Monday, August 27, 2007

Good Stewards of God's Grace

A fool’s mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul.
The words of a gossip are like choice morsels: they go down to a man’s inmost parts.
One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall.
Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.

4Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh,* arm yourselves also with the same intention (for whoever has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin), 2so as to live for the rest of your earthly life* no longer by human desires but by the will of God. 3You have already spent enough time in doing what the Gentiles like to do, living in licentiousness, passions, drunkenness, revels, carousing, and lawless idolatry. 4They are surprised that you no longer join them in the same excesses of dissipation, and so they blaspheme.* 5But they will have to give an account to him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. 6For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does.

7 The end of all things is near;* therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. 8Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9Be hospitable to one another without complaining. 10Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. 11Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.


1: Hey! Welcome back! Oh my gosh, I missed you so much!
2: I missed you so much, too! How was your summer?
1: Oh, you know…
2: Busy?
1: Busy. You?
2: Busy.
1: Yeah.
2: Yeah.

3: Today’s hymn will be Hymn #333.

(Pause. They get out their hymnals.)

1: So did you hear about Bobby and Susy?
2: No, what?
1: They’re engaged.
2: (grimacing) …Really? I didn’t know they liked each other that much.
1: Tell me about it.
2: That’s like the 6th couple to get engaged, and the school year hasn’t even started.
1: (agreeing) Yeah. It’s like an epidemic already.

3: Proverbs 18, Verses 7-12. A fool’s mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

1: Are you talking to me?
3: No this is the reading for today
2: (whispered to 1) You always think its about you

3: The words of a gossip are like choice morsels: they go down to a man’s inmost parts.

2: Hey whats the big idea!
1: yeah why are you talking down on us?
3: I’m not, its what the reading says, you can see for yourself.
1 and 2 walk up to the lecturn

1: Huh, he’s(she’s) right.
2: Sorry about interrupting
3: No problem, these proverbs are really depressing….you know what lets see what the other reading is

3: Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same intention (for whoever has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin), so as to live for the rest of your earthly life no longer by human desires but by the will of God. You have already spent enough time in doing what the Gentiles like to do, living in licentiousness, passions, drunkenness, revels, carousing, and lawless idolatry.

2: That wasn’t much better.
1: I’m confused… licentiousness? License…lice….why is he talking about lice?
2: No that’s not what he’s saying here, the NIV reads “For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.”
1: Drunkeness? But valpo is a dry campus

3: I think you’re both missing the point. Christ suffered in the flesh for our sins, and we are to imitate Christ, for whoever suffers in the flesh ceases to sin. We are to cease to live for our Earthly passions and desires—for the flesh—and to now live for the will of God.
2: But what does that have to do with snares and morsels and a city?
1: What?
2: From the first reading!
1: There was more than one?

3 sensing a dead end
3: Yes there were two readings, one from proverbs, and one from 1 Peter entitled in my Bible ‘Stewards of God’s Grace”. Hmm, interesting…

3 stares off into space thinking
1: I think he’s left us
1 pokes 3 lightly
2: Oh stop it. Why do you always have to be so stupid!
1: Why do you always think being wealthy makes you so smart.
2: Its not my fault that being worth millions allows me to go to the best schools

3: (exclaiming excitedly) I got it!!
1 and 2 jump in shock as 3 runs to the lecturn

3: (reading) The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall.
Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.

3: (to 1 and 2) Get it?

1: No
2: not at all

3: (excitedly) Good stewards, wealth, city, humility, love, grace glory!

1 slaps 3 and shakes him
1: Snap out of it man!

3 dislodges him self disgruntedly
3: The second reading ends with: “Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

2: Still don’t get it.
3: Ok the proverb talks all about how foolishness leads to destruction, and how righteousness leads to honor, and in the proverb the foolishness is always the misuse of something whether money or time, or words.
1: Ok, so what does that have to do with what you just read?

3: The passage in 1 Peter is talking all about stewardship, about the proper use of the gifts which God has given us. The proper use of our love
1: to cover a multitude of sins
3: the proper use of material wealth
2: be hospitable
3: the proper use of our words
1: to speak the words of God
2: and the proper use of his grace
3: to Glorify him through Jesus Christ.

3: We are called to be Good stewards of God’s Grace, to be good stewards of all his gifts, to use them for his will, his purpose and his Glory. Not our own.

1: We live “so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

3: Thanks be to God.

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