Here's a wee starter to set ideas running for Sunday. Please feel free to join the discussion... We could make this a wee regular ting to meet here at the beginning of the week for a blether.
Here's the God we never wanted. But got anyway.
Who do you say I am?
I say you are a disturber and agitator and unsettler of my life.
I say you are my guilty conscience.
I say you are the one who always has me asking questions.
I say you are the one who makes me worry about my lifestyle.
I say you are the one who ultimately makes me face my choices.
I say you are uncomfortable.
I say you are the God I never wanted
but I think I'm glad I got you anyway.
Some Questions:
The God we wanted or needed?
If you were an alien (some of us feel we are) and you watched the church or your own congregation, what do you think that alien would say about what we thought of Jesus?
Name one thing you/we do in Jesus name that names him in the world?
As I was creating the powerpoint backgrounds for this week, one of my daughters was hovering over my shoulder and she asked if Jesus came back whether he would come back as a child or as an adult. It began a conversation about our expectations for Jesus.
I was reminded of two books that deal with this subject that may be helpful to folks. One is Adrian Plass's book "The Visit: Would You Be Ready?" (http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0551032235) - a short provocative read.
The other is a longer but fascinating novel by Glenn Kleier called "The Last Day" (http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0340695862) - which raises all kinds of questions about how the world would react to a Messiah today.
Posted by: Peter Johnston | September 11, 2012 at 10:31 PM
I've been musing this week, not so much on the question"Who do you say I am?" but on our answer - and what we do with the answer. In many respects it's not so much giving a right or wrong answer but responding to who Jesus is. Peter seemed to get it right - "You are the Christ" but his view of what Christ was was skewed and he had to learn how to respond to Jesus way of being Christ - involving suffering and death and taking up a cross.
Anyway, that's what is going round in my head for preaching this week.
Thought I might use some of those pics of Jesus - to see what chimes with folks.
Posted by: Liz Crumlish | September 12, 2012 at 07:57 PM
It's all about reinterpreting the words we use perhaps. We use the right words but just mean different things by them. Which is the whole story of the church, isn't it. Indeed there is another word that falls into the category: 'Church'. How many ways can we misunderstand that?
And then there is justice, and neighbour, and love.
Maybe that is why Jesus did more acting out of the kingdom rather than talking about it.
Posted by: Roddy | September 13, 2012 at 11:36 PM