Who am I?

The sermon this past Sunday raised several questions about identity, from the most basic to the most complex. And it is not always easy to distinguish basic and complex, especially when dealing with identity.

In Mark 8, Jesus asks, Who Do You Say I Am?

From this one question, David drew several questions for us:

• What is he asking?
• Is it a rhetorical question?
• Is Jesus seeking a second opinion?
• Is Jesus questioning himself?
• Is he assessing the disciples?
• Is Jesus assessing us?

These are all interesting questions. And who's to say that any one of these is correct. Why can't all of these questions apply? Scripture often works at different levels simultaneously. Narratives, stories like this one in Mark, especially operate that way. Any good story has more than one meaning.

Take some time to ask these questions and think about some possible answers.

Upgrades!

We have a few upgrades here at First Responses.

(#1) Some of you have already noticed the 'Social Vibe' gadget on the right column (under the reading list). This is a way for us to raise money for a designated non-profit. All you have to do is click on the gadget and view a short ad. The sponsor whose ad you viewed then donates money to your cause. You can add 'Social Vibe' to your blog, your Facebook, etc.

Children's Miracle Network was chosen for the First Responses site for several reasons. First, many of us have children. Secondly, many of us work or have ties to the medical profession. Thirdly, Memphis is known for the quality of medical care it provides to children. In other words, it just seemed like the most appropriate from the list.

Take a minute to raise money for a good cause whenever you visit First Responses, even if you don't care for the sponsor. And thanks to those who already have. We've already earned 188 baloons over the past week or so without asking.

(#2) First Responses now has its own email address. So, if you have any questions, or a comment you would rather not post on the blog, just shoot a message over to firstresponses@gmail.com and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

(#3) As many of you know, a Gmail account provides you Google Calendar. And that is a great thing, making it easy to share dates and information. So, First Responses now has a Calendar up and open to the public. Just let us know and we can share it with you.

Upcoming events include Soccer at Evergreen Pres, the Men's Retreat, Trunk-or-Treat, and the concerts at the Levitt Shell.

Monkin' It Up!

We had a great time at the Levitt Shell last night. If you missed it, that's too bad. But you'll have to join us for some of the upcoming shows.

Last night, Lily Afshar opened on the classical guitar, setting the contempletive mood for the Tibetan monks who followed. The monks were great, beginning their set meditatively with some multiphonic chanting...

...and then increasing their energy as the sun went down. By nightfall, they were performing traditional dances, including the Dance of the Black Hat Masters and, everyone's favorite, the Snow Lion Dance (the last couple minutes are the best):

They took a break for intermission and picked right up where they left off, with more sacred music and sacred dance. The Dance of the Skeleton Lords and the Dance of the Space Travellers were fun, but our family had to get our (sleeping) son home and missed the Yak Dance. I did find a video, though:

All in all, a great time for all! Come out and join us next time, won't you?

Here's some extra video of the Mystical Arts of Tibet:

Spit!

In Mark 7.31-37, half of our sermon text this morning, Jesus uses his spit to heal a man. He does this elsewhere as well.

That's pretty gross, right?

Well, does spit offend you? If spit is gross, does Jesus gross you out? What if the spit belongs to Jesus, is being used by Jesus to provide healing? If that changes things, why? And, what would you think of someone today walking around and doing the same?

Just asking.

PR?

Sometimes Jesus was great at promoting his ministry, like when he fed the multitude. If you were his PR rep, moments like that would have made your job a breeze. He had a large and hungry crowd, but he takes care of them. A PR rep wouldn't have to spin that or seek the attention of the people.

On the other hand, there were other moments that would just drive you mad. Take today's sermon text, Mark 7.24-37, where Jesus tries to hide his healings. That's when a PR rep would take Jesus out back and give him a good talking-to.

What do we make of this? Do we promote the good things our church is doing? Or do we let our deeds speak for themselves and spread through word of mouth?

I really don't know--and it's rare for me not to have a hard opinion.

So, what do you think?