Closing the Gap by "Going to Preaching"
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Growing up I was not used to the Sunday morning service, my family and I attended, being referred to as “worship.” We called it “Preaching,” as in, “Are you going to ‘Preaching’ this morning after we get out of Sunday School.” Unless you grew up in the Baptist tradition then this type of language may sound strange to you, but for us the focus - and primary reason - anyone went to church was to hear the preacher preach the word of God. As I grew older and developed a deep appreciation for all aspects of worship, I still hold onto the central role preaching, or proclamation plays in my understanding of worship.
The goal of proclamation is to connect us deeply to the word of God as expressed in Scripture. This is why there is a big difference between an inspirational talk and a sermon. A sermon dares to delve into the Bible in such a way that God’s voice can be heard by the congregation as the word is proclaimed by the preacher. This may sound like hubris on behalf of the preacher, and I know that there have been times when preaching has been abused by wrongheaded and wrong hearted preachers, but for me the attempt to listen to the Bible and then take that message to the people is an act that I take very seriously. Quite frankly it scares me to death! Who am I to carry out such a task? I find myself along with the prophet Isaiah saying “
Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5 NRSV). In other words - “I am not worthy to do this.” Yet God still chooses people like me to do this work and I do it as best I can and I can only do this because God has given us Scripture as the basis for preaching.
In order to appreciate the act of proclamation in worship as a means of closing the gap in worship we must have an overarching appreciation of the Bible. If we do not believe the Bible then our proclamation is in vain.
To allow scripture to speak to our lives requires faith as we believe that scripture is God’s primary way of communicating his grace, intentions, and will to us; and believing this takes faith. This means that the Bible then has more to teach us about our existence than science,history, sociology or any other discipline. Not that these means of knowledge are not crucial and important: clearly we cannot effectively live without the understanding they provide. Faith does not throw out reason, experience, or rational thought, but faith does claim that scripture is central to how we interact with everything we come to know and experience.
Not only does scripture provide the lens through which we view the world, the very reading and pondering of scripture itself is a spiritual exercise. When done with a seeking heart, the Bible will communicate God’s grace to us. John Wesley called this “searching the scripture” - taking time to not only read, but to read and ask, read and pray, read and think. Reading scripture in this way is not about getting the questions on the test correct: it is a way to hear what God wants us to know right here, right now.
That is the goal in worship to “Close the Gap” between God’s understanding and our own. A well preached (proclaimed) Biblical text can and will do just that. Hope to see you Sunday.
Blessings,
Steve
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Youth will meet THIS SUNDAY 9/29 in the FLC from 6-8pm!
I hope you can join us as we grow together in the Lord!
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Come join us for a six week DVD/workbook Bible study, "In the Middle of the Mess" by Shelia Walsh. She will reveal to us God's power that can be made perfect in our weakness. Our brokenness can be the beginning of something beautiful, and accepting the fact that we are broken can be the key to finding God's strength in the middle of the mess. MUST pre-register by Oct. 14
th
so that workbook can be ordered. Email Jo Killian @
mamajos04@gmail.com
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Building Meaningful Relationships
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New Horizons Bake Sale -
You’re probably thinking, “Where could I get a tasty dessert to enjoy after church? How about something for dinner?” The answer is right here in the DUMC CORC. The finest cooks in our church are preparing their best dishes just for you. On Sunday, September 29th the New Horizons Class will be offering baked goods, home canned goods, snack mix, and other goodies for sale to support their Christmas community outreach program. Mark your calendar to cruise over to the CORC between 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. or until the food runs out. Your stomach will thank you!
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JOY Movie Night
- IT'S HERE - OUR NEW LARGE SCREEN TV!! Join the JOY group Thursday, September 26th at 7:00 p.m. at The Terraces Clubhouse for this month's movie, "The Best of Enemies". Based on a true story, learn how Durham, NC was changed forever by an unlikely relationship that developed between a civil rights activist and the local leader of the Ku Klux Klan over school desegregation.
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JOY Halloween Party
It will be a frightfully good time!! Calling all seniors . . . put on your costume, paint your face and come to the JOY Halloween Party for games and fun at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 10th in the CORC. Members should bring a Halloween treat for the party buffet.
See you there my pretties!
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JOY Book Club
will review "The Jesus Gene" by Gayle Widell, Monday, October 7th at 1:00 p.m. in the church library. This fast-paced thriller is about a man who never got sick - ever. When a freak accident proves deadly for everyone involved, except him, he finds himself being chased by the military and the doctor he thought he could trust to help him.
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First Thursday Lunch
is October 3, from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. in the Family Life Center. It's open to the whole community! Join us for food, fellowship, and great music by Buck Moody! All proceeds help local children and their families. To reserve whole chicken pies and baked spaghetti to-go, call the church office soon at 704-483-1601.
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Henderson Settlement Mission Trip
- Planning Meeting on Sunday, September 29, 2019 10 the CORC from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. For new volunteers we will review what Henderson Settlement Mission Trip is all about and how we help them. For returning volunteers we will discuss fund raising plans and trip details. The Mission Trip is planned for April 26 - May 2, 2020. Contact Wally Mlynarski for more information or with questions at
wzm.fish@gmail.com
or 267-884-1326.
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The DUMC Belize Missions team has completed the building of the Medical Center, and it is now time to gather equipment and supplies. We have an opportunity to ship a container to Belize in early October. Please reach out if you have access to any medical or dental equipment and supplies that can be donated.
Contact Wendi Popoff at
Wendi.popoff@yahoo.com
for more information.
We are also collecting used eyeglasses. The Lion’s Club will prepare the eyeglasses and provide eyeglasses for the eye care clinic in Belize.
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