May 12, 2009

May 12, 2009 >> 10:47:37 AM

So long, Farewell

The sermon is finally over, the last hymn has been sung and you are thinking about whether you'll beat the other church in town to the restaurant , and then the preacher stands up and starts talking again.  This final statement is called a benediction (from Latin - literally good speaking).  It is intended to be something between a closing prayer and a blessing on the congregation. 

Closing worship services with a benediction goes back to a command God gave to the Levite priests in Numbers 6:22-27. Most of the Epistles also include a benediction (2nd Corinthians 3:14, Galatians 6:18, Ephesians 6:23, Philippians 4:19-20,  1 Thessalonians 4:23-24, Hebrews 13:20-21, Jude 24-25,).  Many pastors use one of these blessing for their benediction, but they are free to also tie it into the message they just preached, or to use it to address their particular congregation.

The benediction falls under the Sending category in the 4-fold order of worship (Gather, Word, Table, Sending). The benediction prepares the congregation to carry the message back to the world.  Often the pastor will raise their arms over the congregation or make the sign of the cross over them.

So as we end this year I will leave you with my favorite benediction

"May the Lord bless you and keep you,
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious to you.
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
and give you peace.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit". Amen

(adapted from Numbers 6:22-26)

Resources
Wikipedia

(image taken from http://www.rca.org/view.image?Id=4529)

April 29, 2009

April 29, 2009 >> 01:43:41 PM

It's the Great Thanksgiving

 

   Which is different from one of the Charlie Brown Holiday specials. The Great Thanksgiving is the liturgy used to celebrate the Lord's Supper, also known as the Eucharist.  Celebrating at the Communion Table is probably one of the best parts of worship at Asbury.

The word Eucharist means "thanksgiving" which explains why we call this liturgy the Great Thanksgiving.  In this celebration the Church  gives thanks for who God is (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and what God has done, specifically through the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Most liturgies follow a four-part pattern of gathering, Word, Table, and sending.  For the sake of ease I will use the United Methodist Service of Word and Table, though the majority of the liturgy remains very similar between the major liturgical traditions.

The celebration of the table begins with a liturgical reading response known as the Dialogue.

            The Lord be with you
            And also with you
            Lift your hearts
           We lift them up to the Lord
            Let us give thanks to the Lord our God
            It is right to give our thanks and praise.
            It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you,
            Father Almighty,  creator of heaven and earth. 

Then the congregation moves into the tri-proclamation of God's Holiness called the Sanctus. 

          Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
          heaven and earth are fully of your glory.
          Hosanna in the highest.
          Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
          Hosanna in the highest.

The words of Institution are the words that Jesus spoke to his disciples in the Upper Room. It is a call to remember and also to participate in the continuing story of the Sacrament. This is called the anamnesis - literally - to remember.

          "Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me"
          "Drink from this, all of you;
            this is my blood of the new covenant,
            poured out for you and for many
            for the forgiveness of sins.
            Do, this as often as you drink it,
            in remembrance of me."

Then it moves to the Memorial acclaim. A corporate synopsis of the Gospel. We proclaim the essential points of our belief in Christ.

       Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.

At the end of the liturgy the Celebrant (the person leading the liturgy - often the pastor) offers a prayer that consecrates the elements.

    Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here,
    and on these gifts of bread and wine.
    Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ,
    that we may be for the world the body of Christ,
    redeemed by his blood.

    By your Spirit make us one with Christ,
    one with each other,
    and one in ministry to all the world,
    until Christ comes in final victory,
    and we feast at his heavenly banquet.

    Through your Son Jesus Christ,
    with the Holy Spirit in your holy church,
    all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father,
    now and forever. Amen.

Holy Communion is a great mystery so often the elements (bread and wine) are often covered with a white cloth.  This is called 'veiling the mystery'.

Resources

Wikipedia
United Methodist
Anglican/Episocpal

April 23, 2009

April 23, 2009 >> 10:24:15 AM

Liturgical Reading

You may have noticed through out the years that the congregation is invited to participate in chapel by reading Scripture or prayers off the projection screen.  This is known as liturgical reading or as 'call and response'.

Generally there is a Leader (often with unbolded type) and the Response (in bold).  The leader begins and the congregation joins in at various points in the reading.  Sometimes this pattern is actually sung instead of simply spoken.

Call and Response is most easily found in the liturgy of the Great Thanksgiving (Communion). The Psalms (Psalter) is also a beloved source of readings, most often with the alternation occurring every other verse. 

Some Liturgical readings involve the whole congregation praying the same prayer.  Just think about the numerous times a congregation is invited into praying the Lord's Prayer.  Or reciting one of the creeds (Apostles or Nicene). Other prayers can be used. Often these readings are taken from the Book of Common Prayer (BCP).

A good Psalm to introduce a congregation to Liturgical readings is Psalm 136. This is a particularly easy one because the response of the congregation does not change - and it is a particularly good message to reinforce through repetition - his love endures forever.

Currently at Asbury we are using On Pascha (on Easter) for our liturgical readings.

Christian Liturgy (wikipedia)
Book of Common Prayer
Asbury Reader - On Pascha

image taken from http://www.stgabs.com/Images/bible__book.jpg

April 14, 2009

April 14, 2009 >> 12:18:54 PM

Easter Sunday

He is Risen!
He is Risen Indeed!!

Such is the refrain of Christians during Easter.  It is the simple affirmation of the core belief of Christians.  Jesus Christ who was killed by crucifixion, buried in a stone tomb, was raised from the dead and now lives forever. Easter celebrates the bodily resurrection of our Lord.

The celebrations of Easter are as varied as the cultures that celebrate this most Holy Day.  Often Easter begins on Holy Saturday with an Easter vigil which recounts the history of faith from Abraham, through Egypt and the Exodus, the period of the kingdoms, the exile, in short all the critical moments in our history. Culminating in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Baptism is also a pivotal celebration in many churches. Some churches will wait until Holy Saturday to bring new believers into the family of faith.

The Pascal (Easter) Candle can be processed in, signaling a return of the Light of the World, victorious over death and darkness.

April 14, 2009 >> 09:37:16 AM

Good Friday

Such a name surely is an ironic choice for what is the most mournful day on the church calendar.  How could the day that we remember the brutal murder of the Savior be good? It is good because through the sacrificial death of Christ the penalty for sin was paid and we are able to receive forgiveness and life. 

Good Friday is the Friday between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday.  It marks the day were Jesus was crucified and buried.  Services held on Good Friday often focus upon the seven statements Christ made while he was on the cross.

Communion is generally not celebrated on Good Friday (having been celebrated on Maundy Thursday). There are few prescribed traditions for Good Friday services.  Generally black (or deep purple) covers the altar (and sometimes the cross) and the mood is quiet, reflective, even grieving and mournful.

Traditionally Good Friday is recognized as a day for fasting.

Wikipedia
Lectionary for Good Friday 2009
United Methodist

April 14, 2009 >> 09:36:44 AM

Maundy Thursday

Today begins the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Maundy (meaning Holy) Thursday is the night where Jesus gathers his disciples into the Upper Room to share a meal before he becomes the Lamb of atonement.  This meal goes by many names - The Last Supper, Communion, Eucharist, etc.

Two rituals make up the traditional Maundy Thursday service. The first is celebrating Communion, remembering and reciting the words of institution that Jesus spoke over the bread and the cup, "Take, eat, this is my body" and "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins".  Holy Communion is one of two Sacraments (means of grace) specifically established by Jesus Christ. 

The other is a foot-washing.  On Maundy Thursday Jesus took off his robe and washed the feet of the disciples before dinner.  By taking on the role of a slave he was setting an example of servant leadership for all who would follow him. Many churches today still do foot washing as part of the Maundy Thursday service.

After the meal Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray, which is where Judas Iscariot led the soldiers to arrest him and set off the events of Good Friday.

Wikipedia
United Methodist

(This picture was actually taken at the Garden of Gethsemane. The tree on the left is 1700 years old)

April 06, 2009

April 06, 2009 >> 10:28:52 AM

Palm Sunday

"Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" (Matthew 21:9)

This refrain (or similar variation) has been shouted and sung on the Sunday preceding Easter since the time of Christ.  It is both a prayer for deliverance - hosanna meaning 'save us - and an affirmation that the Savior-King has come, for which the proper response is praise.

Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem immediately before his crucifixion and resurrection.  He comes riding on a donkey's colt - a prophetic fulfillment of the humble king in Isaiah 62:11 and Zechariah 9:9. In many churches there is a re-enactment of the Palm Sunday procession. Church members (especially children) take branches of palm trees and wave them (think big foam fingers at sports games)  as they parade around the sanctuary (either inside or out). 

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of the Passion Week (aka Holy Week) that is the climax of all four Gospels. In just days Jesus will be betrayed, arrested, abandoned, tried, executed,and then resurrected. 

WikipediaUnited Methodist Book of Worship

March 18, 2009

March 18, 2009 >> 09:59:04 AM

Pilgrimage

In January I was privileged to travel to Israel with a class led by Steve Martyn.  We spent two weeks visiting most of the major sites that we so often read about in the Bible.  Such pilgrimages are a treasured part of our faith.

Three pilgrimages to Jerusalem were required by Mosaic Law for male Israelites each year: Passover, the feast of Weeks, and the feast of Booths.  Jesus, his family and his disciples are recording as keeping these pilgrimages.  After Jesus' ascension the places connected with his birth, ministry, dead and resurrection became places of pilgrimage for Christians.  Believers want to see where the stories of faith happened, to literally walk where Jesus walked.  It is a profound experience to sail upon the Sea of Galilee, or to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, or to kiss the ground at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Pilgrimages are not required for Christians (as compared to Islam) but many Christians desire to visit the Holy Land sometime in their life.  That desire to go to the Holy Land contributed to the Crusades in the middle ages.

Of particular interest to Christian Pilgrims is the Via Dolorosa - the way of Sorrow or Suffering - also known as the Stations of the Cross. These 14 stations mark the places of Jesus' suffering beginning with the Church of the Flagellation and ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where his body was laid and then Resurrected.  Many pilgrims long to walk the path that Christ did so they will better understand the depth of his sacrifice. 

Lent in a particularly high season for pilgrims. Many of them will walk the Via Dolorosa on Good Friday. Because of the reflective and meditative nature of Lent it lends itself to a pilgrimage very easily.

Wikipedia

March 04, 2009

March 04, 2009 >> 03:44:25 PM

Lent

'What are you giving up for Lent?' Such is the conversation among those who practice the traditional season of self-denial.  It has given rise to the popular belief that Lent is only about deprivation of good things.  The idea of Lent is built upon the Biblical account of the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness after his baptism by John (Matthew 4:1-11). 

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (see previous post) and is forty days long (excluding Sundays which are mini-feast days in celebration of the Resurrecton).  It is traditional to give up luxuries during this time, often this includes meat (hence the fish fry), chocolate, alcohol, soda (or all caffine), tv, internet, video games.  The sacrifice is as unique as the individual doing the fast. (I tried to give up chemistry homework in high school, it didn't go over so well).  The purpose of giving up something is to remember that every aspect of life is dependent on the gracious provision of God.  It also allows for simplifying life from unnecessary things so that God is worshipped with fewer distractions.  A modern twist on 'giving up something' is to add something (which normally necessitates giving up something else so there is room) such as reading the Bible, spending more time in prayer, etc. Lent ends with the celebration of Easter and Resurrection Life.

Lent is a season of somber reflection on the fallen state of humanity, both universally and individually.  It is a time to confess how far we have strayed from a loving obedience to the will of God.  It is a time to remember that we are weak and helpless apart from the saving mercies of the Lord.  And it is a call to remember the high cost of that love, made evident in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.

Resources
Wikipedia
United Methodist Resources
The Voice
Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod 

February 25, 2009

February 25, 2009 >> 03:01:41 PM

Ash Wednesday

You may have noticed many people on Wednesday with a smudge of dirt on their forehead.  If you look closely you may recognize it as a cross.   Wednesday marks the start of the 40 days of Lent (not counting Sundays) between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday.  Ash Wednesday is a time to remember and lament the effects of sin in our life, to remember the frailty of human life.  As the ashes are applied one of two phrases are generally spoken, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return" or "Repent, and believe the Gospel"

Wearing ashes is a vivid reminder that we are made from the dust of the earth and that we will return to it.  They are widely used in the Bible as symbol for repentance, "So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes (Daniel 9:3 - 19)". The prophets often called for the people to repent in "sackcloth and ashes".  Sackcloth is not a very comfortable material to wear and ashes aren't very fashionable either, together they depict outwardly the humility of a heart moved to confession before the Holy Lord.

The liturgical name for an Ash Wednesday service is 'The Imposition of Ashes'.  It is common for prayers of confession to be recited corporately.  The Psalms of Lament (i.e. 51) are also often read during a service.  Traditionally the ashes used come from burning the Palm Branches from the previous year's Palm Sunday.  The ashes are mixed with oil or holy water to help them remain on the forehead.  The officiant will dip their finger (often the thumb or index finger) into the bowl of ashes and then draw the sign of the cross upon each participant's forehead (some apply the sign of the cross to a person's hand instead).

While Ash Wednesday is a somber and reflective day it should not end with a despairing over the falleness of humanity.  The emphasis should always be directed back to our God who is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (Psalm 86). We can confess our sins in full confidence that because of Jesus' atoning death on the cross we will be forgiven. 

wikipedia
United Methodist BOW
New Advent (Catholic)
Ash-Wednesday.org

(image taken from Worshiphelps)