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Equipping World-Changing Disciples
November 2024
All Saints Sunday, Year B - Lectionary Planning Notes
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November 10, 2024
Truth Telling Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B
November 17, 2024
Truth Telling Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B
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March 2013
Mar
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Charles Wesley wrote several resurrection hymns. The one I have chosen here is from a 1746 collection. Wesley declares that that God's power, w...
"When Jesus had received the wine, he said, ‘It is finished.’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” John 19:30 What does “it” mean? Is “it” Jesus’ life? Certainly these w...
Hymns have always been an important devotional resource for the people called Methodists. John and Charles Wesley published many collections of hymns. The hymns were sung in class,...
Companions, Part of the work of this blog and its collaborators over the years has been to re-imagine Christian community, worship, discipling and mission in light of early Christi...
In my previous post I attempted to answer the question, "What's a Methodist?" My reply, given to a visitor to the United Methodist congregation with which I am affiliated, was: "A ...
I occasionally go to church for dinner on Wednesday night. A few weeks ago I took my plate of food and sat down at an empty table. A young woman was alone at another table, saw me ...
February 2013
Feb
Consider this a provocative proposal rather than an absolute bottom line. Keep in mind that it's my own provocative proposal-- not officially endorsed by or intended to represent a...
COLLECTIONGather into a circle.Call all to Silence.A candle is lit in the center.Silence continues for another two minutes. Leader: The Almighty grant us a peaceful night, free fro...
As a companion piece to the Bearings in Worship Series I thought it might be useful to "break out" a briefer post focusing simply on the kinds of energy before, during and between ...
How is your group doing with acts of justice? If you are in a typical Covenant Discipleship group, I suspect you find justice to be the most difficult part of the covenant to keep....
What makes you go "Eww" in worship? Here are five for starters. You're serving me the bread after blowing your nose all morning?Here's a true story reported by my colleague, Dean M...
January 2013
Jan
Ask most people, including most Protestants or non-observant Roman Catholics, about the purpose of Lent, and you're likely to hear things like: A time to give things up, or take th...
Get used to the picture of the man to the right. This is Ronald Heifetz, creator and chief promulgator of the "adaptive leadership" model that is entering our collective United Met...
The start of a new year is a good time for Covenant Discipleship groups to evaluate and, perhaps, revise their covenant. The group covenant is not a static document. Its purpose is...
December 2012
Dec
John Wesley introduced the annual covenant renewal service for use by the Methodist societies in 1755. Every year, on or near January 1, the Methodists gathered to renew their cove...
The following is a collection of reflections from participants in the October 4-14, 2012 Wesley Pilgrimage in England. The pilgrimage is an annual event organized by the General Bo...
“The Word became flesh and blood,and moved into the neighborhood.We saw the glory with our own eyes,the one-of-a-kind glory,like Father, like Son,Generous inside and out,true from ...
Mangers.The word manger almost breathes Christmas for many of us these days. It's not a word most of us ever use in any other context than the birth of Jesus. And so we attach to m...
"And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not..." Fear... near...
Over the past ten years, it seems that "Blue Christmas" services have been increasing in number and gaining in popularity as part of the round of Advent/Christmas schedules of Chri...
Develop a Discipleship System
