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Continuing our look at worship, we explore the role of music. Why is music so important to us and how should we understand music in worship?
Sing and Rejoice: Symbol
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The second sermon on a series on Worship, we look at how the Story of God is represented in Symbols during our worship. Our lives also become a symbol of God’s grace and mercy when we live into God’s story for our lives.
Sing and Rejoice: Story
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This is the beginning of a new preaching series on Worship. This week we look at how the Story of God plays such a big role in our worship and how our own stories add to the worship of the author of those stories.
Consumerism the Idol
Many things have been written about worship over the ages. Worship is a topic close to the human heart. Every religion that I can think of have rituals or practices that can be described worship, or at least reverence, toward spiritual power beyond our understanding. Much of the Jewish scriptures focus on the correct worship of the creator of all things and how often humanity gets it wrong. I have been studying the topic of worship lately in preparation for preaching on the topic and wanted to share an ancillary thought from my reflections.
Certainty
Lately I have noticed a trend in our culture that has bothered me. Everyone seems so certain about everything all the time. People on both sides of the political aisle state their opinions with such certainty in order to garner confidence from their base. News media state “facts” with such certainty they malign the real story with unnecessary spin in order to gain more viewers or readers. All this certainty leaves me feeling very alone. There is little I am absolutely certain about.
Grasping at Anxiety
If you get to know me well enough, you’ll learn that I am a highly anxious person. I over analyze everything and work myself into worrying about things I shouldn’t worry about. It seems like this reality is normative for more and more people these days, or at least more folks are talking about it. Our culture seems to be stuck in the minutia and building anxiety off the narcissism of minutia.
Recently I read a book by Mark Manson which sat at the top of the New York Times best seller list and sold millions of copies. The title is enough to make the more innocent blush so I won’t mention it. Mark is a writer who is simultaneously offensive and incredibly meaningful all at the same time. Manson is not a Christian writer, I have no idea of spiritual beliefs, but his book resonated with many spiritual truths I have contemplated in years past. Continue reading “Grasping at Anxiety”
The Future of the Church? (4 of 4)
This is Part 4 of a four part series on the future of the church. If you haven’t yet, start with reading Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
Part 4: Selflessness
Life is full of ups and downs spiritually. I have experienced times of great growth and times of stagnation and depression. One vivid memory of mine is during one of the times of great growth. I remember being so excited about loving and helping others that one day I came out of my apartment in San Jose, CA and saw an older woman struggling to get grocery bags out of her car. Without even thinking about it, I jumped into action and helped her carry everything to her apartment. When I was done, I jumped into my car and began to drive to the ministry school I was attending at the time. I began to feel proud of myself. While I sat in traffic I recognized what I had done and how purely selfless it was. My sinfulness began to creep in and I immediately wanted to tell everyone about how wonderful I was that morning. A moment of genuine selflessness was perverted by a deeper pervading narcism and pride.
The Written Word of God
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What is the Bible? How do we understand how our holy texts reveal God’s story to us and illuminate our own stories. We contemplate the scriptures and try to figure out a healthy way to approach them.
The Future of the Church? (3 of 4)
This is Part 3 of a four part series on the future of the church. If you haven’t yet, start with reading Part 1 and Part 2.
Part 3: Community
When I was a kid my best friend lived around the block from me and I would wander to his house almost every day and see if he was available to play. Of course on the days that he beat me to it and showed up on my doorstep I was saved the two hundred yard walk. The streets of my neighborhood growing up were filled with children. We often played baseball, basketball, street hockey and football in the streets. We rode our bikes for miles to gather in larger groups and organize bigger games in parks. None of it was “official” or sanctioned by any professional association. We had no coaches or referees.
The Future of the Church? (2 of 4)
This is Part 2 of a four part series on the future of the church. If you haven’t yet, start with reading Part 1.
Part 2: Authenticity
When I was younger I sat with a friend who was struggling in life. I had just committed to Christ in a very passionate way a couple of years before and eagerly shared Jesus with anyone who would listen to me. This friend and I sat in my parent’s driveway talking at 2am about all that he was going through. I took the opportunity to let him know, “This is why you need Jesus in your life.” His response was not what I expected, “Chris I am not as good as you, I can’t do that.”
