Thursday, March 04 2010 16:51 | Written by Heather Malobisky | |
Living OUT Loud in our Worship, in our Work, and in our Witness… What have you done to Live OUT Loud?
Matthew 6:27-34 (The Message)
“Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion – do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers – most of which are never even seen – don’t you think [God’ll] attend to you, take pride in you, do [God’s] best for you? What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way [God] works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how [God] works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
Each month, the Discipleship Ministry presents a short reflection related to the current ministry focus. This reflection gives you an opportunity to think about and share what you have done or plan to do in the next month to be OUT Loud as a living example of Jesus with skin on.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed like everything that could go wrong was going wrong? Your hair is out of control, your favorite shirt is stained, your boss just put a huge project on your shoulders, the car needs repaired, the bills are piling up and that is just your personal life. Watching the news adds to the worries and stress. Sometimes it is easy to get lost in the everyday concerns, stresses and worries. We can get so consumed with worrying about “What if?” that we forget that God is right here with us. There is nothing on Earth that God can’t handle.
Jesus tells us something amazing, “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”
This month focus on what God is trying to give you. Spend some time worshiping God, giving thanks to God for every moment and as Jesus told us, “Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions.” What is God doing right now for you and those around you? Remember God is with you, God takes pride in you and God will attend to you.
What will you do to worship God OUT Loud? -- How will you relax and respond to God’s giving?
Write it down and feel free to share your OUT Loud moment by dropping this page into the collection basket or going to www.StJohnsMCC.org and clicking on the virtual Living OUT Loud wall under Main Menu on the left. We will post these OUT Loud moments in the Friendship Hall and on line and want to hear from you every month!
Monday, February 01 2010 22:49 | Written by Heather Malobisky | |
Living OUT Loud in our Worship, in our Work, and in our Witness… What have you done to Live OUT Loud?
Exodus 15:1 (The Message)
1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to God, giving voice together, I’m singing my heart out to God – what a victory! He pitched horse and rider into the sea. God is my strength, God is my song, and, yes! God is my salvation. This is the kind of God I have and I’m telling the world! This is the God of my father – I’m spreading the news far and wide!
Isaiah 12:5 (The Message)
5 “Sing praise-songs to God. He’s done it all! Let the whole earth know what he’s done! Raise the roof! Sing your hearts out, O Zion! The Greatest lives among you: The Holy of Israel.”
Romans 5:9 (The Message)
9 Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah!
Each month, the Discipleship Ministry presents a short reflection related to the current ministry focus. This reflection gives you an opportunity to think about and share what you have done or plan to do in the next month to be OUT Loud as a living example of Jesus with skin on.
When we attend a church service, we have the opportunity to sing. Have you ever found yourself mumbling along to the song, afraid you might get the words wrong or be off key, or, in other words, might be embarrassed? Have you ever found you are evading or mumbling when someone asks you about your church or beliefs for the same reasons? Now that you have received this amazing friendship with God you should be raising the roof instead of keeping quiet.
When you move through your life each day, you have an opportunity to spread the good news. Every one of us is loved by God. Every one of us is worthy. This is no time to be quiet in our knowledge of God’s love, acceptance, peace, and salvation. Take some time this month to spread the news of our loving God far and wide. Let the whole earth know what he has done for you!
God is your strength, song, and salvation, and if you are spreading his good news, you will always sound on key.
What will you do to worship God OUT Loud – singing and shouting praises – this month?
Write it down and feel free to share your OUT Loud moment by dropping this page into the collection basket or going to the virtual Living OUT Loud Wall under the Main Menu on the left. We will post these OUT Loud moments in the Friendship Hall and on line and want to hear from you every month!
Wednesday, January 06 2010 23:51 | Written by Heather Malobisky | |
Living OUT Loud in our Worship, in our Work, and in our Witness… What have you done to Live OUT Loud?
2 Samuel 6:14-16 & 20-22 (The Message)
14-16 David, ceremonially dressed in priest’s linen, danced with great abandon before GOD. The whole country was with him as he accompanied the Chest of GOD with shouts and trumpet blasts. But as the Chest of GOD came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, happened to be looking out a window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before GOD, her heart filled with scorn.
20-22 David returned home to bless his family. Michal, Saul’s daughter, came out to greet him: “How wonderfully the king has distinguished himself today – exposing himself to the eyes of the servants’ maids like some burlesque street dancer!” David replied to Michal, “In GOD’s presence I’ll dance all I want! He chose me over your father and the rest of our family and made me prince over GOD’s people, over Israel. Oh yes, I’ll dance to God’s glory – more recklessly even than this. And as far as I’m concerned … I’ll gladly look like a fool … but among these maids you are so worried about, I’ll be honored to no end.”
Each month, the Discipleship Ministry presents a short reflection related to the current ministry focus. This reflection gives you an opportunity to think about and share what you have done or plan to do in the next month to be OUT Loud as a living example of Jesus with skin on.
David gives us a great example of worshiping OUT Loud. David “danced with great abandon before God.” When he was scorned for doing so he stated, “Oh yes, I’ll dance to God’s glory – more recklessly even than this. And as far as I’m concerned … I’ll gladly look like a fool….”
Have you ever been a fool for Christ? Sometimes being Jesus with skin on means we may look “foolish” to some. But those “foolish” moments can be life changing to others. Singing God’s praises, doing a little dance, walking around with a smile, taking a moment to say thank you, offering a hand to someone who has fallen or a dollar to someone in need, looking someone in the eye and saying, “I just want you to know that God loves you and you are worthy,” can literally alter the life of another in a positive way.
What will you do to worship God OUT Loud and with great abandon this month?
Write it down and feel free to share your OUT LOUD moment by dropping this page into the collection basket. We will post the OUT LOUD moments in the Friendship Hall.
Tuesday, December 29 2009 15:39 | Written by St. John's MCC | |
There is a story from the Jewish Hassidic tradition that I would like to share with you. Rabbi Zusya, a pious and revered sage, was lying on his deathbed, weeping. His students stood by him perplexed.
“Rabbi, why do you weep?” one of them ventured to ask, “Surely if anyone is assured a place in the kingdom of heaven, it is you!”
The sage turned his head toward his beloved students and began to speak softly: “If, my children, when I stand before the heavenly court, I am asked ‘Zusya, why were you not a Moses?’ I shall have no hesitation in affirming, ‘I was not born a Moses.’”
“If they ask me, ‘Why, then, were you not an Elijah?” I shall speak with confidence, ‘Neither am I Elijah.’”
“I weep, friends, because there is only one question that I fear to be asked; ‘Why were you not a Zusya?’”
– From The Dragon Doesn’t Live Here Anymore by Alan Cohen (p. 74) contributed by Cindy Norton
Wednesday, November 11 2009 20:09 | Written by Gerald Lamm | |
Tearing Down Walls by Gerald Lamm
Ephesians 2:14-16
While reading Ephesians 2:14-16, I had to stop and think about the walls that separate us from the way God wants us to be.
“For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.” (Life Application Study Bible – NLT)
I spent much time contemplating these verses. Suddenly, it hit me what was being said here, and I tried to think of a way that I could apply this to my own life. Each of us, whether we want to admit it or not, have built walls around ourselves. I began to think about the walls in my life. I began to imagine myself standing in the middle of a big box. On the outside of all four walls, there were five people that represented my love, fear, anger, and hatred.
Monday, June 29 2009 15:56 | Written by St. John's MCC | |
The following was presented by Rev. Wanda Floyd at both services on Sunday, June 28th. This excerpt was taken from Joel Osteen's book, Your Best Life Now. (2004)
I declare. . . that you are blessed with God's supernatural wisdom, and you have clear direction in your life.
I declare. . . that you are blessed with creativity, with courage, with ability, and with abundance.
I declare. . . that you are blessed with a strong will and with self control and self discipline.
I declare. . . that you are blessed with a great family, with good friends, with good health, and with faith, favor and fulfillment.
I declare. . . that you are blessed with success, with supernatural strength, with promotion, and with divine protection.
I declare. . . that you are blessed with an obedient heart and with a positive outlook on life.
I declare. . . that any curse that has ever been spoken over you, any negative evil word that has ever come against you, is broken right now.
I declare. . . that you are blessed in the city, and the country. You are blessed when you go in. You are blessed when you come out.
I declare. . . that everything you put your hands to do is going to prosper and succeed.
Friday, April 10 2009 11:48 | Written by Rev. Nancy Wilson, MCC Moderator | |
The Cross April 10, 2009 Rev. Nancy Wilson, MCC Moderator
Someone wrote to me a while ago, upset with MCC because we do not preach enough about “the cross.”
I knew what he meant by that, and I know why that charge may be true!
I spent some time thinking about it the last few months. And, I thought about asking about 25 MCCer’s, from various theological and cultural perspectives, to write about the cross. I still think that is a great idea, and I would love to see the creativity and wonderful, contextual thinking that would provide. In fact, Jim Mitulski did just that in a Region 1 Spiritual offering a week ago, that I deeply appreciated ... Click here to read the entire piece.
But, life took a turn this Lent, and my partner Paula had acute renal failure (she is now on her way to complete healing). Having a partner suffering acutely, while you can do nothing to stop it, is a cross of its own.
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Someone wrote to me a while ago, upset with MCC because we do not preach enough about “the cross.”
