Wednesday, December 30, 2009
A lovely prayer from Larry Peacock for this day
God of the winter sky, place a star on the horizon, for I need your light to guide me. I carry the darkness of resentment and anger, the shadows of fear and self-doubt. I need your light to show my community and me that you tenderly love us.
God of the winter sky, place a star on the horizons, for our world needs the assurance of your shining presence. Shine gently on those who grieve. Shine brightly on all who struggle for bread to eat, land to till, work to do. Shine with a strong light on all those who struggle for justice, who work for peace, who bind up the wounds.
God of the winter sky, place a star above me so that I may go into the new year with your light to guide me. Amen.
--Larry Peacock, as found in his book "Openings: A Daybook of Saints, Psalms, and Prayer."
God of the winter sky, place a star on the horizons, for our world needs the assurance of your shining presence. Shine gently on those who grieve. Shine brightly on all who struggle for bread to eat, land to till, work to do. Shine with a strong light on all those who struggle for justice, who work for peace, who bind up the wounds.
God of the winter sky, place a star above me so that I may go into the new year with your light to guide me. Amen.
--Larry Peacock, as found in his book "Openings: A Daybook of Saints, Psalms, and Prayer."
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas!
I hope this post finds you well! What a crazy Advent/Christmas Season this has been. As I look outside my window I'm still amazed to see so much snow! We had an honest to goodness White Christmas in North Texas. Crazy! I hope you are experiencing God's deepest blessings during this season!
Merry Christmas!
P.S. I won't be posting much this week as I leave on tour tomorrow with the Veritas Youth Choir. Have a blessed week!
Merry Christmas!
P.S. I won't be posting much this week as I leave on tour tomorrow with the Veritas Youth Choir. Have a blessed week!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
A Beautiful New Poem by John Thornburg
Check out this beautiful new poem from the amazing poet, John Thornburg:
CALLED TO PONDER MYSTERY
If everything were known,
if we could quantify the 'why',
explain the 'how' and name the 'when',
then nothing would remain
but naming who was rightest of the right,
and blaming those who got it wrong.
Know this alone;
Emmanuel.
The One who made us came to us.
It is enough.
Copyright 2009, John Thornburg
CALLED TO PONDER MYSTERY
If everything were known,
if we could quantify the 'why',
explain the 'how' and name the 'when',
then nothing would remain
but naming who was rightest of the right,
and blaming those who got it wrong.
Know this alone;
Emmanuel.
The One who made us came to us.
It is enough.
Copyright 2009, John Thornburg
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Now What? Revisiting a three year old homily for World AIDS Day
Now What?
A Homily for World AIDS Day 2006
Tonight, friends, we are here together. That is important! Tonight, even if only for an hour or two, we are in community. Tonight we have sung songs, prayed prayers, and we’ve listened to beautiful music. We have raised our voices against injustice. And all day long we’ve been exposed to horrible, mind-numbing statistics. Statistics that remind us that there are 39.5 million people living with AIDS and that 2.9 million people have died of AIDS related illnesses this year. We have heard that there have been 4.3 million new infections this year. But beyond that, we remember the faces that those statistics represent. Those numbers, and the faces we remember, can cause us to feel the heaviness that all too often engulfs the world. Tonight, we might be caught in the darkness that shrouds our planet.
But the good in this is, for tonight, at least, we are together! And our togetherness should give us hope. Because it is in our togetherness that we remember our dead, we mourn our friends, and we miss our family. But we don’t grieve alone, because tonight we are together. This is a good thing because God never wants us to be alone.
I want to get local with you for just a moment. This church has not always been a place that was about compassion, and dignity and respect for all. This church had a bit of a reputation for exuding judgment when it should have been exuding love, compassion, and working for justice. But now, it is doing those good things, as are many churches across the world.
In churches and in religious communities across the world where just ten to fifteen years ago HIV/AIDS was a horrible stigma for anyone to have, many of those same communities are now working to be in solidarity with those who have AIDS and to be in community with them. The church is working on treating everyone with dignity and respect.
As the sun rose in Washington D.C. this morning there was a live feed on CNN from Foundry UMC in Washington D.C. where their prayer vigil for World AIDS Day was beginning. As the sun passes from the east to the middle of our country, we have had events, prayers, and remembrance here at this church. As the sun continues its journey to the west, churches and religious communities from Texas to New Mexico, to Arizona, to Nevada, to California, and to Hawaii are having services to mark World AIDS Day and to remember those who have left us. Truly, the church and religious traditions of all kinds from all over the world are raising their voices to the heavens this day: this should give us hope as well!
But, if you are at all like me, you find yourself asking the question, now what? Some of you have been in this struggle since the beginning, over twenty-five years ago, and some of us are here for the first time.
All I can tell you is this: what we are doing tonight makes a difference and we need to continue this work. We must continue to lift our voices with our friends from around the world. Certainly we do this in remembrance of those who we have lost, but we also raise our voices to say that HIV/AIDS is the greatest pandemic humanity has ever faced. We raise our voices to remind the world that it is not o.k. to compartmentalize AIDS as just a “health” issue for “those people” because it is truly a “human” issue! We raise our voices to say that AIDS, along with global poverty, are the defining issues of our generation. We must remind the world that the global AIDS pandemic will not and cannot be solved without solving global poverty. It is a tragedy of the first order that thousands of children, women and men will die today because the world refuses to give them medicine! Together we have to remind the world that it cannot ignore these issues!
Let us remind the world, not only with our voices, but also with our hearts, with our minds, with our hands and our feet as we leave this place. Let us show the world what it means to love unconditionally and to work for justice. Let us shine light into a world that is all too often filled with darkness.
We need to continue to open people’s eyes, so that they may truly see the cost of this horrible disease. The world needs to be reminded constantly that we are about to lose a generation of people in Africa, that AIDS is a very real pandemic in the United States and around the world. Not only do we need to educate, to teach, and to prevent this terrible disease but we must also remind the world of the intrinsic goodness of God’s creation.
We must remember that, in the words of the prophet Isaiah, that God, who is good, created us, all of us, that God has formed us, and that God loves us and redeems us. When we pass through the waters, when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, God is with us. God has made you, and you are precious in God’s sight. Let us take this word into the world to love our friends and those who would oppose us. Let us shine light into the world, because God is with us!
Let all of God’s children say: Amen!
A Homily for World AIDS Day 2006
Tonight, friends, we are here together. That is important! Tonight, even if only for an hour or two, we are in community. Tonight we have sung songs, prayed prayers, and we’ve listened to beautiful music. We have raised our voices against injustice. And all day long we’ve been exposed to horrible, mind-numbing statistics. Statistics that remind us that there are 39.5 million people living with AIDS and that 2.9 million people have died of AIDS related illnesses this year. We have heard that there have been 4.3 million new infections this year. But beyond that, we remember the faces that those statistics represent. Those numbers, and the faces we remember, can cause us to feel the heaviness that all too often engulfs the world. Tonight, we might be caught in the darkness that shrouds our planet.
But the good in this is, for tonight, at least, we are together! And our togetherness should give us hope. Because it is in our togetherness that we remember our dead, we mourn our friends, and we miss our family. But we don’t grieve alone, because tonight we are together. This is a good thing because God never wants us to be alone.
I want to get local with you for just a moment. This church has not always been a place that was about compassion, and dignity and respect for all. This church had a bit of a reputation for exuding judgment when it should have been exuding love, compassion, and working for justice. But now, it is doing those good things, as are many churches across the world.
In churches and in religious communities across the world where just ten to fifteen years ago HIV/AIDS was a horrible stigma for anyone to have, many of those same communities are now working to be in solidarity with those who have AIDS and to be in community with them. The church is working on treating everyone with dignity and respect.
As the sun rose in Washington D.C. this morning there was a live feed on CNN from Foundry UMC in Washington D.C. where their prayer vigil for World AIDS Day was beginning. As the sun passes from the east to the middle of our country, we have had events, prayers, and remembrance here at this church. As the sun continues its journey to the west, churches and religious communities from Texas to New Mexico, to Arizona, to Nevada, to California, and to Hawaii are having services to mark World AIDS Day and to remember those who have left us. Truly, the church and religious traditions of all kinds from all over the world are raising their voices to the heavens this day: this should give us hope as well!
But, if you are at all like me, you find yourself asking the question, now what? Some of you have been in this struggle since the beginning, over twenty-five years ago, and some of us are here for the first time.
All I can tell you is this: what we are doing tonight makes a difference and we need to continue this work. We must continue to lift our voices with our friends from around the world. Certainly we do this in remembrance of those who we have lost, but we also raise our voices to say that HIV/AIDS is the greatest pandemic humanity has ever faced. We raise our voices to remind the world that it is not o.k. to compartmentalize AIDS as just a “health” issue for “those people” because it is truly a “human” issue! We raise our voices to say that AIDS, along with global poverty, are the defining issues of our generation. We must remind the world that the global AIDS pandemic will not and cannot be solved without solving global poverty. It is a tragedy of the first order that thousands of children, women and men will die today because the world refuses to give them medicine! Together we have to remind the world that it cannot ignore these issues!
Let us remind the world, not only with our voices, but also with our hearts, with our minds, with our hands and our feet as we leave this place. Let us show the world what it means to love unconditionally and to work for justice. Let us shine light into a world that is all too often filled with darkness.
We need to continue to open people’s eyes, so that they may truly see the cost of this horrible disease. The world needs to be reminded constantly that we are about to lose a generation of people in Africa, that AIDS is a very real pandemic in the United States and around the world. Not only do we need to educate, to teach, and to prevent this terrible disease but we must also remind the world of the intrinsic goodness of God’s creation.
We must remember that, in the words of the prophet Isaiah, that God, who is good, created us, all of us, that God has formed us, and that God loves us and redeems us. When we pass through the waters, when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, God is with us. God has made you, and you are precious in God’s sight. Let us take this word into the world to love our friends and those who would oppose us. Let us shine light into the world, because God is with us!
Let all of God’s children say: Amen!
A World AIDS Day Service
It is truly a lovely morning in Texas! It snowed today!!!! December 2! It's hard to imagine. Sam, our youngest son got to experience snow for the first time in his life! Glorious!
Since yesterday was World AIDS Day, I meant to post this liturgy and homily from w World AIDS Day service I led three years ago but yesterday was a full day of ministry so I'm just now getting to it. I wonder, how much progress have we seen in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the last three years?
WORLD AIDS DAY 2006
December 1st, 2006
7:00 p.m.
GATHERING
Prelude Psalm Prelude (Psalm 40:1-3) Craig Phillips Dr. David Heller, organist
I waited patiently upon the Lord;
he stooped to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the desolate pit,
out of the mire and clay;
he set my feet upon a high cliff
and he made my footing sure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God;
many shall see, and stand in awe,
and put their trust in the Lord.
Invocation of the Spirit Come Holy Spirit Thornburg/Potts
Come, Holy Spirit,
come, Holy Spirit;
break the chains our fears create;
teach us love and stifle hate;
help us rest, but not escape.
Come, Holy Spirit.
Soloist verses by Alison Boone
On a road in the wilderness Phillip saw the eunuch
who was searching for the wisdom of God,
and Phillip offered him understanding, good news and acceptance,
acceptance as a child of God.
To the house of the Roman guard
Peter went with a vision full of animals reptiles and birds,
and God said “Peter, don’t call anything unclean that I have made,
for I have made all things clean.”
To the outcast and alien seeking God’s communion,
God says, “I respect no distinctions or walls,
and I will gather up all who seek me into my holy mountain,
for all shall be welcome there.”
*Call to Worship
The One: Gracious God, tonight, we have gathered from across this city, from many
places, and for many reasons. We gather to remember:
The Many: May we never forget those who have been lost to us because of
HIV/AIDS, God, we commend our brothers and sisters to you.
The One: Loving God, we gather because of love:
The Many: Show us a glimpse of your love, O God, so that we can be empowered to
love one another.
The One: Eternal God, we are here to worship and to ask for justice!
The Many: Yahweh, you are our Creator, and we worship you! You desire your
creation to be made whole: send forth your justice to our hurting world.
The One: Source of all Light, we are here for hope!
The Many: Send us your light, Lord, for we live in an all too often dark world.
All: God, may we worship you tonight and always by being fully human, by
becoming what you would have us to be, and by loving you and our neighbors with the fullness of our being.
--Rev. Joe Stobaugh
*Hymn Be Tender with the Ones You Know Thornburg/Hawn
Solo: Be tender with the ones you know
who hold their sadness deep inside;
be reconciled for any meanness,
insult, ridicule, or pride.
All: Say and do the things that strengthen;
be the carriers of grace.
Let us be the ones
in whom our neighbors see God’s face.
Welcome & Introductions: Rev. Karen Vannoy & Rev. John Flowers
SONGS OF LOVE AND JUSTICE
Siyahamba
Freedom is Coming
WORDS OF LOVE AND JUSTICE
Homily: Dr. C. Michael Hawn
Sung Refrain:
Say and do the things that strengthen;
be the carriers of grace.
Let us be the ones
in whom our neighbors see God’s face
A Time of Meditation
“The Peace may be exchanged” from Rubrics Dan Locklair Dr. David Heller, organist
Homily: Michelle Durham, Director of BEATAIDS
Sung Refrain:
Say and do the things that strengthen;
be the carriers of grace.
Let us be the ones
in whom our neighbors see God’s face
Musical Presentation: Bridge Over Troubled Waters arr. Kirby Shaw
The Alamo City Men’s Chorale; under the direction of Jennifer Whatley
Homily: “Now What?” Rev. Joe Stobaugh
I Have Called You, You Are Mine Sanctuary Choir
Text: Isaiah 43:1-7; Music: Lana Cartlidge Potts
Benediction Evan Jones
Lighting of the Candles
Come, Holy Spirit & Be Tender with the Ones You Know © John Thornburg, All rights reserved. OneLicense.net #A-712713
Worship Leaders:
The Rev. Karen Vannoy, Travis Park United Methodist Church
The Rev. Dr. John Flowers, Travis Park United Methodist Church
The Rev Dr. C. Michael Hawn, Perkins School of Theology
Dr. David Heller, Trinity University
Lana Cartlidge Potts, Travis Park United Methodist Church
The Sanctuary Choir of Travis Park United Methodist Church
The Alamo City Men’s Chorale
Michelle Durham, BEATAIDS
Evan Jones, Travis Park United Methodist Church
The Rev. Joseph Stobaugh, Travis Park United Methodist Church
Since yesterday was World AIDS Day, I meant to post this liturgy and homily from w World AIDS Day service I led three years ago but yesterday was a full day of ministry so I'm just now getting to it. I wonder, how much progress have we seen in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the last three years?
WORLD AIDS DAY 2006
December 1st, 2006
7:00 p.m.
GATHERING
Prelude Psalm Prelude (Psalm 40:1-3) Craig Phillips Dr. David Heller, organist
I waited patiently upon the Lord;
he stooped to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the desolate pit,
out of the mire and clay;
he set my feet upon a high cliff
and he made my footing sure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God;
many shall see, and stand in awe,
and put their trust in the Lord.
Invocation of the Spirit Come Holy Spirit Thornburg/Potts
Come, Holy Spirit,
come, Holy Spirit;
break the chains our fears create;
teach us love and stifle hate;
help us rest, but not escape.
Come, Holy Spirit.
Soloist verses by Alison Boone
On a road in the wilderness Phillip saw the eunuch
who was searching for the wisdom of God,
and Phillip offered him understanding, good news and acceptance,
acceptance as a child of God.
To the house of the Roman guard
Peter went with a vision full of animals reptiles and birds,
and God said “Peter, don’t call anything unclean that I have made,
for I have made all things clean.”
To the outcast and alien seeking God’s communion,
God says, “I respect no distinctions or walls,
and I will gather up all who seek me into my holy mountain,
for all shall be welcome there.”
*Call to Worship
The One: Gracious God, tonight, we have gathered from across this city, from many
places, and for many reasons. We gather to remember:
The Many: May we never forget those who have been lost to us because of
HIV/AIDS, God, we commend our brothers and sisters to you.
The One: Loving God, we gather because of love:
The Many: Show us a glimpse of your love, O God, so that we can be empowered to
love one another.
The One: Eternal God, we are here to worship and to ask for justice!
The Many: Yahweh, you are our Creator, and we worship you! You desire your
creation to be made whole: send forth your justice to our hurting world.
The One: Source of all Light, we are here for hope!
The Many: Send us your light, Lord, for we live in an all too often dark world.
All: God, may we worship you tonight and always by being fully human, by
becoming what you would have us to be, and by loving you and our neighbors with the fullness of our being.
--Rev. Joe Stobaugh
*Hymn Be Tender with the Ones You Know Thornburg/Hawn
Solo: Be tender with the ones you know
who hold their sadness deep inside;
be reconciled for any meanness,
insult, ridicule, or pride.
All: Say and do the things that strengthen;
be the carriers of grace.
Let us be the ones
in whom our neighbors see God’s face.
Welcome & Introductions: Rev. Karen Vannoy & Rev. John Flowers
SONGS OF LOVE AND JUSTICE
Siyahamba
Freedom is Coming
WORDS OF LOVE AND JUSTICE
Homily: Dr. C. Michael Hawn
Sung Refrain:
Say and do the things that strengthen;
be the carriers of grace.
Let us be the ones
in whom our neighbors see God’s face
A Time of Meditation
“The Peace may be exchanged” from Rubrics Dan Locklair Dr. David Heller, organist
Homily: Michelle Durham, Director of BEATAIDS
Sung Refrain:
Say and do the things that strengthen;
be the carriers of grace.
Let us be the ones
in whom our neighbors see God’s face
Musical Presentation: Bridge Over Troubled Waters arr. Kirby Shaw
The Alamo City Men’s Chorale; under the direction of Jennifer Whatley
Homily: “Now What?” Rev. Joe Stobaugh
I Have Called You, You Are Mine Sanctuary Choir
Text: Isaiah 43:1-7; Music: Lana Cartlidge Potts
Benediction Evan Jones
Lighting of the Candles
Come, Holy Spirit & Be Tender with the Ones You Know © John Thornburg, All rights reserved. OneLicense.net #A-712713
Worship Leaders:
The Rev. Karen Vannoy, Travis Park United Methodist Church
The Rev. Dr. John Flowers, Travis Park United Methodist Church
The Rev Dr. C. Michael Hawn, Perkins School of Theology
Dr. David Heller, Trinity University
Lana Cartlidge Potts, Travis Park United Methodist Church
The Sanctuary Choir of Travis Park United Methodist Church
The Alamo City Men’s Chorale
Michelle Durham, BEATAIDS
Evan Jones, Travis Park United Methodist Church
The Rev. Joseph Stobaugh, Travis Park United Methodist Church
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