This year Tracy and I purchased season tickets for Broadway in Atlanta. The productions at the Fabulous Fox feature both classic and contemporary musicals.

The patrons who pack the venue reflect the city’s diversity. Different genders, ages, races, ethnicities, orientations, and religions unite for three hours in a shared love of the theater.

We sit together in companionable enjoyment: Democrat and Republican, liberal and conservative, gay and straight, young and old, black and white, Millennials and Baby Boomers. One common interest unites us for the length of a Broadway play.

The church is one body made up of different parts. We are a diverse and different people—some more different than others! No human commonality binds us together. We are a divine creation united in the name of Jesus Christ.

The body of Christ does not achieve unity by abolishing human differences and disagreements. We achieve unity by focusing on Jesus Christ who binds us together and not on the world that tears us apart.

In Ephesians 4, Paul wrote: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.”

One.

Perhaps God’s people could learn a thing or two from Broadway in Atlanta audiences.

Someone stole 3,600 seconds of life last weekend. Daylight Saving Time resumed in the wee hours of Sunday morning. We sprang forward from 2:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.

I love Daylight Saving Time and an “additional” hour of sunlight each evening. I despise the weekends our nation adds or deletes 60 minutes of time.

If I ever run for Congress, I would promise to make DST permanent. This single plank of the political platform would get me easily elected. We could call the new system something simple like “Time.”

A critic once wrote about a play: “A great way to kill time for those wishing it dead.”

God’s gift of time is a gift too precious to waste—or give away every spring.

So let’s get rid of the DS and just have T.

Last week’s blog featured the youversion app that enables Christians to access digital versions of the Bible wherever they go. I encourage believers to download the application for their smart phones, tablets, and other electronic devices.

I recently downloaded the Bible to my Kindle device as well.

Amazon sells various versions of the Kindle e-reader that allow patrons to read digital publications on a paper book sized tablet. The e-devices are light weight and portable with enough memory for thousands of books.

And as I continue to mature in wisdom, knowledge, stature, and years, I have also come to appreciate the font size adjustment feature! Readers can make the print as large as necessary.

A hard cover NIV Study Bible costs over $30 with leather editions running much more. I downloaded the Kindle Version for under $10.

Christians exist in a time when the Bible is more readily accessible than ever before. However, we also live in an age of Biblical illiteracy.

If all else has failed, maybe it’s time to read the directions.

In 1454, Johannes Gutenberg published the first mass-produced book using movable type. The Gutenberg Bible inspired a revolution in printing and access to Scripture.

The 21^st century is experiencing a Gutenberg-like revolution in electronic media. Believers now enjoy digital versions of the Bible. Scripture can be viewed online or downloaded to smart phones and tablets.

I often recommend that Christians consider the youversion app. The website (youversion.com) provides a FREE Bible app with multiple versions. The application also offers reading plans, study guides, and more.

Youversion.com makes the Bible readily accessible on computers, smart phones, and tablets. We can literally carry God’s Word with us everywhere. The app will even read audio versions for listeners while driving, working, or resting!

I encourage you to download the app today.

Oh, and USE IT!

During the week when we celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day, meditate on the Apostle Paul’s description of true love:

Love is patient, love is kind, it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag, it isn’t arrogant, it isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints, it isn’t happy with injustice, but it is happy with the truth. Love puts up with all things, trusts in all things, hopes for all things, endures all things. 

Love never fails.

Now faith, hope, and love remain–these three things–and the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8; 13, Common English Bible

I saw this post on social media, and it captures how many of us often feel!

My mind is like my internet browser:

• 19 tabs are open
• 3 of them are frozen
• And I have no idea where the music is coming from!

Prayer for the Day:

Lord,

Calm and quiet my soul.

Grant me the grace

to feel your enfolding arms

and to claim your peace.

Amen.

• Good News:    Atlanta is hosting the 2019 Super Bowl LIII.
• Bad News:      The Atlanta Falcons will not be playing.
• Good News:    The Falcons will not collapse in the 4^th quarter of Sunday’s game.
• Bad News:      The Falcons collapsed all season long.
• Good News:    The Falcons won some tough games.
• Bad News:      The Falcons lost to Cleveland. Cleveland? Cleveland!
• Good News:    Rise Up!
• Bad News:      Fall Down.
• Good News:    There’s always next year.
• Bad News:      There’s always next year.
• Good News:    Life should not be affected by how highly paid athletes play.
• Bad News:      For some, it is.  
• Good News:    If you want to hear the Good News, come to church this Sunday.
• Bad News:      More will cheer on Sunday night than worship on Sunday morning.

Many professions distinguish themselves by distinctive dress. Examples include a deputy’s badge, a firefighter’s helmet, a doctor’s white coat, or a chef’s apron. Form often follows function although ostentation can also play a part.

Methodist clergy traditionally wear robes and stoles while leading worship. Last week’s blog traced the history of robes, and this week we are exploring the meaning of stoles.

Stoles are bands of cloth about four inches wide that are worn around a pastor’s neck and over a robe. The liturgical vestments can be made of cotton, wool, silk, polyester, and other natural or manufactured materials. The colors of the stole (traditionally white, purple, green, and red) correspond to the seasons and festivals of the church year.

Clerical stoles may have originally emulated Jewish prayer shawls described in Hebrew Scripture. Other scholars believe the bands served as imperial badges of office after Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire.

The stole serves as a symbol of ordination. Theologically, it reminds clergy they are “yoked” to Christ, and pastors are called to imitate Christ’s servant leadership when he bowed to wash and dry the disciple’s feet.

Today the United Methodist Church authorizes ordained deacons and elders to wear stoles. Deacons, ordained to Word and Service, typically wear a stole diagonally off of one shoulder to the waist. Elders, ordained to Word, Sacrament, Order and Service, wear stoles that go around the neck and hang from both shoulders below the waist.

A clerical stole serves as a symbol of ordination in the Methodist Church. Varying widely in cost, color, fabric, and design, they serve as a reminder of the call to specialized ministry that all clergy share.

Many professions distinguish themselves by distinctive dress. Examples include a deputy’s badge, a firefighter’s helmet, a doctor’s white coat, or a chef’s apron. Form often follows function although ostentation can also play a part.

Methodist clergy traditionally wear robes and stoles while leading worship. This practice varies, however, especially with the rise of contemporary services. People occasionally ask about the significance and symbolism of clerical garb.

Some scholars believe the practice originally emulated the robes worn by Jewish priests in the Hebrew Scriptures. In the early church, Christians donned a white alb cinched with a rope that symbolized their baptism.

Ironically, John Calvin inspired the robes most commonly worn by Methodist clergy today. The founder of Calvinism was a practicing attorney who wore his legal robe to preach. Judges still wear similar garments in the 21^st century.

Authors also note that the Methodist Church historically has placed a high value on educated clergy. Clergy robes and academic gowns share much in common, including the use of “stripes” on the sleeves to designate a doctorate degree.

A clerical robe also serves as a symbol of ordination in the Methodist Church. Varying widely in cost, color, fabric, and design, they serve as a reminder of the call to specialized ministry that all clergy share.

Next week: Robes and Stoles, Part 2.

This Saturday Northside Church will host the Atlanta College Park District Leadership Training. Party down! Yours truly will lead a session on “Preaching and Worship.”

But how does one TEACH preaching?

Seminary equips clergy with the basic tools to write a homily. Over time, ministers develop their own styles, methods, and processes.

I typically start with an idea accompanied by a title, topic, and Scripture lesson. Then I gather resources that inform the subject—background Bible study, illustrations, stories, Internet research, and more.

This is not a solitary pursuit. The Worship Team at our church meets weekly to exchange ideas and inspire creativity.

But preaching’s a funny business . . . .

Sometimes I write what might well be the finest sermon in the history of Christendom, and nothing stirs, not even a church mouse. Other times I stumble through a homily only to have people say it was the best sermon they’ve ever heard. On other occasions, people share meaningful quotes that I never said.

These moments remind me that preaching is a human-divine partnership. The Lord works in, through, and despite the minister. Paul said we hold heavenly treasures in jars of clay. Preachers are human beings tasked with proclaiming the divine gospel.

Also, teaching preaching is tough when the instructor is still a student himself!