June 15th, 2008 – Ripped to Shreds, Ready to Rumble!
Bishop Dave presided today and Gretchen was the Assisting Minister. My Spiritworks team, Team Light, served as the volunteers. Ripped to Shreds, Ready to Rumble was the attention-drawing title of the sermon in the bulletin. Bishop Dave did not make a direct reference to the title in the sermon itself but the title set a tone that the sermon matched in interesting ways.
Dave led an adult Bible Study after worship as well. Both study and service were centered on the Gospel reading in Matthew. As I planned out how to write about them here, the power of what was said and what needed to be taken to heart grew stronger.
The sermon centered on the instructions Jesus gave to his disciples that Bishop Dave summarized in the title of the Adult Forum as Traveling Lite (this was definitely a “light” Sunday) to take no gold, or silver or copper in your belts, no bag for you journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff.
For the Children’s Time Dave emptied out coins on the floor and he instructed the children to pick up the pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters but not to take them outside the church but rather put them in the collection plate.
In the sermon he admitted the Jesus’ instructions in the text were tough to follow. There is a new reality there for us to embrace and but most of us in relative positions of privilege find Matthew Chapter 10 difficult because we don't want to change the status quo.
Bishop Dave presided today and Gretchen was the Assisting Minister. My Spiritworks team, Team Light, served as the volunteers. Ripped to Shreds, Ready to Rumble was the attention-drawing title of the sermon in the bulletin. Bishop Dave did not make a direct reference to the title in the sermon itself but the title set a tone that the sermon matched in interesting ways.
Dave led an adult Bible Study after worship as well. Both study and service were centered on the Gospel reading in Matthew. As I planned out how to write about them here, the power of what was said and what needed to be taken to heart grew stronger.
The sermon centered on the instructions Jesus gave to his disciples that Bishop Dave summarized in the title of the Adult Forum as Traveling Lite (this was definitely a “light” Sunday) to take no gold, or silver or copper in your belts, no bag for you journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff.
For the Children’s Time Dave emptied out coins on the floor and he instructed the children to pick up the pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters but not to take them outside the church but rather put them in the collection plate.
In the sermon he admitted the Jesus’ instructions in the text were tough to follow. There is a new reality there for us to embrace and but most of us in relative positions of privilege find Matthew Chapter 10 difficult because we don't want to change the status quo.
Who among us would take a trip or undertake the mission Jesus commands without money? It flies in the face of reason. Bishop Dave asked us to hold each other accountable to take risks and be unreasonable in this regard. Our present reality is in need of change.
A verse, Matthew 10:15 Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the Day of Judgment than for that town gave us a glimpse of what the July Bible Study will be about in part as Bishop Dave went into a deep dive on Sodom and Gomorrah in scripture. He cited the many places Sodom and Gomorrah is referenced in the Bible but the true sin of Sodom is described in Ezekiel 16:49
Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy.
This opened a few eyes. It moved the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah from what is commonly thought of as God’s retribution for sexually licentious behavior to something far closer to a collective sin we can too easily rationalize in our society.
In the Adult Education Forum Bishop Dave asked about where we are “working from an edge” in our lives. By that he wanted us to identify a thought or issue we are currently wrestling that moves us forward in our spiritual life. This reading from Matthew went to the heart of a current “edge” for him. There were people who were working on simplifying their lives and /or trying to make purchases with the health of the planet in mind.
In the end, this Sunday was filled with challenge, complexity and taking hard looks at ourselves and how we contribute to a new reality. Christianity is not an easy road. Sometimes we are ripped to shreds and, at times, we are ready to rumble.
A verse, Matthew 10:15 Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the Day of Judgment than for that town gave us a glimpse of what the July Bible Study will be about in part as Bishop Dave went into a deep dive on Sodom and Gomorrah in scripture. He cited the many places Sodom and Gomorrah is referenced in the Bible but the true sin of Sodom is described in Ezekiel 16:49
Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy.
This opened a few eyes. It moved the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah from what is commonly thought of as God’s retribution for sexually licentious behavior to something far closer to a collective sin we can too easily rationalize in our society.
In the Adult Education Forum Bishop Dave asked about where we are “working from an edge” in our lives. By that he wanted us to identify a thought or issue we are currently wrestling that moves us forward in our spiritual life. This reading from Matthew went to the heart of a current “edge” for him. There were people who were working on simplifying their lives and /or trying to make purchases with the health of the planet in mind.
In the end, this Sunday was filled with challenge, complexity and taking hard looks at ourselves and how we contribute to a new reality. Christianity is not an easy road. Sometimes we are ripped to shreds and, at times, we are ready to rumble.
posted by Gary at
9:24 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home