worshipconnect

You Lost Me!

worshipconnect8800 — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 22:51:39 +0000

It seems the church at large has a hard time connecting with people. I hear stories about how church is no longer relevant to people’s lives. Why is that? At what point did the church at large seem to lose connection with people … real people with real issues living real lives? And how might the church begin to connect with people, with where their passions are? How can the church leave the building and meet people? I know that Jesus’ message is relevant to people’s lives, but somehow or other we as Christians, or the church at large, have obscured that connection. Where do we start to truly hear people again who are not connected to God or the church?

Help us explore these questions in our next sermon series “You Lost Me” starting Jan 15.

Reading Someone Else’s Mail

worshipconnect8800 — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 19:23:38 +0000

Have you ever read someone else’s email? Poked your head over someone’s shoulder while he was reading a letter? We’re doing just that for the next several weeks as we read letters written in the first century to fledgling faith communities… some of the first people who were trying to figure out what it means to live as a follower of Christ. It seems in many ways that we are still struggling with some of the same issues they had. Come and explore how God uses handwritten letters from about 1,960 years ago to connect to the tweeting, facebooking, texting world of today.

Holy Spirit

worshipconnect8800 — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:46:56 +0000

John 20:19-31; Genesis 1:1-31; John 1:1-5, 10-14

We do not talk much about the Holy Spirit when we talk about God. We speak freely about Jesus Christ and about God as Creator, Judge, Sustainer, Redeemer. The Holy Spirit is much harder to comprehend. Artists have a difficult time depicting the Holy Spirit, and authors have a difficult time describing this aspect/part of the Three-One God. The Holy Spirit is God at work within us, moving us, shaping us, transforming us. It is the Holy Spirit who nudges us toward others; it is the Holy Spirit who reminds us of Christ’s teachings and tells us who we are. It is the Holy Spirit that tells us when to listen and gives us words when it is difficult to speak. It is the Holy Spirit that tells us we belong to God. The Holy Spirit is wonderfully, inescapably uncontrollable. God within us…

How do you notice the Holy Spirit in you?

Earth Sabbath

worshipconnect8800 — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 18:13:22 +0000

Last week when I was visiting someone who is homebound, she encouraged me to go in her backyard and look at the azaleas in full bloom. She told me that she could not imagine how absolutely beautiful heaven will be if even earth can look like that. For her, the blooming azaleas are a bright reminder of God’s presence and new life. How do you notice God’s presence beside you in the natural world? At a sunrise on the beach? Standing before a mountain of autumn trees? Gazing upon a delicate spider web? Catching a whiff of honeysuckle?

This Sunday we look at God’s earth and our stewardship of it. We look at the total picture of Christian stewardship, challenge ourselves to be consciously responsible, and join the earth in praising God. How do you live your faith by caring for God’s earth?

Holy Week

worshipconnect8800 — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 16:58:24 +0000

Now comes the hard part. We walk toward the cross through the days of Holy Week. On Maundy Thursday, we remember the Last Supper with the disciples. On Good Friday, we remember the agony and seeming finality of the crucifixion. What would it have been like to be a disciple after Jesus’ death? Tradition says the men locked themselves in a room, fearful perhaps that the authorities would next come after them. They sat in grief. They sat in disappointment, that the One in whom they had placed their lives and hope was now dead. Christ had told them he would be raised up, but I imagine few if any of them believed it or understood the words. And so they sat. Perhaps they shared stories about Jesus’ time with them, as people do when someone dies. Perhaps they laughed and cried together when the memories came to mind. Perhaps they tried to figure out where to go now that Jesus was gone. Perhaps they sat in remorse, feeling guilty for denying and abandoning him when he needed them most. What is it like to be stuck in the middle of waiting, not quite sure if the situation in which you are living will one day be redeemed? What is it like to sit for days in fear, regret, and grief? This is the dark place where we find the disciples on Good Friday, sitting, grieving, waiting, praying ….

Somebody Got It

worshipconnect8800 — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 19:14:29 +0000

Mark 15:25-47

Working as a youth minister years ago, I will not forget those moments on mission trips when a teenager “got it:” those moments when God’s love, God’s grace, God’s presence, and God’s kingdom all came together in a visible and tangible way. Somehow, in the midst of bug-infested showers, malodorous cabins, and sweaty hard labor, God’s love for that person found a home open to take in the holy mystery of grace. It never ceases to amaze me how and when God moves in an unlikely person through an unlikely situation to communicate a love that knows no bounds.

In the story for this week, two unlikely people “get it.” A Roman centurion, for one, who stands at the cross and had probably participated in beating and mocking Jesus hours before, now stands and says, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” Joseph of Arimathea also “gets it.” He was one of the religious authorities, perhaps among those who had hours earlier condemned Jesus as a blasphemer worthy of death. He now asks for the humble honor of caring for Jesus’ body.

How and when does God’s message of love break through our own reluctance to see it? How and when does God use the message of the cross to begin to reshape who we are?

Walking Beside Another’s Pain

worshipconnect8800 — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 01:13:40 +0000

Mark 15:15-24

Perhaps you know what it is like to be Simon, to come alongside another who is underneath a load of unbearable pain. In this story, Simon of Cyrene carries Jesus’ cross; heavily beaten, Jesus is unable to bear the load on his own. Perhaps you know the view from Jesus’ seat, beaten by circumstances and unable to bear the weight … struggling underneath a heavy diagnosis, the burden of grief, or the lengthy and unpredictable road of treatment. The person who knows these burdens knows that he cannot walk through suffering alone. He needs a tangible Simon, a companion, a shoulder, a listening ear. A friend once told me, “You’re about to get sick of me because I care too much about you to let you go through this pain alone.” That friend’s partnering with me on my journey eased some of the weight on my shoulders. Perhaps you know what it is to be that companion, a Simon, the one who comes alongside. Perhaps you find God enabling you to do things for another that you never thought you could do. You know what it is to realize that you cannot fix the burden. Perhaps you are caring for a spouse battling cancer or a parent who is dying, or you sit with a friend going through divorce. If you walk these roads beside another, know that God is present and loves you and the one whose burden you help carry. I think Simon would tell you that these roads are, in fact, holy ground.

In what ways is God inviting you to walk beside another in pain? In what ways is God inviting you to help carry someone else’s burden? How have you noticed Christ’s presence beside you?

Barabbas and Me

worshipconnect8800 — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 21:09:57 +0000

Mark 15:1-15

Did you ever get away with something when you knew you were guilty? Perhaps a speeding ticket? People ordinarily focus on Jesus and Pilate throughout this part of the story or on the crowd, swayed easily. Today, I wonder instead what the view might have been from Barabbas’ prison quarters. I wonder what if anything changed in his life, freed as a guilty man. He was a known murderer and insurrectionist; yet, the religious authorities and crowd called for Barabbas to be free. I wonder what had happened in his life to bring him to this point, awaiting death by crucifixion. Why did he make the choices he had? Did he hear the crowd shouting for the death of the other man? And once released to walk away, what did Barabbas do with his new life and freedom? How did he handle the gift of grace? Did he go by the cross to see the one who took his place? Did he ask around and find out who Jesus was? In what way, if any, did his life change to now be free?

How is Barabbas’ position like ours? It turns out Barabbas and I have a lot in common. We, too, are offered freedom, grace, and new life because Christ was crucified. We certainly do not deserve it either. What do we do with that? How do we live after God’s gift of unmerited grace?

Click on these movie and drawn images of Barabbas and ponder what it means to be free.

Condemned and Denied

worshipconnect8800 — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:40:57 +0000

Mark 14:53-72

Peter protested vehemently when Jesus said Peter would deny knowing him. Yet, Peter now finds himself in dangerous circumstances, hanging around outside Jesus’ trial before the Council. Peter warms himself by the fire. Meanwhile, Jesus is accused, derided, and beaten. Testimonies against him do not agree. He is deemed a blasphemer. Someone recognizes Peter, but he repeatedly perseveres in not acknowledging a relationship to Christ. When Peter hears the cock crow the second time, he comes to himself. His soul catches up with him. He has disavowed his relationship with his Savior. He breaks down.

At what points do we spiritually come to ourselves? How and when do our souls catch up with us? How does God use the world around us to draw our attention toward our relationship with Christ? How does God use others to bring us back to being a disciple?

Click on the links for artists’ depictions of Peter’s denial. My favorites are the third and fourth because of the expression and posture of Peter. In the second link, Peter appears to not be able to look Jesus in the face. What are your thoughts on the images?

Betrayal and Difficult Prayer

worshipconnect8800 — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 22:19:34 +0000

Mark 14:26-52

On March 20, we take the next steps in Jesus’ journey. In these verses, Jesus tells his closest followers that they will all desert him, even though Peter and the others protest that they will surely not; in that same moment, Jesus also says that he will go before them in the next days of their own difficult spiritual journeys. Jesus announces both their betrayal and his restoration of relationship with them. Then Jesus struggles in prayer with not wanting the events to unfold as they will; nevertheless, he commits himself to God’s will. That “nevertheless” is quite important. How do we handle difficult seasons of prayer? How do we know God’s will? How do we struggle with the difficult realities of what God is calling us to do? In what ways do we desert Jesus by how we live and what we say? In what way does Christ restore relationship and love us nevertheless? How do we catch glimpses of God’s love even as we walk away?

Knowing we will abandon our following of him, Jesus still is determined to walk the agonizing journey toward the cross… in love. Look at different artists’ interpretations of the story. The four links are lengthy, but click on them as a way to enter Jesus’ struggle in prayer.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://bennettcarnahan.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/christ-in-gethsemane-p.jpg&imgrefurl=http://bennettcarnahan.wordpress.com/2008/11/17/christ-in-gethsemane/&usg=__tIxwkXF78Y6k7RvLoKse3tZBq5k=&h=470&w=468&sz=48&hl=en&start=24&zoom=1&tbnid=eOepPz1oVIG5MM:&tbnh=149&tbnw=163&ei=yhp5TbaTOYLEgAf-n_DeBw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgethsemane%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4TSNA_en___US395%26biw%3D1516%26bih%3D635%26addh%3D36%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C541&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=706&vpy=231&dur=2153&hovh=225&hovw=224&tx=128&ty=116&oei=sRp5TZrbGcu20QHblqH_Aw&page=2&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:12,s:24&biw=1516&bih=635

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://carabiner.stpaulqc.org/uploaded_images/12-PrayingAtGethsemane-770186.jpg&imgrefurl=http://carabiner.stpaulqc.org/2008/03/gethsemane.html&usg=__wxR5hHQYkakJadHvLhLP4mseZI8=&h=420&w=401&sz=62&hl=en&start=24&zoom=1&tbnid=05ZuY0ymYIiQ2M:&tbnh=137&tbnw=131&ei=_hp5TcDyEZC_gQeswrUp&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgethsemane%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4TSNA_en___US395%26biw%3D1516%26bih%3D635%26addh%3D36%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C408&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=945&vpy=203&dur=2308&hovh=230&hovw=219&tx=123&ty=143&oei=-hp5TcXYFce-0QG60uT6Aw&page=2&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:24&biw=1516&bih=635

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.thomaskelly.net/images/garden_of_gethsemane.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.thomaskelly.net/collected.htm&usg=__ywHxrs1Ecnu83h-iNf9P5DKVDTI=&h=350&w=465&sz=147&hl=en&start=48&zoom=1&tbnid=DnzO7bH9DWh9BM:&tbnh=135&tbnw=174&ei=Yht5TeHCAsvogQeZr6DFBw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgethsemane%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4TSNA_en___US395%6biw%3D1516%26bih%3D635%26addh%3D36%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C896&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=1231&vpy=236&dur=219&hovh=195&hovw=259&tx=180&ty=93&oei=XRt5TfH4A5S40QGkpt33Aw&page=3&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:48&biw=1516&bih=635

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.sermons4kids.com/gethsemane_288x432.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.sermons4kids.com/henry_martin.htm&usg=__bNxs3j2S-g3YMXfdtTHuudtbMMA=&h=432&w=288&sz=51&hl=en&start=165&zoom=1&tbnid=dEsFKRRP9qySgM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=100&ei=SRx5Te28FsXUgQfon8jeBw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgethsemane%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4TSNA_en___US395%26biw%3D1516%26bih%3D635%26addh%3D36%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C3511&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=253&vpy=114&dur=7597&hovh=275&hovw=183&tx=106&ty=191&oei=Chx5TZK5Loy50QHWy-iDBA&page=8&ndsp=26&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:165&biw=1516&bih=635