New Way to Be Human

The Lord's Prayer

We've spent some time in our Exploring Christian Faith class with the Lord's Prayer. Mostly we have simply prayed it and not talked about it very much. This, this past week in our Sabbath Morning Bible Study we talked about the LOrd's Prayer. Taron Hovsepyan, who is a part of both groups and getting baptized this Sabbath, emailed me this very good poem. I wanted you all to see it.

I cannot say 'our' if I live only for myself.
I cannot say 'Father' if I do not endeavor each day to act like his child.
I cannot say 'who art in heaven' if I'm laying up no treasures there.
I cannot say 'hallowed be thy name' if I am not striving for holiness.
I cannot say 'thy kingdom come' if I'm not seeking to hasten the blessed hope.
I cannot say 'thy will be done' if I am disobedient.
I cannot say 'in earth as it is in heaven' if I'll not serve him here and now.
I cannot say 'give us this day our daily bread' if I am selfishly hoarding for the future.
I cannot say 'forgive us our debts' if I harbor a grudge against anyone.
I cannot say 'lead us not into temptation' if I deliberately place myself in its path.
I cannot say 'deliver us from evil' if I do not long for holiness.
I cannot say 'thine is the kingdom' if I do not give Jesus the throne of my heart.
I cannot attribute to him 'the power' if I fear what men may do.
I cannot ascribe to him 'the glory' if I'm seeking for my own honor.
I cannot say 'forever' if I'm living only for temporary earthly rewards.

Book on Sabbath

This past Thursday I mentioned a classic book called, simply, Sabbath, by Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. I've added that book to our book list at the left in addtion to two other excellent books on the Sabbath. Whether you've been keeping Sabbath all your life or it's a totally new practice for you, I think you will find these books to be tremendously helpful.

Sabbath as Sign and Foretaste of God's Shalom

This week in our class, Exploring Christian Faith, we are talking about Sabbath. You can download the lesson by clicking the link on the left side of the page. One of the central parts of this lesson asks us to consider what the practice of Sabbath looks like in a postmoden world. So, I want to invite you to spend some time dwelling in the text of Isaiah 58 and then come back here and post a comment in answer to the following question:

“If we were to take these ideas found in Isaiah 58 seriously - if we were to really enter into this narrative, as a congregation - what would we have to do differently?” For example, how would your views of "going to church" change? How would you spend the hours of the Sabbath day?

How Worship Shapes Us

Last night we explored the Christian practice of worship and how worship shapes us as Christians and helps keep us Christian. Worship shapes us in a Christian culture or, as Abraham Joshua Heschel puts it, "Worship is a way of seeing the world in the light of God." Well said! You can download the entire lesson by clicking the link at the left.

The other thing that emerged from our discussion was the question of whether worship is primarily a subjective experience that gives rise to concrete expressions of worship (like singing, praying, kneeling, standing, shouting, eating the Eucharist, baptism, etc) or whether it is primarily objective expressions that give rise to the experience of worship. As with most good questions, the answer is a resounding, YES! This diagram above is my attempt to capture the gist of the great conversation which just sprang up in our group (click the picture to enlarge). What are your thoughts?

The Journey Starts Tonight

Tonight we begin our journey in a six part class called, Exploring Christian Faith. The first lesson is entitled A New Way to Be Human (which is a theme, here, it seems). You can download the first lesson by clicking the link at the left. You'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open it, but everyone has that now, right? I really hope you'll come out tonight, if you can. If not, download the lesson, work on it and post a comment here on the blog.

A huge part of this process is journeying together in community. You can't download that...sorry!

Exploring Christian Faith

This Thursday, March 9, we begin our 6-week class, Exploring Christian Faith. This class is specifically designed for anyone who is new to Christian faith or simply wanting to explore Christianity in a fresh way with new friends. All are invited. Our class will be held in the Youth Chapel of the Hollywood Church, this Thursday, from 7:30 - 9:00 pm. We will continue each Thursday until April 13. Some have expressed a desire to be baptized or join the church in some way a the conclusion of this class. If you would like to learn more about Hollywood Church and joining us in our mission, please email me and I'll get with your right away.