The Liturgy of the Word of God

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A quick read on our practice (at theMovement) of the liturgy of the word of God. Why we hold up this ancient practice as well as the details of it.

THE READING OF THE WORD

Why?

The ceremonial reading of God’s word is as old as the origin of our faith.  Jewish tradition and biblical history exemplifies how God’s people made the reading of his laws and promises an integral part of their gatherings.  Jesus in Luke 4:16-20 honors this tradition when he stands up in the synagogue to read out of the book of Isaiah.

In the same way, the Church of Jesus for over two thousand years has honored this same tradition/practice as observed in many ecumenical traditions (i.e. Catholics, Orthodox, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Anglicans). 

Similarly at theMovement we believe that the liturgy of the word is an important part of worship, for Jesus Himself is the “word of God.”  This means Christ is present when we read His word.  Furthermore, listening to God’s word helps us grow in faith and more conformed to the mind of Christ.  “The liturgy is a celebration not of what God has said, but of God today speaking to our hearts and souls.”[1]  For this reason we allow the word of God to stand by itself prior to any exposition.

The Practice

·      First introduce your name, and what missionary community you team lead.

Reader/Lector:  (e.g.) “My name is Yemi Mobolade and I co-lead the Downtown-Central Missionary Community”

·      The reading lesson will be on the passage to be preached that day. 

Reader/Lector: “A reading lesson from the Book of ______ (eg. Luke 4:16-20)”

·      Read the passage

·      At the end of the reading, the reader/lector proclaims

Reader/Lector: “The Word of the Lord.”

·      The people respond

All: Thanks be to God!!!

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[1] Our Catholic Faith. “The Liturgy of  the Word” http://www.ourcatholicfaith.org/mass/word.html (January April 26 2013)

theMovement 2013 Vision

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Dear friends, many of you know that I moved to Colorado Springs to begin a new church movement with the purpose of "being the Church" to the "lost" as supposed to just "doing church."  I want to share with you the vision and dreams God has laid on our hearts for this year 2013.

 

DATE

January 13, 2013

VISION STATEMENT:

To become a local movement with a global influence.

MISSION STATEMENT:

Living out Christ in communities.

WE ACCOMPLISH THIS BY:

Becoming a multicultural, growing, missionary community.

Multicultural - be inclusive of various cultural experiences.  Growing - devote ourselves to spiritual formation.  Missionary - commit to being the sent ones.  Community - fostering authentic relationships.

OUR EXPRESSION:

Scattered Communities: Our biblically inspired scattered communities, also known as “missionary communities” or oikos (family), are a smaller expression of the church that meets in people’s homes during the week.  This is the engine of our movement where we believe the true Church is experienced.  A healthy oikos is practical, spiritual, and is on mission (Acts 2:42-47).

Gathered Community: We reunite all of our communities every 2^nd and 4^th Sunday night at 5 p.m. for a time of equipping, celebration, and story-telling while keeping Christ at the center of it all (Hebrews 10:25; Luke 10:17-18).

Sent Sunday: We dedicate the 1^st Sunday of the each month to put our faith into action and practice being the “sent ones.” We start by thinking of what non-churchgoers do on Sundays, and then we find creative ways to be with them and serve them (1^st Corinthians 4:20; Luke 10:1-3). 

Life Transformation Groups (LTG): Inspired by the three disciples in Jesus’ intimate circle, an LTG is made up of two to three people, all of the same gender, who meet weekly for personal accountability in the areas of their spiritual growth and development (James 5:15; Ecclesiastes 4:9-19).

WHERE ARE WE HEADED IN 2013?

Thirteen (13) new oikos, missionary communities, in 2013.  Oikos is the ancient Greek term for “household” or “family.”  The theme of family relations is prominent throughout scripture.  God’s people are regularly spoken of as a family, and a cluster of metaphors, drawn from family life, is used in discussion of the church and the early Christian communities.  We believe the church must be lived-out through the expression of a healthy family.  With loneliness being one of the greatest poverty in our society, people want to feel like they belong.  Consequently, we desire to see 13 new oikos expressions throughout our city.  Just like the early church movement in Acts 2:42-47, each community will be practical (fellowship, eat together, generous); spiritual (prayer, teaching); and missionary in nature (the Lord added to their number those who were being saved).

Multiplication.  Healthy things grow and healthy things bear fruit.  Therefore, we believe the multiplication of these communities is the best way to advance the Kingdom of God.  Furthermore, multiplication produces disciples and raises up new leaders.  Everyone has the Jesus granted authority to lead one of these groups.  Maybe God is calling you to start a new group.

Focus on the health of our current oikos.  While we are eager to see our city saturated with these new expressions, the health of the community is equally important.   The secular definition of oikology (derived from the word oikos) is the study of the home, especially with regard to the effect on the health of its members.  The key words in this definition are spiritual, emotional, physical, and intellectual health.  Becoming healthy is adjacent to becoming a disciple of Jesus.