Claimed, gathered and sent

We may have our plans and schedules, but then there are God's. Internship continues to be simultaneously a delight and challenge. My supervisor has been called upon by the bishop to be involved on a part time basis helping out a nearby church. This increases my preaching responsibilities. I imagine there will be other additional duties as well. This is exciting and at the same time makes me cry out to God for wisdom and ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church. My husband, Ray, and I are football fans. The analogy that immediately came to mind was that of  a backup quarterback in football. My supervisor would be the starting quarterback. Only he needs to spend some time leading a different team. I am being called upon to step up and lead the Grace Lutheran team in a greater measure. Of course, this is what daily ministry consists of. We have one idea of how the line up will look, but God has another. God's will and plans for Grace and this other church are good....

Revival is not something Lutherans discuss much, except with possible disdain when it comes to its seemingly inherent emotionalism. Jim Wallis at Sojourners has a different idea about revival though and is conducting justice revivals. Here is a clip of one in conjunction with a Vineyard Church.

It is good to take some time to look at where we're at, how far we have or have not come, and where we're going. We do that as individuals. Do we do that often enough as a church? During the summer, Emanuel Lutheran Church , West Warwick, RI did that in a series of cottage meetings in members' homes. It was enlightening and action has been taken as a result. Gordon MacDonald suggests what it could look like if the church followed Starbuck's example of closing for a time to retool. What do you think? Pictures courtesey of Fotosearch.

Michael Spencer, the infamous Internet Monk or Imonk once again is cutting right to the heart of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Please read "No Big Thing" at his blog. The url is http://www.internetmonk.com/ . You will not regret it. Powered by ScribeFire .

Read what Internet Monk has to say about Advent our need of a savior. http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-mood-of-advent-we-all-need-a-savior

Quick, easy fixes are the antithesis of systems thinking. It is challenging, “because it is much harder to integrate new tools than simply apply them separately” (Senge, 2006, p. 11). This is an all encompassing discipline: the individual disciplines being like instruments in an orchestra, the fifth discipline being the orchestra. “By enhancing each of the other disciplines, it … reminds us that the whole can exceed the sum of its parts.” (Senge, p. 12). This process of systems thinking parallels “Natural Church Development” (Schwarz, 2006, p. 10). Senge writes, “…vision without systems thinking ends up painting lovely pictures of the future with no deep understanding of the forces that must be mastered to move from here to there” (Senge, 2006, p. 12). Natural Church Development call this “passionate spirituality” (Schwarz, 2006, p. 28) without “effective structures” (Schwarz, p. 30). Healthy churches are characterized by st...

“Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD” (Ps 37:4-5a). Critical decisions require knowledge of God’s will achieved by delighting in him, knowing his voice and committing everything to him. Engaging those around us is crucial in decision making, each bringing different gifts. Our church’s confirmation program was woefully inadequate, severely flawed. It is under the umbrella of Christian Education, which I chair. As the pastor’s project, our ideas were continually discounted. He left; opportunity arrived for revamping the program ensuring our youth encountered God. “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed” (Prv 15:22). The former chair rejoined the committee. A gifted retired teacher experienced in curriculum writing, involved with the youth, and voila, a new curriculum was born. We were all involved and unanimously approved it. “One important part of organizational communications is to co...

Belonging to Christ as “a bride in relationship to her loving and caring bridegroom (Eph 5:25-32) [1] is my most cherished image. Though “bride,” is absent from the passage, its meaning “is a profound mystery … I am talking about Christ and the church” (Eph 5:32). Having been under loved and well loved, this interconnectedness with Christ is richer, dearer as my husband ministers love to me. “Christ loved … and gave himself up for her” (Eph 5:25). “It was on the cross that our Lord gave himself up for his bride … all the more telling, since ekklesia is feminine.” [2] Encouraging my education and vocation, Ray lovingly sacrifices. Christ’s “mak[ing] her holy, cleansing her …washing with water” (Eph 5:26), loving her as is, but transforming her as “separate for himself a people for his own possession” [3] is profound. Paul possibly “was alluding to the purification of the bride before the marriage ceremony (Ezek 16:9).” [4] His “radiant church” (Eph 5:27a) “in unsullied sp...

To many non-Christians, the church seems irrelevant. Dan Kimball speaks to this issue regarding the post-modern generation. “People in emerging generations are open to discussing … truth. But they're looking for conversation, not a lecture, and facts, not rhetoric.” [1] To speak the language of today’s seekers, one must learn the language. Daniel Hill desired to understand younger, unchurched people. “For Hill, whose day job is ministering on staff with Willow Creek Community Church 's Axis outreach, Starbucks provides a context to build meaningful relationships with postmodern, Gen-Next twentysomethings who are far from God.” [2] God given intellects give us creativity in outreach. [1] Dan Kimball, “I Like Jesus … Not the Church,” Outreach and Evangelism Today, 14 March 2007, n. p. Online: http://www.christianitytoday.com/outreach [14 March 2007]. [2] Brett Lawrence, “Starbucks Spirituality,” Leadership Journal, Fall 2002, ...

“Sacred Scripture indicates … how deeply related are the knowledge conferred by faith and the knowledge conferred by reason…” [1] Rejecting reason denies being made in God’s image as intelligent beings. Reason without faith denies God’s plan, rejecting fellowship with him. “Intelligence enables everyone, believer and non-believer, to reach ‘the deep waters’ of knowledge (cf. Prov 20:5).” [2] Credo ut intellegam ("I believe in order to understand') and intellego ut credam ("I understand in order to believe") need to be kept in tension. Through faith, we understand who we are and where we fit in. Life can be intolerable without faith. God’s plans are “plans to prosper … not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jer 29:11). “Most reflective believers with a theistic orientation realize that the truth of God’s existence is not immediately obvious.” [3] Anselm, a “reflective believer,” [4] stood “… in a long line of thoughtful believers w...

Have you ever wondered what your spiritual gifts are? In my class on leadership, we were required to take the following test to determine those gifts. See what yours are. Romans 12 Motivational Gifts Test http://www.gifttest.org/

God's people face many challenges in living an incarnational lifestyle in today's world. Postmodernism presents us with challenges such as a belief that there are no absolutes. On the other hand, there is an unprecedented openness to spirituality. In postmodernism, “The issue is the “imposition of one set of cultural ideas upon another.” [1] Oppressive ideologies are taboo. The answer is following Jesus’ example of love. “Through humility, love, and patience … preachers can take measures to dispel the concern of people who have witnessed atrocities and deceptions in the name of truth … and … God.” [2] Christ reaching out to the marginalized with a “radical embrace,” [3] his inclusiveness, appeals to postmoderns. The universality of the gospel, for all would be a drawing factor. Regarding metanarratives, “The gospel is not a metanarrative, an ideology imposed on people, but an intranarrative, a reality exposed in one people and one person—Christ.” [4] ...

Mystery religions are still practiced in contemporary Western culture. “… The New Age movement’s grown, and … with it an embrace of the supernatural often expressed in an anti-intellectual manner with crystals, palm readings, star signs, psychics, and the like.” [1] Some promote goddess worship, singling out the feminine attributes of God. Ancient and pagan beliefs are incorporated “into modern society … to recapture what technology and science have stripped from the contemporary world, [2] exemplified by the “Force” in the “Star Wars” series. Luke Skywalker was urged to rely on the Force and not his computerized targeting system; thus destroying the Death Star, and saving the day. Scientology is another cult that has become increasingly high profile, claiming to be an “applied religious philosophy.” [3] Several famous actors and actresses live by and promote it. Mother Earth is worshipped by others in their quest for what is natural. Whatever the form, there is a “n...

God cleanses and feeds us by these means of grace. Baptism is carried out by Christ’s command calling us to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them” (Mt 28:19). As a Lutheran, infants as well as adults and children are baptized. I have struggled with this sometimes because my understanding since becoming a believer is that it should follow faith, not precede it. From early church history, however, infants have been baptized. In Acts, entire families were baptized (Acts 16:15, 33). Cyprian of Carthage (200-258) wrote approvingly of the practice. [1] The Book of Concord states, “We maintain that we should baptize children because they also belong to the promised redemption that was brought about in Christ (Mt 19:14). The church ought to extend it to them.” [2] In The Small Catechism, Luther explains, baptism “brings about forgiveness of sins, redeems from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe it, as the Word and promise of...

We were presented with a very interesting series of questions this week in Principles of Theology. See how you would answer them. What is your view regarding the topic of Baptism in the Holy Spirit? Specifically, (1) Is it a work of grace distinct from and subsequent to regeneration? Why or why not? (2) Is tongues the initial evidence of Baptism in the Holy Spirit? Why or why not? My response is below I am divided on the issue of the baptism with the Holy Spirit. I have experienced this and it has been beneficial in growth in grace, particularly as a relatively new believer. Jack Hayford’s interpretation of the scripture is one I agree with regarding this being a work of grace distinct from and often subsequent to regeneration. Throughout the book of Acts, in particular, we see the infilling of the Holy Spirit as a separate work. Passages such as Acts 8:14-16; 9:16-18; 10:44-45 and so on speak of this as a separate experience for believers besides the apostles. So...

Lk 9:18-27 Peter’s Declaration about Jesus Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, ‘Who do the crowds say that I am?’ They answered, ‘John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered, ‘The Messiah of God.’ Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, saying, ‘The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.’ Then he said to them all, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves? Those who are ashamed of me and of ...

I had the privilege of preaching on Sunday. The gospel was from John where Jesus asks Peter three times, "Do you love me more than these?" He then charges him to feed my lambs etc. On the heels of that, Sunday night we got word that our pastor was resigning and taking a call in CT. Then Mon. morning I read this post, written by Henri Nouwen which seems so timely. Laying Down Your Life for Your Friends Good Shepherds are willing to lay down their lives for their sheep (see John 10:11). As spiritual leaders walking in the footsteps of Jesus, we are called to lay down our lives for our people. This laying down might in special circumstances mean dying for others. But it means first of all making our own lives - our sorrows and joys, our despair and hope, our loneliness and experience of intimacy - available to others as sources of new life. One of the greatest gifts we can give others is ourselves. We offer consolation and comfort, especially in moments of crisis...

Today's readings are powerful and interesting. Psalm 27 portrays the God of light, salvation, a stronghold who delivers us from trouble. The gospel shows Jesus' missional orientation. He will not depart from his calling in spite of the threats of Herod. So far, so good. Jesus as a mother hen? We don't consider hens that strong or powerful, certainly unlike the imagery of Psalm 27. As a hen gathers her young chicks to protect them from danger, she leaves herself most vulnerable, exposing her breast. She gives her own life for the chicks. Even so, Jesus, arms open wide in love upon the cross gave himself for us. The Jerusalem chicks were rebellious, refused to be gathered. What about us? We are offered protection and shelter, salvation. Willful rebellion brings on a desolate house, void of God's presence. Rather, let us be gathered together and declare, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord."

Click here to view an annotation of http://jesuscreed.org/ What do you think about how we do church??