Session #2: Tammie

Chapter 9
First and foremost, it is expressed in worship, whether that be the formal worship service on Sunday morning or in the worship of giving time, talents or even money to build up the body. When we come together for Sunday morning, the focus of the worship - every song, every word, every prayer is for the One who is the cornerstone; that is, Christ. Of course, in some cases, that is an ideal for which we strive and not necessarily the reality we experience.

The concepts of the church, the people of God, the fellowship of faith and everything else on the list are more often better expressed when we get up off the pew and get out into the world. When one church member is having a tough time with medical treatments and other members of the congregation bring meals to the family, that's the fellowship of believers being acted out in the local congregation. When members of a church will go make home repairs for someone they don't know, that is the people of God making Him known to the powers and authorities. Such actions reinforce our roles as resident aliens from the kingdom of God because they run counter to so much of what our culture expects or tells us. Culture, for example, might tell us to buy the biggest and best Christmas presents for our family. It doesn't necessarily tell us to make donations to families in need, but that is what many Christians do.

When our congregational life moves from theory to action, that is when the mystery of which Paul speaks is best made known to the world around us.


Chapter 10
Outside of my weekly routine activities such as youth group, Sunday school and church, I have little knowledge of the denominational ties of those with whom I interact. For example, in our cohort, I know the denominational affiliation of about half of the group, but it never occurred to me to ask about the others' background. Likewise, I never researched the denominational ties of those I would consider to be part of my "virtual community;" that is, people who write blogs which I read and sometimes comment on (such as Scot McKnight, Dan Kimball, Tony Jones and all sorts of blogs related to youth ministry.)

I have been on mission trips organized through Nazarene agencies and attended conventions that bring youth workers (National Youth Workers Convention) and college students (Passion) together from a number of denominations.

More often than not, I don't think to ask about denominations. When I am in these settings, we tend to concentrate on the "big things" on which we agree rather than zone in on differences in practices.


Chapters 11-13
Modern Evangelical-CGGC
Worship is synonymous with the morning worship service on Sunday, though I must say that I am seeing more movement (at least in my church) toward the realization that worship is more than just a sermon (as the centerpiece) and a few hymns at one point in time. Having said that, worship is a Sunday morning obligation that includes the sermon as the focal point, prayer, hymns sung by the congregation, an anthem sung by a choir (which could be the adult, junior or teen choir) and the offering. Four Sundays a year, there may be communion, but it is often tagged on the end of the service after the sermon. On occasion, there may be a change in the program for a special event. As far as atmosphere, the lights are on and candles are sparse. Visuals are rare.

PM Disciple/First generation believer
I mentioned this question to one of the members of my youth group who may easily be described as a postmodern first generation believer. I commented that I wasn't sure if a first generation believer really had an idea what worship was and she quickly agreed. The first generation believer is trying to figure all this worship stuff out. They haven't necessarily come to the faith by following a solely intellectual path. They more than likely fell into community with a group of believers and came to believe in Christ as a result of that interaction so they have a lot of questions and are still defining what worship means. Unlike someone who has grown up in the church, they have no traditions (or maybe, in some cases, baggage) to define worship for them.

With that in mind, there are worship settings that I have read or seen that more closely fit what a postmodern, first generation believer might follow. One characteristic of some of these gatherings is that they will have an actual meal before their service, bringing the believers together in fellowship before the actual worship service. The setting could just as easily be a gym in a local school as a sanctuary. I have even read of churches that meet in coffee shops or (gasp!) bars on Sunday morning. Like the moderns, they sing hymns as well as more contemporary music. Communion seems to be celebrated more often. Atmosphere is vital and is often accomplished by adding candles and ditching the pews while lowering the lights - all adding to the sense of mystery.