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A Worshipping, Praying, Learning, Nurturing, Sharing Community |
Dec 05, 2008 - 08:07 AM |
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 Topic: New Creation Member's BlogThe new items published under this topic are as follows.
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Members and friends of New Creation. There are many things that I can say. We have survived and in many aspects we have thrived. The time has come to move forward, try some new things, and reach out to those who have yet to find us.
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I am writing this letter not to make clearer the Gospel lesson of the week, nor to give my opinion on world matters; you get inundated with that stuff 24 hours a day. My purpose with this letter is to share the wealth of this congregation - you.
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You have been filling in the rest of the sentence – what is a new kind of church – with great enthusiasm. Here are some of your ideas already in action:
A new kind of website: www.newcreationchurch-sj.org.
A new kind of worship
A new kind of outreach
Read on for more details on each of these.....
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Dear Brothers and Sisters of New Creation Church,
The verses of inspiration for this letter come from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians (2: 11-22), and reconciliation is their strong theme. Some of us have always been a part of a traditional Christian church. Some of us liked it and some of us didn't. Some of us got our start in a different kind of church. Many of us come from different backgrounds, growing up in diverse cultures, giving us differing perceptions of the nature of the Divine. Some of us were hungry for more spiritual nourishment than we were getting from whatever environment in which we found ourselves. Some of us might have been confused or ashamed. Some of us had no idea where we were, where we'd been, or where we were headed.
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Dear Congregation,
Often we wonder, “why me?” “why am I so weak at this?” or “how could God have allowed this to happen to me?”
Hardships, weaknesses and vulnerabilities can easily be the seed for doubting our faith. Is this what it is really about? Or are these difficulties really just reminders to keep us from being over elated or boastful about our successes. Probably. We can use these opportunities to strengthen others and ourselves.
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Dear Sisters and Brothers,
I have friends, and perhaps you do too, who absolutely refuse to have anything to do with organized religion. Sometimes I think these people may be right.
Too often, we have justified and committed terrible acts by invoking God, Allah, Jesus, or simply identity with one belief system or another. We have also allowed our religious traditions and belief identities to justify marginalization and ostracism of those with whom we differ or disagree. Examples from history are numerous and heart-breaking.
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What is your vision of this “new kind of church”? What are folks looking for in a church?
How about a community of liturgy? That is a community built around the public work of the people, which comes from the Greek leitourgia: a public work or service, sort of like community service. In the New Testament this was specifically work or service of the priests, or a ministry of the laity for the temple or church. (See Luke 1:23 or Heb. 8:6)
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NEW CREATION CHURCH: a new kind of church
The new new thing is a notion that is poised to be taken seriously in the marketplace. It’s the idea that is a tiny push away from general acceptance and, when it gets that push, will change the world. (from The New New Thing, by Michael Lewis, p. 15)
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So if anyone is in Christ there is a new creation:…II Corinthians 5:17
You see these words every time you walk into the church vestibule. You are named by these words, and Paul commissions you in the words that follow:
…everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!
All this is from God who reconciled himself to us through Christ,
And has given us the ministry of reconciliation… So we are
ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us…
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This first "blog" post is posted by the webmaster on Pastor Anne's behalf
God’s speaking: Right here. Right now. That’s the radically simple assumption at the heart of our Fall Bible study.
Expect change: Things are going to happen. The Spirit’s at work. You’ll never be the same. That’s the expectation for this Bible study. Because when you engage God’s Word, things change – for you, for our congregation, for the world we are part of.
God is on a mission: As you read the Bible with your small group, you’ll see that God has a plan. From the very beginning, God’s been on a mission to reconcile and bless God’s creation. We’re partners in this mission. God’s got work for us to do – work that gives meaning and purpose to our lives.
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New Creation Lutheran Church -- 7275 Santa Teresa Blvd. San Jose, CA 95139 -- 408-972-9200
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