Call To Worship: Earth Day Weekend

based on piece by Greg Klimovitz

God, help us to listen so we may hear your voice all around us in the universe you called “good.”

God, open our minds so we may love one another and the earth you told us to care for and protect.

God, open our eyes to see your fingerprints in the wonder of all that surrounds us.

May our lives be worship to you.

Becoming Vulnerable - L. Gregory Jones

Reflection and Renewal: Earth Day Weekend (based on Numbers 35:33)

God of All Life,

We give thanks for the beautiful, life-giving Earth that you created and called good.  We ask forgiveness for all of the ways in which we have failed to be faithful stewards of our common home; which you have called us to restore and renew.

We ask forgiveness for the ways in which we haven’t loved our neighbors as much as we’ve loved ourselves.

May we learn to respect all life, in which your spirit dwells, as a sacred gift. Thank you for inviting us to take part in your kingdom work of making all things new again.

Help us to live a fully-engaged life.

Amen.

God Is Shared Life In Relationship - Richard Rohr

Earth Day Prayer - Climate Caretakers

Creator God,

Your creativity knows no bounds and your creation shouts of that boundlessness.

Thank you for sharing that creation with us and giving it to us to take care of and look after as our common home. Thank you for the progress that has been made to address carbon pollution and climate change.

Let us take heart from what has been done and from the progress that has been made so far. At the same time may we use the presence of that progress and your presence with us to encourage our next steps.

May your presence and the promise of future progress give us hope. May we and our leaders not rest on past progress or future promise. Instead, empower us to press ahead. Help us to build on that progress, to express your presence and to fulfill that promise.

With love, grace, patience and perseverance may we learn, pray and act together to care for your creation and its climate.

Amen.

Revised Arrangement: This Is My Father's World - Amy Grant version

Revised Lyrics/Revised Arrangement: Everlasting God

The Not So Hidden Message in Contemporary Christian Music - Ken Dahl

There seems to be a continual psychological love affair for some distant place that is “Oh, so much better than Earth,” which sadly creates a contempt for the world of the here and now.

This irreverence for the world we're all born into is almost like wishing death would come faster so they could get out of this nasty, horrible place God supposedly called ‘good.’

The following is the result of a quick research project I did of just two days of to-and-from-work commutes, listening to a contemporary Christian music radio station.

Out of all the songs I heard, these five messages were loud and clear.

1. How terribly, unbearably hard, it is ‘down here below’ in this burdensome world.

2. A perpetual “I am nothing without You God” underlying theme throughout the music. I call this “not-enoughness theology.”

3. An almost begging, ultra-dependent neediness and crying to ‘God up above’ to please ‘come down’ and help us.

4. An emotion-based romance, almost lamenting for some future utopian, off-planet paradise that will be oh so much better than the life we have to continually struggle through here in the here and now.

5. An endless, very romantic emotion-based adoration and worship.

This continual barrage of sad, desperate dependency actually fosters an emotional, low-self-esteem, soap opera-like, daily lifestyle. And it paints an unrealistic picture of us being an emotionally-unhealthy, ultra-dependent, otherwise-helpless bunch of needy souls barely making it through the week without our God.

Although there are some small pockets of Christians who have moved beyond the theology that many of these songs portray, the majority of evangelicals still unfortunately cling to this belief system cross section.

When we are ‘worshiping’ an up-there-somewhere God it becomes not much different than laying flowers and fresh fruit at the base of a statue in some other religion. In reality, it IS the same thing with extra emotional romance, the feelings of indebtedness, unworthiness, and not-enoughness added.

Why would I want that? Why would anyone want that?
I guess for reasons of comfort perhaps. It is indeed the opposite of taking 100% personal responsibility for our own demeanor, our own maturity, our own personal growth, our own humanitarian benevolence, and even our own happiness and mental wellness. All the music purports that we are simple “not enough” to govern our own lives in such a responsible manner.

Its The Theology!
I began to realize that it is not the lyrics of these songs that are ‘all wrong,’ it is the theology. It is the theology that is creating this perpetual ultra-dependency that never progresses beyond a certain point.

The Strange Romance for Anywhere Else (But Here)
In some of the songs, there seemed to be a continual psychological love affair for some distant place that is “Oh, so much better than Earth,” which sadly creates a strange sort of contempt for the natural world of the here and now. This boredom and irreverence for the world we were born in is strange at best. It is almost as if they wish death would come faster so they could get out of this nasty, horrible place God supposedly called ‘good.’

The full article is available here

Forgiveness Is An Invitation - Christian Duquoc

Awareness Of God's Presence - Richard Rohr

"God's Not Dead" Movies Fail Christians - Chris Williams at Patheos

“God’s Not Dead” are offensive and harmful movies — and I say that as a Christian.

The “God’s Not Dead” films fail their target audience and become the thing they claim that they're preaching against.

“God’s Not Dead” are offensive and harmful movies — and I say that as a Christian.

The plots feels more like a chain email or Bill O'Reilly segment than anything resembling real life.  The world of “God’s Not Dead” sees all questions and disagreements as an attack, not an invitation to dialogue.  “God’s Not Dead” prepares young people to strike a defensive, fearful posture, which is the first step toward blocking friendships and discussions.

“God’s Not Dead” depicts Christians as a beleaguered, persecuted minority. Never mind that American Christians have done pretty well for themselves and hold a political and cultural sway that many other faiths covet. Never mind that many people feel intimidated by Christians and are nervous about having evangelicals impose their views on them.

The films paint non-Christians as obsessed with bringing down religion and making Christians look stupid. They try to convince young Christians that people who don’t share their faith are enemies. The films don’t just eliminate dialogue; they set up genuine conflict.

The films also encourage stereotypical views of Christians. This issue is indicative of a large problem in evangelical subculture, which often equates Christianity with voting a certain way, listening to certain music and generally not being “weird.”  True, biblical Christianity is diverse, encompassing all political spectrums, artistic tastes and levels of intellect. These films fail to allow that diversity.

In their attempts to prepare young Christians for challenges that they likely won’t face — persecution and outright hostility — the “God’s Not Dead” films ignore the very real challenges they likely will.  But what about when the "threat" is internal, and new thoughts and philosophies challenge what they believe?

Unfortunately, “God’s Not Dead” would rather traffic in fear and anger.

The full article is available here