Religion Books vs Religious Books - Frederick Buechner

Immigration Reform: Not Demonizing Our Neighbors - Carissa Van Haitsma in Do Justice

Learning about the migration process for many Central Americans opened my eyes to the terrors many immigrants have faced. In the U.S. we do not welcome these immigrants, but instead we demonize them and deport them without a second thought.

There are many reasons Central Americans choose to migrate North. However, the violence and risk many Central Americans face while migrating is often just as terrible. 

Many Central Americans attempt migration even though they know the incredible risk. Despite the horrible things which may occur while migrating, many Central Americans live in worse conditions at home, causing migration to be worth the risk.

Learning about the migration process for many Central Americans opened my eyes to the terrors many immigrants have faced. In the U.S. we do not welcome these immigrants, but instead we demonize them and deport them without a second thought.

I was struck by the overwhelming need to love and care for the many people crossing the U.S. border every day, people who have experienced unspeakable pain and hardship to come to the U.S., who have finally made it, and are greeted with hatred and more hardship.

As Christians, we can not discount the experiences and hardships many immigrants have faced during migration. This issue is not only a political issue, it is a church issue. We must remember to be welcoming, and loving.

We must remember that instead of “illegal immigrants,” we are surrounded by people who have experienced true suffering. If we are able to consistently remember the person-hood and God-given dignity of every person, including undocumented immigrants, I truly believe the U.S. would be able to agree on an immigration system that helps, instead of hurts, the strangers in our midst.

The full article is available here

Philosophy Of Ayn Rand vs Philsophy of Jesus

Benediction for Communion Service: Taste and See (based on Psalm 34:8)

Communion is about action ... "taste and see," the Psalmist tells us.

So, now that we've taken the bread and cup, what are we going to do? If we are truly experiencing communion, we will be driven to offer the bread and cup - in whatever form it's needed - to others ... to whomever needs it. In so doing, our sense of community will widen in ways that may sometimes seem scary but are also exhilarating.

This is the work that communion brings us to.

Responsive Call To Worship: Communion Service (based on Isaiah 40:3)

Reader: From far out in the wasteland
that we find ourselves in, we cry to you God.
All: We hunger for Jesus, the bread of life,
and we thirst for God's Spirit.

Reader: God please hear us!
Pay attention to our cries for help!
All: Even though we're lost and far from home,
there is mercy and grace with you.

Reader: Our trust in you is the hope that we're hanging on.
We're taking you at your word God.
All: So we're waiting on you God, seeking.

Flags in Church? Chad Hall in Transformed

To give glory to country is idolatry. To weave faith into nationalism is heresy.

Does nationalism belong in church? I think not. When we strike patriotic tones, we dishonor God, disobey scripture, and misunderstand the relationship between God and country.

The narrative of scripture makes no room for nationalism in the modern sense. To give glory to country is idolatry. To weave faith into nationalism is heresy.

God welcomes all who will come and follow. For those who choose to follow, national identity wanes as kingdom identity grows.

One thing I will remember forever was a slide shared by Dr. Hans Hillerbrand, whose devout Lutheran family escaped Nazi Germany when he was a boy. The slide showed a Christian communion table draped with a Nazi flag and holding a communion cross that had been reformed to bear the swastika. It’s easy for us to stand such a great distance away and see how blatantly heretical that display was. Today we feel such great repugnance to the Nazi regime. But many of the Christians who were steeped in that culture saw no problem mixing the two because their loyalties to church and country were both high and they were unable to choose the higher (and ultimate) good. Many Christians in the world today feel repugnance when they see our flag or other symbols of our national pride and belief in our exceptionalism.

America is not a Christian nation and we should not pollute the universal church with fervor, faith or devotion to our nation (or any nation).

The full article is available here

The Problem Isn't the Bible, It's How It's Read - Brian McClaren in Patheos

The Bible—like any other sacred text—is too good and too important to be left to those who won't think critically about it. And frankly, it is too dangerous.

Finally, I found myself where I can enter the Bible as a library, a literary collection containing poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and other genres, and where I have complete freedom to ask questions about the Bible's sources, development, internal tensions, biases, accuracy, cultural context, and genre. I call this the personal/critical/literary approach.

I have continued to read it personally - seeking meaning, hope, guidance - because I still feel myself deep in the mysteries, dangers, and wonders of the human predicament.

From this nuanced position, I don't need to presume agreement among writers. I can allow them to make statements and counter-statements, to agree and to disagree.

Similarly, I don't need to assume every detail in the library is factual. Instead, I can read with the assumption that ancient storytellers had aims other than journalistic objectivity, scientific accuracy, or even absolute clarity.

This personal/critical/literary approach has freed me from the need to defend the violence found in the Bible, often attributed to God. It has also freed me from the opposite extreme: the need to throw out the Bible because it contains this violence. It has allowed me to trace how violence and the idea of God are gradually disentangled through the course of the biblical narrative, leading to a radically gracious and nonviolent vision of God. 

With a personal/critical/literary approach, I can see how our ideas of God have always matured as we matured, which challenges me to keep maturing now.

The Bible—like any other sacred text—is too good and too important to be left to those who won't think critically about it. And frankly, it is too dangerous.

The full article is available here

Continuing To Doubt - Kayla McClurg in Inward/Outward

Doesn't it give you heart to know that, even with all they have come through, and all that Jesus has done to assure them of who he is, some of the disciples continued to struggle with doubt?

Even after following him for years, learning from him, witnessing miracles of healing and resurrection, even after receiving the Spirit of peace from Jesus’ own breath, even after they too have been called to follow in his steps, commissioned to forgive and teach all they have learned, even then, some continue to doubt.

Now, having gone to the mountain to which he has directed them, they see him and worship him . . . and even so, they doubt. What a comfort these words can be for us. These are no super hero disciples. These are the ordinary faithful, folks among whom we, too, can find our place. Among these stumblers and mumblers we, too, can belong. This imperfect circle has room for our own imperfection, our own questions, space enough for both belief and lack of belief.

It is what it is. Some of us doubt. And what does Jesus do? Does he recoil in anger, utterly disappointed? Does he go in search of different disciples? No, he just keeps handing out assignments.

True to form, Jesus keeps calling us to our full capacity, coaxing forth a new kind of community, composed of both darers and doubters, the bashful and the bold. Fully human, as well as fully immersed in the Spirit that is Holy, his way of community can hold all that we are.

If Jesus can accept as his own those who have trouble believing, can we not accept ourselves and each other, regardless of our limitations and liabilities? Can we not answer yes to being both learners and teachers of this radical way of acceptance, following the one who has room even for our doubts?

Daring to Call it Idolatry: Nationalism in Worship - Craig Watts in Red Letter Christians

Regardless of the makeup of a local congregation, the church is multicultural, multiracial, and multinational by its nature. Nothing must be done in the life of the church to suggest otherwise.

Nothing in the teachings of either Christ or the apostles calls for love or loyalty to one nation above others. All that is expressly urged in scripture is that disciples honor and pray for governing leaders and obey laws that are not contrary to God’s will. Love and allegiance for any earthly realm is neither commanded nor commended in scripture.

Because of the nature of the church’s identity and mission, patriotic or nationalist expressions have no legitimate place in its worship and ministry. Regardless of the makeup of a local congregation, the church is multicultural, multiracial, and multinational by its nature. Nothing must be done in the life of the church to suggest otherwise.

The story of the self-giving, promise-making God is told again and again in worship. This story contrasts and challenges the story of every tribe and nation. In worship, hope is redirected from the principalities and powers of the present to that which is coming. Rather than sanctioning any present nation, the church, if faithful in worship, practices for what it prays for: “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

The full article is available here

Benediction: Lives Marked By Compassion and Generosity (based on Ephesians 5:1-2)

Since God is so generous with us and infuses the universe with goodness, may we act as conduits of that divine grace. 

May our lives be marked by compassion. 

May God's ever-present spirit encourage and strengthen us as we work to bring out the best in everyone and everything.

Responsive Call To Worship: God Is With Us Always (based on Psalm 33:18-22)

Reader: Even if when feels like we are lost, adrift and overwhelmed ...
ALL: ... we are never off of God’s radar.

Reader: Whether through God’s Spirit inside of us or through others
who act as God’s skin to us ...
ALL: ... we are looked after and cared for.

Reader: In a world where hard times and difficulty comes
across all of our paths ...
ALL: ... we are not alone.

Reader: This reassurance can be a
great source of hope.
ALL: When we begin to, even faintly,
catch a glimpse of God's everyday,
all-encompassing love, we can't help
but give thanks. 

Call To Worship: Justice, Love, Mercy (based on Amos 5:24)

Reader: Creator God, speak to our hearts.
You have told us what is required:
All: ... to do justice, to love kindness
and to walk humbly with you.

Reader: Spirit, move us to action, so that justice rolls like water ...
All: … and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Reader: Jesus, take away our self-centeredness.
Make us willing to give of ourselves to your creation.

All: Thank you that you continually move within,
around and through us. We give you praise.

Benediction: Willing To Serve and Give (based on Matthew 25:40)

May we follow God's command to love our neighbors as ourselves so that we can see God in the poor, oppressed, condemned and forgotten.  

May we be willing to serve and willing to give. May we overflow with grace and be God’s hands and feet in this world.

May God Bless You With Discomfort - Franciscan benediction

Pastor Welcomes Birth of 2nd Sermon Illustration - Lark News

As with their first daughter Lauren, whatever Allie does or says will now provide a rich resource for Parker’s ministry.

Pastor Darren Parker of Covenant Church welcomed his second sermon illustration on Thursday, a baby girl named Allie May who weighed 8 lbs. 1 oz. and promises to provide years of funny anecdotes for her father’s weekly messages.

“I am so overjoyed at little Allie May’s arrival and can’t wait to use every detail of her life in stories I tell from the pulpit,” says Parker sitting next to his wife’s bed. “What an awesome privilege.”

As with their first daughter Lauren, whatever Allie does or says will now provide a rich resource for Parker’s ministry. The Parkers even chose the name “Allie May” because it flows so well off the tongue.

Parker often brings along a scratch pad to take notes on each of his children’s actions and utterances which might support a point in his messages. He then delves into the meaning of even the most minute word or gesture. Recently, while out to ice cream with Lauren, Parker jotted extensive observations about her decision-making.

“She was conflicted about ordering orange sherbet or rocky road, and she stood there pondering the choice for quite some time,” he says. “In the end she chose rocky road not for the flavor but because there’s ‘more stuff in it.’ What a powerful lesson for all of us.”

The full article is available here

Benediction: A Strong Foundation In The Storm (based on Matthew 7:24-27)

May we always be paying attention; seeking out the still and small voice of God’s spirit, which is continually speaking both within us and around us.

When life’s inevitable storms come our way, may our hope in God be a strong foundation and a secure footing for our souls. May we also seek out ways to be God’s hope to our fellow travelers on life’s path.

Responsive Call To Worship: God Speaking To Our Souls (based on Psalm 119)

Reader: God, you continually move within and around us.
All: You are always speaking to our souls, whether we hear it or not.

Reader: May we tend to these seeds that you plant so that they can grow.
All: We need your grace to water our often dry, dehydrated souls.

Reader: May we hear your voice in everything within and around us.
All: Make our souls open to your grace and love in every part of the universe.

Reader: God, you move us like a gentle breeze on the water.
May our minds be open in expectation.
All: May our hearts be stirred by your spirit
as we read, sing and listen together.

How To Write A Worship Song In 5 Minutes Or Less - from The Blimey Cow

Justice, Not Charity - Mary Wollstonecraft

To the Dying Church: Sharing our Wounds - by Cindy Brandt in Sojourner's

But we do not come to you carrying that much pain just so we can sing some feel-good songs and be sent on our way.

Dear Church,

You are dying because you've been applying band aids for a far deeper problem. You are consistently doling out superficial remedies for surface wounds when the source of pain lays untreated.

When hurting people walk through your doors, you play the positive thinking guru and dispense quick fixes with inspirational quotes. You provide cheap grace and empty promises that are driving people out your doors.  

You have traded in a revolution for a scripted life.  

Why do you insist on being sanitized? Why are you so afraid of the mess?  We want you to point us to the God who is not afraid to enter the messiness of our humanity.

Looking outward we see unspeakable violence perpetrated against the weakest among us. We see mass destruction of trees, animal species driven to extinction, and waters polluted by human greed. We see nations fighting, people persecuted, and children dying of abject poverty. Looking inward we find our own feelings of loneliness, isolation, powerlessness, and guilt. We are confused, afraid, and hurting.

But we do not come to you carrying that much pain, just so we can sing some feel-good songs and be sent on our way.  You have missed the mark on addressing a deep, felt need to be meaningful.  We want to speak the truth about how truly messed up we are, in your sanctuary: a safe haven. Safe to be real, safe to hurt, safe to lament. A safe place to figure it all out with other broken people.

We don’t want the band aid: we want to air out our wounds in an atmosphere inviting true healing. We need to feel the extent of our pain so we can be driven to find the root causes. We want to share our wounds with one another, because when it really, really hurts, it matters to know we are not alone. 

Help us wade through these deep, dark waters of anxiety; together in the diminishing numbers of communities which are hobbling forward by faith. It hurts to dig deeper. It’s painful to get inside of our anxieties and face them full-on. 

The full article is variable here

Prayer - Holiness Is About The Work of Redemption & Transformation

God, you are gracious in love and mercy.
When we sing of your holiness, it is our way of reminding ourselves that you are the source of redemption and transformation in life. Reveal yourself to us; guide us according to your grace and wisdom. Teach us how to love as you have loved us. May we then be your hands and feet, so that those weak with sorrow find joy, those in despair find new hope, those frightened find peace and those bound find freedom. Amen

2 Big Ways To Keep Your Church Music Fresh - Church Leaders

There is no pat answer for avoiding cliché. It takes extra care and intentionality by each and every person involved in the creative process.

The common misconception is that if something works for a while, it will work forever.  This is commonplace in the Church. We become attached to our practices.

In order to keep the Gospel message of Jesus Christ fresh, you do not need more. But you do need change. Innovation means something new.

For church band leaders, we can keep things fresh by doing a couple of simple things.

1. Remove “safety” from your Sunday service ideals
Safety is important when it comes to keeping my children alive or making sure I stay on the right side of the road. I promise you that the person who is stepping into church for the first time in 10 years fully expects to be rocked a little. Precaution from you will only lead to precaution from them.

2. Look at what has comatosed your congregation
There is no pat answer for avoiding cliché. It takes extra care and intentionality by each and every person involved in the creative process.  A good idea would be to go back through your services and see what has comatosed your crowd, and disturb and disrupt them to a place where they are able to see Christ’s face fresh again.

The full article is available here

I Am The Way - Kayla McClurg in Inward/Outward

The way of Jesus is a giving-receiving-confronting-sacrificial way that does not seek its own security. It embraces, never shuns, the outsider.

The interpretation of this one pivotal passage has meant the difference for many between loving or hating religion in general and Christianity in particular.

Did Jesus really believe God is limited to only one way to reach humankind? Did he intend to exclude all who seek God on other paths?

How this statement gets interpreted probably says more about the interpreter than about Jesus. Whether we see the way and the truth and the life of Jesus as generously inclusive, or narrowly bound, might indicate how free or limited is our own inner realm.

Throughout his public ministry, Jesus clearly shows that he did not come to establish philosophical theories about God, but to give us a way—a way to journey to God, and with God, in right here, right now practices of love.

The way of Jesus is a giving-receiving-confronting-sacrificial way that does not seek its own security. It embraces, never shuns, the outsider. It is a way that calls us to lay down the limited vision of our private paths and to join others as a sign to the world of God’s great community of compassion.

When I hear Jesus saying, “I am the way,” I hear, “This way I’ve been living is the way.” The truth and life of my life, rooted in mercy and an ever-expanding generosity, are the way to God.

The full article is available here

Benediction: Live Out Real Love

May we follow God’s example
so that we can live out real love.  

May we be people of steadfast hope
and powerful giving.  

May who God is and how Jesus lived challenge us
to give of ourselves in service and love.

Reflection and Renewal: Living In Love (based on 1 John 4:7)

God, There are times when we want to love in the way that you've showed us, but we aren't able to. Other times we are on auto-pilot and don’t give any thought or attention to living a life of love.  And other times we are simply unwilling to love.

We are in need of forgiveness and mercy.  In your endless love and bottomless grace, forgive us and help us to learn to let go of our guilt, apathy and lovelessness. In it’s place, let our hearts beat with your love, to set things right here and now as in heaven. Let us be attentive and willing to pass on your love. Amen.