Here are the Scripture readings for Sunday, May 17. The reading from Acts 10 is part of a larger story about Peter and Cornelius, a Roman centurion. While Peter was indeed a “Christian” in that he was a follower of Jesus, at this very early point in the life of the church there was no breach yet between followers of Jesus, who at this point were almost all Jews, and the Jewish community. As a Jew Peter would only associate with Gentiles (that is, everyone who was not of Jewish ethnicity) on a very limited basis. While some Gentiles, such as Cornelius, worshipped with Jews at the synagogue and practiced many parts of the Law of Moses, even they were reckoned as outsiders and were not welcomed fully into fellowship with the Jewish community.
But then one day God did something shocking. God poured out the Holy Spirit on Cornelius, and in a dream told Peter to see Cornelius so Peter could see what God had done. What was shocking about this was the Jewish belief that God’s promises associated with the victory of God over the nations (literally, over the Gentiles), of which the giving of the Holy Spirit was one, were believed to be for the Jews only. But with Cornelius it was becoming apparent that all peoples were able to share in God’s promises and in God’s kingdom.
To put it bluntly, none of us would be part of Christ’s body if it wasn’t for what God showed Peter by pouring out the Holy Spirit on Cornelius. This story isn’t as much about the conversion of Cornelius to Christianity as much as it’s about God converting Peter to embrace the vast scope of God’s mission.
This story helps us see that while God’s presence is embodied throughout the spectrum of ethnic groups, from Anglo Saxons to Zulus, God is not identified with any one of these groups. If this is true can we really speak of a “Christian West” versus an “Islamic East” when Christians still abide in lands throughout the Middle East and Central Asia? How does this challenge how we perceive ourselves in relation to the other nations?
What parts of God’s mission do we find shocking? How does the vastness of God’s mission challenge some of our core assumptions?
Thursday 5/14
Isaiah 49:5-6
Acts 10:1-34
Friday 5/15
Isaiah 42:5-9
Acts 10:34-43
Saturday 5/16
Deuteronomy 32:44-47
Mark 10:42-45
Read Psalm 98 each of these three days.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Rooted and Sent
The readings from John and from Acts for Sunday, May 10, may at first read seem to go against each other. The image of the vine and branches in John 15 is an image of stability, continuity and rootedness. The story in Acts 8 of the scattering of the Jerusalem church and of Philip moving here and there by the guidance of the Holy Spirit is a story of motion, change and of being sent. How do we both stay rooted and get up and go?
In the Isaiah passages below we see how central the image of the vineyard is in describing Israel’s relationship to God. For Israel the image of the vineyard is closely associated to having a specific place in the world, namely the Promised Land. But as Christians we do not share in this same promise of being given a special piece of land, of being a settled people. How do we relate to this image of vineyard?
A better way to imagine this image may be to think of what it means to be a fruitful people. In Genesis God’s first command to humanity is to be fruitful and multiply and to fill the earth, in others words to be fruitful and to get up and go. We are called to be a rooted people, but we are rooted in the person of Jesus and not to a special piece of land. Paul’s words about the fruit of the (Holy) Spirit help us what it understands to be fruitful and sent. Wherever we are we embody the Christ-like virtues and by doing so make God’s presence tangible.
Another way to think of the dynamic of being rooted and sent is to be “inwardly strong and outwardly focused,” which is the motto of the Presbyterian Global Fellowship, a group within the PC(USA) that seeks to help churches become sent communities and not static institutions. I encourage you to check out their blog postings and see what insights are valuable or perhaps provocative.
What kinds of roots do we have –both spiritual and to family, neighborhoods, work and other places? How can these roots not be barriers to being sent, but the very places we are called to go to and bear fruit?
Monday, 5/11
Isaiah 5:1-7
Galatians 5:16-26
Tuesday 5/12
Isaiah 32:9-20
James 3:17-18
Wednesday 5/13
Isaiah 65:17-25
John 14:18-31
Read Psalm 80 each of these three days.
In the Isaiah passages below we see how central the image of the vineyard is in describing Israel’s relationship to God. For Israel the image of the vineyard is closely associated to having a specific place in the world, namely the Promised Land. But as Christians we do not share in this same promise of being given a special piece of land, of being a settled people. How do we relate to this image of vineyard?
A better way to imagine this image may be to think of what it means to be a fruitful people. In Genesis God’s first command to humanity is to be fruitful and multiply and to fill the earth, in others words to be fruitful and to get up and go. We are called to be a rooted people, but we are rooted in the person of Jesus and not to a special piece of land. Paul’s words about the fruit of the (Holy) Spirit help us what it understands to be fruitful and sent. Wherever we are we embody the Christ-like virtues and by doing so make God’s presence tangible.
Another way to think of the dynamic of being rooted and sent is to be “inwardly strong and outwardly focused,” which is the motto of the Presbyterian Global Fellowship, a group within the PC(USA) that seeks to help churches become sent communities and not static institutions. I encourage you to check out their blog postings and see what insights are valuable or perhaps provocative.
What kinds of roots do we have –both spiritual and to family, neighborhoods, work and other places? How can these roots not be barriers to being sent, but the very places we are called to go to and bear fruit?
Monday, 5/11
Isaiah 5:1-7
Galatians 5:16-26
Tuesday 5/12
Isaiah 32:9-20
James 3:17-18
Wednesday 5/13
Isaiah 65:17-25
John 14:18-31
Read Psalm 80 each of these three days.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Still Waters, Troubled Waters
As we begin to move to “Ordinary Time,” that long season (about six months) from Pentecost to Advent, I’d like to offer a word about the Sunday lectionary readings. During the seasons of Advent, Epiphany and Lent the Old Testament readings and the New Testament readings share common themes. They are intentionally paired like this so we are able to see how Jesus is rooted in and fulfills Israel’s Scriptures. But after Easter a change begins to take place in how the Sunday readings are ordered. There is no longer a connection between the Old Testament texts and the New Testament texts. The reason behind this shift is to remind us that the Old Testament is not important only because it helps us understand the New Testament. The Old Testament is the Word of God in its own right and can be read and preach on apart from the New.
The readings for Sunday, May 10 begin to move in these different directions. During Easter the Old Testament readings are replaced by readings from Acts, which tell the story of Christian community lived powerfully in the light of Christ’s resurrection. But there is no direct connection between the Gospel readings and the readings from Acts. In the reading from John’s Gospel Jesus declares that he is the vine and his disciples are the branches, who draw strength and life from him. The readings from Amos convey provocative images of Israel as the vine and God as the keeper of the vineyard. While God expresses his anger toward Israel for failing to treat the poor with dignity and respect, we also hear that God cannot forsake his people and that God’s compassion will overcome God’s anger. How do these discomforting passages from Amos help us see the more familiar and comfortable reading from John 15 in a new light?
The readings from Acts below provide background to the reading from Acts for Sunday. While Jesus commanded his disciples to set out from Jerusalem and go to Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth with the Gospel message, the church remained in Jerusalem. But as persecution against Jesus’ followers broke out the church was forced to scatter, including a follower of Jesus named Philip. This persecution, perhaps a move by God, forced people like Philip to travel to Judea, Samaria and eventually the ends of the earth. God did not want to allow God’s people to become too comfortable in Jerusalem and so the pressure and stress of persecution became an impetus for Jesus’ followers to obey Jesus’ command. How can some of the pressure and stress we experience help us to fulfill God’s call to us? How does it change our understandings and expectations of God that God both leads us beside still waters and troubles the waters? What was Philip able to see and do because God upset the apple cart?
Thursday, 5/7
Amos 8:1-7
Acts 8:1-8
Friday 5/8
Amos 8:11-13
Acts 8:9-25
Saturday 5/9
Amos 9:7-15
Mark 4:30-32
Read Psalm 22:25-31 each of these three days.
The readings for Sunday, May 10 begin to move in these different directions. During Easter the Old Testament readings are replaced by readings from Acts, which tell the story of Christian community lived powerfully in the light of Christ’s resurrection. But there is no direct connection between the Gospel readings and the readings from Acts. In the reading from John’s Gospel Jesus declares that he is the vine and his disciples are the branches, who draw strength and life from him. The readings from Amos convey provocative images of Israel as the vine and God as the keeper of the vineyard. While God expresses his anger toward Israel for failing to treat the poor with dignity and respect, we also hear that God cannot forsake his people and that God’s compassion will overcome God’s anger. How do these discomforting passages from Amos help us see the more familiar and comfortable reading from John 15 in a new light?
The readings from Acts below provide background to the reading from Acts for Sunday. While Jesus commanded his disciples to set out from Jerusalem and go to Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth with the Gospel message, the church remained in Jerusalem. But as persecution against Jesus’ followers broke out the church was forced to scatter, including a follower of Jesus named Philip. This persecution, perhaps a move by God, forced people like Philip to travel to Judea, Samaria and eventually the ends of the earth. God did not want to allow God’s people to become too comfortable in Jerusalem and so the pressure and stress of persecution became an impetus for Jesus’ followers to obey Jesus’ command. How can some of the pressure and stress we experience help us to fulfill God’s call to us? How does it change our understandings and expectations of God that God both leads us beside still waters and troubles the waters? What was Philip able to see and do because God upset the apple cart?
Thursday, 5/7
Amos 8:1-7
Acts 8:1-8
Friday 5/8
Amos 8:11-13
Acts 8:9-25
Saturday 5/9
Amos 9:7-15
Mark 4:30-32
Read Psalm 22:25-31 each of these three days.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Working Class Hero
The Scripture readings for Sunday, May 3 focus on the image of God as our shepherd. When we listen to stories from the Bible we find that shepherds were rather low on the ladder. After Moses fled Egypt because he committed murder, the job he was able to get as a fugitive was as a shepherd. When the prophet Samuel goes to visit Jesse for an important meeting with his family, Jesse leaves his youngest, and presumably least important, son to tend to the flocks. Just because shepherds played a needed role did not mean they were held in high esteem. Like many workers today they provided a necessary service but were considered best left both unseen and unheard.
So it is interesting that throughout Scripture God identifies with the work of shepherds, with those whose service was invaluable and invisible and who worked on the margins of society. Some of the most powerful shepherd/lamb imagery from the Bible is found in the book of Revelation, where Jesus is pictured as both lamb and shepherd.
How do we understand God as our shepherd? How does God’s work remain hidden from the view of polite society? How is God at work in the margins? At the center? How does the image of God/Jesus as shepherd inform our own ministry and mission?
Monday, 5/4
I Samuel 16:1-13
I Peter 5:1-5
Tuesday 5/5
I Chronicles 11:1-9
Revelation 7:13-17
Wednesday 5/6
Micah 7:8-20
Mark 14:26-31
Read Psalm 95 each of these three days.
So it is interesting that throughout Scripture God identifies with the work of shepherds, with those whose service was invaluable and invisible and who worked on the margins of society. Some of the most powerful shepherd/lamb imagery from the Bible is found in the book of Revelation, where Jesus is pictured as both lamb and shepherd.
How do we understand God as our shepherd? How does God’s work remain hidden from the view of polite society? How is God at work in the margins? At the center? How does the image of God/Jesus as shepherd inform our own ministry and mission?
Monday, 5/4
I Samuel 16:1-13
I Peter 5:1-5
Tuesday 5/5
I Chronicles 11:1-9
Revelation 7:13-17
Wednesday 5/6
Micah 7:8-20
Mark 14:26-31
Read Psalm 95 each of these three days.
Friday, May 1, 2009
No Other Name?
In different ways the Scripture readings for Sunday, May 3 focus on the uniqueness of God’s action in Jesus Christ. The reading from Acts concludes with the famous statement that “There is salvation in no one else (other than Jesus Christ), for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved." In John Jesus is unique because he is not like the hired hands who run away at the hint of danger. Instead Jesus is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep and the only one who can command the attention of his flock, for his sheep know his unique voice.
How do we understand the uniqueness of Jesus today, especially in light of our knowledge of other world religions? Part of the challenge we face is that the authors of the New Testament didn’t have the same awareness of world religions that we do. When the New Testament was written, Christianity was something of a reform movement within Judaism. While the divide between the Church and the Synagogue was growing it was not complete. Islam would not come into existence for another five hundred years. Contact with religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, which both pre-date Christianity, were either very limited within the Roman Empire or non-existent. Even the worship of the gods and goddesses of Greece and Rome were understood to be more about pledging allegiance to the Empire than about making any theological claims about God.
But we live in a very different world. The printing press and the internet can give us instant access to the beliefs and practices of all kinds of religious traditions, and we know more and more people who were raised in places where Hinduism or Islam, and not Christianity, was the dominant faith. We are no longer unaware of the fact that there are a number of other established, global religious traditions that do not understand God or Jesus in the same way we do.
How do we confess and practice our faith within the context of other world religions? Our Presbyterian/Reformed tradition may be especially helpful here. Unlike other strands in Christianity which emphasize the importance of the conscious, deliberate human decision to follow Jesus and seek forgiveness from God in Christ’s name, the Reformed tradition emphasizes the importance of God’s initiative in salvation. For people of a Reformed perspective it is not our confession of faith that saves us, but God’s gracious act in Jesus Christ. In the words of the Second Helvetic Confession, a foundational confession for our theology, “We are to have good hope for all. And although God knows who are his, and here and there mention is made of the small number of the elect, yet we must hope well for all, and not rashly judge any man to be a reprobate.” Salvation is determined not by the soundness of our theology, but by the justice and mercy of God.
Another Reformed emphasis that can guide us is our conviction that God’s Law continues to guide us. Part of this Law is the command not to bear false witness against our neighbors. Any religion has its wackos and extremists, and Christianity is no exception. We cannot assume that the loudest strand in a religion is representative for all strands. Fundamentalist Christians do not represent the whole of the Christian tradition anymore than militant Islamists represent the whole of Islam. Just as Christianity is a diverse religion, so are the other world religions. We cannot take the worst example of another faith and use that to tarnish the reputation of all followers of that faith, to bear false witness against our neighbors by bringing undue harm to their reputation.
In engaging in interfaith dialogue we may want to aim more for understanding than agreement. The goal might not be to change/convert minds, but to help others understand how our convictions about God shape our lives. If we understand interfaith conversation in this way our distinctive beliefs and practices are not liabilities in a diverse world, but salt that adds flavor. To take the presence of other world religions seriously does not mean we minimize or neglect our own.
The readings from Genesis, John and Psalm 23 and Mark speak of God as shepherd and us as God’s flock. How does this image of God as shepherd both enrich our faith and add flavor to interfaith conversations about who God is and how God relates to us?
Thursday, 4/30
Genesis 30:25-43
Acts 3:17-26
Friday 5/1
Genesis 46:28-47:6
Acts 4:1-4
Saturday 5/2
Genesis 48:8-19
Mark 6:30-34
Read Psalm 23 each of these three days.
How do we understand the uniqueness of Jesus today, especially in light of our knowledge of other world religions? Part of the challenge we face is that the authors of the New Testament didn’t have the same awareness of world religions that we do. When the New Testament was written, Christianity was something of a reform movement within Judaism. While the divide between the Church and the Synagogue was growing it was not complete. Islam would not come into existence for another five hundred years. Contact with religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, which both pre-date Christianity, were either very limited within the Roman Empire or non-existent. Even the worship of the gods and goddesses of Greece and Rome were understood to be more about pledging allegiance to the Empire than about making any theological claims about God.
But we live in a very different world. The printing press and the internet can give us instant access to the beliefs and practices of all kinds of religious traditions, and we know more and more people who were raised in places where Hinduism or Islam, and not Christianity, was the dominant faith. We are no longer unaware of the fact that there are a number of other established, global religious traditions that do not understand God or Jesus in the same way we do.
How do we confess and practice our faith within the context of other world religions? Our Presbyterian/Reformed tradition may be especially helpful here. Unlike other strands in Christianity which emphasize the importance of the conscious, deliberate human decision to follow Jesus and seek forgiveness from God in Christ’s name, the Reformed tradition emphasizes the importance of God’s initiative in salvation. For people of a Reformed perspective it is not our confession of faith that saves us, but God’s gracious act in Jesus Christ. In the words of the Second Helvetic Confession, a foundational confession for our theology, “We are to have good hope for all. And although God knows who are his, and here and there mention is made of the small number of the elect, yet we must hope well for all, and not rashly judge any man to be a reprobate.” Salvation is determined not by the soundness of our theology, but by the justice and mercy of God.
Another Reformed emphasis that can guide us is our conviction that God’s Law continues to guide us. Part of this Law is the command not to bear false witness against our neighbors. Any religion has its wackos and extremists, and Christianity is no exception. We cannot assume that the loudest strand in a religion is representative for all strands. Fundamentalist Christians do not represent the whole of the Christian tradition anymore than militant Islamists represent the whole of Islam. Just as Christianity is a diverse religion, so are the other world religions. We cannot take the worst example of another faith and use that to tarnish the reputation of all followers of that faith, to bear false witness against our neighbors by bringing undue harm to their reputation.
In engaging in interfaith dialogue we may want to aim more for understanding than agreement. The goal might not be to change/convert minds, but to help others understand how our convictions about God shape our lives. If we understand interfaith conversation in this way our distinctive beliefs and practices are not liabilities in a diverse world, but salt that adds flavor. To take the presence of other world religions seriously does not mean we minimize or neglect our own.
The readings from Genesis, John and Psalm 23 and Mark speak of God as shepherd and us as God’s flock. How does this image of God as shepherd both enrich our faith and add flavor to interfaith conversations about who God is and how God relates to us?
Thursday, 4/30
Genesis 30:25-43
Acts 3:17-26
Friday 5/1
Genesis 46:28-47:6
Acts 4:1-4
Saturday 5/2
Genesis 48:8-19
Mark 6:30-34
Read Psalm 23 each of these three days.
Monday, April 27, 2009
The Death and Resurrection of the Beloved Son(s)
Our readings from Sunday, April 26 speak of the mysterious but powerful presence of the risen Christ. In the story of the travelers on their way to Emmaus we are told the risen Jesus appeared unrecognized to two of his followers and told them how the Law and the Prophets foretold that the Messiah would suffer, die and be raised from the dead. But for the Jews of Jesus’ time, and for us, the Old Testament’s predictions of a crucified and resurrected Messiah are not obvious. Peter was horrified when Jesus said he would be killed, and as our reading from Mark below points out, even when the crucified and risen Jesus was standing right in front of his disciples they still didn’t understand or believe what was happening. If the whole of the Old Testament speaks of a crucified and risen Messiah it must do so in more subtle terms, otherwise the disciples and even Jesus’ opponents would have been quick to understand who Jesus was. How does the Old Testament prepare is for a suffering and resurrected Messiah?
On one level there are a number of individual stories in the Old Testament that have death and resurrection themes. Abraham almost sacrifices his son, Isaac, but at the last minute God stops him; Isaac nearly died but was restored to life. Joseph, Jacob’s beloved son, was presumed dead by his father but in reality was sold as a slave in Egypt, with his time as a slave and a prisoner a kind of death before he rose from the depths and was seated at the right hand of Pharaoh and then restored to his father. Decades later, a different Pharaoh, who did not know of Joseph, became afraid of the growing Hebrew community within Egypt. He ordered all newborn Hebrew males to be drowned in the Nile to curb the Hebrew population. Moses’ mother, to save her son, put him in a waterproof basket and left him in a spot on the river where she knew he would be found, and like Joseph Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s household. In each of these stories beloved sons face death but are instead given life.
One can look at the broader story of Israel as one of death and resurrection. Perhaps the best example of this is Ezekiel 37, where the nation of Israel is described as a valley full of dry bones – of corpses – that is resurrected by God. For Ezekiel this image is a way to describe Israel’s experience of exile. In exile Israel is not just cut off from their land, but from everything that gave their life purpose, direction and meaning. Israel’s exile is not just about being forcibly removed from their homeland. It’s about their broken relationship with God. Time and again the prophets describe a time when Israel’s relationship with God is restored and then Israel will be able to return to the Promised Land. The readings below from Jeremiah and Hosea speak of God restoring his people from their “death” in exile to life in their Promised Land. In Jeremiah we hear images of the passion, or the suffering, of Israel in their distress and of God acting to save Israel from their time of great distress.
Perhaps as the risen Jesus explained how the Law and Prophets foretold his death and resurrection Jesus did not use specific proof texts to show that he would suffer, die and be raised. Instead perhaps Jesus retold the story of Israel as a story of suffering, death and resurrection that matched Jesus’ own story. For exiled Israel resurrection was not primarily about what happens after death, but about a renewed sense of purpose, meaning and direction that allowed for life even in the midst of suffering. This helps us see that resurrection is not only about what happens after death, although resurrection is certainly about this as well. Resurrection is also about a renewed relationship with God that brings about a new sense of meaning, purpose and direction, grounded in love for God and for neighbor, that is mindful of the suffering and injustice in the world but allows us to live creatively as resurrected people who are no longer bound by sin.
Understanding Jesus’ death and resurrection in this way can help us engage more fully the Scriptures of the Old Testament. In many ways Israel was always on the verge of either death or resurrection, always on the verge of losing their identity as God’s distinct people yet sustained by the promise God would never forsake them. While we don’t face slavery in Egypt we do face powers that dehumanize us. How does the Law “resurrect” us in the face of such dehumanizing powers and help us live differently? Neither do we face the threat of exile in Babylon, but worldly powers do attempt to seduce us away from the Gospel of the crucified and risen Christ. How do the Prophets help us identify these worldly powers and provide for an alternative life based on God’s act of restoration and resurrection?
What stories do we have of “death” and “resurrection,” of “exile” and “homecoming?”
Monday 4/27
Jeremiah 30:1-11
I John 3:10-16
Tuesday 4/28
Hosea 5:15-6:6
II John 1-6
Wednesday 4/29
Proverbs 9:1-6
Mark 16:9-18
Read Psalm 150 each of these three days
On one level there are a number of individual stories in the Old Testament that have death and resurrection themes. Abraham almost sacrifices his son, Isaac, but at the last minute God stops him; Isaac nearly died but was restored to life. Joseph, Jacob’s beloved son, was presumed dead by his father but in reality was sold as a slave in Egypt, with his time as a slave and a prisoner a kind of death before he rose from the depths and was seated at the right hand of Pharaoh and then restored to his father. Decades later, a different Pharaoh, who did not know of Joseph, became afraid of the growing Hebrew community within Egypt. He ordered all newborn Hebrew males to be drowned in the Nile to curb the Hebrew population. Moses’ mother, to save her son, put him in a waterproof basket and left him in a spot on the river where she knew he would be found, and like Joseph Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s household. In each of these stories beloved sons face death but are instead given life.
One can look at the broader story of Israel as one of death and resurrection. Perhaps the best example of this is Ezekiel 37, where the nation of Israel is described as a valley full of dry bones – of corpses – that is resurrected by God. For Ezekiel this image is a way to describe Israel’s experience of exile. In exile Israel is not just cut off from their land, but from everything that gave their life purpose, direction and meaning. Israel’s exile is not just about being forcibly removed from their homeland. It’s about their broken relationship with God. Time and again the prophets describe a time when Israel’s relationship with God is restored and then Israel will be able to return to the Promised Land. The readings below from Jeremiah and Hosea speak of God restoring his people from their “death” in exile to life in their Promised Land. In Jeremiah we hear images of the passion, or the suffering, of Israel in their distress and of God acting to save Israel from their time of great distress.
Perhaps as the risen Jesus explained how the Law and Prophets foretold his death and resurrection Jesus did not use specific proof texts to show that he would suffer, die and be raised. Instead perhaps Jesus retold the story of Israel as a story of suffering, death and resurrection that matched Jesus’ own story. For exiled Israel resurrection was not primarily about what happens after death, but about a renewed sense of purpose, meaning and direction that allowed for life even in the midst of suffering. This helps us see that resurrection is not only about what happens after death, although resurrection is certainly about this as well. Resurrection is also about a renewed relationship with God that brings about a new sense of meaning, purpose and direction, grounded in love for God and for neighbor, that is mindful of the suffering and injustice in the world but allows us to live creatively as resurrected people who are no longer bound by sin.
Understanding Jesus’ death and resurrection in this way can help us engage more fully the Scriptures of the Old Testament. In many ways Israel was always on the verge of either death or resurrection, always on the verge of losing their identity as God’s distinct people yet sustained by the promise God would never forsake them. While we don’t face slavery in Egypt we do face powers that dehumanize us. How does the Law “resurrect” us in the face of such dehumanizing powers and help us live differently? Neither do we face the threat of exile in Babylon, but worldly powers do attempt to seduce us away from the Gospel of the crucified and risen Christ. How do the Prophets help us identify these worldly powers and provide for an alternative life based on God’s act of restoration and resurrection?
What stories do we have of “death” and “resurrection,” of “exile” and “homecoming?”
Monday 4/27
Jeremiah 30:1-11
I John 3:10-16
Tuesday 4/28
Hosea 5:15-6:6
II John 1-6
Wednesday 4/29
Proverbs 9:1-6
Mark 16:9-18
Read Psalm 150 each of these three days
Thursday, April 23, 2009
At One
One of the readings for this Sunday, April 26 is from Acts 3. Peter and some other disciples had gone to the temple for daily prayer, along with many other Jews. On the way into the temple courts they saw a crippled beggar and healed him. The crowd is astonished and Peter told them he was able to do this through the power of the crucified and risen Jesus, who was rejected by the Jewish people and put to death. Yet Peter acknowledges the people acted in ignorance, and the suffering of Christ fulfilled what was foretold in the prophets. And it is through the crucified and risen Jesus that there is repentance and forgiveness of sins.
At first reading it may seem that Peter is laying the blame for Jesus’ death at the feet of the Jewish people by calling them “Christ killers,” a terrible term that has been used all too frequently in Christian attitudes toward Jews. But the reading below from Daniel 9 helps us to see Peter’s speech in a different light. Daniel was a devout Jew who was forcibly brought into exile in Babylon. Like his fellow exiled Jews, Daniel longed for a restored relationship with God that would allow God’s people to return to God’s Promised Land. So in prayer before God Daniel acknowledges not only his sin and rebellion, but the rebellion of all God’s people, from the kings and priests on down to the common folks. After confessing the sin of all the people of God, Daniel seeks God’s mercy and asks God to restore God’s people and the holy city of Jerusalem. In this prayer Daniel is not blaming anyone for what has happened, he is simply acknowledging that all people, from least to greatest, failed to head God’s word and presence in their midst. Yet despite this God is compassionate and merciful and can act to save. This is the gist of what Peter is doing. Peter is not blaming the Jews for Jesus death. Like Daniel he is acknowledging that the people have rebelled but that God is still rich in mercy, that through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection the breach between God and humanity has been healed.
But how does Jesus’ life, death and resurrection heal this breach between God and humanity? How does Jesus atone for our sins? The words “atone” and “atonement” were created by John Wycliffe, the first person to translate the entire Bible into English. When he tried to translate Hebrew, Greek and Latin words that speak of how Jesus’ death saves us he could not find the right English word, so he created one. “Atone” literally means at one. Jesus makes us at one with God. The Eternal Son of God who was one with the Father since before the creation of the world, became fully human in Jesus and made the story of humanity God’s own.
In Sunday’s reading from Luke’s Gospel the resurrected Christ appears to some disciples and said, “Everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” It is interesting that Jesus mentioned the psalms, for these psalms are not primarily God speaking to human beings, as are the Law and Prophets. The Psalms are human prayers of joy and sorrow, of triumph and agony, of steadfast faith and of confusion addressed to God. On the cross Jesus quoted two Psalms: Psalm 22 (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?) and Psalm 31 (Into your hands I commit my spirit), and in the New Testament the Psalms are often quoted to help us understand who Jesus is. In his reliance on the Psalms Jesus is making our longings, our story, his own, and therefore God’s own. In his life, death and resurrection Jesus both brought the presence of God “down to earth” and lifted our human story “up to heaven.”
In their prayers and speeches Daniel and Peter retold the story of God’s relationship to God’s people, a story as applicable to the Church as it was to the Jews Daniel and Peter addressed. In Jesus Christ the story of this relationship is also retold: Both the people of Israel and Jesus had humble origins and were under the thumb of worldly powers (Egypt, a corrupt monarchy for Israel, Babylon, Persia and Greece for the Jews; A corrupt monarchy and Rome for Jesus). Yet God chose both Israel and Jesus to be God’s image in the world. Israel struggled with this call and in its disobedience experienced the godforsaken feeling of exile from all that gave their life meaning and purpose. On the cross Jesus made his peoples’ exile his own, crying out in godforsakeness as death ruptured his relationship to the Father. But the story does not end there. Resurrection is not just a happy event for Jesus, but God’s promise that all who know what it is to be exiled, lost and cut off will be redeemed.
The Book of Daniel shaped the imagination of the Jews at the time of Jesus – Jesus’ reference to himself as “the Son of Man” comes from Daniel. In the reading from Daniel 10, Daniel encounters a divine messenger who comes in human form, and he is terrified at the sight. This messenger goes on to tell Daniel that even as God’s people are in exile God is uprooting the fallen powers of this world so that the kingdoms of this world might become the kingdom of God. When Jesus’ disciples see the risen Christ they have a similar response to Daniel when he encountered his divine visitor. A divine visitor revealed to Daniel that the suffering present in the world did not mean that God was not at work. The story of Jesus’ life death and resurrection tells us that God’s story is “at one” with ours, that in Jesus God both shares in our story of longing for a better world and has acted with power to redeem this world. How do we experience “at one-ment” with God through the story of Jesus?
Thursday, 4/23
Daniel 9:1-19
I John 2:18-25
Friday, 4/24
Daniel 10:2-19
I John 2:26-28
Saturday 4/25
Acts 3:1-10
Luke 22:24-30
Read Psalm 4 each of these three days.
At first reading it may seem that Peter is laying the blame for Jesus’ death at the feet of the Jewish people by calling them “Christ killers,” a terrible term that has been used all too frequently in Christian attitudes toward Jews. But the reading below from Daniel 9 helps us to see Peter’s speech in a different light. Daniel was a devout Jew who was forcibly brought into exile in Babylon. Like his fellow exiled Jews, Daniel longed for a restored relationship with God that would allow God’s people to return to God’s Promised Land. So in prayer before God Daniel acknowledges not only his sin and rebellion, but the rebellion of all God’s people, from the kings and priests on down to the common folks. After confessing the sin of all the people of God, Daniel seeks God’s mercy and asks God to restore God’s people and the holy city of Jerusalem. In this prayer Daniel is not blaming anyone for what has happened, he is simply acknowledging that all people, from least to greatest, failed to head God’s word and presence in their midst. Yet despite this God is compassionate and merciful and can act to save. This is the gist of what Peter is doing. Peter is not blaming the Jews for Jesus death. Like Daniel he is acknowledging that the people have rebelled but that God is still rich in mercy, that through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection the breach between God and humanity has been healed.
But how does Jesus’ life, death and resurrection heal this breach between God and humanity? How does Jesus atone for our sins? The words “atone” and “atonement” were created by John Wycliffe, the first person to translate the entire Bible into English. When he tried to translate Hebrew, Greek and Latin words that speak of how Jesus’ death saves us he could not find the right English word, so he created one. “Atone” literally means at one. Jesus makes us at one with God. The Eternal Son of God who was one with the Father since before the creation of the world, became fully human in Jesus and made the story of humanity God’s own.
In Sunday’s reading from Luke’s Gospel the resurrected Christ appears to some disciples and said, “Everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” It is interesting that Jesus mentioned the psalms, for these psalms are not primarily God speaking to human beings, as are the Law and Prophets. The Psalms are human prayers of joy and sorrow, of triumph and agony, of steadfast faith and of confusion addressed to God. On the cross Jesus quoted two Psalms: Psalm 22 (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?) and Psalm 31 (Into your hands I commit my spirit), and in the New Testament the Psalms are often quoted to help us understand who Jesus is. In his reliance on the Psalms Jesus is making our longings, our story, his own, and therefore God’s own. In his life, death and resurrection Jesus both brought the presence of God “down to earth” and lifted our human story “up to heaven.”
In their prayers and speeches Daniel and Peter retold the story of God’s relationship to God’s people, a story as applicable to the Church as it was to the Jews Daniel and Peter addressed. In Jesus Christ the story of this relationship is also retold: Both the people of Israel and Jesus had humble origins and were under the thumb of worldly powers (Egypt, a corrupt monarchy for Israel, Babylon, Persia and Greece for the Jews; A corrupt monarchy and Rome for Jesus). Yet God chose both Israel and Jesus to be God’s image in the world. Israel struggled with this call and in its disobedience experienced the godforsaken feeling of exile from all that gave their life meaning and purpose. On the cross Jesus made his peoples’ exile his own, crying out in godforsakeness as death ruptured his relationship to the Father. But the story does not end there. Resurrection is not just a happy event for Jesus, but God’s promise that all who know what it is to be exiled, lost and cut off will be redeemed.
The Book of Daniel shaped the imagination of the Jews at the time of Jesus – Jesus’ reference to himself as “the Son of Man” comes from Daniel. In the reading from Daniel 10, Daniel encounters a divine messenger who comes in human form, and he is terrified at the sight. This messenger goes on to tell Daniel that even as God’s people are in exile God is uprooting the fallen powers of this world so that the kingdoms of this world might become the kingdom of God. When Jesus’ disciples see the risen Christ they have a similar response to Daniel when he encountered his divine visitor. A divine visitor revealed to Daniel that the suffering present in the world did not mean that God was not at work. The story of Jesus’ life death and resurrection tells us that God’s story is “at one” with ours, that in Jesus God both shares in our story of longing for a better world and has acted with power to redeem this world. How do we experience “at one-ment” with God through the story of Jesus?
Thursday, 4/23
Daniel 9:1-19
I John 2:18-25
Friday, 4/24
Daniel 10:2-19
I John 2:26-28
Saturday 4/25
Acts 3:1-10
Luke 22:24-30
Read Psalm 4 each of these three days.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Resurrection and Non Conformity
Apparently I gave up blogging for Lent, but now that Lent is over it’s a good time to begin again. The Scripture readings below come from a lectionary resource that divides the week into two parts. The readings for Monday – Wednesday help us reflect on Sunday’s lectionary texts, while the Thursday – Saturday readings prepare us for the readings for the coming Sunday. The readings for Sunday, April 19 and for the next few weeks include stories of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances to his disciples and they raise questions about who, and what, the resurrected Jesus is.
Perhaps the best way to begin to address these questions is to understand what the risen Christ is not. The risen Jesus is not a ghost or a spirit. In our reading from John the disciples touch him and see that he is flesh and bone just as they are. The risen Jesus is not the product of the hopeful but heartbroken imaginations of his disciples, the product of wishful thinking, like the way we may dream of or “talk to” loved ones who have recently died. Neither is the risen Jesus someone who had a near death experience but came back to life after having walked toward the light. From the stories we have of the risen Christ it is clear he is healthy and whole. While he bears scars from the cross he shows no other signs of the abuse he suffered. The risen Jesus is a real person with flesh and bones and not a ghost, not a product of wishful thinking, nor someone who flat lined for a few minutes before his heart started pumping again.
While we bring our own questions, many of them shaped by a scientific worldview, to Jesus’ resurrection, our questions were not the most pressing ones for Jesus’ first followers and for those who first heard the news of the crucified, dead and risen Messiah. Many Jews believed that the righteous dead would be raised, and they believed they would be raised at the same time. What would have been puzzling for the first disciples is that only Jesus, and not all of the righteous dead, was raised. The authors of the New Testament, especially Paul, understood Jesus’ resurrection to be a pledge, a promise, a kind of down payment made by God to assure us of our own resurrection and of the redemption of the entire world (I Corinthians 15:20-24). The redemption and recreation of the world has begun in Jesus’ resurrection, but it has not ended there. Jesus’ resurrection is indeed the first day of the week, the beginning of the new creation.
For the first followers of Jesus, his resurrection was the Father’s way of proving that the Son really was who he claimed to be, namely God’s Son who has been given all authority on heaven and on earth and the visible image of the invisible God. By raising Jesus from the dead God vindicated him before the powers of this world. This theme of vindication is common in the Old Testament. The readings below from Daniel tell of God vindicating the righteous in the face of worldly powers. In Daniel’s case he and his friends were vindicated in the face of the Babylonian Empire, who had conquered Israel. Daniel and his friends refused to obey mandates that forced all to bow down in worship before images of the king, and these laws mandated death for those who refused to acknowledge the Emperor of Babylon as the only legitimate authority in the world. But God vindicated Daniel and his friends, rescuing them from fiery furnaces and lions’ dens to prove that the God of Israel reigned over all nations and that this God’s servants were right in refusing to acknowledge worldly powers as God. In Sunday’s reading from John’s Gospel, Thomas professes his faith in the crucified and risen Jesus by exclaiming, “My Lord and my God!” What we often don’t realize is that “my lord and my god” was a title used to address the Roman emperor. Thomas isn’t just making a spiritual statement, he’s also making a political one about whose authority is legitimate and whose is not, just as Daniel and his friends know that it is God, and not the emperor, who reigns over heaven and earth.
The invitation to follow the crucified and risen Christ an invitation to entrust ourselves to God’s rule more than the rule of earthly powers. The readings from I John below give us hints of what God’s rule involves. Another guide is this, one of my favorite statements by Martin Luther King, Jr.: “The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.” How is God calling us to be disciplined non-conformists?
Monday, 4/20
Daniel 3:1-30
I John 2:3-11
Tuesday 4/21
Daniel 6:1-28
I John 2:12-17
Wednesday 4/22
Isaiah 26:1-15
Mark 12:18-27
Read Psalm 135 each of these three days.
Perhaps the best way to begin to address these questions is to understand what the risen Christ is not. The risen Jesus is not a ghost or a spirit. In our reading from John the disciples touch him and see that he is flesh and bone just as they are. The risen Jesus is not the product of the hopeful but heartbroken imaginations of his disciples, the product of wishful thinking, like the way we may dream of or “talk to” loved ones who have recently died. Neither is the risen Jesus someone who had a near death experience but came back to life after having walked toward the light. From the stories we have of the risen Christ it is clear he is healthy and whole. While he bears scars from the cross he shows no other signs of the abuse he suffered. The risen Jesus is a real person with flesh and bones and not a ghost, not a product of wishful thinking, nor someone who flat lined for a few minutes before his heart started pumping again.
While we bring our own questions, many of them shaped by a scientific worldview, to Jesus’ resurrection, our questions were not the most pressing ones for Jesus’ first followers and for those who first heard the news of the crucified, dead and risen Messiah. Many Jews believed that the righteous dead would be raised, and they believed they would be raised at the same time. What would have been puzzling for the first disciples is that only Jesus, and not all of the righteous dead, was raised. The authors of the New Testament, especially Paul, understood Jesus’ resurrection to be a pledge, a promise, a kind of down payment made by God to assure us of our own resurrection and of the redemption of the entire world (I Corinthians 15:20-24). The redemption and recreation of the world has begun in Jesus’ resurrection, but it has not ended there. Jesus’ resurrection is indeed the first day of the week, the beginning of the new creation.
For the first followers of Jesus, his resurrection was the Father’s way of proving that the Son really was who he claimed to be, namely God’s Son who has been given all authority on heaven and on earth and the visible image of the invisible God. By raising Jesus from the dead God vindicated him before the powers of this world. This theme of vindication is common in the Old Testament. The readings below from Daniel tell of God vindicating the righteous in the face of worldly powers. In Daniel’s case he and his friends were vindicated in the face of the Babylonian Empire, who had conquered Israel. Daniel and his friends refused to obey mandates that forced all to bow down in worship before images of the king, and these laws mandated death for those who refused to acknowledge the Emperor of Babylon as the only legitimate authority in the world. But God vindicated Daniel and his friends, rescuing them from fiery furnaces and lions’ dens to prove that the God of Israel reigned over all nations and that this God’s servants were right in refusing to acknowledge worldly powers as God. In Sunday’s reading from John’s Gospel, Thomas professes his faith in the crucified and risen Jesus by exclaiming, “My Lord and my God!” What we often don’t realize is that “my lord and my god” was a title used to address the Roman emperor. Thomas isn’t just making a spiritual statement, he’s also making a political one about whose authority is legitimate and whose is not, just as Daniel and his friends know that it is God, and not the emperor, who reigns over heaven and earth.
The invitation to follow the crucified and risen Christ an invitation to entrust ourselves to God’s rule more than the rule of earthly powers. The readings from I John below give us hints of what God’s rule involves. Another guide is this, one of my favorite statements by Martin Luther King, Jr.: “The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.” How is God calling us to be disciplined non-conformists?
Monday, 4/20
Daniel 3:1-30
I John 2:3-11
Tuesday 4/21
Daniel 6:1-28
I John 2:12-17
Wednesday 4/22
Isaiah 26:1-15
Mark 12:18-27
Read Psalm 135 each of these three days.
Friday, March 27, 2009
“I Give You a New Command:” Maundy Thursday
(An earlier post provides an overview of Holy Week. This post will focus on the meaning of Maundy Thursday.)
What is Maundy Thursday? The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin word for command, as does the English word “mandate.” John’s Gospel has a long “Upper Room” discourse where Jesus shares a last meal with his disciples and prepares them for his death, his return to the Father and his physical absence. During this discourse Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another” (John 13:34). On Maundy Thursday we remember Jesus giving this mandate as he ate with his disciples one last time.
The tone of Maundy Thursday worship is set by the way John’s Gospel tells the story of Jesus’ last meal with the disciples (chapters 13-17). While Maundy Thursday marks the Last Supper and is the rationale for why we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, John does not emphasize the meal as much as he does Jesus’ actions around the meal. Some churches have foot washing ceremonies on Maundy Thursday because, in John’s telling, Jesus, aware that God had given all things into his hands, used his power for humble service and washed his disciples’ feet. For John the significance of this evening is not primarily the meal, but the love Jesus expresses to his followers in word and in deed, fully aware of the suffering he would soon face.
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke tell the story of the hours before Jesus’ arrest differently. While John emphasizes Jesus’ actions and words around the meal, the other three gospels emphasize the meal itself. For John, Jesus is the Passover lamb (see Exodus 12) and in John’s telling of the story Jesus’ crucifixion occurs as the Passover lambs are being slaughtered in the Temple. Therefore the meal Jesus had with his disciples was not the Passover meal. But for Matthew, Mark and Luke the meal Jesus shared with his disciples on the night of his arrest was indeed the Passover meal. It is from these Gospel writers that we come to call the Lord’s Supper the “Christian Passover,” affirming that just as God freed Israel from slavery under Pharaoh, so God has freed all of creation from the enslaving forces of sin and death in Jesus Christ. We cannot understand Jesus’ death if we do not know the story of the Exodus, of God freeing God’s people from slavery in Egypt.
While John and the other gospel writers don’t tell the story of Maundy Thursday in the same way, in all four gospels after dinner Jesus went with his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus was betrayed by Judas into the hands of those who would kill him. While John gives us a more commanding picture of Jesus (in John, those who come to arrest Jesus fall before his feet in awe) in the other gospels Gethsemane is a time of prayer and struggle as Jesus prays for the strength to endure what is to come. In these gospels Jesus asks his disciples to keep watch and pray with him, but they fall asleep. The Maundy Thursday service ends with the story of Gethsemane, of Jesus striving to do God’s will, of inattentive disciples and of a militia squad ready to arrest Jesus.
The Maundy Thursday service ends with the stripping of the church, where all elements of decoration are removed from the sanctuary. The bare sanctuary is a symbol of the forsakenness Jesus will experience during his trial and crucifixion, and the sanctuary will remain unadorned for Good Friday worship the next day.
As we prepare for Maundy Thursday it is important for us to make the distinction between the Last Supper and the Lord’s Supper. While the later has its roots in the former they are not the same. On Maundy Thursday we have in mind the Last Supper, with its sense of sorrow and foreboding. While there are times it is appropriate for these overtones to be present when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, at its core the Lord’s Supper is a joyful feast. In it we remember Jesus’ death, but we also remember Jesus’ resurrection, both of which have brought an end to the tyranny of sin and death. A biblical image of God’s kingdom is that of a great feast, of a wedding banquet, and in the Lord’s Supper we affirm that Jesus’ death and resurrection is God’s victory over all that would rob us of our dignity and freedom as those created in God’s image. In this meal we rejoice in God’s power to redeem, even in the face of suffering and evil.
What is Maundy Thursday? The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin word for command, as does the English word “mandate.” John’s Gospel has a long “Upper Room” discourse where Jesus shares a last meal with his disciples and prepares them for his death, his return to the Father and his physical absence. During this discourse Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another” (John 13:34). On Maundy Thursday we remember Jesus giving this mandate as he ate with his disciples one last time.
The tone of Maundy Thursday worship is set by the way John’s Gospel tells the story of Jesus’ last meal with the disciples (chapters 13-17). While Maundy Thursday marks the Last Supper and is the rationale for why we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, John does not emphasize the meal as much as he does Jesus’ actions around the meal. Some churches have foot washing ceremonies on Maundy Thursday because, in John’s telling, Jesus, aware that God had given all things into his hands, used his power for humble service and washed his disciples’ feet. For John the significance of this evening is not primarily the meal, but the love Jesus expresses to his followers in word and in deed, fully aware of the suffering he would soon face.
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke tell the story of the hours before Jesus’ arrest differently. While John emphasizes Jesus’ actions and words around the meal, the other three gospels emphasize the meal itself. For John, Jesus is the Passover lamb (see Exodus 12) and in John’s telling of the story Jesus’ crucifixion occurs as the Passover lambs are being slaughtered in the Temple. Therefore the meal Jesus had with his disciples was not the Passover meal. But for Matthew, Mark and Luke the meal Jesus shared with his disciples on the night of his arrest was indeed the Passover meal. It is from these Gospel writers that we come to call the Lord’s Supper the “Christian Passover,” affirming that just as God freed Israel from slavery under Pharaoh, so God has freed all of creation from the enslaving forces of sin and death in Jesus Christ. We cannot understand Jesus’ death if we do not know the story of the Exodus, of God freeing God’s people from slavery in Egypt.
While John and the other gospel writers don’t tell the story of Maundy Thursday in the same way, in all four gospels after dinner Jesus went with his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus was betrayed by Judas into the hands of those who would kill him. While John gives us a more commanding picture of Jesus (in John, those who come to arrest Jesus fall before his feet in awe) in the other gospels Gethsemane is a time of prayer and struggle as Jesus prays for the strength to endure what is to come. In these gospels Jesus asks his disciples to keep watch and pray with him, but they fall asleep. The Maundy Thursday service ends with the story of Gethsemane, of Jesus striving to do God’s will, of inattentive disciples and of a militia squad ready to arrest Jesus.
The Maundy Thursday service ends with the stripping of the church, where all elements of decoration are removed from the sanctuary. The bare sanctuary is a symbol of the forsakenness Jesus will experience during his trial and crucifixion, and the sanctuary will remain unadorned for Good Friday worship the next day.
As we prepare for Maundy Thursday it is important for us to make the distinction between the Last Supper and the Lord’s Supper. While the later has its roots in the former they are not the same. On Maundy Thursday we have in mind the Last Supper, with its sense of sorrow and foreboding. While there are times it is appropriate for these overtones to be present when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, at its core the Lord’s Supper is a joyful feast. In it we remember Jesus’ death, but we also remember Jesus’ resurrection, both of which have brought an end to the tyranny of sin and death. A biblical image of God’s kingdom is that of a great feast, of a wedding banquet, and in the Lord’s Supper we affirm that Jesus’ death and resurrection is God’s victory over all that would rob us of our dignity and freedom as those created in God’s image. In this meal we rejoice in God’s power to redeem, even in the face of suffering and evil.
What is Holy Week Worship?
While the influence (both past and present) of Christianity on Western, and specifically American, culture is the subject of much debate, it is clear that Christmas and Easter have become something of official holidays (holy days) in our society. Both these days have secular traditions – Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny – as well as religious ones – Jesus’ birth, his resurrection. While we celebrate Christmas on one day, why do we have multiple worship services the week before Easter?
In large part this is because Holy Week was far more important to the early church than was Christmas. While the Bible offers no indication of when Jesus was born we are given a specific time for Holy Week since it happened at the same time as the Jewish Passover. And while it is only Matthew and Luke who give us details about Jesus’ birth, all the New Testament authors spend much time on the meaning and significance of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. In the four gospels we are given more details about Jesus’ last week than we are about the rest of his ministry, which tells us that Jesus’ death was not a mere tragedy, but that it was somehow the climax of Jesus’ mission.
The reason Easter is not held on a fixed Sunday every year is because Easter Sunday is held according to the ancient lunar calendar and occurs the Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. Easter is held according to the lunar calendar because this is the calendar Jews used to mark the Passover festival, which was the time of Jesus entry to Jerusalem and his death and resurrection. But with various calendars out there, Western Churches (Roman Catholic and Protestant) rarely celebrate Easter on the same Sunday as Eastern Churches (those with roots in the Greek Orthodox Church) or at the same time Jews celebrate Passover.
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, when Jesus entered Jerusalem. It is called Palm Sunday because the crowds who welcomed Jesus waved palm branches in celebration – perhaps the ancient equivalent of a ticker tape parade. According to Matthew, Mark and Luke this was Jesus’ only visit to Jerusalem as an adult, which makes his travel to Jerusalem especially significant. Jesus entered Jerusalem as Jewish pilgrims from all over the Roman Empire came to celebrate Passover, a feast that remembered and celebrated the time when God stood against mighty Pharaoh and freed God’s people from slavery in Egypt.
Holy Week ends with Good Friday (or God’s Friday) when Jesus was crucified. What the Gospels make clear is that this week was clearly thought out by Jesus, and that while his disciples were surprised that the week ended with Jesus’ arrest and death, Jesus was not. Jesus was very intentional about how he entered Jerusalem (See Matthew 21:1-5), and about what he did in Jerusalem during the rest of the week. Post to follow will describe in detail the special worship services we hold during Holy Week
In large part this is because Holy Week was far more important to the early church than was Christmas. While the Bible offers no indication of when Jesus was born we are given a specific time for Holy Week since it happened at the same time as the Jewish Passover. And while it is only Matthew and Luke who give us details about Jesus’ birth, all the New Testament authors spend much time on the meaning and significance of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. In the four gospels we are given more details about Jesus’ last week than we are about the rest of his ministry, which tells us that Jesus’ death was not a mere tragedy, but that it was somehow the climax of Jesus’ mission.
The reason Easter is not held on a fixed Sunday every year is because Easter Sunday is held according to the ancient lunar calendar and occurs the Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. Easter is held according to the lunar calendar because this is the calendar Jews used to mark the Passover festival, which was the time of Jesus entry to Jerusalem and his death and resurrection. But with various calendars out there, Western Churches (Roman Catholic and Protestant) rarely celebrate Easter on the same Sunday as Eastern Churches (those with roots in the Greek Orthodox Church) or at the same time Jews celebrate Passover.
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, when Jesus entered Jerusalem. It is called Palm Sunday because the crowds who welcomed Jesus waved palm branches in celebration – perhaps the ancient equivalent of a ticker tape parade. According to Matthew, Mark and Luke this was Jesus’ only visit to Jerusalem as an adult, which makes his travel to Jerusalem especially significant. Jesus entered Jerusalem as Jewish pilgrims from all over the Roman Empire came to celebrate Passover, a feast that remembered and celebrated the time when God stood against mighty Pharaoh and freed God’s people from slavery in Egypt.
Holy Week ends with Good Friday (or God’s Friday) when Jesus was crucified. What the Gospels make clear is that this week was clearly thought out by Jesus, and that while his disciples were surprised that the week ended with Jesus’ arrest and death, Jesus was not. Jesus was very intentional about how he entered Jerusalem (See Matthew 21:1-5), and about what he did in Jerusalem during the rest of the week. Post to follow will describe in detail the special worship services we hold during Holy Week
Thursday, March 5, 2009
I Am the Light of the World
Friends,
This week we continue with the "I am" sayings in the Gospel of John.
In the passage for Sunday Jesus heals a man blind from birth as a sign that Jesus is "the light of the world."
The miraculous feeding of thousands with bread and fish in chapter six gives occasion for Jesus to proclaim "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."
Now, Jesus proclaims: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life." John 8:12
The metaphor is first introduced in John 8:12 following Jesus' compassionate and forgiving approach to the woman caught in adultery. Then the metaphor is expanded in the healing of the blind man in chapter 9.
Light is introduced in the first chapter of the Bible, in Genesis 1 where "in the beginning God when created the heavens and the earth the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep... then God said, Let there be light; and there was light." In the final chapter of the Bible, Revelation 22:5, in the vision of the new heaven and new earth:"there will be no more light; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light."
In between the first chapter of Genesis and the final chapter of Revelation, light appears throughout the journey of God's people.
Abraham is promised in Genesis 22:17 that his offpsring will be as numerous "as the stars."
God appears to Moses in the light of a burning bush in Exodus 3.
The people are led out of slavery and travel to the promised land as led by a pillar of fire by night described in Exodus 40:38.
The people of God misunderstand who they are to be in God's world - and the prophet Isaiah calls them to understand themselves as a light to the world in Isaiah 42:6:
I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations."
This image from Isaiah is surely in the mind of Christ as he declare himself the light of the world in the Gospel of John and as he speaks to his disciples in Mathtew 5:14-16:
You are the light of the world...let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven."
To walk in the light is to walk in forgiveness - as illustrated in I John 1:5-9.
In the Gospel of John, there is always a figurative and a literal level of meaning. Jesus heals a blind man - and at the same time shows through the events around the healing that blindness is not physical, but spiritual.
True blindness is a darkness of the heart, a refusal to be open to the light of understanding in Christ. When we "see" Jesus, we see everything around us in a new light as well.
Friends, let us open our eyes to the light of the world and let us follow the example of Jesus, who reach out with his hands to touch a world in need. We are now the hands of Christ in the world.
The Gospel Lesson - John 9:1-41
9As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. 4We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, 7saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. 8The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” 12They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” 13They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” 16Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. 17So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.” 18The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21but we do not know howit is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” 24So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” 25He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29We know that God has spoken toMoses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” 30The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. 32Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out. 35Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” 37Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” 38He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. 39Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” 40Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” 41Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.
This week we continue with the "I am" sayings in the Gospel of John.
In the passage for Sunday Jesus heals a man blind from birth as a sign that Jesus is "the light of the world."
The miraculous feeding of thousands with bread and fish in chapter six gives occasion for Jesus to proclaim "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."
Now, Jesus proclaims: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life." John 8:12
The metaphor is first introduced in John 8:12 following Jesus' compassionate and forgiving approach to the woman caught in adultery. Then the metaphor is expanded in the healing of the blind man in chapter 9.
Light is introduced in the first chapter of the Bible, in Genesis 1 where "in the beginning God when created the heavens and the earth the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep... then God said, Let there be light; and there was light." In the final chapter of the Bible, Revelation 22:5, in the vision of the new heaven and new earth:"there will be no more light; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light."
In between the first chapter of Genesis and the final chapter of Revelation, light appears throughout the journey of God's people.
Abraham is promised in Genesis 22:17 that his offpsring will be as numerous "as the stars."
God appears to Moses in the light of a burning bush in Exodus 3.
The people are led out of slavery and travel to the promised land as led by a pillar of fire by night described in Exodus 40:38.
The people of God misunderstand who they are to be in God's world - and the prophet Isaiah calls them to understand themselves as a light to the world in Isaiah 42:6:
I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations."
This image from Isaiah is surely in the mind of Christ as he declare himself the light of the world in the Gospel of John and as he speaks to his disciples in Mathtew 5:14-16:
You are the light of the world...let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven."
To walk in the light is to walk in forgiveness - as illustrated in I John 1:5-9.
In the Gospel of John, there is always a figurative and a literal level of meaning. Jesus heals a blind man - and at the same time shows through the events around the healing that blindness is not physical, but spiritual.
True blindness is a darkness of the heart, a refusal to be open to the light of understanding in Christ. When we "see" Jesus, we see everything around us in a new light as well.
Friends, let us open our eyes to the light of the world and let us follow the example of Jesus, who reach out with his hands to touch a world in need. We are now the hands of Christ in the world.
The Gospel Lesson - John 9:1-41
9As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. 4We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, 7saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. 8The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” 12They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” 13They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” 16Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. 17So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.” 18The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21but we do not know howit is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” 24So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” 25He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29We know that God has spoken toMoses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” 30The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. 32Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out. 35Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” 37Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” 38He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. 39Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” 40Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” 41Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Pastoral Care in Economic Uncertainty
There’s nothing like a snow day to find the time to attend to things that are important but that have no particular deadline. In staff meetings and in conversations throughout the church many of us have been wondering aloud about how the economic downturn and uncertainty are bringing unwanted change and causing broken dreams for millions through job loss, reduced retirement and college savings accounts and the drop in the housing market. How do we offer a Christian and pastoral response to what is happening?
As Presbyterians who stand in the Reformed tradition we affirm that God is not absent from these events. John Calvin, our theological godfather, insisted that God continues to govern the world. This conviction can be both comforting and unsettling. In the words of Psalm 139, whether we are in the highest heavens or the darkest depths, God is with us and we are not forsaken, for God’s hand shall lead us and God’s right hand shall hold us fast. But the unsettling question about God’s presence and rule is this: Has God caused our woes? I am not brave, foolish or, for that matter, wise enough to answer this question one way or another, but I can say with confidence that these times are not beyond God’s ability to redeem and heal.
Another important aspect of our Reformed tradition is that we take the Old Testament seriously. While the Old Testament gives us context for understanding Jesus, who was, after all, a Jew rooted in the traditions of Israel, those in the Reformed tradition have insisted that the Old Testament is every bit as important as the New Testament for understanding who God is and how God works in the world. A key Old Testament theme that is relevant for us is that of exile. In 587BC Jerusalem fell to and the Temple was destroyed by the Babylonian Empire’s armies. The confidence that God’s people had in the Holy City and in God’s presence in the Temple was shattered. All the institutions that had given God’s people a sense of meaning, purpose and identity were gone. I wonder if people who have lost jobs or taken a major blow to their investments can relate to this experience of exile. Just as Israel’s trust in its major institutions – the Temple, the kings who traced their lineage to the mighty David, their identity as residents of the Promised Land – was shaken to the core, so our trust in major institutions - financial institutions, corporate America, the economy, government, our careers - has also been shaken to the core.
As those who believe in God’s sovereignty and as those who believe the Old Testament is a reliable guide for understanding how God continues to act, perhaps we can understand our situation as one of exile. A key element in pastoral care at this time may not be to reassure people that everything will return to the way it was, but to help people face the truth that careers or companies or other institutions that provided a sense of identity and purpose can no longer provide these things. The most difficult work of the Old Testament prophets, especially Jeremiah, was convincing Jerusalem’s leaders and people that an irreversible and unwanted change was about to happen and that everyone had to enter into a time of exile when the old ways no longer worked. Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann speaks of this prophetic task as one of relinquishment, which requires us to go through the pain and grief of letting go of dreams that can no longer be fulfilled and ways of living that no longer match present realities.
But once we have relinquished old dreams and old ways of living we are able to receive from God new dreams, new ways, a new identity. This movement of relinquishing and receiving is mirrored in our baptism into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In baptism we die with Christ, we let go of old ambitions and habits. In baptism we are also resurrected with Christ, receiving new dreams and new ways of living.
I do not mean to sound all doom and gloom; I do not pretend to have more insight into our economic situation than anyone else. But, in the words of Jeremiah, God condemns those who “dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14). In this Lenten season where self examination encouraged as we pick up our cross and follow Jesus it may be a good time for us to consider what it is we may need to relinquish given the changed economic realities we are facing. What dreams of ours may go unfulfilled? How do our careers define who we are, whether for good or for ill? How is the economic uncertainty we are facing helping us to know what it is to die with Christ?
More posts will come with ideas for caring for those most effected by economic troubles. I invite you to click the “comment” link at the end of this post and join in the conversation.
As Presbyterians who stand in the Reformed tradition we affirm that God is not absent from these events. John Calvin, our theological godfather, insisted that God continues to govern the world. This conviction can be both comforting and unsettling. In the words of Psalm 139, whether we are in the highest heavens or the darkest depths, God is with us and we are not forsaken, for God’s hand shall lead us and God’s right hand shall hold us fast. But the unsettling question about God’s presence and rule is this: Has God caused our woes? I am not brave, foolish or, for that matter, wise enough to answer this question one way or another, but I can say with confidence that these times are not beyond God’s ability to redeem and heal.
Another important aspect of our Reformed tradition is that we take the Old Testament seriously. While the Old Testament gives us context for understanding Jesus, who was, after all, a Jew rooted in the traditions of Israel, those in the Reformed tradition have insisted that the Old Testament is every bit as important as the New Testament for understanding who God is and how God works in the world. A key Old Testament theme that is relevant for us is that of exile. In 587BC Jerusalem fell to and the Temple was destroyed by the Babylonian Empire’s armies. The confidence that God’s people had in the Holy City and in God’s presence in the Temple was shattered. All the institutions that had given God’s people a sense of meaning, purpose and identity were gone. I wonder if people who have lost jobs or taken a major blow to their investments can relate to this experience of exile. Just as Israel’s trust in its major institutions – the Temple, the kings who traced their lineage to the mighty David, their identity as residents of the Promised Land – was shaken to the core, so our trust in major institutions - financial institutions, corporate America, the economy, government, our careers - has also been shaken to the core.
As those who believe in God’s sovereignty and as those who believe the Old Testament is a reliable guide for understanding how God continues to act, perhaps we can understand our situation as one of exile. A key element in pastoral care at this time may not be to reassure people that everything will return to the way it was, but to help people face the truth that careers or companies or other institutions that provided a sense of identity and purpose can no longer provide these things. The most difficult work of the Old Testament prophets, especially Jeremiah, was convincing Jerusalem’s leaders and people that an irreversible and unwanted change was about to happen and that everyone had to enter into a time of exile when the old ways no longer worked. Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann speaks of this prophetic task as one of relinquishment, which requires us to go through the pain and grief of letting go of dreams that can no longer be fulfilled and ways of living that no longer match present realities.
But once we have relinquished old dreams and old ways of living we are able to receive from God new dreams, new ways, a new identity. This movement of relinquishing and receiving is mirrored in our baptism into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In baptism we die with Christ, we let go of old ambitions and habits. In baptism we are also resurrected with Christ, receiving new dreams and new ways of living.
I do not mean to sound all doom and gloom; I do not pretend to have more insight into our economic situation than anyone else. But, in the words of Jeremiah, God condemns those who “dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14). In this Lenten season where self examination encouraged as we pick up our cross and follow Jesus it may be a good time for us to consider what it is we may need to relinquish given the changed economic realities we are facing. What dreams of ours may go unfulfilled? How do our careers define who we are, whether for good or for ill? How is the economic uncertainty we are facing helping us to know what it is to die with Christ?
More posts will come with ideas for caring for those most effected by economic troubles. I invite you to click the “comment” link at the end of this post and join in the conversation.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Jesus says: "I Am..." focus for Lenten worship
This Lenten season, we will focus in worship on the “I Am” sayings in the gospel of John. Jesus says “I Am” – in Greek transliterated “ei/mi” – forty-five times, including when other characters quote his words. The first is in 4:26, when Jesus says to the Samaritan woman at the well “I am he, the one who is speaking to you” in response to her “I know that Messiah is coming.” Literally, Jesus says: “I am, the one speaking with you.” Finally, on the way to the cross, Jesus declares “I am” three times, in a dramatic encounter .
These statements are intended to connect the earthly presence of Jesus with his divinity, for in the Hebrew Bible the meaning of God’s name is closely related to “I am.” In Hebrew, God’s name is indicated with four letters. This is often transliterated YHWH in English. YHWH is literally “I am.”
This first appears in Exodus 3:14 as God says to Moses, “I am who I am.” God continues addressing Moses, giving him a charge: “Say this to the people of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.”
In the Gospel of John, the second time Jesus refers to himself as “I am” is in chapter 6:20 when he speaks to the disciples in the midst of a storm, saying: “It is I; do not be afraid” as he walks on water toward them. Literally, Jesus says: “I am, do not be afraid.” John 6:35 is the focus for the first Sunday of Lent: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Jesus proclaims this after the miracle of feeding five thousand people from five barley loaves and two fish.
In John chapter 8 Jesus says: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Chapter ten brings a metaphor connected to the beloved 23rd Psalm: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep,” “I know my own and my own know me.”
In John chapter 11 the raising of Lazarus from the dead is the setting for Jesus to proclaim: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” When Jesus washes the disciples’ feet the night before his death, he says: “You call me Teacher and Lord – and you are right, for that is what I am.” During the long discourse after the last meal and before his arrest, Jesus says: “I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” In chapter 15 Jesus offers another metaphor: “I am the true vine, you are the branches.”
As Jesus is approached by those who wish to arrest him, “Jesus, knowing all that is to happen to him, comes forward and asks them, “Whom are you looking for?” They answer: “ Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replies, “I am he, ” literally, “I am.” His answer causes them to step back and fall to the ground, such that they must ask the question one more time, and Jesus answers yet again. Finally, Jesus says: “I told you that I am (he) so, if you seek me, let these men go.” Thus, in this encounter on the way to the cross, Jesus says “I am” three times.
This Lenten season, may we encounter the Jesus who beckons us to come to him, saying “I am the one speaking with you;” “I am, do not be afraid!” “I am the bread of life! “ “I am the light of the world!” I am the good shepherd!” “I am the resurrection and the life!” “I am the way, the truth and the life!” “I am the vine!” and ultimately, “I am the one you are seeking!”
Blessings,
Brenda
These statements are intended to connect the earthly presence of Jesus with his divinity, for in the Hebrew Bible the meaning of God’s name is closely related to “I am.” In Hebrew, God’s name is indicated with four letters. This is often transliterated YHWH in English. YHWH is literally “I am.”
This first appears in Exodus 3:14 as God says to Moses, “I am who I am.” God continues addressing Moses, giving him a charge: “Say this to the people of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.”
In the Gospel of John, the second time Jesus refers to himself as “I am” is in chapter 6:20 when he speaks to the disciples in the midst of a storm, saying: “It is I; do not be afraid” as he walks on water toward them. Literally, Jesus says: “I am, do not be afraid.” John 6:35 is the focus for the first Sunday of Lent: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Jesus proclaims this after the miracle of feeding five thousand people from five barley loaves and two fish.
In John chapter 8 Jesus says: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Chapter ten brings a metaphor connected to the beloved 23rd Psalm: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep,” “I know my own and my own know me.”
In John chapter 11 the raising of Lazarus from the dead is the setting for Jesus to proclaim: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” When Jesus washes the disciples’ feet the night before his death, he says: “You call me Teacher and Lord – and you are right, for that is what I am.” During the long discourse after the last meal and before his arrest, Jesus says: “I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” In chapter 15 Jesus offers another metaphor: “I am the true vine, you are the branches.”
As Jesus is approached by those who wish to arrest him, “Jesus, knowing all that is to happen to him, comes forward and asks them, “Whom are you looking for?” They answer: “ Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replies, “I am he, ” literally, “I am.” His answer causes them to step back and fall to the ground, such that they must ask the question one more time, and Jesus answers yet again. Finally, Jesus says: “I told you that I am (he) so, if you seek me, let these men go.” Thus, in this encounter on the way to the cross, Jesus says “I am” three times.
This Lenten season, may we encounter the Jesus who beckons us to come to him, saying “I am the one speaking with you;” “I am, do not be afraid!” “I am the bread of life! “ “I am the light of the world!” I am the good shepherd!” “I am the resurrection and the life!” “I am the way, the truth and the life!” “I am the vine!” and ultimately, “I am the one you are seeking!”
Blessings,
Brenda
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Been to the Mountaintop?
This past Sunday, February 22 was transfiguration Sunday, when we remember Jesus meeting with Moses and Elijah on a mountaintop as he prepared to journey to Jerusalem. Peter, James and John were with him, and when they showed more interest in Moses and Elijah God spoke and said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!"
This past Sunday was also Youth Sunday, and as usual our youth did an excellent job leading us in worship. For the sermon several youth shared stories about how they have seen God as we remember how the disciples encountered God’s presence when Jesus was transfigured. The texts below give is perspective as to how earth shaking it is to encounter God, especially the passages from Exodus and Job. Hebrews and Timothy remind us of the uniqueness of God’s presence in Jesus Christ. How is the story of Jesus’ transfiguration connected to God’s appearance at Sinai in Exodus 19? What stories do we have about encountering God? I invite you to share them here by clicking the “comment” link at the end of the post.
Monday 2/23
Exodus 19:7-25
Hebrews 2:1-4
Tuesday 2/24
Job 19:23-27
I Timothy 3:14-16
This past Sunday was also Youth Sunday, and as usual our youth did an excellent job leading us in worship. For the sermon several youth shared stories about how they have seen God as we remember how the disciples encountered God’s presence when Jesus was transfigured. The texts below give is perspective as to how earth shaking it is to encounter God, especially the passages from Exodus and Job. Hebrews and Timothy remind us of the uniqueness of God’s presence in Jesus Christ. How is the story of Jesus’ transfiguration connected to God’s appearance at Sinai in Exodus 19? What stories do we have about encountering God? I invite you to share them here by clicking the “comment” link at the end of the post.
Monday 2/23
Exodus 19:7-25
Hebrews 2:1-4
Tuesday 2/24
Job 19:23-27
I Timothy 3:14-16
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Strength to Resist
In addition to being Youth Sunday, this Sunday, February 22 is also the Sunday when we remember the transfiguration of Jesus, when he communed with Moses and Elijah, during which time his clothes became dazzling white. For those of you who have seen (or read) the Lord of the Rings series, you may remember Gandalf. When we first meet him he is known as Gandalf the Grey because of his grey robes and grey hair and beard. But after battling and defeating an ancient foe, Gandalf is transfigured and his hair, beard and robe are turned from dull and dirty grey to dazzling white.
But along with Gandalf’s dazzling appearance came a new sense of calling and purpose. Gandalf knew he must resist the growing presence of evil in the world and his transfiguration/resurrection gives him the clarity and the strength to resist and prevail over the evil forces afoot. In the Gospels it is after the transfiguration that, in the words of Luke, Jesus “sets is face to Jerusalem,” aware of what awaits him there. It is after Jesus talks to Moses and Elijah (both dead for centuries by this time) that he begins his journey to Jerusalem, where through the cross he confronts and defeats the evil forces afoot in the world.
Moses, with the guidance and strength of God, stood up to Pharaoh and demanded that God’s people be set free so they might serve their God instead of living as slaves in Egypt. In the Old Testament Moses represents God’s law, or instruction. Elijah represents the prophets. The readings from I Kings below remind us of the contentious relationship between God’s prophets and those in power. These two central figures from the Old Testament remind us that God has always stood against the worldly powers that would enslave us and turn us away from the life and goodness only God can grant. By communing with Moses and Elijah, with the Law and Prophets, with the fullness of God’s word to Israel, Jesus is gaining strength and clarity to resist evil through the most unusual means of the cross.
Transfiguration Sunday is always the last Sunday of the season of Epiphany, and it’s important to note the movement we experience through the church year. The “New Year” begins with Advent, where we anticipate the birth of Jesus, the fulfillment of God’s promise to Israel. At Christmas nature reflects what we celebrate: as we celebrate the birth of the light of the world, the days begin growing longer. During Epiphany we celebrate the appearance/revelation of Jesus as God’s Son: we remember God acclaiming Jesus as God’s beloved Son at baptism, we witness Jesus calling disciples and healing people as he begins his mission. The season of Epiphany always ends with the story of Jesus’ transfiguration, after which Jesus begins his journey to Jerusalem, the place of his crucifixion. Wednesday, Feb. 25 is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, the season where we reflect on what it means to bear our cross as Jesus journeys to Jerusalem to bear his.
What worldly powers are we called to stand against? How does the cross shape the way we resist evil? The readings from the New Testament below offer us hope for our own transformation even as they remind us that the world will often turn a blind eye to God’s saving action in Jesus Christ. How is God transforming us? How does the world resist the transforming presence of Jesus?
Thursday, 2/19
I Kings 11:26-40
II Corinthians 2:12-17
Friday 2/20
I Kings 14:1-18
I Timothy 1:12-20
Saturday 2/21
I Kings 16:1-7
Luke 19:41-44
Read Psalm 50:1-6 each of these three days
But along with Gandalf’s dazzling appearance came a new sense of calling and purpose. Gandalf knew he must resist the growing presence of evil in the world and his transfiguration/resurrection gives him the clarity and the strength to resist and prevail over the evil forces afoot. In the Gospels it is after the transfiguration that, in the words of Luke, Jesus “sets is face to Jerusalem,” aware of what awaits him there. It is after Jesus talks to Moses and Elijah (both dead for centuries by this time) that he begins his journey to Jerusalem, where through the cross he confronts and defeats the evil forces afoot in the world.
Moses, with the guidance and strength of God, stood up to Pharaoh and demanded that God’s people be set free so they might serve their God instead of living as slaves in Egypt. In the Old Testament Moses represents God’s law, or instruction. Elijah represents the prophets. The readings from I Kings below remind us of the contentious relationship between God’s prophets and those in power. These two central figures from the Old Testament remind us that God has always stood against the worldly powers that would enslave us and turn us away from the life and goodness only God can grant. By communing with Moses and Elijah, with the Law and Prophets, with the fullness of God’s word to Israel, Jesus is gaining strength and clarity to resist evil through the most unusual means of the cross.
Transfiguration Sunday is always the last Sunday of the season of Epiphany, and it’s important to note the movement we experience through the church year. The “New Year” begins with Advent, where we anticipate the birth of Jesus, the fulfillment of God’s promise to Israel. At Christmas nature reflects what we celebrate: as we celebrate the birth of the light of the world, the days begin growing longer. During Epiphany we celebrate the appearance/revelation of Jesus as God’s Son: we remember God acclaiming Jesus as God’s beloved Son at baptism, we witness Jesus calling disciples and healing people as he begins his mission. The season of Epiphany always ends with the story of Jesus’ transfiguration, after which Jesus begins his journey to Jerusalem, the place of his crucifixion. Wednesday, Feb. 25 is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, the season where we reflect on what it means to bear our cross as Jesus journeys to Jerusalem to bear his.
What worldly powers are we called to stand against? How does the cross shape the way we resist evil? The readings from the New Testament below offer us hope for our own transformation even as they remind us that the world will often turn a blind eye to God’s saving action in Jesus Christ. How is God transforming us? How does the world resist the transforming presence of Jesus?
Thursday, 2/19
I Kings 11:26-40
II Corinthians 2:12-17
Friday 2/20
I Kings 14:1-18
I Timothy 1:12-20
Saturday 2/21
I Kings 16:1-7
Luke 19:41-44
Read Psalm 50:1-6 each of these three days
Sunday, February 15, 2009
In Sickness and In Health
The readings for Sunday, February 15 focused on healings, whether the healing of lepers in 2 Kings and in Mark or the rejoicing of Psalm 30 as God turns mourning into dancing. The readings below help us gain some perspective on issues of sickness and healing. In 2 Chronicles, King Uzziah was stricken with leprosy because of his arrogance. In Acts Peter, who has no money to speak of, is nevertheless able to heal a crippled beggar. 2 Kings 7 tells the story of four lepers who, because they were outsiders, were able to discover an act of God. Job’s honesty in his suffering may help us give voice to our own struggles.
How do we understand God’s healing? How have either experiences of serious illness or the experience of caring for an ill loved one changed our perspective on the world? What are honest words we can offer about our experiences of illness and suffering?
Monday 2/16
2 Chronicles 26:1-21
Acts 3:1-10
Tuesday 2/17
2 Kings 7:3-10
I Corinthians 10:14-11:1
Wednesday 2/18
Job 30:16-31
John 4:46-54
Read Psalm 6 each of these three days
How do we understand God’s healing? How have either experiences of serious illness or the experience of caring for an ill loved one changed our perspective on the world? What are honest words we can offer about our experiences of illness and suffering?
Monday 2/16
2 Chronicles 26:1-21
Acts 3:1-10
Tuesday 2/17
2 Kings 7:3-10
I Corinthians 10:14-11:1
Wednesday 2/18
Job 30:16-31
John 4:46-54
Read Psalm 6 each of these three days
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Social Lepers
The readings for Sunday, February 15 tell stories of lepers being healed. The prophet Elisha healed Naaman, a five star general in the army of a rival nation. We also hear the story of Jesus healing an unnamed man of leprosy. We can’t be certain about what types of diseases are considered to be “leprosy” in these passages. Naaman was a prominent leader, having contact with many people, including his king, so it is unlikely he was contagious. It is not exactly clear why the Law of Moses viewed lepers as unclean. It is possible they were viewed as unclean because they were not “whole” or “all one thing;” portions of their skin were healthy, portions were not. But if a leper’s skin turned all white and there were no signs of infection or irritation they were to be considered clean because they were now wholly white. Remember, Leviticus (where these regulations regarding leprosy are found) also forbids garments made of more than one kind of fabric (no polyester blends!) and forbids the eating of shell fish because these creatures live in the sea but do not have scales or fins like a proper fish “should;” they are part fish because they live in the water, but they are also part something else because they do not have scales and fins. Because things like mixed-fiber garments and shell fish are not reckoned to be wholly one thing they are not considered holy and are therefore unclean.
It seems that while the lepers in these stories would have experienced discomfort they were not facing a life-threatening disease. The most difficult consequence of their disease would have been the social consequences; they were social lepers. While Naaman was a public figure, surely his very visible disease made people apprehensive. And the Jewish leper healed by Jesus was forbidden to be an active part of the community, both in everyday interactions and by being forbidden to participate in worship because he was reckoned unclean. These healings are not just about the healing of the body, but the restoring of right relationships between the (former) leper and other people and the (former) leper and God. Once healed of leprosy people regain their standing before God and before the human community.
The readings below help prepare us for Sunday by giving us an understanding how Israel understood leprosy and how lepers were to be treated. What are the differences between the stories of Naaman and the unnamed leper Jesus healed? Who are today’s lepers and what is it that puts them on the margins? How do we welcome those who perceive themselves as being marginal? In Exodus the priest performs a ritual that demonstrates to both the leper and to the community that the (former) leper has been restored to full and right relationship to God and to the community. Do we have any such rituals?
Thursday 2/12
Leviticus 13:1-17
Hebrews 12:7-13
Friday 2/13
Leviticus 14:1-20
Acts 19:11-20
Saturday 2/14
Leviticus 14:21-32
Matthew 26:6-13
It seems that while the lepers in these stories would have experienced discomfort they were not facing a life-threatening disease. The most difficult consequence of their disease would have been the social consequences; they were social lepers. While Naaman was a public figure, surely his very visible disease made people apprehensive. And the Jewish leper healed by Jesus was forbidden to be an active part of the community, both in everyday interactions and by being forbidden to participate in worship because he was reckoned unclean. These healings are not just about the healing of the body, but the restoring of right relationships between the (former) leper and other people and the (former) leper and God. Once healed of leprosy people regain their standing before God and before the human community.
The readings below help prepare us for Sunday by giving us an understanding how Israel understood leprosy and how lepers were to be treated. What are the differences between the stories of Naaman and the unnamed leper Jesus healed? Who are today’s lepers and what is it that puts them on the margins? How do we welcome those who perceive themselves as being marginal? In Exodus the priest performs a ritual that demonstrates to both the leper and to the community that the (former) leper has been restored to full and right relationship to God and to the community. Do we have any such rituals?
Thursday 2/12
Leviticus 13:1-17
Hebrews 12:7-13
Friday 2/13
Leviticus 14:1-20
Acts 19:11-20
Saturday 2/14
Leviticus 14:21-32
Matthew 26:6-13
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Patience and Longing
Our readings from Sunday, February 8 speak of hope and comfort (Isaiah), God’s work on behalf of the outcast and downtrodden (Psalm 147) Jesus manifesting God’s kingdom through healings and exorcism, and of Paul striving to remove any unnecessary roadblocks to the Gospel. The readings below help us reflect on the readings from Sunday. 2 Kings 4 helps us see that Jesus stands firmly in the prophetic tradition of Israel. The readings from Acts 14 and 2 Kings 8 reveal to us that healings performed by those who stand in Israel’s prophetic tradition, whether prophets such as Elisha or apostles such as Paul, generate mixed responses. Isaiah urges us to wait on the Lord, but Job, who had the patience of, well, Job, was not always so patient. His voice helps us to see that God does not expect us to wait silently, but welcomes our sometimes fiery cries of anguish and longing.
How do the readings from 2 Kings 4, Acts 14 and Mark 3 help us understand Jesus’ healing ministry? How does Job help us voice our own cries, even as Isaiah reminds us to be patient? How do we balance the tension between the fullness of God’s presence in Jesus and our longing for God’s to fulfill in full God’s promises?
Monday, 2/9
2 Kings 4:8-17, 32-37
Acts 14:1-7
Tuesday 2/10
2 Kings 8:1-6
Acts 15:36-41
Wednesday 2/11
Job 6:1-13
Mark 3:7-12
Read this portion of Psalm 102 each of these three days.
How do the readings from 2 Kings 4, Acts 14 and Mark 3 help us understand Jesus’ healing ministry? How does Job help us voice our own cries, even as Isaiah reminds us to be patient? How do we balance the tension between the fullness of God’s presence in Jesus and our longing for God’s to fulfill in full God’s promises?
Monday, 2/9
2 Kings 4:8-17, 32-37
Acts 14:1-7
Tuesday 2/10
2 Kings 8:1-6
Acts 15:36-41
Wednesday 2/11
Job 6:1-13
Mark 3:7-12
Read this portion of Psalm 102 each of these three days.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009 Scripture Passages
Friends,
The passages from Isaiah is familiar to many of us as it is often read at a service of Witness to the Resurrection. It is a passage of hope - expressing God's power and care for the world - and affirming that God is present with us in the challenges of life. Have you not known? Don't you remember? Think about it! The rhetorical questions call us to stop and reflect on what God has done in order to give us hope in the present. I find a thread of connection between this call to stop and reflect and the Mark passage in which Jesus takes time away to pray. We are called to remember! And this memory gives us hope in the present which sustains us!
Blessings,
Brenda
Isaiah 40:21-31
21Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in; 23who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing. 24Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows upon them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. 25To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One. 26Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing.
27Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? 28Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. 30Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; 31but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Mark 1:29-39
29As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. 31He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
32That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. 33And the whole city was gathered around the door. 34And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. 35In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. 36And Simon and his companions hunted for him. 37When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” 38He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” 39And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.
The passages from Isaiah is familiar to many of us as it is often read at a service of Witness to the Resurrection. It is a passage of hope - expressing God's power and care for the world - and affirming that God is present with us in the challenges of life. Have you not known? Don't you remember? Think about it! The rhetorical questions call us to stop and reflect on what God has done in order to give us hope in the present. I find a thread of connection between this call to stop and reflect and the Mark passage in which Jesus takes time away to pray. We are called to remember! And this memory gives us hope in the present which sustains us!
Blessings,
Brenda
Isaiah 40:21-31
21Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in; 23who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing. 24Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows upon them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. 25To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One. 26Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing.
27Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? 28Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. 30Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; 31but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Mark 1:29-39
29As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. 31He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
32That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. 33And the whole city was gathered around the door. 34And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. 35In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. 36And Simon and his companions hunted for him. 37When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” 38He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” 39And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.
All Tangled Up
In different ways the readings for Sunday, February 8 concern both the freedom of God and human freedom. Isaiah reminds us that God has no equal and that God helps the powerless find strength. The Psalmist reminds us of God’s liberating presence amongst the brokenhearted. Paul speaks of the freedom he has to adopt the habits and traditions of the people he’s around in order to make the gospel intelligible to them. In Mark we hear stories of the sick being cured and of demons being cast out. We tend to view these stories as healings, but for Mark these stories may not have been as much about the mentally or physically ill being made well as they are about those oppressed by evil being set free.
The readings below help prepare us for the Sunday readings. The readings from the wisdom literature – from Proverbs and Job – seek to persuade us that evil leads to enslavement and it is only God who moves and acts in true freedom, making the case that obedience to God is the path to human freedom. Isaiah 46 picks up this theme by drawing our attention to the incomparable nature of God. The readings from Paul – Galatians and I Corinthians – speak of the way Paul uses his freedom in light of human traditions. Matthew speaks of Jesus’ freedom in the face of traditions that would restrain most from acting.
How do we understand freedom – both God’s freedom and our own? To borrow from Proverbs, what are the things likely to ensnare us, tangling us up and limiting our freedom? How does God use God’s freedom? How does this inform how we use our own? May these readings prepare you for more active participation in worship this Sunday.
Thursday 2/5
Proverbs 12:10-21
Galatians 5:2-15
Friday 2/6
Job 36:1-23
I Corinthians 9:1-16
Saturday 2/7
Isaiah 46:1-13
Matthew 12:9-14
Read this portion of Psalm 147 each of these three days.
The readings below help prepare us for the Sunday readings. The readings from the wisdom literature – from Proverbs and Job – seek to persuade us that evil leads to enslavement and it is only God who moves and acts in true freedom, making the case that obedience to God is the path to human freedom. Isaiah 46 picks up this theme by drawing our attention to the incomparable nature of God. The readings from Paul – Galatians and I Corinthians – speak of the way Paul uses his freedom in light of human traditions. Matthew speaks of Jesus’ freedom in the face of traditions that would restrain most from acting.
How do we understand freedom – both God’s freedom and our own? To borrow from Proverbs, what are the things likely to ensnare us, tangling us up and limiting our freedom? How does God use God’s freedom? How does this inform how we use our own? May these readings prepare you for more active participation in worship this Sunday.
Thursday 2/5
Proverbs 12:10-21
Galatians 5:2-15
Friday 2/6
Job 36:1-23
I Corinthians 9:1-16
Saturday 2/7
Isaiah 46:1-13
Matthew 12:9-14
Read this portion of Psalm 147 each of these three days.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Food Fight!
A theme from the readings for Sunday, February 1 is the relationship between knowledge and love. In Deuteronomy we hear the promise that God will raise up a prophet like Moses from the people of Israel who will lead the people in true knowledge of God. In the reading from Mark we are confronted with the disconnect between knowledge and love: the demon knows exactly who Jesus is (the “Holy One of God”) yet opposes God’s kingdom. In the reading from I Corinthians the church in Corinth knows that only the God of Israel, the Father of Jesus Christ, is real and that all idols are false and imaginary, yet they are tempted to use their liberty in a way that tears others down. In Paul’s words, knowledge (even true knowledge of God) puffs up, but love builds up. To skip ahead to I Corinthians 13 – the famous “wedding chapter” – faith, knowledge and prophecies are useless without love.
Our readings from Numbers highlight the strange relationship between knowledge and love. Balaam is something of a prophet, but he is a prophet allied with Israel’s enemies. On the one hand he acknowledges the God of Israel as true but he is forced to curse the Israelites by his king. The readings from Acts, I Corinthians and Jeremiah give us glimpses of how the church has helped followers of Jesus bring knowledge and love into a fruitful relationship with one another. The Acts reading is an attempt to allow Jews and Gentiles to share table fellowship with one another while respecting the traditions of the Jews and the honoring the liberty of the Gentiles. The compromise was to go back to the covenant God established not with Moses (which had very specific food laws) or with Abraham (which required male circumcision) but with the covenant God established with Noah, allowing for both the honoring of Jewish custom and Gentile liberty. Jeremiah’s instruction to Jewish exiles in Babylon and Paul’s teaching on marriage remind us that the place to balance knowledge of God’s will and love for God and one another is not in some future utopia, but here and now, when life is less than perfect.
In what ways do we struggle to bring knowledge and love together? If some of the major struggles and causes for division for the early church was over proper eating habits, what are the struggles that threaten to divide us? If the biblical story of God’s covenant with Noah helped bring clarity and resolution to these “food fights,” what biblical stories can help bring resolution to the conflicts we face? Below are the readings that help us reflect on this Sunday’s readings.
Monday 2/2
Numbers 22:1-21
Acts 21:17-26
Tuesday 2/3
Numbers 21:22-28
I Corinthians 7:32-40
Wednesday 2/4
Jeremiah 29:1-14
Mark 5:1-20
Read Psalm 35:1-10 each of these three days.
Our readings from Numbers highlight the strange relationship between knowledge and love. Balaam is something of a prophet, but he is a prophet allied with Israel’s enemies. On the one hand he acknowledges the God of Israel as true but he is forced to curse the Israelites by his king. The readings from Acts, I Corinthians and Jeremiah give us glimpses of how the church has helped followers of Jesus bring knowledge and love into a fruitful relationship with one another. The Acts reading is an attempt to allow Jews and Gentiles to share table fellowship with one another while respecting the traditions of the Jews and the honoring the liberty of the Gentiles. The compromise was to go back to the covenant God established not with Moses (which had very specific food laws) or with Abraham (which required male circumcision) but with the covenant God established with Noah, allowing for both the honoring of Jewish custom and Gentile liberty. Jeremiah’s instruction to Jewish exiles in Babylon and Paul’s teaching on marriage remind us that the place to balance knowledge of God’s will and love for God and one another is not in some future utopia, but here and now, when life is less than perfect.
In what ways do we struggle to bring knowledge and love together? If some of the major struggles and causes for division for the early church was over proper eating habits, what are the struggles that threaten to divide us? If the biblical story of God’s covenant with Noah helped bring clarity and resolution to these “food fights,” what biblical stories can help bring resolution to the conflicts we face? Below are the readings that help us reflect on this Sunday’s readings.
Monday 2/2
Numbers 22:1-21
Acts 21:17-26
Tuesday 2/3
Numbers 21:22-28
I Corinthians 7:32-40
Wednesday 2/4
Jeremiah 29:1-14
Mark 5:1-20
Read Psalm 35:1-10 each of these three days.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
American Idolaters?
Our readings for Sunday, February 1 are about prophets, demons and idols – all kinds of fun stuff! On Sunday we hear of Moses’ longing that all God’s people would be prophets, able to hear and share God’s word. Our readings from Deuteronomy give us some insight as to what being a prophet involves. On Sunday Crystal will be preaching and the New Testament focus will be the reading from I Corinthians, which focuses on the struggles the Christians in Corinth had when as they faced a culture filled with idols. For these disciples these idols were literal: idols to all kinds of Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. While our idols may not be as literal, they are no less real. According to the Reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin, we are all prone to be idolaters: we all offer our worship and allegiance to something, just not necessarily to the God revealed first through Israel and then through Jesus Christ. What idols do we make for ourselves (any ideas, Steelers’ fans?)? In our lives, what are the rivals that divert our attention and allegiance away from God? While we don’t struggle with eating meat because it may have been a sacrifice to a pagan idol, are there any areas of life that are difficult for us to navigate because of our allegiance to God? Here are readings that will help prepare us for Sunday:
Thursday 1/29
Deuteronomy 3:23-29
Romans 9:6-18
Friday 1/30
Deuteronomy 12:28-32
Revelation 2:12-17
Saturday 1/31
Deuteronomy 13:1-5
Matthew 8:28-9:1
Read Psalm 111 each of these three days
Thursday 1/29
Deuteronomy 3:23-29
Romans 9:6-18
Friday 1/30
Deuteronomy 12:28-32
Revelation 2:12-17
Saturday 1/31
Deuteronomy 13:1-5
Matthew 8:28-9:1
Read Psalm 111 each of these three days
Monday, January 26, 2009
Here Comes Everybody
Often when we think of God’s call we think of God’s call and claim upon individuals. But God’s claim rests upon communities as well. It can be easy to assume that churches are a collection of like-minded individuals who have decided to band together out of common convictions; God calls us individually, so we are part of a church. While few people join churches if they find little they agree with, this does not mean we can assume all members are in agreement about what the priorities and guiding convictions of a congregation should be.
While God does indeed call individuals, God also calls communities to action; we are part of a church, so God calls us to ministry and mission, especially to work that cannot be accomplished by any one individual. Our readings for this week, which help us reflect on the readings for Sunday, January 25, remind us that God’s call is not just to individual prophets and apostles, but to communities. God called Abraham not to be an extraordinary person, but to be the father of the Israelite community. God called all of Israel, not just Jacob, to settle in Egypt. God’s wisdom calls out to whoever will listen, not to singularly gifted individuals. Mark reminds us that Jesus formed a community of twelve disciples that evoke the memory of the twelve tribes of Israel. Paul reminds us of the surprising truth that God is much more likely to call us to remain where we are and as we are as we serve God; radical discipleship is possible even if we don’t sell all we have to become missionaries in the far corners of the world. Acts reminds us that God’s claim is not always obvious – sometimes only time can tell if we are going in the right direction.
What do you think God is calling TCPC to do? How is God claiming us as a community for service?
Monday 1/26
Genesis 12:1-9
I Corinthians 7:17-24
Tuesday 1/27
Genesis 45:25-46:7
Acts 5:33-42
Wednesday 1/28
Proverbs 8:1-21
Mark 3:13-19a
Read Psalm 46 each of these three days
While God does indeed call individuals, God also calls communities to action; we are part of a church, so God calls us to ministry and mission, especially to work that cannot be accomplished by any one individual. Our readings for this week, which help us reflect on the readings for Sunday, January 25, remind us that God’s call is not just to individual prophets and apostles, but to communities. God called Abraham not to be an extraordinary person, but to be the father of the Israelite community. God called all of Israel, not just Jacob, to settle in Egypt. God’s wisdom calls out to whoever will listen, not to singularly gifted individuals. Mark reminds us that Jesus formed a community of twelve disciples that evoke the memory of the twelve tribes of Israel. Paul reminds us of the surprising truth that God is much more likely to call us to remain where we are and as we are as we serve God; radical discipleship is possible even if we don’t sell all we have to become missionaries in the far corners of the world. Acts reminds us that God’s claim is not always obvious – sometimes only time can tell if we are going in the right direction.
What do you think God is calling TCPC to do? How is God claiming us as a community for service?
Monday 1/26
Genesis 12:1-9
I Corinthians 7:17-24
Tuesday 1/27
Genesis 45:25-46:7
Acts 5:33-42
Wednesday 1/28
Proverbs 8:1-21
Mark 3:13-19a
Read Psalm 46 each of these three days
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Tough Love
Our readings for Sunday, January 25 focus on the call of Prophets (Jonah) and Apostles (Simon Peter and Andrew, James and John). It is common for us to assume the Old Testament prophets are about God’s wrath while the New Testament apostles are about God’s grace. But the readings below, from both Testaments, tell of proclamations of judgment. These are not easy or comfortable words for us to hear – there seems to be no “Good News” in them.
Some have likened the spiritual disciplines to the practice of medicine because they focus on curing the soul of all that would pull it away from God. In many ways the readings that prepare us for Sunday are like a dire diagnosis, for they reveal to us the dire condition of the world. The theologian Karl Barth likened the cross, which is the ultimate revelation of the world’s rebellion against God, to a notice that a building has been condemned because it is no longer safe to live in. A building often needs to be condemned before it can be rebuilt. In a similar way prophets and apostles reveal the faulty foundations of the world not so they can gloat or point fingers, but to prepare the world for God’s new creation. What ills and faulty foundations do these readings reveal to you?
Thursday, 1/22
Jeremiah 19:1-15
Revelation 18:11-20
Friday 1/23
Jeremiah 20:7-13
2 Peter 3:1-17
Saturday 1/24
Jeremiah 20:14-18
Luke 10:13-16
Read Psalm 62:5-12 each of these three days
Some have likened the spiritual disciplines to the practice of medicine because they focus on curing the soul of all that would pull it away from God. In many ways the readings that prepare us for Sunday are like a dire diagnosis, for they reveal to us the dire condition of the world. The theologian Karl Barth likened the cross, which is the ultimate revelation of the world’s rebellion against God, to a notice that a building has been condemned because it is no longer safe to live in. A building often needs to be condemned before it can be rebuilt. In a similar way prophets and apostles reveal the faulty foundations of the world not so they can gloat or point fingers, but to prepare the world for God’s new creation. What ills and faulty foundations do these readings reveal to you?
Thursday, 1/22
Jeremiah 19:1-15
Revelation 18:11-20
Friday 1/23
Jeremiah 20:7-13
2 Peter 3:1-17
Saturday 1/24
Jeremiah 20:14-18
Luke 10:13-16
Read Psalm 62:5-12 each of these three days
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
TCPC Visioning Process Begins
A word about the TCPC Visioning Process:
Many of you know that we are embarking on a visioning process with Barry Watkins, faciliator and chair, along with Barclay Bradshaw, Anna Bryant, Sean Healy, Cecil Martin, Bruce Osborne, and myself as the staff resource. As our visioning process continues I would like to share with you an excerpt from the resource we have been using entitled Holy Conversations: Strategic Planning as a Spiritual Practice for Congregations, published by the Alban Institute. I am summarzing this excerpt, which points out the important of both flexibility and structure in the planning process as well as the importance of both vision and management in the task of leadership!
The story of Exodus reminds us that leadership is a dance in which we focus on the future while we simultaneously manage the specific realities of the present day. The relationship of Moses and Aaron points to the need for balance in this “dance” between a focus on the future and a focus on the tasks of the present moment. Moses’ task was to envision the future.
It was Moses who went off alone to encounter Go d face to face. He would return with new energy, a sense of direction, and a visible radiance from the encounter. Aaron, on the other hand, was the voice of management. He structured the trip from day to day, organizing task, assigning responsibilities and making decisions. It was the visionary Moses who, alone on the mountain with God, received the commandments. It was Aaron who waited below with the people, organizing daily life and trying to address the needs and anxieties of the people.
The irony of this story is that just as Moses was receiving the commandment not to make graven images, Aaron was working below with the people busy creating the very same images in an effort to offer a visible leader. (Exodus 32:1-35). One of the lessons here is that both Moses and Aaron were needed for the journey. Leadership needs to search for vision and ask the big questions of purpose and identity. Management needs to take care of the travel – determining the steps to take, giving people appropriate tasks, and making clear decisions.
The risk is in letting Moses and Aaron get too far apart. It was when Moses and Aaron, vision and management, got disconnected that things fell apart. A planning process cannot be all vision without structure and direction. Neither can the planning process simply be a list of tasks or exercises that will magically lead somewhere. The leader and the planning team must be willing to dance between Moses and Aaron – to slow down enough to allow vision to take shape while also structuring a plan that will assist the people to move toward a future. Being flexible about the planning process allows the congregation to be open to discernment. Being structured about the planning process allows the congregation to move ahead and make progress on the journey. In other words, a planning process cannot be all vision without structure and direction. Neither can the planning process simply be a list of tasks or exercises.
I look forward to taking this journey with you!
Pastor Brenda
Many of you know that we are embarking on a visioning process with Barry Watkins, faciliator and chair, along with Barclay Bradshaw, Anna Bryant, Sean Healy, Cecil Martin, Bruce Osborne, and myself as the staff resource. As our visioning process continues I would like to share with you an excerpt from the resource we have been using entitled Holy Conversations: Strategic Planning as a Spiritual Practice for Congregations, published by the Alban Institute. I am summarzing this excerpt, which points out the important of both flexibility and structure in the planning process as well as the importance of both vision and management in the task of leadership!
The story of Exodus reminds us that leadership is a dance in which we focus on the future while we simultaneously manage the specific realities of the present day. The relationship of Moses and Aaron points to the need for balance in this “dance” between a focus on the future and a focus on the tasks of the present moment. Moses’ task was to envision the future.
It was Moses who went off alone to encounter Go d face to face. He would return with new energy, a sense of direction, and a visible radiance from the encounter. Aaron, on the other hand, was the voice of management. He structured the trip from day to day, organizing task, assigning responsibilities and making decisions. It was the visionary Moses who, alone on the mountain with God, received the commandments. It was Aaron who waited below with the people, organizing daily life and trying to address the needs and anxieties of the people.
The irony of this story is that just as Moses was receiving the commandment not to make graven images, Aaron was working below with the people busy creating the very same images in an effort to offer a visible leader. (Exodus 32:1-35). One of the lessons here is that both Moses and Aaron were needed for the journey. Leadership needs to search for vision and ask the big questions of purpose and identity. Management needs to take care of the travel – determining the steps to take, giving people appropriate tasks, and making clear decisions.
The risk is in letting Moses and Aaron get too far apart. It was when Moses and Aaron, vision and management, got disconnected that things fell apart. A planning process cannot be all vision without structure and direction. Neither can the planning process simply be a list of tasks or exercises that will magically lead somewhere. The leader and the planning team must be willing to dance between Moses and Aaron – to slow down enough to allow vision to take shape while also structuring a plan that will assist the people to move toward a future. Being flexible about the planning process allows the congregation to be open to discernment. Being structured about the planning process allows the congregation to move ahead and make progress on the journey. In other words, a planning process cannot be all vision without structure and direction. Neither can the planning process simply be a list of tasks or exercises.
I look forward to taking this journey with you!
Pastor Brenda
Monday, January 19, 2009
Jonah: Not Too Hard to Swallow
Friends,
The passages for this coming Sunday are from Jonah and Mark.
The calling of Peter and Andrew, James and John in the gospel of Mark contrasts with the call of Jonah. The four fishermen follow immediately, while Jonah rebels and follows only reluctantly and only after God has chased him down. Interestingly, Jonah knows exactly what God wants him to do and turns away from it. The fishermen, on the other hand, do not have a clu as to what their lives are about to come, yet they are ready to follow Jesus.
Together the texts speak of God's claim on our lives and our responsibility to answer when God calls.
We don't know that it was a whale that swallowed Jonah. However, we do know that whales communicate with one another. Can you imagine the convesation? "Yeah, I caught a man. But you should have seen the one that got away."
Jonah was a "good catch" for God. It is as if the further Jonah runs, the more he convinces God that he is worth chasing after! If Jonah has such will and determination to ignore God that he will go to such extremes to run in the opposite direction, imagine the passion with which he would follow God, once his energy was channeled in the right direction? The very qualities that make Jonah run fast in the opposite direction are what make him desirable to God.
We can make ourselves as ridiculous as possible in our efforts to escape God. But the very intensity and absurdity adn even the painfulness of our flight shos God just how much potential passion we have locked inside us. God may laugh, but God will not abandon us.
Jonah 3:1-10
3The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, 2“Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” 3So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. 4Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”
5And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth. 6When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. 8Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. 9Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish.” 10When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.
Mark 1:14-20
14Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” 16As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 17And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” 18And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.
The passages for this coming Sunday are from Jonah and Mark.
The calling of Peter and Andrew, James and John in the gospel of Mark contrasts with the call of Jonah. The four fishermen follow immediately, while Jonah rebels and follows only reluctantly and only after God has chased him down. Interestingly, Jonah knows exactly what God wants him to do and turns away from it. The fishermen, on the other hand, do not have a clu as to what their lives are about to come, yet they are ready to follow Jesus.
Together the texts speak of God's claim on our lives and our responsibility to answer when God calls.
We don't know that it was a whale that swallowed Jonah. However, we do know that whales communicate with one another. Can you imagine the convesation? "Yeah, I caught a man. But you should have seen the one that got away."
Jonah was a "good catch" for God. It is as if the further Jonah runs, the more he convinces God that he is worth chasing after! If Jonah has such will and determination to ignore God that he will go to such extremes to run in the opposite direction, imagine the passion with which he would follow God, once his energy was channeled in the right direction? The very qualities that make Jonah run fast in the opposite direction are what make him desirable to God.
We can make ourselves as ridiculous as possible in our efforts to escape God. But the very intensity and absurdity adn even the painfulness of our flight shos God just how much potential passion we have locked inside us. God may laugh, but God will not abandon us.
Jonah 3:1-10
3The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, 2“Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” 3So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. 4Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”
5And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth. 6When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. 8Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. 9Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish.” 10When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.
Mark 1:14-20
14Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” 16As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 17And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” 18And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.
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