Thoughts going in, May 29th, Pentecost +2

When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. ² There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. ³ The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. ⁴ When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man is worthy to have you do this,⁵ because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” ⁶ So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.⁷ That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁸ For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” ⁹ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”¹⁰ Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well. (Luke 7:1-10)

            With this Sunday we now leave behind the 'festival half' of the Church year and enter into the long period of "Sundays after Pentecost," otherwise known as "Ordinary Time." As I've frequently remarked in the past, 'ordinary' does not mean ho-hum, or nothing special....and it is unfortunate if some get this impression. The point is that during the festival season--with its prelude starting in Advent, and running all the way through Trinity Sunday--the readings appointed for the Sundays are *thematic. They jump around from one book to another in no particular order, but they support the given theme of each Sunday. Now that we're out of the festival season, however, this 'jumping around' is going to stop. Now the readings take on a very orderly/ordered look. No one particular theme is being expressed, other than the general theme of growth in the life of faith. By very happy design, this time of growth in the Church year is supported by the liturgical color of GREEN.

            So, as we enter into this green-for-growth time of year... we will be presented with orderly readings from all three sections of the Lectionary--Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel. The Old Testament stories will follow a 'semi-continuous' track in which the lives of the prophets will be spotlighted; the Epistle track will begin with a series of slices from the book of Galatians; and our Gospel readings will be taken in an orderly sequence from Luke.

            Speaking of Luke, this Sunday begins an interesting 6-part study on discipleship. The foundation for the study is not included in the reading, but it is Luke's "Sermon on the Plain" which occurs in chapter 6. This is essentially Luke's version of Matthew's "Sermon on the Mount." Jesus never calls them sermons... and in a lot of ways they're more didactic. We might call them 'seminars,' or even 'catechesis.' Regardless, it's all teaching on his part--and all listening on the part of his hearers. THEN... there's movement; SIX interesting weeks of movement:

            Week 1 (this week): Jesus heals the Roman centurion's slave; Week 2: The widow from Nain's son is raised from the dead by Jesus; Week 3: Jesus forgives the sins of a scandalous woman; Week 4: Jesus heals the demon possessed man. To pause here for a minute, there is a central uniting feature of these first four readings: the main recipient of God's grace is someone on the fringes; an outsider; a Roman (and his slave), a widow, a scandalous woman, and a demoniac. Luke is painting a picture of not just the power of God's grace, but its intent of inclusion. The call of discipleship is a call of service to these. Then in Week 5 the story is about opposition to God's work of grace in the world--and what should (or should not) be the Christian response (James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven). Finally, the series culminates in Week 6 as Jesus sends out the 70 disciples. They've heard the instruction, they've seen it in action, now it's their turn.

            Back to this week's text. A few initial thoughts jump out at me.

² There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. ³ The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. The word for 'servant' is doulos. This person, then, is a piece of 'property' for the centurion. Slavery in the Roman world wasn't quite like that of 19th century America. Many slaves were highly trained or skilled in order to perform needed functions. A Roman centurion's slave may be a highly skilled battle trainer; or perhaps his skills are legal/administrative. The 'personal assistant' sort of slaves that important men held were like military attachés.

³ The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. ⁴ When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man is worthy to have you do this,⁵ because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” The centurion seems to be not your typical Roman soldier. He is evidently intrigued by the God of Israel and has, perhaps, become a God-fearer (the technical name for a Gentile who is beginning the process of conversion). That he "built the synagogue" for the community likely means that he is the one who funded the project. This, itself, would be considered a very noble act.

⁶ So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.⁷ That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. The story includes an interesting play on the word "worthy." The Jewish community leaders have declared the centurion 'worthy' for his goodness to them and his charity. But the centurion recognizes that concerning Christ, or perhaps in comparison, ... he is not worthy.

⁹ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”¹⁰ Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well. In a classic faith/works sense, it's not that the Centurion's works don't matter... it's that they're not what truly makes him worthy in the eyes of the Lord. Faith is the true mark of worthiness.

            Another very interesting thing that's being modeled in this passage is the idea of intercession. The community leaders are interceding on behalf of the Centurion; who is interceding on behalf of his servant. In our setting it's very often personal faith that's held high, but passages such as this demonstrate the role of the faithful community's intercession on behalf of others.

Cheers,

T.M.

Thoughts going in, May 22nd, Holy Trinity Sunday

Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

            This Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost, a Sunday that is also observed as a principle festival of the Church—TRINITY SUNDAY. The doctrine of the Trinity is misunderstood as much today as ever. Rationalists complain that it cannot be understood; literalists complain that the word isn’t found in the Bible. In reality, both are correct. It **is impossible to [fully] understand the Trinity—at least with rational wisdom—and any online search tool will confirm that the word doesn’t appear in the Bible.

            So if both of those observations are true, then why all this fuss about an arcane doctrine that dates back through the mists of time to Church councils held in lands far away? In short, the point about the doctrine of the Trinity is that it states TRUTH. Some truths—especially biblical truths—defy our ability to rationally comprehend. How can God take on human flesh and become human? How can Christ’s bodily presence be joined to such mundane things as bread & wine? How can humans go on living even though they’ve died? None of these questions have readily understandable, rational explanations, yet they must all be true or we make God a liar in His word.

            “Trinity” as a word (not found in the bible) was coined to express truth. It expresses the truth of the ‘Shema’ of the Old Testament: “Hear O Israel, the LORD your God is ONE (Deut 6:4).” But it also expresses the truth that has been progressively revealed in the New Testament…. This ONE GOD is revealed and KNOWN as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

            More than one person has pointed out that what we cannot fully understand can, nonetheless, be EXPERIENCED. St. Paul has something like this in mind in the reading from Romans appointed for this Sunday. Though Paul does not use the moniker "Father" in the text, he seems to move seamlessly through the way we experience life in relationship with the Triune God: (1) By being declared or considered righteous in his sight (this is the basic definition of the word "justified")--an act on the Father's part that creates peace. Note: in terms of this peace, it's much more than an absence of open hostility; it's the Old Testament Hebrew concept of 'shalom'... a sense of full covenantal relationship... being a welcome part of the family. The same Creator who decreed "Let there be..." in Genesis, is also the one who declares righteousness and shalom.  Paul goes on to say that life in relationship with the Triune God is also (2) experienced by faith, specifically, in our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand. Granted, it would be more explicit if Paul had stated here what he states in other places, but it is precisely through the death and resurrection of Christ that this grace in which we stand becomes ours. In theological terms, this is Redemption. Finally, Paul goes on to mention how we experience relationship with the Triune God by mentioning (3) God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. When we think of the Holy Spirit being given to us, we are reminded of a life-long presence, drawing us ever-closer to God; something that is both complete and on-going. The theological term for this is Sanctification. In short, in our salvation, in our personal relationship with the Triune God, we experience God's Creative Power, God's Redeeming Power, and God's Sanctifying Power.

            But in the end... our task as faithful Christians is not to fully, cognitively, understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Our task is, rather, to humbly worship and sing: Holy holy holy, Lord God Almighty… God in three persons, BLESSED TRINITY.

Cheers,

T.M.

Thoughts going in, May 15th, Pentecost

Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: "Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our own language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs--we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" 13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine."14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 " 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

            This Sunday is Pentecost--one of the 6 Principle Festivals of the liturgical year (along with Christmas, Easter, Epiphany, Ascension, and Holy Trinity).Pentecost is the Greek name for the Feast of Weeks which began as a prominent feast in the calendar of ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai. This feast is still celebrated in Judaism as Shavuot. Later, in the Church it took on meaning as the fiftieth day of Easter. On Pentecost we celebrate the Holy Spirit as the power of God among us that heals, forgives, inspires, and unites. In the reading from Acts, images of wind and fire describe the Spirit poured out on disciples of all nations. In the gospel of the day from John, the risen Christ breathes the Spirit on his followers on Easter evening. In the one Spirit we are baptized into one body, and at the Lord's table the Spirit unites us for witness.

The first reading of the day from Acts 2 is the fulfillment of Jesus' promise as given in Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

            The Greek word for 'power' in vs 1:8 is one of my favorites, and one that I point out often: dynamis. We get our English word dynamite from it. It's powerful stuff, in other words. There's also another interesting nuance to the word. It's not just raw power for its own sake; another definition of the word is ability.

            When we put all of these thoughts together in order to meditate on the festival of Pentecost, one of the main things that hits me is that in this first outpouring of the Spirit, and in the Spirit's continued presence and activity among the Church, believers are given the ability to carry out the mission God has in store for them. Sometimes this can seem like a real 'flashy' sort of thing--like tongues of fire coming to rest on people's heads. At other times it may be far less flashy, but the point is still valid; believers, through the indwelling presence and work of the Spirit are given the ability to do great things; the ability to experience healing in their broken lives and relationships; the ability to speak words of hope and forgiveness to a hurting world; and most importantly of all, the ability to SEE God’s presence and work among us.

            Another thing that pops out at me is the point being made in vss 7-8: 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: "Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our own language? Language can be far more than simply one's spoken dialect. In his book "The Five Love Languages," author Gary Chapman discusses five different 'languages' used to express love--as well as to receive the expression of love. Those languages are: words of affirmation; quality time; giving/receiving gifts; acts of service, and physical touch. Originally the book was intended to help people in their marital relationships, but more than one person has noted that his insights can be applied in a broader, more general sense. They can also be applied in the community of faith.... both as we relate to each other, and as we relate to the world outside.

            This particularly struck me in terms of the evangelistic emphasis of the Spirit's activity on that first Pentecost. OUTSIDERS were drawn in, at least long enough to ask what does this mean? (v12). They were drawn in because the Spirit had empowered the Church to speak their language. Questions for us... HOW is the Spirit empowering us to speak the language of outsiders today? How might we communicate the love of God with words of affirmation? TOO OFTEN the only words outsiders hear from the Church are words of condemnation. This is wrong. How might we communicate the love of God with quality time... giving gifts, acts of service, and even physical touch?

These are just some thoughts going in!

Cheers,

T.M.

Thoughts going in, May 8th, Easter +7

Jesus prayed for his disciples, and then he said: "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 “Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” John 17:20-26

            This Sunday is the seventh, and last Sunday of Easter. On the three year cycle of readings, the specifics vary from one year to the next, but the central theme is always the same: ONENESS. The section of the Gospel of John that this is taken from is commonly called Christ's High Priestly Prayer. It's an extended prayer prayed on behalf of the disciples, but by extension, on behalf of the Church of all time (vs 21 I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word).

            As I've pondered this passage--and this idea of oneness/unity--for not the first time it's struck me as to how side-tracking it is to get hung up on the fractured nature of the visible church. If I've heard it once, I've heard it a thousand times... why are there so many 'isms' within Christianity? Why can't Protestants and Catholics get along? Why are there so many denominations within Protestantism? For that matter, why are there so many different Lutheran groups? Honest curiosity is fine, but often the point of the question seems to be to use the lack of harmony at the institutional level as an excuse to withdraw from any and all churches--if for no other reason, as a 'protest vote' against their stubborn refusal to heed the Lord's call to unity.  Maybe the irony is lost somewhere along the line, but in our own, personal, local stubbornness we quite frequently jeopardize the unity of our parish, or of a particular ministry within the parish, while at the same time saying tisk-tisk about the lack of unity at the Big Church level.

            In verse 20 of the text we're informed of a very important concept... unity begins at home. Jesus says it in passing, but it's there nonetheless: I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe... In other words, Jesus as usual is taking the big picture in terms of the impact the Gospel will have on the world, but it starts with them. To paraphrase that part of the text: I ask not only on behalf of these... but I'm sure starting with them. Unity begins at home. However many different Lutheran groups there may be, however many different Protestant denominations there may be, however long the rift between Protestants and Catholics may go on, nothing of substance changes if individual parishes are fractured.

            Throughout Easter the emphasis has been about living the baptized life. What does it look like, or perhaps a better way to put it is, what is it calling us to? Along the way we have seen some of the answers to this question. It's a call to practice faith without having all of the answers, as this year's disciples had to do in the Easter Sunday reading; it's a call to practice reconciliation, as Jesus did with Thomas the doubter. It's a call to receive Christ in the meal; it's a call to lifelong following of the Good Shepherd; it's a call to respond to the Spirit's activity in our lives. It is also a call to unity... to oneness.

Cheers,

T.M.