Andy's Blog: A Personal Word

August 2007 Archive

August 29, 2007

Aug. 29, 2007

Something New

As pastors we get a lot of questions about basics. How do I pray? What do Christians believe and why? Why do we do certain things in worship? How do I read the Bible?  In response to these, we are developing new learning opportunities dealing with basics. This track will be called “Foundations – Gearing Up.” This will become a part of our program of Christian growth, which we will call Pathways.
Foundations classes will all be short term. Most will be three weeks in length. Each will be taught by a pastor in one of four areas: Beliefs, Bible, Spiritual Practice, and Discipleship. Some classes will be offered during the Sunday School hour, some on Sunday evenings at 5:00 PM, and others as part of our Wednesday evening offerings.

The line-up for the Fall:
• Methodism 101
Dr. Andy Wolfe, Sunday mornings, September 16, 23, 30

• Living With Purpose
Rev. Tim Tatum, Wednesday evenings, September 12, 19, 26

• Bible Stuff 101
Dr. Dave Barnhart, Sunday mornings, October 14, 21, 28

• Taking Inventory – Basic Beliefs
Dr. Mack Chapman, Sundays at 5:00 PM, October 14, 21, 28

• Prayer for Beginners
Rev. Suzanne Pruitt, Sunday mornings, November 4, 11, 28

• Worship Ways
Dr. Andy Wolfe, Sundays at 5:00 PM, November 4, 11, 18

All of these classes are open to anyone. Watch for meeting places.

August 22, 2007

Aug. 22, 2007

A part of our core mission at Trinity is to Grow People in Christ.  We offer many groupings for growth – Sunday School classes, long and short-term Bible Study groups, and special studies.  We believe that the Christian journey is not something we can or have to do all by ourselves. We grow best when we connect ourselves to others. As one saint of the church put it, “The best way to know God is to frequent the company of his friends.”As we begin the Fall, if you are not already involved in some small group experience, I encourage you to take the opportunity to find a group.

There is a poem called Growing Together, which begins

Once upon a time there was a little grape stem
She was so glad to be alive.
She drank water and minerals from the soil and grew and grew.
She was young and strong and could manage quite well…
All by Herself

But then came the winter, and the little grape stem grew weak and was ready to give up when another stem called out: “Here, reach out, hang on to me.”

Then ever so cautiously, she reached out toward the other grape stem,
“See, I can help you,” it said.
“Just wind your tendrils about me, and I will help you lift your head.”
And the little stem trusted.
Suddenly, she could stand straight again.
The wind came...and the rain...and the snow.
But when it came, the little stem was clinging to many other stems.
And although the stems were swayed by the wind,
And frozen by the snow,
They stood strongly united to each other.

And in their quiet strength,
they could smile and grow…
One day, the little stem said,
“Here, hang on...I will help you”
And another stem reached up to the little grape stem.
And together, all stems grew...Leaves budded...flowers bloomed…
And finally the grapes formed...and the grapes fed many.

Paul said we are the body of Christ – each of us has something to offer each other.  Together we are more than we can be apart.

August 15, 2007

Aug. 16, 2007

UPSIDE DOWN, RIGHT SIDE UP
A Sermon Series on the Beatitudes
The Life God Blesses
Beginning Sunday, August 19

We human beings actually see the world upside down. The image formed on the retina in our eye is an inverted one. The brain must process this upside down image in order for us to see the world right side up.

Some of the most familiar words of Jesus are found in the “Beatitudes,” all of which begin with the words “Blessed are...” But when we read what follows, it sounds upside down. Blessed are the poor, the meek, those who mourn, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. These are certainly not the people whom we consider to be blessed; just the opposite. Our right side up list of the ‘blessed’ would probably go something like: Blessed are the successful, the healthy, the wealthy, the smart, the go-getters, the winners, and the good looking.

Friedrich Nietzsche saw the beatitudes as embodying the slave morality of Christianity. James Joyce condemned them for advocating a life without striving. They are often dismissed as impractical or explained away as representing some future ideal. The beatitudes are upside down. We know what it is to be blessed, and it doesn’t include these sayings.

Or maybe we have it upside down, and Jesus is turning the world right side up. Dietrich Bonhoeffer defines a ‘blessing’ as the visible, perceptible, effective proximity of God. Someone translates ‘blessed’ as ‘on the right path,’ or ‘on the way the creator wants us to go.’ It is the opposite of the word for sin, which means losing your way.  When Jesus said these words, He was describing blessedness as being near God, snuggling up close to the truth, committed to follow Jesus’ way.  The results may not seem blessed at all to those who do not know this Jesus - but to those who do, they are words of life.

In the beatitudes we have the picture of a world that we cannot see unless Jesus teaches us to see. Here we have the picture of the life which God can bless. Mind you, it’s a picture that will collide with our world. But the promise is that in being drawn near to Christ, we find our truest selves. The world is not so
much turned upside down, as it is right side up.

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