Monday, November 16, 2009
Reflections on our celebration
I don't know about you, but I had a great time this morning celebrating Tim's birthday. I find it a microcosm of our calling as a church, as part of what it means to be the church is to celebrate one another. That's really what celebrating a birthday is; it's just saying to another, "thank you for being who you are." Certainly such a celebration for one's mere existence and being born among us is consistent with the mission of the church, to celebrate and accept each and every individual not for what they accomplish, not for what they say or do, but rather for their innate worth as human beings created in the image of God. I found it striking to read this week in Henri Nouwen's book "Here and Now" that he lists the celebration of birthdays as one of the hallmarks of living in the present as God calls us to do. As a church, I hope and pray that we become known as the church who judges no one, who celebrates and accepts all who visit our community. May we be known as a body who lives in the present, who does not complain and fault find about the mistakes some may have made in their past, who speculates not on what may happen in their future, but celebrates the present reality of God's glory resting on each individual that walks through our doors. What an awesome calling and an awesome ministry God has entrusted to us. May there be many more celebrations like this to come!
Monday, October 12, 2009
Our core values
This past week, we discussed the topic of discipleship and its importance to our community. If in fact our mission statement is to make disciples, then it's of vital importance to figure out what discipleship in fact is and what the life of a disciple should look like. What kind of living is normative for those who claim to be disciples of Jesus? In turn, if our mission is to make disciples, then what kind of living is expected for us as disciples and members of this community ? These are the questions we need to ask to make sure our mission statement is in fact being lived out in our day to day lives.
In our attempt to answer this question, "what is normal living for a disciple?", we began by discussing what our core values are as a community. From there, we can determine how those core values should be lived out in our daily lives, and discover what a "normal" life should look like for us. These are the values, then, that we agreed upon as defining us as a community.
1) Love and service - our mission statement says that we seek to make disciples "through showing the love of Jesus." Discipleship is the goal; love is the means. Through showing compassion to the less fortunate, by loving others in our workplaces, neighborhoods, and in our church, we aim to draw others to Him. As Jesus said, "by this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another." As a community, this is what we should be known for above all else; as redeemed men and women who are intent on sharing Christ's love with our lives. As a small step towards that goal, we serve at Wayside (and soon at Bright Hope) regularly as part of our weekly worship.
2) Being missional- rather than a technical Christian buzzword, it's easiest to think of "being missional" as simply meeting people where they're at. This has many implications, one of which taking church to people rather than waiting for them to come to us. Hence, we have no building, and meet in parks or public places whenever possible. Though these are only beginning steps in what it means to be missional, these simple measures remind us of the importance of this concept.
3) Breaking bread - as part of our weekly meeting, we share a meal together. This is our way of celebrating the Lord's Supper, which in the early church was commemorated with a meal as well. By breaking bread together, we are reminded of Christ's body and blood broken for us. And, of course, it must be free by definition!
4) Speaking the truth in love- though we honor and respect all viewpoints, this does not mean we subscribe to a notion of relative truth that says "you have your truth and I have mine." We passionately proclaim the truth not merely as our truth, but God's truth; it naturally follows that some ideas are right and some are wrong; some are Biblical, and some are not! Yet this does not mean we do not respect other's viewpoints, even if we believe they are wrong. It is possible to discuss varying viewpoints, and passionately adhere to one's position as the truth, and yet not be divisive or demaning in the process. This is what we aim to do in all our interactions with one another; speak the truth, but do so in love and respect, in a way that does not divide but unifies.
5) Priesthood of the believer- this sounds like a churchy term, but it's really a practical one- it simply means that all believers have the authority to approach God and serve Him just as much as anyone else; no more, no less. We are all ministers, and reject artifical distinctions between clergy and laity. To this end, we have no paid staff, but seek to carry out the Lord's work in a volunteer fashion alone, as each member does his part in accordance with his gifting. This is what it means to be the body of Christ. In Christ, we recognize that are all equals, and we are all capable of teaching and admonishing one another in equal measure.
And above all else, we are 6) Christ centered. We have agreed upon the above not because we like them, but because these are the values that Christ modeled in His ministry. He was the one who drew people to Himself because of His radical love, who broke down walls between Jews and Gentiles, between male and female through His work on the cross. He is the Truth, and He is our high priest so that we may enter God's presence with boldness. It is His example that we seek to model, and this is what it means to be a disciple: to be an imitator of one's teacher. By God's grace may we truly be His disciples in following His example.
So here's my question for you: with these core values in mind, what are our minimum discipleship standards? If we claim to be His disciples, what practical measures should each of us be taking in our daily lives? How can these core values be lived out in our daily lives, and what are some key practices we can employ to live them out? We will seek to answer these questions in the coming weeks.
In our attempt to answer this question, "what is normal living for a disciple?", we began by discussing what our core values are as a community. From there, we can determine how those core values should be lived out in our daily lives, and discover what a "normal" life should look like for us. These are the values, then, that we agreed upon as defining us as a community.
1) Love and service - our mission statement says that we seek to make disciples "through showing the love of Jesus." Discipleship is the goal; love is the means. Through showing compassion to the less fortunate, by loving others in our workplaces, neighborhoods, and in our church, we aim to draw others to Him. As Jesus said, "by this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another." As a community, this is what we should be known for above all else; as redeemed men and women who are intent on sharing Christ's love with our lives. As a small step towards that goal, we serve at Wayside (and soon at Bright Hope) regularly as part of our weekly worship.
2) Being missional- rather than a technical Christian buzzword, it's easiest to think of "being missional" as simply meeting people where they're at. This has many implications, one of which taking church to people rather than waiting for them to come to us. Hence, we have no building, and meet in parks or public places whenever possible. Though these are only beginning steps in what it means to be missional, these simple measures remind us of the importance of this concept.
3) Breaking bread - as part of our weekly meeting, we share a meal together. This is our way of celebrating the Lord's Supper, which in the early church was commemorated with a meal as well. By breaking bread together, we are reminded of Christ's body and blood broken for us. And, of course, it must be free by definition!
4) Speaking the truth in love- though we honor and respect all viewpoints, this does not mean we subscribe to a notion of relative truth that says "you have your truth and I have mine." We passionately proclaim the truth not merely as our truth, but God's truth; it naturally follows that some ideas are right and some are wrong; some are Biblical, and some are not! Yet this does not mean we do not respect other's viewpoints, even if we believe they are wrong. It is possible to discuss varying viewpoints, and passionately adhere to one's position as the truth, and yet not be divisive or demaning in the process. This is what we aim to do in all our interactions with one another; speak the truth, but do so in love and respect, in a way that does not divide but unifies.
5) Priesthood of the believer- this sounds like a churchy term, but it's really a practical one- it simply means that all believers have the authority to approach God and serve Him just as much as anyone else; no more, no less. We are all ministers, and reject artifical distinctions between clergy and laity. To this end, we have no paid staff, but seek to carry out the Lord's work in a volunteer fashion alone, as each member does his part in accordance with his gifting. This is what it means to be the body of Christ. In Christ, we recognize that are all equals, and we are all capable of teaching and admonishing one another in equal measure.
And above all else, we are 6) Christ centered. We have agreed upon the above not because we like them, but because these are the values that Christ modeled in His ministry. He was the one who drew people to Himself because of His radical love, who broke down walls between Jews and Gentiles, between male and female through His work on the cross. He is the Truth, and He is our high priest so that we may enter God's presence with boldness. It is His example that we seek to model, and this is what it means to be a disciple: to be an imitator of one's teacher. By God's grace may we truly be His disciples in following His example.
So here's my question for you: with these core values in mind, what are our minimum discipleship standards? If we claim to be His disciples, what practical measures should each of us be taking in our daily lives? How can these core values be lived out in our daily lives, and what are some key practices we can employ to live them out? We will seek to answer these questions in the coming weeks.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Growing Towards Being More Loving
How is everyone doing with trying to be more loving people this week? Feel free to share your successes and failures, and any new ideas for keeping Christ's mindset in our minds, and seeing people as He does.
Food for Sept. 20
Who is bringing the main dish this week? What is everyone else planning on bringing? I will bring a pasta or broccoli salad.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Sunday, September 5
Who's bringing what this week? And who's in charge of the main dish this time? (If you're bringing sandwiches and wondering how much of what to buy, ask Jess or Angela.)
Anything I missed? Maybe we should spray for bees beforehand, I think someone said they might have some spray at home?
Anything I missed? Maybe we should spray for bees beforehand, I think someone said they might have some spray at home?
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