I will miss you.

Some weeks ago, Beth and I began an unsolicited journey with the Lord regarding a change of ministerial calling.  As you know, after much prayer and deep reflection, I have answered the Lord's call to join his church in Maryland and submitted my resignation to the pastor and church board.  Please find comfort that this is not a decision to "leave" Bradenton First Church, but a response of our obedience to the calling of God for continued service with our Christian brothers and sisters up north.  Our deep love for you contributed immensely to the difficulty in these past few weeks at coming to our final decision, but we must trust that God is orchestrating all to the good of his glory.

Oswald Chambers penned “We have no right to judge where we should be put, or to have preconceived notions as to what God is fitting us for.  God engineers everything. Wherever He puts us, our one great aim is to pour out a whole-hearted devotion to Him in that particular work.”  More than anything, Beth and I want to give ourselves wholeheartedly for that to which the Lord has called us.

It has been a true blessing to serve such a loving congregation over the past three years. We treasure each memory and pray for the health and well-being of each of you. I will greatly miss all of you.

May the strength of the Lord be with you all. 

Amen!

This is the fourth post in a series of  posts looking at some biblical expressions of worship. If as Christian worshipers we say we believe the Bible, then our worship services must be biblical. If they are to be biblical, then they must take the elements/acts found in the Bible into account and understand their contribution to this act of obeisance we offer corporately each week.

Expression #4:
The Congregational "Amen"

Biblical References:
1 Chronicles 16:36; Nehemiah 8:6; Psalms 106:48; Deuteronomy 27:14-26

Explanation:
The Hebrew "Amen" has the force of strong affirmation or assent, usually to something spoken by another.  Most simply, a spoken "Amen" is often loosely translated, "so be it."  Moses' directions for worship included, "and all the people shall say AMEN."  After hearing Ezra read the law, all the people raised their hands and shouted, "AMEN."  Paul refers to the people's "AMEN" of thanksgiving.  In Revelation 3:14 it is used in direct relation to the terms true and faithful, referring to Christ as "the Amen, the faithful and true witness," and emphasizes Christ and his message--the embodiment of TRUTH (John 14:6; 17:17). These verses conclusively show the word's scriptural meaning.  

Come Let us Worship and Bow Down...

This is the third in a series of  post looking at some biblical expressions of worship. If as Christian worshipers we say we believe the Bible, then our worship services must be biblical. If they are to be biblical, then they must take the elements/acts found in the Bible into account and understand their contribution to this act of obeisance we offer corporately each week.

Expression #3:
Kneeling

Biblical References:
Psalms 95:6; Philippians 2:9-11; Ephesians 3:14

Explanation:
Worship in the Old Testament usually means "Shaha" to bow, kneel, or prostrate one's self. Often these physical directives in the scripture carry with them a sense of moving our body into a position to seek the Lord wholeheartedly. It has been said that a reverent Jew would seldom worship standing up. I think it was Chuck Swindoll that said he acknowledged that kneeling was not always a comfortable position physically, but that the discomfort may contribute to a better focus and mental posture in prayer.  I encourage you to try to practice kneeling in your secret times of personal worship. Model kneeling in worship, during songs, during prayer times, during moments of silence.

Silence is Golden

As stated in my previous post, for the next few posts we will be looking at some biblical expressions of worship.  If as Christian worshipers we say we believe the Bible, then our worship services must be biblical. If they are to be biblical, then they must take the elements/acts found in the Bible into account and understand their contribution to this act of obeisance we offer corporately each week.

Expression #2:
Silence (Selah)

Biblical References:
Ecclesiastes 3:7; Habakkuk 2:20; Psalms 46:10

Explanation:
The word Selah is a Hebrew whose definition has been difficult to pin down. Generally speaking, the word means (or can mean) "to meditate, or be silent or to pray."  For those of you who maybe struggle with the loud or shouting aspect of worship we discussed last week, you're probably heaving a sigh of relief this week.

Often, I have observed worshiping communities that mistakenly view loudness for worship or silence for a lull in worship. There are over 400 songs that use the word "silence" or "quiet." Isn't it interesting that the same God that calls us to shout calls us at times to be silent?  (And again, some of you are shouting PTL!--pun intended.)

It seems that worshipers in the time of David were accustomed to moments of silence in the Tabernacle. Silence can be liberating as we still our hearts and minds to listen to His still small voice.  Personally, I have not observed as many people who struggle with silence as they do with shouting in worship.  Whereas the lack of shouting in worship, in my opinion, rests largely on the worshiping community, the lack of silence in worship rests on those of us who plan the liturgy.  Biblical worship should include times of silence; moments for reflection and meditation.  There are times when we spontaneously may be brought to places of silence as the Holy Spirit moves among us, but that cannot be an excuse to ignore the inclusion of silence in our planning of corporate worship.  Experience and observation demonstrates that more often than not, moments of silence is not part of the contemporary worship experience.

Perhaps we are just uncomfortable in silence.  Ahhh...the uncomfortable aspect again.  I guess I'm learning that worship is not necessarily meant to be comfortable.  In fact, if I, a sinner, am truly in the presence of a holy God, then I would be like Isaiah in the temple, fearfully crying out "woe is me."  So, when we come to that word "Selah," let's not just read it and pass it by; let's stop--be still--and listen.

Shouting Loudly!

If as Christian worshipers we say we believe the Bible, then our worship services must be biblical. If they are to be biblical, then they must take the elements/acts found in the Bible into account and understand their contribution to this act of obeisance we offer corporately each week.

All our worship must flow from a pure heart. Jesus in Matthew 15:7-9 referenced the passage in Isaiah when confronting the Pharisees by calling them "Hypocrites." In 1 Kings 8:39, we are reminded that only God knows the real hearts of each man and He alone knows our motives. In Jeremiah he reminds us that He alone will put His law in their minds and will write it on their hearts. So all worship begins, especially for those in leadership, with a heart check.

For the next few posts, we will be looking at some expressions of worship.  In these posts, I will include a brief description of the worship expression along with some biblical references, followed by an explanation in light of Scripture.

Expression #1:           
Shouting Praises to the Lord

Biblical References:   
Psalms 33:3; Psalms 66:1-2; Psalms 81:1-2; Psalms 95:1

Explanation:             
Simply means "SHOUT TO THE LORD!"  There is a release that happens spiritually when we shout TO the Lord. We shout FOR the victory that has already taken place.  Maybe in our western culture we have allowed our worship to become too refined.  Granted, not all personalities are boisterous or extroverted, but to some degree, have we allowed our selfconciousness to hinder our worship expression rather than letting it flow with unabandon?  Perhaps the uncomfortable aspect of shouting in worship is what we all need to crucify an unhealthy preservation of self dignity.  Perhaps, our cultural upbringing has led us to erroneously believe that shouting in worship is irreverent, or may it relegated to "Pentecostals."  Too often, excuses for our subdued worship expressions based upon our personality make us as hypocritical as the Pharisees when it is observed that our personality does not seem to subdue our expression of excitement at a sporting or other event.  There are certainly lots of other passages that speak about loudness or making a loud noise to the Lord.  Let's not simply write off shouting or making a loud noise as an expression of worship because it makes us uncomfortable or because it is "just not me."  Rather, let's honestly examine ourselves outside of worship and ask whether we are truly being honest about how we express ourselves.  

Pentecost

The Church Year: Pentecost

Dennis Bratcher

In many churches, the season leading up to Pentecost Sunday is one of the most neglected of the church calendar. Even in less liturgical churches that are beginning to place more emphasis on observing the church calendar, the momentum to carry observation of the church year through Pentecost (Whitsunday, Whit Sunday, Whitsun, or Whitsuntide, in some traditions) and Trinity Sunday (the first Sunday after Pentecost Sunday) seems to be lacking.

No doubt there are a variety of reasons for this neglect. There is the simple practical fact that after five months or more of concerted effort invested in special emphases and activities from Advent to Epiphany to Lent to Easter, both ministers and parishioners may simply be mentally and emotionally exhausted. After the intensity of Lent and Holy Week there is a certain psychological "let down" after Easter.

Also, there is caution in some church traditions concerning "Pentecostal" theology and styles of worship. The association of "Pentecostal" with sometimes more radical elements of the charismatic movement continues to foster suspicion, in spite of several church traditions who carry the name "Pentecostal" that are far from "radical."  This caution sometimes leads to downplaying the role of Pentecost in the church year.

The general misgivings toward liturgy in more evangelical churches has also led to a neglect of the more formal aspects of the church calendar. While that is rapidly changing, that change has begun with the more visible seasons of Christmas and Easter and has not yet expanded to include Pentecost. In the same vein, the more open style of worship that has tended to dominate some church traditions likewise has not lent itself to observe seasons of the church year such as Pentecost.

This has often led to a general lack of theological and pastoral understanding about how to articulate theology in symbols of sacred time and sacred place, as well as in visual symbols. This likewise has left many people wondering what to do with parts of the church year like Pentecost. Whatever the reason for its neglect, such sacred times have value for the worshipping community and provide, not only opportunities to instruct in theology, but also new and varied opportunities for spiritual renewal, nurture, and growth.

Pentecost was originally an Old Testament festival, since the time of Josephus calculated as beginning on the fiftieth day after the beginning of Passover. In the Christian calendar, it falls on the seventh Sunday after Easter. It was called the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), and in the Old Testament was originally an agricultural festival celebrating and giving thanks for the "first fruits" of the early spring harvest (Lev 23, Exod 23, 34).

By the early New Testament period, it had gradually lost its association with agriculture and became associated with the celebration of God’s creation of His people and their religious history. By the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, the festival focused exclusively on God’s gracious gift of Torah (the "Law") on Mount Sinai. It continues to be celebrated in this manner in modern Judaism.

While there are other references to Pentecost in the New Testament (for example, 1 Cor 16:8), it is most significant in Acts 2 and the familiar scene of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on those in the "upper room." The New Testament writers associate the events of Acts 2 with Pentecost, and relate it to the prophecies of Joel 2 and promises of Jesus (Acts 1:8). In both, the emphasis is on a empowerment through the Holy Spirit to enable the people of God to witness to Jesus the Christ.

There is much debate in some circles about exactly what happened at Pentecost, whether it is a repeatable event or only for the early church, or whether it should or should not become a paradigm for personal religious experience. Those who advocate it as a paradigm are sometimes termed Pentecostals, although that term usually refers more specifically to church traditions who advocate speaking in "tongues" or a special Spirit-inspired prayer or praise language.

In any case, what seems clear is that Pentecost represents God’s gracious, enabling presence actively at work among His people, calling and enabling them to live out in dynamic ways the witness of being His people. Perhaps at this point there is direct contact with the Pentecost of Judaism, for in Judaism the Torah, God’s instruction to His people, is the means by which they become His witness to the world.

The word “pentecost” means “fiftieth day.”  In most Christian traditions, Pentecost Sunday occurs 50 days following Easter Sunday (counting Easter Sunday since it is the first day of the week).  Those 50 days span seven Sundays after Easter, so Pentecost is the seventh Sunday after Easter (7 weeks times 7 days = 49 days, plus Pentecost Sunday).   Since Easter is a “movable feast,” meaning that it occurs on different days in different years (it is tied to the lunar cycle while the calendar is solar based), Pentecost is also moveable.  It can occur as early as May 10 and as late as June 13 (see The Church Year for current dates).  Some Christian traditions, Eastern Orthodox for example, use a different religious calendar and so have different dates for much of the Christian Year.

The sanctuary color for Pentecost Sunday is red, the color of the church.  Technically, red is used only for the Sunday of Pentecost, although some churches use red for the Sundays between Easter and Pentecost Sunday. The red symbolizes both the fire of Pentecost as well as the apostles and early followers of Jesus who were gathered in the Upper Room for the empowerment from God to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world.

For Christians, Pentecost Sunday is a day to celebrate hope, a hope evoked by the knowledge that God through His Holy Spirit is at work among His people. It is a celebration of newness, of recreation, of renewal of purpose, mission, and calling as God’s people. It is a celebration of God’s ongoing work in the world. Yet, it is also a recognition that His work is done through His people as He pours out His presence upon them.

The Old Testament Lectionary reading for Pentecost Sunday from Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones (Ezek 37:1-14) dramatically illustrates this sense of newness and renewal of mission. The reading from Isaiah 44:1-8 also connects renewal with the "breathing" of God in beautiful imagery of "streams in the desert" and the recreation of His exiled people. The reading from Genesis 11:1-9 (see Commentary on Gen 11:1-9) emphasizes the restoration of community and unity of purpose that had been disrupted by sin and selfish ambition. The Psalm reading (104:24-34) is also in creation language that speaks of newness and renewal. The New Testament readings include Acts 2, as well as John 14:8-17, 16:5-15, 20:19-23, all of which carry through this theme of God enabled mission in the world. The Epistle reading from 1 Corinthians 12:3-13 emphasizes the gifts of the Spirit that enable God’s work in the world.

This focus on the church’s mission to the world, and the enabling presence of God through the work of the Holy Spirit in the church to empower that mission should provide a powerful impetus for churches, especially those in the evangelical traditions, to recover this season of the church year. There is tremendous opportunity to use this sacred time to call people to renewal though the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

-Dennis Bratcher, Copyright © 2013, Dennis Bratcher, All Rights Reserved
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Into Your Hands, Lord...

I found this devotional most potent this morning and wanted to pass it on to you.  Written by Emilie Griffin, it comes from the book entitled Clinging__The Experience of Prayer:

Prayer is, after all, a very dangerous business.  For all the benefits it offers of growing closer to God, it carries with it one great element of risk:  the possibility of change.  In prayer we open ourselves to the chance that God will do something with us that we had not intended.  We yield to possibilities of intense perception, of seeing through human masks and the density of "things" to the very center of reality.  This possibility excites us, but at the same time there is a fluttering in the stomach that goes with any dangerous adventure.  We foresee a confrontation with the unknown, being hurt, being frightened, being chased down.

Don't we know for a fact that people who begin by "just praying"--with no particular aim in mind--wind up trudging off to missionary lands, entering monasteries, taking part in demonstrations, dedicating themselves to the poor and the sick?  To avoid this, sometimes we excuse ourselves from prayer by doing good works on a carefully controlled schedule.  We volunteer for school committees, to be readers in church or youth counselors, doing good works in hopes that this will distract the Lord from asking us anything more difficult.  By doing something specific and limited "for God," something we judge to be enough and more than enough, we skirt the possibility that God--in prayer--may ask us what he wants to ask, may suggest what we should do.

"Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit."  Isn't that one of the most disturbing sentences in the Scriptures?  We know God asks us hard things.  We know he did not spare his own Son.  We know Jesus prayed, not now and then, but all the time.  Isn't this hat holds us back--the knowledge of God's omnipotence, his unguessability, his power, his right to ask from all of s, a perfect gift of self, a perfect act of full surrender?

Spring Choir Party

Lenten Disciplines

Of all the observances in the church, I think Lent is the one that is so difficult to truly grab a hold of.  Don't get me wrong, I believe spiritual disciplines are wonderful tools in deepening our relationship with the Lord.  I think the problem is that we too often can rely on the tool itself as the means of transformation rather than correctly viewing it as the catalyst that prepares us for spiritual transformation which can only be wrought by God himself.  The observance of spiritual disciplines does not guarantee any such transformation -- it is an offering and sacrifice of self, placing ourselves at the foot of the cross.  God is not bound to these offerings for our transformation, however, there is biblical and historical evidence that he uses them for his glory.  The truth is, we must offer our gift with an attitude that allows God to use or not use the gift as he wills.  If we fixate ourselves too greatly on the offering or discipline, then we miss the point of the exercise.  Spiritual disciplines are most useful in helping us to become unencumbered by those things that get between us and our relationship with our Creator.  For many, we may blind to these encumbrances, and the use of spiritual disciplines coupled with the transformative power of God can help us to recognize and release these areas of our life to Christ.  For others, the barriers may be well known us, perhaps vices or a sin that so easily entangles.  These too must be given to the Lord.  Ultimately, what Lent should cultivate in us is an understanding of our uttermost dependence upon God for everything, including our repentance.  I believe it was Jonathan Edwards that said "even our repentance is sin riddled."  Without the prevenient grace of God, we cannot even offer our prayers of repentance.  Thus, even our response to God's mercy and grace is made possible only by that same grace.

I trust that as you take time in Lent for some spiritual inventory, that you would seek more than self-denial or sacrifice in order to please our Lord, for he is not pleased with sacrifice.  What does please him is a broken and contrite heart.

May the Lord our God cleanse you and keep you in this season.  He is faithful, and he will do it.

Blessings,
Todd

Spring Choir Social

We have scheduled a get together for the Wednesday following Easter (April 8) during the normal choir time.  Looking forward to a good time.

Remember you are dust...

The observance of Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the church's journey to Easter through prayer and fasting.  On this day, we remember our mortality; that we are created beings drawing our life and existence from an eternal holy God.  We remember that it was out of the dust of the earth that we were created and to that dust we will return.  Thanks be to God that through the life-giving sacrifice of God's son, Jesus Christ, the same power that brought him back from the grave is available to us.  God's call for us to be holy is now possible through the power of his Holy Spirit whom Christ sent when he ascended to sit at the right hand of the Father.  As we mark ourselves with the sign of the cross in ashes, we are reminded that that underneath this temporal sign is the eternal mark of God claiming and naming us as his children.

Wednesday, February 18, we will gather for a brief service consisting of songs, scripture readings, prayer, imposition of ashes, corporate confession, and Eucharist (that is, communion).  Elders will be present for personal prayer, laying on of hands, and anointing with oil.

Thanks from Herb and Alice