DEAD OR ALIVE

Jesus was dead. There is no question about that. So what happened to make someone who had spent their life wishing that was true come to believe that Jesus is alive?

It's Resurrection Sunday! Maybe there's more to it than jellybeans and colored eggs.

LIES ABOUT PALM SUNDAY

Palm Sunday is the most mistold tale since the Christmas story, making it the perfect cap to top off our series about the lies our Sunday School teachers taught us. Although I probably would lay the blame for this one more on pastors and teachers who turn an event that wasn't into a spectacle. 

It's not hard to see how so many people misunderstand what happened that day! All you need to do is STOP READING before the gospel writers finish telling their stories... I guess if you don't like the ending, stop before you get to it, right?

Today, we read the WHOLE story and change the way we understand Palm Sunday to something quieter, deeper, and more dramatic than the lie most people have embraced.

Good news! You have the keys to Hell. The owner has given you the right to come and go as you please. And the right to share Hell with others by sending them in or setting them free. Will you take up residence, or insist that others must, or will you open the gates?

Jesus gave you those keys. He also explained why and how you can use them, if you choose.

TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN... WHERE, EXACTLY?

We are working through some of the lies that we are taught in Sunday School! As in all walks of life, we need to be careful to separate the fantasy and superstition from our religious walk, or our understanding of God and how we were created live will be distorted.

This week we examine what scripture teaches us about what happens after we die. It may not be what you think! Be sure to examine the scripture and history for yourself.

Have you ever wondered if God might get so mad that he flings poo at someone like an angry chimpanzee? If so, this is the week for you to check in here!

We're taking a break from our LIES series to talk about one of my favorite subjects: The Bible itself! We'll play a game (yes, there are prizes!) and examine how we get the book that we read and also run down the pros and cons of some popular translations.

What could reading the Bible regularly mean for your faith? And what could it break? If you believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by the inspiration of God and that they only constitute the Divine rule of Christian faith and practice, you might want to be particularly mindful about what and how often you read them. Just saying.

If there is a Disney Princess story in the Bible...
The story of Esther is NOT it.

In Sunday school, we tell it as if it is, but this (like the story of Samson) isn't a story meant to be told to children. It's a very adult story, filled with very adult themes. From sex trafficking to murder to politics and scheming to the death of tens of thousands, this is a story written to bring attention to God's love in a very subtle and unusual way...

We can only hit the highlights today, so listen to today's teaching as a guide, then go read the whole thing for yourself. Questions, comments, and discussion are always welcome!

We're taking a short break from our Sunday School Lies series, but will resume it next week! This week, we need to talk about something else...

Aren't we all basically good people? That's the central question of our Bible exploration today. The answer? Well... We'll consult with psalmists new and old and prophets and apostles and this guy named Jesus who you may have heard of. To reach a conclusion, we'll need to use our internal organs to make a very external decision and then live it out. What does that mean? Join us, and find out!

The children's story of Zacchaeus the tax collector teaches kids that short people are inferior, rich people are evil, and that if you have enough money to spread around, both of those can be overlooked.

This isn't even close to what the story is really about.

In fact, it seems possible that Zacchaeus is neither short nor a thief.

So what IS going on, and what are we supposed to make of it?

Grab your Bibles and be ready to follow along in Luke 19 for this week's study!

As a child, I was taught again and again that the glory of God was somehow shined up by the genocidal destruction of Jericho when Israel entered the Promised Land. As an adult, I've heard and been taught and had it explained that this is true and that it is a good thing. That there can be Holy War where we kill our enemies and their children and their animals and God loves it.

Here's the problem:
That's not true.
It's not what this story is about.
It's not what we are supposed to get from it.
And it isn't AT ALL the intent, purpose, or hope of God.

In fact, the story isn't even really about Jericho. This is Rahab's story.  And it matters to you and I today, if we have ears to hear it. 

Why did Jesus heal people? Was it because they came to him, repentant and ready to work for him, so he fixed them? Was it because he couldn't be around people who weren't perfect? Was it a way of buying their loyalty? Or was something else going on?

Today we look at the story of a man who was paralyzed being brought to Jesus. But making that man's body work the same way as everyone else's wasn't at all what Jesus thought was important. Please join us for this week's look at the lies we are taught in Sunday School...