January 29 Worship: "Quo Vadimus: A Luke 10 Church (Part 1)"

The beautiful weather in January has seemed to make our Sunday worship services simmer with light and hope as the warm sun streams through the windows each week.  That, plus the wonderful birthday celebration we shared after worship, made the day feel exciting and full of life and good spirits.

During the sermon, we continued our series "Quo Vadimus (Where are we going?)", looking at a model of the church pointed to in Luke 10.  In this passage (Luke 10:1-12), Jesus sends out 72 disciples in his name to prepare the way for him.  Using an interpretation from a sermon by Brian McLaren, we explored three attributes of the church: that it is future-oriented, flexible, and a community of peace.  As we move ahead, I think we can explore these ideas as we seek to discern the kind of congregation God is calling us to be in this time and for the time ahead.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you would 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 Guatemala

This week we offer prayers for the ongoing mission in Guatemala, served for the past four years by Gloria Vincente-Kanu.  During her service, she was active with the Guatemalan Culture Action doing significant work with Mayan women.  Like much of Central America, this is a time of transition in Guatemala politically and culturally, which certainly creates a sense of anxiety for many who live there.

You can read more about the ministry here.

There are Christian missionaries serving around the world on our behalf in 70 countries. Each week, Global Missions highlights one of these missions and asks the church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

2011 Week of Compassion Report

In February, we will again collect our special offering for Week of Compassion, the emergency relief ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  Earlier this month, they reported the total cash relief that was distributed in 2011, almost $1.6 million.  You can read the list of where this money was shared here.

I hope that you will prayerfully consider how you will support the good service of this outreach ministry in 2012.

Coming Up on Sunday, January 29

This week, we continue our series "Quo Vadimus: Where are we going?" with the first of two sermons looking at one model for the future church.  Drawing on a wonderful sermon preached by Brian McLaren at last summer's General Assembly in Nashville, we will consider six attributes of a church as found in Jesus' teaching in Luke 10.  On Sunday, we'll consider how a church should be future-oriented, flexible, and a vessel of peace.

Two things are important.  While I am directly quoting the six characteristics that McLaren identified, the rest of the thoughts are my own, adapted for our situation.  Second, this is not my specific vision for Eastgate, but rather one good model to consider as we continue our discussions of how we will face the future together.

Atoning for the Sins of the Fathers

In a recent blog post, my friend and colleague Maggie Sebastian describes conversation she had with a man who, upon learning that she was a Christian chaplain, defensively and strongly said, "I am not a Christian."  She then recounts an all-too-common occurrence, someone who has been hurt by the church.

As we look to the future of our congregation and of Christ's church, we must admit that many people have felt hurt by a church they found to be judgmental, exclusive, petty, unloving, and inhospitable.  Some have been harmed so greatly that they refuse to have anything to do with churches and Christianity.

Listening to this man's story, Maggie raised important questions for any congregation seeking to bring healing to the nations:

I felt sadness at his obvious pain. I felt angry that people proclaiming Christ could be so . . . so . . . so what? So unaware? So spiteful? So hurt themselves that they have to hurt others to feel good? What is it?

As we look toward our annual journey to the cross this Lenten season, it is important to admit our part in causing such pain.  Sometimes we have been too judgmental, too petty, too unloving.  Sometimes we have tried to keep the love of Christ all to ourselves, thinking others unworthy of it.

Also, though, we must atone for the sins of others.  This is a part of the meaning of 'the sins of the fathers being visited even unto the third and fourth generation': the hurt that sin causes does not quickly go away, but can last for decades and even be passed on to others -- as bigotry, prejudice, and intolerance.  If we do not admit these mistakes, as a church, we will miss the opportunity to reach through Christ's love many who desperately need it.

As we look to share Christ with others, we must recognize that many become defensive when the subject of faith arises.  Perhaps they are anxious because they just don't know what they should think about God.  Often, however, they think they know "how Christians are," and they are just waiting for us to condemn them, to make fun of them, to belittle them, to dishonor them.  Such defensiveness can only be overcome through the sharing of Christ's love many times, through prayer and graciousness.

January 22 Worship: Laity Sunday

What a wonderful worship we shared on Sunday!  The Spirit was moving among us as several people led us in worship, including our three-part sermon from Bill Gray, Todd Hembree, and Tommy Rebecchi.  Together they reminded us of the many blessings God has given us individually and as a church, including purposes for the years ahead.  In addition, several people prayed, our children sang a special song, the choir shared Jo Wulf's favorite anthem, and another sister officially joined us for the journey ahead.

If you get the chance, I hope that you share your appreciation to some of the people who made the worship special for us.  I thought it was a wonderful testimony of our shared faith and a blessed gathering in God's presence.

The Church and New Media

In the past decade, communication has changed drastically.  Email and cell phone usage has skyrocketed, while new means of connecting have emerged.  The Internet has given us blogs (like this one), social media (Facebook, Twitter), video chat (Skype), and countless other avenues.  Combine this with texting and smartphones, and there are more applications to be explored.

How should the church view this communications revolution?  Union Theological Seminary has created the New Media Project, headed by Verity Jones (former editor of DisciplesWorld magazine), to explore these issues theologically.  After a few months, Jones offers this article about what they've learned so far and what they are continuing to study.

Personally, I think that many of these forms of communication offer congregations and the broader church important opportunities to connect across time and distance in relatively inexpensive ways.  With practice, these communications can help to make communities stronger.  (Unlike some others, though, I have reservations about the prospect of religious communities that are exclusively online.  I think there is an important part of our faith that is lived out when we are physically together.)