Christ the King

Yesterday was Christ the King day, the festival celebrating the last week of the liturgical calendar. As I was getting ready for church I was listening to the classical radio station because they broadcast much better preachers than the Christian radio stations. I was excited to hear a broadcast on the lectionary readings for the day...and in it I heard one of the best thoughts on this great day, Christ the King--looking back at the whole year, but also looking at the Kingdom of God that Jesus was pointing to in his life and death. I don't know how long it'll be online, so I hope you get to hear it. I was blown away!

Peace,

Michael

Living in the Tension? or Jingle all the way?

We are approaching Advent...and sooner the encompassing cultural “Christmas” season. It seems that the Christmas season is now starting before Thanksgiving. I saw holiday commercials starting on All Saints Day, Walmart put up their Christmas decorations on that day. Christmas music has been playing and started two weeks ago. I know that the Christmas season has taken on a cultural identity outside of the faith (commercialism, etc) and I’m okay with some of that. But I find myself asking the same question I did last year around this time: How do we balance the tension of the already and the not yet of Advent? I find myself wanting to wait to sing and even hear the carols. I want the Advent hymns and content to be given space and place. But, it’s so hard to hear it in a culture that blares those sacred songs everywhere with no meaning. And, once the clock turns past Dec 25, the larger culture takes down the trees and lights and moves on...and a large chunk of the American church follows with it. How do you foster the Advent season in singing “O come o come Immanuel” when others are singing “Joy to the world the Lord is come?”

Could I be bifurcating something that doesn’t need to be separated? Does the liturgical season of Christmas encompass Advent? The Easter season doesn’t encompass Lent, right? But, I guess in a way Christmas would encompass Advent because of the focus of the first two weeks—the second advent. But, Advent has to do with anticipation, hope, waiting, longing...maybe even silence (ha! Try that one in the culture!) in expectation of redemption and the coming of a savior (Savior) to bring us back to where we belong. And it is journeying through this time of waiting and longing that we can sing boisterously Joy to the world the LORD is come! Let earth receive her King! And, I’ve come full circle because the King has come already.

I some how find myself wanting to call this time from Thanksgiving to Christmas the holiday season, because of the cultural content of Santa, reindeer, sugar plums, and candy canes, Frosty, and all the fun songs that go along with it. But I don't want to call it the Christmas season. And I don't want to sing the carols..."because it's not time for them yet."

I don't want to be legalistic about it--I just want Advent to be given space and place in a very crowded and loud season.

Peace,

Michael

Emerging into difference?

Dear Unknown Voyeur
I am an old guy in an emerging world. When I started planting churches it seemed like everything I did and said was emergent, even though I had never heard of the movement. Now that I am in an established church some in the emergent world have grinned at the thought that we are an emergent church.

With that said: I do agree that the whole emergent movement has been turned into Starbucks. Starbucks was a cool alternative in a landscape of mediocrity. Now they are lowering standards and have in essence become the proverbial corporate "MAN."The emergent church is heading in that direction at break neck speed. I think what we as Nazarenes need to realize is that from our inception we had the foundations of this movement engrained into our theological DNA.

Ol P. F Bresee said "In essentials unity, in nonessentials liberty, in all things love." The main problem I see with the "Conversation" is the sacrifice of good theological discussion. I just thank God we don't burn people at the stake because allot of emergent want to be's would be crispy today. I think that ministry amerced in the reality of peoples lostness and disconnected theology, will give us enough ground to be emergent without ever really having to try or point it out to people.

There comes a time when we make the church more comfortable, but then there is a time when we have to make the church very uncomfortable. Well that is my 2 cents for now. I hope I am not uninvited and banned from the conversation. O, and I do know I can't spell my way out of a wet paper bag. Me and P. F have that in common.

I think they're on to something...

I've known of Allelon for a couple of years (I think) and have found it to be an invaluable resource for thinking and engaging missionally, and just what that means. But today, I listened to one of Roxburgh's Journal Netcast entries and was really moved by what Pete Atkins described. It's different. It's not what we're used to. But they are discerning where God is at work and orienting themselves, and those around them in their community, to the in-breaking Kingdom reign of God. I was arrested by the line Atkins said along the lines of, We're praying that God would reveal to us what he's doing, not that he'd bless what we're doing." Man--that's soooo right on.

May the LORD reveal to us here in West Texas where he's working and woo us to join him!

The Lord be with you!

Michael

COTN and World Vision

I read this article this morning and it really gave me a shot of hope. It is in and through this creative work where we see glimpses of the kingdom breaking in!

A groundbreaking partnership between one of America's high-profile denominations and World Vision will soon be providing desperately needed food assistance to thousands of poor families in southern Africa.

Church of the Nazarene is teaming up with World Vision to walk alongside those struggling to pull themselves out of poverty in Mutendere, a rural community in northern Malawi — one of the world's poorest nations. Through this partnership, Church of the Nazarene congregations are adopting World Vision's youth-focused 30 Hour Famine as their own. Now, Nazarene congregations will participate in the Nazarene 30 Hour Famine, powered by World Vision. Funds raised through the Nazarene 30 Hour Famine will support World Vision's ongoing work in Mutendere. Read more.

A Prayer from St Benedict

O gracious and holy Father,
Give us wisdom to perceive you,
intelligence to understand you,
diligence to seek you,
patience to wait for you,
eyes to see you,
a heart to meditate on you,
and a life to proclaim you,
through the power of the
spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord.
-- Saint Benedict

I think on these words and find them becoming my own. Perception and discernment of the in-breaking kingdom, the prevenient presence of God the Spirit enabling and empowering us to live and lean into the kingdom, and a holistic life that is shaped by the Father's mission in the Son.

A fad or the future?

I've talked with some and heard others discussing this emerging shift. It's interesting the range of discussion and agreement within the conversation, from those within and those outside of it. I heard some say it's a passing fancy, like the Jesus Movement of the sixties or the Seeker-Sensitive Movement of the 80s-90s.

With all this "newly" forming thought of doing and being church within a postmodern context, I've begun to hear people calling themselves post-postmodern or post-emergent....like they're already sporting the "been there done that and here's my t-shirt to prove it" attitude.

A friend of mine told me that they were starting a postmodern service at their church and he talked about it being really no different from their contemporary traditional "Nazarene" service. He said that the music is different but it's pretty much the same.

I have an idea but I'll refrain from giving it right now in attempts to spur some conversation on here. So, what do you think? Is it different, is it a fad or is it something that is going to be a round for a long while?

Peace.