Year B, Easter 7 and The Ascension, 2018 – Going Up?

Greetings!! We decided to do a show that’s just a bit different this week. We are using only one passage for Easter 7 and adding to the show the Acts passage assigned for the Ascension. These passages are the assigned readings for Easter 7, Year A which was almost a year ago, so if this all sounds a bit familiar, that’s likely why! We managed to find fresh illustrations and special effects, though. Obviously, the Spirit was at work, bringing new ideas to mind – or we just simply forgot what we did last year. A little from column A and column B, perhaps. At any rate, we are grateful to the movement of the Spirit every time we set to work on this project. We pray the Spirit will inspire your creativity and imagination, as well! Let’s go discover what we might be able to do together with these verses.    This week’s texts are:   John 17:6-19 [01:59] We’re starting out with EYE smart informed by commentary linked below. Jesus has mirrored the Father’s image to his disciples; now, he expects them to mirror his image to the world. So, what better illustration AND special effect than a mirror? Play with this idea and see where it may lead you. Jesus is aware that those for whom he is praying have been given to him by God and that anyone who comes later will be added by that same grace. This got us to thinking about how water droplets accumulate until they don’t and the expanding geometry of concentric circles for MATH smart. Going back to the mirror, try playing a drama game for a BODY smart special effect. In NATURE smart, Jesus exhibits the qualities of a parent in nature that must go out and hunt or forage leaving young’uns behind. We wonder, do animals pray for protection for their offspring? And in PEOPLE smart, we look at a couple ways this prayer functions; Jesus prays for protection for his disciples and acts as High Priest, bridging the gap between them and God. Smarts – Eye [04:04], Math [06:34], Body [08:46], Nature [09:32], People [10:10] John 17 worksheet Links in John EYE smart – commentary by Meda Stamper, Working Preacher Got any old wall sconces with reflectors? MATH smart – the geometry of concentric circles a very scholarly article on the calculus of enlarging a water drop How many drops of water fit on a penny? BODY smart – Play Mirror!   Acts 1:1-11 [12:01] The ascension of Jesus is a hinge connecting the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. It finishes the story of Jesus on earth and begins the story of Jesus’ disciples stepping into the role he assigned for them – to bring the Good News to the ends of the earth. Demonstrate this hinge effect with a special effect like the one we suggest. We also have links that show things going up. For MATH smart, we looked at verse seven, where the disciples reveal their location in time and place. We sometimes scoff at their shortsightedness, but are they really being narrow minded or simply applying the awe of resurrection to real life? This made me think of algebra and using mathematical formulae for everyday situations. David had an interesting way to use MUSIC smart as this passage is read. And in SELF smart, maybe we can find ways to put the time until God brings the fulfillment of all things to good use for the kingdom. Smarts – Eye [14:07], Math [16:37], Music [18:52], Self [20:44] Acts 1 worksheet Links in Acts EYE smart – commentary by  Bob Deffinbaugh, Bible dot org How fast did Jesus ascend? Maybe like a balloon? Or a balloon Or like Neo ascension in The Matrix or Neo ascension in The Matrix Reloaded MATH smart – commentary by Coleman Baker, Working Preacher MUSIC smart – Some musical options from The African American Lectionary SELF smart – commentary by  Frank Crouch, Working Preacher   Bonus Feedback Loop! [22:22] Overview   Image Credit: Photo by Andrew Spencer on Unsplash. Used by permission.