Book Review - Screen Saved

Screen Saved[1]

Dan Andiacco is the Communications Director of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and experienced journalist and expert on the media. In his book Screen Saved Andiacco looks at the effect modern media has on culture and the church and suggests ways that the church can respond. Since words have the ability to transform we should be concerned that the words communicated though the media are transforming people, and the church must respond.

One response is to disengage from the media. Here churches hold onto traditional liturgies and practices and avoids using anything that could remind people of today’s mediated culture. Another response is to hold onto as many old practices as possible as a way to challenge the teachings of the mediated culture. And a third response would be to adopt as much media technology as you can and use it to communicate the gospel.

Andriacco observes that we lead hectic lives primarily driven by the media and its commercial message of accumulating greater wealth. He suggests that the church should combat this with a Lenten media fast. Ministers, however, must get out of the cloistered lives to see for themselves what the media is doing it they are going to respond to it. That way ministers can help their congregations deal with the harmful effects of the mediated culture while still using some media techniques to engage in Christian formation.

From my own experience I have found that silence is difficult. I like to have the TV or radio on all the time, even if it is just background noise. It keeps me from getting lonely. But I realize as a Christian that I need quiet time to meditate on scripture and pray. So Andriacco’s idea of a fast from the media would be good for me. It would allow me to listen for God. But the media fast should only be considered for active Christian. Christian evangelism requires that we speak the language of the people. That language is the language of the media. So we need to use the media to communicate our message of hope and bring people into the churches. The churches must be places where people feel safe and at home. Thus there should be good sound systems and video presentations. Christians should aspire to excellence. That way what we do will be attractive to people from a mediated culture. But we should not adopt all of the principles of the culture.

There is a distinction between principles and techniques. Although these are related and affect each other it is possible to adopt a technique without adopting the cultural principle that normally goes with that technique. For example television commercial are usually used to get someone to buy something. Christians have used commercials to get people to buy Christian things, like a worship service, music or books. When this happens the Christians have adopted both the technique, commercial, and the principle, buy more. But what it we ran commercials that said, “Slow down”, be quiet and pray”. We would be using the commercial technique without the commercial principle of “buy more”.

The tasks for Christians therefore is to us the media techniques, but find innovative ways to undermine the principles the media techniques usually communicate.

---

[1] Dan Andriacco, Screen Saved, Peril and Promise of Media in Ministry (Cincinnati: St. Anthony Messenger Press 2000)

Sermon - Luke 15: 11-22 - Our Heavenly Home

Sermon - Luke 15: 11-22 - Our Heavenly Home

Jeffrey T. Howard

Introduction

Recently, Fuller Seminary asked me for my permanent address. The question stumped me. Where is my home? I currently live in a small one bedroom apartment in Fuller Housing, but I will be moving shortly after graduation. That apartment is my home right now. But there is no sense of permanence. The homes I lived in back east belong to other people now. My father has remarried and their home welcomes me as a visitor, but it is not my home. So again I ask, “Where is my home?”

Settlers

My grandfather would have had no difficulty with this question. He never lived more than a couple of miles away from where he was born. He was a coal miner and had to live close to the mine. His father was also a coal miner as were all of his brothers. And he married a coal miner’s daughter who worked in the company store. Life was hard and not expected to get much better. He worked in the mines from his sixteenth birthday until retirement. He never had few luxury items or spare time. His life was centered on work, family and church. He lived on the land originally settled by his parents who had come from Europe. They were settlers.

Settlers always went to the local community church. It would have never occurred to them to go to church in someone else’s community. Church is where their community gathered together for worship. Since life was difficult and not expected to improve the church gave them hope in life after death, when settlers would live in paradise. Heaven, for settlers, was located on the other side of death when they would finally receive their great reward. Listen to these comforting words from the prophet Zephaniah.

“At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the LORD.” (Zephaniah 3:20)

Settlers understood that home was where they lived and worked during their lives. And they looked forward to their heavenly home where God the father would graciously welcome them home as his beloved children.

Exiles

My father grew up knowing this coal mining town as home. But after high school he was drafted into the army and served in World War II. After returned home a grateful country sent him to college on the G.I. Bill. After college he went to work for a corporation and bought a house in the suburbs. Several times each year we would get into the station wagon to drive over the mountain back home. Home was always back there in Pennsylvania. My parents were exiles living somewhere far from home.

Exiles lived in one community but considered another community as home. They enjoyed all the luxuries and extra time their new lifestyle allowed. But they longed for the community that they had left behind. So exiles joined churches to be part of new exile communities where they could remember home. In these church communities exiles could use their free time as volunteers, something unknown in my grandparent’s day. They could join committees and become deacons and elders. The watchword for exiles was “upward mobility”. Every few years they could expect a better job, a better home, and a better car. Their goals were to have the corner office and to be an elder in the church.

For a people experiencing upward mobility the church began preaching a new message. Rather that seeing heaven as a place where you go when you die they saw it as being somewhere in the sky above the clouds. The role of the church was to help exiles look up toward their heavenly homes. Listen to these words from Revelation.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell be with them as their God.’” (Revelation 21:1-3)

Settlers joined community churches to wait for their opportunity to enter heaven. Exiles joined churches that looked up to see the heavenly home they longed for. But today I am neither settled in a community, nor do I long for a remembered home. I am moving from home to home never settling down very long. I live somewhere for as long as I want to live there them I move to another home. I am neither a settler nor an exile. I am a nomad.

Nomads

Nomads live wherever they want. They move from apartment to apartment, house to house, city to city and even country to country. They stay in an apartment, a job or a church only as long as they find fulfillment. As soon as they experience dissatisfaction they move to a new experience, always hoping that the new experience would be better. Sometimes it is. The watchword for nomads is “change”. Settlers never expected change. Exiles expected change as upward progress. But nomads look for change whatever it is.

A few years ago I was offered a job from IBM. I would be managing the installation of cash registers for Wal-Mart stores. Had I taken this job I would have been homeless because IBM expected that I would be traveling to various Wal-Mart stores 100% of the time. I would fly to a new city every Friday and would begin work at a new store every Monday morning. The job had great benefits and I would see the country, but I would not actually have a home. Many people live this way. There is no place that they consider as home. They are truly nomads.

Most young people today live somewhere, but they do not consider that somewhere as home. Since most are the children of exiles they never considered the place where they grew up as home either. So unlike exiles the nomads have no longing for where they grew up. They go wherever the wind blows.

For nomads “home” is not defined by a physical location. Rather “home” consists of the network of relationships they develop. These relationships cross geographic and cultural barriers. Let me give you an example. A little while ago I was looking at my church’s bulletin. Since my church is in Washington DC I used the internet. The bulletin said that the church was praying for a PCUSA missionary serving in South Korea. I asked Grace if she had ever heard of this missionary, and she said the Dan Adams was her theology professor in Korea. A few moments later she picked up the phone and I was talking with Dr. Adams at his home in Junju Korea. For us, that evening, home consisted of a network of relationships from Washington to Pasadena to Korea made possible by modern technology, computers, the internet and cell phones.

When ministering to nomads the church must assist them in developing a network of relationships grounded in a relationship with Jesus Christ. A friendly church is one where members will exchange cell phone numbers with visitors, and use that contact information to meet visitors for lunch or coffee. For nomads heaven in not someplace you go after you die, nor is it found high above the clouds. Rather heaven is where relationships are formed and people gather together to follow Jesus. Listen to the following words of Christ from Matthew.

Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:19-20)

For nomads heaven exists whenever two or three of them come together in Jesus’ name. Church should be the place where relationships are formed and nurtured by the word of God. Exiles see heaven as above the clouds. Church is where they gather to look up. Settlers see heaven as their ultimate destination. Church is where they anticipate this glorious event. Now let’s look at home from the perspective of the Prodigal Son.

Heavenly Home

In the Old Testament home was tied to the land. The land you lived on had been farmed by your father and grandfather and his father going back to the conquest of the land by Joshua. The land was holy because Jerusalem was in it. Jerusalem was holy because the temple was in it. The temple was holy because the holy of holies was in it. And the holy of holies was holy because that is where God met humanity. The Israelites were settlers. In 587BC Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed. The people were removed from the land and taken to Babylon. There they lived as exiles. By Jesus’ time the temple had been rebuilt, but change was in the air. Jesus said “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up (John 2:19).” He was saying that the old system of holiness based on geography was about to end. It would be replaced by holiness based on a relationship with Jesus. Jesus told his disciples to leave their families and follow him. Followers of Jesus were not tied to the land. They were nomads

Jesus explained all of this in the parable of The Prodigal Son. The Father and his two sons lived on the land that their family had lived on forever. They were settlers. But when the younger son demanded his inheritance the land that had fed the family for generations had to be sold. The old system of land inheritance was over. After the younger son left and lost his money he longed for home. He remembered his family and the food the land produced. He was an exile. When the younger son returned he saw that everything had changed. Home was no longer tied to the land. Rather home consisted of the relationships among the father and his two sons. Jesus was preparing us for a change in the meaning of “home” from being a place where you live to being the network of relationships you have with others. Heaven exists whenever your network of relationships follows Jesus.

Amen

Sermon - Isaiah 64:17-25 - New Creation

Sermon - Isaiah 64:17-25 - New Creation

Jeffrey T. Howard

On day after Easter, God is at work renewing and restoring creation.

Introduction

Yesterday was Easter Sunday. At Easter we Christians celebrate our favorite day. Our churches are filled with flowers. Everyone wears their best clothes. And preachers are ready with their greatest sermons. They tell us about the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. This story is a familiar one. Jesus had been killed on a cross and buried in a tomb. But early on the first day of the week the tomb was empty and Jesus was alive. Was the resurrection of Christ a historical event? Of course, we have the testimony of the witnesses faithfully preserved in the New Testament. Did the resurrection validate what Jesus had said and taught? Of course, Jesus claimed to be God. There was no better way to prove it. Did Christ's resurrection change things for the world? Of course it initiated the new creation of heaven and earth.

Problem

But on this Monday after Easter we are forced to ask what difference did Easter make. On this Monday after Easter violence is still raging in Iraq. Gangs still run in the streets of Los Angeles. Extreme poverty is still the rule below our boarders. We still face academic requirements, job uncertainty, and large student debt. In other words this Monday after Easter is not much different from the Monday before Easter. So, what difference did Easter make?

This was the question that Jews had after their Babylonian captivity. The Persian King Cyrus had free them from exile and permitted them to return to Judea and their beloved city Jerusalem. This proclamation had to result in a huge celebration of thanksgiving to God not unlike our own Easter celebrations. But when the exiles returned and saw their city in ruins and their temple destroyed they must have asked: what difference did Cyrus' proclamation make? They had returned home but not to their own kingdom. There was no descendent of David on the throne as God had promised. So their great excitement at being freed from captivity was tempered by reality. What difference did it all make?

The prophets had the answer. Just follow God. Avoid the other gods who led you astray. Follow your God who will restore your land. Here is the good news one wrote:

Isaiah 65:17 - 25 ¹⁷ For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. ¹⁸ But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. ¹⁹ I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress. ²⁰ No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed. ²¹ They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. ²² They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. ²³ They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the LORD-- and their descendants as well. ²⁴ Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear. ²⁵ The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent-- its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD. (NRSV)

On this, the Monday after Easter, can we accept this good news? Do we see the new heaven and the new Earth being created all around us? Do we see signs of peace in the world? Do we see signs that life is getting any better?

Illustration

Recently I was a chaplain at Methodist Hospital in Arcadia. At 5:30 one morning I was awakened by a call from the hospital switchboard. They told me an ambulance was on its way with a patient in cardiac arrest. A chaplain was needed in the Emergency Room immediately. When I arrived at the hospital the Emergency Room staff was frantically trying to revive the patient. It was a scene straight out of the TV show ER with doctors and nurses performing a well rehearsed ritual using every medical technique they had to save the patient's life. Eventually the doctors and nurses relaxed. There was nothing more they could do. The patient had died. He was placed in a small room next to the ER. And I waited for the arrival of the widow.

When the widow arrived we sat in the family waiting room in the ER. We talked while waiting for other members of the family to arrive. She told me that her husband was 45 years old and in good health. She awoke that morning and began brewing coffee when she saw the dogs behaving strangely. She went into the bedroom to wake her husband, and when she touched him his skin was cold. She knew he was dead as she dialed 911. She never expected anything like this.

The promise of Isaiah was that "no more", "NO MORE" shall there be an old person who does not live out his lifetime. Isn't this our expectation after Easter? How could this man of 45 years die leaving behind a widow and two young children - on this side of Easter? There are no easy answers for these questions. These questions test our Christian faith.

I. Blinded by grief

The promise of Easter is that God is at work in the world transforming and renewing creation. Sometimes though, we are blinded by our grief, concerns and sin, unable to see all that God is doing. For example, in preindustrial societies one third of all children died before age six, and the life expectancy of a newborn was just 33 years old. Today childhood mortality rates have plummeted because of substantial improvements in medicine and nutrition. It is common for people to live well into their 80s and 90s with many over 100 years old. This has come about because God has worked with scientists and doctors to create medicines that protects us and allows us to live healthier and longer lives. We are living happier and healthier lives right now. But, when we are happy and healthy we forget about God and all he has done for us. We take our happiness and health for granted. We assume that it will last forever. Then when we or a loved one gets sick we are blinded by grief to these blessings of God and complain that God has forsaken us. The good news is that God is at work renewing and transforming our world whether we see it or not. We can trust by faith that God's will is being done on earth right now bringing about the new creation God promised.

Illustration

After the family arrived at the hospital we went in to see their dead husband, father, brother and friend. We gathered around the bed and each person in turn said goodbye. The widow cried softly as this ritual continued. But near the end she began to sob loudly and fell to the floor. I knelt down and held her hand. She asked me to pray for the family. I said that I needed her help. So she got up and assembled the family around the bed. Everyone held hands. And I began to pray.

II. The importance of prayer

According to the prophet Isaiah, God's work of re-creation and renewal is tied to prayer. God knows our prayers even before we pray them. And his promise is that our prayers will be heard. God will answer our prayers in his work of transforming and renewing creation. Our prayers for peace will be heard. The Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq will one day dip pita bread into olive oil together. Poverty in Latin America will go away. We often wait until the crisis hits to begin our prayers. We are too busy to pray every day. But God's work of re-creation is enhanced because our prayers change our hearts of stone into a hearts of flesh. Prayer is how we allow ourselves to be re-created. The good new is that even if we do not pray as we should, God still hears our prayers.

Illustration

I was with the widow and her family all day. We waited for the deceased's mother to arrive and went to the morgue to say our last goodbyes. After our prayer the widow asked me to do a funeral service for her husband in the church chapel. At that chapel service I talked about the future when the bodies of all the faithful will be resurrected from the dead. The death of her husband was not the end. Just as Jesus Christ had defeated death by being raised from the dead so too would her husband who would live forever in the glorious presence of God where no grief would be remembered and gladness and rejoicing would continue forever.

III. Hope in a yet unrealized future

The new heaven and earth that Isaiah prophesied is in some sense still in the future. God's work of re-creation is an ongoing process that lasts for generations. Our own re-creation is the result of a lifetime of interaction with the Holy Spirit. Thus the ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy will not occur until the end of the age when Jesus will return. Our hope in the return of Jesus takes many forms. Some are waiting for Christians to be snatched up into heaven. Others expect a violent apocalyptic end. But Isaiah gives us a vision for a nonviolent renewal of the entire world. The world we have today is not as God intends. It is a fallen world corrupted by sin. God has not yet finished the work of creation. Eventually, as God works in our hearts we will be transformed into new creatures. Sin will be removed from our hearts. And fallenness will be removed from the whole cosmos. When this happens we will all be living in right relationship with God. We will experience the fullness of life that come from a full participation in God. All of humanity will learn to live together in peace, harmony, love and righteousness. We will be reconciled with God and with each other. And the new creation will be glorious because we will all join together in glorifying God. This is the good news.

Conclusion

So, on this Monday after Easter has anything changed? Of course, the new creation of heaven and earth has begun. We may be blinded to much of God's work. But God is working whether we see it or not. Now is a time for prayers that God will transform the earth beginning with own hearts. And we trust that the final re-creation will be fulfilled with the coming of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Sermon - Acts 1:4-14 - Prayer from a Reformed Perspective

Sermon - Acts 1:4-14 - Prayer from a Reformed Perspective

⁴ While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. "This," he said, "is what you have heard from me; ⁵ for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." ⁶ So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" ⁷ He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." ⁹ When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. ¹⁰ While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. ¹¹ They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

¹² Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day's journey away. ¹³ When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. ¹⁴ All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.

This is the Word of God for the people of God

Thanks be to God

Will you pray with me?

"Eternal God, who has set before us life and death for our choice, and has given us Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, help us to enter that way, to receive that truth, and to live be that life. Suffer us not to miss the purpose of our creation, but make us to be sons and daughters of yours and servants of your kingdom. Through the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen" [1] Adapted from Donald Baillie (1887-1954)

They devoted themselves to constant prayer. Jesus' remaining disciples, some women and his own family gathered back into the upper room to wait for the arrival of the Holy Spirit and the new empowerment that Jesus promised. They went there to wait and to pray. Prayer was important to the leaders of the new church. They regularly went to the temple every afternoon for three-o-clock prayer. As the demands of the church demanded more and more of their time deacons were ordained for pastoral care so that the leaders could continue devoting themselves to prayer. And new elders were ordained with much prayer and fasting.

Since women and men first walked on the earth prayer has been a part of our lives. Our earliest ancestors sensed a mysterious power at work in the world. The nature of this power was dimly understood. But when famine or disease threatened to destroy their tribes they reached out to this power in prayer pleading for salvation. Today all people sense this mysterious power beyond themselves. We reach out to it with our most intense needs and desires. When in trouble our natural response is prayer. Yet we live in an age when results matter. So when we pray we expect God to answer. And if God fails to answer or if the answer is "no" then we are profoundly disappointed.

Many people believe that praying is a way to get God to do something for them. Prayer somehow changes God. But as Christians we believe that prayer changes us. When we pray our hearts are changed. Prayer increases our self understanding and molds us around God's will. For Christians prayer is never centered on getting something rather it is always centered on God. Our goal in prayer is to have a relationship with God. This leads us to the first reason for prayer that our hearts may be filled with a "burning desire to seek, love and serve God." [2] Will you pray with me?

"O Eternal, Almighty and most gracious God! Heaven is your throne, and earth is your footstool; holy and reverend is you name; you are praised by the heavenly hosts, and in the congregation of your saints on earth; and will be sanctified in all that come close to you. We are sinful and unworthy dust; but being invited by you, are bold, through our blessed Mediator, to present ourselves and our supplications before you. Receive us graciously, help us by your Spirit; let you fear be upon us; put your laws into our hearts, write them in our minds; let your word come to us in power, and receive us in love, with attentive, reverent and obedient minds. Make it to us the savour of life unto life. Cause us to be fervent in prayer, and joyful in your praises, and to serve you this day without distractions: that we may find that it is good for us to draw near to God; through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen." [3] (Adapted from Richard Baxter (1615-1691))

Too often we put off praying because we are too busy or too tired. But these are just excuses. Since prayer is our way of conforming ourselves to God's will, the failure to pray is really a form of resistance to God. When we cannot find time to pray we should realize that this is a sign of an inner conflict with God. The temptation to not pray must be resisted. Then as we pray we will experience a renewal of the sense of God's presence in our lives.

As we pray we should make all of our needs and wants, all of our thought and feelings known to God. It forces us to examine our thoughts and desires carefully. If you do not want to bring a thought or desire to God you should reconsider the appropriateness of that thought or desire. Our thoughts and desires may change radically in prayer. This leads us to the second reason for prayer "that there may enter our hearts no desire and no wish at all of which we would be ashamed to make God a witness." [4] Will you pray with me?

"What a frightful account we will have to give to you, O God, to you who judges and condemns the words we speak! If vain words will be condemned, what then of malicious, venomous words? And if our words merit such severe judgment, what will our deeds merit? O Lord, Lord, do not settle accounts with us! Pardon us first: then change us and in the future let no words cross our lips save those inspired by this thought, that your Son, so full of love, was called the Word." [5] Napoleon Roussel (1805-1878).

Prayer is closely tied to self-examination. This is why the Puritans who settled in American made self-examination a daily practice of confession. It forces us to take a new look at ourselves and consider what we doing with our lives. Prayer changes us even if the change in undesired and unexpected.

When we think about our lives we often focus on the negative. We see what is wrong with ourselves and others. But in prayer we take a second look and notice all of the blessings God has given us. This causes us to respond to God with thanksgiving. Our consciousness is freed from the negative. We are able to be thankful for the goodness of life even in the midst of our troubles. This leads us to the third reason for prayer, "that we be prepared to receive God's benefits with true gratitude of heart and thanksgiving." [6] Will you pray with me?

"O God, Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier, we thank you that we may be together to hear your word of life and hope. We are all equal before you. You know our life in its deepest recesses. You have not forgotten us; you love us, and again and again you fill the empty hands which we stretch out towards you. Though the suffering and death of your Son Jesus Christ, you took our darkness and fear upon yourself in order that we might know light and joy." [7] (Prayer of the Waldensian Church)

Prayers of thanksgiving are an important feature of Black churches. Frequently people in the congregation respond with exclamations like "Thank you Jesus" and "Yes, Lord". Their prayers are filled with praises of God. Gratitude fills their hearts helping them deal with oppression and discrimination that has lasted for generations. With prayers of thanksgiving we never take God's blessings for granted. We recognize that God is the source of everything we have, and we recognize God's blessings every day.

In prayer we perceive all that God is doing for us. As we respond in gratitude our hearts change. Then we realize how much God truly loves us, hears our cries and desires our well-being. We begin to see answers from God for what we thought was unanswered prayer. We respect God's "no" when we realize that it has been given out of love. And we develop patience to wait for God's answer in God's time. This leads us to the fourth reason for prayer that, "being convinced that God has answered our prayers, we should be led to meditate upon his kindness more ardently." [8] Will you pray with me?

"Father of mercies, in Thy Word what endless glory shine;

Forever be Thy Name adorer for these celestial lines.

Here the Redeemer's welcome voice spreads heavenly peace around;

And life and everlasting joys attend the blissful sound.

O may these heavenly pages be my ever dear delight;

And still new beauties may I see, and still increasing light;

Divine Instructor, gracious Lord, be Thou forever near;

Teach me to love Thy sacred Word, and view my Savior there." [9]

(Anne Steele (1716-1778)

We all know that we should pray, but praying is hard to do. Everything around us tells us that prayer in unimportant. We are independent people who want to take care of ourselves. We do not want to be dependent. And we ask, "How can God make a difference in a world that obeys natural laws?" We ask these questions because we forget who God is and what he has done for us in Jesus Christ who loves us and forgives all that we have done wrong. Even if we think that prayer may be useless it still affects who we are because in prayer we realize that we are God's beloved. We are reminded of God's grace. And we rekindle our sense of the mysterious and otherness of God.

Prayer brings us into a relationship where we can trust God, the creator of the universe. We also understand in prayer that Christ has joined in our weakness. By praying in Jesus' name we are reminded that he stoops down to lift us up to the presence of God. This act teaches us that we are dependent on God, and frees us from the necessity of depending only on ourselves. We set aside our busyness and our workaholic ways to do nothing, to set ourselves quietly before God's throne.

When Jesus taught his disciple to pray, they already new what prayer was. They had seen numerous examples in the Torah and in the Psalms. The already understood that God meets our daily needs, forgives us, and will initiate a new kingdom. What Jesus taught them was that they could approach God calling him "our father". Will you pray with me?

"Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen."

Benediction

"O God,

Who has so greatly loved us, and mercifully redeemed us, give us grace that in everything we may yield ourselves, our wills and our works, to a continual thankoffering unto you, though Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen."[10]

(Adapted from The Westminster Divines, "Directory for Worship" (1647))

---

[1] Donald Baille, as quoted in A Book of Reformed Prayers, 112.

[2] Calvin, as quoted in Howard L. Rice, Prayer in the Reformed Tradition, 75.

[3] Richard Baxter (1615-1691), as quoted in Howard L. Rice and Lamar Williamson Jr. A Book of Reformed Prayers, 41

[4] Calvin 76

[5] Napoleon Roussel, as quoted in A Book of Reformed Prayers, 80,

[6] Calvin 77

[7] Prayer of the Waldensian Church, as quoted in A Book of Reformed Prayers, 190

[8] Calvin 78

[9] Anne Steele, as quoted in A Book of Reformed Prayers, 63.

[10] The Westminster Divines, as quoted in A Book of Reformed Prayers, 38.

Book Review - Ten Strategies for Preaching in a Multimedia Culture

Ten Strategies for Preaching in a Multimedia Culture [1]

Jeffrey T. Howard

In Ten Strategies for Preaching in a Multimedia Culture Thomas Troeger discusses methods of sermon preparation that can be used with congregations coming from a culture dominated by new and changing media. Like the authors of the New Testament we are called to present the word of God in new and imaginative ways that speak to people in an audiovisual culture. In doing this we must be careful to avoid distorting the message. So we have to balance presenting God is a way that can be received by people today without reducing the message to what is merely attractive and entertaining.

Troeger's first strategy is to "assume that there is more to the story." Here we are to embellish the biblical story. This is appropriate because it mimics the practice of the New Testament writers and Jesus in talking about God using story. We must be care though to sufficiently exegete God's word to make certain that our assumption is not in fact a distortion.

His second strategy is to "create a parable". The purpose here is to challenge the listeners' assumptions and patterns of thought. This can be accomplished through a dramatic presentation. This can be a good way for people to consider alternative points of view.

His third strategy is to "play with an image". Troeger points out correctly that since the Reformation there has been a dearth of the use of imagery in churches. Yet image is how much information is communicated on television and movies.

This leads to the fourth strategy to "write the sermon as a movie script". Troeger suggest that we take a biblical story and rewrite it as a movie. This has the advantage of putting the message in a form readily accessible to people.

One technique used in movie scripts is to "use a flashback", Troeger's fifth strategy. This mirrors how we think as we suspend judgment and reflect on our past experiences. The biblical narrative augments our own experiences.

The media is constantly redefining symbols. So Troeger suggest in his sixth strategy to "reframe a sacrament". I agree with Troeger that sacrament are powerful Christian symbols by themselves. We can use story and imagery in our sermons in a way that will illustrate the reality behind these symbolic acts.

Stories about children are among the most memorable. We love stories people tell about their childhood. This is Troeger's reason for his seventh strategy to "let a little child lead you". I love his idea that by using children stories in a sermon it can be understood in two ways. Children understand that their stories are a part of God's story. And adults understand the biblical message through a memorable story.

Building on telling stories about children Troeger's eight reason is to "play a game". This is a good way to get the congregation to participate in worship. Their "point" of the game can be presented in a sermon the next week. This would be a good way to present complicated issues such as immigration or economics.

It is important to speak from the voices of the marginalized in society. These voices often are not heard through the traditional media. This forces the preacher to enter into another context and is the basis of Troeger's ninth strategy to "listen to the muffled voices."

In Troeger's tenth strategy emphasizes an important exegetical method to "compare translations". It is important to compare translations or do a careful translation from the original languages to understand what the authors originally meant. This can often correct past exegetical mistakes that have led to theological problems.

Troeger's approach is surprising in that I had expected to learn how to use multimedia in preaching. But that is not at all what he does. Rather he argues for varied and innovative preaching that will keep the interest of people who are part of a multimedia culture.

---

[1] Thomas H. Troeger, Ten Strategies for Preaching in a Multi Media Culture (Nashville: Abingdon Press 1996)

Book Review - Mediating Religions

Jeffrey T. Howard

"Electronic Media and the Past-Future of Christianity" in Mediating Religions [1]

In this article Peter Horsfield looks at the phenomenon of declining membership of mainline churches. What is missing from the discussion is the role of the structures of media communication within the culture on the shrinking church.

Horsfield is correct in his observation that the church has resisted change in the structures of communication. The early church started in a culture of oral communication and resisted the change to a written faith. They developed a system whereby the author would record a story and a teacher would decode it as ethical teaching and remembered ritual. This system has benefited the church through two thousand years. But today as postmodernism takes hold this whole system comes into question. Now different teachers can have different interpretations. We are deconstructing old interpretations to find new interpretations that are relevant for different groups. As a result the meanings of the words we use to communicate faith are changing. One reaction of the church is to simply deny that all of this is going on. The church continues to try the communicate using the words that once worked to build faith but now has little effect.

The church should follow the example of Jesus. Jesus spoke his message in narrative stories that his audience would understand. Many of these stories are either now unintelligible or understood in a way different from what Christ intended. It is important therefore for pastors to study the original languages and context to try to discern as much of Jesus' original meaning as they can. Then the ideas that Jesus was trying to communicate have to be translated into contemporary language that will continue to communicate the original intent. To do this, pastors will have to learn as much as they can about the language of the contemporary culture. It is vital therefore that pastors talk with the people they trying to communicating to. This entails listening to music, reading blogs, seeing movies, using text messages and participating in culture as much as possible.

All of this will be difficult for pastors who have been brought up believing that popular culture was "worldly" and therefore should be avoided. A separation between the church and the world will only lead to a divergence in the language each uses. The church and the world will simply stop communicating with each other. But if the church learns to communicate its timeless message using the language of popular culture it will be able to communicate religious truths more effectively.

Horsfield has given the church a much needed wakeup call. We no longer have the privilege of communication religious truth as we once did using words that have an accepted and nearly permanent meaning. Rather we are living in a time when meanings of words are being deconstructed and reconstructed in new ways. We have to be cognizant of these changes and use the new language in such a way that the truth of the gospel is still communicated. To keep up on the new language we have to constantly study the works of popular culture and the proclaim the gospel in terms that the consumer of popular culture will understand.

---

[1] Peter Horsfield, "Electronic Media and the Past-Future of Christianity" in Mediating Religion ed. Jolyon Mitchell and Sophia Marriage (New York: T&T Clark 2003) 271-282.

Book Review - High Tech Worship

High Tech Worship? Using Presentational Technologies Wisely [1]

Jeffrey T. Howard

In this book Schultz has entered into an ongoing debate at my church, Faith United Presbyterian Church. At the center of the debate is not the use of technology, but what elements constitute worship. The English speaking congregation is at odds with the new bilingual pastor who arrived with his own Spanish speaking congregation.

The new pastor has decided that the English church must change. His Spanish church begins worship with a reading from Scripture. This is followed by four praise songs. Then the pastor preaches, prays and does announcements. All of this can last for an hour or more. Using this order of worship the pastor has been able to build a new Spanish speaking church with about 100 members. Many of these members are young Latinos. The pastor believes that this order of service is necessary for bringing young people to the church.

The English congregation has experience a decline in membership to the point where there are only 15 members. The church was close to closing its doors until the Spanish congregation arrived. Most of the members are in their 70s and 80s and have been at this church for many years. They are used to a more liturgical order of worship with a call to worship, singing, confession, assurance of pardon, singing, scripture reading, sermon, creedal reading, prayers, song, and benediction. They like to have a bulletin where they can follow the order of worship and know what is going on.

When the two churches combined the Spanish order was imposed on the English congregation. The rationale was that the pastor wanted the two congregations to worship in the same way. It was easier to print one bilingual bulletin and have one Power Point presentation than two. And a new order of worship was needed to attract new members. The English congregation was lost. They did not know what was happening during worship. The minimal information in bulletin did not tell them what would happen next. Since the preacher could do what he or she wanted in the second half hour the order of worship could change each week. Rarely was a creed spoken. The Lord's Prayer was prayed only on occasion. As a result of this there has been a growing dissatisfaction by the English congregation. It just does not seen like church to them and they have been looking for ways to have their own pastor.

I have to agree with the English congregation. A prayer of confession is needed to put us into a correct posture when approaching God. Praise is also necessary, but if we truly believe that Christ is present in worship them our own feeling of unworthiness must overpower us. The creeds are helpful to remind us of our history as Christians and Presbyterians. But my biggest complaint is the infrequent use of the Lord's Prayer. It is rarely prayer, except when I lead the prayers, and it is never printed in the bulletin or Power Point even after I have complained. I believe that the Lord's Prayer is an important part of both corporate and personal devotion. It is something Christ told us to do. If people do not recite it weekly they will never memorize and use it as Christians have done for 2000 years. I would raise the Lord's Prayer to the level of sacrament and do it every Sunday in all churches.

---

[1] Quentin J. Schultze, High Tech Worship? (Grand Rapids: Baker Books 2004)

Book Review - The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture

The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture [1]

Jeffrey T. Howard

Since reading this book I have been reflecting on the different media through which the gospel has been communication and the effect that the medium has on the gospel message. As a seminarian I have been trained in the biblical languages. Hebrew and Greek were the first media though which the gospel was transmitted. For the gospel to be understood to people today it has to first be translated into modern languages. This translation process is imperfect. As we have learned there is not always a simple one to one correspondence between a Hebrew or Greek word and an English one. One example of this is the plural form of the pronoun "you". The biblical languages can express either a singular or plural "you". But in English the same word is used for both. (An exception to this is the southern folk expression "y'all".) The reason MDIV student must learn to understand biblical languages is so that this sort of issue is clearly understood and communicated through a sermon. So the meaning of the gospel changes from language to language. This necessitates the training of clergy in Greek and Hebrew to preserve the original meanings.

The gospel is not only communicated through language but also through culturally sensitive stories. These stories may not be understandable to people from other cultures. For example, what would "a camel pass through the eye of a needle" mean to a middleclass person in Ohio or to an international student living in California? Culturally sensitive stories have to first be understood in their original historical context. Only then can the story be explained to people in a different historical context. The medium of story telling is a very effective way of communicating ideas to an audience is a particular context but would have to be changed to communicate the ideas to audiences in a different context.

Besides language and culturally specific stories I have also been reflecting on setting as a medium through with the gospel is communicated. A person will listen differently in different settings. And thus the communication of the gospel will be different in different settings. For example in class the TA gave an example of an agnostic friend who had always rejected the gospel. But when the gospel was heard in the setting of a wedding it was well received. What changed? For one thing the gospel we proclaim is complex. It takes the entire Bible and more to hold it. So it could be that this person heard a portion of the gospel that was more palatable at the wedding than the portions he had heard before. Another possibility is that while at the wedding his listening was more receptive than when he heard Christians in other settings. As Christian leaders we should understand that there are many settings where the gospel can be communicated. Other settings may be more effective in communicating the gospel to specific groups than Sunday morning worship.

What Hipps has done in his book is warn us that the gospel we are proclaiming can change as we use different media. We do not want the gospel message to change. We want to preserve it and pass it on in a perfect form. Traditions have sought to preserve the gospel message through the use of confessional statement or by a group of scholars who ensure that meaning remains the same. Today many Christians reject the need for confessions or a magisterium and assume that the gospel message will be correctly communicated regardless of the medium used. But since the media selected for the communication of the gospel can affect the meaning being communicated we must be very careful to preserve the true meaning.

---

[1] Shane Hipps, The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture (Grand Rapids: Zondervan 2005)