Scripture: Matthew 6:5-15 – Jesus teaches us to pray, uses 3rd person plural: the expectation is that we recognize prayer – even when alone – is corporate. This is our Father. Pop Culture Song: “Imagine,” John Lennon. If you can imagine something better, we can make a better world through our own power. Christian Virtue Developed: Being prayed for by Pastor or fellow church member, seeking God’s kingdom together, allowing others to be prayed for when our prayer life is often about my needs. Learning to pray for others. Illustrative images from culture: The idea of tweeting or facebooking that “I am looking for your good vibes/thoughts” as opposed to “I could use your prayers.” If you mention a no-hitter while it is happening, it is a “jinx.” Distractions of iphone/ipad: we are always plugged in/always entertained/never quiet. Movie scene to Illustrate Theme: Glory. Denzel Washington is invited by Morgan Freeman to pray, but he struggles to pray…but the community meets his words with good reception, even as they are poorly spoken. Sermon 4: Receiving Offering Scripture: Genesis 4 – Abel brings generous offerings to God, Cain is mad about this and God suggests that his weaker offering suggests that sin is crouching at his door. Also used – 2 Chronicles 31 about the people going back into the Temple to bring a tithe. Pop Culture Song: “I Would Walk 500 Miles,” The Pretenders – We celebrate sacrifice for love (especially eros), but there is little celebration in sacrificing tithe. We are programmed to sacrifice only if we get something tangible in return.
the news and the golf channel), all but one had a Facebook account, and most people mentioned watching movies. The most difficult person to admit/trace their pop culture engagement admitted that having grandchildren kept them in the loop of what was popular, but that they did not engage themselves. There was a host of interesting points of engagement with pop culture across the interview, most of these things being mentioned only once or twice at most: CrossFit, Netflix, YouTube, the music genome, The New England Patriots, reddit, Pixar movies, Superheroes (especially DC characters such as Batman and Marvel characters such as The Avengers), NPR, podcasts, Smithsonian Channel, the Sci-Fi genre, hearing fiction novels on their long commute via audio book, American Idol and The Voice. There was an older lady – a long time Nazarene – that admitted to reading People at the dentist. One person, short of naming their active engagement in pop culture, simple declared that it was “always in the background.” There was even some conversation about what phone choice they made (flip phone v. iPhone v. Android) and what that says about them (one person declared: “I have a flip phone! How involved can I be in pop culture?”) There was one person who said “pop culture is basically everything you do.” This would become a strong point in my sermon series. This especially grasps the “cultural liturgies” that James K.A. Smith writes about, that I want to help the church see. One person was able to at least allude to the fact that we are immersed in a particular kind of culture, whether we recognize it or admit it. What do you think the church teaches about pop culture? If I could recreate the looks that this question got, it would be a highlight of this chapter. Eye rolls, exasperated sighs, stares into the distance followed by shorts bouts of
their church is increasingly unable to articulate orthodox theology in meaningful and creative manners that are deep. For many Evangelical/Free Worship Christians, emotion trumps intellect. Among the interesting answers I received in my interviews is that people come to church in order to “feel God/the Spirit.” There were some that come to learn about God, but the consensus was that worship was about feeling the presence of God. This is not a wholly unreasonable desire, but God’s presence is not heightened in worship. God is present in all of the earth. Very few people indicated a participation in regular study or reading of scripture. The use of our brain was usually down to “I wanted to learn something [in worship] that would help me through my week.” I worry that this need to feel God, combined with the history of guilt and binary good/bad thinking will mostly urge people to feel guilty in their world. Sometimes, the ability to think through a situation would allow them to see Christ in surprising places. Further, neither emotional connection to God nor intellectual connection to God is complete. We should be working toward a balance between right feelings or right affections, with right belief, and right actions. If any of these three become more celebrated than the others, the faith becomes a bit imbalanced. We need to celebrate and develop all three disciplines. Many Christians desire deeper and more frequent sacramental participation (especially from our younger Christian adults). Our younger people heavily indicated a preference toward weekly communion. While there was more likelihood for older people to use the language of fearing that “it
“We have to understand it if we are going to relate to anyone.” “Yes, it has to. Understanding pop culture better prepares us for everyday situations.” “It shouldn’t, but I can not see how it can’t [affect us].” “The pastor needs to define it so they can have some perspective out there.” “It is not possible to avoid altogether.” “The movie clips the pastor uses in his sermons are helpful illustrations.” “If there is something good coming out of pop culture, the church should promote it.” When you want to do something relaxing or mindless, what do you do? “Play a video game.” “Casual phone or tablet use.” “Golf, though I guess that is not completely mindless. Perhaps, then, it is watching a movie I have already seen.” “I play Star Trek online. I used to go for long walks.” “Play Candy Crush or watch football.” “I read fiction.” “I walk or exercise. That is also the time that I pray.” “Facebook, watch an old movie, listen to music. In the summer I sit on the porch.” “I watch television: The Walking Dead, Gilmore Girls, Call a Midwife, Modern Family.”
“When you have an expectation you will be disappointed.” “I open myself up to what God would say.” “I expect to have a conversation with God. God is always speaking and I am listening.” “I am hoping that the Lord will be in it, that I will be in tune, and walk away with something.” “Experience the presence of God.” “It is almost like hitting the reset button.” “I have got to feel it, and music is a huge part of that.” “That I would be able to focus enough to hear God.” “If I have questions or prayers that I would feel some guidance. I want to learn.” “I come with less expectation so that I am not there simply to be entertained.” “I try to pray before I come so that God would reveal or speak through some means.” “I have no expectations, but I always feel like God is like I am when I am with my [college-aged] kids.” “That God would give me something that I could come back to during the week.” “Being on the praise team can hindered expectation. Expectation can be rooted in performance quality as opposed to spirituality.” “With family, it is hurry, hurry, hurry. It is hard to have the right mindset. You have to come expecting.”
“The music and the end of the sermon: how it wraps up.” How often should communion be taken? “Somewhere between weekly and quarterly.” “No opinion.” “In Acts it was every day, right? However, every week is a bit too much for me.” “As often as appropriate, as long as it is meaningful.” “Once a month as a child, too often becomes too commonplace.” “Every other week to once a month at least. More often is ok.” “As often as possible. At least once a month.” “Every Sunday.” “At least once a month, though I enjoy more.” “At least once a month, no more than every two weeks because it diminishes its importance.” “It should be weekly, though I fear it becomes ritual and mindless like I see with many Catholics.” “Communion could be seen as intimidating to seekers.” “It shouldn’t be done more than once a month in order to keep it special.” “Once a month.” “We do it too often, it gets to be commonplace. Once a month or once every two months would be sufficient.” “My initial reaction is every service, but does it lose its impact that way?” “”Probably once a month, but how do you rob someone who wants it more?”
“Some churches teach that anything to do with the world is evil. Those churches are struggling to be relevant. Then there are other churches on the other end of the spectrum.” “That it is not necessarily all bad or evil. Pay attention to the messages being conveyed, especially how it may be different than Christianity.” “I think that our church teaches that it is a part of life – there is good and bad.” “In general, the church teaches that it is bad, something to avoid. In this church, it is taught that we need to engage it as a Christian. We need to look at how it affects us and our walk with God.” “I don’t think that the church does. How can I help my kids if we don’t talk about it?” “The church has taught a lot in the last two months: how to interact with it and be present within it.” “Our church teaches that pop culture is not inherently bad, but that it needs to be examined.” “I had understood pop culture being taught as us versus them. It can perceived as not Christian.” “To be careful about it, to see both sides of it. Where is it leading you? Don’t be a sheep.” What should the church teach about pop culture? “Your approach to music has opened our eyes to what we should be looking for. Perhaps we need more avenues to see what is happening out there.”
“I attend for the sermons at this point in my life. I do miss the choir a little bit.” “I love to worship God. It is the only time that I feel the Holy Spirit.” “I like to be with other believers, especially since I am the only believer in my normal circle of friends.” “That is difficult to nail down. I suppose the community sense of the church, and I like being in the band.” “The people here are my family.” “I miss it when I am not here. I miss the uplift.” “We need a common place where we can come together and forget what is happening in the world.” “To worship God.” “To worship God, I hunger for worship!” “Because it is a piece of your relationship with Christ and it flows out to people finding and worshipping him.” “Worship encourages a corporate following of Christ.” “I have to – it is important to gather as believers.” “Because it is a commandment in the bible.” “I like worship.” “It is an opportunity to share communion with other believers.” “I come to worship for a lot of reasons: it is my habit, my joy, I come to attend with other Christians, to serve, to keep God as #1 – the priority of my schedule, and to worship in community.”
“By listening to God’s voice.” “By good Christian friends guiding you.” “For me it is most seen in business, so it is in practice. I come across it a lot because I have many chances to be unethical.” “By coming to church and Wednesday night bible study. Support and the practice of fellowship helps.” “Serving always makes me feel better, especially since I know I can be selfish.” “I don’t think that I nurture it. Going to church, small groups, listening to sermons.” “Knowing what God says in his word.” “By filling my life with people who make a difference.” “By living it. My wife was just diagnosed with a disease. I am obligated to the contract to love, honor, and obey until death do us part. Who are you if you cannot keep your word?” “By daily communication with God, weekly fellowship with small groups. All kinds of different ways.” “Daily study, staying in the word. My father is a pastor and I can tap into him.” “I automatically look at the culture through a Christian lens and try not to let pop culture influence me. Especially after this series.”
“Nothing.” “It didn’t.” “I had thought that I had avoided its influence, but I see now that we are all influenced a little every day.” “Pop culture is not the dirty word that I thought it was.” “For example, I had never thought of “My Way” by Sinatra in a negative way before.” (1c) What did the sermon series do to change your perspective on the power of worship for transformation? “Absolutely.” “When I am worshipping regularly, I am a more confident person.” “I was given a different perspective than what I grew up with. So, a little bit, at least.” “Pop culture songs come and go and are often forgotten. They hymns of the church are remembered and can be drawn on in time of crisis.” “It helped to address how the church works as a viable alternative to the world’s narrative.” “Every time I come to church it is transformative.” “I had not seen church, before, as pushing back on what the world says you should like. It is the one critical place that has the power to shape you like Christ.” “Yes, formation happens at church. You have to be transformed in order to express that faith.”
“Music, sermon, scripture reading.” “The sermon should give you things to think on during the week.” “Music, greeting, sermon.” “Offering.” “Call to Worship, Welcome.” “Word and table.” “Music.” “Communion.” “Singing, fellowship.” “The moments when you are the Body of Christ working in unison.” “Preaching, singing, scripture reading, communion.” How often should communion be taken? “Every Sunday. It is new every week.” “It takes meaning away to have it every week.” “It has to match the sermon to make sense.” “I am afraid it will be mundane or commonplace.” “Every week.” “Ever week.” “Once a month.” “As often as you meet.” “Twice a week.” “No preference.” “As often as possible.”
“Whenever assembled.” “At least once a month, but I can see the validity in eFavery week.” “I like having it every week. It gives time to reflect after the sermon.” “I thought it was “overused,” but then rethought this through the series and think it should be done often now.” “As a children’s worker, frequent is good! Otherwise, I’m more likely to miss out on communion.” “I like that we all come forward to take it. It’s a chance to participate.” “My frugality of time and resources used to critique its frequency, but taking it regularly (even before the series) changed my opinion.” How many times should one be baptized? “Once, but I have been baptized three times. Guilt and fear at camp meetings led me to that.” “Once.” “Twice.” “I have been baptized many times, but the answer should be once.” “If you go to a new church, or every ten years or so.” “Baptized once as an adult. Or again if your life has been renewed or changed.” “Once.” “Once, but I have been twice.”