Sermon for January 24th, 2016 - Revision history

Iraneal at 02:39, 24 January 2016

2016-01-24T02:39:52Z

Iraneal at 02:36, 24 January 2016

2016-01-24T02:36:27Z

Iraneal at 02:34, 24 January 2016

2016-01-24T02:34:24Z

Iraneal at 02:28, 24 January 2016

2016-01-24T02:28:42Z

Iraneal at 01:55, 24 January 2016

2016-01-24T01:55:17Z

Iraneal at 01:31, 24 January 2016

2016-01-24T01:31:58Z

Iraneal at 00:24, 24 January 2016

2016-01-24T00:24:16Z

Iraneal at 23:39, 23 January 2016

2016-01-23T23:39:01Z

Iraneal at 23:38, 23 January 2016

2016-01-23T23:38:31Z

Iraneal: Created page with "==Psalm 139:1-18, 23-24== 1O LORD, you have searched me and known me. 2You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. 3You search out m..."

2016-01-23T22:25:11Z

Created page with "==Psalm 139:1-18, 23-24== 1O LORD, you have searched me and known me. 2You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. 3You search out m..."

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==Psalm 139:1-18, 23-24==
1O LORD, you have searched me and known me.
2You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away.
3You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.
4Even before a word is on my tongue, O LORD, you know it completely.
5You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it.
7Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?
8If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
9If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
10even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast.
11If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,”
12even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you.
13For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.
15My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written
all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed.
17How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
18I try to count them—they are more than the sand; I come to the end—I am still with you.
23Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts.
24See if there is any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

==Faith & Film IV: Inside Out==

@@ Line 56: / Line 56: @@
 Both the Enneagram and Inside Out teach that true growth comes not from supressing certain emotions that we deem negative, but rather in understanding what emotions drive us, and how to develop and channel those emotions for the good of ourselves and others, and not for harm.
-===Psalms: Fullness of Emotion===
+===Psalms: A Fullness of Emotion===
-If Inside Out is a window into the mind and emotions of Riley, I think that the Book of Psalms in the Bible is a window into the full range of human emotions.  In the Psalms you'll find joy and sadness, anger, fear, and disgust, but also things like envy and jealousy, courage and love, surpise and pity, hope and shame.
+If Inside Out is a window into the mind and emotions of Riley, I think that the Book of Psalms in the Bible is a window into the full range of human emotions.  In the Psalms you'll find joy and sadness, anger, fear, and disgust, but also things like envy and jealousy, courage and love, surpise and pity, hope and shame.  In fact, I might be so bold as to say that there isn't an emotion you can think of that can't be found somewhere in the Psalms.  Test me on that, and if I'm wrong, at least I will have gotten you to read a bit more of the Bible than you might have otherwise!
 There is, however, one critical difference between the Psalms and Inside Out.  Riley's emotions, in the film, address themselves to us, the viewers.  In some cases, Joy in particular, they even speak to us directly.  But the raw emotions of the Psalms are all directed to God, who created us, who created our emotions, and who understands us better than anyone can.
-The movie Inside Out attempts to answer the question, "Where do feelings come from?"  So does today's scripture passage, Psalm 139.  But much as I really like the film, I think the answer given by the Psalm is the more more beautiful, more poetic, and more comprehensive answer to that question, and so I have saved it for last, to be our final word.  Let it be our prayer as well.
+The movie Inside Out attempts to answer the question, "Where do feelings come from?"  So does today's scripture passage, Psalm 139.  But much as I really like and admire this film, I think the answer given by the Psalm is by far the more more beautiful, the more poetic, and the more comprehensive answer to our question, and so I have saved it for last, to be our final word.  Let it be our closing prayer as well.
 ==Psalm 139:1-18, 23-24==

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 In 2001, using the same formula, Pixar asked the question: What if monsters had feelings? (Monsters, Inc.)
 In 2003:  What if fish had feelings?  (Finding Nemo)
 :  What if superheroes had feelings? (The Incredibles)
 :  What if cars had feelings? (Cars)
 :  What if rats had feelings? (Ratatouille)
 :  What if robots had feelings? (WALL-E)
 :  What if old people had feelings? (Up)
 :  What if Scottish people had feelings? (Brave)
@@ Line 26: / Line 19: @@
 *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkBSRadEv8A Film Clip #1: Movie Trailer] (2:28)
 ===Film Summary===

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ==Faith & Film IV: Inside Out==
@@ Line 95: / Line 69: @@
 There is, however, one critical difference between the Psalms and Inside Out.  Riley's emotions, in the film, address themselves to us, the viewers.  In some cases, Joy in particular, they even speak to us directly.  But the raw emotions of the Psalms are all directed to God, who created us, who created our emotions, and who understands us better than anyone can.
-Today's scripture passage, Psalm 139, speaks of this--and it does so in a way more beautiful, more poetic, and more comprehensive than any other.
+The movie Inside Out attempts to answer the question, "Where do feelings come from?"  So does today's scripture passage, Psalm 139.  But much as I really like the film, I think the answer given by the Psalm is the more more beautiful, more poetic, and more comprehensive answer to that question, and so I have saved it for last, to be our final word.  Let it be our prayer as well.

@@ Line 77: / Line 77: @@
 But even Jesus wept when his friend Lazarus died.  And he was anxious in the garden when the time for his crucifixion was at hand.  And he was filled with anger and disgust in the temple, when he threw out the money changers.  Jesus experienced the full range of emotions because he was fully human.  God created us, and all of our emotions as well, each with a purpose and a usefulness.
 ===Enneagram: The Mind of Christ===
-It's interesting to me that in Inside Out, of the five emotions portrayed, only one of them is usually considered a "positive" emotion:  Joy.  The other four--Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear--are usually considered "negative" emotions.  And yet, as Joy herself points out early in the film, Disgust helps to keep Riley from eating something poisonous.  Fear keeps her safe.  And as we learn later in the film, Sadness is an important cue that lets others know when Riley needs love and empathy.
+For the past several months, I've been co-teaching a class with one of our deacons (Helen Edwards) on the Enneagram.  The Enneagram is a system for understanding different personality types, and why we do the things we do. It has roots in ancient Christianity (among other traditions) and has been called a "Window to the Soul," the "Face of God," and a pathway to understanding the "Mind of Christ."
-For the past several months, I've been co-teaching a class with one of our deacons (Helen Edwards) on the Enneagram, which is a system with ancient roots for understanding different personality types, and why we do the things we do.  One thing I've learned in the process is that emotions are rarely positive or negative in themselves, and can manifest themselves in different ways depending on the maturity of the individual.  For example, while joy is a good and necessary emotion, an immature attachment to joy can manifest itself as a detached shallowness. Likewise, anger in a healthy, balanced mature person can manifest itself as a passion for justice and fairness.
+One thing I've learned from studying this system is that emotions are rarely positive or negative in themselves. They can manifest themselves in different ways depending on the maturity of the individual.  For example, while joy is a good and necessary emotion, an immature attachment to joy can manifest itself as a detached shallowness. Likewise, anger in a healthy, balanced mature person can manifest itself as a passion for justice and fairness.
-In the movie Inside Out, we see into other heads besides just Riley's--and inside every head are the same five emotions.  However, if you watch carefully, you'll notice that there's always one emotion that is primary, the one that spends the most time driving.  And it's different for each person.  For Riley, Joy is her primary driver.  But watch the first part of this clip again and pay attention to who is driving Riley's mother, and her father:
+In the movie Inside Out, we see into other heads besides just Riley's--and inside every head are the same five emotions.  However, if you watch carefully, you'll notice that there's always one emotion that is primary, the one that spends the most time driving.  For Riley, Joy is her primary driver.  But watch the first part of this clip again and pay attention to who is driving Riley's mother, and her father:
 *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkBSRadEv8A Film Clip #1: Movie Trailer]
-For Riley's father, Anger is the driving force--and yet he doesn't come across in the film as a particularly angry guy--rather someone who is passionate about things:  Sports, rules, boundaries.  Riley's mother is driven by sadness--and yet her "Sadness" is not the same gloomy, melancholy character inside Riley's head.  The sadness that drives her mother is calm, confident, empathetic and understanding.
+Anger is the driving force behind Riley's father's personality--and yet he doesn't come across in the film as a particularly angry guy--just someone who is passionate about things:  Sports, rules, boundaries.  Riley's mother is driven by sadness--and yet her "Sadness" is not the same gloomy, melancholy character inside Riley's head.  The sadness that drives her mother is calm, confident, empathetic and understanding. Mature.
-The Enneagram also teaches that there are driving forces behind our personality types, only there are nine primary personality types instead of five.
+Today's scripture passage, Psalm 139, speaks of this--and it does so in a way more beautiful, more poetic, and more comprehensive than any other.

@@ Line 74: / Line 74: @@
 *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W6rntBADUQ Film Clip #4: Pizza Clip]
-I've seen this same thing manifest itself in church culture as well: In many churches, there seems to be this idea that if you have faith in God, if you are a "good Christian" then you have to be happy all the time, your life must be picture perfect, and if God isn't blessing you with health and wealth and happiness everyday, then you must be doing something wrong.  This seems to apply especially to pastors and sermons.  I've often been told, "Pastor, give us upbeat, uplifting, inspirational sermons!  Nobody wants to come to church on Sunday morning for a downer."  And my favorite: "You're preaching on the Book of Job again? But it's so depressing!"
+I've seen this same thing manifest itself in church culture as well: In many churches, there seems to be this idea that if you have faith in God, if you are a "good Christian" then you have to be happy all the time, your life must be picture perfect, and if God isn't blessing you with health and wealth and happiness everyday, then you must be doing something wrong.  There's even a little song we teach our children: I've got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart? Where? Down in my heart to stay!  And I'm so happy, so very happy, I have the love of Jesus in my heart...  It's a great song, but the subtle implication here is that if you have the love of Jesus in your heart, then you will be so very happy, and that hapiness is here "to stay." Always. No matter what.
-Next month I am, once again, preaching from the Book of Job.  One of the things I hope to accomplish this time around is to show the variety of emotion and complexity in that book.  Yes, there is sorrow, but there is so much more.  In fact, the whole Bible is like that.  Within its pages can be found a tremendous diversity of emotion, and that makes sense.  God created us to be emotional beings.  God created our emotions, and all of them exist for good reasons.
+But even Jesus wept when his friend Lazarus died.  And he was anxious in the garden when the time for his crucifixion was at hand.  And he was filled with anger and disgust in the temple, when he threw out the money changers.  Jesus experienced the full range of emotions because he was fully human.  God created us, and all of our emotions as well, each with a purpose and a usefulness.
 It's interesting to me that in Inside Out, of the five emotions portrayed, only one of them is usually considered a "positive" emotion:  Joy.  The other four--Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear--are usually considered "negative" emotions.  And yet, as Joy herself points out early in the film, Disgust helps to keep Riley from eating something poisonous.  Fear keeps her safe.  And as we learn later in the film, Sadness is an important cue that lets others know when Riley needs love and empathy.
@@ Line 83: / Line 87: @@
 In the movie Inside Out, we see into other heads besides just Riley's--and inside every head are the same five emotions.  However, if you watch carefully, you'll notice that there's always one emotion that is primary, the one that spends the most time driving.  And it's different for each person.  For Riley, Joy is her primary driver.  But watch the first part of this clip again and pay attention to who is driving Riley's mother, and her father:
-*[Film Clip #5:
+For Riley's father, Anger is the driving force--and yet he doesn't come across in the film as a particularly angry guy--rather someone who is passionate about things:  Sports, rules, boundaries.  Riley's mother is driven by sadness--and yet her "Sadness" is not the same gloomy, melancholy character inside Riley's head.  The sadness that drives her mother is calm, confident, empathetic and understanding.
-===Psalms: A Fullness of Emotion===
+The Enneagram also teaches that there are driving forces behind our personality types, only there are nine primary personality types instead of five.

@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 ==Faith & Film IV: Inside Out==
 There's a meme going around the internet that goes something like this:
@@ Line 52: / Line 50: @@
 And just when you thought there was nowhere else to take this question, in 2015 Pixar finally asked the inevitable: What if FEELINGS had feelings? (Inside Out)
 ===Film Summary===
 ===Strangers in a Strange Land===
 ===Bing Bong: Sacrificial Savior===
 ===The Tyranny of Joy===

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:38, 23 January 2016
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	==Faith & Film IV: Inside Out==		==Faith & Film IV: Inside Out==
		+
		+	*Film Clip #1: Movie Trailer
		+
		+	There's a meme going around the internet that goes something like this:
		+
		+	In 1995, an innovative new film studio, Pixar, burst onto the digital animation scene with a movie that asked a simple but profound question: What if toys had feelings? (Toy Story)
		+
		+	The film was wildly successful with children as well as adults, and so in 1998, they followed it up by asking a similar question: What if bugs had feelings? (A Bug's Life)
		+
		+	In 2001, using the same formula, Pixar asked the question: What if monsters had feelings? (Monsters, Inc.)
		+
		+	In 2003: What if fish had feelings? (Finding Nemo)
		+
		+	2004: What if superheroes had feelings? (The Incredibles)
		+
		+	2006: What if cars had feelings? (Cars)
		+
		+	2007: What if rats had feelings? (Ratatouille)
		+
		+	2008: What if robots had feelings? (WALL-E)
		+
		+	2009: What if old people had feelings? (Up)
		+
		+	2012: What if Scottish people had feelings? (Brave)
		+
		+	And just when you thought there was nowhere else to take this question, in 2015 Pixar finally asked the inevitable: What if FEELINGS had feelings? (Inside Out)
		+
		+	===Film Summary===
		+
		+	===Riley & Joy: Strangers in a Strange Land===
		+
		+	===Bing Bong: Sacrificial Savior===
		+
		+	===The Tyranny of Joy===
		+
		+	===Psalms: A Fullness of Emotion===
		+
		+	===Enneagram: The Mind of Christ===