Daily Scripture:
Luke 8:1-3After this, Yeshua traveled about from town to town and village to village, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God. With him were the Twelve, 2 and a number of women who had been healed from evil spirits and illnesses — Miryam (called Magdalit), from whom seven demons had gone out; 3 Yochanah the wife of Herod’s finance minister Kuza; Shoshanah; and many other women who drew on their own wealth to help him. (Complete Jewish Bible).
1 Corinthians 15:3 For among the first things I passed on to you was what I also received, namely this: the Messiah died for our sins, in accordance with what the Tanakh says; 4 and he was buried; and he was raised on the third day, in accordance with what the Tanakh says; 5 and he was seen by Kefa, then by the Twelve; 6 and afterwards he was seen by more than five hundred brothers at one time, the majority of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Later he was seen by Ya‘akov, then by all the emissaries; 8 and last of all he was seen by me, even though I was born at the wrong time. 9 For I am the least of all the emissaries, unfit to be called an emissary, because I persecuted the Messianic Community of God. 10 But by God’s grace I am what I am, and his grace towards me was not in vain; on the contrary, I have worked harder than all of them, although it was not I but the grace of God with me. 11 Anyhow, whether I or they, this is what we proclaim, and this is what you believed. (Complete Jewish Bible).
Reflection Questions:
In The Greatest Showman, you see P. T. Barnum’s effect on his circus players when Lettie Lutz, the “bearded lady,” sings: “I am brave. I am bruised. I am who I'm meant to be. This is me. Look out 'cause here I come, And I'm marching on to the beat I drum. I'm not scared to be seen, I make no apologies, this is me.” Jesus' “circus” of followers, including the women Luke named, upset “proper” men in his day. The apostle Paul, who had hunted Christians, said, “I don’t deserve to be called an apostle.” But he didn’t hide in shame—he said, “I am what I am by God’s grace, and God’s grace hasn’t been for nothing.”
- In a related passage (cf. 1 Timothy 1:12-16), Paul said, “Our Lord’s favor poured all over me along with the faithfulness and love that are in Christ Jesus,” and emphasized that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” In what ways is God’s eagerness to welcome you into heaven’s “circus” a source of comfort and confidence to you? Are there times when it challenges you in your reaction to other “sinners”?
- Later in the film, Lettie told Barnum, “The world was ashamed of us, but you put us in the spotlight. You gave us a real family.” Luke and Paul both learned that Jesus didn’t care about whether the world was ashamed of certain people—he wanted them all in his family, in his kingdom. Can you think of people you’d be ashamed to have sitting next to you in church? If so, what would it take to align your feelings more closely with those of Jesus?
Melanie Hill
Melanie Hill is the Guest Connections Program Director at Resurrection.I loved the movie The Greatest Showman. Not only was the music spectacular but the message was so moving. Recently one of my kids complained that they were getting tired of hearing people sing “This is Me” from the film. They said, “everyone is singing it!” which prompted me to sing it really loud just to embarrass them--the joys of parenthood! I told them that when a message really resonates with someone they want to share it over and over. I think this is true of The Greatest Showman. The movie embraces the theme that everyone is welcome, just as they are. As someone who works with our volunteers who welcome both our first-time guests and regular attenders, that message resonates with me. It also makes me ask, “Are we there yet?”
One scene from the movie that stood out to me was when the characters Phillip and Anne are back at the circus after a difficult encounter with Phillip's parents at the theater. These words from the song “Rewrite the Stars” which they sing together say,
I know you’re wondering why
Because we’re able to be
Just you and me
Within these walls
But when we go outside
You’re gonna wake up and see that it was hopeless after all
Anne is talking about the difficult reality of being a mixed-race couple at the turn of the century, but it made me think about the church. Do we create a place where people feel that they can be “just you and me”? Is the church really a place where everyone feels welcomed and safe to just be themselves? I believe a warm welcome is a great start to creating an environment where people feel they can be themselves. Recently I read an excerpt from John Pavlovitz’s book A Bigger Table where he says, “Hospitality ascribes value to people. It declares them worth welcoming. It disarms them by easing the fears that past rejection has yielded and lets them know that this place is different. And once people realize that they are received with joy, they begin to rest in it. They breathe again.” This is what we all want to feel as we gather for worship and community: Valued. Worthy.
It’s an experience we think every person who walks through our doors should encounter. It’s one reason why this weekend we asked you to consider being a part of the first impressions team that helps give a warm welcome to guests. It takes 30 seconds to make a first impression, and 11 minutes for a guest to decide if they will come back again. That first welcome is vitally important. It sets the tone for the rest of their time on our campus. I’ll ask again: would you consider being a part of the important teams that offer our guests a warm Resurrection welcome and a great first impression? If you missed turning in your form at church this weekend, you can click here to let us know you’re interested.
I want Resurrection to be a place were everyone feels welcomed, even the freaks. If you missed Rev. Adam’s sermon, that means you--and all of us.
There’s one more scene in the movie that resonates with me. At the end, when Barnum has lost it all, the critic who has been a thorn in his side comes and speaks with him. He says, “Putting folks of all kinds on stage with you, all colors, shapes, sizes, presenting them as equals. Another critic might have even called it a celebration of humanity.” What if Resurrection used its “stage” to welcome everyone? To celebrate humanity? Even those who don’t look like you, think like you, or vote like you. How might we model for our community the lost art of hospitality, valuing all with a welcome? I believe our church and our communities would start to look more like the kingdom of Heaven.
Let’s start small. This week, wherever you find yourself--at work, school, or chatting with a neighbor--let's be welcoming. And maybe, just maybe, we can start to create a more welcoming, kinder, community.
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