I was supposed to preach Sunday. I was getting over a cold. Love of neighbor meant I needed to tell the pastor who invited me in case he wanted to cancel. He still wanted me to come. Still, I told the congregation I wouldn’t be shaking hands. They didn’t want to catch what I’d had […]
Helping Christian Community Thrive: Going Deep With Christ
So you started a brand new Christian community. That’s great. How do you make sure people are going deep with Christ? So your Christian community is diving into mission. That’s great too. How do you make sure they don’t burn out? The earliest Christians in Acts had a great approach. They did what it took to […]
Keeping Our True Orientation to Communion (Heidelberg Catechism, Q55)
Last week I posted that the church is most the church when it is in worship, on Sunday morning, receiving the Lord’s Supper. My friend and colleague Chris James left a thoughtful reply disagreeing with me. I see his point. Isn’t this actually the problem in mainstream Christianity? We neglect the mission of God in the world because we are […]
That Body and Blood Thing (Heidelberg Catechism Q76)
One Sunday long ago that rarest of things happened: A woman who had never before set foot in a church came and joined us for worship. Her son had asked why they didn’t go to church. Ours was in the neighborhood. They showed up. I mean they had never, ever been in a church before. […]