CALLED AND CHANGED

One cannot say Yes to God and remain the same. We say that change is the byword for those who in some manner have heard God’s voice calling them out.

Of course, that’s one reason a lot of folks have trouble listening or saying yes, precisely because they sense change is the name of the game and they have no intention of changing, thank you.

The story of Jonah puts an ironic twist on this equation. I read a snippet of his colorful story this morning. When Jonah hears God’s instruction to go to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire, with a message of repentance, he turns and runs in the opposite direction. But in a great storm Jonah is tossed into the sea and swallowed by a great fish that deposits him on dry land; once again he’s set on a path toward Nineveh. This was the capital city of the most aggressive and brutal power of the day. And it was big – we read that it took three days to walk across it.

Jonah then delivers the shortest sermon on record, and lo and behold, the people of Nineveh repent, which we later learn angers Jonah, who confesses that this is the reason he didn’t want to go there in the first place. He says, “That is why I fled at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and ready to relent from punishing.” [1]

In other words, Jonah did not want to participate in the change God intended, which had something to do with the nature of God’s redemption- mercy and grace to all who will receive. He did not want the Assyrians included among those God cared about. God’s mercy ticked him off., which happens to us sometimes. Note that from one vantage point, there was a political outcome to Jonah’s mission. Nineveh, the major threat to Israel, was spared. [2]

God calls and things change. When Jesus called his first followers, they were changed. The message of the good news changes people. This good news of God- consistent with the news Jonah was meant to bring to Nineveh – God’s redemption for those who would turn around and change. Indeed, Jesus was himself the living embodiment of God’s redemption – that’s the extremely radical, disruptive message we peddle in here. Walking along the lakeshore Jesus sees the fishermen Simon and Andrew, James and John and calls to them to follow along his path. “Follow me and I will make you fish for people,” which they learned as the story unfolds, has personal-political-social-spiritual ramifications.

But you see, one can’t go around fishing on behalf of the kingdom of God and not rile the ranks of the kingdom of men. There’s an inherent competition for authority.[3] As in, is God the principal ruler or Caesar? Who’s in charge after all? And what are the implications of assigning authority to one or the other? This very question led to Jesus’ execution as an enemy of the state, John the Baptist's beheading, and Elijah's hiding.

And yet, we see the implications for those who would follow the path, stretching out for hundreds of years, playing out in the lives like John Wesley and William Wilberforce and John Newton and Abe Lincoln and Martin Luther King and your pastor, as well as many other women and men who listened to and were transformed by the good news of God.

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Awit ng Umaga. Some folks from one of our Worship Teams at church have formed a band they call, LAYAG. It's cool to see these musicians trained and exposed in church go mainstream proudly wearing their Christian faith on their sleeves, and hopefully become witnesses to Christ's grace. Gayle on vocals, Brian on keys, Janny on percs, Lance on drums, Yuna on bass, and Gabe on guitar. Everyone except for the latter, grew up in GCF. With the help of another guy from church, Gino Jose, the group releases its first video featuring an original composition by Gayle, Awit ng Umaga (literally, Song of the Morning or Morning Song).

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1 Jonah 4:2

2 Steve Bauman CCUMC-NYC, 012509

3 ibid

WHAT DRIVES YOUR WORSHIP?

What is worship? It is a good question.

When you took that worship survey last year, you requested a sermon dealing with that question. Worship is the most important thing that a human being can do. It is the zenith of what it really means to be human. Worship is the most important thing we will do this week. Even if we should discover the cure for cancer on Wednesday. Worship is the most important thing the church does. So, we had better get it right, shouldn't we?

But there is a heresy afoot in the church that makes it tough to get worship right. The heresy is this: the creeping tendency to replace the doctrine of the sovereignty of God with the sovereignty of the congregation. Which translates into, 'Hey, let's do worship in ways that make us feel good.' Ways we like, rather than what necessarily pleases God.

So, if you and I are going to get worship right, we had better start by asking ourselves a question. The question is this: "Is worship primarily for us, or primarily for God?" If we are going to get worship right, we had also better get our grammar straight. Worship is not a noun. It is not something that we go to. It is not something we attend. It is not something we observe. Worship is a verb. It is something that you and I do. Which means that we can go to church and not necessarily worship. It means that we can show up in the sanctuary Sunday after Sunday; but in reality, be totally absent from worship. If we are going to get worship right, we ought to go to those places where we find what authentic God-pleasing worship looks like.

One of the best places to do that is in the fifteenth chapter of Revelation.

And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed."1

What exactly is worship?

Let me begin by telling you that first of all, worship is a victim. It is a victim of our culture. I want to hit on at least four aspects of our culture, four cultural influences that tend to seduce you and me continually; do a job on us, moving us from what authentic worship is, to what I would call pseudo-worship.

We live in an entertainment-driven culture. Everywhere we go today, we expect to be entertained. Even if you are alone in an elevator there is music playing. We want to be continually on the edge of our seats. We want to be made to laugh. So we have remote control switches and we hit the buttons until those things are a part of what is happening. We want to be entertained. We expect it, and if we are not careful, even as committed Christians we can tend to bring that quest for entertainment into a place like this on Sunday morning. "Here I am God. Entertain me!"

You see, God will only receive worship that is authentic. Worship that is pleasing to Him. Is worship all about being entertained?

If we worship with the whole church and our quest is chiefly to be entertained, then I think we have missed the boat as to what worship is all about. As a worship pastor I know that a lot of folks come on Sunday morning wanting to be entertained. So, I must admit, people in my position are always, always tempted to supplant the sovereignty of God with the sovereignty of the congregation and try to do a stand-up comedy act, or be a storyteller rather than a preacher of the word and a worship leader.

We live in a therapeutic culture. The mantra of that culture is 'something's wrong, fix me.' While there is truth to the fact that we need a lot of fixing, getting "fixed" is a by-product of authentic encounter with God in Jesus Christ. We are all finding out that we are dysfunctional. The Bible said that from the very beginning. We are told to search out our inner child, and then hook up with therapies that will bring healing into our lives. There is nothing wrong with seeking after healing. The problem arises when we take legitimate desire for healing and begin to make that the focus of worship. 'God , make me better' replaces 'Praise you Lord'. When that is the case, then our worship is what needs healing.

We live in a highly politicized culture. The Christian faith can and does speak to every issue of human existence. Our faith ought to be the primary thing that shapes our politics. But often times, it is vice versa. Often times you can wander into a church and wonder if you have stumbled into a political rally rather than a service of worship. Whenever political ideology - be it from the right or the left -- supplant the Word of God, which overshadows and judges all political human endeavors; when the Word of God is supplanted by political ideology, then you might have a political pep rally, but you are not worshiping.2

We live in a consumer-oriented culture. Where everything is, 'Me, me, me...' Worship is really all about me, right? Fix me. Entertain me. Make me feel good. Pump me up. Recharge my batteries. Make me feel better. And if you don't, I'll go down the street to the church that does. Or I'll find another god who will revolve around me."

When me-centered, human-centered worship is what a church is all about, they really are a part of the cult of narcissism; not the Church of Jesus Christ.

So, what does authentic worship really look like?

What is worship? This text before us gives us a few significant pointers as to what authentic worship looks like.

Authentic God-pleasing worship is God centered. It is God focused. At the funeral of Louis XIV, perhaps France's greatest king ever, the cathedral was packed out with mourners. The funeral was held at night time, and the only light in that vast cathedral was one lone candle right by the casket containing the mortal remains of that great monarch. At the appointed time, the court preacher got up to address the assembled clergy and the dignitaries of France. He ascended the pulpit and then he reached out from the pulpit and snuffed out that lone candle which symbolized the greatness of the king. And then in total darkness he uttered four words, "Only God is great."3

Worship has got to be based on the sovereignty of God. Only God is great. Only God is worthy; worthy to be worshiped.

Authentic worship is always a response. It is always a response to victory. The victory that God has won for us in Jesus Christ.

If you are a Christian, you are on the winning team. Victory is yours and mine. So, we come here Sunday after Sunday to celebrate victory. Not our victories. The victory that is ours in Christ Jesus alone.4

We need to lose ourselves in these adjectives if we are going to truly worship this morning. Adjectives that describe who God is. Almighty. King of the ages. Holy. Adjectives that describe what he has done for you and me in Christ Jesus. His ways are just and true. Marvelous and great. Righteous.

As you and I lose ourselves in those adjectives describing who God is and what he has done for us; as we lose ourselves in understanding of who God is, and the fact that he is here. It is then that we become awesomely overwhelmed with the reality. That is the presence of God. When you and I are bowled over by the loving, gracious, holy, magnificent presence of God, it is then that all of those desires to be entertained, and fixed, and coddled, and to be in control begin to dissipate and you and I begin to worship in spirit and in truth.

So you see, worship always begins on a note of victory as we come into a place like this, and then turn our heads, and our hearts, and our entire beings over to this God who has revealed himself to us in Jesus Christ and through his mighty acts in Christ. That is what true worship is all about.

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1 Revelation 15:2-4 NIV

2 Dr. Ron Scates, CentralPC Baltimore, MD, June 1999

3 Ibid

4 Ibid

5 Worship Starter Video of GCF (How Can I Keep from Singing by Chris Tomlin)

ON WORSHIP AND CANOLA FIELDS

Had this cool and yet strange dream last night! I was walking on a dirt path in the on the side of a road that ran through vast Canola fields!

Anyway, allow me to continue writing about worship.

Three 20- or 30-something men speak about powerful divine encounters on the Bible. Isaiah, Paul, and Peter all tell of their meeting God, or God meeting them, and setting them on their life paths. In Isaiah’s case, it’s clear that this happened in the temple, no doubt while worshiping. And, it’s a pretty dramatic scene that he describes. Of course, the temple was a very impressive space, designed to inspire awe and reverence.

Here’s what happens to Isaiah during worship: he had a great vision; as he says, “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings…the one called to another and said, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ The pivots shook…the house filled with smoke.”[1] Pretty impressive vision, right?

By comparison, imagine something like that happening here, to you, some morning. In Isaiah’s day, the temple had been built as a space to mediate such divine encounter. And, the same might be said for this space as well. Still, have you ever really thought through the implications – that maybe the most important purpose to gathering together and doing the sorts of things we do in here was to mediate an encounter with the sacred order of things? I mean, actually, in real-time, open up a space so that God might speak to us in some form or fashion?

No doubt you’ve heard it said that the reason we worship is to praise God. And so we do offer praise. But over the years, I’ve heard preachers a time or two go on and on how God just loves to be praised. Praise, praise, praise – that’s what God wanted from us and it made him just so happy, which, quite frankly, makes God sound like a narcissistic celebrity who just can’t get enough of his fawning public.

While worship is directed to God, it is in a very important sense, for us. Authentic worship depends upon some understanding, either conscious or intuitive, of what we might call “the unseen order of things.” We function in at least two different realms: the seen and the unseen; the tangible and the intangible. Whenever we start talking about “spiritual matters,” we’re acknowledging the existence of this unseen realm as a simultaneous reality to our physical existence. When Paul says at one point that God is “the one in whom we live and move and have our being,” [2] he’s affirming that God permeates existence. As Marcus Borg puts it, “God is a non-material layer of reality all around us. …There are minimally two layers of reality, the visible world of our ordinary experience, and God, the sacred, or Spirit.” [3]

Authentic worship creates a “thin place” [4] between these realms; a time and place where the realms might touch. Of course, it is possible that such a time could be anywhere and everywhere given that this sacred order is everywhere. I’ve certainly had thin places pop up in unexpected moments – in my bed, walking down the street, hiking in the mountains, sharing deeply with another, singing or listening to music, even just sitting quietly in a chair.

Worship is no passive experience. We bring our disciplines of intention and attention; we come not as critics two steps removed waiting for the performance to begin, but as players ourselves, with our roles and responsibilities.

Which then leads to the last thing to be said for now: following their dramatic experience of realms converging, Isaiah, Peter and Paul were changed, and they had revealed to them who they had been all along. Worship is not about a self-indulgent deep experience. We don’t consume worship like customers on the make for a fast pulse. At the end of it, the point is transformed lives sent into the world.

That’s what Isaiah heard in the temple. “I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, “’Here am I; send me!’” [5]

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[1] S Bauman, CCNYC 2007

[2] Acts 17:28
[3] Marcus Borg, The Heart of Christianity, Harper San Francisco, 2003, p. 155
[4] Ibid.
[5] Isaiah 6:8

IF YOU WISH TO BE POPULAR JOIN THE AMERICAN IDOL AND NOT THE WORSHIP TEAM

Thoughts over Quiet Time.

Seeing silent workers working their socks off for the cause of God is heartening.
They may not be earning millions but the fulfillment each of of the have is immeasurable. Silent workers are those who dedicate their lives to be the silent worker that choose to be who in their silence move hundreds or even thousands of people to love God more than they do life. These people who serve God like they should gets pushed into the limelight. They don't enjoy the limelight as much as they do God's presence and so they keep doing what they are called to do without giving much thought to how large their influence had become. Then there are those who see the silent workers get pushed to the limelight and gets jealous of the silent workers' position. People jealous of the silent workers' get irked by the heavy attention these silent workers get. So, driven by their jealousy, they shove the silent workers from the limelight thinking in whose minds such a place -limelight- does not exist. All that silent workers wanted to do was point others to the real Source of Light. In their jealousy they eventually find out that they are yearning for that something which is not their nor silernt workers' to begin with, the glory.

All glory belong to God alone. Any attempt of man or angels to divert attention and glory from God will eventually meet the fate of the once popular "angel of light" who tried to draw attention to himself that led to his ruin. It started when someone began believing that life is a popularity contest when it really isn't.

Moses, in Exodus 33 shows desire to know God more than he already did. He knew comparatively little of God. Something indeed he had known of Him, but he wished to know more--A desire to know that which makes God worthy of the homage and adoration of his creatures, and especially he desired to be so subdued by this knowledge--his heart so fixed in his confidence, as to be prepared for his great work, the work of conducting Israel to the promised land--so subdued that his confidence might be perfect in him, so that he might never fail in his trust and leaning upon the Lord. God had called him to a very arduous work, and he needed a very thorough acquaintance with Him- to see God's glory and give Him all the glory He is worth.

The original meaning of the term glory was, brightness, clearness, effulgence: from that it has come to signify honor, renown; and again, that which renders honorable, or demands honor, or renown, reverence, adoration, and worship--that which is worthy of confidence and trust. But glory also means "weight" which could also mean "worth." The glory of God is essential and declarative. By essential glory is meant that in Him which is glorious--that in his character which demands honor, worship, and adoration. His declarative glory is the showing forth, the revealing, the manifesting, the glory of his character--his essential glory--to his creatures: the laying open his glory to the apprehension of intelligences. And this is what Moses meant--that God would reveal Himself to his mind so that he might know Him--might have a clear and powerful apprehension of those things which constitute his glory.

I anyone wishes to get glory and become popular, join the American Idol, not the Worship Ministry.

PUSH OVER - SOME THOUGHTS ON LIMELIGHT-HUNGER

Thoughts over Quiet Time.

Seeing silent workers working their socks off for the cause of God is heartening.
They may not be earning millions but the fulfillment each of of the have is immeasurable. Silent workers are those who dedicate their lives to be the silent worker that choose to be who in their silence move hundreds or even thousands of people to love God more than they do life. These people who serve God like they should gets pushed into the limelight. They don't enjoy the limelight as much as they do God's presence and so they keep doing what they are called to do without giving much thought to how large their influence had become. Then there are those who see the silent workers get pushed to the limelight and gets jealous of the silent workers' position. People jealous of the silent workers' get irked by the heavy attention these silent workers get. So, driven by their jealousy, they shove the silent workers from the limelight thinking in whose minds such a place -limelight- does not exist. All that silent workers wanted to do was point others to the real Source of Light. In their jealousy they eventually find out that they are yearning for that something which is not their nor silernt workers' to begin with, the glory.

All glory belong to God alone. Any attempt of man or angels to divert attention and glory from God will eventually meet the fate of the once popular "angel of light" who tried to draw attention to himself that led to his ruin. It started when someone began believing that life is a popularity contest when it really isn't.

Moses, in Exodus 33 shows desire to know God more than he already did. He knew comparatively little of God. Something indeed he had known of Him, but he wished to know more--A desire to know that which makes God worthy of the homage and adoration of his creatures, and especially he desired to be so subdued by this knowledge--his heart so fixed in his confidence, as to be prepared for his great work, the work of conducting Israel to the promised land--so subdued that his confidence might be perfect in him, so that he might never fail in his trust and leaning upon the Lord. God had called him to a very arduous work, and he needed a very thorough acquaintance with Him- to see God's glory and give Him all the glory He is worth.

The original meaning of the term glory was, brightness, clearness, effulgence: from that it has come to signify honor, renown; and again, that which renders honorable, or demands honor, or renown, reverence, adoration, and worship--that which is worthy of confidence and trust. But glory also means "weight" which could also mean "worth." The glory of God is essential and declarative. By essential glory is meant that in Him which is glorious--that in his character which demands honor, worship, and adoration. His declarative glory is the showing forth, the revealing, the manifesting, the glory of his character--his essential glory--to his creatures: the laying open his glory to the apprehension of intelligences. And this is what Moses meant--that God would reveal Himself to his mind so that he might know Him--might have a clear and powerful apprehension of those things which constitute his glory.

I anyone wishes to get glory and become popular, join the American Idol, not the Worship Ministry.

MY HAND HELD AND A PRESIDENT SWEARIN' IN

My Hand Held. After an evening that included a quick visit with a man in a hospital, a brief meeting with someone at the mall and buying ingredients for my tikoy recipe, I was on my way back to church to get a cab. As I reached the edge of the sidewalk ready to cross ADB Avenue- like any good citizen needing to cross the street, I looked to my left waiting for a street clearing, I felt a rather strong grip around my wrist. My mind's immediate thought was to pull my hand back. But even as I acted upon that thought I had already turned to my side surprised to find a twenty-ish, 5'4"-tall, fair-skinned woman who simply said as her hand slipped from my wrist to my hand, "It's always difficult to cross this street." I didn't know how to react to her action and her statement other than say, "Yeah!" Her grip was quite strong. My hand was intentionally unresponsive.

As we reached halfway across the six-lane street, she said, "You don't know me that's because I don't go to GCF, but I am a part of this Christian dance troupe ----- that uses one of GCF's rooms for rehearsals! So I know you." I am not a touchie-feelie person with people I don't know and was hoping the awkward moment would end quickly, and it did when we made it to the other side and a familiar guy who belongs to the same dance troupe walked past us whose attention she then called!

Somebody held my hand and I was uncomfortable mainly because we are not a couple. It wasn't like shaking hands with someone. New York Times explores what hand-holding means in today's sex saturated context; saying that as it did in former generations, it still communicates a form of commitment, maybe even more so.

"Hand-holding is the one aspect that's not been affected by the sexual revolution," said Dalton Conley, a professor and chairman of the department of sociology at New York University. "It's less about sex than about a public demonstration about coupledom." ... To hold someone's hand is to offer them affection, protection or comfort. It is a way to communicate that you are off the market."

A New President for the world's most powerful nation. As I write this the 44th President of the United States, Barack Hossein Obama takes the oath of office. All Presidential Inaugurations are historic but this one is a total stand-out -- the first Black president! I love how the Rev'd. Rick Warren painted a picture in his prayer of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and a host of other witnesses rejoicing in heaven to see America inaugurate the first Black president!

As I type this President Obama is delivering his Scripture-quoting speech...and so, that's all for now for me.

ARE YOU SATISFIED?

My mother, without fail until about a month before she went to be with the Lord, always told me at the dinner table, "Anak (my child), please, sit up straight." She was always concerned with her children's good manners and right posture!

Today is our church's Day of Prayer. A 4-hour-long prayer and praise service is scheduled to take place at 1PM. The event signals a week-long time of prayer and fasting and individuals are encouraged to choose to take part. And in line with this, I couldn't take my mind off the thought of "correct posture" before the Lord.

In CS Lewis's book on prayer, he talks about the paradox of how indifferent posture is and how important posture is when we are in conversation with Hod. And by that I mean, I can pray in any posture- sitting, standing, walking, jogging, in the shower, strolling in the mall, whatever, but just try praying on your knees or your face and see if that doesn't dramatically impact the way you pray and maybe impact others around you!

While posture for me isn't all that important, prayer is. It should always be an important part of a Christian's faithwalk. I just can't imagine a Christian for whom that shouldn't be the case. It is our connection to the One who gives life and all that is. A Christian's is only as strong as his or her prayer life.

Over the last several weeks, I have seen so many things in my ministry, life, relationships, family, etc. that overwhelm me for which I found myself drawn to the floor of my apartment...a rather uncomfortable posture to seek God's face and favor.

When we are faced with issues to address other postures are vying for our attention. In my time spent on the floor, I realized a few things concerning our posture before the Lord.

PRAISE. This should be our primary posture. Psalm 147:12 exhorts the people of God to praise and extol Him. It should be our posture all the time because we were created above everything else to give Him praise. When we extol the Lord- to lift up His name- we arrive at the apex of what it really means to be human- a humble creature of dust before His maker.

HIDE. He is our shield. God IS the iron bars of yours and my gates. He is our Defender when anything and everything that hits you and me in life that’s not good and He gives us His promise, in Scripture, that there is absolutely nothing that can ultimately defeat you and me. Name your poison. Be it disease or economic downturn or marital strife or cancer or even death, there is absolutely nothing, when God is our Defender, that can defeat you and me. He is the iron bars of our gates. He is our Refuge and Strength. And if you and I be in Christ, then He is that Defender that will take us through this year and all of our years for our God is good.1

What better time to do that than on this first Sunday day of Prayer and Fasting Week! Hopefully the light will go on in our heads, if it never has before, that Jesus is the only way to peace with God and with ourselves and with others around us. You know, the paradox of surrendering your life to Christ, the paradox of waving that white flag in front of the cross is that you get the victory and with that victory comes that peace that passes all understanding.

Now, that can be a cliché or a trite phrase. What does that peace really look like? Well, back in 1873, Horatio Spafford lost all 4 of his daughters in a shipwreck and in the wake of that agonizing terror, he penned a hymn, which is a part of worship song line up for Sunday- one of the verses of that hymn to you:

“When peace like a river attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll,Whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say, ‘It is well with my soul, it is well with my soul.’”

Spafford knew that peace that passeth all understanding. He was on the right road. He had surrendered his life to Christ.

Well finally, we’re told at the end of verse 14 of Psal 147 that God satisfies the people of Jerusalem and He does that for you and me. Are you satisfied with way 2008 went? Are you satisfied with 2009 so far? Are you satisfied with your life? Yourself? What ultimately does satisfy you and me?

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1 R Scates HPPCDallas 010408

KISSING A STRANGER

I was going to title this blog entry "Christmas Leftovers" but thought it wouldn't be as catchy as "Would I Kiss A Stranger?"

Let me begin by saying, some days stand out from all the rest. Today is one of them.

Coming back from an hour-long morning jog, I was getting my mail and notices from my pigeon hole in the lobby! Just as I was doing so, a twenty-ish girl who was obviously dressed to go to work decided to get her own mail.

An Australian man who lives on the same floor as I do walked by strangely noticing one thing. He looked up and loudly, he said, "Hey you guys (calling everyone's attention)! I assume neither of these two noticed that they're standing beneath a mistletoe." I looked up and there it was, a nice bunch of artificial mistletoe hanging from the chandelier! "Whoa! The holidays are way over!" I reasoned looking at the Aussie, then turning to the girl. Then the Aussie said, "Well, technically, a kiss under a mistletoe isn't a Christmas only thing...You see, in ancient Scandinavia, when enemies found themselves under mistletoes while walking in the woods, they would kiss and have a truce!" He continued, "Go ahead ma' boy...I'm sure she won't mind...would you, Miss?" While he said those words, there'd already been a build up of curious on-the-way-to-work-and-school people in the lobby. An old mestiza-looking lady with a rosary around her right hand and a fan on her left said, "Go on, beso...it's tradition."

Beso (or beso-beso) is a Filipino term of Spanish roots for cheek kissing, in a cheek kiss both persons lean forward and either lightly touch cheek to cheek or lip with cheek. As in any part of the world where such is practicedm it is a ritual of greeting or social gesture like handshaking.1

"Would I kiss a stranger?" I thought to myself. But even before that sentence was completed in my head, I saw the girl poised with her left cheek ready! What was I to do? I didn't want to kiss a stranger, nor did I want to embarass her in front of a dozen folks? I leaned over and did so on her cheek, and the people like "YAY!!!" followed by a big burst of laughter.

I looked at her and said, "Thanks for being a good sport!" "You too," she answered.

The people dispersed. She walked towards the exit, I walked towards the elevator. I don't know her name, neither does she knows mine. We are still strangers to each other. But that sheer little physical contact was a gift-- no matter how lightly my cheek touched hers, it was still life-altering somehow. It kind of gives people (me, in particular) that they are (I am) at peace with her, and she with me.

Each one of us is capable of giving life-altering gifts to others. We have these moments, these precious moments. These days and hours in which we can offer the very best gift – the gift of our openness to see God in new and unexpected ways.

Surely, among the things we bring with us include our own personal walls of hostility. It won’t do any good to say we don’t have any. Every one of us can name the walls that separate us from each other and from a closer relationship with one another. In some ways I cannot divorce that thought from the deeper spiritual sense fo God relating with us. The Gospel proclaims that through the cross, God kissed humanity, Christ brings the power to break down those walls. What do you make of that?

Quite apart from our puny powers, Christ shatters these walls of hostility between Him and us, and ourselves and others. Christ has already done the heavy lifting and breaking of the walls. All we must do is accept the obvious condition of our lives and receive the gift of his hammer blows, which bring down our walls of hostility. 2

In the Gospel of John, where, near the end of his time, Jesus addresses his disciples saying, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”

1 Let's Do the Beso-beso, Lorenzo Ninal Sunstar Cebu 010808

2 S Bauman, Bringer of Peace, July 26, 2006 CCNYC

On sending PMs to everyone on Multiply.com

I hope this won't sound rude or anything, but if you wish to remain in my list of contacts, please stop sending generic and network-wide "Personal Messages." It gets to be very annoying to find that each time a contact of yours replies to your PM, I have no choice but to deal with it as well no matter how little its effects will be on me. Make your Personal Messages really personal. Thank you.

(In case you haven't noticed, this is not disseminated via PM because I know how you'd feel when replies to this message start pouring in)

ON GIRLS AND JOGGING

This blog entry is random and mundane.

One of the good things about being 30 and single is that you get to verbally express your clean appreciation of women's physical beauty and not fear for your own dear life!

After my morning job, I had a cup of coffee and a raisin bagel at Mister Donuts joined by three married men aged between five years my senior and two years my junior. We were all facing the glass curtain that gave us a full view of the pedestrian/walkers/runners lane. Just as I was about to give an answer to the question, "What did Jesus mean when He said, 'Give your other cheek....'?" one of the regular pretty female joggers ran by. One of the guys said, "Whoa! Did you see that one? I look forward to seeing her each morning." Knowing that I am a Christian-- and a pastor at that, the other two kept silent. And in that really awkward silence, we all heard a faint but authoritative voice saying, "I heard that!" Lo and behold, it was his wife whom we didn't know had snuck in while we were appreciating the "drizzle of rain fallin' on the silvery pavement" - that was his excuse, by the way!

She laughed. We laughed. "I know my hubby loves me...Don't you?" she stated. She walked out of the donut shop to go for another run around the mall. As soon as her image paled in the distance, her husband said, "Lagot ako!" (an expression of fear-- oh, btw, I've been permitted to write about this).

"You're so lucky, pastor, you can 'purely' appreciate other women's physical beauty without and live to tell the tale!" he told me.

"What's your type, pastor?"

"Oh...me, since I started jogging, I've found out that I like athletic girls...and I always liked the angelic face of young Olivia Hussey (gal in the 1960s Romeo and Juliet) who looks a wee like Leighton Meester....Yeah!"

"O yeah...that Gossip Girl girl is pretty." cried one.

"She was born to a convict....her mom was in prison while pregnant with her! Drugs, I believe!" said another. Who knew there was a showbiz expert in our midst?

I was not able to give an answer to that "Give your other cheek..." question. *SNAP* Maybe tomorrow.

THE EVOLUTION OF THE PULPIT

Thursday- GCF off, Faith Bible College teaching day.

Today in Worship Studies Class we talked about innovations in worship and the irreducible minimums/minima in a worship service. While we did cover a lot, one thing sticks out in our discussion: the Evolution of the Pulpit!

A pulpit (from Latin pulpitum "scaffold", "platform", "stage") is a small elevated platform from which a member of the clergy delivers a sermon in a house of worship. In other traditions, it is called the bima (Jewish), minbar (Islam) and the Ambo (Eastern Catholic). The article (not the photos) are by Lew Graff.

As the pulpit has evolved, the preacher has been brought closer to the congregation; made to seem more informal; and made to seem more transparent. The old-school pulpit is almost laughable, with the preacher hoisted up in a cockpit 5-10 feet above the ground. This is how we always picture the great preachers of old laying the smack down on their congregation with sermons titled Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. Below is the pulpit from which Martin Luther preached, and underneath the pulpit is the grave of the famous German Reformer. The black and white woodcut is of Jonathan Edwards preaching from his Connecticut church pulpit. The third photo is the famed pulpit of Charles Spurgeon at his Metropolitan Tabernacle, London. The fourth is the pulpit of a South African Dutch Reformed pastor behind his elaborate pulpit.

The second generation pulpit is reminiscent of the typical traditional Baptist-Presbyterian-Methodist church. These pulpits are more business-like, but are still usually festooned with Bible verses, flowers and religious symbols like fish, crosses, and doves. These wood pulpits are usually covered in semi-ornate carvings of vines and a catchy quotation of Jesus claiming to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life. This pulpit usually matches a nearby table used for communion that also has matching carvings with verses pertaining to the Last Supper: "Do this in remembrance of me." This one is the pulpit of Dr. Gordon Hugenberger at the Park Street Congregational Church Boston.

The third generation of the pulpit attempts to make a name change as well as a change in appearance. On 60 Minutes recently, Joel Osteen gave a tour of Lakewood Church. The reporter asked him, almost rhetorically, if this was his pulpit sitting at the center of the stage. Osteen replied, "Well, we prefer to call it a podium." Right, because that is less religious and more business-like. You could almost see the news anchor's eyes rolling out of his head. Of particular mention is the transparent, completely clear plastic podium, which Osteen didn't have. This "podium" conveys the idea of the preacher being transparent to his congregation; he has nothing to hide. Even transparent, they are usually still festooned with floral arrangements around the base. Below is the pulpit of Greenhills Christian Fellowship Ortigas.

The fourth generation of the pulpit throws out the podium altogether and replaces it with a high-top table and one chair. In many churches, this table still serves the exact same purpose of the transparent podium: the preacher can't hide behind it and he still has a place to put his stuff. This "stuff" usually includes a Bible, coffee, a water bottle, a small clock, notes, and any items that might come in handy for visual sermon illustrations. The irony of this fourth generation pulpit - the high-top table - is that some preachers are visibly uncomfortable using it for it's intended purpose. It is a table and it is meant to be sat at. This act of sitting while preaching further conveys the concept of informality between the preacher and the congregation. But, from my experience, there are quite a few preachers who are just not comfortable with it. Some of them will sit at it for a brief moment, but it is obvious that they are not comfortable sitting. And some of them will not use it as a table at all, but rather as a glorified podium, sometimes even placing the "traditional" floral arrangement around the base. There is one added bonus of the high-top table pulpit. If the pastor wants to team teach with his wife on the topic of marriage, sex, women's roles, or marital submission, all they have to do is drag out the matching chair. Below is a photo of the VCF Greenhills pastor, preaching.

The fifth generation of the pulpit throws out the table and chair and replaces them with a single, small high-top side table. Something just big enough to hold a bottle of water and a Bible. This final version of the pulpit has finally removed any possible barrier between the preacher and the congregation, leaving just enough space for the bare essentials. And the preacher doesn't have to worry over whether or not to sit, especially if they are uncomfortable sitting. Below is First Baptist Fort Lauderdale.

What's Next? I really have no idea. Anybody have any ideas?

LIVING THE DREAM LIFE

On my second year in pursuit of a theology degree, I met with a former classmate in college, a nice but irreverent and cynical man three years my senior who helped mentor my journalistic mental development a considerable degree. I liked him a lot and was grateful for what I learned from him. He was able to track me down to let me know that our common friend- our former managing editor- had died of lupus. We hadn’t been in touch for a number of years. Hearing my voice on the phone the first words out of his mouth, dripping with as much sarcasm as he could muster were, “"You always got an 'A' at the end of each course, but I guess they're all for effort since obviously you've not learned anything. Hey Las, don’t tell me you’re happy with your overly fanatic Christian pastor's life!?! If you are, then you're missing a lot” After a long pause the only thing I thought to say was, “Well, yes, I'm glad I am.”

We were always the "bests" in our every class, from as simple as Photography to as complex as Journalism and the Law. He and I were always "on top of all things masscomm" in college. We became Senior Associate Editors of the college paper. We both have been exempted by our professors from taking quizzes, examinations and submitting papers a number of times because we were "too good already."

In the end, he pursued the press while I went on to Bible college and then to seminary to pursue the pulpit. He now works as one of the top producers in a large TV network (no, not CNN) while I am a Worship Pastor in a megachurch. His work now reaches around 70,000,000, while I try to (somehow) minister to 7,000.

Back to my talk with him. Well, at that time, his wife left him bringing the kids with her; he sleeps on a couch in his cold office more often than he does in his bed at home; he drowns himself in alcohol whenever he's at home to escape the pain of loneliness; he works more hours than he should because he has nothing else to keep himself busy with. The memory of that meeting has stayed with me mainly because for the first time since I have chosen to pursue the pastoral calling, I was able to gladly admit that I am happy with my calling, and I was looking at the face of an empty atheist who I thought was living my dream life. Over the years, I’ve discovered that clever cynicism has little to say in response. Because once words like, “I believe” tumble out of your mouth, however falteringly, however tentatively, the world’s manner of speech seems the childish thing, the peevish thing.

Suddenly, your childish statement becomes quite profound and people begin to see you filled with faith, joy and excitement. The sparkle in your eye that no esteemed intellectual could explain nor a be-medalled actor could immitate. In that instance, the person you speak with begins to display an unspoken yearning for that which you have. But in the end, it's not a question of my own happiness. Instead, it becomes a question of purpose. Who and what am I living for?

As our lives get underway questions like, Who are we? Where are we going? And what’s really worth a life’s desiring? remain as fresh, as vitally relevant as ever– whether such questions were wired a "divine force" in us or simply a natural evolutionary by-product – they provide the fuel for our largest scientific and spiritual struggle as individuals. In a sense it’s a struggle for our soul, a struggle over who or what is at the center of the universe.

And for wide and sparkly-eyed believers like us, we know WHO He is, and what we are LIVING FOR.

THE WONDER CONTINUES

Christmas and New Year's are over.

Last night, coming home from a dinner out (after my fever broke) with some church friends, I looked out my window and did not see the twinkling Christmas lights, there was no blaring 80s music from the neighbor seven stories below, no Christmas playing on the radio, no kids blowing their New Year's horns. Every trace of the holidays is almost gone, except the weight we all put on over the holidays and in my case couple of boxes of tea cakes from Bizu and brownies!

One of the joggers I had bagels and coffee with this morning complained, "Jon, the Magic of Christmas is all gone." Just as she said that, a mother entered Mister Donut with a little seven-year-old boy singing "Repeat the sounding joy...Repeat the sounding joy...Repeat, repeat the sounding joy!" Hearing that sweet song, I said, "No, it hasn't. You just feel it has, but it really hasn't."

Do you remember when Christmas used to be magical? Perhaps for some of you it still is, but as adults we tend to lose the wonder and the magic of this season because other concerns have trumped what as children was of supreme importance. Maybe that’s not so bad given that much of the magic of this season is inextricably linked to characters and stories that have little, if anything, to do with the events of the first Christmas. (And don’t get hung up on the word magic. Remember that the Magi [magicians] are central in the Christmas story, but by magic I simply mean something transcendent and wondrously inexplicable). Thankfully, children remind us of something we regrettably gave up along the way – the belief that something new, something good, something beyond our control is happening in our world, and we are recipients of that goodness. In some ways that’s the gift children give to us at this time of year, and God knows many of us need that gift more than ever.1

Days after the Lord Jesus was born, after all the magic and excitement, when the star that shone over Bethlehem was no longer as bright, when the angelic songs have ceased, when shepherds have gone back to their normal routine, Mary and Joseph brought the infant to the Temple for a rite of purification, to offer a sacrifice and present their son to God in the Temple.

Luke tells us that an elderly man, Simeon, righteous and devout, took the child from Joseph and Mary and offered God praise. Simeon had waited many years for this moment, and when he realized who the babe was, he knew that his moment had arrived. He sang a song of thanksgiving, even though the song is, in part, about his own death. Confronting his advanced age and the certain prospect of death, Simeon sang – and he sang because he could see beyond the present moment to the new and the good God was revealing to him. "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." (Luke 2.29-32). 2

Then there's Anna. We know nothing about her other than that she prayed and fasted constantly, and almost never left the temple grounds. We also know that she must have been a woman of great faith from whom others learned for Luke refers to her as a prophetess (a word loaded with meaning in ancient Israel). She takes one look at Jesus and she sees more than just a helpless, fragile newborn from a humble family who find themselves in Jerusalem, far from home. She doesn’t know the circumstances of his birth, or the trials Joseph and Mary have endured leading up to this day. She does know something, however. She knows that in this babe God has drawn near, and so she begins to praise God and to tell everyone that this babe will one day have a central role in the redemption of God’s people. She must have sounded crazy. 3

Why would anyone take Anna seriously? But that is, perhaps, the wrong question for a prophet’s work isn’t to accurately predict the future as much as it is to accurately speak the ways of God. Anna’s words suggested something new and good beyond the present circumstances and reminded those who listened that God was very near, that salvation and redemption was getting closer by the minute. In other words, she spoke God’s word of hope when others simply could not see it. 4

Simeon and Anna believed in God’s nearness and the power of that presence to transform even the most challenging of circumstances. If we lived as if that were true, don’t you think that Christmas would regain its magic? As a matter of fact, Christmas would indeed happen everyday, to permanently enjoy the magic of Christmas and continuously sing of the wonders of His love and repeat the sounding joy.

_________________________

1 Javier A. Viera, The Magic of Christmas, CCNYC 122808

2 ibid

3 ibid

4 ibid

5 Baptist Hymnal, Baptist Press 1997