Reflection

December 15 Devotional: Henri Nouwen

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The Good News of Hell

Prayer, by Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Derbyshire, 1973

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"Oh Lord our God, how can we thank thee sufficiently for this new and living way?

Oh forgive us for our folly in so constantly looking back, being tied by traditions and customs and habits that never satisfied anybody and are but a hindrance and a confusion.

Lord, deliver us from this and grant that with the apostle, thy servant of old, we may say: forgetting the things that are behind, looking forward, we may press forward together, strong in the Lord and in the power of his might ..."

http://www.mlj-usa.com/pages/prayers

November 1 Devotional: AW Tozer-Make Time to Pray

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"Am I faithful in prayer?"

The Weakest in the Center: October 30 Devotional by Henri Nouwen

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The Weakest in the Center

The most honored parts of the body are not the head or the hands, which lead and control. The most important parts are the least presentable parts. That's the mystery of the Church. As a people called out of oppression to freedom, we must recognize that it is the weakest among us - the elderly, the small children, the handicapped, the mentally ill, the hungry and sick - who form the real center. Paul says, "It is the parts of the body which we consider least dignified, that we surround with the greatest dignity" (1 Corinthians 12:23).

The Church as the people of God can truly embody the living Christ among us only when the poor remain its most treasured part. Care for the poor, therefore, is much more than Christian charity. It is the essence of being the body of Christ.

Worshipping Jesus by Mike Breen

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The following is excerpted from Mike Breen's blog...

This is what I believe:

I believe there is inherent value in gathering a large group of people (75+) together to worship God, submit to the scriptures, tell stories of God moving in the community, share the Lord's Supper, etc. We gather because, with one voice, we choose to worship our Risen Lord. We gather to be reminded that we are part of his story - his present and future Kingdom. And we gather so that we can scatter as missionaries to a world that is broken and in need.
I believe the value of worshipping God together as a community is enough on its' own. If there was not one single person who wasn't a Christian in attendance, it would be just as important for us as believers. Worshipping Jesus for the sake of Jesus must always be enough.
I believe that to sustain the scattered mission of the church outside of the large gathering there is the need for regular and rhythmic times of gathering together to remind us of the bigger story we are in, reinforcing why we live the missional life we do. I'm not saying it's impossible to sustain Kingdom mission outside of it, but it's very, very difficult. We gather, we scatter. We gather, we scatter.
I believe the worship gathering exists first and foremost for believers, for people who are intentionally growing in their relationship with Jesus. Yes, people who don't know Jesus yet can come, but honestly, they aren't our top priority in a worship service. Can they come to faith in a service? Yes. Should we provide opportunities for them to step more fully into a relationship with Jesus? Yes. Can a pre-Christian benefit from experiencing the worship of believers? Absolutely. But we need to understand that if the worship service is our primary place of mission we've already lost the battle. We may believe in the priesthood of all believers, but do we believe in the missionhood of all believers - outside the 'gathering'?
I believe the worship gathering should always keep an eye on the shaping of the community for mission outside of the walls of the service. When they leave the gathering, believers should know they leave as missionaries and agents of the Kingdom. How is the church community shaping that reality for people?
I believe many who say they are advocates of the "missional church" have thrown the baby out with the bathwater and have rejected, out of hand, larger gatherings. To an extent I understand this, but the reality is that many missional churches struggle to grow, stagnate and fizzle out. Why? Because scattering is unbelievably hard and gathering sustains. It reminds us who we are. It shows us we are part of a bigger story that is reinforced when, upon looking around, we see enough people to remind us we aren't alone in this. We hear stories of victory and redemption. It nourishes our souls and allows the wounds of the missional frontier to receive some healing. It is not the only place care happens, but it is an important one.