Power In An Upside-Down World

Read 1 Peter 5:1-5 (NRSV)
Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you 2to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it—not for sordid gain but eagerly. 3Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock. 4And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away. 5In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for
‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ 

²³⁴⁵

Questions for Personal Reflection from Kathy Sizer
When have you seen leadership in which the cost of success was too high?

Who has modeled the shepherding, humble use of power in your life?
 

Does pride grow in your life? Here are some signs.

• Do you need to be right?…Can you admit a mistake?
• Do you think of yourself as the only one who can see things clearly? . . . How do you talk about people who disagree with you?
• Do you talk about yourself a lot? . . . Are you more invested in being heard than in hearing?
• As you read this list—did you think of other people it applies to……not yourself?

Ponder C.S.Lewis 's test as to whether one is prideful:    

If you want to find out how proud you are, ask,
“How much do I dislike it when other people snub me,
or refuse to take any notice of me, or patronize me or show off?”

How do you need to "tie on" the "humility garment" today?

Prayer

by Walter Brueggemann 

We imagine ourselves self-sufficient and then we run short. . .

short of time, short of life, short of stamina, short of newness.

We find our future closed off and at risk

and we with varying degrees of resolve and determination

and panic and despair,

find ourselves—surprisingly—back in your presence,

waiting, receiving, invited to gratitude.

We wait and we receive and we thank…

because you are the only Lord of the Future,

you are the one who births at the eleventh hour,

you are the one who comes to barrenness and makes new,

you promise like the stars for number

while we count according to the old math.

You are out beyond us.

We are staggered, stunned, awed.

And so we come to worship you.

Mercies in Disguise

Read James 1:2-4 (NRSV)
2 My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; 4 and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.


Read 1 Peter 4:12-16 (NRSV)
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice in so far as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, a criminal, or even as a mischief-maker. 16 Yet if any of you suffers as a Christian, do not consider it a disgrace, but glorify God because you bear this name.


Questions for Personal Reflection from Kathy Sizer
In the face of hard times or suffering, how do you respond?


Which of the following scenarios describes your reaction to hard times or suffering?

• I forget, deny, or don't talk about the pain. 
• I use pain to win sympathy or to get attention.
• I use pain as an excuse for failure.
• I use pain as an excuse for behaving badly--for not continuing to "do good."
• I allow pain to make me embittered and trapped by the bitterness or revenge.

As you look through "the hole in the canvas" caused by suffering, what "gifts" have you experienced in pain or trouble? Here are some examples from the sermon:

• endurance and/or patience
• compassion for the pain of other people
• thankfulness for all you DO have
• antidote to pride and control
• awareness of God’s power to pull you through

What are your experiences when you look through the "hole in the canvas?"


When has your response to pain been extending forgiveness?


Consider how this has been a sharing in the suffering of Christ?


At the end of each day, look back through the "hole in the canvas" of life, ask God to show you the gifts of the day and where he was in the day. Even on the days when you can't see any gifts, give thanks anyway that God was with you with grace and mercy beyond your seeing.


Prayer Through Song
Blessings
by Laura Story


Click on the image to hear the story behind the song


We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things


Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise


We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe


Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise


When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home


Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching(s) of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

Just Around the Corner

Read 1 Peter 4:7-11 (NRSV)
7 The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. 8Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9Be hospitable to one another without complaining. 10Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. 11Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Questions for Personal Reflection from Steve Sweet 

What is a life lesson memory that frequently comes to your mind?

What does the world need most of all right now?

What helps keep you on track, keeps you strong on the “highway of life and faith”?

Who are the people that God has placed in your life, that help remind you of the goodness of God and give you confidence as you follow Christ?

What goal did Peter want his readers to reach for with all that they did?

In what way could you show hospitality this week?

Song of Prayer
Hymn #262 (verses 1 & 2)

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee:
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty, God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! all the saints adore thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
Which wert and art and evermore shalt be.

With Whom Do You Run?

Read Peter 4:1-7 (NRSV)
Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same intention (for whoever has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin), 2so as to live for the rest of your earthly life no longer by human desires but by the will of God. 3You have already spent enough time in doing what the Gentiles like to do, living in licentiousness, passions, drunkenness, revels, carousing, and lawless idolatry. 4They are surprised that you no longer join them in the same excesses of dissipation, and so they blaspheme. 5But they will have to give an account to him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. 6For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does. 7The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers.

Additional biblical texts: Ephesians 6:12 and Hebrew 12.  Please click on the verses to read the entire text.

Questions for Personal Reflection from Jerry Tankersley
Do you remember your childhood friends with whom you ran? What comes to mind? The sermon subject is: With Whom Do You Run?

Ever thought about the influence you friends had upon you? Was it positive or negative?

Peter was aware that the Christians of Asia were living their faith in a world that sought to press them into its own mold. That included sexual immorality, drunkenness, and lawless idolatry. To be patriotic citizens they needed to eat, drink, and play with the culture. Peter’s concern was that they would be lost to the sins of sensuality and pride. The party scene meant drugs, sex, and rock n roll. The cultural gods and goddesses were money, sex, and power. Ever see the TV program on AMC entitled Mad Men. It was that kind of world, our world.
 
How difficult is it to be a Christian with these pressures?
 
If you were to arm yourself with Christ’s intentions, what would your armament look like?

Spiritual warfare is a major subject in the New Testament. What spiritual power is behind the forces with which we struggle? When you imagine evil what do you see? When you are being tempted how do you resist? Are there spiritual disciplines that help you? What are they? 

Prayer
For the grace of God has appeared,
bringing salvation to all,
training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions,
and in the present age
to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly,
while we wait for the blessed hope
and the manifestation of the glory
of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
who gave himself for us
that he might redeem us from all iniquity
and purify for himself a people of his own
who are zealous for good deeds.