Explore every episode of the podcast More Than Hearing
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year A, Special Effects for Online Worship – Video Edition, 2020 | 04 Apr 2020 | 00:41:45 | |
Hey everyone! We know that many of you are adapting your worship services to online formats and we have some tips for how to move Multiple Intelligence Theory online! We are working from the Zoom platform; you may be using something different with other tools. That’s okay. We’re pretty sure what we suggest in this video will translate to other applications. Worship is a living experience, so don’t fret if you are having difficulties or receiving feedback that is mostly “Why do we have to do it THIS way?” or “I wish we could meet at the church.” We do not worship the way our ancient Hebrew ancestors worshipped, and we don’t worship the way the first Christians worshipped. We don’t even worship the way our grandparents worshipped for the most part. We are rapidly evolving into this new world where the Ancient foundation of God’s love shapes our new walls. So this week’s episode is an adventure, because it is both audio and VIDEO! If you subscribe to our regular feed, you’ll get the audio from the video automatically, or you can download it here or in the usual places. But if you want the full treatment, you’ll want to click on the video on this page! You’ll get to see us at work with some general examples of special effects, plus you can see our swank MTH logo t-shirts! Our first video episode! The sound quality is lousy, because we recorded through Zoom.We truly hope this helps as you make your way in the new world. Please be in contact if you have any questions! | |||
| Year A, Lent 5, 2020 – New Life | 27 Mar 2020 | 00:31:43 | |
Hey everyone! We’ve been swamped this week. A lot of new ways of doing ministry has kept us away from producing a show. We are re-posting our episode from three years ago for these texts. You can see our show notes and download our worksheets at this link. We pray you all are well, and that this time, while unnerving, will provide you with new and creative ways to be the Body of Christ. Keep the faith, pray for everyone on the frontlines, pray for those suffering through the disease and grief of lost loved ones, and know you are mightily loved. Grace and peace, | |||
| Year A, Ordinary Time 2, 2020 – Emerging | 13 Jan 2020 | 00:39:20 | |
Hey, welcome back! I really like the picture above. I love tulips, but we cannot have any around our house, because foraging four-legged critters love them, too! *chomp* We can see what color these will be, but they are not yet fully emerged. The passages for today contain within them elements that are emerging. In the Isaiah passage, the servant that God has chosen is still discovering the mission God wants done through him. The Psalm as it is presented is a sort of “light lament,” but the verses that did not get included emerge as a full lament. Paul has some advice for the Corinthians, but first, he wants to establish the basis for their relationship before any of it emerges. And in John’s Gospel, the Lamb of God approaches, and two of John’s disciples decide to follow. Their conversation with Jesus points to an emerging discipleship. Three years ago, we had a photo from space, questions about which verb tense to use to define our personal journey of faith, and Holy Ghost orchids! We also seem to have a bit of overlap with this year’s offerings, especially in music. That must be why we liked them so much! Take a look at the show notes and worksheets at this link: Year A, Ordinary 2, 2017. John 1:29-42 – [01:58] John 1:29-42 worksheetDownloadDavid noticed that some words in the passage are defined by John three different times. That John does this throughout the Gospel reveals he was writing to people who were unfamiliar with the Jewish roots of the faith (or at least the Hebrew language. For WORD smart, ask people about their experiences of being in a setting where the language is unfamiliar; it may be a language that is not your native tongue, or it could be someone is using a lot of vernacular idioms or slang. Try using a translation that is different from usual, and be open to what new understanding emerges from that. For EYE smart, if you still have the balloon doves from last week, put them to use again, because this passage is John’s version of Jesus’ baptism. We offer an anthem with an intense video for MUSIC smart. Ask your congregation to consider what would happen if you suddenly started following a stranger pointed out to you for a PEOPLE smart exercise. And for SELF smart, remember a time when you just jumped into a situation without knowing the ending or even thinking through the beginning. We have some examples to illustrate this.
Paul’s letters to the Corinthians reveal ways a church can operate, both in an ideal and a real world. As he begins his letter, he uses language that will be the prism through which everything else will be seen. For WORD smart, think about a time when you received written communication that you knew would approach a difficult situation; what words were used to begin the conversation? We have a poem that reminds us the work of the church goes on, as well as an article about the passage from The Christian Century. We also have an idea for a choral reading of a poem written by John van de Laar. For EYE smart, find some balloons, a fan, and a weight. Use them to make a mini-hot air balloon to demonstrate the gifts of the Spirit and Jesus’ grounding in faith. For BODY smart, label some weights with words Paul uses to define life in Christ and then lift them! We recommend a couple “oldie but goodie” hymns for MUSIC smart. Some commentary by Bill Loader made us think about why we “train” as disciples, so invite your congregation to ponder the questions we have – and add your own! And for SELF smart, has anyone ever begun a tough conversation with you about your relationship by giving thanks to God for you? What emerged from that?
Even though we skipped over WORD smart (check out the worksheet to see what we suggested), David has a story for EYE smart. It seems unusual to put it here, except for the visual imagery in the story, and the fact that the main character points out a savior – the way John does in the Gospel! For MATH smart, we wonder if you all can list the ways you are grateful to God – can you get to a million? It may take a while! For BODY smart, bring in items that help us keep our footing secure, and try some strengthening exercises right there in the pews! Finally, for NATURE smart, study up on bogs and why they can be hazardous. It may help explain why the psalmist is so grateful God helped him emerge from his. We have a WORD smart crossover calling to mind literary bogs.
David thinks this passage can be illuminated with the absolute value of numbers for MATH smart. I got there, eventually. Amy Oden’s commentary got me to thinking about the disorientation of the people being swept into captivity and now promised a return. The actual events emerged slowly but for BODY smart, illustrate the disorientation with a roller coaster ride! For PEOPLE smart, we got an idea from the commentary listed below to illustrate how being chosen is both an honor and a promise of a lot of work. Then, what do you do with it? To illustrate the idea, think about the nation of Wakanda in Black Panther and the decision of whether or not to emerge it faced in the movie. It sounds… familiar.
Photo by freestocks.org on Unsplash. Used by permission. | |||
| Year B, Lent 2, 2018 – Trust Issues | 21 Feb 2018 | 00:33:06 | |
Greetings!! In a past Year B cycle, I remember doing a series of sermons about covenant based on the Old Testament lessons for this year. I was struck by how the idea of the covenant continued to narrow through the weeks. Last week, God made a covenant with the entirety of creation and this week, the covenant is with one particular person, with the intention of spilling out into the whole world. The catch is that this one person had to trust that God would be faithful to the covenant in spite of 24 years of waiting. Trust is precious, and we have all had experiences that reveal not only how strong it is but how fragile it can be. If you trust someone, you are stuck to that person like glue, aren’t you? But if that trust is betrayed – you can almost hear the shattering. All three passages for this week focus on trust. Abram and Sarai – who become Abraham and Sarah – must continue to trust God will keep the promise of a son. Paul encourages the faithful in Rome (and us today) to follow Abraham’s example and live in hope based on trust. In Mark, Peter has just made a monumental confession and must learn to trust Jesus’ definition of what Messiah will be. Let’s go see how we can focus on trust using illustrations and special effects. This week’s texts are: Genesis 17:1-7; 15-16 [01:58] This story in Genesis reminded David of launching a ship in EYE smart. The new names declare that the journey of becoming a people for God is coming closer to fruition, and I suppose if champagne were a thing back then, it would have flowed freely once Isaac was born! We have an article (link below) about some of the elements of christening a ship and a video of one happening. The illustration also carries in it some SELF smart undertones in regards to identity and destiny. For me, the story got me to thinking of a long hike, and since it is the final part of the Torah portion that translates as “go forth,“ I included it in BODY smart. It sparked a thought to use learning to walk as an illustration and special effect. Go to the worksheet and see the chart David constructed showing the MATH smart use of numbers and exponential multiplication. Exponential increases make an appearance in NATURE smart and connect to the later promise God makes to Abraham that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the night sky!
Romans 4:13-25 [10:49] Paul is encouraging the faithful in Rome to trust God by not clinging so tightly to the ways of the past – let go! This made David think of catapults, so he went and found some examples to use as demonstrations for MATH smart. (You can take the guy out of engineering, but you can’t take the engineering out of the guy. <3) I happened on a quote by Paul Tillich that referred to seeds of hope, which is a wonderful illustration for NATURE smart! We expanded the idea into a special effect, too. It also reminded David of a song by Natalie Sleeth, so MUSIC smart jumped in during the recording! We love it when the smarts do that! In PEOPLE smart, we wondered if Paul was taking the canon – or written story about Abraham as it was known then – and adding details to it that had sparked his imagination. This is called “fanon,” and we have a link to it below. [This should not be confused with “fan fiction!” We think Paul’s development is right.] We also have a meme that might illustrate Abraham’s buy-in in verse 21! And in SELF smart, we blend another quote by Tillich with some thoughts about the experiment with the catapult for some special effect questions you can ponder yourself or give to your congregation for their own cogitation.
SEE ALSO: Year A Lent 2 2017 for other illustrations and special effects for this passage Mark 8:31-38 [21:36] Jesus is being open and honest in verse 32, which bothers not only Mark Twain, but Peter. It’s possible that Peter is taking Jesus aside to say, “But you just told me not to tell anyone you are the Messiah, I’m so confused…..”. He may also have been worried for everyone’s safety or priority of possession, but Jesus is not having any of it, because he turns and rebukes Peter right back. We explore all of this in WORD smart and wonder if Jesus’ revelation of what will happen to the Son of Man is a literary use of foreshadowing. In BODY smart, we use a literary work by Solzhenitsyn to explore Jesus’ acknowledged coming experience of death. To demonstrate this acceptance, we have an idea for a special effect. Considering all the death present in our society, this could be very powerful. Use with caution and all pastoral concern. If you use this special effect, you could sing the hymn “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” while you do it – or just use the hymn as a MUSIC smart illustration. We have some illustrations about how Jesus connects his suffering and death with the pain of the world in PEOPLE smart.
Image Credit: Copyright : lightwise / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Bonus Track! “Handlebars” Covenant | 16 Feb 2018 | 00:01:37 | |
It’s been a while since I’ve written a song. As happens with Winnie-the-Pooh, I don’t really write songs so much as songs come to me, and this one just came along. Now, I should point out, when I say “write songs” what I mean is I come up with new lyrics to someone else’s music. That’s what this one is. I was thinking about Genesis 9 for this week’s episode, and the repetition in it clicked in my mind as fitting the song “Handlebars” by Flobots. While “Handlebars” has three or four verses and a couple bridges, this has one verse, no bridge, but it covers the text pretty much end to end. My lovely wife, colleague, partner, and Valentine, Molly, took a stab at recording this rap for you. You should be glad about that, because otherwise it would have been me, and you wouldn’t want that. Any way, she said she was so worried about getting the words right that she wasn’t feeling it. That’s okay, she did a great job, and it is just a demo. This is so you can hear what it might sound like when you do it in worship. You can find the lyrics here. Now, if rap isn’t your thing, you could do it as a poem or get someone else to do it. However you use it, we’d love to hear how it goes. Drop us a note or leave a comment below. If you have a recording, we’d love to hear it!
Image credit: Open Gift Box with Love Present from Clipart.me. Used by permission.
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| Year B, Lent 1, 2018 – Reading Rainbows | 15 Feb 2018 | 00:35:26 | |
Lent?!? What happened to Christmas?!?! Hey everyone, welcome back to the site! It it is time to begin the journey to Jerusalem and on to Golgotha. I am writing this on Ash Wednesday – the day we are reminded that we are dust and to dust we will return. Do we really need that reminder, though? Much of our human angst derives from an almost cellular recognition that death is our life long companion, leading us to make some really questionable decisions, both personally and corporately, to install some distance from it. The historical context behind the passages from the New Testament and Gospel for this Sunday reveal small communities whose existence teetered on the edge. The people to whom Peter’s letter is addressed suffered for their trust in the Gospel. Mark’s community is attempting to make sense of who Jesus of Nazareth was, either a guy from Galilee or the Messiah. (Why not both?) The narrative from Genesis is the aftermath of a global flood sent by God to wipe the slate clean. Drowning in water or in circumstances, God gives us a symbol of hope and restoration. If we read the rainbows with eyes of faith, we see God standing right behind death and know that when we return to dust, God will be there to take us in. Let’s go explore how we can make this statement of faith visible and real using Multiple Intelligence Theory. This week’s texts are: Genesis 9:8-17 [01:58] The Old Testament passages for Lent in Year B examine the ways God presents the covenant to the people through their history. We begin with the first covenant – the rainbow. In WORD smart, we were struck that in more than one passage for this cycle, God begins the presentation of covenant using the phrase “as for me.” It’s a verbal attention getter that reminded me of a former President who often used the word “Look” when beginning an explanation of policy. We have some ideas how you might draw attention to other words in the passage with special effects the congregation gets to do using their bodies! I don’t think it is possible to do anything in EYE smart without using rainbows, so break out the color wheels and have fun with it! In BODY smart, God is using a weapon of warfare and hunting to symbolize God’s promise of salvation (at least from global catastrophic flooding). I suspect bows were seen all around in those days, so the reminder would be ever present. The promise is made not just to Noah and his human family but to all flesh that was on the ark; every critter! We have a suggestion for a special effect. Finally, in MUSIC smart, I remembered the song “Flood” by Jars of Clay (link below) and David revised the lyrics of the song “Handlebars” by The Flobots.
1 Peter 3:18-22 [10:36] The flood in Genesis and Jesus baptism into death are connected in this letter. Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection open the door to God regardless of where we find ourselves in life. We often feel we must do something to deserve this grace and the question of what we deserve in life (and death) can be illustrated by a clip from the movie Unforgiven. If you don’t like Westerns, then try the other clip we offer from X-Men 2! If you don’t like either of those, then simply open a door. For MATH smart, we try to suss out the theology of this passage using analogies, some of which work better than others. In PEOPLE smart, we think that Jesus acts like a friend or a host who brings you to meet others, especially God. We also have an idea for adapting a skit – check out the show notes and the link below. And in SELF smart, the author mentions a good conscience, so illustrate how we tend to think of that still, small voice as a cartoon character when it’s really more an existential well of being.
Mark 1:9-15 [24:27] This passage… sounds familiar; didn’t we just do this? Part of it, anyway! This passage is already arranged for a three point sermon, as we discuss in WORD smart. Also, Jesus is far from home when he comes to the Jordan, so God’s words blessing him as the Beloved may have been very welcome. Use this phrase to greet one another in worship, and see how calling one another God’s beloved makes a difference in lives. For BODY smart, the phrase that the time is fulfilled called to mind Mary’s deliverance in Luke 2. Compare how her pregnancy tracks with Jesus’ ministry; the Spirit resting on them, a journey, allies who help them, the kingdom’s arrival embodied by Jesus both as an infant and as Messiah. Jesus spends 40 days in the wilderness in the company of wild animals, so in NATURE smart, we have a link to an article that compares this time with the Messianic expectation of the Peaceable Kingdom, and we also list some of the animals that might have been there. And in PEOPLE smart, we compare Jesus being driven out to the wilderness by the Spirit to experiences some have had at the hands of friends. Or at least, we thought they were friends!
Image Credit: Copyright: oriontrail / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year B, Transfiguration, 2018 – Partly Cloudy | 08 Feb 2018 | 00:34:18 | |
Hey all! Here in our part of the world, we are in the grip of weird winter weather. Yesterday was beautiful and sunny with no clouds in the sky (YAY!!!) and today is socked in with drizzle that is kinda icy [Yuck]. I grew up in Colorado, which geographically is part of the high plains; the altitude and dry conditions make for long, long stretches of sunny skies. I got used to being able to see from horizon to horizon growing up, so sometimes not being able to see more than a quarter mile down a road has been an adjustment. Plus, experiencing long, long stretches of gray skies has also been a challenge. It’s not just me, either. Humans like being able to see what’s coming down the road, both while on the road and metaphorically. When the future is uncertain or dimly seen, we get a bit stressed. The three passages for today all have references to vision being clouded – by misunderstanding (2 Corinthians), or sudden wind storms (2 Kings), or dazzling white garments and supernatural appearances and overshadowing clouds (Mark). While Elisha’s and the disciples’ experiences are unique, we all know what it’s like to misunderstand and be misunderstood, clouding comprehension and forward progress. Hopefully, using the suggested Smarts will help clear up preaching and worship plans! Let’s go find out how. This week’s texts are: 2 Kings 2:1-14 [01:58] Elijah is connected with some pretty impressive weather events; thunderstorms, earthquakes, firestorms, and whirlwinds. Also, chariots of fire! We offer links to images and videos of whirlwinds as illustrations in both EYE and NATURE smart. If you try the special effect for EYE smart, be certain to have towels or plastic sheeting on the floor, and if you have folks who sit up front (really?), you may want to alert them about flying fluids a la Gallagher. PEOPLE and SELF smart illustrations are all about interpersonal attachments, and we suggest comparing the relationship Elisha and Elijah have to your own relationships. The entire passage is lyrical, so in MUSIC smart, we run through how we see phrases and themes in the text. We also suggest some instrumentation to punctuate them.
2 Corinthians 4:3-6 [11:34] We think the choice The Lectionary Committee made by selecting this passage to go with 2 Kings and Mark is pretty obvious, what with the references to obscured vision, glory, and unexpected arrivals and departures. For EYE smart, we suggest illustrating the passage with veils and veiled things (see also MUSIC smart), and using iconography and lamps for a special effect of illumination. The Greek word for “mind” in verse four is noema, which indicates reasoning or coming to a conclusion. Paul seems to be saying that unbelievers are unbelievers because they do not have all the information they need to make a decision about Jesus. Our MATH smart illustrations of computing, coding, or simple arithmetic show how making a decision about Jesus requires more than crunching numbers. For BODY smart illustrations and special effects, we look at physical reasons for limited vision. There may also be reasons in NATURE that prevent clear vision, as well.
Mark 9:2-10 [21:53] Year B is Mark’s opportunity to tell the story of Jesus’ transfiguration. All the Synoptics record Peter’s blurted response to seeing Elijah and Moses with a dazzling Jesus, and they all record the three disciples being terrified. In MATH smart, we have links exploring how the brain processes information. Is this how Peter jumped to the conclusion to build shelters? The voice from the baptism shows up again and tells the disciples to listen to Jesus, so in MUSIC smart we offer an quote, and illustration, and a special effect showing the importance of learning to listen while playing music. For PEOPLE smart, illustrate that you can learn something about a person by the people who surround them. And in SELF smart, we think the bright light is key to seeing clearly and understanding not only who Jesus is, but who we are in relationship to him.
Image Credit: Copyright: mikekiev / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year B, Ordinary 5 (Epiphany 5), 2018 – Strengths and Weaknesses | 30 Jan 2018 | 00:35:00 | |
Hey all! Welcome back to the show! Have you ever been asked to enumerate your strengths and weaknesses? I always find myself struggling a bit to find an appropriate response for that. Do I answer the way I think they want to hear? Do I jump in and answer honestly and hope for the best? Do I list every strength and risk sounding arrogant or admit to “areas of growth” and risk sounding like a liability? It’s a tough line to walk, sometimes. In the passages for this week, we see images of strength and weakness. We hear some soaring poetry from Isaiah about God’s strength on behalf of the weakened people of Israel. We hear some puzzling pronouncements from Paul to the Corinthians about his willingness to forego his own strengths and appear like everyone else, even those who are weak. In Mark, Jesus once again reveals the strength of his authority, yet also shows a need to get away and reconnect in order not to be weakened and overcome. This week’s texts are: Isaiah 40:21-31 [01:58] This entire passage is a MUSIC smart illustration and special effect! Two songs using this imagery leapt out at me, and ironically, we are not using either in the podcast this week! Derp. We began instead with BODY smart thinking about how difficult the journey home to Israel from Babylon would be, especially for the elderly. We illustrate the encouragement in this poem with great coach pep talks! The quote by Melissa Bane Sevier on the worksheet may have some deep connection to people in your congregation who may be struggling with limited physical ability. In NATURE smart, we look at the two extremes of the canopy of heavens and grasshoppers crawling on the ground. Also, when the eagles “mount up,” are they riding thermals? I always thought that’s what that meant. We wonder if modern day experiences of exile would be a good way to connect this passage to your congregation in PEOPLE smart. Finally in SELF smart, is it possible that God’s strengthening comes through our own transformation?
1 Corinthians 9:16-23 [11:17] Paul continues to reorient the Corinthians to their call as disciples. He uses his own life as an illustration of what that looks like. The passage begins with him saying he has no ground for boasting, which you could illustrate in the negative by using Yosemite Sam’s self descriptions in WORD smart (sort of PEOPLE, too). For a special effect, we have a link to a book that stresses the importance of presence in violent places (also sort of PEOPLE). Paul’s list of people can be illustrated with a Venn Diagram in MATH smart. Paul is not looking to grab power, but to lay it down, which made me think of chemical reactions. We have a correction as to which one in the links below. Whoops. For BODY smart, you could illustrate the contrast of strength and weakness using old Charles Atlas advertisements. Paul certainly seems to be acting like a chameleon so we recommend the link in NATURE smart to compare. In PEOPLE smart, we have a link to an interview with a traveling sales representative who knows a thing or two about meeting customer’s needs. Also, try using Invasion of the Body Snatchers as an illustration, as well.
Mark 1:29-39 [21:34] After exorcising an unclean spirit in last week’s passage, Jesus is swamped with requests to do it again this week. This prompts him to withdraw to a “deserted place.” So we have some ideas to illustrate what this might look like in EYE smart. We also have some links to photography you could use as a special effect. Simon’s mother-in-law is ill with a fever, and we have a couple ways to illustrate this; one to show Jesus’ fearlessness in the face of illness and another to connect people with the experience of being really, desperately sick. For a special effect, break out the bunny slippers and tissues! In MUSIC smart, we have a link for a blessing for healing and wholeness. It’s is superb; I am planning to use it myself this week. And in SELF smart, illustrate the massive crowd gathering outside the door with some of the examples listed on the worksheet. Can you think of any others? For a special effect, use the commercial linked below to demonstrate how someone lives out his purpose in spite of obstacles and naysaying. I’m not crying, you are! We also have some questions that you can ponder regarding your own need to withdraw to a deserted place.
Image Credit: Copyright: 72soul / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year B, Ordinary 4 (Epiphany 4), 2018 – Authority Issues | 25 Jan 2018 | 00:33:12 | |
Hello! We’re glad you are back or joining us for the first time! Roughly eight years ago, the woman in David’s congregation who had been the director of Vacation Bible School for 20 years retired from that role. Uproar ensued. Well, not entirely, but there was a lot of concern about who would fill her shoes; she was energetic, imaginative, devoted, and began working on VBS around Christmas. As the time for VBS neared that year, we finally settled on calling three other people to fill her one position. No one person felt adequate to take the entire position, but three people felt they could manage a part of it. For them, it was a question not only of energy and time, but of authority. Our former director had become the person around whom VBS and children’s ministry in general rotated. None of them felt up to the challenge of assuming that mantle. After that first year of three people doing what one had done, we all shifted into a new groove and found different footing with new leaders. The ministry continued successfully but that first year was rocky. Who will lead? Who will speak for God? How will we recognize the leaders among us? And how will we know God is behind what we do? These questions are never far from the surface. The three passages for this week address these questions directly, and we are wise to study them thoroughly. This week’s texts are: Deuteronomy 18:15-20 [01:58] In this passage from Deuteronomy, Moses is saying his farewell to the people since he is not allowed to enter the land with them. God tells the people through Moses that another prophet will be lifted up from among them to speak for God, since hearing God directly at Horeb was so terrifying. In WORD smart, we think using a mouthpiece for a musical instrument is a good illustration of how this works and as a special effect, put the mouthpiece in and play something! In MATH smart, we have another way to illustrate and demonstrate Moses’ role using conduits and tin-can telephones. David wrote a poem for MUSIC smart if you want more than the crossover from WORD smart. In NATURE smart, we know that a prophet has spoken God’s word when it bears fruit – but that takes time, so illustrate how we see those results using cultures grown in Petri dishes. For a special effect that demonstrates the peoples’ fear when they heard God speak, check out the video we include below.
1 Corinthians 8:1-13 [10:42] In most of his letters, Paul argues that because the Risen Christ has been given all authority, we live our lives with liberty under his freedom. We no longer get bound up in fulfilling the impossible. Yet, Paul has some words of caution; even though we are free to live indifferently about indifferent things, we must be careful not to chain our brothers and sisters who may interpret our living as lawlessness. We must strive to know one another through love and take care for the weaknesses that may still grip others in the family of faith. To demonstrate how we live out unity among our diversity, check out the special effect we suggest for EYE smart. Paul marks a clear division between knowledge that puffs and love that builds, so use the special effect in BODY smart to show the difference. I read a commentary that stated the meat controversy Paul presents is entirely foreign to our experience, which made me laugh out loud – ever tried to accommodate vegetarians or vegans and meat eaters at Thanksgiving? This could be an energetic illustration for NATURE smart! David found some links to our natural drives that illustrate this tension, as well (links below). Give your congregation some hands-on tools to express their connection in PEOPLE smart, and N.T. Wright’s quote on the worksheet works both as an illustration and as a devotion in SELF smart.
Mark 1:21-28 [22:36] Mark frequently uses a “sandwich” technique in his Gospel; we have ideas to illustrate that in EYE and WORD that do not make it into the podcast but can be found on the worksheet below. We start with MATH smart using a simple architectural structure as an illustration. The meat of Mark’s sandwich in this passage is Jesus’ authority – not only to teach in a way that is different from the usual, but to command unclean spirits. Jesus embodies God’s authority, and we have a fun BODY smart illustration for you! More than one commentator noted that it was the unclean spirit who saw Jesus clearly and reacts with hostility to him. We have a link in NATURE smart that may help illustrate this territorial confrontation. Since Jesus’ authority comes from God, he goes where we are loathe to venture. We suggest using the commentary by Ismael Ruiz-Millan below as a PEOPLE smart illustration, as well as episodes from Netflix’s series The Crown and the 1960’s Batman series. We have varied tastes!
Image Credit: Copyright: choreograph / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year B, Ordinary 3 (Epiphany3), 2018 – Time’s Up! | 17 Jan 2018 | 00:33:30 | |
Greetings!! Welcome back to the show! Do you remember taking tests while in school and hearing the teacher call out, “Time’s up!” and what that felt like? Have you ever played a game where you are racing against the clock to complete a task? Have you ever felt that time was simply against you? Or, have you sensed time moving onward to a future that shows signs of being very different? Geoffery Chaucer gets the credit for the phrase time and tide wait for no man, but Jonah, Paul, and Jesus all pre-date him significantly with admonitions to pay attention. Jonah is sent by God to proclaim to Nineveh that time is running out for them, so repent. Paul instructs the Corinthians to live as though Jesus will return any moment, and Jesus himself tells us that “the time is fulfilled”. All three passages reveal how God controls reality and God’s intention for humanity to find its fulfillment in what God has created. This week’s texts are: Jonah 3:1-5, 10 [01:59] We pick up the story of Jonah just after the large fish has deposited him back on dry land. We are back at the beginning and once again, the word of the Lord comes to Jonah and reiterates the charge to go to Nineveh and preach repentance. Jonah apparently only needs to be swallowed by a great fish one time, because he finally goes where he’s told. Pull out the maps to show where Nineveh was for EYE smart special effect. Also, since this is the second time around for Jonah, we have a suggestion to demonstrate that with clapperboards and boxing ring signs. To illustrate the frustration of being a prophet, try using the TV show linked below (or the other ones we suggest in the show). Jonah’s sermon was basic and uninspired – but it was ridiculously effective! We have an EYE smart special effect that demonstrates how God can use even our weak efforts to further God’s purposes. For BODY smart, bring in some burlap. For NATURE smart, we have some ideas using withered, dry seeds. And for PEOPLE smart, we invite you to imagine how difficult Jonah’s task was by comparing it to some contemporary places that could stand in for Nineveh.
1 Corinthians 7:19-21 [12:05] In order to communicate just how important Jesus’ resurrection is to our reality, Paul writes these short verses to the Corinthians. He uses simile to convince them that their lives are no longer the same and to live accordingly. Those of us who speak English have sometimes misinterpreted his directions because we do not understand what he means by “the time has grown short”. In Greek, the word is kairos which has a much different quality than chronos – which is what we hear when we see that word. We think of the clock – tick tock tick tock – and not the larger essence of time on a universal scale. In WORD smart, we have a link to a book that might help you illustrate the difference between the two Greek words. For MATH and MUSIC smart, we found some mathematic formulas and lyrics that might help illustrate the difference, as well. In SELF smart, we have some questions about the energy devoted to different obligations and how realigning our understanding of time may allow us to re-channel some of it.
Mark 1:14-20 [23:08] As this passage begins, Jesus has adopted the message of his cousin John. We were struck by how much his sermon sounds like Jonah’s. Of course, Jesus is much more impassioned and truly cares about the people to whom he is preaching. We have a suggestion for a WORD smart special effect to demonstrate how direct this speech is. Jesus calls four fishermen to become his disciples. In EYE smart, we have some illustrations that call to mind the change in their lives using a railroad switch and an artist’s work using fishing nets. For a special effect, demonstrate the word “fulfilled” using water glasses and solar eclipses. For NATURE smart, consider how Jesus baited the hook to catch Simon, Andrew, James, and John. Also, we have a link to a story about learning to trust the power of water currents. Going back to the topic of bait, we wonder how Jesus would bait hooks for the members of your congregation in PEOPLE smart. We also have a story about leadership that follows Jesus. And in SELF smart, relive your own call – how did Jesus lure you?
Image Credit: Copyright: sergign / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year B, Ordinary 2 (Epiphany 2), 2018 – See Hear! | 10 Jan 2018 | 00:34:52 | |
Greetings!! Welcome back to the show! I should probably explain the reason for the parenthesis in the title; the first year we began this podcast, we opted to go with “ordinary time” between Epiphany and Lent. We did the same last year, and so figured we would continue with the trend for this year for the sake of internal consistency. BUT we also wanted to allow folks who are following the Epiphany calendar the chance to find us, so we included it as well. I’m kind of partial to “ordinary time” because it suggests that while we live our ordinary lives in our ordinary day-to-day fashion, God is present with us – we just may not notice. Which is a lot like the Old Testament passage for this Sunday. The Word of the Lord was rare and visions weren’t happening much anymore. Then, God interrupted some sleep and things changed. Unlike Eli, who was spiritually attuned enough to God to recognize the change would bring judgment and to accept it, the Corinthians to whom Paul writes think they can receive God’s new thing and simply continue to live their lives as they please. Not so! says Paul. God paid a price for us through Jesus and isn’t going to let us run amok. Belonging to God through Christ equals transformed lives. In John, Jesus calls disciples and while Phillip is enthusiastically ready to throw in with him, Nathanael is surprised that God would work through such an ordinary place as Nazareth. Jesus tells him to buckle his seatbelt, he hasn’t seen anything yet! This week’s texts are: 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20) [01:58] One of the questions I frequently ask parents of babies is whether the child is sleeping through the night. Sometimes, the question is unnecessary; Mom and Dad look harried and flustered, or are shambling about like The Walking Dead. Since Samuel was delivered to Eli as a toddler, he did not experience the night feedings that are part of an infant’s routine. So when Samuel kept barging into his room one night, Eli must have wondered what had gotten into the boy. Then, he thought about it and gave Samuel some instructions. I wonder what went through his mind as he waited for dawn; that he was able to receive the Lord’s words of judgment without argument makes me think he had his own epiphany that night. We found illustrations and special effects for all but Nature smart in this text. It seems fitting that we spend time with WORD smart since the text declares the Word of the Lord was rare in those days. We have some ideas to anchor words in your congregation’s mind with a special effect. You can delve into MATH smart with probabilities and statistical significance of Samuel hearing God call three times. In BODY smart, illustrate the physical effort (and comedy!) of Samuel abruptly jumping from bed three times. Plus, uninterrupted sleep is important for one’s health! Those who have ears, let them hear.
1 Corinthians 6:12-20 [11:03] In this section of the letter, Paul is exhorting the faithful in Corinth to live in such a way that exhibits Jesus. “See here, this is very important,” he seems to say. This passage is full of PEOPLE and SELF overtones – how does one live freely in Jesus’ grace in a way that does not bring dishonor on the Body? The question before the Corinthians is timeless and dogs the steps of the faithful to this day, because while we are free in Jesus, not everything is beneficial. In this section, Paul tackles the issue of fornication with a specific reference to the use of prostitutes. We explore his logical argument in MATH smart with two illustrations, one from The Simpsons. For BODY smart, we have links to essays about the consequences of prostitution particularly as it affects society. We also have links to agencies throughout the world who work on behalf of those ensnared in sex trafficking. We also use a parable about pot holes in NATURE smart to illustrate the insidious nature of sin, especially “victimless” crime.
John 1:43-51 [20:48] This selection from John’s gospel continues with the call of more disciples, this time Phillip and Nathanael. We start with EYE smart and Phillip’s response to Nathanael’s skepticism about anything good coming out of Nazareth. “Come and see,” he tells him – which sometimes is the only response we have to others’ disbelief. We have two illustrations and a special effect for one of them. We think the whole passage has MUSIC smart implications; check out the worksheet (link below) to see what we suggest doing. For PEOPLE smart, we have illustrations that demonstrate the relationships at work in this story. That Nathanael is dismissive of Nazareth is not too surprising for the folks reading this story at the time; we have some ways of reading the text that demonstrate that. For SELF smart, we have some questions about how we obey Jesus’ call to follow. Are we like Nathanael, or like Phillip who follows Jesus by going to find others and then saying, “Come, and see!”?
Image Credit: Copyright: antonioguillem / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year B, Baptism of the Lord, 2018 – Let’s Get Started! | 02 Jan 2018 | 00:32:25 | |
Happy New Year! It’s time to turn the calendar over and begin marking off the days for 2018. We’re starting January with the first five verses of Genesis, hopping on the speeding narrative train that is Mark with Jesus’ baptism, and spending some time in Acts watching Paul upgrade the Ephesians operating system from the baptism of John to the baptism of ☧. Only God knows what’s coming down the road for 2018 and while we have our hopes and fears, one thing we know for certain: God is already there and God is waiting for us. Let’s go explore some ways to usher in this season with illustrations and special effects. This week’s texts are: Genesis 1:1-5 [01:59] The creation stories in Genesis are so familiar that it is a bit jarring to stop at the end of the first day. The connection for the other two passages is the Spirit (Acts) moving over the waters (Mark), so this is the reason the other six days are left back stage. But, there is nothing to prevent you from using the entire account if you desire. We had a lot of information but decided to stick to EYE, MATH, MUSIC, and NATURE smart. As usual, to illustrate using EYE smart, go to Google and find art work about the creation. I found a lot of it covering many centuries, countries, and styles. I gravitated toward the colorful and we have links to some of what I found down below. You could devote a LOT of time to this particular intelligence for this passage! The special effect could include children and make a memorable experience for them. We break out equations and sine waves and pendulums for MATH smart. MUSIC smart is as well represented as EYE for this passage and we have links to music and poetry for you to consider. NATURE smart could be a lot of fun and utilize people in your congregation in a meaningful way, so go check it out on the worksheet!
Acts 19:1-7 [11:44] Imagine Paul had a smartphone and was communicating with the Ephesians the way some of us might these days. What would this exchange look like as emojis? Paul was surprised the Ephesians had only experienced the baptism of John and quickly went about instructing and performing baptism in Jesus’ name. We use a flow chart to demonstrate the conversation and suggest illustrating repentance using scales for MATH smart. This particular illustration could be done in conjunction with BODY smart, too. Other options for BODY include a book called The Spark of Life (linked below) and incorporating the laying on of hands in the worship service. We have some ideas how that could be done. David has a story that you may use to illustrate Paul’s surprise in PEOPLE smart. We’ve also linked to a story that comes from a Native American narrative. We suggest using the Reaffirmation of the Baptismal Covenant for a special effect. This includes laying on hands which connects with BODY smart.
Mark 1:4-11 [22:41] Year B is Mark’s turn to tell the tale of Jesus’ baptism. If you want to really excite the WORD smart among your people, compare the Synoptic versions of this story. How do Luke and Matthew differ and why? It could be quite delightful for them! We decided to go with other smarts for this passage, beginning in BODY by describing or inviting your folks to “feel” water on their bodies. For a special effect, bring in bath equipment, maybe setting up a tub to wash in while you talk. MUSIC is once again filled with song and poetry; see the links! David was captivated by the thought of what the heavens may have looked like as Jesus came up out of the river so in NATURE smart, look for images of celestial phenomenon. Don’t forget the August 2017 eclipse! And for SELF smart, read or copy and distribute the quotation on the worksheet and invite people to do the self meditation we provided.
Image Credit: Copyright: madmaxer / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Bonus Track! Working the Text for Year B, Advent 4, 2017 | 21 Dec 2017 | 00:15:23 | |
Hey friends. Here’s a bonus track from our experiment this week of doing the show live on the fly. This is Part 1 of the process wherein we go through the passage line by line to figure out what intelligences are native there. I’ll be honest, this isn’t the most exciting thing to listen to. That’s why we’re putting it out as a bonus track. Still, you might find it helpful to hear how we approach the text from a multiple intelligence point of view. And there are some extra illustrations that popped up here as we talked the text over. There are a few points of obvious disagreement, a fair bit of dead air, and lots of “ums” and “erhs.” I left most of that in to be honest to the process. Also, it ends pretty abruptly, because we were done. It sounds a little chilly toward the end, but we were fine and had a great time going to see The Last Jedi after we finished recording Part 2, which you can find here. Would love to hear your reactions to our thought processes, so leave a comment here or at our Facebook page.
Image credit: http://clipart-library.com/clipart/pTqr5dGec.htm. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Baptism of the Lord, 2020 – “This is My Son” | 07 Jan 2020 | 00:42:43 | |
Happy New Year! Yeah, okay, I said that on the first Sunday of Advent, but this time the calendar has turned over instead of the Lectionary year. We are back with a new installment of the show, and this week, we are working with the texts for Baptism of the Lord. Each of the Gospels has an account of this story, and this year, we are looking at Matthew’s version. The New Testament lesson from Acts includes Peter’s sermon to Cornelius and his household about the life, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Tucked into that sermon is a mention of Jesus’ baptism – maybe as a way to prepare the household for their own baptism. The Psalm is a series of vivid images of God’s power in nature, including God’s voice rolling out over the waters as Jesus heard it when he emerged from the river. And the Isaiah passage is about a servant that God calls in whom God’s spirit delights. We have some interesting ideas for each passage. We also have some information from our show three years ago, Baptism of the Lord, Year A, 2017. We did not include the Psalm three years ago, so this year’s information is fresh! The other three passages have some intriguing ideas – we hope you’ll find something that will spark your creativity! Matthew 3:13-17 – [01:58] Matthew 3:13-17 worksheetDownloadWe like to find ways to use MATH smart, and for this passage, we think a Venn Diagram is a good way to consider Jesus’ relationship to the people who have come to John for baptism. Yes, that is a PEOPLE smart element. Take a look at the worksheet for an example you could show your congregation – and that is an EYE smart element! I love how these ideas cross over one another. For BODY smart, think about your own baptism and cleansing the next time you are in the shower. We have a few ideas about doves for NATURE smart, and John’s confusion about Jesus coming to him for baptism got one of us nerds thinking about Star Wars for a PEOPLE smart illustration. It works!
In my poking about for commentary on this passage, I realized I was reading this text as it is used in a variety of places throughout the year. Two of the commentaries below use it for Easter, one in the middle of summer, and one in October. Go figure! Yet, this passage is perennial – it always speaks to us of God’s full intention for humanity and how it often runs counter to our own. David thinks using a number line for a MATH smart illustration will help show Peter’s thinking with his sermon. Food plays a huge role in the entire Peter story and some commentary linked below is a good way to connect BODY smart. We have some quotes for sparking conversation in PEOPLE smart, and in SELF smart, consider how God not showing partiality is as mind blowing to you as it was to Peter.
We found a MATH smart special effect for this Psalm! It is the same as the idea for Matthew! (We must really like Venn Diagrams.) We also have some thoughts for WORD smart that we did not use for the show. Take a look anyway on the worksheet! NATURE smart runs through this hymn; the power of God in the natural world is evident in storms, but how often do we see God’s gentle power in a rain shower? Speaking of large storms, in PEOPLE smart, take a page out of Mr. Roger’s book and look for the people who come by to help after a big destructive storm blows through.
A commentary for this passage led me to consider for WORD smart literary characters who show great strength through their vulnerability. Almost instantly, Samwise Gamgee popped to mind. Can you think of any others? Through the prophet’s words to the people, God is re-focusing their perspective, widening it out to include a much larger scope of what God sees. We have some ideas how you might exhibit this for EYE smart. For BODY smart, breathe for a while and for MUSIC smart, try using the anthem listed below. Connect your NATURE smart people with the rhythm of the seasons and connect your PEOPLE smart people to one another by physical contact.
Image copyright : mashabr from 123rf photos. Used by permission. | |||
| Year B, Advent 4, 2017 – More Than Hearing, LIVE! | 21 Dec 2017 | 00:43:02 | |
Hey All!! Welcome back to More Than Hearing! David and I have tried something for this podcast that’s different from the usual. The main idea of our podcast (applying Multiple Intelligence Theory to preaching and worship leadership) has not changed, but how we prepare ourselves for the podcast has. If you’ve been downloading our worksheets, you can see how they have evolved over the past two years as we’ve navigated this uncharted sea. In the past couple months, we’ve discovered that in order to find material for this show, we’ve devoted a lot of time to our own research – which has enriched our material, to be certain – but has also slowed us down. We have talked in the past about simply sitting down one day, turning on the microphones, and allowing our own creativity, experience, and the leading of the Spirit move us through an episode. What we have to offer for this show is exactly that! Well, okay, I did do some research prior to starting, but for the most part, David and I do two things with this show. Part 1 is the two of us going through the Gospel passage and simply seeing where the different “smarts” can be used. You can find this on a separate post {coming soon}. Then, Part 2, this part, we go back and look at each “smart” and offer ideas on the fly about how you could tease out corresponding material from the passage. The raw recording has a lot of dead air as we sat and waited for inspiration, but we did find material for all eight intelligences! To be entirely transparent, we then grabbed our shoes, our son, and the car keys and went to see The Last Jedi because it was getting harder not to be spoiled about the movie. The show notes that follow are my attempts to capture what we did in Part 2, specifically. This experience was both fun (ideas coming to us in real time!) and exasperating (waiting for said ideas to show up). Depending on time constraints in the future, this may be something we attempt again. Let us know what you think in the comments below! Luke 1:26-38 WORD SMART [02:51]
EYE SMART [07:38]
MATH SMART [12:33]
BODY SMART [18:37]
MUSIC SMART [23:04]
NATURE SMART [27:44]
PEOPLE SMART [32:33]
SELF SMART [36:43]
Image credit: Copyright: bernardojbp / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year B, Advent 3, 2017 – Joy! | 12 Dec 2017 | 00:33:36 | |
Gaudete! Gaudete! Christus est natus Ex Maria virgine Gaudete!
each clip in order: Steeleye Span; The Choir of Clare College, Cambridge; Celtic Thunder; Libera; The King’s Singers This week’s texts are: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 [01:59]The selection for the Old Testament returns to third Isaiah, but the tone of the message retains the hope of God’s presence with the people. Is it any wonder then that Jesus begins his public ministry with the first verses from this chapter? “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me because he has anointed me….” You must trust that every eye and ear was riveted on him as he read! For WORD smart, we are taking a comment from Gretchen Wolff Pritchard’s essay in The Christian Century that the prisoners to whom Isaiah referred were not those serving punishment for civil or criminal actions but were rather political prisoners. Illuminating that point may bring a different flavor to this proclamation. For a special effect, we suggest sending words of comfort (and presence) to the people listed by the prophet. One of the many reasons for the prophet to rejoice is that God will clothe the people with righteousness and salvation, so for EYE smart, give folks a chance to do some costume design! Other images used by the prophet come from NATURE so we have some suggestions to illustrate God’s glory with an oak tree. Finally, for PEOPLE smart, give your congregation time to identify the brokenhearted, oppressed, captive, and imprisoned in your community and brainstorm ways to proclaim Good News to them, and not just in this season.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 [10:48] I had to laugh at one commentary I read about these verses. In essence, the author said this list sounds a lot like the admonitions parents rattle off to their children everyday and like children having parents rattle instructions off to them everyday, how many of us really hear them anymore? For EYE smart, setting sparklers on fire will break through the routine! (I don’t recommend trying this to get your kids to brush their teeth, though. But, you know – do what works.) If burning things does not appeal, try the illustration we offer for MATH smart. It’s much quieter, and you won’t need to have a fire extinguisher on hand! In BODY and SELF smart, we suggest a way to do a check up on the soundness of your whole being. These directions for living as a disciple are like weights at the gym; use them often enough and you will be fit and ready for what comes your way.
John 1:6-8, 19-28 [19:25] I must admit I had an arm’s length relationship with the Gospel of John – there was so much TALKING – until David and I went to a retreat and heard Frances Taylor Gench present an argument that this book is written as a court trial. I am not certain this idea is original to her nor why I had not heard it before, but considering this realigns the content in an intriguing manner for me. We did not use WORD smart in the show, but the commentary by Mark Davis follows this idea of John setting the story of Jesus as testimony given in a trial. Judge Judy and other courtroom dramas on television indicate that we love the drama of the story, if not the underlying search for truth and justice. In EYE smart, we have some ways to illustrate witness as a game in a car and how to talk about something to people who have no context for what you are saying. The authorities coming out from Jerusalem ask John to identify himself and that made me think of a particular song from the 70’s which you could reference for MUSIC smart. In PEOPLE smart, we suggest using a novel by Robert Heinlein – or this movie that I just thought of starring Harrison Ford – about being a witness. Testimony in public worship is not for the benefit of the person giving it but for the good of the body, and we have a link to setting a framework for it. And for SELF smart, John is asked repeatedly to identify himself, and he does so only in relation to who he is not and who is coming after him. We have some ideas that you and your congregation could to use to help you self-identify.
Image Credit: Copyright: juliahenze / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year B, Advent 2, 2017 – Upheaval for Peace | 07 Dec 2017 | 00:32:13 | |
Hey all! If we truly preach these texts for this week – the Sunday when we explore the traditional Advent theme of “peace” – our pulpits may explode. The activity in each selection is far from pacific; in Isaiah, the earth itself is heaving around, the grass and flowers are wilting, and roadways are being forcibly straightened. Meanwhile in 2 Peter, all the elements are being dissolved by fire! Mark presents John the Baptist coming out of the wilderness preaching repentance and quoting Isaiah. I don’t see much material here that we could turn into lullabies for bedtime. And maybe that’s the problem; it isn’t the disruptive material in the Scripture passages, but our definition of peace. Peace isn’t soft breezes and warm sunshine and chirping birds and children laughing. Peace is a shepherd searching for the lost members of the flock and finding them and bringing them home after they’d been scattered by destructive forces. Peace is a frazzled, unwashed prophet proclaiming the true source of security is not coming from our systems and safeguards but from the Holy One. In Advent, peace is about what comes in the midst of all the carnage. Based on all the information bombarding us daily about the unrest in our world, I want this kind of peace. Let’s go see what we can find in our readings for Sunday. This week’s texts are: Isaiah 40:1-11 [01:59] These words of comfort from the prophet are spoken to a people who have had their world crumble before their very eyes. If we have experienced a similar foundation-cracking change, we understand how sweet these words can be. But the comfort spoken to people sitting in the ashes of their past also calls them to look for what God is going to do for the future. In EYE smart, we have some links to high and low places in West Virginia and some links to the geographic and historic site of The King’s Highway running east of the Jordan River. We did not include MATH smart in the podcast, but did find some interesting information about road engineering. (Disclosure: my father was a civil engineer and would have loved this stuff!) We included a bit of WORD smart in BODY smart by exploring the definition of the word “comfort” = a deep breath. MUSIC smart of course includes Handel’s Messiah, and we have provided links to verses. And for SELF smart, we have a link to a story by Todd Weir about how high and low places are leveled out in our own hearts.
2 Peter 3:8-15a [09:20] This selection from the letter sounds like we are walking into a room where someone has been having a discussion with someone else about what will happen at the end of time. The first verses keep with the motif of life as we know it disappearing in a fiery wrath ball of wrathful fire. Notice that how once it is all burned away, “everything that is done on [earth] will be disclosed”. That should give some pause while others may find satisfaction. But then the tone changes from the ashes and smoke to a question of how the faithful are to live until that day. I think that’s where I’ll be preaching this week! At any rate, in EYE smart, we have links to experiments with fire and wonder how big the space will need to be for everyone to come to repentance. We did not use BODY smart, but the link provided matches the question about perceived speed that we did talk about in NATURE smart. In PEOPLE smart, we have a link to an article that parallels the patience required of parents and God’s patience.
Mark 1:1-8 [18:58] The previous passage from 2 Peter has a conversation begun while we were out of the room, but we can always page back a bit and come in closer to the beginning if we are confused. Not so with Mark! As we enter the room, he jumps up from his seat, grabs us by the lapels, and starts telling us about this guy from Galilee named Jesus. He goes on rapidly and then lets go and leaves the house. *blink-blink* Jill Duffield, in her article at Looking into the Lectionary, picks out the reference to Isaiah and wonders where the proper placement of punctuation may be. We take that thought and find some illustrations for WORD smart. Consider simply calling out these lines or having other people call them out for a special effect. (For a MUSIC smart, special effect, use the fanfare from Godspell.) In EYE smart, we consider the spatial factor of all the Judean countryside coming out to the baptist and have some links to pictures of HUGE crowds (actual ones). For BODY smart, we connect with the baptism John offered and also what his attire suggested about who he was. And for NATURE smart, use your baptismal font!! Pour water in it! Splash around! Try using smoke!! No, really!
Image Credit: Copyright: sangoiri / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year B, Advent 1, 2017 – Watch This Space | 30 Nov 2017 | 00:35:59 | |
Happy New Year!! Also, Happy Third Anniversary to More Than Hearing! We’re into the home stretch and have been pondering what we will do with our podcast this time next year. We have some ideas, so keep watching this space. Which, by the way, seems to be the theme for our passages – keep watching! In Isaiah, the prophet has been watching and with dismay calls out to God to come deal with the misery he sees among the exiles. By the end of the passage, despair begins to turn toward hope, which is the traditional theme of the first Sunday in Advent. Paul begins his letter to the Corinthians knowing full well the mess they’ve gotten themselves into but doesn’t start there. Instead, he looks back to their beginning in Christ as a way to set the stage for the rest of his letter. And in Mark, Jesus redirects the disciples’ wide-eyed wonder at the splendor of the Temple to the work of God in times that are horrible. Can any human built edifice compare to the glory of the Lord’s return? Keep watching to find out! This week’s texts are: Isaiah 64:1-9 [01:58] The passage begins with a plea for theophany – show up, Lord! In WORD smart, we talk about the things we do to get people’s attention. Usually, we do this to let them know something is about to begin, which Isaiah fervently hopes is true for his time and place. His desire is for something big and eye catching, and in EYE and NATURE smart, you can illustrate how volcanic eruptions do just that! For MATH smart, we compare Isaiah’s focused attention on God’s appearance to SETI. The prophet suggests that the people are living in spiritual squalor and uses images of contamination and hopelessness that we explore in BODY smart. This selection from Isaiah is a lament, and we have a link to illustrate lament in MUSIC smart and a suggestion for a special effect that could be truly powerful. We did not include SELF (or EYE or NATURE) smart in the podcast, but do have some thought provoking commentary in a link below and on the worksheet. Check them out!
1 Corinthians 1:1-9 [12:43] Paul’s letters dwell in two worlds; the world to which he wrote with particular people and particular issues and our world where his timeless affirmation of Jesus as Lord still rings loud and true. His letter to the Corinthians and their struggles to incorporate a way of life as disciples into their sophisticated, metropolitan surroundings is very familiar to those of us who live in privileged places today. We can glean a great deal as we watch what Paul says to them. He begins his letter the way all letters of the time started. In WORD smart, we have many links to letters, two of them pretty lighthearted! In EYE smart, we suggest ways to illustrate and demonstrate Paul’s initial argument that the Corinthians all share a common faith in Jesus who is the center. (We did not use NATURE smart, but we have two links to natural adhesives – Jesus being the glue that holds this congregation together, as per Paul.) In her commentary at Working Preacher, Carla Works thinks the factions in Corinth may have been expecting Paul to jump into the fray on one side or the other, and he does nothing of the sort. Rather, he takes them back to the basics, which we explore with PEOPLE smart special effects. As usual, PEOPLE and SELF smart have blurry boundaries, and with this topic of relatedness in Christ, we have some thoughts in the latter category that did not make it into the podcast but are worth a look.
Mark 13:24-37 [21:48] At the beginning of chapter 13, Jesus and his disciples are leaving the temple, and one of them comments on the grandeur of the structure. We can only speculate what it must have looked like, but based on artists’ renditions, it must have been spectacular. Jesus seems unimpressed, though. Rather than join in adulation, he takes that energy from the unnamed disciple and turns it toward looking for things that have eternal significance. We did not use WORD, EYE, or MATH smart in the podcast, but there are some interesting interpretive nuggets you might want to see. We began the segment with BODY smart and think you could illustrate part of the parable Jesus tells about the man who goes away leaving his staff to tend his home in his absence. The doorkeeper had a particular role, and we think the person’s physical stature could have played a key part in making that job successful. We have more to offer in MUSIC smart! Not only do we have a poem about life blooming out of despair, but the whole passage moves in three parts that could be given over to an orchestra! Or just point them out, if you are fresh out of violins. We have SO MUCH in NATURE smart – mostly because of the cosmic allusions. We cannot stand to pass up any opportunity to talk about the solar eclipse in August, but we also include some other heavenly light shows and explosions in the links! We did not include PEOPLE smart in the podcast, but recommend the commentary offered in the link below. The SELF smart illustration comes from commentary below and the special effect is a question or two about what the author mentions.
*This intelligence was not used in the podcast.
Image Credit: Copyright: ximagination / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| The Feedback Loop! Year A in Review | 23 Nov 2017 | 00:53:38 | |
Welcome back to the MTH Feedback Loop, a bonus episode where Molly and David talk about some of the multiple intelligence illustrations and special effects from previous More Than Hearing episodes that we have actually used in worship and how they turned out. For the most part, pretty well! We have discovered that if you are going to use these tools, especially the special effects, it helps if you are fully committed to them. This not only engages you and thereby your congregation, but if it should happen that the effect doesn’t fully connect with your people, they will allow its presence in the worship service because YOU are connected to it. It’s kinda like going along with the adorable toddler who hands you a “cookie” made of clay and you pretend to “eat” it because the child is so convinced the gift is what they say it is. Your congregation will go down the path with you for the sake of your relationship. Who knows; getting them to take a step with you into this strange thing you are doing may just introduce them to something God wants to show them that remaining safely seated would have prevented. Here is a by-no-means exhaustive list of illustrations and special effects we’ve used. We hope you have tried one or two of these or are inspired to give one or two a try. Let us know how it goes! The List of Stuff SMART WEEK TEXT TYPE Description WORD (04:36) MWD AOrd5x2017 1 Corinthians 2: 1-12, (13-16) Illustration Patty Roberts’ gift of tongues, acting as a translator for the church and the community. Wish AEaster3x2017 Luke24:13-35 SFX A Haiku: Bread broken slowly. What is shattered knits wholeness. Recognize him now? ~ Bob Eldan, PreachingTip D2 AOrd12x2017 Romans 6:1b-11 Illustration Game of Thrones Iron Islands’ baptism; “What’s dead can never die.” fearless MWD AOrd16x2017 Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 Illustration Aleksander Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago EYE (08:50) MWD AOrd3x2017 Matthew 4:12-23 Illustration LOTS of maps re: Naphtali and Zebulun D2 ABaptx2017 Isaiah 42 SFX use trick birthday candle ==> a dimly burning wick he will not quench D2 AOrd26x2017 Philippians 2:1-13 SFX tornado tube!! (worked really well, imo) MWD AOrd29x2017 Matthew 22 SFX Demonstrate how Caesar’s domain resides inside God’s by starting with an embroidery hoop with cloth or paper stretched over it labeled “Caesar” and talk about what things “belong” to Caesar/the state. Then, pick up a hoola hoop with fabric or paper stretched over it labelled “God’s” and talk about what belongs there. Funny, “Caesar” fits inside it! non-show 29 October 2017 SFX lighting talcum powder on fire MATH (16:15) D2 AOrd4x2017 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 Illustration / SFX The cross considered a negative but Paul argues it is positive and resides fully in God’s intentions. It stands alone with no other “thing” to contrast it. [This thought is developed more in later chapters, it is introduced here.] • Perhaps in the act of redemption, God takes the absolute value of things, so that what was negative becomes positive, and what was positive is positive, too. SFX: graph | -x | = x D2 AOrd17x2017 Romans 8 SFX boxes labelled with things that separate covered with the love of God in Christ MWD AOrd17x2017 Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 Illustration the math of how much “three measures” of flour actually makes. Hint: a lot. D2 AOrd24x2017 Romans 14:1-12 SFX Venn diagrams of people who eat and those who abstain and all surrounded by “Christ died for these”. BODY (21:02) D2 AOrd2x2017 Isaiah 49 Illustration The servant is like a trick play that a coach prepares all season but only uses in the Super Bowl; or like a wrestler’s secret move that is finally introduced in the championship round; or a chef who buys a Henckels Pro S knife and always keeps it in the block until preparing a banquet for her daughter’s wedding (or something great) BOTH AOrd14x2017 Matthew 11 SFX Have a wheelbarrow’s worth of big, heavy rocks (or equivalent) in a box or on a tarp in the sanctuary. Invite a volunteer to try to move them across the floor. Next, attach a harness (rope? leather? webbed straps? etc.) to the load and the volunteer. Theory suggests this should make it easier to move the load. Point being, if you have to drag the load any way, having a yoke might make it easier and lighter. MWD AOrd19x2017 Matthew 14:22-33 Illustration Coach challenging Brock to do the death crawl in ”Facing the Giants”. BOTH AOrd22x2017 Matthew 16:21-28 Illustration / SFX Sunday’s Coming blog entry for this week: “The body arcs away” by Amy Ziettlow. renverse SFX: attempt renversé MWD AOrd27x2017 Matthew 21:33-46 Illustration Toddler Brain!! MUSIC (30:13) Wish AEaster4x2017 Acts 2:42-47 Illustration / SFX The events at Pentecost in Acts is a remix of God’s promise to Israel that they will be witnesses to God’s glory to the nations. It’s the same promise – but it’s got a new sound! Google remix and spend a few hours listening to how an old song can be altered by a remix. MWD AOrd30x2017 Matthew 22:34-46 Illustration Sermon title “The Greatest” referenced a State Farm commercial that uses the song “Believe it or Not” from The Greatest American Hero NATURE (34:07) D2 ALent1x2017 Romans 5:12-19 Illustration After Beverly Gaventa: We think of sin as a raccoon getting into the garbage, but for Paul it is Godzilla crashing through Tokyo. So your .22 rifle won’t be adequate, and neither will “trying to be good.” You’re going to need Ultraman or a Jaeger. MWD ALent5x2017 John 11:1-45 Illustration Vss. 9-10 John again uses light and dark as metaphors for the decision people have made about Jesus – their orientation toward him. To illustrate this, show how plants turn toward the light – heliotropism. MWD AOrd22x2017 Exodus 3:1-15 Illustration God lures Moses in like a Venus fly trap or an angler fish ( or some other baiting critter) although with more generous intent. BOTH AOrd28x2017 Philippians 4 Illustration Vss. 4-5 — Rejoice… the Lord is near! During the recent total solar eclipse, in the last few moments before totality, the visible sliver of sun was disappearing fast. Just before the diamond ring effect, everyone started cheering – everywhere – in every video you see from across the country. There is immense joy just before the appearance of totality, the long-awaited effect. PEOPLE (39:10) Wish AAdv2x2016 Isaiah 11 SFX Vss. 6-8 Make masks / masks of the different animals and have members/children play-act the second paragraph; as the passage is read, the pairs come from different sides of the chancel, acting “animally,” then meeting as friends in the middle; group hug! (You could include the stump of Jesse and the shoot, too) D2 ALent1x2017 Matthew 4 Illustration / SFX Do an interview with Jesus, asking what it was like in the wilderness for this trial. Perhaps make it like a sideline interview from a football game, only with somewhat more in-depth and sophisticated answers. MWD AOrd3x2017 Matthew 4:12-23 Illustration This passage gave Molly the sermon title “Kingdom, Come On!” D2 AOrd25x2017 Exodus 16:2-15 Illustration Bill 3 and Mitch eating things while golfing “What is it?” SELF (45:46) MWD AOrd18x2017 Genesis 32 Illustration what names do you go by? sfx- write them down and imagine Jesus writing his hame over the top BOTH AOrd25x2017 Philippians 1:21-30 Illustration “The Vietnam War”; desire for soldiers under command “Lord, let it be me” WHAT?!?! MWD AOrd28x2017 Exodus 32:1-14 Illustration Moses responds to God’s anger at the Hebrews and reminds God to stick with the promise made. MWD AOrd29x2017 Matthew 22:15-22 Illustration Debi Thomas: “…if I really belong to God, if I really am fashioned in God’s image, then I need to practice my faith and my politics in ways that reflect that image….” Join the Loop! Let us know how these multiple intelligence ideas are working for you! Leave us a comment below or send us an email at connect@morethanhearing.org telling us what went well, what missed, and what you came up with on your own. Maybe we’ll even include it in a future episode!
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| Year A, Ordinary 33, 2017 – Return on Investment | 15 Nov 2017 | 00:30:30 | |
Hey All! Welcome back! You know that Sam Cooke song called “What a Wonderful World“? In it, Mr. Cooke runs through all the academic avenues that stymie people but the one topic he did not mention was finance. If I were to re-write the song with lyrics that apply to me, the first verse would be: “Don’t know much about monetary theory. Don’t know much about hedge funds, either. Don’t know much about high finance at all It’s a puzzling world to me!” The parable in Matthew’s gospel for this week deals explicitly with money and its handling by three servants. The Old Testament and Epistle lessons are not about money at all but do share a common theme of getting a return on one’s investment. In Judges, God invests in the leadership of the people so that the people will advance into the land. While that advancement does happen, the leadership falls out differently at the end of the story than expected at the beginning. In Thessalonians, Paul continues to encourage the believers to invest in ways of living that will not catch them unaware when Jesus returns. The bottom will not fall out on them if they listen to Paul and wear the armor of faith, hope, and love. We hope we can help you invest in your preaching for this Sunday with the illustrations and special effects suggested below. This week’s texts are: Judges 4:1-7 [01:59] Complicated money markets are not the only thing that makes me scratch my head; why the Lectionary Committee stopped at verse seven is another mystery. Of course, it would be very difficult to preach a concise sermon on two chapters of Scripture – which is where the entire story of Deborah is found. We suggest in WORD smart, that you not truncate the whole story by stopping at verse seven but find a way to include the intrigue with Sisera and Jael found later in chapter four. You might even want to try telling it in the style of film noir! We base this suggestion on an article we talk about in EYE smart (see the worksheet for the citation). Also in EYE smart, we have several links below to maps that show the movement in the story. The movement is reminiscent of chess, so for MATH smart, talk about strategy and even bring in a chess board and pieces. We mention another article in MUSIC smart that examines the opera Debora e Jaele by Ildebrando Pizzetti. The entire book of Judges contains within it a refrain of obedience, falling away, crying out, God’s response and deliverance, rinse, repeat. Find a hook and turn it into a country song or a blues tune, or an epic poem. Investing in any of these options could make the story come alive for your congregation.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 [09:32] Last week, Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to grieve the death of those they love as people who have hope. This week, he visits the idea of Jesus return with imagery that captures the attention, borrowed from the Prophets. This is not an accident, for like the prophets before him, his intention is to refocus the peoples’ vision on God. We have a suggestion as to how you might literally refocus during worship in EYE smart special effects as well as using your lights to demonstrate contrast between light and dark. Also in EYE smart, we have links to articles about lighting up the dark, especially in populated areas, and links to a fresco in a Greek monastery that depicts the Day of the Lord. Paul talks about the sudden nature of Jesus’ return on that day being like labor pains, so in BODY smart, we have a link to six of the most common signs or symptoms of labor onset. In NATURE smart, we consider the power of God’s holiness and the judgment that effects on us. In PEOPLE smart, we wonder what being children of light or darkness might look like. And in SELF smart, the armor Paul encourages us to wear might make us live life with more courage and tenacity, investing boldly in our witness to Jesus.
Matthew 25:14-30 [20:33] Jesus’ Parables have been studied for two millennia and still they offer fresh insights every time. Carolyn Dipboye writes that the parables do not offer neutral ground to those who really hear them; they require a decision both for interpretation and application. To that end, we suggest playing a game in WORD smart (that can also be used in PEOPLE, BODY, and SELF smarts, too!) For EYE smart, we have a link to a current adult beverage advertisement that turns the parable on its head. We also have links to art that has tackled this story. The plot of the parable contains MATH smart illustrations and pushing the master’s aggravation of unused gold buried in the ground, we came up with an illustration for BODY smart. For PEOPLE smart special effect, we have a script for Reader’s Theater (see the Resource Page for this and a MATH smart chart that shows the master’s return on his investment). As another special effect for PEOPLE smart, think about giving your congregation the chance to actually invest real money on behalf of mission.
Image Credit: Copyright: dolgachov / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Ordinary 32, 2017 – People, Get Ready! | 09 Nov 2017 | 00:33:06 | |
Greetings!! Our son works in a big box retail store and is bracing himself for the onrush of the holidays. One of his colleagues just broke her hand, and he is expecting to be gone much more often than usual. I was encouraging him to think about the larger paycheck he would be getting for putting in more hours, but in the back of my mind I was also thinking, OH NO! We’re getting into That Time of the Year! (cue dramatic chord) I’m not one to get way out ahead in planning for the holidays, so I usually end up rushing to get last minute stuff together and then feeling guilty that I didn’t do more and resentful that it was expected of me in the first place. Holly Jolly, to you, too. So the texts for this Sunday have a word for me in them; how ready are you for what really matters? In Joshua, the people are pressed three times to make a declaration of devotion to the LORD before finally going into the land God has promised them. In Thessalonians, Paul comforts believers who are grieving the loss of loved ones before the Parousia. In Matthew, Jesus tells a story about being ready for the big event, in this case the arrival of a bridegroom. The holidays come every year but some things only happen once in a lifetime; and how we prepare for those things will affect every part of how we live now. Let’s leave the tinsel and garlands on the shelf for a while longer and explore how using Multiple Intelligence Theory can enrich this week’s worship preparation. This week’s texts are: Joshua 24: 1-3a, 14-25 [01:58] We’ve taken another HUGE leap in the story of the Hebrew people. A couple weeks ago, we jumped from Sinai in Exodus to Moses’ death at the end of Deuteronomy. Today, we’re jumping from Joshua taking over the lead from Moses to Joshua’s own farewell. I hope no one has pulled a muscle! This editorial long jump keeps us at a good bird’s eye view of the story, but we lose some interpretive details by staying at this altitude. It’s up to individual preachers as to how many landmarks you wish to include to make sense of the context of this passage. We do a bit of that in EYE smart with some references to Shechem and its historical importance. In WORD smart, the back and forth exchange between Joshua and the people can be read responsively as a declaration of faith or you could use one of the two baptismal covenant reaffirmations linked below. Joshua pushes the people to declare themselves three times, which we investigate in MATH smart. Bob Dylan shows up in MUSIC smart, and we go back to TV Tropes in PEOPLE smart.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 [11:18] When working from this letter, we need to keep in mind that Paul only had a short time to instruct the Thessalonian believers about Jesus before being chased out of town. His teaching had a lasting impact and when he hears that the community is grieving the loss of some members, he includes specific encouragement that he probably did not address while with them. Namely, what happens to those who die before Jesus returns in glory? Where are they now? Using images from the era, he sees Jesus returning with fanfare similar to an imperial agent entering a city (see the link in WORD smart below). The picture Paul paints is captivating, so we suggest using a captivating art form in EYE smart to demonstrate it – a pop-up book! Commentary by Jane Patterson (link below) led to some interesting illustrations in BODY smart about embodying deep trust in Jesus. MUSIC smart includes three hymns using Paul’s imagery and the longing for someone in another realm (see SELF smart links) reminded us of one movie’s plot device in PEOPLE smart.
Matthew 25:1-13 [20:22] Sometimes, I wish Jesus had left commentary for his parables. He did interpret a couple at the request of his disciples, which is helpful to us, but there is no record of anyone asking him to unpack this one. Is this allegory or metaphor? Aren’t we supposed to give freely of what we have, and if so, what does the oil represent, since five of the maidens refuse to share? What were the wedding customs of the day, and who sells oil at midnight? We can spiral down into a morass of questions about this text, so illuminating the intelligences helps give us some less slippery footing. In EYE smart, we have a link to a blog post at Art and Faith Matters that discusses some sculpture in France that I thought was really interesting. The special effect demonstration addresses the issue of why five maidens did not share their oil. Some people are very good about making checklists and keeping to them – and knowing where they put them – and we have some illustrations about how we prepare for different events in BODY smart. Since this parable has so much going on in it, we have a variety of offerings in MUSIC smart. If we want to step back and catch our breath a bit, we can follow the link in NATURE smart and make an oil lamp. We have commentary in PEOPLE and SELF smart that lead to some questions about our own spiritual fuel and a suggestion about sharing the vessel for oil.
Image Credit: Copyright: ginosphotos / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Ordinary 31, 2017 – Follow the Leader! | 02 Nov 2017 | 00:33:09 | |
Hey everyone! We both had really full weekends this past week, which curtailed our attention to the podcast a bit. We decided to forego the New Testament passage for this week – 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 – because we were having a tough time coming up with anything “smart”. The passage itself reiterates what Paul wrote in last week’s selection, and we felt like we were simply standing in a cave yelling, “ECHO!” (echo) {echo} Instead, we concentrated on the passages from Joshua and Matthew. Joshua is about to lead the wander-weary Israelites into the land, and Jesus turns to his disciples with advice about how to follow the Pharisees and how not to. We have illustrations and special effects a-plenty! Get comfy, eat some Halloween candy, and let’s go discover how we can use Multiple Intelligence Theory to bring the word to our congregations in memorable, meaningful ways. [Also, we’ve been having some internet connectivity issues, so combined with our other wrestlings this week, we’re really late getting the show up. We apologize for that and will do our best to do better in the future.] This week’s texts are: Joshua 3:7-17 [01:58] This is it! Time to bring to reality what the people had waited 40 years to do – go home. God promises to be present with Joshua as God was with Moses and directs the new leader to gather the Israelites and prepare themselves for one last journey. Twelve men, one from each of the tribes, are to be selected (to grab a stone from the riverbed and make a memorial with them which we read about in chapter 4), and the priests are to bear the ark before the company. For WORD smart, think about using the poem linked below or writing your sermon as a first person account of this final trip. We have a couple ideas for EYE smart that can also be served as a snack for fellowship time – plus, maps! For MATH smart, we found some articles about how the Jordan River may have been dammed and just how dramatic the “heaping” waters might have been based on amounts traveling downriver. Have you ever tried to jump a puddle? We have some video clips of people (and penguins) navigating water obstacles in BODY smart, and we have clips of songs in MUSIC smart about crossing the Jordan River, which has come to stand in for leaving this earthly life for the next one. In NATURE smart, we are back to the geological structure of the river and have a suggestion for building a model. In PEOPLE smart, we discuss the ins and out of leadership and have some questions for you and your congregation to ponder in SELF smart.
MATTHEW 23:1-12 [17:32] For the past two chapters in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus has been in direct conflict with the religious leaders in Jerusalem. He has been asked whose authority gives him to do such things, whether it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, whose wife will a woman be who has been married to seven brothers, and which law is the greatest. Jesus has responded with parables and questions of his own. Those who seek to discredit him are done in; I imagine them lying about exhausted and reeling from their attempts. Jesus then turns to his disciples and pointing to these guys, tells them that because of the office – being on Moses’ seat – they are to do what the leaders say, but don’t do as they do. We take this idea and in WORD smart suggest playing an increasingly complicated version of Simon Says until the rules for the game become so obscured it cannot go on anymore. Jesus points out the leaders’ hypocrisy and pride of place, and in EYE smart we have some ideas to use to catch the visual attention of your congregation. Also, have you ever turned off your GPS because you “know where you are” only to find out you don’t? Never happens to me! (Watch out for the lightning bolt.) Jesus seems really to object to the heavy load that the leaders have made of the Law, and so we have a way to demonstrate that weight in BODY smart. We know a lovely song suggested below for MUSIC smart. In PEOPLE smart, we have links to some articles that explore the social and interpersonal dynamics of what Jesus may have been doing. Finally, in SELF smart, we have some questions and a link to an intriguing study about power and how it influences us in subtle ways. I may not look at cookies the same way again!
Image Credit: Copyright: gonepaddling / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Ordinary 30, 2017 – Regime Change | 25 Oct 2017 | 00:33:24 | |
Greetings!! Almost a year ago, the United States elected a new president, and so far, nothing has blown up. We are still hopeful that won’t happen. New leadership is often a challenging time for everyone. In the three passages for this Sunday, we see a literal leadership change as (spoiler alert!) Moses dies at the end of Deuteronomy after leading the people to the boundary between the wilderness and the land promised to their ancestors. In Thessalonians, Paul is taking great care to persuade the believers that his style of leadership can be trusted. He isn’t coming to them simply to flatter them and get a place to stay for a while. In Matthew, Jesus has been showing the authorities that their leadership style is lacking in compassion, justice, and understanding, but all they see is an opponent who has ridiculously good answers to any question they ask. This week’s texts are: Deuteronomy 34:1-12 [01:58] This passage is the end for Moses and the Pentateuch. According to an article at Reformed Judaism, this section is read at the end of the liturgical year. God allows Moses the opportunity to actually see the land he had been moving towards since the beginning of Exodus before his end comes. We have some links to paintings and photos so we can “see” this scene in EYE smart. Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, and we are told his strength was not diminished. In BODY smart, we have a link to some people who lived that long and to an article that speaks to Moses’ breath being taken by God and then given to Adam as the liturgical calendar begins again in Genesis. In NATURE smart, the land Moses is shown is quite varied geographically and geologically. We have some links to help talk about that. And in PEOPLE smart, we have some eulogies for famous people. You might want to think about beginning your sermon as a eulogy for Moses. For MUSIC smart, think about the soundtrack that would be playing for this scene; would it be mournful or would it swell as Moses sees the land?
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 [11:14] In this passage, Paul is attempting to allay the suspicion that he is not anything other than a traveling sophist. Commentary suggests that communities often had people appear who claimed a special knowledge and would let you in on it – for a price. Paul reminds the believers in Thessalonica that he is not peddling that type of information or anything else. He and his companions truly care for them. He writes the phrase “as you know” often, so in WORD smart, we chase down its contemporary uses. In PEOPLE smart, we follow the suggestion of Jeffrey Weima that there are three familial images Paul uses in this passage in order to persuade the Thessalonians as to his sincerity. Break into groups and discuss them. Paul’s concern in these verses is to contrast his motives for coming into the community with the motives of those who come with flattering words, so in SELF smart, we have some questions to clarify our motives for preaching.
Matthew 22:34-46 [21:29] We are at the end of Jesus’ conflicts with the authorities in Matthew’s Gospel. He has been evading verbal traps, setting off his own theological explosions, and essentially running circles around them. One has to acknowledge their persistence because they give it one last shot in this passage. Which is the greatest commandment – out of 613? It seems like they are panicking a bit, doesn’t it? Jesus gives two answers, and in EYE smart, we suggest making a mobile out of them and hang it in your worship space. Since they have been attempting to trick him with difficult questions, Jesus gives them a riddle, and in MATH smart, we think using some riddles would appeal to the logic smart people in your congregation. In BODY smart, we suggest a TED Radio Hour episode about play and offer some articles about where the soul might be found in our brains. If you have a need to break your congregation into three groups, which you will if you use our suggestion for PEOPLE smart in Thessalonians, make some paper cutouts of hearts, minds, and souls, and use them as a way to group your people. And for SELF smart we have a special effect that demonstrates how loving God and neighbor can expand the ego.
Image Credit: Copyright: olivier26 / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Ordinary 29, 2017 – Glory!! | 18 Oct 2017 | 00:32:43 | |
Remember when MTV played music videos? I remember this one making the rounds often – U2’s Gloria. I was just beginning to awaken to my own walk of faith in 1981, and this song later became a private anthem for me. Bono simply sings the phrase “Gloria, in te domine, Gloria, exultate” (Glory in You, Lord / Glory, exalt [Him]) over and over like a Taize chant with drums and The Edge. The Exodus passage for this Sunday is specifically about God’s glory. Paul is so thankful for (and impressed with) the Thessalonians growth in Jesus that he knows God is glorified in it. The theme of glory in the Matthew passage is not apparent until we push the idea of giving back to God what belongs to God and discover the glory underlying all of creation. So, let’s go look at what we did with Multiple Intelligences and find where we can assist you with illustrations and special effects. This week’s texts are: Exodus 33:12-23 [01:58] Echoes of the golden calf debacle resound in this passage. It is time for the company to move from Sinai to the Promised Land, and God tells Moses that He will send His angel before the people because He knows the people are “stiff-necked” (33:4) and, we may assume from this, still prone to wander and prove they didn’t learn anything. Moses will have none of that, please. It is vitally important that God’s presence accompany them the rest of the way, and he appeals to the relationship they have to convince God to do so. God has a real soft spot for Moses and agrees. Moses presses on a bit and asks God to show him His glory. God tells him He will make His goodness pass before him, and Moses will hear the Name proclaimed. In WORD smart, we wonder how you would describe God’s glory going before you. For EYE smart, we suggest some artists’ interpretations of God’s glory. Moses’ plea to God centers around the favor he has found in God’s eyes, which made us think of a song by Olivia Newton-John. God’s presence will function like a sluice way, which we explore in NATURE smart. We also wonder why a rock would crack, although it’s good for Moses that they do!
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 [11:53] Paul writes this letter to the believers in Thessalonica to follow up with them since he was forced to leave their company after only three weeks with them. He begins his letter by telling them that he and his companions always give thanks to God for them because of their ready faith and growth. They have been such receptive soil for the seeds Paul planted that neighboring regions have heard about them, and this word has gotten back around to him, which pleases him greatly. In EYE smart, we suggest hauling out maps to show where Thessalonica is in the world. Also, to illustrate how they learned by following a pattern given by Paul and his associates, we suggest using furniture construction diagrams, Martha Bakes, and a particular roadblock on the reality show The Amazing Race. Imitation is the most sincere flattery, and in MATH smart we think fractals could be fun as an illustration of imitation and repetition. Keeping with the learning by doing thought, we think batting practice, dance instructions, and training for a marathon are good illustrations in BODY smart. To pull in a bit of MUSIC smart, teach some hand motions for songs, which works for both intelligences. Also for MUSIC, do you have anyone who plays trumpet or bagpipes? Is your choir up for singing a processional? We have some ideas on the worksheet.
Matthew 22:15-23 [21:56] Previously in Matthew, Jesus has been schooling the authorities about authority. They aren’t taking too kindly to it, and at the beginning of this passage, they get the idea to use Jesus’ own words against him. So, intending to trap him between a rock and a hard place, Herodians and disciples of the Pharisees ask Jesus a question about paying taxes to the emperor. I’m pretty sure everyone will be distracted by thoughts of their own taxation, so start with EYE smart, and ask people to get out a coin or paper bill and look at who’s head is on it. Then read the quote by Brian Stoffegen on our worksheet – is our money political propaganda as Roman Imperial coins were? We have a special effect that also works with MATH smart in that it demonstrates sets and subsets. There is a lot of play acting going on in this encounter and Jesus knows it and is having none of it. We have some ideas in PEOPLE smart to illustrate how natural enemies will band together to oppose a common one. Finally, for SELF smart, we have a devotional idea that you and your congregation could practice for a while and see if it makes a difference how God is glorified in your words and actions.
Image Credit: Copyright: _ig0rzh_ / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Christmas, 2019 – Blessings to You! | 23 Dec 2019 | 00:01:29 | |
Hello everyone and Merry Christmas! Advent is behind us, and Christmas is almost here – who else is feeling the pressure to get everything left to be done DONE? As you finish your last minute tasks and prepare for your Christmas Eve services, take time to breathe and remember that God didn’t choose to send the Son into a perfect world. In fact, God sent the Son into a world that was broken, fragmented, soiled, and not at all ready. If that describes your world, take heart. If God had waited for us to get everything ready and “just so,” Jesus would never have come. So, breathe – and be blessed by the Spirit all around you. Merry Christmas! The jingly bells sound comes from https://freesound.org/people/Robinhood76/sounds/63270/ The wreath image here and superimposed on our logo comes from Angelina Jollivet on Unsplash. Both are used by permission. | |||
| Year A, Ordinary 28, 2017 – What the — ? (Why, That’s Fantastic!) | 11 Oct 2017 | 00:35:07 | |
Welcome! Two of the three passages for this Sunday’s lectionary are head scratchers, and they likely make people – read: preachers – rush for something else to construct a sermon around. How many of us will be preaching from Philippians this week? Although, a careful reading of Paul’s letter and its context may also lead to some hesitation, as well. In Exodus, God seems to be melting down, which puts Moses in a tight spot. In Matthew, Jesus tells a parable about a king, who we always interpret as God, enraged by disloyalty burning and killing people. Wait, isn’t that what we just read in Exodus? Where is Moses to stop this guy? And in Philippians, we hear Paul rhapsodizing about the love he has for the believers there, and the whole passage is bright and shiny and you can almost hear the music swelling. If you were to make each of these stories into a person and put them in a room, Exodus and Matthew would be raging out of control while Philippians sings and dances. What do we do with these, then? Let’s take Paul’s advice and pray and then use Multiple Intelligence Theory to uncover some gems in this dark mine of confusion. This week’s texts are: Exodus 32:1-14 [01:58] My first question for this passage is “Why is Moses back up on the mountain?” The passage begins with Moses absent from the people, and the people are getting restive. We begin with WORD smart and suggest that the major decision Moses makes to confront God’s wrath and side with the people is familiar in literature. We then move on to EYE smart and suggest using Reader’s Theater to present this passage, being sure to make the distance between God and Moses and the people and Aaron part of the story. For BODY smart, we think about how Aaron fashioned the golden idol and how making things with our own hands can be wonderfully creative and hold something of our own being in them. The entire passage sounds to us like great fodder for a blues lament, a country song, or an aria so if you have any MUSIC smart people, this could be in interesting project! And finally for SELF smart, imagine being the one to remind God of God’s commitment to creation. Hmm, come to think of it, maybe we all should do this on a regular basis.
Philippians 4:1-13 [12:03] Paul is wrapping up his letter to the Philippians in this selection. He loves these people, and we receive the benefit of his great affection for them. This passage has been referred to as “Pollyanna”-ish, but I think the shining love expressed here comes from a deep well of gratitude within Paul. His language is effusive, and his love and desire for the believers in Philippi spills over onto receptive readers. For MATH smart, we use comparative volume to illustrate Paul’s example in verse 12 about plenty and want. The two women mentioned by name have had some interpretive malpractice committed on them because the original Greek term suggests Euodia and Syntyche are co-athletes in Paul’s race. Using BODY smart, we present some sports, both ancient and modern to press the point. We stay with the idea of rehabilitating the two womens’ role in MUSIC smart, and in NATURE smart we look to the heavens to illustrate Paul’s exhortation to rejoice. In PEOPLE smart, we have an idea to demonstrate Paul’s “true yokefellow.”
Matthew 22:1-14 [22:32] Jesus’ parables are often confusing but they don’t usually evoke revulsion. The violence exhibited by the king in the parable of the Wedding Feast is extremely difficult to read much less find something on which to preach Good News. But we’re gonna try and we have MANY ideas that may help you find a way into the carnage. We begin in MATH smart with some interpretations from three commentaries that may help re-arrange the story and present some internal logic. Is Jesus being ironic? Is the ugly behavior used as a way to push listeners to reconsider our understanding of God? Or, perhaps, difficult parables are not to be interpreted so much as they are to interpret us. However you decide to deal with the logic of this story, the links below are some good places to start. You could introduce the problem by using a puzzle with some missing pieces, which works for EYE smart, too. For BODY smart, we concentrated on the missing wedding attire with references to clothes in the New Testament, some TV tropes, a 1977 interview with Dolly Parton, paper dolls, and a clip from The Mary Tyler Moore Show. For MUSIC smart, we have three links to musical performances that deal with being clothed and the wedding feast is supposed to be a celebration, so there should be Dancing in the Street. In PEOPLE smart, we dig a little deeper into the historical context of the parable and wonder how these dynamics might still be at work in modern times.
Image Credit: Copyright: butsaya / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Ordinary 27, 2017 – Like a Michael Bay Explosion | 04 Oct 2017 | 00:33:51 | |
Hey, welcome back! We have a couple good friends – neither of whom live anywhere near us anymore – who really like movies. We used to rely pretty heavily on one of them to decide whether we would carve out the time and money to go see a movie when our kids were young. We decided that if Don recommended a movie, we’d go see it. If he was not enthusiastic about it, we would not. Our friend Barry filled that role in later years and keeps up with us via social media with his recommendations. They have wide ranging tastes, but both of them like a good explosion in an action movie. If Michael Bay were to direct the visual effects at the end of the Exodus passage, there would be lots of rumbling and fire and smoke and – well, it’s Michael Bay – BOOM! The parable in the Matthew passage where tenants rise up and overthrow the representatives of their landlord shows them blowing up their security for short term gain, however hard they worked for the harvest. Writing to the Philippians to show them how much value a life in Jesus has, Paul explodes his own past achievements to demonstrate how even intangible things like reputation have little value next to a saving relationship with Christ. In each passage, someone’s world is blown up; the Hebrews understanding of the God of their ancestors, Paul’s assessment of his past success, and the life of self-centered, too-snug-for-their-own-good religious leaders. Let’s explore how using multiple intelligences can shake us out of our own complacency. BOOM! This week’s texts are: Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 [01:58] This passage begins as God speaks words to the Hebrews at Mt. Sinai. It ends with them cowering in fear as the words explode the world around them. These powerful words become the foundation for a written covenant that we know as the Ten Commandments. In WORD smart illustration, think about what other foundational stories you know. For a special effect, ask the congregation to make a list of words they associate with God and compare them with their neighbors as the story is read. For MUSIC smart, we have a list of songs, both sacred and secular, about freedom. Why freedom? Because the first words God speaks remind the Hebrews that they are free – and God is the one who broke their chains. We tend to gloss over that in our rush to get to the list. Another element we don’t often pay much attention to is what happens as the words are spoken, and how the Hebrews react to it. In NATURE smart, we have a movie clip for a special effect and links to studies showing the connection between immersion in the natural world and our mental health. SELF smart has some links to psychological studies that center around the word “don’t” that might explain why Jesus later re-interprets some of the commandments positively.
*This smart is not used in the podcast but the link(s) are provided. Philippians 3:4b-14 [12:47] This selection begins with Paul extolling his accomplishments. He has a lot, and there is much to recommend him if you were a first century head hunter looking for the “best” candidate for leading the people of Israel. Paul seems to agree with that assessment until we get to the middle of verse eight where the English translators use the word “rubbish.“ Paul actually uses a much more common word. In a way, he blows up his curricula vitae in this verse, because he knows that it doesn’t mean a thing next to what he has received from Jesus. In MATH smart, we use a story attributed to Fred Craddock to illustrate the sudden reassessment of what is valuable. For BODY smart, we suggest using a montage to illustrate Paul’s determination to finish what Jesus called him to do. We have some MUSIC illustrations that might be used with this idea. Use some jewelry for a PEOPLE smart special effect.
*This smart is not used in the podcast but the link(s) are provided. Matthew 21:33-46 [21:22] The chief priests and Pharisees hear a parable that they eventually figure out is directed at them. In EYE smart, use your own worship space as a set piece for the vineyard. We have links to what a first century vineyard looked like to help you out. The tenant farmers in the parable act violently toward the landowner’s servants and son. In BODY smart, we have some suggestions as to why. For NATURE smart, we look at how fruit bearing plants are not just surviving to the next generation but are feeding surrounding animals, birds, and insects. We also have a suggestion to demonstrate the cornerstone. In SELF smart, the sinful attitude of the tenants comes from their greed and selfishness, which brings about a response from God not unlike that of a parent with a stubborn child. If you continue down this path, you will blow up your life!
*This smart is not used in the podcast but the link(s) are provided.
Image Credit: https://media.giphy.com/media/NwWuDzi8vvwPK/giphy.gif
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| Year A, Ordinary 26, 2017 – It’s Not About You | 28 Sep 2017 | 00:32:06 | |
Welcome back! The calendar in this part of the world says it is now autumn. Someone needs to inform the weather who doesn’t seem to know we’ve moved on from summer. We had a “yellow alert” day this week due to heat; that means people who have breathing issues, the very young, and the very old need to take care to protect themselves from high temperatures. While the vulnerable around here were told to take precautions, I am certain it was the vulnerable who were on the minds of the Israelites in the wilderness in the Exodus passage. Moses had led them to a land where water was scarce and fear for the vulnerable among them – and their own vulnerability – turned to anger, and they grumbled against Moses. Paul was not a stranger to grumblings, and so he encouraged the Philippians to guard against the discord brought on by grumbles by strengthening their bond in Christ, remembering his self emptying. In Matthew, the chief priests and elders grumbled because Jesus undermined their authority, so they challenged him on it and were challenged by Jesus in return. In each passage, someone is called to obey God at the cost of their own ego. Temperatures are high outside and in the Scripture for this Sunday. Let’s try to find some relief from the heat. This week’s texts are: EXODUS 17:1-7 [01:58] As we began working on this passage, David said, “Didn’t we do this not too long ago? I remember suggesting making a rock out of paper and hitting it with a stick.” He was right! We had this passage as the Old Testament lesson for Lent 3 Year A! We gave some thought to simply recycling that work and then looked at it again and managed to find new stuff! In EYE smart, we think you could illustrate the dryness of the wilderness climate by referring to all those movies, cartoons, and television shows where someone (the hero, usually) drags across a hot, barren landscape. Check out the worksheet for a list. For a special effect, get out a map to show where Rephidim is located in the Sinai Peninsula. Then have a map of your area available for people to mark a point of no return – the place where they realize they are not going back home. Our illustration and special effect for BODY smart is a repeat from Lent 3 Year A. For NATURE smart, we link to the clean water initiatives from Lent for special effects and for an illustration, we link to an episode from PRI’s Science Friday. In PEOPLE smart, we consider the issue of trust; when and how can we trust leaders and what must leaders do to earn it?
PHILIPPIANS 2:1-13 [10:51] Union is a major theme in Paul’s writing to various Christians. Being and staying together is important for support and witness. Paul knows how difficult it is to manage this feat, and so he frequently exhorts fellow Christians to look to Jesus as an example of how to manage it to the best of their ability. In EYE smart, we have a special effect that visually demonstrates Jesus’ self giving in the Incarnation. Be certain to have good lighting for this effect, backlighting would be best so the color in the water is revealed. We have some math equations to illustrate Paul’s hymn to Jesus, especially verses 7 and 9. Being united may not be as difficult as we think; in BODY smart, we link to a study about synchronized brain activity. To demonstrate union, try a group lap sit! For MUSIC smart, if you don’t already have the soundtrack to Frozen memorized, here is a chance to get one of the songs into your head. The Vietnam War has been showing on PBS lately and one interview in particular struck us as a good PEOPLE smart illustration. Listen to the podcast to hear it. In SELF smart, we have a question about emptying oneself.
MATTHEW 21:23-32 [21:34] Jesus had come to Jerusalem, and now that he was in their territory, the chief priests and elders decided to have it out with him. Using the direct approach, they challenged him about the authority he claimed to do “these things.” Rather than mount a defense about “these things,” Jesus countered their question by asking about the authority his cousin John used for baptism. Rock, meet Hard Place. To illustrate the difficult situation in which the chief priests and elders found themselves using WORD smart, you could try some trick questions. To demonstrate competing ideas of authority, hand out the multipart definition and ask your congregation to identify which one is operating in this story. For EYE smart, we have some clips to help illustrate this scene as well as some pictures of the temple in Jerusalem through artists’ eyes. We have a song for MUSIC smart, and in PEOPLE smart, we have some illustrations about how to deal with interruptions, both in the classroom and in worship. We have an idea for a group discussion about trust for PEOPLE smart, and a question or two for personal reflection in SELF smart.
Image Credit: Copyright: idspopd / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Ordinary 25, 2017 – What? Where? Why? | 21 Sep 2017 | 00:33:45 | |
Greetings!! We’re publishing this with minimum show notes for now so we can get the file out. Notes are forthcoming. And here they are!! The three passages for this Sunday involve a question of identity in Exodus (what is it?), destiny in Philippians (where do we go to serve Christ best?), and purpose in Matthew (why is following Jesus valuable?). Questions of identity, destiny, purpose follow us all though our lives so it is comforting to know that Scripture has guidance to answer them. Let’s go see what we can find. This week’s texts are: Exodus 16:2-15 [01:59] One morning, after complaining to Moses about their hunger, the Israelites wake up and find something all over the ground. “What is it?” they ask and Moses answers that it is bread from heaven. The Hebrew word “man-nu” has morphed into “manna” and provides not only the asked question but deeper meaning for those who hunger for God’s presence and righteousness. In EYE smart, we link to just two paintings of the Hebrews gathering the manna; I know there is much more artwork out there! Their hunger is what drives them to complain to Moses and that reminded us of a series of commercials for Snickers which we talk about in BODY smart. Physical hunger is a massive driving force in our lives; what are some other things that hunger might lead people to do? Much ink has been spilled attempting to identify what the manna actually was; we have a link that suggests some possibilities. But like David pointed out in the show, it’s not really necessary to pinpoint what it was – the important part of manna covering the ground is that God heard the people’s complaint and responded to their need with exactly what they needed.
Philippians 1:21-30 [12:24] Everyone wants to avoid suffering. Sometimes, that is not possible and Paul writes to the believers in Philippi that when suffering comes, how one copes depends on how much one loves and trusts Jesus. For him, suffering is part of his ministry and how he emulates Christ who gave up eternity to come live as a human – who suffered. Paul does not discount suffering or call it meaningless; he understands the hardship very well but he does not shirk from it nor does he want the Philippians to flee from it. Suffering for the sake of the Gospel is a lived out, fully fleshed witness to one’s faith. In MATH smart, we consider the counter-intuitive nature of this advice and have some other mathematical examples in the links. In BODY smart, we wonder if being seasoned by suffering allows disciples to live more fully “in the zone”. In SELF smart, how does one’s dedication to serving Jesus make one look at one’s life in its entirety? For Paul, the answer is living or dying, we belong to Christ.
Matthew 20:1-16 [21:38] In previous chapters, Jesus has been instructing disciples about the discipline of living together as brothers and sisters. Forgiveness and reconciliation have been themes for those in the fellowship. Now, Jesus pushes the idea of forgiveness and reconciliation outside the boundaries of the gathering and presents disciples with the challenge of allowing grace to flourish with strangers and latecomers. This parable of the vineyard workers is difficult for a culture that prizes self-sufficiency and fair wages. What is the landowner doing here, anyway? We have some links to how we think the first hour workers may have responded to their pay. This parable needs some sound effects, we think, so we have some links and suggestions for using them as the story is presented. We have some intriguing quotes from commentary linked below. In essence, God is going to give out forgiveness and grace as God will give out forgiveness and grace. We choose how to respond to that.
Image Credit: Question Mark from clipart.me. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Ordinary 24, 2017 – The Big Picture | 11 Sep 2017 | 00:29:56 | |
Welcome back! Do you know what your Myers-Briggs personality type is? I am an ENFP. I know there is a smorgasbord of information about these personality types out there, including what kind of cat, Harry Potter character, and superpower your type indicates. Whatever. What I am interested in is the fact that people who are “N” types have a tendency to connect information received with overarching meaning and interpretation. As I read these three passages for this Sunday, I see a bigger picture of God’s presence, concern, and love. In Exodus, God moves between Israel and Egypt and takes decisive, scary action to save the people. In Romans, Paul acknowledges different practices but does not think they divide believers as much as others think they do, because we are all one in Jesus. In Matthew, Jesus demonstrates the overwhelming character of forgiveness with some advice and a parable. In all three passages, the big picture is that God is present, God is concerned with our faithfulness, and God forgives us. Always. This week’s texts are: Exodus 14:19-31 [01:59] This passage starts out with the angel of God moving around, which connects with EYE smart. To illustrate this movement, we talk about chess, football, and war. The angel “lit up the night” like those incredibly bright lights road crews use to work at night. For a special effect, we have several links to movies that portray the parting of the sea. In the next chapter, Moses’ sister Miriam will take up her tambourine and sing praise to God, and we are jumping in ahead of her with a suggestion from John Michael Talbot in MUSIC smart. For NATURE smart, the “strong east wind” makes an appearance, and we have a book review for an illustration and a video for a special effect. For SELF smart, we have a few questions in special effects that would work well as a devotional.
Romans 14:1-12 [10:52] One commentary I read for this passage suggested that the ongoing argument between Paul and Peter and James about Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles bleeds over into this advice to the Romans. Paul addresses that issue obliquely with his advice about eating meat and marking festival days. We thought a Venn diagram would work well to demonstrate Paul’s underlying premise in MATH smart. For MUSIC smart, we wrote an extra verse for the song “They Will Know We are Christians by Our Love.” Keeping with Paul’s idea of identifying categories of believers, we thought using taxonomic ranking would work well as a NATURE smart illustration. We illustrate Peter’s and James’ objections in PEOPLE smart and have a suggestion for your next potluck dinner as a special effect. Finally, for a SELF smart special effect, study the Venn diagram and consider where you draw divisions and how they may need to be reconsidered.
Matthew 18:21-35 [18:51] In the middle of the parable Jesus tells, the other slaves witness the hypocritical behavior of the forgiven slave. They go and “report to their lord,” which I thought could be illustrated in WORD smart as whistleblowers and eye witness testimony. In EYE smart, we have links to a documentary and movie about forgiveness and starting over as illustrations, and we have a fun suggestion for a special effect! When this Gospel selection rotated up three years ago, we wrote a skit for our youth to use in worship that pays special attention to the number 490 (7×70), so we included it in MATH smart. (If you choose to use it, you will need to adapt the location specific references we used to your own landmarks.) For MUSIC smart, we have a long list of hymns that illustrate forgiveness. In PEOPLE smart, we looked to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa and a scene from the 2005 movie The Interpreter as illustrations. For a special effect, you might adapt some of the group discussion questions written for a youth group as a special effect. And finally, the slave seems to have a real problem learning his lesson, which we illustrate using Baby Groot.
Image credit: Copyright: hkeita / 123RF Stock Photo. Also, NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope photo of galaxy NGC 2683. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Ordinary 23, 2017 – Back to School!! | 09 Sep 2017 | 00:30:14 | |
Greetings!! We are just starting another academic year here in the US. Many public districts in our area have been open since the last week of August while a few held out for the traditional post-Labor Day start time. Either way, the result is increased traffic on our roads, and I can now mark time by when school buses pass by the house. The three passages assigned for this Sunday each have an element of “schooling” in of them. In Exodus, Yahweh instructs the people to cook and consume one last meal in their homes in Egypt; be ready, something is about to happen! In Romans, Paul continues to instruct Roman Christians to love as selflessly and fully as Jesus did. In Matthew, Jesus teaches disciples how to deal with inevitable conflict in a way that builds up the body and leads to reconciliation and wholeness. Each lesson is as basic as A-B-C, and as vital as 1-2-3. Let’s go see how using multiple intelligence theory can aid our learning. This week’s texts are: Exodus 12:1-14 [01:58]As with many of the selections in Genesis, this passage is part of a much larger story. These verses instruct the Israelites to begin marking time from this particular point so we wondered what other significant events have had a similar influence on people throughout history. Where is that point of no return where everything was different on the other side? Right now, there are millions of people who are marking time before and after Hurricane Irma, for example. For a special effect, bring in a cookbook or some other type of instruction manual. Lamb’s blood on the door posts and lintels set aside particular houses for protection, and we have a couple links (below) that connect this to other culture’s practices. The Passover story (like the story of Jesus’ last supper) are seminal events that echo in time to the present day. It’s like a gong struck thousands of years ago that is still reverberating (bonus illustration!). Celebrating these events around a dinner table is to cement them into our lives and to nourish each generation with the promised Presence. To that end, the food itself is symbolic; bitter herbs, flat bread, and fire roasted lamb all eaten while wearing your traveling clothes. For a special effect, wear your hiking boots or track shoes for this service! People will make the connection for sure! Finally, we have some questions about days of remembrance for you, personally.
Romans 13:8-14 [10:30] The first verse in the passage can be twisted around to suggest Paul is advocating a Lone Ranger lifestyle – a rugged individual who needs no assistance from anyone. This misreading has not only damaged many lives by needlessly erecting barriers but totally misunderstands the culture in which Paul lived. Kyle Fever, writing at Working Preacher, reminds us that people in Paul’s era lived with obligations to everyone. Yet, Paul – that radical – is telling Roman Christians to owe nothing but love. (Check out Fever’s commentary linked below for a fuller exposition.) To that end, try rearranging the furniture in your worship space in order to demonstrate the new mind set Paul advocates. Also, give some of the math a try! For BODY smart, we have some ideas about waking up and putting on our Christ-like nature. (If you still have your Big Shirt, bring it back into worship!) Paul actively encourages believers to love one another, putting our lives into it. This made me think of plants growing fruit; they dedicate their entire lives to producing seeds for the next season. It’s late summer here, and the apples and peaches are delicious, so bring some in and share them as a special effect.
Matthew 18:15-20 [18:23] Since churches are full of people, there will be conflict. That’s just the truth, and there’s nothing to do about it, except be adults and deal with it in healthy ways, which Jesus lays out in these verses in Matthew. We began in WORD smart by defining some Greek terms for “sin” and “listen” that give a deeper understanding to the type of conflict Jesus may be addressing. In MUSIC smart, we have a list of popular songs about reconciliation and forgiveness, topics that are rich for exploration in the arts. The goal of reconciliation is growth, and so in NATURE smart we have some ideas to illustrate this using compost. Finally, in PEOPLE smart, we address the final step in the process – making the offender like a Gentile or tax collector. Bill Loader (link below) had some good insight about this. We remember the basic discipline policy advocated by a youth ministry program we have been part of for many years (see GenOn Ministries).
Image Credit: Source: Back to School Chalkboard Vector Free from clipart.me. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Ordinary 22, 2017 – Renverse | 30 Aug 2017 | 00:29:19 | |
Greetings!! We’re back home after some time away out West. We feel like we’ve been practicing the ballet move renverse (see the link below in Matthew) as we are a bit dizzy from all the movement. We flew to Denver where my mother picked us up and took us to her home near Estes Park. The next day we drove 150 miles to Torrington, WY, to witness the total solar eclipse on August 21. We did and it was spectacular! Then we joined an estimated 500K (or more, seriously) people on Wyoming’s highways trying to get back to Colorado. That took over ten hours. Then after spending Tuesday around Mom’s house, we jumped back into a car and went to the western slope where we rode a jet boat, bought tree-ripe peaches, and took lots of pictures celebrating Mom’s birthday. The last day, we did laundry, ate the tree-ripe peaches, and went to movie night in Mom’s neighborhood. Then we drove over 1800 miles over three days back home. It’s been an eventful week! We feel a bit discombobulated, much like Moses and Peter and the Roman Christians addressed by Paul in this week’s passages. A lot happens in each of them, too, so let’s explore how Multiple Intelligence Theory can be applied to these passages in order to give us some balance and perspective. This week’s texts are: Exodus 3:1-15 [01:59] Being among the Top Ten stories of our faith, I wonder how many people instantly transport back in time to Sunday School when they hear this passage read? I always see Mrs. Fenn and felt board figurines in my mind’s eye. Is anyone ever tempted to yell, “No, Moses! Don’t go over there – your life will never be the same!!!” Probably not and thankfully, curiosity got the better of him as he wondered how fire did not consume the bush, and he went to go see this strange thing. We spend some time with EYE smart considering what it is that makes ground hallowed and how you could go about making your own burning bush. For BODY smart, we suggest inviting everyone to take off their shoes and to feel in their own bodies Moses’ keen interest in that odd sight. God seems to have lured Moses over in much the same way a venus fly trap or an angler fish entices prey in NATURE smart. Of course, God’s intention for luring Moses is not gustatory, but instead, God tickles Moses’ sense of wonder and invites him to do something God wants done. Moses’ questions in response are our questions when we hear a call to participate in God’s purposes – see SELF smart.
Romans 12:9-21 [08:45] This passage is great advice for living out one’s faith in Jesus. In WORD smart, we suggest making an acrostic, that is rewrite it in such a way that the first letters of each line spell a word or message. Taking this idea to a more public scale using EYE smart, make inspirational posters and display them. We listened to many podcasts while driving across Nebraska and Iowa, and one of them linked below gave us an idea for a MATH smart illustration. For a special effect, stick with the acrostic idea, and include puzzles or matching games. Paul addresses anger and enmity in these verses so for BODY smart, we have some links to what hate and love feel like physiologically. If you are feeling particularly creative, exercise some MUSIC smart muscles and write the passage as a hymn! This passage is full of PEOPLE smart contacts, and we have three illustrations you could use to show how Paul expects us to live with people we don’t like very much. For a special effect, break the verses into three parts and invite your congregation to discuss how this advice could be lived out. If you decide to use posters, set aside some time for SELF smart exploration.
Matthew 16:21-28 [19:11] Jesus asks some pointed and paradoxical questions about exchange rates in this passage, so we start in MATH smart with links to currency exchange and other paradoxes. The title for this week’s podcast was inspired by an article in The Christian Century (link below) written by Amy Ziettlow. What better way to include BODY smart than through dance? See our worksheet for a great quote from the article. Jesus’ insistence that he must die made us think of salmon spawning, which is a good NATURE smart illustration. For PEOPLE smart, think of a time when you attempted to “correct” a friend’s behavior – how did that go? Try presenting this passage as a Reader’s Theater (which includes PEOPLE, EYE, and BODY smart elements). Finally, for SELF smart, make a list of things “of God” and “of the world” that we spend time thinking about. How do those lists compare? What can be moved around?
Image credit: Copyright: vladimirdelic / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Ordinary 21, 2017 – Vacation, All I Ever Wanted | 19 Aug 2017 | 00:03:24 | |
Hey all! Since we are away from our equipment while out of town, we are leaving a list of links that we regularly use to prepare our own sermons and this podcast. We’ll be back with a show soon, so stay subscribed and be smart!!
And two websites that I have visited for years are:
Image credit: Copyright: damedeeso / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Ordinary 20, 2017 – Nevertheless, She Persisted | 17 Aug 2017 | 00:36:20 | |
Greetings!! We are on vacation this week and the next but couldn’t resist the Gospel passage for Sunday. It is a treasure trove! We found material for all eight intelligences and had to work hard to limit our findings to the usual half hour show. We missed that goal a bit, but hope that you will be forgiving as you come with us into the story and see what we found. If you find something we overlooked, please let us know in the comments, at our Twitter feed, at our Facebook page, or email us. We really would love to hear from you.
See this link for our comments [01:59] regarding the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the past weekend. Holy Lord, it just seems to get worse. Matthew 15:(10-20) 21-28 [04:39] One of the most salient features of Scripture is the themes that run throughout it. Chief among them being God’s love for creation and our response to that love. As we worked on this story, we noticed the persistence of the Canaanite woman reflected the persistence of the widow in Luke 18:1-8 and Jacob’s persistence wrestling on the Jabbok from a couple weeks ago. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “The arc of history is long but it bends towards justice” and he may have had these Biblical characters in mind as he and others persisted in pursuit of equality. Sometimes, we have to call on God persistently, trusting that our pleas for mercy will be answered. We begin in WORD Smart, seeing familiar themes running from the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel into this story. The kneeling Gentile woman parallels the kneeling Gentile Magi; the Messianic title she uses to address Jesus mirrors the disciples’ confession of his identity just days before. Print out this passage and mark it up with symbols and colors to reveal the themes. Post it where your congregation can see it (engaging EYE Smart), or as we suggest as a special effect, use sound effects as the story is read to highlight the themes. If you choose this route, you will also be engaging MUSIC Smart! In EYE Smart, we consider the space of this story. Not only the space on earth, but actual space! The region of Tyre and Sidon is where Elijah saved a widow and her son (hey! another connection to the rest of Scripture geographically and theologically!) and Jesus may have been hoping to withdraw after Pharisees confronted him about cleanliness (verses 10-20). But a woman begins orbiting Jesus like Cassini orbits Saturn and eventually crashes into him with her unshakeable plea. Take a look at the worksheet to see how we suggest demonstrating orbits as a special effect. Plus, break out the maps! A visual reminder of the “space” is always helpful for context. MATH Smart does not contain any numbers (unless you read on to the feeding of the four thousand Gentiles), but does have some logical twists. The woman “wins” her case not only through her persistent refusal to give up, but also through agreeing with Jesus’ interpretation of her and her people. Most of us would hear the derogatory allusion to canines in Jesus’ words and immediately get up and leave, but this woman’s primary objective to heal her daughter was too important for that. She allows the insult to come at her and then takes it and throws it back at Jesus. He was likely not expecting that and had to scramble to catch it! OR he got hit with it and was stunned into recognizing her need. Either way, she got through to him, and her daughter received what she hoped for. To illustrate this encounter, we have links (see below) to articles in Psychology Today and lifehacker.com. As a special effect, find people who have debate experience or trial lawyers and ask them about how they argue a point. Going with the thought of the woman and Jesus playing “catch”, you could actually play catch with someone as a BODY Smart special effect. In the show we paid more attention to the woman kneeling before Jesus, which did two things: 1) showed that she was determined to have an audience, because you usually kneel in front of royalty and sovereign rulers, and 2) impeded his forward progress. She was a rock in a stream blocking his flow downriver (Hey! NATURE Smart!). We have some examples of kneeling for illustrations and suggest practicing balasana for a special effect. Here, where the woman is kneeling in front of Jesus and throwing his words back at him, seems to me to be a turning point in a musical or opera. It is definitely a turning point for Jesus’ own ministry to the lost sheep. It seems he recognizes that all of his father’s flock is in need of shepherding, and he opens the scope of his ministry after this. We have many options for MUSIC Smart illustrations and special effects, including a variety of “Kyrie Eleison” offerings. It is my sincere desire to hear this passage as a song sometime before I die. In NATURE Smart, we have a few links about dogs you can use as illustrations. We found information about their history and taxonomy, and more specifically, their place in human society in the first century. My mother grew up on a farm in western South Dakota, and her relationship with the dogs on the farm was not the warm, indulgent connection most of us have but much closer to the historic utilitarian partnership where dogs worked for their keep. In parts of the world today, there are loose packs of dogs with no particular human attachment roaming streets and roads. These are most likely the kind of dog Jesus referenced. As a special effect, we suggest bringing in a dog! Do you have anyone in or around your congregation who is a dog trainer or handler? Invite them to come talk about working with canines. In PEOPLE Smart, we have links to two movies that may illustrate both the mother’s desperation and what happens when established boundaries are intentionally crossed. We have other illustrations that consider sexism in the story and quick thinking. (Plus, a little Monty Python, ‘cuz it’s us.) For a special effect, we ask you and your congregation to be honest with Jesus’ initial response to the woman – it is not kind or compassionate. He brushes her off at best and insults her at worst. It is not a picture we prefer to have of our Lord. But, like the less than honorable Jacob and imperfect David and reluctant Moses, Jesus reveals our humanity and in his reaction to this woman, shows us how to respond to challenges as fuller human beings. Also, consider how your congregation may assist desperate parents in your own community and around the world. Finally in SELF Smart, we see how this woman has broken all manner of conventions that would deem her unclean to a first century Jew (see verses 10-20), yet at the end of the passage, Jesus proclaims that she has great faith. She embodies a pure heart, and what comes forth from her changes the mission and mind of God incarnate. This is a boomerang moment and to illustrate this, we suggest using the censure of Senator Elizabeth Warren this past February. Persistence may be its own reward!
Image credit: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ilyas_Basim_Khuri_Bazzi_Rahib_-_Jesus_and_the_Canaanite_Woman_-_Walters_W59243A_-_Full_Page.jpg Naskh is the caligraphic style for writing in the Arabic alphabet that the biblical text is written in for this manuscript. The artist, Ilyas Basim Khuri Bazzi Rahib, was most likely a Coptic monk in the late 17th century in Egypt. Copyright Permission: This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial ShareAlike 3.0 License. In short: you are free to use and to share the file for non-commercial purposes under the conditions that you appropriately attribute it, and that you distribute it only under a license compatible with this one. For uses other than the above, contact the Divinity Library at divref@vanderbilt.edu.
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| Year A, Ordinary 19, 2017 – A Rock and a Hard Place | 09 Aug 2017 | 00:34:31 | |
Welcome back! Sometimes we face challenges and know it; the pressure surrounds us and threatens to overwhelm us, and we seem to have no good options. Other times, we walk into bad situations that in retrospect we should have seen coming. In the passages for today’s Lectionary, Paul is hard pressed to bring two groups together in union with Christ, and the disciples in Matthew are working hard to keep their boat upright in a wind storm. In Genesis, Joseph walks right into the hornet’s nest of his older brothers’ resentment. In all three situations, the proverbial rock and hard place, while not specifically mentioned, are strong supporting players in the drama. Paul understands their presence and attempts to draw the tension away with a third pathway. The disciples are offered a mind-blowing way out when Jesus walks up to them on the water. Poor Joseph will not find a way out for a few more chapters but as he looks back over his life, he does see how God charted his course for him. As you decide how to present these passages to your congregations this week, name the rocks and hard places you and your people encounter, and be bold to proclaim that we have not been left to be crushed or swallowed up by them. (This week’s note on the sound quality: I think I got last week’s noise out, but this week we had the windows open because it was a beautiful, cool, summer evening, so you might here the “peepers” from outside.) This week’s texts are: Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28 [01:59] For this Lectionary cycle, we only have two stories from the Joseph saga in Genesis; the beginning and the end. Today we witness the beginning where the teenaged Joseph is sent by his father to check on his brothers out tending the sheep. While this story can stand on its own, it is part of the larger story of Israel’s history, and the subtext is always present. In EYE smart, we have some suggestions to illustrate how a small piece fits into a larger one. For special effects, we encourage use of our trusty maps and have links to pictures of what Dothan looks like in our era. We also have an idea that can translate into BODY smart if you don’t have any Tinker Toys or Legos. Speaking of BODY smart, David found an interesting experiment illustrating how carrying around resentment is like carrying around extra weight. We did not list MUSIC smart as one of the intelligences we explicitly explore, but we can’t zip past without mentioning Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The first three songs cover this episode, so if you can work them in somehow, that would be great for your Music smart people! Dysfunction is the word of the day – or decades – for this family; we have three links in PEOPLE smart to illustrate how messy it can really get. In SELF smart, we have a link to how resentment can effect one’s body.
Romans 10:5-15 [11:27] The context of Paul’s letter to the Romans cannot be ignored in this chapter. Due to Claudius’ expulsion of Jews from Rome, the Christian sect that had been growing there morphed into a group that consisted mostly of Gentiles who were not entirely happy with Paul’s reticence about cutting ties with his old identity as a Jew. On the other side, Jewish Christians were not happy that Paul was allowing these non-kosher believers into fellowship. He needed a third way solution in order to keep the Gospel moving. His rhetoric in this passage reminded David of the old proverb “For want of a nail,” which we use in MATH smart. For a special effect in MATH smart, we have a link to a Gauss gun that demonstrates the increasing effect testimony can have. In MUSIC smart, we follow Paul’s lead as he remixes Scripture into a song of praise about Jesus and discuss how if one’s heart is not engaged by what you are singing, it’s pretty obvious in the offering. In NATURE smart, we consider planet Earth’s place in our solar system as a way to illustrate Paul’s larger understanding of God’s salvation. In SELF smart, we have some questions for individuals to ponder about what their hearts believe and their lips proclaim about Jesus.
Matthew 14:22-33 [21:32] What new can be said about this story? I think D. Mark Davis has an intriguing interpretation that you can find at his site linked below. I found it quite compelling, which is ironic because in WORD smart, Jesus compels – or even forces – the disciples into a boat after the feast of bread and fish. Paying careful attention to the WORDS of a story can open up some truly fascinating interpretations. Go check it out. We did not mention EYE smart in the podcast, but like Jacob wrestling the man by the Jabbok last week, this story is a favorite for artists, and we have just a wee sample in the links. Jesus’ dual nature of God and human gets center stage in this story, and we have an illustration in MATH smart using the particle/wave duality of light. We also look at the physics of walking on water – or Oobleck. We usually focus on Peter in this story, but what about Jesus and his reaction to what Peter is doing? In BODY smart we have two links to movies that might help you illustrate Jesus’ response to what his most impulsive disciple is doing. Two gospel songs can preach your sermon for you in MUSIC smart. And in NATURE smart, we ponder the immense power of water and wind unleashed from their usual boundaries and how eerily calm Jesus is in the midst of it all. See the links below for some examples of what the Sea of Galilee might look like when it’s storm tossed.
Image credit: Copyright: albund / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Advent 4, 2019 – Joseph’s Dream | 21 Dec 2019 | 00:44:28 | |
Greetings and welcome! We are running very late this week due to a number of factors, so we decided to concentrate on only the Gospel passage for this Sunday. Matthew starts the story of Jesus’ nativity with the experience of his father, Joseph. We were struck by the ways that Matthew explicitly points to Jesus as Messiah by not only referring to him as Messiah, but by identifying Joseph as Son of David. What other gems are hidden in this well-told story? If you were really hoping for some illustrations and special effects for Isaiah and Romans, check out our post from three years ago at this link, or just listen to this week’s hybrid episode that includes our new ideas and the show from 2016. We have confirmation biases, a suggestion for using a crib, and finding ways to “embody” God from the Isaiah passage. For Romans, we suggest Mad Libs, John Lennon’s Imagine, and a template for introducing yourself as a servant of Jesus Christ. Check ’em out! Matthew 1:18-25 – [01:18] Matthew 1:18-25 worksheet DownloadWe have used the suggestion to find the meaning of names for WORD smart in the past and think it would be fun to do it again. Look up the names of the people in the passage and the people in your congregation. Let folks spend some time thinking about what their names mean for and about them for some SELF smart time. David thinks that the choice Joseph makes after meeting Gabriel in a dream is a lot like a probability exercise in MATH smart. Check out the links below. For BODY smart, invite people to physically feel Joseph’s shock and dismay at Mary’s news. For MUSIC smart, find songs about Emmanuel. There are many! Do you have the time to make a mashup of them? Or, simply set up a play list and have that running during your fellowship time. Finally, for PEOPLE smart encourage your folks to talk about times when they either talked someone out of a course of action or had someone talk them out of a decision.
Photo: The Dream of St. Joseph by Anton Raphael Mengs [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons | |||
| Year A, Ordinary 18, 2017 – Wrassling | 02 Aug 2017 | 00:29:10 | |
Greetings!! We’re back for another episode of intelligences, insights, and illustrations! This week, the theme seems to be a bit – sweaty. In Genesis, Jacob is preparing himself to meet his brother Esau for the first time in about twenty years and finds himself wrestling with his conscience – or is it God? The text is not entirely clear. In Romans, Paul grapples with deep grief because his people have rejected the claim that Jesus of Nazareth is the long awaited Messiah. In Matthew, Jesus wants to grieve the violent death of his cousin, John, but the crowds who follow him have a different idea. His disciples must struggle with Jesus’ command to feed the crowd rather than send them away. There is much wrangling in this week’s passages, and you could work up a good sweat with any one of them. So, let’s get some water, pump up some tunes, check our heart rate, and get into it! Ready? (By the way, if you search on “wrassling” this comes up. Have fun!) (Also, there’s some audio distortion in the final mix. Not sure where it came from. Sorry about it.) This week’s texts are: Genesis 32:22-31 [02:01] As I said, Jacob is wrestling with the news he is about to see his twin brother again. You will remember, they did not part on the best of terms; in fact, Esau wanted to kill him. Has twenty years changed his mind or has he simply bided his time? Jacob hopes for the former but prepares for the latter and while he contemplates this fate, a stranger approaches and engages him in a wrestling match that lasts all night. If you are familiar with Hebrew, you will hear a play on words – Jacob, wrestle, and Jabbok all share the same root consonants and sound very much alike. You could play with other words as you tell this story and even turn this into a poem or song. We have one of each as illustrations! For a WORD smart special effect, find a source that gives the meaning of names and share with your congregation what their names mean. The wrasslin’ match on the riverbank has inspired not only poetry and song, but art. We have links to two websites that have gathered paintings and sculptures about this story in EYE smart. For a special effect, break out the maps!! In BODY smart, we consider how strenuous an all night wrestling match must have been. It is a testament to both Jacob’s strength and tenacity that he holds on until day break even after he has been seriously injured. How bad was it? Click the links below about hip dislocations, and if you have the stomach for it, use them as a special effect! As the match came to an end at daybreak, the stranger blessed Jacob by giving him a new name, Israel. For SELF smart, consider the new name God has given us as baptized members of the Body of Christ.
Romans 9:1-5 [10:39] Paul is not rolling in the dust with an unknown opponent in this passage, but his struggle is no less intense. He has come to the halfway point in this letter to the Romans and scholars have wondered why he didn’t just stop at the end of chapter eight with the ringing confidence he expresses. Instead, he abruptly shifts gears and begins to mourn the apparent rejection of Jesus by his own people. He wrestles with his place in both worlds and offers to rescind his own salvation on their behalf. It is truly a heart breaking passage. His grief is genuine, and his desire for his people to receive Jesus as Messiah is consuming. Maybe it is this depth of feeling that has led scholars and preachers through history to misunderstand the later part of Romans as a rejection of the Jews. Unfortunately, this misunderstanding has lead to a warped view of God’s chosen people. This passage does not reject the people who have rejected the Messiah. In fact, Paul’s heart expands for them in his grief, and he longs for them to see what he sees and change their minds. He understands this is out of his control and so leaves his people in God’s hands. In MATH smart, we illustrate Paul’s desire for his people with a quote from J. Christiaan Beker’s Paul the Apostle, which also leads to Roy Scheider in Jaws, Heather Locklear in an old shampoo commercial, exponential equations, baking a cake, and having more than one child. Go take a look, it really does make sense! In MUSIC smart, go listen to (or better yet, read) the lyrics for Prince’s song I Would Die 4 U. We have an interesting musical special effect, too! For NATURE smart, consider plants that share a root system to illustrate the intertwined relationship of Jews and Christians. And finally, in SELF smart, we have illustrations from Star Trek the original series, a “heroic sacrifice” trope, and a Vietnam era medic who was honored for his service in battle.
Matthew 14:13-21 [19:33] Hearts are broken in this passage, too. Jesus has just heard the news that his cousin John has been executed by Herod. He has been facing a lot of opposition and resistance to his ministry, and this may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. He goes out to a lonely place perhaps hoping to weep and rest. He ends up spending his alone time healing and bestowing compassion on a very large crowd who followed him. The disciples seem to go with it until it is time for food. They wish for Jesus to send the crowd away, but he tells them to feed the crowd themselves. I really wish I could be present at the time Jesus says things like this; I would love to see the expressions on their faces and maybe even learn some first century expressions of disbelief and frustration that I am certain must have made it into this conversation, even if Matthew edited it out for sensitive ears later. Yet, they obey him, and a miracle happens! In MATH smart, we consider the scope of this miracle with the numbers recorded by Matthew. 5000+ people is a very large crowd, even in our modern world, so how much food would it take to feed all of them? As a starting point, look up the bread illustration for MATH smart we used last week! In BODY smart, we consider the food itself, and some how what happened – while miraculous – may also have been offensive to those who care about who touches their food. It isn’t just questions of gluten free or responsibly sourced sea food, but have people washed their hands before passing bread around? We have another illustration for MUSIC smart, this time from Johnny Cash. Go listen to “No Earthly Good” and pay special attention to verse three! Finally, in PEOPLE smart, consider the role the disciples played in this story – they were not just bystanders! So we have illustrations and a special effect that encourages you and your congregation to be actively involved in serving others, even if you aren’t sure you have enough resources or energy. God provides, always!
Image credit: Copyright: ostill / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Ordinary 17, 2017 – Winning! | 27 Jul 2017 | 00:30:38 | |
Hey everyone! We apologize for our tardiness getting the show out this week. Real life has been pulling us away from our laptops, which is a very good thing for our real world relationships, but not so great for our productivity. The clash between what we hope to do and what is actually happening is a bit like Jacob in the Genesis passage for this week, except we don’t wake up to discover we have married someone else. In Romans, Paul’s declaration that nothing – including deadlines – will separate us from the love of God gives us peace. Jesus gives us five parables recorded in Matthew’s gospel extolling the abundant growth and exceeding value of the kingdom of heaven. Our wee podcast may be like a mustard seed; small and seemingly insignificant, but with the nourishment of the Spirit, it may grow to provide blessings for many. We pray it will, anyway! This week’s texts are: Genesis 29:15-28 [03:00] As with the stories that precede this one, the passage for today is WORD smart wealthy. The drama of being with the “wrong” person fuels many soap operas and romance novels. (We could not find any written by the Russian romance novelist Nikolai Riptzercorzetzov, though.) [;-)] Passion, betrayal, confrontation – we have everything needed to get the heart racing. So we wonder where people might feel this story in BODY smart. We also wonder in PEOPLE smart who folks might find themselves identifying with as the story unfolds. Would it be Jacob, the trickster who is tricked? Maybe it is Laban, the smooth player who orchestrates the trick, or Rachel, the bride who is wanted and left standing on the sidelines, or Leah, the bride who is offered and rejected. In isolation, this story is full of human intrigue but not much hope or grace. To find those elements, you may need to step back from this scene and include the larger backdrop of the entire covenant cycle and God’s faithfulness to the promise in spite of human folly.
Romans 8:26-39 [12:24] Paul encourages believers to pray consistently, even if they do not know what to pray for. We have an eternal translator working to make our hearts known to God, sort of a celestial translator. In WORD smart, you might illustrate this translator using the examples we provide. While there is a lot of good theological meat on the bones of this passage, it is rather long. David wrote a choral reading for this passage which may help people hear the WORDs with new ears. We were taken with the idea of being transformed into the image of Christ and found a fun program that morphs faces for you to try out in EYE smart (see the link below). The illustrations and special effects we offer for MATH smart have a strong EYE smart element in them, but there is a logic to them as well. Living into the image of Christ may be like children trying on their parents’ clothes which we suggest as an illustration for PEOPLE smart. We also have an idea to demonstrate nothing keeping us from Jesus’ love.
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 [21:59] The parables are WORD smart wealthy, so we looked at some of the details for material for the other intelligences. In MATH smart, we looked at the amount of flour the woman used to make bread. It turns out to be enough to feed far more than merely herself and her household. (Follow the link below “The Bread Monk”.) For NATURE smart, find a recipe for bread, and make it while you preach. Then offer it to the congregation. And in SELF smart, we have a mini-devotion that you and members of your flock can use.
Image credit: Copyright: maxborovkov / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Ordinary 16, 2017 – Adversity | 20 Jul 2017 | 00:32:30 | |
Hello! There is a saying that reads: “A woman is like a teabag – you find out how strong she is when she’s in hot water.” (Eleanor Roosevelt is usually credited with this quote but there is not strong evidence it belongs to her.) All three passages assigned for this Sunday deal with someone in hot water. In Genesis, it is Jacob the Grasper-and-Getter-of-His-Twin’s-Birthright-and-Blessing-Which-Made-Said-Twin-Murderously-Angry-So-He-Scarpered-to-Haran-to-“Get-a-Wife”-(Read: Save-His-Skin). In Romans, Paul speaks of believers and all of creation enduring suffering like that of a woman in labor. Jesus tells a parable in Matthew about a landowner whose wheat field is sabotaged by an enemy, and while one would think it is he who is under pressure in this story, it is his servants who are reacting poorly. Whether it is someone who is running from the consequences of his actions, the faithful who are struggling to find hope, or people who want to root out evil when they find it, God is present with them all in the midst of adversity. This week’s texts are: Genesis 28:10-19a [01:59]The imagery of Jacob’s dream has been the subject of art, poetry, and music. We take time to acknowledge this but also point out that Jacob’s vision may have been possible because he was in a thin place. The first three links below discuss what a thin place is, especially in Celtic theology. Since Jacob was on the move, retracing the route of the servant who went to fetch his mother for his father, we suggest getting out the maps and looking at his journey. Plus, if you find Beth-el on a map, you will see it is a bit higher than the surrounding landscape, which gives the thin place idea some validity. We have some MUSIC ideas that center around God’s promise to be with Jacob as he moves into his new future. This promise can also be illustrated with a clip from the movie Jurassic Park (see below). Jacob is so impressed with what he has experienced that he consecrates the place and vows to return.
Romans 8:12-25 [11:24] Paul continues to encourage the faithful in Rome that, in spite of their struggles as disciples, there is reason to hope. Hope is revealed in Jesus, and in EYE smart, we think you could illustrate this revelation using diagrams or schematics. Part of what Paul hopes for is the redemption of our bodies, so in BODY smart, we have some links about regeneration. Paul is also excited about being co-heirs with Christ in this new life, so in PEOPLE smart we have some links that take a humorous look at reading wills.
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 [20:35] Jesus’ parables are a lot like parabolas and not just because you use most of the same letters to spell them. This carefully crafted story is shaped by a point Jesus wanted to make without coming right out and making it. Even though he did not explicitly say so either in the parable or in his explanation of the parable, we think Jesus’ point was the problem of evil in the life of a disciple. He was telling these parables after encountering a lot of resistance to his ministry, so evil was probably on his mind. Nevertheless, it seemed to be important to Jesus that hearers engage their imaginations and intellects as they listened to him. We look at this connection in MATH smart. Parables are stories and chock full of WORD smart, and we have a link to a quote from The Gulag Archipelago that addresses the issue of co-joined good and evil. In NATURE smart, we look at what may have been the weed sowed among the wheat and a story about getting rid of a field full of thistles. And in SELF smart, we return to the conflict between good and evil.
Image credit: Copyright: jen7 / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Ordinary 15, 2017 – Good Guy, Bad Guy, Same Guy? | 12 Jul 2017 | 00:31:22 | |
Welcome back! I spent a couple weeks lately playing Batman: Arkham City. I’m not a huge fan of the Batverse, but two of the passages for this week brought a character from this world to mind for me – Harvey Dent, aka Two Face. In the complex world of Batman, Harvey Dent did not begin his time as a villain. He originally was a district attorney who turned to crime after he was attacked with an acid that gave him disfiguring burns on one side of his body. He did not handle this new reality well and descended into madness which expresses itself as an obsessive pursuit of duality. This Good Guy/Bad Guy occupying the same space is a classic literary theme. Despicable Me 3 raises the question of whether a character is good or bad or a little of both and in his review of Marcus Borg’s Days of Awe and Wonder, Tom Long points out Borg’s own binary path to faith. In the Lectionary selections for this Sunday, twins wrestling for dominance in Genesis and the apostle Paul’s dual options for obedience echo this two faced struggle. I’m still not entirely certain how this theme expresses itself in the Gospel, except that one can either hear and reject Jesus’ message, or hear and understand it and bear bountiful fruit. Let’s go take a look. (We bought some new sound equipment that we aren’t used to yet, so please excuse some rough spots in the audio quality this week. The learning curve isn’t too steep, so it should be better from here on. Thanks for your patience.) This week’s texts are: Genesis 25:19-34 [01:59]While we tend to shy away from WORD smart in favor of bringing out the other intelligences, the origin stories of Genesis are difficult to bypass. By the time they were written down, they had likely been told as oral history for generations. Any good story teller will select generously from the palette of literary techniques, as we illustrate with Aesop the Fableist and the folk tales surrounding Paul Bunyan. In BODY smart, we consider infertility and multiple births, as well as suggest making and serving lentil stew. The timing of this meal could be crucial! Was hunting in Esau’s day much different than in ours? We have some links in NATURE smart. Finally, was Jacob a good guy who had to game the system in order to survive or a not so good guy who took advantage of his family to come out on top? We have some questions to consider in PEOPLE smart.
Romans 8:1-11 [10:54] Binary options run through this passage from Romans. Paul is getting deeper and deeper into his thesis in these verses – that thesis is this: as a disciple of Christ, you have a choice. Set your mind to live in the Spirit or set your mind to live in the flesh. Whichever choice you make, there are consequences, and Paul’s descriptions of them are vivid. He is working hard to make a sale for the first option, and in EYE smart, we have some illustrations for comparative advertising. In MATH smart, we wonder if Paul is laying a foundation or a capstone with this passage. A little of both maybe! We have some NATURE illustrations that may help people understand the ongoing reality of living into this faith. While Paul is writing to a fellowship of believers, each person must learn to discipline their lives as forgiven people. We have some ideas in SELF smart that could be very powerful learning options.
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 [22:32] At first glance, this parable of the Sower does not seem to lend itself to the dual theme apparent in Romans and Genesis. But wait! Jesus tells this parable because he has been facing some fierce opposition to his ministry. As he ends the story, he even says, “Let anyone with ears, listen!” In other words, make a decision. In WORD smart, we look at the literary use of parable and allegory and offer some examples to illustrate it. We have a unique challenge for a special effect, too! Stories are rich soil for musical settings, so we have some options in MUSIC smart. Again, another challenge – write your own song! We are back to the idea of hearing in order to understand in PEOPLE smart and in SELF smart we have questions for you, the preacher and disciple.
Image credit: Copyright: stocking / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Ordinary 14, 2017 – Faithful | 04 Jul 2017 | 00:34:30 | |
Hey everyone! Have you ever needed to make a long trip with an uncertain outcome at the end of it? Have you ever struggled to break a bad habit? Have you ever given up in weariness and frustration? Have we got a show for you! In Genesis, Abraham’s servant makes a long distance trip back to Abraham’s hometown to find a wife for Isaac. By the time he reaches his destination, he has a plan but it will only work if God is faithful. In Romans, Paul touches on the universal struggle to do the right thing even though our reflexes and impulses have the upper hand. The only way to break through the hopelessness of failure is to rely on God’s faithful deliverance through Jesus. And in Matthew, Jesus, frustrated with misunderstandings and mistrust, reveals himself to be faithful and the one to lighten burdens and partner up with us in our living. The only thing we need to do is trust him. So, drop what you’re doing and call now! This is not a limited one time offer and no special rates apply. This week’s texts are: Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 [01:59] David and I despaired about whether there was anything to mine in this straightforward narrative for illustrations and special effects. It turns out, there is a more than we initially thought. For example, the entire text is rich in WORD smart; you could tell this story as a reader’s theater or even as a family history. Gather your readers/actors and present the story as a drama or gather your young’uns around you up front and tell the story as if you were sitting around a fireplace. The reader’s theater doubles as EYE smart, and if you choose not to do it, don’t fear! You could break out the maps and show the distance the servant travelled or show a painting of Isaac praying in the field as the servant returns with his bride, Rebekah. BODY smart also has some overtones of NATURE and PEOPLE smart, since the well in the city is an important place to gather, get water, and is where the servant makes plans with God to see the mission through to its successful conclusion. Plus, how strong must Rebekah have been to water all those camels with just a water jar? Impressive.
Romans 7:13-25 [11:33] We are still traveling through Paul’s letter to the Romans as he argues the case for Jesus Christ. This week, he continues to correct misunderstandings about the nature of sin and grace. Here, he addresses the pervasive and invasive nature of sin as something that we might say is at a molecular level in all of humanity. It seems to be connected to the subconscious reflexive part of the brain (See SELF smart) and makes us act in ways we think we did not intend to (unless you are Captain Kirk and then you meant to do that.) (See MATH smart) How might you present this dilemma to your congregation? Would you believe you could use a commercial for IBS? No? Take a look at EYE smart, then!
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 [23:29] Previously in Matthew, Jesus has sent the twelve out in his name to heal and proclaim. Here in chapter 11, we are beginning to see the clear effect of this ministry. People are confused and not willing to trust what they see. *(Jesus responds to that mistrust in the section the Lectionary leaves out, but we have some ideas if you choose to keep it in. See the bottom of the notes for several ideas.) Even though there is some good PEOPLE smart material in this mistrust, we decided to look at it in terms of MUSIC smart. This is not so unusual considering some of the biggest fights in churches happen over music preferences. Be careful not to re-open old wounds if you choose to use this intelligence! Jesus’ promise of an easy yoke that fits prompted a lot of ideas for BODY smart, and we have some truly intriguing thoughts from Taizé to ponder in SELF smart.
*Notes on non-lectionary section of this reading: If you choose to preach on the “woe” passage, we had a thought or two about how you might use the intelligences in those verses. The Jewish cities of Corazin, Bethdsaida, and Capernaum should have recognized Jesus’ ministry and identity as Messiah but they did not. It could have been they did not trust him; who could blame them when he did not fit their ideal of what Messiah would look like or do? The people who could not or would not trust Jesus became infected with a poison that permeated everything and rippled outward to affect the lives of others in the cities who might have been able to trust if they had been given the chance. Jesus gives three Gentile, hedonistic cities known to the audience of his day a kinder, gentler word than these three Jewish cities. Hedonism and living for the day have their own harmful effects but they may be focused simply on the person indulging in them; mistrust seeps outward and infects the atmosphere, poisoning everyone. So, you could illustrate and / or demonstrate this idea in the following ways: Logic Smart – recognize the social and psychological effects of extreme division; illustrate it with recent political campaigns (also EYE smart – show slogans, signs, and video. Be careful to set it up as an illustration, not an endorsement.) Body Smart – recognize the effect of toxic doubt/mistrust in your own body as it relates to stress, anger, resentment, and other harmful behaviors. Bring in charts to illustrate how long term exposure to stress, etc., affects the body’s systems and overall health. Interview a medical professional. Have tips on how to reduce this stress, emphasizing prayer/meditation. Nature Smart – the effects of dumping toxins in the air, soil, and water are illustrations from the natural world. Know anyone who works for the Environmental Protection Agency or has done clean up work at spill sites? Invite them to share their insights. People Smart – the effects of being around cynical/toxic people can be harmful to you. Break into groups and discuss how negativity makes you feel and how it affects the Body of Christ. Is the Body ill because of this toxin? How would you go about healing the Body? Self Smart – recognizing that an inability to trust hurts more than just you. Make a list of people you find difficult to trust and why. Imagine taking this yoke of mistrust to Jesus. What does he do with it as he is fitting you with a new yoke?
Image credit: Eruption of Old Faithful geyser at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA. Copyright: lorcel / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Ordinary 13, 2017 – Your Choice | 29 Jun 2017 | 00:34:57 | |
Hello! Welcome back! As usual, we have choices to make about sermons and worship for this week. We must admit that two of the three passages proved to be hard work for us. The Genesis passage is the story of Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac. Much ink has been spilled about this story and while we attempted to find grace in it, the tale is dark and complicated. We think it is important to keep that in mind and be honest about it whatever path you choose for your preaching. The Romans passage continues Paul’s argument about the total change in living after one is baptized into Christ. We are freed from the deathly effects of sin, but still have choices about how that freedom will be manifest in our lives. And Jesus’ brief words of encouragement to his disciples proved to be a bit too short for us to get hold of it until we looked at some commentary and the Greek. In essence, how we choose to welcome and be welcomed is important for proclamation of the Gospel. You have options for your preaching this week. You need to choose which passage to preach, how to connect them (if it is possible), and if you will use any of our illustrations and special effects! We certainly hope you choose to do so! This week’s texts are: Genesis 22:1-14 [01:58]This is a difficult passage to interpret. Part of the difficulty is the straightforward nature of the story; there is not much ambiguity. And that’s another part of the challenge; we want ambiguity because of the story’s nature. How do we preach this passage? In WORD smart, we looked at Soren Kierkegaard’s book, Fear and Trembling for some answers. Maybe, like Abraham, we are too focused on one part of the story and are unable to see more because of tunnel vision which we mention in EYE smart. The choice Abraham must make to obey God is gut wrenching, much like William Styron’s book Sophie’s Choice which we talk about in MATH smart. For BODY smart, we wonder what it takes to destroy the promise you hold in your hands. Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen wrote songs about this story; check out our links in MUSIC smart. For NATURE smart, we suggest a special effect that could double with EYE and BODY smart. We have a discussion idea for PEOPLE smart and in SELF smart, we encourage individuals to consider Calvin’s commentary about having three days to think about big decisions.
Romans 6:12-23 [13:46] We’ve been baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection, so Paul has some advice about what that means for daily living. In BODY smart, we we suggest using a toolbox to illustrate and demonstrate Paul’s argument. Bob Dylan makes another appearance in MUSIC smart and we also have a very short poem written by a soldier. The incredibly abundant nature of God’s goodness and mercy, which Bill Loader talks about in his commentary on the passage, made me think about perennial plants so we use that as an illustration for NATURE smart. To what will we be freely obedient? We have some video clips for a PEOPLE smart illustration and some thoughts to spark discussion among your congregation.
Matthew 10:40-32 [23:06] This selection concludes Jesus’ instructions to his disciples as he sends them out to do the ministry he himself has been doing. He ends his teaching by talking about welcomes – a bit backwards, but then Jesus is always doing things to upset expectations! We have a quote about Clinical Pastoral Education to start off EYE smart. Jesus surprises us with a triple, which we have looked at before, and so we suggest getting out the three legged stool from Trinity Sunday for MATH smart to explore his comment. Pass out a cool drink for NATURE smart and discuss how hospitality and mission connect in your congregation for PEOPLE smart.
Image Credit: Copyright: studiostoks / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Ordinary 12, 2017 – The Other Side | 21 Jun 2017 | 00:32:37 | |
Hello, and welcome to this week’s show notes! The phrase “the Other Side” is surprisingly evocative, and a little slippery, as it can refer to so many things. It might mean a physical location away from yourself – the other side of the room or of the road, for example. It’s where the grass is greener, and it’s why chickens cross roads. It can mean an opposing team in sports or the opposing party in politics. Sometimes we’re referring to a later time after an event, as in “We’ll meet you on the other side of the holidays when things settle down.” Sometimes we’re referring to death, or perhaps the spiritual realm beyond death – “She has passed to the other side.” Our texts for this week hold many of those flavors. In the story of Sarah and Hagar, the two rivals (sides?) finally find a conclusion to their struggles with each other, although it means one undergoes an ordeal. With God’s help, she makes out the other side. In the epistle to the Romans, Paul insists that those who have been baptized have crossed to the Other Side, through death into a new life. In the Gospel lesson, Jesus continues his instructions to the apostles on how to deal with adversaries to their ministry and the divisions they can expect because people will have to choose one side or the other. Perhaps these are just the sort of texts we should be working on in a world that seems desperately divided. It’s been said that whenever people draw a dividing line, Jesus is on the other side. This week’s texts are: Genesis 21:8-21 [01:59] After last week’s joyful laughter at the birth of Isaac, the abrupt change of tone in this week’s passage may make us duck and cover. Sarah has weaned little Isaac and seeing him in company with Ishmael awakens fear for her son’s future. He is Abraham’s second son, and she is worried about primogeniture. Since he is the child through whom the covenant will be fulfilled, Sarah demands that Ishmael and his mother be cast out of Abraham’s protection. In MUSIC smart, we wonder if the passage could be written as poetry or set to music, as it has some poetic undertones to start with. In EYE smart, we determine how far Hagar went to get away from Ishmael’s cries. Is Sarah fulfilling the role of the Evil Stepmother? We look at that trope and other family drama in PEOPLE smart. And in SELF smart, how would you answer the question in verse seventeen if God were to ask you?
Romans 6:1b-11 [10:31] The Romans passage is all about baptism. Well, and sin. And new life! And death. And resurrection. And everything that is new about being part of Christ. Being baptized into Jesus means a new perspective and understanding of oneself for having gone through it, which means no turning back. In WORD smart, we illustrate this new outlook with George R. R. Martin’s saga Game of Thrones. We have several ideas for illustrations in MATH smart to demonstrate our congruence with Christ. The new life in Jesus stretches out over a lifetime, not unlike some self-care habits, which we illustrate in BODY smart. Baptism is much like crossing a boundary, and in NATURE smart, we illustrate this boundary crossing with mountain passes and bridges.
Matthew 10:24-39 [20:14] This week, Jesus has a lot of instruction for the disciples. Nothing will ever be kept secret and in EYE smart, we give some ideas of things that can be uncovered. IN BODY smart, we look at the connection between the body and the soul. Sparrows show up in MUSIC smart and in PEOPLE smart, we have a movie and television show as illustrations for complicated family relationships and loyalties.
Image Credit: Copyright: backyardproduction / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Ordinary 11, 2017 – Pretty Basic | 13 Jun 2017 | 00:31:48 | |
Greetings!! Our son is living with us this summer as his future unfolds and every once in a while, he decides he will make dinner. (YAY!) He will hunt down a recipe on the internet, scope what’s on hand, and make something that is not too fancy; it’s “just pretty basic.” We appreciate that he takes this task on, and his “just pretty basic” meals have been quite tasty! Sometimes, pretty basic is pretty wonderful. It can be just what we need just when we need it. In the passages for today’s lectionary readings, we see some pretty basic stuff; God re-iterates the promise of a child through whom the covenant would come to fruition. That this child will be born to people in their very late years is brushed aside by God who says, “Is nothing too wonderful?” In Romans, Paul gives the basic foundation for living a justified life; that it builds from suffering is just part of the plan, according to him (and his own experience). In Matthew, Jesus sees his own people living harassed lives and is moved with compassion for them. He gives them the basics and then calls his disciples to go and do the very same. Peace, hope, endurance, grace, mercy, compassion, wholeness – just the basics for a life of faith. Combined in the right quantities at the right time, the result can be astounding! This week’s texts are: Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7) [01:59] It’s a hot day, and an old man is sitting in the entrance of his home when he looks up and suddenly sees three men standing in front of him. Great start to a story, right? It is, but the story has been going on for a while now. Twenty five years, actually. Still, we wonder with the old man, “who are these guys?“ As the passage continues, we all discover that they are messengers from God – and one of them may even BE God – or they all THREE may be God – coming by to visit Abraham and Sarah and to give word that the long-awaited promise is going to be fulfilled. In one year’s time, Sarah will have a son. Sarah is skeptical and later amazed. Her astonishment might be like people who wonder how a magician did a trick, which we explore in EYE smart. We do not for a minute believe that God worked magic to make Sarah a mother, and we look at this collision of reason and God’s capacity to create in MATH smart. Three guys dropping by for a meal signaled a massive change in the couple’s lives, and we think about how Abraham’s actions and Sarah’s laughter are important parts of the story in PEOPLE smart.
Romans 5:1-8 [09:34] Paul has already written about why Jesus is so important to a new way of living in the first four chapters of his letter to the Romans. Now, he begins the turn into why this makes a difference in the lives of those who trust Jesus. He begins by speaking of being justified by faith in Jesus. Usually, when we hear the word “justified” we are really thinking of the word “vindicated” as in we have been proven to be right in our actions or words. This is not justification as Paul understands it. For him, justification is like being set back to the starting point; everything that has come before is now gone, and the chance to start over is bright and shining new. We consider this “set back” to be like a board game and have some ideas how to illustrate and demonstrate this idea in MATH smart. For BODY smart, we look at the Greek word we translate as “access” (which we also discuss in MATH smart) as less a pass code than being physically brought into the presence of God. Which made me think of ushers and how we walk differently when being shown to a seat or just going and sitting down on our own. We stick with this idea of justification in SELF smart with a quote from William Loader.
Matthew 9:35 – 10:8 [20:05] At the end of chapter nine, Matthew shows us Jesus going about the countryside meeting the needs of his people. This made us think of our own political leaders going out to see the devastation left behind after storms and natural disasters in EYE smart. Jesus sees just how much need there is and so calls disciples to pray for workers for the harvest. The surprise twist is that those workers are they themselves! We look at how basic ministry can be done by ordinary disciples in MATH smart. Jesus calls for these harvest workers and commissions the disciples to do this work because he is greatly concerned about the harassed and helpless state of the people, which we explore in BODY smart. Matthew uses an analogy of sheep to describe the people’s condition. We have some video of lost sheep for NATURE smart. We also wonder about the sort of harvest Jesus expects and the sort we plan for in churches. Are we going after the same crops or is one of us talking about weeds?
Image Credit: Just a word in a jpeg.
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| Year A, Trinity Sunday, 2017 – Three In One | 06 Jun 2017 | 00:31:37 | |
Greetings!! Here in the United States, we are just beginning to ease into the summer months which include the end of the academic year in schools, the beginning of summer travel, and Trinity Sunday. (I remember that was the day we always sang “Holy, Holy, Holy” in worship when I was a kid – most likely because the Trinity is explicitly mentioned in this hymn.) I know that when it comes to the Doctrine of the Trinity, most of us feel like we need to stretch and warm up our theological muscles a bit in order to take this truly complex idea about God and make it intelligible and palatable for our congregations. I’ve gone enthusiastically into the deep thick field of theological language and quotes from early thinkers and have not only watched eyes glaze and brows furrow but have found myself whacking a desperate path back out of the tall grass in order to end my sermon. We have some other ideas for presenting the Three in One nature of God this Sunday. I think the hula hoop is the best one! Listen to the podcast to find out why! This week’s texts are: Genesis 1:1-2:4a [01:59]This passage is a smorgasbord for multiple intelligence; like a playground, a festival, simply chock full of opportunities to jump in and swim around. We have just skimmed the surface with what we have to offer. The entire passage is an exercise in WORD smart and we suggest finding ways of dividing the reading into interesting segments. You could use posters or your media equipment to show pictures of each day of creation for EYE smart; both visual and spatial elements are present in this story. You could have your congregation use sign language or interpretive movement for each day of creation using BODY smart. For MUSIC smart, try re-writing the story in rhyming couplets that then could be set to music – a favorite hymn or popular tune, for example. Bring in examples of each day of creation using NATURE smart (see the worksheet for some details about this!). For MATH smart, compare the sequence of creation presented in this poem with the cosmic calendar – there are points of contact! For PEOPLE smart, consider the internal conversation God has with Godself in verse 26 about the decision to create human beings and how. And in SELF smart, how does that creativity God has given us find expression in your life?
2 Corinthians 13:11-13 [10:25] When I first read this passage – all three verses of Paul saying goodbye to the Corinthians – I was highly skeptical we would be able to find anything of use in it. Oh, silly me! Paul’s advice to the faithful to “put things in order” popped out at both of us; I found application for it in PEOPLE smart in literally putting things in order and David went down the MATH smart aisle and found a three legged stool which demonstrates the relationship of the Trinity in an unusual and compelling way. He also found that this illustration has a home in EYE, BODY, and NATURE smarts, as well. In each of them, the interconnected nature of the Trinity is at work. In EYE, we have a video clip of three guys negotiating directions in a popular movie from a few years ago. In BODY smart, we suggest using a rope or a hoola hoop to demonstrate the way the Trinity might move about with intention and cooperation. Our NATURE smart illustration doesn’t actually exist, but it is a fun way of exploring constraints. And in SELF smart, what would it be like to have all the saints greet you?
Matthew 28:16-20 [20:11] Again, we had only a few verses provided for fodder in the Gospel passage, and again, by poking around a bit we found some fun stuff! We both picked up on a translation issue we address in WORD smart, to wit; how does one properly translate the Greek word hoy in verse 17? In EYE smart, we both thought about the movement of making disciples. David started globally and moved to the local church while I went the opposite direction. Either way, you could really connect your congregation to their efforts at disciple making with this smart. I got to thinking about Jesus’ promise of constant presence and found some principles regarding constants in MATH smart. I also thought about a song I learned almost 20 years ago written by Jeff Pearson called “I Am With You Always”. You can find it in New Song: Musical Expressions for Youth Ministry. We had different parts of the passage pop out at us for PEOPLE smart. David was intrigued by Jesus’ statement about authority and I wondered about the location for meeting in Galilee. Finally, in SELF smart, we consider what it means to act in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Image Credit: http://clipart-library.com/clipart/498741.htm. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Pentecost, 2017 – Blowin’ in the Wind | 31 May 2017 | 00:32:11 | |
Hey everyone, welcome back! This coming Sunday is a big day for the life of the church according to the liturgical calendar and tradition – it’s our birthday! We cannot help but be drawn by the display and the sound of Pentecost, much like the residents and pilgrims in Jerusalem that day. Luke’s version of the Spirit’s descent is the standard by which all other experiences are measured. This is a bit unfortunate, because, really, how can anything stand against tongues of flame, speaking in tongues, and a sermon by Peter that converts 3,000 people on the spot? It’s tough to hold our own stories up to this one without feeling a little inadequate. Yet, there are two other stories about the Spirit bestowed on individuals to explore with today’s readings. In John, the coming of the Spirit is decidedly understated; Jesus simply breathes on the disciples, and there you go. In Numbers, the Spirit that is usually bestowed on Moses is divvied up and goes to 70 elders, who immediately prophesy. Is it possible that the Acts version of Pentecost is the Hollywood blockbuster and the other stories show the Spirit’s arrival happening in low budget projects or even everyday life? Let’s go see how the Spirit blows into our study and worship preparation. This week’s texts are: Numbers 11:24-30 [01:59]Starting out with BODY smart, we wonder what it might feel like to have the Spirit rest on you like it did the elders in the wilderness (or the disciples at Pentecost). We have some suggestions for you to illustrate and demonstrate this thought. After Eldad and Medad were turned in for unauthorized prophesying, Moses seemed to actually want others to join in so in MUSIC smart, we have an illustration of how old musicals often had more and more people join in a song. The gathering of elders got David to thinking about the 1948 Declaration of Human Rights, which we use in PEOPLE smart. We also wonder if maybe the Spirit was parceled out to the elders to allow as many people as possible to hear directly from God at a given time. In SELF smart, we wonder if Moses was actually delighted to share the responsibility and burden? I suspect he was!
Acts 2:1-21 [12:13] Luke takes the time to include a long, tongue-twisty list of the nations represented in Jerusalem at the time of this particular Pentecost feast. We suggest getting maps (or clicking on the ones we’ve linked to below) as an EYE smart illustration to show where all these folk came from. The profusion of languages amazed and puzzled the people in Jerusalem and some of those present accuse the disciples of being drunk. Peter steps up, proclaiming they are not drunk and then launches into his famous sermon. Using his defense of his fellows, we provide a movie clip in BODY smart and a link to a list of non-alcoholic possibilities for drunken behavior. The sound of wind is the attention getter in this story and in NATURE smart, we have a link to a wind “generator” that could produce a similar sound! Or just annoy your house mates – your pick. Peter and the other disciples undergo a remarkable and quick transformation when the Spirit comes on them which we think could be illustrated in PEOPLE smart with a clip from the movie The Mask. Also, Peter’s change from a Galilean fisherman to a man who goes into the home of gentiles has the hallmarks of the epic hero journey!
John 20:19-23 [21:13] This selection from John’s account of the resurrection ends with Jesus declaring that the disciples, having received the Spirit, now have the authority to forgive sins. Whoa, Nelly! For observant Jews, this would have been big news! In MATH smart, we have a Venn diagram that shows just how monumental this declaration is – and does it apply to us as well? Scholars suggest that this scene where Jesus breathes on the gathered group and tells them to “receive the Spirit” is John’s version of Pentecost. It’s a lot less flashy and noisy, isn’t it? In BODY smart, we think it could be equated to spiritual CPR. The idea of being breathed into made me think of a popular song from some years back that we link to in MUSIC smart. And for PEOPLE smart, we quote a couple theologians who grapple with the idea of what peace and forgiving sins might look like for those disciples and for us.
Image credit: Copyright: arcoss / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Advent 3, 2019 – Gaudete!! | 13 Dec 2019 | 00:40:53 | |
Hey all!! A couple years ago, in our Year B Advent 3 episode, I used four or five versions of the hymn Gaudete to introduce the episode. I had never heard the song before and was so taken by all the different versions, I included links for each. (In that episode’s show notes, click the different words of the lyrics to hear the different versions.) This Sunday in the Advent cycle is the day we celebrate joy, and singing is a great way to exhibit it! We also have examples of the other seven intelligences tucked away into the Isaiah, James, and Matthew passages. Joy can also be a quiet confidence that assures us that God has not forgotten God’s people, even if all evidence at hand suggests otherwise. The photo above may have been better utilized last week for peace – she looks peaceful, doesn’t she? – but I think there is something deeper within her that radiates outward. What do you see? Don’t forget to take a look at what we did for Year A, Advent 3 in 2016. We did not use the Psalm selection then, so we have new information for it this year, below. Let’s go look at what we’ve got for illustrations and special effects! Note: David’s schedule crunch led me to volunteer to edit and post the podcast. I’ve done this before while he was traveling for his sabbatical, but it took me a while to remember what to do. If you are someone who notices things, you’ll hear some rough edits and the sound may be different. My apologies, but we got it up and running!!! ~Molly Matthew 11:2-11 – [03:16] Matthew 11:2-11 worksheetDownloadHow unusual to use for the Joy Sunday a passage from Matthew that starts with John the Baptist in jail, doubting Jesus is the One he sacrificed everything for. John sends word to Jesus via his disciples, and Jesus responds to his cousin by telling him to look around him and see evidence of Isaiah’s prophecy coming to pass. What might we see as we look around? Can we see evidence of Jesus’ reign on earth? If not, how might we participate in it so that others can see it?
In Advent and in all other times, Christians await the coming of Jesus. It’s not always easy, and as the world devolves around us, we may get a bit un-nerved and wonder if it will happen. The selection from James gives some practical advice to be patient. Each spring, farmers plant their crops not knowing what the harvest will bring and so have learned to work both the land – and to be patient. Good advice!
The final few Psalms are heralds of joy and praise for the good that God has done for the people. Reading these psalms may help foster the patience James advises.
Jesus uses imagery from this prophecy to answer his cousin’s inquiry. “What have you seen me do, John?” he seems to say. And, yes – what have we seen? What have we heard? What have we experienced that reminds us God is near and Jesus has come?
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| Year A, Easter 7, 2017 – Witness | 24 May 2017 | 00:32:42 | |
Greetings!! We’re glad you’re back with us! Sometimes, we can find a common theme running through the passages for the week easily. I’m finding myself searching this week. I feel like I do when I just know my car keys are near me but danged if I can find them. I do find them once I stop trying to look, and like magic, they appear! Well, okay; what really happens is I stop stressing and try to think where I saw them last. So….. in the Acts passage, the last time the disciples see Jesus, he is being enveloped by a cloud, which leaves them standing around agape. In the Gospel, Jesus is seen praying to God on behalf of his friends, encouraging them to remain in him and to remember what they have learned. The author of 1 Peter reminds the faithful that the struggles they endure should not come as a surprise but should even be expected because they are following the same path as Jesus who suffered. The connection seems to be witness; Jesus gives thanks for the words given to him that he then passes on to his disciples. The disciples then witness Jesus ascend. Years later, disciples suffer for the faithful witness they bear on behalf of Jesus. Huh, I seem to have found the keys! Let’s hop in the car and go for a ride! This week’s texts are: Acts 1:6-11 [01:59] Here is the Bible story that provides this line from the Apostles’ Creed: “… he ascended into heaven.” It goes by pretty quick and if you are – like me – sometimes running on automatic pilot, Jesus going back home to God barely registers. Luke suggests it is the Ascension that allows for the acts of the apostles, specifically the arrival of the Spirit. As the passage opens, the disciples are still thinking about the world prior to the crucifixion and resurrection, which made David think about a song from Jesus Christ Superstar. We have a link below in MUSIC smart. I wondered what the cloud that took Jesus away from them looked like – we have some links in NATURE smart. Jesus is much more interested in what the disciples will do once the Spirit comes and is looking forward to that introduction, which we ponder in PEOPLE smart.
1Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 [09:58] The first letter of Peter spends a lot of time encouraging disciples who are struggling with the consequences of their witness to Jesus Christ. As this passage opens, the author reminds them that by following after him, they cannot be surprised that they suffer for their witness because Jesus suffered for his witness. In MATH smart we look at the logic of this argument. Just as Jesus was supported and strengthened by God, disciples will also be given what they need to continue – we have a sports illustration in BODY smart. Verse seven ends with the statement that God cares for us, which made me go looking for a song using those words for MUSIC smart. Finally, the roaring lion that seeks to devour got our NATURE smart pinging.
John 17:1-11 [20:27] These verses are the beginning of the High Priestly Prayer Jesus offers up to God on behalf of his disciples. It is a lot like the pastoral prayer in worship; the leader is speaking to God but also aware that the congregation is listening. Jesus mentions the words given to him by God that he now has given to his disciples, and we have an idea for a Special Effect in WORD smart that we suggested for the Acts passage that could work here, too. In EYE smart, Jesus seems to be doing the opposite of helicopter parenting by leaving and allowing the young’uns to fly on their own. (This could also be an interesting NATURE smart connection with fledgling birds. Just thought of that.) For BODY smart, combine the reading of the passage with some movement. In verse three, Jesus seems like a host who is eager for everyone to be introduced to everyone else, which gave me an idea for an illustration in PEOPLE smart. And in SELF smart, we spend some time looking at the historical and cultural context of the era.
Image credit: Copyright: photoman / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Easter 6, 2017 – Big Love | 18 May 2017 | 00:29:48 | |
Greetings!! Sorry we’re late this week. Our son graduated from college over the weekend (YAY!), and that put us off schedule. Nevertheless, we have some cool ideas for your MI sermon prep, so let’s have a look. You may look at this week’s title and think, “Oh, Love. Yeah, that could be any week, couldn’t it?” Well, yes, I suppose so. And if truth be told, this week’s texts don’t offer the most obvious development of love as a theme. Yet, when we poke them a bit, love is just below the surface. In Acts, Paul cares enough for the Athenians to call them away from their pagan beliefs so they might come to know the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In 1 Peter, we hear about Jesus’ suffering as a model for our own, and his death and resurrection in which we participate through baptism, so we might be saved from destruction and be witnesses to this way of salvation. It’s a transformation of meaning of suffering anchored in the love of Christ. Love is right there in the John passage, of course – If you love me, keep my commandments (like “Love one another”), and my Father will love you. But even more than that, Jesus invites us into the intricate love of the Trinity itself! That’s pretty radical when you stop to think about it! It’s not always the warm fuzzy, gushy love we find in the Christian life. Just the unrelenting drive to be connected in meaningful, life-giving ways to God and one another. I mean, what would you call that? This week’s texts are: Acts 17:22-31 [01:59] Paul preaches in the Areopagus to the very religious Athenians. Maybe too religious? It’s like they have a god for everything, except they don’t have the God of Everything! This Paul proclaims to them. We consider the logic of their religiosity in MATH Smart. We consider different cultural expressions of the gospel in MUSIC Smart. Give some thought with us to the forces at work behind the formation of the materials used to make idols in NATURE Smart, and think about gifts given to God from God’s point of view in PEOPLE Smart
1Peter 3:13-22 [10:53] Peter writes to a community suffering for their faith. Be sure you suffer for good and not for evil! That’s just what happened to Jesus, and look how that turned out – Resurrection and glory! Just as God saved Noah from destruction, so will God do for those of us who have passed through the waters. We get alarmed over this passage in BODY Smart. In PEOPLE Smart we consider those who suffer in the line of duty and suggest doing a reaffirmation of baptismal vows (yeah, we’ve done that before, but it’s good to remember). We found some ways to combat fear and intimidation in SELF Smart.
John 14:15-21 [19:16] Jesus continues the farewell discourse in John 14, talking about the relationship between obedience and love and being “in” one another. He offers the promise of the Holy Spirit and that we might share the same oneness with God that he himself enjoys. That’s pretty awesome! In EYE Smart we consider the reality of things unseen and encourage some imaginative seeing of some folk who may otherwise be invisible. How do you fit a round peg in a square hole? Work it out in MATH Smart. The need for connection gets a clear example in our NATURE Smart illustration. Finally, we touch on some family issues in PEOPLE Smart.
Image Credit: Source: 3D Love Fonts from clipart.me. Used by permission.
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| Year A, Easter 5, 2017 – Stone Houses | 10 May 2017 | 00:32:54 | |
Hey! Welcome back! When I was a child, I was given a copy of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s book “On the Banks of Plum Creek”. It was the fourth book in her series about her life growing up in various places in the American West. This particular book was about her family’s time in Minnesota just after they left the Little House on the Prairie in the Kansas/Oklahoma Territories. The house the Ingalls family moved into On the Banks of Plum Creek couldn’t have been more different than the log house they left behind. For one thing, they were no longer out in the open; for another, they were living in a house built into the banks of the creek! I remember being surprised that this could happen but the way the story was written, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to move into a one room house with a sod roof. The tone of the book is largely responsible for my being able to accept this unusual living arrangement. Laura wrote about her family in such a way that I not only could see what she was writing about, but I could see myself living with her and Pa and Ma and Carrie and Mary and Grace. The stories are about growing up in “pioneer times” but they are also about a family and the resilience and strength of their relationship. The three passages for this Sunday are also about strength and resilience. Let’s go see how. This week’s texts are: Acts 7:55-60 [01:59]If you have read enough of one author, you begin to notice echoes of previous works. For some authors, the echo is subtle or maybe something that slipped past an editor. Stephen King did this deliberately, often referencing characters and places that were in his earlier books. Since Luke is the author for both the Gospel and the Book of Acts, you might find yourself thinking Stephen’s (the deacon, not King) words at his execution sound a lot like Jesus’ during the crucifixion. In WORD smart, we also make that connection and have a suggestion for a special effect. We are most familiar with this passage about Stephen’s martyrdom, but need to remember there is a reason for it. We have a quote by Matt Skinner in BODY smart that emphasizes the need to keep the context surrounding the passage intact. Stephen was stoned for a reason, and we have an illustration in PEOPLE smart that helps explain that. We have an idea for a special effect here and in SELF smart that could be very powerful, too.
1 Peter 2:2-10 [11:17] The author in 1 Peter uses a lot of metaphors in this passage. We have a suggestion for showing this with illustrations and a special effect in WORD smart. Stones make an appearance in this passage, but in a way that is more positive than in Acts. We use the author’s metaphor about being living stones building spiritual houses in EYE smart. We explore the stumbling block mentioned in verse eight in BODY smart and have a link below to the importance of mother’s milk for good development. We revisit stones in NATURE smart and have a way to bring the darkness of the Acts passage into better light. Finally, in PEOPLE smart, we have a link about Christians in the world today who call themselves living stones which guides the way they live in the world.
John 14:1-14 [20:52] Be certain to check out the worksheet for some interesting information we had for WORD smart. We chose not to use it in the interest of time. In EYE smart, we got to thinking about Thomas’ not knowing the way to follow Jesus which got us to thinking about being lost on journeys. We have some clips that reveal a GPS device is not always helpful in finding the lost! For MATH smart, we have a fun puzzle for an illustration. In BODY smart, we have a video clip of the Harlem Globetrotters that illustrates Philip’s request to see the father. We have two suggestions for hymns referencing the way, truth, and life in MUSIC smart. In PEOPLE and SELF smart, we have some questions about rooms being readied and great works done in Jesus’ name.
Image credit: Copyright: pzaxe / 123RF Stock Photo. Used by permission.
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