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Worship: Narrative Lectionary, 6d, 10.13.13

Our worship service centers on the story of God calling young Samuel and Eli’s role in helping him to respond. Worship leaders include the Children’s Choir, Connie Jones, Eric Fulcher, Matt Jones, Jack Jones, Eric Sterling, Way Bwen Htoo, Kathy McGraw and the church staff. Two highlights include the sending of Rev. Eric Fulcher to his next ministry context and bread for the journey for Molly Huffstetler.

tbc Worship & Fellowship

A Word from our Pastor: God delights in our vitality and cooperation

I smiled as the words parted, “Would you have ever imagined that the fellowship hall would be full of this much noise and laughter on a Wednesday evening?” Teddy smiled back and agreed. Sometimes I have this mental image of God, represented by a giant arm reaching down from the heavens, removing the roof off of our old building, to get a better view of his children delighting in one another’s company. I believe that God delights in our vitality and cooperation.

Two weeks from now, on October 20th, we will gather again in the fellowship hall for our quarterly meeting and ministry fair. We will spend the better part of 1-2 hours looking back to see what God has done among us and casting our eyes forward to catch a glimpse of what God has in store for our not-so-distant future.  I think it is safe to assume that we can expect a healthy amount of reverent laughter. And whereas I love the mental image of God removing the roof to look down upon us, I know better. The God we worship refuses to stand at a distance. The Savior we serve chooses to come down, crossing the threshold into his house so that he might join his children around the family table. He walks among us. He draws us together, each and every one of us, in the beautiful complexity of our theological and cultural diversity. He will remain by our side to help us come into an awareness of the gifts/resources we’ve been blessed with and then he will guide us to bring those gifts and resources together to usher in a kingdom of grace.

Some of us will leave the small table at Tabernacle that very afternoon to attend another family gathering. Our brothers and sisters at Chamberlayne Baptist Church will host an important meeting of the Richmond Baptist Association. There, we will sit around a larger table, and not unlike Tabernacle’s meeting, we will look back to see what God has done among us and we will cast our eyes forward to catch a glimpse of the not-so-distant future. Our wonderfully diverse family will be asked to take an assessment of our gifts, resources, and level of commitment.  Admittedly, I worry that fear will set the tone. Some around the table are trying to decide whether they will remove themselves or even forcibly remove others from fellowship. I do not anticipate much reverent laughter at this particular gathering. I hope I’m wrong.

Regardless, we take comfort in knowing that God refuses to remain at a distance. Jesus  will be, as he always has and will be, actively present…around the table…..with each and every one us. He delights in our vitality and cooperation. He comes directly to us to remind us of our purpose, to set the tone, and cast the vision. It is my prayer that we will all show up on October 20th ready with our eyes, ears, and hearts wide open to his presence among us.

Yours in Christ,

Sterling W. Severns

Pastor

tbc Media

Worship: Narrative Lectionary, 2d, 9.15.13

Our Second Sunday in the Narrative Lectionary (Year Four) takes us to Mount Moriah….the place where God commands Abraham to bind/sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22:1-14).  It is one of the most challenging and disturbing stories in the Bible.  Worship leaders include Bob & Helen Davidson, Alec and Amanda Miller, Ah Char, Ja Htoi, WayKu, Andrew VB Thawng, Robyn Mosley, Jim McMurray, Sanctuary Choir, and Church Staff.

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Worship: Narrative Lectionary, 1d, 9.8.13

Worship Narrative 1d 9/8/2013

Today, we begin a new journey into the Narrative Lectionary (NL). The NL, now in only it’s fourth year of existence, begins in September and ends in May. The weekly scripture passages follow the sweep of the biblical story, from Creation through the early Christian church.The texts move in chronological order and show the breadth and variety of voices within Scripture. They invite people to hear the stories of Abraham and Sarah, Moses and the prophets, Jesus, and Paul. Listening to the many different voices within Scripture enriches the life of faith.

These biblical readings lead well to the proclamation of what God is doing in our daily lives. The stories tell of hope and disappointment, suffering and redemption. In all these varied contexts, we find God dealing with the complexities of human life. We have been actively planning for the shift into the Narrative Lectionary for months and look forward to beginning this journey together.

Today’s service centers on the first creation story, Genesis 1:1-2:4a. Worship leaders include: Joseph Perdue, Mae Lah, Meadow Street Band, Sanctuary Choir, Wint Wint Zaw, and the church staff.  Podcast tech.: Bill.