Book of Faith - Luke 23:26-56 - The Crucifixion II

We continued our conversation on the crucifixion.  We asked ourselves a different question.  Beyond the biblical accounts, what does the cross mean to us?  As a starting point, we read The Theology of the Cross: A Usable Past by Douglas John Hall.  The reading was challenging, but worth the effort.  We began with the Lutheran distinction between the Theology of the Cross and the Theology of Glory.  For Luther, the Theology of Glory "does not know God hidden in suffering.  Therefore prefers works to suffering, glory to the cross, strength to weakness, wisdom to folly, and in general, good to evil."  The Theology of the Cross understands the cross as the ultimate statement of God's involvement in the world.  The theology accepts the reality of difficult things rather than avoiding the difficulty.  The theology tells the truth.  Luther went on to say that God was not only hidden in suffering, but God was at work in our anxiety and doubt.  The Theology of the Cross defines life in terms of giving rather than taking, self-sacrifice rather than self-protection, dying rather than killing.

As we read the work of Douglas Hall, a number of insights struck us a group.  One, the cross shows the compassion and solidarity of God.  Jesus did not die on the cross alone.  In a very real sense, God also suffered and died on the cross.  Luther was bold enough to use the phrase "crucified God."  This was a very new way of thinking about the cross for many in the group.

Two, the cross shows God's commitment to the world.  The cross is at once "the ultimate statement of humankind's movement away from God and God's gracious movement towards fallen humankind."  The cross does not take us out of the world, but sends us back into the world, a world that God loves, in a new way.  We do so willingly, knowing the struggles and difficulties.

Three, the cross makes us honest.  The cross has a boldness to "call a spade a spade."  As a group, we talked about people who speak of being a Christian as an end to all questions and struggles.  "Since I found Jesus, my life is perfect."  The cross takes us out of the idea that life is without difficulty and sorrow.  The cross speak of a gracious God who is with us in our difficulties and sorrows.  The cross allows us to face the truth about ourselves and our lives.

Four, the cross tells us that the life of faith in a journey, not a destination.  Luther understood the "Christian living does not mean to be good but to become good; not to be well, but to get well; not being but becoming;  not rest but training.  We are not yer, but we shall be.  It has not yet happened, but it is the way.  Not everything shines and sparkles as yet, but everything is getting better."  The group liked the idea of our being on a journey with a gracious God who journeys with us.

Again, we welcome everyone to join us in our conversation on Wednesday at noon at the CEB.  If you can't be there, keep following the blog.  This is a conversation worth having.

Peace,
Pastor Summer

Book of Faith - Luke 23:26-56 - The Crucifixion

As a group, we know the story of the crucifixion well.  However, focusing on just one account, the story as told by Luke, gives us a different picture.  Simon of Cyrene is asked to carry the crossbeam for Jesus.  It is interesting to note that John has Jesus, and Jesus alone, carrying the cross.  There were those, the docetists, who argued that Jesus could not have suffered and died on the cross and the true victim was Simon.  John wanted to make sure there was no misunderstanding.  This was not an issue for Luke.

Jesus speaks to the women along the way to his death.  In his warnings, you can hear the impending doom of Jerusalem by the hands of the Romans in 70 AD.  Were these the words of Jesus himself?  Or were these the words of the early church (Luke was written after the fall of Jerusalem) that help create meaning around that tragedy?  Did the fall of Jerusalem serves Luke's purpose in telling the story of the passion.  

The group discussed Jesus' words, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do".  The group noted  that not all the ancient texts had those words.  However, those words deeply reflect the gospel Jesus proclaimed.  If those words are a part of Luke's telling the story, they are a wonderful addition.

The dividing of Jesus' garments raised a number of questions.  Who would casts lots for his worn and bloody garments?  If this scene is to reflect Psalm 22, as suggested in Mark's telling of the story, along with the mocking of the rulers, then this is a power scene.  With Psalm 22 serving as a backdrop to the crucifixion. the words of the psalmist add an extra dimension to the story.  The words of Psalm 22 add to the sense of drama.  Luke uses the images of Psalm 22 to paint a powerful picture.  The images and story still have the power to move us today.  The story stands at the center of our faith.  We still look up to the one who was crucified and cannot help but be changed.  

Peace,

Pastor Summer

Book of Faith - Luke 22:39-71 - In the Garden

The passion of Jesus is unfolding and our Wednesday group was taken by some of the details they had overlooked in the past.  Jesus tells his disciples to pray that they not enter into temptation, however, was Jesus tempted in the garden when he prays to his Father to have the cup removed.  After the temptation in the wilderness, the scripture says that the devil waited for a more opportune time.  Is the garden that time?  The garden prayer is such a power example of Jesus' humanity, and yet, Jesus is still willing to follow God's will.  

Luke heightens the drama in verses 43 and 44, which seem to be additions.  Sweating blood is such a powerful image.  The question was asked, how did Luke know what was happening when the disciples were asleep.  Did Jesus tell the disciples later after Easter?  Is this Luke filling in the details?  Is this God speaking to Luke as he was writing the gospel?  We explored all the possibilities.  Of course, the question was asked, why did the disciples go to sleep for sorrow.  Certainly, there was sorrow in the air, but the thought was that it may have had more to do with the wine at dinner.  

The group found the crowd that came to arrest Jesus interesting by its inclusion of the chief priests and the elders.  Wouldn't they have just sent the Temple Guard?  And why did the temple have a guard?  The thought was that the guard would protect the treasury but also assure the Romans that there would be order at the Temple.  It seemed to make sense that the religious authorities would have been willing to keep their own guard if it would keep the Romans out of the Temple. 

The denial of Peter in the courtyard was a very moving scene.  The group was particularly struck with Luke's addition of having Jesus turn and look at Peter as the cock crowed.  The particulars, whether Jesus could hear Peter's denials or whether Jesus could actually see Peter out in the crowd, are lost in the image of Jesus' simply looking at Peter.  In that singular moment, Peter is convicted without Jesus saying a work, and yet, we know there is grace that will come.  Peter will be singled out to have the Easter message given to him.  Even though he would deny Jesus, God's grace would claim and forgive him.  This poignant drama is a word of grace to all of us who fall short and in one way or another deny Jesus in our lives.  

Next week, we make the journey to Pilate and then the cross.  We will be gathering at noon on Wednesday at the Christian Education Building.  All are welcome to attend and participate.  As always, you are welcome to follow on the blog.

Peace,

Pastor Summer

 

Book of Faith - Luke 2214-23 - The Last Supper

This is such a well know story that the group was surprised to discover some variance in the telling of what happened.  The "short" text of Luke does not include Vss. 19b and 20.  In this version, the cup comes before the bread, the cup is not connected to a new covenant, and the main focus of the supper is a feast of anticipation.  The group talked about the early church possibly adding Vss. 19b and 20 to bring Luke into harmony with Mark 14:17-26 and I Corinthians 11:17-34.   We appreciated the early church wanting to harmonize the scripture, but we also appreciated the variance.  We noted that variance in baptism.  Does the Holy Spirit come before, during, or after baptism?  There is scriptural evidence for all three.  Such variance helps to explain the diversity within the life of the church.  Each denomination sighting its own scriptural evidence.  

Beyond the supper, the group spent a great deal of time talking about Judas Iscariot.  He is such an intriguing character in the passion story.  Why did he betray Jesus?  Was it just for the money?  Was is because he was disappointed in Jesus?  Was it to force Jesus' hand to take action and become the Messiah in the model of David?  Any and all of these are possibilities.  Of course, the real challenge is whether Judas was destined by God to betray Jesus?  If so, how can Judas be accountable?  There are those who have argued that Judas did have freewill and could have chosen not to betray Jesus.  Luther argued that Judas could not make that choice and was still accountable.  Was there mercy for Judas after his betrayal?  The text has Jesus speak a word of woe for Judas, but is that an eternal woe?  The group leaned towards wanting grace to speak for even Judas and that the sorrow of his suicide is not that there was no grace for him, but rather he was not open to or could not see the grace that was given. Consider another disciple.  Peter felt his denial alone left him outside of God's grace and Jesus sends a special word just for him after his resurrection  Jesus made sure the women told Peter in particular.  There is something wondrous about grace that is poured out even when we deny and betray.

Peace,
Pastor Summer

Book of Faith - Luke 21:7-38 - The End Times

Since we are in the season of Advent, these passages seem appropriate for the season.  They speak of the end times.  As we discussed in our group, the language of the apocalypse tends to scare us, but that was not the real purpose when the passages were written.  The language was intended to encourage people of faith, who were facing difficult times in the world, that God had already secured the future and they need not fear.  In the end, God will have the final word.  In the end, God will be victorious.  Luke was writing his gospel after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.  Everyone was trying to make sense of what was happening.  With the community of faith, they were facing their own persecution.  Luke, places on the lips of Jesus, words of hope that, whatever is happening in the world, we are not to be undone, but to look up and raise our heads for our redemption is near.  Our hope in God is what sustains us as individuals, as a community, as the church.  

That word of hope still resonates today.  We talked a great deal about the tragedy in Newtown, CT.  We can become undone by what took place.  We all were shattered by the loss of life, particularly  the 20 young  children.  In the aftermath, there are some people who have shut down and cannot face the reality of what happened.  There are some who are overwhelmed with anger and do not know where to take that anger.  There are some who overwhelmed with a sense of helplessness.  As a community of faith living in the promises of God, as Christians, we can face the reality of what happened in Newtown.  We understand that we live in a broken world where terrible can happen and the innocent can suffer.  We can face the truth, but we are not undone.  We believe in a loving and present God who is with us and holds us in our sorrow and pain.  We believe that God has the final word in all things no matter what happens in the world.  We believe in a God who sent His son to save this broken world.  We live in hope and not fear, and dedicate ourselves in serving others and making a difference in thus world.  We believe in the light and will not let the darkness overcome it.

Peace,

Pastor Summer

Book of Faith - Luke 20:19-26 - Paying Taxes

This week, our conversation returned to the practice of baptism.  What was the practice in the early church?  Baptism began as a rite of ritual cleaning in Judaism and moved to a rite of entry into Judaism by those outside the faith.  John would bring a new understanding with baptism being the washing away of sin which was beyond being ritually unclean.  In the early years, baptisms were held once a year at Easter and people would go through a three year time of preparation.  All of this would change with Constantine.  When he made Christianity the official religion of the empire, the doors opened to everyone being able to be baptized publicly.  Up until that time, with the persecutions, it was very dangerous.  Augustine would bring in the idea that one had to be baptized.  The debate about the necessity of baptism, baptizing infants, and believers baptism has continued down through the ages.  Luther, while understanding baptism as a sacrament within the life of the church, left the final determination (Can someone be saved who is not baptized?) with God.  In the end, Luther always differed to a gracious God.  

We moved from baptism to paying taxes and Jesus' great line to the question of paying taxes, "Render unto Caesar the things that our Caesar's, and render unto Got the things that our God's".  This was a clever response to the trap being set for Jesus by the Pharisees.  Having him come out against taxes, which would get him into trouble with the Romans.  Having him be in favor of taxes, which would get him into trouble with the people.  However, the answer is more than clever.  The answer really has us wrestle with what it means to be a disciple in this world.  How can we be in the world, but not of it?  There are no clear guidelines.  Each day, we have to face the challenge of being God's person at work, at school, and within the community.  Each day, we have to ask for God's guidance.  For example, we cannot abandon politics because we say politics is corrupt.  Christians need to be engaged in the political process and walk that line between Caesar and God.  That is true with every aspect of our life.  The good news is that God understands our struggle and walks with us as we discern and live out his call.

Peace,
Pastor Summer

Book of Faith - Luke 19:45-48, 20:1-8 - Cleansing the Temple

As we recover from Hurricane Sandy, it was good to return to a more normal routine including Book of Faith.  Everyone in the group has their power restored and we resumed our exploration of Luke.  Jesus has entered Jerusalem for the final week leading to the cross.  In the text, we found him clearing the temple of the sellers, which is a well known story.  The group found that Luke's account was so different than their memory of the events.  Luke is much shorter than Mark and not as detailed as John.  In John, we have an angry Jesus who makes a whip of cords and overturns the tables of the money changers.  John also has the cleansing of the temple at the beginning of Jesus' public ministry rather that at the end.  In Luke and Mark, the cleansing of the temple sets in motion the reaction from the Sanhedrin.  They have to deal with Jesus.  In John, the raising of Lazarus has the same affect.  In both cases, the Sanhedrin has to make a decision about Jesus.  He forces their hand.  They cannot sit safely on the fence.  This becomes apparent in opening of chapter 20 in Luke.  They want to give Jesus enough rope to hang himself.  They ask by what authority is he acting.  Jesus turns the question around and asks them by what authority did John baptize.  He knows the chief priests and elders are caught.  If they say John received his authority from God, the question is why didn't they follow him.  If they say John received his authority from men, then the people would rise against them.  The chief priests and elders play it safe and do not answer and so Jesus will not answer their question.  Again, Jesus is pushing them to make a choice.  He is forcing their hand to take action.  Jesus knows the game he is playing will lead to his death.  He knows they will choose against him in the end.  Jesus is a victim, but he is not innocent as though he did not see the rejection of the authorities coming.  Jesus was setting their rejection in motion beginning with his cleansing of the temple.

The rest of the time was spent in a conversation about baptism.  The group was surprised that baptism was a part of Judaism.  People outside the Jewish faith are baptized into the community.  John the Baptist would change the understanding of baptism by insisting that his own people be baptized, not just for ritual cleaning, but for the forgiveness of sins.  John also recognized that a different kind of baptism was coming.  Jesus becomes the occasion for this new baptism, but Jesus did not baptize anyone though he instructs his disciples to go out  and make disciples of all people baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  The question is the group was whether these were Jesus' words or were they the words of the early church placed on the lips of Jesus?  It was also noted that Paul rarely baptized people and says that he did not come to baptize but to proclaim the Gospel.  This raised some interesting questions about baptism.  What is the history of baptism?  When did baptism become a central act in the life of the church?  When did infant baptism begin?  Is the requirement of baptism counter to the gift of grace as declared by Paul?  Is baptism needed for salvation?  We will be exploring these question at our next class.  Please join us on Wednesday at noon to be part of the conversation or continue to follow this blog.  Your feedback is always welcome.

Peace,

Pastor Summer