by Jonathan Manafo | Jan 10, 2018 | Sunday Conversations
This first week of the year, people have been trying to figure out what they should change in 2018.
How do we decide what gets onto our resolution list?
– We look at what’s not right in our life: our finances, our health, our relationships, our schedule, our calendar, our work situation, whatever is not as perfect as we think it should be gets the nod.
– From that list we create a list of changes that must be made – and we resolve to make changes, create new habits, start new routines, etc.
I heard two bits of advice about resolutions this week that were helpful and interesting:
1) It’s going to take you 3-6 weeks to start a new routine, so don’t expect this to be easy. Your brain takes 60 days to recognize and activity as normal and not take as much effort to do. Good luck. It’s gonna take some work.
2) Don’t make resolutions. Instead set goals; things you want to achieve, and move towards those goals with strategy, wisdom, and of course effort/work.
What if I told you that your only resolution this year should be to sit down more? You’d think I was crazy. You’d think I’m promoting unhealthy living. You’d tell me that no one would publish my idea (if in fact I’m looking to promote this idea to the public). No one wants to hear that. Who actually thinks that sitting more can change your life? No one.
BUT…it’s not the sitting that changes things, but who you are actually sitting with.
Spiritual Directors would encourage us to develop a discipline in our life called ‘sitting with Jesus’. How does that sound? Sitting with Jesus? How? Why? When? With what purpose in mind?
Well…we’ve been talking about being present over perfect. God being present with us & Us being present with others. We’re going to close this series off next week (in our next post). But before we get there, can we simply remind ourselves that we can and should and desperately need to…be present with Jesus – sit with Jesus?
Anne Lamott, the spiritual writer, grew up in an Atheist home. Her Father even made her siblings sign a contract to that effect as early as 3 year old. One problem, she began to backslide into faith. She said “Even as a child, I knew that when I said hello, someone heard.” This of course led to a life of hearing Jesus and being with Jesus.
Ruth Barton, a spiritual director, writes about a woman sitting in a catholic church. A preist discovered her with her head in her hands. After an hour or so, judging her to be in distress, he said, is there anyway I can help you? She replied with, “No thank you Father” “I’ve been getting all the help I need until you interrupted me”
Ruth goes on to say (in her book Sacred Rhythms)… “Being with Jesus isn’t the same as problem solving or fixing, because not everything can be fixed or solved. Rather, it means allowing God to be with me in that place and waiting to do what is needed…or for what only God can do”
Henri Nouwen says, “God is a God of the present and reveals to those who are willing to listen carefully to the moment.”
Sitting with Jesus is the one thing you must add to your plate this year!
Some of us are too afraid to do this. We’re nervous about opening up to God; scared to let him in. Thomas Merton’s response to this is… “To be unknown to God is entirely too much privacy.”
One prayer that can help us purposefully sit with Jesus is St. Patrick’s prayer from the late 3rd century. We need help and inspiration to do this sincerely. St. Patrick’s words are compelling, essential, as well as helpful and useful. Our challenge? Use these words, learn these words, memorize this prayer, as you attempt to add this discipline to your daily life.
You can find a more complete version of this prayer HERE. For our purposes we will use an abridged and shortened version. Read each line with the words in parenthesize in mind.
Some ideas to help us sit with Jesus (1-5 from )
1) befriend silence.
2) normalize boredom.
3) embrace the truth that prayer is not something we master, but an act that forms us.
4) pray the words of scripture and others who have gone before us.
5) trust that God is always waiting for you with open arms.
6) sit down…or walk…or run…or whatever helps you be present with Jesus.
by Jonathan Manafo | Dec 19, 2017 | Sunday Conversations
In case you missed it, this advent we have been talking about being present – receiving (Jesus’) presence and being present (to others).
So how are we doing so far? Has our walk through advent and pre-christmas stories inspired you to be BE PRESENT to others as God has made himself present to us? With your neighbour, your spouse, your friends, co-worker, child, parent, etc?
Here’s the phrase we hope is sinking in: This Christmas, try being present over perfect. Appreciate where you are instead of wishing you were somewhere else. Be grateful for what you have and stop wishing for what you don’t have. Do what it takes to be present to others, as Jesus has made himself present to us.
We’ve purposely walked through scripture that reminds us of just how amazing and real Jesus’ arrival to earth was and is.
– Matthew 1 (Jesus’ genealogy reminds us that God‘s plans are bigger than any mess you have created or any mess you’ve been dealt in life. Out of great mess comes the Messiah.)
– John 1 (WORD, became flesh, and moved into our space)
The beauty of these texts and stories is the wait, the anticipation, the longing, the ‘before’ or pre-cursers.
Today we find ourselves in another first chapter of a gospel – LUKE. We look at Mary, her reaction to the incarnation, and her role in this story.
“If the idea of incarnation doesn’t leave your mind and spirit in a semi state of shock, you aren’t yet getting “Advent.” (you aren’t getting Christmas)
How do you react to good news?
- Little things (like Kijiji sales)
- Bigger things (great conversations and meaningful time with people)
- BIG things (a situation that turned from bad to good or to even great)
This is what we find in Luke 1…Mary’s Song…Mary’s Magnificat…Mary’s burst of JOY. She, with the rest of her people (Israel) had been waiting for something to change, to shift, to turn, to be realized and restored. They believed deeply that God would lead them, provide for them, send a Saviour, be their leader, ruler, KING.
Jesus was it.
Not only was that about to happen…BUT…God used Mary to make it happen.
Luke 1 is about:
– John the Baptist’s birth foretold
– Jesus’ birth foretold
– Mary visit’s Elisabeth (John the Baptist’s mom)(Read this this exchange in 1:39-45)
What follows is Mary’s song. Her burst of joy. Her poetic proclamation of what God is doing in her and through her. That line sound familiar? We pray that prayer regularly at The Village.
REACTION & REALITY (Luke 1:46-49)
And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name.
These first few lines both show us Mary’s reaction and Mary’s reality.
Her reaction is pure joy, worship, praise, etc.
I’m sure you’ve seen joyful reactions before. The sports world has lots of them to choose from.
- Toronto FC’s first championship win came a few weeks ago…Jose Altidore is very expressive after every goal, especially after an important one to win the championship. He goes nuts.
- Tiger Wood’s reaction to winning putts is classic and can be identified by lots of people.
- For Blue Jay fans we will never forget the Bat Flip, will we?
To more important matters…when my Dad was ill and getting worse as the weeks went on, I asked my asked him how he would react he woke up the next day being well…if God healed him? He said he’d go to all his former business partners and friends and tell them what God did for him.
This is Mary’s moment to react. And the illustrations I’ve given, especially the sports ones, pale in comparison.
The reason this song is called the Magnificat is that Mary is helping us see how BIG God is.
Some call this the gospel before the gospel.
– 30 weeks before Bethlehem
– 30 years before Calvary & Easter
– Jesus, conceived, not yet born, but the reality of the news is life and world changing
Mary’s Reaction is met with her Reality…
– Mary is a teenager
– A female
– Poor
– All those stack against her
– “Humble state…”
She sees this for what it is? A Miracle. God is using her? To start the revolution and restoration of the world? She realizes what a BIG deal this is…for her…and the world.
And she continues to sing…
REDEMPTION & RESTORATION (Luke 1:50-53)
His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.
This song is revolutionary. It addresses some serious things: Injustice, Poverty, Brokenness, Pride, etc. It invites Revolution.
Important to note: This song was banned from India (when it was a British Colony), from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Argentina, during times when those in power wanted to dominate and come down hard on the people. They recognized this song as resistance, as protest, as words of liberation.
If you wonder why those who follow Jesus are compelled to help the poor, befriend the marginalized, sit with the suffering, welcome the refuge, be present in places of pain, struggle, evil, it’s because of what Mary sings in this song.
Advent challenges us to see that the marginal spaces in our world are indeed the center of God’s attention and activity. (Rich Villodas)
This looks back on the texts of the OT that deal with Israel’s liberation from Egypt, and looks forward to Israel’s liberation from Rome.
If you read further in Luke you will find Jesus quoting Isaiah 61. Jesus is saying that He has come to release, restore, redeem, and save – who? the poor, the prisoner, the oppressed. Luke presents Jesus as one who sides with the poor & oppressed, and reveals an idea of reversal – the reversal of unjust structures.
What can I learn from Mary?
- God will use me, no matter what others think of me.
- God’s not looking for perfection, only presence (Mary was willing & available & present)
- I have the green light to celebrate and share good news.
- And remember – it’s only good news for anybody if it’s good news for everybody
- The marginalized and poor better matter to us, because they matter to God, not as people who are less or have less, but as children in his family that need to be loved.
Q’s to think about…
Is our reaction to God’s good news equal to the magnitude of God’s redeeming action?
Do we see the fullness of Jesus’ arrival to be present to the poor, vulnerable, marginalized?
What’s your part in the story and are you present enough to see it and live it? Everyday? In the here and now?
by Jonathan Manafo | Dec 13, 2017 | Sunday Conversations
The holidays are so busy that we tend to lose ourselves a bit. By that I mean we might forget to keep being who we are, the best part of us, in the midst of the crazy schedule we all try to keep.
In the last post we said we want you to remember one thing this Christmas…here is it…
This Christmas, try being present over perfect. Appreciate where you are instead of wishing you were somewhere else. Be grateful for what you have and stop wishing for what you don’t have. Do what it takes to be present to others, as Jesus has made himself present to us.
To keep this theme going we wanna look at another part of the gospels that helps us see how God was and is present, and how he calls us to be just as present to others around us.
For this we go to John 1. This fist chapter in John’s gospel is so special. No matter how many times I read it, it absolutely blows my mind. What we learn, how it makes me feel, how we’re invited to jump in and apply it.
John’s gospel isn’t quite like the others. Some say it’s like a pool that is safe enough for a child, but deep enough for an adult. This first chapter on it’s own is meant to helps us get to know who you’re about to meet before the story even begins.
Let’s read it…
(1-14) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
“In the beginning” (starts better than Matthew’s gospel does). Kind of like a children’s story, ‘once upon a time’.
You can’t help but think of Genesis. That’s on purpose. John wants to you to travel back in time – a time where God left his undeniable finger print on the world. He made the world. Creation. In the Beginning!!!
Here, just like in the beginning, God is acting in a new way within his much loved creation.
- Genesis = humans becoming humans
- John = God becoming human
John uses “WORD” to describe Jesus. The VOICE, you might say…
Already, John is hinting at something…
- You’re going to get to know Jesus by his words, his voice, his actions, just like you do other people…
- You’re going to get to know God through his voice…speaking, teaching, healing, helping, restoring…
I have a twin…I sound like my twin…he sounds like me…if my brother calls you, you might just start talking to him without realizing it’s not me…we sound the same…nuances are similar too…still to this day…very strange and cool at the same time…mostly strange 🙂
John is saying…when you hear Jesus talk, it sounds like God…but this isn’t a twin thing…it’s actually God, present, on earth, fully here, being God. The theme of this gospel, and especially these first verses are this: If you wanna know who the true God is, look long and look hard at Jesus. Listen to Jesus.
Three things about Jesus that John wants us to know:
– He is the light of the world (remember Genesis, let there be light)
– He is full of grace
– He is full of truth
Ironically, these are three things we appreciate in Jesus as he is present to us
– makes darkness go away
– loves me even if I don’t deserve it or can’t earn it
– tells me the truth
I love that about Jesus.
I love that about my friends too. When someone is present with you, fully engaged and awake to the moments they are spending with us, they bring a certain brightness (& warmth) to the room, they fill the room with grace, and they’re willing to tell me the truth (in love).
Who is our best example of this? JESUS.
John says…this is who Jesus is…but essentially, this is who GOD is!!! AND…HE’s HERE!!! PRESENT WITH YOU!
But that’s not all we get from this. Somebody else is very present in this story – John the Baptist.
He’s the one who tells us that Jesus is coming. He gives us the heads up, he’s the witness, it’s through him that others would find out and believe in Jesus. That’s a big deal. That’s also a big responsibility.
John was considered a wanderer, a nomad, a rough and tough kind of guy. He was far from perfect, yet he was instrumental to introducing the world to Jesus…to God.
How’s that possible? Think about this, John, Mary, Joseph, others in the birth narrative…none of them were perfect. But one thing they were was PRESENT.
John and the others were present, so that the world would know that GOD was present.
John’s role is help people STOP, LOOK & LISTEN.
We say this about art, and music, and creative things: they don’t only get our attention, but they help us to be aware of what else is right in front of us. John’s role in this story is like the artist who helps us pay attention to what’s really important. He does that by simply being present and doing what he was called to do, in the moment. Like art, John the Baptist frames the moment, so the world is aware that there is something to be looking at.
That’s our role too – to be present and aware to the moments we’re given, so that we don’t miss what God might be doing in us, through us, or in others, for us.
Fredrick Beuchner says it like this: The world is a manger, where God is being born again and again and again. You’ve got your mind on so many other things – busy with this and that, you don’t see it. You don’t notice it.
May we be like John the Baptist, not perfect, but present. Not well-kept, but well-awake. Not trying to be someone else, but being faithful to being who God called him to be, in that moment, in that frame, in the season – so others could STOP, LOOK, & LISTEN.
The ancient Greeks believed in two kinds of time: Chronos time & Kairos time. One is quantitative, the other is qualitative. One is spent, the other is invested. One is used up, the other is used well. You have one life to live folks. Let’s be careful not to miss the moments God gives us, with him, for him, with others, for others.
You don’t have to be perfect, you only have to be present.
What’s distracting you from seeing God’s presence right in front of you?
What’s got your attention away from the most important moment or conversation that’s right in front you?
Will you pray this season for God to help you be present, in the right here, and the right now, as he was and is?
The word became flesh…and moved into my space. Can I be as present to others, as he has been and is to me?
by Jonathan Manafo | Dec 5, 2017 | Sunday Conversations
Christmas is known for lots of wonderful things. We must admit, there is something magical about it all. If you know the story or not, you simply get caught up in the season. JOY, PEACE, GENEROSITY, etc. It’s good isn’t it? It’s almost as if the goodness of Jesus, unknowingly leaks out into the world.
However, there are two SINs associated with this season as well: Gluttony & Pride. If we’re not careful, instead of appreciation and love, we feel entitlement and false expectations. Instead of gratefulness for what we have, we feel longing for what we don’t need.
Over the next few weeks, we’d love to walk through this season of advent with a healthy perspective of both the beauty in Jesus’ story & our stories. Jesus’ story of advent & arrival. Our story of becoming & really living out each moment.
Think about it – What is the best gift we can receive? PRESENCE. And what is the best gift we can give? PRESENCE.
In light of that, here’s the line we want you to remember this December:
This Christmas, try being present over perfect. Appreciate where you are instead of wishing you were somewhere else. Be grateful for what you have and stop wishing for what you don’t have. Do what it takes to present to others, as Jesus has made himself present to us.
It’s the gospels that introduce this grand idea to us. It’s the gospels that let us in on Jesus’ plan to be present to us. The story of Christmas is the story of Jesus, moving into the neighbourhood (as Eugene Peterson paraphrases so well), and being WITH the WORLD…in the HERE & NOW.
A great place to start this month is at the beginning of the NT, Matthew’s gospel. Normally stories start with somewhat of a hook – something that interests us and grabs our attention to keep tuning in. Matthew’s gospel doesn’t really do this. He decides to start with a genealogy. Seriously? This is how you start the life changing account of Jesus? With a family tree?
You’ve all seen the commercials? Ancestry.com? For a small fee, you can know where and who you’re really from. There’s obviously some interest in this – the commercials have been running for quite a long time. I do like one thing about it: With this information, we might realize how closely tied we are to others. (not as different as we think) It also helps us see that we’re part of a larger story, one that led us to this particular moment in history
Back to Matthew’s Genealogy. Don’t fret…You don’t have to read it here (FYI…it’s long). But I want to point a few things out…
- This list provides context for the birth of Jesus
- It provides names of real people in real time that are a part, in some way to Jesus’ story
- There are people on this list who are considered giants of faith…others who aren’t as recognizable
- It took all kinds of people, over many years, to bridge the gap from Abraham…all the way to Jesus.
Why make this the beginning of a book you actually want people to read? Because the end of this family tree ends with one very important thing – Jesus is HERE!
Matthew wants us to know that Jesus’ story is about the arrival of a KING and a KINGDOM. And that King isn’t just a far off leader, but someone who makes his way to be right here right now.
Matthew also wants us to know that even though Jesus was perfect, his lineage was far from perfect.
- Jacob was a deceiver
- Rahab was a prostitute
- David…he made some serious errors
- Solomon…loved money and woman a bit too much
- Others in the list weren’t perfect either
What was more important was that Jesus was connected to a longer story, one that starts in Genesis and will eventually ends in Revelation. The point is this: a way was made for GOD to be present. Mathew gives us context for Jesus’ arrival.
Read a little further in this chapter and we get to a major announcement… (Matthew 1:18-23)
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Mary is to have a child, his name is Emmanuel, which means…GOD WITH US – God is Present.
Over the next few weeks we’re also going to talk about how we must be more concerned with being present, and less concerned with being perfect. Our history, like Matthew’s genealogy, isn’t perfect, but it did get us to this point – a place where God wants us to be. HERE. PRESENT. So just like Jesus, our story needs to be about Presence. He is our example of what it means to live in the HERE and the NOW.
Too often, we get so caught up with having every detail of Christmas perfect, and miss out on the most important part of this story: Jesus is present with us, and he calls us to be present with others.
It might sound crazy, but Christmas is about TODAY. It’s about Jesus being present TODAY. His work is about helping us being present to each other. Paul helps us see this in Ephesians 2:13-18,
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility… He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Advent ushers in this reality…
- God is close
- He wants to make us close
- We have access to his presence
- His presence can tear down any wall between us and allow us to be present with each other
That…is a Christmas gift to the world.
Ask yourself these questions today and over the next few weeks…
- How do you long for, appreciate, and receive God’s Presence? (advent reading)
- How are you present to others in light of God’s presence in your life?
- Do you see your story as one that leads to you being HERE, right NOW, on THIS DAY?
This prayer might help us: Lord, to be rooted in place takes commitment to land, to people, to friends and family, to community and to the plight of our neighbourhoods. Being rooted (present) is no easy task, but you demonstrated this to us in your incarnation. Give us the courage to taking up the hard task of knowing you while standing in place. (and being present to others) Amen.
by Jonathan Manafo | Nov 22, 2017 | Sunday Conversations
Today’s post caps off our series, HEART MATTERS. We’ve been digging deep, inviting God to move a few things around in the place where it matters most. Our Hearts. Jesus said, “From the outflow of the heart, the mouth speaks”. You don’t even have to follow Jesus to appreciate that statement, it simply rings true in any arena. Of course, I follow him and want others to, which makes these words even more important for us.
What this tells us is that what is inside will be evident as it flows out of me.
It’s easy to know what’s in people’s hearts – WATCH & LISTEN. Ok, not super easy, but not as hard as we think. Poke someone a little and you’ll see that what is inside will leak out. We have friends that love different things, that won’t shut up about what they’re passionate about. Sports, Money, Work, Power, etc. Of course we’d like them to more in love with family, community, and things like generosity and justice. The point is, we wear our hearts on our sleeves without even realizing it.
How do we begin to love something or have a heart for something? By intentionally or unintentionally, letting that thing or person in. I remember the first golf club I bought…it began a new life long passion. Who knew I’d be that hooked.
More importantly…I remember the first time I met Janet, my wife, and every key moment after that. She slowly got a hold of my heart…I fell for her, hooked, line and sinker.
But what about the things we don’t want in our heart? I could name them…but you probably have a few things rolling through your mind. The things we wished we did better at guarding against?
I guess the question we wanna get to today is this: How can we form our hearts so that our lives are reoriented towards the values of God’s Kingdom and not the many broken values that fill up our space and culture?
It all depends on what we use as our main liturgy? Liturgy? What does liturgy have to do with this?
We might think that liturgy is only found in the church – a formula or method used for public worship. Good guess. But anything can be our liturgy, with or without knowing it? Anything we find ourselves going back to, that forms our hearts with the intention of affecting our lives – that can be our liturgy.
This is in fact why the church has traditionally used liturgy (TRADITIONAL & non-traditional).
We are what we worship.
Martin Luther said, “Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your god.”
Essentially – we are what we worship because we worship what we love. And because we worship what we love, we are what we worship.
Worship isn’t optional. John Calvin (I disagree with him on other things) refers to our heart as an idol factory. Which means that the only choice we get is not ‘if’ we worship, but ‘what’ we worship.
Now, back to LITURGY…
What liturgy do we use to worship what we love? What liturgies are we allowing to form our hearts and in turn affect what our lives look like? Maybe a better question is, what heart & life do we long for?
Think about Paul’s words from Colossians 3:1, “Set your hearts on things above”. Is your heart set on Sports, on money, on politics, on consumerism, on fitting in, on success, on ________?
James K Smith says, “It’s not if you long for some version of the kingdom, but which version you long for”
There’s a good chance that your liturgy of choice is shaping you?
LITURGY…of all kinds…
Baseball has a liturgy (summer days, crowds, daily rhythm, relax, take it in, stats)
Football (strategy, military, weekly rhythm (like church), advance the ball at all costs)
Hockey Night in Canada (Apparently observing this holy Saturday night makes you authentically Canadian. Check out Ron Maclean’s commercial)
Netflix as liturgy (choice, my time, pay per watch, binge, escapism, stories, comfort viewing)
Politics (your agenda, opposite of opponents, most votes = success, false claims, win at all costs)
Second Cup Men’s Washroom Sign…
The MALL (my favourite example)
sales, options, desire, walking in circles, glamorous lifestyle, quantity, style, attention, promotion, advertisement…
“Consumerism is the worship of the god of quantity, advertising is its liturgy.” John O’Donohue
I shop because I am broken
I shop with others
I shop therefore I am
Don’t ask/Don’t tell/Just consume
We need to take a liturgical audit of our life. Liturgy forms us. If that’s true, what kind do we allow in.
Not all things we do are decisions – some just happen. Because with or without knowing it, our hearts have been formed in a certain way. Like driving home and not realizing how you got there. Ever done that? YA.
If am what I love. And I am what I worship. And I am what my heart says I am. Then I can choose what liturgy forms my heart and my life.
LITURGY…that helps us…
Will we choose our most important liturgy, the most important story, to form and shape our heart, to re-orient our heart, to re-arrange and re-furnish our heart? It’s not whether it is formed, but how it is formed.
The practice of Christian worship trains our love – they are practices for the coming kingdom, habitualizing us as citizens of the kingdom of God. We can become lovers of God. But learning to love God takes practice.
Let’s land on Paul’s words in Colossians 3:15-17
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Similar to what Paul says in verse 1 (set your hearts on things above) He continues this theme. Also written like this. “Let the peace of Christ be the decider of all things within your heart” “…let him be the umpire in your heart”
The verb (rule) is borrowed from the athletic arena and is the word for umpire. Umpires settle things, they help decide the play on the field. This way when you’re faced with a feeling or decision that clashes, Christ, the umpire, can decide for you. He can be the arbiter between conflicting emotions in our heart.
Notice where Paul goes from here: Sing Psalms, Hymns, Spiritual Songs. LITURGY!!!
[Pliny, Roman Gov, reporting to the Emperor is quoted saying “They met at dawn to sing a hymn to Christ as Lord”]
From early on, the church recognized that they needed some kind of liturgy to combat the other liturgies coming at them from every side. They used worship to point their hearts toward Jesus.
What will you look to, allow in, and repeat, that forms and re-orients your heart towards Jesus?
According to Paul, your liturgy will impact everything you do: It will help you to…Be Peaceful. Be Thankful. And in whatever you do, do it with Christ in mind.
Be Peaceful in a culture that loves violence.
Be Thankful in a culture that is caught in an insatiable craving for more, a perpetual dissatisfaction of that they think they don’t have.
Be Present in everything they do, in everyplace they find themselves.
So…
What is forming you?
What is your liturgy of choice? The one you allow to shape you?
What’s your strategy to re-orient your heart towards Jesus and his Kingdom and his ways?
– – – – – – – – – – – – –
small(er) group questions:
What were some things that resonated or caused you to question from this week’s conversation?
What do you make of Jesus’ statement, “From the outflow of your heart the mouth speaks”?
What can you identify as a liturgy in your life, that has formed you in some way or has the potential to do so? Name a few others as well? Cultural ones?
Paul encourages the early church to sing Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual songs as a way of forming their hearts to Jesus? How would define this in 2017? Same? Different?
– His hopeful outcomes were Peace, Gratefulness, Living every moment with Christ in mind?
– What do you think? And could you add a few more?
What other things help you reorient your heart towards Jesus? What are some thing’s you may feel challenged you to try? What strategy will you or have you discovered?
What’s one personal take home from this series?
