1st Sunday in May

Mark 10:1-31 and John 8:1-11; and Luke 8:19-21

Jesus’ idea of who might enter the Kingdom of Heaven is rather disconcerting. Little children, the desperately poor, an abused whore, and literally anybody who hears the word of God and does it is eligible. Meanwhile, adults, the wealthy, the relatively righteous, and even Jesus’ own relatives will receive no preferential treatment. The more we think about this, the more we ought to worry. Most western churchy people are not very childlike, are richer than most of the world, have never really done anything radically terrible, and frequently hear God’s word and delay doing it. When Jesus says that the first shall be last, and the last shall be first, we prefer to think he is speaking metaphorically rather than literally. Perhaps we are in for a shock?

Tom Bandy

Team Meditation: Divine Relationships

(Luke 8:19-21)

Take a survey of what Jesus has to say about the family and you’ll be surprised. No, actually you’re more likely to be shocked...Jesus doesn’t seem to be a big “family values” kind of guy. Something about hating your spouse, siblings, and children is just unsettling for many of us. And then there’s this passage where Jesus is a little less than charitable with his own “family.”

But then that’s the point isn’t it? Obedience over family. Christianity over personal preferences. The cross over our own lives. Self-sacrifice – and the sacrifice of even our family – for the sake of the Kingdom isn’t palatable, but then when did Jesus ever worry about being palatable?

Bill T-B

Worship Theme: The Christian Family

(Mark 10:1-31 and John 8:1-11)

The family of God is pretty eclectic. Jesus seemed to prefer spending time with the most wayward and showed the most sympathy to dregs of society: traitors, hookers, lepers, the deformed, the misinformed, the thieves, and other sinners and outcasts of all stripes. On the other hand, he wasn’t very hospitable to the goody-two-shoes of his culture: Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, the religiously righteous, and occasionally even to the disciples themselves.

What’s it take to be a member of Jesus’ family? John 1:12 says that to those who “receive him and call on his name” are give rights to being a “child of God.” In this passage, Jesus says lest we receive the Kingdom of God as a child, we’re not getting  in. The key there is receiving. How does a child receive something? In one of two ways: they either simply accept it or else simply reject it. There’s no guile, no excuses, no “Ahh, garsh...you shouldn’t have,” no “Oh my God, now I’m in debt to you,” and they have no suspicion of hidden agendas.

Receiving is pretty much a lost art in adults. What would it be like if we just accepted we were a part of Jesus’ family – along with all that entails? (Because everybody knows that with a gift comes responsibility to take care of it, to play with it, and to appreciate it.)

Bill T-B

Worship Design: The Christian Family

(Mark 10:1-31 and John 8:1-11)

Family is as family does. But the family of God is supposed to be something more than just a name. Most family’s a dysfunctional in one way or another, but perhaps some of the most dysfunctional of families is found in the church. Maybe it’s because we’re not used to receiving...we’re not used to accepting, including accepting each other as family members.

To launch into this week’s discussion, use a clip from the movie Home for the Holidays (1995). Use the getting ready for dinner and/or the dinner scene about midway through the movie. During the scene the dysfunctions of the family are hilariously exposed. Use the clip to open a discussion on family and what it means to be a part of the family of God...as opposed to being a member of the church.

Bill T-B

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2^nd Sunday in May (Proverbs 3 and Luke 17: 11-19)

Wisdom is an instinct for truth and justice. The instinct emerges when one forsakes pride and surrenders to God’s will. Wisdom is a kind of faith-in-action. The more one submits humbly to God, the more readily one discerns right and wrong. Wisdom is sometimes described as “common sense,” but it is not “common” at all. Most of what passes as “common sense” is based on the assumption that self-preservation is the most natural inclination, and so it is ultimately selfish. True wisdom is based on the assumption that God’s will is the most natural inclination, and self-surrender and even self-sacrifice are the most natural inclinations.

Wisdom and faith go hand in hand. Once deny the existence of God then truth and justice become relative concerns. They can be bent and twisted to serve our personal needs and wishes. Once affirm the existence of God then truth and justice become higher principles around which we can shape our lives.

Tom Bandy

Team Meditation (Luke 17: 11-19)

Gratitude is in short supply when a society hungers and thirsts for recognition, as ours does. A kind word, a genuine pat on the back, or atta-boys and atta-girls are almost unheard of in the business world, let alone the church. Associate pastors confess they feel under-appreciated, long-time church volunteers are too often unrecognized, and supporting members are overlooked. Therapists and philosophers suggest that we only find true approval from within. Theologians assert we must be satisfied only with Divine approval. But even Jesus was flummoxed when he did a good turn only to be left unthanked by 90 percent of those he healed.

Appreciation is contagious. Praise is communicable. Gratitude is infectious. This week start an epidemic by genuinely noticing the good works and deeds of those around you—and mentioning it in authentic ways.

Bill T-B

Worship Theme

Where Good Advice Comes From

(Proverbs 3)

“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil” (Proverbs 3:7).

I can’t speak for the rest of the world, but by-in-large US America is pretty arrogant. In the past few months embattled US Episcopalian Bishops who have been excluded from the world Anglican communion suggested that the African Anglican bishops were theologically immature and naïve because they took a historically and decidedly orthodox position on a touchy issue (this from a constituency of 2.3 million in the US compared to roughly 35 million African Anglican constituents). Many, if not most, US Americans are pretty content with themselves, their lifestyle, and especially their “rights.” Many of us naively believed we had the right to pay less than half of what the rest of the world pays for petroleum. We apparently still believe we have the right to consume the vast majority of the world’s resources. And God help the immigrant from any non-English speaking nation who tries to find someone on “this side of the pond” who can give them directions in a language other than American. Why should we learn another language to accommodate them? Never mind that Jesus spoke Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, and most likely at least a smattering of Latin!

Wisdom is the ability to apply what we’ve learned in loving and mutually beneficial ways. Humility (and wisdom) is realizing we don’t have all the answers. Couple the two of them together and we become teachable, coachable, and open to learning from everyone (even if we learn what not to do/believe).

Ultimately, Jesus is the source of a disciple’s wisdom. We learn and apply what we learn by watching him and by following him. But to do so authentically, we have to get over our Americanized Jesus and embrace the Jesus who was radical; neither a Republican, Democrat, or Libertarian; and seemed to have preferred the company of sinners than saints.

Bill T-B

Worship Design

Where Good Advice Comes From

(Proverbs 3)

“My doctor said I’ve got to lose forty pounds, stop smoking, quit drinking, and settle down or else I’m going to have a heart attack in less than a year.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to find another doctor!”

Where do we go for advice? The most common answer is friends, family, or colleagues. One of the least consulted sources is God. Why? Perhaps because we’re sure we won’t like the advice we get. Like the opening conversation, when we don’t like what we hear we’re more than likely going to go find someone who has an answer more agreeable to our way of thinking.

If you, or a member of your worship team, have a dramatic flair, begin this week’s service with a short skit about Rehoboam’s search for wise counsel (1 Kings 12) – and the resulting division of the nation.

To use a video clip, use a scene from the movie Hitch (2005). In the movie Alex “Hitch” Hitchens (Will Smith) dispenses dating and relationship advice to clients who are desperately seeking romance. Use the scene when Albert (Kevin James) is getting ready to try and make an impression on Allegra Cole (Amber Valletta) while receiving advice from Hitch (Chapter 6). In the scene Albert breaks a sink off and sprays water on his trousers, takes them off, and is trying to dry them using the hand dryer. For best affect, stop the clip when he walks out of the bathroom without his trousers. Use the scene to launch a discussion on good advice, bad advice, and the sources of both.

Bill T-B

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3rd Sunday in May (Genesis 17:1 – 18:15 and Luke 13:22-30)

Temptation! The allure of our consumer society is even more magnetic in May! People anticipate the first of the “long weekends” of the summer (Victoria Day Weekend in Canada and Memorial Day Weekend in the USA). And if you are enduring a rainy or stormy late fall and winter in Australia, you may be frustrated enough to try anything.

How do you resist temptation? By focusing on your personal mission; by concentrating on you companionship with Christ; by relying on your true friends to keep you strong. Mostly we resist temptation by refusing to look back longingly for what we imagine we have missed.

Earlier this fall in Christchurch NZ, friends drove me into the mountains along a narrow, winding road. Cyclists were everywhere, huffing and puffing, eyes fixed on the distance ahead. The scenery was breathtaking … but they didn’t dare look. A minor swerve would put them over the edge or crashing into an oncoming car. Resist temptation. Look ahead.

Tom Bandy

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4^th Sunday in May (Acts 2, 3 and 4:32-37; and Acts 10, 11, 15)

“I don’t believe it!” Skepticism about the origin of the earliest church abounds. As I write this entry, the movie The DaVinci Code is about to be released and even National Geographic magazine offers an article on the so-called “Judas Papers.” If Jesus really was a mere human, with his own human strengths and weaknesses, then the events that launched the earliest church must be either popular hysteria or fabrication.

On the other hand, if the events that birthed the earliest church really happened, what does that suggest about the real nature of Jesus Christ? Suppose the Holy Spirit really was revealed? and Old Testament prophecies fulfilled? and broken people really healed? and authorities really confounded?  and simple, ordinary laborers really elevated to be spiritual giants? and a diverse public really gathered in radical generosity and hope? It is not the identity of Jesus we doubt. It is the power of God. The cloud of witnesses includes a good many ordinary, uneducated, powerless, and yet hopeful people who would not and could not participate in any grand conspiracy to manipulate the truth. All they can say is: “Amazing ... but true!”

Tom Bandy

Team Meditation

Acts 10, 11, 15

Outreach to a Pagan World

Outreach isn’t comfortable. It pushes our boundaries and may even make us look less-than orthodox. Like Peter. Pete was a “good” Jewish boy. He had a kosher wife, a kosher kitchen, and lived a kosher life. Entering a Gentile’s home and eating a Gentile meal would never enter his mind as a possibility.

You remember the story. Sheets with pigs, shrimp, and lobsters. Peter’s refusal to “kill and eat.” God’s rebuke. Repeat. And repeat again. Then dinner and an overnight in Cornelius’ home. But to add injury to insult, Cornelius wasn’t just a Gentile—he was an occupying Roman soldier, a centurion. He was “the enemy” on many levels...an untouchable, a Gentile, an enemy combatant.

So, when was the last time you sat down and shared your faith with a “centurion”? How many Muslims do you spend time with? Gay or lesbians? Gangsters? Hookers? Wiccans? Let alone your neighbors. In the words of a friend of mine, “To be faithful to the gospel, you’re going to have to sit in the smoking section.”

Bill T-B

Worship Theme

Acts 2, 3, 4:32-37

The Hope of True Community

As Tom suggests, we live in a culture of skepticism. Skepticism is so rampant that it resides quite comfortably on both sides of the church walls. If you don’t believe me, just take a read at this week’s scriptures and consider this: What if these were the “instructions” for how the church is meant to be organized?

·        Christians getting together for worship, prayer, fellowship, and support every day?

·        Christians getting along without ugliness?

·        No church buildings, only homes and public gathering places to get together in?

·        Christians sharing their possessions to the point that no one in the church is in need?

·        Christians sharing their faith so effectively that the church grows daily, not just on Sunday mornings after the pastor does an altar call?

Okay, reality check. How are you feeling and what are you thinking about that list? Skeptical?

Whatever happened to Christian optimism, idealism, and hope? It’s predominately and strangely absent from the North American church these days. We’re so sure we can’t do it, can’t be it, can’t reach it that we settle for a life that’s slip-slidin’ away. Life lives us instead of us living life. That’s a life of skepticism.

What’s a life being lived fully look like? Go back and read this week’s scripture. It’s more than just a description...it may even be the prescription that relieves the symptoms of the skeptical church.

Bill T-B

Worship Design

What happens when there’s no difference between being a Christian and being a non-Christian? What happens when being the church means the same thing as being a member of the Kiwanis Club—except that there aren’t really any dues or expectations of the members? What happens with the atheist is no more and no less skeptical than the born-again, water baptized, church-member-for-life, geez I’m really a good person, Christian?

You get Pleasantville (1998). The premise of the film is that two teenagers from “today” are sucked into the black-and-white program Pleasantville. There they slowly bring change to an unchanging world, change that is seen in the metaphor (and the film’s reality) of the introduction of color. To launch into this week’s theme, show one of the many reactionary scenes as the adults “freak out” as they begin to see their world disintegrating from shades of grey to color’s many hues. Use the film to facilitate a discussion of the prevailing skepticism in our world, especially the skepticism that Christians can be truly different, not just in belief, but in lifestyle from the rest of our culture.

Bill T-B