Worshiping Online

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Over the last week I've been watching as churches are moving to worshiping online in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.

We are fortunate that we live in a time when we have an option of something to do. However, there is a caution. The predominant form of online worship that I've seen come up is a move to live-streaming. 

Earn all you can

There has a been a tradition in churches that holds an ideal of poverty, but expresses that ideal through scorning money. We place the fault on money, and then try to stay away from it as much as possible, but also knowing that we need it to survive.

One Bread, One Body

What do cats and kids have in common?  If you give them something shiny and new, and it comes in a big box, they're both going to play in the box.

Planning for Fear

Way back when I was in Seminary, I had a lot of expectations.  There were the ones that you would think future pastors would have, but there were also some others that you might not think of.  Most of those revolved around my long commute to get to campus, about 2.5 hours.

Entering a Different World

Based on the scripture reading for this post, Mark 5:2-13, would you have been uncomfortable in that same situation? You might be tempted to give the Jesus Juke answer, and that might be true looking back on it after some time has passed, but how would you feel in the moment?

Opening Old Doors

Have you ever walked into an old room that you haven't been in in a while, or that no one has been in in a while?  What's it smell like?  What does it look like?  Are their signs of life there?  Are you worried about what signs of life you might find, like the creepy crawly kind? 

Expanding our Community

One of my favorite stores to go to is Dollar Tree.  Partially, I like that I know how much everything costs, but there are also some things that I always know are there.  One of them is this kids toy that has a spinning disk.  You slide the disk down this thing that looks like Harry Potter's wand, and then you lift it back up off it it, and the disk takes off and will spin across the room.

Wisdom over Intellect

I was listening to a podcast on the rise and fall of Enron recently. If you don't remember, they were one of the world's largest companies, and dealt primarily with all the different ways you might produce power.

Falling Down

Do you remember some of the silly games that we used to play when we were kids? There are a couple that I remember that were always fun to play, mostly because you could get knocked around, fall down, and sing silly songs.

A Boy Named Sue

Names are a hard thing aren't they? Sometimes they can be the best part of ourselves, the thing that we are known by, but sometimes they can be the thing that gets in our way.

Those Who Should Know Better

Our scripture reading comes from Numbers 22, and is a strange one. Start by re-listening to the story after you read it. Click on the video to listen.

Jonah 2.0

Back when I was learning how to type, I was in one of the first classes that learned using a computer and not a typewriter.  Back then, we were using Windows 3.1. Do you remember what that was like? There was no taskbar, not start button, just a screen with a bunch of icons on it.

The Good Samaritan

I want to start this post off with a question. What is one of the biggest lies that we’re told today? I know that’s a fairly wide category, but what do you think?

Jonah's Mystery

 

Have you ever been derailed from a good head of steam?  You know, those times when you are laying into someone because they’ve done something wrong, or your kids have done the thing that you told them not to, or someone at work has now caused you to fix a mistake that you shouldn’t have to be fixing?  Ever had one of those experiences?

Running Away

 

Oh Jonah

This is what I think of when I start to look at Jonah’s story.  

Oh Jonah.  

I look at him and what he does, and because I’m reading the story and know the things that are going on around him, I want to cringe on his behalf. Because he doesn’t seem to get it.

My Ebenezer

This is a message that I've wanted to preach for a long time, but I didn't have all of the pieces of it that I thought I needed, until now.  And all of this starts with one word that I first heard in a hymn.

The Almost Christian

The Almost Christian. This is one of John Wesley’s sermons, and I like to go back to his sermons every once in a while because there is such a fount of incredible wisdom found there.  But they come with their challenges.  Take for instance, how he starts this out.

I Love You 3,000

In this post you are going to get some nerdiness from me.  (I know, shocking right?) Every year on Father’s Day I try to do something that is related, and it can be fun to see what I can come up with.  This year, I had a moment of nerd when I was watching the most recent Avenger’s movie and thought that would make a great Father’s Day message.

Mercy and Peace

This message was originally given on Memorial Day weekend.  Since it was preached, I've been to Annual Conference and all that comes with working things out in the larger church right now.  What I've written below still holds, most especially in light of what we are working through as a church. Take a look at this message from Memorial Day in 2019.

Sanctification of the Spirit

Who wants to go back to being 12 years old? Anyone? Sometimes it can be a fun thought, but it’s not really a good solution for anything.  And really, I’m not sure that I’d want to go back through middle school again.