The Feedback Loop! Year A in Review

Welcome back to the MTH Feedback Loop, a bonus episode where Molly and David talk about some of the multiple intelligence illustrations and special effects from previous More Than Hearing episodes that we have actually used in worship and how they turned out. For the most part, pretty well! We have discovered that if you are going to use these tools, especially the special effects, it helps if you are fully committed to them. This not only engages you and thereby your congregation, but if it should happen that the effect doesn’t fully connect with your people, they will allow its presence in the worship service because YOU are connected to it. It’s kinda like going along with the adorable toddler who hands you a “cookie” made of clay and you pretend to “eat” it because the child is so convinced the gift is what they say it is. Your congregation will go down the path with you for the sake of your relationship. Who knows; getting them to take a step with you into this strange thing you are doing may just introduce them to something God wants to show them that remaining safely seated would have prevented. Here is a by-no-means exhaustive list of illustrations and special effects we’ve used. We hope you have tried one or two of these or are inspired to give one or two a try. Let us know how it goes!   The List of Stuff SMART WEEK TEXT TYPE Description WORD (04:36)         MWD AOrd5x2017 1 Corinthians 2: 1-12, (13-16) Illustration Patty Roberts’ gift of tongues, acting as a translator for the church and the community. Wish AEaster3x2017 Luke24:13-35 SFX A Haiku​: Bread broken slowly. What is shattered knits wholeness. Recognize him now? ~ Bob Eldan​, PreachingTip D2 AOrd12x2017 Romans 6:1b-11 Illustration Game of Thrones Iron Islands’ baptism; “What’s dead can never die.” fearless MWD AOrd16x2017 Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 Illustration Aleksander Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago​ EYE (08:50) MWD AOrd3x2017 Matthew 4:12-23 Illustration LOTS of maps re: Naphtali and Zebulun D2 ABaptx2017 Isaiah 42 SFX use trick birthday candle ==> a dimly burning wick he will not quench D2 AOrd26x2017 Philippians​ ​2:1-13 SFX tornado tube!! (worked really well, imo) MWD AOrd29x2017 Matthew 22 SFX Demonstrate how Caesar’s domain resides inside God’s by starting with an embroidery hoop with cloth or paper stretched over it labeled “Caesar” and talk about what things “belong” to Caesar/the state. Then, pick up a hoola hoop with fabric or paper stretched over it labelled “God’s” and talk about what belongs there. Funny, “Caesar” fits inside it! non-show 29 October 2017 SFX lighting talcum powder on fire MATH (16:15) D2 AOrd4x2017 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 Illustration / SFX The cross considered a negative but Paul argues it is positive and resides fully in God’s intentions. It stands alone with no other “thing” to contrast it. [This thought is developed more in later chapters, it is introduced here.] • Perhaps in the act of redemption, God takes the absolute value of things, so that what was negative becomes positive, and what was positive is positive, too. SFX: graph | -x | = x D2 AOrd17x2017 Romans 8 SFX boxes labelled with things that separate covered with the love of God in Christ MWD AOrd17x2017 Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 Illustration the math of how much “three measures” of flour actually makes. Hint: a lot. D2 AOrd24x2017 Romans​ ​14:1-12 SFX Venn diagrams of people who eat and those who abstain and all surrounded by “Christ died for these”. BODY (21:02) D2 AOrd2x2017 Isaiah 49 Illustration The servant is like a trick play that a coach prepares all season but only uses in the Super Bowl; or like a wrestler’s secret move that is finally introduced in the championship round; or a chef who buys a Henckels Pro S knife and always keeps it in the block until preparing a banquet for her daughter’s wedding (or something great) BOTH AOrd14x2017 Matthew 11 SFX Have a wheelbarrow’s worth of big, heavy rocks (or equivalent) in a box or on a tarp in the sanctuary. Invite a volunteer to try to move them across the floor. Next, attach a harness (rope? leather? webbed straps? etc.) to the load and the volunteer. Theory suggests this should make it easier to move the load. Point being, if you have to drag the load any way, having a yoke might make it easier and lighter. MWD AOrd19x2017 Matthew 14:22-33 Illustration ​Coach challenging Brock to do the death crawl in ​”Facing the Giants”. BOTH AOrd22x2017 Matthew​ ​16:21-28 Illustration / SFX Sunday’s​ ​Coming​​ ​blog entry​ ​for​ ​this​ ​week: “The​ ​body​ ​arcs​ ​away”​ ​by Amy​ ​Ziettlow. renverse SFX: attempt renversé MWD AOrd27x2017 Matthew​ ​21:33-46 Illustration Toddler Brain!! MUSIC (30:13) Wish AEaster4x2017 Acts 2:42-47 Illustration / SFX The events at Pentecost in Acts is a remix of God’s promise to Israel that they will be witnesses to God’s glory to the nations. It’s the same promise – but it’s got a new sound! Google remix and spend a few hours listening to how an old song can be altered by a remix. MWD AOrd30x2017 Matthew 22:34-46 Illustration Sermon title “The Greatest” referenced a State Farm commercial that uses the song “Believe it or Not” from The Greatest American Hero NATURE (34:07) D2 ALent1x2017 Romans 5:12-19 Illustration After Beverly Gaventa: We think of sin as a raccoon getting into the garbage, but for Paul it is Godzilla crashing through Tokyo. So your .22 rifle won’t be adequate, and neither will “trying to be good.” You’re going to need Ultraman or a Jaeger. MWD ALent5x2017 John 11:1-45 Illustration Vss. 9-10 John again uses light and dark as metaphors for the decision people have made about Jesus – their orientation toward him. To illustrate this, show how plants turn toward the light – heliotropism. MWD AOrd22x2017 Exodus​ ​3:1-15 Illustration God​ ​lures​ ​Moses​ ​in​ ​like​ ​a Venus​ ​fly​ ​trap​​ ​or​ ​an angler​ ​fish​​ (​ or​ ​some​ ​other baiting​ ​critter)​ a​lthough with​ ​more​ ​generous intent. BOTH AOrd28x2017 Philippians 4 Illustration Vss. 4-5 — Rejoice… the Lord is near! During the recent total solar eclipse, in the last few moments before totality, the visible sliver of sun was disappearing fast. Just before the diamond ring effect, everyone started cheering – everywhere – in every video you see from across the country. There is immense joy just before the appearance of totality, the long-awaited effect. PEOPLE (39:10) Wish AAdv2x2016 Isaiah 11 SFX Vss. 6-8 Make masks / masks of the different animals and have members/children play-act the second paragraph; as the passage is read, the pairs come from different sides of the chancel, acting “animally,” then meeting as friends in the middle; group hug! (You could include the stump of Jesse and the shoot, too) D2 ALent1x2017 Matthew 4 Illustration / SFX Do an interview with Jesus, asking what it was like in the wilderness for this trial. Perhaps make it like a sideline interview from a football game, only with somewhat more in-depth and sophisticated answers. MWD AOrd3x2017 Matthew 4:12-23 Illustration This passage gave Molly the sermon title “Kingdom, Come On!” D2 AOrd25x2017 Exodus​ ​16:2-15 Illustration Bill 3 and Mitch eating things while golfing “What is it?” SELF (45:46) MWD AOrd18x2017 Genesis 32 Illustration what names do you go by? sfx- write them down and imagine Jesus writing his hame over the top BOTH AOrd25x2017 Philippians​ ​1:21-30 Illustration “The Vietnam War”; desire for soldiers under command “Lord, let it be me” WHAT?!?! MWD AOrd28x2017 Exodus​ ​32:1-14 Illustration Moses responds to God’s anger at the Hebrews and reminds God to stick with the promise made. MWD AOrd29x2017 Matthew​ ​22:15-22 Illustration Debi Thomas: “…if​ ​I​ ​really​ ​belong​ ​to God,​ ​if​ ​I​ ​really​ ​am fashioned​ ​in​ ​God’s​ ​image, then​ ​I​ ​need​ ​to​ ​practice​ ​my faith​ ​and​ ​my​ ​politics​ ​in ways that reflect that image….”   Join the Loop! Let us know how these multiple intelligence ideas are working for you! Leave us a comment below or send us an email at [email protected] telling us what went well, what missed, and what you came up with on your own. Maybe we’ll even include it in a future episode!