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.
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