1st Sunday in November (Week 45) Faithful Servants

Worship Theme:   Isaiah 41:1-13;
Team Meditation: Phil. 4:4-13;
Small Group:  Isaiah 30:1-18 and 35 and 40-42 and 45

Overview
What do you think when you hear the word faithful in the context of God? Is it being faithful in your church work? Is it faithful Bible reading and prayer? God has a lot to say about being faithful, but it almost always comes down to what you do with the mundane everyday decisions and relationships you're confronted with.

Worship Theme
A servant is someone who serves. Of course, that's not rocket science, but when reading this week's passage you might come away with a whole new perspective on servitude. In a culture that seems to equate service, surrender, and submission with slavery, there's a lot of pushback when we speak of being in "service" to God. And yet, Isaiah concludes the servants of the Most High God enjoy divine protection that tramples the evil that would consume us.

Team Meditation
What do you think about? What thoughts are transplanted from your subconscious to take root in your cognition? There are those who would tell you that you're not responsible for the thoughts that bubble up from your subconscious, but that's not entirely true. The old programmer's saw GIGO (garbage in, garbage out) is no less true of our brain. If we sit in front of the television (or the computer) and feed our minds with sex, violence, instant gratification, off-color humor, and mindless morals, we should not be surprised that the sulfur-tainted gas that erupts from our primordial mind is unsavory. Paul offers a solution that will cut down on those brain-gaffs: "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

Small Group
The people of Isaiah 30:1–18 have long passed into their eternal reward, but their words continue to be whispered in the hearts of "good" church people even today. We don't want to hear the truth, we want to hear words of gentleness, goodness, sugar-and-spice-and-everything-nice. Just look at some of the largest churches in the nation who teach less about personal responsibility and more about cause and effect: Do this and God will bless you with that, typically, be a faithful Christian (especially with your money) and God will grant you health, wealth, and wisdom. We don't want to hear what Isaiah really has to say. We don't to embrace what Jesus really has to say.

Take some time as a group this week to look through this passage and identify what Israel didn't want to hear. Then look again and discuss what it is you really don't want to hear either.

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2nd Sunday in November (Week 46) Faithful Servants
Worship Theme:  Isaiah 55:1-13;
Team Meditation:  Romans 10:1-17;
Small Group:   Isaiah 52-53 and 55 and 58:1-9 and 61:1-11

Overview
When you ask the unchurched about Christianity, about as often-as-not you'll hear some mumbled explanation that they're not religious, but they are spiritual. Religion has taken it on the chin over the years, largely because those in the church have acted irreligiously rather than spiritually. The fact is, everyone is religious in the extreme. Religion, by definition, is acting out of what we believe. No matter what someone says they believe, their actions betray the reality of what they actually believe. Let me put it another way. No matter why you say you believe, your actions are betraying the reality of you actually believe.

Worship Theme
There's a question that races through the minds of good church folk: "What do I have to do to be a Christian?" The question really is asking what's the least I have to do and still be sure I'm "in"? This week, Isaiah answers that question succinctly in only 13 verses, but it can be boiled down to only three words: Listen and obey.

Team Meditation
In the Mainline, there's a misguided notion about evangelism that we've probably all heard (or said) at least once. When asked about "sharing the gospel" with others, the response is all too often, "I just try to live a Christian life so that people who know me…" and it sort of fades out into a mumbled jumble from there. My response to these people has been, "So, how many people have come up to you and asked, 'Wow, you're living an amazing life. What is it that makes you so different?'?" And the response is always another mumbled jumble. The mis-attributed quote of St. Francis "Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary" expresses a great thought, but one that we must hear only the spirit of. Words are necessary in sharing the gospel. They always have been and they always will be.

Small Group
In our church we recite the Lord's Prayer every week. It's a rote recalling of Jesus' instructions on prayer and, when it's actually prayed, is a great way to open the door to prayer. However, sometimes the words bounce around the sanctuary in abject emptiness. The fact is, though, our churches are full of empty religious acts. It's not just rote-prayers that are recited as opposed to prayed. It's not just the creeds. It's not even just the hymns we sing mindlessly (ever read the words of those hymns before you sing them out gustily?). It's the whole thing. The going to church as opposed to being the church thing. Isaiah confronted Israel with their empty religious practices and challenged them to do otherwise. This week, discuss with your group what authentic church would look like. And be careful, that's more than just a trick question.

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Theme Change: Jesus' Purpose
3rd Sunday in November (Week 47) Jesus’ Purpose
Worship Theme:  Colossians 1:1-23; Delivered from the dominion of darkness
Team Meditation:  Isaiah 25:1-9 and 26:1-12; The Feast on the mountain
Small Group:   Luke 1 and Colossians 1:13-23

Overview
The next several weeks we'll be looking for the answer to the question: What was Jesus' purpose? Was it to bring atonement for sin? Was it to deliver his followers from death? Was it to give us a pattern for faithful living? What was his purpose? Inquiring minds want to know … and unreached minds yearn to know.

Worship Theme
Unless you've experienced the trauma of nonconsensual imprisonment, you'll probably have difficulty imagining what it means to be set free from the dominion of darkness. Oh sure, you can dance with your intellect as you ponder the words, but you'll likely never really understand. In the Modern age, the notion of the dominion of darkness took a back seat to the empirical sciences. Angels and demons, Michael and Satan were all relegated to movies and bad television, sci-fi and fairy tales. Today, though, there's a renewed belief in the spiritual realm. Perhaps it's because people started looking up and down their own streets and realizing that their neighbors were under what could only be described as pinpoint-targeted attacks. Guerilla warfare of the dominion of darkness. Paul reminded the Colossians that Jesus had rescued them from the dominion, but that there were others…

Team Mediation
Sometimes it's hard to take seriously the promises of "the end times." Lions and lambs, snakes and children, no tears, no pain, no sun, no moon, and never-ending peace. Wow, what a world. And what about the banquet set upon the mountain that we're all invited to? A feast fit for a King and the King's household. Princes and Princesses every one of us have been invited. But most of us are so caught up in the today that we won't take the time to dream of that day. It's not a reality in most of our minds. And yet, there's a sense in which that reality is now. The feast has been set and we're invited to the table here and now. Life holds the promise of that feast today.

Small Group
Mercy Me produced the song "I Can Only Imagine," a crossover hit that swept the nation. The song images the scene when one finds themselves in the presence of the Holy One of Israel. Sit? Stand? Sing? Silence? The question could have come from Luke 1 as God makes the announcement of prophet and messiah. Mary, Zechariah, and Elizabeth, each responding differently. It's a good question, that. How will you respond when…? No, wait, as a disciple of Jesus you've already responded. What was it like?

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4th Sunday in November (Week 48) Jesus’ Purpose
Worship Theme:  John 19:16-30 and 20:11-18; Easter at Thanksgiving
Team Meditation:  Isaiah 53:1-12; Servant song
Small Group:   John 18-20 and Mathew 27:1-54 and Hebrews 8 New Covenant

Overview
It's the beginning of Advent and the custom (and temptation) is to switch our focus to the promise of a coming king that will culminate in the birth of the baby Jesus. Before you go there, though, it behooves us to remember that as tender as a birth is, it's the death of that infant that saves the world.

Worship Theme
Leftover turkey and about four pounds around our waists are all that's left of Thanksgiving, the national harvest festival. Virtually every agricultural society throughout time has thrown a party for the harvest. However, as we contemplate the next five pounds on our hips while looking forward to the holy-day season, we'd do well to remember what this season really is all about. And it's only about a cute, cuddly, Baby and Madonna in a tertiary way. The real story is in the end.

Team Meditation
Isaiah's words here are surely the most famous of all his Servant Songs. That this song pictures the arrest and crucifixion of the Messiah is what has made it the undying favorite. We all have our favorite hymns and worship songs. They strike a chord deep inside us and help us ponder our relationship with God. As we approach the holy-day season, it would be good to take the question of verse 1 seriously: "Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" As you think on these things, remember that this is the season when more guests will walk through the doors of the church than any other.

Small Group
It probably seems odd to be reading the crucifixion stories just as the Christmas tree and holly goes up in the church, but this is the very season we as followers of Jesus need to be reminded. The whole story of Jesus, from beginning to end, culminates in a New Covenant. A New Promise. A New Way of living. One that is written on our hearts, not just in a book. Guide your discussions this week on the dichotomy of the Christmas season and the New Covenant—and what does that mean in how you'll celebrate this year?