"If there is a God, why is this world so terrible?"
"How can we be sure that Christianity is any more valid than any other world religion?"
"If God is always with me, why do I feel as though I've never met him ? "
The first youth service at Georgetown Christian Reformed Church (CRC), Hudsonville, Michigan, was a raving success.
"We put 120 chairs up, and they weren't enough; we needed 140," said Rev. Dan Ackerman, copastor at Georgetown. "We packed the place tight."
In Tales of Tittivillus, Vorsteeg, a United Methodist minister, offers the reader a hilarious collection of dialogues between church leaders and Tittivillus, a medieval devil who delights in subverting worship. Since Tittivillus is fluent in Latin, all of the sixty or so vignettes are titled in Latin, Vorsteeg's intent in producing this little paperback was "to offer in a humorous way some thoughts, suggestions, and viewpoints to stimulate, enrich, and improve our practice of worship."
What is it that makes senior pastors, youths, and worship mix like oil and water? Having recently moved from a ten-year sojourn as youth minister into the senior pastorate, I wonder if I too will be a victim of what all pastors and youth workers fear when it comes to worship— the dreaded Eutychus Syndrome, described in Acts 20:7-12.
Commissioning is appropriately conducted in the response section of worship, before the prayers of thanksgiving and intercession. Leadership could well be shared by pastor, elder, or other congregational representatives.
The leader addresses the congregation:
This article has been difficult for me to write. I know how important music is in the church. But I also know that in many churches the area of music continues to be a battleground.
Preludes:
"Great Is Thy Faithfulness" (piano)<
"My Jesus, I Love Thee" (organ)
Welcome
Psalter Reading: Psalm 111, read in unison
Hymn: "New Songs of Celebration Render" (Psalm 98)
[Tune: RENDEZ A DIEU; PH 28, RL W, TH14; concertato by Dale Grotenhuis available from CRC Publications (1-800-333-8300)]
Reading on God's Word
John Calvin (1509-1564)
The retreat was coming to a conclusion. All week the young people had been struggling with the issue of leadership. On this final morning they would have a chance to exercise that leadership by planning and leading our worship together.
We waited eagerly to see what they would come up with. Would it be something totally new, filled with the rhythm of the music they live by? Would it be irreverent to our adult eyes and ears? Would we truly be able to worship with them?
Worldwide Communion Sunday (or 'All Nations Heritage Sunday/' as it is often called in the Christian Reformed Church) is held each year on the first Sunday of October. The day presents a wonderful opportunity to broaden the perspective of the local church and experience and celebrate "the Communion of the Saints," as is professed in the Apostles' Creed.
