Opening Litany based on Psalm 146

Worship Leader: Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! 

Congregation: I will praise the Lord as long as I live and will sing praises to my God all my whole life long. 

Worship Leader: Do not put your trust in mortals, the powers of this world, for they are no help, when their breath departs, they return to the earth like everyone else and on that very day their plans perish. 

Congregation: Happy are those whose help and hope is in the Lord our God who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them and who keeps faith for ever

Worship Leader: For it is the Lord our God who executes justice for the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. 

Congregation: The Lord sets the prisoners free and opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down and loves the righteous. 

Worship Leader: The Lord watches over the strangers and upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked the Lord will bring to ruin. 

Congregation: The Lord will reign forever and our God for all generations.  I will indeed Praise the Lord with my whole life.

poem based on 15th Sunday after Pentecost Mark 7:24-37

Jesus the Christ has come into our lives

With healing

And miracles of life

Showing us the Kingdom

Breaking into our lives

in a never

--before

----see way

breaking into our lives

with life

with newness

with a wholeness that recreates

with all glory and goodness

that is to be

the kingdom of God

even those with no hope

those who have resigned themselves to

this is the way the world is

--for better or worse

will need blinders

to keep out the

this is the way the world should be

love of God

carry on

Sunday September 6^th, Isaiah 35: ⁴ say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you."  How often are we ruled by fear?  Fear tends to remove all reason, all connection with reality, and is a great tool for manipulating the masses.  Into this comes the word of God, “be strong, do not fear, your God will come.”  Or on the hills outside Bethlehem, “Fear Not, for I bring you good tidings of great joy.” When the Lord comes, fear tends to go, unless of course the word of the Lord is twisted to bring the message of fear.  But with the true presence of the Lord manifest in the grace of God there is a calm and fear starts to go away.  And along with the fear, goes the power of manipulation, the control of mass hysteria, and you cease being simply a pawn of the controlled message and start being a child of God.  Tea-baggers and fear mongers have lost their soul to fear, their soul is not gone mind you, just placed under the control of someone else with an agenda and money.  Fear not, God is in control of the big stuff and the little stuff of life.  Live as God has called you to live, loving the Lord your God will all your heart, soul, and mind and your neighbor as yourself, Fear not!!

opened

Monday September 7^th, Isaiah 35:  ⁵ Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. ⁶ Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.  Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. ⁷ The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.  This is a vision of when the Lord returns to live with humanity.  But when does a vision move from simply being a vision out there in the sky somewhere to becoming a mission?  If indeed this is a vision, metaphorically or not, of when the Lord comes, should it not also be mission in life for the children of God?  Are we not called to work on bringing about healing and wholeness both in the lives of the children of God but also in the creation of God?  Is this vision limited to a narrow tribal or national or ethnic view of God’s creation, or is it for all of God’s people created in the image of God and called good as well as all of God’s creation?  If it is simply a vision of sometime out there in the future, then we must also accept either a view of a limited god or a sadistic god who either can’t bring about good in this creation or doesn’t care to bring about good in this creation.  If our view of God is of a supreme Lord God Almighty, then we must also accept that this not simply a prediction but a calling to help bring this view of creation into being.  

on God’s side

Tuesday September 8^th, James 2:  ⁵Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? ⁶But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? ⁷Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?  ⁸If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. ⁹But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. Is it not power that seeks to keep power at the expense of the powerless?  In our political structures all the pretense of holiness and righteousness is but a front.  If you can convince others that God is on your side, perhaps there is some political gain in that.  It would be better however if we were on God’s side.  We are not in charge of this world or the next and the purity police are more about their power than about Godly Good. Often times, religion mixed with politics is simply a front, and it is often an affront to the God who created all and called it good.  

damn good haters

Wednesday September 9^th, James 2:  ¹⁴What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? ¹⁵Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  Luther was not a fan of James.  Too much emphasis on works, not enough on Grace.  There is some truth in James however.  Grace can bring about changed lives, and changed lives make a difference in the world.  So far the mega churches in Anchorage seem focused on the personal piety of what others are doing wrong in their eyes, without seeing the wrong they are doing through neglect with those same eyes. Our congregation has welcomed a new Boy Scout group that was kicked out of another church for just such a reason.  Our walk with Jesus is about turning our eyes to the poor and needy, the disenfranchised and disheartened.  Who are the ones on the outs, who are the ones denied the fullness of God’s creation?  We are called to love good and hate evil it is true, but all too often the emphasis is on the hating, and of damn good haters, the world already has too many.  

fish on

Thursday September 10^th, Mark 7: ²⁵In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet. ²⁶The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.  ²⁷"First let the children eat all they want," he told her, "for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."  ²⁸"Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."  ²⁹Then he told her, "For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter."   This woman was an outsider to the people of Israel and to the disciples, and therefore in their minds she was to be ignored.  I view this as verbal fishing.  The disciples often hear the words of Jesus, but don’t often get them as they should.  Now they are in foreign country and the exchange between Jesus and this foreign woman is curt and cranky.  As the disciples, and you and I often hear the exchange and start feeling better that Jesus is finally beginning to set some limits.  In the back of our minds we are thinking, “you tell her Jesus, you tell that ‘dog’ that she is not one of us, we are the children of God and she is only a woman, and a woman from this foreign faraway place at that.”  The disciples, as do we, take the bait and swallow the hook, Jesus yanks on the pole and the disciples and we feel the sting of being caught in our own prejudice.  Instead of one of “them” Jesus points out this foreigner, this woman, as an example of faith to all of us.  

oops, wrong side

Friday September 11^th, Mark 7:  ³¹Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. ³²There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man.  ³³After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue.  From Tyre and Sidon on the west to the region of the ten cities on the East of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus leads the disciples from foreign land to foreign land.  The range of Jesus’ healing is ever expanding.  Is it ever expanding in your life?  It is too easy to view the righteousness of God in the form of limitations.  It is comforting to view the righteousness of God in the form of limitations, which are seen as being in sync with our limitations.  It takes a bit of blind Bible reading to justify that limitation point of view, but oh we do manage well.  The man was also a foreigner, Jesus touched the foreigner, bodily fluid, spit, was exchanged and we turn a blind eye to it all and focus on the healing.  In the process we do the gymnastics to negate the healing Jesus has for us, the healing of our hard hearts.  Where do you draw your boundaries?  Take another look, and ask yourself if that is Jesus standing on the other side.  

remembering

Saturday September 12^th, Mark 7:  ³⁶Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. ³⁷People were overwhelmed with amazement. "He has done everything well," they said. "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."  Jesus has done everything well, and if humanity had its way, that would be the end of it.  Jesus has another vision however, a vision where you and I are the hands and feet and ministry of God in this world.  It is not a matter of remembering when Jesus did this and that, it is a matter of seeing what good the Lord is doing through us.  And the good that our Lord is calling us to do is to bring healing and wholeness to all of humanity and all of creation.  Don’t spend your time telling and remembering, spend your time doing the good news of Christ and let the world see it.  

10w for August 30th, Purified, NL.

The following is a 10-minute worship for August 30th, Purified, NL.  You can listen on the flash player below. You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our Email List or you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up. The song for the day is I Rejoiced when I heard them say by John Michael Talbot from the CD, Blessing Club. Used with permission, you can find this and other gifts for ministry at www.johnmichaeltalbot.com

10w for August 30th, Purified! NL.

The following is a 10-minute worship for August 30th, Purified! NL.  You can listen on the flash player below. You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our Email List or you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up.  The song for the day is I Rejoiced when I heard them say by John Michael Talbot from the CD, Blessing Club.  Used with permission, you can find this and other gifts for ministry at www.johnmichaeltalbot.com
 

Poem for 14th Sunday after Pentecost Mark 7:1-23

The young child grew and blossomed

Full of love and joy

Each morning was greeted with a song

And laughter

And a glass of spilled milk

Graciously lapped up

By her best furry friend

Under her chair

And her days were filled with new adventures

Exploding her horizons

With each new discovery

And a fair sampling of dirt

Smeared from soiled hands

To now soiled clothes

Until one day

The clouds seemed to cover the sun

Differently

Than they did before

And she learned not to spill her milk

Though she never did figure out

How

To feed her furry friend

And one day

She learned something new about dirt

And where she could not play

And where she could not wipe her hands

She also learned other things

She could not do

Until one day

While sitting there sad

And very still

She learned

She was a good girl

Opening litany based on Psalm 15

Psalm 15

Worship Leader: LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?

Congregation: The One whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous; The one who speaks the truth from his heart and utters no slander. It is the one who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on others. 
 
Worship Leader: LORD, Who may live on your holy hill?

Congregation: It is the one who despises what is vile in humanity and honors those who fear the LORD; it is the one who keeps an oath even when it hurts. It is the one who lends his money without interest and the one who does not accept a donation to vote against the needs of the innocent. 

Worship Leader: Such a person will never be shaken.

Congregation: Help us to walk in your ways O Lord.

grace

Sunday August 30th, Psalm 15: LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart who has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong. The list of what is good and what is evil from God’s view has often been manipulated by those who wish it were something different. Perhaps they wanted it to be their point of view, perhaps more profitable or supportive of their power structure. Who is blameless? The one who speaks truth from the heart. As we remember the world events of the last several years, I am struck by the fact that in real buying power, those at the middle and bottom of the wage scale are worse off than at any time since 1947. Fewer and fewer people, working and unemployed, can afford decent health care or housing or education. I am struck by the continued growth of wealth among the wealthiest among us while at the same time the continued growth in the shire numbers of those who have to do with less and less each day. I am saddened by the number of casualties brought about by the quest for power and money in this world. Who may dwell in your sanctuary? Each of us, but only through your grace. Help us to speak the truth from our hearts dear Lord, even if it hurts.

hope

Monday August 31^st, James 1: 17 Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above, who created all heaven's lights. Unlike them, he never changes or casts shifting shadows. 18 In his goodness he chose to make us his own children by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his choice possession.    Even in the midst of economic collapse and continued wars, people find hope.  It comes not from the things you can buy but rather the things you cannot buy.  At this time, as he is gracefully facing the end of his days, former President Jimmy Carter reminds us that Hope is a gift of God.  Hope rebuilds houses, lives and dreams.  Hope brings people back together and rebuilds relationships.  Hope surrounds each one of us with loving arms and then sends us out with our arms, as arms of God, to bring hope to others.  It is that hope, the hope that comes from God, which is good and perfect.  As God’s children, created in God’s image, our highest calling is to bring the hope of Christ with us as we reach out, serve, and incite miracles in this world.   

anger

Tuesday September 1^st, James 1: 19 My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Your anger can never make things right in God's sight. I get angry, sometimes very angry.  Jesus got angry, sometimes very angry.  Anger is not always a bad thing and sometimes anger, holy anger, is what motivates us finally to work for justice and bring about change in this world.  Anger is sometimes closer to the will of God than that perpetually fake smile often seen on religious TV.  But there is a reason the word anger is part of the word danger.  Anger can easily slip over edge.  Righteous anger is only one small step from self-righteous anger.  The danger comes when it starts to feel good and a little smug about that anger instead of being bothered by it.  “Of the Seven Deadly Sins, anger is possible the most fun.  To like your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain your are given and the pain you are giving back – in many ways it is a feast fit for a king.  The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself.  The skeleton at the feast is you.”  Wishful Thinking by Frederick Buechner

how it treats

Wednesday September 2^nd, James 1: 26 If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are just fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. 27 Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.  When you hear the phrase “orphans and widows” keep in mind that in Jesus day, they were the marginalized.  Today the marginalized go by different names.  The battle seems to be on across this nation to declare in rhetoric or outright statements that everyone except the power elite are marginalized in one way or another. You often hear the phrase that God helps those who help themselves.  It sounds good, pithy, and biblical.  The only trouble is that it is not in the Bible as a phrase or as an idea.  It is the antithesis of Jesus’ teaching to care for the least, lost and lonely, and to welcome the sojourner among us.  The call of the Bible is to help those who cannot help themselves.  A living wage, public option in a health care bill, child care, and legalized same sex marriage are things that come to mind.  In the end, a nation will be judged not by how many millionaires and billionaires it has, but how it treats the least, lost and lonely in its midst.  

face-lift

Thursday September 3^rd, Mark 7:  1 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and 2 saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were "unclean," that is, unwashed.  5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with 'unclean' hands?" 6 He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:  " 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  It’s called lip service.  Putting on a good show, but lacking anything of real substance.  Sometimes, it is the epitome of evil, and the real reason for the show is just to hide downright deceit.  I love a church where people don’t dress up, it seems more real to me, a bit dirty on the outside and a bit dirty on the inside, like life.  Some of our traditions have outlived their usefulness and though they may have sprung from honest roots they have outlived their meaningful life and are now mostly for show and they need to be jettisoned.  Some of our traditions need a new face-lift, and some need to be resurrected from the file cabinet and given new life.  One thing to remember about churches, a healthy one is always willing to jettison a tradition and take on a new one for the sake of reaching those who are not yet a part of that church.  An unhealthy church is always willing to jettison those who are not in the pews for the sake of keeping their traditions.  Most of our churches are a combination.  

adiaphora

Friday September 4^th, Mark 7:  7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.' 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."  Back to basics.  When Jesus was asked which was the greatest commandment he stated that we are to love the Lord with all our heart soul and mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves.  All of the gospel flows from this.  All of the big hot button issues in religion and society have more to do with what some people would like to see as rules in their quest for power, than with the commands of God.  The equal rights struggle in the U.S. and the attempts to marginalize women and minorities has more to do with power and preaching to the political base than it does anything found in scripture. If it does not fit under loving God and loving others, it is less than just adiaphora, it is sin

22

Saturday September 5^th, Mark 7:  20 He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' 21 For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' "  In the original writing of scripture there is no numbering.  Verse 21 and verse 22 are just one long list.  We tend to get caught up on verse 21 and forget all about 22.  Perhaps we would be better off putting our focus on verse 22.  Wow, how politics as usual would change.  Verse 21 tends to give us things in which we can get away with by pointing our fingers at someone else.  Verse 22 looks and the fingers on our own hand pointing back at us.  If I was going to preach on this text, I would take verse 21 out and place it on the end as an addendum.  The text was meant to clean up our hearts, not someone else’s heart.  

10w for August 23rd, Tough to swallow, P13.

The following is a 10-minute worship for August 23rd, Tough to swallow, P13. You can listen on the flash player below. You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our Email List or you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up. The song for the day is: Light of Heaven by Andra Moran from the CD Harmony Groove. 

Used with permission, you can find this and other gifts for ministry at www.andramoran.com

10w for August 23rd, Priesthood, NL.

The following is a 10-minute worship for August 23rd, Priesthood, NL. You can listen on the flash player below. You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our Email List or you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up. The song for the day is: For You are my Lord by John Michael Talbot from the CD City of God.  Used with permission, you can find this and other gifts for ministry at johnmichaeltalbot.com

Opening Litany based on Psalm 34

Worship Leader: I will exult the Lord at all times in my life.  The Praise of the Lord will be forever on my lips. 

Congregation: We too will glory in the Lord.  Let all who are afflicted hear the good news of the Lord and rejoice with us as we exult the name of the Lord together. 

Worship Leader: In my time of need, when I sought after the Lord, the Lord answered me and delivered me from all my fears.  The Lord will do the same for you!

Congregation: Those who dwell in the presence of the Lord… their faces are radiant and never covered with shame.

Worship Leader: The ones that the world rejects who call upon the name of the Lord.. the Lord will be with them and help them in the midst of their troubles.

Congregation: The angel of the Lord encamps around those who live in awe of the Lord and the Lord delivers them from all the woes and cares of this world. 

Worship Leader: As we gather around the table of the Lord this day, taste and see that the LORD is good and blessed is the one who takes refuge in the Lord. 

Congregation: As the Holy people of God, we will live in awe of the wonders of the Lord, for those who live this way lack nothing of importance in this life. 

Worship Leader: the strong and mighty may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.  So come my children, listen, and learn to live in awe of the wonders of the Lord.  Whoever loves the Lord, and desires to live in the blessings of the Lord, keep your tongue from evil, your lips from telling lies, turn from evil and seek peace in this world. 

Congregation: For the Lord looks upon the righteous and hears the cries of their hearts, but the God of Grace turns a deaf ear to those who seek evil. 

Worship Leader: The righteous cry and the Lord hears them, the brokenhearted and those for whom the world has crushed their spirit wail and the Lord delivers them from their troubles. 

Congregation:   The righteous may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers them and protects them from being broken.  

Worship Leader: Evil will slay the wicked and the foes of the righteous will be condemned but the Lord will rescue those who love the Lord.

Congregation: All who take refuge in the Lord will live surrounded by the greatness of God’s grace.  

Poem based on 13th Sunday after Pentecost John 6:56-69

We study the words and signs

--(trapped)

and try to understand

--(trapped)

the Greatness

--that is God

the words come to us

limited

--to a fraction

of the message of Love

by our words

--(trapped)

How can we understand

How can we really know

The expanse

--the expanse of God’s word

when we are trapped by words

and what they mean

only in relation

to what we know

--in this life

trying to understand

--the workings of the spirit

locked in our own intellect

and limited by it

Christ said we are free

Free to see

--to know God

through Christ

through eating Christ’ body

--and drinking Christ’ blood

through knowing Christ

--not from a distance

but right here

now

by what Christ does

to me

--(faith)

from deep within

Armor is for Amour

Sunday August 26^th, Ephesians 6:  Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  It is way too easy for us to fall into the trap of assuming that our struggle is with others.  We make our list of enemies, we draw lines, we decide who is in and who is out, and then we sit back and feel good about our idea that we are right and that other group is wrong.  What we find when that happens is that we have just fallen into the trap we were supposed to remain strong against.  Once we start drawing lines, we find ourselves on one side with “the powers of this dark world” and Jesus on the other side with those we have excluded.  That doesn’t mean we can’t argue ideas, policies and procedures, but the people are still made in the image of God. Time to suit up, be strong, and love one another.  The Armor is for Amour. 

create enemies

Monday August 27^th, Ephesians 6: Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  First thing of note is that in the midst of all the military talk, the armor is all defensive, not offensive.  No first strike here, only the power to withstand the onslaught the powers of darkness throw at you.  The second thing of note is that we get ready to withstand this onslaught because we hold onto the gospel of peace.  Peace is no fun for the powers of darkness, they would much rather we have some enemies to attack, that way everyone loses.  When we create enemies to attack, we too lose.  

vote

Tuesday August 28^th, Ephesians 6: Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And we will pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  There is no lack of people trying to tell you what the Bible says on this subject or that.  “Never do people do evil so cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. The true miracle is that there is not more downright wickedness in all the religious institutions of the world.” (William Sloane Coffin)  The best way to find out what the scripture says is to read it yourself.  Next year, before the election, sit down and read one of the Gospels from start to finish in one setting.  Then pray, and then vote.  It is a good way to make decisions in all of life.  

closet

Wednesday August 29^th, Joshua 24:  14 "Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."  We all have a whole closet full of gods we serve.  Take stock some time on where you spend your money and where you spend your time, and most importantly, where you spend your mental time. That is where you will find your gods and get an idea of how much time you spend serving them.  Serving the Lord God, is a conscious effort.  It is not something you do when you are not doing anything else, is it what makes doing those other things have meaning.  Who will you serve this day, the gods in your closets or the Lord?  To not choose is to choose the closet.  

threefold creation relationship

Thursday August 30^th, John 6: 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." We were created in and for relationship.  We are related to the God who created us and loves us and it is in God we find our life and ability to live and love in this world.  Jesus, as the son of God continues this relationship and calls us into an intimate relationship with himself and this creator God.  We are also created in relationship with one another.  The creation of the human family is told in the creation of Eve from a part of Adam.  We are part one of another, and just as we were created in the image of, and in relation to God, we were created from and in relation to, one another.  We are created from the dust of the ground and are created in relationship with this earth from which we were formed, and we are called to care for and love this creation.  This is the threefold creation relationship; Created by God, from the earth, for one another in a loving relationship with all.  

dualistic

Friday August 31^st, John 6: 61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? 62 What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. John’s Gospel was written to a group that largely consisted of Gnostics who believed in the dualistic nature of humanity, with the pre-existent spirit living within the earthly body.  You could call them first century Mormons.  For them, the Spirit was good, and the body, or sarks, was evil.  Jesus’ talk of eating his flesh and drinking his blood would have been a major offense to them.  It most likely turned their stomach.  Here John is bringing the dualistic aspect of Spirit and Body together.  It is not a matter of escaping the evil of this world in some spiritual journey, but rather, living in and loving this world and those who live in it as brothers and sisters in Christ.  

work

Saturday September 1^st, John 6: 66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. 67 "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve. 68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."  Jesus’ sayings were hard for his followers back then to take, just as it is hard for his followers today to take.  There are people out there who are hard to love.  It would be much easier to only love the loveable and those like us.  It is easier to create in and out groups and “axis’ of evil” than it is to love one another.  That is, until we realize that Jesus has the words of eternal life.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and your neighbor as yourself.  It’s not easy, it is work.  It is also, life.  

10w for August 16th, Follow the Leader, NL.

The following is a 10-minute worship for August 16th, Follow the Leader, NL. You can listen on the flash player below. You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our Email List or you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up. The song for the day is: Be Not Afraid by John Michael Talbot from the CD Table of Plenty.  Used with permission you can find this and other gifts for ministry at johnmichaeltalbot.com

10w for August 16th Gnaw on This! P12.

The following is a 10-minute worship for August 16th Gnaw on This! P12. You can listen on the flash player below. You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our Email List or you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up. The song for the day is: All Are Welcome by Dakota Road from the CD All Are Welcome.  Used with permission, you can find this and other gifts for ministry at dakotaroadmusic.com

Poem based on 12th Sunday after Pentecost John 6:51-58

Your presence we feel

As we gather

At the table you have set

With your life

Where partaking

Is more than just

--the Bread

----and the wine

it is of You

you life

the word of God

that  pushes us beyond

our understanding

beyond our comfort

to who You are beyond our life

to what we are

beyond an understanding

that anything could ever be

the same

for to partake of you

brings

--us life

Opening Litany based on Psalm 34

Worship Leader: I will exult the Lord at all times in my life.  The Praise of the Lord will be forever on my lips. 

Congregation: We too will glory in the Lord.  Let all who are afflicted hear the good news of the Lord and rejoice with us as we exult the name of the Lord together. 

Worship Leader: In my time of need, when I sought after the Lord, the Lord answered me and delivered me from all my fears.  The Lord will do the same for you!

Congregation: Those who dwell in the presence of the Lord… their faces are radiant and never covered with shame.

Worship Leader: The ones that the world rejects who call upon the name of the Lord.. the Lord will be with them and help them in the midst of their troubles.

Congregation: The angel of the Lord encamps around those who live in awe of the Lord and the Lord delivers them from all the woes and cares of this world. 

Worship Leader: As we gather around the table of the Lord this day, taste and see that the LORD is good and blessed is the one who takes refuge in the Lord. 

Congregation: As the Holy people of God, we will live in awe of the wonders of the Lord, for those who live this way lack nothing of importance in this life. 

Worship Leader: the strong and mighty may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.  So come my children, listen, and learn to live in awe of the wonders of the Lord.  Whoever loves the Lord, and desires to live in the blessings of the Lord, keep your tongue from evil, your lips from telling lies, turn from evil and seek peace in this world. 

Congregation: For the Lord looks upon the righteous and hears the cries of their hearts, but the God of Grace turns a deaf ear to those who seek evil. 

Worship Leader: The righteous cry and the Lord hears them, the brokenhearted and those for whom the world has crushed their spirit wail and the Lord delivers them from their troubles. 

Congregation:   The righteous may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers them and protects them from being broken.  

Worship Leader: Evil will slay the wicked and the foes of the righteous will be condemned but the Lord will rescue those who love the Lord.

Congregation: All who take refuge in the Lord will live surrounded by the greatness of God’s grace.  

simple

Sunday August 16^th, Proverbs 9: Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out its seven pillars.  She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table.  She has sent out her maids, and she calls from the highest point of the city.  "Let all who are simple come in here!"  Wisdom was highly regarded at the time of Solomon and in some cases was considered the calling of what would now be known as the Holy Spirit.  Here the calling is for all who are simple to come into the place prepared.  All who are simple seems like an odd definition.  But think of those who are not regarded as simple, those who weave complex plots to get ahead, to out due the other person, to take advantage, in other words, the movers and the shakers in society, in this context, are the excluded ones.  The proof of success in capitalism is getting ahead of, and beating out the other guy, the proof of success in Christianity comes to us in the words of Jesus.  In Matthew 5 and Luke 6, Jesus tells us; blessed are the meek, blessed are the poor, blessed are the persecuted, blessed are those who hunger and thrust.  Perhaps we should have these words above church doors, as well as congressional doors, “let all who are simple come in here”, let you and I come in here, let the ordinary and not so ordinary people come in here.  

stripped

Monday August 17^th, Proverbs 9: Wisdom says to those who lack judgment. "Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding. There is an old saying from the world war days, “there are no atheists in fox holes.”   It is simply the realization that when you have nothing left to hold onto, there is God.  The person in a fox hole, with bullets flying overhead, finds themselves stripped of all pretense of being in control and can finally hear the grace of God.   That is why the born again experience, while in practice in the 21^st century west, is a bit theologically suspect, it is also a powerful experience.  It is often the moment we hit bottom, when we find ourselves stripped of all pretenses, that we can finally see God who was there with open arms all along.  What we are open to learn at these times is the way of God.  It is very hard to teach someone who knows it all. The first step to hearing the word of God is to drop what you think it says.  Today we have a religious atmosphere in which the fundamentalists of all the major religions are busy fighting other fundamentalists, and sometimes calling them names like terrorists.  Fundamentalists see black and white, for us or against us.  It is the simple who see a sea of gray and are willing to ask God to help them navigate the ups and downs of life and know that God is with them through it all, who can see the face of God.  

find the path

Tuesday August 18^th, Ephesians 5: 15 Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully, worthily, and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise, sensible, intelligent people, 16 Making the very most of the time, because the days are evil.  And we could add to that, as have people since the begging of time, that these days are evil also.  The advice stands, live purposefully, worthily and accurately.  Laura Beth Jones in her book “The Path,” points out that in life we all live a mission statement.  The question to pursue is what is Your mission.  We either live our mission in life, or we live someone else’s mission in life.  The call of a Christian is to find the path that God has for you in your life.  What are you called to do in life?  How are you called to serve in this life?  Where is that intersection between your passions and the teachings of Christ that will bring to life all the gifts God has given you for service?  These gifted people are not the few, they are potentially all people. The real gift is when you discover what your gifts and your callings are, and then to use them in the Kingdom. Instead of following along dumbly, open your Bible, think, read, and pray, and then do it again, and again and again.  There are many churches that distribute voting guides near election time to tell Christians who to vote for, I refuse to let them in the church.  What I ask everyone to do instead is to take a block of time and sit down the week before any election and pick one of the Gospels.  Then read that Gospel all the way through, pray and then go vote.  Make the most of your time in this world by making it your time and your agenda and your calling in conjunction with God’s calling for you.  When you are on the path you will know it, it comes with a feeling of peace.  

finely aged Pinot

Wednesday August 19^th,  Ephesians 5:  18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but ever be filled and stimulated with the Holy Spirit.  Ever since the garden experience we have been trying to fill that emptiness inside with something we ingest. Whether that be the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, rotgut whiskey, super-sized fast food or a finely aged Pinot, we try to get back to that connected garden feeling.  The only ingesting that works is ingesting the word of God.  Remember the food pyramid, starting with sweets and fats with one serving and working its way down to 6 or more servings of grains?  The bottom or base of the pyramid is often missing.  The one that says that a healthy diet, one that will fill you up and take away those hunger pains, is to add 8 or more helpings of prayer and scripture reading every day.  If you want to supersize anything, you can super-size that without any negative consequences or a hangover of either the head or the gut kind.  Frequently however we find ourselves raiding the fridge for a case spiritual malnutrition.  

woe is me

Thursday August 20^th, Ephesians 5: 20 At all times and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father. One of the true joys in life is to live in a state of blessedness.  To be able to look around and truly see that all that you have and all that surrounds you is a gift from God and is a blessing in your life.  In that state you can even see a blessing in some of the things that do not seem so good, the hard times, the struggles and yes even the pain.  Not that everything is a blessing from God, but sometimes, just the ability to make it through today in spite of all the rough terrain is the blessing.  Call upon the Lord in everything in your life, and even if your life does not change around you, your perception of it will.  After a while the “woe is me” gets really tiring.  So instead of living a “woe is me life”, try living a “blessed is me” life. In many cases it is simply the flip side of what we have been focused on all along, the side with beauty in it.    

Christ within

Friday August 21^st,  John 6: 53 But Jesus didn't give an inch. "Only insofar as you eat and drink flesh and blood, the flesh and blood of the Son of Man, do you have life within you.  These words would have been very offensive to his hearers.  The idea of eating flesh and being in contact with blood was an abomination and against all the holiness and cleanliness laws of the Hebrew people.  All the safety nets we surround our life with, our rules, our customs, even many of our belief systems, can become roadblocks that keep us from Christ.  Making Christ the very essence of our being however, that is where life comes from.  Being a Christian is less about doing than it is about a way of being.  It is about Christ being the very center of our life, our all in all.  What rituals, beliefs, rules, customs get in the way of having Christ the center of life?  If it does not fit into loving God and loving others, it is just a distraction.  It is in the eating and the drinking of Christ’s body and blood that we intimately live out the presence of Christ within us, within ever cell, thought, idea, action and breath.  It is in being conscious of this intimate presence that we find the life around us changed closer and closer to God’s will each and every day.  

a moral life

Saturday August 22^nd, John 6: 54 The one who brings a hearty appetite to this eating and drinking has eternal life and will be fit and ready for the Final Day.  The disciples were sent out to announce the Kingdom is near.  Knowing that deep down in every aspect of your life is the realization of that reality.  It is not about getting ready for Christ, it is about living, being ready for and living in the Kingdom always.  Rather than making sure everyone else is doing things right according to our standards, we need to focus on whether we are living as a child of God and treating others as the children of God.  Rather than making sure everyone else is living a moral life by our standards, we need to focus on whether we are living a moral life by God’s standards.   God’s standards are simple, love God with all your being, and love others as brothers and sisters in Christ, whether you like them or not.  That rather excludes war doesn’t it? 

10w for August 9th, Bread at the Table. P11.

The following is a 10-minute worship for August 9th, Bread at the Table.  P11. You can listen on the flash player below. You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our Email List or you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up. The song for the day is: Table of Love by Andra Moran from the CD Little Miracles.  Used with permission, you can find this and other gifts for ministry at www.andramoran.com