Prodigal Week 1: Same Goal just Different Tactics

Prodigal Week 1: Same Goal just Different Tactics

11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29 but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”

Luke 15:11-32

We tend to think of the story of the Prodigal Son as a story of one really bad child, a really good dad, and a goody-two-shoes older sibling, but in this sermon Pastor Yami invites us to recognize that for all their differences, the two brothers actually had the same goal, just different tactics for achieving that goal. As one of the Bible stories most well known even outside of the believing community, it can be difficult to read the parable of the prodigal son and hear anything new. We think we know the characters, what to expect, and exactly what we are supposed to learn. Join us in this sermon to re-investigate this old story with fresh lenses, exploring truths we thought we knew only to find that they still have to power to change and enliven us.

We too might have the same goal, just different tactics. You might find your tactics within the younger brother, who represents people who are largely disobedient, freedom seeking, and on a journey of self-discovery rather than path following. Or you might find your tactics within the older brother, who represents people who are largely obedient, moralistic, and find their worth succeeding within a given structure. Or you may need to examine your tactics more carefully to determine your own way of pursuing this same goal that seems to infect all of us… we want the Father’s stuff, but do we really want the father that goes with it?

Next Step Questions:

  1. Do you find yourself more as a younger brother (disobedient, driven by self-discovery) or as an older brother (obedient, driven by moralism)?
  2. Consider how you might be pursuing the same goals as the two brothers (the Father’s stuff, without relationship to the Father) and try to identify your own tactics

Palm Sunday Sermon

No Longer in the Grave; Live like it!

No Longer in the Grave; Live like it!

17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”  27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

John 11:17-27

Jesus is no longer in the grave. “He is Risen! He is Risen, indeed, alleluia!” church communities around the world chorus together to celebrate that truth every Easter Sunday. But do we live as if this is true? Are our lives changed by the actual true fact that Jesus was crucified and has been raised from the dead? Pastor Yami challenges us to recognize that if Jesus is truly no longer in the grave, we must live differently.

Next Step Questions:

  1. What do you believe about the resurrection of Jesus?
  2. How does your life demonstrate the truth of the reusurrection?
No Longer in the Grave; Live like it!

Prepare Room for the King! Palm Sunday 2020

21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
“Say to Daughter Zion, “See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Matthew 21:1-11

Prepare him room, the Christmas song sings; prepare room for the king, Diana Nkhoma instructs us on this Palm Sunday of 2020. In this time where many of us are separated from each other when we would normally gather in crowds and processions mimicking the gathering in Jerusalem, Diana invites us to recognize that this might be time for us to prepare room for Jesus not in a city but in our own hearts. In this sermon she helps us to identify the different voices in the crowd surrounding Jesus as proceeded through Jerusalem on his way, ultimately, to the cross at the end of the week. Where are WE among those voices, she asks? We must take stock of where we are and how we relate to this Jesus, as the first step along the way to prepare room for the king.

Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest!

Next Step Questions:

  1. Where are you in the crowd that was praising Jesus?
  2. How do you need to prepare him room in your heart?
  3. What is the invitation that Jesus is giving you as a response to where you are at?
No Longer in the Grave; Live like it!

Relationship Goals Week 13: Love Curriculum

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

For our second week meeting online as a church, Andee Cooper Parks helps us to repackage 1 Corinthians 13 and the Relationship Goals series into one cohesive whole: the Flood Blantyre Love Curriculum. As a founding member of the church and our executive strategist for 4 years, Andee knows the heart of Flood through and through. In this sermon, she reveals that heart and weaves the core tenants of Flood Blantyre into 1 Corinthians 13 to develop this love curriculum. What must we do? Love neighbor, love ourselves, love the earth, love God.

Next Steps:

  1. Be kind and patient; share real facts about COVID-19
  2. Ask: how can you love your neighbor, yourself, the earth, and God in this time?
  3. Ask: which “course” in the curriculum do you need to grow in right now?

About the series: the reality of life is there is no life apart from relationships. Your relationships might be with stuff, not people, but your life is relating itself to STUFF. So our heart and our goal in this series is to just be at a place where we ask the hard questions, we get into the space of trying to understand what is love really like. Now when you get into scripture, scripture has a lot of stuff to say about love. So we are are looking at some few amazing things that God has said in his word in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 of what love is.”

Catch up on earlier Relationship Goals sermons: Week 1 , Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12

No Longer in the Grave; Live like it!

Relationship Goals Week 12: Do Not be Troubled

14 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

John 14:1-3

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Philippians 4:6

33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is hard to say really live in Jesus’s command: “do not be troubled.” We have so much to think about, as people, as brothers, sisters, wives, mothers, hubands, fathers, colleagues, bosses, teachers, students, as Christians. Join us this week as we take our church service online for the first time with Dr. John Parks giving us an informative overview of the Coronavirus while also keeping it light and making us laugh. Pastor Yami takes up the baton from there and reminds us that in this world we will have trouble, but Christ assures us that he has overcome the world. Do not be troubled or anxious, take heart!

Before jumping into the scripture, Pastor Yami spends sometime going over 10 basic instincts that cause us to react incorrectly to the world, based on the research of Dr. Ron Gosling. In his book, Factfulness, Dr. Gosling draws attention to the fact that our perceptions of the world are often wrong, distorted by 10 specific and identifiable instincts. Pastor Yami briefly discusses these instincts and how they are being put on display by our global and local responses to the spread of the coronavirus. To love each other well during this crisis, we need to learn to adjust our perceptions and be aware of these instincts at play in our lives. The good news we come to in the end, though, is that even if our human instincts are off base, Christ is carrying and comforting us. Let us bind together to learn to love God and love our neighbors in new and creative ways in a time of prohibited gathering, banned physical contact, and rampant fear.

Next Steps:

  1. Be kind and patient; share real facts about COVID-19
  2. Life up your troubles to Jesus; pray to Jesus in faith
  3. Serve others

About the series: the reality of life is there is no life apart from relationships. Your relationships might be with stuff, not people, but your life is relating itself to STUFF. So our heart and our goal in this series is to just be at a place where we ask the hard questions, we get into the space of trying to understand what is love really like. Now when you get into scripture, scripture has a lot of stuff to say about love. So we are are looking at some few amazing things that God has said in his word in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 of what love is.”

Catch up on earlier Relationship Goals sermons: Week 1 , Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11