Opening Worship at #GA222

It’s the hymns that always get to me.  The opening worship of this year’s General Assembly was no exception.  Imagine joining with hundreds of voices in worship and praise and prayer… accompanied by local musicians who made up the vocal choir, the handbell and chime choir, all accompanied by piano and organ.  Imagine standing in line, reverently waiting to be nourished by bread and cup as we remembered the presence of the Risen Christ in our midst.

As the worship began, water, cup, bread, and candle were processed in.  During the call to worship all present prayed: “We praise you, the three-in-one God. Without you we will not make it through the week.  You are ‘The Hope in Our Calling’ in the cascading waters of baptism.”  In other parts of the liturgy, we were called to remember our baptism in the words, “Be people of the water! Travel wet!”

Orlando and Charleston were mentioned at the very beginning of Moderator Heath Rada’s sermon as he reflected upon the biblical stories of Joseph and brothers and of the Prodigal Son.  So many of his words resonated deeply in me and in the hearts of those around me, as evidenced by moist eyes, quiet “amens,” heads nodding in agreement and affirmation.  Some of his words that so touched me:

·      “The Father in the story of the Prodigal Son was not open to negotiation.  Unconditional love and welcome were his choices.”

·      “The question for us all is, ‘Do we want to be found?’”

·      “We’re called to be a renewed family. That takes courage. Will you embrace it?”

·      “Go into the world as a work in progress… The world will be better because you are in it!”

The person sitting next to me, teaching elder commissioner Nancy Young from Newton Presbytery, reflected on the why this opening worship service was so important to her.  “The Presbyterian Church is a small church.  We come here from big churches and small.  But here we are in a worship service that is over-the-top expansive…. This is my family.  And we get to worship God together, as the Body of Christ.”

We were reminded that people from around the world – literally – were joining us in worship.  I know people in my own Presbytery in Central New York were gathered around computer screens, live-streaming the worship, able to participate through the online worship bulletin that was available from GA.  I was so aware of that as we celebrated Communion, remembering the words, “People will come from north and south, from east and west, and sit at Table in the realm of God.”

Working in the Church can sometimes be a lonely venture.  Today, once again, I was powerfully reminded that I am not alone.  Not ever.  Around me was my church family – most of whom I had not met – but they were family nonetheless.  And God embraced us all.  As Heath reminded us: “You are loved so much.  It’s as if God has nothing else to do!”

Worship that is EPIC - thoughts from Rodger Nishioka

Last week, I attended the Big Tent Event in Knoxville, TN.  This biennial gathering was first offered after the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church moved from annual meetings to meeting every other year.  The Big Tent Event thus sprung up on the "off" years from G.A.

In my column last week in Presbytery Matters, I noted some of the things I would be attending.  What I want to share with you in this column is some of the insights of the Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka in the workshop he offered on "Ministries Equipping Leaders for Discipleship and Evangelism."  Rodger is Associate Professor for Christian Education at Columbia Theological Seminary in the Atlanta area.  Rodger's current interest and passion is studying the relationship of youth and young adults with the Presbyterian Church.  The things he shared were both insightful and challenging.

Dr. Nishioka said that we have been a "culture of the page."  Particularly for Presbyterians, we are a people of books:  the Bible, the Book of Order, the Book of Confessions, our hymnals, the Book of Common Worship, etc.  We do "book" well, Rodger said.  What we need to be aware of, however, is that today we live in the midst of a "culture of the screen."  Particularly for the youth and young adults in our society, if something isn't accessible on the screen (laptop, smart phone, tablet, etc.) then they are not engaged.  In terms of worship, this means more than just putting words up on a screen via a PowerPoint or KeyNote presentation.  It means how we communicate, how we invite people to engage and interact during worship and other events.  In other words, it is nothing short of a cultural shift.

Rodger then spent time talking particularly about worship and what younger folks are seeking in worship.  He gave us an acronym (we all love our acronyms, don't we?) that outlined what he learned from countless hours in conversations with millennial folks and other youth.  From those conversations, he learned that younger folks are looking for these things when they come together for worship:

·      Experiential - Young folks don't just want to hear "about" God; they want the chance to actually "experience" the presence of the Holy One in our midst.  That means, among other things, that worship services must be...

·      Participatory - Worship is not about sitting around being entertained.  How can we engage people as active participants in worship?  What about opportunities for dialogue during worship?  What would it look like to offer anyone and everyone the chance to pray, to reflect on Scripture, to share stories of faith and wonder and love and doubt and hurt and hope?  How can we engage people's senses...which leads to the fact that worship must be...

·      Imagistic - Let's not just engage our brains in worship services.  Let's engage our sense of sight...of sounds...of taste...of smell.  For example, why not put a breadmaker in the sanctuary and have the aroma of bread baking when people prepare to celebrate Communion?  And how can we use images in ways that will be...

·      Communal - The common thing Rodger hears from youth and young adults is that they feel isolated and alone, despite all the ways in which they are connected via social media.  The Church is the one place where we have not just the opportunity but the mandate to offer a sense of community to people in need, to people who feel isolated, to people who want to feel united with others in common worship and service to other.

Worship can, and should, be EPIC:  experiential, participatory, imagistic, and communal.  How can we do these kinds of things, and then how can we get the word out so that youth and young adults know that they will be truly and fully welcomed when they walk through the doors of our churches?  This is a huge challenge, don't you agree?  But the needs are great, and the opportunity to meet those needs is right in front of us.  So how will we respond?

Goof-ups and Grace

On Sunday, January 4, I was blessed to have been asked to worship with the good folks at our congregation in Otisco.  Three different ruling elders helped lead the worship service, and all I was asked to do was read the Scripture lessons and preach.  It was a wonderful experience to worship with them that Sunday!

However... It's confession time.  As you know, every congregation orders their worship liturgy in different ways, and even within the same congregation the order is changed from time to time:  placement of hymns, special music, responsive readings, celebrations of the Sacraments, etc.  Also, as I'm sure you understand, pastors get used to doing certain things at certain times in worship services.  So, now that I am no longer the pastor of a congregation, that which is an absolute delight for me – preaching occasionally at different churches in our Presbytery - also has its unique set of challenges.  The main challenge (besides making sure I have the time of worship correct!) is to make sure I carefully look over the worship service so that I know who is doing what when.

So, Sunday at Otisco... The worship service was progressing right along.  Folks were friendly, welcoming, responsive, and engaged in all parts of the service.  It came time for me to read the New Testament lesson, which I did.  Then I proceeded right into the sermon, which is what I'm used to doing.  Again, folks paid attention and responded throughout the sermon, and, by grace, God was worshiped and glorified.

I finished, sat down, and got ready to sing the next hymn.  The pianist didn't begin playing immediately.  I thought to myself, "Ah, they have some moments for silent reflection after the sermon.  That's good."  I looked at the bulletin, saw which hymn was next... looked at what followed next in the service, and saw that it said "Meditation" (or the sermon).  I panicked, since I quite obviously had just finished delivering the sermon!  I looked further in the bulletin.  I then noticed that what should have happened was this:  New Testament reading, hymn, sermon, hymn; I'd just skipped right over that one hymn.  "Rats," I said to myself.  I then realized that the pianist wasn't playing, not because she was allowing for some meditative silence, but because she was waiting to see what I might choose to do next in the service, since I obviously had thrown the order of worship out the window!  The next liturgist looked at me, and then started to get up, but I got up first.  I looked at the saints gathered in that wonderful church, chuckled, and said, "You know, if I hadn't just preached a sermon entitled, 'Look Around,' and talked about the importance of being aware and attentive to what God is doing all around us, my skipping over a part of the service might not be quite so awkwardly funny!"  We all laughed together, and proceeded to sing two hymns in a row!  Oh, well!

We don't always get things right in our lives, in our work, in our relationships, or even in our communal worship of God.  But we still are called to "Look Around" and see what the Lord is doing in us, in others around us, in our church, in our Presbytery, in our community, in our world.  Thankfully, God gives us grace as we fumble along, trying to share Christ's light in the world, trying to see the light of Christ in others as well.

I experienced wonderful grace from the folks gathered that Sunday with me in Otisco to worship our God together.  I long for you to "Look Around" and experience instances of grace in your own life as well.  It's all around us.

Rethinking Smartphones in the Sanctuary

For the past few years, I've become increasingly convinced of the value of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and so many others.  These kinds of sites are, without a doubt, the way in which youth and young adults communicate.  That said, I've also been very clear that there are times and places where using FB etc. are not really appropriate... times of worship, for example.

However... however... I saw this the other day on - well, okay - I saw it on Facebook!  But it got my attention.  Even more, it has made me rethink my almost-instinctive desire to want to ban smart phones from the sanctuary.  Here's how one congregation is addressing this question.  On the welcome screen when people enter the sanctuary, this was showing:

Now, if you're not sure what any of that means, don't worry; you're in good company.  However, ask your children or grandchildren or youth around your church and ask them to "translate."

This seems to me to be an incredibly good and effective way to help communicate the Good News that is in each and every one of our worshiping congregations, letting the broader (and younger) community know that you're open and people are there with you in worship.  That makes a lot of sense to me... and it has changed my mind about how I might react next time I see someone on their smartphone or tablet in worship or at a church meeting.  True, they might be playing solitaire or angry birds, but they might just be letting their friends and family know what's going on. What do you think?  How is your congregation using Social Media sites?

Blessings and peace,
Steve