the Scriptures / topical church "series"

For those that are interested, Chris Seay and many others in the emerging Church community are coming out with a series of books, worship music & other great stuff designed to help the Church rediscover the Scriptures. They've got a great website that's worth checking out here.

In their most recent book examining the book of Acts, Chris Seay states, "It is all too common in many of our Protestant churches to have only a few verses of biblical text read in a service, and then that selection too often becomes a jumping-off point for a sermon that is at best peripherally related to, much less rooted in, the Bible itself. The goal of The Voice is to promote the public reading of longer sections of Scripture - followed by thoughtful engagement with the biblical narrative in its richness and fullness and dramatic flow..."

I totally relate to what Chris is saying here. I don't know about anyone else, but more and more I get irritated when churches do topical series. Typically, the teaching pastor picks a topic for a series, finds a few tiny verses to back up their take on the subject, and hops to around the Bible each week examing the particluar theme. I understand the intent of this approach, but I also think we really miss out on key elements of Scripture. We end up missing the larger picture by dissecting it too much.

I've always pictured the Word (pardon the Dave Matthews metaphor) as a wave that crashes into us every week, slowly shaping us in this beautiful rhythm of time God orchestrated with weekly Sunday worship. We might not feel like we're being shaped at the time, no more than a rock on the beach feels like it's being a shaped in a particular moment. But over time, we're different.

If we take a more holistic approach to Scripture, the question is not so much What does Pastor So-And-So have to say to us today, but rather What does God want to communicate to us as a people through His Word? That's the major strength of going though a book of the Bible completely and/or going through the Lectionary: Let's submit to the Word and trust the Holy Spirit to guide us.

Advent

A couple years ago, I decided to start following the Christian Year. I don't know about anyone else, but it's so easy just to get lost in day-to-day stuff, that I lose eternal perspective & get too focused on myself. I've found the Christian Year to be a great way to get outside myself & identify with the larger Body of Christ. Life takes on a beautiful sense of rhythm, focus & formation as I've journeyed through the different seasons of the Church.

Today marks the beginning of Advent, the season in which Christians all over the world focus on the coming of Christ - his coming to Bethlehem 2,000 years ago, his coming into our own lives, and his future coming to set all things right. It's a time to beg God to break in, interfere, & disrupt our lives. This morning, I went to the Catholic Church down the street from us for their morning mass. As always, it was a beautiful experience. As the service began, they turned off the lights to represent the darkness in a world without Christ. As the lights came on, the procession of the cross made its way down the center aisle as we sang O Come Emmanuel. We said the Lord's Prayer together, greeted each other, went through the readings, heard a short sermon, and of course the centerpiece of our time together - partook of Christ in Communion.

I pray you all have a great Advent season and fully celebrate the true reason for a holiday that's been hijacked by consumerism. To those who are interested, I'd encourage you to give a listen to Chris Seay's sermon from November 12, quite possibly the best sermon I've ever heard. I'd be interested in your response. Take care.