Wednesday, October 29, 2014

October 26 Worship: "Judges - A Wondrous Jawbone"

On Sunday, we concluded our celebration of the Month of the Ministry by honoring our worship greeters and our Director of Music, Renee Zimmerman.  There also was a time of appreciation for my ministry, which was touching.  I am so grateful for my ministry at Eastgate, where we are serious about growing in our faith, about loving each other, and about serving beyond ourselves.

In the sermon, we continued our Godsway 66 journey, entering the time of the Judges in Israel -- between the leadership of Moses and Joshua and the first king, Saul.  This was a period of charismatic leadership, when influential tribal leaders rose to prominence and authority in the entire nation.  A couple of these people's names still echo through the centuries -- Gideon and Samson.  Samson is especially famous for his strength, which made people eager to follow him.

The problem with charismatic leadership is that there is no check on where these people might lead, which created problems for the Israelites (as such leadership still creates today, even with our systems of checks and balances).  The opportunity, though, is that these people could get certain things done quickly, with no established system to get in the way.  However, relying on such leadership can be disorienting, especially when the leader dies and leaves a vacuum -- which is why the Israelites demanded a king.

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.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

October 19 Worship - "Joshua - ... One Step Back"

On Sunday, we continued our Month of the Ministry by publicly thanking those who serve in administrative leadership at Eastgate: our board officers, ministry and committee chairs, and those who account for financial giving.  We also highlighted some of our current giving campaigns, including the special collection to "Re-leave Tall Oaks," our regional camp and conference center.

We also entered a new leg of our Godsway 66 journey, beginning our study of the Jewish histories with the story of Joshua and the conquest of the Promised Land.  From the famous battle of Jericho on, the Israelites cross the Jordan River (miraculously) and capture and take possession of city after city.  Despite all of this success, though, the Israelites seem to have been distracted from God -- sometimes even worshiping other gods.  At the end of his life, Joshua pleads with the Hebrews to keep the faith by not getting distracted.

Of course, we have not witnessed all of the miracles that these Israelites did.  But many of us have benefited from a lifetime of blessings -- and yet as a culture we seem to have lost our faith.  As Joshua urged the Hebrews, we need to stop turning away from God, but reclaim and proclaim our faith in 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 others, you can find an audio recording here.

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

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Prayer for Mission in Kenya

This week we pray for Joel Cooper, our missionary to Kenya.  Joel serves as a Global Mission Intern with Church World Service in East Africa.

You can read more about the mission to Kenya here, including stories of people who are determined to survive even in overwhelmingly difficult circumstances.

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.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

October 12 Worship - "Deuteronomy - With All Your Might"

On Sunday, we continued our Month of the Ministry celebration by honoring those who serve as nursery assistants, Sunday School teachers, Children Worship & Wonder storytellers and greeters, and our large group of property, maintenance, and lawn care volunteers.  We also promoted our "Re-Leaving Tall Oaks" collection to provide additional support to the camp and conference center of the Christian Church in Greater Kansas City.

We also continued our journey along Godsway 66, concluding five weeks reading the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.  With Deuteronomy, we discover a retelling of the story of the time of the Israelites during the wilderness years after slavery in Egypt.  While Exodus seems more interested in presenting God's miraculous liberation of the Hebrews from slavery, Deuteronomy focuses more on the inner salvation that the Hebrews need to experience before inhabiting the Promised Land.  Part of this faith in God is to be exhibited in love and devotion, as described in the 6th chapter.

In some ways, the people needed to learn how not to be slaves.  But God worries that without a proper relationship with God (which would include having some appreciation for God's perspective on human life), the Israelites would start thinking that their good fortune in the Promised Land was about their work and not about God's providing it.  Worse, losing sight of this would allow them to start mistreating other people around them too, because they would think too highly of themselves.

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.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

October 5 Worship - "Numbers - The Complaint Department"

We celebrated World Communion Sunday at Eastgate over the weekend, joining with other congregations around the world in gathering at the Lord's Table and celebrating the wideness of Christian expression and influence throughout the world.  Also, Rev. Sara Wilcox was visiting with us this weekend, and it was exciting for her to serve at the communion table as part of this celebration (which gave me the happy excuse to sing during communion too).  We also began our month-long celebration of ministry by publicly thanking the elders, deacons, and leaders of the Disciples Women for their service this year.

In the sermon, we continued our journey along Godsway 66, exploring the book of Numbers.  This book, which details a complete census of the tribes of Israel, also offers insight into a time of frustration for the Hebrews while they are still in the wilderness, waiting to enter the Promised Land.  In particular, the group complains about the lack of food -- only manna to eat, nothing else -- and even imagines it would be worth being slaves in Egypt again, just for some other food to eat.

I suggested that these were the teenage years for the Israelites, when they were experiencing some growing pains.  In particular, I said that while their frustrations were valid, they still had things to learn -- or unlearn -- before they would be ready to claim the Promised Land.  They had to stop thinking of themselves as slaves, and they needed to learn how to live together freely and peacefully.  This can make us wonder what we might have to learn in times when we just seem to be waiting anxiously for the next thing in our lives.

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.