This series looks at the songs ancient pilgrims used to sing as they made their way to Jerusalem.. When Judah and Israel were conquered their people were sent out all over the ancient world. This was called the Diaspora, or dispersion. Three times a year, Pentecost, Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles, Jews from various parts of the world would celebrate religious feasts by making pilgrimages to Jerusalem, to worship in the Temple. As they walked up the hill toward the Temple they would sing Psalms 120-134, the "Songs of Ascent."
A half-truth is a deception of sorts. Christians commonly express beliefs that are true in part without conveying the whole picture, and often the missing parts make a big difference. This series explores the rest of the story for five such concepts.
The church is a hospital for sinners and sufferers, a place for imperfect people. It is the imperfect people who join in the procession shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!"
One of Jesus' favorite teaching methods was the parable, and parables in Matthew address a favorite subject, the Kingdom. Over the centuries his parables have been subject to extremes of interpretation, both overly allegorical and overly simplistic. In reality Jesus used parables to both reveal and conceal important information, depending on who was listening.
Many of us dread this time of year because it has stopped being about what it should be about, focusing instead on greed and materialism. This series connects to the Advent Conspiracy movement (www.adventconspiracy.org), which seeks to restore the meaning of Christmas.
This series is based on Craig Groeschel's book, "The Christian Atheist," which addresses the disconnect between our belief in Jesus and the way we live our lives. What are talking about for the next month is not a bunch of rules about how to live your life. God is interested in how you live your life because he's really after your heart.
