A Prayer On the Occassion of the USA's 250th Birthday

 A Liturgy of Thanksgiving and Prayer on the Occasion of Celebrating the 250th Birthday of the United States of America - 5 July 2026

Introduction:

In C.S. Lewis’ “The Four Loves” one of the grand affections Lewis describes is Patriotism, or love of country. Lewis recognizes that Patriotism can go wrong and end up in a number of ditches, at the same time there is a properness, a rightness for “the love of home, of the place we grow up, of the places that have been our homes.” Lewis even remarks that when Jesus laments over Jerusalem he is exhibiting love for His country.

This weekend, this year, we are celebrating a grand experiment that began 250 years ago, that became a home for ancestors and us; sojourners in search of liberty to work, live, and pray as conscience directed, and opportunity for life and happiness. Our history is laden with marks of providence and appeals to God for a peaceable future. 

As followers of Jesus we confess him as King, and we recognize our unique sojourn in this land. 

Today we want to join our prayers with others.

Our prayer is going to be a call and response: A verse of America the Beautiful will be sung, then we will join our voices in a responsive prayer.

V1 - O beautiful for spacious skies…

Kind Father, we praise you, we acknowledge you as Lord,

All the Earth worships you!

All the earth displays your glory, majesty, and grace

For the beauty and wonder of creation that meets us everyday in this place we live and move,

We proclaim our thanks and praise. 

V2 - O beautiful for pilgrim feet… 

  

Holy Spirit, flame and wind of God, you have forged from many nations, languages, and cultures, 

A place and a people that are hospitable and generous to those seeking shelter, liberty, and justice.  

Even so, we confess that lofty aspirations have gone unmet

Bonds of justice and liberty have sometimes grown lax

We have not always been faithful in our covenants

Pride has eclipsed humility for moments

We have not always centered ourselves in worship of you 

Lift our eyes to see today how we might welcome the stranger, be renewed in our fidelities, and Christ-centered in worship, that we might seek the good of this nation where we have all been pilgrims.

V3 - O beautiful for heroes proved…

King Jesus, you said ‘There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friend’

You have done this for all the world, that we might be born unto everlasting life

We know there are others who have also born great costs, that we might live freely now

Grant to us a noble gratitude that we will do for others, as we have received

V4 - O beautiful for patriot dream… 

Holy God, we confess that we need your grace to redeem us, and transform us, so that we might be to ourselves and others a city built on a hill. 

Renew our joy in your providence.

Renew our common bonds, that we might care for one another with sibling affection.

Renew our neighborhoods, that all your children might thrive.

Renew our respect, that those who govern and lead would be agents of goodness, truth, and grace.

Renew our faith, that no matter what comes, we would find hope renewed in You, day by day.

Hear the prayers of our lives this day.

Teach us to pray as we join with Jesus in saying, Our Father…

Sit, Walk, Stand - observations and questions from Watchman Nee’s reflections on the Christian life as described in Ephesians

The following is a series of observations and questions that I shared with our staff team at Schweitzer Church on this book.

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Sit, Walk, Stand - by Watchman Nee

Chapter 1 - Sit . . . It’s about our identity in Christ and His life and work

1. “Christianity begins not with a big DO, but with a big DONE. . . . We are invited at the very outset to sit down and enjoy what God has done for us; not to set out and attain it for ourselves.” p.2
1. Nee leans into the work of God in bringing about salvation and our first response to God. How does this challenge your description, depiction of what following Jesus looks like?
2. Nee views ‘despair’ in the Christian life as a good thing (11) - it helps us get to the point of coming to the end of our trying, and finally, letting God do what we can’t. Has this been a part of your experience? How does this inform our thoughts when someone describes themselves as “deconstructing”?
3. "God is so wealthy that his chief delight is to give. His treasure-stores are so full that it is a pain to him when we refuse him an opportunity of lavishing those treasures upon us." (12)
1. How can this change our perspective on giving? How does this inform our understanding on budgets and buildings, etc?

Chapter 2 - Walk . . . it’s about our conduct

1. The natural man has worked out his own standards of right and wrong… Have we realized that for us the starting point is a different one? Christ is for us the Tree of Life? We do not begin from the matter of ethical right and wrong. We do not start from that other tree. We begin from him; and the whole question for us is one of life. . . . Nothing has done greater damage to our Christian testimony that our trying to be right and demanding right of others.” (19-20)
1. What does this do to conversations about “Worldviews”? 
2. How would this speak to the rifts in the culture and what we bring to those rifts?
2. “Often we try to be meek and gentle without knowing what it means to let God work in us the meekness and gentleness of Christ. We try to show love, and finding we have none, we ask the Lord for love. Then we are surprised that he does not give it to us. . . . We have been accustomed to look upon holiness as a virtue, upon humility as a grace, upon love as a gift to be sought from God. But Christ of God is himself everything we shall ever need.” (P24-25)
1. How does Nee connect with practicing the Spiritual Disciplines that JMComer or R.Foster talk about? Is there a contradiction here? If so, are both true?

Chapter 3 - Stand - It’s about the mission of the Church

1. “For no Christian can hope to enter the warfare of the ages without learning to rest in Christ and in what he has done, and then, through the strength of the Holy Spirit within, to follow him in a practical, holy life here on earth. If he is deficient in either of these he will find that all the talk about spiritual warfare remains only talk; he will never know its reality. Satan can afford to ignore him for he does not count for anything.” (40)
1. When a person of some notoriety claims to have come to Christ, in the last 50 years, they have been quickly platformed, given a microphone, and put out as an exhibit for coming to Christ. Time and again, the story begins to unravel. Before long the shining star is far from the stage and far from the faith. What motivates churches and ministries to platform celebrities so quickly and bypass resting in Christ, and learning the way of Jesus? How can we avoid this pitfall?
2. “The Church is called to displace Satan from his present realm and to make Christ Head over all. What are we doing about it.” (41)
1. Previously Née  writes that ‘we see only ‘flesh and blood’ ranged against us . . . A world system of hostile kings and rulers, sinners and evil men. No, says Paul, our wrestling is not against these…” (41) How can this mission of displacing Satan and exalting Christ come about in such a way that we do not find ourselves in a primary conflict with flesh and blood? The culture war is a flesh and blood kind of conflict. How can we engage in the spiritual battle?
3. Née suggests we take up the spiritual battle, in a General sense, by Standing. By ‘holding ground’, not by marching, but by standing. Not by struggling to gain a foothold, but by standing on the ground that Christ has already won. He was offensive, our work is defensive. “We do not fight for victory, we fight from victory.”(42-43)
1. If we fight from victory, then what kind of attitude should we carry? Our disposition? How might we engage our fellow travelers? With anxiety? Fear? Trepidation? Revenge? Or with Humor? Joy? Pleasantness? Encouragement, mercy, and grace? 
4. God’s great self-committal. Née writes about how God has committed himself to his servants to act through them, as they take action in his name. This committal goes beyond just working through, this committal involves having a union with the Lord, that he will commit himself to what we are doing? Née then describes four essential features to which God can fully commit to: 1) a true revelation of the eternal purposes of God, 2) all work must be conceived by God, 3) the work must depend on the power of God, and 4) the end and object of the work must be for God’s glory. (50-58)
1. The great challenge for a church worker, as was the challenge for Elijah (59ff), is to sit with Christ so that we don’t try to ‘drag God into a thing against his will’ (62), but that we walk and stand in the love, power, and presence of Jesus. How do our own expectations and practices encourage or detract from receiving God’s self-committal? How do the expectations and practices of the church community encourage or detract from receiving God’s self-committal? How does our leadership of the church community contribute to or detract from others receiving God’s self-committal? 

2024 Christmas Letter

 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given;And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9.6)

 

Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

(Isaiah 53.4-5)

 

27 December 2024

 

A very Merry Christmas to you and yours! 

 

The last couple of days have been foggy, damp, restful, and a time for reflecting on all that has happened in 2024 and of the beloved people who are a part of our lives.

 

Here’s a brief update on some things that happened this year, via events in our lives.

 

Kyrie –in May she turned 16 and she has been buzzing around ever since! For her sophomore year she went to Strafford High School. As that year came to a close, she decided to return to St. John’s Academy of Fine and Performing Arts (the name of our homeschool) to have the flexibility to work on academics but also focus on dancing and gain a little more rest while performing in shows at Springfield Little Theater. In the fall of 2024 she was in Wizard of Oz.  

 

Aravis – in February our ‘oldest daughter’ moved to New York City. She joined her friend, Millie, in renting a very small studio apartment on the upper west side of Manhattan – just a block west of Central Park. She worked at Blank Street Coffee and Dance Workshop NYC, while also logging many auditions. She has begun to experience a new era in her professional pursuits. In November she came home for a show in Ozark, MO. She will return to NYC in January and keep working the dream. She’s made some friends in the city and has found a great church, Church of the City. Thanks to many visitors to NYC, she never talked much of being homesick. 

 

Asa – his year began with an exit from the Peace Corps. In February he migrated to Columbus, OH and worked a number of theater jobs. In April he was in Anne Frank. It was a moving portrayal of a family’s work to survive and thrive in the worst of circumstances. In August, Anna and I saw him in An Iliad. He was a part of a superb cast that made an ancient story current and gut wrenching. It was highly reviewed in the Columbus Underground. As summer chirped along Asa began exploring what to do next. In early December he flew to Spain and is teaching English as a second language. For Christmas, he went to see friends in London.

 

Moses & Emily – In May Moses became the fifth Leininger to graduate from Asbury Theological Seminary. In May of 2025, Emily will make the sixth! Moses and Emily continue to thrive in the Bluegrass state. Emily has several leadership roles on the campus of Asbury U and Moses gets drawn in occasionally. Moses has taken on a full-time role leading modern worship with Centenary Church in Lexington. In the fall he added to his work teaching a worship class at Asbury U. We were happy to visit them on their home turf a couple of times in 2024.

 

Jason – I continued pastoring at Schweitzer Church; I started my 13^th year in July. A few highlights include wrapping up the 4^th season of the Really Cool People podcast with a live show/recording, preaching at the ordination of Cory Luczywo, co-presenting a seminar at the Christian Community Development Association conference, and leading as the Board President, Flourish Community Development Corp (flourishcdc.org). Flourish is starting its 5^th year and the gains it has made in its impact of life transformation, and as an organization is encouraging. At home I put in a new floor in our kitchen, harvested hay, flopped in the garden, and enjoyed many visitors. In January, I am anticipating a trip to Uganda for an exploratory pilgrimage. 

 

Anna - when Kyrie started public school, Anna began to substitute teach. Little did she know that the end of 2024 would see her going to school every day to guide a kindergarten classroom. She will complete her long-term sub ‘tour of duty’ in January. In 2024 she continued to provide a centering point to our packed schedules. She made sure we visited Aravis in NYC, Moses & Emily in Wilmore, and Asa in Columbus. She crafted Kyrie’s Junior year academic plan and keeps all things organized.   

 

One of the great parts of 2024 was celebrating other people. In July our niece, Katie was married. The timing worked for all of us to be at her wedding – here’s a picture from that day. 

 

(L to R: Moses, Emily, Aravis, Jason, Anna, Kyrie, Asa)

 

The other event that called for a family celebration was the homegoing of my grandmother Leininger. Doris Jean was 93 years old when she took her last breath on this earth. She was a superb person and fantastic grandmother. I was honored to be part of a trinity of grandsons who were charged with leading her memorial service. She contributed wonderfully to the world and leaves behind a rich legacy that is impossible to summarize.

 

In all things I hope and pray you are celebrating the appearance of Jesus. I have been drawn to the first line of Isa 53.4 – ‘He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows’. Take heart, be courageous, and be of good Cheer – because of Him! 

Much Love . . . Jason, for the rest of the Leininger’s

Moses Graduates, again . . . and a longer story

 

We are proud parents! Our eldest son, Moses, graduated in May from Asbury Theological Seminary. He earned an MA in Theology. He earned the same degree I received.

Moses makes the fifth person with a last name of Leininger, connected to my grand-parents Claire & Doris Leininger, to have a degree from Asbury. My uncle Dean graduated in the late 70's. I graduated in 1997. My cousin Joel, Dean's son finished in 2007. Joel's wife, Tammy also graduated in 2007. Ironically, Joel and Tammy would meet following seminary and begin their family. 

We are anticipating at least one more degree from Asbury. Moses' wife, Emily, should finish up the spring of 2025. That will make 6 Leininger's connected to Claire & Doris with a degree from ATS, who would have thought it? Only God!

When Claire and Doris were newly married I'm unsure if they had much of a faith practice. Doris' dad had a connection to an old-order Mennonite congregation. Claire's family was connected to a (now) Missouri Synod Lutheran Church. As I've heard the story, in the early years of their marriage they were farming long hours, forming their family, and uninvolved in faith.

What changed? The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) received a new pastor who was born and raised in California. During the 2nd World War he was interred at a Japanese Camp. At the end of the war, Rev O  would go onto seminary and then relocate to northwest Ohio. Rev. O and his wife loved Jesus and loved people. They gathered my grandparents into a small group Bible study and there they encountered Jesus. 

My grandparents faith was real and lively. I've heard stories of my grandfather going with others from church to a rescue mission in Toledo, OH and preaching. My grandmother had her own kinds of pulpits, and did she ever use them. They loved the songs of faith, the people of the church and community, the scriptures, and Jesus. They weren't perfect, but Jesus did a fantastic work in them. And through them, they blessed their family.

I'm proud of my son. And, I'm grateful for a legacy of faith that includes a Japanese-American family that also knew the power and redemption of God and shared that with my grandparents. They could have been bitter and victimized by what they went through. Instead, they let the healing power of Jesus work in them, and through them worked hope and redemption in others. 

Our son, has graduated, again, this time with a Masters' degree. One can only wonder what God will do with the story of his life. Whatever it holds, To God be the Glory! 

 

Beware of the way you mock your parents...you may become them

As a teenager I frequently noticed that my dad would fall asleep at the kitchen table before going to bed. When I started dating my wife she noticed it too. Then for a while as a young married couple, because we lived far from my folks, she began taking photo's of my dad sitting at the table, fast asleep. 

Last night, at the end of a long day of work and cold weather, while I sat in front of the fire listening to a podcast, my bride took this photo of me, fast asleep.  

That which I've seen in my dad, now shows up in me. 

Hello Winter

 Today it is cold. The warmest it was today was at midnight, 48 degrees. The temps have dropped to 13 or 14, with a wind chill of -2. 

When Anna and I went for a walk we noticed that the wind was blowing so strong that the pine needles were swept to the east. In addition, the air carried enough freezing precipitation that the needles were frozen, bent like shards of glass and fixed to the branches. 

We did not walk our normal route today, instead we walked on our property. We could handle the cold, but the wind was making it feel like our eye balls were freezing. The wind is blowing so hard, I think it is finding the crevices between the mortar on the house. The house feels "drafty." 

When the wind blows this strong it it reminds me of a story I heard from my friend Howard Gager. Howard grew up in Ithaca, MI. When Howard and his brothers were little, they often woke up to snow on the inside of the window pane. Howard wasn't alone. Many a kid, over millennia, has had the same experience. 

We often forget how a person's experience of the world has improved year after year. Maybe someday we'll have a house wrap that will eliminate the idea of a draft. 

Today we give thanks that the window sills are free of snow!

A Daily Baptismal Prayer

 Yesterday I had the joy of presiding at a baptism. Following the baptism I shared with the person, newly clothed with Christ, a prayer that Adam Hamilton shared at a conference a few years ago. It's a prayer that was intended to be said daily, or whenever a person enters water to bathe. 

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A Daily Prayer to Remember your Baptism

Lord, as I enter the water to bathe, I remember my baptism

Wash me by your grace

Fill me with your Spirit

Renew my soul

I pray that I might live as your child today

And honor You in all I do

(Thanks to Adam Hamilton, Church of the Resurrection, for sharing this prayer.)