Theos-Offroading: Finding Grace

i did not read don's post before i wrote mine, but it's definitely interesting how they intersect. check it out, and then read mine directly below this:

Theos-Offroading: Finding Grace: A mega church in Winston-Salem recently sent letters to families who attend worship but never volunteer, tithe or participate in sm...

prepare 1/22/12

this sunday is all about God's kingdom. we talk about it a lot, and so did Jesus (see Don's email). but what do we really understand about life in a kingdom? most, if not all, of us were born and have lived in the u.s. our whole lives. so, what exactly is the structure of a kingdom? the defining attribute is that it is organized as a monarchy. wikipedia gives this description for a monarchy: "A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication, is most often hereditary, and usually accords official pre-eminence to members of the reigning dynasty" (full article, here).

so, God, being eternal and refusing to give up on his creation and abandon his throne, is king of all creation, and his power could be understood thus: "In an absolute monarchy, the monarch rules as an autocrat, with absolute power over the state and government—for example, the right to rule by decree, promulgate laws, and impose punishments. Absolute monarchies are not necessarily authoritarian; the enlightened absolutists of the Age of Enlightenment were monarchs who allowed various freedoms " (wikipedia).

i think this is a great way to understand God as king. we, being subjects in his kingdom, are bound to follow every one of this laws and decrees. failing that, God has the right to punish us in whatever way he desires. yet, through his great love and mercy, he has absolved every one of our sins by taking them on in Jesus Christ. to understand that is not to believe that because God chooses not to make us bear the weight of our punishment we can do whatever we want. our greatest command is to love God and to love each other, and when we love people, we strive to make them happy and let their will be imposed on us. by all rights, God could force this sort of obedience from us. he is king, after all. yet, he chooses to let us be free, to love him or not, to accept his will or our own. any earthly king who did this would surely have been loved above all others.

the anthem this week is a traditional spiritual, "ev'ry time i feel the spirit." it is about prayer, but it also reflects the idea of living in a hierarchical society. the slaves were not free. they had no choice but to follow their masters' commands or face the consequences. plantations were in this respect like mini-kingdoms. how different were the attitudes and actions of the slave owners from the king most of them professed to serve!

the other hymns reflect the majesty of God and his holy city, Zion, and then they challenge us as loyal and loving servants to fulfill the role Jesus gave to us: “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation" (Mark 16:15).

see you sunday!

prepare 1/15/12

well. i'm back. gonna try to make this a regular thing. eventually, i hope it will be. tell your friends!

so, as don begins a new sermon series on the Lord's Prayer, i thought it would be cool to do a series of songs with the choir that are either prayers themselves, or they are about praying. the church has such a diverse history, but prayer has remained important in all cultures/traditions. throughout the series, you'll get to hear songs that reflect the richness of that history, from spirituals to prayers from russia to famous prayers set to music.

this sunday, we go back in our own tradition to a favorite among churchgoers: "Sweet Hour of Prayer." written by William Walford, a blind preacher from england, presumably in the anglican church (out of which grew the methodist church). the words reflect the peace and joy that prayer provides, as well as the chance to leave the distractions of the world behind and come back to what really matters. i hope that the words of the song, as well as the musical setting, will move you to a place to hear don's important words about the wonderful prayer our savior gave us to ultimately communicate with him.

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne
Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
The joys I feel, the bliss I share,
Of those whose anxious spirits burn
With strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place
Where God my Savior shows His face,
And gladly take my station there,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
Thy wings shall my petition bear
To Him whose truth and faithfulness
Engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since He bids me seek His face,
Believe His Word and trust His grace,
I’ll cast on Him my every care,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
May I thy consolation share,
Till, from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height,
I view my home and take my flight:
This robe of flesh I’ll drop and rise
To seize the everlasting prize;
And shout, while passing through the air,
“Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!”

the other songs this sunday reflect the idea of our god as heavenly father and deserving of our praise.