I’ll be back!

J

Here are a couple of other comments I’ve heard this week that affirm “failure”:

1. A speech student, in commenting about how much she respected her mom, said, “I learned so much from how she handled failure in her life.” I sat there realizing that I’d been wanting my kids to see me creating a perfect enviornment for them, when actually one of the things they need is for me to face trouble and watch my response.

2. Another speech student today quoted from Benjamin Franklin: “There is no pain without gain.” Do you see the subtle difference between this and “no pain, no gain.” Franklin’s statement affirms James when he says, “Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds.”

Jeff

What a profound story. I will most likely be referring to it in my sermon on Sunday. How helpful to the hurting families in our church and community.

George Whitfield said one of the tools of Satan was to beat us up with our failures. Listen:

“[And] when [Satan] finds he cannot allure you by flattery, he will try you by frowns, and the terrors of this world…. Do you expect to be saved by Christ? Also, He did not die for you; you have been too great a sinner; you have lived in sin so long, and committed such sins against Christ, which he will not forgive. Thus he hurries poor sinners almost into despair.”

Thanks for sharing this moment.

Jon

Last night, I returned from the Navaho reservation where I heard the clearest articulation for diversity in worship that I’ve heard. Beautiful. I’ve got to find the space and time to write about that experience soon.

Jeff

I’m with Dave Daumer, and here are two reasons why: one, Bev is a wonderful person and musician, and two, the organ can do just fine alongside contemporary worship music. The church can’t glibly wait for heaven’s perfect harmony while Bev is sliding off the bench wondering about her “place.” Tell her that her place is right there on that bench, right now. People first, as Daumer said.

Amy Scheer

Jeff

So well-written and so very much right where many congregations are these days. Right there in the midst of the “us” and “them” of our musicians, of our traditional vs. contemporary service attendees, of those who serve and those who don’t, of those who give and those who don’t.

“On the other side of all these changes, when our grieving is finally done, we will still have each other, and we will still have the Lord. And he will have us. And I believe that there will come a day that my high school friend Tony will plug in his guitar, and my Iowa friend Bev will slide onto the organ bench, and we will sing a new song. And it will sound like heaven.”

I’ve always loved John 17. Here, Jesus prays just before Judas betrays Him. Below are portions from vv. 6-23:

“I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world…I ask concerning them…Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth…And I do not ask concerning these only, but concerning those also who believe into Me through their word…That they all may be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us…And the glory which You have given Me I have given to them…that they may be perfected into one, that the world may know that You have sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me.”

This prayer is revealing and profound, even with my editing due to space. The oneness of the believers was uppermost on His heart just before His arrest. Actually, He says “that they all may be one” THREE TIMES, thereby accenting its importance.

Over the years the splintered church has tried to “get together” with ecumenism, and by advocating unity. The problem is, “unity” and “oneness” are not synonymous, IMHO. An illustration is best.

Unity is like joining different components which have some similarities. The methods of joining are many — some more effective than others, depending, in large part, on the skill, motive and agenda of the builders. The Achilles’ heel of unity in the church is twofold, as I see it.

First, who is doing the unifying? Man or God? The answer to that only comes when the unification brings forth some kind of fruit.

Second, one of the inherent realities of constructing a building is that when dissimilar components are joined, the resulting joints are especially vulnerable, because that is where the stress is at its greatest. It doesn’t matter if it is entire denominations, local congregations, individual Christians, or styles of music and worship. The greatest vulnerability is at the joints. (Ever damaged your knee, and you’ll understand this all too painfully.)

Yes, Paul talks about the building up of the Body of Christ, but I can’t believe something as fallible as the human effort of unity is what he means, since oneness only comes from God.

As forgiven sinners, most of us still have not learned to let go of very much “for the sake of the oneness in the unity bond of peace.” Not our opinions, our cultures (this includes worship style and music preferences), or our personal agendas. In ourselves we are incapable of oneness of thought, word or action with other human beings.

Only in, through, and by the Spirit’s little-by-little-day-by-day transformation for a lifetime and the outpouring of the Spirit in power are we capable of achieving oneness locally, let alone globally.

Look at the disciples. Before the crucifixion and resurrection, they were arguing over who would have pre-eminence in the Kingdom. But then they received the Holy Pneuma, became enlightened, enlivened (not to mention regenerated), enjoyed further instruction and comfort from the Lord for forty days, and watched His ascension. Following THIS, the disciples “continued steadfastly with one accord in prayer” with the sisters and Jesus’ relatives. It was then the Spirit came upon them, and mighty works of God ensued. Then afterwards they continued in one accord. THAT is what we all want a taste of. A foretaste of eternity.

Here then, is the illustration of that oneness, that one accord. It is like combining tea and water. Once intermingled, they cannot be separated. The essence of the tea is infused into the water and they are no longer distinct from one another. It is impossible to detect where the tea stops and the water starts or vice versa. No joints, no stress points.

We have no human construct for the Lord’s You-in-Me-and-I-in-You-and-they-in-Us. Without Paul’s illustration of The Body with Christ as her head, we couldn’t understand the church. Without John’s illustration of the Bride, wouldn’t “get” New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven, adorned as a bride for her husband. And without the illustration of the “teaification” of water, we wouldn’t understand just how closely the Father, Son and Spirit desire to mingle with us. One Body, One Spirit, One God and Father who is over all and through all and in all of us.

If we are “diligent to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace,” who is Christ Himself, realized by us through the Spirit, from the Father, then even when it seems impossible for the church to agree on anything, we still have this promise:

“[He] is able to do superabundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power which operates in us,.” And so on that day, we can say with gladness, “To Him be the glory _in the church_ and in Christ Jesus unto all the generations forever and ever. Amen.”

Thanks, Jeff! — Deb

This weekend I visited a Church of Christ in Des Moines with my parents who are still faithful members of a very conservative group in Texas. I almost wept as we sang–nearly 200 of us–the old accapella hymns of my past. Several of the songs were ones I used to lead at ice cream socials and singings when I was a teenager for my church though they would never say “I led them.” Women didn’t “lead” anything. Still, I led them nonetheless from my tan, worn folding chair in the circle with everyone else.

Oddly, I became very annoyed with the congregation this Sunday morning when they tried ineptly to sing modern praise songs accapella. Someone, trying to please the younger members of the church had arranged the songs in four part harmony–songs that were meant to be sung with full band as Jeff describes in this chapter. It hit me then that I was the “goin’ out” generation, and much of modern worship was in control of the “comin’ in” people. And that was the way it was supposed to be.

I met a Taiwanese Christian at Calvin a couple of summers ago. When asked how the church in Taiwan was beginning to leave its anglo missionary roots and become a true church in the culture of the country, he replied that they were in controversy at that present time. Younger members brought a traditional gong into the service to play at the beginning and closing. Members trained and converted by the missionaries resisted. Ah, what creatures we mortals be!

But there’s a reason that Martin Luther was highly suspect of music in the church even while he embraced it. It is so tied to who we are as Christians–it is one of the languages in which we talk to God. And it matters. It matters greatly because it resists logic and communicates on a level we rarely reach any other way.

This is a beautiful chapter which raises questions and offers no solutions. And it is right that it does so. This chapter has been a blessing to me today.

Just finished the introduction. Strong, very strong. I was especially drawn in by the beautifully delicate story about Paul Sills–a story that should evolve mythically, a sort-of backdrop to our theatrical/performance fears as thespians, evangelists, immobilized by the impact of “someone else’s” glory.

I’m hoping the chair of our worship arts department can benefit from it.

A lovely project, dear colleague.

I am coming late to this party so you probably already caught this, but there is a spelling oops in Natalie Goldberg’s first quote. I believe the word should be “Learning” not “Leaning”. Trst mee on ths, I am a good spllr.

I am impatient to read more. I almost didn’t comment so I could move on to your next chapter :) I am anxious to see how you bring together imagination and creed into corporate worship. My church loves to sing ancient words - hymns written hundreds of years ago, and songs not yet off the Christian top 40 charts. However not all of the top 40 christian songs make it onto the overhead projector each Sunday at my church. Maybe more should…If I chose the songs each Sunday, some of the latest Christian offerings would not make the cut for worship - some authentic Christian music does not urge me to worship. Perhaps others feel the same. Why am I talking about song while commenting about story? If I were picking the music at my local church, I would not feel bad or awkward about leaving some songs off the song list, I do not know these artists, these artists do not all attend my church. Story is different. It sounds like your goal is for story to be local, communal, and personal. I look forward to discussions about the “how.” How do I evaluate the worshipful quality of authentic experience? Is this even a fair question? All truth is God’s truth. I look forward to being challenged and humbled at my own arrogance towards worship in chapters to come. To God be the Glory in everything.