Never Enough Sundays

Taking a Break

neverenough@morganfamily.us (Stacy Towle Morgan) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 18:32:03 PDT

I wanted to let you know that I have decided to take a break from writing my blog. I'm not sure if I will continue, but I didn't want to leave you hanging, wondering when I was going to get back to my project. I consider the last year of my work a significant representation of a journey I hope will never end. I continue to learn how to navigate church and the experiences I have in the place of worship that I have chosen. I also am deeply grateful to all of you for accompanying me on my way and for reading and listening to me process what I have been learning. Thank you for your comments and for your willingness to stretch beyond your own understanding of God, perhaps to reach a new place yourself.

Feel free to write to me at neverenoughsundays.blogspot.com or or at neverenough@morganfamily.us.

Thanks all!

Stacy Morgan
neverenough@morganfamily.us

What does welcome really mean?

neverenough@morganfamily.us (Stacy Towle Morgan) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 12:16:56 PDT

One of the first things I notice when I sit down is the large, light-oak communion table at the front—like what I've seen in many churches I've visited. Suddenly, the phrase "All Are Welcome" that is carved on the front face of the table takes on a slightly different meaning for me.
—From the post Proclaiming the Name of Jesus ~ March 22, 2010

I've been re-reading the Last Supper passages in preparation for Easter and I have to say, Jesus was pretty welcoming. In fact, his open door policy included Judas and Peter, both of whom would betray him in pretty short order. It makes me think about all the different churches I attended last year and their various policies concerning communion. Some were open to all and any, and many were pretty tightly regulated to exclude everyone except members of their congregation or denomination.

I find that interesting, given the spirit of that first Last Supper. It makes me wonder how Jesus would have reacted had someone unwittingly arrived at the door to the Upper Room and asked if he/she might share the meal with Jesus and the twelve. To steal a phrase from the Evangelicals...what WOULD Jesus do? He certainly didn't bar Judas from the event. In fact, it seems that contrary to a policy against inclusion, Jesus allowed even the worst of the worst to partake and then let them make the decision to walk away and betray him.

Bathed in the Light

neverenough@morganfamily.us (Stacy Towle Morgan) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:18:45 PDT

It feels like I am being bathed in spirituality, but I have no idea how all these things fit together, so I simply allow myself to let the words wash over me. From blog post, For This Day and This Time~ 3/15/10

I recognize after visiting many places of worship that there is a difference between spirituality and religion. I hear many people talk about how they are spiritual but not religious. From what I can tell, people often associate spirituality with an openness to everyone and everything; this involves eschewing any kind of rules or requirements associated with their understanding of God. A spiritual person would, perhaps, love God, but certainly would not fear God. At least, that's how it looks to me.

After a year of watching people worship, I can see that some come to worship with a strong faith in God and have very specific ideas of what it means to be a faithful follower - even to the point that they would encourage anyone they could to find the same path they have. They have staked a claim to the truth and would die for it. They are, in some people's minds, true zealots. They take their belief in Jesus, or Allah, or Buddha, and they work to spread the news. A spiritual person seems content to live and let live. What I would like to see is a religious "zealot" who believes strongly, lives beautifully, shares confidently when asked, and then finally sits back and trusts God to do the rest. Maybe the fear many have in God spills over into a fear God can't accomplish anything without their help. I would not call those people religious; I think I might call them overachievers.

Christianity as a Cult?

neverenough@morganfamily.us (Stacy Towle Morgan) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 20:02:15 PST

At this point, the pastor asks the parents, in the child's name, to answer some questions that include three about the devil: "Do you renounce the devil? Do you renounce all his works? and Do you renounce all his ways?" It's interesting because, so far, the devil isn't mentioned very often in churches that I have attended. Sometimes I hear about Satan but not much. It is almost a shock to hear about him, especially juxtaposed against the presence of this innocent new baby.

From the post, Solid as a Rock ~ 3/9/10

In my past year of church travels I noticed a couple of things about mainstream denominations: there's not a lot of talk about Jesus or Satan. Most churches like to stick with God. So it begs the question: why do we shy away from what could arguably be considered the two most prominent and important figures in Judeo-Christian faith? I'm not sure what the answer is, but I don't think anyone would argue that Jesus and Satan are two key players in the bigger story. Recently I heard a story about Miley Cyrus' dad mentioning in an interview that Miley's rebellious behavior lately may be just her dealing with the "devil." The journalist tried to explain to the listeners that we have to remember that Billy Ray Cyrus hails from the South where talking about the devil is commonplace. The journalist stated that it may seem odd—even cult-like to us—but for Cyrus it's just a figure of speech. The question then becomes for any of us who grew up talking about Jesus and Satan: is referencing either Jesus or Satan in church or conversation going to be passed off as cultural? Are Jesus and Satan going to be considered figures of speech from now on?

Letting Go and Letting God

neverenough@morganfamily.us (Stacy Towle Morgan) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:59:27 PST

It's a flurry of activity, and if I did happen to bring any baggage with me from a previous traditional church experience, I've already set it down by the curb and walked away.

Ready for Take-Off, 3/1/10

It's easy to bring my past church experiences into worship, but is it helpful? If you visit a different church each week like I did last year, it's not difficult to let the past go and to live only in the moment. There's so much newness to concentrate on and there are no associations tied to the worship. But if you've been attending a church for years and you have a myriad of good and bad experiences presenting themselves each time you walk through the door, then it's not so simple. Maybe the key is to think of church-going in terms of a relationship. The past informs the present, but it is important to take in the here and now and to let go of anything that might hinder worship. Enter the house of God with a clean slate and a willingness to accept what God has for you today.

Revering the Word

neverenough@morganfamily.us (Stacy Towle Morgan) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 18:00:14 PST

What I take away from the service is what great reverance the people there have for their Torah. It comes with its own cabinet and accoutrements, it is paraded not once—but twice—through the sanctuary and people kiss it, touch it, and bow their heads to it.

-From blog post Jeshua Tabernacled Among the People - Feb. 22, 21010

Growing up, I attended Sunday School where a common song was something called, The B-I-B-L-E. As children, we would puff our chests out and sing at the top of our lungs,

The B-I-B-L-E
Yes, that's the book for me
I stand alone on the Word of God
The B-I-B-L-E!

On the third phrase about standing on the Word of God, we would all stand up straight and tall and hold our Bibles in the air. This often prefaced a Bible Drill where we would hold our "swords" (or bibles) in the air and wait to be told a scripture reference. When the teacher said "Go," we would all scramble furiously to find the passage.

It begs the question for us as adult worshipers. Does one outgrow this kind of reverence for the Word of God? This year I saw people of different faiths actually kiss their bibles, bow when a large gold bible would be paraded down an aisle, and even a faith culture that consisted of waving a large feather fan over their holy book. How do you feel about your Holy Book? When you worship, what importance do you place on the book that you are reading? How much deference do you pay or do you think you ought to pay to a book? It's a question I asked myself a lot this past year.

Heart and Soul

neverenough@morganfamily.us (Stacy Towle Morgan) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 03:55:00 PST

The organ begins with a deep rumbling...it is a somber call to the soul to emerge from the deadening, stifling hibernation of everydayness. It invites me into the extraordinary, like a cloud parting or a cavern door opening to usher me in, or up, or through.
- From the blog post, Evensong is a Love Song, 2/14/10

Bring a loving heart to worship. It sounds easy, but it's not always that simple. Letting go of a remark, or a tiff, or a bitter attitude about someone is essential to clearing the heart for worship. What I love about music is that it is often just the help we need to lift us out of ourselves and to curb the bent we all have to turn inward, easily wandering away from our holy purpose. When you worship this week, allow the music and the songs to extend themselves to you and pull you up and away from what might be nagging at you. Remember that God loves you. Rest in the thought. There is no amount of fretting and worry that will accomplish what an open heart can.

I Can Prove It

neverenough@morganfamily.us (Stacy Towle Morgan) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 18:18:46 PST

The talk is basically a run-through of why we can trust the Bible to live by. The people are encouraged to flip through their Bibles to see the verses he is using to prove each point he makes. It is slightly reminiscent of a sales pitch.
--From Forward, You Ministers of The Kindgdom posted February 8, 2010

You walk through a room where two people are talking and you hear, "I tell you, the day is coming when I'm not going to put up with him anymore." You have no idea what or who they are talking about. It could be that the woman saying this is talking about her dog, her husband, her boss. She could be implying that she is going to leave, or that she is going to tell "him" to leave or that she is simply going to speak her mind once and for all. Out of context, there is no way to tell the meaning of the sentence. So much depends on what has been said before or after that sentence. So, in terms of how I listen to what's being taught during worship, wouldn't it be a good idea to understand the context? Sure, sometimes the teaching during worship is used to give us the context, but many times it is not. Active listening requires that I take time to look at what is being said and how it fits in with the whole "conversation." I often wish that the term "critical thinking" would be changed to "discerning thinking." It is not a negative trait to think critically about something. In fact, in my opinion, to sit idly by and absorb teaching without thinking about it is a worse offense.