Call to Worship: Hear God's Still, Small Voice (based on 1 Kings 19:11-13)

So often, we expect life to wow and dazzle us. But God, you often come in the still, the small, and the meek. So when we're overloaded by constant stimulus and marketing, settle us with the unforced rhythms of grace.

When our hearts are dried up by apathy and cynicism, open up the wellspring of your mercy.

God, we are seeking you in hopeful expectation. You are trustworthy and good. For this, we give you thanks.

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

We are never off of God’s radar, even when it feels like we are lost, adrift and overwhelmed. Whether through God’s Spirit inside of us - or through others who act as God’s skin to us - we are looked after and cared for. 

In a world where hard times and difficulty comes across all of our paths, we are not alone. This reassurance can be a great source of hope. When we begin to even faintly catch a glimpse of this all-encompassing, every day love, we can’t help but give thanks.

Post-Christianity Is Good for Church - Chris Piatt in Sojourner's

We have to re-imagine who we are without being propped up by the religious systems into which we've invested so much of ourselves, our resources, and therefore, much of our egos and identities.

Anyone who has been paying attention knows that Christianity is in decline in the western world by all accounts.  For many leaders within organized Christian circles, this is all a call to arms, a warning shot across the proverbial bow to wake us up from our slumber and engage the impinging culture war with renewed commitment.

It’s actually good news. Granted, it may not slow the decline and closure of churches anytime soon, and we Christians will likely continue to lose some degree of political clout, but I argue that this isn’t the point. It never was. And in fact, our numerical, political and even financial success in recent generations has taken us far off track.

There are several ways in which this current shake-up is the best thing for us, and actually promises to liberate the Gospel and its adherents from some of the false idols we've often come to worship, mistaking them for God. 

Humility is necessary.  We've become too comfortable with an imperialist attitude toward our faith. But Jesus consistently challenged such top-down power plays, and in as much as we’re to imitate the Christ-illuminated path to realizing God’s kingdom vision for the world, we’re well advised to do the same. 

Friction is good. We've come to lean on a ‘The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it’ way of approaching scripture, suggesting that there even is such a thing as literal interpretation of scripture. But such absolute approaches to the Bible and our daily living out of our faith actually stifles the spirit’s movement within and among us, rather than forcing all into some uniform mold dictated by God for us to fall into.

We’re worshiping religion, not God.  We've fallen victim to mistaken assumption that we have to resurrect dying religious infrastructures in order to reveal God to ourselves and others.

We need to know who we are independent of Church.  We have to re-imagine who we are without being propped up by the religious systems into which we've invested so much of ourselves, our resources, and therefore, much of our egos and identities.

The full article is available 

They Are Our Children - Rev. Carlos L. Malavé in Bread For The World

We are called to be Christ to all, but in a very intentional and biased way, we must be Christ to destitute, hungry, and oppressed people. Our actions, care, and concern for poor people reveal the presence or absence of the living Christ in us.

The most important responsibility of the Church is to promote, nurture, and protect human life and dignity. When the Church relinquishes this duty because of political expediency, or even in defense of its theological and ideological convictions, it loses its moral grounding and credibility.

The Church is called to be the most unequivocal expression of the heart and conscience of Christ. The way we respond to the cries of the children of God either affirms our legitimacy or exposes our failure.

Our allegiance is not to the political winds of the time. Our allegiance is to the one who will call us into account when the last act of the human drama wraps up.

Every follower of Christ, every minister, and every local congregation must offer refuge to those seeking freedom, healing, and salvation. 

Our ears cannot become deaf to the words of Jesus: “Because you did it unto one of these little ones, you have done it unto me.”

We must guard our souls from apathy and the callousness that pervade our political and economic systems.

There are children dying in the streets of Chicago and Philadelphia, and there are also children dying in the Sonoran Desert and the Rio Grande. They are our children. They are our children because we are one human family.

The children of Salvadorian, Honduran, and Guatemalan families are as human and as important as my own three children. How can anyone think that their own children have the right to live in peace and security while denying this same right to others?

The full article is available here

Child Refugee Crisis: 3 Responses Christians Don't Avoid But Should - Matthew Blanton in Christianity Today

When we spread half-truths or lies without checking their veracity, we are still bearing false witness through our own laziness. We must choose our news sources carefully. Even if children at the border were our enemies, we would still be commanded to love and care for them. Fear-mongering and hateful remarks are tired, overused tactics (that were employed against most of our own immigrant ancestors).

Easy prey for human traffickers. Thousands of traumatized children. Overcrowded government facilities. Social unrest. How are we to respond to the political, moral, and humanitarian crisis happening at the southern border of the United States?

As exhausted and war-torn children enter the U.S. looking for relief, our nation is overwhelmed by logistical, financial, and humanitarian challenges. To make matters worse, politicians and pundits are polarizing the issue, spreading misinformation and fear. In this intense climate, we are tempted to respond out of the values of our earthly nationalism, forgetting the radical values of God's kingdom.

1. Misinformed arrogance. In my years of ministering in immigrant churches, studying immigration, and working with churches on immigration reform, I am convinced that there is no other issue in American public discourse that couples arrogance and misinformation quite like immigration.

Regarding these children, I grimace as I hear members of Congress, talk radio hosts, and fellow Christians oversimplify the issue and recommend solutions like "just deport them all" or "build a fence." That such solutions actually would break aspects of U.S. law and potentially send people back into the hands of human traffickers doesn't seem to matter.

When we spread half-truths or lies without checking their veracity, we are still bearing false witness through our own laziness. We must choose our news sources carefully.

2. Fear and hatred.  "Don't feed stray animals." "Machine guns at the border would do the trick." "I have to worry about my kids, not these illegals." I know such statements do not represent the church as a whole, but I have been grieved and broken over statements that professing Christians have been making about the crisis.

The focus on "me and mine" and the attitude of "not my problem" are values of our earthly nationalism, not God's kingdom. We are instructed to welcome the stranger, care for widows and orphans (James 1:27), take responsibility for those who are hurt (Luke 10:25-37) and even to love our enemies (Matt. 5:53-54). 

That uncomfortable command means that even if children at the border were our enemies, we would still be commanded to love and care for them. Fear-mongering and hateful remarks are tired, overused tactics (that were employed against most of our own immigrant ancestors).

3. Being disengaged.  For some, the attitude might not be of hate or fear, but of ambivalence or willful ignorance. Although seemingly not a response, this is actually one of the most dangerous ways to respond. Christians not caring about crises in the world is a bit like firemen turning off their radios and settling in for a nice game of poker at the station.  

While the situation at the border is complex, this much is clear: We need to be informed, humble, and engaged in compassion for "the least of these." We have a responsibility to bear this burden. 

We can respond with political advocacy, insisting that children be given a fair hearing and the chance to apply for asylum before being deported and that Congress remove the ambiguities of our immigration system by finally passing broad immigration reforms. 

We can provide financial support to ministries meeting the physical, psychological, legal, and spiritual needs of these kids. Some of us may even open our own homes to an unaccompanied child.

The full article is available here

Reflection and Renewal: Wheat and Weeds (based on Matthew 3:12)

God, you plant each of us like seeds in the same field and together we are nourished and nurtured by the sun. We sway in the wind and are refreshed by the rain. We are blessed by the knowledge that you want us to grow towards what you call us to be.

When we deprive others of that same opportunity, forgive us. When we want to uproot those whom we believe do not belong in our part of the field, forgive us. When we prejudicially label others rather than seeing them through your eyes, forgive us.

When we are reluctant to acknowledge that we ourselves are a mixture of weeds and wheat, forgive us. When we are afraid to look into the fields of our own lives to see what is growing there, forgive us.

So we pray that you will help us to reach out to the uprooted and rejected, the lonely and the outcast, and to develop and grow the good in ourselves, in others and in the world.

Amen

Benediction: Peace, Hope and Light In The Darkness (based on Psalm 126:5)

Even in times when the shadows of doubt and fear threaten to overwhelm us; God, and those who act as God's hands and feet, can show us where - even in darkness - we can find light.

Even in times when the crashing waves of suffering and helplessness surround us; God, and those who act as God's hands and feet, can help us to find some solid rock of hope to stand on.

May the divine source of hope and life be with us today and every day. May the giver of mercy and peace lead our lives.

Responsive Call To Worship: God's Presence and Absence (based on Psalm 22)

Reader: God, there are times that we come to you
when we feel at peace and see your world in wonder.

ALL: But there also times that we
come to you in agony and despair.

Reader: There are times when we it seems
like all that we can see is all of the hurt and
pain in our own lives and in your world.
ALL: At these, the suffering seems
so endless and insurmountable.

Reader: In these moments, we ask, as even
Jesus did, “Where are you God?!?”
ALL:  And like Jesus, we believe that
you are there to be lamented to, even if we
don't understand why you sometimes feel so distant.

Reader: So before the mystery of both your presence and
your seeming absence, we wait for you.
ALL: Help us to seek you where you can be found.

Preaching Two Kinds of Justice - Karl Van Eck in Do Justice!

Defend immigrants and welcome strangers are prominent Biblical calls. Yet, a 2010 Pew Forum survey reports that 88% of white Evangelicals’ views on immigration are primarily influenced by concerns other than Christian faith.

Only 16% of white evangelicals had heard about immigration from their pastor or other clergy. Why do these Biblical themes have just a minor influence on white evangelical views?

During Church Between Borders workshops participants offer a different response. They are astounded by the level of dysfunction in U.S. immigration policy. “No one has ever told me about this,” is a common reflection. Minor debates about how the OT word “immigrant” might apply to current issues dissipate and the Micah 6:8 words, “do justice,” come into focus.

To preach about justice within the context of our broken immigration system requires recognizing two dynamics that bring about justice in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word for justice is mispat--it is about taking action and rendering to others their due. The Hebrew word for righteousness is sedeq. It is an attribute of being pure or right--it often refers to the condition of one’s heart.

First, change only comes for the most vulnerable when people with influence are willing to speak up in the face of the status quo.

Second, invite the congregation to take time to give the facts a chance. The Emergency Immigration Act of 1921 was supposed to be a temporary measure, but it proved to be a permanent turning point. Previous to 1921 5-10,000 immigrants per day passed through Ellis Island. Currently, the quota for low skilled workers is set at 5,000 per year.

Trying to understand every justice issue is a tall order. But when the food we eat and even the grapes for our communion wine come through the hands of immigrants, who were never truly offered a feasible way to enter the U.S. legally, we do well to invite our congregations to listen to facts and their stories.

In Christian Principles for Immigration Reform Michael Gerson suggests three very specific principles for having a right heart. One of the principles says, “Whatever our policy views, the dehumanization of undocumented workers is not an option.”

The full article is available here

Call To Worship: Lives Of Service (based on 2 Corinthians 5:20)

based on Worship Connection
by Nancy C Townley

God, guide our lives in service to your world. Make us ambassadors of hope and promise. God, open our eyes. Help us to see your world as you see it. Open our hearts and our spirits to follow your path. Help us to be people who bring good news to those bound by the chains of injustice.

Come, let us worship God, who sets things right; who makes all things new. Let us praise God with joyful hearts.

Small and Mighty: Hints of The Kingdom - Kayla McClurg in Inward/Outward

God’s reality is like . . . a tiny seed, yeast hidden in flour, treasure buried and found again, a pearl nesting deep within the sea. Barely noticed, yet potent and life-changing.

Each of us has brief encounters, whispers in the night, seeds of ‘something more’ that get beneath our surface and are uncovered again and again. They become an integral part of us yet are never fully comprehended. They call to us, Wake up! God’s kingdom is here. Once we see them, we are never the same again.

One such seed for me was planted by a little girl in Haiti. Despite the concrete harshness of her orphanage home, despite the noise and chaos and the other children’s sicknesses, she was spirited and mischievous. She darted from room to room chasing the other children, tripping them, springing out from around corners, stealing away whatever they might have found, a bit of string, a pebble. She seemed always to be plotting her next point of attack. She tied the 83-year-old volunteer’s shoelaces together and then hid nearby to watch. Greatly perturbed was she that I noticed and rescued the dear lady.

At lunchtime she and the other kids rushed to find places on the floor to get their bowls of mushy beans. It was the only time all day that quiet descended. This was serious business. A couple of minutes later I saw her eyes begin to scan the room and land on a weaker girl whose food was rapidly disappearing. I could tell she was up to something, and I wondered if I should intervene. Sure enough, before the smaller girl could finish her food, the ornery one made her move. What happened next is the pearl that now nests within me. How she dived upon the girl, not to grab her food away but to scrape out the final portion of her own beans into that nearly empty bowl. How she sat back, still hungry but smiling with satisfaction as the smaller girl continued to eat.

How tiny are the hints of the realm we live toward and in. They are nearly hidden, like yeast mixing into the bread of our lives, rising small and mighty. Not to be fully understood but forever rediscovered.

What is hidden, and rising now, within you?

The full article is available here

Conscious Christianity: Abraham Kuypers - James Bratt in The Banner

Kuyper was big on boring down to first principles—uncovering the unspoken assumptions we bring to our thinking and practice.

Abraham Kuyper called Christians to live out their core conviction as Reformed believers: that God is Lord of all things, and that we live unto God’s glory. Plus he showed them that, in the modern world, living by these convictions meant more than being faithful in the traditional areas of church, family, and personal life. It entailed politics and higher education. 

It meant revisiting and holding yourself accountable to the core principle of loving your neighbor as yourself in a new world where you suddenly had a wider expanse of neighbors living in unprecedented conditions; applying it to labor conditions in factories, international trade, the claims of rival ideologies and visions for society.

His movement’s slogan was “being Christian in all areas of life."And it’s come down to us today as being “agents of renewal,” “seeking shalom,” and so forth. On top of that, Kuyper regularly repeated that, while the modern world had plenty of features to cause fear, it also offered plenty of opportunities for holistic Christian witness.  

Kuyper was big on boring down to first principles—uncovering the unspoken assumptions we bring to our thinking and practice. He wanted Christians to become conscious of these and conform them more and more to biblical principles and the “ordinances” (laws) that he saw stemming out of God’s original creation of the world.

His was a principled pluralism; it’s not just that we can’t but we shouldn’t want to use the force of law to privilege our convictions. Rather, we try to persuade others that the fruit of Christian convictions will serve the common good that they and we share together. This is possible because of Kuyper’s famous and quite expansive concept of common grace.

By means of his other principle, which hasn’t been noticed as much. Kuyper was a strong communitarian. Each individual has rights and liberties, yes, but society (and churches) must not be regarded as a collection of individuals, he’d say. We find our meaning, our health, our safety, our opportunities as parts of living social bodies.

The full article is available here

Act Together and Reflect Critically - Paolo Freire

The Soul's Soil - Kayla McClurg in inward/outward

The realm of which Jesus speaks requires a more radical renovation—totally new soil.

Varied is the ground of our being. Much of the soul’s soil is packed hard on paths of worry and hurry as we pace from one cause to another, one appointment to another, one bill to another, our brains plodding the same old anxious grooves.

When the seeds of a new idea, a fresh perspective, a creative impulse, come—and oh, my friend, they do—are we apt even to take notice, let alone act, before they are gobbled up by the familiar urgencies that make their endless rounds?

Other soil eagerly envelops fresh seeds, forever craving the new project, the provocative idea, the sizzle and dazzle of the untried. How alluring, the sudden blossoming of new endeavors! How clever and intelligent we seem as we promote topics we have barely studied but about which we have astute opinions.

See how we gravitate toward being respected and admired? The adrenaline spike of the new suits us well. Please, not the slow deepening of roots for us. Not the dark anonymous soil of the soul.

The realm of which Jesus speaks requires a more radical renovation—totally new soil. Richness beyond compare, yielding a different bounty. Soil that consumes and renews. Soil that endures.

The full article is available here

Benediction - Grieving Honors The Value of What Was Lost (based on John 11:35)

Experiencing grief is to experience the loss of something that mattered to you. The things that we lose matter to us and are worth grieving for because they are part of the beauty of this world that God created and called "good."

So as we approach this week, may we love God and each other and live life fully in the both the messiness
and the beauty of this world.

Go in peace.

Reflection and Renewal: Grief That Leads To Repentance (based on Matthew 5:4)

Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn ... for they shall be comforted."

But we often flee the grief that leads to repentance. Instead, we seek comfort in possessions, prestige and power for ourselves only. Let us not be impatient under our own burdens and unconcerned about the burdens of others, as though we are not all interconnected and interdependent.

Help us, Lord, to be among those who mourn what is unfair and unjust. May we join you in your sadness for all that's wrong and broken in this world. When others are in mourning, may they find our comfort as an answer to their prayers. When we are in mourning, makes us aware of and open to your comfort through others.

What a blessing it is to give and receive grace. Thank you for that endless source of mercy, God. We give you thanks.

Amen.

Call To Worship based on Psalm 30

God, you were there with me in the midst of my trouble. I was down and out and it felt like the weight of my grief and pain were more than I could ever bare.

But when I cried for help, it was your grace that held me up and steadied my feet to rescue me. Even though I wept because it was like dark night in my soul, your joy came like the sunrise in the morning.

Now, my mournful silence has been replaced by singing. I can't keep silent because my sorrow has been turned into joy. Once again, you were faithful, trustworthy and gracious God.

I am forever grateful.

A Lament For Immigration Reform - Kris Van Engen in Do Justice.

To us immigration reform will never be dead until we can look in our own communities and see an immigration system that keeps families together and gives workers a chance at legal status.

Nehemiah could not ignore the dangerous state of the city he loved. The gates had been burned. So, Nehemiah spoke to his king and asked for permission to go and rebuild the city.

This plan sparked fear in the land. Opponents immediately took action to thwart the plans of Nehemiah. They undermined the rebuilding process in every creative way possible—they sent made-up messages to public officials, mocked workers, schemed to stop progress, and threatened Nehemiah’s life.  

Nehemiah held onto his vision and refused to give up. He asked the inhabitants of the city to focus on rebuilding their own backyards. In a surprising amount of time the city was rebuilt.

We speak for immigration reform in our own backyards. It has nothing to do with political timeframes or on-again off-again media storylines. To us immigration reform will never be dead until we can look in our own communities and see an immigration system that keeps families together and gives workers a chance at legal status.

This work for reform is a noble cause. We do it hand in hand with real people, neighbors, who we love. We are not alone in our efforts. Let’s keep praying with courage. Let’s keep focused on the work in our own backyard and let’s persist in speaking to our lawmakers until we see reform. 

The full article is available here

A Lament for Immigration Reform - Kate Kooyman in Do Justice

I'm happy sowing those seeds when we're close to our goal; but when I need to take the long view, when I need to pick up my bag of seeds and keep sowing in spite of the sure truth that nothing is going to grow, I get weary.

We had a hard week, justice seekers. John Boehner announced that immigration reform isn't going to happen this year. Though we have the votes to pass a bill, a bill won't come to a vote.

Families suffering separation, farmers under the stress of a 70% illegal workforce, communities bearing the strain of the thousands of traumatized children seeking safety...all this will continue. Immigrants will continue to bear the weight of this injustice.

It's hard for me to be a Christian in these times. I'm happy sowing those seeds when we're close to our goal; but when I need to take the long view, when I need to pick up my bag of seeds and keep sowing in spite of the sure truth that nothing is going to grow, I get weary.

I'd rather throw down that bag and cry. I'd rather argue with the God who is in control of all of this, convince God that the time is now. The seeds are good. The soil is ready. Do something. 

I'd rather demand that river of justice than sit around singing about it. Find someone to weep with today, friends of justice. But sow those seeds.

The full article is available here

Finding Rest - Kayla McClurg in inward/outward

We even change our ideas about God to match our current moods. The God of our making rarely gets to be simply who God is, any more than we get to be who we are.

We are rarely satisfied. We tend to be continually busy yet jealously guard our down time. We are both generous and self-serving, overly confident and doubting.

We are buried in things and see more that we want. We want to join the dance; we want to be a recluse. We judge ourselves and yet are slow to change.

We want, we know not what. Anything other than the way it is.

We are a bit like those spoken of in the scriptures: “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn. John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard.’” We are rarely satisfied.

We even change our ideas about God to match our current moods. The God of our making rarely gets to be simply who God is, any more than we get to be who we are.

Jesus knows us well. He knows what we want and what we need, and he knows what a heavy load we have made of our lives. So he says, “Come to me, all of you who are weary of carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

How will he do this? Oddly enough, by putting something more upon us—his yoke, which he says is easy, and his burden, which he says is light. Not weighted by a lack of satisfaction, a tendency to criticize and want always more, his burden is made light by being carried together. Yoked to him the weight is evenly dispersed; we walk in balance, steady, no longer swayed by mood. We begin to know what it is to be satisfied. We find rest for our souls.


The full article is available here

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.