Ok – so I haven’t posted in a while. I guess I haven’t really figured out what I want to do with this blogging thing. I’ve tried using as a tool for sermons – that really didn’t fly (at least, not yet). And I’ve used it for general reflections as well, but I’d like to have a greater sense of purpose when writing; something more than yakking about my day. So I’ve just now decided that I will use this blog for the purposes of contemplating, planning and discussing worship. Worshipping God is one of my passions as a minister. I get excited about having churches encounter God’s word and to respond to God’s grace and to experience God in their midst in new ways and old. I want Faith UMC to be a church where worship is a genuine act of devotion that brings our community closer to God and changes lives.
So as this church strives for that goal, I am going to post about my experiences in planning, leading and participating worship. I try to be innovative and creative with worship, so I pray that perhaps my blogging may become a tool to help other church leaders (here at Faith and beyond) to plan and prepare worship in new ways. However, planning Sunday after Sunday of worship gets to be daunting and I know that I am really starting to see the effects of mental and spiritual exhaustion in my worship planning and the in the crafting of my sermons. I think the church sees the decline too. So to address that I’m also doing this as a conscious effort to reflect on worship theologically and hopefully others will join me. I pray that this might refresh me and encourage me as I continue to plan and lead worship.
I suppose I should start with this past Sunday then. At Faith UMC we celebrated All Saints day. One of the highlights of this Sunday’s worship for me was the candle-lit communion table (see pic below). I mean, its cool looking! It really spoke to me about how the light of Christ that shines from the lives of all of us really has a legacy. It spoke to me about our purpose; that we are the light of Jesus in this world, called to bring people into communion (relationship) with God.
I wish everybody could have felt what I did when I was doing the blessing over the bread and wine. We lit the candles first, calling out the names of loved ones lost in the past year and having their friends and family come up to light a candle for them. And as I was going over the great thanksgiving (being careful not to catch my robe on fire) I could feel the warmth of the candles on my hands and face. It was pretty cool. Pastor’s perk I suppose.
So as this church strives for that goal, I am going to post about my experiences in planning, leading and participating worship. I try to be innovative and creative with worship, so I pray that perhaps my blogging may become a tool to help other church leaders (here at Faith and beyond) to plan and prepare worship in new ways. However, planning Sunday after Sunday of worship gets to be daunting and I know that I am really starting to see the effects of mental and spiritual exhaustion in my worship planning and the in the crafting of my sermons. I think the church sees the decline too. So to address that I’m also doing this as a conscious effort to reflect on worship theologically and hopefully others will join me. I pray that this might refresh me and encourage me as I continue to plan and lead worship.
I suppose I should start with this past Sunday then. At Faith UMC we celebrated All Saints day. One of the highlights of this Sunday’s worship for me was the candle-lit communion table (see pic below). I mean, its cool looking! It really spoke to me about how the light of Christ that shines from the lives of all of us really has a legacy. It spoke to me about our purpose; that we are the light of Jesus in this world, called to bring people into communion (relationship) with God.
I wish everybody could have felt what I did when I was doing the blessing over the bread and wine. We lit the candles first, calling out the names of loved ones lost in the past year and having their friends and family come up to light a candle for them. And as I was going over the great thanksgiving (being careful not to catch my robe on fire) I could feel the warmth of the candles on my hands and face. It was pretty cool. Pastor’s perk I suppose.
Thanks to Laurie Thorwart for the second picture!
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