Element Christian Church
Week 10: Feasts and Wealth
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.
Pre-Thanksgiving Community Dinner
Join us at the Los Alamos Men's Club on Sunday, November 24th at 4pm. Element is providing tri-tip sandwiches, bacon fried rice, salad, as well as hot dogs for your littles. We are hoping you can help by bringing a drink or dessert to share!
Volunteering for Los Alamos Community Dinner
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/850706Reaction Goes to the Movies
All 6thh-8th grade students are invited to head to the movies on Saturday, November 23rd to see Code Red. Details at link-
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/849434Coffee with a Cop
Element was invited by the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department to host an event to help connect both our local church and law enforcement. Coffee a la Cart will be on site selling their yummy drinks and treats and our local law enforcement officers will be here as well. We will have some lawn games out and just enjoy connecting as a community. This is a wonderful, family friendly event that we’d love for you to invite people to. The event will be Saturday, November 30th from 10a-12p
High School Rockin Roller Skating Night
Sunday, December 1st. See details at link below
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/791973Christmas with the Classics
An invite to all who are aged 60+ for an afternoon of fun, friends, and Christmas cheer! Sunday, December 8th. See full details at link below.
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/815950Fall Missions Update
Our Fall issue of our quarterly Missions Update is now available
https://ourelement.org/downloads/2024/2024_4_Fall_MissionsUpdate.pdfSubscribe to Email Update
Get a recap of all the important dates and information we think you want to know every Wednesday.
https://ourelement.org/contact-us/Start 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:
Rock of Ages - The Modern Post
Praise the Lord Ye Heavens - Young Oceans
Jesus Paid It All - Passion
Goodness of God - One Sonic Society
The Blood - Kingdom Culture Worship
This is Amazing Grace - Bethel Music
Rock of Ages - The Modern Post
Praise the Lord Ye Heavens - Young Oceans
Jesus Paid It All - Passion
Goodness of God - One Sonic Society
The Blood - Kingdom Culture Worship
This is Amazing Grace - Bethel Music
Parables
Week 10 - Feasts and Wealth
An important factor in the context of today’s parable was Jesus’ growing popularity and influence, which made certain religious leaders jealous. Jesus was invited to dinner at a religious leader’s home on the Sabbath and put to a test: a crippled man was brought to Jesus—would He heal him on the holy day of rest? Jesus heals the man (and before they can get too offended) launches into a parable about a party and how people jockey for the best position rather than live in humility.
Week 10 - Feasts and Wealth
An important factor in the context of today’s parable was Jesus’ growing popularity and influence, which made certain religious leaders jealous. Jesus was invited to dinner at a religious leader’s home on the Sabbath and put to a test: a crippled man was brought to Jesus—would He heal him on the holy day of rest? Jesus heals the man (and before they can get too offended) launches into a parable about a party and how people jockey for the best position rather than live in humility.
Most people see the Kingdom of God as a constraining set of rules. Heaven itself is either seen as the pleasure factory, where we get everything we want, or as some sort of eternal choir practice. Jesus tells this parable to show what God’s Kingdom is like—a party! In the book of Revelation, we see a picture of heaven as a big wedding feast.
The point of the parable – Be humble. None of us deserve the high place at God’s table. (We don’t even deserve to be at the table.) The Gospel reminds us that Jesus, who did deserve the high place, took the low place for us. He took our place on the cross, suffering the penalty for our sin. He took the low place and offers us His place at God’s table in exchange. To step into that high place must come in humility.
We don’t want to live by the law of reciprocity. Why were we accepted at God’s table? Because Jesus came to earth to rescue us. Jesus is attacking the idea of reciprocity. The most fundamental tenet of the Gospel is that you and I owed a debt we could never pay. God had to give us His grace entirely as a gift that cost the life of Jesus…and He did that gladly. Our ideas of reciprocity should be shattered and we should instead invest our lives in others because God first invested in us.
If your life were depicted as a party, who would be the “invited guests”? Too many of us are trying to live for ourselves with an occasional tip to God. Instead, we are to be pouring ourselves out and see how can God bless others through us along the way.
Do you practice Biblical “hospitality”? The word “hospitality” in the Bible means “to welcome the stranger.” Hospitality is when, in addition to your friends, you invite others to hang out with you and your community so that they, too, start to become friends. WHY would we do this? Because Christ has been generous to us.
The point of the parable – Be humble. None of us deserve the high place at God’s table. (We don’t even deserve to be at the table.) The Gospel reminds us that Jesus, who did deserve the high place, took the low place for us. He took our place on the cross, suffering the penalty for our sin. He took the low place and offers us His place at God’s table in exchange. To step into that high place must come in humility.
We don’t want to live by the law of reciprocity. Why were we accepted at God’s table? Because Jesus came to earth to rescue us. Jesus is attacking the idea of reciprocity. The most fundamental tenet of the Gospel is that you and I owed a debt we could never pay. God had to give us His grace entirely as a gift that cost the life of Jesus…and He did that gladly. Our ideas of reciprocity should be shattered and we should instead invest our lives in others because God first invested in us.
If your life were depicted as a party, who would be the “invited guests”? Too many of us are trying to live for ourselves with an occasional tip to God. Instead, we are to be pouring ourselves out and see how can God bless others through us along the way.
Do you practice Biblical “hospitality”? The word “hospitality” in the Bible means “to welcome the stranger.” Hospitality is when, in addition to your friends, you invite others to hang out with you and your community so that they, too, start to become friends. WHY would we do this? Because Christ has been generous to us.
Los Alamos Dinner Conversations
This document is to aide in creating meaningful conversations with our guests while in Los Alamos
https://ourelement.org/downloads/2024/2024_LA_conversation_training_document.pdfDiscussion Questions:
Describe the best party you’ve ever been to. What made it memorable?
What the Text Says:
According to Jesus, who should we invite to our feasts and why?
Understanding:
Why might Jesus’ advice about inviting the poor and disabled have been considered “economic suicide” in that culture?
Application:
How can we practice humility in our daily lives, especially in social or professional settings?
In what ways might you be living by the “law of reciprocity” that Jesus challenges in this parable?
Next Steps:
Think about your resources (home, skills, time, money, etc.). How could you use one of these this week to serve someone who can’t “repay” you?
Are there any ways your definition of “hospitality” has been more informed by the world and less by the Gospel? How so?
Missional Living:
In what ways can your friendship community better embody the kind of generosity and inclusivity Jesus describes?
How can your community help one another practice Godly (or Biblical) hospitality?
Finally, what did this parable leave you to think about?
Describe the best party you’ve ever been to. What made it memorable?
What the Text Says:
According to Jesus, who should we invite to our feasts and why?
Understanding:
Why might Jesus’ advice about inviting the poor and disabled have been considered “economic suicide” in that culture?
Application:
How can we practice humility in our daily lives, especially in social or professional settings?
In what ways might you be living by the “law of reciprocity” that Jesus challenges in this parable?
Next Steps:
Think about your resources (home, skills, time, money, etc.). How could you use one of these this week to serve someone who can’t “repay” you?
Are there any ways your definition of “hospitality” has been more informed by the world and less by the Gospel? How so?
Missional Living:
In what ways can your friendship community better embody the kind of generosity and inclusivity Jesus describes?
How can your community help one another practice Godly (or Biblical) hospitality?
Finally, what did this parable leave you to think about?