Responding to the Moderator's Presbymeme

I saw a Moderator Monday: Presbymeme II put together by Bruce Reyes-Chow. The questions are very interesting and I decided to break into my blogging on the Church’s Confession and do the meme.

What is your favorite faith-based hymn, song or chorus.

“There is a fountain filled with Blood.” I have loved this hymn ever since I became a Christian as a teenager. Here are two of the verses I particularly like.

“Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood shall never lose its power
Till all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more.
Be saved, to sin no more, be saved, to sin no more;
Till all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more.

E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.
And shall be till I die, and shall be till I die;
Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.”

When looking this up on Cyber Hymnal I found a last verse I had never seen before.

Lord, I believe Thou hast prepared, unworthy though I be,
For me a blood bought free reward, a golden harp for me!’
Tis strung and tuned for endless years, and formed by power divine,
To sound in God the Father’s ears no other name but Thine.

(I'm thinking my husband a piano tuner, might enjoy that third line.)

What was the context, content and/or topic of the last sermon that truly touched, convicted, inspired, challenged, comforted and/or otherwise moved you?

Lately, I have listened to a lot of good sermons, at my church and other places. I think Robert Austell ‘s sermon “Dazed and Confused,” which he just recently posted is excellent and relevant for this time in our denomination. A sermon that I recently listened to on the internet was preached by Thabiti Anyabwile. He is an African American who pastors a Church in the Cayman Islands. His sermon “Bearing the Image: Identity, the Work of Christ, and the Church” is about race issues and is so very significant for the Presbyterian Church USA. To give you a hint he doesn’t believe in the word race. You can hear it here scroll all the way down.

If you could have all Presbyterians read just one of your previous posts, what would it be and why?

I think Paul Schneider: A Chestnut Tree and the Confessing Church, is one of my favorites for several reasons. It includes several of my passions, first of all Jesus Christ and the Church, second, history and that of a time I am extremely interested in, and finally it led to a discussion on anti-Semitism a subject that needs to be explored in all the mainline churches. (I also like the picture)

What are three PC(USA) flavored blogs you read on a regular basis?

This one is very hard because I read a lot of blogs. Bruce has already listed Toby Brown and Mark Roberts so I can’t list them : ) I do enjoy reading Michael Kruse, The Berkley Blog, and Taking the Ring.

If the PC(USA) were a movie, what would it be and why?

I am thinking of a movie from my teenage years, “The Robe.” The main character played by Richard Burton roams all over the country side of New Testament Israel looking for Jesus’ robe because he thinks it is causing his madness. (He is the soldier who was in command at Jesus’ crucifixion.) Instead he finds Jesus’ disciples who lead him to Christ. It seems to me our church is roaming in the wilderness looking for (robes) answers for our own particular form of madness. I pray we will all end up with Jesus Christ as our only Lord.

I tag Debbie Berkley at Taking the Ring.
And Barb Moody at I was just thinking..., which will mess up her weekly schedule, sorry.
And Toby Brown.