A Recap of Topics between December 2009 and January 2010 -
Promises, Promises
What promises has God made? How are we as promise keepers, promise makers, promise breakers?
A December to Remember
Movie Clips: The Memory Stick - one of the characters has a stick that has been handed down from generation to generation. The stick is carved with symbols that tell the story of the people; at one time, all children memorized the stories, but the woman laments that today's children are not interested in keeping these memories. What memories are worth keeping? Deut 11 18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
An Angel for May A boy recalls some terrible things he has said to his mother and wishes he could take them back.
Earliest memories
Favorite memories
Memories you’d like to wish away
Remembering God
God Remembering You
A Time of Communion
Rejoice
This evening we watched joy-filled snippets from a couple of videos:
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs shows a young boy who experiences sheer delight and rejoices in an ice cream day (sort of like a snow day except with ice cream with all the fixings!). Acts 8:6-8 6When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. 8So there was great joy in that city.
"Why Did I Get Married? portrays a woman who tells of her broken marriage, and yet manages to rejoice in the midst of her tears. John 16:19-22 19Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, "Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me'? 20I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
A YouTube video shared the joyful reunion of a soldier and her dog. Luke 15:3-7 3Then Jesus told them this parable: 4"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
Christmas All Year Long
Many people wish that we could celebrate Christmas all year long. How about you? What is it about Christmas that we want to hold on to? Video clips from The Nightmare Before Christmas and God Grew Tired of Us (The Lost Boys of Sudan) contrasts the commercialism of Christmas and the real reason behind the season. Check out Becky Kelly's Where's the Line to See Jesus ?
Repentance and Redemption
Is there a connection? The Prodigal Son is a well known parable that contains the perfect marriage of both repentance and redemption (along with a lot of grace!). Can you have one without the other?
