April 27 Worship: "We Are Disciples of Christ, a Movement"

We had a spirited worship service on a rainy Sunday morning, highlighted by the baptism of Ashlee Heavener.  Even the rain could not dampen the celebration of someone publicly declaring their faith in Jesus.  It also served as a good reminder of our own baptisms, and perhaps a moment of reflection on what has happened in our lives since our baptisms.

The sermon was a beginning a consideration of "Who We Are" as Christians, especially with our context as Eastgate Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  For the first four weeks, we are exploring the identity of our denomination, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), based on an identity statement developed a few years ago.  Drawing upon Jesus' teaching about the impossibility of putting new wine into old wineskins, we considered some of the history of the denomination, especially its roots on the American frontier, in "We Are Disciples of Christ, a Movement."

In preparation for the General Assembly last year, the Council on Christian Unity developed some videos that go along with the identity statement.  Below is the video on "Movement."



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.

Prayer for Mission in Laos

This week we pray for Xuyen Dangers, our missionary to Laos.  She is a social work supervisor for student interns.

You can read more about the mission to Laos here, including information about a recent volunteer who developed a course in child safety that could be shared through hospitals.

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.

Holy Week Recap

It was an eventful Holy Week, with several emotional worship services at Eastgate.  I thought that it was a meaningful period, following in Jesus' footsteps through his passion and resurrection.  It was a mix of old and new, with traditional scripture readings and services alongside Palm Sunday's radio play, "The Second Day" -- a very untraditional way of considering Christ's crucifixion and resurrection.  And there was plenty of music -- wonderful music all week long.

During the week, we also finished up the series of sermons considering "God's Promises in Hard Times."  On Maundy Thursday, we balanced Peter's denial of Jesus with Jesus' prayer in the garden of Gethsemane.  Click here to listen to that evening's meditation.  On Easter, we explored the meaning of Jesus' resurrection through the risen Christ's appearance to two disciples on the road to Emmaus.

If you missed the Easter sermon, would like to listen to it again, or would like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.  You can also listen to the communion meditation from Sunday's service.

Reflecting on Singing "Gethsemane" in Worship

There will probably come a day when I am too old (or, God forbid, don't have the singing chops) to share "Gethsemane" from Jesus Christ Superstar on Maundy Thursday.  That will be hard.

I remember the first time I sang it in worship.  I was anxious that I couldn't do it well (classically trained singers do not learn how to sing rock ballads) and terrified that I would offend someone (a rock ballad on one of the holiest nights of the year?).

I'm glad I sang it 13 years ago.  I'm grateful I worked so hard on it that first year, so that's it's been easy to revisit in the years since.  And I'm grateful that no has taken offense (or, at least, has made that known to me).

By my (perhaps suspect) count, tonight was the 8th Maundy Thursday worship service where I've sung "Gethsemane."  It was the first time where my pastoral meditation touched directly upon Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane, which has caused me to reflect on why I sing this song on this night.  The first couple of times, I felt like I should, but it still felt like an experiment in some ways.  In recent years, I've known that I should sing it, but tonight, more than ever, I've come to understand why.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's music has an emotional truth that resonates with the Gospel text, particularly as it is told in the Gospel of Luke.  I identify with other characters in parts of the passion story -- with Judas who betrays, with Peter who denies, with Thomas who doubts, with several who hide in fear.  In small ways, I can identify with Jesus too -- the Jesus who wants to share something special with his closest friends before he leaves, and the Jesus who prays so honestly and even desperately in the garden.  But there's also a part of Jesus at Gethsemane that just mesmerizes me.  I find the empty tomb as confusing as it is hopeful, and standing at the foot of the cross mostly makes me feel guilty.  But I watch in awe at Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane.

Please understand.  When I sing "Gethsemane," I know that I cannot convey most of this.  But usually, there is a fleeting moment in the music when I glimpse this awe-inspiring Jesus amid the otherwise very human Jesus of the song.  When I first started singing "Gethsemane," I was hoping for this glimpse -- even when I didn't know it.  Now, I expectantly hope for this glimpse, and I hope to offer it to others in worship.

One day my physical appearance will get in the way, I suppose.  One day, people will smile at the wrinkled old man who is trying to sing, but won't be able to imagine he might offer a glimpse of Jesus.  I'm a few years from wrinkled and old, but I'm already older than Jesus ever was.  In my 20s, I thought I could reasonably sing "Gethsemane" until I was 33 (traditionally Jesus' age at the time of his crucifixion).  At 30, I thought 35; at 33, I figured I could sing it until I was 40.  Now I'm 37 and tonight I wonder if maybe I could sing it until age 45....

Anyway, what I'm really pondering tonight is that there will come a day when I'm too old to sing "Gethsemane."  That will be a hard day.

Prayer for Mission in South Korea

This week we pray for Daniel Lee, our missionary to South Korea.  He serves as missionary in residence at Hanshin University Graduate School of Theology.

You can read more about the mission to South Korea here, including information about recovery from the powerful tropical storm in the region 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.

April 6 Worship: "In Times of Loneliness, Adoption"

This week we enjoyed our final Sunday worship service before Holy Week.  The warmer and more cooperative weather has allowed more people to attend, so there were more people to see and plenty of friendly conversations.

We continued our study of "God's Promises in Hard Times" by considering the meaning of Jesus' directions from to his mother and the disciple that he loved: "Here is your son... here is your mother."  I suggested that it was the first example of adoption that has long been the hallmark of strong Christian communities.  Most of us struggle with loneliness at various points in our lives; the promise is that God has surrounded us with people who will reach out and adopt us -- claim us and care for us -- if we will recognize and accept it.  In addition, God has placed us near people who need such love and care from us, as well.  While such adoption does not prevent loneliness completely, it usually offers wonderful and loving support.

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 closing benediction, which briefly expanded on the sermon.

Prayer for Mission in Venezuela

This week we pray for Carmelo Alvarez, our missionary to Venezuela.  He serves as a consultant to both the Latin American Evangelical  Pentecostal Commission and the Evangelical Pentecostal Union of Venezuela.

You can read more about the mission to Venezuela here, including a note about how the church works for human rights and peace.

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.

March 30 Worship: "In Times of Grief, a Birth"

Sometimes pastors get a weird view of things.  On Sunday, I hesitated to step up to the microphone and start worship because it was obvious that almost everyone was happily chatting with someone else.  Maybe it was the warm weather and the sunshine.  All I know is that I hated to interrupt what I found to be a joyful and beautiful noise.

Still, I did step up to the microphone and we turned our attention to God -- and our worship was rather joyful.  The bell choir rang during the offering and then we turned our attention to one of Jesus' promises to his disciples, recorded in John 16, about the consequences of Jesus being gone for "a little while" before returning "again a little while.  In a brief sermon, I suggested that Jesus' promise was a hard one, at least in some ways.  There will be things in our lives that cannot be made right and which will cause us grief; however, God has a future for us where our joy will be so great that it will dwarf the hard times in our lives now.

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.