This Week in Worship: Answering the Call: What does it mean to say “Yes”to God?
Pancake Breakfast (This Sunday! • 8:30a-9:45a)
Faith on Tap @ East County (2/12 • 6:30p-8:00p)
40 Days of Lent (2/18 - 4/4)
Ash Wednesday Experiential Service (2/18 • 6:30p-8:00p)
5-Week Class on Christian Practices (2/26, 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26 • 6:30p-8:00p)
There is perhaps a certain art to college admission brochures and pamphlets. They are sales documents that ultimately sell not actually the school or its education, but rather the promise of a particular kind of future. The idea is not only to reduce your uncertainty, but also to demonstrate what and who you would be if you went there. When you look at these pamphlets, they are working to show you what it would be like if you only said yes to them. They want to show you how you would feel, what you would look like, who would surround you and, most of all, what sort of future you might have… if you only said yes.
But while university brochures do this in order to increase revenue, what if there was something that did this in order to increase disciples? What if there was something written (albeit not always in full-color or glossy pages!) to show us what it would be like if we said yes to Christ? Something that would show us how we would feel, what we would act like, who would surround us and, most of all, what sort of future we would walk into… if only we said yes. Well, over the next four weeks in our sermon series entitled “Answering the Call: What does it mean to say yes to God?” we will continue looking at some of these passages in the Bible. Each week, we will take another passage that shows us and helps us picture what is to be if we follow Christ where he leads us. I think for all of us that this will be a great learning experience in how we start to picture what might be if we all spoke “Yes” to God. If you’d like to read our Scripture before Sunday, you can find it here.
Here are our topics and Scriptures for each remaining week and we’ll see you on Sunday!
To Be Taught a Holistic Faith
February 8th- Mark 1:29-39
Week Four - To Be Taught a Holistic Faith
February 8th- Mark 1:29-39
Scripture Text Mark 1: Jesus Heals Many People
29 As soon as Jesus left the meeting place with James and John, they went home with Simon and Andrew. 30 When they got there, Jesus was told that Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with fever. 31 Jesus went to her. He took hold of her hand and helped her up. The fever left her, and she served them a meal.
32 That evening after sunset,[a] all who were sick or had demons in them were brought to Jesus. 33 In fact, the whole town gathered around the door of the house. 34 Jesus healed all kinds of terrible diseases and forced out a lot of demons. But the demons knew who he was, and he did not let them speak.
35 Very early the next morning, Jesus got up and went to a place where he could be alone and pray. 36 Simon and the others started looking for him. 37 And when they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you!”
38 Jesus replied, “We must go to the nearby towns, so that I can tell the good news to those people. This is why I have come.” 39 Then Jesus went to Jewish meeting places everywhere in Galilee, where he preached and forced out demons.[Footnotes:
1.32 after sunset: The Sabbath was over, and a new day began at sunset.]
John Wesley's Notes-Commentary for Mark 1:29-39
Verse 29
[29] And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
Matthew 8:14; Luke 4:38.
Verse 32
[32] And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils.
When the sun was set — And, consequently, the Sabbath was ended, which they reckoned from sunset to sunset.
Verse 33
[33] And all the city was gathered together at the door.
And the whole city was gathered together at the door — O what a fair prospect was here! Who could then have imagined that all these blossoms would die away without fruit?
Verse 34
[34] And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.
He suffered not the devils to say that they knew him — That is, according to Dr. Mead's hypothesis, (that the Scriptural demoniacs were only diseased persons,) He suffered not the diseases to say that they knew him!
Verse 35
[35] And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
Rising a great while before day — So did he labour for us, both day and night. Luke 4:42.
Sermon Story "In Our Call, Seeing God's Healing" by Gary Lee Parker with Scripture Text Mark 1:29-39 for Sunday, 8 February 2015
The disciples whom Jesus Have called to follow and see that He is truly the Messiah promised. Jesus healed many sick people and even people who were domon possessed. At this town, Jesus went into the house that belonged to Peter, Andrew, James, and John healing people who were brought to them. After the Sabbath which was after sundown, many of the townsfolks came to the house bringing many people who were also healed. This went on into the evening until it was time to lie down and sleep for the night. Very early in the morning, Jesus awoke and went off to a quiet place to commune with His Father. As the disciples awoke, they searched for Jesus and found Him alone saying that the people are asking for Him. Jesus response was simple, we must go into our towns and places to tell them the Good News about His Presence. How would you have responded if you were one of the townspeople? How would you have responded if you were one of Jesus' disciples? How do you respond to God's healing in your life, family life, and community life? As we journey this way, we see how many changes have come to the acceptance of people who are differently abled or differently than us by skin color or even language or faith tradition, but there is still a lack of full understanding because of the exclusion of people who are different than our little group. When Jesus called the disciples to come and see than to go to all places in the region, they may have wondered what he was talking about as we do we He calls us to include all people in our churches and community with God's unconditional love. I have seen a family member cured from cancer to live some 41 years after the cancer first appeared. I have seen a family member living some two to three years after he had a very serious heart attack. I have seen a church embrace a family with a child with disabilities to begin a ministry with all people who are differently abled calling the ministry after the first child after the child died. There has been the inclusion to find ways to educate people who are intellectually impaired and for people who are mentally ill to live in the same community as all other people. Yet, the church has still been slow in their full inclusion of people who are differently abled and people who happen to have different skin color as brothers and sisters as God calls us to be. How are you doing in this call of building up the weak brothers and sisters in their faith rather than putting them down?
To Be Transformed
February 15th- Mark 9:2-9
We will also have childcare available for kids 4 and under, AND a kids component where they, too, will learn about what we are covering! We are really excited about this program and what it offers to the whole worship community! The class will be on Thursdayevenings from 6:30pm - 8:00pm.
Read below for our topics and evenings:
Worship - Feb 26th
For many Christians, worship is synonymous with just going to church. But this week, we will be challenged to think about worship as a much richer practice, one we can engage in through the entire week.
Sacraments - March 5th
When we take communion each Sunday or celebrate a baptism, what does that really mean? Or more importantly, what does it DO? This week we will learn and talk about what these acts (called sacraments) are all about.
Food - March 12th
The Bible is chock-full of stories of food. Whether it is communion, the Last Supper, mana in the wilderness or the feeding of the 5000, the Bible clearly believes that food is and can be sacred. But what does that mean? Does it mean just eating healthy? Or is there a truly radical way to think about eating and food? This week we will learn and talk about the most fundamental of human and Christian acts… eating and drinking.
Service - March 19th
What is the spiritual value of working for the benefit of others? What happens with us when we offer ourselves and our time to helping others without asking for anything in return? This week we will discuss what service really looks like in our context.
Community - March 26th
Community. We use this word a lot in our church. But what does it mean? How do we think of this word and practice of gathering with others? How can we all remake and be remade by what we offer to Christian community?
Normal Heights United Methodist Church
4650 Mansfield Street
San Diego, California 92116 United States
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