The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies
St. Stephen’s University
www.theworshipartisan.com

Thanks, once again, Phyllis. This was sent to me by good friend Robin Ellingwood.

The Divine Hours of Lent -

A fascinating piece on the young Venezuelan conductor, Gustavo Dudamel.

His work to plant youth orchestras in Venezuela and the United States is a great example of stewarding a creative gift well.

Gustavo Dudamel …on 60 Minutes; Exclusive Video Only on Yahoo! News

An interesting post over at Dan Kimball’s blog, delineating (according to one perspective) a variety of influencer’s views on the scales of orthodoxy.

Vintage Faith

One of my favorite young visual artists, who happens to be a friend and SSU alum, is giving an art show in the Halifax, Nova Scotia area of our country (about 6 hours from us).

Her renderings of faces and personalities of spaces is lovely, and speaks of a strong soul moving others in her creative wake. Check in.

Facebook | Jess Weatherhead: Halifax Art Show

After a strong discussion with my brother-in-law, Ed Gentry, last week, some important ideas are emerging in my heart and mind as we navigate the current trends in Church thinking.

I suggested that in the next 30 years or so, the primary challenge to Christian faith will not be Islam, Judaism, Hinduism or even atheism. It will be Theism. (Moltmann suggests that Christianity and a simple Theism are extremely far from one another.) Agnosticism (to be unsure if there is a God) will run a close second.

Why will Theism (or in some cases, agnosticism) be the challenger in the ring within the community of the faithful? The Church is discovering that it has severely lacked in its creational worldview - the magnificence of love, human aid, social justice, environmental concern and general appreciation for this world in which we live. The world around us has held up a mirror to cranky and pie-in-the-sky go-to-heaven-when-I-die Christianity, and the image has not been pretty. Creation and creationalism (a celebration of this good world), in all aspects human and environmental, are vital verbiage for the Christian vocabulary.

It doesn’t take a Christian to figure out that these things are important, so in many ways, we’re discovering how much we have in common with other human beings who do not believe that the Jesus’ words are true - “No man comes to the Father but through me.” The Church is in recovery, and we are slow. It’s both our curse and our gift to be slow, it seems. I usually believe it is our gift to the world.

So, in an age of tolerance (which can be taken to its own extreme) and understanding, Christians are awaking to the reality that others actually have something beautiful to say in art, philosophy, science and many other fields. It’s a glorious rediscovery that shimmerings of God’s truth are everywhere. We actually like people of other faiths, backgrounds, nationalities and histories - and even find affinities on many levels. We’re getting it, connecting with fellow human beings, and it’s all so thoroughly biblical, GodTrue and JesusRight.

In addition to this awakening, the age has waged it’s battle around the King (Father Raneiro Cantalamessa). Attacks on the person of Jesus being God have been many, and the new incarnations of age-old Gnosticism have railed their attacks on the divinity of Jesus. Jesus, coupled with Mary, DaVinci, Judas and the whole gang have been the subjects of the spiritual tabloids for many a moon these past years.

Many thoughtful Christians, however, they have rallied and sought to academically and credibly address these questions and the onslaught of disbelief. The average Christian has in some way felt strengthened by these helpful challenges and counter-challenges, and yet the air has changed.

I believe the changed air has put a question mark in many Christian’s minds about the “scandal of particularity” - i.e. the specific connection of Jesus with God. In my estimation, this will result not in a disbelief in God (sorry, Mr. Dawkins). Christians see too much glory, beauty and wonder in the world to trace it all back to mud.

Rather, I believe that a subtly diminished view of the biblical Jesus, and an aligning of ourselves with all things eco-, socio-, enviro- and human friendly is beginning to replace (for some) a vibrant connection with Jesus as Lord.

Now, on to the point of this brief post on a vast topic.

For this post, my point is that a rediscovery of creationalism makes us feel like we all believe the same story - Christians and good human beings alike. This has some strong elements of truth in relation to creational ideas, as mentioned above. There is much common ground, and they are all ideas with strong biblical support (love, social justice, care for the environment, care for the poor, ending slave trafficking, etc.). In my estimation, the biblical story, and Jesus culmination of it, is meant to aid us in recovering our true humanity.

However, as Ed shared with me so beautifully the other evening, the Christian’s Redemptive story is not the same as everyone else.

Resurrection. New Creation. A Champion. Sacrifice + Resurrection = Cosmic Salvation. Hope has entered the room. A reason for personal and corporate hope today, and tomorrow. Inner transformation by the Holy Spirit. A universe in the final throes of it’s brokeness, resulting one day in new heavens and a new earth. A returning Lord, with Whom we rule and reign. Eden amplified and restored. Death as beginning and not end. Marriage as a sacred act and microcosmic icon of relationship with God.

God-centric and inspired redemption… on and on and on.

As a Christian, we embrace the creational story, and are happily in recovery through the herculean efforts of current and emerging church thinkers, writers and activists. However, now that we realize that we are human beings again, along with the rest of the world, that doesn’t make us all the same in how we view the world in which we live.

Our redemptive story rumbles with an eternal thunder that heals then, now and forever. Jesus is the living Lord who brings this redemptive story to pass at the nexus of our shared past, present and future.

That’s all I have time to write for now, but this should get things started.

For my son and I, games we make up such as CrazyChess, FlameChess, PawnsAgainstBigGuysChess, PowerChess and much more drew me to find this.

I love the creativity involved in these expansions on the simple - so physical and sensory, so creational. The way the light dances at night on the large pieces is lovely.

So creational to “play” with simplicity like this.

Watch the vid on the site.

A new kind of cold war: Ice chess - Europe- msnbc.com

We choose to look to God, with hope, in the face of the tragedy at Northern Illinois University this week. From our university community here at St. Stephen’s University, our prayers go out to the students, faculty, staff and families of NIU.

Lord, thank you that You are present with
Each family,
Each student,
And the faculty and staff at NIU.

In your living Name we pray, Lord Jesus,
Amen.

As a number of us in our community are writing hymns both stylistically past and present, this excellent article from friend Stuart Townend (How Deep The Father’s Love) gives solid insight into the craft.

While we are slow to post our growing body of work at the Institute, here’s where they will live:

Hymns For The Emerging Church

For now, only 2 songs are up, in very rough, scratch form, but more are on the way. Here are the lyrics to one of them, an Advent hymn.

THE LOVE OF GOD REVEALED
Themes: incarnation, atonement, advent, narrative, eschaton

From the dust of time eternal
From the breath of heav’ns Adored;
Rose the man amid creation,
Rose the woman by His side

Singing “Praise, praise to the Father,
And the covenant He sealed;”
Come you sons and come you daughters
To the Love of God revealed

© 2008 Dan Wilt/The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies

SongStory: This is a modern hymn (with colonial American leanings) seeking to retell the Story of God through the metaphor of Love revealing Himself. God has indeed revealed Himself as Love, the Love to Whom every human being is wired to respond, throughout the history of civilization. In a simple way, the song attempts a brief reminder that, throughout all time, God has revealed His love to us in the person of Jesus.

Thanks to Liam Byrnes in Scotland for this solid quote on Lent from Maggi Dawn:

“It’s a common misconception that Lent is about self-improvement. Somehow a half-remembered custom of giving things up has been mixed in with our society’s obsession with self-help and self-improvement, so that we’ve blurred the true meaning of the fast into a rather individualistic concept, more like a New Year Resolution to detox or de-clutter.

And neither is Lent about achievement. We cannot earn God’s love, nor save ourselves. If our Lenten Fast is understood well, it will relieve us of the need to try harder, achieve more, feel worthy. It will ground us in the firm and unshakeable knowledge that we are human - we are but dust, and to dust we shall return - but that to be human is enough, under the loving gaze of God.”

Great friend and worship leader Nathan Rousu and his community (Harvest Vineyard) in Alberta are very intentionally walking through the Lent season together.

With his permission, I’m posting their approach as a tool for your use. They are a contemporary Church, seeking to recover more timeless yearly patterns in engaging their community in the fullness of the Human Story.

February 6 – Ash Wednesday
Send out communication reminding everyone of the start of Lent.

February 10
The Temptation of Jesus
Texts: Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Hebrews 4:14ff

February 17
Jesus declaration in the Temple and the subsequent rejection
Text: Luke 4:16-30

February 24
By whose power? - The Beelzebub accusation
Text: Matt 12:22-32

March 2
The feeding of the 5000, the bread of life, and subsequent rejection
Text: John 6

March 9
Gethsemane – Stay awake!
Text: Matthew 26:36ff

March 16
Palm Sunday – Be prepared (with oil), for you don’t know when the Son will appear
Text: Matthew 25:1-13

March 21
Good Friday service (noon – 3pm ??)

March 23
Easter Sunday Celebration

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Ash Wednesday
Psalm 51:1-13
Joel 2:12-19
2 Corinthians 5:20b – 6:2
Mathew 6:1-6, 16-21

First Sunday in Lent–> This Or this Or this
Psalm lesson: Psalm 130 Psalm 6 Psalm 91
OT lesson: Genesis 2:7-9, 15-17, 3:1-7 Genesis 22:1-18 Deut 26:5-10
Epistle lesson: Romans 5:12, (13-16) 17-19 Romans 8:31-39 Romans 10:8b-13
Gospel lesson: Matthew 4:1-11 Mark 1:12-15 Luke 4:1-13

Second Sunday in Lent
Psalm lesson: Psalm 105:4-11 Psalm 115:1, 9-18 Psalm 42:1-7, 11-15
OT lesson: Genesis 12:1-8 Gen 28:10-17 (18-22) Jeremiah 26:8-15
Epistle lesson: Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 Romans 5:1-11 Philippians 3:17-4:1
Gospel lesson: John 4:5-26 (27-30, 39-42) Mark 8:31-38 Luke 13:31-35

Third Sunday in Lent
Psalm lesson: Psalm 142 Psalm 19:7-14 Psalm 126
OT lesson: Isaiah 42:14-21 Exodus 20:1-17 Exodus 3:1-8b, 10-15
Epistle lesson: Ephesians 5:8-14 I Corinthians 1:22-25 I Corinthians 10:1-13
Gospel lesson: John 9:1-41 John 2:13-22 Luke 13:1-9
OR John 9:13-17, 34-39

Fourth Sunday in Lent
Psalm lesson: Psalm 43 Psalm 27:1-9 (10-18) Psalm 32
OT lesson: Hosea 5:15-6:2 Numbers 21:4-9 Isaiah 12:1-6
Epistle lesson: Romans 8:1-10 Ephesians 2:4-10 1 Cor 1:18-31 OR 1:18, 22-25
Gospel lesson: Matthew 20:17-28 John 3:14-21 Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Fifth Sunday in Lent
Psalm lesson: Psalm 116:1-8 Psalm 51:11-16 Psalm 28:1-3, 7-11
OT lesson: Ezekiel 37:1-3 (4-10) 11-14 Jeremiah 31:31-34 Isaiah 43:16-21
Epistle lesson: Romans 8:11-19 Hebrews 5:7-9 Philippians 3:8-14
Gospel lesson: John 11:1-53 John 12:20-33 Luke 20:9-19
OR John 11:47-53

Palm Sunday
Psalm lesson: Psalm 31:1-5, 9-16 Psalm 31:1-5, 9-16 Psalm 31:1-5, 9-16
OT lesson: Isaiah 50:4-9a Zechariah 9:9-10 Deut 32:36-39
Epistle lesson: Philippians 2:5-11 Philippians 2:5-11 Philippians 2:5-11
Gospel lesson: Matthew 26:1-27:66 Mark 14:1-15:47 Luke 22:1-23:56
OR Matthew 27:11-54 OR Mark 15:1-39 OR Luke 23:1-49

For those asking questions about labyrinths, and their usefulness as a multisensory vehicle of prayer and renewal with God, this site and it’s offshoots may be interesting to you.

Personally, as with all tools liturgical, I see both rich value and possible extremes, in all directions. This community, Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, has two built in for their community.

The Labyrinths of Grace Cathedral

Interesting. I haven’t read the book, but it sounds interesting.

Here’s the issue though. Christianity is meant to be culturally flexible and embodied in thousands of cultural ways. This is the very human beauty of Christ’s mission and teaching - and it’s power as the central human story.

As long as the book does not disembody Christianity from historical process and culture, all is well. If it demonizes the fact that human beings change along the way, experiment, entrench, and need course correction, then I can’t go with it.

God is not afraid of our history, our minglings with culture, nor our struggles to free ourselves from historical sins. He is present in the process.

i.e. Beauty can be found in “pagan” roots - because they are cultural roots. Pagan means “country dweller” - the people on the outside fringes of the empire.

There is a baptism for broken beauty in culture, and it can be reclaimed by this redemptive faith.

Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola and George Barna