"Fake Jesus"
An introduction from Father Steve:
I'm going to try something new...
I have an archive of Life Teen materials that I would like to use with our group, but it is difficult (obviously) to try and gather in large numbers right now. So, I decided to try and deliver this series to you virtually using "Flocknote".
I will use the next five weeks to send you the content for this series titled: "Censored". This series of talks centers around the person of Jesus: who He truly is, not just who we THINK He is.
Unfortunately, we tend to soften the true image of Jesus; He would pretty much go for whatever we do; let people just "be themselves"; just "love them who they are". And although there is some truth is some of these statements, the reality of WHO Jesus truly is goes far deeper, and is far more challenging than we may think.
"Censored" will challenge our vision of the Person of Christ, and at the same time allow us to come to know Him better than ever before.
About This Series
Our culture has a particular perception of Jesus. Some people see Jesus as judgmental and condemning. Others see Jesus as all-loving and permissive. Still others see Jesus as a character from a fairytale and others simply as a historical figure, but not God. The image of Jesus we have may fit into one of these categories, or may be something completely different.
Jesus is the full revelation of God, so when we look at all that Jesus said and did, we get a beautiful, more fuller picture of who God is. There are some things, however, that we shy away from when we talk about Jesus. They are the parts of His life that make us uncomfortable, and so we dull or remove the image, and lose a bit of the truth behind who Jesus is. This is where we tend to "censor" our image of Jesus.
When we start to ignore or censor these parts of who Jesus was, we create a “fake Jesus.” If Jesus is God’s full revelation, it is vitally important that we do the best we can to fully understand who Jesus is and separate the “fact” from the “fiction.” “Censored” is going to do just that.
Jesus is the full revelation of God, so when we look at all that Jesus said and did, we get a beautiful, more fuller picture of who God is. There are some things, however, that we shy away from when we talk about Jesus. They are the parts of His life that make us uncomfortable, and so we dull or remove the image, and lose a bit of the truth behind who Jesus is. This is where we tend to "censor" our image of Jesus.
When we start to ignore or censor these parts of who Jesus was, we create a “fake Jesus.” If Jesus is God’s full revelation, it is vitally important that we do the best we can to fully understand who Jesus is and separate the “fact” from the “fiction.” “Censored” is going to do just that.
Series Sessions
This series will run for 5 weeks total:
Week 1 (Jan 20; today) - Introduction
Week 2 (Jan 27) - Part 1: Beggar
Week 2 (Feb 3) - Part 2: Exorcist
Week 4 (Feb 10) - Part 3: Criminal
Week 5 (Feb 17) - Part 4: King
Each week, the Flocknote email will contain a teaching on that particular image of Jesus, sometimes a video either for illustration or for fun, and questions for reflection/journaling.
I would recommend that you get a prayer journal, if you don't already have one. You can use this journal for reflection questions during this, and other series we will do in the future, plus you can use your journal during our weekly meeting to write down any thoughts you have about the Sunday readings or about our discussion. This journal can simply be a notebook, an actual journal, or you can use the "Notes" app on your phone, whatever works for you.
I'm looking forward to bringing you this series, I think it's an important one to help us understand a little better who Jesus really is. When we get to know about Him better in Scripture, we can come to know Him more in a more deeply personal way.
If this series works, I am planning to do a "hybrid" series next on the book of Genesis. We will meet on a specific day and time (TBD) and I will broadcast the meeting using Zoom (or something similar) to allow people at home to tune in and participate virtually. More info is coming soon!
Questions for Reflection:
Take a moment and list words or phrases that describe "who" Jesus is to you.
Thinking of these words or phrases, do other people around you possess the same qualities? Who is it?
Pick one of the words you used to describe who Jesus is, and try and practice that quality for someone else this week.