“The Gospel in Peanuts: Church” - 1 Cor 9: 16-23 Devo

July 1st 2018,

Devotional

“The Gospel in Peanuts: Church” - 1 Cor 9: 16-23

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Preach the Gospel” - 1 Cor 9: 16

I was recently reading a book about what makes a church the Church, and the top thing for this particular author was preach the Gospel. Amen! But I think somewhere along the way, we got confused about what that actually means, or rather whose job it is. 

Not too far in the past, the Methodist Church in America was set up in circuits. A few times a year, a pastor would come in on horseback to proclaim the Gospel. To preach the Word. Do you think that means they didn’t meet the rest of the year? Certainly not. The Church was growing so fast that there weren’t enough pastors to keep up with it, so these circuits were created, but the laity continued to preach through the year, building up the body of Christ. 

We are all called to preach the Gospel by virtue of our baptisms. As an ordained clergy, I preach to the congregation I am appointed to, on Sunday mornings. But I am also, by virtue of my call, appointed to the town or geographic location where I serve, so I am to preach there as well, in a variety of different ways. I believe we are all called to preach the Gospel in the locations which we find ourselves - at work, school, and play. It is who we are as the body of Christ.

Where do you feel called to share the Gospel message?

Preaching can come in both word and action. How do you most commonly find yourself preaching to the people God has brought into your life?

Prayer: God of grace and glory, we are humbled that you invite us and call us to preach the Gospel. We thank you for our life and for our baptism and for our place in your Church, amongst the saints before us who preached the Gospel to us. May we too, boldly go where you call us, all for the sake of your mission and name. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Good News” - 1 Cor 9: 17-18

In this weeks sermon we talked about the cartoon from Peanuts where Charlie Brown goes around shouting at people to believe him, and then becoming disappointed when people don’t listen to him. I have to wonder, if as the body of Christ and the ones called to carry forth the Good News of Jesus, if we actually expect people to listen to what we have to say?

I have heard far too many Church folks say that they don’t share the Gospel because no one will listen to them. It may be that we don’t preach in a way that connects with people’s deepest needs, with their hearts and minds, in a way that can bring transformation. We are quick to blame the world around us and the people we are trying to witness too, but are we communicating in a way that they will want to listen to? Have we taken the time to get to know our neighbors so we have earned the ability to speak into their lives, or are we simply shouting like Charlie Brown?

We seem to teeter back and forth as the body of Christ between being so excited about what we want to share, that we sometimes forget how to communicate it in a way that deeply connects with people, and the apathy that leads us to not want to share at all. The truth, however, is we do have the Good News that needs to be shared, and shared in a way that others can understand and connect with. 

What is the purpose of the Church when it comes to the Good News?

How can we share the Good News in a way that connects with people?

Prayer:  Lord, we admit that sometimes we get frustrated with the call to go forth and preach. We seem like we are shouting at the top of our lungs, but no one is listening. Give us a renewed vision and sense of purpose, Lord, to go forth and preach, yes, with passion and vigor, but also in a language that people can connect with and come to know you. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Free Vs. Slave” - 1 Cor 9: 19

Saint Paul goes on to make a very powerful statement that we most often either gloss over or mis-interpret to suit our own needs. Paul says that while he is free in Christ, he makes the choice to be a slave to all people in order to preach the Gospel to them. 

What is Paul saying here? Or rather, what is Paul not saying? First, Paul is not saying that we are a slave to people in a way that makes them an idol. People are not to replace God in our lives. Idolatry is more than just the worship of things, it can be the worship of other people. We need God to be first in our lives in order to do the work of the Church in the world. 

But what Paul is saying is that people matter so much to him, that he is willing to meet them where they are at. He is willing to set aside his learned language to speak to them in a way that they can understand. He is willing to go to where they are. He is willing to get to know them, and set his own preferences aside, so that he won’t be a hinderance to the Gospel. 

What about us? Are we willing to set aside our freedom in Christ in order to go to where the people are to bring the message of Good News? 

Where do you feel God nudging you to go to bring the message of Good News?

Prayer: Lord, we confess that it is so much easier to just sit back and wait for people to come to us in order to hear about you. We would rather people come into our churches, know our rituals, speak our language, than to set all of that aside and meet people where they are at. We know that we need your wisdom and guidance, O Lord, in sharing the Gospel. Build us up and equip us we pray. Amen. 

Thursday: “Act Like” - 1 Cor 9: 19-22

Often when we hear Paul talking about “acting like” a Jew or someone under the law or someone outside the law, it can make us uncomfortable. It can make us wonder if he is just pretending to be something or someone in order to preach the Gospel. 

But I don’t look at it like that. I believe Paul understands how to speak the language of a Jew and someone under the law or someone outside the law. He is blessed with such language and understanding in order to speak to people’s minds and hearts and let the Gospel message be reflected through that.

We have all been blessed with certain groups of people who we intimately understand and speak the language of. I have friends who are wonderful cooks. Others who knits. Others who paint. Others who ride motorcycles. Still others that do Cross-Fit. Those things all have a language around them, some of which I share, some of which I don’t understand at all. But those friends speak the language of those things in such a way that they can connect with others through them and use them to talk about Jesus, just like Paul is doing. 

What groups of people do you speak the language of? How could God be inviting you to use that hobby or skill for the sake of the Gospel?

Prayer: Lord, we often are so caught up in how we want witnessing to work, that we miss the opportunities that you have put right in front of us. Forgive us, Lord. Help us to see the people around us with your eyes and hearts, that we may deeply speak your Word in a way that matters to them. Amen. 

Friday: “All the Things I Do” - 1 Cor 9: 23

I get deeply disappointed sometimes in how we talk about Church. When I hear people talking about the church as a place that they go to for one hour on Sunday morning, I think we are forgetting that we are the Church, the body of Christ, set out for a mission in the world. 

We are spiritual beings. But somewhere along the way, we have tried to compartmentalize who we are into neat categories of time - this is where I serve God. This is where I work. This is where I play. But the truth is more complicated - work and prayer and witness are all jumbled together, for if we are a Christian, that identity impacts the rest of who we are.

How does your identify as a follower of Jesus impact your life everyday?

How are work and prayer connected for you?

Prayer: God, help us to follow you, not just on certain days or certain times, but every day. May we so live for you, that it is part of who are, part of our identity in a way that people can notice and you can use. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “The Gospel in Peanuts: Original Sin” -Mark 7: 14-15, 20-23 and Rom 7: 15, 18, 22-23

Family Activity: Talk about what it means to follow Jesus. How do you see you (as an adult) living out your faith and invite your family to think about how they live out their faith.