Element Christian Church
Week 1: Parables - Intro: Aggadah Kingdom Stories
Locations & Times
Element Christian Church
4890 Bethany Ln, Santa Maria, CA 93455, USA
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 10:45 AM
Welcome to Element
We strive to ensure the biggest thing people think when they hear about Element is Jesus! We are a Gospel centered community who finds our identity in Jesus.
Night of Prayer and Worship
We want to invite you into a space where we can intentionally gather to commune with God and worship His greatness together through song, prayer, time of reflection and praise. Please join us to gather, be reminded of how great our God is, and maybe even share how He has been working in your heart and life.
Friday, September 20th at 6pm
Friday, September 20th at 6pm
Box Car and Box Horse Prep Day
With the parade for Los Alamos Days and our annual Drive-In Movie Night coming, we would love to have everyone get together to create our cars, or horses that you want for the parade. Element will have some boxes, paint, stickers, etc for you to come and build your mode of transportation! Join us from 12:30-2:30! Bring your creative minds and your lunch!
Drive-In Movie Night
Let's kick-off our Fall season with our Annual Family Drive-In Movie Night! So, start being creative in making your family style car(s) for this FUN event for the whole family! Mark your calendars for Friday, September 27th @ 6:00 pm and invite your neighbors, work/personal friends, and/or other family members to come and enjoy Despicable Me 4!
We will have a concession stand serving free popcorn & bottled water, plus we will have snacks, candy, and juice boxes for purchase. If you are bringing dinner for your family, please make sure it is nut-free. Doors open at 5:45 pm, and the movie will start promptly at 6:15 pm.
We will have a concession stand serving free popcorn & bottled water, plus we will have snacks, candy, and juice boxes for purchase. If you are bringing dinner for your family, please make sure it is nut-free. Doors open at 5:45 pm, and the movie will start promptly at 6:15 pm.
Los Alamos Old Days Help
Our hope is to bless the community of Los Alamos during our Service in the Park on September 29th, but we need your help to make it happen. Please see the link below for different areas you can help in.
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/804945Surviving the Holidays
We know the holidays can be an especially difficult time in the wake of grief. Element will be offering a "Surviving the Holidays" event sponsored by our Griefshare ministry on Sunday, November 3rd, from 2-4 PM in the Barn. This event will feature a video and discussion covering practical tips for navigating the holiday season while grieving the loss of a loved one. We invite you, or anyone you may know, to this event to receive support for the upcoming season.
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/805791The Weekender
The Weekender is a 2 day course that dives deeper into our who we are, the theology behind our practices, and foundational knowledge for what it means to be a Christian. Save the date for October 4th and 5th for our next course.
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/737047Women's Bible Study
Fall Study begins Tuesday, October 1st at 6:30pm in the Barn. We will be studying through the book of Mark using Tara-Leigh Cobbles book, Knowing Jesus as Servant.
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/804769Missions Newletter Update
Get the latest on the various local and global ministries Element helps support.
https://ourelement.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024_Spring_MissionsUpdate.pdfStart serving at Element
If you are looking for a way to meet more people at Element or feel more connected, one of the easiest ways is to start serving. From once a month for 15 minutes, to helping in our classrooms for a longer time, we have needs to fit your gifts.
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/395779Download the Church Center App
Stay in the loop with Element's calendar of events, group sign ups, online giving, and other links all in one app!
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/setupThis week's song list
Interested in looking for some of the songs we sang this week? Here's the titles and original artists:
My Glorious - Delirious
All Bow Down - Chris Tomlin
Messiah / You're Beautiful - Phil Wickham
Revelation Song - Kari Jobe
Our God - Chris Tomlin
Your Love Never Fails - Jesus Culture
My Glorious - Delirious
All Bow Down - Chris Tomlin
Messiah / You're Beautiful - Phil Wickham
Revelation Song - Kari Jobe
Our God - Chris Tomlin
Your Love Never Fails - Jesus Culture
Parables
Week 1 - Intro: Aggadah Kingdom Stories
Jesus didn’t teach in parables because He couldn’t figure out a better way to preach. These narrative form illustrations and stories have been used by rabbis for ages. The Jews called storytelling used to illustrate a message AGGADAH; it was creating word pictures to bring a deeper understanding of God and the world. Aggadah, to the Hebrews, were known as parables to the Greeks. Even a short statement by Jesus [“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin…” (Luke 12:27)] was considered Aggadah.
Week 1 - Intro: Aggadah Kingdom Stories
Jesus didn’t teach in parables because He couldn’t figure out a better way to preach. These narrative form illustrations and stories have been used by rabbis for ages. The Jews called storytelling used to illustrate a message AGGADAH; it was creating word pictures to bring a deeper understanding of God and the world. Aggadah, to the Hebrews, were known as parables to the Greeks. Even a short statement by Jesus [“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin…” (Luke 12:27)] was considered Aggadah.
SERMON NOTES
Much of what most people assume about the parables is wrong.
Rabbis would help people to understand the character of God better by using parables. When the disciples didn’t understand parables, Jesus explained them to them (usually in private). Misunderstanding what the Bible says can lead to bad theology, and therefore, practices that miss the mark of what God intends. The parables are meant to help grow our understanding of God so that our view of Him continually expands.
The concept of God’s Kingdom here and now is the most important one that Jesus ever preached about. If we think of God’s Kingdom as only a future event, we are tempted to think that our lives here and now don’t matter. The parables were a way of seeing that every day and everything can speak to the nature of our life in the Kingdom of God.
Wedding Guests and The Bridegroom – Read Matthew 9:14-17
The wedding speaks of Jesus’ redemptive mission, to save, redeem, and restore His people. That mission should bring joy. But to accomplish the task, there will be sorrow; in the Greek text, the word “IS” is written in a way that portends death. …it means when the bridegroom is taken from them He will die.
Old and New Wine
Jesus, in speaking about old wine, is clearly talking about ancient Jewish faith and practices. John the Baptist’s disciples and the Pharisees had “new fast days” and were encouraging people to identify with their movement rather than the God behind the movement (this is why many today are disillusioned with Christianity). Jesus says you must return to what is best…God’s salvation of you! Christianity is what Judaism was meant to become and had been pointing to all along. Jesus is saying God wants FRESH wineskins for His new covenant with them, the covenant found in Jesus. Jesus desires to make us into new wineskins, a revitalized, regenerated, and restored people enjoying the fulfillment of the best old wine.
Much of what most people assume about the parables is wrong.
Rabbis would help people to understand the character of God better by using parables. When the disciples didn’t understand parables, Jesus explained them to them (usually in private). Misunderstanding what the Bible says can lead to bad theology, and therefore, practices that miss the mark of what God intends. The parables are meant to help grow our understanding of God so that our view of Him continually expands.
The concept of God’s Kingdom here and now is the most important one that Jesus ever preached about. If we think of God’s Kingdom as only a future event, we are tempted to think that our lives here and now don’t matter. The parables were a way of seeing that every day and everything can speak to the nature of our life in the Kingdom of God.
Wedding Guests and The Bridegroom – Read Matthew 9:14-17
The wedding speaks of Jesus’ redemptive mission, to save, redeem, and restore His people. That mission should bring joy. But to accomplish the task, there will be sorrow; in the Greek text, the word “IS” is written in a way that portends death. …it means when the bridegroom is taken from them He will die.
Old and New Wine
Jesus, in speaking about old wine, is clearly talking about ancient Jewish faith and practices. John the Baptist’s disciples and the Pharisees had “new fast days” and were encouraging people to identify with their movement rather than the God behind the movement (this is why many today are disillusioned with Christianity). Jesus says you must return to what is best…God’s salvation of you! Christianity is what Judaism was meant to become and had been pointing to all along. Jesus is saying God wants FRESH wineskins for His new covenant with them, the covenant found in Jesus. Jesus desires to make us into new wineskins, a revitalized, regenerated, and restored people enjoying the fulfillment of the best old wine.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Share a memorable story or analogy that helped you understand a complex concept. How did the story make the idea more accessible?
Understanding:
Why do you think Jesus chose to use stories from everyday life to teach spiritual truths?
How might parables have different impacts on believers and non-believers?
What does it mean that we are the new wineskins?
Application:
In what ways can Jesus’ use of parables inform how we communicate our faith to others?
Next Steps:
Practice explaining a Biblical concept using a modern-day analogy or story. Do this on your own or have your Gospel Community come up with one together. Share it with a friend or family member this week.
Missional Living:
In what ways can we use relatable examples from our own lives to illustrate God’s truths to those around us?
Finally, what did this parable leave you to think about?
Share a memorable story or analogy that helped you understand a complex concept. How did the story make the idea more accessible?
Understanding:
Why do you think Jesus chose to use stories from everyday life to teach spiritual truths?
How might parables have different impacts on believers and non-believers?
What does it mean that we are the new wineskins?
Application:
In what ways can Jesus’ use of parables inform how we communicate our faith to others?
Next Steps:
Practice explaining a Biblical concept using a modern-day analogy or story. Do this on your own or have your Gospel Community come up with one together. Share it with a friend or family member this week.
Missional Living:
In what ways can we use relatable examples from our own lives to illustrate God’s truths to those around us?
Finally, what did this parable leave you to think about?