Youth Retreat: Jacked up stories in Judges

The Book of Judges - 16-19.05.09
Jacked up stories in Judges

Note: None of these sermons were recorded. They were preached at both the Elmira Youth Retreat (May 09) and Joy Winter Retreat (Feb 2010)

The Bible is a messy book. You might not know it from ‘Veggie Tales’ and flannel-graph boards, but there is some seriously twisted stuff in our Holy Book! What do we do with it? So often we ignore the stuff in the Bible that makes us uncomfortable, but what if we dealt with it head on? What if we intentionally spent time in the most violent, depraved, jacked-up sections of the Bible? Maybe we will all close the book and never speak of it again… or maybe something beautiful and redemptive will happen in the very place we least expect it!

The Bible is God’s Word to us, right? And that means the whole thing, doesn’t it?

1) we just call them by different names

God promised to always love, defend, and provide for His people; but what happens when they turn their back on Him? What happens when they grow cold to the one true God and chase around all the others? What happens when we grow cold to the one true God and start chasing around all the others?



2) we’re all left handed

We do a lot to cover up our weakness, don’t we? We dress cool, listen to cool music, wear cool sunglasses, slick back our hair and roll up cigarette carts in our sleeves (no one else?). We all want to be friends with the most popular people; we want to grow up to be famous, to be winners! But the God of the Bible seems to prefer those that are the weaklings, the losers, those on the underside of power… God runs with the underdogs.



3) you don’t get to be Batman

The book of Judges is filled with interesting characters who save the day… so it’s a book of heroes… isn’t it? But what happens when heroes let us down? What happens when we can’t save the day? Who is the real hero of the story?



4) a new deliverer

We get it, we need rescuing: but who will deliver us?

jumping into the pool and running around the block

Psalm 137 - 10.05.09
jumping into the pool and running around the block

Tragedy strikes, the walls fall down, Babylon comes, and we find ourselves at the rivers side; sitting, mourning, and wondering 'where is God?' We ask the question 'how can we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?' Sometimes suffering takes us into exile, and we wonder what to do with our pain. Maybe the Psalms have something to say about our pain? Maybe God wants us to voice it?

Download 'jumping into the pool and running around the block' from Freedomize.com

Recommendations/Influences

Books:
Out of the Depths: The Psalms Speak For Us Today - Bernard Anderson
The Drama of Scripture - Craig G. Bartholomew and Michael W. Goheen
Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven, But Nobody Wants To Die - David Crowder and Mike Hogan
Answering God - Eugene Peterson

Other:
Introductions to the Psalms (Heritage Seminary Course) - Dr. David Barker
I Can Feel Your Pain; Sleeper 1972; Where Have You Been?; I Can Feel A Hot One - Manchester Orchestra
Matthew (Nooma) - Rob Bell

you only have I known

Amos 1-3 - 03.05.09
you only have I known

Subversive, edgy, out-spoken, poetic. At a time when Israel was comfortable with the 'status-quo' it was the prophets who stood up, gave voice to the way things were, and pointed to the way they should be.

'Prophecy is the voice that God has lent to the silent agony, a voice to the plundered poor, to the profaned riches of the world. It is a form of living, a crossing point of God and man. God is raging in the prophet's words.'

Who are the prophets today? What do they say to us? What is raging in our words?

Download 'you only have i known' from Freedomize.com

What you can't hear:
Near the end of the sermon, after Joy spoke of her sister's piece, a video played showing its display and construction. The other thing you can't hear (much) is the technical errors!

Recommendations/Influences

Books:
The Prophets - Abraham Heschel
Wall and Peace - Banksy
The Drama of Scripture - Craig G. Bartholomew and Michael W. Goheen
Jesus Wants to Save Christians - Rob Bell and Don Golden
An Introduction to the Old Testament - Tremper Longman III

Other:
She Must and Shall Go Free; Mockingbird (Albums) - Derek Webb
Of Plastic Circumstance - Rose Broadbent (http://ofplasticcircumstance.com/)
The Old Prince (Album) - Shad K.