Dear All of Us,
It ran from being puzzled
to being plain old ticked off.
As pastor, I just couldn't figure
those visitors who would show up
at a Sunday Service
and bluntly tell me
they were church shopping.
"Say what??"
Were they bargain hunting,
looking for a discounted
spiritual special??
Did they have a fistful
of churchy coupons?
"Come on already!"
Was this "Me-ism" on the margins
of unabashed, vulgar, self-indulgence?
Or was there some merit to this mystery,
something that would ring true and good?
Then I retired.
YEP
I went church shopping.
How naive I'd been.
Guess I just assumed
most churches were like
the good ones
I was blessed to pastor.
I found out that
there were lots of
"places of worship"
that weren't even within
a country mile of being a
"The People of God",
"The Body of Christ",
"Fallowers of the Way."
Sadly, they were mostly clubby,
feel good gatherings
with a cross on top.
Often those crosses tended to tip
far right or far left,
not straight up heavenward.
More and more such "places"
are emptying out these days.
There's an
Exodus
of
Souls
trying to find their way to a
Promised Land
flowing with real
spiritual
milk and honey.
To switch metaphors,
it's too often like
an orphan train
with nowhere to go.
On that same train are
another group of spiritual orphans.
They have outgrown a lot of
superficial, self-centered living.
They crave the real deep deal
in spiritual life and community.
These orphans never were part of
those "places" of supposed worship.
And they aren't about to start.
These seeking souls can see right thru
the vacuous spiritual nothingness
of such soulless "places".
It's a no go.
And they don't go.
But where can they go?
Well, in my continued
shopping around
after retirement,
I found that
there are indeed
wonderful, for real
spiritual communities -
not perfect,
but discernably,
genuinely good
and real.
In them there's
room and
welcome for all.
They come in
all sizes and shapes,
in all sorts of places.
Some are denominational,
others free standing.
For all the variety,
the members
care for each other and
for people and needs
beyond themselves.
Thy pray in many modes,
but pray the do.
The community core is Gospel,
read, preached and lived.
The Sermon On The Mount
- ALL OF IT -
is
faced, normative and experienced.
It's a work in progress, moving
progressively more than perfectly.
Early on as the Church took form
it was called
"ECCLESIA"
Latin for
"THE GATHERED"
Kingdom living never was
nor can ever be a
solo flight to heaven.
Gathered
in
Christ
we are.
Our gathering is
foundational and essential.
So, we find or found
a genuine Christ Gathering.
We find an ecclesia -
"By their fruits
you will know them."
Matthew 7:15-20
If such gathers
where we live,
we sure do
"Gather In."
If there are no such
where we are,
we found one.
It doesn't need to be
large or highly structured.
"Where two or three are
gathered
in my name,
I am in their midst."
Matthew 18:20
For those of us
who are homebound,
as I now am,
there are
wonderful and welcoming
churches that livestream.
In the near term three such,
quite different in tone and manner,
will be highlighted here.
The first is happily highlighted below.
GATHERED
we are the
Body of Christ
"The way God
designed our bodies
is a model
for understanding
our lives together
as a church:
every part dependent
on every other part...
If one parts hurts,
every other part
is involved in the hurt,
and in the healing.
If one-part flourishes,
every other part
enters into the exuberance,
You are Christ's body -
that's who you are!
Please see
1 Corinthians 12: 12-27
The Message
We Are the Church
I am the church!
You are the church!
We are the church together!
All who follow Jeus,
all around the world!
Yes, we are the church together!
United Methodist Hymnal # 558
In the Love That is God
we are wondrously
GATHERED
******
A CHURCH HIGHLIGHT
Free Union Vienna
United Methodist Church
Great Meadows, NJ
USA
Pastor Anthony Pami
Please see their webpage.
The Sunday Service
is live streamed on
the Church's Facebook page.
If you do not use Facebook,
simply cancel out the "X"
at the of the page
and scroll down.
For those of us in other
places and time zones
around our global village,
The Sunday Service
is recorded and available
on their Facebook page.
Free Union Vienna Church
This is a delightful, small,
country church
located in the rolling hills of
beautiful NW New Jersey.
There is an ease and warmth
about this friendly community.
The Sharing of the Peace
is mobile, vigorous
and takes a while.
The hymns are both
old time and
contemporary
favorites.
Creative videos
are woven into
prayer and sermon.
Anthony's preaching
is conversational
in manner,
soundly scriptural,
deeply spiritual,
and is interspersed
with references
to contemporary
media and music
Oh, yes!
Be advised
Anthony
goes big for
The Boss
- Bruce Springsteen -
:)
This is neither
a traditional
high church
nor a
manicured
and polished
big church.
This is good church
up close and real.
******
WELCOME
What a blessing to be
GATHERED
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WHAT A HELP
Many of us
are introducing others to
frankly speaking
Many much thanks!
See you in seven.
Love to all.
God Bless,
John Frank
frankly speaking
spirituality for the street
johnfrankshares.blogspot.com
