Year A, Ordinary Time 2, 2020 – Emerging
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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]
David 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.
- WORD smart – [04:44]
- Psalm 23 in the Orthodox Jewish Bible
- EYE smart – [07:53]
- MUSIC smart – [08:15]
- PEOPLE smart – [09:28]
- SELF smart – [10:38]
1 Corinthians 1:1-9 – [11:38]
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?
- WORD smart – [13:01]
- Pulpit Fiction, a podcast by Eric C. Fistler and Robb McCoy
- “Sacredise” by John van de Laar
- The Call of Compassion – download the worksheet to see how David arranged this to a choral reading!
- The Work of Christmas by Howard Thurman
- This article by Douglas Campbell in The Christian Century
- EYE smart – [16:03]
- BODY smart – [17:32]
- MUSIC smart – [18:30]
- A Charge to Keep Have I, Text: Charles Wesley, 1707-1788
- The Church’s One Foundation, Text: Samuel J. Stone, 1839-1900
- PEOPLE smart – [18:52]
- commentary by Bill Loader
- SELF smart – [20:41]
Psalm 40:1-11 – [21:38]
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.
- EYE smart – [22:57]
- MATH smart – [24:38]
- BODY smart – [25:19]
- Music smart stayed on the shelf, but here are some songs you might use!
- “40” by U2 – this got resurrected from three years ago!
- I Say Yes sound sample by Brenda Pena
- New Song (scroll down to the album “Little Miracles”) by Andra Moran
- A psalm refrain, if you do that kind of thing!
- NATURE smart – [26:20]
- A mire forms through “incomplete decomposition” which is a little gross.
- This is a rather long article from Smithsonian Magazine about Tollund Man, a “bog body” found in 1950 in Denmark.
Isaiah 49:1-7 – [28:41]
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.
- MATH smart – [30:44]
- the absolute value of numbers
- BODY smart – [32:48]
- commentary by Amy Oden, Working Preacher
- Music smart again got left on the shelf, but try these songs!
- Let Me Be Your Light by Christopher Grundy
- God of My Breathing; lyrics by Richard Colligan
- PEOPLE smart – [34:42]
- commentary by Timothy Simpson, Political Theology
Photo by freestocks.org on Unsplash. Used by permission.
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