Come Together [a new series at State Street]

I will be finishing up our "Parables of the Kingdom" series soon. We will then begin a series I'm very excited about. The series was designed to do a few things; (1) talk about the different Christian movements that have influenced State Street, and (2) seek understanding across our ecumenical borders leading to a better appreciation of other expressions of our faith. 

​My two primary influences are the Wesleyan and Anabaptist movements. This bleeds through to the culture at State Street in very tangible ways. But, there are other influences that we embrace as well. Many people at State Street come from other backgrounds that have helped them (and us as a community) see Christ more clearly. Some in our community are unfamiliar with other denominations as a whole. We'll talk about the founders of the movements (Menno Simons, John Wesley, Martin Luther, Alexander Campbell, etc.) but also abou the larger contributions of each theological distinctive. 

Here's the series schedule: ​

June 16: Introduction [taught by Nate Loucks]
June 23: The Wesleyan Movement [taught by Nate Loucks]
June 30: The Anabaptist Movement [taught by Nate Loucks]
July 7: The Restoration Movement [taught by Tim Baines]
July 14: The Lutheran Movement [taught by Nate Loucks]
July 21: The Catholic Movement [taught by Nate Loucks]
July 28: The Anglican/Episcopal Movement [taught by Nate Loucks]

Sermon at State Street: Acts 4:1-31

​Here's my outline from last Sunday at State Street. At the bottom, you can watch the message. 

Key Text: ​Acts 4:1-31

The Big Idea: Action and contemplation are sacred helpmates.

Supporting Points: ​

• Prayer is being willing to engage the things of Christ on the deepest of levels in silence, in conversation, and in communion.
• We pray not to draw God closer to us, but to remind ourselves that God is already near.

​Quotes: 

• ​“Dear Jesus, do something.” - Vladimir Nabokov
• "The response of the apostles to persecution is prayer, not for relief or deliverance from persecution but for boldness and power to continue to proclaim the word even in the midst of such adversity." - Ben Witherington, The Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary
• “The wise man in the storm prays God not for safety from danger but for deliverance from fear.”  ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Text: ​

“1As they were speaking to the people, along came the priests, the chief of the Temple police, and the Sadducees. 2They were thoroughly annoyed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming that “the resurrection of the dead” had begun to happen in Jesus. 3They seized them and put them under guard until the next day, since it was already evening. 4But a large number of the people who had heard the message believed it, and the number of men grew to five thousand.

5On the next day their rulers, the elders, and the scribes gathered in Jerusalem, 6along with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all the members of the high-priestly family. 7They stood them in the midst.

“How did you do this?” they asked them. “What power did you use? What name did you invoke?”

8Peter was filled with the holy spirit. “Rulers of the people and elders,” he said, 9“if the question we’re being asked today is about a good deed done for a sick man, and whose power it was that rescued him, 10let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man stands before you fit and well because of the name of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead. 11He is the stone which you builders rejected, but which has become the head cornerstone. 12Rescue won’t come from anybody else! There is no other name given under heaven and among humans by which we must be rescued.”

13When they saw how boldly Peter and John were speaking, and realized that they were untrained, ordinary men, they were astonished, and they recognized them as people who had been with Jesus. 14And when they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply. 15They ordered them to be put out of the assembly while they conferred among themselves.

16“What can we do to these men?” they said. “This is a spectacular sign that has happened through them. All Jerusalem knows it, and we can’t deny it! 17But we certainly don’t want it to spread any further among the people. So let’s threaten them with awful consequences if they speak anymore in this name to anybody.”

18So they called them in and gave them orders not to speak at all, or to teach, in the name of Jesus.

19But Peter and John gave them this reply. “You judge,” they said, “whether it’s right before God to listen to you rather than to God! 20As far as we’re concerned, we can’t stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

21Then they threatened them some more, and let them go. They couldn’t find any way to punish them because of the people, since everyone was glorifying God for what had happened. 22After all, the man to whom this sign of healing had happened was over forty years old.

23When they had been released, they went back to their own people, and told them everything that the chief priests and the elders had said. 24When they heard it, they all together lifted up their voices to God.

“Sovereign Master,” they said, “you made heaven and earth, and the sea, and everything in them. 25And you said through the holy spirit, by the mouth of our ancestor David, your servant,

‘Why did the nations fly into a rage,

And why did the peoples think empty thoughts?

26The kings of the earth arose
And the rulers gathered themselves together
Against the Lord and against his anointed Messiah.’

27“It’s true: Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the nations and the peoples of Israel, gathered themselves together in this very city against your holy child Jesus, the one you anointed, 28to do whatever your hand and your plan had foreordained to take place. 29So now, Master, look on their threats; and grant that we, your servants, may speak your word with all boldness, 30while you stretch out your hand for healing, so that signs and wonders may come about through the name of your holy child Jesus.”

31When they had prayed, the place where they were gathered was shaken. They were all filled with the holy spirit, and they boldly spoke the word of God.”

— Acts 4:1-31 (Kingdom New Testament)

Ash Wednesday Liturgy

I've had some people ask me to post some of the elements of liturgy that we used last night at our Ash Wednesday gathering. Here they are: 

CALL TO WORSHIP:

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water.
At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.
And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert... (Mt.3:16-4:1)
We seek to follow you, Jesus. Lead us by your Spirit into a season of preparation and of growing faith. Amen.

Marked by Ashes by Walter Brueggemann

Ruler of the Night, Guarantor of the day . . .
This day — a gift from you.
This day — like none other you have ever given, or we have ever received.
This Wednesday dazzles us with gift and newness and possibility.
This Wednesday burdens us with the tasks of the day, for we are already halfway home
     halfway back to committees and memos,
     halfway back to calls and appointments,
     halfway on to next Sunday,
     halfway back, half frazzled, half expectant,
     half turned toward you, half rather not.
This Wednesday is a long way from Ash Wednesday,
   but all our Wednesdays are marked by ashes —
     we begin this day with that taste of ash in our mouth:
       of failed hope and broken promises,
       of forgotten children and frightened women,
     we ourselves are ashes to ashes, dust to dust;
     we can taste our mortality as we roll the ash around on our tongues.
We are able to ponder our ashness with
   some confidence, only because our every Wednesday of ashes
   anticipates your Easter victory over that dry, flaky taste of death.
On this Wednesday, we submit our ashen way to you —
   you Easter parade of newness.
   Before the sun sets, take our Wednesday and Easter us,
     Easter us to joy and energy and courage and freedom;
     Easter us that we may be fearless for your truth.
   Come here and Easter our Wednesday with
     mercy and justice and peace and generosity.
We pray as we wait for the Risen One who comes soon.

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING AND PRAISE

God of passionate love and zealous commitment,
It is Your kindness that has softened our hearts and led us to Your arms.
We praise and thank You, O Lord.
It is Your devotion to us that has given us the courage to commit ourselves to You.
We praise and thank You, O Lord.
It is Your invitation that has inspired us
to take upon us Your yoke, and in it find purpose, meaning and rest.
We praise and thank You, O Lord.
Receive again our offering of worship, of love and of our lives.
This is our sacrifice of praise for Your blessing and glory,
God of our hearts. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING: Psalm 51:1-17

PRAYER OF CONFESSION AND PREPARATION

Holy and Most Beautiful Lord,
We are humbled by Your compassion and mercy.
We recognize that within us is much that has hurt and offended You.
We acknowledge our faithlessness
and admit that we are undeserving of Your commitment to us.
But now, empowered by Your grace,
given to us through Jesus's life, death and resurrection,
We seek to renew our commitment, and consciously deepen our relationship with You.

We recognise, O Lord, that we are simply dust.
Remind us through these ashes of our dependence on You,
and Your devotion to us.
May we know the strength of Your Spirit as we seek to follow You;
May we know the discipline of Your love as we seek to draw nearer to You;
May we know the insight of Your wisdom as we seek to learn of You.
As we receive the ashes upon our foreheads,
may we know the joy of sharing with You in ministry, in suffering, in death and in life.
For Your glory and your kingdom's sake.

THE LORD'S PRAYER

Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever.
Amen.

IMPOSITION OF ASHES

FINAL PRAYER

God of Eternal Love,
We have made our commitment to You,
and have started a new journey into purposeful growth. But, we know that if we are to remain faithful
we need Your help and Your strength.

So, we ask...
Teach us to pray with faith
and read Your Word with understanding.
Teach us to worship with passion and gather together with love.
Teach us to give generously, serve compassionately and use our time mindfully,
So that we may reflect Your goodness, and that others may discover Your grace through us.
In Jesus Name. Amen.

Sermon at State Street: Acts 2:42-47

Here's my outline for last weekend's sermon at State Street (note: we went through Exodus 1-16 rather quickly, but the references are in the video):

TEXT: Acts 2:42-47 (Kingdom New Testament)
42They all gave full attention to the teaching of the apostles and to the common life, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43Great awe fell on everyone, and many remarkable deeds and signs were performed by the apostles. 44All of those who believed came together, and held everything in common. 45They sold their possessions and belongings and divided them up to everyone in proportion to their various needs. 46Day by day they were all together attending the Temple. They broke bread in their various houses, and ate their food with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and standing in favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being rescued.

POINT 1: Christianity invites us to imagine and work towards a world of community solidarity. But, to work towards this world, we must never fall into the trap of scarcity [i.e. being in fear of not having enough].

POINT 2: Entering into a new community, one defined by faith, generosity, and commonality, requires a constant turning away from the ways in which we came. Even when we do not know what may or may not happen. It requires a steadfast trust that what is ahead is better than what is behind.

POINT 3: The temptation of scarcity and the needful reminder of God's generosity was prevalent in the early formation of God's people (Israel), in the formation of the early Church, and even today. 

QUOTE:

“Wilderness” is a place, in biblical rhetoric, where there are no viable life support systems. “Grace” is the occupying generosity of God that redefines the place. The wonder bread, as a gesture of divine grace, recharacterizes the wilderness that Israel now discovered to be a place of viable life, made viable by the generous inclination of YHWH. - Walter Brueggemann

THE WAY IN WHICH SCARCITY IS COMBATTED IN THE EARLY CHURCH:

1. teaching of the apostles/learning the way of Jesus
2. the common life/the shared life
3. the breaking of bread/eucharist and common meals
4. prayers/joining of hearts with God

State Street 2.0 [February Update]

Last October, I was able to announce to our church community some monumental plans in the future of State Street. It's no secret that we take serious the social component to our faith (our mantra; love God, love others, and love well). Poverty, of any kind, is not acceptable to us. As we grow closer to Christ, personally, communally, and sacramentally, our passion to see 'His Kingdom come' increases. We believe that the church will continue to grow as we are faithful in that engagement.

We hope, anyway.

We also have some other core aspects to our community. These social endeavors help shape the life of those in our community and put meat on the bones of our faith. These things include our food pantry, clothes pantry, and weekly meal (think soup kitchen without soup, full meals). This summer, under the direction of Kelli Fryer, we will be starting a program to help local kindergarten students who are not prepared to enter first grade academically. We are also in the early stages of planning a community garden. We have no shortage of incredibly redemptive ideas at State Street and it's our plan to make as many of those happen as we can.

So, to help facilitate the growth in the church and our increasing vision for our social endeavors, we announced our intention to start a community center. We know to get to that point, however, we must pay off all of our current building debt. We owed the Salvation Army $180,000 due September 1, 2012. After renegotiating a deal with the S.A., they benevolently agreed to subtract $40,000 from our debt and give us another year to pay off our debt.

We've asked our community to respond by giving above and beyond our current offering to help retire this debt. We have a few budgetary priorities at State Street that has helped us to this point. We put 15% of every dollar received in offering towards mission spending. This includes local missions, food pantry, and foreign missions. We also put 10% of every dollar in a fund for building expenditures. This money accrues until we need to purchase something for the church in regards to the facility. So far, here is where we're at:

$180,000 [initial debt]
- $40,000 [S.A. gift to State Street in form of less money owed]
- $33,000 [payments from our building fund] 
- $9,000 [our monthly 'mortgage' to SA; Sept.-Feb.]
- $37,000 [collected in donations from people at State Street]
-----
$61,000 remains

We have until the end of July to retire the debts for our building. But, we are getting there! Be encouraged, State Street!