Ep. 13: Lucky Mother Ascender...or Easter7C

SHOW NOTES -  5/12/2013

Intro Music:

Special Thanks in order to: The Lonely Island (feat. Justin Timberlake), The Rolling Stones, Meryl Streep, Ray LaMontagne, The Muppets (spec. Animal), ABBA, Luther Wright and the Wrongs, Pink FLoyd, 2 Live Crew, Ozzy Osbourne, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, Three Dog Nihgt, Steppenwolf, Queen, Lynn Morris, Queen Latifah, Stephen Lynch, Jethro Tull, Jimmy Boyd, and Samuel L. Jackson.

Mother’s Day

Festival of Homiletics  

Ascension Day!

Primary scripture John 17:20-26 Jesus pray to God to watch over and transform the disciples
  1. “That they might all be one” – official motto of the UCC
    1. What does this mean? I am tired of denominationalism, I am tired of maintaining institutions while people go hungry, I am tired of competing with one another on a macro level – and all this within Christianity

  2. What does this say about “at-one-ment”
    1. Reconciliation

    2. “One in Christ, one in God, one in ministry and one in the world” - part of Communion Thanksgiving prayer

    3. “It is a prayer for community. Jesus prays that, “all may be one.” To be a follower of Jesus is to be a part of a greater whole. According to Jesus there are to be no solitary Christians or spiritual “Lone Rangers.”…We are one in Christ whether we agree with each other or not. We are one in Christ whether we like one another or not. To become a part of Christ is to become a part of the community; a part of the one.”    Lucy Lind Hogan from workingpreacher.org.

  3. That all might be one – is this realistic?
  4. Psalm 23:5a and Robot Chicken...sitting at a table with one's enemies?

Secondary Scripture – Acts 16:16-34 Paul and Silas sing their way out of jail

  1. Major theme: what does it mean to be free? What is freedom?
    1. Physical enslavement vs spiritual enslavement

  2. When we are in the midnight hour – how do we respond?
    1. Complaining? Lamenting? Or Singing?

    2. We complain a lot for being predominantly un-persecuted

    3. What does it mean to sing in the midst of pain, imprisonment – to be a people of hope (hope not as the world gives, but as Jesus gives)

    4. Civil Disobedience - MLK, Gandhi, etc.
      1. Converted the jailer - not by the power of the world

  3. The woman is freed spiritually, but remains enslaved physically
    1. There is no follow-up- what does this mean? “The continuing need for liberation”?

    2. Liberation is great until it costs us money

    3. Context and how we read the Bible re: slavery

  4. Liberation is not always responded to with joy – not to Jesus and now not with Paul and Silas
    1. Who is in charge? God or the powers that be?
      1. Singing declares God’s authority over the authority of the world

      2. The jailer is moved by their faith (and converts) not by their power

  5. Don Morgan preached the excellent sermon Eric referred to about what to do in the Midnight hour. Rev. Don Morgan, used to serve at Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, is the current pastor or Warren Congregational UCC in Warren, CT.

Third Scripture – Revelation 22:12-14,16-17, 20-21 End of the Bible

  1. What is missing? v. 15, 18 and 19 – what does it mean to remove the judgments?
    1. How do we balance judgment and grace?

    2. 12 "Look! I'm coming soon. My reward is with me, to repay all people as their actions deserve. 13I am the alpha and the omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. 14 Favored are those who wash their robes so that they may have the right of access to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs, the drug users and spell-casters, those who commit sexual immorality, the murderers, the idolaters, and all who love and practice deception.16 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to bear witness to all of you about these things for the churches. I'm the root and descendant of David, the bright morning star. 17 The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!' Let the one who hears say, ‘Come!' And let the one who is thirsty come! Let the one who wishes receive life-giving water as a gift." 18 Now I bear witness to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy contained in this scroll: If anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues that are written in this scroll. 19 If anyone takes away from the words of this scroll of prophecy, God will take away that person's share in the tree of life and the holy city, which are described in this scroll. 20 The one who bears witness to these things says, "Yes, I'm coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.

  2. This is how the bible ends- not with a whimper but with the water of life
    1. Whose choice is it to be “outside” of the gates? It is Jesus/God or is it those who choose to continue to fornicate, practice sorcery, lie, etc.

 Closing music, Paul and Storm, “Oh No”

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Acts, All, John, Podcast, RevelationEric FistlerComment