It's Wednesday, and because the English Student Association meeting that was supposed to be today was postponed (I would be talking about Business English. If you have any suggestions for the presentation let me know) I am working on other stuff that I've committed to but have been putting off. Specifically, worship for the MCC retreat in Bali at the end of next month. I'll post my final worship plan on here in case you want to join in our worship from far away. I've gotten most of the songs together that I think would be appropriate but I'm still working out the transitions, prayers, liturgies, and scripture readings.
When she was young my sister wanted to be a pastor but because I come from a conservative Baptist background she was instead encouraged to develop her personal knowledge of the Bible and God and share it only in informal settings. She has since been taken from us to live wherever God is (I'm actually not bothered much with the fact that I don't know exactly where she is, because we have been promised that those who love God will be with God when they leave this world, so wherever it is she that she is now, it is very, very good. Because the face of God is there. Time will fly till I see her face, and God's face, and I rest in that.). I've never wanted to preach because I really am not interested in Greek or Hebrew and I don't believe that a knowledge of these languages is necessary to know the truth of God since he is just as present here with us (and additionally we have the Holy Spirit) as he has ever been and I doubt that my translation of the original writings of the Bible would be terribly different than any of the hundreds of versions of the Bible that are available now in English. In the past 5 years (since I have left my small bubble of Portugal and been exposed to other small bubbles in the US) I have come to see that it doesn't take an academic to be qualified to effectively share with other people truths and insights from the Bible. The Bible is alive and the words are very living in the sense that there are so many lessons to be learned from the simplest stories about the nature of God. The Bible to me is a book that says- Look how God has worked in the past and better see how God is working where you are now. It is a testament to God's continual involvement in the human story and God's promise that God will always be involved in our breaking, redeeming struggle.
Preaching is therefore not ripping apart individual verses and scraping the barrel for truths from a dead language (A word about that- what message do you give your congregation about knowing God through the Bible when all your sermons revolve around your knowledge of dead languages that took you 5 years to learn? Perhaps, "Wow, I will not be doing that at home. My daily devotions are simple and dumb compared to this academic stuff!"), it is, in my opinion, leading people in the simple Big Picture of the Bible and the stories of God's making good of our bad, and our love for that Redemption moving us to imitate and worship him. I'm not against quoting individual verses but when taken too literally, individual verses without a grounded knowledge of the big picture can be very misleading.
With this perspective, I've started to love the Big Picture and being able to share with others my discoveries. I'm not looking at a career in the ministry in the traditional sense but I'm excited to take opportunities to share those discoveries and lead people in worship again in the future.
(My family has since slowly but surely converted from Baptist fundamentalism to a religion founded on grace and simple Truth and therefore I know I would have their support if I did go into the ministry full time. :-) )
While I looked up music for retreat I came across this song by Jars of Clay- my all time favorite "Christian" band- called Small Rebellions. It struck SUCH a chord with me because since I was small I have been looking for something to fight and trying to channel my passion and aggressive spirit. I have found plenty wrong in the world to rebel against, and this song talks about one of them.
You tube video with music and lyrics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk28J2sFsTo
Small Rebellions lyrics
Jars of Clay
God of the break and shatter
Hearts in every form still matter
In our weakness help us see
That alone we'll never be
Lifting any burdens off our shoulders
If our days could be filled with small rebellions
Senseless, brutal acts of kindness from us all
If we stand between the fear and firm foundation
Push against the current and the fall
The current and the fall
God of the warn and tattered
All of Your people matter
Give us more than words to speak
Cause we are hearts and arms that reach
And love climbs up and down the human ladder
Give us days to be filled with small rebellions
Senseless, brutal acts of kindness from us all
If we stand between the fear and firm foundation
[ From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/j/jars-of-clay-lyrics/small-rebellions-lyrics.html ]
Push against the current and the fall
The current and the fall
The fall
We will never walk alone again
No, we will never walk alone again
No, we will never walk alone again
Give us days to be filled with small rebellions
Senseless, brutal acts of kindness from us all
If we stand between the fear and firm foundation
Push against the current and the fall
Give us days to be filled with small rebellions
Senseless, brutal acts of kindness from us all
If we stand between the fear and firm foundation
Push against the current and the fall
The current and the fall
The fall...
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