Pagan Christianity

Posted on May 26th, 2008

Despite my eagerness in reading this book to find out about the origin of many of the practices of the modern church, I must say that book has left me wanting something different. I would have preferred a book that offered the historical developments and then a biblical portrait of what a church could look like. The book delivers well on the former, but fails on the latter. I wound up giving up on the book after chapter three.

I gave up after realizing that the authors were prooftexting their model of what the church should look like, selectively choosing from 1 Corinthians 14:26-33, with no explanation about why they leave out verse 34 from their model (the women be silent verse).

I hope one day to be able to read the other chapters. I think it is interesting to know how practices developed, but the authors are simply too interesting in damning anyone who thinks they can worship or honor God through them. I guess God cannot use cultural differences or developments to honor himself, at least according to Viola and Barna.

Tags: Book review, church practices, history, Worship
Filed under Book Reflection, Church & Theology | 1 Comment »

Leah

Posted on May 1st, 2008

I was struck today while reading about Leah and Rachel’s competition in son-bearing that Leah praised God when her fourth son was born. The first three sons Scripture records her using as means to buy Jacob’s love, which Rachel had stolen before Jacob even met Leah. Finally, by the fourth son, Leah relinquishes that – at least for the moment – and rather than thinking that Judah would turn Jacob’s eye to her, she simply praised God for another son.

I am struck by a couple of aspects. One, that she praised God at all. I’m sure it was a pretty normal thing in the culture of the day to praise a deity for the gift of a child, particularly of the male variety. I guess she thought that since Rachel was barren (apparently), and she now had four sons for Jacob, that he status was secured, even if Jacob never loved her as he loved Rachel. In a way, I guess the praise feels “left over.” Like an afterthought or something. Especially since, when Rachel hands over her maidservant, the competition starts all over again with renewed vigor.

The other thing that strikes me, and contributes to the “left over” feeling, is that it took her to son number four before she gave praise to God. The first three were all about Jacob. Even her fifth and sixth sons she counted as wages due her by God for some action she had taken – something God provided for her on account of her circumstances, rather than an undeserved blessing for her simply to be thankful for.

And I guess I’m struck because I have the same tendency. God is down on the list. I eventually think of Him and even thank Him for the good things in life – the blessings. But it’s after they are here for a while, and I’ve enjoyed gloating over them or showing them off to someone else. It’s about me getting my status right first. Then I’ll give God the glory and the honor. Once I’m set up the way I want to be set up, then I’ll turn over the praise.

More ramblings that probably have little or nothing to do with what Rachel and Leah actually were dealing with in their lives. Besides, there are so many reasons that I cannot understand or comprehend what they were going through…beginning with my chromosome set.

Tags: Life, Old Testament, Worship
Filed under Life, Old Testament, worship | No Comments »

No longer my own

Posted on July 8th, 2007

A prayer from a list of prayers on the web site of Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor, available here.

I am no longer my own, but yours.
Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will;
Put me to doing, put me to suffering;
Let me be employed for you or laid aside by you,
Exalted for you or brought low for you;
Let me be full, let me be empty;
Let me have all things, let me have nothing;
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.

And now, glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
You are mine and I am Yours.
So be it.

And the Covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.

- A prayer of the Methodist Church

Tags: Life, Ministry, Worship
Filed under Life | No Comments »

Body and blood

Posted on June 3rd, 2007

This morning, like we do the first Sunday of every month, our church celebrated (is that an appropriate word?) communion. I have been in churches with a variety of time tables of practicing this ritual: quarterly, in the evening service, in the morning service, monthly, and one Baptist church and prepared the table with bread and the fruit of the vine every week.

I don’t know that there is a right and a wrong as to when to have communion. I believe
the church has freedom in deciding when to practice it as best fits their worship practice.

But I was struck today by how normal it felt. Communion should never be normal.
We practice monthly here. The last church I attended served communion weekly.
It never got old, routine, or normal then. In fact, I think communion took on
more significance for me while I was at the church precisely because we practiced
it weekly. But here, at only once a month, it just seems every day. Normal. Routine.
Not all that holy, set-apart, sacred. And I don’t like that, not one bit.

Communion, Lord’s Supper, Eucharist, Table, Mass, whatever you might call it, is the
high point of worship in a church. While my tradition does not hold any place for special, saving grace from the cup and bread,  Communion is the preeminent time of worship. It is, of all times, when we remember our whole story: from Genesis to Revelation, taking long stops in Deuteronomy, Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It’s not just the Christmas story or the cross or the resurrection. But the whole bundle from creation through loss to redemption and the hope of restoration. Only communion can really capture all of that at the same time.

So it shouldn’t be routine. It shouldn’t be normal. It is anything but.

Tags: Ministry, Worship
Filed under Church & Theology | No Comments »

Dreams

Posted on March 17th, 2007

Here are some things I’d love to see our church incorporate into their worship, or at least try. This list will expand, I’m sure – probably in separate posts:

• Better use of technology. Not to say that technology is an answer to anything, but there is much out there that can be used to enhance our services. Some of it we are using (we have a screen with Powerpoint announcements before the service), much of it we are not. I recognize that there is a lot out in the world that is just gimmicks and seduction of the moment, and we need much wisdom and discernment if/when/as we embark this trail.
• Better understanding of marketing. Our culture is so marketing savvy – I, at least, can recognize pretty quickly a poorly designed marketing blitz. I do not mean to say that we need to be pouring money into marketing – lots of companies poor millions of dollars (or euros or yen) into campaigns that accomplish nothing. But as we reach out to our community, I want us to have a good grasp on the best way to get our intent and purposes across. I don’t want to be using cheap for the sake of cheap or expensive for the sake of expensive. I want to represent my God and Savior well as I go about his business.
• Deeper spiritual growth. Who doesn’t want this? I think we are good at a lot of surface things – church dinners and such – but we lack in the area of real deep study and growth. I think it shows in the way we (don’t) reach out to our community as broadly as I think we could or should. Of course, there are exceptions – there are people in the church who do more than I would ever expect anyone to do on their own. But broadly speaking, I think our church could involve itself in the community more. I think it is telling that so many in our small community know little or nothing about our church.
• I want to see us do more of being Christ in the world. Service is a characteristic of Christ. See more on the above item.
• Broader understanding and use of worship in the service. More than music. More than style. More than drama. I want the congregation to see worship as more than any one thing or element. And I want the congregation to understand that worship doesn’t just happen while sitting in a pew or inside the walls of a building where the church meets regularly. I want our people to worship throughout the week. And when we worship together, I want us to do it with songs from every age and every style, with Scripture reading and reflection, with sounds and silence, with reflection, humility, and honesty.

I think I shall stop there for now.

Tags: Ministries, Worship
Filed under Uncategorized | No Comments »