79 :: An impromptu Monday Morning Prayer

This morning we joined a group of friends at Freedom House South End for prayer. It was at 7 am, so we went with two of the young ones, David and MC. It was before their schools started.

The reason for two or more gathering in His Name is because we all have been noticing that there is a deep heaviness of spirit in the world at the moment. It has been this way for a long time, but it seems to be weighing especially heavily on people right now. This is in part due to the horrific images of loss of life in Afghanistan, but also because there is such fatigue, spiritually and otherwise, related to Covid-19 and the restrictions that have been implemented. In addition, a large number of people in our church family have acquired, or been directly impacted by, Covid-19. 

In short, there is a weightiness that has descended onto the world, and we were gathered to lift up our voices in praise and intercession.

We got into a large circle and one person prayed for a bit, then once there was a moment of quiet, the next person who felt called to pray would say something. In this way, we had multiple people lift up their prayers while we were assembled into the larger group.

It is always interesting to watch people in the act of praying, which I did from outside the circle... I was ensuring that our daughter was occupied. Some people swayed back and forth as part of their praying. Others have their hands lifted up. Yet others have their hands folded in front of them, in a more traditional prayer posture. 

What unified all of the people praying is that they had their eyes closed. When I prayed with my sons during their youth, I used to tell them that we pray with our eyes closed as a way of "shutting out the world."

I thought that was a useful way of saying it back then, and I maintain until today that when you approach God in prayer, it is best not to have any worldly distractions in your field of vision.

After we prayed corporately, we broke into groups of four or five and prayed again, this time with a more specific set of things to focus on. We prayed for our country, for wisdom to come to our government public servants, and for our city. 

We also prayed for the children with us. David, MC and another young girl were with us and we put our hands on them while we prayed for them. We prayed for their discernment in the schools they go to, in the midst of seismic changes in what children are being taught. We prayed that they would be kept safe. We prayed for our strength while raising them.

We also thanked God for giving us a congregation that looks like Heaven - one in which members of every nation will bow their knees and confess Jesus Christ as Lord (Philippians 2:10-11).

After about an hour, we started to go our different ways. 

It was a blessing to lift up our voices. We participate in a hope and promise that the world itself will become different through the intercessional prayer that we offered. In essence, we stood in the gap for the world's people and for the world itself, as the earth itself groans under the weight of sin, but it is a groaning akin to the act of childbirth (Romans 8:22).

To be a part of a church that so trusts in the power of prayer means a great deal. This was an excellent start to this Monday.

Yes & Amen.

78 :: Myers Park Methodist Church

This morning, we worshiped at Myers Park United Methodist Church (MPUMC) in South Charlotte. This is a beautiful church in the heart of Myers Park, which is what one might call a very comfortable part of our city. The streets are tree lined and the homes are spacious. This church fits well in the environs of Myers Park. The service we attended was at 8:45 am and was called Church in the Round, a contemporary service.

Beth was raised as a Methodist and attended MPUMC some years ago. I went to another church in Myers Park for twenty-five years.  David did Cub Scouts at this church for years. We live in South Charlotte. In short, we are demographically typical of the people that attend MPUMC. As such, it was the type of church and type of service with which we were very familiar. 

MPUMC is one of the many liberal churches that closed for Covid-19. The service today gave me the sense that they are not yet accustomed to being opened back up for worship.

Here are some of the vistas of the Myers Park section of Charlotte, including a few of the church itself. 

It is a well-established church that serves an equally well-established constituency. And like many churches, MPUMC is making an effort to undergo an evolution in their format by holding a contemporary worship service. We attended Church in the Round in what is called Jubilee Hall, a smaller part of this very large church. 

When we entered, we were reminded of the recent re-masking of Mecklenburg County:

And we enjoyed the interior of Jubilee Hall, it was very nice:

We made our way up to Jubilee Hall itself, where the service was close to commencing. There were the ubiquitous purple lights behind an assembled band on the stage. 

The band eventually started and played some good songs. The crowd was sedate, with most people appearing to be in a mode that could best be described as observational. 

The sermon was given by Dr. James Howell, who has been the Reverend at MPUMC for nearly twenty years. He is a learned man and speaks in an educated and patrician tone. I read some of his writings years ago and was very impressed. Here is a video of Reverend Howell talking about a family of geese (I forget how this fit into the sermon).

The central theme of the sermon was fatigue and weariness. Not literal physical fatigue, but soul weariness that seems to be proliferating in society these days. Covid-19. The recent botched exit of Afghanistan. Political rancor at an all-time high. Uncertainty in so many places.

His sermon spoke to the deep distress that so many people are feeling these days. Fear is at a very high level in society right now and it was evident in the sermon. People are tired. Exhausted. Weary and worn out. 

Dr. Howell did eventually end up saying that we can take solace in God's redemption and the truth that gives us hope... It was exactly the sermon that some people needed to hear. As such, it was an excellent sermon. Meeting people in their pain is absolutely an essential component of the Gospel. 

Despite its relevance at that time and in that place, I couldn't help but think that it provided a deep contrast to other recent services that we have attended. We have witnessed churches celebrating with enthusiasm in places as diverse as Florida, Peru, Utah and Kansas. What happened at MPUMC was an example of people commiserating with one another instead of celebrating their redemption. That it was in a community so very free of material deprivation made me feel a reduced compassion for the perceived suffering of the worshippers.

But - some people were clearly hurting and the sermon spoke to their experience. That is all I need to say about it.

Yes, people *are* hurting deeply. Let's help them see the reason for the joy that we have. 

Above all, I don't feel weary and tired. Candidly, I have never felt more alive. This is due entirely to the presence of the Holy Spirit, plain and simple. 

That is not to say that everyone is feeling as upbeat as I am. Quite obviously, most people are not feeling happy at all. It was hard for me to share the feelings that this crowd seemed to be experiencing. I am simply not in that place on a personal and spiritual level. 

I go to church to praise.

As we were leaving, there was a large crowd assembled for the next service. Young men in blazers and women in sun dresses. Intact, attractive families. People of means. Beth commented that it was nice to see people dressed nicely for church, something that we are both accustomed to seeing. 

Because I dressed nicely for this service at MPUMC, I wore one of my good shirts to Freedom House later in the morning. Beth, as always, looked beautiful.

This was a nice service, it helped us to know better a church that we have been acquainted with for decades. I trust and hope the collective mood may improve at MPUMC. May they feel the celebration that is upon us - because, after all, Jesus is Risen!

And that is grounds for celebration, no?

77 :: Iglesia Evangelica Maranata

 

Today we worshiped at Iglesia Evangelica Maranata, in Cusco, Peru. This church was recommended to us by our driver of multiple days. His name was Lenny Russo and he was a believer. We asked Lenny for a church recommendation in advance of Sunday morning. Lenny knocked it out of the park by telling us about Maranata. This was a great worship experience.

When you think of Peru, you may think of it as a uniformly Catholic nation. It is not.

The demographics of faith are changing across Peru, as well as across Latin America more broadly. Peru is about 80% Catholic and 20% evangelical, per what Lenny told us. The research we did after seems to bear out these percentages. The number of evangelicals is growing quickly across Latin America. When I asked Lenny about how the shift toward evangelicalism is seen in Peru, he told me - "The Catholics don't like it, but there really isn't anything that they can do about it."

He also said that the Covid event had served as a miracle of sorts, in that it made people think about their disposition toward death and eternity in a way that they had perhaps not done before. As the pandemic spread, people got saved in large numbers across Peru.

While staying in the country, we both have had a quick uptick in our Spanish comprehension. Because of this, we could understand much of the sermon. It was about the prodigal son and the importance of a positive attitude in a Christian life.

As you'll see, the congregation was socially distanced and definitively masked. Peru is a country of 32M people, and claims around 200K deaths from Covid. That means Peru has about ten percent of the US population and nearly one third of the US Covid deaths. 

That is a massive hit.

In addition to the spiritual demographics, the ethnic makeup of Peru is of note. The majority of Peruvians are mestizos, which are people of mixed heritage that is both indigenous and European. The majority of the people around Cusco are not mestizos, instead they are ethnically Incan. Virtually all of the people here in the highlands speak Quechua in addition to Castellano, which is the word they use for Spanish in Peru. The history of oppression that the Incas experienced at the hands of the Spanish, as well as the history of dying by disease during the colonial era, means that this country is very obedient to masking. The expectation everywhere is to be double masked. We additionally had to wear face shields on both the train and bus when we went to Machu Picchu. Most places take your temperature when walking in, and some spray your hands and clothing upon entry.

In short, the Covid experience is everywhere here and it has influenced every interaction that we have had.

Despite all of the Covid activity, we still were eager to worship while in the country.

When we arrived at Maranata, we thought we were late to the 10 am service. Instead, we arrived at the end of the Quechua service. We talked with some people on the stairs up to the church and they said that the service in Castellano would start at 11 am. 

We thought we were late, but we were early.

We sat down in the auditorium and watched people start streaming in. The band was warming up. The backup singers and dancers filled the stage. Everyone did microphone checks by counting in Castellano. There was excitement in the air and it was promising to be a great service.

As more and more people came in, the auditorium started to fill. Eventually, the praise band started. The congregation immediately engaged with the music. Everyone was clapping, moving their bodies with the rousing tunes, lifting their hands skyward... it was great! It felt similar to the beginning of worship at Freedom House in many ways.

The most moving part of the worship was when the entire room started singing "Espiritu Sancto, viene, viene, viene, viene in este lugar" over and over again. This translates to "Holy Spirit, come, come, come, come into this place." Beth was crying rather emotionally during that phase of the worship. She later described it as "a fresh indwelling of the Spirit."

The sermon was an analysis of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. I understood most of the sermon. The themes of the sermon greatly resembled Tim Keller's book that I recently read named The Prodigal God. In both the sermon and the book, the argument is made that the eldest son is an oft-overlooked character of great consequence in the parable. He is the personification of the risk that we run in moving into a place of works-based theology, as well as the example of what can happen as and when we might move our relationship with God into one of narrow legalism.

It was a very good sermon.

The pastor ended his message by explaining that when the eldest son objected to the feast that had been set for his errant-and-now-redeemed brother, the Father didn't chastise or even correct the eldest son. Instead, the Father invited him into the feast, to participate as a welcomed guest.

That is what we can partake in - Lavish love in the face of our insistence that reality can be constructed according to our self-centeredness. Such is the nature of the God that we may follow, should we choose to.

This was an extremely consequential church visit. We felt the profound unity within the Body of Christ in a unique way. Peruvian Christians and American Christians joined together to sing and worship our common God. 

This worship experience drove home that we Christians must be about the business of forming connections within The Body. Such Christian unity is key to tikun olam, the Hebrew concept of healing the world, and it is also a prerequisite for the return of Yeshua. The return of Yeshua is a part of Christian theology that invokes to the Aramaic word Maranatha, which also happens to be the name of the church that we attended today.

Maranatha translates to "Lord, come!" These are the last two words in the Bible.

Such an event and the revelations that came from it were a very transformative experience for the two of us.

Thanks to Maranata Church for a great worship event.

p.s. - Of note, I blogged this from the city of Cusco in the Andes Mountains of Peru!

76 :: Sacred Valley Church, Peru

Honeymoon in Peru! 

Beth and I got married at our church, Freedom House South End, last Friday. It was an awesome ceremony and we were joined by over one hundred friends and family.

God is good.

This evening we worshiped at a small, colonial-era Catholic Church in Huayllabamba, Peru. This is on the property of the Aranwa Sacred Valley Resort & Wellness where we are spending a few relaxing days amidst our trip through the country of Peru. It's a really nice place to relax for a few days. This is a 17th century hacienda that sits at the base of the Andes in a lush location called the Sacred Valley. It has been decked out into a very fine location to take some time away from civilization... as well as commune with a new church.

Here are some pictures, including the outside of the church:

On the grounds of the resort is the colonial-era Catholic Church that the owners of the hacienda established a long time back.

We entered into it, a bit road weary from a day of travel by plane and car. Here is what we saw:

There are so many layers to our reactions.

Beth used three words to describe her reaction. The first was "homecoming." The second was "presence," with a sense of awareness of God's presence. Finally, she used the word "planned," referencing all of the big and small ways that God had put us in a position to wander into this church together. At the foot of the Andes. In the middle of our lives.

Together.

My reaction was what I always have in an ornate Catholic church - awe at the beauty and opulence of the sanctuary. Also, I react to the exotic nature of it. Clean, white lines and a spartan elegance - that is the Protestant ethos I was raised it. Finally, I reacted with a sense of the Presence of the Divine. God was with us.

We stood there for a minute and prayed in the Spirit. This is when you can be gifted with words that are expressed in a unique prayer language of your own. These kinds of prayers are a direct way that your spirit can communicate with the Holy Spirit. 

It can even express things on your heart that you might not even be cognizant of at that point in time.

Is there a scriptural basis for this thing called a "prayer language"?

Romans 8:26

In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;

1 Corinthians 14:2

For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries.

1 Corinthians 14:14-15

For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.

Ephesians 6:18

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

Jude 1:20

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,

1 Corinthians 14:2 is especially compelling in what it says. Also, the case could be made through reading Romans 8:26 that your heart can express things in a prayer language that you might not be able to put into words of your own.

There is a good deal of debate on this question, and I consider all perspectives interesting and worthy of debate. We consider it a real and vital part of what we understand the gifts of the Holy Spirit to include.

Finally, we have decided to spend some time in quietness within this church. That is a spiritual space and discipline that we have shared that we would like to carve out in our marriage. More and more churches are trending toward enthusiastic worship with a band - which we love! And this will be nice to experience in solitude and quietness, as well.

This was a brief, interesting and unexpected chance to see an additional church in Peru and worship in it.

We are looking for a church to experience this comin Sunday, in Cusco. More to come!