October 20, 2006
Dear Resurrection Family,
I was in New Jersey speaking to a conference of pastors and church leaders on Wednesday of this week. I was struck by the eagerness and enthusiasm of these pastors, and their earnest desire for ideas, inspiration and encouragement as they seek to lead their churches. Your role, as a church, in providing ideas and inspiration to other churches is so important. You are a living laboratory where new ideas are tried, where programs and ministries are developed, that are then given away to churches who wish to use them.
I have only a few minutes to prepare this e-mail before my next meeting, so this will be a brief e-mail.
1. Mayor Kay Barnes to Speak Tomorrow Morning at Church of the Resurrection.
I hope you will join me for our United Methodist Men's Breakfast tomorrow morning at 8:00 am in room 2207 of the West Building to hear Kansas City's mayor as she speaks to us about what's happening throughout Kansas City and what that may mean for our church. I have met with Mayor Barnes before and I appreciate her love for this metro area. She is an active Christian and she has an appreciation for churches like ours and how they can be a part of transforming the community. Women are welcome to attend as well - invite your friends and neighbors to join us for breakfast with the Mayor tomorrow morning. Make your reservations today by calling the UMM voicemail at 913-544-0299 or by e-mail at UMM@cor.org. Cost for the breakfast is $7.
2. What Does the Parable of the Good Samaritan have to do with Cotton Candy?
What Does the Parable of the Good Samaritan have to do with Cotton Candy? You'll have to attend worship this weekend to find out! We'll look in detail at the Parable of the Good Samaritan and what Jesus teaches us in this parable about God's will for our lives, God's hope for our character, and God's vision for our church. In the end I'll draw upon something I recently heard Millard Fuller, the founder of Habitat for Humanity, say about cotton candy - I think you'll find it an interesting modern day parable.
3. How Well Do You Know Jesus?
Saturday night I often am able to include things in my sermon that ultimately get cut from the rest of the weekend's sermons in order to save time. One of the elements from Saturday night's sermon that I had to cut on Sunday was a quote from Philip Yancey, one of my favorite contemporary authors. Some years ago he wrote a book entitled, The Jesus I Never Knew.
"I first got acquainted with Jesus when I was a child, singing 'Jesus Loves Me' in Sunday School . . . I associated Jesus with Kool-Aid and sugar cookies and gold stars for good attendance . . . someone kind and reassuring, with no sharp edges at all - a Mister Rogers before the age of children's television. As a child I felt comforted by such a person." Yancey notes how shaken he was as an adult when he actually began to read the words of Jesus, and the stories about him in the gospels, with fresh eyes. He writes, "Questions now loomed that had never occurred to me in childhood. For example, 'How would telling people to be nice to one another get a man crucified? What government would execute Mister Rogers or Captain Kangaroo?' ... Those in authority, whether religious or political, regarded him as a troublemaker, a disturber of the peace. He spoke and acted like a revolutionary."
Are there dimensions of Jesus Christ that you have never known? Have you heard his disturbing words? This weekend we'll continue our study of Jesus' parables, looking at two parables that disturbed his hearers, one of which likely contributed to his death. I hope to see you in worship as we see Jesus with fresh eyes!
In Christ's Love,
Adam Hamilton