Mindful Leader

Season of Pentecost -- James -- Avoiding the Stain of the World

Pentecost 15:  18.09.09

Sunday Two of Five Straight RCL Sundays on James

The verse immediately before this passage got my attention -- it had to do with avoiding the stain of the world.  That was the lens by which I explored this passage.  

James 2:1-10, (11-13), 14-17

¹ My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? ² For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, ³ and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, "Have a seat here, please," while to the one who is poor you say, "Stand there," or, "Sit at my feet," ⁴ have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? ⁵ Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? ⁶ But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? ⁷ Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

⁸ You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." ⁹ But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. ¹¹ For the one who said, "You shall not commit adultery," also said, "You shall not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. ¹² So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. ¹³ For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? ¹⁷ So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

 

Season of Pentecost - James -- Being and Becoming

 

James 1 and his commentary on faith without works is meaningless.  True.  Context does matter ... 

What is the Church ... really?

 

Our District Superintendent preaching on Kick Off Sunday.  Great Sermon.  Great!  Looks at what the church really is supposed to be and then ends with an enormous question.  The silence in the podcast was the silence that morning.  

Season of Pentecost - Ephesians -- Full Armor of God

This is August 19, 2018.

Ephesians 6 and Full Armor of God, but rather focused on remembrance.  That was the big idea of the day.  Remember.  

Season of Pentecost - Ephesians 5 - Do not be triflingly employed

 

Ephesians 5: 15-20

¹⁵ Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸ Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, ²⁰ giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Played with the "making the most of the time" and used an alternate translation of "redeem the fullness of time" in order to do the will of God.  Being drunk means drifting, but instead be filled by the spirit, from our hearts through our focus on the music we sing.  

Season of Pentecost - Ephesians -- New Creation

Ephesians 4: 25-5:2

We are a new creation. 

Through a clear understanding of being that new creation, are now part of the body of Christ. 

Being part of that body calls on us to grow in love, not staying static but instead growing, growing, growing. 

The key is we are a new creation, putting away what we were, and embracing what is new

Season of Pentecost -- Ephesians 4 -- Unity is not unanimity.

Ephesians 4: 1-16

The body of Christ needs to be in unity.  That doesn’t mean unanimous but at the same time, unity.  I am not sure of the classical distinction on unity versus unanimity, but ‘whole body’, ‘knit together’ ‘every ligament’ are comments I think about religion and what binds us together.

Bind us together Lord. 

Season of Pentecost -- Ephesians 3 and a third rule for Leadership!

 

The leadership principle is pretty simple:  There is a God and you are not it!  I play with that during the text in different ways, but the real thing is for us to be open the revelation of God in our hearts, but inviting God in. Can we just let God be God and we get out of the way of blocking entrance or even worse perhaps, inviting in, but then not encouraging God to live in all the rooms of the house.   

This is the 9:00 AM Service.  

Ephesians 3: 14-21.  Jan Woodmansee is the liturgist and does the reading.  

Thank you to the various commentaries in Feasting on the Word.  Wonderful resource.  

Season of Pentecost -- Ephesians 2 and a Second Rule of Church Leadership

 

Ephesians 2: 13-22.  The second rule is to be grateful and remember those who came before us.  We are going to have seven weeks of Ephesians when done.  

This was preached on July 1, 2018 right before the July 4th midweek break.  I obviously felt we could do both -- secular and sacred.  

Season of Pentecost: Ephesians First Rule of Church Leadership

Ephesians 1: 3-14 

Sermon one of seven from Ephesians.  Will introduce a "rule" per week.  

This week:  "Love your congregation where they are."