Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

This past week I did a lot of thinking.

I got a little nostalgic and I dreamed about the future, our future.

I spent the week dreaming, visioning, praying, crying and getting excited.

Read and Pray

No Greek word for “Fellow” or “Man”.

I have preached on these parables as they are printed in Mathews Gospel before.

I broke down each parable and told you that each story is an example of Grace.

God searching: Prevenient, Jesus making a sacrifice to get the one lost: Justifying Grace, and also there is a third one that I attributed to Sanctifying Grace and how we were once lost but God not only found us but made us whole.

But now I want to talk about another aspect of these parables.

There are two points that I want you to see here.

He eats with Sinners

There are many times where we see Jesus and we see food.

He has been eating with someone now for three sermons.

List them.

But lets not forget feeding the Four Thousand and Five Thousand.

1) People like Food.

Meetings go better when there is food.

Conversations flow when there is food.

It is hard to think when you are hungry.

Having and Sharing A MEAL is probably one of the greatest hospitality gifts you can give.

From the mint on the pillows in a hotel room to a welcome dinner to new neighbors.

Things are made easier when there is a meal to share.

Holidays are celebrated with food!

2) After each of these parables, a celebration ensues with a banquet!

“Rejoice with me!”

Food is served but also fellowship happens.

To laugh, to have conversation, to tell stories.

To make connections,

To learn about each other.

Food and Fellowship go hand in hand.

Talk a little about the mission and vision of the Bridge.

The Early Church took the lesson of Jesus eating with anyone and turned it into the Love Feast.

Eucharist in the mornings, just for members of the body of Christ, and a meal open to all in the evening once a week.

If we are to be like Jesus, how do we eat with sinners?

Rejoice when we find what is lost?

Fellowship?

Invite outsiders to fellowship with us?

Early Church Eucharist in the mornings, Love Feast in the evenings.

Dorton: We have meals occasionally, times of fellowship.

What if we had a Fellowship Meal monthly?

And advertised it for anyone to come if they wanted and no donation necessary?

What else could we do?

Maybe if we met outside the walls of our church?

What if we did a breakfast meeting somewhere, maybe even weekly to do a bible study.

Even if it was a small number of us.

Just to be visible to community as Dorton church outside the Walls?

What if we clean up camp Ozone one day with our Dorton Shirts on, newspaper clipping, just so people will see that we exist and our active!

PASS OUT Survey, schedule Church Council to talk about results.

WHAT IS OUR VISION?

Homestead: Love Feast Idea.

Lay led, testimonies with food that was provided not just by our Church Life Team but anyone who wanted to, simple table-side discipleship opportunities.

How about we have a prayer chapel where the library is now before service?

So we can be like the early church?

Love Feast open to all Sunday Evenings?

There are other opportunities that we already have and there is more that maybe you think we ought to do.

So what is it?

WHAT MORE CAN WE DO?

Move into Communion.

Jesus’ final meal was only with his closest of Friends and Confidants.