More Than Hearing

Hey everyone! Welcome to the show. How did it get to be that time when people are starting back to school again?! Even though we’re heading into a new academic year here in the U.S., there is still plenty of time left in our Liturgical year. Yet, the passages for this week all seem more apt for The End as they speak of judgment, fire, rocks breaking, walking in darkness, divisions among families, and many awful ways people of faith were treated in the past. Wow. We have before us this week a lot of theological fodder; how do we present God as transcendent and holy and at the same time immanent and compassionate? Where is the grace in families being divided because of Jesus? How do we encourage people who prefer to stumble in the darkness rather than turn on the lights to see the carnage of our disobedience? We have some ideas that may help.

We have some other ideas from our show three years ago, too. Click this link – Year C, Ordinary 20, 2016 – to explore our thoughts from the last cycle. David really likes interpretive movement! You can download the worksheets for last time and check out the links, too.

This week we are concentrating on BODY smart and WORD smart but the other intelligences are sneaking in and eating the snacks. We intend to continue emphasizing two per week, but may need to start inviting the others back since they seem to be crashing the party. Meanwhile, you can download the worksheets for this weeks’s show below.

In this week’s passage, Jeremiah steps aside and lets YHWH speak for Himself. Uh oh. When God takes over from the prophets, the word that comes is not one to be disregarded. YHWH begins by asking whether or not He is a god who is nearby or far off. In the summer 1998 edition of Word and World, Mark Hillmer writes: “God is both inexpressibly transcendent and unspeakably immanent.” EYE smart includes spatial relationships, so you could illustrate God’s nature with a cosmic version of Red Light / Green Light. For BODY smart, bring in some rocks and hammers and talk about how God may be breaking rocks in pieces not to destroy them, but to shape them for use. How might that idea affect the way your congregation faces difficult times? (Encourage your PEOPLE to discuss that.)

• EYE smart – [07:49]
  • Red Light / Green Light
• BODY smart – [11:11]
  • a video of someone splitting rocks with a hammer
  • this video from Ask This Old House
  • this unusual rock fall

The Psalms are ancient hymns. Sometimes, it helps to learn hymns by attaching motions to them (which is a MUSIC smart lesson), so David has developed some interpretive movement for this psalm. You can invite the congregation to mirror the actions as the words are read – which engages BODY smart people – or watch as others do it. This will engage EYE smart people! For another EYE smart idea, invite your congregation to think about ways people “take a stand.” Have they ever stood strong for something? This idea encourages visualization and some SELF smart reflection based on a WORD smart translation. See what I mean about the other intelligences sneaking back in? We’re gonna need more pretzels….

• BODY smart – [19:14]
  • see the worksheet for interpretive movement
• EYE smart – [20:05]
  • borrowing a bit from WORD smart, take his place can be translated as “take a stand”

As I read this passage, I thought the author’s clear intention was to build on the faith of people from the past and top it all off with Jesus’ faithfulness. So, for an EYE smart special effect, get blocks and build them up, with each block representing a person and the way they exhibited faithfulness. [This could tie in with the shaping of rocks for a structure from Jeremiah.] When you reach the two verses from chapter twelve, top the structure with Jesus’ cross. You could invite some others forward to help you build – be sure to include your BODY smart people!

David wondered if training to run a race is aided by ankle weights. You’d think it would, but it turns out that it does not. In fact, it may be detrimental. If you have any runners in your congregation, engage those BODY smart people by asking them how they “throw off the weight” that holds them back and how they get ready to run a race. For an added SELF smart bonus, invite people to name the weight [i.e. sin] as they get rid of it.

• EYE smart – [24:27]
  •  Faith is like building blocks!
• BODY smart – [26:25]
  • Here’s an article/podcast from Runner’s Connect [“.net,” not “.com” as stated in the episode] that suggests that training with ankle weights increases the chance of injury as well as putting extra stress on your joints.

For an interesting BODY smart special effect, go sit among a family – put yourself physically in their space as you refer to Jesus’ coming division. (Here we find MATH smart in the passage. SEE?!? Someone call for a pizza.) You could also illustrate Jesus’ increasing stress as he gets closer to Jerusalem. For an EYE smart illustration and special effect, use the images of clouds at the link below and then provide images of signs we reflexively notice. Are there other signs that require clear vision to see?

• BODY smart – [32:24]
• EYE smart – [36:24]
  • post pictures from this article from AccuWeather

Photo copyright : Brian Jackson at 123rf.com. Used by permission.

Hey everyone! Welcome to the show! I’ve heard it said that birds will rest on the thinnest branches even when they are blowing about in the wind, not because they trust that the branch will hold them but because they trust in their wings.

All the passages for this week share the common theme of faith. In Genesis, God is reassuring Abram to keep the faith. Abram is getting a little anxious about the promised offspring and thinks Eliezer of Damascus will inherit his stuff, but God tells him to go outside and look at the night sky. The Psalmist and the author of Hebrews are also taking an eternal look at the story of God’s people. In Luke, Jesus tells the disciples to be aware that God may act at any time.

We have been linking to our show from the previous Year C cycle with the intention of giving you all some extra information for the intelligences we are not covering for the week. Hopefully, this has been helping, but this week it may not. We were on the road for a funeral three years ago and did not get much done. We had some very early thoughts on our worksheets that you can download here.

This week, we are looking at MATH and WORD smart. As always, the worksheets are available for download below!

As David contemplated this passage through the WORD smart lens, he heard in the verses Abram express strong desire for God’s promise to be fulfilled. He was eager for the child who would inherit from him and started thinking that his servant was going to get it all. God comforts him, telling him that God has not forgotten about the promise. The back and forth sounded to David like poetry. Below, you will find a link to different types of poetry; click through and try one of these options to re-present the story in these verses.

God has reiterated the promise to Abram that his own child will inherit from him. He then takes him outside and tells him to look at the night sky and count the stars, “if he is able.” While this is a fantastic NATURE smart element – think about what the night sky in ancient Israel must have looked like! – it is also the basis for MATH smart illustrations and special effects. The night sky is filled with stars that can be counted, or at least estimated, if you know some formulas and have some cardboard tubes lying around!

• WORD smart – [07:24]
  • Here is a list by Rebecca Hussey from BookRiot.com of quite a few different poetic forms.
• MATH smart – [10:20]
  • This website has some ways of grouping zeros to help “count” large numbers.
  • This link will give you a fun way to count the stars that could be done as a homework experiment.
  • Universe explained in 10 seconds plus the attending article in The Atlantic

The verse that first caught my attention for MATH smart, can also be used for EYE and NATURE smart. The Psalmist writes that God “looks down from heaven” and “sees all humankind.” I thought of the Overview Effect that we have referred to in the past. In short, astronauts have seen our home from 254 miles above the ground, and the experience has been life changing – which has some SELF smart flavor! The Psalmist also refers to God as our help and shield, which made me think of the ancient Macedonian aspis, a rounded shield used to great effect. Encourage your MATH smart people to design a shield for modern purposes.

This psalm made David think of the game of chess, which is very MATH smart for problem solving, strategy, and planning, but can also be very dramatic if told in narrative form. A bit of searching came up with an interesting list of writings with chess in either a starring or supporting role. The image that sparked this thought is of God, looking down on earth from heaven, pondering the fate of those who live there.

• MATH smart – [14:39]
  • the Overview Effect
  • the aspis – a round and domed shield made of wood
• WORD smart – [17:53]
  • Here’s a list of chess related novels and stories.

The word “faith” appears in these verses seven times, so the author of Hebrews wants us to pay attention to it! The word has a particular translation in Greek, and in English there are several definitions and synonyms for the word. For a WORD smart illustration (and special effect), try substituting one or more of the many definitions in English for the word as it appears in the passage. How does the different word change the way you hear the passage? Maybe have different people read the verses with the different translations.

The verse that caught my attention for MATH smart was the mention of foundations built by God. This past February, we used yoga blocks, duct tape, and a sturdy, flat piece of wood to “build” a demonstration for 1 Corinthians 13 (the link to that show is below). Pull out all that material again and rebuild the foundation of faith!

• WORD smart – [23:32]
  • In most cases, pistei is translated as “in faith” or “in the faith,” but in Hebrews it is repeatedly translated as “by faith.”
  • Webster’s definitions of faith
  • John Calvin’s Institutes, 3.2.7
• MATH smart – [27:30]
  • commentary by Amy Peeler at Working Preacher
  • Civilblog.org has a checklist for constructing a foundation, with graphs!
  • We suggested this idea a while back using yoga blocks, duct tape, and a flat piece of wood, so if you did not get to try it last time, do it this time!! (See COrdinary4x2019, 1 Corinthians 13)

Part of working with MATH smart is to look for logic and reason and large concepts. Jesus provides an opportunity to engage with these as he encourages the disciples to sell possessions and give alms. In order to convince people to part with their “stuff”, you need a compelling reason. After a bit of a search, I came across something called effective altruism. In essence, it is a philosophical movement that encourages thorough and thoughtful philanthropy.

Do another word study for WORD smart! There are different characters in this story – the master and a thief. We usually think of Jesus as the master but the last verse could also be interpreted to show Jesus as a thief! He isn’t necessarily going to steal your silverware, but his appearance in life is often unexpected. Which image do we prefer? In which role do we most often experience Jesus?

• MATH smart – [31:56]
  • Boston Review: an article about “effective altruism.”
• WORD smart – [35:40]
  • commentary from Mark Davis at Left Behind and Loving It

Image credit: Photo by Anders Nord on Unsplash

Hey everyone! We’re back from two weeks of vacation and right in the middle of Vacation Bible School! Our timing is questionable. Yet, we are ready to go with some illustrations and special effects for Ecclesiastes 1-2, Psalm 49, Colossians 3, and Luke 12. Three years ago, we looked at the Epistle and Gospel lessons for this day, and you can always go there and take a look at what we did with them.

The passages below all speak to how we make space in our hearts for God. Jesus states this explicitly in Luke – “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” The Psalmist is more pragmatic about life and death: “When we look at the wise, they die; fool and dolt perish together and leave their wealth to others.” Qoholeth tends toward pessimism and that everything is “chasing after the wind.” Colossians is the hopeful passage this week when Paul states that our lives are “hidden in Christ.” We have many paths from which to choose for sermons and liturgy.

This week, we are concentrating on NATURE and SELF smart. As always, you can click our links at the top right corner of the page for resources about all the intelligences. Our worksheets are available for download, too!

NATURE smart is not obviously present in this passage except for the wealthy man’s delight at an abundant crop from his fields. This got me to wondering what kind of crop it might have been, which led me to a few different websites with some really fascinating information about food production in our world. This may seem like a strange tangent, but if you update the story to include modern cash crops, you can see why the rich man was so eager to enlarge storage – he was now very rich!

For SELF smart, the question put to Jesus at the beginning of the passage struck David as a bit passive aggressive and a text-book case of triangulating. These approaches elicit responses in other people, so encourage your congregation to think about how they feel when someone tries this with them. Also, Jesus immediately identifies the reason behind the question and responds with this story about priorities.

• NATURE smart – [07:52]
  • a list of the ten crops that feed the world
  • National Geographic has an interactive map with the geographical location of production for these foods.
  • The Environmental Literacy Council has some recommended resources and links to treaties and farm bills.
  • According to Visual Capitalist, the most lucrative cash crop is marijuana.
  • The Food and Drug Administration has tips for safe food storage.
  • I also found an updated Tupperware system called Silo. Tupperware still exists!
  • Alan’s Factory Outlet has 15 tips for storing food in a shed.
• SELF smart – [12:22]
  • Here’s a brief article about the passive aggressive question the man asked Jesus from Psychology Today.
  • Here’s a little bit about triangulation at wikipedia.

For SELF smart, give your congregation some tools to aid contemplation. David has a few links below that could help people focus their attention to “things that are above” in contrast to “things that are on earth.” A first step would be to define the two and make comparisons.

I didn’t think there would be anything for NATURE smart until I got to verse 9 where Paul talks about stripping off the old. It made me think of leaves falling off trees in the fall. Plants will drop leaves for a variety of reasons, not just seasonal changes. To illustrate Paul’s point about removing from our lives (and hearts and minds) the old habits of yesterday, bring in some fall leaves and talk about how it is necessary for the health of a tree to let go of them. This might help get you into a SELF smart meditation, too!

• SELF smart – [16:30]
  • Here is a meditation on vs. 12-14, which is next week, but it will give you an idea of the form.
  • Here is a meditation on visualization from ChristAudio.com
  • Here is a meditation from Encounter on vs. 2.
• NATURE smart – [19:31]
  • plants will abscise or cut away parts of themselves
  • leaf drop can signal a problem with a plant

Again, I wasn’t sure I was going to find anything to hook NATURE smart people until the end of the psalm selection where humans and animals are connected by mortality. Are we also connected by an awareness of our mortality? I found a link to an article at Psychology Today that considers the possibility.

In SELF smart, ask your congregation to think about the way we are so prone to use euphemisms for death. Why do we do this? And how do we react when the subject comes up? The psalmist is very pragmatic about death; it’s going to happen to everyone and even the animals will not escape this fate. Is this attitude helpful or not?

• NATURE smart – [23:38]
  • Do animals have an awareness of their own mortality?
  • bios life vs.  zoe life
• SELF smart – [25:51]

Continuing with the theme of death and the futility of getting away from it, for SELF smart help your congregation think about the options we have available to us to deal with the inevitability of death. Check out the worksheet for some options David lines up. Also, is our certainty of resurrection sometimes a “cheat” when we talk about death? Do we use this promise as a way of avoiding the topic? Give your people a chance to emulate Shakespeare and write a soliloquy a la Hamlet.

I think Qoholeth may have been less jaded about “chasing after the wind” if he had known about the wind chasers in South Africa! Or the people who run up the Himalayas! For a NATURE smart special effect, bring in a small(ish) kite and a fan. Set the kit aloft and then have someone else move the fan or even turn it off for a second or two to demonstrate the capricious nature of air currents.

• SELF smart – [32:00]
  • soliloquies and ponderings from Hamlet – “To be, or not to be” and “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio….”
• NATURE smart – [36:18]
  • Would Qoheleth been so sour if he had known about this kind of wind chasing?
  • Wind chasing is also running around in the Himalayas
  • A quick Google search for “working in the sun” returned so many articles and tips that I’m just going to link to that page

Photo credit: viteethumb at 123rf.com. Used by permission.

Hello friends and colleagues! We are still on vacation and can’t get a new episode out for you, but we are not abandoning you. Here is our previous episode from Year C, Ordinary 17, from 2016! You can listen to it right here, but for the show notes, click on over to the original episode’s page.

Hello friends and colleagues! This week we are on vacation and can’t get a new episode out for you, but we have something almost as good. It’s our previous episode from Year C, Ordinary 16, from 2016! You can listen to it right here, but for the show notes, click on over to the original episode’s page.

Hey everyone! Welcome to the show! We have some fun illustrations and special effects to share with you this week. The Gospel passage is the very familiar parable of the Good Samaritan. Paul greets the Colossians with a lot of enthusiasm and the Psalmist is eager to be kept from shame and ridicule. In Deuteronomy, the people are reminded that all they need to live a prosperous life in the land is contained in the book of the law. It’s really that simple.

We’ll be taking some time off after this week’s podcast. We’ve got some family time and travel coming up, so we’re going to post the shows we did three years ago. I was looking them over and thought we had some pretty good ideas! Here’s what we did three years ago for Year C, Ordinary 15, 2016. We used the Amos passage instead of Deuteronomy.

This week, we are concentrating on WORD and MATH smart. You can follow these links to read more about all the intelligences, especially for faith formation. Sharon Ely Pearson is the author at that link. Diana Waring is an educator who we’ve referenced before, as well. The worksheets with all our notes are below for download.

What else can be said about this parable? It’s a bit daunting to find something fresh from such a well known passage. Fortunately, using the Multiple Intelligence Theory lens offers some different insights. I was truly impressed with how much MATH smart can be found there! David found a study about offering assistance using students from our alma mater Princeton Theological Seminary (several years before we were there) with some surprising results. I think this is the golden nugget for the week; preach this, because it works!

I found a couple sermons that use a different focus for telling the story for WORD smart. You could also find out just how well everyone knows this story by inviting your congregation to recall it before you read it. Like the Nativity story, this could generate some telling results. Just how much do we pay attention to the detail of the written story, and how much to we embellish with our own imagination or traditions?

• MATH smart – [18:16]
  • Here’s a video summarizing the Darley-Batson Good Samaritan study at Princeton Theological Seminary.
  • The figures and statistics can be found in this article.
  • Similarly, on the “bystander effect” and other studies that refute it from this article on aeon.com
  • Consider exploring Jewish laws about neighbors. Here’s one summary.
  • Here is another article that traces Jewish thought on understanding the second great commandment. Highly recommended!
• WORD smart – [14:00]
  • Retelling the parable with a modern update is effective. Take a look at this one.
  • This sermon suggests looking at the story from the point of view of the man beaten by robbers.

Paul is eager to make the Colossians acquaintance, because he has heard how they have embraced the Gospel of Jesus. He has heard that they have received it and are bearing much fruit because of it. The Greek word “ἀκούω” is used four times in these verses with varied prefixes and tenses. It means both “to hear” and “to listen,” and I think Paul is stressing the latter translation in his writing. Exploring definitions and how they affect interpretation is a lovely WORD smart exercise.

The Colossians are transformed by this new message, which made David think about the way the concept of “zero” changed mathematics. Your MATH smart people will be all over this illustration!

• WORD smart – [17:03]
  • What happens when we hear.
  • How to make the most of when we listen.
• MATH smart – [20:16]
  • the invention of zero

The psalmist wants God to both remember him and forget his transgressions. For MATH smart, remind people about the memory function on calculators!

For WORD smart people, explore the definition of “exult” and the way the psalmist uses it hoping to avoid his enemy’s taunts. Also, in verse 9, the psalmist hints that the humble are the best candidates for God’s education. I think this is very true, and you can use the NPR Sunday puzzler to support this claim!

• MATH smart – [24:00]
• WORD smart – [26:09]
  • exult defined; taunt defined
  • Schoolyard taunts can be brutal – or really obscure.
  • The Guardian reports on an exchange between Winston Churchill and George Bernard Shaw.
  • Word puzzles on the Sunday morning Puzzler on NPR by Will Shortz

In our pre-post-literate world, the written WORD had a lot of authority. Remember playing a board game and running into a situation that required looking up the rules? Or cooking a new dish and forgetting which ingredient was next on the list? Nowadays, we’re more likely to turn to a video to find the answers, but back in MY day, we turned to the written words to find the answer. The author of Deuteronomy is urging the people to remember that everything they need to survive and thrive in the land is written in the Law of Moses.

It’s really that simple.

• WORD smart – [32:54]
  • This is a project you could have your children make.
• MATH smart – [36:00]

Photo by Sarah Dorweiler on Unsplash. Used by permission.

Hey all! Welcome back! Summer is here, and everyone is gone – at least around our part of the world, anyway. Many people in our congregations are making their annual trek to the beach or the mountains. In two of the Scripture passages for this week, we have people going out and coming in. The gospel text has 70 disciples sent out two by two into all the villages and towns to which Jesus intends to travel on his way to Jerusalem (Luke 10). These pairs are a type of advance team and are given the capacity to heal and teach in Jesus’ name. They have some success and are excited to report this when they return to Jesus. The passage from Isaiah 66 is a hymn to the exiles as they return to Jerusalem. David was struck by the flowing, comforting, beautiful imagery Isaiah uses to talk about the city when we know the exiles will find a husk filled with rubble when they get there. Is Isaiah setting them up for disappointment or is he looking down the road toward a possible future of God’s promise fulfilled? I think it’s the latter, myself.

Three years ago, we used the Old Testament semi-continuous passage from 2 Kings – “Good Infection.” We have different illustrations and special effects for Galatians and Luke in this show.

In the introduction to the smarts, I mentioned a couple resources I found for MUSIC smart. The first resource is a YouTube channel for a musician named Michael Levy, who puts ancient texts to music. And, here is a video of possibly the oldest written music! We have some other insights about the smarts at the top of the worksheets which you can download below!

There isn’t any MUSIC in this passage per se, but when I stepped back and looked at the disciples being sent out in pairs, I thought of how small bands travel around regions playing their music in any venue they can land a gig. Small bands rely on the kindness and camaraderie of other musicians and while some people may not like their “sound”, others may and the evening can be groovy. To give people a feel for being those traveling musicians, try the special effect of setting the passage to music.

For SELF smart, think of this story in terms of an underdog given an outsized task, a la David and Goliath. This theme is played out in many sports and war movies, so there is a wealth of illustrations listed on the worksheet. For a special effect, ask your congregation to think of a time when they felt like an underdog faced with a difficult situation. Also, ask them to think about a time when they felt like a lamb sent out among wolves – or a time they may have sent a lamb out to the wolves.

• MUSIC smart – [7:33]
  • Teresa of Avila, Christ Has No Body.
• SELF smart – [9:54]

In SELF smart, David thinks Paul is accusing the “circumcision party” of simply gathering people for the sake of numbers. This got him to thinking about the motivation for such behaviors. Below, we have links to a study, a blog, and a discussion forum covering this topic. Pushing this thought a little further, he thought re-visiting Martin Buber’s I and Thou would be a good idea. For a special effect, think of a time when you might grow tired but not weary. What’s the difference?

Paul’s mention of reaping and sowing got me to thinking of the days when I was in band playing the clarinet. We were taught to swab out our instruments after playing them, but many of us chose not to for the sake of saving time getting to the next class or off to catch a bus. Over time, an uncleaned clarinet began to collect some pretty gross stuff in the pads which effected the ease of playing. For a special effect, bring in an instrumentalist who can talk about good habits of musicianship and what difference it makes.

• MUSIC smart – [17:43]
• SELF smart – [14:03]
  • Social Motivation: Costs and Benefits of Selfishness and Otherishness – scientific
  • Causes of selfishness and how to deal with a selfish person – bloggish
  • Is there an essentially selfish motive behind every human behavior? – quora discussion
  • Martin Buber’s I and Thou at:
    • Wikipedia,
    • SparkNotes, and
    • Brain Pickings (Summary article)

The Psalms were an ancient music and worship book, so check out Michael Levy’s YouTube page (linked above) for some interesting information. For a special effect in MUSIC, play this psalm with instruments! I also have just a fraction of hymns and songs that Hymnary.org suggests for this passage. Go check it out if you have not ever been there!

For SELF smart, take the time to think about why you would praise God. Be aware of the emotional responses you have to your reasons, and if they are negative, trace their origins. As David says, if they are particularly negative, ask the Spirit to guide and protect you as you go into this experience.

• MUSIC smart – [20:44]
  • some classics: I Love to Tell the Story, O For a Thousand Tongues, From All that Dwell Below the Skies
  • and more modern songs: Glory and Praise to Our God, Shout to the Lord, Uyai Mose (Come, All You People)
• SELF smart – [23:37]
  

In SELF smart, think about the ways in which a mother and a child have a deep connection. Fathers do, too, but Isaiah is using a mother for his illustration here. The fact that the imagery is so full of love and protection and abundance is jarring with what the exiles will find on the ground once they return to Jerusalem. Is Isaiah being a jerk or is there a more complex reason for this contrast? Is it to allow the people to acknowledge the great tender care of God even in the most dire circumstances? The reality is that great joy is often only lived through great turmoil. Let folks sit with that reality.

For MUSIC smart, I’m stealing from both BODY and EYE smart by suggesting setting this passage to interpretive movement. The passage is lyrical and musical in itself; if you can fine a way to put this to music, great! My suggestion is to simply read the passage and include visual and kinesthetic elements. I also have some hymns and songs you might use, too.

• MUSIC smart – [30:06]
  • Like a River Glorious, River of Peace (hymn), River of Peace (Karen Peck)
• SELF smart – [27:49]

Photo by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi from Pexels, free to use.

Hey everyone!! We are running late again this week. The requirements of ministry meant I was on the road quite a bit this week and once again unable to devote much attention to the podcast. We are hoping to get back to a more regular schedule for the show in the future.

Meanwhile, David heard from a listener, Gail Kenny, with an idea she had for a Pentecost service on a ward for psychiatric patients. Rules and regulations forced her to think outside the box – and she came up with a brilliant idea! Good work, Gail! Click over to 03:50 in the episode to hear what she did.

Three years ago, we used the “semi-continuous” Old Testament passage (2 Kings 2). This year, we are using the “complementary” passage (1 Kings 19) and Psalm 16. Jesus’ words to a would-be follower in Luke – Don’t Look Back – is echoed in the exchange between Elijah and Elisha in the Kings passage (but without the awesome guitar riff or tight harmonies, as far as we know). The Galatians passage is very familiar. I once presented actual fruit and invited people to come get what fruit they thought they needed for their own lives. You could also label fruits on the fellowship table.

This week, we are concentrating on BODY smart and WORD smart. We give a brief description of each and then offer some ways you might use them in worship. The worksheets are just below and are free to download!

In WORD smart, Elijah’s comment to Elisha (“What have I done to you?”) has David scratching his head. What did he mean, and does the missing vocal inflection and body language make it more obscure? Did he mean to caution Elisha about the gravity of receiving his mantle? Or did he mean to encourage Elisha to go ahead and say farewell to his family? Elisha apparently chose the latter interpretation, because he heads home, says goodbye, offers his team of oxen as a farewell meal, and runs after Elijah. How we interpret this odd question may be influenced by how we interpret the similar situation in Luke.

For BODY smart, I was caught by the implications of the mantle. Elijah throws it around Elisha as he’s out in the field working. The gesture seems to serve as an anointing or ordination which is a highly unusual way to get a job, isn’t it? But imagine if Elisha had been required to get a degree, go to seminary, take classes, serve as a student pastor, go through many interviews and votes on readiness for ministry? It’s so much faster to go up to someone that God has told you to select and give them your token of office. Of course, Elisha had to grow into the role, much like children grow into the oversized clothes of their parents when they are playing dress-up.

• BODY smart – [14:28]
• WORD smart – [12:00]
  • A skit on SNL years and years ago (1984!!!) where Ed Asner was an engineer retiring from a nuclear power plant.

For WORD smart, this psalm sounds like a testimonial; King David is singing the praise of the Lord God! David was reminded of those old testimonial advertisements. Try writing your own using a “Mad Lib” style worksheet.

Looking at this Psalm through the lens of BODY smart, I was struck by the phrase “my body rests secure”. This made me think of a good night’s sleep. Talk a bit about what makes for full body rest; the type of cushioning, the temperature of the room, the sounds – or lack thereof – in the environment. For a little assistance, I have a link with some helpful tips below.

• BODY smart – [16:39]
  • Some tips for good nighttime rest
• WORD smart – [18:51]
  • see the worksheet for the “Mad Lib”

As David was reading this passage, he noticed that the fruits of the Spirit have qualities that are opposites of the fruits of the flesh. So, being a MATH smart kinda guy, he charted them! Take a look at the worksheet and see how they line up. Interestingly, there is no corresponding “dark side” for joy. Explore why that might be.

Modern medicine is making advances in the mind/body connection for health and healing and Paul’s contrast between these fruits made me think about how exhibiting each will affect one’s BODY. As you read this passage, invite your congregation to “feel” the fruits; first the flesh and then the Spirit. Have them notice how their body feels and what posture they adopt when they think about it.

• BODY smart – [26:05]
  • The Mayo Clinic Integrative Medicine and Health Research Program
  • The US National Library of Medicine has another article about mind body connections in healing.
• WORD smart – [23:04]
  • see the worksheet for the word chart

Jesus’ words to a potential disciple about putting one’s hand to the plow and then looking back “compliments” the Old Testament lesson. We’ve talked before about the practical aspects of keeping your eyes on your plowing; if you look back, you’ll run the risk of veering off course. If you ride bikes or horses, you have had the experience of turning your head, which turns your shoulder, and on down your torso which wobbles your aim. For BODY smart, experiment with walking forward while looking back. Pro tip: have a spotter!

For WORD smart, Jesus’ comments to the various seekers seem a bit odd to our ears. Is he using a popular aphorism? Do we simple lose the meaning in the translation? For David, the phrases stand out much like the unusual word choices Dan Rather often used, especially on election nights. We have a collection of “Dan Ratherisms” which are as strange as a snow cone on a cold night. See?

• BODY smart – [32:12]
  • Some tips for when you ride a horse – scroll down to number 12.
• WORD smart – [35:05]
  • Some “Dan Ratherisms” at:
    • Adweek.com
    • Official Dan Rather site
    • Some fake Ratherisms that are a little raunchier – BEWARE

Image credit: Photo by Gvexx from Pexels, used by permission.

Hey everyone! We are really late this week; I’ve had a series of pastoral calls that kept me on the road to various hospitals and nursing facilities. It ain’t over yet, either. David has also been drawn away a bit, as well. So we are doing a bit of an abbreviated show this week looking at only the Gospel and Epistle lessons. The Gospel is the story of the Gerasene demoniac who when asked by Jesus his name responds, “We are Legion.” Then, in his letter to the Galatians, Paul stresses the new union believers experience in Jesus. (For a MUSIC smart bonus, listen to this song Many and One by Steve Angrisano.) In the first story, Jesus heals a man who has been fractured into many pieces and makes him one. In Paul’s letter, he encourages the many parts of the Galatian fellowship to see themselves as one in Christ. In each, pieces are integrated by God’s intention for wholeness. It’s a lesson for our divided world, isn’t it? E pluribus unum, indeed.

To see what we suggested for this Sunday three years ago, follow this link. (Those Android commercials!! and Der Kommissar!) The worksheets for this week’s show are below and free to download. This week, we are emphasizing NATURE and PEOPLE smart.

This text is thick with possibility for preaching, and while we are sticking to NATURE and PEOPLE, the other intelligences are represented here, as well. Use a map to find a likely spot for this story as an EYE smart special effect and sing “It is Well with My Soul” for MUSIC smart. Look at the Law Code in Leviticus and Deuteronomy to set up the lawlessness of the situation for MATH smart. Three years ago, we suggested the man’s BODY was ravaged by adrenaline. For this year’s cycle, David has links to powerful essays about isolation and incarceration for PEOPLE smart. For NATURE smart, think of the man’s condition and Jesus’ healing in terms of bacterial or parasitic infections and clouds obscuring the sun. Take a look at the PEOPLE smart worksheet for some bonus WORD smart thoughts.

• NATURE smart – [10:04]
• PEOPLE smart – [12:38]
  • The Unlonely Project overview and more background
  • Psychological Science: Isolating the Costs of Loneliness
  • comparing incarceration to demonic possession in Christian Century

Three years ago, the law imprisoned and guarded us like Jiminy Cricket. This year for a PEOPLE smart illustration, try thinking of this restriction in terms of Mary Poppins! Our loverly Mary is a bit more adventurous than either Jiminy or where Paul may have been going with this thought, but while she runs a disciplined organization, she does dance with a chimney sweep who in turn dances with penguins. For a special effect, encourage your congregation to make the time to get to know someone who is not like them; really listen to one another with the goal of understanding. For NATURE smart, think of Paul’s concept of unity in diversity in terms of humans making a conscious effort to be better stewards of creation.

• NATURE smart – [28:24]
  • The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), also known as Rio 2012
• PEOPLE smart – [24:45]

Image credit: Copyright : rawpixel. Used by permission.

Hey everyone! Welcome here and welcome back! Did anyone think of football when you saw the title above? I did, I will admit. However, Johnny U’s name is pronounced with the emphasis on the second syllable while the title is pronounced with the emphasis on the first syllable. It is a Latin word that means “oneness” or a state of being one or undivided. We often think of God this way until we come upon the Sunday after Pentecost when we turn the corner and begin talking about God’s “oneness” being made up of three co-equal, co-eternal, co-present persons. Karoline Lewis writes that this doctrine is “our best efforts to give words to our experiences of God in our lives and in the lives of others.” No one metaphor or image will ever completely capture God, but we can explore our experiences in multiple ways.

To that end, we are once again veering from the usual path of our podcast. This week, we thought it would be interesting to take this theological concept of the Trinity and run it through all eight intelligences. Because of this, we are not using the scripture passages assigned for this week. If you are interested to see what we offered for them in the past, click the link below for the 2016 Year C show. Otherwise, the worksheet for this year is just below and is, as always, free to download!

• Trinity Year C, 2016
• Trinity Year A, 2017
• Trinity Year B, 2018

Using WORD smart answers the question, “How do we speak about the Trinity?” As an illustration, David thought about the way “holy,” “holey,” and “wholly” are homonyms and define entirely different concepts. However, applying them to our experience of God’s three persons, we might have the opportunity to open up some deep reflections of God’s holiness, our imperfection, and the way the Spirit works to mix all of that together.

• Holy,
• Holey,
• Wholly!

Using EYE smart answers the question, “How do we visualize the Trinity?” The first thing that occurred to both of us was Celtic knots. Since I wrote that down first, David went looking for something else and found the Penrose Triangle (see links below). Both visuals represent a continual pathway that leads one into deeper contemplation of God’s eternal nature as the eye traces the lines. For a special effect, make these images available as either a projection or a hand out.

• Celtic knots
• Penrose Triangle

Using MATH smart answers the question, “How to make sense of the Trinity?” Geometric shapes (which also appeal to EYE smart people) can show the interlocking and supporting concept of three persons connected to one another. David also wrote a simple computer program that results in an infinite loop!

• Metatron’s cube
• Overlapping circles grid

Using BODY smart answers the question, “How do we make the Trinity a physical reality?” I thought we could borrow from the Celtic knot and make our own knots using crochet hooks or knitting needles. You could also teach people to weave a Turk’s head bracelet using cord. The idea is to physically engage people in an activity that blends single elements into a whole. Maybe even learn a series of dance steps or a yoga sequence!

• Weave a Turks head bracelet
  • click here for video instruction!
• try a Triangle Dance

Using MUSIC smart answers the question, “How might we sing about the Trinity?” We suggest the hymn for the day plus have a couple other suggestions that you can download from Hope Publishing. See the links below. Tuning forks resonating in unison would be a great illustration, as well as tuning instruments to themselves and one another. For a special effect, get your congregation to sing a chord and harmonize!

• Holy, Holy, Holy
• God the Spirit, Guide and Guardian
• How Wonderful the Three in One
• Tuning forks in resonance

Using NATURE smart answers the question, “How would we find the Trinity in the natural world?” Consider the life cycle of a plant: a seed, plant, and fruit are all contained in the same organism. Wind, water, and heat are all parts of a hurricane, and water, bed, and motion are all parts of a river. What other natural cycles would demonstrate the Trinity?

• Maker of Mystery – a song with lyrics from nature

Using PEOPLE smart answers the question, “How can we explore the relational nature of the Trinity?” In her essay linked below, Debi Thomas lists some characteristics of God’s relational nature. Ask your congregation if they would add any others. How have they experienced these in their own lives? Where were they and who were they with? David Lose writes that the deep love of God’s nature cannot be contained in any one person but instead spills out into the world.

• essay by Debi Thomas
• commentary by David Lose

Using SELF smart answers the question, “How would we contemplate the reality of the Trinity in our personal discipleship?” At Lectionary Lab, Delmer Chilton mentions a Barna Research study that identifies the three most important statements we want to hear from another person: “I love you,” “I forgive you,” and “Dinner is ready, let’s eat.” I think these statements are all through Scripture and are reflected in the Trinity.

• sermon by Delmer Chilton
• Mere Christianity
• Salt+ Lectionary essay Threefold Life that references C.S. Lewis

Image credit: Celtic knot pattern design. Vector illustration. Copyright: Sergey Gerasimov via 123RF. Used by permission.