Lafayette Ave. Presbyterian Church

Consider this list of reasons not to clean onesself.
1. I was forced to wash as a child.
2. People who wash are hypocrites. They think they are cleaner than everyone else.
3. There are so many different kinds of soap, I could never decide which one was right.
4. I used to wash, but it got boring, so I stopped.
5. I wash only on special occasions, like Easter and Christmas.
6. None of my friends wash.
7. I’m still young. When I’m older and have gotten a bit dirtier, I might start washing.
8. I really don’t have time to wash.
9. The bathroom is never warm enough in the winter or cool enough in the summer.
10. People who make soap are only after your money.
11. I get along very well without washing.
12. I work hard all week and am too tired to take a bath on the weekend.
13. The first bar of soap I ever used gave me a rash, so I haven’t gone near soap since.
14. I don’t understand the big words on the back of the soap package.
15. I don’t feel dirty, and I’m offended that people tell me I am.
16. I don’t have nice towels or a proper bathrobe.
17. I can just stand outside in the rain and get clean that way.
18. The bathroom that I have now is not as nice as my old one.
19. I’m just as clean as people who wash.
20. I washed once and didn’t like it.
21. I like being dirty.
22. Washing is for rich people.
23. It has been so long since I have washed that the roof of the bathroom would cave in.
24. Nobody in my family has ever washed.
25. I don’t believe in washing, and I’m sincere in believing that I am clean.

Pretty stupid excuses, right?

But if we substitute, “gather with the church” for “Wash,” we find we make these excuses all the time!

There are plenty of reasons you might give for being apart from the body of Christ this week, but the truth is–we need it.

And unlike cleaning ourselves, which is just maintenance, when we gather together, it can be enjoyable, and we can GROW!

I’m looking forward to seeing you on Sunday.

I’ve never preached at a fashion show, but if I did, I might say this:

Should we really bring all of “this”–into a church’s building? Should the “sacred” and the “profane” mix?

When Jesus was on earth, his accusers said, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

And Jesus told them with three short stories.

The first story was about a shepherd who had 100 sheep, but when one was lost, he leaves the others, searches for it, and when it is found, gathers his friends to celebrate.

In the second story, a woman who had 10 coins but lost one. Then she swept the whole house, searching every space until she found it. Upon finding it, she gathers her friends to celebrate.

Finally, in the last story, a man had a son who demanded that he receive his inheritance early. The son left him, squandered the money and ruined his family name. Completely defeated, he decided to come back home and ask his father to receive him–not as a son, which he knew he didn’t deserve, but as servant.

His father had been watching for him, so he saw the son approaching in the distance and immediately began running toward him. His run did not end in an attack, but an embrace. The son began to apologize, but he wouldn’t here it. The father threw a party for son, who was lost, but had been found.

The God that is worshiped in this room is not a God who is afraid to associate with sinners. No, Our God is a God who celebrates the lost being found.

And so, we believe it is worth risking everything to find what has been lost. Even if it means hosting a fashion show.

We’re not worried about mixing the “sacred” with the “secular.” We’re more concerned with that which has been separated being re-connected.

I don’t know there are any people like the son in that story here today, but I suspect there might be. If you identify with him, our message is simple: come home. It’s not judgment that awaits, but a party.

Check it out!  We’ve been recieved well.

Buffalo Rising | A Church Becomes Fashionable.

Click here to download the audio. (It may take some time: big file)

the church geek » Blog Archive » Monday Matters: The Worship Space.

Apparently, Jim and his congregation are faceing some of the challenges that we do.  It will be interesting to see what Knox’s task force comes up with.

As for us?  We will likely return to the social room for worship in janurary, and use our time there to experiement with some re-arranging in the sanctuary.

Buffalo Rising | Diocese to Hold Symposium on Closed Churches.

This symposium might be interesting.  Anybody want to go?

YouTube - Shane Claiborne Litany - Catalyst.

A powerful prayer, proclaiming allegiance to a different kind of King.

What would happen if more Christians prayed/lived this prayer?

What would happen if Lafayette Church prayed/lived this prayer?