Worship Preview Sunday 1/09/11

A new Congress has just convened, and while we may still hope, it doesn't look like the current Congress will will be any more united or any less contentious than the previous one. On both sides of the aisle, shrill voices proclaim that they and they alone speak for "the American People."  The message seems to be, "If you think like me and vote like me, you're a true American. If you don't, you're something else." While this kind of rhetoric seems to have escalated in recent years, it isn't new. In fact, its as old as humankind itself. From the very beginning we human beings have been adept at creating barriers regarding who is to be accepted and who is to be rejected. The "us and them" mentality is seen in every aspect of human life: political, social, national, familial and religious. In fact, that mindset provided the fiercest opposition Jesus ever faced, and overcoming it was the first challenge that faced the early church. As you prepare for worship on Sunday, please read Luke 5:27-31 and Acts 10:34-48 and ponder these questions: Why were the Pharisees so offended by Jesus attending Levi's party? Why do you think God needed to intervene so dramatically in the Acts story? How have you experienced being an "outsider"? How have you experienced being an "insider"? Is there a person or group of people that you feel uncomfortable considering as sisters and brothers in Christ? Do you hear Paul's words, "You are all one in Christ Jesus" as comforting or challenging? Why?