Prayer for Mission in Chile

This week we pray for Elena Huegel, our missionary to Chile, who serves as an environmental and Christian education specialist with the Pentecostal Church of Chile.

You can read more about the mission to Chile here, including a reminder of how recycling is obvious in nature.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

More about the Promised Peace of Christmas

This weekend's Religion & Ethics Newsweekly has a feature story on the issue of Christmas peace, which was the subject of yesterday's sermon.  In our chaotic world, it is a worthwhile topic to consider this Christmas.

You can watch the full report here.

Prayer for Mission in South Africa

This week we pray for Susan Valiquette and Scott Couper, our missionaries to South Africa, who serve with Inanda Seminary in Durban, South Africa.  Susan is a school chaplain and instructor, and Scott is a development manager.  He also serves as pastor of Thafamasi Congregational Church.

You can read more about the mission to South Africa here, including a reflection on balancing tradition and modernity in family life and faith.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

December 15 Worship: "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden"

The overall theme of Sunday's service was Love.  We lit a candle on the Advent wreath to remind us of love, and I suggested in the sermon that the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 should be read as a love story.  I hope that the theme was obvious and instructive, but I wonder.  As I listened to the sermon earlier this week, several times I wished that I had made the connection more explicit.  Hopefully, it was my listening and not my preaching that was off.

Often, when we come to the genealogy, we just see a list of endless names, which we frequently cannot pronounce.  And we wonder why they are recorded at all.  But I believe that one key point of Matthew 1 is that God was working -- lovingly, patiently working -- through these generations that preceded the birth of Christ.  Often, we have such a short-term, impatient view of the world, but here is a view of God working over 42(!) generations, more than 8 centuries, to prepare the way for Jesus.  Sometimes it was a bumpy road -- after all, there are villains among the people, as well as heroes.  But as the song "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden" reminds us, love does not come perfectly or easily.  If it is true for our romantic lives, how much more so for God's patient love of humanity across the ages.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to the related Communion meditation and the closing benediction.

Prayer for Mission in Haiti

This week we pray for Tim and Diane Fonderlin, our missionaries to Haiti, who serve with CONASPEH, the National Spiritual Council of Churches in Haiti.  Tim is a community development consultant and Diane teaches in CONASPEH's seminary.

You can read more about the mission to Haiti here, including stories that show how progress in this island nation comes in very small steps.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

December 8 Worship: "Old Bones"

On a cold and snowy morning, several brave (or perhaps foolish) souls gathered together for worship, determined not to let the winter prevent worship.  This led to a rather relaxed service, but no less sincere.  And the easy-going spirit in the room was a perfect attitude for the emphasis of the day, which was joy.

In the sermon, we considered some lessons from the story of the birth of Isaac, whose parents Abraham and Sarah were 100 and 91 years old, respectively, when he was born.  I suggested that most of us -- even those who aren't very old -- usually read this story with horror: Why would God punish old people by making them parents?  Drawing inspiration from the song "Old Bones," famously recorded by an 80-something George Burns, I suggested that there is an underlying joy in life which we often miss, including in this story of Isaac's birth to Sarah and Abraham.  Further, I suggested that we might do better to approach change -- and what else are promises for than for anticipating a different (that is changed) future -- with joy, rather than with fear or dread.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to the closing benediction here.

Prayer for Mission in Laos

This week we pray for Xuyen Dangers, our missionary to Laos, who serves as a social work supervisor with responsibilities that include training student interns.

You can read more about the mission to Laos here, including a celebration of the recent graduation of social work students who will be part of the first generation of social workers in this Asian country.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

Video about Meaning of This Advent Season

The general office of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has prepared a special video for this Advent season, exploring a few of the opportunities and Christian meanings of this time of year.  The video features comments from Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins, General Minister and President, as well as the new moderator team who serve as the chief officers for the next two years of the General Assembly.

December 1 Worship: "Bridge Over Troubled Water"

We entered the Advent season with a worship service about the promises of hope in this holy time of year.  As should be expected when the sermon series is "Songs of Promise," there was plenty of music, including the choir singing "Carol of the Bells" and yours truly singing the title song of the sermon.

The sermon, "Bridge Over Troubled Water," explores how the most important prophecies and promises usually contain underlying truths that cannot be fully captured in words.  Frequently, I believe, music helps to touch on some of these deeper meanings, including the powerful emotions that guide our yearnings in this world.  I offered the famous Simon and Garfunkel song as a way to explore a frequently cited passage of Micah, which offers hope in difficult times to a people in exile -- a context that informs the most recognized Advent hymn, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" ("That mourns in lonely exile here/Until the Son of God appear").

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to the related Communion meditation here and the closing benediction here.

Coming Up This Weekend

We have two worship services this weekend, as we begin our celebration of Advent.  On Saturday evening, at 5:00, we will have our annual Service of Remembrance.  This is a time of song, prayer, and candles lit in memory of loved ones who have passed away.  It is also a way to honor the sadness that many feel during the otherwise joyous holiday season.

The next morning, we'll gather for worship on the first Sunday of Advent.  There will be plenty of music, fitting into our Advent theme of "Songs of Promise."  And the morning's sermon will touch on how music can flesh out the deeper emotional meanings and yearnings of words, including the words of prophecy.  It will explore a link between Micah 4 and two songs, one religious, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," and one religious, "Bridge Over Troubled Water."

Prayer for Mission in Swaziland

This week we pray for Diana and Terry Hutter, our missionaries to Swaziland, who serve as coordinators of development programs for the Khukhan'Okusha Zion Church in Swaziland.

You can read more about the mission to Swaziland here, including a glimpse of the economics of supporting the educations of orphans in a nation ravaged by HIV/AIDS.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

November 17 Worship: "There Is No Emoticon for Thanks"

There's something in the autumn air that seems to brighten our worship.  We were a talkative and happy bunch on Sunday morning.  We honored our Sunday School teachers and those who serve in the nursery, which inspired a humorous offering meditation from Jan Whitesell.  We were also encouraged to support special offerings supporting Disciples' higher-education institutions and the Week of Compassion response in the Philippines.

In the sermon, many of us learned what emoticons are -- little faces that show emotions in emails and other places.  But, "There Is No Emoticon for Thanks," which may not simply be an oversight of the younger generation, but may be due to the fact that we are not quite as grateful as we think we are.  The 100th Psalm suggests that thankfulness is an emotion, like joy, but I challenged us about how often we feel blessed -- a good question as we approach Thanksgiving.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to Sunday's communion meditation and the benediction.

Prayer for Mission in Costa Rica

This week we pray for Rebecca and Scott Hardin-Nieri, our missionaries to Costa Rica, who serve as volunteers with el Centro Educacion de Creativa

You can read more about the mission to Costa Rica here, including a lesson for first graders about loss and healing through planting trees.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

Using Architecture to Tell Stories of History and Faith

During this week of Veteran's Day, when we honor the service and sacrifice of those who have worn the military uniforms of this country, I was struck by this story of an English cathedral destroyed during World War II.  Religion and Ethics Newsweekly explores how the rebuilding of the Coventry Cathedral included a significant new ministry to promote peace.

The new cathedral is architecturally unorthodox, but it is a fascinating attempt to honor the heritage of the centuries old cathedral, including the wartime destruction.  It also is an attempt to use the visual nature of architecture to offer a spiritual lesson about God's transforming power through Jesus Christ.  I think it is well-worth 6 minutes to watch.

Click here to watch the recent story on Coventry Cathedral.

Assembly of the World Council of Churches

Recently, the 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches was held in Busan, Korea.  Among the delegates was Rev. Sharon Watkins, the General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  Rev. Nathan Wilson, a Disciples pastor, attended the assembly and provided written dispatches for Disciples News Service.  They offer insight into thousands of representatives from over 350 denominations and communions coming together for worship, learning, and discussion.

You can read Rev. Day's articles below:

• Dispatches from the World Council of Churches Assembly #1
• Foretastes: WCC Dispatch #2
• Space for Encounter and Blessing: Dispatch #3
• 60 Years: WCC Dispatch #4
• Character of Christian Community: WCC Dispatch #5
• Facilitating Peace in Syria: WCC Dispatch #6
• The Problems and Promise of Dialogue: WCC Dispatch #7
• NAPAD Hospitality: WCC Dispatch #8
• The Already and Not Yet: WCC Dispatch #9
• Unity of the Church for the Sake of the World: WCC Dispatch #10
• Ecumenism: It's Past and Future: WCC Dispatch #11

Prayer for Mission in Fiji

This week we pray for the mission to Fiji, and for Aaron Wiggins, who recently concluded a term of service with the Pacific Council of Churches.

You can read more about the mission to Fiji here, including challenges to Christian unity at the outset of the World Council of Churches General Assembly.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

November 3 Worship - "Come and See: The Sign of Resurrection"

Having "fallen back" with the end of Daylight Savings Time, those at Eastgate were wide awake for worship on Sunday morning (and in a pretty talkative mood, it seemed).  In addition to normal songs and prayers, we learned about the women's service project to buy sheep through Project Heifer (they are collecting money through November for this project).  And two people came forward to join Eastgate, which brightened the day even more.

The sermon was the concluding part of this fall's look at the Gospel of John, focusing on the "come and see" passages.  This week, we considered the resurrection of Jesus, where "seeing" the risen Christ occurs in different ways for the different disciples -- most famously, here, for Thomas.  Most importantly, I think, this part of the Gospel seeks to invite those who came after the first disciples -- including us -- to "see" the risen Christ too, and then, having seen and recognized Christ, to go back and read the Gospel again with new eyes.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

Prayer for Mission in Mexico

This week we pray for Scott Nicholson, our missionary to Mexico, who serves a community center in Nogales, Sonora.

You can read more about the mission to Mexico here, including how this community center is trying to eliminate the underlying causes that drive many to attempt to illegally immigrate into the United States.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

October 27 Worship - "Come and See: Peace Until Then"

On a beautiful autumn morning, we gathered for a spirit-filled worship.  Peggy Gray completed our month-long celebration of ministry at Eastgate with a tribute to the minister of music, the minister for youth and young adults, and to me, suggesting how each of us "add heart" to the life of the congregation.

In the sermon, we continued our study of the Gospel of John.  In particular, we considered a promise recorded in John 14 that Jesus makes of those who see and believe in him -- the peace of Christ.  I suggested how Jesus modeled that peace in his life, and how we might look for it in ours, beginning with worship, but then carried more fully throughout our lives.  In particular, I suggested that we were to allow Jesus' teaching to change our expectations of God's working and saving of the world; knowing God's ultimate purposes, however imperfectly, can help us to face the challenges of our lives with a clearer perspective.

As I mention at the end of the sermon, I barely scratched the surface of this topic.  In fact, as I was driving home, I was thinking that an entire sermon series could be based on this idea of appreciating and nurturing the peace of Christ in our lives.

If you missed the sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can listen to an audio recording here.

October 20 Worship - "Come and See: The Curse of Death"

On Sunday, we gathered for worship and to have our annual congregational meeting after worship.  Given all of this, there was a necessary efficiency to what we did, but I do not feel that we were rushed or unreflective.  As we continued our month-long celebration of ministry, we showed appreciation to our board officers and the chairpersons of our ministries and committees -- always a good thing.

The sermon continued our study of the Gospel of John -- "Come and See: The Promise of Following Jesus."  This week, we considered one of the most emotionally powerful instances of "come and see" in John, when these words are spoken to Jesus outside the tomb of Lazarus.  Hearing these words, spoken by grieving friends and family members coping with loss, Jesus wept.  Here, then, is a very different way of seeing Jesus -- not only as one who offers a completely different vision of how life can be (one who challenges and transforms our expectations), but as God being with us in our challenges and times of suffering and grief.  Here we see a Messiah who knows the promise of what lies beyond this life and yet who still can be fully with us in the broken times of this life, even in "The Curse of Death."

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you would like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to the communion meditation and the benediction, which continued the exploration of this form of God's presence in our lives.

Prayer for Mission in Ghana

This week we pray for Gary Luallin, our missionary to Ghana, who serves as a university professor with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana.

You can read more about the mission to Ghana here, including the story of how our mission provides advanced education opportunities in an uncertain environment.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

October 13 Worship

We enjoyed another beautiful autumn morning together this past Sunday.  The Eastgate Bell Choir rang in worship, which was wonderful.  We also continued our Month of Ministry celebration by honoring the work of three groups: the women's groups, the youth, and the bell choir.  We also celebrated many of the people who serve behind the scenes, in an abundance of unofficial ways, that enrich our lives and the lives of so many others.

The sermon continued our look at the theme of "Come and See" in the Gospel of John.  Building on the previous week, we raised the threshold issue of how much seeing Jesus expects from us.  We considered some of the Pharisees, who Jesus explicitly says 'do not see' him for who he is.  I suggested that our challenge, learning from how Jesus tries to teach them, is to understand that Jesus' life on earth presents God to humanity in unexpected ways.  This is most telling in the well-known story of Jesus facing down a crowd of men who threaten to stone a woman caught in infidelity, which is sandwiched between the two similar interactions with the Pharisees in John 7-8.

Unfortunately, there were technical problems and the sermon audio is almost completely inaudible so it cannot be posted here.  I apologize for this -- it happens once every couple of years.  I'll double-check all of the equipment and have it ready to go next week.

Prayer for Mission in Haiti

This week we pray for our missionaries to Haiti, Diane and Tim Fonderlin, Bethany Guy, and Sandra Gourdet, who all serve in various capacities with CONASPEH, the National Spiritual Council of Haitian Churches.

You can read more about the mission to Haiti here, written by Jeanette Salley, who recently completed her service in Haiti and is now serving elsewhere in the Caribbean.

As you may know, I recently traveled to Haiti, where I met with many of our mission partners and spent time at CONASPEH.  They are working hard to create a network of churches dedicated to working together on key things, particularly in education (of youth, nurses, and pastors) and in empowering efforts to nurture health care and microbusiness development.  To say that the situation in Haiti is challenging is an understatement, but we are fortunate for those who serve on our behalf there every day, helping to make small but meaningful changes.  Only through an abundance of such incremental improvements will Haiti develop into an economically and politically stronger nation.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

Coming Up Sunday, October 13

Currently, the weather forecast predicts a beautiful Sunday morning, which should lift our spirits as we gather for worship.  We'll continue our month-long Celebration of Our Ministry, honoring some of our ministry groups and many of those who serve behind-the-scenes.

We'll also continue our study of the Gospel of John, "Come and See: The Promise of Following Jesus."  Building on last week's sermon, which considered how we are to see Jesus beyond our expectations, we will focus on the flip side.  No matter the evidence, there are some who simply will not see Jesus for who he is. In his lifetime, certain Pharisee leaders refused to accept Jesus.  In fact, they recognized Jesus as a threat to their authority and they consistently tried to undermine Jesus.  More than the disciples, they were prisoners of the limitations created by their own expectations of God and the awaited Messiah.  We'll consider what we can learn from them -- and how we can avoid this trap -- in "Come and See: Some Who Refuse to See."

October 6 Worship - "Come and See: The Forest for the Trees"

As we gathered for worship this week, we had several special things to celebrate.  The first Sunday of October has been recognized as World Communion Sunday for over 70 years, encouraging us to see the Lord's Table as a place where Christians can gather in unity -- despite all of the division that theologies of Communion have created through the centuries.  Also, throughout the month of October we recognize those in our midst who work hard as part of the ongoing ministry of Eastgate Christian Church; in particular, we thanked our choir, our diaconate, and our elders.

Late Saturday night, I returned from a week in Haiti, where I was able to meet many of our mission partners and see the Carrefour clinic where we contribute a doctor's salary.  This experience added a special note to our gathering on World Communion Sunday.  It also meant that I was physically exhausted, which led to some interesting moments where I tried to skip parts of the service.  Despite this, there was a warmth in our worship and a sense of the presence of God -- particularly comforting, I hope, for many of those who raised prayerful concerns about themselves and loved ones.

In the sermon, we continued our look at the Gospel of John, "Come and See: The Promise of Following Jesus."  This week, we moved to Chapter 6, which might have the most instances of 'come' and 'see,' focusing on the meaning and import of Jesus' teaching, "I am the bread of life."  As was the case with Nicodemus, Jesus is trying to adjust expectations about who he is as the Messiah, but interestingly, here he tries to explain to those questioning him that he is offering them more than they are asking for, not less.  The same invitation is given to us, if we can get past the limitations created by our expectations of Jesus.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to the closing invitation and benediction.

Prayer for Mission in East Timor

This week we pray for Carlos Madrazo, our missionary to East Timor, who served as an institutional and development adviser for the Protestant Church of East Timor.

You can read more about the mission to East Timor here, including the story of how positive change comes one person at a time.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

Coming Up Sunday, October 6

This Sunday is World Communion Sunday, a day each year when many Christian congregations covenant to celebrate the Lord's Supper.  So often the celebration of Communion has separated the church into multiple pieces -- with disputes over how and how often the Lord's Supper should be celebrated, who is allowed to partake and to serve, and what the sacrament and its components mean.  While these divisions have yet to be overcome, many Christians will gather around the Lord's Table this Sunday, pointing towards the unity that Jesus always wished for his followers.

On Sunday, we will also continue our sermon series based on the Gospel of John, "Come and See: The Promise of Following Jesus."  This week we turn our attention to chapter six, where Jesus famously describes the bread of life.  In "Come and See: The Forest for the Trees," we will consider how the people who saw Jesus feed the multitude and heard him teach about spiritual food had difficulty understanding and appreciating what Jesus was trying to get across -- despite the fact that they were paying attention.  Sometimes, like them, our preconceived ideas and expectations prevent us from seeing what's happening right in front of us.  How can we learn to see what's really important?

September 29 Worship: "Come and See: What to Look For"

We gathered for worship on a beautiful fall morning.  There were many serious concerns raised during our prayer time, including a number of people facing medical challenges, but the sunshine seemed to brighten our spirits as we praised God.

We continued our sermon series on the Gospel of John -- "Come and See: What to Look For."  Moving ahead in the story, we considered Nicodemus and his question to Jesus about what Jesus' signs meant, practically, for those trying to be faithful to God.  As usually happens with people who ask Jesus questions, the answer is unexpected.  Rather than pointing to all of the changes needed in the world, whether in the Roman government or the Jewish religious leaders, Jesus tells Nicodemus that he needs to be born in the spirit.  The change in the world starts with those who "come and see" about Jesus, despite the fact that most of those people expect Jesus to change the world around them for the better.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to the Communion meditation and the benediction, which expand on the sermon's themes.

Prayer for Mission in Namibia

This week we pray for Loletta Barrett, our missionary to Namibia, who serves as a local pastor in Kalkfeld, Namibia.

You can read more about the mission to Namibia here, including the story of how a congregation can serve as a community center.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

Coming Up Sunday, September 29

This week, we'll continue our fall sermon series about Jesus, based on the Gospel of John.  Last Sunday, we were invited to "come and see" what Jesus is all about.  This week, we'll follow the story of Nicodemus, who visited Jesus at night -- ostensibly, in secret -- to ask what is the essential point of Jesus' visible signs and miracles.

In "Come and See: What to Look For," we'll consider Jesus answer, which revolves around two things.  First, Jesus has come to offer people a new way of being in the world, which he describes as a spiritual rebirth -- rebirth because it is different from how people live before, spiritual because it is rooted in wisdom beyond human knowledge.   Second, one way of testing this new way of life, in oneself and in watching others, is to see how they act and live.  Those who have been changed live their lives in such a way as to be seen in the light -- that is, in the truth of Christ.

We'll also continue our prayer vigil, "Light a Candle for Children," praying for the special needs of children in our community and around the world.  We will also accept a special offering to support the Reconciliation Ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

September 22 Worship: "Come and See: Invitations to Follow"

We enjoyed our Fall Kick-Off Sunday, complete with lots of good company, beautiful weather, and some wonderful music in worship -- including a great version of "Peace in the Valley" by the choir.  After worship, we gathered for a warm lunch, with all sorts of wonderful food and too many desserts.

On Sunday, we also kicked off our fall sermon series on the Gospel of John -- "Come and See: The Promise of Following Jesus."  This series will explore the recurring theme of "come and see" in John.  This week, we explored the introduction of this theme in the story of Jesus' first disciples, who follow Jesus to see what he is all about.  The sermon, "Come and See: Invitations to Follow" was an introduction to the series -- a reminder that we too are invited to follow Jesus the man, not simply the prophesied Messiah.  Understanding that Jesus is the Christ -- God's chosen one -- is important in causing us to pay attention -- but we will learn different things about God by noticing how Jesus' lives and acts.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, there is an audio recording here.

You can also listen to Sunday's communion meditation here.

Prayer for Mission in Japan

This week we pray for Jeffrey Mensendiek, our missionary to Japan, who serves as director of youth activities at the Emmaus Center in Sendai.

You can read more about the mission to Japan here, including the story of ongoing counseling and assistance in the aftermath of the nuclear reactor shutdown due to the tsunami in 2011.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

Coming Up Sunday, September 22

This Sunday, we are having our special "Fall Kick-Off" at Eastgate.  It should be an exciting day, complete with a potluck dinner after worship.

During worship, I'll begin my fall sermon series on Jesus, based on the Gospel of John -- "Come and See: The Promise of Following Jesus."  For seven weeks, we'll consider this repeated theme of "come and see" and explore some of its shadings and meanings for us as disciples of Jesus Christ.  This week, we'll begin with accepting the invitation to come and see, just like the first disciples, as recorded in John 1 -- "Come and See: Invitations to Follow."

September 15 Worship: "What We Owe Our Children"

We gathered Sunday for a special worship service focusing on children.  We had a special parable at the beginning of worship, "The Sunflower Parable," and we had a special prayer to mark the "Light a Candle for Children" 40-day vigil.  We also highlighted some of our programs for children and youth, including Children Worship & Wonder and F.A.C.E. (Faith Activities for the Children of Eastgate) Time.

The sermon considered "What We Owe Our Children" as a Christian community.  Drawing from Proverbs 4, which speaks about the importance of wisdom, I suggested that some of the most important Christian wisdom we can offer children is about the value of time.  In particular, in our busy culture, I suggested the importance of time and space for children to dare to ask questions (of us or of God) and how the wider culture is taking away this time and space from everyone.

Sabbath time is a gift of God for all people, but we are carefully removing all unscheduled time from our lives -- even from the lives of our children. This is not God's desire for us, and it is not in following the example of Jesus' own earthly life.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, of if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

Light a Candle for Children Prayer Vigil

At Eastgate we are participating with Christians around the country who are praying for children during the upcoming weeks.  The "Light a Candle for Children" prayer vigil is designed to remind Christians of the challenges and dangers that face children in our communities, our country, and around the world.

A group of ministers have prepared daily devotions to assist those who are praying during the Light a Candle for Children vigil.  There are many ways to read or receive these devotions online.

You may read the devotions, posted daily, here.  Also, on the top right of this page, you can sign up to receive the devotions each day by email.  You may also follow through a special Facebook page or you may follow @pray4children on Twitter.

Prayer for Mission in Indonesia

This week we pray for Karen and John Campbell-Nelson, our missionaries to Indonesia, who both serve on the faculty of Artha Wacana University and work with the Evangelical Christian Church of West Timor.

You can read more about the mission to Indonesia here, including the story of social chaos and the search for forgiveness and redemption in its aftermath.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

September 8 Worship: "The Lone Ranger"

On Sunday, we got into our post-summer groove with higher attendance, the return of the choir, and the final installment of this year's "Summer Blockbuster Sermon Series."  In fact, worship seemed particularly joyous to me -- and I don't think it was excitement from the start of the Chiefs season.

The sermon was drawn from "The Lone Ranger."  Specifically, we compared Tonto, who is an archetypal 'clever man,' to a similar clever man of the Bible, the patriarch Jacob.  After reading an episode from Jacob's life that seems to have more in common with native rituals than with faith -- his use of striped sticks of wood to affect physical appearances of goats and sheep -- I suggested that in our faith, we often try to be more clever than faithful.  We skim through the Bible looking for the perfect verses, we try to find the magic words in our prayers to make God do the things we want, we look for the quick and easy way to make God happy.  But Jacob changed after his wrestling with the presence of God, and I believe that we can change too.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to my communion meditation at the Lord's Table here and the closing benediction here.

Prayer for Mission in Lesotho

This week we pray for Mark Behle, our missionary to Lesotho, who works with the Lesotho Evangelical Church on matters of development and planning.

You can read more about the mission to Lesotho here, including the story of how investment in a building project has positively impacted one congregation.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

Coming Up Sunday, September 8

This Sunday we conclude this year's "Summer Blockbuster Sermon Series" with what is arguably the summer's biggest flop, Disney's The Lone Ranger, which was an attempt to reunite the team behind the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise -- producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Gore Verbinski, and actor Johnny Depp.  Unfortunately, this movie version of the popular radio and television series will probably lose more than $100 million.

Despite the movie's imperfections, it offers an intriguing portrait of Tonto, the Lone Ranger's Native American sidekick, as performed by Depp.  In many ways, Depp's Tonto is an archetypal "clever man" who uses natural wisdom -- and a healthy dose of good fortune -- to survive and thrive in an unjust world.  This is how the Biblical patriarch Jacob is presented -- at least in his life before he wrestled with God and gained the new name Israel -- as a clever man favored by God who comes out on top, even when the chips are stacked against him.  This is particularly obvious in the story of how Jacob obtains the majority of his father-in-law's flock, found in Genesis 30 (and which features a natural ritual that would make Tonto envious).

What are we to make of Jacob, the clever man?  Are we, as Christians, supposed to be similarly clever?  Or is there a deeper lesson of justice and faith in the stories of Jacob and the Lone Ranger?

Here is a trailer for this summer's "Lone Ranger":

Book Review: Finding God: A Treasury of Conversion Stories

Finding God: A Treasury of Conversion Stories, edited by John M. Mulder (Eerdmans, 2012), paperback, 418 pages

The process of conversion to the Christian faith, where someone truly confesses their belief in the redemptive power of Jesus, has always been shrouded in mystery.  Even the first disciples of Jesus who accepted his invitation to "Follow me" gave little indication about what happened within them causing them to leave their previous ways of life and to devote the rest of their lives to Jesus.

Through the centuries, Christians have tried to explain how the process of conversion works.  For generations, many congregations have offered some form of class to prepare people for baptism or confirmation (if they were baptized as infants), though the content and expectations of these classes have varied widely.  The Puritans in colonial New England had well-documented tests of conversion, requiring people to present stories of their conversions before groups of elders who determined if the experiences met their standard of Christian conversion.

No amount of formality, though, can really clarify this deeply personal process that occurs in the depths of the soul.  Moreover, those people of faith who have left accounts of their conversion experiences have shared stories with differing, and sometimes conflicting, details.  For some, conversion to Christianity was an instantaneous event, like the flipping of a switch; for others, conversion happened over time.  For some, conversion was the result of a repeated presence of God -- or the search for God -- in their lives; for others it was completely unexpected.  Some describe a sense of assurance of their salvation as part of their conversion experience; others have doubted their salvation, even after their conversion.

John Mulder, expanding on a collection of conversion stories that he edited with the late Hugh Kerr some 30 years ago, offers a wide variety of these accounts in Finding God: A Treasury of Conversion Stories.  This rich collection offers 60 well-chosen conversion stories, frequently of famous Christians throughout history, such as Martin Luther, C. S. Lewis, Leo Tolstoy, Albert Schweitzer, Mother Teresa, and Billy Graham.  The stories are taken mostly from memoirs, but also come from sermons, letters, and occasionally from third-person accounts.  Each is preceded by a short introduction, offering biographical details and setting the context for the conversion.

Some readers, if they have particular ideas about what constitutes a conversion experience, may find the book disorienting -- to be sure, those 17th Century Puritan elders would not know what to make of many of these stories (except to deny that they were Christian conversions).  However, I think the variety of these accounts is the great strength of this collection.  These 60 stories offer perspectives from throughout the 2000 year history of Christianity, from different theological traditions, from different places and cultures, from both men and women; this variety seeks to honor the mystery of Christian conversion as much as it seeks to enlighten.

In fact, my only quibble with the well-edited and well-presented book is that perhaps some effort should have been made to include stories from the not-so-famous alongside these iconic Christian leaders and writers in order to offer more variety of notoriety and fame.  (I certainly recognize that any anthology is going to tend towards famous names -- partially because their stories are more likely to have been preserved.  But, at the very least, there are many Puritan conversion stories extant; one could have been chosen to coincide with Jonathan Edwards' story.)  Still, this is a minor quibble.

Finding God offers an anthology of meaningful and sometimes poignant tales of personal encounters with God that changed people's lives completely.  Given the number of stories, it might serve as an alternative type of personal devotional material for a couple of months.  Overall, the collection certainly suggests a vastness in the ways God touches lives and the many ways that people respond to the age-old invitation of Jesus to "Follow me."

August 25 Worship: "Monsters University"

On Sunday, we took our last breath before our congregational activities resume their regular monthly schedule -- a fact that was evident in the number of announcements of upcoming activities.  While there some medical prayer concerns in our congregation, there also were several reports of joys, which brightened our worship.  (I get the impression that "Amazing Grace" during communion may have brightened worship as well.)

We also continued our "Summer Blockbuster Sermons Series" by considering the difference our Christian faith should make in our ambitions.  Drawing upon the epistle of James, particularly Chapter 3, I suggested that Christians should have ambition, but it shouldn't be selfish -- as James says, it should be gentle.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

At the Lord's Table, I suggested that Communion could offer a model of such unselfish ambition.  You can listen to this meditation here.  And, if you'd like, you can listen to the benediction here.

Prayer for Mission in Israel

This week we pray for the ongoing mission in Israel.  You can read more about the mission to Israel here, including some reflections on how the "Arab Spring" is affecting Israelis and Palestinians.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of the countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

Coming Up Sunday, August 25

This week, we continue our "Summer Blockbuster Sermon Series" with the latest animated feature by Pixar, "Monsters University."  This is a prequel to "Monsters, Inc.," a movie that explored every child's fear of monsters hiding under the bed.  Before big blue Sully and the green one-eyed Mike Wazowski become a top team of "scarers," they met in college.

In a light-hearted, but surprisingly mature way, "Monsters University" explores ambition and friendship and how they can impact each other.  As Americans, we believe that ambition is almost always a good thing, but we also recognize that it can run amok.  We'll consider what the epistle of James has to teach us about ambition and its impact on relationships.

Here is one trailer for "Monsters University":

August 18 Worship: "Man of Steel"

On Sunday, we gathered for another bright summer worship service, featuring another sermon from the "Summer Blockbuster Sermon Series."  We also heard from the Robert Zornes, Executive Director of Mother's Refuge, a local social service agency that assists young mothers during their pregnancy and with their newborn children.  He thanked Eastgate for our ongoing support of Mother's Refuge and the positive work they are doing to give young mothers and their children a better chance at a stable, healthy, and productive life.

In the sermon, we considered possible religious themes from the new Superman movie, "Man of Steel."  After pointing to some of the parallels between the character of Superman and Jesus (which I think are mostly intentional), I suggested that a parallel in their development suggested a way we could better appreciate how Jesus chose to accept a life of suffering in order to fulfill his purpose as the Messiah -- not only through his crucifixion, but throughout his entire ministry.

Drawing upon the famous "Man of Sorrows" passage from the prophet Isaiah, which is the traditional Good Friday lesson, I suggested that God's gracious desire to forgive and save all of creation -- likely for the purpose of restoring the unity and wholeness of creation, as I talked about last Sunday -- put Jesus in a position where he had to suffer because he could not simply use force to compel people to follow him.  This is a lesson for us too, who would follow in Jesus' footsteps: in our efforts to lead by faithful example, we will sometimes be misunderstood, railed against, and caught in the middle.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, of if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

At the Lord's Table, I briefly reflected on how this understanding of Jesus' life as one of suffering, as opposed to just his death, ties into the meaning of the bread of Communion, as it parallels the meaning of the bread shared during a Passover Seder.  You can listen to this meditation here.

Prayer for Mission in Turkey

This week we pray for Alison Stendahl, our missionary to Turkey, who serves as dean and teaches math at Uskudar American Academy.

You can read more about the mission to Turkey here, including a prayer for those refugees who have found refuge in the country and those who care for them.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

Coming Up Sunday, August 18

This week we continue our "Summer Blockbuster Sermon Series" with one of the big hits of the summer, "Man of Steel," which has sold almost $290 million worth of tickets in the US in just over two months.  The reboot of the Superman franchise, starring British actor Henry Cavill as the high-flying hero, features a well-known cast including Amy Adams, Lawrence Fishburne, Russell Crowe, Diane Lane, and Kevin Costner.  With lots of expensive computer graphics, the movie aspires to offer an "origin story" of Superman, the how and why of the man in the cape.

Superman, whether in the comics, on TV, or in movies, has always had religious overtones, and this latest film is no different.  As is said in the trailer below, a man who can fly and has superhuman strength is a god on earth.  But "Man of Steel" suggests a direct parallel with Jesus.  In claiming his identity as not like other humans, Superman willingly accepts the potential for rejection from humanity; in one place, Superman even says that he will suffer to save humankind.  The question for Christians is simple: how should we understand this parallel between Superman and Jesus?  Using the "man of suffering" prophesy in Isaiah 53, we will consider this question on Sunday.

Here is one of the official trailers for "Man of Steel," complete with a few religious overtones:

August 11 Worship: "Now You See Me"

We continued our look at religious themes in summer movies by turning our attention to the magical heist caper "Now You See Me" and the issue of justice that it raised.  In particular, I wanted to build on the recognition that any personal attempt at retribution or justice usually never approaches a perfectly just ending, where people get exactly what they deserve in the end.

More than this, though, I wanted to use this idea of a limited view of justice -- the idea that although we recognize there are many injustices in the world, we are most concerned with how things will turn out for us and those we know -- and compare it to a similar vision of divine justice.  What if we tried to understand how God could get such limited justice -- so that everything would end up in a way that God deserves.  Drawing upon the prophet Isaiah, and contrasting other examples as the end of Job and the background of the flood in Genesis, I suggested that the loss that God feels because of our wrongdoings and sinfulness cannot be perfectly be addressed -- meaning that God cannot get full justice for creation based on our actions.  Instead, I believe God offers forgiveness as the best way to restore some wholeness into the broken world -- a world that God carefully created and filled with people and things that God loves.

To be honest, I talked quite a bit in the sermon on Sunday -- longer than I had planned, though I really didn't get sidetracked.  (I spent longer than I had anticipated trying to explain our usual view of justice, which focuses on how we want things to work out well for us.)  But the topic of justice was in no way exhausted.  If I were a Baptist who preached for an hour on Sundays, I could easily draw the link from this view of divine justice to the coming of Jesus Christ as Emanuel, "God with us" (and have filled out the hour).  Still, despite wishing that the middle section was shorter, I believe that the final 10 minutes of the sermon are vitally important for Christians who want to mature in love and forgiveness -- and I don't think those 10 minutes make sense without understanding the common view of justice, even common in the Bible, which is usually more about what we want and what we think we deserve, rather than what God wants or deserves.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

Prayer for Mission in Japan

This week we pray for Martha Mensendiek, our missionary to Japan, who teaches social welfare at Doshisha University in Kyoto.

You can read more about the mission to Japan here, including a story about long-standing Christian efforts to strengthen the social fabric.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

Coming Up Sunday, August 11

This week we continue the "Summer Blockbuster Sermon Series," by looking at the surprisingly successful magicians robbing banks thriller, "Now You See Me."  The movie, starring such popular faces as Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Mark Ruffalo, and Woody Harrelson, alongside popular younger actors Jesse Eisenberg and Isla Fisher (who coincidentally had a supporting role in "The Great Gatsby"), offers a flashy tale of a team of magicians who add large scale heists to spectacular magic shows.

The movie (and particularly its ending, which I will do my best to keep a secret) offers interesting questions about justice -- what's right and what's wrong.  There are many passages in the Bible that deal with issues of justice, but we'll use Isaiah 59 as our starting point for considering this issue.  Examples from other summer releases, "The Internship" and "The Bling Ring," will also provide food for thought as we consider this deep question about how justice is achieved in this world.

If you have not seen "Now You See Me," here is one of the official trailers:

August 4 Worship: "The Great Gatsby"

Despite the rather dreary weather Sunday morning, our gathering was rather boisterous -- the conversations before and after worship certainly seemed and sounded spirited!  Our worship in between those gatherings was rather spirited too, as we celebrated a successful Vacation Bible School and we began the Summer Blockbuster Sermon Series.

The first summer movie this year was the new adaptation of "The Great Gatsby."  Considering the showy opulence of the movie, which represents the almost unimaginable wealth of the main characters, I suggested that we knew from history that this wealth was built on an foundation doomed to fall.  Further, these characters and their relationships reminded me of the Pharisees that often argued with Jesus, who were so worried about their outward appearances, but less about their inner substance.

Drawing upon Jesus' teaching recorded in Matthew 23, I suggested the challenge of hypocrisy in lives of faith as we seek to follow Jesus' commands not to be hypocrites and also recognizing that, inevitably, we sometimes are hypocritical in our words and deeds.  Still, as disciples of Jesus, we are to strive to allow God to transform our inner substance, even as we worry about how we appear to others that we are trying to impress.  Sometimes, God may even work through our hypocrisy, allowing our hearts to follow our speech in matters of forgiveness, love, and generosity -- sometimes we learn to talk about such things in a Christian way before we completely mean them with every fiber of our being.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

Prayer for Mission in the Dominican Republic

This week we pray for Ashley Holst, a Global Missions intern in the Dominican Republic, who works with street children as part of Proyecto Caminante's Outreach Ministry.

You can read more about the mission to Ecuador here, including the story of how a summer camp works to offer children a different path in communities with a history of gang violence.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

Coming Up Sunday, August 4

This week, we begin our "Summer Blockbuster Sermon Series."  First up is Baz Luhrmann's lush adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel, The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and Carey Mulligan.  Set among the very wealthy during the Roaring 20s, the movie explores the darker side of lives filled with fancy cars, expensive clothing, lavish parties, and free-flowing alcohol (at the height of Prohibition).

This is reminiscent of the example of the Pharisees, who frequently clashed with Jesus over his actions and his teaching.  Jesus accuses them of being all show and no substance, people who worry more about their social status than how they actually live theirs lives -- which is to say, they don't actually seem to be following the religious life that they so strenuously insist others live.  The most extensive list of problems with the Pharisees is recorded in Matthew 23.

If you haven't seen the new big-budget version of The Great Gatsby, you can watch the trailer here:

Prayer for Mission in Ecuador

This week we pray for Marilyn Cooper and Glenn Hebert, our missionaries to Ecuador, who serve the Ecumenical Foundation for Integral Development, Training and Education in matters of Christian Education and technology.

You can read more about the mission to Ecuador here, including a reminder of how personal events impact the work and ministry of an organization.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

General Assembly Gathers in Orlando for Worship and Business

The General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) gathered together in Orlando, Florida from July 13 through 17.  This event, held every two years, brings together Disciples from the United States and Canada (and even beyond) for worship, workshops, and time together.  Eastgate was represented at the Assembly by Rev. Joshua Patty, Chuck Pickrel, Tom Rebecchi, and Suzanne Rebecchi.

Worship, as befits a church with a diversity of races, ages, political and theological beliefs, was an eclectic mix of old and new, with a range of music led by a large praise team.  There was liturgical dance and a variety of ways to celebrate the Lord's Supper, to hear scripture (including in multiple languages), and to pray.

The featured preachers challenged those gathered on the Christian understanding of hospitality and welcome in various ways.  They also each passionately expressed hope for the church's future, despite the frequently depressing statistics and cultural context that suggest the church (or at least part of it) is withering away.

The voters of the General Assembly also met to conduct important work of the wider church.  Some of this work was mundane, receiving reports from all of the general ministries (17 in all), including things like Global Ministries, the Pension Fund, and Chalice Press.

In addition, the Assembly voted on a range of business.  Some of it was specific to the General Assembly, including electing new moderators and members of the general church board and approving the time and place of future General Assemblies (the 2017 Assembly will be in Indianapolis).  Some business involved policy changes for the general ministries.   This year, the General Assembly approved an Open Meetings Policy for the General Board of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and all of its committees and also approved some border changes to regions.

The General Assembly also voted on non-binding statements that seek to offer a "sense of the Assembly" on various issues facing the church, the country, and the world.  Sometimes, these resolutions seem to be "no-brainers," as this year when the Assembly overwhelming approved resolutions opposed to wage theft and the use of torture.  The Assembly also strongly encouraged congregations and ministries to adopt parental leave policies.

Sometimes, though, these resolutions can be divisive.  This certainly was the case for the most anticipated item of business at this year's Assembly, resolution GA-1327, "Becoming a People of Grace and Welcome to All."  While this might seem non-controversial for a denomination rooted in welcoming all Christians to the Lord's Table and historically seeking to bridge divisions like race, gender, age, class, politics, and other similar things, it also specifically highlighted the issue of sexual orientation, a topic that has been hotly debated in many denominations in recent years.

While non-binding upon any congregation or affiliated ministry, the resolution, which was adopted, calls upon the wider church, among others things, "to affirm the faith, baptism and spiritual gifts of all Christians regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and that neither is grounds for exclusion from fellowship or service within the church...."

As General Minister and President Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins put it in a letter sent to all congregations after the Assembly, "[The resolution] serves as a reminder that among Disciples we do not bar the church door or fence the table from those who desire the embrace of God's love."

The full text of all ministry reports received and resolutions and business acted upon by the General Assembly is available here, as is the full text of Watkins' letter.  There are also videos of the worship services available here.

July 21 Worship: "Unexpected Wisdom"

On Sunday, we concluded our summer study on the example of the early Christian church for the church today.  By exploring the first few chapters of the Acts of the Apostles, I encouraged us to imagine the church does two different things: we come together in worship, study, and fellowship and then we go out (individually or in small groups) to serve and teach others, before coming together again.

This week, we considered one of the famous "going out" passages, Philip's interaction with the Ethiopian eunuch, described in Acts 8.  While most of us sympathize with the Ethiopian, who declares that he cannot understand the Bible unless someone explains it to him, I strongly suggested that I believe Christians are supposed to be like Philip -- able to explain the Bible to others with questions about God and the meaning of existence.

After worship on Sunday, it occurred to me that I failed to incorporate the sermon title, "Unexpected Wisdom," into the sermon explicitly.  Still, I hope my meaning for it was clear without my stating it directly.  The unexpected wisdom comes from us, partially because we know more than we think we do, but mostly because sometimes our incomplete answer is the one answer that will make perfect sense to the person asking the question.  As Christians, who have experienced the hand of God in our life, who pray and worship together, and who read the Bible and listen sermons, we have some knowledge, even if we are convinced we don't understand it very well.  Just like parents answering the questions of their children, though, you don't have to be an expert to answer the questions; you just have to be willing to try.  Often, unexpectedly, our answers will not just be good enough -- they'll be just right.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can listen to an audio recording here.

Coming Up on Sunday, July 21

This Sunday we wrap up our series on lessons that modern Christians can learn from the earliest Christians' experiences as described in the Acts of the Apostles.  We will focus on the conversion and baptism of an Ethiopian by Philip, which seems to have become a popular text for sermons in the past 25 years.

Often, I think that people focus on the questions and the enthusiasm of the Ethiopian convert, which are important.  This Sunday, however, I'd like to focus more on Philip's role in the story and how Philip's experience is likely similar to our own faith experiences.

Worship Services from General Assembly

Worship services from the 2013 General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) will be broadcast online in the coming days.  You can access the services through the Disciples.org website here or through LiveStream -- the service provider -- here.

Here is a list of evening worship services that you may watch online:

• Saturday, July 13, featuring Rev. Dr. Glen Miles preaching, webcast begins at 5:50 pm CDT
• Sunday, July 14, featuring Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins, General Minister and President, preaching, webcast begins at 5:50 pm CDT
• Monday, July 15, featuring Rev. Feliberto Pereira preaching, webcast begins at 6:20 pm CDT
• Tuesday, July 16, featuring Rev. Dr. David Anderson preaching, webcast begins at 6:20 pm CDT
• Wednesday, July 17, featuring special musical guest Sweet Honey in the Rock, webcast begins at 6:20 pm CDT

Coming Up Sunday, July 14

This week, we have prepared a special worship service, "Christmas in July," which should take minds off the 90 degree temperatures of this time of year.  More seriously, though, it will celebrate the gift of Jesus Christ into the world as a child and as Emmanuel, "God with us."  The service will feature lots of music, including the choir singing selections from last year's cantata, "Lead Me Back to Bethlehem."  Also, as part of this effort, we are collecting clothing items for Tabitha's Closet, which will be given out as part of their back-to-school effort in the coming weeks.

July 7 Worship: "Wisdom from Other Faiths"

We gathered for worship at the end of the long 4th of July weekend, and many of us were clearly in a holiday state of mind.  Still, we joined together in prayer, learned more about the plans for this month's Vacation Bible School, and continued our study of the early church in Acts.

This week, we considered some of the fallout from the apostles public teaching and healing in Jerusalem.  Several Jewish leaders wanted to take drastic steps to prevent the disciples from doing such things, fearing they would lead people astray, but Rabbi Gamaliel discouraged such action, instead warning that if the Christians were doing what God wanted, they would be impossible to stop anyway.  I used the example of Rabbi Gamaliel to consider how Christians should approach people of other faith, suggesting that one reason Christians preserved Gamaliel's words is that this humility might be a good lesson for us in "Wisdom from Other Faiths."

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to hear it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

June 23 Worship: "An Abundance of Prophets"

We gathered for a special worship on Sunday, featuring a special welcome for some older children who have "graduated" from our Children Worship & Wonder program and the return of the team from the annual mission trip.  While there were some emotional prayer concerns from many in the congregation, I thought there were several moments of hope and joy.

We also continued our sermon series on the lessons we can learn from the early church described in the Acts of the Apostles.  Building on last week's story of the healing of the lame man, we considered Peter's explanation of the meaning of that miraculous healing -- that it was only the most recent example of what the prophets all taught: that God wants to bless all people, by turning them from wrong ways toward right ones.  This leads me to find two important lessons for the modern church in this old teaching -- we should be humble about our faith, and we should understand that God can and will use us as prophets from time to time to teach this important lesson about blessing and God's vision for humanity.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

Prayer for Mission in Laos

This week we pray for Nicole Betteridge, our missionary to Laos, who serves as a Global Missions intern teaching English with the Lao Evangelical Church.

You can read more about the mission to Laos here, including a description of a culture that seems to live out the instruction, "Be still, and know that I am God."

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

Coming Up Sunday, June 23

During our worship service this Sunday, we will welcome back our team from their mission trip to Joplin, MO and Fayetteville, AR.  We will also have a special moment at the beginning of the service welcoming those young people who are 'graduating' from the Children Worship & Wonder program to worshiping with everyone in the sanctuary -- which is a big step for them.  (We will also do this next Sunday, in an attempt to accommodate summer travel schedules.)

We will also continue our sermon series on lessons that Christians today can learn from the early church as it is described in the Acts of the Apostles.  Last week, we considered the lessons from Peter and John healing a lame man in the name of Jesus.  This week, we'll talk about how they explain that miraculous healing -- as a fulfillment of prophecy.  In fact, they teach that Jesus, as God's chosen Messiah, is the fulfillment of all of the prophets' teaching.  In "An Abundance of Prophets," we'll consider the unifying message of all the prophets that Peter identifies.

June 16 Worship: "Not What You Asked For"

We gathered for a full Father's Day worship on Sunday, which included a special tribute to fathers, the commissioning of the team for this week's mission trip, and opportunities to sign up to help deliver lunches to school children in July and August and to help with the upcoming Vacation Bible School (which will be held the week of July 29).  During worship, someone mentioned that there was so much going on, I wouldn't have time to preach.

Well, like most pastors, I just can't seem to keep quiet, so there was a sermon.  Continuing our study of lessons for our discipleship from the early church in Acts, we focused on a surprising story about Peter and John healing a man outside the Temple.  After pointing out that the two disciples do not give the man what he asks for -- money -- but do better for him by healing his legs so he can walk, I suggested that the church is expected to follow their example.  In "Not What You Asked For," I pointed out the church has the unique responsibility of speaking truth and values that the wider culture does not usually hear or recognize, though we often fail to live out this responsibility.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

Prayer for Mission in Mexico

This week we pray for Douglas Smith and Kathleen Moyer, missionaries to Mexico. Both serve a coalition of congregational and Disciples churches as consultants for mission development.

You can read more about the mission to Mexico here, including the story of how many Christians are helping a congregation rebuild after their sanctuary collapsed last year.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

Coming Up Sunday, June 16

This Sunday is Father's Day, and our worship will feature a special tribute to fathers.  We will also highlight several of our key projects this summer.  A team of Eastgate people will leave on the annual mission Sunday afternoon for their work projects in Joplin, MO and Fayetteville, AR; we will have a special commissioning for them on Sunday.  In addition, we will begin signing up volunteers to help deliver lunches to children through the Raytown Summer Lunch Ministry in July and August.  Sunday also marks the beginning of registration for Vacation Bible School, which begins on July 29 -- and there will be a signup sheet available for adult volunteers too.

We'll also continue our sermon series about things that Christians today can learn from the early church described in the Acts of the Apostles.  This week we'll move into chapter 3, where the apostles Peter and John are going to pray in the Temple and they meet a crippled man begging for money.  Instead of money, they heal him, in the name of Jesus, which is a reminder that frequently God uses other Christians to give people what they need, rather than simply what they think they need.  In "Not What You Asked For," we'll consider how this is both a challenge and an opportunity for Christians today.

Book Review: "The Church on the Other Side"

The Church on the Other Side: Doing Ministry in the Postmodern Matrix by Brian D. McLaren (Zondervan, 2003), paperback, 224 pages

Whatever their disagreements on a multitude of other issues, almost all Christians active in congregations can agree on one thing: the practices of Christian faith have changed dramatically in recent years.  A regular church-goer from the 1950s dropped into a modern congregation would probably be shocked by, among other things, much more casual dress, more audio-visual technology, and new music (sometimes accompanied by new instruments), not to mention the much more public role of women.

Some of the most dramatic change is not quite so visible on the surface, but quickly becomes obvious.  Worship attendance patterns have changed: often regular attenders only appear at services about once a month, owing to weekend work hours, various children's activities, traveling, or just wanting to take it easy on Sunday mornings.  It is also increasingly difficult to get volunteers for various activities or responsibilities in the congregation -- in general, there are fewer members and much busier members than before.  Such changes are creating financial hardship for many congregations, making the contemporary differences painfully obvious all too often.

To be sure, sometimes Americans become enamored with talk of new things, whether they are "new and improved" products or new challenges in their lives.  As a student of history, it seems to me that there have been significant changes in Christianity in the United States at least every generation for at least 250 years (a quarter of a millennium), so the current period of change and challenge should not be all that surprising.

Still, the new context for Christian congregations in the past several years demands some understanding of what has changed -- both inside and outside of the church -- and how congregations can respond to the opportunities and challenges created by these changes.  Popular Christian author Brian D. McLaren's 2003 book, The Church on the Other Side: Doing Ministry in the Postmodern Matrix, offers a prescient overview of the current situation for congregations, whose component parts -- in various forms and combinations -- have come to be adopted and advocated by other church leaders who have explored 'modern ministry' in the past decade.

McLaren grabs attention at the opening of the introduction with a succinct assessment, "If you have a new world, you need a new church.  You have a new world."  From there, in a conversational style that is engaging and concise, he suggests twelve positive ways that congregations can respond to the 'new world' in which they now find themselves.  Overall, he offers new language, new approaches to mission, new organizational flexibility, and a renewed appreciation of tradition as ways the congregations can meet the challenges of this era and still live out the Christian calling faithfully and in ways that attract others to do the same.  The book culminates in an extensive section where McLaren attempts to tackle the issue of "post-modernism," which he does fairly well (though, as with most explorations of post-modernism, the ultimate description is hazy, at best).

While McLaren presents many ideas, most of them can be classified in two main areas: structure and language.  Like many, McLaren suggests that churches have outlasted the organizational structures that served them well during the '50s and '60s.  This is most obvious for congregations that are much smaller now than they used to be, but still try to operate in the same way; however, McLaren emphasizes that current church participants are different from those of 40 years ago. Sometimes this is due to the changing demographics of the location of the church building, but it is also due to the cultural shifts over the past two generations.  In a couple of chapters, McLaren explains how these changes require a different leadership model (in particular, one that recognizes that no leader can do everything well) and a renewed focus on outreach and mission in congregational ministry.

McLaren also argues that contemporary Christians need to adjust the ways that we speak about ministry and faith.  Repeatedly, he insists that the emphasis on rational certainty about different aspects of Christian teaching needs to be abandoned and replaced by an approach to the Gospel and essential beliefs that is more open to questions and even mystery.  Interestingly, McLaren suggests that such openness should allow Christians to reclaim certain parts of the tradition, including large swaths of theological and spiritual writings, that had been cast aside as part of previous doctrinal debates or overly critical historical narratives.

More than anything, it is apparent that McLaren is trying to encourage and support a conversation about the ways Christians need to adapt to the changing context of recent years.  The book itself models this: it is a revision and expansion of a previous book, Reinventing Your Church, based on additional research and conversation.  It also has an extensive appendix filled with thoughtful questions designed to stimulate discussion, especially among congregational leaders.

This is an ongoing discussion in which active Christians need to participate.  While the Gospel remains unchanged, the lives of those who desperately need to hear the good news of Jesus Christ are significantly different at the dawn of the 21st Century than in the middle of the 20th Century and before.  McLaren succinctly offers the broad outlines of how an old church might effectively minister to this new world.

June 9 Worship: "Shared Resources for Ministry"

Summer worship began in earnest on Sunday, as our usual crowd was noticeably smaller -- probably owing to various summer travel and activities.  (It is good to hold these people in our prayers as they travel to visit family and enjoy some good old fashioned R & R.)  Still, we were a rambunctious group on Sunday morning, clearly happy to see each other and to worship together.

The sermon continued our study of the beginning chapters of Acts of the Apostles, describing the early church.  This week, we touched the slightly uncomfortable section at the end of the recounting of Pentecost, which says that the disciples pooled all of their resources and shared with those who had needs.  While I recognized that such utopianism (or Communism in other contexts) have been shown not to work in our world, I believe that we should claim the faith was behind this mutual sharing of resources.  The early disciples believed that God had provided them with more than they needed to live -- enough to meet their needs with some left over to help others outside of the church.  Compare this to how we normally live, assuming scarcity -- that there is not enough money, or time, energy, etc.

While I did not mention it in the sermon, I think that many African-American churches modeled this faith in the early 1900s.  With significant social obstacles that limited what jobs they could hold, where they could live, what schools they could attend, where they could shop, how they could travel, and much more, the churches frequently served as a place where resources were collected together to start banks, schools, and support organizations that would benefit and improve the lives of the wider African-American community.  Even with fewer resources and advantages than most other Americans at the time, they believed that they had enough to meet their immediate needs and build a stronger future.

How might our approach to money -- or time -- or energy -- be different if we lived out such faith?

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

Prayer for Mission in Botswana

This week we pray for Jayanthi and James Wilson, missionaries to Botswana, who serve at the Kgolagano Theological College, the only ecumenical education institution in Botswana.

You can read more about the mission to Botswana here, including examples of how the people face the uncertainty of the future with faith and hope.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

Coming Up Sunday, June 9

This Sunday, we'll continue our exploration of the early church as described in the Acts of the Apostles.  Last Sunday, we explored what a church should look like -- not a description of any building, but of a faith community and how they live, gathering together to eat and pray and then going out to live their faith openly (but not always together).  This week, we'll consider how they pooled their resources to do both of these things.

In the final verses of Acts 2, we see a Utopian description of the church as a community where everything was equally shared, with no individual possessions.  Today, at best, this seems like a fantasy; at worst, it reminds us of Communism.  Rest assured, while I think we can learn from this example of the early Christians, I have no interest in the church taking control of everyone's bank accounts, real estate, or anything else.  Still, if we can shift our minds away from the parallel with Communism, which limits our thinking, I believe there is something we can learn from this example about how we should share resources -- money, yes, but also time, talents, attention, presence -- for ministry, which is to say, to reach out to serve others.

June 2 Worship: "Church Buildings"

On Sunday, we gathered for a rather emotional worship service.  There were many prayer requests for healing and other serious needs among our extended families, in addition to other larger needs in the wake of recent tornadoes and flooding.

We also began our sermon series for June and July, "Faith and Devotion: Lessons from the Church in Acts." Drawing on the first two chapters, especially the period immediately leading up to the day of Pentecost where the disciples were together and then were touched by the Holy Spirit and went out to share the Gospel, we considered the question: What does a church look like?  In "Church Buildings" we focused on these two lessons as key aspects of the church -- at times coming together in one place and at other times going out in smaller groups to reach out, serve others, and share the good news about Jesus Christ.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you would like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

Prayer for Mission in Hong Kong

This week we pray for Judy Chan, missionary to Hong Kong, who jointly serves the Presbyterian Church and Global Missions.  She serves as a communications specialist for radio and publication ministries.

You can read more about the mission to Hong Kong here, including a description of some of the programs of the Hong Kong Christian Council.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world. Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

Coming Up Sunday, June 2

Last Sunday, we began our summer worship schedule -- but the changes were fairly small, so many probably went unnoticed.  Unlike some congregations, we do not change the time of worship in the summer, which is a good thing for those of us who would probably forget the change and show up at the wrong time.  (Or, as was the case once when I was a guest preacher, you might not even know there was a different worship time in the summer.)  Perhaps the most visible difference was that I wasn't wearing a robe or a tie -- and I don't think you'll see either on Sunday morning until after Labor Day.

This week, we begin the first of our two summer sermon series: "Faith and Devotion: Lessons from the Church in Acts."  During June and July, we'll spend some time looking at the early church, as described in the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament.  As should be clear from the series' title, I believe there are important lessons for Christians today from the recorded experiences of the earliest Christians.  On Sunday, we'll consider one of the main questions for the entirety of Acts: What does a church look like?  Two specific passages from Acts 1-2 offer important examples of the answer (here's a hint, neither offers much architectural description).