A Parable of Church Unity (?)

A friend of mine shared this on his blog recently. I have adapted it, with his permission, for my own religious heritage. The names may change, but the sectarian attitudes which contaminate many churches today remains the same. -JME


A Parable of Church Unity

I was walking across a bridge recently. I spied this fellow who looked like he was ready to jump off. So, I thought I’d try to stall him until the authorities showed up. “Don’t jump!” I said. “Why not?” he said. “Nobody loves me.”

“God loves you.” I said. “You believe in God, don’t you?”

“Yes, I believe in God,” he said.

“Good,” I said, “Are you Christian or Jewish?”

“Christian,” he said.

“Me, too!” I said, “Protestant or Catholic?”

“Neither,” he said.

“What then?” I said.

“Church of Christ,” he said.

“Me, too!” I said. “Non-Institutional Church of Christ or Mainline Church of Christ?”

“Non-Institutional Church of Christ,” he said.

“Me, too! Liberal, Florida College-loving, Non-Institutional Church of Christ or Conservative, Anti-FC, Non-Institutional Church of Christ?”

“Conservative, Anti-FC, Non-Institutional Church of Christ,” he said.

“Me, too!” I said. “Men’s Business Meetings, Anti-FC, Non-Institutional Church of Christ or Digressive Congregational Meetings, Anti-FC, Non-Institutional Church of Christ?”

“Men’s Business Meetings, Anti-FC, Non-Institutional Church of Christ,” he said.

“Me, too!” I said. “Morning and Evening Services Every Sunday, Men’s Business Meetings, Anti-FC, Non-Institutional Church of Christ or One Extended Service on Sundays, Men’s Business Meetings, Anti-FC, Non-Institutional Church of Christ?”

“Morning and Evening Services Every Sunday, Men’s Business Meetings, Anti-FC, Non-Institutional Church of Christ,” he said.

“Me too!” I said. “Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women Wearing Slacks, Morning and Evening Services Every Sunday, Men’s Business Meetings, Anti-FC, Non-Institutional Church of Christ or Compromising Fundamentalist Not Against Women Wearing Slacks, Morning and Evening Services Every Sunday, Men’s Business Meetings, Anti-FC, Non-Institutional Church of Christ.”

“Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women Wearing Slacks, Morning and Evening Services Every Sunday, Men’s Business Meetings, Anti-FC, Non-Institutional Church of Christ,” he said.

“Me, too!” I said. “One-Cup, No Bible Class, Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women Wearing Slacks, Morning and Evening Services Every Sunday, Men’s Business Meetings, Anti-FC, Non-Institutional Church of Christ or Multiple Cups, Separated Bible Classes, Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women Wearing Slacks, Morning and Evening Services Every Sunday, Men’s Business Meetings, Anti-FC, Non-Institutional Church of Christ?”

“Multiple Cups, Separated Bible Classes, Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women Wearing Slacks, Morning and Evening Services Every Sunday, Men’s Business Meetings, Anti-FC, Non-Institutional Church of Christ” he said.

“Auugghh!! You Heretic! What is this world coming to?” I said. And then I pushed him over.

A.C.T.S. - Model for Worship and Prayer

Many people use the acronym A.C.T.S. to organize their daily prayers and periods of religious meditation. Our congregation devotes our Wednesday night gatherings to focused prayer, praise, and scripture reading. This is a handout we developed to use sometimes in those meetings as well as in our personal times of worship and devotion. The song numbers correspond to our hymnals, but most are classic hymns that will be familiar. The information in this handout can be divided and used in a variety of ways to organize many different times of spiritual meditation. -JME

A.C.T.S. – A Model for Organizing Prayer and Worship

Many people use the acronym A.C.T.S. to organize their daily prayers.

A stands for adoration in which we praise and speak well of God.

C is confession in which we admit our faults and our need for God’s grace.

T is thanksgiving in which we express gratitude for God’s blessings in our lives.

S stands for supplication in which we ask God for the help and blessings we need.

Adoration: A Prayer of Praise, adapted from Psalm 145

We will extol you, our God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day we will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. You are great and greatly to be praised. Your greatness is unsearchable. Help us as we meditate on the glorious splendor of your majesty and on your wondrous works. Help us as we sing of your abundant goodness and of your righteousness.

Father, you are gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. You are good to everyone. Your mercy is over everything you have made. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. Your dominion over everyone and everything endures throughout time and eternity. You are faithful in what you say and kind in what you do. You hold us up when we are weak, and you lift us up when we fall. You are near to all who call upon you. You hear the prayers of those who fear you, and you bless them. You preserve all who love you, but all the wicked you will destroy. We will praise your greatness and your goodness forever and ever in the name of our Savior, Jesus.

Pick two:

1 – Holy, Holy, Holy	27 – Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee
21 – Praise The Lord	56 – All Creatures Of Our God and King

Optional Reading – For use in private or family periods of devotion

Exodus 34:5-8

Psalm 139

Psalm 145

Psalm 148

Isaiah 40:9-31

Confession: A Prayer of Contrition, adapted from Daniel 9 and Psalm 51

O Lord, you are the great God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with all who love you and keep your commandments. Even when we are faithless, you remain faithful. We have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled against your will. So many times we have fallen short. We have failed to listen to your word. We have lived our lives in selfishness and arrogance, and we have not given you the glory you deserve. We have failed to lead our children. We have told them what to do, but we haven’t shown them real godliness in our homes and lives. We have failed to love our spouses. We have taken for granted those you have given us to love and share life with us. We have failed to love each other. We have allowed business and bitterness to cause us to neglect the needs of your children. We have failed to care for the needy. We have allowed prosperity to become arrogance and have convinced ourselves there isn’t real need around us.

Lord, please forgive us. Create a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within us. Do not take your Holy Spirit from us. Restore the joy of our salvation, that it may prompt praise and renewed devotion to your work and word. Thank you for the cleansing power of your Son’s blood and for his sacrifice on our behalf, without which we could not come near you.

Pick two:

300 – I Am Coming, Lord	330 – Just As I Am
321 – Jesus, I Come	332 – I Surrender All

Optional Reading – For use in private or family periods of devotion

Ezra 9:5-15

Psalm 32

Psalm 51

Daniel 9:3-19

Romans 7:13-25

Thanksgiving: A Prayer of Gratitude

Kind Father, you have been good to us in ways that surpass our awareness and ability to comprehend. We came into this world with nothing, and we will leave it in the same condition. But you have blessed us during this earthly life with strength, opportunities, wealth, and comforts far beyond what we need or deserve. We know, Father, there are many, and always have been, who do not enjoy the abundance we take for granted every day. We also know we sometimes allow our wants to blind us to how richly blessed we are. We want to be more aware of our blessings, and we give you thanks knowing every good thing in our lives is from you.

Thank you for the measure of health and strength we have been given. Thank you for our families, for those that we love and who love us and are good to us. Thank you for our children. They give us a chance to imagine how you must love us. Thank you for our brethren. It is so good to have believers with whom to share life and worship. Thank you for our homes and jobs and the prosperity we enjoy, even in these difficult economic times. Thank you for the peace we have enjoyed within our borders. Thank you for the safety in which we generally live. Thank you for our freedoms and for the leaders who govern us. Please help them to govern in harmony with your will.

Most of all thank you for your love and grace and salvation. Thank you for sending Jesus to this earth to live and to die for our sakes. Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to convict, comfort, and guide us. Thank you for revealing your word and preserving it in the Bible. Thank you for giving us spiritual life when we were dead in sin. Thank you for the hope of eternal life and fellowship in your Son. Thank you for every good thing. Thank you for being a good and loving God. We do not deserve it, but we are grateful. We thank you in Jesus’ name.

Pick two:

24 – For The Beauty Of The Earth	23 – Great Is They Faithfulness
10 – We Thank Thee, Lord	478 – The Lord Has Been Mindful Of Me

Optional Reading – For use in private or family periods of devotion

Psalm 23

Psalm 100

Psalm 103

Psalm 136

Ephesians 1:3-14

Supplication: A Prayer of Petition

Great and loving Father, thank you for giving us the avenue of prayer in which to spend our days and share our petitions and needs with you. We know that you know everything we need, more perfectly than we do. We pray that you would bless us according to your will, because you know what is best for each of us. We pray that you would help us that our will might be to do your will, and that your will might become our own.

Gracious Father, please forgive those who hate and wrong us. Do good to those who do good, and bless those who have blessed your people. Please grant our brethren and loved ones their prayers, and bring them safely to salvation and eternal life. Visit those who are afflicted and heal them. Travel with us when we travel, and keep our loved ones safe from harm. Please strengthen the weak, comfort the grieving, correct the wayward, and chasten the willful, that we all might live in harmony with your will.

Remember us, Lord, your sinful and unworthy servants. Enlighten our minds with the light of your truth and direct our footsteps in the path of your commandments. Draw us closer to you and strengthen our desire for and delight in your fellowship. We seek your blessing, O God, for you are most blessed forever. In Jesus’ name.

Pick two:

74 – Abide With Me	68 – Lord We Come Before Thee Now
61 – Dear Lord And Father Of Mankind	589 – As The Deer

Optional Reading – For use in private or family periods of devotion

Psalm 25

Psalm 90

Psalm 91

Ephesians 1:15-23

Ephesians 3:14-21

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