Church of Christ Easter

Church of Christ came about in the early 1800’s. There was a father/son pair of Presbyterian ministers named Thomas and Alexander Campbell who were leaders in the Cane Ridge Revival, They left the Presbyterian Church because, "they believed that Christianity had become too institutionalized, divided, formalized, and denominational." They desired to bypass denominational differences and bring church worship back to basics of the New Testament and the teachings of Christ.  


What most people do not know is that Church of Christ is not actually a denomination. There is no central headquarters or national organization that serves as a form of leadership. Each congregation is autonomous, self-governed by a group of elders selected by the congregational members, "The only tie which binds the many congregations together is a common allegiance to Christ and the Bible." The churches do tend to be very similar in structure and core beliefs, with five basic principles of worship:

• Singing A Capella
• Praying
• Preaching
• Giving
• Weekly Partaking of The Lord's Supper

Easter is considered by most Christians, the most important observation of the religion and it is coincidentally also the most well attended service of the year for most churches. Easter is the commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus, 3 days after his death on the cross. In Western Christianity it is celebrated on the Sunday after the Paschal Moon and marks the end of Lent ~ the 40 day period of fasting & spiritual discipline that starts on Ash Wednesday. 

I visited Netherwood Church of Christ's 8:30am Easter service. They had a second service at 11am, followed by an egg hunt. In the bulletin, there were many social and service opportunities for members with different needs. 

They began with the group singing hymns. Then there was prayer and people greeted each other. In most churches, the greeting is quick, this however was a good 10 minutes where people actually got caught up with one another. I felt very welcomed.  

There was a prayer for the Lord's Supper - it represents the Freedom and Salvation that Jesus left to us, the bread was passed around to the congregants, another prayer as said before the juice was served. 

Minister Walter Lane gave the sermon. It was part of a 7 week series and an interpretive sermon of the resurrection of Christ based on Luke Chapter 24. Come Follow Me ---> Every one will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. ~ John 13:35 He spoke of the encouragement that we all had being Christians and to be assured that we can always return to the Lord, even after times we have turned away. 

FEAR AND FAILURE OF THE CROSS AND DOUBT OF THE TOMB ARE REPLACED BY THE JOY OF THE RESURRECTION. 

THANK YOU Netherwood Church of Christ for sharing your worship service with me. 

NOTE: Church of Christ churches typically do not have women in leadership roles.  

A Reformed Good Friday

Good Friday is part of the Holy Week before Easter and is a remembrance of the Crucifixion of Christ. Catholics as well as many Protestants celebrate the day. 

When the reform movement occurred, many different church denominations were born during the split from the Catholic Church. In Germany, it was the Lutherans. In England, the Anglicans, and in Switzerland and other parts of Europe, it was the Calvinists. A Dutch branch of the Calvinist movement brought about the foundation of the Dutch Christian Reformed Church, many of whom emigrated to the United States in the middle of the 19th Century. In 1857, the Christian Reformed Church CRCNA was established when a group of families in the United States split from the Dutch Reform Movement. CRCNA is a confessional church that believes: The Bible alone is the Authoritative source for individuals rather than church traditions, daily lives should be directed by the scriptures, and they place an important emphasis on Christian education and global outreach.

I attended the Fellowship Christian Reformed Church's Good Friday service. One of their congregational goals is "to help everyone connect with God in a way that makes sense and is meaningful." "

IN ALL I DO - I HONOR YOU

As we entered the sanctuary we were each given a stone. Pastor John Dykhuis facilitated the worship service. He lit a group of candles at the beginning, and after each section of the service, a candle was snuffed out. The sermon was the end of a series of sermons around stones. The service was broken into the events (or stones) leading up to the Crucifixion of Jesus ~ the stone of condemnation of Jesus, separation, sorrow, suffering - then to the final stone that was placed when Jesus' tomb was closed. 
Different members led the congregation through each section - read a bible passage, said a prayer, then there was a moment of silence. Many songs were also sung throughout this journey of worship. 

The service ended by uniting with Jesus in his death by the breaking of bread and The Lord's Supper. Pastor Dykhuis asked as we approached the alter to put our stone on the cross as a symbol of shedding the burden and weight of the sins of the world. If we give our sins to Jesus, he will take them from us. After each person received communion, they could either stay and meditate or quietly leave the sanctuary for fellowship outside of the worship hall.  

This cup is the new covenant made with my blood. Every time you drink from it, do it to remember me. 
                                                                                                    ~ 1 Corinthians 11:25

I do believe this congregation is accomplishing their goals, the service was very intimate and meaningful. A wonderful representation of worship through scripture. 

THANK YOU Fellowship Christian Reformed Church - it was a lovely Good Friday.   

My Pilgrimage to Chimayó

Join me in suffering like a good soldier of Christ.
~ 2 Timothy 2:3

Chimayó is an historical site in Northern New Mexico. It is considered Holy Land to Chrisitians as well as the Tewa tribe. Thousands of Peregrinos, Pilgrims, make the journey every year to Chimayó from all over the world. Many New Mexicans make an annual pilgrimage during the Holy Week and walk from Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos...Holy Week is the last week of Lent and starts with Palm Sunday and includes Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. This sacred site was the original site of a Tewa mineral spring, where many miracles are believed to have occurred. El Santuario de Chimayo, a catholic chapel, was built there in 1816.  When the spring dried up, the people still came for the dirt that they felt had healing powers. 

The chapel walls have numerous reredos, brightly painted wooden screens, and bultos, statues, of saints which have been restored over the years.  There are rooms to the side of the altar. In the far back room is a hole in the ground called a pozito, where the holy dirt is - visitors collect holy dirt and also holy water to take with them or rub on parts of their bodies that need healing. It can be gathered in a container that you bring or one purchased from the on site gift shop. In the other room are more altars and the walls are filled with pictures of those that are requesting prayers and old crutches left by those who profess they have been healed.
During the Bataan Death March in World War II, many New Mexican soldiers prayed to the Santo Niño de Atocha, and believed they survived as a result of those prayers. After the war ended, some of those same soldiers began an annual tradition of walking to el Santuario de Chimayó. Individuals can make the pilgrimage alone and make arrangements for someone to follow them and transport them back or can take the pilgrimage with a group. Several churches in New Mexico make pilgrimages during the week before Easter.  

I made arrangements to do the pilgrimage with a church group from Santa Fe, Santa Maria de la Paz Parish. The group left at 6am from Santa Fe, but picked up more people at the Sacred Heart Church in Nambé. When I arrived at the Church, I was told the group had already passed by there. The pilgrimage from Nambé is 8 miles. I was a little nervous but had faith and set out on the trek alone and bout a mile into my walk, I caught up with the group.  

The Santa Maria Reverend, Daniel Balizan, walked the pilgrimage also. The group collectively carried a large wooden cross with petitions for prayer and healing attached to it. The bus followed the group and provided rest for the elderly that could not make the whole journey and also had a restroom facility. Those that stayed on the bus prayed and shared readings with the group. 

I went ahead of the large group of pilgrims and walked most of the journey by myself. Toward the end, a small group of men from Santa Fe - some of whom have been making the journey for 40-50 years, caught up with me and finished the last few miles with me.

We got to the chapel ahead of the large group. When the main group of pilgrims arrived to the sanctuary, they entered singing. Reverend Balizan presided over mass at the chapel. There were prayers, readings, Holy Communion, and lots of singing. The songs were almost all in Spanish. The Reverend said a few words at the beginning of the service. He talked how great Holy Week is because it is a time when God is in our midst. He shared how he loved all of the rituals and ceremonies of the week, but cautioned us to live the rituals that are a part of the religion or they mean nothing. He also talked of the spiritual death that we all must experience before we are given new life. After the service ended, we had time to visit the museum and shops, then the bus took us back to our cars. 

Chimayó holds a special significance to Catholics, but I doubt many could visit and deny the sanctity of the site. It was an amazing experience and visiting by way of a pilgrimige makes it all the more powerful. 

THANK YOU Santa Maria de la Paz for adopting me into your family and letting me be a part of the pilgrimage to Chimayó. 

 

The Potter's House

Pentecostal churches have a unique history in that they were the first interracial churches in the United States. In the early 1900's, one of the biggest churches that contributed to the spreading of the Pentecostal faith, the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angelos; held services that were ethnically diverse. The denomination, Potter's House Christian Fellowship, is a church that was founded by Pastor Wayman Mitchell and split from the Foursquare Pentecostal church in the late '60's. It experienced a large surge of growth during the Jesus People Movement. The unique denomination now has over 2,000 congregations worldwide. 

They believe "The Holy Spirit is God, the Lord and giver of life, who was active in the Old Testament, and given to the Church in fullness at Pentecost."

GOD'S FIRE NEVER BURNS OUT

The name of the church came from a biblical reference: 
The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah. He said, “Go to the potter’s house. There I will give you my message” ~ Jeremiah 18:1-2

Pentecostal religions have several distinct traditions - Glossolalia or speaking in tongues, Baptism with the Holy Spirit (salvation), and Revivals.  Glossolalia is believed to be a person being filled with the Holy Spirit, there are generally three types:

1. Tongues as a Sign to Nonbelievers - Acts 2:11
2. Tongues for the Strengthening of the Church - Requires Interpretation - 1 Corinthians 14:5
3. Tongues as a Private Prayer Language - Romans 8:26, 1 Corinthians 14:4 

I attended the Albuquerque Potter's House Christian Center 6pm Sunday Service. In jeans and a sweater, I was underdressed. Almost all of the women wore dresses and the men wore dress shirts, slacks, and a tie or even suits. 

The service opened up with lively group singing and prayers. During the prayers, the pastor and people in the audience spoke in tongues at times. 


Pastor Lee Wilson gave the sermon. He spoke of believers being a light in the World ~ the smallest of lights can illuminate the darkest of places. He called upon us to not allow things of the material world to come between us and God. He preached that to have a powerful relationship with God, all we have to do is ask. He shared that the true Freedom of life is allowing the Power of God to work, uncontrollably in our lives. 

So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.  ~ John 8:36

After the sermon, most of the congregation went up front and knelt down to pray and receive God's blessings. 

Many people came up and greeted me before and after service, they seemed like a very close group of believers. 

They also have live music and entertainment on Saturday nights. 

THANK YOU Albuquerque Potter's House for sharing your form of worship with me. 

Note: This denomination is not associated with the Mega Church The Potter's House in Dallas or Denver. 

Anglican Taizé Eucharist

The Anglican Church began in the 6th century in England, when Pope Gregory the Great sent St. Augustine to Britain to disciple to the Anglo-Saxons. This mission, often called the Gregorian Mission, lead to the foundation of the Church of England and the eventual separation from the Roman Catholic Church. There is no central authority for the Anglican Church, instead churches are unified by tradition, belief, and agreement. 

Taizé is an ecumenical form of worship that incorporates song, prayer, and silence to foster a peaceful and calming atmosphere and facilitate a meditative worship. Taizé originated during World War II, in Taizé France first as worship for those trying to hide and flee from the war. It later developed into a monastic brotherhood that used a simplistic and unique worship style, that survives today.  

Many Christian churches worldwide are integrating services of the Taizé tradition into the normal services they offer their congregants. The Church of the Holy Faith offers a Taizé service on Tuesdays, it is a Catholic style liturgy with Holy Eucharist. I attended their 6pm Tuesday Taizé Eucharist service.

The Church of the Holy Faith was founded in 1863 in Santa Fe. They believe in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Sacraments, and the Authority of Scripture. It is officially an Episcopal Church but is more conservative and closer to an Anglican Church in its Anglo-Catholic rituals and use of the Book of Common Prayer. I found the service to be very much along the lines of a Catholic service except women were part of the ministerial team and everyone was welcome for communion. 

WORD MADE FLESH

Reverend James Brzezinski and Dean Peggy Patterson led the services. There were moments of meditative silence throughout the service as well as singing meditation, short hymns that were repeated several times. There was not really a sermon, just some readings and Dean Patterson spoke to us that we all have an anointed vocation in this life. 

For man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. ~ 1 Samuel 16:7

Then they performed the laying on of hands and lighting of the candles. Everyone at the service went up to the altar and were anointed with oil and given healing prayers by the ministerial team. After each person left the altar, they lite a candle. Then the Holy Eucharist was offered to the members. It was a very unique service that had a certain tranquility about it, I can see why Taizé services are growing in popularity. In a World seemingly filled with increasing chaos, a peaceful service of worship can be very restoring.  

THANK YOU Church of the Holy Faith for showing me your unique Taizé service.