I believe that one of my strengths in worship is merging together various existing resources to create a worship experience that is real and fresh for those gathered, but I often bemoan my lack of (or at least perceived lack of) an ability to write my own resources, so I've been trying to do this more often, and I figure that putting it out there might help me to get some feedback and to improve.
I general preach the Pastoral Prayer (following the sermon) off the cuff, but for tonight, I wanted to write something out, so here is what I've created:
Glorious and Incarnate God,
We give you thanks this evening for the opportunity to worship together in this place, for the excitement of celebrating the miracle of the birth of Jesus once again this year, for the hope, peace, love, and joy that you bring to our lives.
We ask that you would minister to each of us as we have need, that you might search our hearts and know those things that weigh us down, and that in your wondrous love and infinite wisdom you might lift our burdens.
This evening, we look toward the future with hope, knowing that life is full of possibilities because of the birth of the Christ child, who came to save us all through his example of a life perfectly lived: a life that brought liberation to the captives, freedom to those enslaved, hope to the downtrodden, and strength to the weak.
We look outside of ourselves tonight and we see hope for the world, we see hope for our nation, we see hope for the church.
And then we look back into our hearts and we see hope for ourselves, that we might love ourselves as you have loved us, that we might be gracious with ourselves as you are gracious to us, that we might forgive ourselves as you have forgiven us.
And so, in the name of the one who comes this evening in the form of a child, and as he grows in stature teaches us to pray, let us join together in the prayer of our Savior: “Our father…”
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
"I Preached That Church Down to Four"
Was listening to back podcasts from Day1 on my way into church this morning, and heard this sermon by Will Willimon. Here is a portion, which I love:
"The story is told that Clarence Jordan, that great Southern, social prophet, visited an integrated church in the Deep South. Jordan was surprised to find a relatively large church so thoroughly integrated, not only black and white but also rich and poor; and this was in the early sixties, too. Jordan asked the old country preacher, "How did you get the church this way?"
"What way?" the preacher asked. Jordan went on to explain his surprise at finding a church so integrated, and in the South, too.
The preacher said, "Well, when our preacher left our small church, I went to the deacons and said, 'I'll be the preacher.' The first Sunday as preacher, I opened the book and read, 'As many of you as has been baptized into Jesus has put on Jesus and there is no longer any Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, males or females, because you all is one in Jesus.'
Then I closed the book and I said, 'If you are one with Jesus, you are one with all kind of folks. And if you ain't, well, you ain't.'"
Jordan asked what happened after that. "Well," the preacher said, "the deacons took me into the back room and they told me they didn't want to hear that kind of preaching no more."
Jordan asked what he did then. "I fired them deacons," the preacher roared.
"Then what happened?" asked Jordan.
"Well," said the old hillbilly preacher, "I preached that church down to four. Not long after that, it started growing. And it grew. And I found out that revival sometimes don't mean bringin' people in but gettin' people out that don't dare to love Jesus." (As told in Hauerwas and Willimon, Where Resident Aliens Live, Nashville: Abingdon, 1996, p. 103).
Love that bit about "I preached that church down to four."
Sometimes, maybe that is what God is calling us to do? Instead of keeping everybody happy, but not pushing ourselves to preach the Gospel as we hear/see it...but what if we did, and what if the church shrank at first, but then grew into what God intended? Are we on the cusp of this in our culture, anyway?
PS. To get the full Willimon effect, you really have to hear him tell it. I would encourage listening to the sermon. I know some people aren't fans, but I kind of like his blunt, gruff style.
"The story is told that Clarence Jordan, that great Southern, social prophet, visited an integrated church in the Deep South. Jordan was surprised to find a relatively large church so thoroughly integrated, not only black and white but also rich and poor; and this was in the early sixties, too. Jordan asked the old country preacher, "How did you get the church this way?"
"What way?" the preacher asked. Jordan went on to explain his surprise at finding a church so integrated, and in the South, too.
The preacher said, "Well, when our preacher left our small church, I went to the deacons and said, 'I'll be the preacher.' The first Sunday as preacher, I opened the book and read, 'As many of you as has been baptized into Jesus has put on Jesus and there is no longer any Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, males or females, because you all is one in Jesus.'
Then I closed the book and I said, 'If you are one with Jesus, you are one with all kind of folks. And if you ain't, well, you ain't.'"
Jordan asked what happened after that. "Well," the preacher said, "the deacons took me into the back room and they told me they didn't want to hear that kind of preaching no more."
Jordan asked what he did then. "I fired them deacons," the preacher roared.
"Then what happened?" asked Jordan.
"Well," said the old hillbilly preacher, "I preached that church down to four. Not long after that, it started growing. And it grew. And I found out that revival sometimes don't mean bringin' people in but gettin' people out that don't dare to love Jesus." (As told in Hauerwas and Willimon, Where Resident Aliens Live, Nashville: Abingdon, 1996, p. 103).
Love that bit about "I preached that church down to four."
Sometimes, maybe that is what God is calling us to do? Instead of keeping everybody happy, but not pushing ourselves to preach the Gospel as we hear/see it...but what if we did, and what if the church shrank at first, but then grew into what God intended? Are we on the cusp of this in our culture, anyway?
PS. To get the full Willimon effect, you really have to hear him tell it. I would encourage listening to the sermon. I know some people aren't fans, but I kind of like his blunt, gruff style.
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