Tool Shower Matthew 28:1-7 Luther went so far as to argue that preaching plays a role that not even Scripture can play, for preaching gives God an audible voice. The ears, he said, and not the eyes, are the primary organ for receiving the Christian message. Hearing is more fundamental that seeing, for God once visibly present on earth in Jesus Christ, has chosen to continue to reveal himself through the proclamation of the Word. God calls people to himself through the preaching of the Word.
Sermon Study Guide for February 13, 2011 In this second message in a series of four, I have tried to drill down deeper on the Resurrection story and what the angel told the women at the tomb. Read the Gospel passage over two times and take notice of the four strong verbs of the angels’ announcement: Come, See, Go, Tell. Consider these questions: 1. The angel shows the women that something significant had happened on Easter Day. The women believed, and were forever changed. When did faith happen to you? When did faith happen in you? Another way to ask the question has been phrased most beautifully by the Quakers: When did God become more than just a word to you? Share your story. 2. Notice how Thomas comes to faith through proof. John 20:24ff. How does Jesus commend faith? How does this help with your “believing”? 3. St. Anselm said that we do not see in order to believe; rather, we believe in order to see. What does this mean? Has this been true of you?
Water from a Deep Well: Christian 4. In the passage in the left side margin, Luther says that the primary organ of Spirituality from Early Martyrs to the Christian is the ear. What does he mean? Does this surprise you? Note Modern Romans 10:14ff, Gal 3:2-5. Is seeing believing or is hearing believing? by Gerald L. Sittser 5. I cited a study that describes the impact that fathers have on the religious habits of their children. (See my blog for details.) Read the last few verses of the Old Testament. What was your father like in terms of his faith and his impact on your spirituality. Are you more of the exception or the rule? 6. If the charge of the angels is the “go and tell”, who have you told? When was the last time you had the occasion to speak about the faith to someone else? 7. Have you thought about the Renew for Our Future campaign and the three elements of it? What do you think? Share with your group how you are processing the three campaign goals: children/youth ministry, church planting, and elimination of the church’s $5.2 million debt. 8. Read Acts 1:8 and look at a map of the Holy Land in the back of your Bible. Note that they are concentric circles of communication to the ends of the earth. Who do you know who takes the Gospel story to “the ends of the earth”?