Money, Sex, & Power

As we launch out into this new series, one has to be intrigued by the title: Money, Sex & Power. Instead of a subject found in church buildings on Sunday morning, it rather seems like the stuff of a Saturday night movie-made-for-television event that no everyone intends to watch – but no one really does. After all, aren’t the people of God above such nonsense and fleshly failure as related to issues of money and sex and power? If it were only so . . .

As I was crafting the worship notes for this Sunday, I thought it would be helpful to hear from Richard Foster, the author of the study we are using to navigate this minefield of spiritual growth opportunity.

“The crying need for today is for people of faith to live faithfully. This is true in all spheres of human existence, but is particularly true with reference to money, sex, and power. No issues touch us more profoundly or more universally. No themes are more inseparably intertwined. No topics cause more controversy. No human realities have greater power to bless or to curse. No three things have been more sought after or are more in need of a Christian response. . .by dealing with three issues of such importance in a modern society, I hope to give clues for how we, as followers of Christ, are to handle the many ethical choices we must face daily.”

Here! Here! And what the author goes on to say in the introduction of his book is that one of the greatest and most poignant topics for discussion in our day is sex and sexuality. What feelings come over you when you hear the word, “sex?” Is joy the first thing that come to mind, or do visions of shame, embarrassment, or hurt prevail?

This Sunday, as we begin this series, our worship will focus largely on three themes. First, we will amplify - in our praises and scripture readings - the beauty of God’s creation. In the beginning, God created all things for his pleasure and for his glory. The greatest manifestation and object of that pleasure came to life when he created man and woman. By placing the indelible stamp of His image upon them, he revealed to the first couple 1) how beautiful they were, and, subsequently, 2) how beautiful their relationship was meant to be. Secondly, as people are confronted with the reality of sexual brokenness, I pray our worship will step in and provide a tangible sense of forgiveness. Rather than bury our heads in the sand and believe that no one has been affected by a counterfeit version of God’s original intention for human sexuality, we will assist others in releasing their past, present, and future failures. Finally, with forgiveness realized, the next step to wholeness is healing. Our concluding worship thoughts will center on the healing nature of Jesus and the cross and allowing people to fall into the comforting arms of the grace-filled Christ.

Resounding Themes:

God’s creation

God’s beauty

God’s love for His creation

Power of the cross

Forgiveness

Extent of grace

Healing

Having an Attitude of Gratitude

In any part of your day or week, are you exposed to negative people?

You know the ones I’m talking about – truly pessimistic people who not only gripe about the glass being half empty, but also about it being a mug and not a tumbler! Charlie Brown “good griefers,” Eor, “the sky is fallingers” – worry warts who make it their mission in life to level any mountain of good circumstance with the realities of the valley below. How do you feel when you are around negative people for a length of time? Do you feel your shoulders tighten and your facial expressions droop? Why do people like that affect us in such a manner? It all has to do with gratitude. People who have a difficult time being gracious and extending grace to others have an even more difficult time being positive about life – no matter the circumstance.

The only remedy to this ailment lies in having an attitude of gratitude. The ancients were no strangers to difficulty and oppression. Many of them spent their entire lives wandering in deserts or under the yoke of slavery and captivity; but as we see in the Psalms and in the prayers of the Patriarchs, they still found a way to carry on by remembering God’s deliverance of them. Still yet, those who carried forth the news of the Gospel found themselves imprisoned or even murdered. And yet, how did these people of God keep from naval-gazing all the time?-- By learning to praise. By praising, we find the inherent good in all peoples and situations, and we transcend the muck of circumstance. By reflecting on the past, we remember all of the great blessings and wonderful events of our life that have served to weave a beautiful tapestry of God’s faithfulness. For Paul and Silas, imprisonment could have been the beginning of bitterness and negativity toward God. Yet, locked in stocks in the inner cell of the jail, they found time to reflect upon the Lord and the grace that had been extended to them. The result: two hearts that learned how to praise God with singing and prayer.

In the moment, the jail cell of life you’re in may seem like life’s only reality – “woe is me.” However, it’s also in life’s prison that one has time to reflect on the good things and find time to lift his head from the scourge of the valley to the beauty of the mountains above. Let us all learn to praise, lest we become the negative person we all despise spending a great deal of time with!

Resounding Themes:

Praise of God
God’s Faithfulness
Gratitude
Reflection of God’s Grace and Blessing
Celebration and Jubilation

The Spiritual Reflex

Upon reflection of our hectic lives, one thing that should be evident to the Christian is how he/she reflexes spiritually – that is, what is the first reaction they have to moments of our day/life.

When we get out of bed and take in the first breath of the day, are we immediately drawn to prayer in praise for the gift of another day, or do we first fiddle with our glasses, slippers, toothpaste, etc.? When we pour through the morning paper and read about how poorly the market reacted the day before, do we reflexively go to God in prayer for guidance, or immediately schedule a conference call with the stock broker? When we find ourselves having to make a big presentation or stand in front of people to gain their approval, is our instinct to solicit God’s power over our character, or do we simply rely on our own talents and abilities to win the day? And when that “dark night of the soul comes” – that moment of Job when the world comes crashing in on our heads – are we immediately humbled to God in prayer for deliverance, or do we seek a way out of the muck by some other method?

This week, our worship will be focusing on just that – how instinctively do we know we need God, and in what ways do our reflexes to daily life exhibit it? In the life of Hezekiah, we see a man upright and God-fearing, who brought about major reform in Israel, yet when faced with the reality of Assyrian domination, he searched, in vain, every other way for deliverance, until finally turning to God in prayer. And what an answer the Lord returned!!

Resounding Themes:

Power of God
Power of Prayer
Mighty Deliverer God
Dependence upon God
Need for God’s Nearness