The original plan was for us to be in Erie this weekend. That left me with no place on my list to attend today. Thought maybe it would be a good time to see what's on the television. Couldn't find anything on at 9am or later on the lower channels, so I left the news on. After doing some chores and making tea, I decided I didn't want the news and checked the upper channels. Oops, the show I wanted was on at 9am but on Lifetime! So I got out the computer and looked up Joel Osteen and found that he livestreamed an upload every week at 8:30am. I clicked on the one dated today.
I haven't check up on Joel in almost ten years, but his message has not changed. He is still a prosperity gospel motivational speaker with only one message. Since the message was the same and there would be no surprises, I decided to listen for other information trying again to find the appeal of his message.
A little more about the actual message first, though. Since it is the final Sunday before Christmas I thought maybe there would be something about the birth of Jesus. I was disappointed. He focused on Jesus sending the disciples to follow the man to the upper room where the room had already been set up for the Passover meal. He told the story of the colt that was ready and waiting for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem, mentioning that this was to fulfill Isaiah. He talked about David already being selected for annointing as king, even though Jesse and Samuel did not realize it was the youngest son who should have been presented. He even talked about Joseph and how the caravan was in the right place at the right time to take Joseph into Egypt.
He included contemporary stories about them getting the stadium for their church, his mother getting a swimming pool in the backyard, and a car being pulled from a bridge by one of only three forklifts in existence that could do the job.
He kept repeating the mantra....what God has for you no one else can take from you. As I listened to his list of what these things were, I realized who is audience is. It seems that Joel is preaching to white collar, upper level, men. Oh, he occasionally throws in a woman like the one who was in the right place to invite them to hold a service at the new Yankee stadium, but listen to what he kept saying that God was holding just for you.
God has your contract, your promotion, your girlfriend, your house just waiting for the right time to present them to you. Yep, he kept talking about contracts and promotions. He kept talking about prosperity in terms of upward mobility. He didn't talk about personal growth. It was all about stuff...and girlfriends!
Well, that was church for today. Hoping to get my mom to attend Christmas Eve at the hometown church, not sure what is on the schedule for next Sunday. We'll have turned the corner and will be heading into the second six months of this sabbath journey.
Sunday, December 22, 2019
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Final Ministerial Visit
Today was the day that I had saved for my mentor, lectionary colleague, etc. The first thing I found out was this church somehow did not have any information listed on the find-a-church link. The facebook page did not list a worship time. And surprisingly there was no advertisement regarding the children's Christmas program that was happening this week.
I drove by the church on my way to town on Saturday and according to the sign worship was at 11:00am. I had assumed as much since the pastor has a second church on her Sunday morning schedule.
There was nothing different or exciting about today's worship. It was the standard third Sunday of Advent hymns and the children sang songs between readings. The choir did an anthem. The pastor made announcements and helped with the flow of worship.
Afterwards there was a time of fellowship.
I was on my way to finish Christmas shopping so I did not stay for fellowship.
I drove by the church on my way to town on Saturday and according to the sign worship was at 11:00am. I had assumed as much since the pastor has a second church on her Sunday morning schedule.
There was nothing different or exciting about today's worship. It was the standard third Sunday of Advent hymns and the children sang songs between readings. The choir did an anthem. The pastor made announcements and helped with the flow of worship.
Afterwards there was a time of fellowship.
I was on my way to finish Christmas shopping so I did not stay for fellowship.
Sunday, December 8, 2019
A little far, but threw in some shopping
This week I went to the church a former CPE classmate is appointed to. She is a deacon, but is an associate pastor. She was not in attendance and I did not ask about her. I didn't actually talk to anyone at this church.
When I arrived the choir was rehearsing in the sanctuary. As they left the chancel area in order to process with the acolyte, I noted a man at the end of the group. Then I noted he had quite long hair. I thought "Wow, an old hippie not giving up his hair" Then I noted the hair clip and the lipstick. As my eyes traveled down his choir robe, I noted he was wearing hose and three inch pumps. My second though was, "Well, this is only the second time I've been in a UMC and saw a transvestite participating in worship".
After that, the service was very traditional. There were unison readings and an opening prayer followed by the Lord's Prayer. Intercessory prayer came later. The message was based around Advent and the Isaiah passage of hope in the midst of turmoil.
The children's message is also worthy of note because of the sweet four year old. The message began with a question about trees and then about stumps. She responded by lifting up her foot and saying "stump your toe"! When it was clarified that he meant tree stumps, she lifted her hand to her face and said "just kidding".
When I arrived the choir was rehearsing in the sanctuary. As they left the chancel area in order to process with the acolyte, I noted a man at the end of the group. Then I noted he had quite long hair. I thought "Wow, an old hippie not giving up his hair" Then I noted the hair clip and the lipstick. As my eyes traveled down his choir robe, I noted he was wearing hose and three inch pumps. My second though was, "Well, this is only the second time I've been in a UMC and saw a transvestite participating in worship".
After that, the service was very traditional. There were unison readings and an opening prayer followed by the Lord's Prayer. Intercessory prayer came later. The message was based around Advent and the Isaiah passage of hope in the midst of turmoil.
The children's message is also worthy of note because of the sweet four year old. The message began with a question about trees and then about stumps. She responded by lifting up her foot and saying "stump your toe"! When it was clarified that he meant tree stumps, she lifted her hand to her face and said "just kidding".
Cancellations
The weather forecast was not good this weekend. Several Baptist churches cancelled their services. I was waiting to see if the church I was preaching at was going to close. Nope.
When I arrived the church parking lot was starting to ice. I decided to not chance the slight slope of the drive way and entered through the back. Once I made my way into the church, I realized the person I had seen walking down the sidewalk had entered through the front. She was sharing that the Baptist church she normally attended had cancelled all services including their online offering and the Baptist church across the street wouldn't have worship for another hour, so she decided to check us out. As worship started I realized the pianist from a neighboring Baptist church had joined her grandmother in her pew and the mother of the session leader was also in attendance though she has attended a neighboring church for thirty years.
I had the opportunity as I talked about Advent and the path we are on as we await the second coming to restate my affinity with this congregation that I had tried to share last time I was here. I shared again that I felt I was on a similar journey trying to discern my future and be faithful to where God was leading me as the congregation.
During prayer time, I prayed for the requests and then thanked the Lord for all the new faces in the congregation, thankful that we could be there for them during the weather event, thankful to be sharing worship with them. A church member came up to me after worship to share that she was a member of that congregation and had been her entire life and didn't understand the reference to the new faces! Oops. I immediately pointed out the woman who had attended for the first time because her church was closed, the granddaughter who was here because her church was closed, and the mother who was there to visit. She stepped back her complaint, thankfully.
After refreshments, as the congregation hung the greens, I sat and talked to two gentlemen about grief during the holidays. One had lost his wife a year ago (I had done her funeral along with his mothers two years earlier) and the other had recently lost his father whom he had been caregiver for. It was a very nice conversation and I left feeling uplifted.
I'll be back next month with a new message and hopefully without any verbal missteps!!
When I arrived the church parking lot was starting to ice. I decided to not chance the slight slope of the drive way and entered through the back. Once I made my way into the church, I realized the person I had seen walking down the sidewalk had entered through the front. She was sharing that the Baptist church she normally attended had cancelled all services including their online offering and the Baptist church across the street wouldn't have worship for another hour, so she decided to check us out. As worship started I realized the pianist from a neighboring Baptist church had joined her grandmother in her pew and the mother of the session leader was also in attendance though she has attended a neighboring church for thirty years.
I had the opportunity as I talked about Advent and the path we are on as we await the second coming to restate my affinity with this congregation that I had tried to share last time I was here. I shared again that I felt I was on a similar journey trying to discern my future and be faithful to where God was leading me as the congregation.
During prayer time, I prayed for the requests and then thanked the Lord for all the new faces in the congregation, thankful that we could be there for them during the weather event, thankful to be sharing worship with them. A church member came up to me after worship to share that she was a member of that congregation and had been her entire life and didn't understand the reference to the new faces! Oops. I immediately pointed out the woman who had attended for the first time because her church was closed, the granddaughter who was here because her church was closed, and the mother who was there to visit. She stepped back her complaint, thankfully.
After refreshments, as the congregation hung the greens, I sat and talked to two gentlemen about grief during the holidays. One had lost his wife a year ago (I had done her funeral along with his mothers two years earlier) and the other had recently lost his father whom he had been caregiver for. It was a very nice conversation and I left feeling uplifted.
I'll be back next month with a new message and hopefully without any verbal missteps!!
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