Hope you have been doing ok since our last post. This one is Sara's handiwork - feel free to post discussion points in response. Also, check out the new-look samandsara.net
31 Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people. 32 They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority. 33 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice,
34"Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"
35 "Be quiet!" Jesus said sternly. "Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.
36 All the people were amazed and said to each other, "What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!" 37 And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.
I know this is a controversial issue, but I’m sure you’ve been confronted by an evil spirit in your ministry. Perhaps not as directly as Jesus was, but in more subtle ways. The question isn’t so much about whether we encounter evil spirits or not, it’s more about how we react.
So, Jesus was teaching in the synagogue. I’m sure that many rabbis taught every Sabbath in the synagogue without any evil spirits manifesting themselves – so why now?
The text tells us in verse 32 and 36 that people was amazed at his authoritative teaching. In Matt. 7:29 and Mark 1:22 we learn the same fact, but with the added explanation that he did not teach ‘…as the teachers of the law.’
It wasn’t common for Jesus’ contemporary rabbis to teach something new or original. Their teaching was made up of quotes and references (a bit like an undergraduate essay I suppose); ‘…rabbi So-and-so says this, but rabbi Another-one said that, therefore we can learn, as rabbi Yet-another-one did, this…’. Not particularly earth shattering. We can understand why Jesus’ listeners got excited! And perhaps this is also the reason why he provoked the evil spirit – here was someone who taught something original about God and it got people’s attention. God was being glorified.
QUESTION:
Have you ever felt, immediately after you have been part of something God-glorifying (the congregation was on their knees in worship, people came to faith etc.), like something hits you back? How have you explained it in the past?
The evil spirit tried to provoke Jesus. What did it want with revealing Jesus’ identity? Perhaps it knew that Jesus was trying to keep his identity as the Messiah quiet and it wanted to mess it up for him. Or perhaps it was a way of showing power, ‘…I know where you live…’. It is interesting to note a related passage in James 2: ‘You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.’ (v19) Knowing who Jesus is does not immediately – or at all – lead to worship. As worship leaders we have a responsibility to lead people, even those that don’t know Jesus yet, near to him. People will worship Jesus when they have encountered him, not when they have heard facts about him.
Back to our passage: Jesus didn’t wait to learn more titbits of information about himself, but told the demon to be quiet immediately. He used no magic formulae, but said what needed to be said, ‘Be quiet!’.
QUESTION:
How would you react if something similar happened to you while you were ministering? Entering into a dialogue? Offering counselling? Do you consider yourself to have the same authority that Jesus had over evil spirits (see Luke 9:1)
Finally, we learn from our passage that as a result of what had happened, ‘Jesus was the talk of the town’ (MSG). That should be our aim in any ‘successful’ ministry. Not that we are made famous, get offers to be interviewed on radio, tour the US etc. We should not be the talk of the town – Jesus should be.
intro
Tuesday, 20 November 2007
Sunday, 21 October 2007
RESOUNDworship.org
Sorry for no recent post - I am taking a break for this as we have just launched RESOUNDworship.org. This site contains new songs from up-coming writers, honed in peer critique and seeking to resouce the church with biblical, singable material. Please do check it out and sign up!
"RESOUNDworship.org is a highly engaging and fresh new website packed full of new songs to resource and equip the church in worship. Sign-up and enjoy!"
(Tim Hughes, Worship Pastor, HTB)
As I am heavily involved I will be giving this a rest for a few weeks, but check here mid Nov for more material. And keep discussing the previous stuff! Sam.
"RESOUNDworship.org is a highly engaging and fresh new website packed full of new songs to resource and equip the church in worship. Sign-up and enjoy!"
(Tim Hughes, Worship Pastor, HTB)
As I am heavily involved I will be giving this a rest for a few weeks, but check here mid Nov for more material. And keep discussing the previous stuff! Sam.
Wednesday, 3 October 2007
Luke 4:14-21
14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place
where it is written:
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour."
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
"He's so anointed." We hear that phrase used in church to imply someone is specially gifted, has a kind of hotline to God - that X-factor of inspiration - perhaps in their worship leading. Yet here we see Jesus apply it to himself, not in the context of church leadership, but an anointing, a setting apart to serve and transform the lives of the poor, the marginalized, the outcast. Here the empowering of the Spirit is not for an individualized experience, but for the sake of others, the sake of the least.
Apparently, it is most likely that synagogues had a kind of lectionary to dictate which passage from the Pentateuch (first five books of the OT) was read, but the reading from the Prophets was chosen by the reader. So Jesus must have selected this passage from Isaiah 61 very deliberately, and must have intentionally left out the last part about God's vengeance. His ministry has already begun, and good reports are already circulating, but in his hometown he finds it necessary to be very specific about the kind of calling he is fulfilling.
Jesus' life of perfect worship to the Father is not just about spiritual stuff. Its not just about blessing Israel, or the important people in society. Its a mission of both words and action, proclamation and demonstration. He preaches and lives out good news to the poor, the sick, the lonely.
QUESTION - When was the last time you talked about someone being anointed, or filled with the Holy Spirit, to serve your community?
Is worship simply what you sing or say at a service, or an offering of your whole self as a sacrifice (Rom 12:1)?
Have you got practical examples from your life and your church, of how worship can be more like this?
Lets get very practical now and think about services. Of course, there is the calling to draw people's attention towards God more than humans when we sing or worship in a corporate setting. But I can't help shudder at the challenge of Amos 5:23-24 and other OT prophets, who reminded people in their context that God is as much (or more?) concerned with justice towards the oppressed as he is with liturgical forms of praise.
In my mind, the worship team of a church should be leading the charge when a congregation decides to bless its community, or address a global justice issue, not wait around until the church has got over its social action bit and comes back to 'worship'. And I believe creative people and worship leaders should be playing their part in services to communicate and engage worshippers with issues which are on God's heart. In Sunday worship there seems to me to be three dimensions, the vertical (to God), the horizontal (care for each other) and the third dimension of engagement with the wider world - intercession, lament, challenge. I wonder if we are least equipped to worship in the light of that third dimension - a realm which Jesus seemed to have no problem engaging with.
QUESTION - How much of our Sunday worship is anything like good news to the poor?
How practically can worship leaders and creative people make this part of services?
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place
where it is written:
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour."
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
"He's so anointed." We hear that phrase used in church to imply someone is specially gifted, has a kind of hotline to God - that X-factor of inspiration - perhaps in their worship leading. Yet here we see Jesus apply it to himself, not in the context of church leadership, but an anointing, a setting apart to serve and transform the lives of the poor, the marginalized, the outcast. Here the empowering of the Spirit is not for an individualized experience, but for the sake of others, the sake of the least.
Apparently, it is most likely that synagogues had a kind of lectionary to dictate which passage from the Pentateuch (first five books of the OT) was read, but the reading from the Prophets was chosen by the reader. So Jesus must have selected this passage from Isaiah 61 very deliberately, and must have intentionally left out the last part about God's vengeance. His ministry has already begun, and good reports are already circulating, but in his hometown he finds it necessary to be very specific about the kind of calling he is fulfilling.
Jesus' life of perfect worship to the Father is not just about spiritual stuff. Its not just about blessing Israel, or the important people in society. Its a mission of both words and action, proclamation and demonstration. He preaches and lives out good news to the poor, the sick, the lonely.
QUESTION - When was the last time you talked about someone being anointed, or filled with the Holy Spirit, to serve your community?
Is worship simply what you sing or say at a service, or an offering of your whole self as a sacrifice (Rom 12:1)?
Have you got practical examples from your life and your church, of how worship can be more like this?
Lets get very practical now and think about services. Of course, there is the calling to draw people's attention towards God more than humans when we sing or worship in a corporate setting. But I can't help shudder at the challenge of Amos 5:23-24 and other OT prophets, who reminded people in their context that God is as much (or more?) concerned with justice towards the oppressed as he is with liturgical forms of praise.
In my mind, the worship team of a church should be leading the charge when a congregation decides to bless its community, or address a global justice issue, not wait around until the church has got over its social action bit and comes back to 'worship'. And I believe creative people and worship leaders should be playing their part in services to communicate and engage worshippers with issues which are on God's heart. In Sunday worship there seems to me to be three dimensions, the vertical (to God), the horizontal (care for each other) and the third dimension of engagement with the wider world - intercession, lament, challenge. I wonder if we are least equipped to worship in the light of that third dimension - a realm which Jesus seemed to have no problem engaging with.
QUESTION - How much of our Sunday worship is anything like good news to the poor?
How practically can worship leaders and creative people make this part of services?
Friday, 21 September 2007
Luke 4:5-13
Thanks to everyone who has read and commented on this stuff - please feel free to also feedback any thoughts on the content or layout to sam@samandsara.net, so it can as helpful as possible. I've put a few less questions in this time, so you might want to address them directly in the discussion.
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 So if you worship me, it will all be yours."
8 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'"
9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
" 'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"
12 Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
The second temptation leads nicely from the discussion in the comments, about performance and adulation. This is a temptation to be famous, powerful, adored. Again, it is mis-interpreting Jesus' calling, as if he should be a political messiah. If we follow Tom Wright in thinking that "the story does not envisage Jesus engaged with a visible figure to whom he could talk as one to another; the devil's voice appears as a string of natural ideas in his own head", then it is easy to imagine Jesus musing over his next move after his baptism. How should he fulfill the role of Son of God on earth? It has been prophesied that he would be sovereign - why not just go for that now?
Well, firstly because Jesus is single-minded about who should be worshipped - God only. That is easy to say, but we can so easily be tempted to make other things central in our lives and worship times. Secondly, he refuses because it involves doing it the enemy's way, not God's way - talking power by force. In contrast, Jesus chooses the path of servanthood and self sacrifice, in order to fulfill his God-ordained vocation.
QUESTION Are there aspirations we have as worship leaders, which although they might be Godly, we can be tempted to take the "easy" yet sinful route to? Do we look for status and fame, rather than servanthood and self sacrifice? What might servant worship-leading look like?
The third temptation places Jesus at the highest point of the temple - probably the royal colonnade, which overlooked a deep ravine. He has been thwarted by scripture twice, so now the devil tries his own quotation. This should alert us to the fact that we can hear and quote scriptural truth, but apply it in very ungodly ways to suit our own ends.
In this case the temptation is putting God's promise to the test - willfully doing something unwise, to force God's hand, and moreover to show off. Not many of us may be tempted to leap from St Paul's, but are there ways we can do this in worship leading? For example, loudly proclaim we haven't bothered planning anything for a worship time, to look more spiritual, and "test" God in expecting him to lead you anyway? Take a 'leap of faith' which is all about me? Expect miracles because they will bolster our own ego and ministry?
QUESTION Do you think the above things are a temptation for you? Are there other scriptural truths, which we can twist to serve ourselves?
Finally, the devil leaves him, but only until the next time. Personally, I've become far more aware of the subtle temptations which come from the enemy, every day. I'm learning to rebuke his lies with the truth - its not easy, but I'm seeing the fruit of "resisting the devil and he will flee from you". I'd encourage you to ask God to make you more aware of the "father of lies", and to give you the confidence to stand in the authority that is yours in Christ.
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 So if you worship me, it will all be yours."
8 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'"
9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
" 'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"
12 Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
The second temptation leads nicely from the discussion in the comments, about performance and adulation. This is a temptation to be famous, powerful, adored. Again, it is mis-interpreting Jesus' calling, as if he should be a political messiah. If we follow Tom Wright in thinking that "the story does not envisage Jesus engaged with a visible figure to whom he could talk as one to another; the devil's voice appears as a string of natural ideas in his own head", then it is easy to imagine Jesus musing over his next move after his baptism. How should he fulfill the role of Son of God on earth? It has been prophesied that he would be sovereign - why not just go for that now?
Well, firstly because Jesus is single-minded about who should be worshipped - God only. That is easy to say, but we can so easily be tempted to make other things central in our lives and worship times. Secondly, he refuses because it involves doing it the enemy's way, not God's way - talking power by force. In contrast, Jesus chooses the path of servanthood and self sacrifice, in order to fulfill his God-ordained vocation.
QUESTION Are there aspirations we have as worship leaders, which although they might be Godly, we can be tempted to take the "easy" yet sinful route to? Do we look for status and fame, rather than servanthood and self sacrifice? What might servant worship-leading look like?
The third temptation places Jesus at the highest point of the temple - probably the royal colonnade, which overlooked a deep ravine. He has been thwarted by scripture twice, so now the devil tries his own quotation. This should alert us to the fact that we can hear and quote scriptural truth, but apply it in very ungodly ways to suit our own ends.
In this case the temptation is putting God's promise to the test - willfully doing something unwise, to force God's hand, and moreover to show off. Not many of us may be tempted to leap from St Paul's, but are there ways we can do this in worship leading? For example, loudly proclaim we haven't bothered planning anything for a worship time, to look more spiritual, and "test" God in expecting him to lead you anyway? Take a 'leap of faith' which is all about me? Expect miracles because they will bolster our own ego and ministry?
QUESTION Do you think the above things are a temptation for you? Are there other scriptural truths, which we can twist to serve ourselves?
Finally, the devil leaves him, but only until the next time. Personally, I've become far more aware of the subtle temptations which come from the enemy, every day. I'm learning to rebuke his lies with the truth - its not easy, but I'm seeing the fruit of "resisting the devil and he will flee from you". I'd encourage you to ask God to make you more aware of the "father of lies", and to give you the confidence to stand in the authority that is yours in Christ.
Friday, 7 September 2007
Luke 4:1-4
Read the passage, below and/or in your own Bible version. Reflect on it, and its implications for worship leading, then read my notes and post your responses, thoughts, disagreements...
1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."
4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'"
INTRO TO TEMPTATIONS
Skipping over the early chapters (we'll do them at Christmas...) we arrive just after Jesus' big baptism moment (hope he had a good towel-bearer). He is led by the Spirit (who occupies a major role in this gospel; count how many times he is mentioned), to a time of fasting in the wilderness.
QUESTION - when did you last fast and seek God? As a Worship Leader, do you see it as important, in particular, at the beginning of a significant life or ministry stage? Do we value fasting today? Have you any good or funny stories of your experiences?
Now notice the significance of Jesus, the new, perfect version of Israel, being called into the wilderness for 40 days. Remind you of any certain bunch of people, wandering the wilderness for 40 years? Being tempted, generally messing up? If you aren't convinced, consider that all three times he quotes from Deuteronomy (8:3, 6:13, 16,) passages which talk about Israel's wilderness testing. So this isn't testing completely unique to Jesus. In some ways it reflects the kind of testing we all go through. You and I should be able to relate to it. And because of Jesus' obedience where we and Israel blow it, failure is not guaranteed to us. We can respond in the power of the Spirit like he did and overcome temptation, to become more the people God made us to be. I like this quote;
"The Christian discipline of fighting temptation is not about self-hatred, or rejecting parts of our God-given humanity. It is about celebrating God's gift of full humanity and, like someone learning a musical instrument, discovering how to tune it and play it to its best possibility." pg 45 Tom Wright, Luke for Everyone.
QUESTION - What is your attitude towards temptation? Can you relate to Tom Wright's analogy of it being like practicing an instrument?
A difference between Israel's testing and Jesus' temptation is the scripture very clearly states that Satan is the one tempting (although the leading of the Spirit shows this is part of God's bigger plan - worth thinking about in your own situation). This is Luke's first mention of the Devil, and he does so very intentionally to show a spiritual reality behind the scenes of Jesus' life. Joel Green says "Behind (evil) stands the devil, who now steps out from behind the curtain. Behind Jesus, on the other hand, stands the Holy Spirit, so that, through its dramatis personae, 4:1-13 presents a clash of cosmic proportions." pg 192 NIV Commentary on Luke.
QUESTION - to what extent are we aware of the spiritual dynamics going on around us, in our everyday lives, and when we are leading worship? What are the temptations common to you when you are leading? How can you combat these?
TEMPTATION 1
Ok, so making and eating bread isn't sinful in and of itself (good thing for bakers...). So what is going on here? Disobedience to the call to fast, yes, but something more. Look how the Devil sets it up; "If you are the Son of God" is a temptation for Jesus to prove himself, his identity, his role. The Devil says Jesus using his power is a way of showing who Jesus really is - when actually the very definition of Son of God in Jesus is obedience to the Father.
Green says "(the Devil) starts by urging Jesus to use his power in his own way to serve his own ends; he thus reinterprets 'Son of God' to mean the opposite of faithful obedience and agency on God's behalf." Joel Green
QUESTION - to what extent do we allow ourselves to be tempted to reinterpret 'Worship Leader' as something opposite of "faithful obedience and agency on God's behalf?"
QUESTION - what is the equivalent of 'making bread' for me? Do we think we hear people say 'if you are the Worship Leader, turn these bored people into worshippers'?! Or 'if you are a songwriter, turn one of your songs into a worship hit'?! Or 'if you are good at your job, demand pay/power/recognition'.
OK NOW ITS YOUR TURN
Get posting!!!
1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."
4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'"
INTRO TO TEMPTATIONS
Skipping over the early chapters (we'll do them at Christmas...) we arrive just after Jesus' big baptism moment (hope he had a good towel-bearer). He is led by the Spirit (who occupies a major role in this gospel; count how many times he is mentioned), to a time of fasting in the wilderness.
QUESTION - when did you last fast and seek God? As a Worship Leader, do you see it as important, in particular, at the beginning of a significant life or ministry stage? Do we value fasting today? Have you any good or funny stories of your experiences?
Now notice the significance of Jesus, the new, perfect version of Israel, being called into the wilderness for 40 days. Remind you of any certain bunch of people, wandering the wilderness for 40 years? Being tempted, generally messing up? If you aren't convinced, consider that all three times he quotes from Deuteronomy (8:3, 6:13, 16,) passages which talk about Israel's wilderness testing. So this isn't testing completely unique to Jesus. In some ways it reflects the kind of testing we all go through. You and I should be able to relate to it. And because of Jesus' obedience where we and Israel blow it, failure is not guaranteed to us. We can respond in the power of the Spirit like he did and overcome temptation, to become more the people God made us to be. I like this quote;
"The Christian discipline of fighting temptation is not about self-hatred, or rejecting parts of our God-given humanity. It is about celebrating God's gift of full humanity and, like someone learning a musical instrument, discovering how to tune it and play it to its best possibility." pg 45 Tom Wright, Luke for Everyone.
QUESTION - What is your attitude towards temptation? Can you relate to Tom Wright's analogy of it being like practicing an instrument?
A difference between Israel's testing and Jesus' temptation is the scripture very clearly states that Satan is the one tempting (although the leading of the Spirit shows this is part of God's bigger plan - worth thinking about in your own situation). This is Luke's first mention of the Devil, and he does so very intentionally to show a spiritual reality behind the scenes of Jesus' life. Joel Green says "Behind (evil) stands the devil, who now steps out from behind the curtain. Behind Jesus, on the other hand, stands the Holy Spirit, so that, through its dramatis personae, 4:1-13 presents a clash of cosmic proportions." pg 192 NIV Commentary on Luke.
QUESTION - to what extent are we aware of the spiritual dynamics going on around us, in our everyday lives, and when we are leading worship? What are the temptations common to you when you are leading? How can you combat these?
TEMPTATION 1
Ok, so making and eating bread isn't sinful in and of itself (good thing for bakers...). So what is going on here? Disobedience to the call to fast, yes, but something more. Look how the Devil sets it up; "If you are the Son of God" is a temptation for Jesus to prove himself, his identity, his role. The Devil says Jesus using his power is a way of showing who Jesus really is - when actually the very definition of Son of God in Jesus is obedience to the Father.
Green says "(the Devil) starts by urging Jesus to use his power in his own way to serve his own ends; he thus reinterprets 'Son of God' to mean the opposite of faithful obedience and agency on God's behalf." Joel Green
QUESTION - to what extent do we allow ourselves to be tempted to reinterpret 'Worship Leader' as something opposite of "faithful obedience and agency on God's behalf?"
QUESTION - what is the equivalent of 'making bread' for me? Do we think we hear people say 'if you are the Worship Leader, turn these bored people into worshippers'?! Or 'if you are a songwriter, turn one of your songs into a worship hit'?! Or 'if you are good at your job, demand pay/power/recognition'.
OK NOW ITS YOUR TURN
Get posting!!!
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