August 29, 2010

Those of you who have kids: could you ever look at your child and say "You're not worthy of my love, but I love you anyway?" But we continue in self-flagellating theology that views God as a cosmic loose cannon ready to jump on us rather than the God Jesus describes as a mother hen gathering her chicks.

Redman's song is a good one, but it has one weakness: it says "if they could see" who God is, they would praise him constantly. But really, there is no "they" and there is no "us". We all see dimly and often have trouble worshiping because we don't understand God's true character. We often are afraid of being known by God, because we think that being known and being loved by God are inversely proportional. The confession is attempting to get at this misunderstanding of God's character.

Basically, if my God looks like a worse parent than I am, my view of God should change.

Let Everything That Has Breath (Matt Redman)

Confession

God of love,

We cringe when we see
a small child cowering
in fear of her parent,
waiting for the look of revulsion,
the rough hand to strike,
the harsh word to be spoken.

Some of us
were once that child.

God, how often do we
approach you in the same way?
Are we afraid
that if you really knew us
you would not love us?

God, too often we have accepted the lie
that your love of us is conditional,
that your favor is fleeting,
that the wellspring of your mercy
is limited.

Help us see truth today.

Thank you that you
look upon us with acceptance,
place your hand on our shoulder,
and speak words of love over us.

We open ourselves
to be known by you
and to be loved by you.

Amen

Assurance of Pardon

On that day Jerusalem will be told,
"Don't be afraid, city of Jerusalem.
Don't give up.
The Lord your God is with you;
the mighty One will save you.
He will rejoice over you.
You will rest in his love;
he will sing and be joyful about you."

(Zepheniah 3:16-17)

God of Beauty (Solomon's Porch)

Communion: Dave Song

Response: Your Grace Is Enough (Tomlin)

August 15, 2010

"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy. "Safe?" said Mr. Beaver. "Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about being safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good."

All Creatures Of Our God And King

Confession

God,

It is in our nature
to have expectations
of our relationships.
We confess
that our relationship with you
is no different.

We expect you:
to heal our loved ones,
to repair our relationships,
to take our side in politics or football,
to work within our timeframes,
to do our will—

because we are afraid
of what might happen
if you do not.

God, annihilate our fear!

Convince us again,
or perhaps for the first time,
that you are good,
and though you don't bow
to the world's expectations,
you are with us
and for us.

Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

The true children of God are those
who let God's Spirit lead them.
The Spirit we received
does not make us slaves again to fear;
it makes us children of God.
With that Spirit we cry out, "Father."
(Romans 8:14-15)

Of Psalm 51 (Sojourn Music)

Communion: Came To My Rescue (Hillsong)

Closing: Marvelous Light (Charlie Hall)

July 25, 2010

The church is good (or OK) at creating people who are committed to an institution. It's much less accomplished at creating communities committed to God's mission. I think we don't in the end trust God's generosity, so we over-compensate by burning people out, guilting people into giving time and money, and otherwise focusing on perpetuating the institution/monster we've created.

We aren't called to make the world right. We are called to live, and God is the one who says "Behold, I make all things new." Instead, we often worry rather than trust.

I was happy with how this liturgy turned out, though it's pretty obvious I've been reading Brian McLaren's A New Kind Of Christianity.

Reign In Us (Starfield)

Confession

Generous God,

who breathed a very good creation to life,
liberated your oppressed people from Egypt,
and spoke, through the prophets,
of a kingdom of peace and life:

We confess today
that we still do not trust
your generosity.

This causes us to live
in broken ways.

We worry about many things:
food, work, ministry, clothing,
parents, children, time;
Forgetting that you care for
even the lilies and the sparrows.

Forgive us for trusting ourselves,
instead of trusting you;
For doing the work that is yours,
rather than the work that is ours.

Help us to live in harmony
with you and your creation,
and believe—truly believe—
in the goodness of creation,
your promise of liberation,
and your kingdom
that is continually coming
on earth as it is in heaven.

Amen

Assurance of Pardon

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

From The Depths (Sojourn Music)

The Wonderful Cross (Trad., Tomlin)

Not Alone (Solomon's Porch)

July 11, 2010

I got a break from leading worship for the second week in June. Today the focus of our gathering was on the church as the body of Christ. We are the way in which we, and those around us, see Jesus. It is in him that we live and move and have our being. I wasn't too happy with how this confession came out, but it's here for posterity...and I really liked the combination of verses for the assurance of pardon.

Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing

Confession

God,

You created us
to bear your image.

We are the body of Christ,
yet we live fractured lives.
We measure ourselves on our
successes and failures,
rather than our participation
in the body,
the community,
the being of Christ.

God,

You created us
to bear your image.

Forgive us for how difficult it is
for those around us to see us as
the body of Christ.
May the glass they see through darkly
become clearer and more radiant,
as we live and move and have our being
through him,
with him,
and in him.

Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

"For In him we live and move and have our being."
As some of your own poets have said,
"We are his offspring." (Acts 17)

Can a woman forget her nursing child,
or show no compassion for the child of her womb?
As a mother comforts her child,
so will I comfort you, says the Lord. (Isaiah 49&66)

God of Beauty (Solomon's Porch)

Communion Song: From The Inside Out (Hillsong)

Closing Song: The Benediction (Timothy Meaney)

June 13, 2010

This was a hard text for me; the parable of the unmerciful servant presents a view of God very different than other parts of the biblical text. Is God a loving parent or a king who puts us in debtor's prison if we don't forgive others? How do we discern God's true character? I can only hang on to the hope and assurance that God will end up being infinitely better than we can imagine. The liturgy this week is borne out of this tension.

Not Alone (Solomon's Porch)

Confession

God,

Sometimes we see you as a king:
a harsh taskmaster waiting to repay with vengeance.
Sometimes we see you as a lax parent:
forgiving all even when we do not ask.
Somehow both of these images are incomplete,
and we struggle to understand who you are.

We confess our limited understanding
of you and of your grace,
but we affirm in faith
that you are better than we can imagine.

We confess that we do not offer
the grace that we have received
to those around us.

Help us embrace our neighbors,
and forgive them in love and mercy,
even as we know you forgive us.

Amen

Assurance of Pardon

"In a surge of anger
I hid my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness
I will have compassion on you,"
says the Lord your Redeemer.
"I, even I, am he who blots out
your transgressions, for my own sake,
and remembers your sins no more."
"I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Return to me,
for I have redeemed you."
(Isaiah 54, 43 & 44)

You Are My King

Communion Song: All The Way My Savior Leads Me (Trad., Tomlin)

Closing Song: Stronger (Hillsong)

May 23 (Pentecost)

I talked a bit today about Pentecost as the birthday of the church, and how it ties in with Shavuot (the Jewish Feast of Weeks). Just as the Jewish people are defined by Torah (which is one of the themes of Shavuot), the church is defined by the Holy Spirit, received on Pentecost by the early church. Now no longer under the Torah, we are bound by the law of love written on our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

I also was thinking about Ruth (the book of Ruth is traditionally read on Shavuot, likely because of the harvest season parallel). Ruth as an outsider, a Moabite, not even legally allowed to convert to Judaism according to Nehemiah 13. However, God broke his own rules, so to speak, not only welcoming Ruth but giving her a place in history as an ancestor of David and Jesus. Who today does the church not accept? I didn't talk about this in church, because it was too much of a bunny trail, but it was on my thoughts during the week.

Oh, and I put the confessional song between the spoken portions of the confession liturgy. Actually worked pretty well.

I also ended the gathering with a quote from Tripp Fuller, a pastor in California, which I found through some twitter link that I can't find at this point, so it's unsourced but reprinted below.

Our Great Savior (Traditional)

Confession

Hopeful God,

You fulfilled the promise Jesus made
and sent the Holy Spirit to timid disciples,
giving birth to a bold new community
of inclusion, love, and grace.

We confess
that we have failed to embrace
the radical acceptance and community
that you call us into.

Forgive us for our exclusion,
our hopelessness,
our fear,
and our timidity.

Surprise us again
with your hope,
through the gift of your Spirit.

Amen.

Of Psalm 51 (Sojourn Music)

Assurance of Pardon

(Romans 5:1-2)

Since we have been justified through faith,
we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
into this grace in which we now stand.

And we rejoice in the hope
of the glory of God.
And hope does not disappoint us,
because God has poured out his love
into our hearts
by the Holy Spirit,
whom he has given us.

Communion: Not Alone (Solomon's Porch)

"It is easy to get swept away by the vision of God’s dream for the world. Unlike the brokenness of the present, it is whole. Unlike the violence of the present, there is peace. Unlike, well, what is actual, something more is possible. The Holy Spirit is God’s continuous gift to the present that protests what is with what could be. She is the always-active agent of God’s coming. Life in the Spirit then, is one that dreams God’s dream during the day."

Open Skies (Claas P. Jambor)

May 9

With our pastor out of town, I ended up talking a lot more than usual. I did the call to worship along with leading communion for the first time. We also read the Celtic Creed together. I have a love/hate relationship with creeds. On one hand, they help us to be joined in common belief. On the other hand, especially the later creeds are imbued with political overtones and lose some of their poetic beauty because they are trying to make sure that no "heresies" get perpetuated. I love the Celtic Creed because it's simple and trinitarian, and is a beautiful piece of poetry, a standard to which we should hold all of our liturgical statements. It's reproduced below.

Reign In Us (Starfield)

Confession

God,

We speak often of community,
and invite you to create it,
but we often don't know
if we want what we ask for.

We do not fully understand
what this community will look like,
who will be here,
how their uniqueness
will interact with our own,
how we will change each other.

We confess it is hard for us
to be willing to give up
the comfort of what we know
for the uncertainty of
what you are doing.

But we also confess
that we do not want the alternative
of shutting the door on
any of your children.

Forgive us for our small thinking,
and help us to embrace
what you are calling us to become.

Come, Lord Jesus.
Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

(I John 1)
This is the message we have heard from God
and proclaim to you,
that God is light and in God there is no darkness at all.
If we walk in the light, as God is in the light,
we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Sanctuary (Eugene Kim)

Communion: Reading of Celtic Creed:

We believe in God above us,
maker and sustainer of all life,

of sun and moon,
of water and earth,

of male and female.

We believe in God beside us,

Jesus Christ,
the word made flesh,
born of a woman,
servant of the poor,
tortured and nailed to a tree.
A man of sorrows,
he died forseaken.

He descendend into the earth
to the place of death.
On the third day
he rose from the tomb.
He ascended into heaven,
to be everywhere present,

and His kingdom will come on earth.

We believe in God within us,

the Holy Spirit of Pentecostal fire,
life-giving breath of the Church,

Spirit of healing and forgiveness,

source of resurrection and of eternal life.

Communion: There's A Table (Lynn DeShazo)

The Benediction (Timothy James Meaney)