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Showing posts with label Call to Worship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Call to Worship. Show all posts
Monday, March 12, 2012
Saved by Art: Lent 4, Year B
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| by David and Anita Saunders |
This Week's Lectionary Texts
This Week's Reflection
A while back I read the gospel lesson for this week which made me look back at the reference it made to Moses and the serpent. I've been extremely fascinated by this story ever since. There are a couple of specific reasons why. I'm not even going to try to touch the whole issue of God sending serpents to kill the Israelites. I can't make sense of that part of the scripture. I mean I can think of ways to interpret it that make me feel better, but truly making sense of it is beyond my capabilities.
However, here is what stands out. When the people ask for help. They are given help. In fact, when they ask for help - "Please Moses, get God to do something about our loved ones dying of snake bites!" - Moses is told to create a sculpture of a serpent.
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| Creative Common License |
If you are a regular reader of this blog, I hope by now you realize that I believe art is a gift from God. I believe to be created in the image of God is, in fact, to be made to be creative people. So, God speaks through art in ways that is not likely in other ways. This is true for all sorts of artwork - music, visual arts, theatre, poetry, etc.
So, back to this snake on a stick - God tells Moses to sculpt a piece of art which is the image of the serpent. Those who have been bitten are to look at it, to view the piece of art, and they will be saved. In other words, art saves lives.
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| 26 Lifted Up by Jo Ann Deasy |
There is one other thing that is most fascinating to me about this passage. The work of art which is created in order to save lives is created in the very image of the thing that the people feared the most. This is incredible to me. The snakes are biting the folks, they are terrified, people are dying, and the thing that is going to save them is to face that very thing in the form of a sculpture.
How often do we use works of art to face our fears? In what way is the Christ at work here? What kinds of art can we introduce to congregations in order to help them see Christ's light more clearly?
Art is a healing tool that God has used from the beginning. May we be in touch with our God-given creative abilities in order to speak a healing word to God's children today.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
What if?: Year A, Ordinary 28
This Week's Lectionary Texts:
Exodus 32:1-14 or Isaiah 25:1-9
Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23 or Psalm 23
Philippians 4:1-9
Matthew 22:1-14
For worship resources, scroll to bottom of post.
This Week's Reflection:
What are we to make of this parable? There are plenty of biblical scholars who could explain this to the church member, I'm sure, and have it make perfect sense. I've read some of them. The king is God. Those refusing to come to the banquet are those who were hostile toward Jesus. The king opens the doors to EVERYONE, but the man who came dressed improperly didn't put his whole being into answering that call. God extends to us this grace, but we do have to bring our all to the table.
If these are valid questions and a different reading is appropriate for our congregations, what does it mean for us? Where is the good news? Who is saying "For many are called, but few are chosen?" Is that the character of the king in the story Jesus is telling? Or is that Jesus? What if it is the king and Jesus is trying to contrast the ways of the world, the ways of an evil system, that seek to keep common folk down, to the ways of God?
These are, as a dear friend of mine would call them, "real questions." I don't know what I think about it all, but I do think there is further exploration to be done here. The Exodus text is the story of the Israelites building the golden calf, something that other scholars say was not necessarily a replacement for God, but a replacement for Moses who had disappeared and they feared would never come back. For them, Moses was the very representation of God. Without Moses, they felt lost. So, they created something that would stand in for Moses as the representation of God (another way of looking at a text that I never thought of before!). Is it too much to make comparisons this week between that golden calf and the Wall Street Bull as demonstrators Occupy Wall Street in an effort to stand up to what they believe is an oppressive system?
Just for argument's sake: The kingdom of God is like a righteous people who stand up to what is wrong in the world, fight for "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is
just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable," as Paul writes, "if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things."
Question Mark
Asking the Right Questions by Jim LePage
Philippians by Jim LePage
golden calf idol courtesy of Dwelling in the Word
wall street bull by O. Viera
This Week's Resources:
Call to Worship:
One: What if, God?
Many: What if we admitted that we can't possibly comprehend you?
One: What if, God?
Many: What if we read scriptures as if we are in conversation with you?
One: What if, God?
Many: What if we relinquished our hold on our idols?
One: What if, God?
Many: What if we focus on whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, and commendable?
All: What if, God? What if we truly worship you today?
Exodus 32:1-14 or Isaiah 25:1-9
Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23 or Psalm 23
Philippians 4:1-9
Matthew 22:1-14
For worship resources, scroll to bottom of post.
This Week's Reflection:
Hold on to your hats. It is one of THOSE weeks. Seems like God gives us lots of THOSE weeks. The gospel text this week is that story Jesus tells about the wedding banquet that no one wanted to attend. This is Matthew's version which doesn't end with everyone being invited, but with the king finding someone dressed improperly. Upon finding the man not wearing a wedding garment, the king throws him out to where there is "weeping and gnashing of teeth."
A few weeks ago, one of the oldest members in my congregation came to me asking me what to make of this same parable. He was flabberghasted by a Jesus story in which "the good and bad" would be invited in and then end with someone being punished for not dressing properly. Being the seminary trained scholar that I am, I answered his questions with the profound statement, "Well, I just don't know. It is hard to understand, isn't it?" I'm sure that was extremely helpful to him!
What are we to make of this parable? There are plenty of biblical scholars who could explain this to the church member, I'm sure, and have it make perfect sense. I've read some of them. The king is God. Those refusing to come to the banquet are those who were hostile toward Jesus. The king opens the doors to EVERYONE, but the man who came dressed improperly didn't put his whole being into answering that call. God extends to us this grace, but we do have to bring our all to the table.
Let's take a little detour for a moment. I had a conversation with a scholar once about the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). For my entire life, the only way I had read that parable was as if it was a call to each of us to do the very best with what God has given us. But, this scholar pointed out that the servant who simply buries the one talent, returning only that and no more to the master, says that the master is harsh and takes what does not belong to him. This doesn't sound like God, does it? Suddenly my eyes were opened to a new interpretation about a servant standing up against an unjust system, someone who was willing to risk his life in order to say to the master, "No more. You steal from the poor and take what does not belong to you. I will not help you do it." Guess what happens to that guy? He is thrown out to where "there is weeping and gnashing of teeth."
So, I'm finding myself looking at this wedding feast parable from Matthew and wondering if there is another way to read it. In fact I wish I access to that scholar right now so I could ask his opinion. What if we get so caught up in the opening line, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared . . ." that we mistakenly believe that Jesus wants us to think of the king as God? What if, and I have to ask it as a question because I truly do not know, but what if what Jesus is really talking about in this parable is an uprising of the people against a ruthless leader? Do you know what happens in the text immediately following this? It is when the Pharisees come in an attempt to trap Jesus and ask about paying taxes. Are you with me here? What if Jesus tells a story about the people finally saying, "We've had enough!" and the Pharisees hear and understand so they come to question where his allegiances lie?
If these are valid questions and a different reading is appropriate for our congregations, what does it mean for us? Where is the good news? Who is saying "For many are called, but few are chosen?" Is that the character of the king in the story Jesus is telling? Or is that Jesus? What if it is the king and Jesus is trying to contrast the ways of the world, the ways of an evil system, that seek to keep common folk down, to the ways of God?
The prophet Isaiah says, "Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you. For you have been a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in
their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.
When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm . . ." What if the lesson for this week is that God does not stand with the powerful? What if the lesson for this week is that God does not stand with the ruthless nations?
These are, as a dear friend of mine would call them, "real questions." I don't know what I think about it all, but I do think there is further exploration to be done here. The Exodus text is the story of the Israelites building the golden calf, something that other scholars say was not necessarily a replacement for God, but a replacement for Moses who had disappeared and they feared would never come back. For them, Moses was the very representation of God. Without Moses, they felt lost. So, they created something that would stand in for Moses as the representation of God (another way of looking at a text that I never thought of before!). Is it too much to make comparisons this week between that golden calf and the Wall Street Bull as demonstrators Occupy Wall Street in an effort to stand up to what they believe is an oppressive system?Just for argument's sake: The kingdom of God is like a righteous people who stand up to what is wrong in the world, fight for "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is
just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable," as Paul writes, "if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things."
This Week's Artwork:
(in order of appearance in reflection)
The Wedding Feast by Nelly BubeQuestion Mark
Asking the Right Questions by Jim LePage
Philippians by Jim LePage
golden calf idol courtesy of Dwelling in the Word
wall street bull by O. Viera
This Week's Resources:
Call to Worship:
One: What if, God?
Many: What if we admitted that we can't possibly comprehend you?
One: What if, God?
Many: What if we read scriptures as if we are in conversation with you?
One: What if, God?
Many: What if we relinquished our hold on our idols?
One: What if, God?
Many: What if we focus on whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, and commendable?
All: What if, God? What if we truly worship you today?
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Worship Resources:Year A, Ordinary 27
Some resources to use in worship based on this week's texts:
Call to Worship
One: We are all part of God's story.
Many: A story that includes the good, the bad, and the ugly.
One: We are all part of God's story.
Many: A story full of love and grace.
One: We are part of a story,
Many: a story that tells of our relationship with God,
One: a story in which God forgives us again and again.
All: We are part of a story in which we press on toward the goal alongside Jesus and we have come to worship God.
Call to Confession
God gifted us with the law found in the 10 commandments to help us live our best lives. God also gifted us with the grace found in Jesus Christ and promises to forgive us when we repent of our sins. So, now, before God and one another, we confess our sins.
Prayer of Confession
We too often think of you, God, as waiting for us to mess up so that you can reign down your judgement on us. Like a vineyard owner, you expect good things from us and we often let you down as if we are rotten grapes. We envy others. We lie. We steal. We are full of love for self and turn our backs on our neighbors. O God, please forgive us. Make us into the children you created us to be. Make us better. Yes, God, forgive us. Amen.
Assurance of Forgiveness
There is not much in this world that is certain, but we can be certain of this: even while we continue to sin, God forgives us over and over and over again. Never question this fact. Through Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!
Here's a thought:
What if we invited our congregations to share parts of their own stories with God? What if there was a moment around the offering where people had the opportunity to vocalize their role in the story of God with God's people? If you have a large congregation, you could invite two or three people ahead of time to be prepared to do this. A smaller congregation could have "leading questions" listed in the bulletin to help focus the sharing. Those questions could be something like, "In what ways have you seen the grace of God extended to you over and over again?" or "What does it mean to you to press on toward the goal?" If your congregation is one that uses live Twitter feed, these questions could be answered on that feed during worship. In what other ways could we be creative in worship?
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