just helpful, they are necessary. They are the actions we need to be healthy, Christ-like people.

Healthy rhythms of life give order, but also can spark creativity; they bring challenge but help us live life abundantly. They involve discipline but open up freedom. They give structure while spurring on imagination.

Healthy rhythms help us to be open to God and others. The rhythms give depth to our inner life while helping us to live in the world as Christ lived in this world.

Today we’re going to look at some of the rhythms of life of a great person in the history of our faith—Moses. Most of us know something of Moses, if not from the Bible, then films like The Ten Commandments or The Prince of Egypt. Today I want to look at Moses’ life and humanity, not so much the stories and miracles we’ve heard about.

Even before Moses was born, there was movement, or a shift with his people—his ancestor Joseph had risen to prominence in Egypt, as an advisor—the top advisor—to the Pharaoh, the king.

But over time, Israelites became so numerous, those in power in Egypt worried about their strength of number, and subdued the Israelites—turning them into slaves.
Around the time of Moses’ birth; Pharaoh, fearing the continued growth of the Hebrew people, demanded that all male babies be killed at birth.

Into this was Moses born. A child condemned even before he was born. But his mother was wise, and when she could hide him no longer, put him in a basket and laid the basket in the river.

Moses was found by Pharaoh’s daughter, who rescued and claimed him as her own son. Thus the man that condemned Moses, became his grandfather.

Moses went from being the child of a slave, a boy who was not supposed to have any chance to live; and became part of the royal family—those who had held the power of life and death over him, and his people.

He grew up as one of them. The Bible tells us he was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.

The next time we read about him, he is a grown man. He seems to be aware of his true heritage, and of the injustice around him. He sees the Israelites who are his people--slaves, forced to spend their lives working for and being brutalized by others.

He also sees the Egyptians who raised him, living with plenty, having others do the work for them, enjoying lives of ease and luxury. The natural rhythms of life have been distorted, discarded, by those in power. Moses must struggle to know his place, being part of both worlds.

One day Moses sees an Egyptian beating an Israelite slave. He is angered, and kills the Egyptian. The first adult action we see by this one who would become such a great man of God is the act of murder.

Any balance he had in his life is destroyed. His place in the royalty of Egypt is gone. His adopted grandfather, Pharaoh, orders Moses’ death. So Moses flees.
He goes to a land called Midian, where he begins a new life. He marries, raises a family, and helps his father-in-law care for his animals.

For forty years he lives this new life, simple, and peaceful, far from the conflict between the Egyptians and Israelites, and his crisis of identity.

But after forty years the rhythm of his life is about to change again. Because while Moses is living a shepherd’s life, working hard and living simply, the situation in Egypt is getting worse. The king of Egypt has died, but the slavery of the Israelites continues, and their treatment gets worse.

One day Moses’ peaceful existence is disrupted by a burning bush. God speaks to Moses through this bush and tells Moses his simple life is about to get radically different.

God tells Moses that he is sending him back to Egypt, the place he fled forty years earlier. He is not going back quietly, but boldly, because God is sending him back to free the Hebrew slaves. This shepherd is going to the king of Egypt, and demanding that he release his entire labor force.

Moses goes to Pharaoh, and demands he release the Israelites. Pharaoh refuses, and Moses performs miracles and warns Pharaoh about plagues that God is going to send down on the Egyptians if they don’t comply.

God turns the water in their river to blood, brings down plagues of frogs, gnats, flies, and locusts. He kills the Egyptian’s livestock, and causes sores to break out on all the people. He brings hail to destroy their crops, and causes the sky to turn dark. Finally, he brings a plague that kills the firstborn children of Egypt.

This shepherd, Moses, is now the most powerful man in his part of the world. He goes back to Pharaoh over and over, showing incredible strength and perseverance and courage.

Each time Pharaoh refuses to comply, Moses goes back to God to be encouraged and strengthened, then goes back to Pharaoh again and again.

This man who fled Egypt, poor and powerless, spent forty years living a simple, peaceful existence, responsible only for his family and some animals, is now responsible for the survival of hundreds of thousands of people.

God spoke to Moses, and Moses obeyed God’s call on his life, and experienced the power of God like no one else.

He leads the Israelites out of Egypt, and becomes their leader, not just politically, but spiritually. He tells them of God’s love for them, and God’s leading as they leave their old lives behind and move toward the land that God promised their ancestors.

Moses sings out to God:

The LORD is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father's God, and I will exalt him.

Moses leads the people through conflict with other nations, and conflict among themselves. He leads them in battle, and in peace.

Moses leads, but also learns from his father-in-law, and becomes an even more effective leader. There is a beautiful story where Moses’ father-in-law gives him some simple but profound advice, and Moses follows it, becoming an even more effective leader.

Moses retreats from the people he leads, up to a mountain, where he communicates with God. God gives him the law, beginning with the Ten Commandments—basically telling the people how to worship and follow God and how to live in community with one another.

Moses goes back and forth from being among the people, teaching them to obey and follow God, to going up the mountain, spending time alone with God, sometimes for as long as forty days.

For forty years Moses serves as the leader of the Israelites, as they wander through the desert. There are times when all is well—God provides for the Israelites, speaks through Moses, and they respond and obey. There are other times when they rebel and reject God, and Moses has to go to God and plead for God to have mercy on his people.

In Exodus chapter 33, there is a beautiful exchange; Moses, who regularly converses with God, basically asks God how he can possibly do all that God is asking him to, and God replies:

"My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

God knows Moses cannot do all that He is asking him to do without rest, a break. A little later God tells Moses, "Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.”

God tells Moses to initiate festivals throughout the year, to break from the work the people do and spend time resting, celebrating, worshiping God.

We see clear rhythms in Moses’ life—times where he is in great power, others where he has nothing…

He lives 120 years—in three distinct stages—for the first forty, he ives as an Egyptian, with wealth and power…

The next forty he lives as a fugitive in a new land, the simple life of a shepherd.

The final forty he spends leading Israelites out of Egypt, into the wilderness, where he leads them as they grow into their identity as God’s people.

We see Moses go from ruler to fugitive.

There are times when he is leading hundreds of thousands of people,
And times where he leaves them to be in solitude, alone with His God.

Times he pleads with the people to be faithful to God, and times he pleads with God to have mercy on the people.

We see him enjoying peace and struggling to win battles.

There are times when Moses is respected and loved and followed, other times when people turn their backs and reject both him and the God he speaks for.

Through it all, we see an intimate relationship between Moses and God—and that relationship is what sustains Moses through the incredible adventures and challenges of his life.


When we look at rhythms, we are looking at the ebb and flow of life—ups and downs, comings and goings, times of work and rest, joy and sorrow, peace and stress…

As we talked about weeks ago, life is busy, stressful, challenging. We can’t control the external rhythms of life.

The key is to build practices in our lives that will help us develop healthy rhythms in the areas we can control— practices and behaviors that will help us connect with God and other people in healthy ways.

…practices that will help us discover who we are; who God created us and calls us to be.

…practices that will help us find balance—spiritually, emotionally, physically.

In Moses we see a man who lived a life far more crazy and difficult than ours, yet found some healthy rhythms in the midst of chaos, starting with his relationship with God.

Next week we will begin looking for specific practices that will help us build healthy internal rhythms—practices that will help us become more balanced in seven areas of life:
Spirituality
Physical health
Work
Rest
Play/adventure
Wonder/curiosity
Relationships

We’ll do some work together, but also individually, because the practices that help me be more balanced and healthy will be different than yours. So we’ll spend some time looking out and ahead, brainstorming and dreaming.

The intent is to better be the people God created us to be. To live lives marked by balance, peace, and abundance. It is this kind of life that helps us live out God’s call on our lives—both the specific call to be the person we are created to be; and generally—God’s call for each of us to know and pursue Jesus, to love and serve one another, to strive to live out God’s kingdom in our world.

from the Convergence retreat

Lost? A reflection by Pam Moyer

The ground is wet from recent snow;

Snow that covered, froze, and then melted today.

The sun is out – it sure brightened my mood!

The birds are still here in winter; they chirp and sing

Near the day’s end, they search for food.

The pond is frozen, or rather half-frozen.

I sit near the cold fire pit, writing – it’s 58 degrees!

But here on the bench, I dream of picnics and 80!

We who came, needed this time --

Time together,

Time apart.

This time to reflect,

And time to pray.

This space for renewal

That space to be creative;

The deep leaf piles for walking,

The deep cushioned chairs for repose.

Rushing sounds of a creek must

Lead to Lost River?

But how can the river be lost

If the creek can find it?

These are the things one ponders

When there’s time, (that and the whole universe . . .)

When God is unmistakably present.

Steep surrounding mountains magnify our God

and humiliate self-centered Man.

We are lost; -- our cell signals - gone.

***

The setting sun begins to chill,

But write I must, if only to convey -

The beauty of this place,

The simplicity of our lodging,

The warm hospitality of our cooks and hosts.

Warm coffee, hot tea,

A Blazing Fire (thanks to Quentin & Jay),

Snacks, Books and Games (thanks to Todd),

Old Friends and new ones – now treasured memories…like Camp!

Above the Fireplace rest words of assurance

and a small rugged cross.

It is lit up - for us,

It is in front - for us,

It holds our focus - as we dream and pray for

God’s great plan for Convergence.

In God's Garden

From Beth Kramer, Convergence collaborator:

Often when I feel overwhelmed or discouraged with events in my own life, I come over to the church to weed, rake, plant, and such. Being out in the sunshine with the plants while helping and exercising nearly always improves my mood and usually my short-term outlook.

While I am working, neighbors frequently say “hi” or even stop and chat with me. I appreciate the positive energy from the greetings and conversations. Also, people driving by notice me - sometimes people I know.

After seeing me weeding one day, one of my yoga students asked if I would like to have some of the abundant flowers from her yard. She had a multitude of daisies, Black-eyed Susans, irises, and much more. I enjoyed a misty morning with her gathering various plants and bulbs which I later planted around Laura’s Tree and other garden areas.

As I was planting and sketching what I had planted, one of my new friends from The Artist’s Way was at the church setting up for a recording. He pitched in with raking and sweeping the side entrance then commented I could call on him anytime. Thus, these autumn months we have enjoyed many an enriching conversation amidst the leaves.

I am grateful I wasn’t sulking at home worrying about my little stuff. I was out enjoying God’s Garden - receiving gifts of flowers and friendship. Such days are a reminder that there is so much beyond my sometimes limited scope. There is a lot of beauty not far from home; I just need to come outside my little world to be a witness. I just need to look beyond Me.

And in case you guys haven’t noticed, there is a rose hiding over by the side fence. It is especially beautiful.

Blessings,

Beth

An honest look at ourselves and stress

This past Sunday we began a series looking at "Rhythms of Life." The idea is to create rhythms in our lives, ways of ordering that will help us become healthier, more Christ-like, by giving different areas of our lives more balanced attention.

We asked people to be honest about the stresses and challenges of life. The hope is that by honestly looking at our struggles, and seeking to connect with God in the mist of them, can help us move toward a way of life that is more in tune with God. We also discovered that it helps to know that we are not alone in our struggles, but that others in our community understand.

Here are the questions we asked and some of the responses:

1. How well do you feel your life is organized these days?

• “I am not a very organized person. I need to hire a bookkeeper to help me keep track of my finances. Outside of the structure I have at work, I am pretty lost.”
• “More organized now than ever in my life. Have time and energy to stay organized.”
• “Organization is a tough one. Too many things to do to get organized. Don’t really know how. Guess I am organized to a certain extent but just need so much more organization to feel less stressful.”

2. How are you handling stress?

• “I give my stressful things up to God and wait.”
• “Not well. Need to do more exercise, but find it hard to get the time. Worry about everything. Worry about not worrying when not worrying! Life comes so fast and so many issues to worry about.”
• “Ideally, to handle stress I meditate or take a walk. But sometimes I engage in destructive behaviors: drinking, binge eating, smoking, etc. I wish my responses were consistent.”
• “Meditation and prayer make handling stress bearable.”
• “I’m not handling stress well. Struggle with not sleeping, always thinking of what I need to do.”
• “Pretty well—I run, lift, and pray my way through it all.”
• “Denial: I push through at a high work rate until I crash and burn, then start over.”

3. What in life is working (or not working) well?

• “Every component has new developments that hold great promise, but that could also become great disappointments.”
• “Well? Regular exercise, body prayer and contemplative prayer. Not working well? Managing my paperwork and finances.”
• “Seems like there is always too much to do, too little time. I can’t catch up.”
• “Retirement provides me with time to reflect on important issues—family, church, and personal relationship.”
• “Working well—my relationship with Jesus!!”

4. What demands is life making on you?

• “Life is showing me very important things that need to be done that I am capable of accomplishing. But I can’t do all of these things and if I don’t, then they won’t be accomplished.”
• “Too many demands: school and school association, work—new responsibilities, churches, friends, family, money.”
• “Demands: financial, new career, success.”
• “So many new ventures, new inspirations and new callings. I fear there is more than I can handle, but I cannot refuse any of them.”

5. What do you need more (or less) of?

• “More $, less debt.”
• “More creative time is necessary for mental health!”
• “Reflection, prayer, peace.”
• “I need more time spent in quiet, solitude w/ God. Especially in nature. I need less social/technological distractions. More focused time doing what I love with people I love (and who love me).”
• “Need exercise and physical play that would relieve stress, sore neck and shoulders. Something fun and impossible to procrastinate.”
• “More sleep.”
• “More sex.”

6. What do you wish were different?

• “I wish was connected well enough to know who to ask for help.”
• “I wish I were more in control—not a slave to my schedule and to-do list. I long to feel peace—not so much worry.”

Many of us are dealing with big challenges. That’s life. But a lot of us allow those struggles to lead to stress, and when we’re stressed, struggles get worse, and problems bet bigger.

I don’t think that’s not how God wants it to be. Scripture talks over and over about peace. It doesn’t promise that following Christ will make life easier or less painful; but it does teach that those who live in Christ will have peace.

I think that many of us who follow Christ, and claim to live for him, are not really experiencing that peace.

Our intention tonight was to get us looking honestly at our lives, facing the challenges and stresses, not hiding or running. That kind of honest look is necessary if we are going to learn to lead lives that are truly centered on and filled with Christ.

Next week we begin talking about how to order our lives in ways that truly connect us with Christ. So while tonight was a little heavy, we leave with the promise that there is hope…

But that's no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.
--Eph. 4:20-24 (The Message)

Join us next week as we begin asking what does this life in Christ, this new way, look like?

Authority through Humility

from Sunday's worship...

They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"
"Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. "Come out of him!" The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him." News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
--Mark 1:21-28

Many of us believe that Jesus, as God in the flesh, is the ultimate authority. But in this passage, we see that his authority came as a surprise to those around him. People were amazed at his teaching, as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law…

The authority figures in Jewish culture had authority because of their position; not because they earned it. Their authority was very public—it was about their standing in the community.

We’ve probably all had a boss or supervisor who we didn’t have a lot of respect for, but had to follow because of their position. I imagine that a lot of people felt this way toward the Pharisees…their authority came from their position of power.

Jesus was different. He didn’t have a position of power (at least from what those around him knew). His authority came out of how he related to people, how he treated them, and how he not only knew, but lived out the teaching of scripture.

We see him over and over telling others not to tell what had happened when he healed and performed miracles. He was not interested in attention or public recognition.

Respect, which is necessary for effective authority, can’t be forced or demanded. It must be earned. That’s what Jesus did. His actions, not words, revealed his authority. Jesus’ authority was marked by humility. He associated with the lowest of people. The sick, diseased, outcast. The Pharisees, those in authority, never would have done that.

Jesus’ humility gave him ultimate authority. Instead of demanding authority and respect, he earned it, through loving others, and by sacrificing. Authority is simply the right to influence; and we earn that right by treating others with humility--loving, encouraging, challenging; proving that we have their best interests at heart…

Jesus earned that right with people. He showed such love and compassion, that people were willing to drop everything to follow him.

"The Call"

This is a poem we used in worship Sunday, followed by discussion questions. (from Bonner Resources)

“The Call”

I have heard it all my life,
A voice calling a name I recognized as my own.

Sometimes it comes as a soft-bellied whisper,
Sometimes it holds an edge of urgency.

But always it says: Wake up, my love. You are walking asleep.
There’s no safety in that!

Remember what you are, and let this knowing
take you home to the Beloved with every breath.

Hold tenderly who you are, and let a deeper knowing
color the shape of your humanness.

There is nowhere to go. What you are looking for is right here.
Open the fist clenched in wanting and see what you already
hold in your hand.

There is no waiting for something to happen,
no point in the future to get to.
All you have ever longed for is here in this moment, right now.

You are wearing yourself out with all this searching.
Come home and rest.

How much longer can you live like this?
Your hungry spirit is gaunt, your heart stumbles. All this trying.
Give it up!

Let yourself be one of the God-mad,
faithful only to the Beauty you are.

Let the Lover pull you to your feet and hold you close,
dancing even when fear urges you to sit this one out.

Remember, there is one word you are here to say with your whole being.
When it finds you, give your life to it. Don’t be tight-lipped and stingy.

Spend yourself completely on the saying.
Be one word in the great love poem we are writing together.
--Oriah


1. In what ways are you currently “walking asleep” in your life?

2. What are you being called to do? How have you responded to that call? Are you currently living in concert with your call or are you running from it?

3. The author says, “there is one word you are here to say with your whole being.” What is your one word?

4. What other thoughts do you have in response to this poem?

Calling

From worship on January 25:

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!"
As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." At once they left their nets and followed him.
When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
--Mark 1:14-20

This passage is a very obvious example from the Bible of God calling people. Jesus called Simon, Andrew, James and John to follow him. For many of us today, to follow Jesus often means to make some lifestyle changes, to adopt a new mindset or new beliefs, to begin some new practices; but not necessarily a radical change in life.

For these men, it was just that. They left their careers, families, life as they new it--for something new—for someone new. For them it was about more than belief or faith—it was about action; about how to live life.

Throughout the Bible, God called people, beginning in Genesis with Abram and ending in Revelation with John of Patmos. God called men: Moses, Samuel, Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Peter, and Saul.

God called women: Sarai, Miriam, Deborah, Ruth, Elizabeth, Mary, and Lydia.

Calling people was one of the most frequent things God did throughout the Bible. It happened repeatedly.

Often that call had something to do with doing something specific for God, and helping others see or hear or obey God.

We have translated that into our church culture as a call to something religious. For example, we talk about being called into ministry, and we treat that calling as if it were more important than other callings. That gives the impression that God only calls a few people; and the rest of us are on our own. But that doesn’t line up with the character of God in the Bible.

God works in and through anyone and everyone, in a variety of jobs and situations and relationships. Each of us is called—to a relationship with God, to general ways of living life, also to some specific actions. It’s different for each of us, yet each calling is important from God’s perspective.

Our call is not just valuable or holy when it’s in a religious context, any call is valuable and holy, when we simply answer and follow.

God is working in and through all people in diverse and countless contexts. When we are faithful to being who God created us to be and doing what he wants us to do, we are partnering with God to achieve his purposes—love people, draw them to him, establish God’s kingdom in relationships and communities here on earth.

A common question is how did and does God call? In the Bible, God often called through visions, through a burning bush, through a voice calling in the night, through the words of other people, through a brilliantly flashing light.

How does God call now? It's a question we could spend hours on, but I'll throw out a few ideas, just to get us thinking, and encourage you to keep thinking on this, especially when we take some time to reflect and respond in a bit.

God sometimes calls us through a voice in our heads—thoughts, desires, interests, curiosities, ideas, hunches, questions...

Through words spoken to us by another person, often someone different, outside our context—a stranger, a traveler, even someone with whom we disagree.

Through a book, a sermon, a song, a story, a poem...Through the Bible...Through a need that we become aware of...Through a gift or talent we possess...Through an event in daily life that speaks in some strong or unexpected way.

Calling is often thought of as sudden; but it often isn’t. God is working behind the scenes, in our lives, preparing us for things to which he calls us.

Peter and James "immediately" answered their calling. But I imagine that God had prepared them for that moment when Jesus would appear, that the rest of their lives up to meeting Jesus was a part of their being called.

Jesus' personal calling to them is merely the last step in the being called, and one that they can follow immediately without contradiction with the rest of their life. Even their father has been prepared -- they don't have to leave him alone, there are already others there to help him with the work.

From Ginny Ward Holderness and Forrest Palmer:

"All of life is to be lived in response to God’s call. Our work and life, our careers and lifestyle, all our activities and relationships are directly connected to the abundant love and creative work of our generous God. There is no separation between faith and work or between faith and lifestyle.”

Our real call is to be faithful with God in whatever we do.

Knowing and Being Known

Thoughts from Sunday's worship:

Jesus knew those whom he chose, and allowed them to know Him. Jesus knows us like no one else does, and invites us to know Him. Think about some of the phrases or ideas that we sometimes take for granted:

God lives in us

We are the temple of the Holy Spirit

Jesus comes into our hearts

God is my life...

Sometimes we make these statements, or others like them, without really pondering how incredible they really are. The truth is, there is an intimate, supernatural, mystical, unexplainable connection between the God of the universe and each one of us.

God created us in God's image. We reflect God's nature, and character. These days I'm thinking less about God's authority and knowledge--seeing God as above and beyond--and thinking more about God's love and connection with us; seeking to experiences God's presence.

God knows us, because we are His. God cares deeply about each thought, word, decision, conversation, fear, and emotion.

God knows us, and longs for us to know Him--not just about Him, but to really know  God intimately, personally.

One of the primary ways we know and experience God is by knowing and experiencing one another. When we are known, when we let someone else into our lives; we allow God to speak into our lives. 

When we listen and serve and love one another, God is in the midst of that. We connect with the divine in one another.

The Church is the Body of Christ. That is an incredible mystery, but there is this sense of knowing God by knowing each other. Loving God by loving one another. Serving God by serving our neighbor. 

God already knows what we are thinking and feeling, yet still asks us to share with Him. Something special happens when we choose to enter into that intimate connection, when we open up and show God who we are, and how we feel.

This also happens when we reveal who we are to one another. God is there, listening with us, loving us, drawing us to Him, and to each other.

Listening to Hester

Great post from Amy's blog about listening, story, and community:

When I was 14 years old, the summer after the 8th grade, my Dad told me that I needed to get out of my head, and he sent me to Friendship Manor, the nursing home, to volunteer for the summer. At that point, my parents didn’t know that I’d been depressed enough to make one small, feeble suicide attempt. My despair and ennui at that time weren’t sufficient to overcome my aversion to pain, so the slim cut across my wrist that I’d made with the razor blade didn’t draw anyone’s attention. It didn’t even leave a scar… but I knew, and I had come to be very frightened of the power of my own depression. So, I decided that my Dad was probably right. If I spent the entire summer indoors, as was my usual routine, I literally wasn’t sure I’d make it through alive.

read the rest here.