Worship. What is it all about?
Is it about the style of music we want to hear and sing? If you prefer traditional hymns, but contemporary songs are sung and played, does that interfere with your ability to worship?
Is it about which version of the Bible from which the Scripures are read? Can you hear Scripture only if it is from the old King James version? Does that version turn you off so that you can't hear what the Bible says?
Must the pastor wear robe and stole for it to be "real" worship? Does the robe and stole seem too pretentious or "high and mighty"? What if the pastor were to wear blue jeans and a "WWJD" T-shirt while preaching?
Worship includes such things as style of music, different versions of the Bible, different dress codes for the pastor, and many, many other things. However, worship is not ABOUT any of those things!
When certain elements of a worship service prevent us from worshipping, perhaps we have lost sight of what worship is really all about. So, what is worship all about? What is the heart of worship?
Worship is all about Jesus! You knew I was going to say that didn't you? Well, it happens to be true.
Our music should point us to Jesus, no matter what the style. We should try to hear the message of the music, even if we don't like the tune.
Scripture, by definition, points us to Jesus. I understand the all the "thees and thous" of the King James version are foreign to our ears, but some Christian traditions refuse to hear any other version. That is sad. Because the version of Scripture used is far from the point. The point is allowing the Scripture to show us something about Jesus.
And really? What do the preacher's clothes have to do with anything? Sure, the preacher should be presentable, but does wearing a robe, or not, really matter? There are times when I feel that wearing a robe and stole are more appropriate for the occasion, Communion Sunday for example. But, there are other times when it might be most appropriate for me to wear jeans! It depends more on what message God gives me than on what is comfortable.
Oops. I think I just stumbled across the thing that most often gets in the way of our worship. It's that word "comfortable"! Can we be uncomfortable and worship at the same time?
You betcha! Think about Paul and Silas, in prision, their feet in stocks, their hands shackled. They were singing and praying and praising God even in those decidedly uncomfortable circumstances! Oh! and mighty things happened as a result of their worship!
We can worship under any circumstances, as long as we remember that Jesus is the heart of worship. Whenever we forget that truth and start thinking that WE are the heart of worship ... well, you know what happens.
Be blessed!
Pastor Mark
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
From Disciples to Apostles
On Sunday, April 15, we explored the idea that Jesus can and will appear in the middle of the spaces in our hearts and lives that we have closed off and locked up tight. He comes to this space, not to bring additional fear, that is why we have sealed off this space in the first place! No, Jesus comes to bring us peace, shalom. We have prayed, and I hope you will continue to pray, that Jesus will prepare us for his appearance in our sealed-off places.
There is another significant piece to the passage we were discussing (John 20:19-31). Jesus told his disciples, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." Then, he breathed on them, giving them the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is John's version of what we usually think of as the Day of Pentecost. Luke's version in Acts 2 comes some 50 days later and is told in much elaborate detail, but the main point of both versions is that the disciples receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and a charge to spread the gospel.
Before, they were disciples. After, they were apostles. A disciple is one who learns. An apostle is one who is sent. Isn't it time we made the transition from disciple to apostle?
Hold on there, Preacher! I wasn't there when Jesus told the disciples that he was sending them, so maybe that means only they were apostles, and not me!
Nice try.
Sure, they are the Apostles (notice the capital A?). They were the first apostles, the ones who witnessed the resurrected Christ in the flesh. Nevertheless, we also are apostles, because through this passage Jesus speaks to us, Jesus sends us. If it were not so, then the Bible is a dead book and can have no real affect on us in our time and place in the world. Besides, Thomas wasn't there when Jesus said those words (you remember "Doubting Thomas" don't you?). Would you deny Thomas the role of Apostle?
Some of us are still young in the Christian faith, so it is appropriate for these to keep their focus on learning, on being disciples. Most of us have been in the faith for many years and it is time we made the transition!
We never stop being disciples; there is always more to learn. Likewise, even when we are babes in the faith, little baby disciples, we have received the charge to tell others about it. The more mature we are in the faith, the more clearly we are able to articulate it.
Consider this, Mary Magdelene encountered the resurrected Christ and in a matter of moments, he sent her (apostle: one who is sent) to spread the word. We all have the responsibility and the calling to tell others about what Jesus has done for them! The easiest, simplest way to start is by sharing what Jesus has done for you. Mary Magdalene's first witness was very simple, "I have seen the Lord!" Give it just a tiny bit of thought and it will not be difficult to come up with something Jesus has done for you.
By all means, keep on being a disciple, keep on learning. But let us make that very important transition into apostleship. The Word of God (Jesus) sends us into the world to share the good news: Jesus Christ died for us while we were yet sinners; that proves God's love toward us!
Be an apostle, tell somebody today!
Be blessed,
Pastor Mark
There is another significant piece to the passage we were discussing (John 20:19-31). Jesus told his disciples, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." Then, he breathed on them, giving them the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is John's version of what we usually think of as the Day of Pentecost. Luke's version in Acts 2 comes some 50 days later and is told in much elaborate detail, but the main point of both versions is that the disciples receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and a charge to spread the gospel.
Before, they were disciples. After, they were apostles. A disciple is one who learns. An apostle is one who is sent. Isn't it time we made the transition from disciple to apostle?
Hold on there, Preacher! I wasn't there when Jesus told the disciples that he was sending them, so maybe that means only they were apostles, and not me!
Nice try.
Sure, they are the Apostles (notice the capital A?). They were the first apostles, the ones who witnessed the resurrected Christ in the flesh. Nevertheless, we also are apostles, because through this passage Jesus speaks to us, Jesus sends us. If it were not so, then the Bible is a dead book and can have no real affect on us in our time and place in the world. Besides, Thomas wasn't there when Jesus said those words (you remember "Doubting Thomas" don't you?). Would you deny Thomas the role of Apostle?
Some of us are still young in the Christian faith, so it is appropriate for these to keep their focus on learning, on being disciples. Most of us have been in the faith for many years and it is time we made the transition!
We never stop being disciples; there is always more to learn. Likewise, even when we are babes in the faith, little baby disciples, we have received the charge to tell others about it. The more mature we are in the faith, the more clearly we are able to articulate it.
Consider this, Mary Magdelene encountered the resurrected Christ and in a matter of moments, he sent her (apostle: one who is sent) to spread the word. We all have the responsibility and the calling to tell others about what Jesus has done for them! The easiest, simplest way to start is by sharing what Jesus has done for you. Mary Magdalene's first witness was very simple, "I have seen the Lord!" Give it just a tiny bit of thought and it will not be difficult to come up with something Jesus has done for you.
By all means, keep on being a disciple, keep on learning. But let us make that very important transition into apostleship. The Word of God (Jesus) sends us into the world to share the good news: Jesus Christ died for us while we were yet sinners; that proves God's love toward us!
Be an apostle, tell somebody today!
Be blessed,
Pastor Mark
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Mark's Amazing Story
Fair warning! If you are able to attend Asbury's Sunrise Service on Easter Sunday, you might want to wait to hear this at that time.
The Gospel According to Mark ends rather abruptly at 16:8, with no post-resurrection appearance from Jesus. Most biblical scholars agree that verses 9-20 of chapter 16 were added to Mark's original ending to make it more satisfactory to our sensibilities and to make it conform more closely to how the other Gospels end. Something else to keep in mind is that all four of the Gospel writers tell their story in their own way. So, we need not try to reconcile the differences between them; we should just hear their stories the way they tell them.
The scene in Mark 16 opens with three women approaching the tomb where Jesus was buried, just after sunrise and the end of the Sabbath, carrying with them burial spices for the purpose of giving Jesus' body the proper final preparations.
There is something wrong with this picture!
If the women had believed Jesus when he told them that he would rise again on the third day, they would have known that they wouldn't need burial spices, and wouldn't have been concerned about the large stone sealing the entrance to the tomb! (It seems we are in good company when we are surprised when God answers our prayers and fulfills his promises.)
Now, Mark is ready to reveal the event that defines his version of the Gospel story: the women discover the empty tomb and are told by a heavenly messenger, "He is risen! He is not here." This is the event that proves what Mark has said from the very beginning: "The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God."
So, what is the first human response to this good news? Trembling. Bewilderment. Fear. And ... silence.
I can understand the trembling. The women have just had an extraordinary experience, receiving a message from heaven, from Jesus himself! Although they didn't see Jesus, this was still an experience that would easlily evoke trembling.
Bewilderment? In their experience, and in ours, the dead and buried tend to stay dead and buried. But Jesus has now defied death! That is just cause for some confusion and perplexity, wouldn't you say?
Fear? We all fear the unknown. What happens now? Is what happened to Jesus going to happen to us now? How do we carry out his mission when he isn't here to lead us? What do we do?
But, what about the silence? The message from Jesus was to go and tell. Yet these women ran from the tomb in terror and told no one! We know the story gets out; after all we're reading and thinking about it right now. So we know the silence didn't last very long.
I may be giving these women more credit than Mark intended, but what if this temporary silence was a good thing? What can they say that wouldn't trivialize the experience? Do you remember Peter's lame suggestion on the Mount of Transfiguration? How can they share their experience without making it all about their experience rather than about what God has done? Perhaps a little time for contemplation in the midst of their trembling, bewilderment and fear was the best thing they could do in that moment.
God has done an amazing and extraordinary thing here. God does amazing and extraordinary things in our lives all the time! Our message from Jesus, as it was to these women, is to go and tell.
We must not keep silent!
However, it behooves us to consider how we will share God's amazing and extraordinary actions: actions we read about in the Bible, actions we've seen throughout history, as well as God's action in our own lives. We must share in a way that makes our sharing about what God has done, and not so much about what I have experienced.
Consider what God has done. Share what God has done. Make it about what God has done!
Be blessed!
Pastor Mark
The Gospel According to Mark ends rather abruptly at 16:8, with no post-resurrection appearance from Jesus. Most biblical scholars agree that verses 9-20 of chapter 16 were added to Mark's original ending to make it more satisfactory to our sensibilities and to make it conform more closely to how the other Gospels end. Something else to keep in mind is that all four of the Gospel writers tell their story in their own way. So, we need not try to reconcile the differences between them; we should just hear their stories the way they tell them.
The scene in Mark 16 opens with three women approaching the tomb where Jesus was buried, just after sunrise and the end of the Sabbath, carrying with them burial spices for the purpose of giving Jesus' body the proper final preparations.
There is something wrong with this picture!
If the women had believed Jesus when he told them that he would rise again on the third day, they would have known that they wouldn't need burial spices, and wouldn't have been concerned about the large stone sealing the entrance to the tomb! (It seems we are in good company when we are surprised when God answers our prayers and fulfills his promises.)
Now, Mark is ready to reveal the event that defines his version of the Gospel story: the women discover the empty tomb and are told by a heavenly messenger, "He is risen! He is not here." This is the event that proves what Mark has said from the very beginning: "The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God."
So, what is the first human response to this good news? Trembling. Bewilderment. Fear. And ... silence.
I can understand the trembling. The women have just had an extraordinary experience, receiving a message from heaven, from Jesus himself! Although they didn't see Jesus, this was still an experience that would easlily evoke trembling.
Bewilderment? In their experience, and in ours, the dead and buried tend to stay dead and buried. But Jesus has now defied death! That is just cause for some confusion and perplexity, wouldn't you say?
Fear? We all fear the unknown. What happens now? Is what happened to Jesus going to happen to us now? How do we carry out his mission when he isn't here to lead us? What do we do?
But, what about the silence? The message from Jesus was to go and tell. Yet these women ran from the tomb in terror and told no one! We know the story gets out; after all we're reading and thinking about it right now. So we know the silence didn't last very long.
I may be giving these women more credit than Mark intended, but what if this temporary silence was a good thing? What can they say that wouldn't trivialize the experience? Do you remember Peter's lame suggestion on the Mount of Transfiguration? How can they share their experience without making it all about their experience rather than about what God has done? Perhaps a little time for contemplation in the midst of their trembling, bewilderment and fear was the best thing they could do in that moment.
God has done an amazing and extraordinary thing here. God does amazing and extraordinary things in our lives all the time! Our message from Jesus, as it was to these women, is to go and tell.
We must not keep silent!
However, it behooves us to consider how we will share God's amazing and extraordinary actions: actions we read about in the Bible, actions we've seen throughout history, as well as God's action in our own lives. We must share in a way that makes our sharing about what God has done, and not so much about what I have experienced.
Consider what God has done. Share what God has done. Make it about what God has done!
Be blessed!
Pastor Mark
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