Sermon for February 5th, 2017 - Revision history

Iraneal at 23:36, 4 February 2017

2017-02-04T23:36:33Z

Iraneal at 23:31, 4 February 2017

2017-02-04T23:31:30Z

Iraneal at 23:21, 4 February 2017

2017-02-04T23:21:31Z

Iraneal at 22:56, 4 February 2017

2017-02-04T22:56:45Z

Iraneal at 22:34, 4 February 2017

2017-02-04T22:34:27Z

Iraneal at 22:08, 4 February 2017

2017-02-04T22:08:42Z

Iraneal at 21:25, 4 February 2017

2017-02-04T21:25:47Z

Iraneal: Created page with "==Matthew 7:24-27== 24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 The rain fell, the floods came,..."

2017-02-04T20:50:19Z

Created page with "==Matthew 7:24-27== 24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 The rain fell, the floods came,..."

New page

==Matthew 7:24-27==
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!”

==Romans 8:26-30==
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes[a] with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God,[b] who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

==1 Corinthians 15:58==
58 Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

==Faith & Film V: Sully==

====Three Minute Film Summary====

====The Obligatory Christ Type====

====All Things Work Together====

====The Virtue of Vocation====

@@ Line 54: / Line 54: @@
 I mentioned earlier that the scriptwriter for this film, Todd Komarnicki, is a self-identified Christian.  His favorite scripture verse is Romans 8:28 - "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose."
 Both in the film, and in several real life interviews, when Captain Sullenberger was asked how it felt to be a hero, he quickly responded that he wasn't the only one.  He pointed to the crew of the airplane, the passengers, the first responders, the commercial boat operators and others who dropped what they were doing to come to the rescue.
 [http://youtube.com/watch?v=WfiX3w7e83I Film Clip #3: Rescuers Mobilize]

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 ==1 Corinthians 15:58==
 Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
 ==Faith & Film V: Sully==
 ====Three Minute Film Summary====
@@ Line 44: / Line 45: @@
 This film does a great job of reflecting that ethic, directly on the vocation of the airplane pilot, and indirectly on several helping vocations in the city of New York.
-[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6iJ1QkHD5TY Film Clip #: Eyeballed It]
+[http://youtube.com/watch?v=6iJ1QkHD5TY Film Clip #2: Eyeballed It]
 The clip ends right before the best line.  After saying he "eyeballed it" Sully tells the investigators that "the best chance those passengers had was on that river. I’d bet my life on it. In fact, I did. And I would do it again."
@@ Line 53: / Line 54: @@
 I mentioned earlier that the scriptwriter for this film, Todd Komarnicki, is a self-identified Christian.  His favorite scripture verse is Romans 8:28 - "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose."
-Both in the film, and in several real life interviews, when Captain Sullenberger was asked how it felt to be a hero, he quickly responded that he wasn't the only one.  He pointed to the crew of the airplane, the passengers, the first responders, the commercial boat operators and others who dropped what they were doing to come to the rescue.  Basically, in order for the "miracle on the Hudson" to have occurred, everyone and everything came together in just the right way, in just the right time.  Some call that luck. Sully would probably call it doing your job.  We call it providence, and it's the subject of Romans 8:28.
+Both in the film, and in several real life interviews, when Captain Sullenberger was asked how it felt to be a hero, he quickly responded that he wasn't the only one.  He pointed to the crew of the airplane, the passengers, the first responders, the commercial boat operators and others who dropped what they were doing to come to the rescue.
 But does it only mean Christians?  All things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose?  A lot of people read the verse this way.

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:21, 4 February 2017
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	But does it only mean Christians? All things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose? A lot of people read the verse this way.		But does it only mean Christians? All things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose? A lot of people read the verse this way.

−	But ask yourself this question: Who does God call according to ~~this~~ purpose? Calvin believed ~~it was~~ everyone.	+	But ask yourself this question: Who does God call according to his purpose? As mentioned earlier, John Calvin believed that God called everyone, spiritually, vocationally, in every sense, although not everyone answers the call.
		+
		+	Jesus, in Matthew 25 had a few things to say about who God calls, and how you can tell.
		+
		+	"Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we (did all these things?)’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’
		+
		+	Jesus also told his disciples, "If you love me, feed my sheep."
		+
		+	In other words, those who love God and are called according to his purpose are those who reach out with love to help their fellow human beings; those who do their job, their sacred work, with joy and passion and in service to others. Whether we realize it or not, we are showing love to God and answering God's call when we are showing love to God's children.
		+
		+	When we come together in this kind of sacred purpose, just as Captain Sullenberger and so many others did that January morning on the waters of the Hudson river, then its really not surprising that somehow things "come together" in miraculous, providential ways. In fact, it's no surpise at all. It's a promise.
		+
		+	With God's help, may all of us work diligently, doing our part to make that promise a reality.

@@ Line 42: / Line 42: @@
 At the dawn of the Reformation, John Calvin argued against this belief, teaching instead that everyone has a divine calling from God, and that the most humble or mundane profession, if done to the glory of God, was sacred. This inspired Calvin's followers to take their work seriously, even passionately, as an offering to the Lord.  The "protestant work ethic" is exactly that: The idea that for protestants, and especially Presbyterians, hard work is not just a transaction in exchange for money owed to an employer.  It's an ethical imperative owed to God.
-This film does a great job of reflecting that ethic, directly on the vocation of the airplane pilot, and indirectly on several helping vocations in the city of New York.  It's clear in the film that Sully is able to be a hero when it counts because he has conscientiously prepared for this moment with decades hard work and experience.
+This film does a great job of reflecting that ethic, directly on the vocation of the airplane pilot, and indirectly on several helping vocations in the city of New York.
 ====All Things Work Together====

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 ==Romans 8:26-30==
-Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes[a] with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God,[b] who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
+Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.
@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 The last one is not so much a moment as it is a choice of words.  At the climax of the film, when Sully refers to the individuals who were on the airplane that fateful day, he calls them 155 souls.  Not people, lives, passengers, but 155 souls.  This, of course (remember, in the hands of the screenwriter) makes him the savior of souls.  In other words, a clear Christ type.
-====Miracle on the Hudson====
+At the dawn of the Reformation, John Calvin argued against this belief, teaching instead that everyone has a divine calling from God, and that the most humble or mundane profession, if done to the glory of God, was sacred. This inspired Calvin's followers to take their work seriously, even passionately, as an offering to the Lord.  The "protestant work ethic" is exactly that: The idea that for protestants, and especially Presbyterians, hard work is not just a transaction in exchange for money owed to an employer.  It's an ethical imperative owed to God.
 ====All Things Work Together====

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 ====The Obligatory Christ Type====
-====All Things Work Together====
+It's worth noting that scriptwriter Todd Komarnicki, in several interviews has been quite open about his Christian faith, and he even calls his theory of storytelling (which is obvious in this film) the "eternal now."  So while Sully the person is indeed Christ-like in some respects, Sully the main character in the film is, I think, an intentional Christ type.  Three moments in the film, written by Komarnicki, illustrate this:
-====Miracles====
+The first is a phone conversation between Sully and his wife.  She says, "The whole world is talking about you.  My Sully.  I still can't believe it."  At this point in the film, some people are saying that Sully is a hero, but some (like the NTSB investigators) are calling that into question. We, as viewers, are not yet certain.  In this moment, the person closest to Sully makes her declaration:  You're a hero.  You saved everyone.
 ====The Virtue of Vocation====