2024 Winter Worship Series on Identity: What Is Jesus Pointing to?
This winter worship series emerged from Sunday Morning Ministry as we reflected on the materials and conversation in last year’s March 26, 2023 SJMC Discernment Meeting, held in the context of worship in our church basement. As part of that morning, the congregation did a sticky note exercise asking three questions (look as well to the full summary of the responses):
- What affirmations has God blessed SJMC with? What draws you to SJMC?
- What aspirations is God calling us to?
- What apprehensions do we lay before God?
These are questions that Leadership Council has taken up and encouraged our ministries and our congregation to grab a hold of. They help give shape to this series on identify. As this series looks at our SJMC identity, it also prompts us to look at the identity we find Jesus pointing to. Jesus always pointed away from himself, towards the Kingdom of heaven, and the identity found when we too point there. This is where we find our compass – our orientation. Our guiding question for this series is ‘What Is Jesus Pointing to?’
The Scriptures to guide us come from the gospel of Luke – from a series of stories and messages in Luke 5-6, which end with Luke’s version of the Sermon on the Mount. Each Sunday will pick up one or two stories, with the last Sunday picking up the whole of this version of the Sermon on the Mount. We hope and pray that by looking where Jesus pointed for identity, it will help us shape and answer our questions of identity as a congregation. The series starts and ends with a more creative form of worship service, with the middle three Sundays more regular preaching Sundays.
One additional element to this series will be an invitation each Sunday for a person to choose a hymn that represents for them a song of identity, a hymn that has grabbed hold of their soul. ‘What hymn has shaped your identify? ‘ Melinda Metzger will ask a person each Sunday to chose that hymn and then share in worship its meaning to them.
Note that the worship leader and preacher will need to shape the Children’s Stories for their particular Sunday, picking up the themes and stories of that Sunday.
January 14 – Roots and Wings
- Luke 5:33-39 – The parable of both the new/old cloth and new/old wine and wineskins
- This Sunday begins our series on identity. How is the identity of SJMC shaped? By the identity, values, and vision that Jesus points to as he talked about the Kingdom of Heaven.
- There is this whole interplay between the old and the new, between our roots (traditions, values, the ways we have done things, strengths, things that have worked in the past) and our wings (new ideas, vision, callings, willingness to let go).
- This interplay is found in the Luke Scripture with both the image of the new and old garment and the wine/wineskins.
- We imagine a creative, non-sermon Sunday. The central piece would be some sort of involved drama/conversation.
- Could there be several people gathered around a quilt/comforter. They are sorting quilt patches, mending, patching, tying knots, etc. What conversations would they have? What kind of patterns are they noticing?
- Play with the images of quilting, patching, mending, keeping us warm, ripped pieces of fabric, wrestling with imperfections, etc.
- We would want to introduce the 3 ‘A’s from the March discernment meeting on identity – Affirmations, Aspirations, and Apprehensions.
- The pastoral team will write this creative piece and involve various people in leading it.
January 21 – Deep Callings
- We will explore 2 stories of Jesus calling disciples that show how God calls us, despite all our limitations. The disciples were not the ideal people, and yet God called and used them out our of their vulnerabilities. We are called to enter the deep waters of life with faith and trust that God will lead us.
- Luke 5:1-11 – The story of Jesus calling the first disciples from their fishing.
- Calling based not on perfection, but a willingness to drop everything and go to the deep waters of life.
- Put out into the deep waters
- Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man
- Don’t be afraid, from now on you will catch people
- Luke 6:12-16 – Jesus chooses the 12 disciples after a night of prayer. It includes quite the list of characters, including one who will betray Jesus
- Jesus went to the mountain to pray – all night. When day came, he calls the disciples and chooses 12 of them.
- It is interesting to look at the list of characters and all their different backgrounds – somehow brought together by Jesus.
- One prays through vulnerabilities, releasing control and choices to God
January 28 – Healing and Wholeness
- We will explore a couple of healing stories of Jesus and how he works priorities relationships with people
- Luke 5:12-16 – The story of Jesus cleansing a man covered with leprosy
- The man bows before Jesus in full humbleness and human weakness
- A relationship based not on human performance but on a relationship with God
- Curious that the man is told not to tell anybody (not make it about us), but to make an offering and testimony to the priest, in the place of worship (make it about God).
- Yet the word about Jesus spread
- Luke 6:1-11 – 2 short stories of Jesus on the Sabbath
- There is picking of grain and healing on a Sabbath – breaking the rules, going against the establishment, putting relationships and people ahead of piety and religious law
- Healing happening right in the heart of the synagogue, the place of worship
- A relationship that seeks the wellbeing of others ahead of their qualifications
February 4 – Forgiveness Frees
- We will explore the fascinating story of the Paralytic Man and what happens when he is lowered before Jesus. What might it mean to stand before Jesus out of all our own shortcomings?
- Luke 5:17-26 – The story of the healing of the Paralytic Man
- The role of the friends/community in bringing someone before Jesus
- The absolute vulnerability of the paralytic man
- Who is really paralyzed? What paralyzes us? Unworthiness, guilt, shame, etc?
- How big is the forgiveness in the story?
- Relationship based not on qualifications, but on faith in God’s mercy/forgiveness
February 11 – Because the words could shake us to the core
- We will listen to Luke’s version of the Sermon on the Mount – Luke 6:20-49. This is a creative service that will be shaped around the listening of this Scripture. There will not be a sermon. We will hear sections of the Sermon on the Mount recited out loud, in-between silence and song. Could all 4 Scripture passages be memorized and presented that way? Each person reading the Scripture could then also share a short anecdote of how they have noticed that Scripture taking shape in their own life and the people around them. We will be guided by VT 406 – Because the Words We Wait to Hear – a simple unison repeated phrase that invites us to take in the texts, the words, that could shake us to the core.
- Here is a potential structure of that service, that will need to be filled out more:
- Blessing and Woes (20-26)
- #406 Because the words we wait to hear
- Text and Silence
- Story or short Reflection?
- Prayer and Hymn
- Love of Enemies (27-36)
- Hymn #406 Because the words we wait to hear
- Text and Silence
- Story or short Reflection?
- Prayer and Hymn
- Judging Others (37-42)
- Hymn #406 Because the words we wait to hear
- Text and Silence
- Story or short Reflection? Listing some tensions, we don’t see everything, call for Grace
- Prayer and Hymn
- Tree and Fruit- Foundation (43-49)
- Hymn #406 Because the words we wait to hear
- Text and Silence
- Story or short Reflection? Listing some tension, we don’t see everything, call for Grace
- Prayer and Hymn