Hey everyone! We know that many of you are adapting your worship services to online formats and we have some tips for how to move Multiple Intelligence Theory online! We are working from the Zoom platform; you may be using something different with other tools. That’s okay. We’re pretty sure what we suggest in this video will translate to other applications.

Worship is a living experience, so don’t fret if you are having difficulties or receiving feedback that is mostly “Why do we have to do it THIS way?” or “I wish we could meet at the church.” We do not worship the way our ancient Hebrew ancestors worshipped, and we don’t worship the way the first Christians worshipped. We don’t even worship the way our grandparents worshipped for the most part. We are rapidly evolving into this new world where the Ancient foundation of God’s love shapes our new walls.

So this week’s episode is an adventure, because it is both audio and VIDEO! If you subscribe to our regular feed, you’ll get the audio from the video automatically, or you can download it here or in the usual places. But if you want the full treatment, you’ll want to click on the video on this page! You’ll get to see us at work with some general examples of special effects, plus you can see our swank MTH logo t-shirts!

We truly hope this helps as you make your way in the new world. Please be in contact if you have any questions!

Hey everyone! We’ve been swamped this week. A lot of new ways of doing ministry has kept us away from producing a show. We are re-posting our episode from three years ago for these texts. You can see our show notes and download our worksheets at this link.

Our intention in the next week is to post a video with some suggestions for presenting illustrations and special effects for online worshipping. When we started this podcast five years ago, we never dreamed we would need to distance ourselves from hands on worship. This is a new world, and I suspect that online worship will truly go mainstream even after we can gather again safely.

We pray you all are well, and that this time, while unnerving, will provide you with new and creative ways to be the Body of Christ. Keep the faith, pray for everyone on the frontlines, pray for those suffering through the disease and grief of lost loved ones, and know you are mightily loved.

Grace and peace,
Molly and David

Hey all! We suspect you are listening to this podcast being careful to keep a social distance from others. The spread of COVID-19 has caught many of us unprepared and is stressing our resources and sense of security. Introverts the world over may be happy to stay away from people while extroverts are itching to get back out to their people as soon as possible. In this episode, David and I spend a little time talking about what this means for worshipping communities in the weeks ahead and offer a prayer I found online. Technology can be a wonderful thing! We pray you are well and are finding this unexpected fast from everything this Lent to be a time for reflection and re-ordering priorities. May your lives be blessed.

Three years ago, we titled the podcast for this episode Seeing is Believing. Samuel saw one thing when he saw Jesse’s sons but maybe didn’t believe he had heard God right when each one was rejected as king. We explored the way humans respond to physical stature when looking for a leader. Paul tells the Ephesians that they’ve received light through Jesus, so go live like it. We found a lot of poetry in the passage! In John, we have another long narrative that we transformed into a Reader’s Theater. Which we mentioned again in this podcast, so go have a look at the script already written!

By the way, as we did last week, we recorded this “live,” as we call it. That means we are coming up with ideas while we are recording without as much preparation. It makes it a lively exercise, although it’s a little more chaotic. What do you think – Are we as creative and clever when we go live? Share your comments below or on our Facebook page.

This passage is one long drama – full of PEOPLE smart elements! We wrote a Reader’s Theatre script three years ago, so download it and see if you can get it to work for you. I ran across a fascinating essay by Barbara Brown Taylor (linked below) about a man’s experience with his own inner light after he lost his sight as a child. Is is possible we all have this? Jesus uses mud and saliva to heal the blind man’s vision which we talked about three years ago, as well. Is it possible there were some healing properties in each? Jesus tells the man that he is the light of the world before he applies this mixture. In this passage, the man knows he has received this light and his sight, but others are still in the dark about the whole thing. They can’t see the light, so does it exist? Break out some fluorescent markers and a black light (see Ephesians below) and explore what we can, can’t, and won’t see.

• BODY smart – commentary by Barbara Brown Taylor

Paul spends most of these verses talking about light; it made me wonder if the author of John’s gospel – who uses light and dark throughout – had read any of Paul’s letters! In the podcast, we spent a lot of time talking about light and its forms. Paul’s light is spiritual and metaphorical but what about light in the spectrum? Light we cannot see because we don’t have those receptors in our retinas? Fortunately, we can see Jesus’ light when our eyes are transformed to receive it. Try the SELF smart recommendation for training your own eyes to see beyond sight as you live your daily life in light of the resurrection.

• EYE smart – ultra violet light and fluorescence
• MATH smart – what is ultraviolet light?
• MUSIC smart
  • Sleeper’s Awake, J.S.Bach
  • I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light
• NATURE smart – explore bioluminescence!

This psalm doesn’t explicitly mention light, but it holds within it an assurance that is a lot like a nightlight in a child’s room. The presence of light (the shepherd) allows a frightened kid to relax and get some much needed rest (calm waters and green pastures). David talks about his own experience with this psalm the night his mother died. We offer an essay by Craig Barnes where he discusses his aggravation at being equated to an animal like a sheep – he’d rather be an eagle or a tiger! What did this psalm sound like to those listening to it in Hebrew? This psalm is most often heard at funerals which makes sense because of the comforting nature of the images. But it has a lot to say to us living NOW about the presence of God. Spend some time giving your people a chance to dwell in the images (SELF and EYE smart).

• WORD smart – reading this Psalm in the original Hebrew
• MUSIC smart – a presentation of Psalm 23
• NATURE smart – a commentary by Craig Barnes at The Christian Century

I think this is the passage where ultra violet light makes the closest connection. Samuel is still grieving over Saul and possibly his own role in the king’s downfall. He cannot see much beyond this disaster. God comes to him and tells him to move on; it’s time for action. Samuel agrees to God’s plan but has misgivings about how it will be received. God gives him some cover and Samuel goes off to Bethlehem. When he arrives, the plan goes into motion and Samuel looks at each of Jesse’s strong sons and hears God say, “Nope”. By the time we get through all seven (MATH smart) of them, we figure out that God is seeing something Samuel is not. Is it possible that David, the youngest and seemingly least likely of Jesse’s sons to be selected for anything, emits some kind of light not visible to Samuel’s eyes? Is it possible he cannot see it because he is stuck on past errors and paradigms? Is it possible that we are as well? May we learn in the days and weeks to come to see God’s light giving guidance through the valley of the shadow of death and to fear no evil, working toward the day when everything becomes visible in the Light of Christ.

• WORD/MUSIC smart – a poem written from Eliab’s perspective
• PEOPLE smart – an essay by Scot McKnight at The Christian Century

Image credit : melpomen at 123rf.com. Used by permission

Hey, everyone! Welcome to the show! We have found ourselves a little pressed for time – again – and have decided to record the show live this week. That does not mean that you are hearing us as we record; it means, we did not spend a lot of time preparing each passage prior to turning on the microphones. Instead, we looked them over a bit and then, trusting the movement of the Holy Spirit, came up with ideas off the top of our heads. So, the show is “live” in that we are recording without the safety net of our usual work. You may not be able to tell in the recording, but the worksheets will tell a different story!

Our episode three years ago was Drinks on the House. We took a close look at clean water initiatives in both the John and Exodus passages. In Exodus, we had an idea how to make a “water spouting rock” for your worship space. For Romans, we suggested building Paul’s rhetorical chain in verses 3 – 5 using emojis! And in John, we have some unlikely characters showing up in “enemy” territory claiming to be the Anointed One. We had a lot of material to work with, so combine it with today’s show and you have a smorgasbord to choose from! Bon appétit!

I often marvel at the task Moses was given. Not only did he have to risk returning to a land he had exited hastily and for his own safety, he confronted the most powerful man in the world with an audacious demand for freedom. Then, after overseeing some eye popping supernatural events, he led LOTS of people out into the wilderness where they almost immediately began grousing about his leadership. I think what I marvel about the most is that he didn’t just turn around and take them all right back to Egypt like they asked him to do. His question to God, “What shall I do with this people?” is one I’m certain most pastors have asked a time or two. God answers, “Give them something to drink. Here; I’ll show you how.”

• WORD –
  • America’s Second Great Awakening
  • The wilderness of Sin
  • Massah – from the root nasah which means to test or try
  • Meribah – from the root word rib, to strive or contend
• EYE –
  • Rephidim – a possible site for the oasis
• MATH –
  • The number of people Moses led from Egypt is counted in the hundreds of thousands. That’s a lot of people.
• BODY –
  • Check the video we included for Psalm 121 in last week’s episode
• MUSIC –
  • The relationship between Moses and the people is like a country song or a blues song.
• NATURE –
  • How did water come out of a rock? Listen to this story from Public Radio International, or PRI.
  • NASA’s plans to find water on the moon and Mars.
• PEOPLE –
  • The existential question of WHY – here are some modern examples.

We did not use the Psalm three years ago, so all the illustrations and special effects are fresh and new! The Psalm can be adapted for a call to worship or an affirmation of discipleship using WORD smart. People are called to process into the sanctuary, so give that a try if you don’t already do that in some fashion. Get everyone to come in together as an EYE smart/BODY smart special effect. God reminds the people that their ancestors put Him to the test and asked for proof – so use some mathematical or legal terms to illustrate that for MATH smart. Try physically kneeling and bowing before the Lord for BODY smart. We have a lovely worship song for a MUSIC smart illustration. We are called the Lord’s flock, so bring in someone who knows something about sheep for NATURE smart. We have a couple questions for PEOPLE and SELF smart illustrations and a clip from The Daily Audio Bible for a special effect.

• WORD –
• EYE –
• MATH –
  • Geometry proofs
  • Four Types of Evidence used in court cases in the United States
• BODY –
• MUSIC –
  • Come, Worship the Lord John Michael Talbot
• NATURE –
• PEOPLE –
• SELF –
  • February 26, 2020 Daily Audio Bible – listen especially at the 23 minute mark

Paul connects suffering to hope in verses 3-5, which made me wonder what literary characters might have made that journey. I have a few ideas listed below in WORD smart. David had a great idea for an EYE smart special effect using a cut out heart and red food coloring. Kairos makes an appearance in verse six, which made me think about following a formula in MATH smart: which step needs to be taken when can be pretty important. Looking at verses 3 -5 again, ask how would each of those states of being be expressed physically for BODY smart? I thought the phrase at the end of verse seven – “dare to die” – sounded like a title for a song or a poem for MUSIC smart (although David thinks it’s more an action movie!). Paul affirms God’s grace is unstoppable, and that made us think to use kudzu as a NATURE smart illustration. Reconciliation is a major theme in these verses, so for PEOPLE smart, talk about the work South Africans did once apartheid ended.

• WORD –
  • Dune – Frank Herbert
  • Gone with the Wind– Margaret Mitchell
  • Star Wars– George Lucas
• EYE –
• MATH –
  • A cake “formula” – or, baking from scratch
• BODY –
• MUSIC –
  • There are a lot of hymns out there that use this imagery if not this language.
• NATURE –
  • God’s grace = kudzu!
• PEOPLE –
  • Truth and Reconciliation Commission

If ever there was a Scripture passage that has been colored by our own perspectives, this one is it. In WORD smart, we have some commentary and questions about how John uses the woman’s marital status as a stand-in for the Samaritans’ history. This interpretation cuts through a lot of layers that have smeared her morality. For EYE smart, we wonder where is the place to worship God? What in our worship spaces draws our EYE to Jesus as the Living Water? This woman is not afraid to ask questions, which is one of the hallmarks of scientific inquiry. We have a link for that in MATH smart. As in the Exodus passage, BODY smart links to physical thirst, so have some water available. For MUSIC smart special effect, play a chime or a chord every time a question is asked. Progress up a scale until you get to the affirmation of faith at the end. For NATURE smart, talk about how water springs up in dry places and even set up a fountain in your worship space. In PEOPLE smart, there are some interesting comparisons between the woman and Nicodemus, and for SELF smart, consider the sacredness of your worship space.

• WORD –
  • Written That You May Believe by Sandra Schneiders wherein she argues that the Samaritan woman’s five husbands may have been the five nations that the king of Assyria dropped into the land after Israel was destroyed. 2 Kings 17:24. The current “husband” is Rome.
• EYE –
• MATH –
  • Scientific inquiry made simple!
• BODY –
• MUSIC –
• NATURE –
  • A Wiki article about dowsing rods
• PEOPLE –
• SELF –

Photo is free to use from Pixaby.

Hey all! Welcome! This picture reminds me of a story David tells about our daughter when she was about three. He was packing up to go on a trip – his bag was on the bed, and he was selecting clothing to put into it. Meredith was on the bed, and when David turned to the dresser to pull out some clothes, he heard her say, “Daddy! Catch!” He turned to see her in the air coming toward him. She had committed herself to an irretrievable act of vulnerability, and David had a choice. Of course, he dropped his clothes and caught his daughter and fulfilled her trust in him. May we all be able to trust God with the same type of abandon this Lent.

For the episode three years ago, we suggested mapping out the distance Abram travelled as a BODY and EYE smart illustration in Genesis. A misheard Elton John lyric shows up for a WORD smart illustration in Romans (and still makes me laugh). And for John, we have a MUSIC smart illustration about Mozart and music theory. Have fun finding what works for you and your congregation!

If you are a word nerd like me, you will notice some repetition in this passage. Writers are often told NOT to repeat words, but sometimes there are good reasons for it, which we explore in WORD smart. For EYE smart, have some fun giving directions for “how to get there”! We use a viral video and an old shampoo add to illustrate how Abram’s blessing became a blessing in MATH smart. Did Abram need to leave his father’s home for this to happen? We explore that possibility in NATURE smart. Abram was enticed to trust God and go; illustrate that enticement with toddlers and cookies in PEOPLE smart. And for SELF smart, the commentary linked below uses two movies to illustrate the journey one person makes that extends beyond their own lives to those around them. For homework, ask your people to practice trusting the way Abram did every time they leave their own homes.

• WORD – [04:05]
  • Here is an article about the use of repetition in rhetoric.
• EYE – [05:22]
• MATH – [06:23]
  •  Here is a slightly dated article about the math of going viral.
• NATURE – [07:18]
  • A video clip about male cubs leaving their fathers. Or is that being chased away?
• PEOPLE – [08:05]
• SELF – [09:30]
  • commentary by Micheal Jackson, A Plain Account

Psalm 121 is the second of the Songs of Ascent; worship liturgies used by pilgrims going to Jerusalem and the Temple. The commentary linked below in EYE smart “walks” us there in pilgrim’s shoes. The protection of the Lord can be illustrated in EYE smart with solar shades, in MATH smart with solar shields, and in BODY smart with well placed offensive lines and goalkeepers. Since this psalm is liturgical, use some call and response chants that people might know as a MUSIC smart illustration. Hills and geography can grab the attention of NATURE smart people. Overall, this psalm declares in vivid images that the congregation has good reasons to trust in the Lord, maker of heaven and earth.

• EYE – [11:54]
  • commentary by Kelvin St. John, A Plain Account
  • “Solar shades” help block sunlight
• MATH – [13:04]
  • space craft like Skylab orbiting laboratory and the James Webb Space Telescope use solar shields to protect equipment
• BODY – [14:56]
  • The Lord’s support is like the offensive line for a football team protecting the quarterback or kicker. Or like a goalkeeper.
• MUSIC – [17:16]
• NATURE – [19:18]

We have two illustrations for MATH smart; one is based on Eugene Peterson’s commentary (linked below), and the other is a flow chart that you will find at the bottom of the worksheet (linked above). Peterson’s work also gave us an idea for a BODY smart illustration and special effect. We have a lot of MUSIC based on this passage and in SELF smart, ask some questions about how we receive the gift of grace. Paul insists grace is a gift – one that we can trust because we can trust the Giver.

• MATH – [22:18]
  • Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of verse 14
• BODY – [24:40]
  • Remember those old Charles Atlas advertisements?
• MUSIC – [26:55]
  • My Life Flows on in Endless Song (or How Can I Keep from Singing?)
  • The God of Abraham Praise
  • Not What These Hands Have Done
  • Sizo Bambelela (Never Give Up)
• SELF – [28:13]
  • commentary by Imir Gashi, A Plain Account

This passage is famous for verse sixteen, but there is so much more to it than that. In this conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus, we see words going in all different directions, searching for meaning and a place to land. Jesus is on one level of the communication parking garage and Nicodemus is on another. We have some illustrations about this miscommunication in WORD smart. Bumper Sticker Theology may demonstrate the difficulty of deep meaning being crammed into a pithy saying – remember the joke linked below? You might try demonstrating Nicodemus’ reaction using some MATH smart special effects – remember word problems in algebra? And speaking of verse sixteen, we have a link to a story about the guy who became infamous at football games for wearing a rainbow wig and holding up the John 3:16 sign for PEOPLE smart. In John’s Gospel, while Nicodemus may have been perplexed by Jesus’ words that night, they planted a seed. By the time Jesus is being lowered from the cross at the end, Nicodemus is there in broad daylight, offering burial spices for a man he had come to trust.

• WORD – [30:11]
  • commentary by Rhonda Crutcher at A Plain Account
  • What happens when we take metaphors literally? Here’s a video that’s kind of lame but a fair attempt.
  • Remember Amelia Bedelia? Here’s a video of someone reading the first book.
  • Language barriers can complicate meanings; here is a list of international idioms that get lost in translation.
• EYE – [33:11]
  • Bumper Sticker Theology makes an appearance in this classic joke about seeing a fish sticker on a car.
• MATH – [34:19]
  • Read or display some classic algebra word problems. Here are some more.
• PEOPLE – [35:39]
  • Nicodemus and the Rainbow Wig John 3:16 guy.

Image credit: Photo by lauren lulu taylor on Unsplash. Used with permission.

Greetings everyone! We attempt to find pictures that address the theme of each podcast and some weeks it is a lot easier than others. This time, it was like falling out of a tree, just like a well ripened fruit. The Gospel reading and the Genesis reading are about temptation. (Paul makes a connection between the events in his letter to the Romans.) Traditional art and mythos has identified the apple as the fruit given and received in the Garden, but apples likely didn’t grow in the Middle East. I looked up what might have been The Fruit and read it may have been a pomegranate. Scripture does not say what fruit it was; only that it was good for food and pleasing to the eye. Plus, it would have the added benefit of making one “like God”. Being identified with God causes the first humans to take on what is not theirs. Being God allows Jesus to withstand using his identity in abusive ways.

Because we were running short on time, we left Psalm 32 on the shelf. However, we do have these hymns Blest is the Man, Forever Blest (Psalm 32, Part 1) While I Keep Silence and Conceal (Psalm 32, Part 2), and You Are My Hiding Place to offer! Plus, we covered these passages three years ago in our show “The Sin that Ate Cincinnati”. We slay us.

We begin in EYE smart with some memes about being tested and move on to MATH smart where Jesus’ temptation to turn stones to bread called to mind the transubstantiation doctrine of the bread turning into his body. Jesus’ body falling from a pinnacle got David to thinking about crowd surfing, so we have some images to illustrate that in BODY smart. MUSIC smart contains poetry, so David began a poem about this passage which you can find at the bottom of the worksheet. Click the download button! And for SELF smart, we had some fun remembering an advertising campaign for Klondike Bars, not a sponsor of this show.

• EYE smart – [04:49]
  • Don’t test me – Professor
  • Don’t test me – Dolores Umbrage
  • Don’t test me – Baby
  • Don’t test me – Grumpy Cat
• MATH smart – [06:21]
• BODY smart – [07:06]
  • Crowd surfing (video)
  • Various crowd surfing images
• MUSIC smart – [08:38]
• SELF smart – [09:14]
  • 12 Things I Would Do for a Klondike Bar
  • commercials: One, two, three, four
  • update with Anna Faris (That’s a real lawyer, by the way…)

Paul is establishing a stark contrast between life with and without Christ in this letter. In these verses, he is making the case that while Adam brought sin and death into the world, Jesus’ death and resurrection has overcome it. We begin with an EYE smart illustration that we’ve used before; the Upside Down from Stranger Things. If you would prefer not to go there, think about using a map to display how sin, like a virus, spreads everywhere. For MATH smart, David suggests using wave interference to illustrate how Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection obliterate the effects of Adam’s disobedience. We have some MUSIC listed below and an article about matter and anti-matter for NATURE smart that illustrates Jesus’ obedience dominating Adam’s disobedience. Finally, break into discussion groups for PEOPLE smart and discuss how a “win at all costs” mentality has enslaved us.

• EYE – [11:36]
  • Commentary by Ryan Hansen, A Plain Account
• MATH – [13:45]
  • an article about wave interference
• MUSIC – [13:27]
  • Give Me Jesus
  • O Fountain of Unceasing Grace
  • Jesus Lover of My Soul
  • O Lord, You’re Beautiful and by The Insyderz
• NATURE – [17:14]
  • For reasons that we do not fully understand, slightly more ordinary particles endured that early epoch so that virtually all the matter in our observable universe is ordinary.
• PEOPLE – [21:13]
  • commentary by Bill Loader

We begin with WORD smart and talk about how the serpent uses God’s words – but twists them just enough to arouse the woman’s suspicions and curiosity. We have a special effect that demonstrates this weaponizing of words. Once the couple eat the fruit, their eyes are opened – which made me think of an hysterical scene in the TV show Friends for EYE smart. You could incorporate some SELF smart elements for the special effect. The Garden was full of food, so for BODY smart, offer a table of good things to eat! NATURE smart has some information about the fig leaf the couple used to cover themselves. In PEOPLE smart, give folks the assignment to “tempt” someone and see how that turns out. And for SELF smart, think about times when someone has convinced you to step off the path.

• WORD – [24:45]
• EYE – [26:18]
  • My EYES
• BODY – [28:02]
• NATURE – [29:05]
  • Here is a good description of the leaf of the common edible fig.
• PEOPLE – [30:33]
• SELF – [31:54]

Image credit: Photo by amin imanifar from Pexels. Used by permission.

Hey Everyone!! We are deep in the throes of planning a youth retreat and got caught up in all the preparations. We had intended to post a link to our episode from three years ago earlier this week and entirely forgot. [Now we’ve got it attached, though!] We do not have a show this week and likely won’t have one for next week, either. So click HERE for Year A, Ordinary Time 6, 2017 and click HERE for Year A, Transfiguration, 2017. We’ll be back with fresh illustrations and special effects for the first Sunday in Lent!

Hi everyone! Welcome to More Than Hearing – at the beach! We’re at the beach for an annual retreat sponsored by our presbytery. You will notice the difference in two ways; we do not have as much material for illustrations and special effects, and the sound quality is going to be different than usual. My computer was having serious disagreements with the recording equipment, too. It will sound a little “off.” However, we did find some ways to illustrate and demonstrate a few things for these passages.

When we looked at this passage three years ago, we suggested finding a shofar for the Isaiah passage and using inert toys. For Corinthians, try integral calculus or C++ coding! And for Matthew, we found some laws still on the books in various states and think Martha Stewart is a good judge of what is simply elegant. Go take a look!

We start out with BODY smart and think about what it means to fill out clothing. Offer a child a chance to demonstrate how growing up into our discipleship will help us fill out the commands of Jesus. We have a link to a children’s song that most of us know for MUSIC smart. In NATURE smart, we found an article about why salt is used for cooking. And in SELF smart, pay attention to those things that add salt to your life.

• BODY smart – [04:44]
• MUSIC smart – [07:26]
  • This Little Light of Mine
• NATURE smart – [07:47]
  • Kimberly Y. Masibay, Fine Cooking
• SELF smart – [10:40]

Paul uses a rhetorical device in the first section of this passage. David wasn’t certain if the illustration below would be better used in WORD smart or in MATH smart. He decided to put it in MATH for the logic of it. In SELF smart, we have some questions to help us understand what Paul meant by the human spirit within.

• MATH smart – [13:19]
  • Take a look at this passage from the book, The Rhetoric of Western Thought: From the Mediteranean World to the Global Setting, by James L. Golden
• SELF smart – [16:28]

We start, once again, with MATH smart and an illustration and demonstration of geometry, engineering principles, and physics. Check it out! For BODY smart, think about fasting and how it changes your body and your mind. We have an illustration for MUSIC smart using middle school orchestra trumpet sections. And finally, we end, once again, with SELF smart and some questions about how we may have wildly underestimated expectations in the past.

• MATH smart – [20:08]
• BODY smart – [21:30]
• MUSIC smart – [23:23]
• SELF smart – [24:34]

Photo by Nathan Cowley from Pexels. Used by permission.

Hi, everyone! Welcome back! We’re heading into the last month of Ordinary Time before Lent begins in March. The Lectionary will have us looking at the Sermon on the Mount for the next three weeks. We start this week with the Beatitudes. Also included in this week’s readings is Paul’s proclamation that God’s wisdom and strength don’t look like what we expect. The Psalm and Micah have some expectations for how worshipers are to come before the Lord and live their lives.

Check out our episode from three years ago! David had a lot of fun with our theme and flip-flops featured prominently! We located Shittim and Gilgal on a map and in history for the Micah passage. We suggested using the Vitruvian man and the Butterfly Effect for Corinthians, and we mapped the power of the world in relation to the Power of God in Matthew.

It’s the Beatitudes! “Happy” or “Blessed” or “to be envied” – hmm. We have commentary for WORD smart that suggests Jesus’ sermon was a beacon of hope for those whose daily living was a struggle. For EYE smart, take a walk around your neighborhood in your imagination and see the people Jesus would call blessed. Later in this sermon, Jesus will offer a new interpretation of law; he is setting it up here in these verses. For MATH smart, we have an article about how to interpret statutes. In BODY smart, think of the ways we attempt to keep our biological hearts clean; how much effort do we put into keeping our spiritual hearts healthy? We have a brief illustration for NATURE smart and while we did not use MUSIC smart in the show, we have a link to a hymn below.

• WORD smart – [03:02]
  • commentary by Scott Hoezee, Center for Excellence in Preaching
• EYE smart – [5:50]
• MATH smart -[06:41]
  • commentary by Kat Banakis, The Christian Century
  • Georgetown University Law Center has some basic guidelines for reading, interpreting, and applying statutes
• BODY smart – [9:10]
• NATURE smart – [11:00]
• MUSIC smart – not used in the podcast
  • Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette

We start out with WORD smart with a famous first line in literature illustrating how Paul wants the Corinthians to “know” Jesus through his words. Paul insists that God through Jesus turned the world upside down, so we suggest an EYE smart illustration with Stranger Things. Is Paul using irony or paradox? We discuss this in MATH smart. For BODY smart, we think about stumbling blocks and stubbing your toe. The initial shock is sudden, but then waves of sensation flood over you – much like God’s foolish use of the cross! We have a rare special effect for MUSIC smart! Have fun with this one! This new world of God will require some transformations; much like the transformation of deep sea creatures we link to in NATURE smart.

• WORD smart – [12:49]
  • “Call me Ishmael”
• EYE smart – [14:48]
  • “the Upside Down”
• MATH smart – [16:21]
  • Here’s a link to an article describing the difference between the irony and paradox.
  • Here’s another.
• BODY smart – [18:27]
  • You have nerves on your extremities called “nociceptors” that send waves of signals to your brain.
• MUSIC smart – [20:16]
• NATURE smart – [21:08]
  • life in the deep waters in the ocean
• PEOPLE and SELF smart – not used in the podcast
  • commentary by Mary Hinkle Shore, Working Preacher
  • commentary by Scott Hoezee, Center for Excellence in Preaching

We illustrate some engineering principles and practices for MATH smart! Are you up to making a dock? Give it a try! We found a lot of MUSIC smart illustrations and have a suggestion for using popular music genres. The Psalmist paints a negative picture of gossip, but did we evolve language in order to talk about each other? We have an interesting link in PEOPLE smart.

• MATH smart – [23:00]
  • Here is an article about three methods of installing pilings for a dock.
  • stress vs. strain diagrams for different kinds of materials
• MUSIC smart – [27:18]
  • That’s How We Walk, Richard Bruxvoort Colligan
  • I’m Gonna Live So (God Can Use Me)
  • Lord, Who Are They That May Dwell, James Seddon
  • Lord, Who Shall Dwell, Psalm chant, King’s College Choir, Cambridge
  • And an acoustic version
• PEOPLE smart – [28:31]
  • Evolutionary psychologists suggest gossip “is a form of social grooming”

We begin with BODY smart; invite people to demonstrate in their own bodies what “walking humbly” might look and feel like? Discuss the emotions surrounding this, and contrast it with the way they normally walk. How does walking humbly with God make a difference? We have the same worship song from three years ago, but have added other songs for MUSIC smart. For PEOPLE smart, we have an essay and a sermon that show how learned kindness can change someone’s life. In SELF smart, how often do we think of our offering as sacrificial? Can we make that big a step? Consider those grand gestures in contrast with what God requires of us. Which is more difficult?

• BODY smart – [32:13]
• MUSIC smart – [33:37]
  • What Does the Lord Require of You?  Jim Strathdee
  • Every Step of the Way,  Christopher Grundy
  • Let Justice Roll Like a River, Marty Haugen
  • Sizohamba Naye (We Will Walk with God)
• PEOPLE smart – [35:09]
  • a sermon by Paul Nuechterlein
• SELF smart – [39:00]

Word Cloud generated at WordClouds.com

Welcome to the show! We’re glad to have you back with us or joining us for the first time. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, or so it is said. It dispels fear, “the blues”, rumors, and is an antidote to dishonesty. Light runs through the four passages for this Sunday in explicit and implicit ways. In Isaiah and Matthew, God’s light is breaking in on those who live in darkness. The Psalmist declares the Lord is his light, so he praises God for shelter in times of trouble. Paul addresses the report of division in Corinth and attempts to shed light on their common bond in Jesus’ cross.

Three years ago, we offered some commentary about the movie Amistad, suggested using a jeweler’s eyepiece to examine a gem for flaws, and translated the word “left” in Matthew as “divorced.” See if these or other ideas may spark some creativity for your sermon!

When you download the worksheet, you will notice a lot of bright yellow highlighting. David came up with ideas that he thought could work in either Matthew or Isaiah and wanted to make that connection obvious. For example, the images of Mercury’s deep, dark places could work as an EYE smart illustration for either passage. For MATH smart in Matthew, try using some magnets to demonstrate Jesus’ draw on the fishermen he calls. Try casting a net for a BODY smart special effect, and as a bonus, you can talk about how fish tend to come toward the surface of the water at dawn for NATURE smart. We have a lot to offer in MUSIC smart. Also, David found a way to retell this story using musicians! We have some questions for personal reflection in SELF smart.

• EYE smart – [04:31]
  • Here’s a video of Mercury’s north pole.
• MATH smart – [07:03]
  • Here are some simple demonstrations you can do with a hanging ring magnet and some bar magnets.
• BODY smart – [07:48]
  • Net casting in the backyard
  • How to Use a Cast Net The Online Fisherman
• MUSIC smart – [09:00]
  • Sing Hey for the Carpenter by John Bell
  • Hail the Fisherfolk by Dave Brown. Lyrics and music
  • I Have Decided to Follow Jesus by Sadhu Sundar Singh 
  • Lonely Is the Night by Billy Squier
• SELF smart – [10:20]

Paul is concerned about the report he has received of division in the congregation at Corinth. He addresses it by naming the partitions or factions, but then attempts to ground them all in the common denominator of Jesus and the cross. For EYE smart, we illustrate Paul’s desire to put the congregation back together as though it is a particularly difficult jigsaw puzzle. For a demonstration of this reunion, we have a video of a magic trick. Paul begins his message with an appeal. We define appeals in legal terms in MATH (LOGIC) smart. For BODY smart, think of how people use their bodies to save others – which is a crossover with PEOPLE smart. We have some hymns for MUSIC smart. In PEOPLE smart, we found some commentary that suggests the divisions were not in and of themselves the problem; the issue was the Corinthians were arguing among themselves about those divisions. Sounds sadly familiar, doesn’t it? We have a way to illustrate that.

• EYE smart – [13:19]
  • Here are directions on how to put together a hard jigsaw puzzle.
  • Here’s the rip-the-paper-and-restore-it trick.
• MATH smart – [16:29]
  • In law, an appeal is the process in which cases are reviewed, where parties request a formal change to an official decision.
• BODY smart – [17:40]
• MUSIC smart – [18:05]
  • Broken the Body by Shirley Murray (especially verse 3)
  • Filled with the Spirit’s Power by J.R.Peacy
• PEOPLE smart – [18:24]
  • commentary by Paul Bellen-Boyer at City Called Heaven
  • This comic bit by Emo Phillips may capture the flavor of divisions in Corinth.

We begin with WORD smart and suggest using a baby’s cries or alarms to illustrate the Psalmist’s plea for God’s attention. In EYE smart, bring in different kinds of lights to demonstrate how God’s light banishes fear. The Psalmist also pleads with God not to turn God’s face away, which got me to thinking about non-verbal communication for BODY smart. [I forgot to add a MUSIC smart link to the worksheet for this Psalm – The Lord is My Light from New Song: Musical Expressions for Youth Ministry. It’s a simple song and pretty, and I recommend it!] In NATURE smart, illustrate the ways God shelters the Psalmist with examples from animals. The Psalmist has great confidence in God’s ability to come through, and we have a clip from the movie Troy that might help illustrate this assurance (although it will need some interpretation!). And in SELF smart, think about times you have trusted or ignored your gut instinct. Was that an angel at work?

• WORD smart – [22:07]
• EYE smart – [22:46]
  • Searchlights – used as early as 1904!
  • klieg lights – which have blinded people
• BODY smart – [24:10]
  • Here is a list of things to be aware of about your personal non verbal cues, especially when you interview for a job.
  • An article about non verbal communication and relationships.
• NATURE smart – [26:24]
  • a peek inside marsupial pouches
• PEOPLE smart – [27:12]
  • In this scene from the movie TROY, King Agamemnon has great confidence in his warrior Achilles, and Achilles has great confidence in himself.
• SELF smart – [28:18]
  • Commentary by Frederick Buechner

We have some crossover about light and dark with the Matthew passage; the ideas will work in either place! We begin with EYE smart illustrations about places that are in darkness – in literature, in our world, and in our emotions. We suggest illustrating light breaking through to provide salvation using clips from a couple vampire movies. You might have some other less frightful ideas. Anyone remember multiplication tables? Use them to demonstrate God’s abundance in MATH smart. In BODY smart, we think about the physical misery of bondage or heavy loads we may literally carry around with us. For MUSIC smart, try the Taize chant we have linked below. Commentary by Amy Oden got us to thinking about the ways people in our world are living in darkness. How does the promise of God’s light bring freedom?

• EYE smart – [31:53]
• MATH smart – [33:33]
• BODY smart – [34:26]
  • Police in the UK use a modified pair of suspenders called a “yoke”
  • Here’s an article with some tips alleviate back pain from toting bags that are too heavy.
• MUSIC smart – [35:54]
  • La Tenebre or Our Darkness from Taize
• PEOPLE smart – [36:25]
  • commentary by Amy Oden at Working Preacher

Photo by Nuno Obey at Pexels, used by permission.