Passionate Worship
“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalm 100 :1-2 NIV)
Worship is the heartbeat and central focus of any congregation. It hopefully provides opportunities to connect with God and in doing so we receive healing and comfort for our hurts and empowerment to “Go forth into the world to make disciples.” It is in worship that we are renewed and refreshed to live in and serve God in our hurting world.
So we attempt to plan worship that is dynamic enough that it connects with everyone, recognizing that we each respond differently to the various elements of worship. For some of us music can move us to a spiritual plane that is beyond words. For others maybe prayer is the vehicle that brings us close to God. Some may hear God’s voice in the scripture or the preaching. The point being that since God created us each as unique individuals, what moves us close to God may be different from others.
In an effort to expand the dynamic elements of worship and provide as many opportunities as possible for everyone to connect with God, you may be seeing some changes in worship. As part of my desire to assemble an Intergenerational Worship Planning Team, I have asked Bridgett Groce to lead the “Creative Arts” part of this team. This will include visual arts as well as drama and other possibilities.
I am excited that as part of this effort, Sandy McCandless and Julie Edwards have agreed to coordinate the placing of flowers/floral arrangements on the communion table each Sunday and maintaining other worship centers in and around the sanctuary. If you would like to participate in this ministry by sponsoring a floral arrangement in the sanctuary or worship center, please let Sandy or Julie know. This could be done in memory or honor of a loved one or to God’s glory.
God has filled our congregation with so many gifted and talented people. May we all come together to share in those gifts as we “Come into his house with thanksgiving and praise.”
May God Bless Each of You.
Grace and Peace,
Bro. Doug
It’s What’s in the Middle That Counts
“…but we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:23-24 NIV)
Did you ever think about how important “middle” things are? For example, sandwiches, Oreo cookies, layered cakes, jelly filled donuts and lots of other stuff.
Well yes, those are all food, but it’s the middle of the morning and my breakfast oatmeal has left me by now and that’s just where my mind wanders many times.
But to turn serious if not altogether theological, we are approaching Holy Week and truly more than any other time of the Christian Year, what’s in the middle is of paramount importance. This Sunday is Palm Sunday when we celebrate with waving palm branches the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Then the next Sunday we experience the joy and great celebration of Easter.
However, I would suggest that if we don’t pay attention and remember and reflect on the middle, what happened between these two Sundays, then we’re missing the point of it all. It is only because of the sacrificial pain, suffering, and death of Jesus on the cross that we can have the joy of the Resurrection. It is because of the atonement of Christ dying for our sins that we find forgiveness for our past.
The events and services of Holy Week are designed to and have been observed by the Church throughout its history to help us make the journey from Palm Sunday, tracing the steps of Jesus to the upper room, through scourging, rejection, the cross and a cruel death on the cross, to the tomb, then arriving prepared to embrace the joy of the empty tomb and the risen Christ.
At that time, hopefully we can with the apostle Paul, affirm “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20 NIV). May this Easter be the time that truly transforms our lives.
Grace and Peace,
Bro. Doug
The Same Old Story
“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection…” (Philippians 3:10a NIV)
There’s a story about a little boy who was rebelling on Easter Sunday morning about being stuffed into his Easter clothes, suit, clip-on tie, new uncomfortable shoes and all the trimmings. As they were driving to church he was still presenting his case about getting so uncomfortable on this one Sunday each year. He said, “I just don’t know why we have to go to all this trouble on this one Sunday since every year we hear the same old story and it always has the same ending.”
Well, we’re almost there. Just a few more Sundays until we experience the joy of Palm Sunday, the intensity of the reality of the suffering, crucifixion and death of Christ on Good Friday and then the great exaltation of Easter morning and the Resurrection of the Lord. But, will we be like the little boy and be content with hearing the same old story with the same ending OR will we experience anew the POWER of the Resurrection?
We each have to make that decision for ourselves. Will this trip to Calvary, the cross and the empty tomb be for us a life transforming experience or just another opportunity to share in a nice worship service with great music and a day with family? I believe God calls us to so much more. I believe Jesus was serious when he promised us all Abundant Life. Will you claim that promise this Easter season?
Grace and Peace, Bro. Doug
Notice of Staff Change
Effective May 31st Josh Taylor will be resigning as Director of our Youth Ministries. Wade and Melissa Stone who are currently leading our Jr. UMYF have agreed to lead the entire youth program at that time. We are so thankful for Josh’s tenure in this position and his love and care for the youth of his church. And we are excited as he is able to use his many talents in other areas of service to his church.
Bro. Doug
Weak and Heavy Laden
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” (Isaiah 40:29 NIV)
In the great old hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” the third stanza begins with the question, “Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?” Now I don’t know about you, but there are times when I have to admit to a state of physical, emotional, and even spiritual weakness and weariness and I certainly feel the weight of a load of care. I’m guessing most of us can identify with that state at times.
We have so many folks who have been battling physical illnesses and also those who are suffering emotional and or spiritual stress and distress.
As we make our way through the self reflection of Lent, that might be a place where you find yourself. If so, I want to invite you to A Service of Healing following the Wednesday evening meal on April 13th. This will be the week before holy week and an appropriate way to prepare for the spiritual journey from Palm Sunday to Maunday Thursday to Good Friday and the joy of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday morning.
We know that our hope is in the Lord who will renew our strength. Join me as we reach out to the One who is able to restore us to health and wholeness in all areas of our life.
Grace and Peace,
Bro. Doug
The Race Before Us
“…and let us run with perservance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1 NIV)
I recently heard a story about two guys who were out hunting when they came upon the largest and deepest sinkhole they had ever seen. It seemed to have no bottom. So they decided to throw something in and see if they could hear it hit bottom. So they looked around for something substantial enough to make a loud sound and they spied an old automobile transmission nearby under some bushes.
Together they dragged and rolled it toward the hole and finally with a big heave pitched it over in the bottomless pit and stood looking and listening. Just then they heard a rustling in the bushes behind them and a goat came running out of the bushes going 100 mph and without stopping jumped headlong into the hole.
As they were looking at each other trying to process what just happened, a farmer came up and asked if they had seen a goat around anywhere. After they related the story to the farmer of the goat who ran up to the hole and jumped in, the farmer said, “No that couldn’t have been my goat, my goat was chained to a transmission under those bushes.”
Now that may not seem like a Lenten story but I think maybe it is. You see sometimes we get chained to the ways of the world in such a way that it can pull us off course from the journey which God has planned for us. Sometimes we can even get pulled into deep holes of despair and fear and depression by getting off the course which God has set before us.
Lent asks the question: To what are you chained? What is it that’s pulling you off course? Christ died so that we might all experience the freedom of breaking the chains of sin. This Lenten Season may we all break free from the chains that draw us away from the abundant life which Christ has offered.
Grace and Peace,
Bro. Doug
Preparing for Our Burials
“When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.”
(Matthew 26:12 NIV)
Next week, on we begin the season of Lent with an observance of Ash Wednesday. After our Wednesday meal, we will come to the sanctuary to remember the words of Jesus and of the prophets that call us to repentance and receive the sign of the cross placed on our foreheads with ashes.
The season of Lent is or should be for us primarily a time of preparation. The liturgical colors of the church will be purple, the royal color, to prepare for the King. But not in the same way as we observed in Advent. During Lent we are called by the Church to a time of reflection and taking stock and hopefully repentance and rededication of our faith.
We in effect prepare for our burial, of sorts with Jesus. After an examination of our lives we are called to “put to death” and to “bury” those things which have quietly invaded our lives during the past year which are contrary to the abundant life Jesus offers.
And as we remember the Passion of Christ, how he suffered and died and was buried for our sins, hopefully we place in the tomb with Jesus all those undesirable parts of our lives.
Just as Jesus rose from the dead in the Resurrection, then we too can experience new life and a closer more intimate relationship with God. So in a way, we all need to begin to prepare for our burial. As we approach Lent this year, what is it that you need to let go of in your life that is keeping you from a closer relationship with God? What is it that you need to put in the tomb with Jesus?
What a wonderful, marvelous Savior we have. God sent his only Son, that we might have life and have it abundantly. Will you claim that promise?
May we each experience a Holy Lent this year.
Grace and Peace,
Bro. Doug
Hope Springs Eternal
“May the God of HOPE fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13 NIV)
This past Sunday and Monday I eagerly watched as the last of the latest blanket of snow slowly slipped the back into the earth, transformed into life giving moisture by God’s great gift of sun and warmth. And what a welcomed sight it was. It gives us hope that spring and warmer weather are not far away.
Indeed, exactly one month from this coming Sunday, on March 20th we will experience the Vernal Equinox according to the calendar or as we call it, the first day of Spring. So we know it’s coming. And we are ready to feel the warmth of sun rays on our faces, chapped by too many cold blustery days.
The warming days we are experiencing give us Hope of the coming season of not only warmth and sun but of God’s creation bursting forth once again with the beauty of blooms and leaves and the beginning of another season of sowing seeds and growth and harvest.
But the coming Spring should also remind us of the One from whom our true Hope springs. Our Hope is the name of God who made heaven and earth, and in his Son Jesus who through his life, suffering, death and resurrection gave us our ultimate Hope of a home in heaven for the future.
So in the coming days when signs of Spring abound more regularly, may we never lose sight of the Source of all our Hope.
Grace and Peace,
Bro. Doug
The Season of Love
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NIV)
Right in the middle of the cold winter days of February, amidst the backdrop of black trees devoid of leaves and life and the stark beauty of seemingly endless blankets of white snow, we are warmed by the Feast of Hearts otherwise known as Valentine’s Day. It is a welcome warming season of love when we pause and turn to matters of the heart.
It is a season of greeting cards and roses and special dinners and proclamations of love. A season that husbands and boyfriends, especially would be well advised not to forget. And it is a time when even those most resistant to expressions of affection are apt to be seen standing in front of a plethora of Valentine cards arranged by category in once neat rows of display racks, trying to choose just the “right” card.
All this in the name of LOVE. And of course, love is a good thing. One of God’s greatest gifts is the capacity to feel such a closeness and connection for another. This gift is seen in so many ways such as the love between a man and woman, the love between parents and children, the love between friends.
However, we know that all love is a reflection of the love which God has for us. God loves us with a love that is beyond our capacity to know or understand. The NIV translation of the bible contains the word “love” 551 times. Most of those references are in the Psalms. And even with all our talk of love and even with the examples and descriptions of God’s love we find in the bible, perhaps no where is God’s love given a better description than in John 3:16.
If you have memorized any scripture in your lifetime, this is most likely the one. It describes God’s love in a way that helps to understand that we can never understand it. Who among us could ever have the capacity to love someone enough that they would be willing to sacrifice a child? But I know that God’s love for us is that great.
So next Monday, no matter how you celebrate Valentines Day, do not forget to pause and remember the One whose Love gave us life and without whose love we would not be.
I love you all.
Grace and Peace,
Bro. Doug
Dancing with God
“He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign LORD, you alone know.” (Ezekiel 37:3 NIV)
Ezekiel is often referred to as a man who was maybe a little, well, crazy. However, when I remember this passage, I like Ezekiel and this image of God breathing life into the valley of dry bones. I don’t know about you but sometimes my very bones feel dry and dusty and I’m not talking about my shoulder.
The kind of dry bones Ezekiel is picturing here is more than physical. It’s the dryness of our lives that’s part of our human condition at times. We experience problems at home with family, at work, with friends and that causes stress which leads to anxiety and before we know it, we’re living in with that dry bones feeling and God seems distant and we feel disconnected from God and others and even ourselves.
I think February can be a real “dry bones” month. Here we are in the midst of winter’s grip and suffering what seems like endless days of gray, depressing skies and weather that dampens our spirit.
But the real message of this story, of course is that God is the one who is faithful and the One who is able to breath life into even our dry lifeless lives and lift us up out of the valleys and then I believe He engages us in a wonderful “dance of life.”
My favorite devotional writer is Joyce Rupp who shares this message in a wonderful poem I want to share with you.
May I Have this Dance?
There I am
in Ezekiel’s valley,
one heap among many,
just another stack
of old dry bones.
Some Mondays feel this way,
and Tuesdays too,
to say nothing of
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
Lost dreams and forgotten pleasures,
sold like a soul
to a gluttonous world
feeding on my frenzy
and anxious activity.
But just when the old heap of bones
seems most dry and deserted,
a strong Breath of Life
stirs among my dead.
Someone named God comes to my
fragments and asks, with twinkling eye:
“May I have this dance?”
The Voice stretches into me,
a stirring leaps in my heart,
lifting up the bones of death.
The I offer my waiting self
To the One who’s never stopped
believing in me,
and the dance begins.
Joyce Rupp
May it be so with each of us.
Grace and Peace, Bro. Doug
What Kind of Church?
“One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your power, to make known to all people your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.” (Psalm 145: 5, 11-12 NIV)
Over the past several years it seems that popular thought in church growth has been that we must go to extremes to provide highly specialized ministries to reach each particular generation. And since worship is the central focus of any congregation, we have developed particular styles of worship to appeal to particular generations.
For instance, we promote contemporary, traditional, blended and other worship styles to meet the needs of different generations. And unfortunately what we have in many instances is schizophrenic congregations who spend all their time and energy trying to decide exactly what kind of church they are. Or we find churches who firmly plant themselves in a particular style and thereby end up excluding so many and unable to be a welcoming place for all God’s people.
Well, I am so excited that an emerging focus on worship is something so old that it’s new again. It’s being called “Intergenerational Worship.” It is a simple idea. Since worship is the central focus of any congregation, if we design worship so that ALL generations, all people, feel important and included, then we will be a much healthier church. This will make us much more able to spend time and energy on the true mission of the church which is: Making Disciples for the Transformation of the World.
Like I said, this is not a new idea. However, it’s not as easy as it sounds. It takes intentional planning and work and commitment. It involves including children and youth in worship in more ways than just token appearances. It involves engaging the most senior members of our congregation as well and everyone in between.
I am excited about some of the ways we are beginning to engage this model. First we have embraced keeping our children in the worship service and trying to connect the Children’s Moments time to the sermon. Secondly as we have asked persons to pray for the pastor prior to each worship service, we now ask families as a unit to participate in that act. What a great experience it is as we gather in my office holding hands in prayer and hearing the voices of even the youngest members of the family pray.
I am in the process also of developing an “Intergenerational Worship Team” that will incorporate all ages and disciplines of worship such as music and drama with the goal of more involvement of laity in worship.
I am convinced that this is the kind of church God is calling us to be, a church where all are important and all are welcome.
Grace and Peace,
Bro. Doug
