Thursday, April 24, 2008

Back on the road to 40 grind with a little help from Shane Claiborne

I am really growing to appreciate the writings of Shane Claiborne. In his latest book , Jesus for President, Claiborne invites us to journey in our hearts and minds about how much we, as Christ-followers today, look like Jesus. He writes:

Looking Like Jesus

Remember when ole John the Baptizer sent his disciples to ask Jesus whether he was the one they were expecting and he didn’t answer with a simple yes? Jesus instead told them to go tell John what they saw him doing. He knew that John could read the trail of crumbs. John knew that when lepers were healed, the blind saw, the dead rose, and the good news was preached to the poor, the one they were waiting for was indeed here.
What does our trail of crumbs look like? If someone asks if we are Christ-followers, can we say, “Tell me what you see”? is there enough evidence to prove that we are taking after the slaughtered Lamb? What if they ask the poor around us? What if they ask our enemies? Would they say that we love them? Christians haven’t always looked like Jesus. Perhaps the greatest barrier to Christ has been Christians who pronounce Jesus so loudly with their lips and deny him so loudly with their lives.
In the South, we have a saying: “You are the spittin’ image” of someone. Folks still speculate over how exactly the phrase originated, but I’ve heard it put like this. It’s shorthand for “spirit and image.” Spittin’ image. For us, it meant more than just that you look like the person. It goes beyond just appearance to include character and temperament. It means that you remind people of that person. You have their charisma. You do the same things they did. In the truest sense, Christians are to be the spittin’ image of Jesus in the world. We are to be the things he was. We are to preach the things he preached and the way he lived. We are to follow in the footsteps of our rabbi so closely that we get his dust on us.
We are to remind the world of Jesus. The criterion for whether something is a manifestation of the kingdom of God is the person of Jesus. Does it look like him? –from Jesus for President pg. 230-31

I invite you this week to look at your life and your walk as a disciple. What kind of bread crumb trail are you leaving behind?

Solomon's Porch tonight

Solomon's Porch Coffee House conversation meets tonight from 7-8 pm at First Cup Coffee House at Five Mile and Inkster Rd.

The topic for tonight:

As people of faith we are often called to have hope where there seems to be no hope, to be a voice of hope in our communities. Over the past few years tens of thousands of Michigan residents have left the state. In 2007 Metro Detroit was the foreclosure capital of the US. Our situation seems dire. What responsibility, if any, do people of faith have to stick it out during these lean times, these times when things seem utterly helpless? Do we have a responsibility to remain present and help transition our communities toward stabilization or is it OK to be part of the flight toward what appear to be greener pastures elsewhere? I want to know what you think? Be part of the conversation tonight at 7pm.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Wednesday Solomon's Porch update

One of the recent joys of ministry has been our Solomon's Porch Coffee house conversations at First Cup Organic Coffee House. Tommorow night we will be discussing our upcoming tax "rebates" and what we will do with the money. Different people seem to think the monies need to go stimulate the economy, some think it should go into savings or pay down our debt. What do you think? How is God calling us to use this resource?

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

The start of a new week...

Greetings to all:

A happy belated Easter greeting to each of you in the name of the one who cannot fail, Jesus the Christ! Thanks to all of you who have been on the journey to 40 with me. I would like to use this space today to catch you up on some things that are going on at our church:

Wayne County Family Center: Our mission to the center has gotten off to a rousing start with the following events/items donated to the center:
-2 dinners for the residents averaging 50 meals served
-85 bath towels
-16 twin sheet sets donated
-2 alarm clocks
Our church has done a great job in just over six weeks of involvement. Remember, residents take these items with them as part of their transition to permanent housing. Thanks to all who have been able to donate time or tangible goods to this awesome agency, a partnership between Wayne County and Lutheran Social Services of Michigan. If you would like to participate in one of the feedings or would like to donate items, please email me at bicyclepastor@yahoo.com .

Michigan Interfiath Power and Light: St. John’s is now a member of Michigan Interfaith Power and Light, (MiIPL), a coalition of churches organized to “involve communities of faith as stewards of God’s creation by promoting and implementing energy efficiency, renewable energy and related sustainable practices.” (MiIPL) Over the next few months we will be reporting to you about our involvement with this organization and how we are responding at St. John’s to God’s call to be good stewards of our resources. If you would like to be part of our “Green” team, please email me at bicyclepastor@yahoo.com

Upcoming Special Worship Services at SJ:

Sunday, May 11th at 10:30 am “Pack a Pew for Mothers” Sunday at SJ. Sign up to “pack a pew” with family and friends as we take special time to honor all the women in our lives who mother us.

Sunday, May 18th at 10:30 am “Blessing of the Bikes” Sunday at SJ. Join us as we hold an outdoor service and have a special summer blessing to all our motorcyclists and bicycle enthusiasts in our community. Know someone who rides? Invite them to this unique service. If you would like to help plan this service, or know someone who should receive a special invitation, email me at bicyclepastor@yahoo.com

Sunday, June 1st at 10:30 am “Church Music Sunday” at SJ. This is our annual service featuring our wonderful music program. Know someone who loves good music? This is an excellent chance to invite that someone special to attend worship as we lift up our excellent music program.

Tentative” Sunday, June 8th at 12:00 pm “Special service/picnic at Kensington Metro Park for Pastor’s 40th birthday” I will be riding that day in an MDA 50 mile bike ride. Come out and join me as I celebrate my 40th birthday with a bicycle ride to raise money for MDA. If you want to find out more about the ride or honor me with a donation toward MDA, click here. After the ride, participate in an informal worship service led by the “50 mile” rider, followed by an afternoon of fellowship and picnicking.

Sunday, June 15th at 10:30 am “Service Honoring Fathers” at SJ. Come out to worship as we honor the father figures in our lives. A special “Tribute” book for fathers will be created for the service. If you would like to include a tribute to the father figure/s in your life email me at bicyclepastor@yahoo.com for more information.

Sunday, September 7th at 10:30 am “Blessing of the Pets” service at SJ. This outdoor service will honor our pets with a special blessing as part of the worship. Know someone with a pet? This is a great opportunity to invite someone who is a pet lover to experience SJ.

I am excited about all these opportunities to share the message of Jesus Christ with our family and friends. I hope you will consider joining us and inviting those you love to these unique services.

Remember, I pray for the readers of this blog every Friday. How can I pray for you?

Growing in faith together: