James Forbes preaches at ecumenical worship service By Jeremy Grant The Layman Online Wednesday, June 23, 1999 FORT WORTH - Amidst the colors and varieties of pastoral garb, the annual service of worship with our brothers and sisters of Christ from other denominations was held Wednesday morning. Assembly commissioners, advisory delegates, staff, and other observers from around the nation gathered to worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at the Ecumenical Service of Worship. The combined choirs from DeSoto, Duncanville, Lancaster, and Dallas, Texas, reminded me of my own choir back home in joy and sound. It was encouraging to see people who made personal sacrifice to miss work mid-week raise their voices and lead us in the worship of God. An offering was taken to be given to various ministries caring for Kosovar refugees in Eastern Europe. Clifton Kirkpatrick, General Assembly stated clerk, introduced the mornings preacher, the Rev. James Forbes, pastor of Riverside Church of New York City, New York, noting that Forbes comes out of a Pentecostal tradition. Such ecumenical relationships, Kirkpatrick said, are part of the frontier of our denomination. Forbes didn't disappoint. The congregation enjoyed his passionate voice and active approach to preaching, as he moved all over the theatre's stage. Certainly, Forbes preaches well - I plan to use some of his insights into the text of John 9:1-11 in a future sermon. In addition, he is dynamic, persuasive, lighthearted and humorous. Yet, his content concerns me. Forbes focused mainly on John 9:4, "We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work." Such work, Jesus shows us, is the work of transformation like that of a blind beggar becoming a seeing "theologian" who understood God. Forbes asserted that everyone "must have the prospect of doing the work" of God. Then he proceeded to name a long list of people the "we" includes: the young, the old … the able, the differently able … the rich, the poor, the gay, the straight, the liberal, the conservative - everybody must be able to join this work of God. On the morning after the Church Orders and Ministry Committee of the Fort Worth General Assembly approved the Milwaukee overture to remove the ordination standards with regards to human sexuality, Forbes presented the ecumenical service of worship a questionable message in an attractive package. |
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