Okay, I’ll admit this has nothing to do with worship. But the use of technology to visualize the amazing changes in the health and wealth of our world is fascinating. While the information is interesting, how it is presented makes it fascinating.
Archive - December, 2010
Worshiping Together: 12/26/10
As we gathered for the final Sunday of 2010, we also gathered for the final segment of the Myth or Miracle series. Throughout the Advent/Christmas season, we’ve taken a journey through the Christmas story of the Bible. Is it real, or just another of the many stories told at Christmas time? If it is real, what does it mean? How does it impact us?
For the final segment, we drew in the story of the wise men from Matthew 2:1-12. We know that the wise men were not part of the nativity scene as is often depicted. We know that it is much more likely they showed up anywhere from 1-2 years after Jesus was born. However, they are a part of the story, and a part that doesn’t get told as much for many reasons. We wanted to finish the story out with them, not only because of the example of worship they give, but to take the opportunity to answer the question of why. Continue Reading…
[QOTW] The Furious Love of God
For the final Quote of the Week for 2010, check these words out from author Brennan Manning. May they challenge you and encourage you as you look ahead to 2011.
Paul wrote in Philippians, “He emptied Himself.” He cried from His heart, nails in His hands, and poured out His blood that we might believe His love for us. Significantly, Jesus chose the giving tree, His cross, as the demonstrative sign of His absolutely furious love for men and women. In the words of one early church father: “the mightiest act of love ever to arise from a human soul.” How is it then that we’ve come to imagine that Christianity consists of primarily in what we do for God? How has this come to be the good news of Jesus? Is the kingdom that He proclaimed to be nothing more than a community of men and women who go to church on Sunday, take an annual spiritual retreat, read their Bibles every now and then, vigorously oppose abortion, don’t watch x-rated movies, never use vulgar language, smile a lot, hold doors open for people, root for the favorite team, and get along with everybody? Is that why Jesus went through the bleak and bloody horror of Calvary? Is that why He emerged in shattering glory from the tomb? Is that why He poured out His Holy Spirit on the church? To make nicer men and women with better morals? The gospel is absurd and the life of Jesus is meaningless unless we believe that He lived, died, and rose again with but one purpose in mind: to make brand new creations. Not to make people with better morals, but to create a community of prophets and professional lovers, men and women who would surrender to the mystery of the fire of the Spirit that burns within, who would live in ever greater fidelity to the omnipresent Word of God, who would enter into the center of it all, the very heart and mystery of Christ, into the center of the flame that consumes, purifies, and sets everything aglow with peace, joy, boldness, and extravagant, furious love.This, my friends, is what it really means to be a Christian.”
- Brennan Manning in The Furious Longing of God
(Thanks, Jason)
[QOTW] Who will celebrate Christmas correctly?
“Who among us will celebrate Christmas correctly? Whoever finally lays down all power, all honor, all reputation, all vanity, all arrogance, all individualism beside the manger; whoever remains lowly and lets God alone be high; whoever looks at the child in the manger and sees the glory of God precisely in his lowliness.”
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer in God Is in the Manger
(Thanks, Dan)
Worshiping Together: 12/19/10
The build up to Christmas continues on. This was our fourth week in the Myth or Miracle series and the fourth week of Advent. We took a small break from the different elements of the Christmas story itself this week to look at some context.
One of the realities of the Christmas story is that many Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in its events. Had even one of the prophecies happened differently, it would mean that God is not trustworthy. But every one of the prophecies related to the birth of the Messiah were fulfilled. As a result, if we believe the story to be true, we can place our faith in the trustworthiness of God because of how He demonstrated His love for us before we even loved Him. Continue Reading…
Are you ready?
Wonder. Awe. Excitement. Anticipation. Hope. Joy. Expectation. Love. Peace. These are all words that should capture our feeling and thoughts about the Christmas season. However, for many people it is words like stress, busyness, rushing, money, demands, loneliness, depression, and dissatisfaction that characterize the season.
Even though I know why this is, it’s sometimes hard to understand. We are pulled in so many directions with so much that is expected of us, that the clamor drowns out the message we really need to hear. The story we’ve heard and sung about so many times fades into the background as just another piece of a crowded pie. Even though we get all those “things” done, we’re never really ready to celebrate.
Stop and think about it: Christmas is the story of God’s love made real in the form of a baby who would open wide the gates of heaven. It is the coming of Emmanuel – God with us. A young woman who has submitted her life to the will of God becomes pregnant, having never been with a man, and gives birth to the Savior who is Christ the Lord.
Much like the Israelites in the Bible, we too spend a lot of our lives waiting for something exciting. We might not consciously acknowledge that, but we are. There is a deep desire in us to experience something wonderful, unique, and awesome; something that is bigger than us. We’re much like the little boy in the movie, The Incredibles, who is waiting for something exciting, but missing what is right in front of him because he isn’t able to clearly see or understand. Many people are like that, including us sometimes. Our eyes become clouded, and our minds comfortable with the familiar that we miss the excitement and wonder of the fact that God became man, making himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, and being made in human likeness (Phil. 2:7).
In the hustle and bustle, we let the activities steal away our focus. The thing is this, the activities like decorating, cooking, gift giving, time with friends and family, etc. are not bad. But when they drive the season, we miss out on something that cannot be explained away and should not be missed: the birth of the Christ who took away the sins of the world.
What are you feeling this season? Maybe this is your first Christmas as a Christ-follower, or one of many. Maybe you’ve never believed in Christ as your Savior and Lord, but you know that there’s got to be something more than Santa and Rudolph. Are you living in excitement, anticipation, and hope of the celebration? Or do you feel burdened, overwhelmed, and can’t wait for January to get here?
No matter where you are and what you are feeling, remember that this is when we celebrate the birth of the Christ child – the one who has come to bring peace with God to men and women, to take our burdens from us, and to give us new and abundant life no matter what situation we find ourselves in.
This year, let the wonder of Christ’s coming bring meaning to the activities you do, instead of letting the activities drive our perspective of the season. Don’t wait for that special moment or the completion of the list to determine your readiness, but take advantage of every opportunity to celebrate the coming of Jesus.
Are you ready?
[Video] No Drummer? No Problem…
Finally, there’s an answer to the age-old question that can plague your average worship pastor. “What do I do when there’s not a drummer, and we have no natural rhythm?”
Well, apparently, the David Crowder Band has solved that problem. Check out Steve-3PO.
And here he is in action at a concert (just one of many examples).
It seems that when they were recording their Church Music album, their drummer recorded multiple drum tracks for some of the song. When asked how they were going to accomplish the layered drums in live concerts, he came up with the idea of building a robotic drummer.
Love how these guys are so creative and innovative.
(Thanks, John)
