Thursday, April 19, 2012

Why Church?

These days I've started a new sermon series entitled, "Why Church?"  Why do we gather as a church?  What keeps us coming to church?

I'm also exploring the 102-year-old "Great Ends of the Church," which are a part of the Book of Order of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

The Great Ends of the Church are:
(1)  The Proclamation of the Gospel for the Salvation of Humankind.
(2)  The Shelter, Nurture, and Spiritual Fellowship of the Children of God.
(3)  The Maintenance of Divine Worship.
(4)  The Preservation of the Truth.
(5)  The Promotion of Social Righteousness.
(6)  The Exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the World.

How well have those statements weathered through the years?  Just today there was an article in the Washington Post about how millennials are leaving churches in droves.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/young-millennials-losing-faith-in-record-numbers/2012/04/19/gIQA9QoxTT_story.html

But this also begs the question, why do some people stay?

I recently came across the following Blog Post by blogger and writer Rachel Held Evans:

15 Reasons I Returned to The Church

What about you?  What draws you to church?  Why have you stayed in spite of all of the frustrations?  Of if you've left, why have you left?

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Prayer of the Day

Prayer of the Day, April 4, 2012, Colorado House of Representatives

Forty-four years ago today, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.  This morning I would like to combine and adapt two of Dr. King’s prayers.  The first is entitled, “In the Moment of Difficult Decision,” and the second is entitled, “A Great Nation.”

I invite you to join me in a spirit of prayer.  Let us pray.

Eternal God, out of whose mind this great cosmic universe came into being, we bless you.  We thank you for the privilege of assembling here this morning.  We thank you for all of the opportunities of life, and as we stand together today and discuss vital matters confronting our [state, and indeed, our] nation [and our world], we ask your guidance to be with us in all our deliberations and help us at all times to seek that which is high, noble, and good.  Help us in the moment of difficult decision.  Help us to work with renewed vigor for a warless world, a better distribution of wealth, and a brotherhood and sisterhood that transcends race or color [or any other division].  Help us as a people to follow all the noble precepts of democracy.  Grant, O God, that as we move on we will move toward that city which has foundations whose builder and maker is God.  Amen.

Prepared by the Rev. Jack Cabaness, Pastor, Westminster (Colorado) Presbyterian Church.

Prayers adapted from Thou, Dear God:  The Prayers of Martin Luther King, Jr.