Are We Understood?

I am a stickler for language. It's part of my personality. Good grammar, proper choice of words, the use of inflection in speech patterns - these things matter to me. So, what happens if I begin choosing words that are outside of my friend's hermenuetic? Can he absorb my tractate? In other words: What happens if I speak outside of my friend's ability to interpret? Can they understand what I say?

Language matters. In a Church like ours, a Discipling Community for All Ages, language shapes. How we speak gives witness to the shape of community we wish to be. Words we choose changes us.

In our world it easy to buy into the notion that words are cheap, that they are meaningless. I disagree. One of America's richest documents is a carefully worded declaration. Written by a master of words, Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence is a masterpiece of literature. The power of those words changed the world. Not only did they pull people together in North America, but the thoughts expressed in the words chosen inspired (and continue to inspire) people around the world.

If we are to be a Discipling Community for All Ages, we need to attend to our words. We must use words of discipleship. When we speak of being people of faith, certain words must permeate, words such as: Prayer, Worship, Scripture, Service, Relationship, Generosity. These are the words of Discipleship that point our way to living more deeply in Christ.

We also need to shape our words around the notion of Community. When talking about what we want for our community, we need to replace the words, "me, my and I" with "us, our, and we." We need to lift up words like "hospitality, welcome, outreach and return."

When we speak, we need to attend to the different ways words function across the generations. When I grew up, I knew that "Thy" meant "Your." This is not the case today. If you walk into a confirmation class, where they've been studying the catechism, and talking about the prayers of the church, you'll find that Old English is not understood. Poll our young people and they will tell you that the word, "thy" means "my." What, then do we do to the faith of our young peole when they hear and join us in praying "My will be done." Of course, we don't pray that, but that's what's heard and understood by those who never hear Old English, except in the Lord's Prayer.

To be a Discipling Community of All Ages, we need to attend to our language and always advocate for words that propel us toward the vision of being this sort of Church. If we use words that do not communicate, we speak a different language, unheard and misunderstood. If we are not understood, walls go up and people are not welcomed. To be a part of the community, then, outsiders have to learn the "code" of the church.

I invite you to listen to me and to challenge me on words that you think people may not understand. I am so steeped in the language of the church, that I need your help to make sure that I am choosing words that are not "church-ese" but words that communicate the love of God, known in and through Jesus Christ.

I also challenge you to advocate for words that are fresh and relevant in the community around us. This takes me to concerns people have voiced around the which version of the Lord's Prayer we should use. When we use the 1970 version of the Lord's Prayer (what we still call the new version) we need to remember that it is an attempt to use plainer language, words that are understood by people of all ages.

The other version, which we learned, which I treasure for my own prayer life, is a wonderful prayer, but it is the language of 1611. The "old version," the version steeped in Old English, is not the original version... This prayer was originally written in Greek. The Greek version is a translation of the Aramaic originally spoken by Jesus.

If we are most concerned about praying that prayer in the way Jesus taught us to pray, we should consider praying it in Aramaic, the Greek version or the English translation that is closest to the words Jesus originally spoke. If we choose to do the English translation that is closest to the words spoken by Jesus, then we have to go to the 1970 version. It is the most accurate translation of the original. It's an excellent version for use in the community.

Words matter. Let's work together and advocate that what we say we are, A Discipling Community for All Ages, becomes a reality. How we speak and the language we choose will help us be more who God calls us to be.

Jesus Remains the Same, We Must Change

I remember the plates well. They were sold for a small price and bore the name of our church. A line-drawing of the church was printed onto the center of the plate in shiny gold, the same gold that rounded the edges of that commemorative piece and adorned the edges with fancy decoration. They were made in the church’s centennial year. On each plate was the theme verse for the event, Hebrews 13:8 – Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

To say that Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever is at the same time a declaration that God’s love for the world is enduring. It was not limited to the days of the past, but continues today. Jesus is God’s love active in this world: God’s absolute commitment to redeem this broken world from sin, death and the powers of evil.

Times change. Society changes. Families and friends shift. Businesses come and go on Main Street. Patterns of the past no longer remain as they once were. Once, people entered the church because the church was present in the community. People lived with an understanding that good citizens were active in their church. Babies born were automatically baptized into the community because that’s where they would be nurtured by the community of faith, discipled by the calling God, fed by the Holy Spirit. These things no longer hold true. People no longer engage the faith as they once did.

We live in a time different from the past. We need to come to terms with this shift, because it means that we have to be church in a way different from the past.

It is time for us to risk ourselves for the sake of becoming God’s people doing new things for this new time. Our mindsets need to change. Knowing that people will no longer come to the faith because they are born into the faith community, we are now called to figure out how to be a discipling community that reaches out. We need to re-learn how to share the life-changing news of God’s love and call to discipleship that the world needs. We must learn the actions of people of faith who live in a society no longer so friendly to the ways of faith.

Jesus calls us to reach out. He says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing… and teaching… and remembering that He is with us always.” (Matthew 28:19-20) The Scriptures promise that we “…will receive power” through the Holy Spirit and that this Spirit will drive us to be Christ’s witnesses where we are and beyond (Acts 1:8).

The church of my childhood was a wonderful community in which to be raised. I honor my parents and the people of that small Lutheran church for the ways they shaped me to be the person of faith I am today. I attended the church because it was easy to do so then. It was easy because everybody was there. In the 1970s it was the only show in town. My guess is that most of us can say the same. The church of the past, however, is gone. Society will not return to the way it was. For this reason we must change.

You see, God has entrusted into our hands the wonderful message of Jesus Christ. When people no longer come to us, we must find ways to go to them. We find ourselves in a day and age much more like the first three centuries of Christianity than the last 17 centuries. Now the message of the cross is not known by many people under the age of forty.

To be a discipling community for all ages calls us to trust that God’s love in Jesus Christ remains the same. Though the world changes and though we must change, too, God’s love for us and for the world remains constant. It is in this knowledge that we can move forward in ministry. Let’s do this with confidence and commitment.

Time for a Band

Worship is central to our community of faith. We gather as a community to be fed and challenged by the renewing presence of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God has been calling through the voices of many people within our church for the addition of a worship band to our community. As these voices have been calling, the Worship Committee has been wrestling with how to renew a sense of energy and community within our second service.

We seek to be a discipling community for all ages. With this in mind, it makes sense to begin working toward the goal of featuring an alternative and less formal style of music and worship alongside our traditional liturgical worship service. While the traditional liturgy we do from week to week is inspiring and edifying to most of us present week after week, it does not move all people toward praise of our risen Lord, Jesus Christ. Creating a second style of worship will help us communicate the good news of God’s love for us through Jesus Christ for people who are not enthused by liturgy.

We are beginning a process that will slowly move us toward the goal of offering two styles of worship every Sunday. Over time we hope to distinguish the first service as a traditional liturgical service, retaining the excellent liturgical practices of this community. In the months ahead, the second service will begin to shift toward a less formal service that involves additional styles of music that are more contemporary and global.

To begin this process, we’re looking for people who would be interested in being part of such a group. To make a go at this, we need musicians to play and to sing. A variety of musicians are needed. If you have skill as a singer or as an instrumentalist playing keyboard, guitar, percussion instruments, flute, violin, bass guitar, or other, you could be a valuable part of raising up an additional musical group within GSLC.

If you have gifts and passion to offer toward starting a new musical group within our congregation, and you are not already using your musical gifts in a fulfilling way, please consider becoming a part of this emerging ministry. To enter into it, talk with Pastor Jordan about your interest and then attend an “interest” meeting on Wednesday, May 20 at 7:00 p.m. in the chapel. Bring your instruments, and we’ll play together.

To be successful, we’ll need to have people cheering on this effort to try something new among us. This means that even if you can’t sing or play an instrument, your enthusiasm and other expressions of support can make a world of difference in such an endeavor. We need people to remember and to remind that growing congregations typically have at least two worship styles from which to choose each week.

Please note that this group is not to be considered, and should never be thought of as, a replacement for the choir. The choir has a long and strong history that we need to uphold and support. Their musical ministry is extremely valuable and we will continue to honor and cherish their beautiful music. It is my hope that the resulting new music group would not take anybody away from the choir, but stand with it as an additional way in which people can serve God through their musical gifts.

Please consider this invitation to serve by offering your musical gifts and/or supporting this attempt to reach out to people not already being fed by the liturgy.