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kscope apr 25 ideas?

ideas?

theme: LEAST OF THESE. based on this scripture...
Matthew 25:34-45
'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' ... 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

basically, the segments will deal with serving others + showing hospitality towards others.


OPENING: i have an opening prayer/reading that deals with hospitality + service that could be adapted and read at the opening. maybe one of our youth could read it?

SEG 1. (short. 3-4 min.) WHAT IF...
(maybe some youth could do this?)
What if everyone in the world was selfless rather than selfish? what if people lived a life of love? there would be no war. no terrorism. no abortion. no poverty. no hunger. no malnutrition. no lack of medicine in 3rd world countries. no murders. no abandoned children. etc.

frankly, this segment could be two youth reading THIS blog post about selfishness. i could add images to the powerpoint to go along with it.
Also - i'd like to have live instrumental music playing in background. whoever is reading this list needs to read it with authority and boldness. ;)

(if there is time - maybe i could video tape some youth reading this THURS nite after Girl.Talk? then i could make a video out of it? Perhaps. if there is time..)

SEG. 2. Love God. Love People. Prove it. (5 min.)

~brief stories of Christian service... loving God and loving people? If anyone has something to share, it would fit in here.
~ tim: brief story of CEO of LL Bean serving in soup kitchen in Portland, Maine.

~tim: i remember years ago - one of our former youth did a lot to reach out to one of her classmates when they got pregnant. i could share that story in brief.


~ this is a pretty good quote about loving our enemies:

"In the Ravensbruck Nazi concentration camp - the camp where an estimated ninety-two thousand men, women, and children were murdered - a piece of wrapping paper was found near the body of a dead child. On the paper was written this prayer:

"O Lord, remember not only the men and women of good will, but also those of ill will. But do not only remember the suffering they have inflicted on us; remember the fruits we bought, thanks to this suffering: our comradeship, our loyalty, our humility, the courage, the generosity, the greatness of heart which has grown out of all this. And when they come to judgment, let all the fruits that we have borne be their forgiveness.""

From "Prayer" by Richard Foster

~Matthew 25:34-45 verse.

~option: Exiles in the City? how God calls us to be among the needy - not apart from them?

VIDEO: Word on the Street: Hospitality (2:12)

SEG. 3: TWO STORIES ABOUT how/why we serve others (a take on Good Samaritan)
(6 min.)

both stories deal with serving others - but one serves humbly and anonymously... one serves and takes too much credit and boasts about how great of a servant he is.
tim + jen will do this?

SONG? Rich Young Ruler by Derek Webb? or reference the passage from Mark 10:17-31?

VIDEO OPTION?: emerging
how it's hard to contain our joy when we faithfully serve and follow leading of God...

SEG. 4: Bryan/Robin - Christian Service (8 min.)
featuring stories from Costa Rica
including story of woman who ran mission out of her home?

Q: what needs might be all around you?
Q: what does need look like?

CLOSING INTERACTIVE OPTION(s):

we could randomly give out pre-made note cards with one specific RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS written on it. we could hand these out and challenge the people to perform this RAK sometime during the week.

We could maybe have a map of Louisville and have people come up and commit to pray for various parts of town? maybe place a post-it note or push pin on that section of town - thus committing to pray for that section?

Maybe we could write anonymous letters of encouragement - and then give them to the houses around the church?

other ideas for something interactive?

mary magdalene

basically we need someone to do a 1 min. 1st Person Point-of-View/Case Study on Mary Magdalene... from the perspective of what it was like to see her Master die on teh cross.

scriptures featuring Mary Mag. (most of these are after crucifixion -but it gives frame of reference)

1. Matthew 27:56
 - Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.


2. Matthew 27:61
 - Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

4. Mark 15:40 - 
Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.


5. Mark 15:47
 - Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.


7. Luke 8:2
 - and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out;


8. Luke 24:10 - 
It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.


9. John 19:25
 - Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.



about her:
Mary Magdalene was the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Who was Mary Magdalene? Tradition has labeled her a prostitute, but there is nothing in the Bible to support this view and much to dispute it.
Many ideas about Magdalene persist today, whether or not the biblical text and historical resources confirm them. For example, early church fathers incorrectly identified her with the sinful woman who anointed Christ's feet at the house of Simon the Pharisee. Others believed she was Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus.
One of the more fantastic ideas links her to myths about the Holy Grail and the Knights Templar. Secular books with names such as Holy Blood, Holy Grail and The Woman With the Alabaster Jar expand on traditions that she committed sexual sins. They claim that Jesus married her and fathered one or more children. These books are based on fiction, not fact.
Who really was Mary Magdalene? Apparently her status in early Christianity was as high, if not higher, as Peter's. The Bible gives us clues about her importance. After his resurrection, Jesus first appeared Mary Magdalene not Peter, according to the Gospel of John. Mary Magdalene announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord." In other scriptures, her name is first in the list of witnesses (Mk. 16:1-11; Mt. 28:1; Lk. 24:10; Jn. 20:11-18; 1 Cor. 15:5-8).
The Gnostic Gospel of Mary adds evidence that Mary was a strong Christian leader. This nonbiblical manuscript was discovered in Egypt the middle of the twentieth century. It suggests that Peter was jealous of Mary.

Clearly Jesus and Mary had a special relationship. A familiar scene in art and music is her encounter with Christ that first Easter morning. She does not recognize the man to whom she speaks until he calls her by her name.
Artists have often recreated the scene when Jesus says, "Do not hold on to me" (Noli Me Tangere) in the Gospel of John. Two examples are on this page. The popular hymn, "I Come to the Garden," was also inspired by the story of Jesus' appearance to Mary that first Easter morning.
Recently some scholars have suggested that Mary was the one whom Jesus loved and that she wrote the Gospel of John. For centuries, Christians have wondered about the identity this person beloved by Jesus. Tradition says it was the disciple John; parts of John itself support this opinion. Others, using scholarly analysis, ask, What if the beloved disciple were Mary? These views are both provocative and controversial.
Probably we will never know many details about Mary Magadalene. We can be sure, however, that Mary was a significant leader early Christianity.

Who was Mary Magdalene?:

Mary Magdalene is mentioned in the lists of Jesus’ female companions that appear in Mark, Matthew, and Luke. Some believe that Mary Magdalene may have been an important figure among the female disciples, perhaps even their leader and a member of Jesus’ inner circle of disciples — but not, apparently, to the degree of the 12 apostles. There is no textual evidence to allow for any definitive conclusions, though.
When & Where did Mary Magdalene live?:

Mary Magdalene’s age is unknown; biblical texts say nothing about when she was born or died. Like Jesus’ male disciples, Mary Magdalene appears to have come from Galilee. She was with him at the beginning of his ministry in Galilee and continued after his execution. The name Magdalene suggests her origin as the town of Magdala (Taricheae), on the Sea of Galilee's western shore. It was an important source of salt, an administrative center, and the largest of ten major towns around the lake.
What did Mary Magdalene do?:

Mary Magdalene is described as having helped pay for Jesus’ ministry out of her own pocket. Obviously Jesus’ ministry wasn’t a paying job and nothing is said in the text about their having collected donations from the people he preached to. This means that he and all his companions would have relied upon the generosity of strangers and/or their own private funds. It appears, then, that Mary Magdalene’s private funds may have been an important source of financial support.

rundown. you can view the rundown here: http://myalienuth.com/kscope-rundown

kscope march28 2010 ideas

hello
these are some of the ideas compiled a while back for the kaleidoscope march 28th service on palm sunday night.

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break the service into 3 acts:
ACT 1: the triumphal entry. the celebration of palm sunday.
full on praise of Jesus. king. messiah.

perhaps a segment during act 1 - perhaps even before we start with music - could be some sort of background to the story... what lead to such a celebration on palm sunday? the events surrounding the death of Lazarus and Jesus resurrecting him. according to John 12:17, the people there celebrating his entry into Jerusalem had also been witnesses to Jesus ressurecting Lazarus.

all of John 12 deals with the events leading up to the Palm Sunday entry ... including Mary and Martha serving and attending to Jesus (what Jen spoke on @ the last Kscope). also, this is when the Pharisees put into plan their plot to kill jesus.

so maybe there could be a brief recap... leading up to the Triumphal Entry - that would start off this Kscope?

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this could lead into a celebratory time of worship with songs like Hosanna and the like.

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we would need more to be a part of Act 1. what else could we tie in that would relate to The Triumphal Entry?

do we want to focus on some of the stories surrounding Palm Sunday found in scriptures?

MAtthew 21 - stories after the Triumphal Entry include:
Jesus clears the Temple.
Jesus curses a Fig Tree
The Parable of the Two Sons (working in the vineyard)
The Parable of the Tenants
later in ch. 22 verses 34-40, jesus gives the Love God, Love People commandment.
Luke 21:1-4 Jesus tells the story of the widow giving all... a parallel to what Jesus gave on the cross?

do we have other/better ideas about what else to speak about during ACT 1?

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ACT 2

ideas: from the celebration - it all goes dark...


Case studies: Brief... couple of minutes each?
(from the perspective of those closest to jesus - have them talk about Jesus' death from their perspective?)

Mary his mother. (could we find someone in the church who is older to do this? Jen and i thought of Denise Bardash.???

John - bff of Jesus?

Judas - "i loved Him but i hated Him. i wanted a full on revolution. not meek and mild... that appeared to be a weakness to me... "

Mary Magdaline - the woman caught in adultery... from John 8?

- play Latter Days by Over the Rhine.

ideas: bring in a coffin... (could we get one?)
have Larry give a eulogy for Jesus. he has agreed to do this.

as song plays - bring in casket down center - place it on stage.

after song is complete - have Larry give eulogy.

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Q: what kind of live music might fit anywhere in ACT 2?

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(note - we could just end things somehow after ACT 2 if we wanted)

ACT 3: something to do with how Death Brings Life.
the 4 seasons are a cycle of death and life, etc.

maybe this is a short segment that offers hope?


----


Questions: what kind of interactive elements could be added to this service? how will teh setup be?

segment 1 ideas

segment 1: statistics about busy lifestyle/practical ways to slow down/simple living
(perhaps the following could be adapted... could be a funny element)
How to slow down
1. Drink a cup of tea, put your feet up and stare idly out of the window. Warning: Do not attempt this while driving.
2. Do one thing at a time. Remember multitasking is a moral weakness (except for women who have superior brain function.)
3. Do not be pushed into answering questions. A response is not the same as an answer. Ponder, take your time.
4. Learn our Slow Manifesto.
5. Yawn often. Medical studies have shown lots of things, and possibly that yawning may be good for you.
6. Spend more time in bed. You have a better chance of cultivating your dreams (not your aspirations.)
7. Read the slow stories.
8. Spend more time in the bathtub.
9. Practice doing nothing. (Yes this is the difficult one.)
10. Avoid too much seriousness. Laugh, because you're live on earth for a limited time only.
from http://slowdownnow.org/
articles about the importance of slowing down.
Time Magazine: Americans are Busy
GEt Busy Livin or Get Busy Dyin
Lazy People in a hurry

Time and Busyness
How to Slow down NOW
Slow Down Enjoy Life
Four Laws of Simplicity
a segment on simplicity might be good.
21 ways to Simplify your life

could this be done quickly? perhaps this segment could take place with the Fast motion vs. Slow Motion video playing in the background.

kscope rundown feb 28

specifically, the rundown would look like this:
(more specific notes on each segment can be found on post below this)

opening song 1
hugs/handshakes (live musicians remain on stage playing instrumental)
reprise of opening song/chorus?

segment 1: life comes at you fast. practical steps to slow down. - ________ (5-8 min)

(need some sort of transition here)

segment 2: pt. 1 free from chaos and noise - tim (5 min)
rhetorical / reflective questions on power point (with background audio track) (3 min)
pt. 2 busyness hinders relationship w/ God (Matt. 11:25-30) - _______ (4-5 min) (BK perhaps?)

video

song 3
song 4

segment 3: story of Joshua Bell (parallels how we are too busy and miss out on greatness of God)

interactive: write on Post Its: "where have you experienced God in unexpected places"
point out that these instances happen when we are able to 'slow down'

segment 4: mary and martha (john 12:1-11; Luke 10:38-42) story told, explained. insight given. (jen is willing to work on this)

song: chelsea s. - slow me down

hands on activity? make prayer chords. (live music play during this activity)
cords have three beads:
RED YELLOW and GREEN
prayer chords serve as reminder to 'stop and be with jesus. slow down and free yourself from chaos/distractions of life. go and grow in God's grace peace and love'
(is that cheesy?)

benediction


-----------------

thoughts?

we still need people to help with or take
1. segment 3: Joshua Bell story (basically just read the article and tell it in your own words - paralleling it to us humans missing out/to busy for Greatness of God.

2. segment 1: (could be a group effort - could be humorous, too. could be adapted). basically look at the web links that pertain to 'SIMPLIFYING LIFE, etc. Showing how to SLOW DOWN and not be so BUSY. http://slowdownnow.org/ has some humorous stuff, perhaps.




what is good? what needs changed? who feels like working on any of these that are needed to be filled? who has a better idea?

tim

kscope rundown feb 28 more specific ideas

kscope narrowed down rundown (not in any ‘specific’ order)

opening song
hugs/handshakes/coffee (musicians keep playing instrumental music during)
invite all to place cell phones/watches under chair or something
reprise of opening song/chorus?

segment 1: statistics about busy lifestyle/practical ways to slow down/simple living
(perhaps the following could be adapted... could be a funny element)
How to slow down
1. Drink a cup of tea, put your feet up and stare idly out of the window. Warning: Do not attempt this while driving.
2. Do one thing at a time. Remember multitasking is a moral weakness (except for women who have superior brain function.)
3. Do not be pushed into answering questions. A response is not the same as an answer. Ponder, take your time.
4. Learn our Slow Manifesto.
5. Yawn often. Medical studies have shown lots of things, and possibly that yawning may be good for you.
6. Spend more time in bed. You have a better chance of cultivating your dreams (not your aspirations.)
7. Read the slow stories.
8. Spend more time in the bathtub.
9. Practice doing nothing. (Yes this is the difficult one.)
10. Avoid too much seriousness. Laugh, because you're live on earth for a limited time only.
from http://slowdownnow.org/
articles about the importance of slowing down.
Time Magazine: Americans are Busy
GEt Busy Livin or Get Busy Dyin
Lazy People in a hurry

Time and Busyness
How to Slow down NOW
Slow Down Enjoy Life
Four Laws of Simplicity
a segment on simplicity might be good.
21 ways to Simplify your life

could this be done quickly? perhaps this segment could take place with the Fast motion vs. Slow Motion video playing in the background.



song two
segment 2
pt. 1: Free from chaos and noise - tim (5 min)
rhetorical/reflective questions on screen (with background audio)
1 kings 19:11-12

some of the questions could be taken from the following list (from Nooma - Noise)
(3 min)

“Why is silence so hard to deal with?”

“183 million people are regularly exposed to noise levels labeled as excessive by the Environmental Protection Agency.”

Do you ever surround yourself with noise intentionally?
If so, why do you think we do this?

“Do you wish God’s voice would be louder in your life?”

Does all the noise in our lives make it hard to hear God?

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.
Jesus in Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

“If I’m not still, and if I don’t listen, how is Jesus going to give me rest?”

When was the last time you spent some time in silence?

Search your hearts and be silent.
Psalm 4:4 (NIV)

“Have you spent the same amount of time worrying and talking about your difficult, confusing situations as you have spent in silence, listening to what God might have to say?”

Do you sometimes avoid silence because you’re afraid of what God might actually have to say to you?

Bus Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
Luke 5:16 (NIV)

“These were regular disciplines Jesus had. Silence. Solitude.”

Are you ever alone or do you always need somebody around you?

“Does my schedule, my time, my life look like that of a person who wants to hear God’s voice?”

What are some things in your daily life you could change to eliminate some of the noise?


“Is it possible that you’ve been searching for God in the winds … the earthquakes and fires … And he’s waiting to speak to you in the silence?”

pt. 2 Brief talk based on Matthew 11:25-30 (NIV) (4 min)
the Message translation is cool, too:
28-30"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

tie in this brief talk/discussion with the following link:
POLL: Christians are busy - hinders relationship with God


video

song 3
song 4

segment 3 (5 min)
Story of Joshua Bell
Bell is a world renowned violinist. once - as part of an experiment with the Washington Post - he played in a DC subway. hardly anyone stopped to listen. [Story and Video]

Fascinating story that can parallel us missing out on God and His greatness all around us.

interactive: write on Post It Notes (3 min)
where have you experienced God in random ways/unexpected ways?

tie this back in with joshua bell... slowing down to notice those ‘God’ moments... slowing down to ‘hear’ and ‘see’ Him. not to miss out on the greatness of God like so many missed out on the greatness of Joshua Bell.

segment 5
mary and martha
scriptures: John 12:1-11 + Luke 10:38-42
mary and martha host Jesus @ their home for a meal... Martha is the busy-body... running around, distracted, trying to assure that everything is just right, while Mary sits attentively @ Jesus' feet, listening to his every word - even anointing His feet with oil.

Jesus basically states that it is important to take time to pause and just 'be' with Him...

song: chelsea - slow me down

end with closing activity: hands on -
invite people to make prayer cords - with RED YELLOW and GREEN beads?

--> live music from BK/RK could play in background.

Red bead could represent - STOP and be with Jesus.
Yellow - SLOW DOWN and be free from the chaos
Green - GO and GROW in God’s peace, love and grace.

Benediction:
http://www.freshworship.org/node/211

O God, you are slow to anger and swift to have mercy;
Forgive us when we treat time as a commodity or an enemy,
when we abuse your gift of time.
In our fastness and our slowness,
help us to keep pace with you.
Free us to live in your time, a new time,
in which there is a time for everything under heaven,
and slow is not too slow, and fast is not too fast.
Transform us into people who see time as a gift and a friend,
who live as if we have time,
because we know that your time will never cease.
Through Jesus we pray, Amen.