sacramental effort

God of life, we are scattered seeds You water us. God of life, we are made to flourish and grow. You shine upon us with light. God of life, we are called to bear fruit. You nourish us with each breath. Glorious God, grant to us abundant life and abundant living  so that we may share your love with the world. Amen.

This article was originally published by "UMC Discipleship," the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church's website as a "History of Hymns" article--"History of Hymns" is an ongoing hymnological column--this article didn't survive the transition to www.umcdiscipleship.org when it migrated in Fall 2019. When Words Alone Cannot Express by John Thornburg Worship & Song,  No. 3012 When words alone cannot express all that our hearts ache to confess, bring music! Alleluia! Bring melody and rhythmic fire! Bring instruments, bring bells and choir! Bring music! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!* *Originally included in  The One Who Taught Beside the Sea  by John Thornburg ,  © 2003 Wayne Leupold Editions, Inc. WL 800009. All rights reserved. Used with permission. Even though it is a 21 st -century hymn text, it is hard to separate “When words alone cannot express” from the familiar 17 th -century hymn tune for which it was writ...

I will first offer a few things up front: if you are looking for creative ways to impose ashes for your Ash Wednesday service here—none will be offered. If you are looking for ways to possibly recreate this ritual in person outdoors—those won’t be offered either. I am of the strong persuasion that this service with its imposition of ashes, is not safe in person—especially the ritual itself, which brings the “imposer” and the “imposeé” in close proximity to each other, thus increasing chances for the transmission of the Sars-CoV-2 virus.  Here is a statement from the Ecumenical Protocols for Worship, Fellowship, and Sacramental Practices team about Ash Wednesday in 2021. Here is another from a well known expert in worship practice, Dr. Marcia McFee, PhD who also provides a lot of other ideas and even her own scripted service that is a part of her “Fully-Scripted” Lenten worship series, “Holy Vessels.” That being said, I do want to offer something that I believe can be useful to you ...

At this starting point of our Lenten journey, God we are here. hurting from wounds inflicted and self-inflicted. God we are convicted, needing to confess the wounds we have and the harm we have done. God we are fearful, fearful of death and death-dealing violence. God we are hopeful, assured of our redemption in you. God we are ready, ready for peace.   Amen.

For those of us used to observing trends and practices of the church,  the past few days have been a spectacle of church adaptation and willingness to accept change.  The ways churches have turned seemingly on a dime to utilize technology and engage the worshipping community has been miraculous and inspiring to behold. From creative expressions of worship optimized for live-streaming, to unique ways to be in ministry with children, to new means in which to gather together using video conferencing—churches have been forcefully shoved, willingly or not, into the twenty-first century. I am a United Methodist Deacon who is currently serving as a Lead Pastor of a church in Colorado with a degree in Sacred Music. I think a LOT about worship, especially the music and singing within it. And that thinking and training is what led me to make the decision not to livestream a simulation of our worship service onto Facebook Live or Youtube.  I am going to confess a bi...

This Sermon was preached on the twelfth and last day of Christmas. Christmas is incomplete for me unless I have an opportunity to reflect upon the story of the Christ child as a refugee. It has been a very long time since I have updated my blog, but below is a sermon I preached on Matthew chapter 2 where Jesus' family fled from Herod's violence. It acknowledges the "church refugee" crisis my United Methodist Church has also created in its decades long failure to see the LGBTQ community as fully human. My wife will be the first to tell you how hard it is to get any semblance of Christmas spirit out of me. I generally don’t enjoy most Christmas music heard on the radio, I am not really eager about Christmas decorations or the Christmas spirit. I feel a pressure during Christmas time to have certain feelings that are just not within me. Now to be honest, I now feel as if year after year I soften a little bit more. That’s probably Becky and her infectious C...

It's been a while, folks. But there are times where the liturgical season intersects with my interior life and I need to let something out. I find that rewriting an affirmation of faith helps me find the unspoken words I have within myself to speak into creation my identity as a christian, especially when it is hard or scary. So on this good friday, an affirmation. I believe in God; sometimes through sheer force of will only. I do not see God but I perceive God’s creation all around me—I see God in the wilderness, in the vastness and intricacy of nature, in community, and in you. I believe in God who is parent of us all, no matter what experience of “parent" we have encountered in our life—God’s parenthood fills those gaps. I believe in God’s infinite creativity. I believe in Jesus; God’s Son and God enfleshed; homeless and vagabond Lord of humanity. I believe in Jesus’ impatience with injustice who still loved the oppressed AND oppressor and desired for the liberati...

Holy Spirit, fall on us. Fill our emptiness to overflowing. Holy Spirit, fall on us. Replace our fear with courage. Holy Spirit, fall on us. Open our hearts to see your spark in those we meet. Holy spirit, fall on us. Holy spirit, fall on us. Muir Beach Overlook, 2017. Photo credit: Ben A. David Hensley

God of Life, we are searching for the way. Reveal the path. We work hard to be good people, yet still feel like something is missing. Reveal the path. We know the difference between good and bad, yet find those categories incomplete.  Reveal the path. We want to love God but find it difficult to love our neighbor. Reveal the path. We get along with everyone but have a hard time finding God. Reveal the path.

It’s 4:19AM, and I am writing this from the reception desk of my church which has become a temporary pop-up homeless shelter. I am sleep deprived, full of coffee, and awestruck by how my last week has been. This blog mostly centers around my writing for worship, so I want to spend some time talking about the architecture of our sacred spaces. This paragraph might not seem cohesive or coherent yet, but it will. Let me refill my coffee.  Okay. While it is true that we can worship fully regardless of the space we are in, another argument can be for the impact our worship’s architecture has on our sense of reverence, awe, and our sense of the sacred in the midst of our worship. I have seen some incredible worship spaces, from the centuries old Abbey on the Island of Iona in Scotland, to the historic, 102 year old sanctuary of my own church, to a worship space that also serves as a coffee shop.  Main Sanctuary of the Abbey on the Island of Iona Two qualities serve ...

Great Shepherd, feed us. Feed us joy when we despair. Great Shepherd, feed us. Feed us humility when we lose ourselves in pride. Great Shepherd, feed us. Feed us peace when we are overwhelmed with chaos. Great Shepherd, feed us. Feed us hope when we are lost. Great Shepherd, feed us. Feed us justice when we stray. Nourish us, O God, so that we may be nourishment for the  world. Feed us, O Shepherd, so that we may gain strength  to resist the powers and principalities of oppression. Guide  us, O Great Jehovah, so that we may be reflections of your  light in a world obscured by division, hatred, and fear.  

I believe in God the divine parent: provider of sustenance, challenge, and relief; who has created all and continues to create among us even now; who is among us in ways we can know, and in ways unknowable. I believe in Jesus Christ the beloved child, our savior: redeemer of humanity, deliverer from sin; who is the poured out love of God in creation, simultaneously human and divine; who was born of Mary, and sought safety in Egypt as a refugee; who amazed rabbis and priests as a child; who preached and performed miracles as an itinerant and homeless prophet; who was an unjustly convicted and executed criminal of the Roman Empire—his death was overturned by the will of God, and his resurrection has defeated the power of death. I believe in the Holy Spirit the constant helper: whose presence inspires and whose movement among us reveals God in our midst; who works with the church and despite the church to bring about God’s will in creation; who works with us and despite us to spread G...

My congregation is journeying with a new worship series inspired by the work of the inimitable Dr. Marcia McFee, who provides excellent resources on worship at www.worshipdesignstudio.com. The worship series is called "The Outsider," and explores the many types of people on the margins that Jesus encounters (or inspires people to become) in the Gospel of Luke. I look forward to sharing further creative ideas I come across as we dream this worship series into life. This Sunday, we will journey with "the homeless" as we explore Jesus' experience of the "hospitality" of Samaria, and the persistence of the hemorrhaging woman. What follows is our call to worship that begins with the singing of "God Welcomes All," a song brought to us from South Africa by John Bell of the Iona worshiping community in Scotland. God welcomes all, strangers and friends. God’s love is strong and it never ends . (John Bell; South Africa) “Foxes have holes, and...

I was recently in Pioneer Park in Downtown Dallas. "Dallas Pioneer Park Cemetery is the final resting place of six Dallas Mayors, three War of 1812 Veterans, nine heroes of the Texas Revolution, twenty-nine (one Union & twenty-eight Confederate) Civil War Veterans, fourteen Peters Colonists, five members of the La Reunion French Colony, four Colonels of the Confederacy, two County Judges, two District Judges, two notable historical women, one State Senator, one Lieutenant Governor & numerous other city & county officials of the earliest governments of Dallas County, including early doctors, lawyers, clergymen, merchants, fallen law enforcement officers & firemen, engineers, business leaders, mothers & children. The epitaphs & artwork of the monuments honoring loved ones long gone meant something to those left behind. The markers that have withstood the years, elements & vandals remain as a tangible link to Dallas' past.” (http://freepages...

My congregation will soon embark on a new worship series inspired by the work of the inimitable Dr. Marcia McFee, who provides excellent resources on worship at www.worshipdesignstudio.com . The worship series is called "The Outsider," and explores the many types of people on the margins that Jesus encounters (or inspires people to become) in the Gospel of Luke. I look forward to sharing further creative ideas I come across as we dream this worship series into life. On our first Sunday, we will journey with "the traveler" as we explore Jesus' sending of the Disciples in groups of two and our churches' responsibility to be havens to all kinds of travelers.. What follows is our call to worship. Peace to this house! May we bring peace with us wherever we go. When the journey has been long, may we bring peace with us wherever we go. When our burdens weigh us down, may we bring peace with us wherever we go. When the long paths we have taken leave scars...

In the beginning, God loved us into life; and God said, "This is good!" In our story, we repeatedly stumble; and God says, "I am with you always." In our society, we learn how to hate one another and ourselves; and God says, "I am love, whoever does not love does not know me." For all have sin, and fall short of the glory of God; and God says, "Fear not, I am with you now and forevermore." Glory to God, source of all love. Redeemer of all creation. Sustainer of all life. Amen.

Creating, Saving, Dancing God of Three, We give thanks to you, divine Trinity.  Almighty Father, Mother, Parent; humble Savior, holy Servant, Lord of love; and moving, breathing, igniting Holy Spirit; unite us as you are united: as a community so intertwined with itself in love and hope, that no difference can be made between its persons. Let the movement of our community be love.  Let the actions of our community be love.  Let the presence of our community be love.  Words and ideas cannot contain you. We worship You, our relational, diverse God. In the name of the Lover, Beloved, and Love itself, Amen.

God of grace and abundant mercy, you have made us in your beautiful image. You declared us to be  “good.” You love us with unfathomable intensity. We lift up our laments and shame when we fail to be mirrors of that love to our neighbor. We express our remorse when refuse to see each other as fellow beloved siblings made in your image. We grieve that we, so often, are unable to move past our addiction for conflict into reconciliation with those who are different from us in ideology, race, or any other characteristic that we use as building blocks for the walls we create between one another. Forgive us, Lord, for our sin. We pray that you will guide us into fruitful living and joyful relationship with our neighbors. God of enduring love, you have provided us with abundant blessing. You caused manna to fall from the sky in the desert, and sweet water to rush forth from the rock at Meribah. Your abundance surrounds us and should remind us of the urgent task we have of being st...

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia!  Christ walks alongside us on our journey. We often do not recognize his presence.  And yet, do our hearts not burn within us? Our hearts burn when we hear the hope of the gospel.  And yet, do our hearts not burn within us? Our hearts burn when we experience the grace of God.  And yet, do our hearts not burn within us? Our hearts burn when we bear witness to suffering. We should all have burning hearts: to be beacons of light in the darkness; to be messengers of the good news; to be prophets who speak out courageously against the spiritual forces of wickedness;  to be healers who bring the warmth of compassion and love.  May it be so for the greater glory of God!

ACT OF WORSHIP* Meditation – “Be Still and Know” "Be Still and Know" John Bell (Psalm 46) (c) 1989 WGRG The Iona Community (Scotland), admin. by GIA publciations, Inc. Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am God. Every moment of life has the potential to be worship. God invites us to find the joy of every second. Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am God. When we stop and listen, we can hear God’s voice. Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am God. When we stop to look, we can see God’s handiwork Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am God. When we take in a breath, we can breathe in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am God. When we perceive the hurting world around us, we can discern God’s will for us to help. Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am God. When we grieve or experience los...