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Category: Worship (Page 16 of 27)

Whereby Earth Imitates Heaven

January 18, 2011 / / 4 Comments

“The psalm blended all voices together, and caused one single fully harmonious chant to arise; young and old, rich and poor, women and men, slaves and free, all sang one single melody… All the inequalities of social life are here banished. Together we make up a single choir in perfect equality of rights and of expression whereby earth imitates heaven.” ~Ignatius, 110 AD

I had the most wonderful weekend singing with God’s children. You can’t believe all the singing.

Friday night and all day Saturday I was blessed to be able to sing praises to our Father with more than two thousand teenagers at WinterFest at the Arlington Convention Center. Over two thousand kids! Singing. Praising. Clapping. Stomping. Dancing. Twirling. Hand motions. Loud. Energetic. Enthusiastic. Singing of the very best kind. True offerings from the soul. Genuine praise and thanksgiving from the heart. The kind of singing that fosters Christian unity. The kind of singing that strengthens Christian bonds. The kind of singing that ushers one directly to the throne room of God.

I’ll bet we sang over a hundred different songs together at WinterFest Friday and Saturday. And not one of them — I promise — was written before 1980.

Sunday night, I was blessed to be able to sing praises to our Father with about two dozen of my Legacy brothers and sisters and another two dozen or so residents of the Sterling House Nursing Home in Richland Hills. As part of the NEXT challenge, our Small Group has teamed up with another to spend an hour with those sweet people at least once a month. About forty of us total Sunday evening. Singing. Praising. Toe tapping. Smiling. Head nodding. Amen-ing. Four part harmonies. Not too fast, not too slow. Just right. Singing of the very best kind. True offerings from the soul. Genuine praise and thanksgiving from the heart. The kind of singing that fosters Christian unity. The kind of singing that strengthens Christian bonds. The kind of singing that ushers one directly to the throne room of God.

I’ll bet we sang 25 different songs together at Sterling House Sunday night. And not one of them — I promise — was written after the Depression.

I want my children to take very seriously the words of Paul in Romans 12: In Christ, we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. That’s why our girls were right there with Carrie-Anne and me all weekend, with the crazy teenagers at WinterFest and with the sweet old people at Sterling House. I want my kids to see what I see, I want them to feel what I feel, to truly know what I know: that The Old Rugged Cross means as much to that older woman in the wheelchair as You Have Turned (my mourning into dancing, whoop! whoop!) means to that 12-year-old-girl clapping in the aisle. That it is critically important for the younger people to join in the congregational singing of Blessed Assurance and Anywhere with Jesus. And that it is just as important for the older people to join in the congregational singing of Days of Elijah and Lord, I Lift Your Name on High.

Why do the teens at WinterFest smile? Why do they sing? Because they’re expressing themselves to God — they’re declaring his praises and experiencing his grace — in their own style, in their own language, in their native tongue. They are free.

Why do the older people at Sterling House smile? Why do they sing? Same reason.

Now, does it give you joy to encourage a teenager in the faith? Does it bring you godly pleasure to tell a child he is important to you or that she is vital to your church family? Then why don’t you unfold your arms and wipe off that scowl and join them with gusto the next time your worship leader starts Blessed Be Your Name! Or is it only about you?

Teenaged brother or sister in Christ, does it make you feel good to encourage an older person? Does it lift your spirits to tell a senior citizen that she is vital to your church family? That he matters to you? Then why don’t you put down the iPhone and wipe the frown off your face and join them with gusto the next time your worship leader starts How Great Thou Art! Or is it only about you?

A gathering of God’s people all truly giving themselves to God in song really is incredible. But it only imitates heaven when the congregants are giving themselves to each other as well. The greatest joy I received and the greatest blessing I encountered over this wonderful weekend was in watching a couple of people almost twice my age shout out Couldn’t Keep It To Myself Friday night and watching the teens in our Small Groups sing A Wonderful Saviour Sunday night.

Earth really imitating heaven.

Peace,

Allan

The Presence of God and the Joy of His People

January 12, 2011 / / 2 Comments

I don’t believe you can find a single communal meal in the Hebrew Scriptures that is eaten in sadness. When God’s people eat together, two things are true, without exception: 1) they eat in the presence of God and 2) they eat with great joy.

Sacrificial meals and covenant meals were a regular part of daily life for God’s people. At the ratification of the Mosaic covenant, to inaugurate the priesthood, at the conclusion of vows, at the renewal of commitments, at the inauguration of kings, when the Ark of the Covenant was brought back to Jerusalem, to celebrate the end of plagues, to give thanks to God, at the dedication of the temple. The list could go on for pages.

Eat and rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God (Deut. 12:4-7), eat in the presence of the Lord…rejoice before the Lord (Deut. 17-18), eat the offerings in the presence of the Lord (Deut. 14:23), eat in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice (Deut. 14:26), eat in the presence of the Lord (Deut. 15:20).

At the table, God’s people were “joyful and glad in heart for the good things the Lord had done” (2 Chron. 7:10). They celebrated “with joy…because the Lord had filled them with joy” (Ezra 6:22). Nehemiah told them “Do not mourn or weep…enjoy choice food and sweet drinks…celebrate with great joy” (Neh. 8:10-12).

Sacrifices cleansed the people. The blood spilled on the altar was sprinkled on the stones, on the ground, on the people themselves, to clean them, to sanctify them, to take away their sins. Sacrifices were intended to make a place or a people holy so God could dwell there. God’s eternal covenant with his people is that he will live with them and they will be his people and he will be their God. Sacrifice made that dwelling possible. Without sacrifice, there could be no righteous relationship with God. Following the sacrifice, intimacy with God is not only possible, it’s realized and experienced.

And it’s always celebrated at the meal. At the table.

Peace. Fellowship. Communion. Koinonia with God and with one another because of the sacrifice. Now, that’s something worth celebrating with great joy. Right?

So….

Why do our Lord’s Supper observances on Sunday mornings tend to be quiet, solemn ceremonies marked by individual introspection and feelings of sadness and guilt? Why aren’t our communal meals with our God and one another characterized by interactive expressions of uncontained celebration and overflowing joy?

Have you tried singing upbeat, uptempo songs of praise and thanksgiving as you gather around the table? Instead of burying your nose in your Bible, have you ever tried sharing that special passage with the person seated next to you? A neighborly “clink” of your cups with the people on your pew and a shared “Thank you, Lord!” can express that much-needed communal joy in a simple, yet powerful, way. Try something. Try anything. I just urge you to stop “doing” the Lord’s Supper by yourself in that room full of Christian brothers and sisters and stop being so sad about it.

The Lord’s meal is shared on Sunday, not Friday! He’s not on the cross anymore, praise God! The tomb is empty, hallelujah! The Lord Jesus Christ has paid for your sins and mine! We stand today — right now and forever more! — in a righteous relationship with the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth! He has removed our sins. He doesn’t remember them or hold them against us! It’s as if we’ve been perfect from day one! Because of what Christ already did at the cross and what the Holy Spirit already did at the garden tomb, we belong to God! It is finished! We are his people and he is our God!

Seriously. How in the world are we able to eat the bread and drink the cup without breaking out into huge grins?

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I’ve updated the “Around the Table” page with tonight’s lesson outline and handouts. As you’ve already gathered, the focus tonight is on the presence of God and the joy of his people at the meal. Click on the green “Around the Table” tab in the upper right hand corner of this page to access these class materials and to find the assignment for next week’s session.

Peace,

Allan

Two Kinds of People

December 9, 2010 / / 1 Comment

From the rumor mill… I just got off the phone with a very reliable source in Benton, Arkansas, the home of free-agent ace and savior Cliff Lee and the center of the baseball universe. (The source is a gospel preacher and a great friend of mine. It doesn’t get any more reliable!) The informant tells me that Lee’s granddad was in the downtown Benton bank this morning and was overheard telling a buddy, “Cliff’s going to sign with the Yankees. And we’re going to disown him from the family!”

You heard it here first.

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You will be wowed — quite possibly overcome — by this rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus. Click here to check out this very different version performed to the glory of God by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. Set aside six minutes of your life and be blown away by this. If you’re an impatient Cretan, forward to the 2:25 mark and let it rip. I’ve never heard any arrangement like that. Ever. Not even close. Goosebumps, man. Big time. Wow.

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First Tulsa Workshop preview — You already know what a big fan I am of the annual Tulsa Workshop. Every March, it’s one of the most anticipated and rewarding spiritual highlights of my year. This year, Terry Rush and the Workshop organizers are planning several sessions that are dedicated specifically “For Elders Only” and “For Children’s Ministers Only” and “For Preachers Only.” The speakers for those special sessions include such heavyweights as Don McLaughlin, Rick Atchley, Al Maxey, and Terry himself. The elders sessions are going to be facilitated by the Memorial Drive shepherds. I can’t recommend that highly enough. I’ve been with those elders there. I’ve spent time with them. I’ve prayed with them. They’ve prayed for me. They’ve blessed me. They know what they’re doing. They’re elders in our Lord’s Church and they love it. If you can get your elders to Tulsa this year, do it! Terry provides a sneak peak at this part of the schedule on his blog here.

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“The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” ~1 Corinthians 1:18

There are two kinds of people: those who are dying and those who are being saved. Paul makes it pretty plain. All of Scripture confirms what the apostle knew. The message of Jesus — his life, his teachings, his death and resurrection — is difficult to accept. It doesn’t make sense with our contemporary eyes. It contradicts everything we’re taught by society. It flies in the face of contemporary culture. It’s offensive to the values of the country in which we live.

Honestly, it’s the exact opposite of some of our own strongly held beliefs and practices.

May our Father give us eyes to see Jesus as the Holy Son of God, not just a really good man; the belief to view the cross of Jesus as our eternal victory, not a scandalous or embarrassing defeat; the faith to embrace the Resurrection as our certain destiny, not just an amazing story; and the trust to submit fully to Christ’s eternal reign as something real for us, not just an abstract idea.

Peace,

Allan

Sledge Hammers of Truth!

November 11, 2010 / / 4 Comments

Almost a hundred years ago, sometime in the early 1920s, black activist and author and poet James Weldon Johnson wrote a prayer for his Episcopal church in Florida. The prayer was for the preacher. And what a powerful prayer it is. I’ve been told that when it was time for the sermon, one of the deacons would escort the preacher up to the podium and, with his hand on the preacher’s shoulder, lead the congregation in this prayer. As you can imagine, in that context and culture, it was a fully-participatory prayer. Everybody was in. Repeating the lines. Amen-ing the words. Nodding in enthusiastic agreement.

Can you just imagine how that preacher felt as his church blessed him that way every Sunday morning? Can you understand the power it gave him? The encouragement? The boldness he felt as his brothers and sisters charged him in the presence of God with speaking to them a word from the Lord?

Imagine the scene as you read the words to the prayer. Imagine you’re the preacher.

O Lord, we come this morning,
knee-bowed and body-bent before thy throne of grace.
O Lord, this morning
bow our hearts beneath our knees, and our knees in some lonesome valley.
We come this morning
like empty pitchers to a full fountain, with no merits of our own.
O Lord, open up a window of heaven,
and lean out far over the battlements of glory, and listen this morning.

And now, O Lord, this man of God,
who breaks the bread of life this morning, shadow him in the hollow of thy hand
and keep him out of the gunshot of the devil.
Take him, Lord, this morning.
Wash him with hyssop inside and out; hang him up and drain him dry of sin.
Pin his ear to the wisdom-post,
and make his words sledge hammers of truth, beating on the iron heart of sin.

Lord God, this morning
put his eye to the telescope of eternity and let him look upon the paper walls of time.
Lord, turpentine his imagination, put perpetual motion in his arms,
fill him with the dynamite of thy power,
annoint him all over with the oil of thy salvation, and set his tongue on fire.

Amen.

Wow. Can you imagine how encouraged your preacher would be if you slapped him on the back early Sunday morning and told him to speak boldly and preach confidently? Can you imagine how much better your preacher would be if you hugged him and reminded him on Sunday mornings that he’s speaking for God and that you’re all ears? Can you imagine how much power that would give your preacher if he felt that from you?

Why don’t you try it this Sunday? It might change your preacher. It might change your church. And you might just be blown away by the dynamite of God’s power and the fire of his Holy Spirit.

Peace,

Allan

Knowledge Puffs Up

November 4, 2010 / / 0 Comments

The Church of God, in its present state on this earth, is not perfect. It’s not perfect. It’s made up of sinful, but redeemed people. Christ followers who make up Jesus’ Church are living in this in-between state of having been already adopted by God yet still awaiting that final adoption and redemption of our bodies. So, too, the Church lives in the tension of the Kingdom come, yet, “Lord, come quickly.” So, naturally, the Church is going to have its problems.

We’re going to disagree. We’re going to differ. We’re going to see some things differently than others. And that’s OK. Our diversity in the Church is God-created and God-ordained.

We’re going to fuss and argue and bicker and complain. We’re going to fight. And that’s not OK. Our line-drawing and boundary-making in the Church is certainly not God-ordained.

It’s sinful.

When the apostle Paul deals with the most explosive “salvation issue” being argued in the Church during his day, he instructs congregations to chunk their knowledge out the window. Everybody has knowledge, he says in 1 Corinthians 8:1. “We know that we all possess knowledge.” But that has no value in settling church disputes. Knowledge has no place in deciding on church issues and deciding between church members.

The answer is Love.

Love builds up. Knowledge puffs up. Knowledge causes us to bow up and dig in. Love causes us to bow down and give in. Knowledge moves us to defend and debate. Love moves us to open up and agree. Knowledge leads to suspicion and judgment. Love leads to trust and acceptance. Knowledge is the way of the World. Love is the way of the Christ.

And, shouldn’t the older, more mature Christians among us be the ones to lead the way in love over knowledge? Shouldn’t our older brothers and sisters know this and practice this and model this for the rest of us? Paul says, “The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God” (1 Corinthians 8:2-3). If we can’t look to our older members to exhibit Christ’s love and grace and sacrifice in all situations — especially church situations! — to whom should we look?

When it comes to clapping during a Sunday morning assembly (let’s just cut to the chase and make it practical in an overly obvious way, shall we?), you can do one of two things. You can complain about it and tell people not to clap; or you can smile and join them in their clapping. Which one builds up? Which one puffs up?

When it comes to raising hands during worship you can do one of two things. You can complain about it and tell people not to raise their hands (or not to raise their hands too high); or you can grin through it and then compliment that person for the joy they bring to the assembly. Which one encourages? Which one discourages?

I want you to seriously consider your reaction to anything your congregation may or may not be doing that causes you a little discomfort or even full-blown heartburn. Think about your response to your own brothers and sisters who may be expressing themselves in worship to God in ways that you don’t personally embrace. Are you going to bless those people or curse them? Will you tear them down with your knowledge or build them up with your love?

I am weary of these conversations. We ought to know better.

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David and Olivia Nelson are back in town! Our precious Legacy to the World missionaries in Kharkov, Ukraine arrived at DFW late yesterday afternoon and joined us for Bible classes here last night. They’re going to be here with us for the whole month of November. What a blessing! What an encouragement to have these two — no, THREE! — here among us again.

Carrie-Anne and I were so blessed to live with them in Kharkov for almost two weeks this past June. We went over there to help them and encourage them. But they wound up helping us and encouraging us even more.

If you’re looking to succeed in business or politics, you’re told to surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. Hang out with people who know more than you. Hire people who will challenge you and push you. Limiting your personal interactions to folks who aren’t quite up to speed won’t get you where you want to be. I think the same is true in our personal walks with Christ. In order to be the best kinds of disciples we can be, in order to live up and into the p0tential God created in us, we should surround ourselves with people who are closer to God than we are. We should continually interact with men and women who are more spiritually minded, more sacrificial and servant-hearted, more prayerful, more committed than we are.

I think that’s why I really love hanging out with David and Olivia.

Their commitment to the Kingdom pushes me. Their unshakeable faith in God challenges me. Their big-picture views of Christ’s salvation work in the world humbles me. Their willingness — no, eagerness! — to give up everything for the sake of the cross inspires me.

We’ll take them to Abuelo’s so they can enjoy real Tex-Mex for the first time in two years. We’ll bring them over to the house a couple of times for some of Carrie-Anne’s home cooking and long games of Phase 10. We’ll be at Caleb’s baby shower Sunday afternoon. We’ll take care of them and encourage them as much as we can during this month at Legacy. But I’m really looking forward to the ways they’re going to encourage and grow me.

Peace,

Allan

Doing Church

October 8, 2010 / / 2 Comments

Announcements? Really?I’m holding it in my hands right now. It’s a brochure published by one of our larger Church of Christ universities promoting their on-line Bible courses. Each course is 13-weeks, perfect for the quarterly Bible school cycle of most of our congregations. One of the classes is “Christian Leadership Training.” Here’s the course description:

A plan for teaching a men’s or young men’s training class. Specific instructions on how to lead in various aspects of worship, from making announcements to leading in singing and making talks. Also has a section on doing personal work. Even includes critique sheets for in-class presentations.

It’s official. Announcements are now one of the five acts of worship. Which one did we take out?

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In his book Forgotten Ways, Alan Hirsch contrasts the differences between what he calls Church as an “organic missional movement” and Church as “institutional religion.” I would classify it as the difference between “being church” and “doing church.” Same thing.

I can’t duplicate his chart on this blog. I don’t know how. (Help me, John!) So, I’ll have to do this in a linear way.

~According to Hirsch, an organic missional movement has pioneering missional leadership as its central role while institutional religion avoids leadership based on personality and is often led by an aristocratic class who inherit leadership based on loyalty.
~A missional movement seeks to embody the way of life of the Founder; institutional religion represents a more codified belief system.
~Missional movements are based on internal operational principles; institutional religion is based increasingly on external legislating policies and governance.
~Missional movements have a cause; institutional religion is the cause.
~With a missional movement, the goal is to change the future; institutional religion seeks to preserve the past.
~Missional movements tend to be mobile and dynamic while institutional religion tends to be more static and fixed.
~Missional movements are decentralized networks built on relationships; institutional religion is characterized by a centralized organization built on loyalty.
~The movement appeals to the common man as opposed to religion which tends to become more and more elitist and therefore exclusive.
~With missional movements, spiritual authority is the primary basis of influence, unlike religion which leans to institutional authorizing as the primary basis of influence.
~It’s being a people of the Way versus being a people of the Book.

I find these descriptions interesting. And provocative. And accurate. How about you?

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The game-breaking homer that wrecked the RaysSome people say it’s better to be lucky than good. I’ll say it’s even better to be both. Yes, in their first two ALDS games in Florida, the Rangers have benefitted from two judgment calls at home plate that could easily have gone the other way. Carlos Pena thought he had a 3-1 count with the bases loaded against Cliff Lee in Game One and James Shields thought he had struck out Michael Young with two on yesterday in Game Two. The thing that makes the calls important is that Lee The Worthy Face of the Franchisewent on to strike out Pena and Young went on to blast a game-breaking three-run homer into centerfield.

Evan Grant has written a beautiful piece in today’s Dallas Morning News about Young. Click here to read it.

Michael Young is one of the things that makes it so easy to root for the Rangers. There are many others. C. J. ‘s determination. Antlers and claws. Hamilton ignoring his broken ribs to crash into the wall. Again. Nolan and Ruth Ryan in the owner’s box. A leadoff batter named Elvis. Who bunts for singles. Kinsler’s smile. Feliz’s fastball. Darren Oliver going 2-1/3 innings at 40 years old. Moreland’s dives into foul territory. The perfect blend of youth and innocence and age and wisdom.

I’m still embarrassed by Ron Washington’s horrible grammar. I cringe with every sentence out of the skipper’s mouth.

But this team’s headed to the American League Championship Series against the Yankees next week. And, man, are they fun to watch.

Peace,

Allan

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