Bible Study Summary - Upcoming Sunday's Scriptures

Here at Lancaster First UMC, I am privileged to be part of two weekly bible study groups that study the scriptures for the upcoming Sunday worship services.

Below are the notes from this week's bible study:

Rock Music Sermon/Worship Sunday Reflections (Sept. 26)
- Counter Cultural like the biblical prophets – Bono & U2
- Helps to release our anger and frustrations in appropriate ways. (See many of the Psalms)

This Week – Jazz Music
- How does Jazz music keep us in concert with God?

Scripture – Ephesians 2:1-10
- Read together.
- Key verse for the sermon is verse 10 – “…created in Christ Jesus for good works…”
- Context of Paul’s letter to the Ephesian Christians
1. Three of the earliest manuscripts from 3rd & 4th centuries don’t mention “in Ephesus.” This letter was probably written by Paul to the churches in the surrounding region of Ephesus. As copies of letter were made, the word “Ephesus” was left out because it was probably assumed. Paul was in prison when he wrote this. The other letters he wrote while in prison are Philippians, Colossians, & Philemon.
2. Ephesians is the only letter that was meant for circulation by Paul.
- First 3 verses – Show how human beings left to ourselves, often get life wrong. A naturally angry person may think that it’s OK to be angry and rude all of the time since that comes naturally.
- Verses 4-7 - How can we go the right direction? Jesus and his resurrection life!
- Verses 8-9 – People often don’t realize how wonderful God’s grace is because they don’t realize that they are going the wrong way in life (verses 1-3.) Paul talks about being “saved by grace.” Salvation means being rescued from our old way of living.
- Verse 10 – “Good Works” is not contradictory to being “saved by grace.” Paul says that we are God’s workmanship. We are meant to be fully human in the way that we were created to be. Our good works are to be a reflection of our new life in Christ.
- What happens when we live our lives without an awareness that salvation is only possible because of God’s grace? Read Luke 7:36-50.
- How aware are we of our need for God’s grace? And how can this awareness and appreciation lead to a life of “good works?”

Jazz Music
- What are some connections between jazz music and how God calls us to live our lives through his grace?

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Dave's Deep Thoughts

Here's Pastor Dave McDowell's weekly devotional that he sends out to members of his church. Dave is my brother and serves as the Music Minister at Stewartstown UMC in PA.

Life is all about routines.
Most of us depend on routines
to keep our lives and schedules orderly.

We like to sit in the same pews....
We wake up to a specific schedule to get our day started.
We shop at grocery stores where we know the layout.

When routines are broken,
we take notice........usually.

During the summer
as I was building my house,
my mother walked up the hill from her farmhouse.
That may not seem unusual,
except that my mother has Alzheimers.

It has been four or five years since my mom
last came to my house on her own initiative

If you know someone that has Alzheimers,
you know that as they gradually lose control of independent thinking,
they more and more become people of habits

They repeat the same phrases.
They practice the same activities.
They live in the same memories.

So on a beautiful summer afternoon,
as I was installing a window,
I noticed my mom walking up the hill,
carrying a glass.

I thought that it was strange that she was doing this
but I was so preoccupied with my window
that I didn't think much of it.

I was having a difficult installation.
What I expected to be an easy job
was turning out to be an exercise in frustration.
To install the window,
I had to carry it up a ladder.

I had only expected to carry it up once.
It was on my 12th trip up the ladder,
that my mom arrived.

Looks like you're working hard.
Why don't you stop and take a break.

She handed me a glass of iced tea.

That's odd, I thought.
She hasn't done that in years.

She offered to help me with the window project
but there wasn't much to offer an 83 year old Alzheimer patient
when I was dealing with a 12 foot extention ladder
and a 30 pound window.

Why don't you just sit and watch, I suggested.
I could use the company.

What I expected was
the same 2 or 3 questions over and over again,
or the same comment every 2-3 minutes.
I have long since learned the routine.....

Just answer the question,
just reply to the repeated comment.
Don't upset her by correcting her.

The disease has long since robbed her of the ability
to live anywhere but inside the moment.

It was on the 14th trip up the ladder,
that my patience was really being tested....
but not by mom, but by this elliptical window that wouldn't fit.

It was then that I began to realize
that I was having a lucid, normal conversation with my mom.
Not only did she not repeat herself,
but she entered new thoughts into the conversation.
She was connecting the dots....

I had not had a conversation like this with my mom in years.

I realized that on this beautiful summer afternoon,
that for a little while,
I was being given
the gift of the mom that I thought had been lost.

As I struggled with the window,
she tried to help me by steadying the ladder......
despite my protestations.
That was the mom I knew as a child.

As I told her what I was trying to accomplish,
she offered me encouragement.....
That was the mom of my growing up years.

As I finally installed the window successfully,
she cheered me on.
That was the mom who raised me.

Later that evening,
I went down to the farmhouse.
Mom was busy watering her flowers for the 4th time
She asked me if I had been at the church all day.

I smiled and said yes.

Life is about routines.
They give us comfort.
But on a beautiful summer afternoon,
I was given the gift of a mom
who was freed from her routines for a few precious moments....
and I found great comfort in that.

Every good thing bestowed
and every perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.
James 1:17

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The New Testament Word/Phrase of the Week

The New Testament bible scholar, Dr. Tom Wright, has produced a glossary of New Testament words/phrases that is really helpful for the study of scripture. What I like most about his definition of New Testament words is that he helps us to know what a Jewish person from the 1st century would have understood these words/phrases to mean. Too often, we allow our 21st century world view to get in the way of the original meaning.

The New Testament Word/Phrase of the Week: Scribes

In a world where many could not write, or not very well, a trained class of writers (scribes) performed the important function of drawing up contracts for business, marriage, etc. Many would thus be legal experts, and quite possibly Pharisees, though being a scribe was compatible with various political and religious standpoints. The work of Christian scribes was of vital importance in coping early Christian writings, particularly the stories about Jesus.

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What's Your Apgar Score?

A big thanks to a new friend serving a nearby church who gave me a tool (APGAR) that can be used to assess the health of a particular church.

Named after an anesthesiologist (Virginia Apgar) in the 1950s who devised a score to help save babies who were born malformed or too small or just blue and not breathing, she gave nurses a way to rate the health of babies at delivery. These newborn scores led medical personnel to become more intentional in doing what was needed to improve the infant survival rate. Thanks to this scoring system, instead of 1 out of every 30 babies dying at birth, today it has dropped to 1 out of 500.

Translating this to the health and vitality of a local congregation, a scoring system has been developed that does not focus primarily on how many attend worship, but on five key areas of health. There are two variations on using an Apgar scoring system for a church (based on Acts 2 or Revelation 2.) Both of these use a point system of 0, 1, or 2 (2 being the strongest.)

Acts 2 (Apgar)

A - Apostolic Teaching/Worship

P - Power - Wonders/Miraculous Signs

G - Generosity - Giving

A - Association - Fellowship Gatherings

R - Reproduction - People coming to Christ

Revelation 2 (Apgar)

A - Apostolic Faithfulness - Sound Theology

P - Patient Endurance - Strong Faith

G - Godliness - Pursuit of Holiness/Sanctification

A - Active Service - Involved in Outreach & Missions

R - Repentance - Humility & Willingness to Repent

I'm going to have our church leadership team give scores using both of these assessments to see how we're doing on our Apgar church health. It would be interesting to have several churches do this separately and compare the results.

Sunday Worship Preview - October 3

October 3 - (8:15 A.M. & 11:00 A.M. Traditional Services & 9:45 A.M. Praise Service) & Wednesday, October 6 (6:30 P.M. Casual Service @ Crossroads, 2095 Fair Avenue)

Sermon - "In Concert with God - Jazz Music"

Features - 19th Sunday After Pentecost & World Communion Sunday
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Scripture - Ephesians 2:1-10 & Luke 17:5-10

Theme - On this Sunday, we are in the final part of a four part sermon series on the theme, “In Concert with God” and we focus on jazz music which even though is the least popular style of music according to a 2009 survey by Pew Research, offers an important dimension to our faith. How does this type of music help you to be “in concert with God?

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Coaches Joe & Jay Paterno - Topic: Religion & Tolerance

Jay Paterno, Penn State Quarterback Coach and son of Joe Paterno has an interesting article on religion and tolerance. While not giving a specific opinion on the Mosque/Ground Zero issue, he offers thoughtful comments on this overall subject and what his father has done to promote religious tolerance and peace throughout his life.
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On college football game day, this article reminds us of what is more important than which team wins or loses - it's how we treat others, including those from other faiths.

Bible Study Summary - Upcoming Sunday's Scriptures

Here at Lancaster First UMC, I am privileged to be part of two weekly bible study groups that study the scriptures for the upcoming Sunday worship services.

Below are the notes from this week's bible study:

I. Review last Sunday’s theme on music and being “in concert with God.”
- Country music reminds us that we are sinners in need of God’s grace. God can reshape and mold us into the people we are called to be like a potter who fashions clay. (Jeremiah 18)
- Country music helps us to express our grief and the frustrations we experience in life.

II. This Sunday – “In Concert with God – Rock Music”

A. Psalm 150
- Creation’s hymn of praise to God.
- Other Psalms end with a doxology. Psalm 150 serves as a doxology for the Book of Psalms. Psalm 146-150 serve as one long final doxology. Worship comes from both the sanctuary (v.1) and creation itself (v.2)
- All types of music are used for this praise & worship.
- Humans & animals offer their praise. (v.6)
- Charles Wesley wrote a hymn on this – “Praise the Lord Who Reigns Above”

(Connection between Rock Music & Biblical Prophets)

B. Malachi 3:1-4
- Last book of Old Testament
- Collection of prophecies to Jewish community in early 5th century BCE after first waves of exiles had rebuilt the temple & before Ezra & Nehemiah had arrived on the scene.
- Malachi is a call to holiness & social justice. The theme of repentance preceding the appearance of the Lord is picked up in the gospels with John the Baptist preparing the way before the appearance of Jesus.

C. Matthew 3:1-12 (Like the prophet, Malachi, John the Baptist is a prophet.)
- Scene: Think of president arriving in a town for an appearance. People gather.
Think 2,000 years ago & rumors of a king returning. People gather in a desert. (Long awaited Jewish hope!) People get ready! But the people weren’t ready.
They knew that repentance needed to precede arrival of the king. (see Malachi) This is why John the Baptist calls forth repentance.
- Baptism in the river symbolized the crossing of the Red Sea. This will be an even greater crossing and conquest!
- Warning: Axe to cut down tree for a bonfire or be a fruitful tree. (verse 10)
- Meaning of God’s Kingdom – Later, even John the Baptist was confused. (Matt. 11:2-6)

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