The Listening Ear

Saturday Night Light Launched

We held our first Saturday Night Light worship a couple of days ago. I think we are off to a good start with 54 persons attending the first time. I think the Saturday service will be a reentry point for those who have drifted away from the church and are looking for a way to get back into worship again. I am hopeful that it will attract some new folks to our congregation. And I think it will be a good option for people who have schedule conflicts that keep them from worshipping on Sunday morning.

I am also pleased with the musical team who are leading the service and the type of worship we’re using. It will be interesting to see how this new service develops in the coming months.

This is also a great time to invite others to any of our worship services.

A Church That Forgives

I just discovered a link on Kem Meyer's blog that tells the story of a church that is trying to practice the gospel in a radical way. In early March someone stole the trailer that held 75% of the equipment used by the Kinetic Church in Charlottesville, NC. Originally they were hoping to recover what had been stolen, but failing that, they put a video on Youtube that not only tries to focus on opportunity rather than problems, but also is so true to the gospel. You can see the video below.

Personal Testimonies

As I have been doing some initial preparation for worship next Sunday, I noted that the Gospel reading from John 1: 29-42 tells the story of people who make their personal witness to Jesus Christ. First, John the Baptist tells anyone who will listen, including two of his own disciples, that Jesus is the Lamb of God. Because of John’s witness, the disciples start following Jesus. One of them, Andrew, goes to his brother, Simon and bears witness to Jesus. “We have found the Messiah,” he says to his brother. Because of that testimony, Simon becomes a follower of Jesus.

I think there is a need for a greater use of testimony in our day both in worship and in every day life. I am not talking about forcing ourselves on others. I think that it is necessary to listen to others and to become aware of their needs before we talk much about our own faith story. Nevertheless, once we know someone and they have developed some trust in us, that’s a great time to tell them about our faith. I think that personal testimony can also be used with great effect at worship and in other large group setting.

At our confirmation learning events, we normally include what we call a Lifeline Story. Someone from the congregation or the community is invited to tell a story from his or her own life that relates to the topic we are studying that evening. They are asked to make a connection between their faith and what they have experienced.

Our youth listen more attentively to those stories than anything else we offer. If by chance we don’t have a Lifeline story, they miss it and tell us so.

So what would your story be? Can you tell someone else about how God has been at work in your life and why you follow Jesus? I urge you to think and pray about this. Its best to take the time to write it out. Then we know what we can say about Jesus when we get the chance.

We are planning to have 2-3 person tell something about their faith story as worship this week. I am looking forward to what God might be able do through those testimonies.