Posts Tagged ‘kingdomtide’
Christ the King Sunday-B-November 26
22
Nov
Christ The King Sunday-B Though Christ the King Sunday sometimes falls on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, it is proper that it be celebrated before Thanksgiving, since God has ordained that one day He will come to earth again to take his followers home and then He will hold a marriage supper to celebrate His marriage to His bride (the Church). Though many argue whether Christ will return before the tribulation, during the tribulation, or after the tribulation, God has spelled out the sequence of the last days. (The coming of Christ (Rosh Hosanna)followed by the time of tribulation, and finally the final judgment (Yom Kippur) and the end of the age, followed by the marriage Supper of the Lamb (Succoth) which we shall celebrate in heaven. Succoth, (the Feast of Booths), celebrates the completion of the final harvest, just as Thanksgiving celebrates the completion of the final harvest. One day we will sit with Jesus in the marriage feast of the Lamb (symbolized by Succoth) celebrating the completion of the harvest of believers and the marriage of the Church with Christ. That will be one great Thanksgiving feast with all the saints gathered before Christ. Succoth (the Feast of Booths) remembers the days they wandered in the wilderness and how God provided for them, just as we celebrate Thanksgiving to remind us how God preserved the early colonists through great tribulation, but one day we will celebrate in heaven how God preserved the saints through their tribulation and the fact that His harvest of souls is complete. Since God fulfilled the Passover and Pentecost exactly as He ordained them, I have no doubt that He will do the same with Rosh Hosanna. Christ the King Sunday is the last Sunday of the Christian calendar and celebrates what will one day begin the last days of the human race, before Christ ushers in the new heaven and the new earth which He and His followers shall rule and from which Satan and all who follow him will be forever banished.
Thanksgiving-A-November 23
22
Nov
In the 1500’s, Europe had become a closed society where many were tied to the land and opportunities for bettering yourself were almost non-existent. Many came to America because it was a land of plenty and a land of opportunity where even the poorest person could become rich through hard work and determination, yet it wasn’t easy in the beginning. America was an untamed wilderness, far different from what they knew in Europe, and there were few resources to fall back on. Many of the early colonists faced starvation and without food and training in growing the strange American crops by the Indians, many more would have perished. The colonists that survived and saw the first harvest gave thanks to God for preserving them by throwing a big feast. Our harvest is later than in Israel so we celebrate Thanksgiving later but it is still a time of remembering when our ancestors had to depend on God to preserve them in the wilderness. In the prosperity today, it is hard for many to understand what it means to be completely dependent on God so Thanksgiving is a time when we remember how they had to rely on God.
Christ The King Sunday-A
16
Nov
While Thanksgiving is not a universal Christian holiday, it is a good opportunity to remind ourselves and teach our kids about the Second Coming. Christ the King Sunday follows the final Sunday of Kingdomtide. While the third and final holiday, which God commanded the Jews to observe occurs in late September or early October on our calendar, our harvest season is later and occurs in November. As a result, we celebrate it in connection with our harvest as Christ the King Day, the celebration of the Second coming of Christ. It is celebrated the last Sunday before Advent and so usually occurs the Sunday before Thanksgiving, though it occasionally occurs the Sunday after due to a distortion in the Roman calendar. Most Christians no longer celebrate it and take little thought of Christ’s return. The Bible states that the trumpet will sound, and true believers will be caught up in the air with Christ. Since we don’t know when Christ will come again, it is important for us to be ready, or we will be left behind. Non-believers however, will remain on earth and go through the days of tribulation where they will have a final chance to repent. At the end of the days of tribulation, the final harvest will be complete, and God will close the books forever. (See “Before Your Eyes” in “Understanding the Path We Walk” or “Celebrations” on Udemy for more on the holidays) It would normally occur next week this year, but I am including it here because it should properly be celebrated before Thanksgiving.
Eleventh Sunday of Kingdomtide-Nov, 12
10
Nov
Dwell in Unity-God wants us to not only love Him, but to love those He created as well As others see the love we have for each other, they will want that love and want to know the God who is the source of that love. Many churches today have a hard time attracting members because unbelievers do not see that love in the church. Many churches are more a collection of strangers than a family of brothers and sisters in Christ. Members can not care for each other if they don’t know each other’s needs. God also calls us to love others in the body of believers, regardless of the church they belong to, so that others might see how good it is to live as God wants us to. The multitude of denominations presents a picture of widespread division and the refusal of churches of different traditions to work together indicates there is little of the love the church claims to possess. The Church claims that Jesus is the way but does not appear to agree on what that way is. How can unbelievers take the church’s message seriously?
Tenth Sunday of Kingdomtide-Nov, 5
04
Nov
Establish mentors-While Jesus taught the masses, there are things you can’t explain like how to love someone. That is only learned as you see someone else loving others. As a result, Jesus selected twelve disciples and had them walk with Him and watch how He dealt with problems. He taught them through the example He set before them. As the disciples watched Him, they learned how to deal with those problems in a way that pleased God. New Christians need to be paired with a more mature Christian that can guide them and counsel with them as needed in order to learn how to serve Christ and the Church. That takes a close relationship which is rare today. The Bible says that the older shall teach the younger for good reason. Industry seeks younger workers just out of school who have the latest knowledge and training because technology changes so quickly that what we know is quickly out of date and that is important in keeping companies competitive, however the church has been caught up in the trend and it is creating problems in the church. Many churches are beginning to seek young pastors and board members and ignore older ones, yet man, unlike technology, doesn’t change. Our social climate and how we react to it changes but man does not. Many young pastors are being educated by liberal colleges and seminaries who cater to liberal ideas. As a result, many are leading their churches astray. In addition, the young pastors lack experience and the wisdom gained only through experience. It is like having children teaching classes to teach adults how to live. The church needs to heed the Bible and return to seeking experienced leadership.
Ninth Sunday of Kingdomtide-Oct 29-B
29
Oct
Ministry to members-B The minister must be free to concentrate extensive time to members going through trials. However, the pastor is often so tied up in administrative duties that he has little contact with members and is not aware of members who are going through trials. The church should seek to limit the time required for the pastor in administrative duties to free him to minister to members and train help. Most pastors don’t get to spend much time actually visiting and ministering to their members and even working full time, the pastor cannot adequately supervise and minister to a church of more than 150-200 members. However, most pastors aren’t trained to do such work, even if they have time. There is too much need for the pastor to be able to do it all himself. Some churches are hiring nurses and Social Workers as part of their pastoral staff to provide medical care and Social Services to their members. At the very least, the pastor should know the nurses and Social Workers in his congregation and consult them as needed. Pastors need to train lay leaders to help them carry on their ministry when the church becomes too large for them to do it adequately themselves. The best method is to have each lay leader oversee a small group that is like a family, who he nurtures and ministers to the members under the pastor’s supervision similar to how it was done in the early church. Such small group ministry is proving just as effective today as it was in the early church, however few churches utilize it.-(See “The Living Presence” in “Rebuilding the Kingdom” copyright 2012)
Ninth Sunday of Kingdomtide-Oct 29-A
29
Oct
Minister to members-A Ministry to members going through trials-The minister must be free to concentrate extensive time to members going through trials (seriously ill or dying family member, job loss, financial crisis, etc). Unfortunately, most pastors aren’t trained to do such work, even if they have time. Most schools training pastor provide extensive training in theology but little training in actually ministering to their people. Pastors need to get such training and begin training mature Christians in the congregation to assist them, because there is too much need for the pastor to be able to do it all himself. Jesus recognized that He would need to concentrate His efforts on training the twelve to take over when He left and pastors need to train lay leaders to help them carry on their ministry when the church becomes too large for them to do it adequately themselves. In the past, members knew each and when a member was in need. In addition, they helped the pastor in meeting the need. Church members today are often so caught up in their own lives that they have little interaction with other members outside church and interaction in church is often superficial. Most members do not know other members well enough to know when they are going through trials. In addition, members do not know each other well enough to confide in other members when they are going through trials. The result is that most members feel isolated and alone in handling trials. They often feel defeated and do not experience victory over trials. As a result, their worship is merely show and no substance. The church needs to provide regular supervision of its members to enable it to recognize and minister to members in need.
Eighth Sunday of Kingdomtide Oct 22
19
Oct
Small Group ministry-part-B witness to those around them
As they learn to identify needs and how to minister to those in need in the small groups, they begin to develop a concern for those around them. As they begin reaching out to those around them to get to know them, they begin to see the needs of those outside the church and can begin to minister to them also, demonstrating the love of Christ to unbelievers. As unbelievers see the love of Christ they begin to desire that love and are attracted to the small group. People are more willing to join a small group where they know the person that brought them than to walk into a large church where they don’t know anyone. As they get to know the members of the group, they are more willing to attend church since they know the people from their group. Many churches are often built away from residential areas. In addition, churches no longer have neighborhood activities where unbelievers get to know those in the church. The small group can be the church present in the neighborhood and reach out to the neighbors through neighborhood Bible studies and children’s activities.