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Is Thanksgiving Dead? - 11/24 in 9:30 Worship

11/22/2013

 
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“At the center of God’s personality is a profound generosity. When it comes to blessing and loving the human family, God holds nothing back.” – Broderick Greer

Reading: Colossians 1:11-14 "May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

Reflection: Recently I have been trying a lot of different kinds of exercise just to stay active and keep moving. I love running, but sometimes I need a change. So the other day I went back to something I haven't done in years, but remember with great fondness: ballet.

I joined the State Ballet of Missouri (now The Kansas City Ballet) when I was in 3rd grade and danced through my middle school years, sometimes six days a week. (My parents were saints and drove me to downtown KC ALL the time!) I remember a lot of the terminology from my time there, lots of technique and have many great memories, but I haven't put it into use in about 15 years.

My work-out was ROUGH. I knew all the right places my feet SHOULD be, but they didn't always go there at first. I knew what my posture was supposed to do, but I have no idea how I did that 15 years ago.

Recently you may have heard that Thanksgiving is “dead.” Many retailers that formerly would not have dared open on Thanksgiving are now opening at 6am to sell, sell, sell as the official Christmas shopping season gets underway. Some people are saying that this, specifically Macy's opening its doors, is the death of Thanksgiving.

 Colossians 1 reminds us that Christ has given us strength to endure (sometimes a lot) with patience as we give thanks to God in all we do. It's not that we give thanks after we have endured something difficult, it's that it is second nature to give thanks while we endure with patience. It may take some practice, and the practice might be difficult or rough. We may even forget a few steps in the process, but the exercise of giving thanks is always there, deep inside us, and difficult to forget.

Society may take a hiatus from the Thanksgiving holiday while they open their doors for “Christmas” shopping, the way I took a 15 year break from ballet. But we know that the Thanksgiving federal holiday on the 4th Thursday in November is not the only thing that prompts thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is such a part of us; it is so ingrained in us that it will never "die." We too may take a break, and our muscles may ache as we step into that first position as we remember back. But our muscles do remember, and we remember, because it is second nature.

You are invited to come worship with us this Sunday as we continue to think about both thanksgiving and Thanksgiving.

We also invite you to come participate in our “Better Than Black Friday” event on Friday, November 29.  As an alternative to the rush and spending of Black Friday, we will celebrate the season with a FREE community meal.  You are invited to volunteer, to bring a pot of soup, or to come join us if you are looking for community.

No matter where you are, you are invited here.  Won’t you join us?

The Christ Who Reigns - 11/17 in 9:30 Worship

11/15/2013

 
Picture of a statue of Christ under construction
Piously we produce our images of you till they stand around you like a thousand walls. And when our hearts would simply open, our fervent hands hide you.
– Rainer Maria Rilke

Readings: Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns. The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Come, behold the works of the Lord; see what desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. ‘Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.’ The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Luke 23:33-43
When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they cast lots to divide his clothing. And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!’ The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!’ There was also an inscription over him, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’ One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.

Reflection: I find it ironic that the liturgical church year begins and ends with a sense of waiting and yearning. From the waiting through December’s darkness for Emmanuel – God with us – to be born to Mary and Joseph; to the yearning for the fulfillment of all things in God’s exalted Christ, we seem to spend much of our time scouring the horizon for something we don’t yet have. On one hand it is appropriate to wait for God’s final redemption because, let’s face it, we ain’t found the promised land yet. There is still plenty of brokenness in our world; plenty of darkness, greed, and corrosive spirit. 


On the other hand, however, we spend our time scouring the horizon because we are so polished at ignoring the presence of God in our midst, so practiced at thwarting God’s efforts to work in and through our lives, so insistent on putting off until eternity what we can begin to enjoy today.In my estimation, Rilke describes precisely how we are able to perform this feat in the poem cited above. We insist on painting over God in our own image, so that we control how we interact with God and determine what God is to do for us. We can wait forever, for example, for God to bring our enemies down in utter defeat; because that’s our vision… not God’s. The psalmist is beginning to glimpse something of this God who, rather than using the angel armies to ravage and destroy, employs them to make war obsolete. 

Yet this is nothing compared to the Jesus on the cross described by Luke responding in compassion to a convicted thief. “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” This one who has rejected violence altogether in favor of the power of Love in its many refractions: grace, peace, compassion, forgiveness, gentleness, kindness, patience, generosity… and more. I have a suggestion for a fresh approach to Reign of Christ Sunday. Instead of focusing on when the Christ will usher in the final fulfillment of all things, let’s focus on the nature of the Christ who Reigns… not the Christ spoken about in apocalyptic literature, but the Christ revealed in the life and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth. This might lead to a few surprises.

With Bold Hearts and Bare Feet - 11/10 in 9:30 Worship

11/8/2013

 
Photo of Burning Bush
"Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God, but only he who sees takes off his shoes; the rest sit round it and pluck blackberries." - Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Reading: Luke 20:27-38
Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question, ‘Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; then the second and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. Indeed they cannot die any more, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.’

Photo of Burning Bush
Reflection: The law about which Jesus squabbles with the Sadducees in this passage referred to Levirate Marriage, and was intended to answer a significant cultural question; how to preserve the legacy of those we love; in this case a brother who died childless. Of course this is not the way they approach it on this occasion. This passage represents a common place debate between conservative and progressive Jews about resurrection life. The Sadducees hold that since resurrection life is not mentioned in what they consider the word of God (inscribed in Genesis through Deuteronomy) it surely doesn’t exist; while Jesus sides with the Pharisees in affirming its existence on the basis of God’s continued speaking (let those with ears to hear do so!). Nevertheless, this passage offers a useful reminder for us so soon after we honored the lives of our deceased loved ones on All Saints. We have honored them; yes. We have acknowledged the impact they have made on our lives; yes. But how will we preserve their legacy?

This is an especially important question for us as a faith community as we begin a time of discernment of God’s vision for a revitalized life and ministry. We stand on the shoulders of many who have gone before us, who have given much, and who are watching from that great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, rooting for us in our spiritual efforts. Yet the question remains, how will we honor their legacy? I have seen far too many churches whose idea of honoring legacy was to wrap it carefully in sentiment, store it away and keep it forever unchanged. That way it would always be available for a pleasant stroll down memory lane. Others don’t recognize past as past; but continue to live out the patterns others have laid down without regard to their effectiveness in new settings. In this instance it’s not so much a matter of honoring legacy as mindless repetition of its patterns.

In my estimation, neither of these options honors legacy, because they treat it as dead, lifeless. Their value lies only in intimidating us with memories of the glory days long gone by. But consider what Jesus says of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Are they dead? Is their legacy powerless? No, because God is God not of the dead, but of the living. Thus, as they live, so their legacy is powerful, and can inspire great things. So it is with the legacy of our loved ones.They are like that burning bush Moses stood before in awe and humility. They are common bushes, every one; and yet every one burns with holiness, every one is afire with God. If we will only open our eyes we will see that earth’s crammed with heaven; we will see that the legacy left us by our loved ones is living and powerful, and that it can and will inspire great things in us – in our ministry – in the years ahead. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to take off my shoes and walk bare footed!

Encounters with God - 11/3 in 9:30 Worship

11/1/2013

 
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ALL SAINTS SUNDAY

God came to my house and asked for charity.
And I fell on my knees and
cried, “Beloved,
what may I give?”
“Just love,” He said.
“Just love.”     
- Daniel Ladinsky

 Reading: Luke 18:1-8 (Common English Bible)
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through town.  A man there named Zacchaeus, a ruler among tax collectors, was rich.  He was trying to see who Jesus was, but, being a short man, he couldn’t because of the crowd.  So he ran ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus, who was about to pass that way.  When Jesus came to that spot, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down at once.  I must stay in your home today.”  So Zacchaeus came down at once, happy to welcome Jesus. 
Everyone who saw this grumbled, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”  Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my possessions to the poor.  And if I have cheated anyone, I repay them four times as much.”
Jesus said to him, “Today, salvation has come to this household because he too is a son of Abraham.  The Human One came to seek and save the lost.”

Reflection: Recently I have been working on cooking a lot of things from scratch, trying to make sure I know what goes into my food, and understand more about how things work inside the food I’m eating, like yeast – how does it make the bread so fluffy good?  I’ve discovered that I’m good at baking, because I get to follow an exact recipe and then you set it in the oven and have to wait.  I’m not as good at “cooking” in the sense of adding things to a pot or a skillet, and then maybe adding a dash of this, or a dash of that.  I want a recipe to follow!

Is there a recipe to follow when planning or hoping for an encounter with God?  Many times we would like to say “yes,” and we might be right.  We plan to come to worship, to engage in Bible Study and to participate in service events, and we are probably more likely to encounter God in these events than just watching television on our couch.  But so often we encounter God in Christ in all the weird places we haven’t planned for, that aren’t on our recipe. 

At Sunday morning worship we’ll talk about “recipes” to encounter God and the final outcome of Zacchaeus’ plan or recipe to encounter God in Christ.  We will remember many of the saints who have gone before us, that are an integral part of the “recipe” to encounter God, celebrating the ways they help us to experience God in Christ. 

We will also celebrate parts of that recipe to experience the Divine that some may not always remember.  We will have an Animal Blessing at 2:00pm, in the central courtyard weather permitting, or in the Fellowship Hall.  ALL animals and their humans are invited to be blessed and celebrated.

DON’T FORGET TO FALL BACK!  Set your clocks back one hour before you go to bed so that you don’t miss out on these opportunities to worship and celebrate with our faith community here at Overland Park Christian Church.  See you soon!


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OPCC
= Overland Park Christian 
RAV = Rios de Agua Viva Iglesia
IHN - Interfaith Homeless Network

CMS = Case Management Services
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 = Honeybee Community Services
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Monday - Thursday: 9:30am - 4:00pm
Friday: 9:30am - 3:00pm


©2013-2022 Overland Park Christian Church
​7600 West 75th Street
Overland Park, KS  66204
(913) 677-4646
office@opccdoc.org
Worship Schedule:
10:30am Sundays In-Person
and Online Live-Stream Worship
913-299-9002 Sunday Worship by Phone