Merry Christmas - and Thank You!

Well, we are off until January 6th, but did want to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas. I think a few posts back I shared that I was having difficulty this season, dealing with much loss around me. A dear friend shared some wisdom he received when going through a similar time. He said be grateful for the time that you did have. Focus on the good. It is difficult for a grateful heart to remain sad for long. Now, I tell my kids that all the time and yet I can't seem to follow through on it myself!

So this is my thankful list(or me kicking myself in the seat!) - my family is almost all together, healthy and relatively happy. We have enough to eat and presents to share. Our friends overseas appear to be healthy and relatively safe. Those around us who have lost loved ones have found a way to celebrate the small miracles in their journey, providing us with inspiration. Our extended family is well and celebrating the season. We have plans with friends in the coming weeks. Our house is clean and as soon as I finish this the groceries will be bought. And now that I think of it, there are so many more things I could list but this is enough. Go enjoy your time, and may you find peace, joy and gratefulness this holiday season.

Location, Location, Location!

If you have ever taken an English (or Language Arts) class you may remember that in telling and reporting stories the setting is very important. It highlights and adds to the depth of understanding that we are able to achieve. Think about a recent news story you heard, and then change the setting and see how that changes the way you understand and interpret the event. And the setting doesn't just include the physical aspects, but the sociological structures as well. This week we deepened our understanding of the birth story by looking at its setting.

Christ lived and ministered during the Pax Romana, a peace that was gained and maintained through violence and suppression of peoples just to the point of rebellion. Many of the titles for the Emperor were the same ones used for Jesus, and, in fact, the Romans believed that humans could become divine. It was a society organized around a patronage system that kept 80% of the population at the subsistence level. Many of these at the bottom were considered expendable - tradesmen (like carpenters), prostitutes, tax collectors. In an agricultural society you could always find or train another carpenter or low level tax collector, but you really needed those guys who were caring for and harvesting your crops.

So, within that 80% there was this subgroup getting the message that there was no room for them in the Roman kingdom. And those were the people with whom Jesus spent most of his time, and to whom he gave the message that there IS a place for them in God's kingdom. Hmmmm.... What a political and economic threat that posed! Think of it, rousing 80% of the population to rebel. We have seen it happen many times since then, and it is never pretty or easy.

No wonder the Roman officials took the extreme steps they did when they couldn't find the baby at his birth. The Roman peace was peace through violence, but Jesus is peace through justice.I think I speak for our entire group when I wish you the peace of Jesus, today and always.

Merry Flexibility

Well, we won't be meeting again this week as our leader has been called away, some of us are facing significant challenges with our families and who couldn't use a little extra time this month?

I am personally struggling with being happy and thankful this season when I see friends in great pain and struggling through loss. I sent out two sympathy cards this week, attended a third visitation, have two more friends with critically ill family members and am wondering what is the message I am missing? I know, I know, we don't always get to know the reason for the experiences we have. But right now I really do need to know why. Why so much loss, right now, right here? How can I be thankful for what I have without feeling so incredibly guilty that I do have what I have?

The answer if faith. Faith that God works for good, that He wants what is best for each one of us, that He will use the bad things that happen to create good. Maybe it goes back to the beginning of 2 Corinthians when Paul talked about going through suffering so that we could comfort others who suffer. Maybe I am learning coping skills that I will pass on to others. Maybe, just maybe I will be able to simply listen to one of my friends who is suffering and by listening provide some comfort. But seriously, this is much easier to write than it is to live...

Peace and blessings to you this week.

Christmas Stories

Welcome back! We didn't meet last week for several reasons, and beginning this week we will take a break from 2 Corinthians and looking at the Christmas story from different perspectives. We all know the story, from pageants, sermons, services, songs, storybooks. But do we really know the story?

We started out by reading Luke 1:2-2:39. Why Luke? Well, it is one of two places you can find the birth story(the other being Matthew 1:18-2:23), it is the most "familiar" story, and it contains much more detail than Matthew. One thing we didn't discuss in much depth is why there isn't a birth story in John and Mark. Guess we will save that for another day. We did look for and discuss anything that jumped out at us that we hadn't noticed before. We talked about how special John the Baptist was, how he was set apart from everyone even before he was conceived. We noted that the WOMEN are not only mentioned, they are central to the narrative and they are NAMED! We considered the parallel between the Abraham/Sarah story and Zechariah/Elizabeth, as well as Elijah and John the Baptist. Then we contrasted the birth story in Luke with the story as recorded in Matthew. What a difference!

So, why so different? Probably marketing. Think about the intended audience of the writers. Matthew was a Jew writing for Jews, so tying everything back to the traditions and telling the story in a traditional way would be most important for him. Luke, on the other hand, was a gentile writing for gentiles, working on including EVERYONE in the new church. A church struggling to be cohesive and yet inclusive. The level of detail and point of view don't change the story or how it happened, they merely change the way we hear and understand it. I found this idea strangely comforting, mainly because it supports my understanding of a God who constantly and consistently reaches out to all of us. God wants to be in relationship with us and changes how he reaches out to us, giving every opportunity to respond to His grace. Can you hear him reaching out to you in the birth story?

Balance, balance...

I appeal to some of our other members to post comments to correct and augment this week's post. I arrived a bit late because of an early appointment that ran late. This week we discussed last week's topic, especially 6:11-7:4 that deals with the difference between believers and nonbelievers. Paul has very high standards and expectations for believers which include witnessing and being accountable to self, others, and God.

On one hand Christ (and Paul) expects us to go and make disciples in all the lands. But we are also to avoid everything that defiles or distracts us. how do we remain accountable and still be open and accepting? And if we try to distinguish between the things that defile or distract and the people we are trying make into disciples, are we being judgmental? Yikes! Somebody help me figure this out!

New Life

In 2 Corinthians 6:3-7:4 Paul is again defending his authority and encouraging the Corinthians to persevere. He describes the trials and tribulations, the tools of the trade, and warns against the dangers that he has and the Christians will face. But, if you consider his words on a different level, he is also describing a New Life in The New Covenant.

Remember, the Corinthians were living in a pagan society, full of sin and vice. (Sound familiar?) In verses 6:3-6:13 Paul talks about the trials he has personally faced, and the virtues that have helped him endure. Throughout this section he juxtaposes positive and negative to show us that while we may feel persecuted and hopeless, there is always something good that comes our of it. Like the Velveteen Rabbit, I imagine those trials are just God loving our fur off.

Verses 6:14-7:1 have been considered a digression, but to me it seems more a reminder that we are each a temple. The New Covenant is about taking the laws into our hearts rather than keeping them written on stone tablets. It is about living our faith every minute of every day. If God is to dwell within us, what kind of vessel must we provide? That is exactly what Paul describes in this section. We need to live a New Life in order to be part of the New Covenant, and Paul cautions us to beware of those who profess to believe but whose actions do not support their words, as well as those who reject God.

The one thing Paul doesn't tell us is how to know the difference. We decided that it requires discernment, listening for God's quiet voice. Only then can we know that we are on the right path, doing God's work and remaining cheerful and joyful while persevering through struggles. Does anyone have a hearing aid I can borrow...?

Reconcile Yourself...

In 2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2 we found a continuation of some themes. Paul continues to defend his authority and ministry, but as always deflects and glory or praise, focusing on God as the source of everything. Paul's reiterates that his ministry is based on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus for E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E. Although God offers us grace there are consequences and judgment to be faced. And Paul again describes sacrificial Christian love.

But the majority of our discussion today centered on two concepts - we are acting as ambassadors for Christ (5:20) and reconciliation (5:18). We explored what it means to us to be "Ambassadors for Christ." The definition we settled on is that how you live your life is a testimony to your beliefs and faith. We agreed that you communicate God's glory with your life. But then the next question is what are you going to do this week to "live for Christ.?" Our discussion naturally led us to those outstanding examples that awe and amaze us - the successful lawyer who chucks it all to become a pastor, the couple who abandon a comfortable retirement to become missionaries halfway around the world, Saul becoming Paul... That kind of intimidation (yes, intimidation) makes anything I can do so insignificant that it is almost not worth the effort. Almost. We decided that even small acts communicate our testimony - going to Bible Study, going to church, keeping our devotional time, prayer, helping our neighbor. We need not be intimidated by those grand examples, we are not all called to be extreme, we are simply called to be faithful.

Reconciliation was an important concept to the Corinthians, coming from such a mixed background. What does reconcile mean? According to the dictionary it meas to cause to be friendly or harmonious, to conform, t o accommodate, come to terms with, reunite. Several of us liked the idea of harmony because, as in music, each of us can be different and an individual, singing our own song, but when we come together in harmony the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. One of us liked the synonym reunite, feeling it conveyed the idea of having once been in relationship with God, having broken that relationship and then repairing it. No where in the Bible does it speak of God being reconciled to man. In fact, it is always the other way around - man must be reconciled to God. God's work is done, he offers us grace. As Paul says in 6:1-2, it is here, it is now, it is up to us to respond.

Becoming Real... Christians

In Margery Willams’ The Velveteen Rabbit, the Skin Horse teaches the Velveteen Rabbit what it is to become real. In 2 Corinthians 4:7-5:10 Paul is teaching the Corinthians what it is to become a real Christian. (You can read the entire text of The Velveteen Rabbit at http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/williams/rabbit/rabbit.html)

Paul has been addressing the Corinthians to encourage them in the face of their suffering and persecution. Remember, they are facing pain and persecution that we cannot even imagine today. Paul clearly refutes the common belief that suffering is a punishment, the result of having done something to offend God. In fact, he says that God uses our suffering to draw us closer to him, and that through our suffering His glory is revealed. A difficult concept to grasp, and even harder to embrace.

One of us gave an example that made it a little easier to understand. Think about your favorite _______(jacket, shirt, jeans, blanket) or a child's "lovie." When you look at it without knowing its attachment you may think it is an old, dilapidated thing. but it is so loved by the owner. It may seem shabby, but to the owner it is beautiful and precious. In the same way we may seem shabby, worn, tattered by life's trials, but to God we are beautiful, precious, and loved more than our mortal minds can comprehend.

Paul goes on to say that when we persevere and triumph over our trials, we not only learn about ourselves, our faith, and God's love, but we also reveal his glory to others. Now, this part I get. We all know someone who has suffered or is suffering greatly, but is sustained and comforted by a faith that makes us marvel. That renews my faith that when I suffer God will be with me. Doesn't it do the same for you?


This section ends with a cautionary note, though. We might be tempted to think that if we accept Jesus we can then just wait through whatever comes our way for the reward that comes in the next life. Paul is very clear in describing the reward that awaits us, but he also repeats that carrying the message forward, persevering through our difficulties, and loving each other is what God calls us to do. He calls it "...cheerfully pleasing God..." As Methodists we got this part,because it fits in with Wesley's concepts of sanctification and "going on to perfection." And that is just what we will keep working on - becoming real, going on to perfection, and living as God calls us to live.

Life or Death?!

2 Corinthians 3:7-4:6 Really?! Life or Death?! That is what Paul says when he compares the old covenant (of Moses) to the new covenant (of Christ). It seems that Paul is trying to convince members of the Corinthian church (perhaps those opposing him) who insist on the old, familiar way of doing things that the new way is the right way. Of course, there is security and comfort in holding on to tradition, even now.

The church at Corinth was diverse, composed of former Jews, Gentiles, people from many different backgrounds. For most of them Moses and the law would have had very little meaning. That made us wonder why Paul spent so much time on that in this section until we delved into the veil of Moses. It both hides and reveals the glory of God, serves to separate Moses from the people, and, according to Paul, concealed the fact that the covenant of Moses was dying from the moment of its birth, it was temporary. The new covenant is permanent and allows each one of us to choose to become the moral person God created us to be. It puts everyone on the same level. Converted Gentiles and converted Jews are equal in their standing as Christians as long as they accept and embrace the two simple rules that Christ gave us: love God with all your power and love your neighbor as yourself.

We spent quite a bit of time discussing the Spirit, and wondering if Paul used that interchangeably with Christ and God. When exactly did the idea of the Trinity come into prominence? We decided that in the end it really didn't matter except to the extent that it caused us to dig deeper into our own beliefs and understandings. Paul was doing the same thing at the time he was writing this letter, clarifying and solidifying his own understanding and beliefs.

Maybe the simple message Paul is sending us today is that the new covenant of Christ is superior in all ways to the old covenant of Moses. The law defines sin, but doesn't allow us to escape from its judgment and condemnation. It sets up a legal relationship with God, based only on rules. The new covenant sets up a personal, familial relationship with God in which the Spirit, rather than sin, is the controlling principle. The other message I'm hearing is that holding on to dogma and ritual too tightly closes your mind and heart to the call of God. In order to be an instrument of God on Earth we need to remain open to his call. I guess it really is a matter of life and death...

What to do, what to do?

It would seem the flu is attacking our area pretty strongly right now. With a couple of members down ill, another with an appointment, we decided to cancel our meeting this morning. Not wanting to go another week without a post I thought I would take this opportunity to comment on the importance of critical and informed viewing and reading.

Just yesterday I got another one of those e-mails. You know what I'm talking about. If you forward this to so many people you will get a free _________. You fill in the blank. This one even named Snopes in the text as having verified the offer. When I went to Snopes I discovered that it was indeed a hoax. But because the e-mail said it wasn't my friend forwarded it on....

In this age of instant access to information, I frequently wonder if we are losing our ability to reason and consider what is truth. When I was growing up you could pretty much bet that if you saw something in print, it was true. That isn't necessarily the case any more, but have we made that adjustment? I heard a line a sitcom the other night, one guy was asked what he did at work and he listed off some tasks, finishing with "... messing with Wikipedia entries." We do have to be careful and consider the source when we research, read and hear things. But how does this apply to Bible Study? I'm getting there... in a round-about way.

When we study together, we share our viewpoints, opinions, and interpretations which are all naturally colored by our own unique experiences. In the same way, study guides, movie dramatizations, web sites and other interpretive tools for the Bible are colored by the author's experiences and understanding. For instance, I am a big fan of "The Message." There are some word choices that I find awkward and would like to change, but for the most part it puts the Word into a format that I can easily read and relate to my daily life. But, more importantly for me, it adds a degree of emotion and liveliness that really speaks to me. I always try to remember that this is a paraphrase and start out with one of the more scholarly versions, try to keep it in perspective with varying degrees of success.

So, while I am currently a HUGE fan of DVD dramatizations of the Gospel, I always try to keep in mind that it is one person's interpretation and vision of what God is saying to us. But that is the beauty of it, God is still talking to us and inviting us into relationship with him. He is using all the resources he has to reach out to us. And all we have to do is listen to that quiet, inner voice for the invitation and then say... yes!

The New Covenant

One of he things I like most about our group is the way we care for each other and for others. We always open our meetings with prayer and there were many and very serious concerns this week. It struck me that even people who seem very calm, together and care free are engaged in great battles and we have no idea. So today i ask you to pray for strength and faith for all engaged in struggles.

You know how they say never stop learning? i learned a new word today! Exegesis. It means an explanation or critical interpretation of a text. (Good thing I am a good speller and could find it!) That is what we did today with verses 2:14-3:6. Having the background information made this passage much more meaningful. Paul is comparing the advancement of the Gospel to a Roman triumphus, or parade. This was the highest honor given to a victorious general and included state officials, the Senate, trumpeters, spoils/booty, pictures and models of the conquered land, a white bull for the sacrifice, captives to be put to death or enslaved, musicians, priests with censors, and finally, the general. There were obviously a lot of aromas associates with such a spectacle, and for some they invoke victory and strength, while for others they are the smell of their impending death. In the same way the word of Christ is victory and comfort and triumph for some, but for others who do not embrace the word it is the smell of conviction and death. The message for the Corinthians - and for us - is that as persecuted as they were at that time, they will be triumphant in Christ.

In the next section Paul once again defends his authority, but by saying that he doesn't need to defend himself because the faith and practice of the church are proof of his authority. He points out that the New Covenant (foretold in Jeremiah 31:31-33) is about living out the letter of the law in your personal life. When God made a covenant with Israel and gave the laws to Moses, he gave the newly freed slaves rules that defined sin and the appropriate punishments. They needed structure and direction in order to become an independent, free society. In the same way the New Covenant provides guidance for believers to become an independent and coherent community. But it moves to a different level, with God promising to be in relationship withe individuals, writing his law with spirit on our spirits and hearts.

In The Chronicles of Narnia Lucy says that farther she goes into Narnia, the bigger it gets. We agreed it is the same with the Bible. The more and deeper we study, the more meaning there is. That points up the need for study in community, to share our different perspectives and the words that jump out to each one, sharing the work and word of God in each life. God is speaking to individual hearts, and our unique interpretation is colored by our experiences. My God is a God of change - reaching out to us over and over again in ways that we will understand and receive. He offered the Israelites the Ten Commandments, but offered the Corinthians, and us, the New Covenant. God promises that we will be his people and he will be our God, forgiving our sins with the ultimate sacrifice.

Forgiveness

Well, this Paul guy is really deep. Just six verses of II Corinthians, 2:5-11, fueled our discussion for over an hour today. Forgiveness. We know we are supposed to give it if we want to get it. Matthew 18 proscribes a method for addressing grievances as well as telling us how many times we are to forgive someone. Forgive and forget. Seventy times seven. Mostly easier said than done.

This section addresses an individual offense, but Paul calls the Corinthians to use this as an opportunity to mature their church. He even tells them that he wrote the letter to test their obedience. We decided that the test was not a pass-fail type test, but rather a gauge of their willingness and faith, a tool for placing them somewhere on the continuum form no faith to total faith. And yet, Paul is also deeply concerned for the welfare of the offender, urging the church to pour on the love since sanctions have already been imposed. Paul's goal is the restoration of the offender to the fellowship, and ultimately improving the health of the church. We are so accustomed to a punitive judicial and social system, bent more on vengeance than justice, that it is difficult to envision what this would look like. Until we put ourselves in the place of the offender...

But how do we forgive someone who doesn't want to be forgiven, who doesn't recognize or admit that they have done harm, who knowingly does something hurtful but is unrepentant? That is just what Paul says we should do. The underlying assumption is that we care enough about one another and care enough about our relationship with each other and with God to name misdeeds and do the hard work - address conflict and offense for the good of the community, for the unity of the church. Forgiveness is a process and while the parties involved start out at different points in the process that is not an excuse for not beginning the journey.

Forgiveness is not simply saying I'm sorry, or I forgive you as my children did when they were little and commanded to apologize even though they didn't feel it. We have to feel it, mean it, understand it. Paul identified himself as one who suffers writing to those who suffer at the beginning of this letter. In the sasme way he points out that because God forgives us we are called to forgive others. Mostly easier said than done...

God's Yes and Our Yes

Today we read and discussed 1:12-2:4.

It is a little remarkable, how very intense Paul's reaction is. Of course, the closer and deeper the relationship the more intense our reactions. it is clear that Paul felt very deeply and strongly about the church at Corinth, whatever the reason.

In this section Paul is defending his authority, his integrity, and the word of God. yes, the word of God and probably grace as the basis of salvation since his message was pretty radical. A change in Paul's travel plans gave at lease a vocal minority in the church grounds for attacking Paul. We considered and agreed that the messenger does impact the message. If the Corinthians couldn't trust Paul to tell the truth about his travel plans, then how could they trust his teachings and message? Paul says repeatedly that his motives are pure, he is seeking to protect the church at Corinth. He also tells them over and over again that his writing the plain truth, nothing more and nothing less. I wonder if he was addressing this letter to the whole church or the agitators?

Paul is firm and confident in the word and work of God. He has hope in Christ and calls the Corinthians to the same. He tells them he is not waffling, there is no yes-no in his works or words. And yet, we still wondered if in some way Paul wasn't relieved to have an out, a reason to change his plans. Being human we often (or always have mixed and multiple motives for the things we do. When we struggle between knowing what should do and doing what we want t o do, isn't it nice to have something, some reason that allows us to rationalize doing what we want?

I was having a crabby day yesterday and that made me wonder if Paul was having a crabby day when he wrote this letter. Here he is, working his tail off and then his "favorite" church begins to attack him, mistrust him, and take offense because of a perceived slight in the change of travel plans. Paul sees himself as having a single purpose - to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Is he thinking to himself, 'How many times do i have to tell and show you this stuff? Come on, people!"

We closed with the strong feeling that this was about community, about remaining united in the promise of God and hope through Jesus, and we found that message most clearly in Chapter 1 v 20-22 (The Message):

"Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God's Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident. God affirms us, making us a sure thing in Christ, putting his Yes within us. By his Spirit he has stamped us with his eternal pledge - a sure beginning of what he is destined to complete."

Suffering, Endurance, Comfort

We were a small group again today, but the conversation was great! The first 11 verses of 2 Corinthians is all the farther we got! Powerful stuff, and the discussions were so thoughtful. This blog will be very inadequate for conveying the substance, but I will do my best (read: come join us in person!).

Following a traditional and typical opening Paul inserts a greeting that is actually a summing up, sending out, an ending in traditional Jewish liturgy. I have to wonder if that is because he consistently and regularly ties the message of Jesus to Jewish traditions, or if it is a signal of the ending of the Jewish way of belief with the beginning of Christianity? Or are there other reasons?

The theme of this passage is suffering, endurance and comfort. Paul writes to those who are suffering as one who suffers, to encourage them. Remember, the Corinthians were a diverse and pagan people. It is difficult for us to imagine the type of pressure they would feel from their families, culture, Romans... In fact, the Greek word used to refer to the pressure they felt is actually a word that means a physical pressure. But Paul encourages them by pointing out that God knows our suffering, and that when we suffer it is so we can endure and then comfort others who are suffering.

The word used for endure indicates triumph, not simply acceptance. When he talks about endurance, Paul says that he has endured because of Jesus, so that he can comfort others. Isn't that what gives us our strength? Our ability to cope with situations and life comes out of our experiences, and think a little Nietzsche here, because we have endured. We haven't merely accepted, we have triumphed over our suffering.

And that brings us to comfort. The word is used 9 times in these few verses (depending on your translation) and the form that is used literally means "to bring along side." I love that information. It means I don't have to have all the answers, I just need to be there. Whew! But the bigger message is that God is THE comforter. You know, in order to comfort someone you need to have a pretty intimate relationship. God wants that kind of relationship with each of us, but I find that a pretty scary proposition. Me?! You want me to what?!


So what does all this mean today. I am sure we will readily agree that people still suffer, greatly, for whatever reason. I am also sure we have all been in an awkward position with a friend or acquaintance who we know is suffering. It could be they have been through an ugly divorce, have a serious or terminal illness, suffered the loss of their job, lost a loved one... whatever the reason. The question for me this week is how do I relate to them. Do I avoid them? Or the averted eyes, focusing on something else trick works sometimes. How about blaming them for their situation? Paul tells us that our own suffering and triumph over that suffering through the suffering of God in Christ calls us to comfort others. This week I am going to try to reach out to one person who I know is suffering and for whom I have no answer or idea of what to say. I believe that God will give me the words and guidance if only I shut up and listen. I invite you to try this with me and comment on your experience.

Beginnings

Today was our first meeting and the group was a little small, but you know what He said - "...when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there." (Matthew 18:20 The Message) Any way, our new pastor joined us and expressed an interest in leading the group. Many thanks to Bob who has been bringing us the background and questions and scholarly leadership for the last year or so!

Since we were so small we just talked about background and setting for 2 Corinthians. Here are some things I didn't know before today, but maybe you did:

The books of the Bible are not entered in the Bible in chronological order. Paul's letters are generally entered in the Bible with the longest/most important first, and 2 Corinthians is the most emotional of Paul's letters.

It seems that Paul was very personally invested in the church in Corinth and its success, he cares deeply about it, in spite of the fact that Corinth had a reputation, even amongst the fun-loving Greeks, as a promiscuous place. At this time it was a sea port on a busy canal linking the Aegean and Ionian seas and had a very diverse population numbering approximately 250,000 free persons and 400.000 slaves. 650,000 people - that is more than the City of St. Louis!

Paul has been facing challenges to his authority to teach from all sides. A former Jew, he has alienated the Pharisees and other Jews with his conversion. The Christians question his authority because he didn't actually "walk with Jesus" as the Apostles did. He addresses strife within the church because... why? Is it because his success in Corinth would solidify and prove his authority? Is it because he reaches all kinds of people - sailors, sinners, foreigners - all the people Jesus came to reach? And they are the people that the church in Jerusalem doesn't seem to be reaching? This letter is commonly held to have come from Paul's most theologically productive time.Hopefully we will better understand the shaping of Paul's beliefs, discover the answer to these questions and generate many more in the coming weeks. Won't you join us?

A New Season

We will resume meeting tomorrow morning, September 9 at Salem in Ballwin UMC and the plan is to start with 2 Corinthians. A new season, a new book for us as we couldn't find it on our list no matter how many times we read it over.

This is also the start of a new season for our dear friend's parents. It is so difficult to watch the transition from strength, independence and that total-power-I-can-do-anything mystique that our parents have when we are young to the frail, fragile and often ill person who some days is just unrecognizable - except to our hearts. Please pray for Mickey, Ann and their family on their journey.

And now, a new season for a friend. I just found out that my friend's sister - also an acquaintance of mine - will likely be starting a new season with God tonight. She survived an operation for cancer, the subsequent chemotherapy, and appeared to be on the mend. Complications after a recent surgery may have changed her prognosis for this life, but I am taking (OK, trying to take) comfort in the belief that she will soon be starting on the next leg of her journey. In some ways I envy her as I imagine she will get to know why she was here, see clearly what she did and how she changed this life for others. (Think "The Five People You Meet in Heaven") If you are so moved, add Chris and her family to your prayers as they make this difficult transition.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (The Message)

There's a Right Time for Everything

1 There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on earth:

2-8 A right time for birth and another for death,
A right time to plant and another to reap,
A right time to kill and another to heal,
A right time to destroy and another to construct,
A right time to cry and another to laugh,
A right time to lament and another to cheer,
A right time to make love and another to abstain,
A right time to embrace and another to part,
A right time to search and another to count your losses,
A right time to hold on and another to let go,
A right time to rip out and another to mend,
A right time to shut up and another to speak up,
A right time to love and another to hate,
A right time to wage war and another to make peace.

The tricky part is in knowing what time it is. Dear Lord, point out to me - in no uncertain terms - the season and what I need to do. Amen.

Let's Live in the Light of God

Today our group received a note from one of our members who has moved away.Although there are over six hundred miles between us, we still stay in touch and share with each other, especially when we need prayer. Her oldest son is now a First Lieutenant in the Army and his wife is expecting in March. He is being deployed to Iraq for a year, but he will try to arrange for leave for the birth of the baby. Our friend's words: "Please join us as we pray more than worry. We are very proud of him, and pray for the safety of his entire unit. Please also join us as we pray for the safety of our 3 nephews who are also serving in our military." Whether we are Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, or subscribe to any other ideology we recognize that in the end these are the sons and daughters of our friends and neighbors, and we must pray for their safe return.

As a parent I cannot imagine the anxiety and fear that the parents of our servicemen and women must feel. Nor can I imagine the emotions of those children as they face such danger. I wonder if they can imagine the pride and thanks that we feel? We must stay connected and support each other the best we can, and we are so thankful to be able to have so many tools to do just that.

Isaiah 2 (The Message) -Climb God's Mountain

^1-5 The Message Isaiah got regarding Judah and Jerusalem: There's a day coming when the mountain of God's House
Will be The Mountain—
solid, towering over all mountains.
All nations will river toward it,
people from all over set out for it.
They'll say, "Come,
let's climb God's Mountain,
go to the House of the God of Jacob.
He'll show us the way he works
so we can live the way we're made."
Zion's the source of the revelation.
God's Message comes from Jerusalem.
He'll settle things fairly between nations.
He'll make things right between many peoples.
They'll turn their swords into shovels,
their spears into hoes.
No more will nation fight nation;
they won't play war anymore.
Come, family of Jacob,
let's live in the light of God.

Lord, until the day comes when we can climb your Mountain and live in Your light, watch over our sons and daughters. Protect them, be with our families and be with us. Amen

A New Focusing Prayer

Still summer so you are to be subjected to ramblings and musings. If you have been following this blog then perhaps you will recall the post from June 12 about embracing the mystery of God. This week I got to peer through the mystery and see why I have had some of the experiences I have had, they all came together. The realization was amazing, but also a bit sad.

A Bible Study group I belong to has been watching a video based largely on the book of Acts about the relationship between Peter and Paul. I already knew some of the story, but one point that really stood out this time around was the contrast between Paul's efforts to follow The Great Commission through his work with the Gentiles, and James' and the church's efforts to keep Christianity for themselves by imposing Jewish law on the Gentiles before recognizing them as Christians. If I remember correctly, nearly 16 years after the crucifixion Paul was being beaten and stoned while proclaiming the Good News, while James and the others remained in hiding in Jerusalem. It seemed they were seeking to keep the church for themselves, tightly closed and exclusive.

The other day I was standing in line at the grocery store and overheard a conversation I really didn't want to. You know how it is, two people talking a little more loudly than they should. I tried reading the magazine covers, focusing on getting my goodies onto the conveyor, but just like passing a car wreck I couldn't help myself. One person was incensed at the way the pastor had given communion the previous week, but the other didn't seems to really care one way or the other. The one who did care seemed very well intentioned but at the same time very selfish, wanting everything the way he thought it should be.

And then it hit me - the intersection of my experiences. You know, that unknowable reason for having the experiences I have had? The complainer in the grocery store wanted things to remain static and safe and controllable. From the Bible Study movie I felt that was much the same way James and the early church felt. If we keep it for ourselves, it is known, it is safe, and we are saved. And just as I was about to jump into chastising I felt a really sharp stick in my conscience. I hate when that happens... I am just as guilty of complaining about things. I always seem to know how things should have been done or how they shouldn't. Of course, those in charge should know the right way (read:My Way) to do things and work accordingly. If they don't, well then, they are just... not up to the task? Am I up to the task? Am I doing what I should be doing? OK, so here is my prayer for at least the next couple of days:

Lord, when I come across something I don't like, instead of complaining remind me to ask why I am having that experience. What is the message you are trying to send me? Is the detail that I'm worried about really all that important? Am I doing Your will, or am I placing my own personal preferences above all else? And Lord, if you need to sharpen that stick you use on my conscience because it's getting dull, then sharpen away. Keep me focused on YOUR will, not mine. Amen.

Taking Care of the Real Business

The Bishop reported that money and attendance are not the only ways to measure growth. Participation in events and missions has also shown an increase. The reports that received a great deal of attention were on how we include ourselves in the community. Some may say who cares? In some places the church is the community. Do you know where your father and mother met? it could have been church, church camp or at a community event sponsored by the church. This brought up a powerful point of how many times people say I grew up in the Methodist church, or I used to attend a Methodist church... It is important to note that our church is not alone in its endeavor to keep and bring in new members. But we must remember our endeavor is to support and make new disciples for Christ.

We were given a powerful example on looking outward: there was a man who was not able to walk and he was asked what he needed. He did not ask for a wheel chair or a scooter. He asked for a pair of binoculars. When asked why, he said, "So I can see farther from my cot." Reaching beyond our walls was really emphasized.

It made me proud of some of the programs we have here at Salem that reach out: Community Garden, Habitat for Humanity projects, and Circle of Concern. Can we do more? Of course the answer is yes.

The first evening we had a Mozambique Mingle with the Bishop Nhanala who spoke and thanked us for our support and spreading the gospel by coming to her country. It was good to get a real, human, personal understanding of how the Mozambique Initiative is really having an impact on the other side of the world.

My favorite time was the first session each morning - The Bishop's Learning Time. Bishop Schnase opened each session with scripture and prayer. Sometimes he led the session himself, other times he had other ministers give the lesson. there were examples of all types of people we have reached through church outreach and ideas for more work were plentiful. The Bishop called the efforts and ideas the "seeds", and then quoted from Matthew 13:1-22
(The Parable of the Sower). I pray I can share those "seeds" and our church can reach "Someone Out There!"

I close this report with a prayer. Lord, give us the strength to reach out and touch the life of someone out there. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Annual Conference - Taking Care of Business

A large part of Annual Conference is voting on issues that have been brought forward. I was struck by the fact that clergy and laity have an equal vote. You can learn more about all the items we voted on and see the highlights of the conference on a video on the Missouri Annual Conference website at www.moumethodist.org

The voting opportunities covered many items such as an amendment to our constitution that would change the title of world conference to Regional from Central. That seems small to us but if you are in a small part of Africa and you think the USA churches rule everything, the Regional is a very important word. Race, creed, and color may not mean much to some people, but ALL PERSONS is another very important change. Lay people voting on matter that deal with clergy? There is an equal vote on everything else, why not that?

Of course we also looked at financial issues. We had an increase of 3 percent in the budget primarily for health care costs, a problem facing all employers (and employees). The Missouri District Superintendents did not take a salary increase. That is huge! Did you see the CEO's and middle and upper managers at the car companies do that? I don't think so! it bolstered my faith to see that we are walking the walk as we talk the talk.

Annual Conference - A Christ-like Attitude

Phillipians 2:1-5 (NIV) "Imitating Christ's Humility"
1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness, and com passion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

This learner was asked to attend the United Methodist Annual Conference June 5-8, 2009 in Springfield, MO. It was a totally awesome experience on my faith journey. A friend recently said during lunch that, "...attending this conference is an opportunity every United Methodist should have." Amen! I am thankful I was asked to attend and that the church trusted me with their vote on some important items that will b e discussed in later posts. In the United Methodist Church the term "annual conference" can refer to a regional body (we are part of the Missouri Conference), the central office professional staff associated with that regional body, or, as in this case, the yearly meeting of all clergy members and an equal number of lay members selected from the local churches. The purpose is to share information and strategies, but also to transact business of the Conference. It lasts from 3-5 days and is presided over by the Bishop.

The theme for the conference this year: Somewhere Out There: The Outwardly Focused Congregation.

I identified with the theme somewhere out there immediately as I walked up to the table to pick up my name tag and found there was not one. So we moved to another line. I had received information for two months so I knew they knew I was out there...

Bishop Schnase opened the conference with a warm welcome and introduced Bishop Joaquina Nhanala, newly elected Bishop of Mozambique. Our conference has been outwardly focused for some time through the Mozambique Initiative. The Bishop pointed out that the goal of every conference is to comfort and strengthen one another through our relationships, and presented these five expectations for congregations: Christ-centered, Fruitfulness, Excellence, Accountability and Collaboration. Ways to achieve these expectations were explained and demonstrated throughout the conference.

Embrace the Mystery and Float in the Unknowable Sea

One of the themes of our study of the Five Practices was doing your best and then having faith that it was good enough. That related back to a PBS special that we watched some time ago. "Frontline: Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero" was very difficult to watch, but there was one idea that really stuck with me. One of the clergy discussed the fact that we would probably never know why these events happened and that was a part of the nature of God. We - humans that we are - cannot know and understand everything. And that is OK. We need to embrace the mystery of the universe and God - accept that it is and that is all. Embrace the mystery. Easier said than done.

We have all been in some difficult positions that made us cry out like Job. Why? Why me? Whether our hard times were financial, health related or had to do with relationships we all know what it is to feel persecuted, downtrodden, frustrated and even hopeless. We think that if only we knew there was a purpose in our tribulations, if only we could know why we were suffering it would be more bearable. We hunger for the control and certainty that we mistakenly think such knowledge would give us. Occasionally we have experiences and insights that lead us to an understanding of why we pass through difficulties, but more often than not we simply don't know why bad things happen.

In my imagination embracing the mystery is a bit like swimming in the ocean. You can float in the water, but lots of things are going on around you all the time. If you try to fight against the current you can get into trouble. There are some things you can do to direct your progress, but it is easier to give yourself up to the current and let it take you where it will. We simply need to have faith that it will all be OK in the end, God loves us and wants what is best for us. We just need to stay out of the way, embrace the mystery, and float in the Unknowable Sea. Easier said than done...

Finding Our Way...

Well, summer is here and our group will not be meeting again until September. We will do our best to post some thoughts and musings, but invite you to begin a dialogue by posting your responses.

I think we felt energized, hopeful and focused by our study of the Five Practices. The study brought us to a conscious understanding of the underlying purpose of the church and laid out what Schnase believes will allow us accomplish that purpose. But the question now is what do we do with it? Our pastor did attempt to bring the information to us and even did a sermon series on the Five Practices, but we didn't do a very good job of supporting those efforts. Our congregation will be welcoming a new pastor in July, so some see that as an opportunity to introduce change. If history is any indicator then change because of a new pastor is doubtful. Any way, the big question remains, what do we do with what we have learned? What do members of a congregation do when they feel they have found something vitally important to the spiritual life and work of the congregation? How do we bring it forward?

Extravagant Generosity - Creating a Culture of Giving

Today is our last meeting for the summer, and we finished the Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations. We took a little time to discuss Extravagant Generosity some more, and agreed that financial giving is the most difficult spiritual discipline for us to deal with. we worked through some ideas for taking baby steps to get us from here to there, it is such a long way but if we start small... if we create a culture of giving it will grow from there...

"When you become fruitful disciples of mine, my Father will be honored." (John 15:8 Contemporary English Version)

I think we would all agree that while this study has been difficult at times, it has been well worth the time. We have all felt energized and inspired by thinking differently about church. But we have also felt overwhelmed by the prospect of what it will take to get from where we are to where we should or could be. One of us shared a vision of the whole church using the book to guide and define the work of all our committees and groups, leading us to a clear and common vision of our mission. In the summary Schnase talks of fruitfulness, and we were drawn back by one of our members to the original purpose of the church - to change the lives of people for Jesus Christ. If we are not doing that, if we are not fruitful, then what is the point of going on? If we are fruitful and successful in changing lives for Christ then all will want to be engaged in the Five Practices. it is a bit of a chicken and egg discussion, but it seems to be a discussion that inspires excellence...

Extravagant Generosity - How Do We Get There?

Early on in our discussions we decided that there was a very purposeful reason behind the order in which Schnase listed the Five Practices. A church can work on all of them at once, but they really do follow sequentially. We invite people in with Radical Hospitality. Our first opportunity within the church to seek and encounter God occurs in Passionate Worship. Once we encounter God we want to learn more through Intentional Faith Development. When we understand the gifts and grace of God we can mature our faith by helping others through Risk-Taking Mission and Service. And finally, as Christians we recognize our need to give and practice Extravagant Generosity because of the abundant gifts we have received. Sounds great in theory, but the $64,000 question is How Do We Get There? We agreed that our church is in its infancy in understanding giving as a spiritual discipline. We understand the church's need for money, but don't get the other side of it, the joy of supporting ministries that will touch the lives of others and transform them as our own lives have been touched and transformed by God. We have become prisoners of the scarcity mentality, focusing on income, survival, and maintenance while neglecting our call to offer significant ministry. We are confronted time and time again in scripture with the gifts and provisions of an Extravagantly Generous God, and yet we still lack the faith to trust that if we give he will provide for us. Remember the parable of the talents? Is our church one of the faithful servants who used the gifts they were given, or are we going to be rebuked as the evil servant who buried his talents in order to keep them safe? It seems to us that it is so much easier to keep control and power over that money by making sure the budget is balanced and the mandatory expenses are covered, but really isn't the money controlling us? How much more blessed could we be if we gave our gift, even if it meant eating oatmeal for a week, and trusted God to provide? How would that act affect your faith? Where does that put God in your life? Can you see the road in front of you, and what role does your pledge to your church play? Clearly we were not ready to answer these hard question very well, but we are up to asking them. All we can do is move forward, mature in our faith through giving not only our time and talents through Risk-Taking Mission and Service, but also through financially Extravagant Generosity.

Next week our discussion will focus on summarizing and final comments. We will take the summer off, but if anyone has any suggestions for continuing throughout the summer post them in a comment!

Risk-Taking Mission and Service

We looked at what Salem UMC is offering in the area of mission and service both within the church and out in the community and world. While we agree that for a church our size, we are doing well in this area, we see that we can do some things to enhance participation by a larger segment of the congregation. Only humans have an inborn sense of altruism. We need to feel that we are making a difference.

The Mozambique Covenant is a financial mission that Salem has supported for many years. We discussed the little known fact that Vital Ministries like Epworth, Kingdom House, and Shalom House are no longer covered by apportionments. The congregation should be made aware of this to encourage more individual support. Circle of Concern is the strongest outreach program with the Thanksgiving Dinner being a real chance for members to interact with Circle families. Hearts and Hands have a very active ministry.

We know that UMM and UMW support a number of charities, but none of our group knew exactly which ones. VBS also is a very real presence in the community.

How do you measure mission and service success? Is it the number of “offerings” or in the “doing”? Are numbers the key measurement? A variety of offerings both inside the church and beyond it's walls and people willing to take on these projects are the true measure of success. Numbers are not a major factor.

“Mission” outside the church needs to be valued and recognized.

Suggestions for this area:

1. Publicize opportunities in the church bulletin and have a Recognition Moment during the service on occasion.

2. Use the display case to highlight projects.

3. Use the Sending Work Area to see that specific mission needs are presented to the congregation with all needed information and a contact person.

4. Continue to develop the Acts of Kindness and Service form for recording our individual gifts of faith and thanksgiving.

Intentional Faith Development - Make Up Your Mind!

Well, first of all I'll let you know we didn't quite make it to Risk Taking Mission and Service, but we did clarify a few points a bit more, and this clarity will help us as we move from introspection and putting ourselves right to reaching out and focusing on others. I think you can best sum it up by requiring that we make up our minds, or choose our behaviors and beliefs.

Make up your mind to see things in a different way! Look at worship, faith development, hospitality, mission and generosity from new perspectives, from no framework and ask what they can be.

Make up your mind to be open to new ways of doing the same things! Does the Sunday morning service really always have to look the same? Can we change the way we do our Easter Egg hunt and be more relevant and reach more people?

Make up your mind to retain and honor traditional services and forms! We don't need to throw out the baby with the bath water. If we lose sight of where we come from it will be impossible to see where we are heading.

Make up your mind to try to be all things to all people - within reason! The main risk we identified in doing this is exhausting your resources, so be reasonable but be open.

Make up your mind to admit to being imperfect and enjoy the journey toward perfection (Thank you John Wesley!) Recognize that we aren't going to get it right the first time, every time. But don't let that stop you from trying.

Make up your mind to just do it!

Next week will definitely be Risk Taking Mission and Service. See you then!

Intentional Faith Development - We Are Family

"They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers." Acts 2:42 The Message

We have been invited and welcomed (Radical Hospitality), we have experienced God (Passionate Worship), and now it is time to "...probe God's will for (our) lives and the world."(p63) Schnase defines Faith Development as when we "...mature in faith by learning together in community."(p62) During our discussion we clarified our view of faith development as a casual group experience that consists of give and take, back and forth, exploration and questioning. We felt it was important to qualify the group as supportive and nurturing of its members. Our weekly group gives us permission to be human and admit that sometimes our minds wander while in the worship service, we pray help-help-help when in the midst of a crisis and thank you-thank you-thank you when we recognize the good God has done for us, basically to admit that more often than not we are pretty shallow in our faith. But, it is in this small group setting that we find the safety, comfort and support that allow us to delve more deeply into our faith, to more clearly articulate our individual beliefs, to realize and understand that we are each at a different place in our faith journey (and we are exactly where we are supposed to be), to know that God works uniquely in each of our lives, to turn our focus outward by helping others and discovering that in the process we reap tremendous rewards. As Methodists we find this a natural echo of Wesley's small groups, but not as scary as we imagine his covenant groups to have been. We decided that like Passionate Worship, we cannot impose Intentional Faith Development on individuals. We can only provide a wide and varied assortment of opportunities for individuals to learn more about God and his will for their life. I knew an administrator who used to say, "All of us know better than one or some of us." That certainly appears to be the case with Intentional Faith Development.

Be ready to venture into Risk-Taking Mission and Service next week!

Passionate Worship – We Walk the Line…

Today we talked about how achieving and/or providing a passionate worship experience is walking a fine line. You need to be intentional but spontaneous, entertaining but not entertainment, caring but not intrusive, focused as a congregation but not rule-bound, informal but not exclusive, worshipful and joyful. It is a balancing act, but what if every activity in the church was a worship experience? And what if we each prepared ourselves for a worship experience, not a worship service? Schnase says, "What each person brings to worship shapes the experience for everyone as much as what he or she finds there. Passionate Worship begins with each worshiping individual." (p55) We agreed unanimously on that point and on the words of our pastor, "... one hour of Passionate Worship changes all the other hours of the week..."

"I keep a close watch on this heart of mine
I keep my eyes wide open all the time
I keep the ends out for the tie that binds
Because you're mine, I walk the line" --Johnny Cash

Next week we will begin Intentional Faith Development, and we will be prepared to go on to Risk-Taking Mission and Service. Read along and join us in person or here.

Passionate Worship - Close Encoutners...

Just what is worship? We struggled a bit again this week with the differences in how we each define worship, and then trying to guess how visitors would describe it. Schnase defines it in this way: “Worship describes those times we gather deliberately seeking to encounter God in Christ. We cultivate our relationship with God and with one another as the people of God.” (P33) If it is really that simple then why is the form so important to each of us? And how do we move beyond our own personal need for a particular format? And, even more importantly, how does a congregation offer a worship experience that meets the needs of all of its members? We discussed amongst ourselves (thank you Linda Richman) until the consensus was that it requires each one of us assuming responsibility for our own relationship with God, approaching a worship service as an opportunity to encounter God. Each needs to see that worship is not simply confined to the weekend services in the sanctuary, but is a part of our own individual devotions and practices, the attitude with which we approach life. If we can do that, then we can move on to passionate worship. Schnase says, “Passionate describes an intense desire, an ardent spirit, strong feelings, and the sense of heightened importance. Passionate speaks of an emotional connection that goes beyond intellectual consent. It connotes eagerness, anticipation, expectancy, deep commitment and belief.” (P37) How do you create and maintain that eagerness and expectancy of and encounter with God?

Passionate Worship is...?

The chapter on Passionate Worship opens with Psalm 84:1-2: "What a beautiful home, God-of-the-Angel-Armies! I've always longed to live in a place like this, Always dreamed of a room in your house, where I could sing for joy to God-alive! (The Message) These verses certainly convey a passionate desire to praise and be in relationship with God. I think we understood the passionate part pretty well, but I felt that we got hung up on the worship part. One of us pointed out that worship is a verb, and we had a lot of discussion that focused on the forms of worship – the conventions like the prelude (or gathering music), need for or lack of focus on introspection, desire for a quiet and contemplative mood, song, prayer. We seemed to get really stuck on those forms and what we each thought they should be. Maybe we need to stretch ourselves a bit to think in terms of backward design – start with the purpose/end result and then build a worship service in our minds that provides a passionate experience that connects all of us with God and the body of Christ as a community. What would happen this week if each one of us, as ardently we can, prepared passionately for worship?

Radical Hospitality - The End?

What can we do? What are the groups or places that it is easiest for newcomers to join or fit in? How does inviting people become a regular part of everything our congregation does? In what ways are people who come into our church made to feel like they aren’t new any more? What training or tools do we need to improve our invitation? As you can imagine, these questions generated quite a bit of discussion today. I bet they even have your wheels turning, don’t they? It seemed that the biggest challenge for us was not in coming up with answers and ideas and suggestions, but in avoiding our natural, human tendency to want to assess our progress in some quantifiable, measurable, concrete way. Maybe we just need to have faith that if we give the invitation in a radical way, then the rest will take care of itself. We may have a committee in charge of welcoming and following up with visitors, reaching out to help them find their place, offering opportunities for participation and service, but there is something more. Just offering the small, familiar, seemingly insignificant acts of kindness acknowledges and values each presence. That is what makes people feel at ease, a part of the body. And in the end that is all we need to do. How does that happen? Mark 4:3 from The Message "Listen. What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed.”

Radical Hospitality - How doin'?

How doin'? A common greeting among my kids and their friends, but also an invitation to assess current practices, state of "the union", how we are doing as a church and how we are doing as individuals. And that is just what we did this week. We started out by redefining what radical hospitality is - practices drastically different from the norm, exceeding expectations, offering the utmost of yourself to others, feeling restless because there are so many people who do not have a relationship with God, and being genuinely interested in others so that they intuitively know that people really care for them and they are a part of the body. We then proceeded to examine where we are, found we were right where most other mainline churches are and weren't very comfortable or happy with that. A natural outflow of that conversation was an invigorating brainstorming session, with everyone contributing ideas about how we could offer radical hospitality - pretty easily identifying things we could do as individuals, as a small group, and even things we could offer to the entire congregation. It was such a hopeful, uplifting, exciting and empowering conversation! What can you do right here, right now, no matter how small it may seem, to offer radical hospitality to your neighbor? If you are reading the book along with us, we will be putting the finishing touches on Radical Hospitality and moving into Passionate Worship next week.

Radical Hospitality - It's All About Me!

Today we started looking at the first practice, Radical Hospitality. We looked at some of the scriptural basis for Radical Hospitality including Romans 15:7 , Deuteronomy 10:19 Matthew 18:5 and 22:8-9 and 25:35, Hebrews 13:2 and 1 Timothy 6:19. We talked about how each one of us came to be a part of this particular church and discovered that we all had been raised with the custom or habit of attending church. Some fell away and came back, others were always very active and still others took breaks and bounced around amongst different denominations. But in the end we had all come from a churched background. Considering how we offer hospitality to those with a different experience was a bit more difficult than we had anticipated. What is the appeal of our church or any church to someone who does not or never has regularly attended church? Schnase states on page 31 that, “People are searching for churches that make them feel welcome and loved, needed and accepted.” We focused on the need to get it right, to be sincere and honestly caring about others in our invitations and the need to offer an invitation, no matter how uncomfortable we may be in doing so. We digressed to worrying about how the church as a whole can do that and thank goodness for the one who brought us back, reminding us to focus not on how we prevent others from doing it “wrong’” but on how I do it “right.” In the end it’s all about me and how I offer Radical Hospitality, because that is all I can control. But this isn’t the “It’s all about me” that I wanted, this is hard work…

Introduction - Part Deux

Well, as usual we got a bit into the discussion and didn't make it all the way through the introduction so we finished it this week. But that is a good thing! We always try to take our time and go at the pace the group is comfortable with, leaving the end open - we are about the journey, not the destination. Today's discussion centered around some interesting questions posed by our leader.

1. What is a fruitful congregation? What do you think it looks like?
2. On page 8 of the book Schnase writes, "The most visible way God knits people into community to fulfill the mission of Christ is through congregations, and these five practices give congregations a common language." What do you think he means by a "common language"?
3. The entire program related to the book is structured for a church-wide study, but as a small group what can we do and how do we apply it?
4. If you attend any church any where for the first time, what kind of hospitality would you expect to receive?
5. When you moved into a new neighborhood, or you started a new job in a new place, what happened that made you feel welcomed? How did you know you were a part of that new community?
   

Our discussion focused on our own situations locally, but the questions are valid anywhere for anyone. Considering and answering these questions gave us a chance to clearly, consciously articulate what is understood in our subconscious.

"Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations" - Inroduction

Our group decided to take up this book in order to increase our understanding of the Five Practices, but also as a vehicle for personal growth. The foundation of the book is that the Five Practices are what the church is all about - they fulfill its purpose to make disciples of Jesus Christ and are rooted in the second chapter of Acts. The failure to perform them in an exemplary way leads to decline and decay in the church. We can use them to examine the way we do business in the church, but we can also use them to examine our own deeply held beliefs, prejudices, fears, discomfort... and actions. Are we looking to excel in the ways we follow Christ? Do we personally seek the superlative, extreme adjectives associated with the Five Practices - Radical Hospitality; Passionate Worship; Intentional Faith Development; Risk-Taking Mission and Service; Extravagant Generosity. What kind of adjectives would you use to describe your faith journey?