Mindful Leader

Last week was "Why Jesus" ... this week is "Why the Church" which I answer pretty early but then focus on how the church IS the body of Jesus in the world.  

I wish I could say that tension and friction and self absorption was unique to our time, but Paul in 1 Corinthians 12 is dealing with a "me" thinking group in Corinth.  

Focus was to clarify for us at Hilltop who IS Jesus for us.  Used the UMC website on who the UMC says Jesus is ... this is less of an exegesis of a particular passage and more of a theological/didactic reflection on Jesus -- and maybe who he is not.  

Lois Elstad could not be with us yesterday but we sang her Happy Birthday.  

This year, I decided to focus on the text of Genesis 3 rather than the question -- "where are you?"  This is the third time I have preached on this at Hilltop in my less than two full years there.  It is a rich text.

I do have one "apology" in that when I am looking back at Genesis 2 and i suggest that Eve is adding "you will die" out of whole cloth, I was mistaken.  It was her feeling that not to "touch" the Tree ... that was what she added, not death.  Whoops.  Sorry about that.  

I show it as "Pentecost" but it is more of a reflection on the Holy Spirit.  It looks at a (brief) element of Psalm 104 (creative) and then moves to Acts 2 (empowering) and 1 Corinthians 12 (particular in its nature).  Briefer than normal due to the baptisms and confirmations themselves.  

The sermon is from Colossians 3: 13 -- "Forgive as Christ Jesus forgave you."  

 

Sermon is from Matthew 7 "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."  Sermon is more topical than biblical.  

The scripture is from John 20: 1-18.  

Three big ideas have to do with the conversation between Mary and Jesus in verses 14-18.  

Link to the scripture here.  

We start with a joyous triumphant entry into Jerusalem but things go horribly askew.  

The focus here is more on the idea of Barabbas ... Son of (a) Father ... as opposed to Jesus, Son of (the) Father.  

The scripture is John 11 ... 1-45.  It is hard to preach from John without echoes from other elements of John reverberating into the narrative.