Tenebrae

I finally found the line up for TFB's Tenebrae service.

Note: we adapted it from Ken Collins' How to Conduct a Tenebrae Service.

Prelude CD:- [an image loop of Celtic crosses was projected projected on cloth draped over the drum pit; the loop continued until the Communion section was complete]

Musical worship
Rain Down-
Holy, Holy, Holy-
Holy-
God of Wonders-
Wonderful Maker-

Prayer-

Explanation, Instructions for Communion-
Musical worship during open communion in foyer
Stricken Smitten and Afflicted-
Here is Love-“
Here I am To Worship -“
Once Again-“
How Deep the Father’s Love for Us-
[raise screen during last chorus]

Prayer-[turn image loop off]

The Word

reading 1-John 18:1-11
reading 2-John 18:12-27
reading 3-John 18:28-40
reading 4-John 19:1-11
reading 5-John 19:12-27
reading 6-John 19:28-37
reading 7-John 19:38-42-

[After reading, reader snuffs out one of the dark candles on the candelabra, then sits... next reader waits about one minute while the harp/dulcimer plays before coming onstage...continue until all seven readings completed]

Didn’t I? [written and sung by the TFB worship leader]

final reading: Psalm 22:1-21-turn off reading light and then...

-extinguish Christ candle - stained glass is turned off - followed by a loud door slamming
-after one minute of silence, slowly bring some light back – just enough to see to exits

After Tenebrae, there were snacks and beverages, and lots of fellowship

There are some pictures of the communion stations and the Christ Candle over at my fotolog [look under "Recent photos"].

This was an awesome experience for our fellowship--it was new and old, similar and different. Some were stretched in ways they had not been before. Some experienced interaction they longed for. Some were probably annoyed (though, I haven't heard anything). All in all, it was an amazing experience. As part of the band and one of the readers, my experience was different than others, but everyone participated. Hopefully, we'll do something similar this summer??

LIGHTENING UP

OK, so I've been a bit ranty lately. Here's a little Hampster Dancing to lighten the mood.

I love these guys!

BETWEEN THE EXTREMES

"A quiet Torrance soldier died in Iraq late last week after a mine detonated near his Humvee, a day after he had written home that he felt he was 'actually making a difference' there."
Read the article here.

His father, Greg, is a member of TFB. Brian Wood was killed the day after Ann won the money.

The tragic irony was not lost on me. These two extremes--happiness and grief--and the mudane dailies in between the extremes, make up the space in which we attempt to live lives that have the "smell of Jesus." The "how" of it all too often escapes me.

Church renews possibility of lawsuit

"Resurrecting the specter of a federal lawsuit over the stalled expansion of one of the South Bay's largest houses of worship, leaders at Rolling Hills Covenant Church have urged Rolling Hills Estates officials to vote on a slimmed down version of the $24 million project.
...
The 'poison pill,' he said, came when project opponents insisted upon a commitment from the church to reduce the number of people on the campus on Sundays to levels below what they are today."

Read the article here.

I could say a bunch on this (I'm no fan of megachurches), but one question comes to mind:

Why not reduce the number of people coming to the campus on Sunday by planting some churches?

WHAT BATTLE???

I keep seeing these posters around calling for Christians to make the Passion the number one movie. My first question is, "Why?" Since when is cultural popularity the call of the Gospel?

Anyhow, I googled the phrase from the posters and came across this website. I did not read the whole thing--no desire--but I did scan down the page, where I came across this quote:

"This battle has become bigger than Mel Gibson, and even bigger than this movie itself. It is a defining moment in the Culture War for the future of our country, our civilization and the world."

First off, what battle? Mind you, I do dwell in the Biola Bubble, but still, I watch TV, I surf. Do they really think that opposition to this movie is some big change in the "small minority's" opinion of Scripture and Christianity? Have they not heard of the marble people at the Jesus Seminar (which, frankly, is the new kid on the block)? Huge culture wars about Jesus began as early as 325 at the Council of Nicea.

I'm sorry. I like the Passion--mostly (except for some GLARING cultural inaccuracies)--but come on, IT'S A MOVIE!! An important movie, yes. But, frankly, the culture has been heading in a spiritual direction for a long time. Sadly, many in the church just noticed this past Ash Wednesday.

You wanna make the Passion a box office buster. Cool. But don't make it out to be the biggest thing since the actual crucifixion. As I said on March 31,

"...the church was, is, and remains the greatest outreach opportunity in 2000 years..."

The church. Not movies or tracts or nifty books or small groups or house church or smells and bells worship or expository preaching or or or...

Finally, a last word about "culture wars." Seems to me the Apostle Paul had a bit of a different take on the whole thing.

1 Corinthians 9:21-23 NASB
21 to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law.
22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.
23 I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.

Ahem...

TENEBRAE

I posted the next (and final) installment of the Tenebrae pictures on The Fotolog.

FORGIVENESS

A few weeks ago, the TFB College Group had a discussion on forgiveness. I wish I'd had this quote then:

'Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and waiting for the rat do [sic] die.' - Anne Lamott

Thanks to Mike Cope's blog, Sunday, April 18, 2004

I just love the way Anne Lamott puts things. Blunt. Wise.

TENEBRAE PICTURES

I posted the first installment of TFB Tenebrae pictures over at The Fotolog. Worship. Enjoy.

THE 'SMELL' OF JESUS

Darren Friesen posted a bit from John Stott that summarizes some of my recent conclusions (read the post here).

I've been going through the Gospel of Mark with some collegians--and doing lots of thinking besides--and one line summarizes what I've concluded:

"But the church? Somehow it seems to them to have lost the 'smell' of Christ."

Lately, I've felt like I'm living between worlds. Maybe it has to do with the transition from young adulthood to middle adulthood (egad! am I really there? yup!). On the one hand, are the traditions, the system, and the way things currently run. On the other hand, there is the vision--the mostly hidden notion--of what the church--of what I--could be. So much of me and the system get in the way. My own dysfunction makes me blind. The system seems, frankly, wrong. I look at Scripture--especially the Gospels--and I don't see Jesus doing things the way we do things. His life was natural. He opposed the system of his day because they focused on the system rather than on God.

How do we break out of system-following and return to Jesus-following? The only answers that come to mind smack of the famous gray squirrel answers: read the bible and pray. Yes, but is there not more to it? And how do we break free from tradition for tradition's sake without stomping all over the people who hold the traditions dear? Jesus slammed the arrogant religious leaders, but he still went to synagogue.

Just thinking...