Mindful Leader

Narrative Lectionary -- Old Testament Week Three -- Joseph

This starts with Genesis 37 and ends with Genesis 50 and a good pick of skipping over key elements of the story.  And it was a communion Sunday.  Whew.  But "Houston, we've got a problem" seemed to work on this one.  

Youth Mission Report Sunday

Noah Haight is reading the Scripture.  Short excerpt of the Summer Singers.  Melissa Doloff introducing the speakers.  Lindsay Blanchett, Jaimie Olson, Isaac Reese, and then moi.  Youth went to Mescalero, New Mexico.  Scripture is from Sermon on the Mount and not putting our lights under a basket.  

Forgotten Women of the Bible -- Devorah

This is from Judges 4.  We would in English call the heroine here, Deborah, but I have a friend named Devorah, and I felt that saying her name, in Hebrew, was the right thing.  Devorah stands on behalf of being courageous.  She is a fiery woman or maybe a woman of lightening or woman of the torch.  She stands like a beacon, and deserves to be remembered.

1st Thessalonians 1: 1-10 Reacting to External Pressures

This week the primary scripture is not part of the podcast.  The title shows the primary preaching text.  

Two scriptures make up the discussion/proclamation.  One is Acts 17: 1-9 and the other is 1st Thessalonians 1 with a primary emphasis on the elements of 1st Thessalonians that focuses on faith, hope, and love.  Interesting that at both services I didn't record the 1st Thessalonians reading.  Not sure what went on.  

Year End Report

Setting a bit of the stage for Mark but this is more of a year end report.  This particular sermon is at the 9:00 AM service.  

Advent 1 -- Putting Scripture Front and Center

Text is from 2 Kings and Josiah's finding of the scripture.  Most of the "exegesis" (reading out) is during the reading itself.  Sermon contains elements of restatements from July ("Why") and earlier in November (David moving Ark to the center of political authority).  

Using suggested scriptures from Luther Seminary -- Narrative Lectionary.  

David puts God at the Center

The Narrative Lectionary presents one good chance during the year to speak about David.  Where do you go?  I focused here on both 1 Samuel 16 where David is picked out by Samuel and here where it is the end of the Civil War.  No Civil War is particularly Civil but there is a lot going on here.  My big idea was to focus a little on how all of us are invited to move God to the center of our lives and accept God's anointment.  And frankly, set aside the civil wars of the past.  

Ruth -- God's Loving Kindness within Displacement

While the reading is from Ruth 1, the sermon is as much all of Ruth as it is Ruth 1. 

 Ruth is the outsider, the one of dubious origins (Moab) but she is the one who shows what God's chesed looks like. We explore the idea of displacement in many ways. 

This is from the 10:30 service.

Exodus 3: 1-15 -- Called by God

This is a little from both 9 and 10:30.  The scripture reading and introduction is from 9 and the actual sermon is from 10:30.  Moses is called by God.  He key is the issue of "po" (here) and "hineni" (here I am but with a spiritual commitment.)  Probably need to listen close to the sermon but when getting ready to exit a USAF aircraft, while still in flight, the commitment is made by a statement of "All OK".  In.  100% in and ready.  

Genesis 32: 22-30 -- Jacob Wrestles with God

I love this passage.  I really should preach four or five times on this come next summer.  But if Sara/Abraham are us, Jacob is really us.  A trickster who fools himself for a while but then his ways meet someone better at it than he is ... and God calls Jacob back to face his brother.  We all wrestle with God and I would hope and pray are marked by that struggle, but then I love this passage.