The conversation started with the question left over from last week. If people are living in Good Friday (the brokenness of their lives and the world), how do they know that Easter is coming? How does Jesus meet us in those dark times and places. The group talked about their own experiences of Good Friday (illness, failures, sorrow) and how Jesus was there for them. When pressed, it became more difficult to articulate how Jesus had been there. The consensus was that we can only give witness to our experience of God's grace in our lives to others who are struggling to see the hand of God. Explanations may fall short. Our faith and hope are a gift from God that may seem to defy logic, but they are real. Our witness to that truth can become crucial for others in their struggles and can become an occasion for the Holy Spirit to work. In college, I had a friend who pressed me again and again about my faith. How could I believe in a world full of suffering? How could I be hopeful? How could I say God was there for me? I never gave an explanation that satisfied him, but the truth is, he wanted me to believe. My witness became very important to him is ways he could not explain. How God used my witness, I will never know, but I believe my witness served God's purpose.
In talking about making a witness, the group owned that we are uneven in witnessing. Sometimes we do. Sometimes we don't. We will walk with some people in their struggles, but not with others. The consensus was that we should celebrate every time our witness takes place rather that focus on the opportunities that were missed. The con census was also that the more we witness to our faith, the more opportunities we will seek. Those opportunities don't always have to be in words. Sometimes the most powerful witness is reflected in the lives we live. Do we live hopeful, gracious, and joyful lives? Sometimes we have an impact on others and we don't even realize our impact.
Finally, we talked about the last verses in chapter 13. Realizing that the use of "fox" in rabbinical literature indicates being unimportant rather than cunning was helpful. Jesus was going to Jerusalem and Herod was not going to stop him. Jesus did not fear Herod. Herod was insignificant. Jesus lamenting over Jerusalem seems strange when this is Jesus first trip to Jerusalem (second, if you count his going to the temple as a boy) according to the synoptic gospels. Jesus lamenting makes more sense if you use John's understanding of Jesus making numerous trips to Jerusalem. Does John have a more accurate timeline? The image of Jesus gathering the chicks under his wings is a powerful image. This image appears more often in rabbinic literature rather than scripture. On the whole, the whole section seems oddly placed and seemingly disconnected.
This week was another rich conversation. We're looking forward to moving into chapter 14 in two weeks. With no Book of Faith next week, there will be no posting, but we will return. Keep the conversation going.
Peace,
Pastor Summer
No comments:
Post a Comment