This Sunday begins Advent. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advent] Advent is a season of spiritual concentration and preparation in the Christian church. Find out Sunday how to make Advent meaningful for you.
Go here [http://catumc.org/files/Nov%2030%2008.pdf] and check out the worship bulletin for The Refuge Sunday for two ideas: simplifying your life (which is something we all need to do and might bring us some peace during this hectic time of the year) and praying an advent breath prayer. Also, I would encourage you to think about this: what will it take to make you really happy? Think about it. Journal about it. Then ACT on it.
The traditional weekly themes of Advent are hope, peace, joy, and love. We will consider one of these each week in order. So, this week is hope. Here are the Scriptures I want to consider:
Jeremiah 29.10-14
Lamentations 3.21-24
Romans 8.22-25
Even Post-Obama, hope can be a tough sell in our world. Why should we have hope? And I mean REAL hope, not just some holiday-induced fake Christian sentimentality. Lets see if we can come up with something Sunday. My hunch is that it will have something to do with Advent, Jesus, and faith.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Advent DEVO
I am going to be sending out a BRIEF (short Scripture and a prayer) Advent devotional via text message each day during Advent. It will start on Monday. It will come around 7pm on Monday, and then at 7am each day until Christmas. If you are already on my text list, you will get it. If you are not, but want to be, then email me or leave a comment here or text me (520-403-2403) with your mobile number AND YOUR CARRIER (verizon, t-mobile, cricket, etc).
Thanksgiving
At my house, we are planning to take our traditional hike after Thanksgiving dinner, if it is not raining. Another tradition is that the girls do the cooking and the guys do the dishes. We'll see if Jeremiah helps me and Tyler this year.
Often we go see a movie on Thanksgiving. I don't know if we will do that this year. The prices of movie tickets keeps going higher and higher. One way we've found to beat that is to go to the cheap theater. I recommend this. We go mostly to Crossroads at Grant and Swan (since it is a local theater) and occasionally to Century Gateway 12 on Kolb between Broadway and Speedway.
HERE IS GOOD THANKSGIVING READ FROM THE PEOPLE AT RELEVANT MAGAZINE:
Thanksgiving is upon us once again. The time of year when we get together with family and friends, eat ourselves into a mild coma and fall asleep on the couch watching plasticine announcers make asinine comments about enormous cartoon-character balloons, or look on in horror as John Madden greedily devours this year’s turducken. Without a doubt, it is the pinnacle of the American experience. Certainly, though, the time-honored holiday has to signify more than an excuse to gorge ourselves on pies and various starches. After the hectic madness of each year, and before the brutal onslaught of the Christmas rush, Thanksgiving at least offers us the opportunity to sit back and consider the things in our lives for which we have to be grateful.
But thankfulness isn’t easy for a lot of us these days. With the economy spiraling out of control, many people are more worried about their jobs and houses than finding the perfect place-setting for their family gathering. Some of us have had a downright horrible year. Thankfulness can be a very difficult attitude when we’ve faced a lot of life’s trials. Health issues, relationship troubles, family dramas—all of these things can make it hard to put ourselves in a very thankful mood, and Thanksgiving day becomes nothing more than another salute to gastronomical excess. The very moniker of the holiday is ignored.
Sometimes, in the midst of a complicated world, we can be tempted to cast a wistful eye to the origins of the holiday. Modern society seems so much more complicated than the idyllic days of the first Thanksgiving. The celebrants of the first Thanksgiving had none of the woes forced upon us by industrialization and the information age. Their woes were, of course, far worse. Though there is dispute about where the first Thanksgiving was celebrated (most scholars say it was St. Augustine, Fla., in 1565 rather than Plymouth, Mass., in 1621) one thing is certain: Disease, hunger and a grueling physical environment were all realities in the days of the first Thanksgiving celebrations. They gave thanks in the midst of circumstances it is hard for us to imagine in modern day America. Fully half of the settlers in Plymouth died the first winter. Governor William Bradford’s young wife died before the ship even landed, by falling overboard. We give thanks because we got our turkey on special at Safeway, and Uncle Carl miraculously didn’t embarrass us this year. They gave thanks for not dying in the previous calendar year. Pretty heavy stuff.
It puts a lot of things in perspective to think of those few, first brave pioneers from Europe. While their motives and methods of colonizing North America are often questionable in the light of history, their courage and fortitude are not. Certainly, they knew hardships few of us could comprehend. Yet, in the midst of it all, they set aside time to honor and thank God for His provision.
It is hard to give thanks to God when we don’t see His goodness. Sometimes the providence of the Almighty seems much more an abstract concept than a reality. Yet, thankfulness should be a part of the very fabric of our beings, in spite of circumstance. The apostle Paul was an absolute model of this attitude. Few people had the laundry list of grievances that Paul did: shipwrecked, stoned, beaten, imprisoned. Yet his attitude throughout his writings is one of constant thanksgiving, even while in chains. He tells the church at Thessalonica:
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Thankfulness in all circumstances is not intended to massage God’s ego. Rather, thankfulness is an attitude that ultimately benefits us. When we give thanks to God in the midst of hardships, we are reminded of certain incontrovertible truths: God is good, God is gracious and God has our best interests at heart. By keeping these truths in mind, our faith becomes stronger. We begin to have the resolve to trust God, and the outgrowth of that is a new sense of peace when trouble arrives. Moreover, it’s a tremendous example to the rest of the world. To give thanks and praise to God when things are going tremendously well in our lives doesn’t prove a lot to people outside the community of faith. But to show that same thankfulness when our world is falling apart, that’s an attitude that speaks multiplied volumes.
Thanksgiving should not be limited to one day a year, but let’s start there. Let’s resolve to spend this holiday in a true condition of thankfulness. Perhaps this year hasn’t lived up to your expectations. Perhaps it’s been your worst year. Maybe Thanksgiving is actually going to be a tremendously lonely time for you. In spite of all this, give thanks. Thank God for the fact that He gave you life, and that He intends to give it to you more abundantly. That may not always resemble what we have in mind, but it will always be what’s best.
Author: Fred Burrows
Often we go see a movie on Thanksgiving. I don't know if we will do that this year. The prices of movie tickets keeps going higher and higher. One way we've found to beat that is to go to the cheap theater. I recommend this. We go mostly to Crossroads at Grant and Swan (since it is a local theater) and occasionally to Century Gateway 12 on Kolb between Broadway and Speedway.
HERE IS GOOD THANKSGIVING READ FROM THE PEOPLE AT RELEVANT MAGAZINE:
Thanksgiving is upon us once again. The time of year when we get together with family and friends, eat ourselves into a mild coma and fall asleep on the couch watching plasticine announcers make asinine comments about enormous cartoon-character balloons, or look on in horror as John Madden greedily devours this year’s turducken. Without a doubt, it is the pinnacle of the American experience. Certainly, though, the time-honored holiday has to signify more than an excuse to gorge ourselves on pies and various starches. After the hectic madness of each year, and before the brutal onslaught of the Christmas rush, Thanksgiving at least offers us the opportunity to sit back and consider the things in our lives for which we have to be grateful.
But thankfulness isn’t easy for a lot of us these days. With the economy spiraling out of control, many people are more worried about their jobs and houses than finding the perfect place-setting for their family gathering. Some of us have had a downright horrible year. Thankfulness can be a very difficult attitude when we’ve faced a lot of life’s trials. Health issues, relationship troubles, family dramas—all of these things can make it hard to put ourselves in a very thankful mood, and Thanksgiving day becomes nothing more than another salute to gastronomical excess. The very moniker of the holiday is ignored.
Sometimes, in the midst of a complicated world, we can be tempted to cast a wistful eye to the origins of the holiday. Modern society seems so much more complicated than the idyllic days of the first Thanksgiving. The celebrants of the first Thanksgiving had none of the woes forced upon us by industrialization and the information age. Their woes were, of course, far worse. Though there is dispute about where the first Thanksgiving was celebrated (most scholars say it was St. Augustine, Fla., in 1565 rather than Plymouth, Mass., in 1621) one thing is certain: Disease, hunger and a grueling physical environment were all realities in the days of the first Thanksgiving celebrations. They gave thanks in the midst of circumstances it is hard for us to imagine in modern day America. Fully half of the settlers in Plymouth died the first winter. Governor William Bradford’s young wife died before the ship even landed, by falling overboard. We give thanks because we got our turkey on special at Safeway, and Uncle Carl miraculously didn’t embarrass us this year. They gave thanks for not dying in the previous calendar year. Pretty heavy stuff.
It puts a lot of things in perspective to think of those few, first brave pioneers from Europe. While their motives and methods of colonizing North America are often questionable in the light of history, their courage and fortitude are not. Certainly, they knew hardships few of us could comprehend. Yet, in the midst of it all, they set aside time to honor and thank God for His provision.
It is hard to give thanks to God when we don’t see His goodness. Sometimes the providence of the Almighty seems much more an abstract concept than a reality. Yet, thankfulness should be a part of the very fabric of our beings, in spite of circumstance. The apostle Paul was an absolute model of this attitude. Few people had the laundry list of grievances that Paul did: shipwrecked, stoned, beaten, imprisoned. Yet his attitude throughout his writings is one of constant thanksgiving, even while in chains. He tells the church at Thessalonica:
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Thankfulness in all circumstances is not intended to massage God’s ego. Rather, thankfulness is an attitude that ultimately benefits us. When we give thanks to God in the midst of hardships, we are reminded of certain incontrovertible truths: God is good, God is gracious and God has our best interests at heart. By keeping these truths in mind, our faith becomes stronger. We begin to have the resolve to trust God, and the outgrowth of that is a new sense of peace when trouble arrives. Moreover, it’s a tremendous example to the rest of the world. To give thanks and praise to God when things are going tremendously well in our lives doesn’t prove a lot to people outside the community of faith. But to show that same thankfulness when our world is falling apart, that’s an attitude that speaks multiplied volumes.
Thanksgiving should not be limited to one day a year, but let’s start there. Let’s resolve to spend this holiday in a true condition of thankfulness. Perhaps this year hasn’t lived up to your expectations. Perhaps it’s been your worst year. Maybe Thanksgiving is actually going to be a tremendously lonely time for you. In spite of all this, give thanks. Thank God for the fact that He gave you life, and that He intends to give it to you more abundantly. That may not always resemble what we have in mind, but it will always be what’s best.
Author: Fred Burrows
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Sunday November 23, 2008
In the church year, this Sunday is Christ the King Sunday. One idea that struck me from the article in the link is from Cyril of Alexandria, who stated that Christ's Kingship is not obtained by violence: "Christ has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not seized by violence nor usurped, but his by essence and by nature."
Christ the King Sunday always comes the last of the church year, the last Sunday before the beginning of Advent.
This Sunday is also the Sunday before Thanksgiving. We will attempt to incorporate both themes into our worship for this Sunday.
The worship bulletin is here.
Christ the King Sunday always comes the last of the church year, the last Sunday before the beginning of Advent.
This Sunday is also the Sunday before Thanksgiving. We will attempt to incorporate both themes into our worship for this Sunday.
The worship bulletin is here.
Computer transition is tough
My old Toshiba laptop that I bought in 2004 really started messing up a couple of weeks ago. The CPU ran at 100% all the time. It was hard to even run one program at a time, let alone more than one. Our network/computer guy worked on it and then I did, too, for a few days. It improved some, but not a lot. So, I bit the bullet and bought a new computer. It's another Toshiba laptop. I got it at Best Buy. It fit the criteria I was looking for: it is powerful and fast and was on clearance. (I'm cheap, OK). I told that story to explain my blogging absence of late. Not only did I have computer problems, but then I lost lots of time in setting up the new computer. Isn't that how it is? A new computer solves some problems, but then creates a whole set of new challenges. Fortunately, I'm almost done. All I've got to do is figure how to connect to the church MS Exchange server so I can get my email. All last week I ran both computers on my desk: one for my church email, one for everything else. I wonder if I looked really important?
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Download the Cornerstone CD!
http://www.digstation.com/ArtistAlbums.aspx?albumid=ALB000024378
Click this link to purchase and download songs from the Cornerstone CD (or the whole thing!).
Click this link to purchase and download songs from the Cornerstone CD (or the whole thing!).
Micah 6.8, part 3
For the past few weeks, we have been considering Micah 6.1-8 in The Refuge. This is an interesting and important passage of Scripture that asks and answers the question:"What does God want from us?". The first two parts of the answer are do justice and love kindness (chesed). The third part is "walk humbly with your God". What does this mean? I think we can state it simply like this: realize that God is God and you are not. To walk humbly with God means to recognize our place and God's place. We are not in control. We are not in control of the world. We are not in control of our lives. And we are certainly not in control of God.
It is easy for us to believe (unconsciously, almost--we would never admit to this) that the world revolves around us. But just as Galileo and Copernicus brought us to understand that the earth is not the center of the universe (or even our galaxy), so we need to come to the paradigm-shifting, earth-shaking understanding that we are not the center of the world. So often we behave and think like God is part of our world. The truth is that this is God's world, and we are only small parts in it.
Another way we need to walk humbly with God is to understand and admit the limitations of our understanding of God. It is our nature to think that we are right, that we understand properly, and that anyone who disagrees with us is wrong. But we need to disagree with us. We need to see that our concepts of God are just that: our concepts of God. God is bigger, and more complex, and more mysterious, and just MORE than we can ever conceive. In his book How (Not) to Speak of God, Peter Rollins describes a position he calls a/theism. This means that we are both theists (believers in God) and atheists (disbelievers in God). We believe in God, but we (at the same time) do not believe our own concepts of God. Another way to say that is we do not limit God to our understanding of God. We will try to explore this a little more Sunday morning.
Here is the worship bulletin.
It is easy for us to believe (unconsciously, almost--we would never admit to this) that the world revolves around us. But just as Galileo and Copernicus brought us to understand that the earth is not the center of the universe (or even our galaxy), so we need to come to the paradigm-shifting, earth-shaking understanding that we are not the center of the world. So often we behave and think like God is part of our world. The truth is that this is God's world, and we are only small parts in it.
Another way we need to walk humbly with God is to understand and admit the limitations of our understanding of God. It is our nature to think that we are right, that we understand properly, and that anyone who disagrees with us is wrong. But we need to disagree with us. We need to see that our concepts of God are just that: our concepts of God. God is bigger, and more complex, and more mysterious, and just MORE than we can ever conceive. In his book How (Not) to Speak of God, Peter Rollins describes a position he calls a/theism. This means that we are both theists (believers in God) and atheists (disbelievers in God). We believe in God, but we (at the same time) do not believe our own concepts of God. Another way to say that is we do not limit God to our understanding of God. We will try to explore this a little more Sunday morning.
Here is the worship bulletin.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Sunday November 2
This will be our annual All Saints/All Souls Observance. There is a difference between the two. All Saints Day is November 1 and commemorates (officially--in the Catholic church) all persons who have attained the status of saint. Some more prominent saints have their own feast days throughout the year, but All Saints Day especially honors those who do not. All Souls Day is on November 2 and is for the rest of us--departed ones who have not been officially designated saints by the Catholic Church. In this respect, it is sort of like Festivus (for the rest of us). So technically, all of the observances we do at Catalina (and probably all Protestant churches) is really All Souls, not All Saints (no matter what we call it or what day we celebrate it); since we do not venerate official Catholic saints on that day, we remember loved ones who have departed. However, since we Protestants believe that all believers are saints (see Romans 1.7, 8.27, 12.13, 15.25-31), I suppose we could call our observances All Saints Day.
This week's worship bulletin is here. There is an introduction to All Saints/All Souls Day there.
For this Sunday:
ALL SAINTS WORSHIP EXPERIENCE
We will offer several prayer stations during our worship service today. Instructions will be given. This type of experience may be new to you, but rest as-sured, there is no right way or wrong way to participate! Simply be open to God in all the experiences. There is no set order to go in, or any pressing need to visit all of the stations. Take your time. Pay attention to your soul. Remem-ber those who are gone. We will come together right before communion for a Remembrance of the Blessed Ones. This will be an opportunity for you to come to the front and speak the name of someone you want to remember. We will use the format “Blessed is (name of the person), who (say a few things about his/her life).” Then you will have the opportunity to light a candle in memory of that person on your way to seat.
This Sunday will also be communion Sunday.
A BLESSING FOR ALL SAINTS DAY
Maybe in this there has been a glimpse of the kingdom
A foretaste, a hint, a promise
Let it hold you and let it send you
So you will never be at peace
Until all are fed, until all know home, until all are free, until justice is done,
Until peace is the way, until grace is the law, until love is the rule,
Until God’s kingdom comes. Amen.
PICK UP YOUR GREEN CARD! There are some small green cards on the back round table that you can use to participate in the Ignatian Examen during All Saints season. Simply pause at the end of your day and reflect. For what moment was I least grateful? Record your answer and pray about that. For what moment was I most grateful? Record your answer and thank God. The card with instructions is online at http://catumc.org/files/ignatianexamenallone.pdf
Our All Saints prayers and liturgies are online here if you are interested.
May the grace and peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and forevermore. Amen.
This week's worship bulletin is here. There is an introduction to All Saints/All Souls Day there.
For this Sunday:
ALL SAINTS WORSHIP EXPERIENCE
We will offer several prayer stations during our worship service today. Instructions will be given. This type of experience may be new to you, but rest as-sured, there is no right way or wrong way to participate! Simply be open to God in all the experiences. There is no set order to go in, or any pressing need to visit all of the stations. Take your time. Pay attention to your soul. Remem-ber those who are gone. We will come together right before communion for a Remembrance of the Blessed Ones. This will be an opportunity for you to come to the front and speak the name of someone you want to remember. We will use the format “Blessed is (name of the person), who (say a few things about his/her life).” Then you will have the opportunity to light a candle in memory of that person on your way to seat.
This Sunday will also be communion Sunday.
A BLESSING FOR ALL SAINTS DAY
Maybe in this there has been a glimpse of the kingdom
A foretaste, a hint, a promise
Let it hold you and let it send you
So you will never be at peace
Until all are fed, until all know home, until all are free, until justice is done,
Until peace is the way, until grace is the law, until love is the rule,
Until God’s kingdom comes. Amen.
PICK UP YOUR GREEN CARD! There are some small green cards on the back round table that you can use to participate in the Ignatian Examen during All Saints season. Simply pause at the end of your day and reflect. For what moment was I least grateful? Record your answer and pray about that. For what moment was I most grateful? Record your answer and thank God. The card with instructions is online at http://catumc.org/files/ignatianexamenallone.pdf
Our All Saints prayers and liturgies are online here if you are interested.
May the grace and peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and forevermore. Amen.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
I'm with Jim Wallis
Over on Bart Campolo's blog, I found this article by Jim Wallis about his faith priorities which will guide his voting in the election. Good stuff. Read it even if (especially if?) you don't agree.
Ignatian Examen
We started a new spiritual practice this week in the Catalina youth group and in the Refuge: the Ignatian Examen. Download and print the page here and it will give you a form to use and instructions and introduction. The examen is a great way to reflect on your life. I think it is especially appropriate during this All Saints season.
U of A Band Day
Here is the schedule for U of A Band Day, this Saturday, November 1.
http://web.cfa.arizona.edu/uabands/pdf/BDSchedule08.pdf
Just so you don't have to read the whole thing, Sahuaro performs around 4:40pm.
http://web.cfa.arizona.edu/uabands/pdf/BDSchedule08.pdf
Just so you don't have to read the whole thing, Sahuaro performs around 4:40pm.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Sunday October 26
I know, I know. I should blog about more than just what is happening on Sunday. And I do have some things I want to share. I will try to get to these. But for now, here is what is happening Sunday.
The worship bulletin is here.
This week we are starting a new study on Micah 6.1-8. This passage of Scripture asks and answers an important question: What does God require of us? There are a lot of ways to answer this question and there are a lot of answers being touted as THE answer to that question. But take a look at this Scripture passage. Does the answer in verse 8 surprise you? Do the suggested not-valid answers in verses 6-7 surprise you?
The worship bulletin is here.
This week we are starting a new study on Micah 6.1-8. This passage of Scripture asks and answers an important question: What does God require of us? There are a lot of ways to answer this question and there are a lot of answers being touted as THE answer to that question. But take a look at this Scripture passage. Does the answer in verse 8 surprise you? Do the suggested not-valid answers in verses 6-7 surprise you?
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Sunday October 19
This Sunday I will be camping at Picacho Peak State Park with the Catalina youth group. Pastor Ed will be preaching. We will also have great music, including a solo by Amy Tober (freshman at Empire High School) and Kendra McLean will be our percussionist. (Tyler is also going camping!) The worship bulletin is here.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Sunday October 12
This will be our last study in our series on the Psalms. I have really liked doing this. Looking at the Psalms gives you a ready-made portion of Scripture to study--you already have your boundaries set for you. And the Psalms were written to be used in worship (most) in ancient Israel, so they are naturals to include in our worship. And the Psalms cover real-life stuff and the gamut of human emotions. So it is with great sadness that I will leave the Psalms after this Sunday.
But we won't be leaving the Old Testament! We are going to spend 3-4 weeks looking at a very important Scripture: Micah 6.8.
Anyway, we finish this week with Psalm 139; a great song of God's love, care, and power.
The worship bulletin for this Sunday is here.
Here is a excerpt from this Sunday's study:
Psalm 139 is a seduction. It is a love story. God knows you the way a lover knows the beloved. God will never leave you. God knows all your secrets and still he is the truest lover of all.
This poem, "Let Your God Love You", by Edwina Gately will be used as a closing meditation this Sunday.
Be silent.
Be still.
Alone.
Empty.
Before your God.
Say nothing.
Ask nothing.
Be silent.
Be still.
Let your God
Look upon you.
That is all.
God knows.
God understands.
God loves you
with an enormous love,
And only wants
to look upon you
with that love.
Quiet.
Still.
Be.
Let your God--
Love you.
But we won't be leaving the Old Testament! We are going to spend 3-4 weeks looking at a very important Scripture: Micah 6.8.
Anyway, we finish this week with Psalm 139; a great song of God's love, care, and power.
The worship bulletin for this Sunday is here.
Here is a excerpt from this Sunday's study:
Psalm 139 is a seduction. It is a love story. God knows you the way a lover knows the beloved. God will never leave you. God knows all your secrets and still he is the truest lover of all.
This poem, "Let Your God Love You", by Edwina Gately will be used as a closing meditation this Sunday.
Be silent.
Be still.
Alone.
Empty.
Before your God.
Say nothing.
Ask nothing.
Be silent.
Be still.
Let your God
Look upon you.
That is all.
God knows.
God understands.
God loves you
with an enormous love,
And only wants
to look upon you
with that love.
Quiet.
Still.
Be.
Let your God--
Love you.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
World Communion Sunday October 5
Can you believe it is OCTOBER?? I can't. Where did September go?
The first Sunday in October is World Communion Sunday. You can read a little history of the event here. Of course, the biggest point of World Communion Sunday is the WORLD part: the unity of all believers all around the world sharing in the same observance--the same body of Christ. But I also like to emphasize the COMMUNION part. I believe that Holy Communion is not understood and is generally under-appreciated. That is why I take World Communion Sunday to talk about the importance and meaning of communion. Just as Christians have different views on baptism, so there are many different views on communion. Our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters celebrate the Mass, and believe that the bread and wine become the actual body and blood of Christ. Our non-sacramental, evangelical brothers and sisters believe it is an ordinance--simply something we are commanded to do--so we do it. Some also believe it is a memorial to Jesus. But most evangelicals believe that communion is completely symbolic. If it has an spiritual significance, it is all due to your attitude, your receptivity to God.
The United Methodist understanding of communion is officially stated in This Holy Mystery, a document adopted at the 2004 General Conference. Although there is a lot to say about communion, I will stop with saying that in the UMC, communion is a sacrament (see Article 16 here). That is to say that communion is a means of grace. God does something during communion, not just us. It is not just us taking the bread and the cup--that is a minor part--but God is with us and is working his grace in us in communion. That is what it means to have a sacramental view of communion. In other words, if one person comes to communion not interested and zoned out like a zombie, and another person comes to communion spiritually alert and with a heart of prayer, God's grace comes to both of them. Obviously the latter person will feel a more meaningful experience than the church zombie.
I think communion is VERY IMPORTANT. You will hear 6 things that I think communion means to us as Christians on Sunday. The worship bulletin is here.
And remember, Jesus instituted communion or the Lord's Supper during the observance of the Jewish Passover meal. How does the significance of the Passover to the Jewish disciples inform what Jesus was presenting with communion?
Interesting stuff to think about !
The first Sunday in October is World Communion Sunday. You can read a little history of the event here. Of course, the biggest point of World Communion Sunday is the WORLD part: the unity of all believers all around the world sharing in the same observance--the same body of Christ. But I also like to emphasize the COMMUNION part. I believe that Holy Communion is not understood and is generally under-appreciated. That is why I take World Communion Sunday to talk about the importance and meaning of communion. Just as Christians have different views on baptism, so there are many different views on communion. Our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters celebrate the Mass, and believe that the bread and wine become the actual body and blood of Christ. Our non-sacramental, evangelical brothers and sisters believe it is an ordinance--simply something we are commanded to do--so we do it. Some also believe it is a memorial to Jesus. But most evangelicals believe that communion is completely symbolic. If it has an spiritual significance, it is all due to your attitude, your receptivity to God.
The United Methodist understanding of communion is officially stated in This Holy Mystery, a document adopted at the 2004 General Conference. Although there is a lot to say about communion, I will stop with saying that in the UMC, communion is a sacrament (see Article 16 here). That is to say that communion is a means of grace. God does something during communion, not just us. It is not just us taking the bread and the cup--that is a minor part--but God is with us and is working his grace in us in communion. That is what it means to have a sacramental view of communion. In other words, if one person comes to communion not interested and zoned out like a zombie, and another person comes to communion spiritually alert and with a heart of prayer, God's grace comes to both of them. Obviously the latter person will feel a more meaningful experience than the church zombie.
I think communion is VERY IMPORTANT. You will hear 6 things that I think communion means to us as Christians on Sunday. The worship bulletin is here.
And remember, Jesus instituted communion or the Lord's Supper during the observance of the Jewish Passover meal. How does the significance of the Passover to the Jewish disciples inform what Jesus was presenting with communion?
Interesting stuff to think about !
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Check out the photos...
of my cruise last week! We had a great time!
Mobile post sent by richardleejones using Utterli.
Check out the photos...
of my cruise last week! We had a great time!
Mobile post sent by richardleejones using Utterli.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Back from the Cruise!!
Hey, it's great to be home after our cruise! Of course it is hard to get back to reality after 7 days with Mindy on a great ship, having all your meals served to you with no cooking or dishes, doing no cleaning, doing no work, and visiting wonderful ports in Mexico.
When can I go on my next cruise??
Photos are in myspace pics and all of them are at
http://s92.photobucket.com/albums/l1/richardleejones/Cruise%2008/
Last Saturday we drove to Long Beach (Los Angeles area) and spent the night at a great hotel (Long Beach Hyatt).
Sunday we boarded the Carnival Pride and started our cruise! We started with two FUN DAYS AT SEA (really) and then on Wednesday we docked in Puerta Vallarta. Mindy and I went to the beach there. Thursday we docked at Mazatlan and we did a walking tour with some shopping there.
Friday we anchored at Cabo San Lucas and we had a shore excursion to an exclusive beach resort. It was here that Mindy went parasailing. Yes, that's right.
Saturday was another FUN DAY AT SEA and then we docked and got back to US soil on Sunday morning. We drove home to Tucson on Sunday.
We had a great time, and yes, I would go on another cruise anytime!
When can I go on my next cruise??
Photos are in myspace pics and all of them are at
http://s92.photobucket.com/albums/l1/richardleejones/Cruise%2008/
Last Saturday we drove to Long Beach (Los Angeles area) and spent the night at a great hotel (Long Beach Hyatt).
Sunday we boarded the Carnival Pride and started our cruise! We started with two FUN DAYS AT SEA (really) and then on Wednesday we docked in Puerta Vallarta. Mindy and I went to the beach there. Thursday we docked at Mazatlan and we did a walking tour with some shopping there.
Friday we anchored at Cabo San Lucas and we had a shore excursion to an exclusive beach resort. It was here that Mindy went parasailing. Yes, that's right.
Saturday was another FUN DAY AT SEA and then we docked and got back to US soil on Sunday morning. We drove home to Tucson on Sunday.
We had a great time, and yes, I would go on another cruise anytime!
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