More Than Hearing

Okay, this week just didn’t work out at all like we hoped. As you’ll hear in the very brief episode this week, the ministry that we do in the face of life and death, in the hope of Christ’s resurrection, got the better of our recording schedule. Consequently, we got nothing. This really bugs us, as we haven’t missed an episode (without meaning to) since we started in November, but you pastors know how it goes sometimes.

So we’re sorry not to have much for you to listen to. We are posting our worksheets here so you can see where we were heading. Hopefully they’ll give you some ideas you can use or a spark for your own creative imagination.

Stick with us, friends. We’ll try again next week.

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 – The first of Isaiah’s oracles. It isn’t pretty.

“Helping Hands” on Whose Line Is It Any Way? (Because Judah’s sin was like a disconnection between their brains, their hearts, and actions.)

Chemistry of turning a clear solution red and back (Though your sins be like scarlet, I will make them white as snow.)

Isaiah 1 worksheet

Luke 12:32-40 – Don’t be afraid. Do be ready. Don’t be jerk. Do expect the Lord at any time.

Luke 12 worksheet

We regret how late this episode was posted. We got behind at the start of the week and pastoral concerns and duties appeared at the end of the week, putting a serious crimp in production schedules. We hope to be more timely in our delivery next week. Thank you for your patience and continued interest in our podcast.

Years ago, I learned a wonderful finger mnemonic for the Ten Commandments.  It is simple, fun, and very effective! In today’s Lectionary readings, three out of ten commandments are either broken or stretched to the breaking point. In Luke, Jesus has some pointed words about greed or covetousness and it’s destructive impact (#10). In Colossians, Paul writes that when we abandon wonton living (#7) and fully adorn ourselves in a new life in Christ, we choose to be faithful. And in Hosea, God is pushed to the point of wrath as Israel has worshipped other gods (#1). Yet, even then, God’s light overcomes God’s darkness, and the passage ends with words of hope and restoration. 

Hosea 11:1-11 [01:59]  – We are jumping ahead in Hosea from last week’s selection. In this reading, you can almost hear God’s wistfulness. I imagine God looking out over the land and the people, seeing them perfunctorily going through the sacred rituals handed down from their history in the wilderness, then rushing off to the barbecues and parties over at Ba’al’s Place. (That would be a good name for a bar.) God watches this, and then in a low voice says to the biographer sitting in the next chair, “I remember when Ephraim was a boy…..” God is the parent sitting at home on the porch, watching the dust settle back down on the road after the youngsters have paid a quick visit and then rushed off back to living their broken lives. I think what may grieve God the most is how quickly and thoroughly God has been set aside.

Colossians 3:1-11 [12:30] – This passage focuses on our identity as disciples of Jesus and while we talk a lot about how we can be re-invented or re-presented in different phases of our lives, when we “put on Christ” what we are truly doing is allowing our full identity to shine with and through Jesus. In Eye smart, we suggest a really good video about identity. In Self smart, we ask you to remember a time when you put a lot of yourself into a achieving a goal.  David thinks the Primary Expressed Intelligence is People smart and I think it is Body. We have some questions and special effects for each.

Luke 12:13-21 [24:30] – How much is enough? In a world where 1500 million people live in extreme poverty, that’s a darn good question. Jesus had plenty to say about the poor, and in this parable he has pointed commentary about the rich, as well. I think the PEI is Self smart because Jesus is inviting people to consider their own hearts’ treasure. David thinks it is Math smart, and we explore that using an interesting special effect. We link to some popular Music with money and excess as themes and ask you to consider your worship space as a barn full of an abundant harvest – would you respond to the bursting seams the same way as the rich man in the parable or choose a more measured plan?

In her book Miss Manner’s Guide to Rearing Perfect Children, Miss Manners responded to the following reader:

Dear Miss Manners,

After the birth of my child several months ago, I called the newspaper and had her birth announcement printed. My mother was appalled. She said that birth announcements in the paper were considered tasteless and low-class. Does this still apply in modern times?

Gentle Reader:

It is one of Miss Manners deepest beliefs, which you will appreciate now that you have a child, that mothers are never wrong. However, yours is, Miss Manners regrets to say. The old fashioned social rule was, “A lady has her name in the paper only three times: when she is born, when she is married, and when she dies.” Notice of a person’s birth has never been considered to tarnish her reputation. This has been adapted to fit times when a lady can find herself married three times. After that, she should stop making public announcements about it – saying on successive occasions that one is marrying “positively for the last time” is only courting disaster for the lady who is probably busy already. This rule applies, of course, to a lady’s personal rather than her professional life. Making a profession of one’s personal life is as vulgar as ever.  

I remember hearing that old saying when I was younger and thought it was not necessarily helpful nor true. Of course social norms have changed rather a lot and making a profession of one’s personal life is not only no longer considered vulgar, it is currently running for President of the United States. At any rate, I prefer a different quote:

“Well behaved women seldom make history.”

A sense of shamelessness or outrageousness runs through our texts for Ordinary 17, Year C. In Hosea, God instructs the prophet to marry a woman of questionable character. In Colossians, Paul seems to suggest that the entire cosmos has undergone a profound realignment because of Jesus’ resurrection, and in Luke, the disciples want to know how to be in a consistent, persistent, shameless state of relationship with God.

We haven’t looked at a specific “smart” or intelligence for quite a while and thought it was time to get back to highlighting a particular element of the group. Today, we pull Self smart forward. One of the challenges of this intelligence is that it permeates all of them; in the podcast, I refer to it as the “annoying little sister” who always tags along and has a comment for everything. (Full disclosure: I am a little sister.) Self smart is like an internal thermostat or monitor that keeps a person in tune with emotional and spiritual levels or reserves. Psychotherapists, counsellors, and religious leaders – or anyone who needs to establish strong personal boundaries in order to be effective – are self smart people. As always, if you want to learn more, click the link at the top right corner of the page!

Hosea 1:2-10  [05:02]  – Harlotry, whoredom, prostitution – worship will need an R rating if you choose to use this passage on Sunday. Hosea’s selection is a shining example of shamelessness – God’s shamelessness, to be exact. Israel has probed the limits of God’s patience and fidelity. In order to express just how frustrated God is, Hosea is instructed to live a life that mirrors Israel’s relationship to YHWH. Being a prophet is challenging, sometimes. Today, we look at the meaning of names for Hosea’s wife and children using Word smart. We look at why God chose this avenue of prophet proclamation for Hosea in People smart. One name, Jezreel, calls to mind the location of bloodshed and violence and we wonder what other places might be used for our times in Eye smart. Johnny Cash and Shel Silverstein make a brief appearance in Music smart and in Self smart, we wonder what names you bear and why.

Colossians 2:6-15 (16-19) [13:58] – Whether Paul is countering a different Gospel from a competing apostle is difficult to determine in Colossians. Based on the trouble he had with the Galatians and Corinthians, Paul may simply be planting the flag for Jesus as firmly as possible with them so as to prevent or correct misdirection. At any rate, his argument for the supremacy of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection is as strong as ever in this passage. He waxes poetic about the before and after of life in Christ and we take a playful look at that in Eye smart. The typical logical argument of greater to lesser makes another appearance in Math smart and David thinks that Paul’s repeated references to the incarnation and resurrection make Body smart the Primary Expressed Intelligence. I was taken by the imagery of Scott Hoezee’s commentary on this passage that all of the cosmos has been shifted because of Jesus’ resurrection – everything is new and I push for that viewpoint in Nature smart. The 1962 movie musical The Music Man is a guest star in People smart and we have some questions to ponder in Self smart.

Luke 11:1-13  [23:05] – Just like his father, Jesus is all about shamelessness in the parable he uses in today’s passage. Just ASK might be a good sermon title if one uses Luke on Sunday. David thinks People smart is the primary expressed intelligence and has an interesting idea for an experiment. I also have an experiment for Self smart and if you try either or both, please let us know how it went! Once again, greater to lesser appears in Math smart, Jesus uses objects from Nature and the Lord’s prayer has been covered by a wide variety of artists – we have a few links!

The Lord’s Prayer:

Greetings! Welcome back!

After all the death and pain and violence of the past week, it is so very tempting to retreat to a dark room where we can shut all of that out and wait until Jesus comes back, isn’t it? Yet, when faced with all of these very things, Jesus did not retreat but went willingly into them, taking them into himself, leaving their power in the tomb, and showing us the way through in the resurrection. We can’t ignore the broken world – it is our calling as believers to address it. The Good News is we have Jesus’ trail and his Spirit accompanying us as we choose not to feed hate but follow after him, paying attention to the markers left behind. The passages for Year C, Ordinary 16 (Proper 11, Pentecost 9) show us the importance of keeping God and God’s word in clear focus.  

Genesis 18:1-10a [01:57]  – We have two options for the Old Testament lesson this week; this lesson is the beginning of God’s promise to Abraham coming to fruition. God has been promising Abraham that he would be the father of nations and so far, not much has happened to make that a reality. Then, one hot day, three visitors appear at Abraham’s tent under the oaks at Mamre. He rushes to offer hospitality and in Body smart, we wonder what rushing to welcome people into our worship spaces would look like. We offer two options for the song “If I Knew You Were Coming, I’d Have Baked a Cake” for Music smart. We both thought the Primary Expressed Intelligence was People, based on the interaction of the people in the story and how people continue to extend and receive hospitality, focusing on the others’ needs and comfort.

Amos 8:1-12 [07:06] – The second Old Testament reading is in Amos. God shows Amos another ordinary object, a basket of summer fruit. The Hebrew for “summer fruit” and “the end” are quite close, so this seems to be a play on words. This pun – while clever – continues to reveal God’s intention to judge the people for losing their focus. Not only have they lost their focus on God and their role as God’s people, but they have also lost what grounds them. Destruction is in their future, and they will be scattered. We look at this dislocation in Eye smart, considering how displaced people run throughout human history, especially in the 20th/21st century due to warfare and natural disasters. I think the Primary Expressed Intelligence is Music; sometimes the best way to cope with loss and pain is to put it into music, and we have many links to songs that express loss and dislocation. God even warns that the songs of worship will be turned into lamentation. Sounds like the blues to me. In People smart, we look at the prediction that the famine to come will be an absence of God’s word; we wonder though if the word is truly scarce or if it is more an inability of humanity to listen to the Word spoken through one another. Finally, David thinks the Primary Expressed Intelligence is Self smart. How do we focus the emotions that come with injustice that we have received – and inflicted?

Colossians 1:15-28  [15:18] – Paul continues to introduce himself to the Colossians in this passage. He turns from praising them for their faithfulness to focus on the One they follow. The language Paul uses is large, expansive, full of imagery and power. Because of the Spirit in these verses, David thinks the Primary Expressed Intelligence is Word. It actually flows into Eye smart, and we look at how that happens by using a well known poem by W.B. Yeats. Paul insists that the center is held together by Jesus, and we use a navigation technique in Math smart to illustrate that. Jesus has also revealed the “mysteries of the ages,” and we look at puzzle solutions, also using Math smart. In Body smart, we offer a way to involve movement as the passage is read. The passage has “sweeping verbal vistas,” so we offer some natural sweeping vistas in Nature smart. I think the entire passage is summed up in the hope of Jesus’ glory, and we have a special effect you might want to try using Self Smart.

Luke 10:38-42  [22:46] – Focus is the – well, focus of Luke’s story about Jesus passing by for a visit with Mary and Martha. Mary has chosen to eschew the many pressing tasks to sit at Jesus’ feet and learn from him directly. This doesn’t sit well with her harried sister, Martha, who approaches Jesus to address the situation. In People smart, which David thinks is the Primary Expressed Intelligence, Jesus deflects Martha’s effort at triangulation and addresses her concerns directly. We use instructions for toddlers in Word smart, navigation by the stars in Eye smart, paying attention to instructions in Math smart, and frenzied preparations for visitors in Body smart to explore how losing or gaining focus effects all of those things. We have a link about triangulating in People smart that might help identify when that happens and what to do about it. In Self smart, which I think is the PEI, we have an illustration about focusing on the broken things in our lives and a special effect you could try with your congregation.

Hello, Everybody!!

My late father was a civil/architectural engineer, so I know a thing or two about constructing stuff. Well, let me say, I’ve seen many things constructed and know the names of tools used in constructing! I think I would do fairly well if I were to be plunked into a workshop and asked to identify tools since I spent many weekends of my childhood handing Dad whatever object he needed – as well as lifting and holding things. (Remind me to tell you about the time he asked me to stand on 2×4’s as he used a hammer gun to nail them into concrete. WOW.) Anyway, the Old Testament passage uses a plumb line as a visual for God’s intention to judge the nation of Israel, Paul implies a plumb line as he greets the disciples in Colossae, and Jesus, seeing a lawyer get himself all twisted up in a plumb line of his own design, tells a story that shows him how to untangle his mess.

Amos 7:7-17 [01:58]  – Commentary about this passage would suggest that my underlying theme of plumb lines is not so cut and dry. An obscure Hebrew word ‘anah is found nowhere else in the OT, so defining it as “plumb line” is at best a good guess. Some think it may be “tin” and others have suggested “grief”. We chose to go with the traditional interpretation for the imagery and for the way being “out of plumb” runs through the other two passages. I chose Eye smart as the primary expressed intelligence and David chose People. We have illustrations and special effects for Body, Music, and Self, as well. If anyone puts together a rap battle or writes competing arias for Music smart, please share them with us! I would love to hear it!

Colossians 1:1-14  [11:07] – Commentary suggests that this letter is not authentic to Paul, but, once again, we are sticking with the tradition that Paul is the author, and you will understand why as David argues his case for the Primary Expressed Intelligence being People smart. Paul is not known to the disciples in Colossae and so is “massaging” an entry with them. I use Math smart to discuss Karl Jacobson’s observation that Paul uses rhetorical reversal in his opening. Paul has heard good things about this group of believers and so we explore the origin of a popular phrase in Word smart. Some of what Paul has heard is that they show great love for the saints and have led others out of darkness which we look at using Eye smart. He also understands that they are quite strong in the faith, and we look at strengthening in Body smart. Nature smart might be used to talk about bearing fruit and Self smart considers how we know one another.

Luke 10:25-37 [21:00] – Ever try to use twisted logic to get yourself out of a jam? This is where the old saying about telling the truth because a lie is too complicated to remember is useful! As I’ve gotten older and my hard drive has begun filling up, I’ve found the useless complications of chicanery muck up the efficiency of my operating system. Someone should have taken pity on the lawyer whose pretzel logic prompts Jesus to tell a story. Oh, wait! Jesus took pity on him and told a story! I think the primary expressed intelligence is Math based on the twisted logic of the lawyer. David thinks it is People based on Jesus’ interaction with him. We also explore how the story Jesus tells might be felt and expressed in our bodies in Body smart. We have posted some videos of animals helping other animals in Nature smart, and ask some searching questions about our motivations to help – or not – in Self smart.

Greetings!!  In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis referred to Christian life as a “good infection.” One would be forgiven for scoffing at this oxymoron – how can an infection be good? Naaman, who is the central figure in the Old Testament passage, might wholeheartedly agree as he was suffering from leprosy. He was eventually cured of his disease after some wise words from his servants and a decision to get off his high horse. In the Luke passage, Jesus sends out seventy disciples into villages and towns where he intends to visit himself on his tour to Jerusalem. To me, this sending out seemed a lot like a viral infection where a receptive host cell welcomes visitors – but after this point, the analogy breaks down, because the intention of a virus is to make a host do all the reproductive work on its behalf, while the disciples’ intention was to bring Jesus’ peace and prepare for his arrival. In Galatians, Paul finishes his letter by encouraging disciples to live their lives in Christ bearing one another’s burdens. For Paul, Jesus’ death and resurrection have so altered reality that we live in an entirely new realm now where anything that once weighed us down or harmed us is not only part of the past, but not even registering on the present radar.

This week, David and I are doing something a bit different with the passages. Rather than go through them looking for anything that resonates with one of the eight intelligences, we decided to read the passage and get a sense of what we each determined is the “Primary Expressed Intelligence” (PEI), that is, what intelligence seems to be central to the passage, leaping off the page, as it were, and why? Once we each identified the PEI, then we could imagine how someone with a different intelligence might be able to connect to the passage. In some ways, it isn’t that much different than what we’ve been doing, but we go a little more in depth with the PEI before delivering other illustrations and SFX. (The change also meant we went a little longer than usual, but not too bad.)

Let us know if this approach is helpful or not!

2 Kings 5:1-14  [01:59]  – While leprosy still exists in our modern era, it is no longer the dread disease of yore. Bacteriology and virology have given us many tools to treat and prevent infections. We no longer need to bathe seven times in the muddy Jordan River to be cured. But in the Bronze Age, the disease was life changing, and anyone suffering from it would go to great ends if a cure could be found. In this story of Naaman’s healing, David thought that People smart was the Primary Expressed Intelligence, mostly because the story plays out with so many different characters – kings, and army generals, and prophets, and servants. In fact, it is the servants whose knowledge and persuasion give this story its movement. I thought the PEI was Self smart mostly because the decision to do what was necessary to be healed came after Naaman’s internal struggle with his expectations and pride. We used Math to count the cost of ancient health care and suggest Music can be used to express the assumptions and realities of our search for health and wholeness.

Galatians 6:(1-6), 7-16 [11:40] – Paul is done. Not only with his letter to the disciples in Galatia, but with the argument that the past has any sort of control over the present. For him, Jesus’ death and resurrection has taken everything that came before, shaken it up, turned it upside down and inside out, and painted it a new color that does not exist in nature. Life is NEW. David thinks the Primary Expressed Intelligence is Math smart because Paul exercises logic to make his point. I thought the PEI is People because the logic used in this passage leads us to live in ways that express Jesus’ love and mercy. We look at the motivation of the “other” teachers in Word smart and wonder what types of ways our bodies might bear the mark of God on them in our day and age in Body smart.

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20  [22:27] – Is Jesus Patient Zero? In terms of living a new life in God’s realm, yes! Even before the resurrection, Jesus was giving people the chance to live different. In the passage from Luke, Jesus sends 35 pairs of disciples out to towns and villages to prepare for his eventual arrival. He equips them with nothing other than the opportunity to live by faith, trusting that their needs would be met and that they would be okay. We both thought this passage was full of People smart. David thought so because of the nature of the teams being paired up and sent to homes. I thought of it in terms of what was expected once they got there. We spend a bit of time on this smart but have some observations for Math, Eye, and Nature as well.

I hope the above title is true more of the characters in the Bible stories this week than of you or me, although there are plenty of days when I worry about one of us. But I’m thinking particularly of James and John here, who, having watched Jesus ministry of healing and grace for some time, think the reasonable response to being rebuffed is the wholesale destruction of a village. Clearly, they missed the point, and Jesus let them know in no uncertain terms, although we don’t have a record in Luke of what exactly he said. Kind of wish we did — I bet it was snappy!

Jesus goes on to challenge a series of would-be disciples on their assumptions and hesitations about discipleship, so they wouldn’t miss the point, thinking it was something other that what it is. Paul, in Galatians 5, continues trying to straighten out that group’s misunderstandings, too, by painting the contrast between the law and the Spirit, the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit.

It seems like we’re all very often right on the brink of missing what Jesus means for us to do and be. But when by God’s grace we get it right, it’s a thing of beauty. So with humble hopes, here are our notes on this week’s attempt to podcast somewhere near the point.

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 [02:00]  – This is the end of the line for Elijah and the beginning of ministry for Elisha (mind your diction!). In Eye Smart we trace their movements from Gilgal to Jordan and invite you to trace your own congregations movements in place and mission. As Elisha takes up the mantle of his master, in Body Smart we think about meaningful “hand-me-downs” from important people in our lives. When the fiery chariot and horses separate the two prophets, Elisha sings out in awe. We offer a couple appropriately themed songs in Music Smart. For People Smart, we continue thinking about those important people, our mentors, who passed along not only a mantle but lessons of life, faith, hope, and love.

Galatians 5:1, 13-25 [09:03] – In Paul’s ongoing struggle to correct the church of Galatia, bringing them back from a foray into works righteousness to a reliance on Christ in faith, he calls them to live in the freedom given to us in Christ as we become Christ’s servants. He also contrasts the ways of the flesh with the ways of the spirit (or Spirit). We suggest a demonstration of that contrast with some lottery technology for Eye Smart. In Math Smart we identify some of the interrelatedness of the nine fruits of the Spirit. Many folks have taken a shot at putting the nine fruits to music, so we offer a Music Smart sampling thereof. Turning our attention inward for Self Smart, we invite you to consider what sort of fruitful harvest is coming up in your life.

Luke 9:51-62 [20:35] – As mentioned above, Jesus’ trip through the hostile territory of Samaria provides a real teachable moment when James and John want to punish a village for not being hospitable. Then Jesus pokes three would-be disciples in the metaphorical eye to make sure they are thinking clearly about the venture of following him. Speaking of eyes, in Eye Smart we find that what you look at is where you go, whether your hand is on the plow or the throttle. Jesus provides some fodder for Nature Smart as we consider fox dens and bird nests and the comparative vulnerability of following the Son of Man. Our People Smart offering here is more whimsical than practical, perhaps, but captures some possible responses to the “things that make you go, ‘hmmm'” in this passage. Finally, we let Jesus’ point to all his disciples sink in, as we consider in Self Smart just what the cost of discipleship really is.

The classic spiritual about the chariot of heaven, exquisitely sung by Etta James

If you’re old enough, this story will always trigger this song: “Chariots of Fire”

Make this lotto ball blower or this one to bounce the 15 works of the flesh (pingpong balls) around

Use a nice orderly tube for the fruits of the Spirit

Fruits of the Spirit songs? Sure!

Works of the flesh songs? Well, okay, but you asked for it.

Math Smart Chart of the Fruits of the Spirit

Vs 55  Jesus responds to James and John? Like this or this or this or this

Would-be disciples respond to Jesus like this? “Wha….?”  “Huh?”

Vs. 57  I Will Follow Him

Pictures of fox dens

Pictures of bird nests

V 62 – story about plowing

And motorcycling and more motorbike target fixation

Our show is very late this week due to real life. We had to pull ourselves out of the news coming from Orlando, FL, and get back into podcasting mode. It’s been kind of tough. When I heard that there had been a shooting last Sunday, I was on my way to worship. The information was very basic and my thought was to add this to the morning prayers, which I did. After worship, I chose to listen to other music as I travelled about and so did not have the radio on for the rest of the afternoon. I did not fully know what had happened until I got home around 3PM and by then, the story was everywhere and will be for a while.

I suppose we can respond to this news in many ways, and I must admit one of them is to wish for a different era when mass shootings were not “just another one.” Yet, here we are, and Sunday is upon us. I truly hope there never comes a time when we allow horrible news like this to bounce off our weary and hardened shells. I think it is our task as worship leaders to stand in the gap with our Lord and Savior and reflect not only his love and mercy, but the lengths to which our fear and anger will take us. We are simultaneously a mirror for people to see how their actions destroy and a window to reveal how God intends for us to be with one another in this creation God calls good. May God bless us all as we gird ourselves to lead the people this week.

[01:55] We start the show this week with a few thoughts on the most recent violent episode in the U.S. news and the role of the preacher. We also offer a prayer for you and all who will attempt to address this terrible event with the grace of Jesus Christ.

1 Kings 19:1-15a [05:01]  – We’ve been jumping around a bit in the Old Testament readings for the past couple weeks. Today, we are going backwards from last week’s story about injustice done to Naboth in chapter 21 to the aftermath of the prophet Elijah’s encounter with the priests of Ba’al in chapter 18. Here at the beginning of chapter 19, word comes to Elijah that Jezebel is not at all pleased with the massacre of the prophets, and she threatens him with the same fate. Elijah believes she will do as she says and takes off from Mt. Carmel to Be’er Sheva and then further on to Mt. Horeb in the Sinai peninsula. It’s a long arduous journey which we track with maps using Eye smart. We also consider how a person endures such a trek in Body smart. In People smart, we look at a story about a Russian journalist who stood her ground by reporting about the KGB back in the mid 90’s. Her actions are the exact opposite of Elijah’s – although she did not have to contend with Jezebel!

Galatians 3:23-29 [15:38] – Paul continues to plead with the Galatians to remember what he had previously taught them about Jesus and his mercy and grace. Remember, he is astonished at how quickly they had veered off the path he had set for them and returned to embrace the law. In this short section, Paul argues that the law is like a restrictive guardian who dogs every step we take making us prisoners to it. We took a closer look at what this meant and decided that Paul was likening the law to a pedagogue; a person tasked with seeing the children of the house to and from school and making sure they got their studies done. Which also made us think of Jiminy Cricket, and if you have seen Walt Disney’s Pinocchio, you know what we mean! We take a look at this in Eye smart. In Body smart, we have a suggestion for The Extra-Large T-shirt of Baptism, and in Self smart we wonder what it is like to take on another person’s identity. But in a good way, not a creepy-steal-your-money way.

Luke 8:26-39 [23:45] – Was it demons or mental illness? I have heard people describe their struggles with mental health as a fight against torment, so who’s to say that even with our modern understanding of the brain and how it functions that there isn’t room for the spiritual dimension of this process? Using Body smart, we also look at the physical aspect of mental and spiritual illness. We are completely integrated beings (or could be! or are meant to be!), and so when one part of us suffers the rest does, too. We consider the fear that flows through this story in People smart; the fear of the demons when they see Jesus, the fear of the people when they see this man now in his right mind and fully clothed. How does fear permeate our society. Then using Self smart, what are some ways we can look to Jesus to help us manage it and thus avoid another mass shooting? 

… in 1 Kings  

… in Galatians

… in Luke

I have not seen the 1989 Spike Lee movie “Do the Right Thing“, but justice seems to be a key theme. As tension escalates on a hot August day in Bedford-Stuyvesant, a man named Mookie acts to deflect hostility away from his boss by throwing a trash can through a window. The angry mob follows suit, destroying the property, but the man and his family live. In the 1 Kings passage, there is no angry mob but there is injustice done to an innocent man who will not release his ancestral land to a king. The prophet Elijah appears at the end of this passage to confront King Ahab who seems to know he has not done the right thing (“So, you have found me, my enemy”.) In Galatians, Paul argues that allowing oneself to become fully intimate with the Risen Lord means doing the right thing is automatic because Christ lives within. And in Luke, a woman anoints Jesus’ feet because she is fully aware of how much right has been done for her by him.

1 Kings 21:1-21a [02:00]  – In this story about a king behaving badly, we use Word smart to explore the metaphor of Israel as a vineyard with an implicit indictment of Ahab as king. We use Math smart to tell the story in terms of equilibrium. The tale begins and ends in balance with a lot of counter measures in between. Even if this story is not intended as a metaphor, to dig up a vineyard means destroying years of hard work which we look at in Nature smart. In Self smart, we take Ahab’s sulking and Jezebel’s plotting and wonder how manipulation shows up in our own hearts. 

Galatians 2:15-21 [11:17] – Paul continues his letter to disciples in Galatia with a complex argument about justification. The word “justification” appears many times in these verses, so using Body and Music smart, we suggest attaching movement and sound to each use of that word (and others) as they are read aloud. If you choose to go this route, your worship will look and sound like a festival! In People and Self smart, we look at Paul’s argument that doing the right thing comes about not through our own effort, but because of Christ living in us. What does that look like and how does it motivate us? We use People and Self smart to investigate. 

Luke 7:36- 8:3 [17:15] – Like Nicodemus, Simon the Pharisee is curious about Jesus and wants to see for himself what all the fuss is about, so he invites him over for dinner. As the meal is underway, a woman appears and anoints Jesus’ feet with her tears and ointment. We wondered how the woman came to be in the house when we looked at the floor plans of 1st century Roman and Israelite houses in Eye smart. She didn’t just get in; someone opened the door to her. Simon is impressed by the woman’s actions, but not in a favorable way. Jesus understands this – and a few other things – and tells a short parable about forgiveness. We looked at parallel structures in Math smart to help demonstrate the point of the parable. In Body smart, we suggest following the woman’s example and washing one another’s – hands, because that is far less intimidating for people. (If you do choose to wash feet, let us know how it went!) And finally, we discuss the intimacy of what this woman did in People smart. 

… in 1 Kings 21

… in Galatians 2

… in Luke 7

Well, it may be Ordinary Time, but the passages this week tell us stories that are far from ordinary! Two of the three texts (1Kings and Luke) are stories of dead people being raised back to life! That doesn’t just happen every day. The epistle lesson in between from Galatians is Paul telling about his credentials as an apostle who received a revelation from the Risen Christ, so he ain’t messin’ around either! So maybe our ideas for illustrating these things won’t quite be at that level, but hopefully they will spark your imagination and parts of  your listeners’ brains that haven’t been lit up in worship for a while.

1Kings 17:8-24 [01:58]  – This is the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath. The 3 1/2-year drought has begun and food is getting scarce. But God has made provision for both the prophet and the widow’s little family. It takes a lot of faith on her part to trust that if she uses all the food she has, she won’t run out. It takes as much faith by the prophet to know what to do when her son dies. The prophet prays, and the son is restored! We offer a story about an answered prayer, a call to worship based on the text, a look at God’s logic for the widow, a way to share in the story with food, a meteorology lesson, and a hospitality challenge.

Galatians 1:11-24 [10:45] – Picking up with the end of last week’s lesson, we read how Paul received his gospel from God directly and not from any mortal. He then recounts how in his former life he was a violent persecutor of the church, but by God’s grace he became a messenger of God to the Gentiles. He describes some of his travels and his limited contact with the other apostles to show that he was following orders straight from God and again not from any mortal. God does such amazing and unexpected things and so receives glory and praise! In keeping, we think about some examples of darkness followed by revelation and unveiling, then the logic of the Holy Spirit as described by Dr. James E. Loder. We found a couple songs that capture the dynamic of God’s call and faithful response, and explore prayers of confession as a way of sharing in Paul’s testimony. Lastly, we look at how God breaks through expectations and comparisons with a different definition of perfection.

Luke 7:11-17 [21:09] – The gospel lesson shares many elements with the Old Testament lesson — a widow met at the city gate; an only son who has died; a raising from the dead; recognition that God is at work in a mighty prophet. This time, though, it is Jesus doing the meeting and raising in the village of Nain. Unlike Elijah, Jesus has only to say the word — no prayers or postures — and the young man is restored, and the widow with him. We wondered what it might have been that the once-dead man might have said, comparing it lightheartedly to coming out of anesthesia. We found a nice visual presentation of the story, and also imagined choreography for the story as dance, or if that’s intimidating, as movement, then found a hymn that captures the dynamic of the text. While you’ll likely want to end up with the widow’s exultation, we offer some ways to consider her desolation first, and maybe our own, because the Good News is bad news before it is good. Then, it’s really, really good!

We wrote this. Actually, Molly did.

Based on 1 Kings 17:8-24

Leader: The word of the Lord calls to the faithful, “Go, and dwell.”

Response: We gather to listen for God’s intention.

Leader: The word of the Lord promises provision, even when we know how precious resources have become.

Response: We gather to receive blessings for our living.

Leader: The word of the Lord will not fail in spite of all loss – of food, of shelter, of home, of hope.

Response: We gather to call on God’s name on behalf of those who suffer.

Leader: God calls the faithful to trust. God calls the faithful to walk obediently.

Response: We will listen and receive. We will pray and we will proclaim that – in spite of what comes to us be it grief, loss, or even death – God is present and God is good.

Two recipes for baking some simple cakes of bread:

Drought! and more Drought!!

Stories of the kindness of strangers

Summary of Dr. James E. Loder’s theory on convictional knowing and transformation

A very thorough biography and summary of Dr. Loder’s theology, career, and influence

Hymn “The Summons,” or “Will You Come and Follow Me” and performed here

Hymn “All for Jesus” and performed here and here — the verses are different in all three of these, but they are all good!

A commercial from the 90’s for the game Perfection! and someone actually playing it

Gibberish!

Drawing the story

Stories of coming  back from death

Liturgical movement or dance script

Hymn, O Christ Who Shared Our Mortal Life — the audio quality isn’t great, but here is some more information about the hymn.

Here are three links to stories of desolation in the Great Depression and Dust Bowl of the 1930s: