Small Group Leaders

Heaven, Hell, and Affirmation 9

Posted by Rev. Eric Elnes, PhD. in Affirmation 9 - Loved for Eternity, Asphalt Jesus Chapters, Ch3 - Hellfire, Damnation & Garbage Dumps, Small Group Leaders on May 9, 2009

Sunday’s sermon will be kind of fun.  Much of it will center around “Ralph and the Lake of Fire” – a one-person drama (played by me) about a man you dies suddenly and enters the afterlife, only it’s not the afterlife he expected … Fire and brimstone?  It plays a role, but not the one you expect, either!

The drama is based on a sermon written years ago by Bruce Van Blair.  I have revised and dramatized it a number of times.  Each time it creates quite a buzz and there are always people who say, “Darn!  I wish I’d been there for that one …”  I hope you can join us for the fun!

Both in worship and in Asphalt Jesus groups, we’re heading into Affirmation 9 for the next couple of weeks – my favorite of them all.  Affirmation 9 reads, “Christian love of self includes: basing our lives on the faith that in Christ all things are made new and that we, and all people, are loved beyond our wildest imagination – for eternity.”

It’s an affirmation that implies quite strongly that there is no hell as popularly conceived, and that salvation is for all people, not just those who jump through some sort of doctrinal hoops.  As further background to prepare yourself for worship or small groups, you will probably find it helpful to take a look at a brief reflection that was written years ago by my pastoral mentor, Bruce Van Blair called “Universal Salvation.”  Read it by clicking the link at the end of this paragraph, then post your comments and questions!

Universal_Salvation

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Calvin's Knights

Posted by Rev. Eric Elnes, PhD. in Small Group Leaders on May 6, 2009

Those of you leading Asphalt Jesus small groups may be interested in a format idea offered by Mary Windle’s group, which integrates discussion time with blog posts.  I asked Mary if she wouldn’t mind sending me what she does so I could post it here.  She graciously consented:

Says Mary:

I bring my laptop up to the dining room so we can view the recent blog entries and comments at the beginning of the meeting (~5 min). We are a very time oriented group and strive to keep to a schedule to respect everyone’s evening (and work schedule for the next day), so we set a timer at the beginning of the meeting for 45 minutes. We then discuss the current chapter/affirmation for the evening. During the discussion, I have pens and post it notes on the table for people to record a comment/idea.

When the timer goes off, we reset the timer for 15 min and gather our notes to decide how we want to respond as a group to the blog. Everyone is also encouraged to view the blog on their own and feel free to post comments.

Lastly, we decided on a group name. The home where we meet has a very loving dog (Calvin, a standard poodle) who goes around the table expecting to be petted by various folks. In return, Calvin, like many canines gives his unconditional ‘dog love’ to everyone in the group. We decided that unlike Calvinistic views of predetermination and a finite number of people going to heaven, our Calvin gives unconditional love for everyone, thus our play on words Calvin’s Knights instead of Calvinites.

Also, our group members are making some amazing connections with each other!

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