Weekly Worship 3

The plans that we make do not always come to fruition.

While we intended to share with others in worship together every week this week my worship took a different form. With the final deadline approaching, and the work to be done diminishing all to slowly, our Sunday was far from normal.

We took time to share with others - and enjoyed hospitality and shared our journey with people close to us. We planned to do so over breakfast - we shared over lunch, and God was present.

We took time to order our lives around that which was important. This week it took the form of physical ordering, storing away that which was not needed, and entrusting much of our 'stuff' into the hands of others.

We took time for some cleansing. This week it included a trip to a physical rubbish tip- getting rid of the junk and giving away some useful stuff that could be used by others. Worship includes focusing on that which is important, and getting rid of the rubbish in our lives.

We took the time to hear the Word of God. On the way I listened to Walter Brueggeman speak on Acts 1 "The risks of truth telling"

Some quotes:
"Easter news challenges and subverts and overthrows all settled arrangements, all power grabs, all assumptions about entitlement, and privilege and advantage."

"By its words, by its acts of generosity and emancipation the church opens up new possibilities that makes all old possibilities impotent."

"And as the story goes the powers of death did their best on that Friday, but they could not prevail. They are shown to be helpless before God's power for life, and so the church continues to mock death and to celebrate God's will for life that will not be defeated."

And we are to give testimony "....that the future is open and death cannot win."


"The church is surrounded by people who lie. .....
They say, assuming the power of death, that violent force will make us safe. It is a lie.
They say, assuming the power of death,that more stuff will make us happy.It is a lie.
They say, assuming the power of death,that more cleaver techniques will make the church more faithful.It is a lie.
They say, assuming the power of death,that more cosmetics will keep us young.It is a lie.
They want us to gather around the still power of death in order to stay in control, and it is a lie.
They lie and we in the church are called to tell the truth about Easter that opens the future."

This Sunday was different - but fellowship was shared, encouragement gained and shared, and challenge received from God's word.

I am called to tell the truth, by my actions and my words to challenge the lies about who is really in control. Brueggeman suggests that this is always risky work (the Greek word for witness is marturion from which we get our word for martyr)- but the practice of this truth gives eternal life, beginning now."