O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who live and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and for ever. Amen.
Feast of the Epiphany. Collect: AD USUM ORDO CORPUS CHRISTI
There is a movement among black Christians to affirm the truths of the insights of the Reformers and offer an alternative to the "prosperity gospel" that is a dominant theme in many African American churches; indeed, this other gospel is a popular strain within evangelical Protestantism in general.
St. Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, understood the necessity to know the culture in order to see how the gospel may address the deepest needs of a people. Hip Hop is a lens through which two generations view the world. Thus, today's ambassadors of Christ must understand, speak, and respond to Hip Hop Culture.
Curt "Voice" Allen is a part of this new Reformation.
The first video, "Uniquely UCC", offers an invitation to those outside the church to take a look at a church which seeks to offer an extravagant welcome to all.
The second video, "UCC Values", shares our church's understanding of its values and how we seek to live them.
My parish, Ainsworth United Church of Christ, can be seen in both of them. In the first, members of Ainsworth are seen carrying the church's banner at a peace rally (at about 0.55 seconds). In the second, Ainsworth in worship is seen at the beginning (0.05), and church members at the peace rally are seen later (3.06) .
The United Church of Christ seeks to live out the call of Jesus to join him in the ministry of reconciliation of peoples and all creation.
"No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here."
Is it not providential that the same day that the United States honors military veterans, the Church remembers Martin of Tours, a military man who laid down his weapons in order to follow the Prince of Peace?
Martin, a fourth century follower of Christ, chose to abandon his military career after he became convinced that there was a more excellent way. He refused to go into battle. He was not a coward, his trust in his God was his security. "Put me in the front of the army, without weapons or armor; but I will not draw sword again. I am become the soldier of Christ."
We live in a nation which is the new empire, the new Rome. While we respect those who sacrifice their security by taking up arms to defend their country, we should respect and honor those who do not believe in the redemptive value of violence, but believe in the redemptive and transformative power of love.
A new proposal would expand the definition of conscientious objector status to soldiers who believe a specific war is immoral. The "Just War" doctrine offers a stringent test that must be met before a nation embarks on warfare. It recognizes the destructive power of violence and permits a defensive war only when specific criteria are met. Recent US armed conflicts have not met the just war criteria. This proposal will allow soldiers the option to obtain conscientious objector status when they believe a specific war does not fulfill just war criteria.
On Veterans' Day let us remember the countless number of veterans for peace. Let us examine the wars we are involved in and seek a better way.
"I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield...I ain't gonna study war no more."
Here is the newest video about the United Church of Christ. Members of my church, Ainsworth United Church of Christ, are featured at a rally with the church's banner proclaiming that we are a multi-racial, multi-cultural, open and affirming church.
Here is a video about the United Church of Christ. We seek to be a church of extravagant welcome. My parish, Ainsworth United Church of Christ, is seen in worship as the video opens. Later members of my church can be seen at a peace rally carrying our church's banner.
Here are a few of my recent interviews on KBOO.FM in Portland OR http://kboo.fm/. KBOO is an Non-Commercial, Listener-Sponsored, Full-Strength Community Radio for Portland, Oregon, Cascadia & the World! Please consider contributing to the radio station as a sign of your commitment to independent media.
My interview with Martin Hart-Landsberg, Professor of Economics and Director of the Political Economy Program at Lewis and Clark College took placed on October 11, 2010:http://kboo.fm/node/24293
A national call to action to protect the social safety net was broadcast on September, 13, 2010:http://kboo.fm/node/23965
A discussion with representatives from the Oregon New Sanctuary Movement was aired on August, 23, 2010: http://kboo.fm/node/23398
An interview with Ray McGovern, who was a CIA analyst for 27 years and Coleen Rowley, an FBI whistleblower who was named one of Time Magazine's people of the year in 2002 about the Wikileaks releases took place on August 16, 2010: http://kboo.fm/node/23385
"O God, who on the holy mount revealed to chosen witnesses your well-beloved Son, wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistening: Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may by faith behold the King in his beauty; who with you, O Father, and you, O Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen." (Book of Common Prayer)
From a sermon on the Transfiguration of the Lord by Anastasius of Sinai:
Upon Mount Tabor, Jesus revealed to his disciples a heavenly mystery. While living among them he had spoken of the kingdom and of his second coming in glory, but to banish from their hearts any possible doubt concerning the kingdom and to confirm their faith in what lay in the future by its prefiguration in the present, he gave them on Mount Tabor a wonderful vision of his glory, a foreshadowing of the kingdom of heaven. It was as if he said to them: “As time goes by you may be in danger of losing your faith. To save you from this I tell you now that some standing here listening to me will not taste death until they have seen the Son of Man coming in the glory of his Father. “Moreover, in order to assure us that Christ could command such power when he wished, the evangelist continues: Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter, James and John, and led them up a high mountain where they were alone. There, before their eyes, he was transfigured. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. Then the disciples saw Moses and Elijah appear, and they were talking to Jesus.
These are the divine wonders we celebrate today; this is the saving revelation given us upon the mountain; this is the festival of Christ that has drawn us here. Let us listen, then, to the sacred voice of God so compellingly calling us from on high, from the summit of the mountain, so that with the Lord’s chosen disciples we may penetrate the deep meaning of these holy mysteries, so far beyond our capacity to express. Jesus goes before us to show us the way, both up the mountain and into heaven, and - I speak boldly - it is for us now to follow him with all speed, yearning for the heavenly vision that will give us a share in his radiance, renew our spiritual nature and transform us into his own likeness, making us for ever sharers in his Godhead and raising us to heights as yet undreamed of.
Let us run with confidence and joy to enter into the cloud like Moses and Elijah, or like James and John. Let us be caught up like Peter to behold the divine vision and to be transfigured by that glorious transfiguration. Let us retire from the world, stand aloof from the earth, rise above the body, detach ourselves from creatures and turn to the creator, to whom Peter in ecstasy exclaimed: Lord, it is good for us to be here.
It is indeed good to be here, as you have said, Peter. It is good to be with Jesus and to remain here for ever. What greater happiness or higher honor could we have than to be with God, to be made like him and to live in his light?
Therefore, since each of us possesses God in his heart and is being transformed into his divine image, we also should cry out with joy: It is good for us to be here - here where all things shine with divine radiance, where there is joy and gladness and exultation; where there is nothing in our hearts but peace, serenity and stillness; where God is seen. For here, in our hearts, Christ takes up his abode together with the Father, saying as he enters: Today salvation has come to this house. With Christ, our hearts receive all the wealth of his eternal blessings, and there where they are stored up for us in him, we see reflected as in a mirror both the first fruits and the whole of the world to come.
