Teachings

ROMANS (PT 9): "Root of Kindness"

...remember that it is not you that support the root, but the root that supports you. ~Romans 11:18

ROMANS (PT 8): "Following Jesus Into Disorientation"

I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all these people. That they were mine and I theirs. That we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers. It was like waking from a dream of separateness of spurious self-isolation in a special world. This sense of liberation from an illusory difference was such a relief and such a joy to me that I almost laughed out loud.

ROMANS (PT 7): "Strong and Weak"

The same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." ~Romans 10:12-13

ROMANS (PT 6): "Christoformity is Public Oriented"

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ~Romans 13:8

ROMANS (PT 5): "Christoformity and Other-Orientation"

So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members of one another. ~Romans 12:5

ROMANS (PT 4): "Christoformity & Imagination"

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. ~Romans 12:1-2

ROMANS (PT 3): "An End to Zealotry"

Then I said to myself, "Oh, he even sees me in the dark! At night I'm immersed in the light!" It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to you." Psalm 139:11-12

ROMANS (PT 2): "The Power of Powerlessness"

Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Romans 14:19

ROMANS (PT 1): "Beginning at the End"

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

FREEDOM FROM FEAR OF DEATH (PT. 2)

FREEDOM FROM FEAR OF DEATH (PT. 1)

Now you've got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face. Ever since you took my hand, I'm on the right way. ~Psalm 16:11 (The Message)

EASTER: "Peace Be With You"

Peace be with you! There is hope in the night.

STAY AWAKE WITH ME

The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!" Matthew 21:9 ________ And the light is wilder here Out on the edge of reason And Love burns bright and clear Out where I cannot seize Him ~Audrey Assad, Irrational Season

PERILOUS JOURNEYS (WK 4): "Waiting, Ascending, Realigning"

We are in the unknown of the wilderness—         Discerning and working, seeking and dreaming. We are in the unknown of the wilderness—        Grieving and wondering, praying and hoping. We are in the unknown of the wilderness—        Longing and walking, creating and waiting. We are in the unknown of the wilderness, but we have not been alone; for God walks with us, every step of the way. So we will worship our God who walks with us in our darkest nights and our brightest days. --------- May God’s love sustain you, And may you love those who surround you. May God’s Spirit empower you, And may you empower all those you meet. May God’s joy fill your hearts, And may this joy overflow To the ends of the earth to bring God’s restoration to all things, Now and forever, Amen.

PERILOUS JOURNEYS (WK1): "Comfort in Dark Valleys"

Mosaic Gathering Prayer, March 8, 2020: You are welcome here—  The young and old, those who have visions and those who dream dreams.  You are welcome here—  The sinner and saint, those who seek forgiveness and those who long for peace.  You are welcome here—  The hurt and the doubting, those who know the wilderness and those who feel lost.  You are welcome here; for you are loved by God. For our world bombarded by illness and disease. Lord, have mercy. Bring healing and protection. For our neighbors on this planet suffering under the weight of chaotic weather systems. Lord, have mercy. Bring healing community and restoration. God, we give you our tears. We give you our hearts. They are brimming with doubt and are saturated with fear, but we give them to you anyway,  for you promise to love us as we are. You promise to walk with us to the ends of the earth, so in this moment, we promise to tell the truth.  God, you ask us to be brave and bold, but we cower in fear. You ask us to love our neighbors as ourselves, but we hold tight to privilege and the status quo. And you ask us to risk it all to follow you, but we are content with the injustices at hand.  Forgive us for our sin and lift our eyes to you. In our valley, lead us to your green pasture. Restore our lives beside the still waters. Gratefully we pray, Amen.

DARKNESS: "My Only Friend"

Psalm 88 Mosaic Community Liturgy: March 1, 2020 God hovered over the void and breathed life into dust. God created in the wilderness. The Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years. The Israelites found God in the wilderness. Jesus said “no” to the tempter time and time again. Jesus claimed his identity in the wilderness. We grow in the wilderness. We learn in the wilderness. For God is with us—before, through, and after the wilderness. Creator God, You breathed life into dust. You dreamed me up and brought me into existence. The least I could do would be to follow you, but even that is hard. Forgive me for my distracted ways. Remind me that in life and in death, I belong to you. On my best days and on my worst days, I belong to you. Amen.

FAITH EXPRESSED IN LOVE (WK 6): "Highway Hypnosis"

1 Timothy 6:6-19 Mosaic Gathering Prayer: February 23, 2020 Every generation has found its home in you, God our provider, and we discover that every moment spent in your holy presence lasts beyond all imaginable time. You watch over us in the night, protecting and leading, encouraging us to trust and to take courage in following your Son’s teachings. Full of wisdom, Creator of grace, you humbled yourself that we might learn to love those who have been swept aside by a world caught up in its own selfish affairs. Witnesses to God’s mercy, we are called to act in ways of love and of peace to all we meet in this life. Thank you for giving us your Son, Jesus, and for his life. Continue to be the dwelling place of our bodies, our minds, our hearts and our souls. Oh God, you have made us to be free, But we crave the cheap comforts of our chains. You have made us to serve others, But we have eyes only for ourselves. You have made us to love, But we are inflamed with lust. You provide that we may be generous, But we greedily hoard as if your well will run dry. You forgive time and again, But we hold fast to the sins of others. You offer light for our path, But we insist on making our own way. You are the God who saves. Lord, save us from ourselves. In your great mercy, restore and heal us, and grant us your pace. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

FAITH EXPRESSED IN LOVE (WK 5): "Freed by Love to Love"

Mosaic Gathering Liturgy: February 16, 2020 Children of the Living God, what is our Father’s greatest desire for us this day? That we should love our King with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our minds and with all our strength. And how would we show this love? By remembering him at all times. By cultivating thankfulness for his many blessings, and trusting his good providence for the meeting of our needs. And by loving all whose lives intersect our own. By choosing to serve rather than to be served, to be wounded rather than to wound. And by bearing patiently with the failings of others, extending the same kindness, mercy, and compassion that God in Christ has so graciously offered us.  We bring to you Lord, our irritations we carry in this day, that you might reveal the buried seed of it - not in the words or actions of another person, but in the withered and hypocritical expectations of our own weary hearts. Uproot from this impoverished soil all arrogance and insecurity that would prompt us to dismiss or disdain others, judging them with a less generous measure than we reckon when judging ourselves. Prune away the tangled growth Of our own unjustified irritations, Jesus, And graft to our hearts instead your humility, your compassion, your patience, your kindness, that we might bear fruit in keeping with your grace. O God our Rock, hold us in our chaos. O Christ our King, calm us in our storms. O Holy Spirit, Intercede for us. Be merciful, most merciful God. Amen.

FAITH EXPRESSED IN LOVE (WK 4): "Surrendering to Love's Current"

1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13 Mosaic Gathering Prayer: February 9, 2020 Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

FAITH EXPRESSED IN LOVE (WK 3): "Five Mississippi"

Some principles for ‘doing unto others’ who are strongly opposed to us include… 1| I do not want to be physically attacked, hurt or killed by my opponents. Therefore, I will not engage in violence against them. 2| I do not want people to dismiss what I believe as so obviously wrong that it is not worth a hearing. So I will take time to listen and to understand what my opponents are saying, even if I strongly disagree with them. 3| I do not want people to misrepresent or caricature what I write or say in order to win an argument. So I will state accurately and fairly what my opponents believe. 4| I do not want people to attack my character for being different from them. So I will not resort to character assassination in order to try to discredit my opponents. 5| I do not want people to assume that because I disagree with them I am motivated by selfishness or a desire for power. I will therefore not rush to judge the motives of my opponents. 6| I do not want people to try to silence me by threats, intimidation or coercion of any kind, or refuse to talk to me because I am morally obnoxious in their eyes. So I will treat my opponents with courtesy and respect. 7| I do not want people to be impervious to any damage their beliefs and attitudes are having on me or those I care about. Likewise, I will listen and be open to learn how my beliefs and attitudes may be injurious to others. Source: The Message of Love by Patrick Mitchel

ADVENT (WK 3): "Love in the Waiting"

Mosaic Gathering Prayer: December 22, 2019 God of kings and shepherds, God of teenage mothers and step-parents, God of angel choruses and starlight— We confess to waiting. We have waited to extend grace. We have waited to say, “I love you.” We have waited to apologize. We have waited to be just, Choosing comfort and convenience over the needs of our neighbors. We have waited— Waited for someone else to make a move, Waited for a sign, Waited until it was our issue. You ask us to be the body of Christ, but in many ways, we have waited.  Forgive us. Change us. Remind us of your love for each of us and this world. Your love can’t wait. In your name we pray, Amen. https://vimeo.com/381086629

ADVENT (WK 2): "Joy in the Waiting"

Mosaic Gathering Prayer: December 15, 2019 When the sun rises what shall we sing? “My soul magnifies the Lord.” And when chaos and violence echo on the screen? “My soul magnifies the Lord.” For our God is a God of justice and peace. “My soul magnifies the Lord.” So when all is wrong, or all is right, “My soul magnifies the Lord.” Yes, when all is wrong, or all is right, We will sing with joy and delight, Of the God of justice and love and peace. “My soul magnifies the Lord.”  In front of God and this church, I confess— I am quick to complain, quick to criticize and conform. I am quick to forget, quick to doubt and deny. Instead of singing praise, I often stay silent. May the God of shepherds and kings, The God of starlight and new life, Offer you grace and show you the way home. Amen.

ADVENT (WK 1): "Peace in the Waiting"

Mosaic Gathering Prayer: December 8, 2019 Creator God, Not a day goes by when you do not invite us to be peacemakers and advocates, Listeners and good Samaritans. Not a day goes by when we are not asked to be a friend to a stranger And a neighbor to those in need. Not a day goes by when we are not asked to be the people you call us to be, And yet, day after day, we lose sight of your hope for this world. Forgive us for walking a different path, And grant us the strength to prepare a new way— Your way—here. Gratefully we pray, Amen.

WHAT IS FAITH?: "Have We A Miscalculation?"

Galatians 2:19b-20 More than a passionate commitment to God and a set of beliefs so as to win the world for Jesus, faith is a willingness to enter into negation to see an all new reality open before us in the midst of our utter weakness and childlike trust so the love of God wins us and the world.

CONFESSIONS OF A PHARISEE (WK 3) with Eric Smith, Founder of Pillar Seminary

Isaiah 42:1-9