Sometimes it is better to rest on the words of another. In defining worship I have found few as complete as that of William Temple,the Archbishop of Canterbury. With this Sunday being our declaration service, a time where we come together to worship, I will simply leave you with his words.
Worship is
the submission of all our nature to God.
It is the quickening of the conscience by His holiness;
the nourishment of mind with His truth;
the purifying of the imagination by His beauty;
the opening of the heart to His love;
the surrender of will to His purpose -
and all of this gathered up in adoration,
the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable,
and therefore the chief remedy
of that self-centeredness
which is our original sin
and the source of all actual sin.
William Temple, 1881 - 1944
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Sorry...I Forgot!
I have an amazing long term memory! I can remember details of the past as if they had just happened. My short term memory however, is not so amazing and I have a hard time remembering what I did just a minute before. My short term memory however, is not so amazing and I have a hard time remembering what I did just a minute before.
For those of us who struggle with chronic forgetfulness, we find ways to cope in a society that frowns upon the appearance of flightiness. At my last church, our administrator would write memo's to herself on her hand to remind her of what needed to be accomplished. For the longest time I would make fun of her for needing such an aid; that is of course until I forgot my daughter at daycare.
You know that feeling you get when you know there is something missing? Well, one day when I pulled into my driveway I had that nagging feeling, but quickly removed it at the thought of seeing Jackson and Lucy greet me at the door. Lucy! I had forgotten Lucy! I quickly raced two towns over to pick up my girl all the while building a story line to tell Becky about how I obviously did not forget Lucy and that I must have been very busy at work, thus causing my lateness.
I picked up Lucy, explained the true story to Becky and if you ever see Lucy or Jackson written on my hand, they are at daycare and I will be picking them up that evening.
Forgetfulness seems to be a less than favorable trait with one exception; Jesus. When we turn to Jesus, at the same time our sins are forgiven, they are also forgotten and we experience what we call grace. Without this forgetfulness, grace cannot take place. Often times we need not only to be reminded of grace, but also about the absent mindedness of Christ. His ability to erase the past, forget our sins, separate them as far as the east is from the west is why we, as the forgiven, will never have our past used against us by the Almighty, forgetful God we serve.
For those of us who struggle with chronic forgetfulness, we find ways to cope in a society that frowns upon the appearance of flightiness. At my last church, our administrator would write memo's to herself on her hand to remind her of what needed to be accomplished. For the longest time I would make fun of her for needing such an aid; that is of course until I forgot my daughter at daycare.
You know that feeling you get when you know there is something missing? Well, one day when I pulled into my driveway I had that nagging feeling, but quickly removed it at the thought of seeing Jackson and Lucy greet me at the door. Lucy! I had forgotten Lucy! I quickly raced two towns over to pick up my girl all the while building a story line to tell Becky about how I obviously did not forget Lucy and that I must have been very busy at work, thus causing my lateness.
I picked up Lucy, explained the true story to Becky and if you ever see Lucy or Jackson written on my hand, they are at daycare and I will be picking them up that evening.
Forgetfulness seems to be a less than favorable trait with one exception; Jesus. When we turn to Jesus, at the same time our sins are forgiven, they are also forgotten and we experience what we call grace. Without this forgetfulness, grace cannot take place. Often times we need not only to be reminded of grace, but also about the absent mindedness of Christ. His ability to erase the past, forget our sins, separate them as far as the east is from the west is why we, as the forgiven, will never have our past used against us by the Almighty, forgetful God we serve.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
"I am the True Vine"
For those who have all the natural talents and God given abilities an individual could desire, this post is not for you. This post is dedicated to those of us who never found our niche. It is dedicated not to the bench players, but to the players who wished they made the bench.
The first time I got cut from a team was when I was in grade seven. I believe it was the first time I had ever tried out for a team. I was attending Glen Cedar Public school in Newmarket, where I was still a relatively new student to the school. I had moved there the year before and was fitting in nicely to my new environment. At Glen Cedar, grade seven marked the year we as students were introduced to competitive team sports. We were all encouraged to participate in the tryouts (a cruel ploy concocted by the heartless teachers I'm sure) so that we could somehow become better people as a result. At the time, I believed basketball would be my best fit. I had the height, I had a net at home (although I rarely used it) and I also believed I had the style to make the team.
It was now time to prove I had what it took to be a "baller". With high hopes and inflated expectations of my new future career I practiced as hard as I could. Determined to show the coach my skills I made sure to never be last in the suicides (another cruel punishment created by gym teachers). I ran into my first problem early, around the part where they brought out the balls. I soon realized I did not have the skills to play the game at a competitive level. When I did not make it past the first cut I was puzzled since the only thing I struggled with was passing, shooting and dribbling the ball. Needless to say the coach played favorites and my dreams of playing in the NBA soon faded.
For those of us who have been cut from something we know that feeling of disappointment. We also know that probably the reason we were cut was because we weren't producing for the team and the coaching staff had no choice but to let us go. In all professional sports there is a long hard road to making the team and a short easy road from being let go by it.
When Jesus says "I am the true vine" and that all those branches who do not produce will be cut off, he is telling the believer that Christianity is not a spectators sport. That it is our responsibility to get in the game and contribute or be cut. In context, Jesus is clearly not referring to losing ones salvation, but he is talking to all of those who would call themselves players who have yet to enter the game. Just like I could not call myself a basketball player if I did not play; one cannot claim to be a follower of Christ if they do not serve. If you have been attending church for years, call yourself spiritual, sing the songs, attend the meetings and go through all the appropriate motions and rituals, Jesus is talking to you. Perhaps today is the day you get out of the bleachers and onto the court. Perhaps today is the day you become a player for Christ and make the cut.
The first time I got cut from a team was when I was in grade seven. I believe it was the first time I had ever tried out for a team. I was attending Glen Cedar Public school in Newmarket, where I was still a relatively new student to the school. I had moved there the year before and was fitting in nicely to my new environment. At Glen Cedar, grade seven marked the year we as students were introduced to competitive team sports. We were all encouraged to participate in the tryouts (a cruel ploy concocted by the heartless teachers I'm sure) so that we could somehow become better people as a result. At the time, I believed basketball would be my best fit. I had the height, I had a net at home (although I rarely used it) and I also believed I had the style to make the team.
It was now time to prove I had what it took to be a "baller". With high hopes and inflated expectations of my new future career I practiced as hard as I could. Determined to show the coach my skills I made sure to never be last in the suicides (another cruel punishment created by gym teachers). I ran into my first problem early, around the part where they brought out the balls. I soon realized I did not have the skills to play the game at a competitive level. When I did not make it past the first cut I was puzzled since the only thing I struggled with was passing, shooting and dribbling the ball. Needless to say the coach played favorites and my dreams of playing in the NBA soon faded.
For those of us who have been cut from something we know that feeling of disappointment. We also know that probably the reason we were cut was because we weren't producing for the team and the coaching staff had no choice but to let us go. In all professional sports there is a long hard road to making the team and a short easy road from being let go by it.
When Jesus says "I am the true vine" and that all those branches who do not produce will be cut off, he is telling the believer that Christianity is not a spectators sport. That it is our responsibility to get in the game and contribute or be cut. In context, Jesus is clearly not referring to losing ones salvation, but he is talking to all of those who would call themselves players who have yet to enter the game. Just like I could not call myself a basketball player if I did not play; one cannot claim to be a follower of Christ if they do not serve. If you have been attending church for years, call yourself spiritual, sing the songs, attend the meetings and go through all the appropriate motions and rituals, Jesus is talking to you. Perhaps today is the day you get out of the bleachers and onto the court. Perhaps today is the day you become a player for Christ and make the cut.
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