We’ve arrived at the final question that this booklet will tackle. This may be one that you have struggled to understand in terms of how a church practices Communion. Take note that the answer to this question does not include any mention of whether a specific person is worthy to receive Communion. The answer to question 4 is different and separate from the answer to question 3. The goal remains that we would allow the practice of Communion at Crosspointe to be shaped by God’s Word rather than by our own personal opinions and emotions so that as a church we can be faithful to the desires and intentions of Jesus.
Matthew 26:29 was part of the answer to why a church should practice Communion. We begin with that verse to see how the Bible helps us to answer the question of who should commune together. When Jesus instituted or initiated the Lord’s Supper, He said that He would again share this meal with His followers. Jesus is referring to the eternal feast that all Christians will enjoy after He returns and the dead are resurrected and God’s Kingdom is fully realized. As mentioned in question 1, the meal that Jesus has given to the church provides a foretaste of the fellowship that will define our relationships with one another and with God when sin and death are no more. At that time, there will no longer be any questions about God. He will be fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12) so there will be no differences in what is believed and confessed about Him as there are now. God’s desire is to bring that eternal reality into the present time through the church’s practice of the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is the church’s greatest moment of community, fellowship, oneness, and unity. The goal that the church should strive to attain in Communion is a maximization of oneness and unity. In other words, the church gathered at the altar to receive the Lord’s Supper should aim to resemble the church gathered at the eternal feast because it is that eternal reality that God wishes to create in our midst.
Again and again, the Bible calls for unity and oneness among the church. In John 17:20-23 Jesus prays on the night before His death that all who would believe in Him would be one. The unity of the church is further referred to as one flock with one shepherd (John 10:16), one body (Romans 12:5 and 1 Corinthians 12:12), one loaf of bread (1 Corinthians 10:17), and one body, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism (Ephesians 4:3-5). Unity is God’s desires for His people even now. In 1 Corinthians 1:10 Paul writes; I appeal to you brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no divisions among you, but be united in the same mind and the same judgment. Paul does not call for unity because it would be beneficial for the church in his opinion. Rather, he reveals the intention of Jesus who is the Lord of the church: that there would be no divisions among us. Paul brings this discussion of unity into the practice of Communion in 1 Corinthians 11:17-18. He tells the church in Corinth that when they come together to share the Lord’s Supper they do so not for the better but for the worse because there are divisions among them. To get a broader picture you can also look at God’s instructions for the Passover Meal. Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper while He was celebrating the Passover with His disciples. In the Christian Church, the Lord’s Supper has taken the place of the Passover. But even with the Passover, God was concerned about who shared the meal with one another as is evident in Exodus 12:43-49 and Ezra 6:19.
The issue of oneness and unity for the church boils down to what it believes about God, what may be referred to as the doctrine or confession or teaching of the church. In this belief, the desire of God is that we would be united in mind and judgment. In the Bible’s first description of the life of the church, the teaching which has been passed down from the apostles (those who were eyewitnesses to the life and death and resurrection of Jesus) is the first thing mentioned. It is important to notice tin Acts 2:42, the church was devoted to the apostles’ teaching – singular! When the Bible talks about the doctrine of the church it does so in the singular. Examples include 1Timothy 1:10 and 4:16, 2 Timothy 4:3, and Titus1:9 and 2:1. The Christian faith is not a set of individual teachings from which we pick and choose the ones we agree with and the ones we disagree with. The unity that God desires includes the belief about who Jesus was and what He accomplished for us. But it includes more. God desires that we would be unified in the answer to these 4 questions and what we believe about Communion. God desires that we are unified in our belief about baptism and the Bible; about Creation and the return of Jesus and everything in between.
What this means in terms of practicing Communion at Crosspointe is that we should begin with and continue in the desire for a unified confession of faith. God’s desire for unity should be our desire and it should be reflected in our life together as church. To be faithful in this, our practice will be to gather at the altar to receive the Lord’s Supper with those who through membership in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and by personal profession of faith have demonstrated an agreement in doctrine and desire for doctrinal unity. As with the other sections, please don’t hesitate to ask me your follow-up questions.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Who should receive Communion?
It is tempting to think that if God delivers forgiveness through Communion, then He (and we) should want everyone to receive the Lord’s Supper. However, that line of thinking does not reflect the teaching of Scripture or the historical practice of the church. The Lord’s Supper is a meal that Jesus gave to the church and intended for people who profess the faith of the church. It is not meant to convert someone to the faith who is an unbeliever, but rather to strengthen and sustain the faith of a believer. A passage from 1 Corinthians 11:27-29 demonstrates the seriousness of this question and helps us with the answer.
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and the blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drink judgment on himself.
Notice the implications. It is possible to take the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner and, by doing so, profane what God is doing and giving through the meal. The word “profane” denotes a guiltiness or accountability for sin. Verse 29 also states that an unworthy reception will bring God’s judgment upon the recipient so that His anger or wrath is experienced rather than His grace.
In this passage, the Bible says that those who receive Communion should examine themselves. This self-examination will reveal that none of us are or ever can be worthy on our own to participate in the Lord’s Supper. Sin has made us unworthy and how we pray or how good we are in the week leading up to Communion or how focused we are when we take Communion… none of these things make us worthy to approach the altar. Our worthiness comes solely through our connection with Jesus through faith. What God gives you through the Lord’s Supper, He gives solely by grace, not because of anything you have done. Worthy reception thus begins with a self-examination that shows our sin and causes us to cling to who we are in Jesus as forgiven and loved children of God.
1 Corinthians 11 also indicates that those who receive Communion should do so while “discerning the body.” This means two things. That we understand what we receive; that we believe that by the power of God’s Word we are truly receiving the body and the blood of Jesus in a sacramental or mysterious way. In addition to understanding what God is giving, to discern the body also means that you understand what God is doing. You believe that God is fulfilling His promise that the bread/body and the wine/blood are given for the forgiveness of sins and that in the meal He is doing that for you.
Our worthiness to participate in the Lord’s Supper is not our own, but rather has been credited to us through faith by God’s grace and is rooted solely in the life and the death of Jesus. When we come to the altar in faith and seeking forgiveness, we also come with a repentant heart. To repent means to turn away from sin and to turn toward God. In other words, we sincerely desire that our lives would be emptied of sin and lived to the glory, honor, and praise of God. As we come seeking forgiveness, we don’t just want God to take away the guilt, penalty, and consequences of our sin, we also want Him to eliminate the sinful thoughts, words, and actions themselves. Repentance naturally flows from faith. It is one of the things that God is bringing into our lives through the work of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, a faithful practice of the Lord’s Supper occurs when those living publicly in a sin without a repentant heart are not allowed to participate. Someone with an unrepentant heart denies the will and the work of God in his/her life by either refusing to acknowledge or turn from sin. To allow such an individual to receive Communion would falsely convey that God is willing to give forgiveness and grace without repentance by communicating that the church and God “are OK” with the sin that persists in the individual’s life.
For further biblical reading, passages like 1 Corinthians 5:11, Matthew 5:23-24 and 18:15-18, James 5:19-20, 2 Timothy 3:16, 1 Timothy 5:20 all speak of our need to correct one another in the midst of sin. Ezekiel 14:6, Matthew 3:2 and 8, and Luke 24:47 give some additional insight about repentance.
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and the blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drink judgment on himself.
Notice the implications. It is possible to take the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner and, by doing so, profane what God is doing and giving through the meal. The word “profane” denotes a guiltiness or accountability for sin. Verse 29 also states that an unworthy reception will bring God’s judgment upon the recipient so that His anger or wrath is experienced rather than His grace.
In this passage, the Bible says that those who receive Communion should examine themselves. This self-examination will reveal that none of us are or ever can be worthy on our own to participate in the Lord’s Supper. Sin has made us unworthy and how we pray or how good we are in the week leading up to Communion or how focused we are when we take Communion… none of these things make us worthy to approach the altar. Our worthiness comes solely through our connection with Jesus through faith. What God gives you through the Lord’s Supper, He gives solely by grace, not because of anything you have done. Worthy reception thus begins with a self-examination that shows our sin and causes us to cling to who we are in Jesus as forgiven and loved children of God.
1 Corinthians 11 also indicates that those who receive Communion should do so while “discerning the body.” This means two things. That we understand what we receive; that we believe that by the power of God’s Word we are truly receiving the body and the blood of Jesus in a sacramental or mysterious way. In addition to understanding what God is giving, to discern the body also means that you understand what God is doing. You believe that God is fulfilling His promise that the bread/body and the wine/blood are given for the forgiveness of sins and that in the meal He is doing that for you.
Our worthiness to participate in the Lord’s Supper is not our own, but rather has been credited to us through faith by God’s grace and is rooted solely in the life and the death of Jesus. When we come to the altar in faith and seeking forgiveness, we also come with a repentant heart. To repent means to turn away from sin and to turn toward God. In other words, we sincerely desire that our lives would be emptied of sin and lived to the glory, honor, and praise of God. As we come seeking forgiveness, we don’t just want God to take away the guilt, penalty, and consequences of our sin, we also want Him to eliminate the sinful thoughts, words, and actions themselves. Repentance naturally flows from faith. It is one of the things that God is bringing into our lives through the work of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, a faithful practice of the Lord’s Supper occurs when those living publicly in a sin without a repentant heart are not allowed to participate. Someone with an unrepentant heart denies the will and the work of God in his/her life by either refusing to acknowledge or turn from sin. To allow such an individual to receive Communion would falsely convey that God is willing to give forgiveness and grace without repentance by communicating that the church and God “are OK” with the sin that persists in the individual’s life.
For further biblical reading, passages like 1 Corinthians 5:11, Matthew 5:23-24 and 18:15-18, James 5:19-20, 2 Timothy 3:16, 1 Timothy 5:20 all speak of our need to correct one another in the midst of sin. Ezekiel 14:6, Matthew 3:2 and 8, and Luke 24:47 give some additional insight about repentance.
What do we receive in the Lord's Supper
Even in its name, the Lord’s Supper is designated as a meal shared by the church. When Christians gather at the altar to celebrate Communion they eat and they drink. Just as Jesus did when He gave this practice to the church, we use bread and wine. We see, taste, touch, and maybe even smell the bread and the wine so it is easy for us to grasp the fact that we are receiving them.
But how can bread and wine be a means by which God works in our lives? The Bible teaches that it is not only bread and wine that we receive in Communion. Rather in, with, and under the physical elements, joined with them in a mysterious way that we’ll never understand until Jesus returns, God also gives the very body and blood of Jesus. We can be sure of this because we can be sure of God’s Word. Jesus’ words are spoken every time we receive Communion; “Take and eat, this is my body given for you. Take and drink, this is my blood which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” Just as we believe that God actually forgives sin through the meal, we also believe that we receive the true body and blood of Jesus.
This belief that the body and blood are truly present in the Lord’s Supper is one that divides the church around the world and one that maybe you have struggled with personally. However, it is firmly grounded in Scripture. At the core of the belief about Christ’s presence in Communion is a belief about the Word of God. God’s Word is described in the Bible as being living and active (Hebrews 4:12). God’s Word does things in people’s lives (1 Thessalonians 2:13) and just as the rain wets the earth so also God’s Word accomplishes its purposes (Isaiah 55:10-11). God’s Word is powerful and it possesses the capacity to create so when God speaks something, His words become reality. In Genesis 1, God creates with His Word. God said let there be light, and there was light. Psalm 33:6 and 9 and Hebrews 11:3 both identify God’s Word as the means by which God brings things into existence. So when Jesus’ words are connected to ordinary bread and wine, God’s Word brings the presence of His body and blood. The Bible also calls the eating and the drinking a participation in or fellowship with the body and the blood (1 Corinthians 10:16).
Those who deny the real presence of Jesus talk in terms of the bread and wine representing or signifying the body and blood. Their original reasoning for this language was the belief that Jesus could not have ascended to the right hand of God and be truly present in the Lord’s Supper. Many who originally supported this theological stance also struggled to understand how Jesus could be both human and God. The opponents to the real presence of Jesus also make grammatical errors by turning “This is my body “ into “This represents or signifies my body.” This can be complicated so I would love to talk through any issues with you if you have additional questions.
You may wonder why God would use bread and wine to work in our lives. Though I cannot provide a full answer, I do see His willingness to do so as extremely loving. In Communion, as with the waters of baptism and a pastor speaking forgiveness, God provides something physical to accompany His Word of promise which we cannot see. God did this throughout the Bible. He told Moses that He would help him lead the people of Israel out of Egypt and gave him two physical experiences to accompany the promise (Exodus 4:1-7). After they left Egypt, God promised to be with the people and they could see His presence in a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. And when Jesus forgave a paralyzed man’s sins, something that could not be observed, He also healed the man so that he could walk in order to provide observable evidence of His ability to forgive.
I am trying to be short, but feel like this paragraph needs to be added in this section. When we talk about what we receive in Communion, it is important to know that we receive the body and the blood of Jesus by the power of God’s Word. When the Word is spoken, the presence of Jesus’ body and blood become a reality. However, we must distinguish how we receive the benefits of the Lord’s Supper. The benefits or the gifts that God gives through the meal are only received by faith. It is our faith that clings to and brings into our lives the reality and the fulfillment of God’s promises to forgive our sin and give us life. This distinction is important to note because the body and the blood are present by the Word of God and are present whether the one receiving them believes or not. However, the benefits are only received by faith and the Bible teaches that receiving the body and the blood without faith is actually detrimental (see next section).
But how can bread and wine be a means by which God works in our lives? The Bible teaches that it is not only bread and wine that we receive in Communion. Rather in, with, and under the physical elements, joined with them in a mysterious way that we’ll never understand until Jesus returns, God also gives the very body and blood of Jesus. We can be sure of this because we can be sure of God’s Word. Jesus’ words are spoken every time we receive Communion; “Take and eat, this is my body given for you. Take and drink, this is my blood which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” Just as we believe that God actually forgives sin through the meal, we also believe that we receive the true body and blood of Jesus.
This belief that the body and blood are truly present in the Lord’s Supper is one that divides the church around the world and one that maybe you have struggled with personally. However, it is firmly grounded in Scripture. At the core of the belief about Christ’s presence in Communion is a belief about the Word of God. God’s Word is described in the Bible as being living and active (Hebrews 4:12). God’s Word does things in people’s lives (1 Thessalonians 2:13) and just as the rain wets the earth so also God’s Word accomplishes its purposes (Isaiah 55:10-11). God’s Word is powerful and it possesses the capacity to create so when God speaks something, His words become reality. In Genesis 1, God creates with His Word. God said let there be light, and there was light. Psalm 33:6 and 9 and Hebrews 11:3 both identify God’s Word as the means by which God brings things into existence. So when Jesus’ words are connected to ordinary bread and wine, God’s Word brings the presence of His body and blood. The Bible also calls the eating and the drinking a participation in or fellowship with the body and the blood (1 Corinthians 10:16).
Those who deny the real presence of Jesus talk in terms of the bread and wine representing or signifying the body and blood. Their original reasoning for this language was the belief that Jesus could not have ascended to the right hand of God and be truly present in the Lord’s Supper. Many who originally supported this theological stance also struggled to understand how Jesus could be both human and God. The opponents to the real presence of Jesus also make grammatical errors by turning “This is my body “ into “This represents or signifies my body.” This can be complicated so I would love to talk through any issues with you if you have additional questions.
You may wonder why God would use bread and wine to work in our lives. Though I cannot provide a full answer, I do see His willingness to do so as extremely loving. In Communion, as with the waters of baptism and a pastor speaking forgiveness, God provides something physical to accompany His Word of promise which we cannot see. God did this throughout the Bible. He told Moses that He would help him lead the people of Israel out of Egypt and gave him two physical experiences to accompany the promise (Exodus 4:1-7). After they left Egypt, God promised to be with the people and they could see His presence in a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. And when Jesus forgave a paralyzed man’s sins, something that could not be observed, He also healed the man so that he could walk in order to provide observable evidence of His ability to forgive.
I am trying to be short, but feel like this paragraph needs to be added in this section. When we talk about what we receive in Communion, it is important to know that we receive the body and the blood of Jesus by the power of God’s Word. When the Word is spoken, the presence of Jesus’ body and blood become a reality. However, we must distinguish how we receive the benefits of the Lord’s Supper. The benefits or the gifts that God gives through the meal are only received by faith. It is our faith that clings to and brings into our lives the reality and the fulfillment of God’s promises to forgive our sin and give us life. This distinction is important to note because the body and the blood are present by the Word of God and are present whether the one receiving them believes or not. However, the benefits are only received by faith and the Bible teaches that receiving the body and the blood without faith is actually detrimental (see next section).
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Something's Missing: Easter
Easter kicked-off Crosspointe's current series of Sunday messages; Something's Missing. Each week, we have been going to God's Word to let Him speak to the corners of our lives where we sense that something just isn't right, the places where something seems to be missing. As we think about Easter, the theme make senses. Even people who don't believe the truth of the Easter story, know the basic facts. It was early in the morning on the first day of the week. A group of women were carrying spices and other materials that would be used to embalm the body of a dead man named Jesus. But when the women arrived at the tomb...
Did you already fill in the next set of details? The big stone that kept grave robbers out and death's stench in was rolled away and the tomb was empty. Something was missing! A few days earlier they had watched as the body of Jesus was placed in the tomb. They were at the right place. But Jesus' body was gone. But as I looked deeper into this story and especially Luke's account of the Easter weekend I began to see that maybe it was something besides Jesus' body that was actually missing.
As I dug deeper into the Bible, I found a number of similarities between the Easter story and another story that Luke records (2:41-50). When Jesus was twelve, He went to Jerusalem with His parents and extended family to celebrate the Passover Feast. On the return trip, every parents' nightmare became a reality for Mary and Joseph; they realized that Jesus was missing. He was not with any of their relatives and none of their acquaintances had seen Him. Mary and Joseph begin retracing their journey, watching the side of the road hoping not to see Jesus and checking each face on the shoulders of a young boy hoping it was Jesus. After three days! Three days of not knowing where their son was, they find Him in the temple. Consider the similarities between Luke 2:41-50 and the Easter story: Jesus cannot be found when people are searching for Him, the events are happening in Jerusalem at the time of the Passover Feast, and the time period of three days is involved in both.
But another similarity stands out. In both stories, we see that Jesus is not what is missing. When Mary and Joseph find Jesus sitting in the temple, He asks them "Why were you looking for me?" When the women arrive at the tomb, the angels asked them, "Why are you looking for Jesus here? This is where dead people can be found and Jesus is alive just as He said He would be." As we hear the words that are spoken to those searching for Jesus, we learn that in both stories Jesus is right where one would expect to find Him if they truly understood who He was. Jesus isn't missing. But an understanding of who He is and what He has said is. Jesus must be about doing His Father's business. In Luke 2 that puts Him in the temple where God's Word is being taught. In Luke 24 that means Jesus isn't dead in the tomb, He is alive and bringing a new life to Creation that will begin to restore the brokenness caused by sin. In the weeks after Easter, we will have the opportunity to take Jesus at His word and remember the words that God has spoken to us and we will see that Jesus is still at work, busy doing the Father's business. And that puts Him in your life bringing the reality of the resurrection to you in order to transform the places in your life where something is missing.
Did you already fill in the next set of details? The big stone that kept grave robbers out and death's stench in was rolled away and the tomb was empty. Something was missing! A few days earlier they had watched as the body of Jesus was placed in the tomb. They were at the right place. But Jesus' body was gone. But as I looked deeper into this story and especially Luke's account of the Easter weekend I began to see that maybe it was something besides Jesus' body that was actually missing.
As I dug deeper into the Bible, I found a number of similarities between the Easter story and another story that Luke records (2:41-50). When Jesus was twelve, He went to Jerusalem with His parents and extended family to celebrate the Passover Feast. On the return trip, every parents' nightmare became a reality for Mary and Joseph; they realized that Jesus was missing. He was not with any of their relatives and none of their acquaintances had seen Him. Mary and Joseph begin retracing their journey, watching the side of the road hoping not to see Jesus and checking each face on the shoulders of a young boy hoping it was Jesus. After three days! Three days of not knowing where their son was, they find Him in the temple. Consider the similarities between Luke 2:41-50 and the Easter story: Jesus cannot be found when people are searching for Him, the events are happening in Jerusalem at the time of the Passover Feast, and the time period of three days is involved in both.
But another similarity stands out. In both stories, we see that Jesus is not what is missing. When Mary and Joseph find Jesus sitting in the temple, He asks them "Why were you looking for me?" When the women arrive at the tomb, the angels asked them, "Why are you looking for Jesus here? This is where dead people can be found and Jesus is alive just as He said He would be." As we hear the words that are spoken to those searching for Jesus, we learn that in both stories Jesus is right where one would expect to find Him if they truly understood who He was. Jesus isn't missing. But an understanding of who He is and what He has said is. Jesus must be about doing His Father's business. In Luke 2 that puts Him in the temple where God's Word is being taught. In Luke 24 that means Jesus isn't dead in the tomb, He is alive and bringing a new life to Creation that will begin to restore the brokenness caused by sin. In the weeks after Easter, we will have the opportunity to take Jesus at His word and remember the words that God has spoken to us and we will see that Jesus is still at work, busy doing the Father's business. And that puts Him in your life bringing the reality of the resurrection to you in order to transform the places in your life where something is missing.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Songs in Worship
I have included some of these in other posts, but thought it would be more helpful to get a list on the blog as a separate entry. As you spend time on line, you can easily open a second window and go to http://www.youtube.com/ and type the song title and artist in the search box to listen to the song. Then come to worship and sing loud!
Songs by Chris Tomlin: Better Is One day, Enough, Forever, Give Us Clean Hands, How Can I Keep From Singing, How Great Is Our God, Jesus Messiah, Kindness, Take My Life, We Fall Down, and Unchanging.
Blessed Be Your Name by Matt Redman
Mighty to Save by Laura Story
Nothing Without You by Bebo Norman
Amazing Love - You are My King by the Newsboys
You Are God Alone, How Deep the Father's Love For Us, Hallelujah (Your Love is Amazing) by Phillips, Craig and Dean
Lord Have Mercy by Michael W Smith
By His Wounds, My Hope Is You, King of Glory, Creed, Your Love Oh Lord by Third Day
Songs by Chris Tomlin: Better Is One day, Enough, Forever, Give Us Clean Hands, How Can I Keep From Singing, How Great Is Our God, Jesus Messiah, Kindness, Take My Life, We Fall Down, and Unchanging.
Blessed Be Your Name by Matt Redman
Mighty to Save by Laura Story
Nothing Without You by Bebo Norman
Amazing Love - You are My King by the Newsboys
You Are God Alone, How Deep the Father's Love For Us, Hallelujah (Your Love is Amazing) by Phillips, Craig and Dean
Lord Have Mercy by Michael W Smith
By His Wounds, My Hope Is You, King of Glory, Creed, Your Love Oh Lord by Third Day
Friday, April 3, 2009
Lord's Supper: WHY?
Crosspointe is moving toward the celebration of the Lord's Supper. That sentence gets me excited about what God is doing and will continue to do through this group of people united in Jesus as a church. There is wisdom in laying a biblical foundation rather than rushing into it without a solid understanding about what God's Word has to say about Communion. Two weeks ago, Crosspointe began a Bible Study that meets prior to Sunday worship that is working to lay that foundation. I encourage you to take part in those sessions whether you are a life-long Lutheran or someone who doesn't have a Christian or Lutheran background.
Our first session sought to answer one question:
Why should a church practice Communion?
We talked about four answers to that question- all drawn from the Bible.
1. A church should practice the Lord's Supper because Jesus told us to. According to Luke 22:19 and 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 Jesus told His disciples to repeat the meal that He was sharing with them. "This do in remembrance of me. This do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me." Jesus taught that those who followed Him would make this meal a part of their life. Case closed, right. Jesus told us to, that should be enough! But there are additional reasons.
2. A church should practice the Lord's Supper because through it God delivers gifts to His people. Matthew 26:28 promises that the forgiveness of sins is delivered in the Lord's Supper. Where God forgives sins a number of other benefits follow; eternal life, hope, strengthened faith, and peace. The community in which the Lord's Supper is practiced also benefits as the unity and resolve of God's people is built up.
3. A church should practice the Lord's Supper because it has been passed down through generations as part of the life of the church. This flows from reason #1. In 1 Corinthians 11:23, Paul states that what he received from Jesus (specifically the practice of Communion) he is delivering to the church in Corinth. This was the role of the apostles to be eye-witnesses of Jesus who could proclaim and pass down the Gospel to future generations.
4. A church should practice the Lord's Supper because it points to the eternal feast we will share in God's Kingdom. Jesus' words recorded in Matthew 26:29 indicate that the church's practice of Communion is a foreshadow or a foretaste of what will be experienced after His return. Jesus promises that we (all Christians) will share this meal with Him again after sin and death and everything that stands in opposition to God has forever been defeated and done away with. Then, the meal will not be about forgiveness of sin because there will be no sin. Instead it will be part of the praise, joy, and unity that God intended for His Creation. Definitely something to look forward to!
This is a great first step. A solid starting point as we move toward the practice of Communion at Crosspointe. If you have questions along the way, please don't hesitate to ask!
Our first session sought to answer one question:
Why should a church practice Communion?
We talked about four answers to that question- all drawn from the Bible.
1. A church should practice the Lord's Supper because Jesus told us to. According to Luke 22:19 and 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 Jesus told His disciples to repeat the meal that He was sharing with them. "This do in remembrance of me. This do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me." Jesus taught that those who followed Him would make this meal a part of their life. Case closed, right. Jesus told us to, that should be enough! But there are additional reasons.
2. A church should practice the Lord's Supper because through it God delivers gifts to His people. Matthew 26:28 promises that the forgiveness of sins is delivered in the Lord's Supper. Where God forgives sins a number of other benefits follow; eternal life, hope, strengthened faith, and peace. The community in which the Lord's Supper is practiced also benefits as the unity and resolve of God's people is built up.
3. A church should practice the Lord's Supper because it has been passed down through generations as part of the life of the church. This flows from reason #1. In 1 Corinthians 11:23, Paul states that what he received from Jesus (specifically the practice of Communion) he is delivering to the church in Corinth. This was the role of the apostles to be eye-witnesses of Jesus who could proclaim and pass down the Gospel to future generations.
4. A church should practice the Lord's Supper because it points to the eternal feast we will share in God's Kingdom. Jesus' words recorded in Matthew 26:29 indicate that the church's practice of Communion is a foreshadow or a foretaste of what will be experienced after His return. Jesus promises that we (all Christians) will share this meal with Him again after sin and death and everything that stands in opposition to God has forever been defeated and done away with. Then, the meal will not be about forgiveness of sin because there will be no sin. Instead it will be part of the praise, joy, and unity that God intended for His Creation. Definitely something to look forward to!
This is a great first step. A solid starting point as we move toward the practice of Communion at Crosspointe. If you have questions along the way, please don't hesitate to ask!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
March 29 Worship: Prayers
Prayer requests:
· That the river levels would continue to decrease, the waters quickly recede, and the weather conditions would not bring higher water levels.
· That the dikes would protect people, property, and possessions and that any breaches or leaks would be quickly detected and fixed.
· Thanksgiving for the city officials, emergency and military personnel, residents, and volunteers who have contributed to the fight against the flood.
· For the families who have been separated from one another, displaced from their homes, and burdened with anxiety. That their travel and alternative housing arrangements would be safe, that they would be supported and encouraged in their time of stress, and that the ability to be reunited with family and returned to homes would be imminent.
· That the sense of unity and community would be maintained throughout the river’s crest and into the clean-up and any rebuilding efforts.
· For the residents of the Good Samaritan Center who were evacuated this week. That they would be kept safe in times of transportation and that the stress of a different environment, staff, and schedule would not be detrimental to their health.
· For healing for those with aches and pains, colds, and fatigue resulting from the past week.
· Many, many more requests with specific names that we each can plug in.
· That the river levels would continue to decrease, the waters quickly recede, and the weather conditions would not bring higher water levels.
· That the dikes would protect people, property, and possessions and that any breaches or leaks would be quickly detected and fixed.
· Thanksgiving for the city officials, emergency and military personnel, residents, and volunteers who have contributed to the fight against the flood.
· For the families who have been separated from one another, displaced from their homes, and burdened with anxiety. That their travel and alternative housing arrangements would be safe, that they would be supported and encouraged in their time of stress, and that the ability to be reunited with family and returned to homes would be imminent.
· That the sense of unity and community would be maintained throughout the river’s crest and into the clean-up and any rebuilding efforts.
· For the residents of the Good Samaritan Center who were evacuated this week. That they would be kept safe in times of transportation and that the stress of a different environment, staff, and schedule would not be detrimental to their health.
· For healing for those with aches and pains, colds, and fatigue resulting from the past week.
· Many, many more requests with specific names that we each can plug in.
March 29 Worship: Word
This isn’t the way things are supposed to be. A Sunday morning message isn’t supposed to be without ears to hear. A church building isn’t supposed to sit quiet and empty on a Sunday morning. A pastor isn’t supposed to be without people. (As I finish writing this, it is one of the most difficult moments of my week knowing that we cannot share this time together in person. Weeks like this one necessitate the strength and encouragement and support that is derived by a community of people gathered around God’s Word and united in prayer.) And a river isn’t supposed to flood. Psalm 98:8 says that the rivers are supposed to clap their hands as part of a creation-wide symphony praising God.
But the rivers in the Fargo-Moorhead area are flooding. Neighborhoods, yards, and homes have been over-run by water. Schools, businesses, and even churches have adjusted their schedules. The community, and the lives of its people, has been turned upside-down. But the response has been far from giving up. Instead the people have united in an effort to build walls. Sand, soil, and special military equipment have been combined with determination, cooperation, and perseverance to erect walls designed to separate us and our homes and our possessions from the water. Our feet have gone numb from the cold, our legs have tired, our arms and shoulders have throbbed, our backs are now the subject of chiropractors’ dreams, our hands have been banged up, bruised, and broken from the wrist to the tip of our finger nails, and our emotions have endured a roller-coaster ride that would churn any stomach. All in the name of building walls and all in the hope of keeping the water and its muck and stench out of our lives. At this time, we continue to pray for the integrity of the dikes, a quick lowering of the river, and the most minimal damage to homes which do take on water.
During weeks like this it is hard enough to keep track of what day it is. The concerns of each hour and the importance of every minute over-shadow everything else. It is the season of Lent and at Crosspointe we have been using this time to journey with Jesus through the final 24 hours of His life. This morning we would have watched as He carried a large wooden beam toward a place called Golgotha which means “place of the skull.” The detail is easy to miss in the Bible. With the cross on His back, Jesus walked outside of Jerusalem. Hebrews 13:12: So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through His own blood. Jesus stepped outside of the gate to the other side of the wall.
Throughout the Bible, people are sent outside of the gate for a number of reasons. The remains of the animals used in the sacrificial system were sent outside of the gate to be burned. Those who broke God’s commands and anything or anyone that might bring impurity to the community were sent outside the gate. Outside of the gate was the place for filth and stench. Outside the gate was the place for garbage and refuse. Outside the gate was the equivalent of icy, smelly river water mixed with the sewage sludge you do not want coming back up your drains. But Jesus willingly placed Himself on the wrong side of the wall. Hebrews 13:12 says He did it in order to sanctify you by His death. That means He died outside of the camp so that you could be clean from and undefiled by sin. He died on the wrong side of the wall so that He could keep you safe and secure on the right side of the wall where God’s grace and love and faithfulness flow in abundance and without end.
We all have stories from the past week, some that bring us to tears of laughter and others that will bring us to tears of sorrow for years to come. If we were gathering together around God’s Word this morning, this would be the point in the message when I would actually ask you to share your stories… weeks like this allow for the risk of an interactive sermon. But instead I will look forward to the hearing and telling of flood stories in the coming days and weeks. We have been united by our common fight against the Flood of ’09, that story is OUR story. This morning let us also be reminded that we share the story of Lent. The story of Jesus carrying a cross outside of the gate where He died on the wrong side of the wall so that we can live in the reality of God’s Easter promises. A story of hope and healing. A story of restoration and renewal. This is the way things are supposed to be.
But the rivers in the Fargo-Moorhead area are flooding. Neighborhoods, yards, and homes have been over-run by water. Schools, businesses, and even churches have adjusted their schedules. The community, and the lives of its people, has been turned upside-down. But the response has been far from giving up. Instead the people have united in an effort to build walls. Sand, soil, and special military equipment have been combined with determination, cooperation, and perseverance to erect walls designed to separate us and our homes and our possessions from the water. Our feet have gone numb from the cold, our legs have tired, our arms and shoulders have throbbed, our backs are now the subject of chiropractors’ dreams, our hands have been banged up, bruised, and broken from the wrist to the tip of our finger nails, and our emotions have endured a roller-coaster ride that would churn any stomach. All in the name of building walls and all in the hope of keeping the water and its muck and stench out of our lives. At this time, we continue to pray for the integrity of the dikes, a quick lowering of the river, and the most minimal damage to homes which do take on water.
During weeks like this it is hard enough to keep track of what day it is. The concerns of each hour and the importance of every minute over-shadow everything else. It is the season of Lent and at Crosspointe we have been using this time to journey with Jesus through the final 24 hours of His life. This morning we would have watched as He carried a large wooden beam toward a place called Golgotha which means “place of the skull.” The detail is easy to miss in the Bible. With the cross on His back, Jesus walked outside of Jerusalem. Hebrews 13:12: So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through His own blood. Jesus stepped outside of the gate to the other side of the wall.
Throughout the Bible, people are sent outside of the gate for a number of reasons. The remains of the animals used in the sacrificial system were sent outside of the gate to be burned. Those who broke God’s commands and anything or anyone that might bring impurity to the community were sent outside the gate. Outside of the gate was the place for filth and stench. Outside the gate was the place for garbage and refuse. Outside the gate was the equivalent of icy, smelly river water mixed with the sewage sludge you do not want coming back up your drains. But Jesus willingly placed Himself on the wrong side of the wall. Hebrews 13:12 says He did it in order to sanctify you by His death. That means He died outside of the camp so that you could be clean from and undefiled by sin. He died on the wrong side of the wall so that He could keep you safe and secure on the right side of the wall where God’s grace and love and faithfulness flow in abundance and without end.
We all have stories from the past week, some that bring us to tears of laughter and others that will bring us to tears of sorrow for years to come. If we were gathering together around God’s Word this morning, this would be the point in the message when I would actually ask you to share your stories… weeks like this allow for the risk of an interactive sermon. But instead I will look forward to the hearing and telling of flood stories in the coming days and weeks. We have been united by our common fight against the Flood of ’09, that story is OUR story. This morning let us also be reminded that we share the story of Lent. The story of Jesus carrying a cross outside of the gate where He died on the wrong side of the wall so that we can live in the reality of God’s Easter promises. A story of hope and healing. A story of restoration and renewal. This is the way things are supposed to be.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
New Perspective: Love (Part 2)
At seminary there are a lot of traditions, some of which involve Valentine's Day. Every year, there is a big dinner and dance for students and their wives. The menu for the evening is elevated well above the typical cafeteria fare, decorations are put up and tables hold special floral arrangements, the lights are dimmed, the mood is set, and the soupy St Louis air grows even heavier with love. As this was going on, I could be found elsewhere on campus. The more important Valentine-related seminary tradition involved the single dorm students who had absolutely positively no need for love. We loved the absence of love in our life. While couples sat around tables and laughed at jokes that weren't really funny and navigated the dance floor in the only manner that a future Lutheran pastor can (awkward), we were playing poker, watching sports, drinking a beer, smoking cigars, and feeling sorry for the chumps who had been informed that they would be wearing a tie to dinner that night.
This was the ideal Valentine's Day in my book. Still is. Like I said in Part One, I do not want the sappiness of a Nicholas Sparks novel on my hands. A rising chorus of sentimental "ooohs" filling a movie theater gets on my nerves as much as the sound of people chomping ice (that's an exaggeration, the sound of people chomping on ice is the WORST!) But, the story of love that flows out of the book of Hosea is one that I cling to with all I've got. Hosea speaks of two loves. The book is best known for a husband's love for an unfaithful wife. Later, it also offers a glimpse at a parent's love for a wandering child (11:1-4). The parent had walked with the child, led the child by hand, stooped down to care for the child, and worked to ease the child's burdens but the response by the child is to reject the love. The harder the parent tries the more dismissive the child becomes. Both relational pictures describe the state of the relationship between God and His people when Hosea was alive.
When Part One of this two-part post ended there didn't seem to be much hope for love. The relationship looked ruined beyond repair. But Part Two moves in one direction, restoration. God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He is not quick to give-up on people and relationships, but maintains a loyal, faithful, unwavering, constant, unending love. By His help, the relationship takes a turn (the unfaithful spouse returns to the open arms waiting at home, the estranged child dials the number and says "Mom, dad, it's me!") so that we can cling to the love He gives (12:6). God will speak tenderly and will allure us or win us over by His love(2:15). He will love us freely, unconditionally (14:4), and this love will fill our hearts and soften our hearts and open our hearts and transform our hearts- the Bible speaks of getting a new heart - so that we are able to love Him and one another. Novels, movies, tales of the best Valentine's Day ever... they all awaken you to what you are missing out on, reminding you of what you wish you had. The story told in Hosea points you to the love that is yours - already and always and forever.
This was the ideal Valentine's Day in my book. Still is. Like I said in Part One, I do not want the sappiness of a Nicholas Sparks novel on my hands. A rising chorus of sentimental "ooohs" filling a movie theater gets on my nerves as much as the sound of people chomping ice (that's an exaggeration, the sound of people chomping on ice is the WORST!) But, the story of love that flows out of the book of Hosea is one that I cling to with all I've got. Hosea speaks of two loves. The book is best known for a husband's love for an unfaithful wife. Later, it also offers a glimpse at a parent's love for a wandering child (11:1-4). The parent had walked with the child, led the child by hand, stooped down to care for the child, and worked to ease the child's burdens but the response by the child is to reject the love. The harder the parent tries the more dismissive the child becomes. Both relational pictures describe the state of the relationship between God and His people when Hosea was alive.
When Part One of this two-part post ended there didn't seem to be much hope for love. The relationship looked ruined beyond repair. But Part Two moves in one direction, restoration. God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He is not quick to give-up on people and relationships, but maintains a loyal, faithful, unwavering, constant, unending love. By His help, the relationship takes a turn (the unfaithful spouse returns to the open arms waiting at home, the estranged child dials the number and says "Mom, dad, it's me!") so that we can cling to the love He gives (12:6). God will speak tenderly and will allure us or win us over by His love(2:15). He will love us freely, unconditionally (14:4), and this love will fill our hearts and soften our hearts and open our hearts and transform our hearts- the Bible speaks of getting a new heart - so that we are able to love Him and one another. Novels, movies, tales of the best Valentine's Day ever... they all awaken you to what you are missing out on, reminding you of what you wish you had. The story told in Hosea points you to the love that is yours - already and always and forever.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
New Perspective: Love (Part One)
Kudos if you took the time to read through Hosea when it was the content of the "Taking the Message Home" which would have been the week after Valentine's Day. And an extra gold star if you made it all the way through the fairly short book. Talk about putting a damper on love in the days following love's biggest commercial day. Hosea is dense. I don't mean to say that the prophet himself was not that bright. Rather the words that he recorded through the guidance of the Holy Spirit are steeped in poetry and historical references and imagery that either necessitates multiple readings of the same verse or leads to reading without comprehending.
The book of Hosea was written as a warning. The people of Israel had been enjoying great comfort and luxury. But their success brought great brokenness in their relationships with each other and with God. The better life got, the more prevalent sin became. In their success they no longer needed God. Instead they worshiped and trusted what they made with their own hands. To ensure success, nothing was off limits. They would lie, steal, murder, and sleep their way to the top. Personal pleasure became the only law of the land. Hosea 4:1 says that faithfulness and love and knowledge of God had all disappeared.
Much of Hosea serves as a wake-up call to this behavior and to the consequences (both individual and collective) of ordering life apart from God. Again, the language was meant to give people clear images: what comes to mind when you think of a lion tearing apart its prey, of a vulture circling above, of something infested with dry rot or covered in filth or eaten by a moth? If Hosea was trying to paint a picture for the people of Israel, it was not pretty. I remember not wanting to show my school pictures to friends. On the day that the folders would be passed out right before the final bell, with one picture there for everyone to see, I would stuff the envelop in my bag as quick as possible and zoom out the door. "What, pictures? No, I don't think mine came back today." But when Hosea hands the people of Israel their portrait, the first response is not "Who could love someone who looks like me?" They take pride in what they see and they flaunt their picture in front of everyone before being asked about it.
Does this sound like the makings of a love story, a proposed plot for a 2-hour television special airing on Valentine's Day? Actually, let's consider it a two-night mini-series. The first part ends with the relationship in shambles and any possibility for love apparently shot. But the "to be continued" invites you back to the couch the next night to see what might happen. I've never read a Nicholas Sparks novel (I probably and prayerfully never will), but if they moisten your eyes you may want to bring a box of kleenex. Because this love story is beyond belief.
The book of Hosea was written as a warning. The people of Israel had been enjoying great comfort and luxury. But their success brought great brokenness in their relationships with each other and with God. The better life got, the more prevalent sin became. In their success they no longer needed God. Instead they worshiped and trusted what they made with their own hands. To ensure success, nothing was off limits. They would lie, steal, murder, and sleep their way to the top. Personal pleasure became the only law of the land. Hosea 4:1 says that faithfulness and love and knowledge of God had all disappeared.
Much of Hosea serves as a wake-up call to this behavior and to the consequences (both individual and collective) of ordering life apart from God. Again, the language was meant to give people clear images: what comes to mind when you think of a lion tearing apart its prey, of a vulture circling above, of something infested with dry rot or covered in filth or eaten by a moth? If Hosea was trying to paint a picture for the people of Israel, it was not pretty. I remember not wanting to show my school pictures to friends. On the day that the folders would be passed out right before the final bell, with one picture there for everyone to see, I would stuff the envelop in my bag as quick as possible and zoom out the door. "What, pictures? No, I don't think mine came back today." But when Hosea hands the people of Israel their portrait, the first response is not "Who could love someone who looks like me?" They take pride in what they see and they flaunt their picture in front of everyone before being asked about it.
Does this sound like the makings of a love story, a proposed plot for a 2-hour television special airing on Valentine's Day? Actually, let's consider it a two-night mini-series. The first part ends with the relationship in shambles and any possibility for love apparently shot. But the "to be continued" invites you back to the couch the next night to see what might happen. I've never read a Nicholas Sparks novel (I probably and prayerfully never will), but if they moisten your eyes you may want to bring a box of kleenex. Because this love story is beyond belief.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
New Perspective: One Another
I bragged in the last post of a seamless "perfect" transition that was in the works for the blog. That was a month ago and you may be thinking that a transition usually leads to something new. I obviously need to learn not to brag because my follow-through is lacking.
Before the transition resumes and we actually get caught up, I'll remind you to open another web window and listen to some of the songs we'll be doing in worship in the coming weeks on Youtube... that's what I am doing as I write. Bebo Norman's Nothing Without You; Jesus Messiah, Holy is the Lord God, and Give Us Clean Hands all by Chris Tomlin, and Our God Reigns by Brandon Heath. Listen along so you can sing aloud!
A number of weeks ago our theme in worship flowed from the truth that we NEED one another. 1 Corinthians moves us away from thinking about our relationships solely in terms of what we want. We need some relationships that we may not want. We need some people close to use that we may not want close to us. People who tell us the truth that we deny with every ounce of our energy. People who help us do things that we cannot do reminding us of our weaknesses. People who clean up our mistakes. People who tell us to get up off the couch when we are too content and people who put us back on the right road when we have lost our way. We have a NEED for people that transcends the question of whether we WANT them around. Paul gives a great line in 1 Corinthians 12:21 reminding us that we do not have the power or the ability to say to one another "A need for you I am not having!"
Throughout the first year of Crosspointe's ministry this has been a major goal of mine: to help worshipers not only meet new people and begin getting to know one another, but also to help you see a need for one another, to see that those around you have something to offer to you that you need and that you have something to give to them that they need, to see that the people who join with you to become a church are a gift from God and that He is purposefully connecting people together to fulfill His mission. In 1 Corinthians 12 this is the message of verse 18; God is arranging the members of His body (the people of the church), each as He choses. As we begin the move as a new church toward talking about membership and what it means to be a member of a church it's good to remember that it's less about "me" choosing Crosspointe as the place I "want" to worship and it's much more about God choosing "me" (fill in your name) to put at Crosspointe to be connected with others so that I can contribute my needed part to our collective effort to impact lives with the love of Jesus Christ.
Before the transition resumes and we actually get caught up, I'll remind you to open another web window and listen to some of the songs we'll be doing in worship in the coming weeks on Youtube... that's what I am doing as I write. Bebo Norman's Nothing Without You; Jesus Messiah, Holy is the Lord God, and Give Us Clean Hands all by Chris Tomlin, and Our God Reigns by Brandon Heath. Listen along so you can sing aloud!
A number of weeks ago our theme in worship flowed from the truth that we NEED one another. 1 Corinthians moves us away from thinking about our relationships solely in terms of what we want. We need some relationships that we may not want. We need some people close to use that we may not want close to us. People who tell us the truth that we deny with every ounce of our energy. People who help us do things that we cannot do reminding us of our weaknesses. People who clean up our mistakes. People who tell us to get up off the couch when we are too content and people who put us back on the right road when we have lost our way. We have a NEED for people that transcends the question of whether we WANT them around. Paul gives a great line in 1 Corinthians 12:21 reminding us that we do not have the power or the ability to say to one another "A need for you I am not having!"
Throughout the first year of Crosspointe's ministry this has been a major goal of mine: to help worshipers not only meet new people and begin getting to know one another, but also to help you see a need for one another, to see that those around you have something to offer to you that you need and that you have something to give to them that they need, to see that the people who join with you to become a church are a gift from God and that He is purposefully connecting people together to fulfill His mission. In 1 Corinthians 12 this is the message of verse 18; God is arranging the members of His body (the people of the church), each as He choses. As we begin the move as a new church toward talking about membership and what it means to be a member of a church it's good to remember that it's less about "me" choosing Crosspointe as the place I "want" to worship and it's much more about God choosing "me" (fill in your name) to put at Crosspointe to be connected with others so that I can contribute my needed part to our collective effort to impact lives with the love of Jesus Christ.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Perfect transition
OK, "perfect" may not be the best qualifier, but a smooth point of transition nonetheless. A side note: as I type this I have another window open listening to some of the songs on youtube.com that we will be doing in worship in the coming weeks... How Can I keep From Singing, Word of God Speak, Jesus Messiah, Nothing Without You by Bebo Norman, Mighty to Save, and others. Drop me an email if you want regular lists so you can sing at the top of your lungs on Sunday mornings.
So this seamless transition is all about prayer. The last week of the Christmas Conversations book deals with various questions on prayer and this last week our Sunday morning "New perspective" theme was on prayer. See, perfect transtion!
I promised in worship to share a prayer blunder from my life. It came in seminary in the one class that us pastors-to-be must take on worship. At the start of each class, a couple students would be called upon and given a specific prayer request. The goal for a grade was to pray for that request according to the format/formula we had been given. So my day comes. My name is called and I am instructed (not really asked) to pray for music teachers in Lutheran schools who are three years away from retirement and struggling with teaching kindergartners how to play the bongos, wood block, and xylophone to Twinkle, twinkle Little Star. OK, so I exaggerate a little, but only for effect. So I start praying in front of a whole class of pastors-to-be (The author of the Christmas Conversations booklet among those in the class) and under the observation of a professor holding a red pen and wearing a scowl. And I prayed and I prayed and I prayed... yeah, that formula we were instructed went out the window really early on. I remember walking back to my seat looking at the pity in the faces of my classmates and probably enduring a comment from the prof like, "Well, that needs some work."
I should probably pray every morning for music teachers in Lutheran schools to make up for the disservice I did them that day. Man, I really blew it. But we aren't praying for a grade on too regular of a basis and certainly never in God's eyes. I don't know that I am any better of a prayer crafter now, but I know I am a much stronger prayer. This process of starting a new church has forced me to depend upon God and cling to Him like never before. Prayer flows out of that dependence and that clinging. Sometimes there are words, sometimes not. God has grown me by praying with others in desparate situations where I know I will never say the right words to bring comfort. In those moments I can only hope to remind someone else of God's love for him and God's presence in her life. In those moments of praying WITH someone I know each time that we will walk away with a stronger and deeper relationship. I have prayed with people on-line, over the telephone, and in person. I have shared meaningful evenings with Crosspointe's Prayer Team.
I'm not going to give you a formula for prayer and I'm not going to tell you that I have the whole prayer thing figured out. But, as a pastor who probably received a failing grade in prayer in my seminary worship class, I will tell you this: you cannot blow it when you are praying. You don't need to worry about the right words and the right posture and the right timing. Just talk to God about your cares and concerns and know that He hears you with a love that will never run out.
I look forward to praying with you and growing in prayer together.
So this seamless transition is all about prayer. The last week of the Christmas Conversations book deals with various questions on prayer and this last week our Sunday morning "New perspective" theme was on prayer. See, perfect transtion!
I promised in worship to share a prayer blunder from my life. It came in seminary in the one class that us pastors-to-be must take on worship. At the start of each class, a couple students would be called upon and given a specific prayer request. The goal for a grade was to pray for that request according to the format/formula we had been given. So my day comes. My name is called and I am instructed (not really asked) to pray for music teachers in Lutheran schools who are three years away from retirement and struggling with teaching kindergartners how to play the bongos, wood block, and xylophone to Twinkle, twinkle Little Star. OK, so I exaggerate a little, but only for effect. So I start praying in front of a whole class of pastors-to-be (The author of the Christmas Conversations booklet among those in the class) and under the observation of a professor holding a red pen and wearing a scowl. And I prayed and I prayed and I prayed... yeah, that formula we were instructed went out the window really early on. I remember walking back to my seat looking at the pity in the faces of my classmates and probably enduring a comment from the prof like, "Well, that needs some work."
I should probably pray every morning for music teachers in Lutheran schools to make up for the disservice I did them that day. Man, I really blew it. But we aren't praying for a grade on too regular of a basis and certainly never in God's eyes. I don't know that I am any better of a prayer crafter now, but I know I am a much stronger prayer. This process of starting a new church has forced me to depend upon God and cling to Him like never before. Prayer flows out of that dependence and that clinging. Sometimes there are words, sometimes not. God has grown me by praying with others in desparate situations where I know I will never say the right words to bring comfort. In those moments I can only hope to remind someone else of God's love for him and God's presence in her life. In those moments of praying WITH someone I know each time that we will walk away with a stronger and deeper relationship. I have prayed with people on-line, over the telephone, and in person. I have shared meaningful evenings with Crosspointe's Prayer Team.
I'm not going to give you a formula for prayer and I'm not going to tell you that I have the whole prayer thing figured out. But, as a pastor who probably received a failing grade in prayer in my seminary worship class, I will tell you this: you cannot blow it when you are praying. You don't need to worry about the right words and the right posture and the right timing. Just talk to God about your cares and concerns and know that He hears you with a love that will never run out.
I look forward to praying with you and growing in prayer together.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Christmas Conversation Day 32-33
How long has it been since you have watched or read a Christmas Carol? I haven't seen it in years, but I can still picture some of the encounter between Scrooge and his three Christmas visitors. The ghost of Christmas past takes Scrooge back to his childhood and his abandonment by his family, to an engagement broken off because his love for money had outpaced his love for people, and to other moments of brokenness and isolation and bitterness that had developed over the years. Even as he sees joy-filled moments, in the present he can only look at those as treasures left unappreciated and eventually lost.
The ghost of Christmas yet to come (future) takes Scrooge to an equally unpleasant place where all of our fears for the future come together: disliked by others, every penny earned now in the hands of others, appreciated more as dead than if he were alive. The sobering journeys to the past, present, and future spur a realization in Scrooge; a change must be made, lessons must be learned, a new person must emerge.
Our relationship with God has something to say about both our past and our future. God's love and His grace greet you with words of forgiveness that tear down the barriers between anything in your past and Him. That doesn't mean that consequences may endure, but God's forgiveness and the love He has for you in Jesus ensures that your past does not preclude you from a relationship with God. I love the Day 33 emphasis on God's forgiveness for our past and His faithfulness for our future. All of our past failures and our future fears we can entrust to God. The past, present, and future can all be surrendered to God, placed in His hands for safe keeping and guidance... for He is full of forgiveness and forever faithful. What is God calling you to let go of and turn over to Him, either from the past, in to present, or down the road in the future?
The ghost of Christmas yet to come (future) takes Scrooge to an equally unpleasant place where all of our fears for the future come together: disliked by others, every penny earned now in the hands of others, appreciated more as dead than if he were alive. The sobering journeys to the past, present, and future spur a realization in Scrooge; a change must be made, lessons must be learned, a new person must emerge.
Our relationship with God has something to say about both our past and our future. God's love and His grace greet you with words of forgiveness that tear down the barriers between anything in your past and Him. That doesn't mean that consequences may endure, but God's forgiveness and the love He has for you in Jesus ensures that your past does not preclude you from a relationship with God. I love the Day 33 emphasis on God's forgiveness for our past and His faithfulness for our future. All of our past failures and our future fears we can entrust to God. The past, present, and future can all be surrendered to God, placed in His hands for safe keeping and guidance... for He is full of forgiveness and forever faithful. What is God calling you to let go of and turn over to Him, either from the past, in to present, or down the road in the future?
Christmas Conversation Day 28-31
Alright, I have it in my mind to complete posts for the entire devotion booklet... counting this one I am thinking I am down to 3 (of course, with me, that means maybe 4?). At the same time we will be transitioning some of the blog use to our new series of Sunday messages bringing new perspectives from God's Word with the new year.
In an act of great audacity, I am going to tweak Ryan's (the author, a sem classmate, and sem intramural opponent) Day 28 metaphor. When I think of God's work in my life it is not necessarily as a work-in-progress and a constant attempt by God to make me a better person. I'm not thinking in terms of surface improvements like filling in pot-holes or cracks or even repaving over road that has been worn-down. I'm also not thinking in terms of lane expansion so that God is adding more road to what was already there or beautification as if He were making the ride more enjoyable by adding pleasant things to experience along the drive.
The Bible talks in terms of the old being gone so that something new can be created. God doesn't come into our lives to make improvements, He comes to remove the old and bring the new. He comes to kill that which is in opposition to Him and raise up a new person living a new life with a new heart filled with a new love that provides new impulses, new desires, new attitudes, new behaviors, new everything. Within the metaphor, God puts on the hard hat, takes a jack hammer to our life, comes in with some heavy equipment to drag out the remnants, and then He lays down a new road (the metaphor gets tricky here and probably breaks down so I will simply describe the new road as...) that connects our life to Jesus.
I love the way Ryan then uses three days to demonstrate an awesome truth about your relationship with God and the new life that He brings. God knows you and He has created you with a certain uniqueness. You and you alone are you (That is my profound statement for the day). That means that YOU have interests and talents and passions and "mad skeelz" all given by God. And YOU can use these things you like to do and these things you are good at doing to glorify God and serve others. You don't have to be someone you're not and fit into someone else's image of an ideal you. Be the YOU God has made you to be. YOUR relationship with God will carry with it some of YOUR uniqueness. God will heal you and strengthen you and challenge you and grow you and use you based on the you that He has made you and you alone to be. What do you look forward to the most in a relationship (Pause, ponder, ponder some more, proceed)... apply that answer to your relationship with God.
In an act of great audacity, I am going to tweak Ryan's (the author, a sem classmate, and sem intramural opponent) Day 28 metaphor. When I think of God's work in my life it is not necessarily as a work-in-progress and a constant attempt by God to make me a better person. I'm not thinking in terms of surface improvements like filling in pot-holes or cracks or even repaving over road that has been worn-down. I'm also not thinking in terms of lane expansion so that God is adding more road to what was already there or beautification as if He were making the ride more enjoyable by adding pleasant things to experience along the drive.
The Bible talks in terms of the old being gone so that something new can be created. God doesn't come into our lives to make improvements, He comes to remove the old and bring the new. He comes to kill that which is in opposition to Him and raise up a new person living a new life with a new heart filled with a new love that provides new impulses, new desires, new attitudes, new behaviors, new everything. Within the metaphor, God puts on the hard hat, takes a jack hammer to our life, comes in with some heavy equipment to drag out the remnants, and then He lays down a new road (the metaphor gets tricky here and probably breaks down so I will simply describe the new road as...) that connects our life to Jesus.
I love the way Ryan then uses three days to demonstrate an awesome truth about your relationship with God and the new life that He brings. God knows you and He has created you with a certain uniqueness. You and you alone are you (That is my profound statement for the day). That means that YOU have interests and talents and passions and "mad skeelz" all given by God. And YOU can use these things you like to do and these things you are good at doing to glorify God and serve others. You don't have to be someone you're not and fit into someone else's image of an ideal you. Be the YOU God has made you to be. YOUR relationship with God will carry with it some of YOUR uniqueness. God will heal you and strengthen you and challenge you and grow you and use you based on the you that He has made you and you alone to be. What do you look forward to the most in a relationship (Pause, ponder, ponder some more, proceed)... apply that answer to your relationship with God.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Christmas Conversations Day 23-27
As I go back over these days, written with the intention of being read in the days before and after Christmas, a consistent theme jumps out at me that links each day with the others. In each reading I am hearing a call to something bigger.
Day 23: My relationship with God is not just between me and God. My connection with God is something bigger, it connects me with other Christians, pulling me into a community (what a deep and meaningful word which we easily take for granted) with other believers and equipping me to share the awesome joy God gives to me with those who need to experience it. I love the admission here that we gather not just because we get along (there will be disagreements), not just because we have the exact same interests, not just because those sitting in worship with us are our best friends forever. We are connected with one another in a unity which is much bigger- the love God has expressed for us in Jesus.
Day 24: We all have our certain preferences when it comes to the brand of milk we drink, the shoes we wear, or the fast food joint we hit when time is short. Maybe you like an aisle seat on a flight or maybe you are a window person. Maybe you like it cold (you are insane) or maybe you like the July heat. Packers-Vikings. Coke-Pepsi. Fake Christmas tree or real. When it comes to church we have preferences too, but there is something bigger. Jesus. More than the music, more than the teaching style, more than the color of the pews, or the absence of pews, or the use of hymnals or projection screens... it is Jesus that defines the church, leads the church, grows the church, and unifies the church.
Day 25: Our feelings are constantly in flux. Moods come and go. Situations change, for the better as well as for the worse. But there is one thing that stays the same yesterday, today, and forever. There is something bigger than how I feel right now or what my life looks like in this moment. God's loving faithfulness which saves people from sin and its consequences will not change and it will not waver and it will not lessen. You may doubt whether God could love you, you could wonder if God has disappeared and left you to face life on your own, you may feel like the whole world is against you and there is no hope. But God's love is bigger than you could ever imagine.
Day 26: A new-born, confused parents, a census issued by the government, simple clothes, the humble manger scene. It doesn't look like much, the whole thing comes across as pretty insignificant actually. But there is something so much bigger going on in Bethlehem as God comes to be with us. Good news of great joy!
Day 27: The joy and celebration of Christmas is limited on the calendar to one day. We bemoan the stores that begin pulling out red and green merchantise in October and who can name more than three gifts of the 12 days of Christmas (11 pipers piping, five golden rings, and a partridge in a pear tree... bonus 2 turtle doves... can you beat 4?) Christmas gets thrown out with the wrapping paper and packed back into boxes which are placed in the back of the closet. But there is something bigger. A God who wants a relationship with you. A God who desires to transform every aspect of your life and fill it with meaning. A God who would give anything and has given everything for you to know Him.
Day 23: My relationship with God is not just between me and God. My connection with God is something bigger, it connects me with other Christians, pulling me into a community (what a deep and meaningful word which we easily take for granted) with other believers and equipping me to share the awesome joy God gives to me with those who need to experience it. I love the admission here that we gather not just because we get along (there will be disagreements), not just because we have the exact same interests, not just because those sitting in worship with us are our best friends forever. We are connected with one another in a unity which is much bigger- the love God has expressed for us in Jesus.
Day 24: We all have our certain preferences when it comes to the brand of milk we drink, the shoes we wear, or the fast food joint we hit when time is short. Maybe you like an aisle seat on a flight or maybe you are a window person. Maybe you like it cold (you are insane) or maybe you like the July heat. Packers-Vikings. Coke-Pepsi. Fake Christmas tree or real. When it comes to church we have preferences too, but there is something bigger. Jesus. More than the music, more than the teaching style, more than the color of the pews, or the absence of pews, or the use of hymnals or projection screens... it is Jesus that defines the church, leads the church, grows the church, and unifies the church.
Day 25: Our feelings are constantly in flux. Moods come and go. Situations change, for the better as well as for the worse. But there is one thing that stays the same yesterday, today, and forever. There is something bigger than how I feel right now or what my life looks like in this moment. God's loving faithfulness which saves people from sin and its consequences will not change and it will not waver and it will not lessen. You may doubt whether God could love you, you could wonder if God has disappeared and left you to face life on your own, you may feel like the whole world is against you and there is no hope. But God's love is bigger than you could ever imagine.
Day 26: A new-born, confused parents, a census issued by the government, simple clothes, the humble manger scene. It doesn't look like much, the whole thing comes across as pretty insignificant actually. But there is something so much bigger going on in Bethlehem as God comes to be with us. Good news of great joy!
Day 27: The joy and celebration of Christmas is limited on the calendar to one day. We bemoan the stores that begin pulling out red and green merchantise in October and who can name more than three gifts of the 12 days of Christmas (11 pipers piping, five golden rings, and a partridge in a pear tree... bonus 2 turtle doves... can you beat 4?) Christmas gets thrown out with the wrapping paper and packed back into boxes which are placed in the back of the closet. But there is something bigger. A God who wants a relationship with you. A God who desires to transform every aspect of your life and fill it with meaning. A God who would give anything and has given everything for you to know Him.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Christmas Conversations Day 19-22
Christmas is over. Not just Christmas Eve and Christmas Day... but all 12 days! The stores are now filled with pink hearts pointing us toward the next holiday on the calnedar. So has the time passed for Christmas conversations to be part of our dialogue? Not a chance! The conversations that flow out of Christmas and the truth of Jesus' birth and its consequences cannot be collapsed or condensed into a day or week or month-long celebration. It's our life!
I am sitting in the mall food-court as I write this. By far this is my favorite part of the mall, and it's not because of the food. It's because of the people. As I write this there are the same mall employees that I see every week wiping off tables and sweeping up crumbs. There are kids being kids on the indoor playground while parents sit and watch- some on their cell-phones, some on their hands and knees joining in the fun. There are people standing in line waiting for food. There are people on the other side of the counter preparing and serving the food. There are three old men sitting at a table drinking coffee, there arethree younger men wearing clothes that mark them as a road crew, there's two kids seat-belted into their stroller and bundled in their winter gear. How do you think these people view time? Right now in this food court in Fargo on a Tuesday afternoon, how do they view time? Each a little differently, maybe? The kids in the stroller different then the employee on a break. The Taco John taco-makers different than the three guys who are headed back outside to work (today's wind-chill is about 35 below).
Day 19 gets us thinking about time. Time is precious in the busy days leading up to Christmas but in our world of multi-tasking and filled calendars, time is always important and on our minds. The author (Ryan) praises us for using a portion of our time to grow in our faith through the Conversation. He also asks us to consider how God considers time and gives us some hints about the answer. God acts at the right time. Right now we can see the gifts that God has given to us and we can enjoy them and we can celebrate. Our relationship with God is not just something to use when we die, it gives us a new way to live each day. A verse that I am keeping close this week in preparation for this week's message is John 5:24; Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life... at that point you have passed from death to life. Think about time in a new way, your days are already eternally linked to God. In Christ your life has an eternal quality already now at this moment. Our Christmas conversation says life will never be the same.
I am sitting in the mall food-court as I write this. By far this is my favorite part of the mall, and it's not because of the food. It's because of the people. As I write this there are the same mall employees that I see every week wiping off tables and sweeping up crumbs. There are kids being kids on the indoor playground while parents sit and watch- some on their cell-phones, some on their hands and knees joining in the fun. There are people standing in line waiting for food. There are people on the other side of the counter preparing and serving the food. There are three old men sitting at a table drinking coffee, there arethree younger men wearing clothes that mark them as a road crew, there's two kids seat-belted into their stroller and bundled in their winter gear. How do you think these people view time? Right now in this food court in Fargo on a Tuesday afternoon, how do they view time? Each a little differently, maybe? The kids in the stroller different then the employee on a break. The Taco John taco-makers different than the three guys who are headed back outside to work (today's wind-chill is about 35 below).
Day 19 gets us thinking about time. Time is precious in the busy days leading up to Christmas but in our world of multi-tasking and filled calendars, time is always important and on our minds. The author (Ryan) praises us for using a portion of our time to grow in our faith through the Conversation. He also asks us to consider how God considers time and gives us some hints about the answer. God acts at the right time. Right now we can see the gifts that God has given to us and we can enjoy them and we can celebrate. Our relationship with God is not just something to use when we die, it gives us a new way to live each day. A verse that I am keeping close this week in preparation for this week's message is John 5:24; Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life... at that point you have passed from death to life. Think about time in a new way, your days are already eternally linked to God. In Christ your life has an eternal quality already now at this moment. Our Christmas conversation says life will never be the same.
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