This past Sunday I had the opportunity to preach at my old home church in Texas. The week the worship staff asked me to send them the answers to four questions regarding my topic so they could prepare for the service. The above picture was the title slide they created based on my answers, which I've added here:Major Theme/Title?
Dual Citizenship: Kingdom or Country?
Summary Sentence?
Stories and observations of growing up Iraqi-American in the realm of the Cross of Christ.
Scripture?
Hebrews 11:8-18 (Today's New International Version)
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
The Take Away? (what do you want the congregation to leave knowing)
To value and be thankful for our nationalities, but to have a better sense of where citizenship really is. To press into the deepest sense of identity as citizens of Heaven, and stress that this is not primarily for the future, but immediate.
Not one hour after I sent in these answers, I received a response from one of the staff who told me that because it was the Sunday before the 4th of July we would have to sing the "obligatory patriotic songs" during worship. Then I was told to make sure my message did not "undo or work against those patriotic songs."
Awkward.
I'll post more on that later, but for the time being you can listen to my sermon online here. Let me know what, if anything, you think I worked against or undid.
Praying "The Great Thanksgiving" during the Eucharist last Sunday.(special thanks to Alan Hitt for all of his insight and help... and for lunch)
4 comments:
I think you did a great job of celebrating your American and Iraqi heritage and allowing other to celebrate their own while conveying that where we are from or where we live does not define who we are. Our true identity lies in Christ! Many people in and out of the church have different opinions of the war and how it has been handled. You can see how people might be nervous when they hear the topic. I was asked to send you that message so you would be conscious of the timing with the 4th. Talk about akward! I didn't know how to word that...Guess I didn't do a very good job of it...
I'm really glad that's the one thing you took back from your visit back to Texas. It means a lot to us. Really.
Abbey
You did not undo a thing. You added depth and meaning to them in fact. God bless you and keep up the good work of wrestling theologically rather than ideologically with the world we live in.
Who knows where to download XRumer 5.0 Palladium?
Help, please. All recommend this program to effectively advertise on the Internet, this is the best program!
Post a Comment