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A Guide to Practicing Lent

February 17, 2012 in Blog, Teachings, Worship Elements with 2 Comments

Lent is an opportunity for us to take seriously Jesus' sacrifice for us.Lent is the 6 week period leading up to Easter Sunday. It begins on Ash Wednesday. The Church has historically set aside this period of time to prepare ourselves to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus.

This year, Lent runs from Wednesday, February 22-Sunday, April 8.
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The Prayer Hotline

January 23, 2012 in Teachings, Worship Elements with 2 Comments

A skit we wrote and recorded for our week on prayer. You can hear the recording here: Prayer Hotline

Hello! Thank you for your prayers. In order to help process your prayer more efficiently, please choose from the following menu options. Listen carefully, as some of our options have changed.

Para escuchar este menú en español, pulse el número 2 ahora.

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ADVENT: Help Build a Home in Benin

December 5, 2011 in Blog, Influence, Teachings, Worship Elements with 1 Comment

Advent is how we prepare ourselves to welcome Jesus into the world. We realize that God becoming human, Jesus walking among us, was a sacrificial, costly act. Way before Jesus went to the Cross for us, he gave up Heaven to become one of us.

This year, we have the opportunity to celebrate Christmas the way Jesus did: by sacrificing ourselves for someone else - the children of the Arbre de Vie Orphanage in Benin (West Africa).

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A Prayer for the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11

September 11, 2011 in Blog, Pop Culture, Teachings, Worship Elements with 3 Comments

God of Heaven and Earth, Creator and sustainer of all nations and peoples:

We gather to worship you this morning on a day that reminds us of a great tragedy. We are gathered here to sing songs to you, to pray together, to hear your Holy Word, and yet we still remember the images of the towers falling, of the dust that covered over everything.

The dust that became for all of us a symbol of our own mortality. Our own vulnerability and insecurity. Ten years ago today taught us to be afraid, and the decade that has passed since then is no different. We are as afraid today as we were then. We fear for the future of our nation, for our own safety and the safety of our children. We fear for the economy that seems like it will never recover. We fear for all of our loved ones who are sent overseas to fight.

In so many ways, we can't seem to shake off the dust of 9/11. We confess our fear to you today.

And we ask, God of Love, that you heal us. Teach us your perfect love. Teach us to love even those who hurt us. Teach us to love those we call our enemies. Teach us to see the world through your eyes, the peoples of the world as precious children made in your image. Teach us today your perfect love that casts out fear.

When the first man sinned, you told him that Death was his reward. You told him that he was made from dust, and so to dust he returns. Thank you, God of the Resurrection, that you became one of us, that you took our Death from us, that you died in our place that we might know life. Thank you that because of your sacrifice, we can hope for the Resurrection.

Today, God of Peace, let us find strength in your weakness. Let us learn the path of forgiveness and reconciliation. Teach us to find strength not in our own power, but in the power of your Cross. We hear your call to something better than what we know. We believe that the life you have before us is greater than what lies behind us. We believe that the future, in all its ambiguity, is brighter than our past. We want the next decade to be marked not by fear but by love. Not by anger but by hope. Not by dust, but by resurrection.

Thank you for making hope out of our brokenness. Thank you for making beautiful things out of the dust.

We pray these things in the powerful, crucified and resurrected name of your son, Jesus.

After we prayed, we sang "Beautiful Things" by Gungor together:

How did your Church remember 9/11? What do you think this next decade should look like for our country? For the Church?

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Prayer for American Troops

August 1, 2011 in Blog, Pop Culture, Teachings, Worship Elements with 3 Comments

God of Heaven and Earth: Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
We pause before you today to acknowledge that the Earth is yours, and everything in it. We have gathered today to remember our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, our friends and family who are not with us today because they are somewhere else... Somewhere else in your Earth. We thank you that though they are far from us, they are not far from you.
 
God of Love, we pause before you to confess that we often fear for our loved ones who are not with us. Your world today is such a dangerous place, and the wars and earthquakes and tsunamis and revolutions and terror cells - all of these fill us with a deep sense of dread. We think on these things and we fear - for our own safety and for theirs.
 
Today, may we rest in your promise that your perfect love casts out fear. May we confess here together that we believe this world belongs to you, not to any one nation. May we confess that fear and terror do not define our reality. That you alone hold our eternal destinies in your hand.
 
God of Peace, we pause before you to confess that our world is filled with hate. We often feel surrounded by enemies - be they foreign, religious or political. We confess that more often than not, we choose to react out of anger, fear and self-preservation. We confess that - especially when we think of our loved ones who are far from us - even our thoughts and prayers are often filled with tribalism and violence. We know that this is not what you want from us.
 
Teach us to follow the example you showed us in your son Jesus, who taught us not to hate our enemies but to love them, to pray for them even as they persecute us. With that in mind, we pray for those our loved ones are fighting. Open their eyes that they may sense your presence. May they, too know the peace that you promised us.
 
Before Jesus left us, he promised, "My peace I give to you." In your son's name, God of Heaven and Earth, we claim that peace. Teach us to be a people of peace, and bring your peace into this world. Let your kingdom come here. Let your will be done here on Earth the way it's done in Heaven.
 
God of the Resurrection, we pause before you to remember that because of the Cross, death is not the last word in our lives. We remember that when you rose from the dead, you defeated death and Hell and war and suffering. Your son Jesus is the first fruits of the resurrection. We look at his new life as the promise of ours.
 
We look for the promise of a renewed, restored creation. Free of war and pain. A world that knows no enemies, but only friends. A world that doesn't need armies. A world that doesn't divide loved ones.
 
God of Heaven and Earth, we gather here to remember our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, our friends and family who are not with us today because they are somewhere else. We are thankful for them. We miss them. And in our pain, in our waiting for them to come home, we anxiously await the coming of your kingdom.
 
We pray all of these things in the powerful, peace-giving, all-loving and resurrected name of your son Jesus.
 
Everyone who agrees with this prayer voices their agreement by saying...
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Holy Week - Holy Saturday Vigil Prayers

April 23, 2011 in Blog, Teachings, The Bible, Worship Elements with 0 Comments

Here is a PDF download of the Vigil prayers. “Prayer is not introspection.  It is not a scrupulous, inward-looking analysis of our own thoughts and feelings but is an attentiveness to the Presence of Love personified inviting us to an encounter.  Prayer is the presentation of our thoughts – reflective, as well as daydreams, and night dreams – to the One who receives them, sees them in the light of unconditional love, and responds to them with divine compassion.”  -- Henri Nouwen, A Book of Hours
This is Holy Saturday, a time that lies between the shame and pain of Jesus’ death and the celebration and glory of Jesus’ resurrection. These prayers follow the traditional Holy Hours of the church, times when the faithful would take out of their days to pray and read Holy Scripture.  Use this to help guide you into prayer and meditation on God, who brought you to this point, who died that you might live, and who leads you into community and new life.

Vigil (3 am):

Glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. God of suffering, who suffered upon the cross of shame and grace, teach us to mourn this day as we rest between the cross and the tomb, the coming of Christ and his return, that we might suffer with those around us, offering the comfort and love of your Son, Jesus the Christ. We ask this in Jesus name.  Amen.

Lauds/Prime (6 am):

O Lord, let my soul rise up to meet you as the day rises to meet the sun. Glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.  Amen. Read: Psalm 88 Pause for silent prayer. Lord's Prayer

Terce (9 am):

Glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.  Amen. Almighty God, whose beloved Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified:  Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace, through the same, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  (from The Book of Prayers Compiled for Protestant Worship edited by Leon and Elfrieda McCauley)

Sext (Noon):

Glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.  Amen. Read: Psalm 23 O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen. (from The Book of Common Prayer)

None (3 pm):

Glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.  Amen. Lord Jesus, at the ninth hour you gave yourself into the hands of the Father. May we welcome his will with love, and fulfill it to the end, as you have taught us for ever and ever. Amen.  (from The Glenstal Book of Prayer)

Vespers (6 pm):

Glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.  Amen.
“What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages. God has died in the flesh, and the underworld has trembled.”  -- from St. Thomas Aquinas’ homily on Holy Saturday
Read: Psalm 27 Pause for silent prayer. Lord's Prayer

Compline (9 pm):

Glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.  Amen. Read: Psalm 4 We confess to you, O God, that we have not been as faithful to you and to one another as we could have.  We have sinned in word and deed, against you, O God, and against one another.  Forgive us, that we might forgive one another, remembering that even as your Son, our Lord, shattered death by death and dwelled among the dead in Sheol, our sin was forgiven, the ransom paid, that we might see your face in one another's once again. May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.  Amen. (from the United Methodist Book of Worship)

Matins (Midnight):

Glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.  Amen. O Creator, in the depth of your wisdom you lovingly govern all men and distribute what is good for each one.  Now give rest to the souls of your servants, for they have placed their hope in you, our Creator, our Maker, and our God. Amen. (from Byzantine Book of Prayer)
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Responsive Reading - It Is Finished

April 22, 2011 in Blog, Teachings, The Bible, Worship Elements with 0 Comments

This is a responsive reading we used for Good Friday 2011. It's based mainly from John's account of Jesus' arrest and execution. Here is a PDF of the full reading. Speaker: You have watched as Jesus rode into Jerusalem this week. You waved palm branches and cried out, Crowd: Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven! Speaker: You sat with him in the upper room. You let him wash your feet. And then he said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified and God has been glorified with him. I am with you only a little longer. I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. The same way I have loved you, you should also love one another." Crowd: Lord, where are you going? Speaker: Where I am going, you cannot follow me now. But you will follow me after it is over. Crowd: Lord, why can't we follow you now? We will lay down our lives for you. Speaker: Will you lay down your lives for me? The truth is, before the rooster crows, you will have denied me three times. Crowd: Even if we have to die with you, we will never deny you! Speaker: He was arrested. You followed him to the trial. And they came to you, and said to you, "You aren't some of this man's disciples, too, are you?” Crowd: We are not. Speaker: Are you sure you're not some of his disciples? Crowd: We are not. Speaker: I recognize you - you're definitely some of his disciples! Crowd: A curse on us if we're lying – we don’t know the man! Speaker: And so Jesus was handed over to Pilate. And Pilate brought forth Jesus and a criminal called Barabbas. “Whom do you want me to release for you, Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?" Crowd: Not this man. Give us Barabbas! Speaker: And what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah? Crowd: Crucify him! Speaker: I don't see any reason to kill him. Why don't you release him? Crowd: Crucify him! Speaker: I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves. Crowd: His blood be on us and on our children! Speaker: Very well. Here is your king. Crowd: Crucify him! Speaker: Are you sure? Should I really crucify your King? Crowd: We have no king but the emperor. Crucify him! Speaker: It will be as you say. Take him away and crucify him. ::Pause:: Speaker: You watch as Jesus is taken and crucified. God is hung on a cross. This is the final battle. This is the end of the story. You've reached the last stop on your journey. Here, on the cross, the war for the world is ended. Crowd: Rome said, You cannot defy us. You are no king. Speaker: Jesus replies, My kingdom is not of this world. Crowd: Rome said, We will break your body. We will tear you apart. Speaker: Jesus replies, Take my body. It's broken for you. It will become food that gives life to all who eat it. Crowd: We will spill your blood. We will drain your life away. Speaker: Take my blood. It's poured out for you. It will become drink that quenches eternal thirst. Crowd: We will pierce you, hang you high to show what happens to those who defy us. Speaker: I am pierced for your sins. I must be lifted up so that whoever believes in me may have eternal life. Crowd: We will take your life. We will show you that we are in control. We have the last word. Speaker: I am the good shepherd. I lay down my life for my sheep. I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me. ::pause:: Speaker: And with that, God dies. Behold, the Son of Man, lifted up on a cross. Look at him. Behold the bread of life, broken. Look as the Blood of a new covenant is poured out. See the nails that pierce him for you. This is the Good Shepherd who has given his life for us. Even now he is breathing his last breath. Even now he is crying out. Listen. Can you hear him? What were his last words? Crowd: It is finished.
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Worship Gathering: Ash Wednesday

March 10, 2011 in Blog, Sermons, Teachings, The Bible, Uncategorized, Worship Elements with 0 Comments

From our 2011 Ash Wednesday gatherings: Here are the podcast and the responsive readings (download a PDF here). Take some time over the next few days to read and pray through them again. Also, if you didn't get a devotional book, you can find a PDF download here. You'll have to use it on your computer, but it's better than nothing! Ash Wednesday Prayer of Self-Examination & Repentance --Let us now focus our minds on our sin and the unending mercy of God. God the Father, all: have mercy on us. God the Son, all: have mercy on us. God the Holy Spirit, all: have mercy on us. Trinity of love, all: have mercy on us. all: Most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we confess that we have fallen short of who You’ve created us to be. There have been moments when we have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength.  There have been moments when we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.  There have been moments when we have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven. all: Lord, have mercy. There have been moments when we have been deaf to your call to serve, as Christ served us. There have been moments when we have not been true to the mind of Christ.  We have grieved your Holy Spirit. all: Lord, have mercy. We confess to you, Lord ... all our past unfaithfulness: the pride, hypocrisy and impatience of our lives. all: Lord, have mercy. Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation of other people. all: Lord, have mercy. Our anger at our own frustration and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves. all: Lord, have mercy. Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts and our dishonesty in daily life and work. all: Lord, have mercy. Our negligence in prayer and worship and our failure to commend the faith that is in us. all: Lord, have mercy. Accept our repentance, Lord ..for the wrongs we have done, for our blindness to human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty. all: Accept our repentance, Lord. For all false judgements, for uncharitable thoughts towards our neighbors and for our prejudice and contempt towards those who differ from us. all: Accept our repentance, Lord. For our waste and pollution of your creation and our lack of concern for those who come after us. all: Accept our repentance, Lord. Restore us, good Lord, and let your anger depart from us. all: Favorably hear us, for your mercy is great. Accomplish in us the work of your salvation, all: that we may show your glory in the world. By the cross and passion of your Son our Lord, all: bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection. Pause for a moment of silent reflection all: There have been moments when we have not loved you with our whole heart. There have been moments when we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. In your mercy forgive what we have been, help us to amend what we are, and direct what we shall be; that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you, our God. Amen. --Let us now focus on what we are being delivered from From all evil and mischief; any form of pride, vanity, and hypocrisy; from envy, hatred, and malice; and from all evil intent, all: good Lord, deliver us. From sloth, worldliness and love of money; from hardness of heart and contempt for your word and your laws, all: good Lord, deliver us. From sins of body and mind; from the deceits of the world, the flesh and the devil, all: good Lord, deliver us. In all times of sorrow; in all times of joy; in the hour of death, and at the day of judgment, all: good Lord, deliver us. By the mystery of your holy incarnation; by your birth, childhood and obedience; by your baptism, fasting and temptation, all: good Lord, deliver us. By your ministry in word and work; by your mighty acts of power; and by your preaching of the kingdom, all: good Lord, deliver us. By your agony and trial; by your cross and passion; and by your precious death and burial, all: good Lord, deliver us. By your mighty resurrection; by your glorious ascension; and by your sending of the Holy Spirit, all: good Lord, deliver us. Give us true repentance; forgive us our sins of negligence and ignorance and our deliberate sins; and grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit to amend our lives according to your holy word. all: Holy God, holy and strong, holy and immortal, have mercy upon us. Pause for a moment of silent reflection Make our hearts clean, O God; all: and renew a right spirit within us. all: Father eternal, giver of light and grace, we have sinned against you and against our neighbor, in what we have thought, in what we have said and done, through ignorance, through weakness, through our own deliberate fault. We have wounded your love, and marred your image in us. We are sorry and ashamed, and repent of all our sins. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, who died for us, forgive us all that is past; and lead us out from darkness to walk as children of light. Amen.
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Crucify Him!

April 3, 2010 in Blog, Teachings, Worship Elements with 5 Comments

Here is a responsive reading Jason and I wrote for our Good Friday gathering.  Four of us each presented on a day of Holy Week, and then we each took turns as the “Speaker” while the congregation played the part of the Crowd.

Responsive Reading

Speaker: Jesus' disciples brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it. Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting Crowd: Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven! Speaker: Tell me, what do you expect of this Jesus who is called the Messiah? Crowd: We expect one who confronts our enemies. Jason: He will not confront your enemies before he first confronts you. Crowd: We expect one who agrees with us. Sheila: He will not agree with you. He will question you and challenge you. Crowd: We expect one who fights for us, who defends us and celebrates over us. JR.: He will not fight for you. He will weep for you. And he will die for you. Crowd: We expect one who rules us, whose strong arm empowers us. Keven: He will not empower you. He will serve you and wash your feet. Crowd: We expect the Lord to prepare a table before us, in the presence of our enemies. Keven: He will not give you a table. He will offer himself as bread and drink. Speaker: I tell you the truth -- this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know him. Crowd: Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you! Speaker: He was arrested. And they came to you, and said to you, ""You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean." Crowd: I don't know what you're talking about. Speaker: These people were with Jesus of Nazareth. Crowd: We don't even know the man. Speaker: You must be one of them; we can tell by the way you speak. Crowd: A curse on me if I'm lying - I don't know the man! Speaker: And so Jesus was handed over to Pilate. And Pilate brought forth Jesus and a criminal called Barabbas. "Whom do you want me to release for you, Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?" Crowd: Give us Barabbas! Speaker: And what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" Crowd: Crucify him! Speaker: What should I do with this one who comes in the name of the Lord? Crowd: Crucify him! Speaker: What should I do with this one who challenges us instead of our enemies? Crowd: Crucify him! Speaker: What should I do with this one who refuses to make us comfortable? Crowd: Crucify him! Speaker: What should I do with this one who embraces death rather than fighting for his life? Crowd: Crucify him! Speaker: What should I do with this one who claims to be a King but who acts like a servant? Crowd: Crucify him! Speaker: What should I do with this one who offers us nothing except his body and blood? Crowd: Crucify him! Speaker: What should I do with this one who has failed to meet our expectations? Crowd: Crucify him! Speaker: What should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah? Crowd: Crucify him! Speaker: I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves. Crowd: His blood be on us and on our children! Speaker: It will be as you say. Take him away and crucify him. Amen and amen. What do you think?  Does this reading do a good job of drawing you into the narrative of Holy Week?  Is it too harsh?
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