Right Living and Pleasing God

For 7/3/2011

Paul’s letter to the church in Rome can be very difficult to follow but contains the most complete recording of his theology as it had evolved over his life. Today’s scripture comes after a difficult discussion of the Jewish law and why it is both holy and a problem. Before Paul’s encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus he was a devout Pharisee, a Jewish sect which sought to live in complete observance of the Jewish Law. Their life centered around knowing every detail of the Jewish Law including all of its interpretations, i.e. what specifically constitutes working on the Sabbath. You can almost sense his struggle to come to terms with his radically different understanding of the role of the Law as something both holy and now irrelevant as you read Romans 7. This may seem only of academic interest but it raises question for us in our times.

Paul and the Law:

Romans 7:6 But now that we're no longer shackled to that domineering mate of sin, and out from under all those oppressive regulations and fine print, we're free to live a new life in the freedom of God. 7 But I can hear you say, "If the law code was as bad as all that, it's no better than sin itself." That's certainly not true. The law code had a perfectly legitimate function. Without its clear guidelines for right and wrong, moral behavior would be mostly guesswork. Apart from the succinct, surgical command, "You shall not covet," I could have dressed covetousness up to look like a virtue and ruined my life with it.

· What problem did Paul have with the law?
· What does he now see as the purpose for the law? Is a moral structure with do’s and don’ts important to us for right living?
· Where did your understanding of right living come from? How much of it developed as a part of your Christian faith?
· What do you feel are the consequences for living outside of your understanding of proper behavior? What do you feel badly or worry about when the inevitable shortcomings occur? Has any consideration of your relationship with God ever occurred.

The following from Paul by C. K. Barrett might help us understand some of Paul’s concerns about relying on the law for a right relationship with God:

Law is in essence religion and religion is a specific way of dealing with the supernatural. It may leave man confident that the supernatural is being kept firmly in its place, that God personifying the supernatural – is being properly handled by the appropriate procedures and will do no harm or even make impossible demands …
· What is your reaction to his observation of a reliance on proper behavior as the basis for a right relationship with God?

In spite of the awareness he has of good and bad living Paul writes of the frustration that he experiences trying to be true to it:

Romans 7:21-23 It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.
24I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question?
25The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.
· What has Paul discovered about himself? Can you relate to this sense of frustration? Paul says that “Parts of me covertly rebel”, are there basic flaws in human nature that cause this to happen?
· In verse 24 Paul says that he is “at the end of my rope.” How important does it appear that inappropriate behavior affects him? Are there particular shortcomings that you carry with you and give you this kind of angst?
· This scripture is the point of departure for Paul to living a spiritual life with God’s saving grace. Has your faith life helped you deal with the “contradictions” he speaks of? Do you think that guilt can be proportional to our desire to serve God?
· What did Jesus do to “set things right”? How are our shortcomings dealt with now? Paul gives us a hint in Galatians 2:21:

I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

Honoring the Law is was not restricted to the Jews of Paul’s time, early on in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus gives us his teaching on the law:

Matthew 5:17-18"Don't suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures— either God's Law or the Prophets. I'm not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. God's Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God's Law will be alive and working.
· Jesus seems to place heavy emphasis on compliance with the Law. Does this seem to contradict Paul’s ideas we discussed above? Can you see why the Jerusalem Christian converts might place a strong emphasis on continuing to live in compliance with the Law?
· Jesus tells us he came to complete the Law, what do you think that he meant by that? What might have been missing before Jesus came? Does this make any sense to you?

Maybe a final word from Paul might help:

Romans 12:1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
· Where does our understanding of and ability to live in accordance with God’s will come from?
· What have you learned from this, what questions do you have?

Closing Litany

For it is by grace we are saved through faith, it is not our own doing. It is God’s gift, not a reward for work done. We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the life of good deeds which God designed for us. Amen From Ephesians 2:8-10

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Genesis 25:19-34 or Isaiah 55:10-13, Psalm 119:105-112 or Psalm 65:(1-8), 9-13, Romans 8:1-11, Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

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Abrahams' Nightmare

For 6/26/2011

All Scriptures are from The MessageAsk what do you remember about Abraham and Isaac many people immediately say “The Sacrifice” one of the most puzzling stories in the bible. Let’s begin with a quote from an online commentary:

The binding of Isaac is arguably the most perplexing passage in all of Hebrew Scripture. It has transfixed the best minds of history, from the ancient rabbinic commentators to Kierkegaard and beyond. In a religion devoted to ethics, people don't kill. With a G-d devoted to humanity, people are not commanded to kill. Yet both are contemplated in Genesis 22, when G-d commands Abraham to sacrifice his spiritual heir, the only son of his partner in monotheism, Sarah.

Rabbi Hillel Goldberg

In reading and contemplating this story we are no more likely than those throughout history to make complete sense of it, but it is important to struggle with the questions it raises.

First some background – What preceeds God’s instruction to Abraham to sacrifice Issac?

Genesis 17:3-8 Then God said to him, "This is my covenant with you: You'll be the father of many nations… I'll make you a father of fathers—I'll make nations from you, kings will issue from you.

Genesis 18:11-12 Abraham and Sarah were old by this time, very old. Sarah was far past the age for having babies. Sarah laughed within herself… , "An old woman like me? Get pregnant? With this old man of a husband?

 

Genesis 21:1-4 God visited Sarah exactly as he said he would; God did to Sarah what he promised: Sarah became pregnant and gave Abraham a son in his old age, and at the very time God had set. Abraham named him Isaac.

• What was God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 17? What would being a father of nations require in order to establish future generations?
• What was Sarah’s reaction to the idea of having a son? How must she have felt when becoming pregnant?
• How must the couple have felt at the birth of Isaac? How must they have felt about a God who intervened on their behalf? Can you imagine the love that the couple felt for Isaac and the prominent place he played in their lives?

Let us look at the story of the sacrifice:

Genesis 22: 1 After all this, God tested Abraham. God said, "Abraham!" "Yes?" answered Abraham. "I'm listening."
2 He said, "Take your dear son Isaac whom you love and go to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I'll point out to you."

Again from Rabbi Goldberg:
What did Abraham hear? Could he be certain it was G-d talking to him? Worse, if he was certain, how was to make sense of the command of G-d that contradicted all previous commands of G-d? On a human level, how could he proceed, and how did he proce

• How would you answer the questions Rabbi Goldberg raises? What other questions, doubts and feelings might have entered his mind? How might those around him have reacted if he carried out the act?

• Does this demand for human sacrifice fit your picture of God? What possible explanations are there for God issuing this command?

• Do you believe that God tests our faith intentionally to see if we really are true believers? Doesn’t God know how we will respond? How has your faith been tested during your life journey? Do you think that they came directly from God?

3-5 Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey. He took two of his young servants and his son Isaac. He had split wood for the burnt offering. He set out for the place God had directed him. On the third day he looked up and saw the place in the distance. Abraham told his two young servants, "Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I are going over there to worship; then we'll come back to you." 6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and gave it to Isaac his son to carry. He carried the flint and the knife. The two of them went off together.

• How would you describe Abraham’s behavior/demeanor after hearing God? Did he protest or argue with God as he did in defending Sodom (Gen. 18:16-33)? How would you have reacted?
• How does Abraham seem to go about this task? Does there seem to be any emotion? Have you ever faced doing something incredibly difficult? Did you go about it like Abraham or some other way?
• We live in times of religious extremism and violence in the name of God; does Abraham's unquestioning obedience seem admirable in today’s context?

7 Isaac said to Abraham his father, "Father?"
"Yes, my son."
"We have flint and wood, but where's the sheep for the burnt offering?"
8 Abraham said, "Son, God will see to it that there's a sheep for the burnt offering." And they kept on walking together.
9-10 They arrived at the place to which God had directed him. Abraham built an altar. He laid out the wood. Then he tied up Isaac and laid him on the wood. Abraham reached out and took the knife to kill his son.

 Where is God when all of this is going on, Abraham doesn’t seem to need anything but God’s initial words? What do you think keeps him going?

• How do you imagine that Abraham and Isaac felt as the one was tied up and the other prepared to take his son’s life with a knife? Is it even describable?

• How do you feel about the story so far, who do you most relate to and why? Have there been times in your life when you might have had real connection with this story?

11 Just then an angel of God called to him out of Heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"
"Yes, I'm listening."
12 "Don't lay a hand on that boy! Don't touch him! Now I know how fearlessly you fear God; you didn't hesitate to place your son, your dear son, on the altar for me." 13 Abraham looked up. He saw a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. Abraham took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.
14 Abraham named that place God-Yireh (God-Sees-to-It). That's where we get the saying, "On the mountain of God, he sees to it."

• Do you think that Abraham might have believed that God would not let Isaac’s sacrifice take place?

• What is God’s reaction to Abraham’s obedience? Why do you think God might have felt that this test was necessary? Who benefits when we overcome some challenge to our faith, could this be an explanation?
• How do you feel about the ending of the story? Does God’s intervention and the way in which it happened raise any questions for you? Are you satisfied that God “saw to it” as in the saying in verse 14?
• How do you think that Isaac felt about his father afterwards and how might Sarah have reacted when she heard about it? Does it say that we might pay a price for being faithful?
• What is your reaction to the story; does it impact your relationship with or understanding of God in any way?

Closing Litany

At present we see only puzzling reflections in a mirror, but one day we shall see face to face. My knowledge now is partial; then it will be whole, like God’s knowledge of me. Amen. I Corinthians 13:12

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 or Zechariah 9:9-12, Psalm 45:10-17 or Psalm 145:8-14. Romans 7:15-25a, Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

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Should We Fear God?

For 6/19/2011

Fear and God are connected throughout the Old Testament, a bible search engine will list many, many examples. The New Testament does not emphasize this understanding of a relationship with God but the Lectionary scriptures for today suggest that we should reexamine that connection as a way to enrich our faith life. One of the better known examples of fear and God comes from Proverbs 2:

Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom; set your heart on a life of Understanding.That's right—if you make Insight your priority, and won't take no for an answer…Searching for it like a prospector panning for gold, like an adventurer on a treasure hunt,Believe me, before you know it Fear-of-God will be yours; you'll have come upon the Knowledge of God.

The Old Testament understanding of fear of God contains both true fear of the power and might of God along with an awe of the evidence of God’s ongoing presence in all of creation.
· Do you associate the word fear with your relationship with God? How does injecting fear into an understanding of God work for you, is it a positive or negative.
· What has stimulated a sense of awe about God in your life’s experiences?
· What does the writer of Proverbs urge us to do to find knowledge of God? What priority should be set? What are some places you would recommend including in the search for this kind of knowledge?
· In summary it seems that this sense of fear is something to be valued, do you agree with this idea?

Two of today’s Lectionary scriptures speak to an awe/fear of God. The first is taken from the beginning of the creation story in Genesis 1:

Genesis 1:1-2 First this: God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don't see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God's Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss. 3-5 God spoke: "Light!" And light appeared. God saw that light was good and separated light from dark. God named the light Day, he named the dark Night. It was evening, it was morning— Day One.

· What is the writer trying to convey to you as he describes conditions at the creation? What do you think he wants us to comprehend about the time creation began? Are there words or phrases that help form a picture for you?
· Do you find any elements of fear or awe of God in these words? What particularly strikes you?
· What were the beginning condition, what did God first create? For the writers of Genesis the earth was all of creation, everything else resided in the ceiling that covered the earth. How is the earth/creation described; are there limits/boundaries, is it comprehendible?
· How is God’s Spirit described? What does ‘brooding like a bird’ mean to you?
· What happens as a result of this brooding? What is the first step God takes?
· Light is an important image and associated with Jesus frequently in the Gospels. As you read it do you see any connections with the creation story? Chaper 1 of John might be considered a New Testament creation story. Does John's assertion that Jesus was present at creation surprise you?

John 1:3-5
Everything was created through him; nothing—not one thing!—came into being without him. What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out.

You might want to look for additional refrences in the New Testament to both light and darkness along with the assertion that Jesus was present at the creation.
Another scripture that speaks to awe/fear of God comes from Psalm 8:

Lord our sovereign, how glorious is your name throughout the world! Your majesty is praised as high as the heavens…
When I look up at your heavens, the work of your fingers, at the moon and the stars you have set in place, what is a frail mortal, that you should be mindful of him?
Yet you have made him little less than a god, crowning his head with glory and honour, you make him master over all that you have made, putting everything in subjection under his feet: all sheep and oxen, all the wild beasts, the birds in the air, the fish in the sea, and everything that moves along ocean paths.
Lord our sovereign, how glorious is your name throughout the world!

· What is the first awesome thing that the psalmist records? What specific words are meaningful to you? What has your reaction been to pictures from the Hubble telescope and programs about the universe on TV, have your reflected on God’s place in all of this?
· What question does the psalmist have for God on behalf of us ‘frail mortals’? As you think about the infinity of God’s creation has this question ever arisen for you? What other questions might you have for God as you think about creation?
· How do you feel about the psalmist’s assertion that God has made us ‘little less than a god’? What questions does it raise for you, what does it say about the responsibilities we all take on with this status?
· Where does the idea that all things are under subjection to us come from? What does God say about humans and creation in Genesis 1:26-30?
· The sense of awe of God is clear in this psalm, is there any sense of fear in his words?

* What is your take on all this, how does fear and awe of God fit into your faith journey, has your thinking changed at all?

Closing Prayer
God be in my head, and in my understanding
God be in my eyes, and in my looking
God be in my mouth and in my speaking
God be in my heart, and in my thinking
Amen
The Oxford Book of Prayer

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Genesis 22:1-14 or Jeremiah 28:5-9, Psalm 13 or Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18, Romans 6:12-23, Matthew 10:40-42

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Jesus Promises A Friend

For 5/29/2011
All scriptures are from The Message

The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel is a place to find the essence of Jesus’ message during his ministry, what people heard from him during those three years. Although certainly not complete it gives us a sense of the radical nature of the change he urges us to accept and help initiate. In the same way John’s gospel gives us Jesus’ last words before his crucifixion in what is known as the Final Discourse in 13:31 - 17:26. Unique to this gospel it presents a picture of what life after Jesus’ ascension will be like for his disciples and by extension for us today. Included in the Final Discourse are several promises about the Holy Spirit, one of which we will look at today.

• The Holy Spirit is very alive in the litany and theology of significant portions of the Christian faith but for many it is an unexplored idea, possibly associated with some kind of experience like speaking in tongues. How would you summarize your understating of the Holy Spirit?

Let’s walk through some of the ideas that Jesus gives us about the Holy Spirit.

John 14:15-17"If you love me, show it by doing what I've told you. I will talk to the Father, and he'll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can't take him in because it doesn't have eyes to see him, doesn't know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!

• What does Jesus tell us about demonstrating love for him? What would you include in a list of the things Jesus told us to do? Some examples might include the 10 commandments, the Great Commission that closes Matthew’s gospel, teachings like the Sermon on the Mount, and the example Jesus set for us.
• What word does Jesus use to describe the Spirit and what meaning does the word friend have for you? How long will the Friend be with us? What is your take on the term ‘another Friend’ in his promise? Why would these words be meaningful to the disciples who had been with him for so long? Are they comforting to you?
• There are a number of terms in scripture associated with the Friend that Jesus promises.

Advocate
Counselor
Helper
Comforter
Intercessor
Strengthener

What does each term mean to you? Which of these matches your experience with God’s Spirit? Are there other descriptors you would use?
• How do you interpret the idea of a “Spirit of truth”? John records Jesus speaking of the truth on many occasions as in this example:

John 16:12"I still have many things to tell you, but you can't handle them now. But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He won't draw attention to himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that I have done and said. He will honor me; he will take from me and deliver it to you. Everything the Father has is also mine. That is why I've said, 'He takes from me and delivers to you.'

• What is your reaction to these words? What should we expect from the Spirit’s presence? How have you experienced the presence of the Spirit, was it clear to you at the time that the Spirit was present?
• Why does the world not see the Spirit? What are we told prevents their seeing? How does this teaching compare with your experience? Do you think that it is important to see the Spirit?

Jesus Continues with his promise:

John 14:18-20"I will not leave you orphaned. I'm coming back. In just a little while the world will no longer see me, but you're going to see me because I am alive and you're about to come alive. At that moment you will know absolutely that I'm in my Father, and you're in me, and I'm in you.
21"The person who knows my commandments and keeps them, that's who loves me. And the person who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and make myself plain to him."

• How was the disciple’s condition going to be like that of an orphan? Do you think that these feelings might apply to our situation in any way? How are they reassured and how do you understand his promise to come back?
• Have you ever felt like an orphan in your faith life? What are some situations or conditions which might stimulate this kind of a feeling? Do Jesus’ words here offer any comfort? In your experience what has helped mitigate feelings of being a spiritual orphan?
• Jesus tells the disciples that they are about to come alive, what do you think that he is referring to? How were the disciples different after the coming of the spirit at Pentecost? Have there been times when you particularly felt the presence of the Spirit? Did it make a difference in the course of your faith journey?
• Jesus describes the relationship among the Father, us and him, what is it and how does it fit with your experience? Are there other ways you would describe it?
• How important is it to know Jesus’ commandments, what is it a sign of? How does he describe the chain of love that makes up our faith life? What should we expect to experience as a result of being faithful?

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Closing Prayer
Holy God, Holy Spirit, you always seek our good and bless our lives. Come close to us this day. Empower us by your presence that your commandments might be written on our hearts. Amen

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Acts 1:6-14, Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35, 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11, John 17:1-11

Owning Up to Our Doubts

For 5/1/2011
All Scriptures from The Message
The Lectionary scriptures now move beyond the resurrection to the events that transformed Jesus’ followers into true disciples. Today’s Gospel scripture places a focus on “Doubting Thomas” which is indeed an important lesson about faith and doubt. When our faith intersects with the real world questions have to arise if we are serious about seeking God’s presence in times of trial. But there are a number of other ideas that the story about Thomas raises.. First let us look at a story only found in John’s Gospel as the disciples gather after Jesus' crucifixion:

John 20: 19-20 Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, "Peace to you." Then he showed them his hands and side.
20-21The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were exuberant. Jesus repeated his greeting: "Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you."
22-23Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. "Receive the Holy Spirit," he said. "If you forgive someone's sins, they're gone for good. If you don't forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?"

· What would you have been afraid of if you were among the disciples that evening in Jerusalem? Were their fears justified? How do you feel about the way in which they were handling their fear, would you have acted differently?

Before the crucifixion Jesus makes a promise to them about bringing peace:

John 14: 25-27"I'm telling you these things while I'm still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I'm leaving you well and whole. That's my parting gift to you. Peace. I don't leave you the way you're used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don't be upset. Don't be distraught.

· How does Jesus describe the peace he will bring them and what role does the Holy Spirit have in bringing Jesus’ peace? What words does he use to describe the peace that will come to them?
· What does this say to us about the impact/benefit we should expect from a faith life in the real world of big and little fears? Will our faith necessarily make whatever threatens us go away? · Can you think of a time when your faith brought peace in a time of fear? Do you think that the Spirit had a role in bring about your peace?
· How does this story about the coming of the Spirit compare with the commonly remembered story from Acts 2:1-4, what differences and similarities do you see?

When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.

· When did you first sense the presence of the Spirit? What were the circumstances? What was the role of the disciples in the coming of the Spirit? What is our role in making the Spirit real in our lives? Prayer? Faith? Openness?
· Jesus spoke to the disciples about their responsibilities now that the Spirit was present with them.  What were they?  Look at the Lord’s Prayer for similar words in the form of a prayer he taught the disciples.

“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Now back to the Upper Room:

24-25But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, "We saw the Master."
But he said, "Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won't believe it."
26Eight days later, his disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them, and said, "Peace to you."
27Then he focused his attention on Thomas. "Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Don't be unbelieving. Believe."
28Thomas said, "My Master! My God!"
29Jesus said, "So, you believe because you've seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing."

· What do you think about Thomas, how would you describe him and the nature of his questions? Should he be criticized for needing proof?
· Does having doubts put our faith in question? How do you deal with the doubts that you might have? Doubts are expressed in many places in Scripture, many in the Psalms, as in the following from Psalm 10:

God, are you avoiding me? Where are you when I need you?

· What are some healthy ways to deal with our doubts? Could one be accepting the fact that we will have them? (Why else do they call it faith as opposed to certainty?) Will sharing our doubts with others help us deal with them?
· Why do you think that Thomas doubted his fellow disciple’s testimony about Jesus? What might it say about his state of mind at what he perceived to be a major loss in his life? · What is Jesus’ response to Thomas’ doubts? What does it say to us about God’s response to us in times of doubt? Does God’s love for us vary with the level of doubt that we carry?
· What does Jesus tell us about doubt and blessings? What does he suggest we substitute for certainty (seeing)?

Closing Litany
God has made us an Easter people!
We have found grace in the wilderness God has made us an Easter people!
We shall recount the deeds of God. God has made us and Easter people!
We shall be raised to new life with Christ. God has made us an Easter people!
We move forward in faith, no longer afraid. God has made us and Easter people!

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Luke 24:13-35, Acts 2:14a, 36-42, Psalm 116:1-4, 17-19, 1Peter 1:17-23

Crucifixion and Me

For 4/17/2011
Some churches celebrate this day as Palm Sunday, the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem to begin his final day on earth, and others as Passion Sunday the beginning of Jesus’ trials and suffering through those final days. You can read all of the events of that last week in the Passion Sunday Lectionary scripture Matthew 26:14-27:66. But today we will look at the Passion Sunday Lectionary scripture by Paul in his letter to the church at Philippi which speaks to the meaning of those last days. But to set the stage we need to address the nature of this Jesus who died on the cross. So we first read from Matthew about the time Jesus spent in prayer at Gethsemane as it makes a connection to Paul’s thoughts:

Matthew 26:36-38 Then Jesus went with them to a garden called Gethsemane and told his disciples, "Stay here while I go over there and pray." Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he plunged into an agonizing sorrow. Then he said, "This sorrow is crushing my life out. Stay here and keep vigil with me." 39Going a little ahead, he fell on his face, praying, "My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want. You, what do you want?" … 42He then left them a second time. Again he prayed, "My Father, if there is no other way than this, drinking this cup to the dregs, I'm ready. Do it your way." 43-44When he came back, he again found them sound asleep. They simply couldn't keep their eyes open. This time he let them sleep on, and went back a third time to pray, going over the same ground one last time. 45-46When he came back the next time, he said, "Are you going to sleep on and make a night of it? My time is up, the Son of Man is about to be handed over to the hands of sinners. Get up! Let's get going! My betrayer is here."

·What gets your attention as you read about Gethsemane, what reactions do you have to it?

·What can we learn about his feelings as he faced the events that were to come?

Our understanding of who Jesus is complex and can be somewhat mysterious. John 1 describes him in these terms:

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

·Without getting into deep theological ideas what do these two scriptures highlight about our understanding of who Jesus (the Word) is? What are some of the ideas about him as “the Word was God? Are there any other ideas you would add to his description as being God?
·The second scripture tells us that Jesus became flesh and dwelled among us? What would you cite as examples of him acting as a human being?
·Does the Gethsemane story emphasize his human or his godly nature? What do you see as examples of his human nature? Are there any glimpses of his godly nature?
·Two men who were very close to him slept during this time of agony. What does it say about them and possibly their understanding of what was to come? What are you including in your Lenten preparations to stay awake to the magnitude of the events of this coming week?

Let’s take a look as some reflections that Paul had about the example Jesus set during that final week :

Phillipians 2:5-8 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

·How does Paul characterize Jesus in what is probably a hymn from the earliest days of the Christian faith? Make a list of the attributes describing him. How does Paul present the dual nature of Christ?
·How does this scripture expand our understanding of the Gethsemane experience? What does Paul think that we should remember as we travel through this week?
·What do you see as the most important points of this scripture? Why did he “set aside the privileges of deity” and instead was selfless and obedient? What can we learn from this about living a vibrant spiritual life?

Skipping ahead Paul gives us his take on the example Jesus set for us:

12-13 …Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. That energy is God's energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure.
·Jesus acted in obedience to God as he faced the cruelty and agony of the coming crucifixion. How does he urge us to act in response to Jesus’ example? What word describes the nature of our response? What is the source of the energy in our spiritual lives? What can we be assured of if we tap into God’s energy?
·Is there any new insight for you into how we should understand the events of this coming week? Our demeanor during Lent can be one of darkness and sorrow which is certainly appropriate for the crucifixion to come. What does Paul suggest should accompany that demeanor and how do you think we can include it in our personal preparations.

If you would like to comment click on comments by the envelope at the bottom of this posting.

Closing Prayer
For the life of Christ within us, turning all our fears to freedom, helping us to live for others: Father, Son and Holy Ghost we praise you. Amen

The Oxford Book of Prayer

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures:
Matthew 28:1-10, Acts 10: 34-43, Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24, Colossians 3:1-4, Philippians 2:5-8, 12-13

Life to Dry Bones

For April 10, 2011

Today’s Lectionary Scripture is Ezekiel 37:1-14

All Scriptures are from The Message

Today’s scripture may be the only part of the book of Ezekiel that most of us will remember from  Ezekiel’s prophecy. He was destined for priesthood at the temple in Jerusalem but all of that was taken away as the Babylonians laid siege to the city for two years causing starvation and disease, destroyed the temple and took many of the survivors, including Ezekiel, into captivity in Babylon. Much of his narrative and prophecy is depressing as it reflects the mental state of many of the exiles. Psalm 137 gives us just a hint of the depression that settled over them:

Alongside Babylon's rivers we sat on the banks; we cried and cried, remembering the good old days in Zion. Alongside the quaking aspens we stacked our unplayed harps; That's where our captors demanded songs, sarcastic and mocking: "Sing us a happy Zion song!" Oh, how could we ever sing God's song in this wasteland?

As we read his words today it is important to remember the miseries in both the lives of the exiles and in Ezekiel’s personal life in order to give context for the miracle he describes. This is appropriate for us during this Lenten season as we need to understand the terrible nature of the crucifixion in order for us to really grasp the meaning of the miracle of Easter and resurrection.

Ezekiel 37: 1-2 God grabbed me. God's Spirit took me up and set me down in the middle of an open plain strewn with bones. He led me around and among them—a lot of bones! There were bones all over the plain—dry bones, bleached by the sun. 3 He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "Master God, only you know that." 4 He said to me, "Prophesy over these bones: 'Dry bones, listen to the Message of God!'" 5-6 God, the Master, told the dry bones, "Watch this: I'm bringing the breath of life to you and you'll come to life. I'll attach sinews to you, put meat on your bones, cover you with skin, and breathe life into you. You'll come alive and you'll realize that I am God!"

• Have you ever experienced a time of dryness, depression, seeming hopelessness in your life or seen it in the lives of others? What were the circumstances; was there a sense of an absence of God’s presence in the situation? What brought about new life or is the sense of dryness and emptiness still there?

• How did God get Ezekiel’s attention? Has God ever seemingly grabbed you as you were dealing with a bad situation? What does the fact that Ezekiel needed to be grabbed say about the state of his spiritual life?

• What is Ezekiel’s response when God asked about the bones finding life? How might he have said these words – as a person who was weary and depressed or as one who is eager to hear God’s answer? How would you have responded if you had been grabbed by God and led among the dry bones?

In addition to personal dryness a group of people, perhaps a congregation, can experience these feelings. Have there been times of dryness in your spiritual community? Was anything done to reenergize the group or if that didn’t occur what happened?

• What was God’s promise of new life dependent upon and what did God want Ezekiel to realize? What does it say to us about what is required in order for us to experience a vital spiritual life? Who has to make it happen and what must we firmly believe in order for it to occur?

Now some more of Ezekiel’s prophecy:

Ezekiel 37:7-8 I prophesied just as I'd been commanded. As I prophesied, there was a sound and, oh, rustling! The bones moved and came together, bone to bone. I kept watching. Sinews formed, then muscles on the bones, then skin stretched over them. But they had no breath in them. 9 He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath. Prophesy, son of man. Tell the breath, 'God, the Master, says, Come from the four winds. Come, breath. Breathe on these slain bodies. Breathe life!'" 10 So I prophesied, just as he commanded me. The breath entered them and they came alive! They stood up on their feet, a huge army.
• Again, who initiates the bringing of life to the bones? Can you imagine being present when it happened? What would some of your feelings have been as you saw it going on? Could there be some fear as well as some awe?

• What did God need to do in order for life to come to the reconstituted bones? Do you have a sense of God’s presence in the breath of life that you experience every minute of every day? Many concentrate on their breathing as a part of meditation and prayer.

• Who initiated the bringing of new life or hope into the dryness in your life which we had a chance to reflect upon earlier. What motivated the person(s) and how did they go about it? What do we most need when faced with emptiness and depression? Might we need to be motivated in some way to do something about the situation ourselves as God did with Ezekiel?

• How must Ezekiel have felt when he saw the huge army which had arisen after he spoke over the dry bones? What reactions have you had when you did something that you felt the Spirit was leading you to do?

God now makes clear the purpose for this vision:

Ezekiel 37:11 Then God said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Listen to what they're saying: 'Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone, there's nothing left of us.' 12-14 "Therefore, prophesy. Tell them, 'God, the Master, says: I'll dig up your graves and bring you out alive—O my people! Then I'll take you straight to the land of Israel. When I dig up graves and bring you out as my people, you'll realize that I am God. I'll breathe my life into you and you'll live. Then I'll lead you straight back to your land and you'll realize that I am God. I've said it and I'll do it. God's Decree.'"

• What do the bones represent and what is the problem? What is the promise? What is Ezekiel’s job and how critical is it to bringing new life to the beleaguered exiles? What emotions might Ezekiel experienced as a he experienced this vision?

• Let’s review – what have you learned by reflecting on this scripture today? We might consider another of today’s Lectionary scripture for some related thoughts by Paul in his letter to the Romans:

From Romans 8: It stands to reason, doesn't it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he'll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's!

If you would like to comment click on comments by the envelope at the bottom of this posting.

Closing Litany (from Psalm 139)

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;

you formed me in my mother's womb.

I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!

Body and soul, I am marvelously made!

I worship in adoration—what a creation!

You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body;

You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,

how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

Amen

Next Week’s Lectionary Scripture: Matthew 26:14 - 27:66 or Matthew 27:11-54, Philippians 2:5-11, Psalm 31:9-16, Isaiah 50:4-9a