Monday Morning Quarterback
The UCC Weekend Away was a great experience. Ocean Edge continues to be an excellent place to hold the Weekend Away, the staff is efficient and polite, and Scot McKnight challenged us with his messages.
Friday night he set the stage by sharing with us the relationship of the Jesus Creed with the Shema from Judaism: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one. You shall love the lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your strength." A practicing Jew in Jesus day and age would repeat this the first thing in the morning as they got out of bed, and repeat it as the last thing at night as they got into bed. Jesus took the Shema and added to it the command from Leviticus 19:18: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" and elevated and added it to the Shema, so we get the Jesus Creed: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind, and with all of your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than this" (Mark 12:30-31). He encouraged us to repeat it the first thing in the morning and the last thing at night.
On Saturday morning he asked us what we believe the gospel is and then showed us in Luke and the first two chapters of Acts to demonstrate that there is a thread running through Mary's Magificat, Zechariah's Benedictus, John the Baptist's testimony, Jesus reading Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth at the beginning of his ministry, Jesus teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, and the formation of the early church. He then defined the gospel this way: The gospel is the work of the Trinitarian God to restore cracked icons to union with God and communion with self and others in the context of a community through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and the pentecostal Spirit for the good of others and the world. He also said that he believe love involves the five 'L's": Look, Listen, Learn, start Locally, and Link (with others).
Saturday afternoon he focused on the importance of prayer, especially reciting fixed hour prayers. By fixed hour prayers he means using prayers of the church from a prayer book three or four times a day. The Jews of Jesus age had a tradition of praying three times a day, Jesus no doubt did, and as the early church apparently followed this model. He began using fixed hour prayers several years ago (he was brought up as a Baptist) and said that it has powerfully affected his walk with God and helps give a rhythm to his life.
On Sunday morning, he focused on the missional church. The missional church is always outward focused in which his followers are Jesus' presence in the world. A missional church is a church in which its members' lives are shaped by the Jesus Creed. The missional church breaks down the "purity lines" (the social/economic/class/etc).
Friday night he set the stage by sharing with us the relationship of the Jesus Creed with the Shema from Judaism: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one. You shall love the lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your strength." A practicing Jew in Jesus day and age would repeat this the first thing in the morning as they got out of bed, and repeat it as the last thing at night as they got into bed. Jesus took the Shema and added to it the command from Leviticus 19:18: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" and elevated and added it to the Shema, so we get the Jesus Creed: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind, and with all of your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than this" (Mark 12:30-31). He encouraged us to repeat it the first thing in the morning and the last thing at night.
On Saturday morning he asked us what we believe the gospel is and then showed us in Luke and the first two chapters of Acts to demonstrate that there is a thread running through Mary's Magificat, Zechariah's Benedictus, John the Baptist's testimony, Jesus reading Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth at the beginning of his ministry, Jesus teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, and the formation of the early church. He then defined the gospel this way: The gospel is the work of the Trinitarian God to restore cracked icons to union with God and communion with self and others in the context of a community through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and the pentecostal Spirit for the good of others and the world. He also said that he believe love involves the five 'L's": Look, Listen, Learn, start Locally, and Link (with others).
Saturday afternoon he focused on the importance of prayer, especially reciting fixed hour prayers. By fixed hour prayers he means using prayers of the church from a prayer book three or four times a day. The Jews of Jesus age had a tradition of praying three times a day, Jesus no doubt did, and as the early church apparently followed this model. He began using fixed hour prayers several years ago (he was brought up as a Baptist) and said that it has powerfully affected his walk with God and helps give a rhythm to his life.
On Sunday morning, he focused on the missional church. The missional church is always outward focused in which his followers are Jesus' presence in the world. A missional church is a church in which its members' lives are shaped by the Jesus Creed. The missional church breaks down the "purity lines" (the social/economic/class/etc).
posted by UCC Medfield at 4:18 PM
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