March 8th, 2009 – Table Worship

Creator was shaken out of a "worship complacency" during Sunday service when we found ourselves seated in chairs around tables with the altar in the center.

The sanctuary was set up for Sunday evening’s Backpack Buddies Benefit Dessert concert. The altar was in the middle of the sanctuary and Pastor Dayle and Joe, the Assisting Minister, did not wear albs. This all contributed to an encompassing nature in the worship where there was little separation between the congregation and those presiding.

We were focused on what was essential to us for worship because we were asked to write or draw this out on paper. Pastor Dayle asked at the end if all that was essential to worship for us had been given to us during the worship.

It reminded me how unique worship at Creator has been for me. So many members are given, find or continue to pray for a vitality that demonstrates how important worship is for them.

In the sermon Pastor Dayle preached on the importance of naming in the story of faith from the readings in Geness 17 and Romans 4 where Abram (exalted father) is called Abraham (father of all nations) and Sarai (my princess) is called Sarah (Princess). God makes life fruitful and possible from barren impossibility. When God makes this covenant Sarah laughs, reacting to the impossiblity and impracticality and craziness of what is promised.

It was meaningful, thoughtful, nurturing worship.

March 4th, 2009 – To Pray as Jesus Taught Us and To Sing as Kelly Teaches Us

This Wednesday was a Lenten worship about prayer. Invitational. Expansive. The readings were two different translations and a paraphrasing of Matthew 6:7-13, the Lord’s Prayer that, as Pastor Dayle pointed out in her Reflection, we do not pray word for word.

The alternative Lord’s Prayer started:

Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver, source of all that is and that shall be, Father and mother of us all. Loving God, in whom is heaven.“

Try the different language”, Pastor Dayle urged, “Language is powerful and can open up our conceptions of God”

The silence incorporated into the worship felt profound. The conversation afterwards was lively.

Choir, as Kelly put it, was Lent light in attendance. We “dug in” on a couple of pieces. There were the typical puns and humor, particularly when we practiced a Haydn piece which, Kelly told us, followed the Baroque period. Haydn and Baroque were way to tempting in terms of puns and choir members explored them thoroughly, including Pastor Dayle’s “Where was he during the Baroque period? Was he Haydn?”

I went home with the Haydn's "The Heavens are Telling the Glory of God" from "The Creation" dancing in my head.

March 1st, 2009 – Rainbows and a song "Bind Us Together, Lord" – 1st Sunday in Lent

Throughout Epiphany there was no post to this blog. Much has happened in Epiphany but there were no words in me to describe what Creator was doing or what the activity meant within me. Thanks to those who commented they wanted the blog to continue.

On January 25th we voted and became a Reconciling in Christ congregation. The voting members at the congregational meeting adopted an explicit Affirmation of Welcome to all groups who have felt that the church’s welcome did not include them. The percentage of the vote was high enough (93%) that it felt like this touched some part of the congregation’s identity.

Today (as often happens in Sunday worship) the words of a hymn, together with a book I am currently reading, gave me language to describe Creator for me at this moment. The hymn is “Bind Us Together, Lord” and the book is Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s “Life Together” which Creator’s Book Group selected as our next book to read.

“Bind Us Together, Lord” rose as Creator Praise opened worship. What impressed me was how those words did not idealize Christian community life. Bonhoeffer writes about how, by God’s grace, the community life, that we idealize until it becomes a “wish dream”, is broken down to reality. This language speaks directly about the power I feel at Creator right now. The prayer “bind us together, Lord” with no “and we will live happily ever after as one” stuck on at the end, inspires me because happily ever after is not reality.

If someone declared that Creator is an uncommon church I would not argue. There are Creator worship and community moments have spiritually inspired and guided me. If someone declared that Creator is a common church, again I would not argue. There is hypocrisy, judgment, brokenness and fear that are all in the hearts of each of us which stops us from living a Gospel life.

This church has helped me to understand the strength of this dicotomy.

I listen to those who can sometimes see our congregation as something less than the memories they have of this church in the past.

I don’t really know if that is a past I share. Twenty year Creator members are likely to have a different perspective than I. There are vivid memories that shake my soul as I recall them.

Some moments are current. There were amazing moments in last week's Ash Wednesday service. Pastor Dayle remarked how many people can perceive Ash Wednesday as a downer and "kind of creepy". Ash Wednesday worship offered time for reflection and thoughts of our return to the Lord but there were also moments of laughter as Pastor Dayle pointed out the difference between her invitation to all of us to use the prayer circle and not worry about who was looking at us and the Gospel reading which commends us to pray in secret.

This Sunday there was also a rainbow moment where a "rainbow" was created out of crepe paper rolls strung from the baptismal font to the walls of the church. This tangible rainbow from the multicolored font emphasized the covenant God made in a powerful new way.

An exciting way to start Lent.