I am beginning to have a greater respect for those who practice the discipline of blogging on a regular basis. The last several weeks have been full and eventful, but I haven’t managed to do much writing here. The beauty of a blog is that I can quickly summarize what happened over the last few weeks and then jump right back in with this week’s lections.
Lent 6A – Palm/Passion Sunday – March 20, 2005In addition to pastoring this local church, I also serve as the youth president for our denomination in the state of Maine.
Eastern Nazarene College produces a yearly event known as “Festival of Life,” in which teens from all across the northeast gather together for worship, discipleship, service, and competition. I was able to be with our teens for the four day event, which concluded with an early morning service on Palm Sunday.
Maundy Thursday – March 24, 2005Our yearly tradition has been to combine with the Methodist Church down the street for Holy Week services. This year, they hosted us for a dramatic presentation of the Last Supper. Throughout the presentation, each of the disciples presented their thoughts on the upcoming betrayal of Christ. They speculated as to who the betrayer might be, and who it might not be. At the conclusion of each meditation, the disciple thoughtfully looked out across the congregation and said these haunting words, “Is it I? Is it I?”
Good Friday – March 25, 2005We conducted a Tenebrae service (service of shadows) at our church, hosting the Methodists (who owned this building before they sold it to us 37 years ago in order to build a bigger building down the street.) With each scripture reading a candle was extinguished, allowing us to experience the darkness which enveloped the world in its attempt to snuff out the Light of the World. The service concluded with the altar cross and Christ Candle being removed to a room off from the foyer, its door slammed shut to symbolize the sealing of the tomb. As the congregation departed in silence, one person whispered in my ear how sad it all felt. I simply responded, “Sunday’s on the way.”
Easter Sunday – March 27, 2005And, as we met at the ocean at 5:15 Sunday morning, that same congregant greeted me with a smile and said, “This feels much better!”
Our sunrise service was attended by at least 6 other churches, all of whom were invited back to our church for an Easter Breakfast (Special thanks to the General Store down the street for preparing much of the food at their cost!). The sunrise message challenged us to “go and tell” the most wonderful news that Christ is alive! I’m reminded of the excitement which must have been felt by the first witnesses of the resurrection, and how natural it must have been for them to want to tell anyone who would listen.
Once again, the promise of redemption had been challenged. The Savior of the world lay dead in a grave, the disciples had scattered in fear, and it looked as though death had won. And yet, we are reminded that “God’s Promises are Forever,” a refrain which was punctuated by a new banner in the sanctuary. Noah, Abraham, Moses, and countless others in the Old Testament knew what it meant to hear a promise from God. And, they knew what it meant to see the promise challenged. But time and time again, God comes through…why? Because “God’s Promises are Forever.”
“All Things New”On March 31st, Steven Curtis Chapman, Chris Tomlin, and Casting Crowns came to town for a concert sponsored by our local Christian radio station—
WMSJ. I volunteer for WMSJ as the host of their weekly music video program, “Backstage.” Currently in our fifth season, the program continues to spread throughout New England and other parts of the country on local access cable channels. Before the concert, I had the privilege of conducting artist interviews with Chris Tomlin and Casting Crowns. Whenever I am able to interview artists, I am struck by their genuine character and humility. I always enjoy hearing the stories behind the songs, and knowing the heart of the ministry.
The concert itself was nothing short of incredible. It was three full hours of music, plus a thirty minute intermission. In addition to a full set of music at the end of the show, Steven performed some acoustic music between sets, allowing us hear some of our old favorites. Casting Crowns and Chris Tomlin were both incredible, leading the congregation in worship with words on the screen so all could sing along. I remembered Chris saying in his interview that he doesn’t really enjoy singing
for people as much as he enjoys singing
with them.
Easter 2A – April 3, 2005During the Easter Season, I had made the decision to journey with the Early Church by preaching on the lections from Acts. The first few weeks of that seemed particularly tough, as the Lectionary broke up Peter’s sermon at Pentecost in such small chunks that preaching seemed particularly difficult.
This first week, I connected Acts 2:14a, 22-32 with the Gospel lesson (John 20:19-23). We often give Thomas a bad rap for being a “doubter,” but it’s important to note that he wanted the same personal encounter with the living Jesus that the other disciples had received the week before. The heart of the Gospel message is that we can have personal, intimate encounters with a living Christ. It’s this Gospel that Peter preaches to the crowd at Pentecost. By affirming his status as a “witness,” he tells of his first-hand experience. When the crowds ask what they should do, Peter tells them that they need a personal and transformational encounter with Christ—“Repent and be baptized!”
Easter 3A – April 10, 2005We hunger for personal experiences with God. We long for those moments that we can point to when the doubts come; those moments that assure us of God’s faithfulness. 3000 people joining the church and receiving baptism was one such moment. There was no doubting that God’s presence was upon those early believers. Likewise, the breaking of bread in Emmaus was a moment in which the disciples became absolutely confident of Jesus’ presence.
Each of those sacramental acts remind us that our life is full of sacred moments when God is near. Each week in 2005, we have taken time at the beginning of each service for “God Sightings.” All are invited to share an experience from the previous week in which they were aware of God’s presence or His hand at work in their lives. By doing this, we are practicing the art of a sacramental life—one in which we recognize the supernatural invading the natural.
Easter 4A – April 17, 2005Recently, I’ve been impressed with the passage from Exodus 4 in which Moses is protesting God’s call upon him by pointing out that he has no great skills or abilities with which to accomplish the task. God responds by asking him what he has in his hand. He then instructs Moses to throw the wooden staff on the ground, and God turns it into a snake.
The early church was devoid of great resources as well, but God took that which was in their hands and used it to meet needs and spread the Gospel message throughout the world. The theme for this Annual Meeting report was that God is not calling us to be just like the church down the street, but to be who He has made us to be. He simply wants us to take that which is in our hands and offer it to Him, that He might be glorified.
Easter 5A – April 24, 2005Following Annual Meeting, I began a week of vacation, and was not in the pulpit on April 24th. During vacation, I was able to see the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., the National Zoo, the Baltimore Aquarium, the Spy Museum, the National Archives, and much more (including a Red Sox – Orioles game and a tour of Oriole Park at Camden Yards).
I also visited a multicultural church in Providence, RI, to see a friend of mine who recently became the pastor there. He also preaches from the lectionary, and connected the martyrdom of Stephen with the call to live a life entirely sold out to Christ. He pointed out that Stephen (and Cassie Bernall and Rachel Scott, both of Columbine High School) didn’t set out to be obnoxious in their witness, but that they got so caught up in living a radical life for Christ that it didn’t matter that they were killed. After all, they had already given up their life.
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That's about all for the summary. Of course, lots of other things happened during these several weeks. We had a small group which took a look at the Renovare workbook by Richard Foster. A couple of church members took the initiative to begin a Thursday night prayer meeting. I continued to serve as a lunchroom volunteer in our local school. After years of prayer, one of our number received a new kidney. The church year ended, complete with the reports that go with it. I was asked to go to Ecuador this summer with ZOEgirl and WMSJ (more on that later!). Spring has finally come, and the tulip bulbs in the front yard are beginning to poke through the mulch. I continue to be grateful to God's presence among us, prodding us forward for every good work.
Grace and Peace,
PastorJon
For the past five years I've been privileged to be involved in a great ministry project called "Backstage." Each week on local access cable stations throughout Maine and New England (and parts of New Jersey, Maryland, and North Carolina), Backstage provides a half-hour of Christian Contemporary Music videos. I get to be one of the hosts of the program, sometimes conducting artist interviews, but often just hanging out on the set and introducing the videos.
