Thoughts for Communion

A few weeks ago the youth group went to the Tennessee Christian Teen Convention in Gatlinburg, TN to worship with about 4000 other teenagers. The theme for the weekend was “Mystery” and they preached from Colossians 1:25-27 in which Paul says,

“I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Paul says that he is presenting to word of God. Yes this is the proclamation about God, but it is also the word itself – Jesus Christ. He says that this mystery has been hidden, but is now made known.

We all love a good mystery story don’t we? Primetime television is filled with mystery type shows – crimes like murder, kidnapping, theft. And part of the fun is figuring out who did it. How did they do it? Why did they do it?

Well God, though majestic and awesome, and far beyond our puny minds has laid it all out there. He has revealed the mystery, but it was not a crime. No, it was an act of love and grace that caused him to do what he did. God came died in our place that we might have the hope of glory.

And the mystery? It isn’t so complicated. In fact, it is more of a promise. The mystery is that the God of the Universe, the God of Creation, the God of all that is good and holy and pure lives in you and lives in me.

This is the promise that brings us together. This is the promise that allows us to gather around this table. And this is the promise that grants us entry into the very presence of God.

As we partake of communion, we do so with hope and expectation. The expectation that God hears us; that God accepts us; that God extends his grace to us. And the hope that one day, though we see a poor reflection now, the mystery will make perfect sense as we celebrate together before the glory of God. May we, as we celebrate this simple meal, be drawn into the mystery of Christ in us – the hope of glory.

Nit-pickers Welcome

I'm re-working some the core church curriculum. Below is are ten core values for spiritual transformation that were put together by Willow Creek (John Ortberg, I think). We have included it in our curriculum for several years. I'd love for you to go through them to see if there is anything, false, dumb, or missing.

Spiritual transformation…

1. …is essential, not optional, for Christ-followers.

2. …is a process, not an event.

3. …is God’s work, but requires participation.

4. …involves those practices, experiences, and relationships that help me live intimately with Christ and walk as if he were in my place.

5. …is not a compartmentalized pursuit. God is not interested in my spiritual life; he’s interested in my life—the whole thing.

6. …can happen in every moment. It is not reserved to certain times and practices.

7. …is not individualistic, but takes place in a community and finds expression in serving others.

8. …is not impeded by a person’s background, temperament, life situation, or season of life. It is available right now to all who desire it.

9. ...and the means of pursuing it, will vary from one individual to another. Fully devoted disciples are hand-crafted, not mass-produced.

10. …is ultimately gauged by an increased capacity to love God and people. Superficial or external checklists cannot measure it.

taken from “Pursuing Spiritual Transformation” series by John Ortberg.

I am doing a four part class on spiritual growth. The four parts are as follows:

1. What is spriritual growth?

2. The role of the Body, the Spirit and the Word in our growth.

3. Spiritual Disciplines

4. Service and Suffering

What would you do those four weeks?

Consumer Vortex

I believe one of the greatest flaws in American society is the greed of our people, often seen in the commercialism. Everything has a retail angle to it. Such a mentality is epitomized in Gatlinburg, TN, the host of the annual teen convention which my youth group attends.

If you have never been to Gatlinburg, let me tell you what you are missing. There is barely enough room to walk on the sidewalk. But don’t try to drive when there are big crowds, because it will take you forever. Restaurants, shops, novelty stores, cabins, cars and hotels are everywhere. The number of worthless stores that line the main street is astounding. The prices that are charged for necessities like food, water, and fudge make the depression inflation seem like a steal. And the things that nobody needs, well those are priced just right so that they seem reasonable to unwitting patrons.

I don’t understand why people from my church go there…for fun! I got angry just being near it. That is why at these conventions I tend to stay near my room. Take naps. Play poker. Steer clear of the commercialism vortex. Of course my kids love it, which is where I get the most frustrated. Here I spend a lot of time and energy trying to teach my kids not to be materialistic, and I am foiled by some lame hat shop that peddles the dumbest looking hats around. You know these kids won’t wear those hats again after this weekend. My archenemy is a town!

I suppose I can put up with it, because I know what it will be like going in. The town will not change. But, what I can’t put up with is the vortex taking over the convention. Why do I walk in and see all these booths with all this Christian crap? My kids don’t need to blow $15 on trucker hats that say “I only like Christian boys.” They surely don’t need a John Deere hat that already has been cut to make it look more “authentic.” Then you go on to the stupid t-shirts that make fun of sinners, “Satan,” and more.

It all makes me sick to my stomach. But I suppose we make up for it by taking a collection up for sending food to victims in Haiti and another collection to allow students to fill their “good deeds” quotient by going to Haiti or New Orleans for a week. I guess I just see mixed messages and don’t see how we can teach our kids to allow God to do amazing things in their lives while teaching them it is okay to waste the resources they have been given.

The Only "Right" Translation

For all you original Biblical Language geeks out there or those who endured the grueling rigors of New Testament Greek, this one is for you...