Prayer for Mission in Hong Kong

This week we pray for Bruce Van Voorhis, our missionary to Hong Kong, where he serves the Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs.

You can read more about the mission to Hong Kong here, including the interfaith School of Peace project in southeast Asia.

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.

The Holiest of Holy Days

This weekend marks the center of the Christian calendar, as we follow Jesus Christ through his final gathering  with his disciples, his arrest, trial, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection.  In these days, we see how divine love and divine forgiveness confronted the evil of this world, through suffering, pain, and ultimately death.  But with Christ's resurrection on Easter, we see the limitations of the powers of evil and sin, and the hope that love and forgiveness are stronger and more enduring.

At Eastgate, we will have worship services each day, remembering key events of these days.  Tonight, on Maundy Thursday, we will gather to remember Christ's great gifts to his disciples -- and through them, to all Christians -- his great teaching and example of love and service, particularly through the sacrament of Communion.  Then, as the darkness closes in, we will remember Christ's steps after the Last Supper, into a garden, through betrayal, arrest, and trial.

On Good Friday, tomorrow, we will stand at the foot of the cross.  Together, we will hear Isaiah's prophecy of the suffering servant and then we will hear Jesus' seven statements spoken from the cross, filled with wisdom, love, forgiveness, and humility.

As the sun sets on Holy Saturday, we will gather for the Great Vigil of Easter.  As we participate in the oldest worship service in the church (dating back at least 16 centuries), we celebrate Christ's resurrection, first with light, then with reminders of God's mighty and saving hand throughout human history.  Then we celebrate our place in the body of Christ, celebrating both the sacraments of baptism and Communion.

Then on Sunday, we will gather to celebrate Christ's resurrection.  The sermon, which will tie into our Lenten series about the Hebrews in the wilderness, will talk about the promise of Christ's resurrection for our journey and its final destination, "And I Saw a New Jerusalem."

These are the holiest of holy days, and our community will recognize them with worship, prayer, and lots of special music.  I hope that you find ways and space to follow Christ's journey and teaching these days.

Online Palm Sunday Worship Service

Due to the Winter Storm, Eastgate has cancelled its Palm Sunday worship service and other activities today.

I hope everyone stays warm and safe today.  But if you were hoping for a worship experience to mark the beginning of Holy Week, I have some resources to share here, including some prayers, music, and a meditation version of the sermon scheduled for today.  Below is my video introduction to our online worship resources.

The traditional opening hymn on Palm Sunday is "All Glory, Laud, and Honor."  This is a good recording of a congregation singing this hymn, with the lyrics (if you'd like to sing along).

Here is a prayer I offer on behalf of our community on this holy day.

Palm Sunday is the first of two days when we collect the Easter special offering, which benefits many of the wider ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) through Disciples Mission Fund.  You can learn more about these ministries here.  We will collect this special offering for the next two Sundays.

The choir had worked hard to prepare a special arrangement of "Ride On, King Jesus" by Moses Hogan.  You can listen to this anthem, performed by the Hastings College Choir, below.

This week, I had planned to continue our study of the Hebrews' journey through the wilderness by focusing on the end of Moses' life, when he climbs Mt. Nebo to see the Promised Land toward which he has guided the Israelites for 40 years.  I believe that there are lessons here that parallel the vision of Christians on Palm Sunday.  You can listen to the meditation here.  (I should confess: it felt a little weird recording it with no one listening, so if it sounds odd to you -- I certainly understand.)

During Communion, I had planned to sing "Via Dolorosa" to mark the beginning of Holy Week.  Instead, you can listen to the original recording by Sandy Patty.

I know that we cannot replicate our shared worship online, but we also cannot control the weather.  So we do the best we can.  I hope to see you all soon.

March 17 Worship: "And We Saw Giants There"

We gathered Sunday for a joyful worship service, despite the dreary weather.  Aside from the festive green that many people were wearing in honor of St. Patrick, we also celebrated life in the midst of our community with a time of baby dedication and blessing, which was a special thing for the family and for the Eastgate congregation.

We continued our Lenten study of the Hebrews' journey through the wilderness.  On Sunday we considered something that happened near the end of the wilderness years, when twelve spies were sent to scout the Promised Land.  When they returned, the spies told of a rich land that was populated by several strong nations; most of the spies thought the Hebrews should return to Egypt, rather than proceed.  Only two suggested that the same God who had guided them through the wilderness would help them claim the Promised Land.  Our challenge, in our wilderness years, is to not be overwhelmed by the prospect of bad news or bad events -- because good and bad things happen to everyone.  Our challenge is to keep the faith, remembering that it will not get easier until we are brought into the Kingdom of God.

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

Coming Up Sunday, March 17

We will gather on Sunday for our final Lenten worship before Palm Sunday.  In honor of St. Patrick's day, I imagine there will be a significant amount of green on display, which should be fun as the promise of spring comes closer.  Also, we will have a special moment to blessing the newest baby in our midst, which should make the day extra special.

In the sermon, we'll skip ahead during the Hebrews' years in the wilderness to the time when they are nearing the promised land.  Moses sent 12 spies into Canaan to scout out the land and its inhabitants.  Upon their return, 10 of the 12 advised finding another leader and returning to Egypt.  All agreed that the land was abundant, but 10 worried that the Hebrews could not possibly conquer it.  We'll consider their fearful report, "And We Saw Giants There," and what it might mean for us, on Sunday.

March 10 Worship: "When Moses Saw the People Running Wild"

Despite losing an hour of sleep Saturday night, those who gathered for worship on Sunday seemed pretty awake -- I can't recall another service where there was so much excited talking going on before we began the announcements.  It certainly suggested that we were happy to be together and ready to join together in worship.

As we are in the heart of Lent, the sermon dealt with a challenging issue: idolatry.  Listening back over the sermon, I thought there were plenty of areas left unexplored, but I suppose that is inevitable on such a large, and generally unappreciated, topic.  So while I know that I did not cover everything, I hope that the exploration of the Hebrews foolish worship of the golden calf did suggest ways that idolatry is alive in our own experiences.  As I mentioned, I don't worry too much about Christians praying to statues, but I do think we frequently fall into the trap of idolatry, where we misunderstand the true nature of the things around us, especially other people and God.  Sometimes we overestimate them; sometimes we undervalue them; all too often we do not approach them and accept them as they truly are, instead of how we imagine them to be.

I offered a couple of examples that are not terribly harmful.  The problem, as the Hebrews discovered, is that if idolatry is taken too far -- as in the case of several "isms" I mentioned, like racism, sexism, nationalism (and I might have added, denominationalism) -- it takes a dramatic, painful effort to break these deceptions.

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.

Picking a Pope

For the next few days, one of the biggest stories in the world will center on the Conclave in Vatican City, where the Roman Catholic College of Cardinals will meet to select the next Bishop of Rome, the Pope.  There are thousands of journalists covering the story, including several big names from the US, so you can expect plenty of stories on TV and in the newspaper.

If you're curious about how the process works, I thought I would share a couple of stories from Religion and Ethics Newsweekly, which does a good job of explaining how a conclave works.  What is mentioned in these stories, but which is contrary to most people's expectations, is how the conclave rules are a mix of centuries-old practices and newer things.  While the tedious process of casting and counting paper ballots, including ways for the entire body of cardinals to watch and make sure that each cardinal only casts one vote each time, is very old-fashioned, other things are more modern, including the residence for the cardinals during the conclave, which was built in the 1990s.

Here is a brief story about the unofficial discussions (over coffee, at mealtimes) that will steer the conclave's direction.  (You can read the transcript or watch video of the story.)

And here is a story, adapted from the conclave that selected Pope Benedict, that describes the more formal procedure of a conclave.  (You can read the transcript or watch video of the story.)

Prayer for Mission in Nicaragua

This week we pray for Laura Jean Torgerson and Tim Donaghy, our missionaries to Nicaragua.  They both serve the Christian Mission Church of Nicaragua in many ways, including through teaching.  This is a good thing because I always thought that both Laura Jean and Tim would be wonderful teachers -- a great combination of their desire to serve others and their intelligence.  (I have known Laura Jean and Tim since we were in graduate school in Chicago -- wonderful people that it's impossible to dislike.)

You can read more about the mission to Nicaragua here, including a description of the challenges of poverty and a recent technology that offers some improvement for health and cooking.  Or, if you'd like to know more about Laura Jean and Tim, you can ask me.

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, March 10

This week, we continue our Lenten journey toward Easter by following the Israelites' journey through the wilderness toward the Promised Land.  In the past couple of weeks, we have focused on how Moses helped the Hebrew people to organize themselves into a nation of laws and of faith, both following God's instructions given in Torah.  For the next two weeks, we will consider a couple of significant detours that the Hebrews made in the wilderness.

The first is the mirror image of last Sunday's sermon on the design of the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle.  In "And Moses Saw the People Running Wild," we will consider worship run amok through the story of the golden calf.  While waiting for Moses to come down from the mountain of God, the impatient Hebrews determine that they will worship in their own way.  Knowing that they cannot approach God's home on the mountaintop, they ask Aaron to craft an idol of a golden calf so that they may worship in the valley below the mountain.

Needless to say, when Moses brings the stone tablets inscribed with the law down from Mt. Sinai, he witnesses a horrible spectacle.  With a loud voice (imagine Charlton Heston, who actually has this line in "The Ten Commandments"), Moses cries out, "Who is on the Lord's side?"  The Levites respond to Moses' call, and then follow his instructions to violently bring order to the chaotic rabble.

On Sunday, we will consider some of our own misdirected worship, which is a polite way of saying, we will consider some of our own idolatry.

Book Review: "Leading Congregations through Crisis"

Leading Congregations through Crisis by Greg Hunt (Chalice Press, 2012), paperback, 176 pages

Many people are discouraged watching the news, where all too often the cliche, "If it bleeds, it leads," proves true.  While many news media may focus on the negative, the unfortunate truth is that there are many instances of destruction and suffering to cover.  Horrific tornadoes and earthquakes occur with little or no warning, while hurricanes and floods can leave billions of dollars in devastation in their wake.  Fires and car accidents can instantly shatter a family, while acts of violence inflict physical and emotional wounds on entire communities.

In these situations, we rely on trained people to respond, offering security, provisions, and comfort after such tragedies occur.  Such first responders are police, firefighters, EMTs, and groups such as the Red Cross and the National Guard.  Less visible, but essential, is the response of religious leaders, particularly when the the tragedy directly affects a congregation.

Greg Hunt offers encouragement and instruction for pastors and church leaders to face such tragedies in his recent book, Leading Congregations through Crisis.  As he describes at the outset, Hunt faced a significant tragedy in his pastoral ministry when a bus crash on a church youth trip claimed two lives.  The aftermath of that fatal accident for the congregation, and a recognition of the lack of resources and training for clergy and church leaders in crisis response and management, led him to write this valuable book.

Building on this personal experience, Hunt conducted interviews with leaders of other congregations that have faced and responded to significant tragedies, which are shared in vignettes throughout the book.  Among these are church buildings destroyed by fire and hurricane, gun violence on church property, and the fatal electrocution of a pastor during worship.  From this, Hunt has crafted considerations for both the immediate and the long-term response to such crises.

The book is broken into three sections.  The first part offers an overview; the second part lays out, in some detail, how congregational leaders should direct their response over time; and the third part offers specific lessons that are unique to the church.  Hunt strives to make the book useful for both clergy and lay leaders, and in this he is mostly successful.  I imagine, though, that while all will find the first two sections very helpful, if depressing to consider, the third part seems most helpful for clergy.

In clear and direct language, Hunt offers plenty of practical advice throughout the book.  Whether explaining how to prioritize jobs in the immediate aftermath -- including how to delegate key responsibilities -- or laying out how to communicate well to the congregation and the media, he presents important considerations and logical step-by-step approaches.  While he draws on leadership and crisis management resources, he insists that the church has a specific perspective on the response to tragedy that should be unique.  In fact, the overview chapter on response, "Leadership, Management, and Crisis Care: Getting Them Right... Together," is a helpful way of blending leadership studies with the gift of the church, which Hunt crystallizes as always putting care of the people affected first.

In the final section, clergy can especially benefit from two significant observations that seem rooted in Hunt's personal experience.  First, he reminds pastors to remember to look for God's presence in the "eye of the storm," which presents unique demands in worship leadership and pastoral care.  Second, he observes that those pastors who are best prepared to lead in response to crisis are those who have practiced (and continue to practice) self-care, so they can face the stresses and responsibilities with resilience and hope, instead of being broken by them.

This well-written and well-presented book fills a need for churches.  Despite the many types of tragedies that can occur within the life of a congregation, there are precious few resources available detailing how to effectively prepare and respond.  Drawing on leadership insights and the best lessons of faith, and with a depth of insight reflecting his experience, Hunt has prepared a resource that deserves to be on bookshelves in the pastor's office and the congregational library.

March 3 Worship: "The Tabernacle, by God's Design"

We broke out of the snowstorm doldrums on Sunday.  I think many people were excited to be out of the house on a sunny, if still cold, day after the past couple of weeks.  Several people commented about how many people were in worship; for better of for worse, I guess I didn't think much about it -- I just expect people to join for worship whenever they can.  (You know, pastors and their crazy expectations....)

We continued our Lenten sermon series on the Hebrews time in the wilderness.  In particular, we focused on God's instructions for how they would place worship at the center of their community, beginning with instructions to take an offering to gather the materials for the tabernacle and the instructions for the Ark of the Covenant.  As you may have noticed on Sunday, the more I have read this passage recently, the more struck I have become by the fact that God begins with instructions for an offering of valuable materials.  Giving, at least for the Israelites, was the beginning of their worship -- I think, as I mentioned Sunday, because it forced them to demonstrate that a relationship with God had value and importance.  (And, while I didn't mention it on Sunday, I think that the elaborate decorations of the tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant were required for the same reason -- by the gold and jewels, people would know there was something important to be found here.)  A couple of people asked after the service where the Hebrews got this valuable jewels and precious metals, given that they were slaves.  According to Exodus 12, the Egyptians were so anxious to have the Israelites leave the country after the plagues, that they gave them anything they asked, including silver and gold.

With the talk about giving money, time, and energy to God, I hope that the other lessons drawn from this scripture were not overlooked.  First, there is the reminder that God constantly works to change our expectations about God's being and God's possibilities through our worship; with the Hebrews, he began by changing their idea of God's physical location, from living on Mt. Sinai to dwelling (somehow) on the mercy seat atop the Ark of the Covenant.  Second, and this is where the purity codes, which dictated who could worship in the tabernacle and how they could worship, apply: God seems, throughout the course of the Bible, to be drawing humanity ever closer.  (Ironically, even though the purity codes are filled with all sorts of examples of who many not come to God, the existence of the code was actually an invitation for people -- at least those who behaved in certain ways -- to approach God in the manner of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses.)

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.

The Reminder of Lent

I recently read an online reflection about what the season of Lent offers us each year.  (In the middle of it, I actually chuckled about how Lent creates space in our lives -- in the church, Lent tends to be a season of extra activity.)  While the piece starts slowly, it grabbed me with one fantastic paragraph:

It's a sobering thought: the way I live my life can diminish not only my humanity but the humanity of people around me.  Being honest about the fact is not just important or "a good thing to do."  It is critical if I want to make a break with the past -- to renegotiate the story I am living about what makes up a good life.

The article by Tim Keel, who is Senior Pastor of Jacob's Well Church in Kansas City, probably focuses too much on the act of giving things up for Lent (as you have probably noticed, I tend to focus more on spiritual formation and teaching than fasting during Lent, though both have ancient roots).  But I greatly appreciate, especially as we are talking about seeing our faith journey from the bondage of sin to the Kingdom of God in a way that parallels the Exodus of the Hebrews, this clear statement about the truths we have to see in our own lives in order to be open to the change that God has in store for us.

What in our lives is getting in our way?  What is distracting us?  How are we creating roadblocks on our pilgrims' journeys?  What can we learn, in this time and place, to improve this?

Prayer for Mission in Kenya

This week we pray for Phyllis Byrd, our missionary to Kenya.  Phyllis serves the Organization of African Instituted Churches as director of a program that economic justice and good governance.

You can read more about the mission to Kenya here, including a prayer that the extensive violence that followed the last national election does not occur again after this week's election.

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, March 3

This week, we continue our study of the Hebrews' "Journey of Testing and Trial" during their years in the wilderness.  We will talk some more this week about how the Israelites learned to organize themselves into one people.  Last week, we focused on the need for organization and the giving of the law.  This week, we will consider how the Hebrews were taught to put worship at the center of their community and why it is so important -- for them and for us.

We will open the service with a contemporary praise song that speaks to this moment for the Hebrews in the wilderness.  Called, "Blessed Be Your Name," it is a reminder of praising God at all times, including the hard times in the desert places.  If you're not familiar with this song, you can listen to it here.

Also, as I've been preparing this Lenten sermon series, a song keeps coming to mind.  On a recent album, Stephen Curtis Chapman offers a song called "Long Way Home," which speaks about how God is preparing us during this time in between the bonds of sin and the promised Kingdom of God.  (I've been trying to find sheet music for it, so that I can share it with you during worship, but I've been unsuccessful so far.)  Here is the official video for this song, with the lyrics.  I encourage you to watch this musical message that ties into our Lenten theme.