gratefulness

here's my lame attempt to be poetic. it fits today.

gratefulness arises at the end of the day when all is said and done.

the pain has come, and is going. the air is crisp and refreshing.

something about the friday afternoon reminds me of a friday afternoon for a middle school student, when life is freeing and intriguing.

at the end of the day, we realize we have life.

we have healing through our god.

we look for meaning, and for the day to come.

amen

the prayers of the people

i have had the opportunity to visit a number of random churches in the los angeles vicinity, and most recently stumbled upon a tiny episcopalian church in alhambra. as we gathered, about 20 people (in addition to the choir and leaders) came together for the service of worship, liturgy, prayer, and eucharist. during the service, more and more people trickled in, for a total of about 75 that ate a filipino meal after the service.

what struck me most significantly was their communal approach to worship. communal thanksgiving, communal repentance, communal petitions. it reminds me of the writing to the colossians, which reads:

"eucharistoumen tw thew patri tou kuriou emwn iesou christou pantote peri umwn proseuchomenoi" [ok, so the transliteration is sloppy].

but it's communal. "we give thanks to god the father of our lord jesus christ when we always pray for you (all)."

lets pray together, and pursue our faith together. the prayers of the people from this week's liturgy struck me. maybe you will appreciate it as well:

Prayers of the People

Prayer is offered with intercession for:

The Universal Church, its members, and its mission
The Nation and all in authority
The welfare of the world
The concerns of the local community
Those who suffer and those in any trouble
The departed

(Form I: Deacon or other leader)

With all our heart and with all our mind, let us pray to the
Lord, saying, “Lord, have mercy.”

For the peace from above, for the loving‑kindness of God,
and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For the peace of the world, for the welfare of the holy Church
of God, and for the unity of all peoples, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For our Bishop, and for all the clergy and people,

let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For our President, for the leaders of the nations,

and for all in authority, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For Los Angeles, for every city and community,

and for those who live in them, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For seasonable weather, and for an abundance of the fruits of the earth, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For the good earth which God has given us, and for the
wisdom and will to conserve it, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For those who travel on land, on water, or in the air [or
through outer space], let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For the aged and infirm, for the widowed and orphans, and
for the sick and the suffering, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For_______________, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For the poor and the oppressed,

for the unemployed and the destitute, for prisoners and captives,

and for all who remember and care for them, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For all who have died in the hope of the resurrection,

and for all the departed, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For deliverance from all danger, violence,

oppression, and degradation, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For the absolution and remission of our sins and offenses,

let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

That we may end our lives in faith and hope, without
suffering and without reproach, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

Defend us, deliver us, and in thy compassion protect us,

O Lord, by thy grace.
Lord, have mercy.

In the communion of Trinity Episopalian Church and of all the saints,

let us commend ourselves, and one another, and all our life,

to Christ our God. To thee, O Lord our God.

Silence

e-m-e-r-g-i-n-g?

i think we're still trying to define emerging. ok. on the emergent-us site for august '05, doug pagitt has a link to a recent article in relevant magazine (see link below). doug writes that emerging churches seek to live as missional communities. a wah? a community that goes on mission trips and hands out tracks?

i recently visited a church plant in orange county, and they too were talking about being a missional community. however, they got it. being missional is not about having christian tracks and mentally raping people into a verbal confession of jesus as their personal lord and savior. no, being missional is willingness to serve. willingness to walk with, dine with, and be with. being willing to change their babies' diapers.

being missional is embracing a man who has been robbed and beaten, a widow, and a broken-hearted person... what does it mean to be missional?

doug made a list of 7 attributes of an emerging church, and reminds us that it is "not intended to be static - nor the end of the conversation." it is good for consideration.

• Emerging Churches strive to be positive about the future.
• Churches within the emerging community are committed to God in the way of Jesus.
• The Kingdom of God is a central conversation in emerging communities.
• The emerging church values communal life – living like family.
• Emerging churches seek to live as missional communities.
• Friendship and hospitality are transformational pieces in the emerging church.
• Communities in the emerging movement value theology.

For Doug's complete article, http://www.relevantmagazine.com/beta/god_article.php?id=6365

anapauso

anapauso. "i will give rest."
what is rest? just after christ encounters john the baptist, he promises, to all who are weary, that he will give them rest. thus, i'm sure that some of his listeners must have been seeking rest, at some sence of unrest, desiring to find something they could not grasp. rest.

i will give you rest. we still yearn for this rest. and those of us who say that we do not yearn to find it, we lie to ourselves. so be honest with yourself. acknowledge your need for this rest that Christ promises, and seek after it.

i found a comforting notation from dale and juanita ryan, who remind us that christ came for those who are yearning, for those who recognize the chaos in our lives. he did not live for those who have it altogether anyway.

"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come tocall the righteous, but sinners. Matthew 9:12

"One of the most remarkable features of the human condition is our capacity to pretend that we are healthy when our lives are in total chaos. We work hard to cover up our problems and flaws in our character. We will sacrifice almost anything to keep from facing the truth about ourselves. We work this hard to look good because we experience our human needs, limits and failures with deep shame - a shame that drives us to strive harder and harder to look better and better. We sacrifice our serenity, our relationships,our sanity on the altar of perfectionism. We also sacrifice any possibility of getting the help we need by continuing to insist that "we can handleit."God does not ask such sacrifices from us. God has no need for us to be perfect. Jesus speaks to us gently but very clearly about this issue. He confronts our pretense, shame and perfectionistic strivings. He says in effect "youdo not have to sacrifice yourself in this way.

"You do not have to driveyourself like this. I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I want you to learn tobe mercy-full to yourself. Be compassionate with yourself. It will free you to accept your need of healing. It will allow you to acknowledge your longing for me." Jesus was saying "I did not come to pass out blue ribbons to the peoplewho have all the answers and have worked hard to prove themselves. I came to bring hope and healing to people who know they need help." We can stop shaming and condemning ourselves because God does not shame or condemnus. God knows our brokenness, our pain, our need. We can give up our attempts to prove ourselves and acknowledge our need for help and healing.

"Lord, I don't want to be needy.
I want to be strong for you.
But, I can't sustain the pretense any longer
I have nothing to show for all my efforts to look good.
All I have done is shut you out of my life.
Today I acknowledge my need for you, Lord.
I need your healing and your forgiveness.
I am not healthy.
I need a doctor.
I need you.
Amen.