I thought this was an interesting thought from a few Sundays ago:

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU HEAR THE WORD CHRISTIAN?
Let me ask you a question: When you hear the word "DOG"? Do you think of something cute, funny, or ferocious? What about when you hear the word "CAT"? Do you think of something pretty, fierce, lazy, or “sneezy”? HOW ABOUT WHEN YOU HEAR THE WORD CHRISTIAN? Do you think of a Republican or a democrat, political activist or Mother Teresa? Do you think of someone kind and gentle, helping the poor, or a TELEVANGELIST? When you think of the word Christian do you think of a HYPOCRITE or someone who is a loving and generous? I have heard people say "I don't want to be one of those BORN-AGAINERS". Or they ask me, "Are you one of those ABORTION CLINIC BOMBERS?" Sometimes when we hear the word Christian we think of religious zealots trying to convert the world, or people who have lost touch with reality, or those WHO ARE AGAINST STUFF. I think that is a valid observation; and Christians seem to be AGAINST OTHER CHRISTIANS the most.

WHY DON'T I USE THE WORD CHRISTIAN?
GANDHI said, I like your Christ but I don't like your Christians. In the 1950's people had positive thoughts about the word CHRISTIAN. But now a days I think we have a DIFFERENT SPIN on this word. Many think of something NEGATIVE or down right EVIL. The 1st CENTURY used this word as a highly negative term, ONE OF MOCKERY. They used the word "christianous" meaning "CHRIST ONES" or "LITTLE CHRISTS". These early followers of Jesus were so despised because their leader had been crucified as a criminal but they continued to preach Him as Savior.

I PREFER THE TERM “FAITH DWELLER, OR A FOLLOWER OF JESUS”
I AM NOT ON A CRUSADE AGAINST THE WORD, but I prefer to use the word "Christ-follower", learner of Jesus, or FAITH DWELLER. I GUESS THIS IS WHY WE HAVE SPENT SO MUCH TIME DEFINING WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A LEARNER OF JESUS THE PAST FEW SUNDAYS.

Another thing that I have been meaning to mention is why we don't use the term WORSHIP SERVICE. First, we don't view Sundays as a SERVICE WE ARE PROVIDING FOR RELIGIOUS CONSUMERS. I guess if we were religious peddlers promoting products for the pious we would dig that term. I don't think the term is evil, or wrong; it just doesnt fit what we are trying to create. It doesn't speak of the core value of what we are doing. We are not going to church to PUT ON A SERVICE; we are gathering as a Body. We don't ever stop ceasing to be the church when we leave the gathering; WE ARE ALWAYS THE CHURCH. Just like we don't ever cease to be a BODY in the physical sense. But when we gather we do so to encourage one another toward the Way of Love. Gathering together is a critical activity for the movement of faith-dwellers.

We gather on Sundays to hear from God through His Word and to Honor God through our worship (or self-expression toward the Creator).

Recently, I have been thinking about a few things, here is one of them:

What would it take to create a community of artists within our faith community? What would it take to merge ART & WORSHIP into one entity?

From my personal viewpoint I see art & worship as one. They are synonomous in definition. Worship is about self-expression mixed with adoration. Art is self-expression mixed with imagination. Both are about self-expression. Sure, not everybody worships God, or the God of Jesus; but everybody has an obession, a fascination with something so much that they obsess over it, or adore it.

I also believe that everyone is an artist and part of designing a community of spiritual explorers is creating a culture that promotes the theme "everybody an artist". Everybody has a unique ARTIST DNA and therefore everybody has the opportunity to WORSHIP THE GOD OF JESUS is a profoundly unique and mind-blowing way. I wonder what it would look like if we experimented with this idea in a corporate setting.

What if we everybody at the Sunday Gathering was exploring a more personal way to connect with the Divine?

My Journal Entry written May 11, 2008

"Washing Feet"

Today at service, we learned about "servanthood" through reading about Jesus washing the disciples' feet.

It's amazing how the Son of God humbled Himself, bowed down to us on bended knee and washed the disciples' feet.

Washing another person's feet is truly a humbling experience. It's very humbling when someone else wants to wash your feet. I know because I have done this many times.

I was in the Catholic Church at the time. Very active in a ministry called Teen Encounter. I attended St. Basil's Seminary in Methuen Ma.. I was in my late teens the first time I experienced a "foot washing". Every year St. Basil's would have an all night vigil on the Thursday leading into Good Friday. Before the vigil, we would have mass and this is where we had out "foot washing".

I was 19 at my first foot washing. Not many know this, but I was extremely overweight then and had a major self esteem problem. I was very shy then and had a problem sharing and opening up to others. Everyone in Teen Encounter knew that. Including Fr. Martin (the priest).

Like I said, it was the Thursday leading into Good Friday and I knew we were having mass but did not know what the mass actually entailed. The gospel reading was on John 13:2-17; Jesus washing the disciples feet. Fr. Martin talked a bit after reading the gospel and then went to get a towel, a pitcher fill of water, and a basin. He placed it on the floor on the alter. It was now time for us to do the same thing. Little did I know that I was the one Fr Martin would choose to start the ceremony. He came and got me and I was absolutely mortified! I didn't want to embarass him and say no to him.

Being the receipient of having your feet washed by another person is very humbling. It can also make you very vulnerable. Not only did Fr Martin wash my feet, he then placed a kiss on the top of my foot after he dried it. I can't remember what the kiss signified.

There is also a level of trust to let someone do that. And love. And forgiveness.

What I mean by forgiveness is I have seen rifts or strong tenseness among others at Teen Encounter. They used the foot washing as a way of asking forgiveness from the other person. I have seen many relationships heal through this.

It turned out to be a very special night for me. The close friends I made in Teen Encounter used the foot washing to show me that I could trust them and love them no matter what. The foot washing was the start of a turning point for me.

I became a servant. I learned how to give without expecting anything back. It was a special time for me as I realized that I loved serving Jesus. Very rarely did I say no to serving Jesus. I became a part of the music ministry - I took part in serving on the retreats for Teen Encounter.

For the next 4 years, I looked forward to the foot washing ceremony. Along with the all night vigil. I did partake in the ceremony after I left Teen Encounter. It's a special time. Humbling, yes. Trusting, yes. Vulnerable, yes. Forgiving, yes. But it also shows your committment to serving Jesus.

So I guess we need to ask ourselves - would you bend down like Jesus did and wash he feet of another person with a servant's heart? A servant's attitude?

I would. I hope I have the chance to do another foot washing ceremony.