Call To Worship: Quiet, Confident Expectation (based on Isaiah 40:31)

God, we have gathered in expectation of connection with you. In the same way that you bring order from chaos and bring renewal and life to the universe, we know that you move, in grace, towards us. Even though we are imperfect and broken, you invite us near. We come together to respond, in praise, for your how your spirit moves in our souls.

We thank you for how you long to have connection and relationship with us. Make our lives themselves be a song of joy to you, God.

NeoCalvinism - Mark Krause at Krause Korner

Calvinism is biblically based, to be sure, but there are two, related doctrinal items in Calvinism that are not reconcilable with the majority of Scripture’s teaching.

In many large churches, the old Protestant doctrines of Calvinism are flourishing. This has been called Neo Calvinism, New Calvinsim, and other things. I like the label NeoCalvinsim. The leading advocates for this are John Piper, Mark Driscoll, and others.

Calvinism is biblically based, to be sure, but there are two, related doctrinal items in Calvinism that are not reconcilable with the majority of Scripture’s teaching.

First, the doctrine of complete, utter, total human depravity. If this is a starting point, one must believe that men and women can do nothing toward their own salvation. Salvation must necessarily be an act of God for each individual. When we push this to its logical conclusion, salvation or lack of salvation are determined by God with no human decisions or actions influencing God’s decisions.

The logical corollary to the doctrine of total depravity is the doctrine of predestination. If salvation is wholly of God, it is predetermined and set before our birth.

It is difficult to reconcile this with the repeated Scriptural teaching that God is not willing that any should perish.  If God is unwilling that any should perish or not be saved, then the doctrine of predestination is nonsense. Sophisticated nonsense with some scriptural support, to be sure, but still nonsensical.

The full article is available here

Mercy and Thanksgiving - Kayla McClurg at Inward/Outward

Once in a while, we not only get healed—we also GET IT that we are getting healed! With a stroke of sudden awareness we see the unfailing love in which we are encased, like new skin, leprous no more. Once in a while, thanksgiving wells up within us.

At the heart of it all is mercy. Healing our leprosy, whether physical, mental or spiritual, is but an outward sign of the most radical and audacious news—the God of love living in Jesus cannot stop healing and reconciling and making all things new. Ten times out of ten, we are made new! Nine times out of ten, we do not comprehend the enormity of this amazing grace. We miss so many mercy moments, and venture forth unaware that we are being healed.

Once in a while, we not only get healed—we also GET IT that we are getting healed! With a stroke of sudden awareness we see the unfailing love in which we are encased, like new skin, leprous no more. Once in a while, thanksgiving wells up within us, bounds alongside us, laps at mercy’s heels, tumbles over itself in an outrageousness of joy. Mercy heals us. One time out of ten, a tsunami of gratitude plunges us onto the shores of new life.

How to live now, in the awareness of such abundance and grace? Ten times out of ten, crying out for mercy brings the gift of mercy. But we are so accustomed to the leprosy, to living in rejection and fear on the outskirts of our life, not daring to believe that we have more to give than we have given so far. How shall we help one another, beggars all, to acknowledge the healing, to rise up on a wave of thanksgiving, to begin to live the wholeness that has already come, already weaves itself through our ordinary days?

The full article is available here

The Longview of The Kingdom - Ocsar Romero

Benediction: The Life Of Suffering Love That Jesus Lived Is What We're Invited Into (based on I Peter 2:21-25)

We are invited into the kind of life that Christ lived. Jesus surrendered his place at God's right hand and chose to suffer everything that came with being fully human - so that we would know how to live as  followers of God's kingdom here on earth.

Like Jesus, we can surrender our ego to the unforced rhythms of grace and become more fully alive. 

As we go from here, let's remember that God continues to set things right in the effort to restore the created universe back to its original goodness. May that compel us to seek out ways to be God's healing
and new life to our homes, our communities, and the world beyond our walls.

Responsive Call To Worship: God's Goodness (based on Psalm 103)

Psalm 103 by Lee Hood

Reader: Our souls sings songs of thanks to God
All: We remember God’s goodness to us.

Reader: God’s kindness is endless. God's presence is always with us ...
All: ... even in times of struggle.

Reader: God watches over us with unending love.
All: God provides the strength that we need
Reader: For all who have been mistreated, God does what is right and fair.
All: God is tender and kind and slow to anger.

Reader: God’s love never runs out. As high as the heavens are above the earth ...
All: ... that's how great God’s love for us is.

Reader: As far as the east is from the west,
All: ... that's how far away from our brokeness it is that God sees us.

Reader: So let us sing songs of thanks.
All: May we always remember God’s goodness to us.

Are Consumers Able To Worship? Syd Hielema at Calvin Institute of Worship

The job of a leader is to create a space where all are free to set aside self-centered desires and wake up longings for a deeper way of living.

Consumerism is the societal sense that our conscious desires must be satisfied as quickly as possible.  The worshiping community gathers with conflicted desires.  The job of a leader is to create a space where all are free to set aside self-centered desires and wake up longings for a deeper way of living.  Here are some practical steps to implement this.

Stretch the community's worship imagination.  There should be an intentional focus on a 24/7, all-of-life is worship mindset.  This includes learning the skill of bring the entirety of life to worship.

Allow many different voices to speak.  There needs to be a balance between seeking to be nourished (though valid, self-directed) and being a community that nourishes "the stranger" (other-directed).  The church needs to learn to "die to self" by making room for the "non-me" generations that are coming up behind it.

Dig deeper.  The church needs to be challenged to discern and address "deep needs" and to engage people in their deepest being.  This is prevented when worship is focused on instant gratification that makes people feel good.

Engage tradition in living ways.  The consumer-driven Christian entertainment industry likes to market itself as contemporary.  But as J Pelikan said, "Tradition (rich though unfamiliar practices) is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism (this is the comfortable way we are familiar with) is the dead faith of the living."

The full article is available here

Why I Don't Enjoy "Christian" Pop Culture - Bill Hodgeman

When I think about some of the cultural artifacts that have been modified by the word “Christian,” I think about how glad I am that Jesus rose from the dead.  Otherwise, He’d be rolling in His grave.

The title is a misnomer.  There is no such thing as Christian pop culture. There’s only Christian niche culture. There’s a difference.

In short, Christian niche culture differs from popular culture not just in its content, but in its quality, creativity and culturally-savviness.  That’s why it’s a niche culture. Because only a niche will buy it. Which niche?  The one who will gladly sacrifice excellence and innovation for content they can feel good about.

So why, you ask, is a Christian niche culture such a bad thing?

Christianity is a relationship and a worldview, not a genre.

A Christian is a noun.  The word Christian means, literally, “a little Christ.” Historically it has described someone who has denied themselves and taken up their cross to follow(trust, imitate, obey) Jesus of Nazareth. It is a powerful identity marker that indicates supreme loyalty and submission to the Son of God.  Christian is a powerful word.  And it’s a noun.

The word Christian looses it's power when it becomes an adjective—particularly one that modifies nouns such as t-shirt, music, novel,conference and film.

When I think about some of the cultural artifacts that have been modified by the word “Christian,” I think about how glad I am that Jesus rose from the dead.  Otherwise, He’d be rolling in His grave.

The full article is available here

Worship: The Myth of "Christian" Music - Jonathan Malm at Sunday Mag

The terms “secular” and “sacred” are myths when it comes to music. “Christian music” is not Christian. And frankly, neither is "Worship" music. Music is music.

Many of the songs the church sings that have been designated as "Worship" by a for-profit "Christian" record industry are deeply flawed.


They’re filled with bad doctrine or misleading messages (not to mention distorted theology). That’s why it’s important to be careful what songs we sing (and the terminology we use to describe them).

Too many Christians get all their doctrine from the songs they sing. Let’s step beyond calling five songs “worship”. Let’s start seeing this as a bigger experience than just a block of music. The tool of worship is never supposed to be worshiped. When that happens we have an idol.

The terms “secular” and “sacred” are myths when it comes to music. “Christian music” is not Christian. And frankly, neither is "Worship" music. Music is music.

The full article is available here