Entering the Deeper Waters

The beautiful artwork above is an image of Jacopo Bassano's The Miraculous Draught of Fishes, completed in 1545. It recalls the gospel scene from Luke 5:1-11 which we discussed in our class last week.
Very early in his ministry, Jesus is being followed by a large crowd of people eager to hear the word of God. While he is standing on the lakeshore, the people press in on him so much that he climbs into one of the fishing boats there by the shore, which is empty because the fishermen are cleaning their nets after finishing work. This particular boat belongs to Simon. Jesus beckons Simon and asks him maneuver the boat away from the shore; Jesus then sits down and teaches the crowd from the boat. When he is finished he turns again to Simon, and directs him to "put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." The fisherman protests that they have been fishing all night and caught nothing; nevertheless, he will do as Jesus asks. Simon and his fishing partner (likely his brother Andrew) catch so many fish that their nets begin to break! They signal to their companions in the other boat, James and John, to join them in the deeper waters and help to receive the catch. Bassano's painting captures an overwhelmed Simon (now referred to as "Simon Peter ") kneeling before Jesus exclaiming, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" Jesus however, does not leave, instead directing Simon not be afraid, for from now on he will be "catching people." When the fishermen come to shore, they "left everything and followed him."
In Luke's gospel, this is the calling of Jesus' first disciples. Notice that at the beginning, he is preaching the word to everyone who wants to listen. But then he calls Simon in a very particular way, asking him to serve and to take risks on behalf of the good news.
(1) Every week we hear the Word of God preached. But what comes next? How does God's word speak specifically to you? And how do you respond as a disciple?
(2) Jesus calls Simon to venture into the "deep water." How will you and I explore the "deeper waters" of faith? What kinds of questions do you have that will require deeper study and thought? In what ways do you think Jesus is calling you to risk new experiences in serving him?
(3) Simon Peter confesses his sin, but that in no way disqualifies him in Jesus' eyes. Jesus will now teach him how to "catch people." What do you think Jesus means by that? How does he take talents we already have and show us how to use them in news ways, so that we can glorify God? Is this different from "work?"
At this point in the Confirmation Journey, we are entering deeper waters of growth and discipleship. With the twelve of you, this is a great blessing!

Growing With Jesus

"And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor."

--Luke 2:52

(This is a reflection from the 2007-08 Confirmation Class)

Tucked at the end of the second chapter of Luke's gospel, extending from the narrative of Jesus' birth, is the one account we have of Jesus growing from a child into an adult. He is twelve years old and accompanies his family on the yearly pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. When the family returns home toward Nazareth in the north, Jesus stays in Jerusalem. Realizing his absence, his frantic parents return to the holy city and--after searching three days--they discover Jesus sitting among the teachers, "listening and asking them questions." "And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers." The anxious Mary and Joseph overflow with angry emotion (and a great deal of relief). The young Jesus responds that it shouldn't have been such a puzzle: Don't they know that he needs to be in this place of spiritual nurture ? That he is a part of God's family? His parents don't understand what he means at first, but Mary later treasures the depth of the journey and the life of her son that is unfolding.
The Jesus of Luke 2:41-52 is roughly Confirmation-age. I asked the members of the 2008 Class: What are some of ways you want to grow with Jesus? Their responses were thoughtful and sensitive: "to grow in kindness and generosity, like Jesus;" "learning to do the right thing, especially when its hard to do;" maturing in their ability to be "helpful and cooperative" with other people; to "become wiser," which will require ongoing learning.
One said that she wanted to follow Jesus the best way that she could, to learn to be like him as much as possible, but that it is hard sometimes because he is "perfect" and we are not. Giving voice to this joy and struggle of discipleship was an important contribution for her to make and provided that class with a wonderful opportunity.
We acknowledged that "perfection," in our understanding, usually means "flawless" or "unattainable." But I was able to tell the young people that the Greek word translated "perfect" in the New Testament is teleois; it means "whole" or "complete," rather than flawless. The life of Jesus offers the promise of "wholeness" and the experience of "completion," even when we have experienced brokenness in our lives.. Jesus is "fully human," and we are called to the fulfillment of our God-given humanity, in all its wonder and difficulty. The light of Jesus can illuminate wonders in our lives that we have been unaware of or have paid little attention to, and our ongoing growth throughout life becomes the promise of God full-filled!
One of the class members said that flawlessness is "not a good thing," because we "learn from our mistakes." Wow! No mistakes could equal no learning. There's some insight! Flawlessness might even be boring. (That brought an "Amen!" from the pastor). When you think of our lives as an artistic endeavor (we are God's artwork, and in a creative partnership with God) sometimes the things you didn't plan are the most interesting.
In that regard, another member of the class volunteered that she didn't see Jesus as "perfect." A "perfect" person, she thought, would be happy all of the time and would please others. The Jesus of the gospels doesn't fit the bill in either case. We even noted his troubled payer in the garden of Gethsemane. But we were able to contrast worldly notions of "perfection" with the wholeness of Jesus' life and the movement of God's ever-creative Spirit. The Jesus of the gospels does not seek to please people, but is authentic and available; he not only opens up his own humanity vulnerably to share, but he eagerly makes space to receive the humanity fo others. He is fully himself to the end, even death on the cross. Jesus lives the life of agape love completely, and makes it available to us.
I marvel and rejoice on these Wednesday evenings when the teacher becomes the student, and vice-versa. The young folks ask great questions, and move me with their understanding and inspiration. But why not? Don't I realize that they need to be in this place of spiritual nurture?
And that as they grow with Jesus, in that wisdom that God intends, they are gracious enough to invite me along. I treasure that.

The Poetry of Jesus' Coming

FIRST COMING

He did not wait till the world was ready
till men and nations were at peace.
He came when the Heavens were unsteady,
and prisoners cried out for release.

He did not wait for the perfect time.
He came when the need was deep and great.
He dined with sinners in all their grime,
turned water into wine. He did not wait

until hearts were pure. In joy he came
to a tarnished world of sin and doubt.
To a world like ours, of anguished shame
he came, and his Light would not go out.

He came to a world which did not mesh,
to heal its tangles, shield its scorn.
In the mystery of the Word made Flesh,
the Maker of the stars was born.

We cannot wait until the world is sane
to raise our songs with joyful voice,
for to share our grief, to touch our pain,
He came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice!

---Madeleine L'Engle

How does L'Engle's poem give expression to the meaning of Christmas? Are there verses that hold particular meaning for you?

Her poem has several direct references to the poetry of John 1:1-18 that we read in class. Which ones do you see?

We said that Jesus shows us who God is. What does this poem say about our God?

New Life Comes into the World

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.

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!

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.