Worship August 11

Often during a summer worship, you may encounter a worship service that is different from then norm, such as a VBS closing program or a pastor on vacation. This Sunday, I went to a worship service that was planned and led by the music and worship staff member. There was no formal sermon, however there was plenty of music and readings that several members of the congregation participated in throughout the service. I thought it was neat how many people participated!

Upon first entering this place of worship, I was greeted by a women with whom I had worked with last summer during the extended school year program that I worked at as a special education teacher. We chatted a little and I explained to her what I was doing. She invited me to sit with her family. It was wonderful to meet her family and experience worship with them! It was helpful to have someone fill me in on which hymnal we were singing out of (there were two), since there were so many songs in the service and to explain how communion was taken (yes, I hit another communion Sunday). She also let me know that this was not the typical service, as there was usually a sermon. I love seeing people I know and meeting new people as I go no this faith journey. It is interesting to see who God puts in our paths.

I have been getting my take away from the message or sermon the last few weeks, so this was a bit challenging, as I had to put the songs and readings together to figure out what my take away was going to be this week. I realized that my take away could be anything, the way communion was done, the way the songs were sang, the little messages hidden within the readings and the music. My take away doesn't have to be from a sermon! The theme that ran though the service was God providing in his time and in his way.

It was clear to me that the music director was passionate about his gift for music as it relates to worship and praising God! He had children come up front and sing at two different parts of the service. Some of the songs were accompanied by a piano, some by a violin, and some were sung a capella. Some times he had us hum a verse, some times just the women sang, and sometime just the men.

A few things I took away:
1. I love experiencing the music in other places.
2. This was a larger congregation and communion was taken by usher guiding an entire pew to one of the four corners in the sanctuary where leaders served each person from that pew. Everyone gathered in a circle and the sacrament was offer to each person. I was asked my name, welcomed, and given the bread and wine (aka grape juice). In this community, one could take the sacrament as long as they were baptized. Children were baptized when they were able to make that choice although most would chose around age 6 or older. Those children not yet baptized, would go up front with their parent sand receive a package of friut snacks from the childrens' pastor. I loved that idea!
3. God provided for 5,000 from 2 loaves of bread and some fish...he will provide just enough for you as well.
4. When disasters occur, God sends people to help with the clean up efforts. All things are possible with God!
5. There was a special blessing for those leaving for college towards the end of the service. I though that was a wonderful thing!

Yesterday, while at the Yoga Life Institute in Devon, Pa, I was participating in a chakra meditation.  After having done a chakra relaxation, we were instructed to pick a chakra to meditate on. I picked the heart chakra. Then we were told to meditate on the back of this chakra, for example with the heart chakra, most often it is in the giving, but receiving is also part of this chakra. Those with big heart chakras (such as myself) are always giving but not so good at receiving. I took this time during meditation to reflect on all the blessings I have received from God. I feel as though this meditation was relevant to the message that I was able to take away from the worship service I attended today.

I thank God for all the blessings in my life and the opportunity to experience worship in so many different ways! I have been blessed as I have been welcomed and received in each place I have gone to for worship! Amen!

Book Study!!!

 

Due to my Yoga Intensive weekend from July 26-28th, I was not able to worship so I read book instead! If you know me, you know I LOVE to read! It is not uncommon for me to have anywhere from 3-5 books going at one time. Anyway, I read two books with very different views on religious pluralism. Both books were well worth the read and had excellent points about Christianity. I would like to reflect a bit on these books...

The first book I read was called " Encountering God" by Diana L. Eck. Diana is a professor at Harvard, teaching religious and Indian studies. She is the director of the Pluralism Project, which seeks to map the new religious diversity of the United States. She details her journey as a Christian from her childhood in Bozeman, Montana to her studies in Banaras, India. She reveals how other religions have shaped and enlarged her Christian faith. Her book is based on interfaith dialogue; exploring the challenges of religious diversity and the importance of inter-religious dialogue for mutual understanding and transformation not only for ourselves but for the world we live in. It is a wonderful read if you, like myself, enjoy interfaith dialogue and learning about other faiths. Diana takes you into the hearth of India lets you in on what challenged her Christian faith during her travels and studies and what made her faith stronger.

The second book I read was called "Jesus Among Other Gods" by Ravi Zacharias. Ravi Zacharias is a Christian apologist who disagrees with the current attitude of religious pluralism and searches for the truth. Having been born in India and raised Hindu, Zacharias came to Christianity as a young adult. He is very knowledgeable in both western and eastern religions.  His view is that all this religious pluralism and acceptance is absurd and that all religions simply can not be true. Zacharias considers six questions Jesus answered in a way that skeptics can not challenges Jesus' uniqueness in claiming he was the divine.

Although I lean more towards religious pluralism, Zacharias's book is a must read for Christians as it answers some tough questions concerning the Christian faith. I enjoyed reading both book equally, although there are some things I do not agree with. It is interesting to read others view points about religion. I strongly recommend both books to anyone interested in the Christian faith, inter-religious dialogue,  and religious pluralism.

Back to Worship

 

Many of you may have noticed that there was no post last week. That is because I was attending a yoga intensive all weekend. Although I enjoyed the weekend immensely, and experienced some personal growth, it did not allow me time to attend a worship service. I did, however read two books last week, by two religious scholars with two very different views on religious pluralism. I will be reflecting on these books in a post later this week.

I am a strong believer in whatever brings a person close to God, helps them get to know God, encourages worship and a relationship with God, and supports them spiritually (as long as it doesn't bring harm to themselves or others) is a wonderful thing. I know what I prefer when it comes to worship. I prefer to worship in a sanctuary with pews and stained glass windows. I prefer an alter with a cross somewhere on or around it. I prefer singing traditional hymns accompanied by an organ. I prefer scripture readings from the Bible. I prefer a small community where intimate relationships can form and where I know almost everyone by name and know something about them. This is what I prefer and how I like to worship. Part of this journey I have embarked on has taken me out of my comfort zone and put me in places that do not provide these things as part of worship. The place I chose to worship at today, I chose since my son has been attending youth group at this church, as well as participating in youth activities at our home church. I was blessed to have him join me for worship this morning!

As I entered the room that was being used for worship, I was a little disappointed that there were no pews and no stained glass windows. My son informed me that this was the room they played basketball in before youth group. I looked at the chairs set up,at the stage with the instruments, microphones, and screens, with the sound system in the back and wondered how this worship experience was going to go for me. I do love live music so that part was exciting, however I felt as though I was at a concert or a presentation, not a worship service. The service started with singing and prayer. As I relaxed a little, I realized that the environment isn't what is important, I can worship and connect with God anywhere! He was present in that building and in the people that were present that morning! A church this big has a large congregation and two worship services on Sunday mornings. People kept coming in as the service continued with the collection of the offering. A church of this size also has several pastors. I saw in the bulletin who was preaching, but did not think anything of it at the time. Next was communion. I was a little anxious as I did not know what to expect. How was communion done in this denomination and at this church? Was the table open to all or just to members? My anxiety was relieved as a pastor invited all believers to the table, members or not. As this part of the service unfolded, I had a profound realization. When taking communion at my home church, I was so used to the routine, at times it seemed that I was just going through the motions, without focusing on the meaning of the act. Being in an unfamiliar place, I was able to fully immerse myself in the act of taking communion without it being a route routine! My first blessing that morning was my son coming to worship with me. My second blessing was the communion experience!

Finally, it was time for the message. This particular church was in the middle of a series of sermons and I happened to attend worship on the Sunday set aside for the sermon about finances. The message was from Matthew 6:24 " No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." The message was long but very relevant to me, and I am sure many others who feel as though they are "slaves" to their debts, money, and/or lifestyles. The pastor did an excellent job of unpacking many ideas that could be considered helpful to those of us (myself included) who often put wealth above God. As the pastor preached, I realized that I recognized his face. I looked in my bulletin at the name and sure enough, this was a man I had gone to school with and graduated with. We had not been close, however I was thrilled to see that this was the path he had chosen and was greatly impressed with his message! I was able to speak to him for a few minutes after the service, which was pretty cool!

A few (of the many) things I took away:

1. God is our cornerstone during the storms that will come through.
2. I know what I prefer when it comes to worship,but I can worship anywhere. God is present in all situations!
3. When we cleave tight to our money, we do not get the opportunity to see God provide for us. We also miss the opportunity to help others.
4. If we serve money some of the time, and God some of the time, the two will eventually collide and you will have to make a choice.
5. No one wants to live feeling as though they are a "slave" to their money. Take steps to gain control of your finances keeping God as your focus and at the center of your choices. Try to resit the urge to impulse buy or to justify purchases with the "I work hard and I deserve this" mentality. God will provide all that we need!