Blog-o-nator

Rescue Me!

Jesus – the One who hears and understands:

Please rescue me from the need I have to be… (more…)

Good Friday via T.S. Eliot

from “East Coker”, FOUR QUARTETS
by T.S. Eliot

The wounded surgeon plies the steel
That questions the distempered part;
Beneath the bleeding hands we feel
The sharp compassion of the healer’s art
Resolving the enigma of the fever chart. (more…)

“Act justly,” says the prophet Micah. But really, and practically, how in the world do you do THAT? I think I have at least part of the answer. Whenever our church goes up to Walter Hoving Home (walterhovinghome.com) to paint…or make handmade cards…or provide a worship service….or do an exercise class….or just hang out….we are in a small way restoring some of the life that was stolen from those women by alcohol or drugs or prostitution (or all three!). In the words of the prophet Joel, we are restoring what the locusts have eaten. And that is acting justly.

The same is true when our church folk feed the hungry at Soup Angels at First Reformed Church or at the weekly Sunday Supper in our church hall. Or when our women do their Sunday night Bible study at the Rockland County Correctional Facility. “Act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God,” says the prophet Micah. That is our church’s vision, and I think we’re pursuing it well!

Helping Haiti

How do we show the love of Jesus Christ to the suffering people in Haiti?

Immediately, we should give sacrificially of our wealth to those who have lost everything. I am asking myself right now, “What can I give up so that I might give more to the ones who Jesus described as “the least of these”? Our denomination, the Christian & Missionary Alliance, has a relief arm (CAMA) that is sending clean water, medical supplies and emergency shelter to the capitol city of Port-Au-Prince. To give right now, log onto http://www.cmalliance.org/give/relief/ and scroll down to click on the “Give Now” box.

In upcoming weeks, there will be a need for rebuilding efforts and ongoing medical care. If you are skilled in the building trades or in medicine, perhaps God is calling you to travel to Haiti or, better yet, to gather some other skilled folks to go with you.

Long-term, the number of Haitian children who need to be adopted will likely soar. Is God calling you to adopt a child who lost his or her parents in this catastrophe?

Who Doesn’t Love Getting Letters?

Getting a REAL letter today is a rare treat in this digital age. When a handwritten note shows up in my mailbox, I love to read it and re-read it. I imagine the 1st Century churches shared that excitement when Paul’s letters were delivered. The whole church would gather and a leader would read the letter to them.

On Sunday we tried to re-enact that scene. Instead of the usual sermon on Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we proclaimed it with dramatic readings, video and songs. And what a response. Numerous worshippers told me how powerful it was to hear God’s Word read at length like that. We’ll need to try it again!

Amazing Worship!

That nasty weather couldn’t keep our worship pray-er, readers, singers and musicians down! Our annual Lessons and Carols service RAWKED as we proclaimed the coming of The Christ. We had brass, we had bells, we had piano and organ, we had bass, drums and percussion. I want to celebrate what God did through this amazing worship team:

Dan Hammer crafted a powerful liturgy that told the unfolding story of God from Genesis to Christ’s return. Lillie Black was on vocals and Mary Alice Barna led us in prayer. Dan was on piano and vocals and Steve Meakim was on organ. The Gates men were on brass (Jonathan, Christopher, Andrew) with Dee Lattimer and Paul Block. Andrew Vang was on bass, Mark Vang on drums and Mercy Rodriguez on percussion and vocals. Patty Bradford directed the Handbell Choir: David and Andrew Gates, Amy and Lillie Black, Andrew and Mark Vang, and Dee, Steph and Becky Leone. WOW! What beautiful and powerful music!

Faithfully behind the scenes, Kerri Hulbert handled sound and Powerpoint. And then we had a strong crew of Scripture readers: Melanie Lattimer, Lillie Black, Irma & Tiffany and Melanie Logan, Karen Davie, Jonathan Gates and Matthew York.

All glory to God, who equips us so well to worship Him!

Favorite Day, Part Deux

The Gospel tells us that the people who WE think need our help will actually show US God’s wonderful grace. In short, we well-to-do Christians need the poor and needy and oppressed more than they need our money. That’s exactly what we experienced on my “favorite day” of 2009 (see post below). On that day, our church took Christmas presents and our worship team up to the Walter Hoving Home, where women of all ages are given Christ-centered help for addictions. But WE were the ones who received the good news of Jesus as we saw the joy of Christ on their faces….and heard their stories of how God is transforming them….and were encouraged by how they trust and faith in Jesus. And, of course, then there was The Blanket. But more about that tomorrow.

One Favorite Day? Part I

In reviewing my year, the elders of Living Christ asked me, “What was your favorite day in 2009?” Now, our church did MANY exciting things in the name of Jesus, but pressed for my favorite, I said: “Seeing the Holy Spirit of Jesus at work when 33 volunteers from our church took 50 Christmas presents to the women getting Christ-centered treatment at the Walter Hoving Home in Garrison, NY. We went to serve those women, but THEY served US as the love of Jesus overflowed from them in worship and in their testimonies. More on that tomorrow….

84 Backpacks for Jesus

Our generous folks gave 84 backpacks to Jesus last weekend. Plus, they grilled up a terrific hot dog lunch for Him. Kids from kindergarten through high school had a joyful time at our Backpack Outreach in Waldron Terrace, and Jesus was glorified through a wonderful Gospel presentation by the crew from ARK (All Rockland Kids for Christ). And Jesus said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me.”

Joy & Sorrow Mingled

One of the joys of Living Christ Church is meeting the constant flow of Alliance missionaries who come to Nyack for their one-year furlough. One of the sorrows of Living Christ Church is saying good-bye to those missionaries! We just did that with Barry & Patty Jordan, who are heading back to Papua in Indonesia. It was doubly hard for me because the Jordans are friends who attended seminary with me and who cut their teeth on church work in the Bronx at the same time as Sue and me. We’ll miss them!