Month: December 2016

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A Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition

There is a Wesleyan tradition of “Watchnight” services on New Year’s Eve which often took the form of a Covenant Renewal Service. The United Methodist Hymnal offers the following prayer in that tradition:

I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things
to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.

We’re not having a “Watchnight” Covenant Renewal Service, but I would encourage you to reflect on the prayer and the invitation nonetheless. For a New Year’s resolution, one could certainly do worse.

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Funeral Services for Tom M. Nold

A Service of Death and Resurrection for Tom M. Nold will be held tomorrow (Thursday, December 29, 2016) at 10:30 a.m. at Danner Funeral Home. Visitation is tonight from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. I will officiate.

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God’s Wild Pursuit of Humankind

Reflecting on the the birth of Jesus Christ, Frederick Buechner says:

Those who believe in God can never in a way be sure of him again. Once they have seen him in a stable, they can never be sure where he will appear or to what lengths he will go or to what ludicrous depths of self-humiliation he will descend in his wild pursuit of humankind. If holiness and the awful power and majesty of God were present in this least auspicious of all events, this birth of a peasant’s child, then there is no place or time so lowly and earthbound but that holiness can be present there too. And this means that we are never safe, that there is no place where we can hide from God, no place where we are safe from his power to break in two and recreate the human heart, because it is just where he seems most helpless that he is most strong, and just where we least expect him that he comes most fully. — Frederick Buechner, Secrets in the Dark: A Life in Sermons.

“Ludicrous depths of self-humiliation in a wild pursuit of humankind,” seems to me a very deft description of what God did at Christmas.

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Christmas Dinner at Panda Kitchen

Because we’ll have four worship services in less than twenty-four hours; because we won’t have any extended family in town; because we like being odd and quirky; the Collins family will be having Christmas Dinner at Panda Kitchen after the 10:30 service on Christmas morning. If you’re reading this, then you’re invited to join us, but it is dutch treat.

Update: In response to a question from a parishioner, we do not have a leg lamp nor a BB gun (unlike the movie A Christmas Story).

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How Do You Say “Excelsis”?

You probably already know that “Gloria in excelsis Deo” is Latin for “Glory to God in the Highest.” But if you’re like me you’ve struggled with the correct way to pronounce excelsis. Over at The Week, James Harbeck has a tediously fascinating article on the correct pronunciation of excelsis. I won’t make you read the whole thing, but it turns out that “excel sis” is acceptable even if not preferred. There is no way I’ll remember the other acceptable pronunciations (and frankly, his article didn’t state this clearly which pronunciation was most preferred), so I’ll be sticking with “excel sis” in my usage, but, as far as I’m concerned, your free to go with whatever floats your boat including “egg shell sees.”

Link: http://theweek.com/articles/666146/how-pronounce-excelsis

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Slide Runner Needed

We’re looking for someone to run slides for the 2:00 p.m. service this Christmas Eve (December 24, 2016). We can train anyone to do this in the space of about two minutes. Please let me know if your interested or even just willing.

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Voice of the Day: G. K. Chesterton

It’s sometimes been implied that I talk about the need for contentment too often. That’s probably true, but as a preacher, I’m often preaching to myself. The following quote is just as much, and perhaps more, for me as it is for any of you.

There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less. — G.K. Chesterton via Sojourners.

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Voice of the Day: Joy Carroll Wallis

A great insight from the Anglican Priest who served as a consultant for “The Vicar of Dibly”:

“We Christians like to talk about putting Christ back into Christmas, but let’s not forget to put Herod back into Christmas. Herod represents the dark side of the gospel. He reminds us that Jesus didn’t enter a world of sparkly Christmas cards or a world of warm spiritual sentiment. Jesus enters a world of real pain, of serious dysfunction, a world of brokenness and political oppression. Jesus was born an outcast, a homeless person, a refugee, and finally he becomes a victim to the powers that be. Jesus is the perfect savior for outcasts, refugees, and nobodies. That’s how the church is described in scripture time and time again – not as the best and the brightest – but those who in their weakness become a sign for the world of the wisdom and power of God.” — Joy Carroll Wallis, “Putting Herod back into Christmas.”

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Poinsettia Information Due Today

If you’re planning on sharing a poinsettia with the church for Christmas Eve and you haven’t already provided information on who it is from and who it is in honor or memory of, please send Julie Mayden an email at julie@abilenefirstumc.org by noon.

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Roads are Passable, Coffee is Hot, Worship is On

I made it from home to the church today (Sunday, December 18, 2016) without any trouble and Jerry already had coffee on when I got here. I hope to see you later this morning, but please consider your own situation and exercise caution and good judgment. You can always tune into the 10:30 service on KABI 1560 AM.