Coming Up Sunday, March 30

On Sunday, we will continue our Easter season worship with a rather relaxed service. In the upcoming weeks, I will focus on the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus which are described in Matthew. This week, I thought we would reflect on Easter without the trumpets, the bustle, and all of the rest. (Not that I mind such things, but they are occasional.)

The resurrection looks different in the quietness after Easter morning and becomes the generally quiet center of our individual faith. I think that this quality of the resurrection was best captured by Handel in his masterpiece oratorio Messiah, in which he follows the joy and majesty of the resurrection (the "Hallelujah" chorus) with a gorgeous lyrical reflection of the event sung by the soprano soloist ("I Know That My Redeemer Liveth").

We will hear that solo on Sunday morning (no, I'm not singing it, though I know I have been mistaken for a soprano soloist), and we will reflect on its scriptural source, Job 19:21-27. And in this I hope we will enjoy the beauty and the sustaining comfort of the resurrection.

Reflections on Holy Week 2008

On Sunday, I received a number of comments about how meaningful this celebration of Holy Week has been at Central Christian. I am pleased to hear it. There was a lot of preparation for the week's activities, and it is gratifying to hear that the planning led to some moving experiences.

For my part, I thought that Holy Week went very well. I was surprised by how quickly behind I got in my work during the week (which means I have some extra work to catch up on this week), and I was surprised by how physically draining I found the experience, even as I found it spiritually exciting and meaningful.

I was greatly moved by the Maundy Thursday service. In some ways this is normal, as I generally respond powerfully to that service from year to year. But it seemed particularly moving, and I entered into my planned silence for prayer and meditation willingly and naturally. I have heard that others too kept silence for some time that night, so I don't think I was alone in this reaction.

The service on Good Friday was simple and meaningful and was a good example of how we should live our faith. We were blessed with seven excellent meditations on Jesus' statements from the cross and the overall meaning of the crucifixion. They were all similarly sincere and faithful, and they were all different, which is a description of any healthy congregation in a nutshell -- guided by the same spirit, but filled with individuals who bring different experiences and perspectives to the table. And the breadth of scripture and emotions that we shared through those seven reflections warmed my heart, even as I was saddened in the shadow of the cross.

The Easter Vigil was longer than I expected -- I had hoped we would finish within two hours, but it lasted about 2 hours and 15 minutes. (Some have commented that it was a great service, except it was too long. I understand -- it is a long service for everyone, myself included.) But I thought it was a beautiful vigil, full of life and hope, as we used the teachings across the ages to contextualize both the meaning of the resurrection and our place as Christians in the on-going story of God's love for the world and involvement in the world.

Easter Sunday was a joyous day, brightened by the sunshine the smiling faces of so many present. The breakfast seemed to perfectly capture that spirit, which lasted throughout the morning. I am glad that so many enjoyed the Easter play -- I enjoyed it too, especially seeing Jan working on all of the sound effects (and doing an excellent job). And worship was joyful and bright, even with a perhaps heavier than expected sermon.

I would like to offer thanks to the congregation for their support of these services (attendance was better than expected, which was exciting). And there are some other people who deserve great praise:

• If I was busy during the services, Brooks was even busier. The music was an essential part of these services, and Brooks showed his great versatility and faithfulness, not only in his presence, but in all of the expertise he offered in planning. He selected much of the music, all of which was not only appropriate for these services, but some of which was quite special.
• Willa and the choir did a yeoman's job all week, with extra rehearsals to prepare for so much music. On Saturday alone, they sang four prepared anthems, in addition to leading much of the service music and responsive psalms.
• Cathy and the worship committee worked hard to plan the week's activities and prepare for the logistics of Holy Week. They organized all of the scripture readers, all of the logistics of the Easter breakfast, and the preparation of the sanctuary for the services. Special thanks to Gary, George, and Randy for their ladder expertise in hanging the curtain used to shroud the cross.
• All of the readers and those who offered meditations and prayers during the services. Listening on Saturday night, I was struck by the realization of how prepared and gifted our scripture readers were -- how much knowledge and emotion that put into their readings. If Scripture can ever be boring (that's an interesting theological question), it is most likely when someone reads aloud in a monotone, stumbling over the words and phrases. That was never even remotely a problem. And the meditations, as I mentioned above, were all first-rate.

I believe that it was a great week for Central Christian, a week of excitement, a week of reflection, a week of service, and a week of growth.

Coming Up: Easter Sunday, March 23

Just a few brief words about worship this upcoming Sunday.

I hope that you will join us for breakfast at 9:00. As a dear pastor I know likes to say, "We Disciples are people of the table." So one of the ways that we fellowship together is to eat together. On this holy day, I hope you will share a bit of your morning with your church family.

Following the Easter breakfast will be the Easter Drama, "The Second Day." Please come out and support 15 of our members as they share a retelling of the Easter story in the style of a 1930s radio program. So far, the cast seems to be enjoying the play, and I think you will too.

Following the play, we will celebrate the risen Christ together in our Easter worship. I won't go into too much detail on my sermon, which will be based on Matthew 28:1-10. Partially, this is because I don't know yet exactly what the sermon will be -- like I suggested last Sunday, I need to journey alongside Jesus this Holy Week, and I don't yet know what lessons I will learn these days. But the title of the sermon, "ASAP," should give you some idea of which verse I'm focusing my reflections on.

Lastly, I should note that there will a few small changes in the order of service that I would like to try out for a while. I don't think that they it will take long to get used to them. Most of the changes are small. The opening of the service has a few more components, including a responsive Call to Worship and an Invocation (opening prayer), along with the recently missing Gloria Patri. At the end of the service, the Benediction will now follow the Recessional Hymn, instead of preceding it.

Perhaps a little more noticeable are a couple of changes around The Lord's Supper. One of these changes is theological; the other is simply my preference. The theological change is an addition to the service -- before we share our joys and concerns we will share with each other a sign of God's peace, called the Passing of the Peace. Aside from being a ritualized example of our fellowship, this simple act reminds us of our need to reconcile ourselves with each other in preparation to share together in the Lord's Supper. The second change is simply for my benefit -- I've been finding it difficult to do the Meditation and Invitation to Communion at the same time, and I think both of these things are very important. So I've separated them to ensure that I never forget the invitation to the table (which I worry about).

Hmm, this was more than a few brief words....

Reflections on Worship, March 16

I hope that many found the Palm Sunday service on Sunday a moving and thought-provoking introduction to this Holy Week. I certainly have heard many positive comments about the service, both on Sunday and since.

Perhaps the music of the day has eclipsed anything that was spoken during the service. This does not hurt my feelings (and not just because I was involved in some ways with both). Sometimes music offers a more direct reflection of the emotions of the day. This is partially why I choose to sing "Via Dolorosa" on Palm Sunday each year -- it much more accurately reflects my location on the pilgrim's journey than any "Hosanna" or even the great "Ride On, King Jesus."

Race and Reconciliation in America

The issue of race is an important one in the United States, politically and religiously. It is extremely influential, in ways seen and unseen. It is highly emotional, partly because it is an inherently personal issue for many, partly because it represents a long frustrating history.

As a pastor, I am particularly interested in how the issue of race affects the church. It has often been said that Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America -- and there is much evidence to support this. This -- either the fact or appearance of a racial divide in the church -- is an embarrassment for a faith which proclaims that "There is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for all are one in Christ Jesus."

More personally, I am aware of some of the challenges race poses for the church as a whole, and for individual congregations, based on my previous experience serving as a Youth Minister in an intentionally multi-ethnic church (primarily African-American and Caucasian, but also a few others).

This said, I commend to you the speech given this day by Barack Obama on the issue of race in the United States. True, he is a politician, not a pastor, but this issue has raised its head because of statements made by an influential African-American pastor (who happens to have recently retired as the pastor of Obama's church).

Here is a YouTube video of the entire speech.

I know that this is a speech given in a campaign, so parts of it are just parts of Obama's campaign stump speech. But I think that a good portion of it -- maybe half to two-thirds -- is an authentic attempt to grapple with the issue of race in the US. It is fair to say that you won't hear another politician talk in similar terms, or with similar depth (such as is possible in a speech of this time), in the near future.

Obama avoids some of the more provocative examples he could have cited in this speech, notably a recent report about the unbelievably high percentage of African-American males who have been incarcerated in their lives. But on the whole, he gives a good introduction to the issue, especially I think to certain generally held African-American attitudes in this country.

I know the speech is lengthy (37 minutes), but I think it is a helpful resource. It is a way to broaden our minds, by gaining some insight into the lives of those different from us. And, I hope, it is a way to stimulate our hearts, to imagine positive change that would allow us, and those around us, to more fully live out the teachings of the gospel.

Coming Up Sunday, March 16

This Sunday is Palm Sunday, which is the beginning of Holy Week, and the service will reflect this. I believe that Holy Week is a time of sacred remembrance for the church, as we remember more fully Christ's willing and loving sacrifice for our sakes. In accordance with the legacy of our Christian forefathers and foremothers, we will observe Holy Week by walking along side Jesus during his final week.

Sunday we will celebrate his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, where the crowds greeted him with loud shouts of "Hosanna!" amidst the waving of palm leaves. As our voices quiet, however, I hope we will begin to look at the longer road that Jesus is travelling. During the sermon, I will speak on "The Prophet's Road," drawing upon Matthew 21:1-11. During this, we will consider the entirety of the road that Jesus traveled over the course of his life on earth, from a humble birth in Bethlehem to his crucifixion and resurrection in Jerusalem.

By the end of the Sunday service we will look down the road that Jesus walked this final week, leading to a final time of teaching and fellowship with his disciples in an upper room, to an anguished prayer in a garden called Gethsemane, to an arrest and a sham trial, to an execution at Calvary, to an unexpected empty tomb nearby. There is hope at the end of "The Prophet's Road," but only after a period of deep darkness.

Too often we gloss over the darkness. We remember a crowd acclaiming Jesus as he entered Jerusalem and then we celebrate an empty tomb. But the empty tomb means little without better understanding the darkness that came before it.

So before we gather for Easter worship, we will gather for worship three more times on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

On Thursday, we will commemorate the last time that Jesus gathered with his disciples. That evening he gave them -- and us -- a great gift, the promise that he would use his own self to sustain us in our lives. He symbolized this promise in the breaking of the bread, which we as Disciples of Christ celebrate each time we gather. After we share communion this night, however, we will continue the story. As the darkness descends upon us, we will remember how the darkness descended upon Jesus that night, when he faced arrest, persecution, denial, and conviction, all unjustly.

On Friday, we will gather to hear Jesus teaching to us from the cross. We will reflect upon the seven last statements that Jesus made, as recorded in the gospels. It is a somber time, as we reflect on the reality of Christ's untimely death.

On Saturday, we will gather to await Christ's resurrection in a vigil. Unlike our forefathers and foremothers, we will not keep watch from sundown to sunup, but we will embrace their celebration as our own. We will celebrate the returning of the light that Jesus' resurrection represents for us, coming in the aftermath of his death. We will hear the stories that have been told for centuries, explaining God's careful and continued involvement in human history, beginning with the creation of our world and culminating in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. We will celebrate our participation God, both remembering and affirming our baptisms and celebrating the Lord's Supper with the risen Christ.

And then Sunday we will gather again, celebrating the resurrection of Christ, symbolized first by an unexpectedly empty tomb, and then by Christ's appearing to his beloved followers.

It is a long week. For me personally, it will be a draining week. But it is an important week for us spiritually, which is why I feel it is so important for us to observe it. Through these services, and through our observation at home, we will connect with God and with our brothers and sisters in Christ, deepening our faith. I do not know how you or I will be touched this week; but I know that we will, some of us deeply.

So as you look at a crowded calendar, I hope you do not get discouraged or overwhelmed. Instead I hope you embrace this opportunity for spiritual development and personal growth. Our God is faithful to us, and I know that whatever efforts we expend on God's behalf, God supports us and blesses us even more fully.

Easter Offering, March 16 and March 23

For the next two Sundays, we will participate in the annual Easter special offering for the general church, which supports many of the outreach ministries of the Christian Church. Click here to go to a statement and to view a PowerPoint presentation about the offering.

This offering benefits the following ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ):

• Division of Overseas Ministries/Global Ministries
• Higher Education and Leadership Ministries
• Council on Christian Unity
• Disciples of Christ Historical Society
• Hispanic Ministries
• National Convocation
• North American Asian Pacific Disciples
• Communication Ministries
• Disciples Home Missions
• Treasury Services and Development
• Disciples Benevolent Services
• Church Extension
• Pension Fund

You can view descriptions of all of these ministries on the Disciples of Christ website.