Wesley Word-Feb. 16, 2022

Jessica Hall   -   February 16, 2022

To go along with service on: Sunday, February 20, 2022 

Experiencing Grace

Exploring Truth
Epiphany: A Season of Signs – The Sign of the Body
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

This week we continue our Epiphany series, Epiphany: A Season of Signs, with the Sign of the Body. The Church is the Body of Christ on Earth and is, therefore, a sign of who Jesus is. When the world looks at the Church, they should see Jesus. 

The idea of the Church as a body comes from our text in 1 Corinthians. You may remember a couple of weeks ago when we looked at 1 Corinthians 13 and the sign of love. At that time, I said the Corinthian church was in deep conflict about many things. One of those things was spiritual gifts; you can read about this in the first part of chapter 12. The Corinthians had begun to rank themselves in terms of, in their opinion, who had more and better spiritual gifts. It is in response to this that Paul reminds them that the Church is a body in which all the members, and all their gifts, are important. It is from there that Paul goes on to show them a “more excellent way,” the way of love in chapter 13.

In the Nicene Creed, we proclaim our faith in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. There is only one Church, one Body of Christ, throughout time and space, but it is made of many different churches. Churches that are diverse in many ways, and yet are one Church because they all have one head, Jesus Christ. The idea of holiness is not just about the moral behavior of the church. The word holy also means set apart for God’s use. The word catholic means universal. Although we Methodists are not Roman Catholic, we are catholic, part of Christ’s universal church throughout time and space. Apostolic means the church is built upon the faith and teaching of the Apostles. This began with Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Messiah in Matthew 16, in response to which Jesus said, “Upon this rock, I will build my Church and the gates of Hell will not overcome it.” Churches come and go, THE CHURCH will last forever.

Questions for Reflection/Discussion:

  1. When the world sees me, do they see Jesus? What is my part in the Body of Christ?

New Testament in a Year: https://wesleyonline.org/biblereading/ 

  • February 16 Mark 1:29-2:12
  • February 17 Mark 2:13-3:6
  • February 18 Mark 3:7-30
  • February 19 Mark 3:31-4:25
  • February 20 Mark 4:26-5:20
  • February 21 Mark 5:21-43
  • February 22 Mark 6:1-29
  • February 23 Mark 6:30-56

Expressing Love: Family/Mission Activity

Cheerio Tower- Give each family member a raw spaghetti noodle and the same number of cheerios. The goal is to see who can get all the cheerios threaded onto their spaghetti noodle first, using only one hand. Use a timer to see how long it takes for the first person to get done.

After you’ve done one round alone, pair up family members. The goal is still the same, but each family member can use one hand. Again, time to see how long it takes for the first team to get done. 

After the rounds are over, talk about how much easier it was when you could have help and work together with someone. The church has many parts, but when we work together to make up the Body of Christ, we’re much more effective.

Announcements:

  • WOW (Worship on Wednesdays) TONIGHT @ 5:30 pm
    • Meal, Worship, Small Groups
  • Early Bird Wow, Feb. 23, 3:30 pm
    • Cahleen Pagel will teach Tai Chi moves in the Family Live Center. Stick around afterwards for the WOW pasta meal catered by Sal Vitale’s! Please call the church office if you plan to attend.
  • Wesley Scholarship applications are now available on the table in front of the office. Completed applications are due April 1.