Candlelight Service

Sit in the choir loft? Not a problem! Best view in the house.

Church of the Resurrection 2300 Christmas eve service 2010. Place was packed out.

Christmas Eve

Well, the weather is OK. I am helping with a couple services at the church, so I don't have too much time--managed to get up and do the emergency laundry I have needed to do for several days--yay! Now I have clean underwear...

The blog is yellow--I hope closer to gold--because He has come--the waiting of Advent is over. He came not as a King but as a baby to a young girl and a humble carpenter in a back water town in a remote corner of the Roman empire. The next time He comes he will wear the crown--but today we celebrate God's Son, who came to save us from our sins.

Christmas blessings to all!

Weather Woes

Last year, it thundered and rained during the 1800 and 2000 contemporary Christmas Eve eve services, and then we got 10 inches or so of snow on Christmas Eve.

Well, after a very quiet and dry late fall, the weather has set up to give us a storm coming in for Christmas Eve and the day before. (If Murphy wasn't in health care, he/she may have been clergy.) It is still too far out to be sure about timing and precipitation types, but a little somethin' somethin' will be here on Thursday.

Or it could be nothing.

We all know that forecasting snow in the Midwest is hard--remember the 4 inches of partly cloudy that one year? Right now, the schedule is SS Chat 'n' Chew Wednesday evening, CR Dinner followed by 2000 Christmas Eve eve service, and 2300 Christmas Eve service.

Fingers crossed here peeps, not just for my own travel, but the giving that is represented by these services. A lot of good is done with the money the church receives at offering during the bazillion pre-Christmas services.

Christmas Music

I am not a huge fan of Christmas music. There are things I really like, but the majority of "winter songs" leave me not wanting more. At this point, a week from December 25, even the Christian stations are playing a lot of Christmas stuff. Ugh. Reaching for the CDs now.

Here's a song I really like though by Barlow Girl. Very cool lyrics and very rich musically.

Merry Christmas everyone--"hallelujah we've been found!"

Did It!

Well, now I am a member of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. I decided to join for several reasons

1. That little tiny bit more of accountability.

2. Opens up the congregational care position

3. An expression of gratitude for how the church has helped me in so many ways in the 16 months I have been attending.

I do feel bad that I have not yet notified Pastor Eric. No doubt if he has looked at things on Facebook, he knows I have been attending COR regularly. I am downloading Open Office so I can write a letter without all the format issues for printing at the library (since it's compatible with Word) and I will send him a note, hopefully before the membership release request gets to him. I might write the first draft here since it is going to take a hour to download Open Office.

I haven't announced it on FB since I don't really want Pastor Eric to find out that way. After the letter is written and on its way, I'll mention it.

It still is a little scary leaving the Church of the Nazarene--like leaving your childhood church. In a way it was my childhood church. And I could return--especially if I move some where where all the UM Churches are either way dead or way out theologically. But right now, this appears to be God's will for me.

Not Everything Is Beneficial

On Wednesday night I got in a conversation with Victor that ended up disturbing me greatly. He has been reading books by athiests like Dawkins et. al. You know the famous ones. He has been extolling how much he learned from these guys, these great scientists and philosophers who don't think there is a god.

A great deal of what is contained in these books is critique of the church. Now, Lord knows we can use critique! But to judge God based on the actions of His very much less than perfect followers--I don't care for that. I often don't know why God put so much in our finite, sin stained hands, but He did. Please look at God--honestly without a chip on the shoulder. If you want to say there is no god due to problems with the suffering of innocents or you just can't see how the science and faith work together, I can respect that. But don't dismiss God because Billy Graham said some things about racial issues that you don't like.

Victor keeps saying he's glad he's read these authors--that he has learned a lot. For me, it seems to be the equivalent of taking a revolver with a bullet in it and pointing it at your head--Russian Roulette--you don't know what chamber has the bullet in it. I guess by dint of my education and my reading, I am familiar with many of the objections to faith and I don't feel like I need further exposure. Not because I am sticking my head in the sand--I hear all the objections on a regular basis like any Christian. We will hear more and more of them as we get more post Christian, more secular and more post modern.

I believe that, while there may be a number of atheist people who honestly came to their conclusion 100% intellectually--many are just not willing to give up that control--it's a Lordship thing. Being saved is cool, but when God wants everything--well, that's not cool.

I think more and more we are going to find that many people will come to God with the realization that they are not the center of the universe and their lives are spinning out of control. It's the first step: Realize I am not God and my life is out of control. It's a big time slice of humble pie for humanity to take, and some are not ready to take it--and may never be.

For me, I'll admit it, I am taking time off from the McD's on Minor and Holmes--the words of Paul in my ears--not everything is beneficial (1 Corinthians 10). I was troubled all that late evening after returning home--found myself reciting Bible verses, praying a lot and remembering song and hymn lyrics to calm my heart and mind.

Faith is the evidence of things not seen...or even fully understood at times.

Great Question!

Pastor Hamilton asked this terrific question on Facebook tonight!

• 
• Pastor Adam Hamilton

  I've got a meeting tomorrow with a group of denominational leaders on the the essentials of effective pastoral leadership. I'd love your input: What are the five most important qualities of pastoral leaders that create or lead vibrant, alive churches?

  
  

  I was thinking back to Fred and Burlington-Williston. What did he do that made that church grow like it did? And he reproduced it in Weymouth. He wasn't heavily educated. He wasn't a great speaker/preacher. However, God used him mightily to grow the church. He was the person I had in my mind when I responded to the question myself.

  What a great question! The things I thought of are integrity, humility, ability to build community within the church and relate to the community outside the church, and the belief that God can really make a difference and change lives.

  28 minutes ago ·

  That was my snap answer--I might think on it some more. To rephrase the question just a little bit--what characteristics of a person enable the Holy Spirit to use that person to build His church?

  
  

  Remembering that it is God who builds His church!