Dealing With Our Idols

1. Today’s ServiceToday’s Service Sunday, 6.24.18Sunday, 6.24.18

3. GoldenCalf,
byScottErickson

4. Artemis(Greek)
goddessofthehunt/fertility

5. OdeoninEphesus
Acts19:23-41

6. A Prayer For The People of God
Triune God,
Keeper of our lives,
you know the hardness and gentleness of human hearts.
You call your people to faithful living.
Through the storms of life
that bring suffering and fear, joy and laughter,
teach us to turn to you for all we need,
so that we may come to know your presence
even in the midst of the trials that surround us.
Amen.

7. Today’s ServiceToday’s Service Sunday, 6.24.18Sunday, 6.24.18

8. Mark 10:17-20
As Jesus continued down the road, a man ran
up, knelt before him, and asked, “Good Teacher,
what must I do to obtain eternal life*?”
Jesus replied, “Why do you call me good?
No one is good except the one God. You know
the commandments: Don’t commit murder.
Don’t commit adultery. Don’t steal. Don’t give
false testimony. Don’t cheat*. Honor your
father and mother.” “Teacher,” he responded,
“I’ve kept all of these things since I was a boy.”

9. Mark 10:21-23
Jesus looked at him carefully and loved him.*
He said, “You are lacking one thing. Go, sell
what you own, and give the money to the poor.
Then you will have treasure in heaven.
And come, follow me.” But the man was
dismayed at this statement and went away
saddened, because he had many possessions.
Looking around, Jesus said to his disciples,
“It will be very hard for the wealthy to
enter God’s kingdom!”

10. Mark 10:24-27
His words startled the disciples, so Jesus told
them again, “Children, it’s difficult to enter
God’s kingdom! It’s easier for a camel to
squeeze through the eye of a needle* than
for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom.”
They were shocked even more and said to
each other, “Then who can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them carefully and said,
“It’s impossible with human beings, but not
with God. All things are possible for God.”

11. Mark 10:28-31
Peter said to him, “Look, we’ve left everything
and followed you.” Jesus said, “I assure you that
anyone who has left house, brothers, sisters,
mother, father, children, or farms because of
me and because of the good news will receive
one hundred times as much now in this life—
houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children,
and farms (with harassment)—and life in
the age to come. But many who are first will
be last. And many who are last will be first.”

12. Dealing With Our Idols

13. Dealing With Our Idols
1. ACKNOWLEDGE THEY EXIST
Modern idols are largely the same as
ancient ones, they just look different
* Money
* Power
* Sex
* Fame
* Nationalism
* Security

14. Dealing With Our Idols
1. ACKNOWLEDGE THEY EXIST
Money Power Sex
Fame Nationalism Security

15. Dealing With Our Idols
1. ACKNOWLEDGE THEY EXIST
Questions to help identify potential idols:
Does the idea of giving it up/losing it:
* Make you anxious?
* Make you angry?
* Make you sad?
* Make you violent?
* Seem impossible?
* And: does challenging it make you
defensive, to justify it somehow?

16. Dealing With Our Idols
1. ACKNOWLEDGE THEY EXIST
SecurityNationalism

17. Dealing With Our Idols
1. ACKNOWLEDGE THEY EXIST

18. Dealing With Our Idols
2. REPENT FROM WORSHIPPING THEM
Requires change of heart/mind/body,
and potentially acts of restorative justice
* Less about feeling than action
* Helping those you’ve harmed,
directly or indirectly
1. ACKNOWLEDGE THEY EXIST
Modern idols are largely the same as
ancient ones, they just look different…

19. Dealing With Our Idols
2. REPENT FROM WORSHIPPING THEM
Requires change of heart/mind/body,
and potentially acts of restorative justice
3. FAITHFULLY FOLLOW JESUS
Means full, exclusive allegiance to him,
before/above all else, no matter what…
1. ACKNOWLEDGE THEY EXIST
Modern idols are largely the same as
ancient ones, they just look different…

20. Dealing With Our Idols
There are Christ-like perspectives,
and there are American perspectives;
the one does not equal the other.
Always choose the former over the
idolatry of the latter. ALWAYS.
SecurityNationalism Power

21. Dealing With Our Idols
““Sometimes being a good ChristianSometimes being a good Christian
means being a bad American.”means being a bad American.”
- Pastor Steve Patton- Pastor Steve Patton

22. A Prayer For The People of God
Creator God,
you call us to love and serve you
with body, mind, and spirit through loving your creation
and all of humanity as our neighbors.
Open our hearts in compassion
to the needs of the church and the world,
and give us courage to let go of our idols
that we may receive all you have for us,
and freely give to those in need, even at our expense.
Amen.

23. Mark 12
Hear, O Israel:
the Lord our God, the Lord is one;
you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with all your mind,
and with all your strength.’
And, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
There is no other commandment
greater than these.