Come to the Water

With the close of Christmastide on Epiphany—Twelfth Night or the twelfth day of Christmas, the community of faith returns again to Ordinary Time for nine Sundays until Lent begins. With the exception of the first and last Sundays after Epiphany, the chancel is again vested in green. On those “bookend” Sundays, however, the chancel is vested in festive white for two festivals: Baptism of the Lord and Transfiguration. Christ's baptism by John the Baptist marked the beginning of His public ministry (Matthew 3:13-17) and this feast day offers believers the opportunity to examine again the covenant embodied by the sacrament and to reaffirm their commitment to that covenant.

The provisions of this covenant include the renunciation of sin, the acceptance of God's freedom and power to resist sin, and the confession of the Christ as Savior. While this seems innocuous enough, it is in the remaining provisions of the covenant that the mission handed to Christians becomes apparent. Because of the salvation professed, the Christian covenants to serve Christ as Lord in union with the Church, to remain faithful members of Christ's holy Church, and to be God's representatives in the world. Being God's representatives in the world means that each Christian has a unique ministry ( I Corinthians 12:12-31) which may be demonstrated singularly but, more often, in conjunction with others.

This supposedly minor feast, often ignored, offers the Christian the opportunity to again examine how his or her own personal ministry manifests God in the world. It reminds the believer to form an answer to the following: “What difference does Christ make in my life? What difference does Christ in my life make in the lives of others?”

Let these nine Sundays of Ordinary Time become a period of growth as you examine how your own personal ministry is the presence of God to those around you. Literally or figuratively, dip your hand again into the water which washes away the sins which impede a personal ministry: doubt, fear, self-consciousness, lack of education, lack of motivation, pride.

Come to the water; Christ awaits.

Resources

The United Methodist Book of Worship. 1992. The United Methodist Publishing House: Nashville, TN.

An Advent Reader 2010

Make this Advent a holy season by steeping yourself in the Word.  An Advent Reader 2010 lists the daily lectionary readings for Advent through Epiphany and includes space for personal reflection.

Dowload your copy at An Advent Reader 2010.




An Advent Reader 2010 is intended for personal use only, and not intended for sale.

Setting Our House To Rights

You can tell a lot about a person by the way they read a book. Some read carefully, page by page, to the very end. Others read very quickly, skipping over the details, to get to the end. Some are not even that patient. Some read the last chapter, then go back to the beginning, secure in the knowledge that all will end well. Advent is a lot like reading a book. You already know what's happening at the end: Christmas and Epiphany. Since you already know the ending, what is the purpose of Advent?

Advent has often been referred to as “little Lent.” It shares, traditionally, the same parament color—purple—which indicates a time of reflection and penitence. This tradition echoes the message of John the Baptist whose teachings about his cousin were more warnings than celebrations. (Matthew 3:1-12) At first glance, John the Baptist seems like the classroom “lookout” who stands at the door and warns his misbehaving classmates, “Teacher's coming!” And he was, in a way.

But let's look at this from a different angle. How many of us, when informed that an important guest would be arriving soon, would diligently work toward “setting our house to rights”? It's just the normal thing to do. How different is our earthly house from our spiritual “house”? The King is coming; we know of a certainty. In the time before His arrival, we can set our souls to rights: we can put aside the fear and anger that weigh us down; we can marinate ourselves in His Word; we can share the light of the King in a darkened world; we can be the voice of love and praise in our communities of faith; and we can, amid the carols and the concerts and the shopping and the “busyness,” find that “thin space” where we feel the real presence of our Heavenly Father.

The King is coming; we believe it. Let's believe it enough to prepare for His coming.

Resources
Mershman, Francis. "Advent." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 21 Nov. 2010 .

Creeds: Not By Rote But By Heart

Every worship, many churches in Christendom recite some sort of creed (a statement of beliefs). When something is done regularly, it can become routine, meaningless. The recitation of a creed was not meaningless to early Christians. In the early years of the Church, believers used the recitation of a creed as a symbol by which they could recognize each other. The Nicene Creed was recorded by the Council of Nicea in the fourth century but is believed to have been in practice earlier. The so-called Apostles Creed, traditionally, was compiled from statements of belief by each of the twelve apostles. Since it did not appear in its present form until the eighth and ninth centuries, its origin as being from the apostles cannot be verified. Each of the various creeds recorded in the United Methodist Hymnal is a powerful encapsulation of Christian beliefs.

In a recent Sunday School lesson a class explored the concept of belief as a culminating activity on the study of faith. Rather than rehash the Apostles Creed, the students were encouraged to express their beliefs as statements which answered the following questions in their own words:

I believe that God (talk about who He is, what He's like)

I believe that Jesus (talk about who He is, what His role is)

I believe the Holy Spirit (talk about who the Holy Spirit is, what His role is today)

In one of the earliest books of the New Testament James, the brother of Jesus, explains to the believers that their faith will manifest itself in actions. (James 2:14-26) The students answered the following questions in their own words:

Because I believe these things, I will show the power of God in my own life by

Because I believe these things, I will show the power of God in my church by

Because I believe these things, I will show the power of God in my community by

Because I believe these things, I will show the power of God in my world by

As they shared their answers, they outlined specific ways in which they could live out their creed. What about you? Could you write your own creed? How could you live out your creed? It would be easy to answer abstractly but be concrete in your responses. Make your actions specific and measurable. Be sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit as He directs you in the dedication to ministry of your own talents and skills.

Finally, put your sentences together to create your own creed and record it. It can be a powerful means of focus in the practice of your faith.

Sources

Leclercq, Henri. "The First Council of Nicaea." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 16 Jul. 2010 .

Thurston, Herbert. "Apostles' Creed." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 16 Jul. 2010 .

Wilhelm, Joseph. "The Nicene Creed." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 16 Jul. 2010 .

Go Ye!

The final section of the United Methodist rubric for worship is the Sending Forth. Traditionally, a hymn or song is shared by the congregation before the worship leader bestows upon the community the Dismissal With Blessing, often called the Benediction (from the Latin for good speech). Far from a “hasty exit,” the hymns and actions of the Sending Forth symbolize the faith community’s final acts of preparation to take all they have shared and experienced within the time of worship into the world. Many congregations will follow the acolytes, who bear the light from the altar, as they symbolically take the Light into the world.

It would be easy to dismiss the actions of worship as dry routine prescribed by somebody some time ago. It would be easy to relegate the rituals of worship to the irrelevant habits of people out of touch with today’s world. It would be easy; but it would be wrong. For a world which seeks multisensory experiences, worship feeds the soul through image, through scent, through sound, through taste, and through action. For a world which searches for meaning, each action in worship is purposefully full of symbolism and significance. For a world which seeks to “connect” with other people, worship provides not only connection with our fellow believers but a genuine encounter with Him in Whom we believe.

Instead of viewing worship a an obligation, we can believe it to be a time of celebration. The Guest of Honor will be there. He promised.

Sources:

The United Methodist Book of Worship. 1992. The United Methodist Publishing House: Nashville, TN.

The Sacristy: A Community for Wesleyan Sacristans, found October 19, 2009, .

The Service of the Acolyte

While it is often presumed that worship is led by ordained clergy, lay members of the faith community can have many leadership roles, among those the office of acolyte. The name acolyte comes from the Greek akolouthos meaning companion, attendant or helper. The acolyte's function has its biblical roots in the activities of Samuel, who is seen assisting Eli, and Elisha who is seen assisting Elijah.

In the Methodist tradition the acolytes carry in the processional cross (as a crucifer), light and extinguish the altar candles, assist with baptisms and Communion, and ring the church bells. Although in Protestant practice the acolyte is generally an older child or teenager, adults may serve as well. As participants in worship leadership, acolytes may vest by wearing an alb and cincture, or a cassock and surplice(cotta). Vestments worn by acolytes may include:

Alb: A plain, lightweight tunic with long sleeves usually undyed or white (albus means white). Ancient in origin, it is said by some to be the garment worn by Christ to the crucifixion for which the soldiers cast lots. Anyone who has a leadership role in worship may wear an alb, belted with a cincture.

Cassock: Usually black (although choirs could wear any color), the cassock is not actually a vestment; it is an archaic form of street clothing worn alone or beneath the surplice. A cassock can be worn by anyone who leads worship, including laity.

Cincture: a belt for an alb or cassock, in white, black, or seasonal liturgical colors. Often the ends are knotted with a monk's knot which has three loops symbolizing the Trinity.

Surplice(cotta): a short vestment with flowing sleeves which is worn over a cassock.

The functions of the acolyte are both practical and highly symbolic: it is the acolyte who brings the Cross and the Light from the world into the gathered community of faith at the beginning of worship, and it is the acolyte who leaders the community into the world as followers of the Cross and the Light. The functions of the acolyte are quite practical, too, since the acolyte could assist the worship leader by holding or moving books or other utensils used in worship and baptisms, and by assisting in Communion by directing traffic or by replenishing from the table the elements administered by the servers. Far from a duty, the office of acolyte offers an opportunity for service to anyone within the community of faith.

Sources:

The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 17 Jan. 2010 .
Collins, Ken. “Vestments and Clericals,” Rev. Ken Collins Web Site, 1995-2009. 17 JAN 2010
Benedict, Daniel, “Acolyte Training Resources,” Worship, General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church, 10 AUG 2001,