If you plant an urban church you need to learn the local culture and traditions even if you never fully embrace them. In Philadelphia, among other things, we have the Mummers, cheesesteaks, hoagies (don’t you dare call them subs) and soft pretzels. And remember, when in Philly, you ask for soda, not pop. You ask for pop and people will think you are a weirdo. I've had to re-learn how to say water and radiator in order to fit in but they sound funny even to me after having been away for so many years. I still can't bring myself to say "beautiful" with a long "eee" for the "i."  Philly also has the famous Rocky statue near the Art Museum to commemorate Rocky Balboa’s run up the museum steps. Yo Rocky! Back to the Mummers. If you have to ask “what’s a Mummer,” let me enlighten you with some high culture.

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From the gospelfirst: While ministering among diverse people groups in the city it is natural to view some groups as more privileged and others as disadvantaged. There exists a great disparity of wealth and education and opportunity. Often this divide is along racial lines, yet prosperity and poverty are at times oblivious to race.  In cities we have the ‘Israels’ and ‘Edoms’ which on the surface may appear to be favored or disfavored by God. Yet, we are often surprised by the indiscriminate work of the Spirit who convicts both the favored and disfavored of sin and righteousness and judgment. 

An original poem by John Davis.

We had a most unusual Christmas dinner yesterday. Last Sunday at our worship service people were talking about Christmas plans. A single middle-aged black man who has been attending mentioned that he didn’t have anywhere to go on Christmas. We met him several months ago during one of our homeless outreaches. I don’t know his story yet apart that he served four years in the Navy. He’s clearly had some struggles but is a gentle soul and loves to worship with us.

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          Church planters are the upfront guys in ministry.  Often neglected is the importance of the church planter’s wife, mostly behind the scenes, yet absolutely indispensable. I can’t tell you how many times in thirty years of ministry I have seen men called to plant or pastor churches who assumed their wives would just get in line at some point.  When the marriage suffered or the couple returned prematurely from the field the cause for failure was often imputed to the wife. She didn’t follow her husband. She didn’t submit. What we find in reality is that the husband was a bonehead, or macho, or mistook dictatorship for leadership.

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Recently, the city of Philadelphia wanted to change “Christmas Village” to “Holiday village.” Officials backtracked after threats of boycott and a firestorm of protests from citizens. Many Americans bemoan today what has been called the “War on Christmas.” I sympathize with many of their concerns. Even more concerning to believers should be how little the entrance of the Christ into the world receives notice throughout the year. Yes, "Jesus is the reason for the season" we hear. It's a cute ditty but He's far more than that. He is the Prince of Peace, King of Kings to whom all owe homage and He will not be content with lip service one season of the year. Jesus is not seasonal, Christmas and Easter, like the seasonal aisle in the supermarket where you get what you need for the holidays. If your Jesus is a seasonal one and shows up once or twice a year then you have not yet encountered the real Jesus of which Luke speaks. more

For the first time in my Christian experience I'm in a church which lights advent candles. I must confess that I had heard of this tradition but thought it was something that real Bible-believing churches didn’t or shouldn’t do. It was too, well, Catholic or something. Most churches who observed Advent in this way didn’t preach the gospel, or so I thought. Of the five candles three are purple, one is pink – symbolizing hope, preparation, joy, love – and the large white center candle lighted last representing Christ the Light of the World. You will find different meanings attached to the candles and colors in different churches. For us, the lighting of a candle each week, with the previous candles remaining lit during the service, accompanied by the reading of a selection of Scriptures by families or couples, provides a fitting and powerful Christ-centered emphasis in which the gospel is preached. It may not be easy for established churches to introduce this practice. For new churches it's something to consider.

          Our church has been gathering gloves, scarves, hats, and socks for the homeless. As I write this blog from Philadelphia with an early arctic blast upon us, I look outside where we have coats hanging on a rail that people can take as they pass by. Some will come into our ministry center where we might have an opportunity to witness. Others won’t come in but might be warmer tonight. Earlier this week a homeless man with drool dripping from his mouth stopped by in freezing temperatures with a springtime jacket and put on two coats in preparation for nighttime temperatures in the teens. By this do we gain credibility or a hearing for the gospel? Now in the eyes of some outside the church, mercy ministries may indeed lend credibility to a church's existence and may at times gain a hearing for the gospel. Yet we should show mercy as we have opportunity to others regardless of whether or not we gain credibility or a hearing for the gospel.

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          My brother John's present series on the city in Genesis is outstanding. Here's an excerpt from his latest posting. 

"The city of Philadelphia is peppered with religious edifices that stand as a sign of Christianity’s once magnificent presence in the city. However, the signs and symbols eventually became the substance, replacing the gospel of God’s grace in Jesus Christ. The signs and symbols lacked the power to overcome racism, injustice, and disregard for the poor and disenfranchised. The signs and symbols had no power to restore broken relationships or to deliver from life consuming sins. Without the gospel, these religious edifices soon succumbed to 12-step programs, conscience-relieving acts of mercy, and self-help seminars. The city needs a resurgence of new communities of covenant believers who not only uphold the signs and symbols of Christianity, but who bear evidence of a life being transformed by the gospel of God’s grace – a life of indiscriminate forgiveness, mercy, generosity, and bountiful love."

          As time goes on I find few ways in which I would want to be called or call myself a conservative. It’s a word that like many has served its purpose but has been stretched in so many directions (cultural, political, theological) that it requires endless qualification. Granted, in a small tight group of friends who share my Christian world of word meanings I would not hesitate to describe myself as a theological conservative with a high view of Scripture as the final authority for faith and practice.

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