~ by the Pastor and guest writers ~
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Praise as Discipline (September 29, 2004) On this Monday morning the sermon Reverend Ted Wardlaw preached at our church on September 26 is still churning inside me. Ted’s opening words pulled me to the very center of worship. Hear these words again as if for the first time: “Before there was music, there was praise. Before there was worship, there was praise. Before there were preachers, there was praise. Before there were liturgies and hymnals; before there were sanctuaries and choir lofts and pulpits; before there were prayers and creeds and theologies, there was praise.” The part of Ted’s sermon that spoke to me most powerfully was the relationship he brought to our attention between praising God and seeing the world as God sees it, in its potential for good and its capacity for evil; in its grief and its loss and its power and its despair and its tenacious hope. It’s praise that gives us vision, that enables us to see the world more clearly, especially through the eyes of God. I give thanks and praise to God for the Gospel I heard yesterday in our pulpit. I needed to hear those words and I pray that they will lead you and me to deeper levels of praise and vision. I, for one, need to discern more clearly the spiritual disciplines of praise that I need in my life. Let me be honest with you. I do a good to excellent job taking care of myself physically and intellectually. But I know there is much more to ministry than the physical and intellectual. I want and need to be better at focusing on my spiritual discipline and giving praise to God. The praise is often there but I either miss it, ignore it, or do not see it. Again, Ted helped me to see how much “noise” there is in my life and how that “noise” affects my relationships with each of you. It’s not just the noise of street-life and honking horns but it’s the noise of our own egos wrapped up in their sad self-promotion. It’s the noise of conflicts that often can grow and get out of hand until they become wars. It’s the noise of too much shouting and not enough listening. So, I want you to know that I am setting out to give more praise to God and to take care of myself much better than I have in the past as far as my own spirituality is concerned. How will I do that? It will mean I will be more faithful in taking time off during the week to take care of myself. On a practical level that means for me seeking spiritual direction and counsel from friends and pastors who can pastor and guide me. I am already looking ahead on the calendar for study leave time that will be primarily focused on spiritual direction and discernment. All this is to say thanks to all of you who express your concern for me. Thank you for a luncheon, lots of cards, phone calls, and email. You know, as I keep saying, you really are a “dream church.” May we continue to be “Stewards of Praise” and out of that praise see the world and see each other as God sees God’s creation and God’s creatures!
 The Weeks Ahead (September 15, 2004) I am looking forward to the next few weeks in the life of our community of faith here at First Presbyterian Church. This is the time of year when programs resume at the church and we have several opportunities to be actively involved in church membership. Let’s look ahead and see what’s on the schedule:
There are lots of good things going on in the next few weeks. I encourage all of you to remain active in the life and fellowship of our congregation. Stewardship of time and talent is one of the marks of active membership in the church. Participation in Christian Education and other programs is a way to practice the stewardship of your time and talents. I’ll be looking for each of you. Don’t be surprised if I call you and ask you where you have been.
An Ordinary Congregation? (September 3, 2004) I am not usually interested in books that authors publish that are results from their research on some topic. Books of that genre weigh heavily on statistics and facts. But much to my surprise has come a book that I highly recommend. For those who are interested in understanding congregational life the new work by Cynthia Woolever and Deborah Bruce is a must read. Beyond the Ordinary: Ten Strengths of U.S. Congregations, is the result of the largest project of its type ever conducted in the United States. Over 300,000 worshipers in more than 2,000 congregations across the country participated in the U.S. Congregational Life Survey. The introduction grabbed me from the start. Can you imagine a research-oriented book beginning with one of my favorite stories—The Wizard of Oz? The authors assume, and I believe correctly, that congregations possess three qualities:
It gets better as you read their approach in this work. Most scientific research focuses on finding the weaknesses and working to eliminate them. Beyond the Ordinary shifts the emphasis to looking at strengths and talents. Understanding what makes congregations strong is more helpful than identifying organizational weaknesses. Another thing I like is the assumption that all congregations are strong, in different ways. All congregations possess some strengths. Their belief rests on several assumptions. First, all congregations have strengths because in every congregation something works. Second, much of whatever congregations need more of already exists internally. Third, all congregations have something of value from their past that can be used to carry them into a more positive future. I hope to encourage many of you to read this fine work with me. Are we an ordinary congregation? Yes, in many ways we are. Would you like to learn more about what it means to move beyond the ordinary congregation? You will be surprised about what these two authors found about what shapes and influences congregations. Some of your assumptions will prove false. For example, one most sacred hypothesis held by congregational leaders is that “spiritually alive” congregations are the strongest or fastest-growing congregations. Is it true? Read and find out. Let’s look at moving beyond the ordinary.
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