Thursday, December 24, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
The Annunciation
Last week we read stories from Luke 1 and Matthew 1, of the angel Gabriel 's visit to the startled Mary, and of the angelic visit to the frightened Joseph in a dream . Here is some artwork depicting those events. At the top left is Leonardo DaVinci's portrayal of the visit to Mary. Below is a representation of the angel speaking to the fitfully sleeping Joseph in a dream, telling him not to fear.
In our discussion of the stories, we got in touch with the overwhelming nature of the events: Mary's initial response of "How can this be?"; Joseph's inclination to leave quietly. In each case, the power of God's promises fill them; they are inspired and encouraged. As scary as this new chapter of life seems, they trust God and draw close to one another. And the world is blessed!
What are your thoughts about the artwork? If you were to put yourself in Mary or Joseph's place, how would you imagine the scene to look and feel? If you were producing an artistic representation, what would your art look like? Is there something about the experience (a feeling, a choice) that you would like to communicate? Please be descriptive.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Greater Things
"Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do, and greater works than these will they do . . ."--John 14:12
Before Thanksgiving, an intriguing question was raised: How come we can't do everything Jesus did? We took that question up for discussion this past Wednesday evening.
We began by making a list of things people felt that we can't do as Jesus did:
--heal people
--feed people (in the manner of "feeding the 5000")
--loyalty to God
--be without sin
--come back from dead
--walk on water
--have disciples
--see "the heavens torn apart"
--predict future
--turn water into wine
--be as honest
--fast for 4o days
Not everyone agreed. Some people felt we could do many of these things, perhaps not exactly as Jesus did. Another member of the class felt that the word does is more appropriate than "did," as the resurrected Christ dwells among us.
At the beginning of this post, I included a quote from the Gospel of John, where Jesus tells his disciples that they (those who "believe") will do the works that he does, and in fact, greater things . . .
So how might we, as present-day disciples of Jesus, do many of the things that he has done?
A. Healing: we realize that, following Jesus' example, we can heal relationships and build community with one another. We can help mend divisions and separations between people and populations. It is important for us to: (1) act positively (2) be willing to confess, take responsibility, apologize where necessary, to move toward people rather than away, to listen carefully, and to share generously. With modern medical technology, healing is promoted when resources are widely shared and made available to all.
B. Feeding: God provides bountifully for the world. How we share those resources cooperatively is essential to meeting the needs of all God's children. We talked about ways that, personally and locally, we can contribute to feeding one another; setting larger, more inclusive tables. We can pay attention and be more sensitive to the hunger and need of people around us.
Members of our class talked about participation in the Shared Table and in FISH.
It was recognized that people are also nourished through:
Teaching
Praying for one another
Helping each other
Friendship
Encouragement
These are all things we can do actively and generously.
C. Loyalty to God: We noted that Jesus' life seems more God-centered where as ours always risked being more self-centered. Following Jesus' way is not only God-centered but Other-centered, trusting in God for our provision and care. A loyal life tends to be a generous one.
D. Be without sin: While we all recognized that we cannot be "without sin," we remembered learning that sin is distance from God's will, and from one another. We began to talk about concrete ways that we can be more faithful to God's will in our daily lives, and to bridge distances among people and between us.
E. Come back from the dead: Not by ourselves! But by God's resurrection power, the power of God's love for eternal life, we live beyond death. And we also realized that even on this earth we sometimes can act as though we are life-less. God's Spirit inspires us to "come back from deadly ways of being," to live and love anew!
F. Walk on Water: Unless it's on a frozen winter lake, we probably won't "walk on water." The story of Jesus walking on water is in three places in the Gospels: Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-52; John 6:16-21. In each account, the disciples are straining against the "stormy waters" and stiff winds of life. Jesus presence calms the storms and overcomes their fears. In Matthew's Gospel, Peter is able to walk across the difficult waters as long as he is looking at Jesus. When he tries to do it all by himself, he starts to sink! We can navigate difficult passages in life and overcome our fear with Jesus' help!
G. Have disciples: We don't have disciples, we are disciples! And we walk together--compadres.
H. See the "Heavens torn apart" (Mark 1): This is Mark's wonderful image of God removing every barrier that would ever stand between us and God, between heaven and earth! No walls, no locked doors. Each of us can experience the unstoppable love of God. One of us imagined that perhaps babies, at the time of their baptism, can see things that adults don't see, or no longer see.
I: Predict the Future: When we are honest about God's priorities for the world and for us, we know a great deal about what is good and what is not, about what is life-giving and what is life- taking, about the difference between generosity and self-centeredness. We agreed that we can often perceive the future better than we want to admit. And if we would like a different future, we can start by changing our own behavior.
J. Turn Water into Wine (John 2:1-11): This comes from the story of the wedding at Cana. Jesus' "sign" is a way of saying that in faithful, loving relationships, people grow and flourish, and often the best is "yet to come," even after many years. This can be true of friendships, and of church congregations.
That's about as much as we had time for on Wednesday, so perhaps we can use our blog to discuss more ideas and to share our reflections.
When Jesus of Nazareth walked on this earth, he did all of the things we listed above--he did them as an individual person. I think, in John Chapter 14, when he tells the disciples that they will do "greater things" because he is going to the Father, Jesus means that his many disciples, when we all follow his example, will be able to accomplish far more together than he could as a single person, even though he is the Son of God. Good food for thought!
Before Thanksgiving, an intriguing question was raised: How come we can't do everything Jesus did? We took that question up for discussion this past Wednesday evening.
We began by making a list of things people felt that we can't do as Jesus did:
--heal people
--feed people (in the manner of "feeding the 5000")
--loyalty to God
--be without sin
--come back from dead
--walk on water
--have disciples
--see "the heavens torn apart"
--predict future
--turn water into wine
--be as honest
--fast for 4o days
Not everyone agreed. Some people felt we could do many of these things, perhaps not exactly as Jesus did. Another member of the class felt that the word does is more appropriate than "did," as the resurrected Christ dwells among us.
At the beginning of this post, I included a quote from the Gospel of John, where Jesus tells his disciples that they (those who "believe") will do the works that he does, and in fact, greater things . . .
So how might we, as present-day disciples of Jesus, do many of the things that he has done?
A. Healing: we realize that, following Jesus' example, we can heal relationships and build community with one another. We can help mend divisions and separations between people and populations. It is important for us to: (1) act positively (2) be willing to confess, take responsibility, apologize where necessary, to move toward people rather than away, to listen carefully, and to share generously. With modern medical technology, healing is promoted when resources are widely shared and made available to all.
B. Feeding: God provides bountifully for the world. How we share those resources cooperatively is essential to meeting the needs of all God's children. We talked about ways that, personally and locally, we can contribute to feeding one another; setting larger, more inclusive tables. We can pay attention and be more sensitive to the hunger and need of people around us.
Members of our class talked about participation in the Shared Table and in FISH.
It was recognized that people are also nourished through:
Teaching
Praying for one another
Helping each other
Friendship
Encouragement
These are all things we can do actively and generously.
C. Loyalty to God: We noted that Jesus' life seems more God-centered where as ours always risked being more self-centered. Following Jesus' way is not only God-centered but Other-centered, trusting in God for our provision and care. A loyal life tends to be a generous one.
D. Be without sin: While we all recognized that we cannot be "without sin," we remembered learning that sin is distance from God's will, and from one another. We began to talk about concrete ways that we can be more faithful to God's will in our daily lives, and to bridge distances among people and between us.
E. Come back from the dead: Not by ourselves! But by God's resurrection power, the power of God's love for eternal life, we live beyond death. And we also realized that even on this earth we sometimes can act as though we are life-less. God's Spirit inspires us to "come back from deadly ways of being," to live and love anew!
F. Walk on Water: Unless it's on a frozen winter lake, we probably won't "walk on water." The story of Jesus walking on water is in three places in the Gospels: Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-52; John 6:16-21. In each account, the disciples are straining against the "stormy waters" and stiff winds of life. Jesus presence calms the storms and overcomes their fears. In Matthew's Gospel, Peter is able to walk across the difficult waters as long as he is looking at Jesus. When he tries to do it all by himself, he starts to sink! We can navigate difficult passages in life and overcome our fear with Jesus' help!
G. Have disciples: We don't have disciples, we are disciples! And we walk together--compadres.
H. See the "Heavens torn apart" (Mark 1): This is Mark's wonderful image of God removing every barrier that would ever stand between us and God, between heaven and earth! No walls, no locked doors. Each of us can experience the unstoppable love of God. One of us imagined that perhaps babies, at the time of their baptism, can see things that adults don't see, or no longer see.
I: Predict the Future: When we are honest about God's priorities for the world and for us, we know a great deal about what is good and what is not, about what is life-giving and what is life- taking, about the difference between generosity and self-centeredness. We agreed that we can often perceive the future better than we want to admit. And if we would like a different future, we can start by changing our own behavior.
J. Turn Water into Wine (John 2:1-11): This comes from the story of the wedding at Cana. Jesus' "sign" is a way of saying that in faithful, loving relationships, people grow and flourish, and often the best is "yet to come," even after many years. This can be true of friendships, and of church congregations.
That's about as much as we had time for on Wednesday, so perhaps we can use our blog to discuss more ideas and to share our reflections.
When Jesus of Nazareth walked on this earth, he did all of the things we listed above--he did them as an individual person. I think, in John Chapter 14, when he tells the disciples that they will do "greater things" because he is going to the Father, Jesus means that his many disciples, when we all follow his example, will be able to accomplish far more together than he could as a single person, even though he is the Son of God. Good food for thought!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Friendship and Faith
"When Jesus saw their faith . . ." --Mark 2:5
The story of Jesus and the paralyzed man in Mark Chapter 2 (vv. 1-12) is a powerful one. Jesus is in Capernaum, the fishing town at the north end of the Sea of Galilee that is home base for him. When people learn that he is at home, they flock to the house and fill it it the point of overflowing. Jesus is teaching those in the house when a "paralyzed man" is brought to him, carried by four people. Because of the crowd, the four are unable to bring him directly to Jesus. Instead of becoming discouraged, or coming back another time, they climb up on the roof of the house, lift up their friend, and "remove the roof." The artwork accompanying this post depicts the four having removed planks and lowering their friend to a place directly in front of Jesus. Mark's Gospel is even more descriptive, saying they "dug through" the roof (which was likely made of saplings, branches, and clay) with great determination!
The story says that "when Jesus saw their faith," he tells the paralyzed man that God's saving power is at work in his life through the faith of his friends. "Faith" is our relationship with God, expressed in our beliefs and our actions.
What does this story tell us about "friendship?" What kind of power is at work when we practice true freindship with one another? What role does our "faith"- our relationship with God lived out- have in our friendships?
Also, there are different ways of being "paralyzed" in life, aren't there? We can be paralyzed by fear, confusion, lack of confidence, isolation. How can friends help one another with these kinds of paralysis?
There is even more to the story, but let's engage in a discussion about friendship now.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Questions to be answered "on the Way"
Here is our growing list of questions to be answered in the midst of our journey:
Is God "Spirit?"
If Jesus is God's only Son, how are we God's children?
Why is his name "Jesus?"
How was the Bible put together?
Why are there Ten Commandments? Who came up with them, and did they obey them?
Why are Bible stories not recent?
Why is the Bible called "The Bible?"
Why did we start with Mark?
Where is the Ark of the Covenant now?
Why is heaven "up?"
Why are the names of the Bible books so odd?
Do pets go to heaven?
How do we really know about Jesus, and that the writers weren't wrong when they wrote it?
Keep those questions coming! And don't be afraid to relate your questions to your own journey.
The stories we read will be interpreted in your own life, and in through the common life we share.
Is God "Spirit?"
If Jesus is God's only Son, how are we God's children?
Why is his name "Jesus?"
How was the Bible put together?
Why are there Ten Commandments? Who came up with them, and did they obey them?
Why are Bible stories not recent?
Why is the Bible called "The Bible?"
Why did we start with Mark?
Where is the Ark of the Covenant now?
Why is heaven "up?"
Why are the names of the Bible books so odd?
Do pets go to heaven?
How do we really know about Jesus, and that the writers weren't wrong when they wrote it?
Keep those questions coming! And don't be afraid to relate your questions to your own journey.
The stories we read will be interpreted in your own life, and in through the common life we share.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Baptism
"In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and he got baptized in the Jordan by John. And right away, as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the sky split apart and the Holy Spirit was coming down on him. And there was a voice out of the heavens: "You're my son! I love you! I'm pleased with you!" --Mark 1:9-11 (Spoken English New Testament)
Jesus was somewhere around thirty years old when he was baptized. In the years since his birth, he had lived for the most part in the Galilean town of Nazareth (in the north of Israel), raised as the son of Joseph the carpenter and of Mary. As an adult, he apparently also worked as a carpenter in that region, until the day he left and travelled to a place miles away, in the south, on the banks of the Jordan River. There, the prophet John had been baptizing people in the river, a "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins," telling them to get ready for the coming of God's Promised One.
In the gospel story, Jesus leaves life as he has lived it in Nazareth to join God's people in the water , and at a deeper level, to join them in the midst of their lives. And as he comes up out of the water, he sees "the sky split open" ("the heavens torn apart", NRSV translation) and God's Spirit coming down upon him. And a voice comes from the heavens: "You're my son! I love you! I'm pleased with you!"
The image of the "sky split open" or the "heavens torn apart" is a way of saying that, through the life of Jesus, God's children will never, ever be separated from God's love, no matter what. There will be no division between "heaven" and earth!
And the heavenly voice gives Jesus some new names, descriptions of his identity: "Son;" "Beloved;" "God's pleasure."
When Jesus returns to Galilee, he shouts to everyone who will hear: "The time has come! The Reign of God is nearly here! Change your hearts and believe in the good news!"(Mark 1:15 S.E.N.T.)
Jesus returns to familiar places, but not to life as he has lived it before. He is now ready to begin his ministry. His life has new purpose, and he lives that purpose out on a daily basis.
How do you think that Jesus' baptism might be related to our baptisms?
Different Images of Jesus
Here are some different artistic images of Jesus. One is from Ethiopia, another from China.The third is an icon of Jesus and his transfiguration. Which do you find most interesting?Most of the artistic renderings of Jesus that we are familiar with are from Europe. Yet the historical Jesus was a Mediterranean Jewish man who lived in Galilee. How do you picture Jesus? What would "Jesus of Perkasie" look like?
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Tuesday, October 27, 2009
What do we know about discipleship?
A disciple is a "learner." In the original New Testament Greek, the word is "mathetes." We also used the terms "student" and "follower" in describing a disciple.
Our class is becoming very good at descriptive lists. We added these qualities to our understanding of discipleship:
--a disciple lives according to what you believe
--learns by being with the teacher, watching their example
--problem-solver
--willing to sacrifice
--ordinary people of all ages
--helpers
--caring
--listeners
--people who love Jesus
When we considered the examples of Jesus' original disciples, we noted:
Jesus called them; they followed.
With him they create peace; they build it.
When we were partnered with other class members, each person shared with the other the qualities of discipleship that they perceived in themselves and in each another.
What is it that makes each of us a disciple of Jesus? In what ways do you think that Jesus has called you?
Our class is becoming very good at descriptive lists. We added these qualities to our understanding of discipleship:
--a disciple lives according to what you believe
--learns by being with the teacher, watching their example
--problem-solver
--willing to sacrifice
--ordinary people of all ages
--helpers
--caring
--listeners
--people who love Jesus
When we considered the examples of Jesus' original disciples, we noted:
Jesus called them; they followed.
With him they create peace; they build it.
When we were partnered with other class members, each person shared with the other the qualities of discipleship that they perceived in themselves and in each another.
What is it that makes each of us a disciple of Jesus? In what ways do you think that Jesus has called you?
Who is Jesus?
In response to the question, "Who is Jesus?," we gathered this impressive and ever-expanding list. Notice that some of these are titles; others are qualities or actions. Each is offered as an expression of Jesus' identity.
God
Savior
Christ
Messiah
Lord
Son
Leader
Chosen One
Human One (Son of Man)
Almighty (special kind of "might")
Creative Force
giving
righteous
nice
loving
kind
thankful
sharing
forgiving
caring
awesome
concerned
victorious
sacred
artist
dependable
holy
cares for everyone
powerful
thoughtful
healer
servant
reliable
listener
honest
hope-bringer
rescuer
helpful
offers life for others
treats everyone equal
helps us to be set apart
Which of the titles do you find most meaningful in describing Jesus? Why?
Are there qualities described that reflect important values in your life (for example: honesty; thoughtful; artistic; forgiving; listener; dependable)?
As we have been exploring our ideas of who Jesus is, we have also been sharing with one another who we are.
God
Savior
Christ
Messiah
Lord
Son
Leader
Chosen One
Human One (Son of Man)
Almighty (special kind of "might")
Creative Force
giving
righteous
nice
loving
kind
thankful
sharing
forgiving
caring
awesome
concerned
victorious
sacred
artist
dependable
holy
cares for everyone
powerful
thoughtful
healer
servant
reliable
listener
honest
hope-bringer
rescuer
helpful
offers life for others
treats everyone equal
helps us to be set apart
Which of the titles do you find most meaningful in describing Jesus? Why?
Are there qualities described that reflect important values in your life (for example: honesty; thoughtful; artistic; forgiving; listener; dependable)?
As we have been exploring our ideas of who Jesus is, we have also been sharing with one another who we are.
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