Why the Five

Intro

Intro self, how i know Ben, high school life of me and ARae, what we look forward to about this week. Then pray.

Mention I grew up in church and Alex didnt. There will be a time for you to hear more of our stories but just want to make you aware if you feel there is some tenstion you may want to discuss

Why

Why the five? Why do we need a whole week of teachings devoted to Jesus?

Answer - something is off

Look at the world, check social, within our own hearts. We all think something is off, this isn’t the way things are meant to be.

SLIDE - PILE OF TRASH

What do you guys see? Trash.

Trash = not good

As we move forward we will see that there is trash all around us, in us, and happening to us. Its not good

Example - A Social Media World

Former President of FB - “The thought process that went into building these applications, Facebook being the first, was all about, how do we consume as much of your time and conscious attention as possible? And that means we need to give you a little dopamine hit every once and awhile, because of a like or comment.”

We have in our pockets, apps that were created to consume our lives. You are a means to an ends. That is not good, that is trash, you are more than that.

Social Media -> Addictions, a longing for the approval of others, and it creates an illusion of community which is really deep loneliness that no one can seem to get out of.

Article - How Social Media Exploits our Loneliness - “Reality shows capitalize on our social isolation by featuring highly social character withe extended families and friendship networks.” (Think of your favorite reality show, twitter or instagram personality. What makes you keep coming back.) The article goies on: “We want to know what real people are doing, but unlike the characters we watch or follow, craving what they have, we are not prepared to step away from our screen to walk or drive over to see them. Instead, we follow the virtually on social media and watch them on TV.”

Did you catch what it said? The screens we spend so much of our life on gives us a taste of what we long for, community, friendship, love, joy. Yet we are too scared, addicted, anxious to call a friend and share our heart.

This is not a knock on social media, this is not a knock on anyone who uses it. I do. I give these examples to show you that this is not good.

You being treated as just a commodity, only valued for your attention. That is not good, that is trash.

Anxiety, depression, loneliness, fear, those emotions are real but can we all agree this isn’t how its supposed to be? Isn’t life supposed to be more?

The examples could go on and on. Racial injustice, abuse in the home, being sexually assaulted, only being valued for your body, only being valued for your athletic ability, kids around the world going to bed hungry every night, poverty, racism, bullying. This isn’t how its supposed to be, this is not good, this is trash.

Genesis 1

On the first page of the Bible we see what is called the creation narrative. Genesis 1 shows us that God is the creator of the universe, He is behind it all, and He has created humanity with value and for a purpose.

Paying close attention to Gen. 1 you’ll notice the idea of “good” is a main theme. The word “good” is repeated 7 times. Every time it comes after God creates and gives purpose.

Example - 11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Now what is interesting is the 7th time the word “good” shows up. It is after God creates humanity.

Gen. 1:26-30 - “And God said, “Let us make human in our image, according to our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all teh land and over every creeper that creeps on the land.” And God created human in his image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the land, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living creature that creeps on the land.”

This is their purpose, God has allowed the humans to partner with Him in taking care of the earth.

It goes on “And God said, “Behold I have given to you every plant producing seed that is on the face of all the land and every tree which has fruit producing seed; it shall be food for y’all; and for every beast of the land, and for every bird of the sky, and for everything that moves on the land which has living being in it, every green plant is for food” and it was so.

Here we see God providing food, giving humanity freedom, blessing them.

Then it finishes with “And God saw all that He had made and behold, it was very good.”

God looks upon His creation, looks upon humanity, humanity with a purpose and value, and He says this is very good! What a beautiful image of God.

I am not sure what picture of God you have in your mind. Maybe He’s angry, waiting for you to mess up, yelling a bunch of rules at you, maybe you think He is disappointed in you. I am not sure. But what I can tell you is that if you have a picture of God that is not lining up with what I just read then you have a false God in your mind.

The God of the Bible is powerful enough to create with a word yet gentle enough to speak to humanity giving them value. This is very good.

All I See is Not Good Though?

What is the disconnect though? I just read this beautiful depiction of very good yet all we have to do is turn on the news channel, check our phones, or even think about how anxious, depressed, or scared we are to realize yeah that isn’t reality. You would be right.

Page 1 of the Bible - God creates good

Page 2 in Gen. 2 - God tells the humans to trust what He says is good. Which was to not eat of a certain tree, a tree called “The tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

God does not do this because He is withholding from them. God is saying I know what is best for you, so trust me, this is not it.

Page 3 of the Bible we see humans put to the test. They are come face to face with the tree and are hit with, “do we trust God and not eat or do we think we know better than God and we eat?”

Gen. 3:6 “When the woman saw that the ree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband a he ate.”

Notice the language use. God said, don’t eat of the tree it is not good. Yet the woman looks at the tree, says I think you are wrong God, that looks good, so she takes and eats. The humans defined good on their own terms. The consequence? Check the news, check social, check how you are feeling.

The very good world that God created becomes distorted with the trash that humans have created. The trash that we have created by defining good on our own, by think we know what is best.

Continue to read the Bible and you will see the downward spiral of humanity. Humans consistently choosing what they think is good rather than listen to an all powerful all loving God. This downward spiral has continued even to today, humans choosing to define what they think is good on their own.

Just like the bully in the school who thinks it is good to pick on someone. The racist who thinks that it is good to devalue someone who looks different than them. The person who desires sexual pleasure even to the point of abusing another human. The parents who thinks its good to live their life through their kids. The teenager who thinks it is good to not eat so they can look a certain way. The kid who thinks its good to not let people in on how you are really feeling. The list can go on and on, but the effects are felt everywhere, everyday, in everyone. Things are not good, they are trash and the Bible agrees, God agrees.

Where Do We Go From Here?

The question then become where do we go from here? How do we move forward? How do we move forward with pain and suffering all around us and within us? How do we move forward with so many doubts and questions in our head that we feel paralyzed? We do it with Jesus together.

There are these two artists who work together. They are based out of London and known world wide, there names are Tim Noble and Sue Webster. Tim and Sue are best known for a particular style of art. In this style of art they leverage things they have on hand, organize it in a certain way, shine some light on it, and let the shadow be the piece of art.

It is called shadow art. But what Tim and Sue do in particular is they are known for take a pile of trash. Moving things around, organizing the pieces, shining a light on it then the pile of trash displays a shadow that is art.

SHADOW ART PICTURE

Here is a city skyline, created by shining the light on it. Turn the light off and this is simply a pile of trash. Just like we started at the beginning of the talk with. But if you take that trash, organize it in a certain way, shine some light on it, that trash actually becomes a part of something pretty awesome. Its a piece of art!

As we move forward this week and we look at the 5 we are going to learn that the only way forward, the only way that the trash of the world, the only way that we ourselves can get back to the “very good” of Genesis 1 is through Jesus.

We all agree things are not good, they are trash. And people throughout history have tried to address the trash, the not good, through political movements, rallies, good moral teachings, trainings, voting, whatever it may be. And those things can be good. But all they do is move the trash around, re order it, and even create more trash.

Yet as we will see, Jesus creates a way back to very good. Jesus gives us an example to follow in a world of trash. Jesus is the one who is hung on a cross for the creation of trash. Jesus is the one who does not let the trash of this world get the final word. Jesus is the light of the picture, desiring all to follow Him. To follow Him and then become our own light. To produce something beautiful, to get back to very good.

The only way forward is with Jesus and it is together. That is why you are all in small groups for the week. This is not a journey to be taken lightly nor is it one to be taken alone.

As one author puts it - “Intimacy only resides in the safety of commitment. You can have autonomy (independence) or intimacy, pick.”

So we ask that tonight, at this camp, that you would commit to your group, commit to being all in, commit to being vulnerable and open. Because the very things you are wrestling with, thinking about, frustrated with, everyone in your group is feeling the same way and this is a safe place. This week could possibly be a changing point in your life yet the one thing that may hold you back is your unwillingness to commit to being all in and present.

Before we go into small groups what I want us to do is to spend 5-10 minutes on your own. I want you to reflect, pray, think, read your bible. But begin thinking about, what is it that God may want to do this week, what is it that God may want you to share, what are some of the things that you are wrestling with about God. Over these next few minutes take sometime to yourself, in silence, and write down what comes to your mind.