Don't Forget!

Do you ever have problems remembering things that are important?

One of my favorite movies of all time is Finding Nemo. I remember seeing this movie for the first time when my wife and I were away from the children on a week-long trip. It was about day 5 of the separation (we were really missing our kids by this time), and we thought we’d distract ourselves by taking in a light-hearted animation akin to Toy Story, or A Bug’s Life. However (if you’ve seen the movie you’ll know what I mean), the very opening scene ripped our hearts out and we were gone through the whole movie! The story, based on the underwater life of fish and other aquatic creatures, is basically one father’s incessant and life-endangering search for his lost baby boy. On top of that, the entire movie centers around a parent and a child with a disability…of which our oldest child has…it was not a pretty scene on our row!!

At any rate…one of the main characters introduced in the father’s quest to find his son is a blue Jackfish named Dorie. As is soon discovered, although pleasant and good-natured, Dorie suffers from acute, short-term memory loss. Even though she can retain long-term memories and can function like any average person (fish), her ability to retain recent, accessible information was nil. Although she can remember her name and the that she’s a fish, she doesn’t know who her family is, where she comes from, or what she’s doing when the father (Marlin) bumps into her on the ocean floor. In the span of a 30 second conversation, she introduces herself twice as though they’d never met. From that point on, her bad memory gets the pair in all kinds of predicaments, including a scrape with 3 sharks, a shocking run-in with a jellyfish colony, and an overnight stay in a whale motel. From scene to scene, the fish’s inability to remember gets the two in all kinds of trouble and threatens the rescue mission.

At a pivotal scene in the movie, a clue (a lost diver’s mask) is found that has the name and address of the child’s (Nemo) captors on it. Unable to read human writing, Marlin relies on Dorie to decipher and remember the information to direct them on their journey. Time and time again, the blue fish remembers and forgets the information, causing the journey to prolong and all hopes of a rescue fade. Finally, when Dorie discovers the lost Nemo, her memory is transformed and she is able to unite the father and song at last.

Memory. How many times have I felt like Dorie in this life when I lose my keys, can’t pull up a name from my memory banks, or forget what I’m doing as I travel from the sofa to the kitchen. Even more so, how quickly do I forget things of supreme importance like the sacrifices and promises of my Savior, Jesus Christ.

As we embark on a new sermonic journey for the next four weeks, we turn our attention to Communion, and it’s lost place in the vault of our mind. As we try to remember the importance of the Lord’s Supper this week, we take our cue from the Master and His cue to the disciple to “do this in remembrance of me.”

As you worship this week:

Meditate – on those things that you forget easily.
Contemplate – on the importance and significance of remembering those things that are truly important in this life.
Seek – the Host of the Supper, the Name above all names
Find – a deeper meaning and symbolism in institution and practice of Communion.

Resounding Themes:

Remembering the Master
Knowing the Name of Jesus
Magnificent Love

Getting READY to Worship

Ready, Set, READ

Luke 22:7-20

Ready, Set, MEDITATE

- What is the Passover Feast? Why is Jesus choosing to celebrate it with the disciples? What preparations does Jesus require to get ready for the feast? How specific is Jesus in His requests? Is that in and of itself significant?

- Why is the meal so important? Is there any significance to this being the time and place Jesus chose to live his final moments on earth? What does Jesus do with the meal that changes it forever?

- Why is it so important that the disciples “remember” Jesus in the days and weeks to come? What is coming about for Jesus? For the disciples? For the Church? How is something as simple as some bread and juice important for us today?

- Do you really use communion as a time to truly remember the Savior? What good can come from remembering? What bad can come from forgetting? What can you do this week and on Sunday to take the Lord’s Supper and remember him until He comes?

Ready, Set, PRAY

Father, our hearts are filled with joyous expectation as we come to worship each week, for we know that there, we will meet You there. And we also know that the Lord will be our gracious Host at the table of life. God, we ask for a greater sense of awareness and heightened presence of awareness as we come each week to the Lord’s Supper. Precious Savior, roll back the curtain of our memory that we might always keep in front of us Your life, death, and resurrection. Remind us, dear Lord. Through the power and majesty of the Name above all names.

AMEN.

Ready, Set, WORSHIP!

Great Expectations

Have your preconceived expectations ever been met with disappointment?

One of my favorite holiday classics is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Okay…I’m not upholding this movie as a family “must-see.” Even so, I get a kick out of it every time I watch it! In many ways, it is the story of every family who tries to put on a “big, old-fashioned, fun, family Christmas.” If you haven’t seen the movie, it is basically one man’s struggle to have his entire family (in-laws included) under his roof for the Christmas holidays. From the 25,000 imported Italian twinkle lights to the 20ft Christmas tree, I guffaw as I see the ridiculous measures the father takes to make Christmas grand.

Meanwhile, another plotline has to do with the father, Clark Grizwald (played by Chevy Chase) and his employment. By trade, he is a nutritional food additives designer (too funny), and his division has created a new “semi-permeable, non-nutritious crunch enhancer” that, when applied to a cereal flake, will keep it from getting soggy in milk (don’t we wish that was real!). Anyway, because of this big breakthrough, Clark is expecting a handsome Christmas bonus. In advance of his award, he decides to go ahead and put a hefty down payment on a backyard swimming pool. Anticipating a large five-figure check to come in any day, Clark sets his sights on making the house just perfect for the holidays.
Well, as you can imagine (and probably have experienced), the entire event spirals into disaster as the extended family begins to show up one by one, including the crazy brother-in-law (played by Randy Quaid) and his misfit family. To top it all off, the promised bonus check fails to arrive until Christmas Eve, and, upon opening it, Clark discovers in horror that the expected windfall has been substituted by a menial Jelly of the Month Club membership! With this final blow, Clark has a mental breakdown and proceeds to destroy what’s left of any holiday spirit!

Have you ever had a holiday like that?

Moreover, have you ever built up and expectation in your mind of something that didn’t come to be just like you thought it should?

Followers of Jesus had, in many ways, experienced this let down as well. For so long, they had been groaning for a messiah – a national messiah – to come and reek punishment on those who opposed God’s Israel. In the end (so they thought), Jesus had turned out to be little more than a flash in the pan…a failure like so many before him. And as we see two disciples walking on the Emmaus road, we are confronted with both failed expectations and hope of the resurrection.

As you worship this week:

Meditate – on how Christ is the “expectation-meeter” for the world
Contemplate – the contrasts between what the world wants and what Christ offers.
Seek – a deep sense of joy in knowing that Christ has overcome death and the world.
Find – the joy of hospitality as we are all invited into the banqueting table of God’s grace.

Resounding Themes:

God’s Lavish Hospitality
From the Old Life to the New
Resurrection Hope
Joyful Knowledge of the Christ

Getting READY to Worship

Ready, Set, READ

Luke 24:13-35

Ready, Set, MEDITATE

- What has just happened before the men take their journey to Emmaus? Why is it ironic that they are leaving Jerusalem? What are the men doing as they journey? Who joins them? Why don’t they react immediately?

- What story do the men tell the stranger that has joined them? Clearly, what were there expectations of Jesus? Why have they given up hope?

- How does the stranger respond to their story? At what point do they recognize the man as Jesus? How do they respond and where do they go? What do they tell the Eleven?

- Have you ever had a failed expectation of God? Who failed – God or your preconception of what He should be? How does Jesus overcome failed expectations through the resurrection? How, specifically, have you experienced the hope of seeing Christ revealed in your own life?

Ready, Set, PRAY

Holy God, You have revealed Your nature to us in so many ways – each and every day. The earth proclaims Your glory. All the heavens shout Your praise. The universe declares Your majesty. And the complexity of humankind testifies to Your infinite wisdom and power. And even if all our senses were robbed from our bodies – that we couldn’t see nor hear nor touch Your beauty – Your presence would be felt deep within us, as the Spirit translates glory to glory.

And yet, we have also seen Your glory in more radiantly in the flesh-man of Jesus Whom You sent full of grace and truth. Though His life, sacrifice, and victorious resurrection from the dead, our eyes have been opened to Your eternal purpose and mission for the world. All of our hope and joy – both present and future – rests on our ability to recognize the risen Christ!

Lord, continue to open the eyes of our heart – we want so desperately to see You!

And through our Savior we pray. AMEN.

Ready, Set, WORSHIP!

From Sidelines to Stardom

Have you ever had to sit on the sidelines of life?

One of the more storied accounts of a person going from the sidelines to stardom comes to us from the movie Rudy, released in 1993.

Rudy Ruettiger was born in 1948 in Joliet Illinois into a lower class family of steel mill workers. After barely graduating from high school, Rudy took the inevitable path that everyone from his town took of working at a power plant both before and after serving in the Navy. Yet, after losing his best friend in an industrial accident at the plant, Rudy decided to no longer waste time by putting off his dreams. He set out for the University of Notre Dame with hopes of one day playing football for the Fighting Irish. Yet, there were two very large obstacles that lay in his path: 1) he had very poor grades, and 2) he was half the size and weight of the average NCAA football player. Knowing that his future was laid out for him as a steel worker in Joliet, Rudy felt the burn for something more from his life, but seemed unable to achieve it because of his limitations.Yet, with passion on his side and after getting admitted into Holy Cross Junior College in South Bend (with much help by one particularly compassionate priest) Rudy spent his time studying and working as a groundskeeper at Notre Dame's Knute Rockne Stadium. During his time at Holy Cross, Rudy learned that he suffered from dyslexia, which had undoubtedly contributed to his previous academic struggles. However, taking his limitations in stride, he worked around his disorder and received good grades during his two years at Holy Cross.It took Rudy three semesters to be granted acceptance into Notre Dame as a transfer student. He almost didn't make it because Notre Dame does not accept seniors as transfer students. He then won a spot on the scout team, against who the varsity team ran its plays. Through two years of hard work, sleeping the broom closet at the stadium and begging every hour of his day toward his dream, he earned the respect of the Fighting Irish players and coaches, and in the last home game of his senior year, Rudy dressed for the game. During the last moments of the game, Rudy tackled the Georgia Tech quarterback and for the first time in Notre Dame history, a player was carried off the field on the shoulders of the rest of the team.Rudy Ruettiger received his bachelor's degree in sociology from Notre Dame in 1976.

Ahh…what a feel-good story that brings a tear to our eyes and stirs the heart of every underdog that ever lived! Indeed, the entire Bible is filled with stories of the underdog – the person that was made a somebody in the kingdom because of the touch of the Master’s hand. Abraham, Moses, David, Jacob, the woman at the well, Peter, Paul…each were spiritual outcasts until the Lord inserted Himself into their lifestory and changed them forever.

This week, we’re going to look at another spiritual “sideliner,” a eunuch from Ethiopia, and how the touch of the Master’s hand made him a household name in the annuals of faith.

As you worship this week:

Meditate – on what makes you frail, inadequate to perform God’s mission to the world.
Contemplate – how your shortcoming is the beginning of God’s glory and his goal for your existence.
Seek – the healing hand of the Master and His ability to make something beautiful out of every life.
Find – the true joy that comes from embracing to Voice of Truth for your life and following wherever it leads.

Resounding Themes:

Made New, Made Free
The Healing Hand of Jesus
Reborn Into New Life

Getting READY to Worship

Ready, Set, READ

Acts 8:4-8, 26-40

Ready, Set, MEDITATE

- Where do we find Philip as this story unfolds? How do the people respond to him? Is there any irony that he now (after seeing Jesus perform so many) is using miraculous signs to affirm the work of God in his life? Where does the Spirit lead him to next?

- Who is this Ethiopian and where is he going? In his native land, who is he? To the Jews, who is he? Would he really ever have any chance at being a part of something big in the kingdom of God? As Philip applies the Scriptures, what truth is revealed?

- When the truth is understood, how does he respond? What happens next? Why is the immediacy of the situation so captivating? What is the true response of a soul set free? Why is the Ethiopian so joyful?

- What sideline of life are you sitting on? What inadequacy do you embody that keeps you from participating fully and freely? How has Jesus overcome your weakness to make you strong for His purposes? How can your shortcomings become a billboard for God’s glory?

Ready, Set, PRAY

Father, I pray to you the words of this song:
Who am I that the Lord of all the earthWould care to know my nameWould care to feel my hurtWho am I that the Bright and Morning StarWould choose to light the wayFor my ever wand'ring heart
Who am I that the eyes that see my sinWould look on me with love and watch me rise againWho am I that the voice that calmed the seaWould call out through the rainAnd calm the storm in me Not because of who I amBut because of what You've doneNot because of what I've doneBut because of who You areI am a flower quickly fadingHere today and gone tomorrowA wave tossed in the oceanA vapor in the windStill You hear me when I'm callingLord You catch me when I'm fallingAnd You've told me who I amI am Yours

Father, we declare that we – in all of our inadequacy – are Yours, to be used for Your purposes. Lord, pull us from the sidelines and give us a roll in Your mission to the world. We declare that we are “somebody” in Christ.

And it’s in His name we pray. Amen.

Ready, Set, WORSHIP!

Good At Judging....Bad At Good Judgment

Have you ever been quick to judge and slow to use good judgment?

I have issues with many drivers on the highway. Okay, let’s be honest, I have issues in general! But when it comes to bad drivers, I can get incensed in a heartbeat.

For example, don’t you just hate it when a lane is about to end – it’s been advertised for at least a mile in bold letters and flashing lights – and inevitably, some poor misguided soul tries to get into that very lane and pass you…only to have the lane end and have to merge back into traffic – most often right in front of you. I despise that.

And don’t get me started on motorcycles. I know that there are thoughtful, responsible riders out there who obey the laws and give the entire genre a good name. Yet, for every one of them, there are three idiots on super-speed racing bikes that have zero regard for anyone or anything! They weave in and out of traffic, between lanes, and (the most supreme annoyance), ride wheelies going 60mph down the interstate. That really gets my indignation dander up!

And just today, I was headed out alone to a lunch appointment across town. At one point in the voyage, I found myself in a construction zone and, as is always my luck when navigating narrowed lanes on an interstate, I got boxed in by semi’s! At any rate, ahead of me, there was a person operating (I use that term loosely) a minivan, driving wildly, and swerving from lane to lane. Immediately, my righteous indignation faculty began to engage, and I commenced verbally (remember, I was in the car by myself!) accusing the driver of everything under the sun from being a chronic alcoholic to acting insensitively for talking on the phone or playing with the radio. “What an idiot!” I thought to myself, as I observed how well I was obeying the rules while this would-be moron carved a swath of vehicular desecration ahead of me!

However, as I approached the van to pass, I looked over into the driver’s window – hoping possibly to pass on a judgmental stare – and noticed that the businessman’s white color was covered with blood! As I did a double-take, it was obvious that the man had been struck with an awful nosebleed (nostrils packed with fast food napkins) and was simply trying to get off the highway but couldn’t because of the semi’s. Feeling sheepishly stupid, I pulled in front of him and blocked out a semi so the man could go around and exit off the freeway.

How quick we are to pass judgment on others...and, too often, slow to use the good judgment that comes from seeing an entire situation clearly. And yet, as tempting as it is to be judgmental in a motor vehicle, how often are we tempted to judge the sins of others – in light of our own apparent “righteousness.”

In the story of the prodigal son, we see three parties (the young son, the old son, and the father) and how each of them reacts to the real-life prospect of forgiveness and restoration. As you prepare for congregational worship this week, find yourself in each individual’s sandals and be ready to ask yourself the question, “which person am I?”

As you worship this week:

Meditate – on what is it to be saved – truly saved – by the reconciling hand of the Master.
Contemplate – how your life is/should be different because of the pardon afforded by Jesus’ blood.
Seek – Christ’s capacity to offer forgiveness and compassion to everyone you encounter, no matter their apparent condition or position.
Find – full knowledge of both the acceptance and restoration that is offered through the benevolent, loving Father.

Resounding Themes:

Acceptance
Forgiveness
Restoration
Lost But Found, Blind But Seeing

Getting READY to Worship

Ready, Set, READ

Luke 15: 11-32

Ready, Set, MEDITATE

· As the scene opens, what transaction has taken place? Does this seem natural or out of the ordinary? How does the younger son act? What is the father’s apparent reaction?
· What does the son do with his newfound wealth and freedom? What are his highs? His lows? Eventually, where does he find himself? What does he find himself in need of?
· Upon his return, what scene unfolds between the father and the youngest son? What could have (maybe even should have) happened? What role does the older son play? How does he react to the news? What does the Father tell him about the reality of their relationship? What is revealed about the nature of the father?
· In this narrative, who are the three main characters? What does each one of them represent individually? Which one do you most relate to? Be honest! Which one do you have a hard time coming to terms with?

Ready, Set, PRAY

Lord God, how many sides of Your transcend character can we count? You are all powerful – that is beyond contestation. Your foolishness – if that were possible – demarcates the penultimate of humankind’s wisdom. Your presence is both everywhere and right beside us; we know that full well. You are loving, patient, faithful, righteous, holy, sovereign, forever…what a mighty God we serve!

Yet, in the perfection of all Your characteristics, we see You most clearly as a Father. Indeed, You are the Father Who allows us the freedom to accept or reject a parent’s love. You are the Father that desires honesty in our response to Your advances more than mere adherence or obedience. And You are the Father Who, from a long way off, sees His child returning home from a long voyage in the distant land of rebellion and runs to meet them with open arms of acceptance and forgiveness. If we comprehended nothing more about You than this…it would be enough to praise You!

And yet, You are so much more – too wonderful to comprehend or too lofty to attain. Lord, in our weakness, would You restore us and set us apart for Your purposes? And would you also grant us the ability to see others with Your eyes - the eyes of the faithful, forgiving Father - that we, too, we be reconcilers in the kingdom.

Majestic Father, we seek both Your glory and this blessing.
In and through the power of Your Son.

AMEN.

Ready, Set, WORSHIP!

What is the power of a church in the world?

Almost 152 years ago, a few families gathered in an humble log cabin in the small town of Dallas, Tx to worship their God. Dallas, by all measures at the time, was not much more than an outpost located on White Rock Lake en route to Cowtown (Ft. Worth). At only 8000 citizens, it was an insignificant town during an insignificant time with insignificant people . Yet, by the grace of God, those families began a spark in the dry wilderness that took flame and created an amazing blaze that is now the Highland Oaks Church of Christ. And though the decades have come and gone, one thing has remained true about this church: its undying commitment to the city of Dallas and the world.

This Sunday represents another milestone in the life of this church. Almost 24 years to the day, this church made a bold move to come out of the city and move to the outskirts of town. God rewarded that boldness and vision and the church grew both in numbers and impact. And now, this weekend, the church makes an equally great dedication. However, this does not involve a move to another site; instead our dedication played itself out in the decision to stay right where we were and to minster to our surrounding neighborhoods. In a day and time when all churches have been running from the urban environment, Highland Oaks has boldly staked its claim on the surrounding community and to its discipleship.

In order to make this church a viable place of ministry in the coming years, much work had to be done to renovate the existing campus. To that end, faith-pledged monies have been used to restore and upgrade our existing worship space, including all new seating, sound, lighting, flooring…well, everything! The configurations of walls were changed and traffic patterns simplified. We’ve also added a café called “The Well” that will serve as a conversational hub for our members to enjoy and fellowship. In addition, many other parts of the campus have been changed, including our Chapel, Fellowship Hall, signage, and landscaping. And we’re not done there, as future plans include the addition of a Student Complex, Children’s facilities, and administrative area. Indeed, the future of this great church is very bright and with God in the driver’s seat, we are all along for an amazing ride!

And what of this church’s impact in the community and the world? It would be easier to number the grains of sand on the seashore than to tell of the number of lives that have been touched because God allowed this church to continue through the ages. From the jungles of Africa to the apartments across the parking lot, Highland Oaks has served as a lighthouse of the Gospel for more than 15 decades. And who could have imagined that a few people with a dream to worship their Lord and Savior could have changed so many? Only God could have believed that reality and brought it to bear upon this great church…and thousands more just like Highland Oaks…that His mission of reconciliation might be carried on in the world…until the day of Christ.

May God bless this great church with His Spirit.

As you worship this week:

Meditate – on the amazing things that God has done in history of HOCC.
Contemplate – the new opportunities for ministry that the Lord will bring in this new phase of church life.
Seek – God to ignite a fire in your heart and a passion for ministry in the church.
Find – the Lord’s blessing in your worship and work at HOCC

Resounding Themes:

Active and Living God
Message of Christ’s Redemptive Purpose
Christ in Us, the Hope of Glory

Getting READY to Worship

Ready, Set, READ

Acts 2

Ready, Set, MEDITATE

- At first read, what do you find most intriguing about this chapter? What is Peter’s role at Pentecost? Why is that so significant, knowing just who Peter is?

- After Pentecost, how does the church respond? What do they give up to be the Church? What do they gain? What does Acts 2 have to say about the Church and its role in the world? In each other’s lives?

- What “Pentecost-style” things have you witnessed God do in this church? How important is Highland Oaks mission to the North Dallas area – and beyond. How are you specifically becoming a part of the work at HOCC? Where will God take this church next?

Ready, Set, PRAY

And Lord God, Creator, Father, and Sustainer, we declare Your majesty and dominion over our lives and in this church! For you have displayed Your faithfulness throughout the decades…and as we have had faith, we have strived to keep in step with Your will for us.

Lord, as we celebrate our reentry into our new auditorium, we invite you into this room, inhabiting every space, surrounding every detail with your glory. For it is truly all about you! Anything good in this life, we have as a direct gift from Your hand. We do not celebrate ourselves in this endeavor, but seek wholly to be both humbled and blessed by Your graciousness.

Lord, we celebrate You. Would You continue to bless as we equal our faithful response to Your leading.

We love You and embrace Your Son as our true Savior. And its in His precious name, the name above all names, that we offer this blessing over the Highland Oaks Church.

AMEN.

Ready, Set, WORSHIP!

Physical and Spiritual - The True Temple of the Worshipper

Do you ever find yourself trying to separate or distinguish your physical and spiritual lives from one another?

It seems like more and more, our society is (Christians included) set on drawing a solid line between the way they act when everyone sees and the way they behave when only God does. For example, one conjures up images in their mind of the person who drives like a maniac on the road, whipping in and out of lanes and cutting people off…only to reveal a large window sticker that says, “Jesus Saves!” Of course, there’s always the classic mobster movie, where the bad guy goes on a killing spree to avenge his cousin Vinnie’s murder (there’s always a Vinnie, isn’t there?), “whacking” every enemy in a 10 mile radius on Saturday night, only to dress up and go to Mass with his entire family the next Sunday morning as though everything is right in the world. Even more sobering are the true stories we hear every week about a minister or priest who could talk the talk on Sunday, but couldn’t walk the walk in their physical lives on the other six days of the week.

Why are we able, so readily it would seem, to flip the switch that is our spiritual life? On the one hand, it could be because we don’t always measure the full effects about how the way we act in public has anything to do with what is done is secret. However, I believe that, even deeper at the core, is this thought: holiness is good for church and not my life.

As we prepare for worship on Sunday, I want you to take an inventory of your “worship week” (as I’m often referring to it), and ask yourself this simple question: do I, by my action, distinguish between that which is physical, and that which is spiritual?

As you worship this week:

Meditate – on God’s presence in the heart of every believer.

Contemplate – on what a “body-temple” might look like and how your temple is matching up with being the house of God’s Spirit.

Seek – a harmony of existence, where the physical would step with the spiritual, the public with the private, and the seen with the unseen.

Find – strength in giving over your whole life to God: heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Resounding Themes:

Creator God
Worshiping God, Body and Soul
Purity and Holiness

Getting READY to Worship

Ready, Set, READ

1 Corinthians 6:11-20
Romans 12:1-2

Ready, Set, MEDITATE

- What problems is Paul addressing to the Corinthians in this passage? Why would that even be an issue at all? What have the new Christians there failed to recognize? How does Paul illustrate the gravity of the situation? Do you think of your body in that way… the temple of the Spirit? Why is mastering oneself (heart, soul, mind, and body) so important for the believer?

- In the end, are the two (one’s physical and spiritual lives) separable? Why do we work so hard at separating the two? What’s at stake? Is it easier to get the spiritual life in check over the physical…or visa versa?

- In Romans, what does Paul espouse to be our “spiritual act of worship?” What does he mean? What single reason does he give for rationale of doing this? What are some of the ways he gives to make this “body offering” a reality? Why is a renewed mind so crucial to real Christian living? In what ways to do offer your own body to God as a living sacrifice in spiritual worship? In what ways have you failed?

Ready, Set, PRAY

All creator God, we praise and magnify Your mighty works done both in the world and on man’s behalf. Even before we were formed in our mother’s womb, You knew us and how we would be. And with that omnipotence, so too did You know that we would be a sinful and lost people.

Lord, how could something so reviled and prone to sin become a house, a temple for Your very Spirit? And yet, we know for certain that the invasion of Your Spirit into our tormented soul brings about a change and a renewal…preparing our bodies for holiness and our lives for devotion.

God, as we become more aware of Your presence in our body-temple, would You grant us the courage to change and be changed – transformed into the likeness of Your Son. And it’s in His name we pray.

AMEN.

Ready, Set, WORSHIP!

The Me Monster Within

Do you ever find yourself consumed by the “Me Monster” within?

Children can teach us so much, don’t you agree. It has less to do with how they behave and act in certain situations than why they do so. In the end, their lack of inhibition or discretion gives way to allowing them to be honest – sometimes brutally – and allowing us all to watch, process, and gauge our own lives.

My oldest daughter just turned 5 years old. This has been a long awaited birthday for a number of reasons – not the least of which is that 5-year-olds get to go to school. I confess that over the past few months, we’ve used and sometimes abused this false marker to our advantage. For example, if our daughter begs us to do something we are not sure she’s ready for (or that we’re ready for!), we simply say, “well, when you’re 5 years old, you can do that.” Or, in a negative light, when she misbehaves, we have been known to play the guilt card and say, “now, that’s not the way a 5-year-old acts,” knowing all the while, her goal of being five is the very penultimate of her brief lifespan!

At any rate, as the date approached for her 5th birthday, her anticipation and, consequently, her selfishness, began to build. After all, hadn’t we been telling her for such a long time that this was going to be a marker in her life and that it would provide some detail of privilege? With these thoughts and many others packed in her efficient little mind, our daughter began to exhibit signs of what comedian Brian Reegan refers to as “The Me Monster.”

For at least two weeks, she insisted that her given name be changed to “Your Highness” or “Princess so-and-so.” And did we ever oblige! After that, it was about food and her amazing shift in what she did or did not like. Its like one day, she loved red grapes and the next they were as refuse to her refined palate…and so, we bought green ones. Then, it was not good enough for her eat what the grown-ups were having for the evening meal, but that only a specialized diet of chicken nuggets and french fries would suffice an almost 5-year-old.

And then with the presents! In those two weeks before her birthday, she would ask anyone who came to the door, with doe-like eyes, “did you bring me a present?” The mailman had to stop bringing packages to the door because of the guilt he had each time he deposited a delivery without my daughter’s name on in! I would come home from work and, inevitably, she would greet me at the garage door with her repetitive plea, “any presents for me?” It got so ridiculous, to the point when one of us would simply come out of the bathroom and she would ask again for a present, as though we’d been on a long shopping escapade at Toys-R-Us!

And then came the party. The weather had been fairly inclement up to that Saturday morning, and, being at our house, we had to adjust and move the activities inside. We worked hard at entertaining her friends with games and activities, before such a time as we would open gifts and eat cake. However, about 20 minutes in, our daughter decided all preliminary activities were beneath her dignity, and she withdrew and waited for present time while her friends played.

Needless to include, we did open her presents finally…some were acknowledged, some ignored, and then everyone went home. It was about four hours later that she woke up from a nap and asked us yet again, “do I have anymore presents?” With the party over and the 5 year milestone achieved, my wife and I had to step in and explain that her time in the spotlight was over and that it was not going to be about her anymore – there were others in the house and that life was going to have to return to normal. In short, the ‘Me Monster” had taken a hold of her very being and she was going to have to readjust to the concept of other people and their needs. As a side note, her best friend was not able to come to her party that day. One Saturday night, she said her prayers and asked God that her friend bring her present to church the next day. I told her after the prayer that she might want to think about saying something different to God and asking for less selfish things, to which she said, “Okay daddy.”

Wouldn’t you know it, the very next day, her present arrived as requested!

How are you at dealing with the “Me Monster” within? Do you find yourself content to not getting exactly what you desire in a circumstance, or do you constantly fight, tooth and nail, to get your way – despite the needs of others. Years ago, Burger King came up with the motto: Your Way, Right Away, At Burger King Now. It was a genius advertising pitch with elevated the position on the individual customer over anyone in the company, and if things were not exactly the way expected, a simple complaint would fix every ill. Dies this describe your spiritual life and at church? If the song you want sung or the event you think needs to happen doesn’t get done, are you apt to measure your own wants against the community, or do you naturally default to your own desires and tastes? As we deal with the second Urban Legend in our spiritual lives this week (MeChurch), be aware of the “Me Monster” within and be aware of the question, “is it really about me?”

As you worship this week:

Meditate – on how God has blessed you over the past 4 months and how you’ve responded to His provision for your life.

Contemplate – on your current level of contentment, specifically within your church body.

Seek – the ability to melt your personal agendas into the collective direction of the church.

Find – joy and gratitude for what you do have, not in that which you don’t.

Resounding Themes:

Being Filled to Overflowing
Ever-dying Will, Never-dying Gratitude
Kingdom Lenses, Kingdom Service

Getting READY to Worship

Ready, Set, READ

Luke 6:38
Mark 8:34
1 Corinthians 6:20
1 Corinthians 12:12-30

Ready, Set, MEDITATE

- What theme do you see through all of these passages? Is it so easy to “die to self” and to understand that “we are not our own?” Why or why not? In short, what is at stake when it comes to matters of will? What is the appropriate response of a Jesus-follower?

- At what point do you find yourself most defensive or selfish in your church? Why do you think that is? Do you have a Burger King mentality about your spiritual development (your way, right way)? Is there a place for dissention or a confrontation on specific matters? If so, when? Are there times/cases that it is inappropriate or ineffectual? Why?

- How can one combat selfishness or the “me-ism” that plagues our society? Are you a grateful, humble person? Do you find it hard to receive a gift? Are you gracious or reflective when given something? Does your attitude toward God’s grace reflect in every area of your life? If not, why not?

Ready, Set, PRAY

Generous Father, we worship You and You alone. There is truly none like You, both for now and forevermore! For what single thing do we have that was not a direct gift from You?

And in all things, teach us gratitude and generosity, that we too might be generous and grateful to others and to You. Father, may our wills and personal preferences dissipate as dew in the morning sun, so that we can better understand community and a sense of belonging. And Lord, may Your Church be the evidence of our love for one another and Your undying love for Your people. Would we think different, act different, and be different because of our contact with the Savior.

Jesus, for all that You’ve done, we say ‘Thank You.” And would You continue to do it in our lives, as we strive to work together, as small parts of a great whole. It is in Jesus’ name we offer this prayer.

AMEN.

Ready, Set, WORSHIP!