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SECOND GUESS TO FAITHFULNESS - from Sunday, July 26, 2015

7/27/2015

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Second guessing is, well, second nature to most of us. Sometimes it's warranted, but most would say that your first choice is the right choice. In Sunday's scriptures, we find lots of second guessing happening, and we discover some key reasons. We also get some answers that may help in the future.

While it would be great to have an Undo button, even a multiple Undo button to backtrack our seeming mistaken choices, our life and choices don't have such capacity.

[Doogie reminded me after worship of the old single action “undo” which works in any application: CTRL-Z. In the example from the sermon, after hitting “q” by mistake, if you then press CTRL-Z, it will undo the “q” and return your highlighted text. Tap any other key after “q,” then you’re toast – CTRL-Z will only undo your last action/keystroke. Go ahead; try it ... and thank Doogie!]

The passage from Exodus shows Pharaoh second guessing his decision to free the Hebrew slaves following the Passover tragedy that afflicted his people. 

At the same time, as the fleeing Hebrews come to the Red Sea, their sarcastic and caustic comments reveal their second guessing about leaving the safety and security of enslavement in Egypt for freedom under Moses' and God's direction. 

The second guessing gets put aside by the Hebrews thanks to Moses' leadership, but no one gives an contrary counsel to Pharaoh. Tragedy multiplies for the Egyptians as a result.

In Matthew 25, the parable of the talents hinges on the conduct of the third servant, the one who hides his master's entrusted funds rather than using them to build abundance. That servant tells us his motivation, and that tells us a lot about second guessing.

Get the whole story by checking out the sermon video below, and the downloads available below the video panel.

07-26-15-ff-answers.pdf
File Size: 19 kb
File Type: pdf
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07-26-15-second_guess_to_faithfulness.pdf
File Size: 120 kb
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YOU'RE BUILDING WHAT? - from Sunday, July 19, 2015

7/20/2015

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Some things are relatively easy to build, and there are plenty examples of just plain strange buildings, like the ossuary church mentioned in the beginning of the sermon. But there are also things that defy actual construction. The vision is too big and too bold, like Walt Disney's vision for a "community of tomorrow," never defined by him since he died even before Magic Kingdom was completed. His "Imagineers" compromised the design, never fully understanding what Walt aimed to build. We explore what we're building in Christian ministry.

The building motif is front and center in the 2 Samuel reading about David's ambition to build a place for God. The palace prophet Nathan gives the king a thumbs up, only to be countermanded in a dream that God wants no residence from David. As we hear all of the reasons, it includes references to what plans God has for David. These don't include such a building project.


The twin passages from Mark seem like two pieces of bread with the good sandwich stuff - the ham and cheese - removed form the middle. Between the selections are the great stories of the feeding of the five thousand and of Jesus walking on water to the disciples in the storm. Instead, the lectionary committee chose a couple of passages that seem life travelogue fluff.

However, if you ask the question of Jesus - you're building what? - you realize that he is building a ministry that makes no mention of any building. It is characterized in three expressions, teaching, showing compassion, and healing. They don't need a building, yet the vision that Jesus is building is bigger than any physical structure.

It seems odd that we have probably 600 physical houses of worship in Marion County alone, yet no where does really suggest building a single building. Instead, he portrays his vision of ministry, something to which God's people swarm. Indeed, God's people have no need at all for a physical building, but they're hungry for good, solid ministry. It helps explain why my own ministry is rather different, being as involved as I am in community issues.

Check it all out in the sermon video below, and note the downloads below the video panel.

07-19-15-ff-answers.pdf
File Size: 27 kb
File Type: pdf
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07-19-15-youre_building_what.pdf
File Size: 128 kb
File Type: pdf
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DANCE LESSONS - from Sunday, July 12, 2015

7/14/2015

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Dance from any era can be a beautiful expression, but the modern dance era ushered by Martha Graham has injected high energy and actively stretches to embrace the passions of human life. Dance features prominently in both scriptures, and there are lessons for us.

If we start in Mark 6, the dancer is Herod's daughter Salome (misnamed perhaps as Herodias) combined with a likely tipsy royal. Herod overextends himself with a wild promise to the girl. Her stunning petition - John the Baptist's head on a platter - reveals how the mighty one has been compromised and manipulated by his own words. Having to save face before an array of VIP guests at his birthday party, he is trapped and orders the execution. It is a lesson in how the worldly powers and powerful people are often very willing to sacrifice righteousness for sin, life for death.

In 2 Samuel 6, David has decided to resume the journey which would bring the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. It had been aborted when the initial gala was organized to celebrate David, his victories, his status, his position, and his achievements. God was left out. Poor Uzzah, who tried to save the Ark of God (save God) when it seemed imperiled on the cart, was struck dead. Uzzah's action reflected the unfaithfulness and hubris of the whole event - the last straw, it seems, for God.

In this passage, David comes to the occasion quite differently. The procession has hardly begun moving before the king makes sacrifices and humbles himself before God. Now it's clear that it was God who gave David all of his triumphs, and this celebration is not a congratulatory parade for David, but a joyous thanksgiving procession celebrating the love and devotion of God for his people.



David dances in un-kingly style, wearing only a linen ephod, not the royal regalia of either victorious general or triumphant king. He is openly loathed and chastized by the late King Saul's daughter, Michal. But David doesn't care, declaring his devotion to God would cause him to go even further.

The worldly hubris of the first attempt brought death, but in this second attempt, the blessing of becomes the primary focus, and God's blessing has converted David into a witness for the Kingdom of God where the last are first and the first are last.

Sorry about no video. The camera cut off because it ran out of memory, and then I mistakenly lost the fragment that did come through. (Too bad, I showed my dancing skills so aptly, and did a decent drunken Herod impersonation.) Alas, there is the text downloadable below as well as the Fairfielder answers.

07-12-15-ff-answers.pdf
File Size: 22 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

07-12-15-dance_lessons.pdf
File Size: 142 kb
File Type: pdf
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CHRISTMAS IN JULY - from July 5, 2015

7/10/2015

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Bruce had this Sunday off. Dale Stewart was the guest preacher and the sermon video is below. It includes, at the end, a brief solo sung by Ryan Chance. (Typically the video recorder does a lousy job with audio, but this time, it worked nicely.) Check it out below.
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