Wednesday Worship (part 2)

Jeanne M. wrote some very profound things in the previous posting, here is one:

Just as I eat more than one meal a week - or a day - so I need more "meat" from the scriptures than is given in one - or two - hours on Sunday. But then I want to be with the brothers and sisters every opportunity that is presented to me. Study alone is good, but study with others helps me learn from their thoughts, just as reading blogs from those I admire and know have well-thought out ideas to present does, too.

Thank you Jeanne for that wonderful insight. What you said rings very true. Would any of us - I mean any - dare suggest that the spiritual food we receive from 2 hours a week is enough to sustain us? Yet, so many people try to survive on that or less. Granted, someone one will say that they don't need to come to church to get spiritual food, they can read their Bible at home. This is very true, you can read your Bible at home. I'll go a step further and say we should absolutely read our Bibles at home, frequently. I'm not sure how we can truly survive without this study time. But let's take this food analogy a little further.

How would our meals fare if our moms choose to not be involved in them. Speaking for my house, we would be hungry a lot because I'm not the best cook. Moms involve themselves in our meal time gatherings because if they aren't involved, we probably wouldn't eat. Now I can imagine the objection; the preacher is there to feed the people who come on Wednesday night, so why do they need me? Even as a very small child I remember sitting around our table at home. When my Dad asked me to pass the salt, I passed the salt. He could have gotten it himself, but I'm part of the family and it was my part to do for him. I may not be the preacher or the song leader, but I can still pray. I can still share in someones sorrow. I can still pass the salt. We are family and we gather together as all families should. When one of us weeps, we all feel sorrow. When one of us celebrates, we all feel joy.

There is internal Christianity and there is external Christianity. Internal is a spirit thing that is between me and God. It is very personal and very powerful. It is the place where my spirit and His Spirit communicate and where the Holy Spirit takes my heart and gives it to the Father. External Christianity is when I take that relationship that I have with God and the Spirit through Jesus and share it with people around me. I'm not just talking about preaching, but rather living. Doing what I can to take care of the needs of others. Being a shoulder to the crying, a light through the darkness or an echo in times of joy. External Christianity is born from Internal Christianity. It gives back though because External Christianity when given from the heart is a gift not only to the person you help, but also to God. In our efforts, we come near to God, and when we do that He comes near to us.

We may feel we don't need Wednesday night worship (or Sunday night), but maybe Sunday and Wednesday night worship needs us. How much greater impact would the service have for everyone involved if everyone was involved.

I told you I would share something that Patrick Mead said in his blog at www.patrickmead.net/tentpegs so here it is:

I confess: even though I understand that these times together aren’t a requirement, I find myself becoming legalistic when I think about them very long. They ARE good and, if done right, are highly beneficial… but God didn’t order us to attend them and elders overreach when they make a law God’s wisdom didn’t require Him to make. At the same time we must humbly realize that "daily and from house-to-house" was the pattern of the early church. We’ve cut that down to a couple of hours on Sunday and an hour or so on Wednesday and STILL we chafe under that "burdensome" duty! What a bunch of wienies we are!

What a bunch of wienies we are! (I think I'll end with that)!
Tom

Wednesday Worship

There is an apparent trend among American Churches wherein many congregations have ceased holding a mid-week service and a popular argument to accompany the move. Firmly ensconced on one side of the argument are those who adamantly proclaim the familiar mantra from Hebrews 10:25 which states, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching." A wonderful verse and an effective argument for getting together.

Others however are equally cemented within their view that the scriptures defining New Testament worship never call us to a specific mid-week service. There's is also a securely defensible position. Searching the New Testament will provide, to my knowledge, a gaping hole where the command to meet on a specific mid-week day should be.

In view of this, how do we handle Wednesday nights? Should we worry about the lag in attendance and view it as a less than favorable sign of the spiritual maturity of the absent congregants? Should we approach them concerned, pray for and with them and encourage them to more frequent attendance? Should we pull out the Hebrews 10:25 mantra and scold them for their shortcoming? Or should we back off, live and let live? As the trend toward skipping this particular service begins to take hold within a congregation and fewer and fewer come, is the only alternative to cancel the service?

I have further views on this, but I thought I'd toss it out there for your consideration. I've enjoyed reading a posting on this from Patrick Mead's blog and I'll bring up a couple of things he said in further postings.

Tom

Still more ancient notbook (are you tired of these yet?)

What I have done for you

The stars are silently placed in their high perch in the heavens, with a thought the sun begins to glow and the earth is formed. In a beautiful garden, life is breathed both into a man, and into a world and in a whisper on the new wind, words are spoken, “This is what I have done for you.”

Time is created and rolls swiftly on its course and blessings cascade on the world one after another like cool waves of the sea on a sunny shore. A heavenly smile is continuously cast upon earthly children and in a cheerful exalted voice that rides on a sunbeam again it is proclaimed, “This is what I have done for you!”

Then the world falls and the life given becomes stagnant in disobedience and offensive in sin. The gift of life is horribly abused and the only possible true punishment is the loss of that gift. Thus enters death into the world and sorrow finds its way into the heart of the Creator.

Time again passes on the on the blue ball and though some continue after the true and the right, others become self-absorbed and gods unto themselves. With the penalty of death still hanging over their heads the people continue on in their own designs without pause or prayer to Him who Is. Yet in his forbearance, he allows it to continue.

A baby is born and grows into a healthy young man and at some point in his years he realizes that he is living in a world which he made. Perhaps he notices that the flowers seem to look like a far away dream, or maybe the crisp air curls around his face like a kiss as he walks in the morning hours. Perhaps while sitting in a grove of trees, a robin lands on his knee and sings the sweet song of love as one sings for a friend. The boy grows in body and spirit and comes to understand his power and purpose in the world that he created. Once again the light from a heavenly smile beams down on the small globe. With the presence of God on earth the very air seems to shout, “This is what I have done for you!”

With his mission forever in front of him, Jesus gathers his flock and begins to teach them how to please the One who Is; life for the sake of love, and love for the gift of life. But still hanging like a noose, is the punishment of death. To be pure and just, that debt must be paid.

With signs given and miracles shared, the teacher moves across the face of his world. Some follow true to him, others leave when his teachings come in conflict with their desires. Others despise him for shattering their shallow packaged lives. Growing room must be forged out of the protective fences built by the prideful and self-important.

In his eyes shine love while in theirs grow the glare of hate. He teaches strangers of brotherhood and they treat brothers as strangers. They want nothing but to take his life not knowing that his life is ultimately the very gift he will give to his people, his world.

In a garden, dark from hours past the man kneels and prays. His heart is given as his body will soon be. From his forehead flows sweat as from his eyes flow tears. The trusted followers sleep on their watch as an angry crowd appears. Jesus is taken, not with swords and clubs, but with the kiss of one he had called friend. Force doesn't bend him to their will, but his obedience to the will of his Father in heaven.

An already dismal night grows even darker as time slowly passes in what has come to be the most eventful night in history. On a rugged pole with a splintery crossbar hangs the man who had known the sent of a flower before he came close enough to smell it. His love is poured out in blood. His heart, the heart that beats in time with the rhythm of all creation, is nearly crushed by the weight of the sins of the world. This great man who had done nothing wrong speaks with his last breath, “It is finished.” …

… and in heaven the One who Is turns away from his Son and speaks in an eternal whisper to each person in the world, “This, is what I have done for you!”

Tom Shuff

The Notebook

The Traitor’s Last Song

My spirit is draped in darkness as I recall the past few days. The coins in my hand reflect a face I no longer recognize. Temptation and greed have bought my heart and I cannot seem to break their strangling hold. The compelling call of the jingling silver rings in my ears and I yield to its cry and bow to its empty throne.

The lips of betrayal have met with the face of love, and the heart of the Master looked deep into my darkened soul. Where can I go to hide from what I have done? How can I live when I have doomed the only hope for the world to his death? Forgiveness for such guilt is unthinkable. I dare not kneel to ask. How could God forgive me when I have all but killed His only Son?

A crooked tree hanging over a cliff is my home and a rope my last embrace. When the rotting branch finally breaks the awaiting rocks will be my bed though no rest will be found there. Then I will have the payment I deserve, and then I will reap the seeds that I have sown.

May all be warned who pass this way, and may all avoid my resting place, least they be tainted by the blood of a traitor.

Judas Iscariot

By
Tom Shuff

Lead Zeppelin

No, I’m not talking about Robert, Jimmy, John and John Paul, a mean guitar riff or even a reunion tour (past, present or future); I’m referring to the inability of my last blog post to get off the ground. Oh well, it was Monday and I did toss out something very difficult to deal with.

You see, there are verses in the Bible that sometimes go under explored. Most of the time we can quickly point them out if the verse in question supports our vista while debunking someone else’s.

“Why, if they’d just take the whole Bible, instead of only part of it …”

I’ve said it myself many times.

It seams so clear, what I read in the Word of God. This verse obviously means “this” and that one surely says “that”.

But then, along comes a passage that is somewhat more difficult. What then? We read it of course. We have too; it is part of God’s Word. Speaking only for myself, I find that it becomes easy to “gloss” over a difficult passage; to quickly read through it so to minimize my chair squirming.

Let’s be honest for a second, we aren’t going to understand everything God has put in His book (at least I’m not). Still though, that fact needs to be balanced with a healthy dose of “What in the world does that mean?” questioning.

Is this kind of questioning good to do or is it not?

I sat in a Bible class once while we discussed the way Jesus healed the blind man at Bethsaida. You’ll recall the story found in Mark 8:22-26 where Jesus spits in the man’s eyes and puts his hands on them but the healing doesn’t seem to "take" and the man can only see what looks like “trees walking around”. Jesus touches him again and then the man’s eyes are opened and he sees everything clearly. In class, I asked the question “Why did Jesus heal the man in this way?” One of the men thought I shouldn’t ask that question. He thought me disrespectful to question his method. I explained that I meant no disrespect to the Master, only that perhaps there might be something to learn from asking this question (and the many other questions that come to us in our study time).

Was I being disrespectful or was I digging in the Scriptures?

And what of our previous blog post (I mean besides “the crickets”)? Does Paul's mention of "baptism for the dead" in 1 Cor. 15:29 change anything for us? Let me make three statements and see if this pushes us to any further thought processes (and please allow me the freedom not to necessarily believe what I state herein).

1. If I can be baptized for someone who is already dead, then I can argue that baptism is more of a symbol of a relationship with God and less of a critical factor in the development of that relationship.

2. If baptism for the dead is viable without the dead person’s consent or agreement, then I can argue that infant baptism is certainly valid (since the infant is at least alive at the time of the baptism).

3. Also, if baptism were so important to the early Christians that they would go so far as to be baptized for someone who had died, can we afford to blink at its importance for us today? (Alright that was a question and not a statement, but who’s counting?)



My thanks to all for letting me play "devil's advocate" and especially to Jel for sharing in the sweet melodious sounds of cricket chatter with me (last post). I've laid out a few thoughts here that could be discussed, but I'll also re post the picture of the confused lady with the Bible so we can talk about how silly that is, if nothing else.


Thing Two:
Please go see the movie by Ben Stein “Expelled, No Intelligence Allowed”. He is challenging “Big Science” on evolution and intelligent design. I don’t know if this has been highly publicized, but it should be. Here is a link to his site.
"http://www.expelledthemovie.com/"
Thanks,
Tom

Big Bible Brain-Twister

I have a Baptism Brain-Twister for all of you, but before I put this out there I want to lay down the “Rules of Engagement”.

“Da Rules”
Rule #1: If you have an opinion about baptism, you probably fall into the category of “Christianity” please keep that in mind as you post. Thoughts and opinions are welcome, spit and venom isn’t.
Rule #2: Refer to rule number one.

Alright, realizing that there is a “Baptism Fence” that people are usually firmly entrenched on one side or the other, I’ll lob this tough passage in the middle and see what happens. How and where does it fit in your ideas about baptism? Does it change your thought process? Do we have to ignore this passage to hold onto our view point?

Here’s the passage from 1Corinthians 15:29

29Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?

Paul expresses to the church that there was a practice of being “baptized for the dead”. He neither supports it nor condemns it, but verifies that it did occur. With regard to your hermeneutic (biblical authority based on “command, example or inference”) how does this verse fit in? Have at it, but remember rule number 1.

Tom