Sunday I visited another colleague. It began earlier in the week when the Pastor posted that this week's sermon would be about Hope and Prayer. This is a topic I struggle with as to the intent behind "hoping" someone has a good day and "praying they have a good day" or some such. Is God in both or is hoping an ephemeral thing while prayer is placing your trust in God?
Just a little history, this church is the oldest church in Susquehanna County and it has enclosed pews. I walked toward the front and picked an empty pew. I opened the door and sat down in the corner so that I was facing the central pulpit. The pews are rather narrow and so for comfort I put my right arm on the side of the pew. Unfortunately, this put my elbow on the door and several times throughout the morning I would manage to open the door. Luckily, it didn't make any noise as it opened and I was able to pull it closed equally quietly. I just wondered if anyone behind me to the right could see what was happening!
The worship order was the standard basic order of worship. No surprises would be in store. Just familiarity and comfort.
The pastor came forward for the children's message, but there were no children in attendance so the message was addressed to the adults. He noted that he would not be presenting the sermon he prepared. As he had sat in the pew for the special music, he noted that one of the two altar candles was not lit. He then proceeded to speak to those who were "lit" and those who "hit their light". This caused the congregation to chuckle at his choice of "being lit" and it's connotation of drinking.
The message itself was very good. The takeaway was that Paul tells us our hope is in the Lord so both hope and pray are appropriate sentiments for the Christian. But when we say we pray, we certainly should be praying.
If I were looking for a church home for this year, I think this church and this pastor would work wonderfully. Next week is Labor Day weekend, I'm not sure where I'll be on Sunday but I look forward to continuing on this journey of exploring worship.
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Monday, August 19, 2019
A very liturgical service
Today, I visited a colleague in one of his last worship services prior to retirement. Jack had wanted to do a long run (not a loop) and have me pick him up at the terminus after ten am. This was not going to work until I check the website. The church I planned to worship at had a third Sunday 7:30am communion service! God is good....
I arrived right at 7:30 and since I didn't see a greeter, I went immediately to my seat. Just as I sat down, the organist began the prelude. I was wishing I had a bulletin, but thought maybe I would get one on my way out. However, a very nice member brought a bulletin to me during the second musical selection.
The first thing I noticed was the instructions on the front of the bulletin regarding communion and who could or should partake. It seemed pretty straight forward in that a belief in Jesus Christ was required. (However, I later learned that members of another UMC had been denied communion until after they had a conversation with the pastor.)
We were instructed to turn to the hymnal for the liturgy for today's service. Okay, again, so far so good. We also do this on occasion when the full liturgy is being used or if there is no powerpoint available. However, this is where the similarities ended. The majority of the liturgy is sung (or at least intoned) and there is much more involvement from the congregation than I am used to.
Also, the pastor, almost apologetically, reminded the congregation (and any visitors) that in their tradition they are first and foremost sinners in need of forgiveness. The first order of worship was for the confession and pardon.
The sermon itself was rather brief. The text was from Jeremiah and the prophets who misled the people against the prophets who may not have been popular but were speaking the words of the Lord. It began with clips from "Don't Worry Be Happy" and "Hakuna Matata". Are those messages from the false prophets or from the Lord? Jeremiah may have been a bullfrog, but his croak was born from the word of the Lord. We then were asked (all ten of us) to gather at the back of the sanctuary where a framed homemade version of the Ten Commandments were blessed.
We all were able to gather as one at the communion rail. There the pastor placed a wafer in each of our mouths. I should not have been, but I was surprised when my cup contained wine. Considering that there was the option of the common cup, I should have had a forewarning, but somehow I missed it.
The overall feel of the morning was worshipful and I felt I had participated in and received much from the experience, However, it was more foreign than I had expected. I had gotten the impression that the Luttheran Church, Missouri Synod, was closer to the UMC than I experienced this morning.
I arrived right at 7:30 and since I didn't see a greeter, I went immediately to my seat. Just as I sat down, the organist began the prelude. I was wishing I had a bulletin, but thought maybe I would get one on my way out. However, a very nice member brought a bulletin to me during the second musical selection.
The first thing I noticed was the instructions on the front of the bulletin regarding communion and who could or should partake. It seemed pretty straight forward in that a belief in Jesus Christ was required. (However, I later learned that members of another UMC had been denied communion until after they had a conversation with the pastor.)
We were instructed to turn to the hymnal for the liturgy for today's service. Okay, again, so far so good. We also do this on occasion when the full liturgy is being used or if there is no powerpoint available. However, this is where the similarities ended. The majority of the liturgy is sung (or at least intoned) and there is much more involvement from the congregation than I am used to.
Also, the pastor, almost apologetically, reminded the congregation (and any visitors) that in their tradition they are first and foremost sinners in need of forgiveness. The first order of worship was for the confession and pardon.
The sermon itself was rather brief. The text was from Jeremiah and the prophets who misled the people against the prophets who may not have been popular but were speaking the words of the Lord. It began with clips from "Don't Worry Be Happy" and "Hakuna Matata". Are those messages from the false prophets or from the Lord? Jeremiah may have been a bullfrog, but his croak was born from the word of the Lord. We then were asked (all ten of us) to gather at the back of the sanctuary where a framed homemade version of the Ten Commandments were blessed.
We all were able to gather as one at the communion rail. There the pastor placed a wafer in each of our mouths. I should not have been, but I was surprised when my cup contained wine. Considering that there was the option of the common cup, I should have had a forewarning, but somehow I missed it.
The overall feel of the morning was worshipful and I felt I had participated in and received much from the experience, However, it was more foreign than I had expected. I had gotten the impression that the Luttheran Church, Missouri Synod, was closer to the UMC than I experienced this morning.
Friday, August 16, 2019
Back at The Cross | Erie
We made it back to Erie in time to have Valerio's pizza before heading over the hear Pastor Chuck.
I somehow decided to check the website to double check worship time. When I got to the website, I noticed a bunch of pictures and Pastor Chuck's youngest was in a picture with stained glass in the background. There was no stain glass in the concert venue. I looked for an address. At the bottom of the page was a new address, but I couldn't find a worship time. I went with the assumption that they would not change their worship time since it was set for a very specific clientele. They met at five o'clock and had dinner after at six o'clock. (I later went back to the website and found an entire tab I had missed that had the worship time clearly spelled out!)
I arrived just a minute late to the new venue, which happened to be just around the corner from the previous location. It seems that Pastor Chuck had partnered with the church elders for the mission incursion last year and the partnership went so well they opened their building for Sunday night worship.
The guitarist/worship leader was already playing. I had heard that they have a full band some Sundays, but I have only ever attended when one guitarist lead worship. The church had written some worship songs based on the Psalms (and recorded them), so I wasn't familiar with all the music that was played though the congregation seemed to be.
I think this made my third time (maybe fourth) worshipping here. Pastor Chuck assures me his numbers are usually higher than what I experience. The church attracts several men from the Salvation Army, college kids from Gannon (they hadn't yet checked in for fall), ministry groups from the suburbs (GCC I believe were there this time), street people, and others from the downtown area. This time there were several young people from GCC/LECOM helping the couple from GCC who provided the meal and a few street people and others I didn't get to meet as I spent my time talking with Pastor Chuck after worship.
The sermon itself was typical of what I had experienced in the past. I am always surprised by how deeply theological the sermons are. There is a lot of theology and even a little Latin thrown in along with historical information around the book being presented. This week, we looked at Job 2. The sermon started with lawyers and in particular prosecutors. Satan was presented as a poor prosecutor. God gave Satan everything he needed to win his case, but he couldn't close the deal. Job was found to be a righteous man and could not be convicted of any crime. A joke was thrown in about Job's wife and how married couples should treat one another. Pastor Chuck though it fell flat because of his delivery, I think it was just the wrong joke for the congregation that was present.
This time I was more aware of the direction of the sermon leading to Jesus who is our ultimate defender. Pastor Chuck's sermons always lead to the communion table where he makes the connection of Jesus' sacrifice for each and everyone of us represented in the bread and the juice. In the past, I had not quite caught the connection since the UM Communion Liturgy is so clearly separated from the rest of the service (though clearly a part of and a culmination of all that goes before it). This week, I caught the transition and was ready to receive when it was time.
At The Cross | Erie, each person breaks their own piece of bread and dips it in the cup from the elements on the table. I try to be near the beginning of the line for sanitation reasons. After I returned to my seat and joined the singing of the hymn, I noticed the woman who had sat in front of me and played with her hair the whole time in a sort of nervous twitch returned to her seat with an entire half a matza, one third of which had been dipped. She seemed to enjoy her "snack".
I truly think that if I were to return to Erie, I would be a regular at this church. I would definitely "apprentice" with Pastor Chuck in his inner city mission work. As I go back and forth over what I think God is calling me to do and be as clergy in the future (after my year long sabbatical and sending Jack to college), I am fearful of what it would entail to actually work in an inner city environment and being drawn to what I see being accomplished here.
I somehow decided to check the website to double check worship time. When I got to the website, I noticed a bunch of pictures and Pastor Chuck's youngest was in a picture with stained glass in the background. There was no stain glass in the concert venue. I looked for an address. At the bottom of the page was a new address, but I couldn't find a worship time. I went with the assumption that they would not change their worship time since it was set for a very specific clientele. They met at five o'clock and had dinner after at six o'clock. (I later went back to the website and found an entire tab I had missed that had the worship time clearly spelled out!)
I arrived just a minute late to the new venue, which happened to be just around the corner from the previous location. It seems that Pastor Chuck had partnered with the church elders for the mission incursion last year and the partnership went so well they opened their building for Sunday night worship.
The guitarist/worship leader was already playing. I had heard that they have a full band some Sundays, but I have only ever attended when one guitarist lead worship. The church had written some worship songs based on the Psalms (and recorded them), so I wasn't familiar with all the music that was played though the congregation seemed to be.
I think this made my third time (maybe fourth) worshipping here. Pastor Chuck assures me his numbers are usually higher than what I experience. The church attracts several men from the Salvation Army, college kids from Gannon (they hadn't yet checked in for fall), ministry groups from the suburbs (GCC I believe were there this time), street people, and others from the downtown area. This time there were several young people from GCC/LECOM helping the couple from GCC who provided the meal and a few street people and others I didn't get to meet as I spent my time talking with Pastor Chuck after worship.
The sermon itself was typical of what I had experienced in the past. I am always surprised by how deeply theological the sermons are. There is a lot of theology and even a little Latin thrown in along with historical information around the book being presented. This week, we looked at Job 2. The sermon started with lawyers and in particular prosecutors. Satan was presented as a poor prosecutor. God gave Satan everything he needed to win his case, but he couldn't close the deal. Job was found to be a righteous man and could not be convicted of any crime. A joke was thrown in about Job's wife and how married couples should treat one another. Pastor Chuck though it fell flat because of his delivery, I think it was just the wrong joke for the congregation that was present.
This time I was more aware of the direction of the sermon leading to Jesus who is our ultimate defender. Pastor Chuck's sermons always lead to the communion table where he makes the connection of Jesus' sacrifice for each and everyone of us represented in the bread and the juice. In the past, I had not quite caught the connection since the UM Communion Liturgy is so clearly separated from the rest of the service (though clearly a part of and a culmination of all that goes before it). This week, I caught the transition and was ready to receive when it was time.
At The Cross | Erie, each person breaks their own piece of bread and dips it in the cup from the elements on the table. I try to be near the beginning of the line for sanitation reasons. After I returned to my seat and joined the singing of the hymn, I noticed the woman who had sat in front of me and played with her hair the whole time in a sort of nervous twitch returned to her seat with an entire half a matza, one third of which had been dipped. She seemed to enjoy her "snack".
I truly think that if I were to return to Erie, I would be a regular at this church. I would definitely "apprentice" with Pastor Chuck in his inner city mission work. As I go back and forth over what I think God is calling me to do and be as clergy in the future (after my year long sabbatical and sending Jack to college), I am fearful of what it would entail to actually work in an inner city environment and being drawn to what I see being accomplished here.
Sunday, August 4, 2019
Gideon Report
Today we were in upstate Washington. I went to a UMC in Arlington. The (female) pastor was "back east" and a Gideon delivered the message.
My first impression of this church was from the outside. The architecture was older and not updated. It had the squared off tower and the stained glass above the entrance. You entered into a quite small area and went up a few steps to another landing before entering into the sanctuary. The sanctuary was rather small with four sections. I sat in my typical seat, third from the front on the left side center aisle.
There was a praise band almost completely composed of those over seventy. We sang two songs before the candles were lit. They do this thing where you stand as the acolyte passes your pew and then remain standing for the opening hymn. The hymnal was the Covenant Hymnal from the Evangelical Covenant Church published in 1996. Not sure why they didn't purchase the 1989 UMC Hymnal and didn't connect with anyone to ask questions about this or the history of the architecture.
The children's message involved the kids dressing in oversized clothes (for ease) from the letter to the Colossians regarding putting on the fruits of the Spirit daily. It was well received by the congregation and the one (10yo?) child.
The Gideon speaker was well spoken. He started with the usual Gideon stories of salvation around the globe and included a visual of the Spanish and NIV NT as well as the Live Bible for Teens. Then he told his own testimony of being a PK. Actually, since his dad was Ivy League trained he was TO, a Theologians Offspring! He shared why he didn't follow in his father's footsteps, but later could not resist the call to the Gideon's and his own successes with the prison ministry and winning souls.
Overall, it was an enjoyable service, but I would have liked to experience a regular Sunday in this church.
My first impression of this church was from the outside. The architecture was older and not updated. It had the squared off tower and the stained glass above the entrance. You entered into a quite small area and went up a few steps to another landing before entering into the sanctuary. The sanctuary was rather small with four sections. I sat in my typical seat, third from the front on the left side center aisle.
There was a praise band almost completely composed of those over seventy. We sang two songs before the candles were lit. They do this thing where you stand as the acolyte passes your pew and then remain standing for the opening hymn. The hymnal was the Covenant Hymnal from the Evangelical Covenant Church published in 1996. Not sure why they didn't purchase the 1989 UMC Hymnal and didn't connect with anyone to ask questions about this or the history of the architecture.
The children's message involved the kids dressing in oversized clothes (for ease) from the letter to the Colossians regarding putting on the fruits of the Spirit daily. It was well received by the congregation and the one (10yo?) child.
The Gideon speaker was well spoken. He started with the usual Gideon stories of salvation around the globe and included a visual of the Spanish and NIV NT as well as the Live Bible for Teens. Then he told his own testimony of being a PK. Actually, since his dad was Ivy League trained he was TO, a Theologians Offspring! He shared why he didn't follow in his father's footsteps, but later could not resist the call to the Gideon's and his own successes with the prison ministry and winning souls.
Overall, it was an enjoyable service, but I would have liked to experience a regular Sunday in this church.
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