prayerbookproject

the NEW art and the church podcast

I am excited to tell you about a new podcast that I am producing for CIVA (Christians In The Visual Arts). The Art and the Church Podcast will focus in on the various connections between art and the church through conversations with artists, pastors, entrepeneurs, students, patrons, preschoolers and theologians.

The first episode was published TODAY! From the podcast page...

Episode 1 – Bruce Herman – How to Look at a Painting
In this first episode, Bruce Herman (www.bruceherman.com) talks about how to look at a painting. From Martin Buber’s I and Thou (Scribner’s, 1958) to Rembrandt’s self portraits, Herman discusses various ways by which we may approach a work of art. Bruce Herman is an artist and holds the Lothlórien Distinguished Chair in the Fine Arts at Gordon College, Wenham, Massachusetts. He is interviewed by Brian Moss, CIVA board member and associate pastor at Maple Valley Presbyterian Church in Maple Valley, Washington.

To listen to the podcast, click HERE.

I hope you enjoy the interview. And stay tuned...

the end the beginning

Today, Lord willing, I will graduate from Regent College with a Master of Divinity degree. It is the end of a long and difficult journey. Today is truly a testimony to God's goodness and faithfulness. Yes, I did a lot of hard work. Yes, my wife made huge sacrifices. Yes, my kids were flexible beyond belief. But, ultimately, this is God's day and I am exceedingly thankful.

On February 19th, I was ordained as a Teaching Elder (also known as a Minister of Word and Sacrament) in the Presbyterian Church (USA). We were surrounded by friends and family and I was once again amazed by God's faithfulness. It was the end of a long and difficult journey.

The end.

The beginning.

I am so thankful to Kathy Hastings. She gave me the gift of the encaustic painting you see here. It is entitled, "The End The Beginning." It is truly the moment I am living in right now.

In the midst of celebrating God's goodness in what has been, we are also thankful to God for what is becoming.

I am currently working as the Associate Pastor at Maple Valley Presbyterian Church in Maple Valley, WA. I am thankful (do you sense a theme here?) to have been called to a position so quickly. I have had the opportunity to preach and lead worship on a number of occasions. I regularly find myself doing pastor stuff, because, hey, that's my job now. The staff and congregation have been gracious to us.

So, what can I say? Not much other than God is good. All the time. I leave you with the first ten verses of Psalm 86, which were read at my ordination service.

Hear me, Lord, and answer me,
    for I am poor and needy.
Guard my life, for I am faithful to you;
    save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God; have mercy on me, Lord,
    for I call to you all day long.
Bring joy to your servant, Lord,
    for I put my trust in you.

You, Lord, are forgiving and good,
    abounding in love to all who call to you.
Hear my prayer, Lord;
    listen to my cry for mercy.
When I am in distress, I call to you,
    because you answer me.

Among the gods there is none like you, Lord;
    no deeds can compare with yours.
All the nations you have made
    will come and worship before you, Lord;
    they will bring glory to your name.
For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
    you alone are God.

 

prayerbook no. 2 CD (pre)release concert

You've no doubt heard of CD release concerts. You've most likely been to one at some point. But have you ever been to a CD (pre)release concert? Neither have I. This is your chance!

Brian Moss (and band)
Saturday, February 25th @ 7:00pm
Maple Valley Presbyterian Church
Maple Valley, WA
www.mvpc.net

Please join us out at Maple Valley Presbyterian Church (another post is coming about MVPC in the near future) on Saturday, February 25th, for a CD (pre)release concert for Prayerbook, no. 2. We'll be playing a bunch of songs from the soon to be released CD.

This will also be the last time (at least for a while) that I'll have the joy of working with good friend and drummer, Jeffrey McCormack. Jeffrey is going to be moving to Nashville next month and we're going to miss him bunches. Come out and give him a big hug.

And for those of you wondering when you'll actually be able to get a hold of the CD, I have good news! The record is being mixed right now. After that, mastering. After that, manufacturing. After that, listening! We're getting close. Thanks for your prayers and patience!

christians in the visual arts

I was in New York this past weekend for the CIVA (Christians In the Visual Arts) board meeting. I joined the board of directors in June and am extremely excited to be a part of all that is happening with CIVA. If you know me then you know that I am not a visual artist. So what am I doing on the board? CIVA is putting a new (and renewed!) focus on the Church. As a soon-to-be-ordained pastor I am excited to help CIVA connect the dots. It is a challenging time for all arts organizations, especially because of our current financial climate. At the same time, there is a new thing happening. We are definitely on the edge of a renewal/revival/renaissance of the visual arts in the Church. New resources are on the way...stay tuned...get involved...

If you have never heard of CIVA then I invite you to take a look at the webiste. If you have heard of CIVA then I invite you to take a second look. There are a lot of new things happening, including the CIVA network. The CIVA network is a great way for artists, churches, schools, curators, pastors, collectors and the like to connect in a focused way. Artists can upload images and share links. Churches, galleries, schools and post events. And much more. Go exploring HERE. If you decide to join then you should read how to get the most out of the CIVA network.

You need to be a member of CIVA to join the network, and there are different ways to sign up if you are not already a member. I am just getting started with my own page, but I'd love to be your "friend" on the network. I hope to see you there!

Visit CIVA Network

concert in st. paul

I'm going to be playing a concert in St. Paul, MN on Saturday, November 6. The concert is happening in conjunction with a workshop that I'll be leading earlier in the day. If you're going to be in and around the Twin Cities I hope to see you there.

Saturday, November 5 @ 7:00PM
Mission Orthodox Presbyterian Church
1040 Como Ave.
St. Paul, MN

generation to generation

I am going to be at Mission Orthodox Presbyterian Church in St. Paul, MN next month for a workshop and concert. My conversations with the event organizers have been engaging and I am looking forward to our time together on November 5-6.

During the workshop I am going to be talking about how the Psalms can help us to worship God across the generations. The following is from the brochure for the weekend...

We live in a fragmented society. We are surrounded by more choices than we know what to do with. We are constantly bombarded with fleeting images. Technology, with the capacity to bring us together, also drives us apart, frequently across generational lines. The Church is not immune from these kinds of problems. The so-called "worship wars" brought words like contemporary and traditional into our everyday church vocabulary. The result is that many church worship services today resemble a smorgasbord of options based on personal preference. In this workshop, Brian Moss will talk about what the Psalms teach us, a diverse and multi-faceted people, about responding to God in worship together. Ultimately, the discussion will focus on how we can more effectively lead an inter-generational body in Christian worship.

As I prepare for this weekend there are a couple of questions I would like your help with:

1) What are the greatest challenges we face as we seek to worship God across the generations? For better or worse, musical styles plays into this conversation...but what else?

2) How can we better seek to include voices across the generations in order to tell the story of God's faithfulness?

Go to the Workshop Facebook Event page HERE.

"But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations." - Psalm 33:11

"For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." - Psalm 100:5

"Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD" - Psalm 102:18

"One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts." - Psalm 145:4

selah service on camano island

recording with mark mohrlang

This video was recorded in the studio yesterday. Mark Mohrlang is on guitar. Brian Fennell is engineering. The song we're working on is from Psalm 18 on what will soon be Prayerbook, no. 2.

 

"...they never stop saying..."

Image: Trinity After Rublev by Sandra Bowden

Over the past several years I have had the privilege of studying under many gifted professors. I have heard some amazing lectures. I have entered into rich dialogue with other students. At many points along the way I have wanted to blog about the experience. However, being a graduate student does not allow for much time to blog. I can only hope that as I continue to reflect upon these experiences that I'll be able to share more with you.

But the other day, when I came across the following, I just knew that I had to share it right away. In the middle of an exposition on the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments), Ross Hastings spoke about participatory worship.

Many of us in the evangelical tradition tend to emphasize grace, which is good. The gospel is good news, and there is nothing we can do to earn God's favor apart from Jesus Christ. However, when we start talking about worship it seems that grace is no longer part of the equation. Our worship seems to revolve around it being just that, OUR worship. We seem to forget Revelation 4:8 "Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come." (NIV, emphasis mine) They NEVER stop saying. Worship is eternal and we are blessed to be able to enter into it. And even these four living creatures here are not the beginning of worship. Worship begins in and with the Trinity.

Here's the quote that inspired this impromptu blog post. This comes from a lecture in Pastoral Ethics at Regent College. The professor is Ross Hastings.

  "When it comes to worship, we have lost something in the evangelical tradition. Worship is not just objective (worshiping God for who He is), nor is it merely subjective (my feelings about God, etc). The missing piece is that it's participatory. This is what transforms us.

Who of us is sufficient to worship God properly? None of us. Which worship leader in our churches is sufficient to do a good enough job of worshiping God? We mess up all the time. It's inadequate. Our concentration is weak and feeble. But here's the amazing truth of worship and I've come to see this in light of the teaching of Jesus as our great high priest. This is the missing element. Jesus is called the "leitourgias" in Hebrews chapter 8. He is the liturgy leader. And we worship by the Spirit through the Son to the Father.  In other words, worship is facilitated by the high priesthood of Christ...

Many of us believe in justification by faith, but worship by works. [As if] salvation is something God did, [and] worship is something I do. Rather, worship is something I get to participate in, this amazing cycle of praise that is going on within the Trinity all the time."

 

you are the only hope

Photo by Brian T. Murphy (taken on Sept. 11, 2011)

"You Are The Only Hope" is my response to Psalm 10. It is also my response to 9/11. I do not think that the USA is some kind of new Israel, but I do think that when we pray the psalms we can use the language of the psalms and make the prayers our own prayers. This song is from Prayerbook, no. 1 and was written about seven years ago.

Listen to You Are The Only Hope from Psalm 10.

You knew this day would come and still it came to pass
You saw the city burn, you heard the deadly blast
Before the darkest hour when all the skies bled grey, you were there

The enemy is real and seeking to destroy
He's waiting in the dark, his evil to employ
The innocent he takes as prisoners of the war, and they will bleed

I know that you can save, I know your love remains
You are the only hope that we have known
You are the only hope to roll away the stone

You are my God and King, you are the truth revealed
You comfort the oppressed, you answer the appeal
You take the orphans in and claim them as your own, as your own

I know that you can save, I know your love remains
You are the only hope that we have known
You are the only hope to roll away the stone

I worship you with all my life
I worship you with all my heart
I worship you with all my strength, I worship you

by Brian Moss