We began last evening's Bible Study by asking, "What are you hoping to get out of this study? Or, what motivated you to come?" As is usually the case in a group when you ask such a question, the answers started to fit into a pattern. Not sure what to say, we tend to follow the lead of those who have spoken earlier. Not sure how much to reveal, we are encouraged by those who speak honestly.
Many responded with something along the lines of, "I don't spend as much time reading my Bible as I want." Being the wise, insightful teacher that I am, I offered sage advise, "The only solution to that problem is to pick up your Bible and open the covers."
This morning I was reading another story of the time Jesus spent with his disciples. These disciples are essential to the spreading of the Good News. They become the spokespersons whose accounts form the content of our Bibles. We have stories of what their lives were like before they became disciples. But those stories tell us very little about their piety, prior to deciding to follow Jesus. Where they regular in their study of scripture? Did they attend study groups in order to learn the stories of God's servants in the past?
Only a couple of the twelve seem to have previously have made the decision to follow a rabbi. Most were going about their daily affairs when Jesus came along and said, "Follow me." Something happened to them, that day, which changed the routine of each of the days which follows.
How regular are you in your study of scripture? How often do you allow the Word of God to frame the day and set a tone for everything which follows? It is heartening to turn to those pages which speak of God's love for us. It is not a chore or a duty - rather an opportunity to drink from a refreshing stream. Let this be the day when your routine changes.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Devotion - Tuesday, August 30
Acts 16 contains the story of Paul's making lemonade out of lemons. Paul had set his mind to go to Birthynia, but "the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them." Having been blocked from what he wanted to do, he ends up in Troas instead. From Troas he makes his way to Philippi, where the Church is rooted and the faith is greatly enhanced.
Those of us who have dreamed one dream only to find ourselves redirected, can appreciate the message in this story. Sometimes, what we intend to do isn't what is allowed. What happens has less to do with our volition and more to do with what is helpful.
If we are wise and discerning, we will quickly adapt to the new course and make the most of it from the very beginning. It is not very productive to spend days or weeks bemoaning that which is not allowed.
Too often we continue to try to redirect our path, ignoring the opportunities set before us by God, preferring our own plans or intentions.
It is not as simple as saying whatever will be will be. Rather it is a matter of understanding that our lives have a purpose as well as a plot. The plot line may change; the purpose remains the same.
Those of us who have dreamed one dream only to find ourselves redirected, can appreciate the message in this story. Sometimes, what we intend to do isn't what is allowed. What happens has less to do with our volition and more to do with what is helpful.
If we are wise and discerning, we will quickly adapt to the new course and make the most of it from the very beginning. It is not very productive to spend days or weeks bemoaning that which is not allowed.
Too often we continue to try to redirect our path, ignoring the opportunities set before us by God, preferring our own plans or intentions.
It is not as simple as saying whatever will be will be. Rather it is a matter of understanding that our lives have a purpose as well as a plot. The plot line may change; the purpose remains the same.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Devotion - Monday, August 29
John the baptist is a pivotal character in the Gospel story. He is the one who prepares the way for Jesus. It seems that he was the Jesus' teacher, that from John Jesus gets his start and his receives his training.
Most of us know the story of John's death. Herod's step-daughter dances for Herod and his guests. Herod is so pleased he offer her whatever she wants. Upon counsel from her mother, she asks for the head of John. John is murdered; John is executed; John dies because Herod cannot figure out a way to save face in front of his guests. Mark 6 records, "And (Herod) was exceedingly sorry; but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her."
How often we become trapped by our words, by our oaths, by the fear of social embarrassment. We fall prey to the stereotypes and to the hype and find ourselves living the life others suggest to us rather than the life we would choose. Death comes; maybe not immediately by the chopping off of a head, but slowly as actions inform thoughts which establish beliefs.
This is not a blind endorsement for everything you learned in Sunday Church School nor is it a condemnation of everything portrayed as college life. It is encouragement to set you own path and pursue your heart's desire. It is a reminder that all too often we fail to seek the ends we value but find ourselves swept up in the mood of those around us. Like Herod, we make a comment which leads to an action which brings us sorrow. We become trapped; and rather than stand up for what we want and what we hope we go along. Death occurs.
Jesus is the Lord of life. Jesus comes among us in order that we might have life and have it abundantly. Receive this gift and use it well.
Most of us know the story of John's death. Herod's step-daughter dances for Herod and his guests. Herod is so pleased he offer her whatever she wants. Upon counsel from her mother, she asks for the head of John. John is murdered; John is executed; John dies because Herod cannot figure out a way to save face in front of his guests. Mark 6 records, "And (Herod) was exceedingly sorry; but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her."
How often we become trapped by our words, by our oaths, by the fear of social embarrassment. We fall prey to the stereotypes and to the hype and find ourselves living the life others suggest to us rather than the life we would choose. Death comes; maybe not immediately by the chopping off of a head, but slowly as actions inform thoughts which establish beliefs.
This is not a blind endorsement for everything you learned in Sunday Church School nor is it a condemnation of everything portrayed as college life. It is encouragement to set you own path and pursue your heart's desire. It is a reminder that all too often we fail to seek the ends we value but find ourselves swept up in the mood of those around us. Like Herod, we make a comment which leads to an action which brings us sorrow. We become trapped; and rather than stand up for what we want and what we hope we go along. Death occurs.
Jesus is the Lord of life. Jesus comes among us in order that we might have life and have it abundantly. Receive this gift and use it well.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Sermon - August 28, 2011
15th Sunday after Pentecost (pr22) - Year A
Matthew 16:21-26
A Living God begets Living Faith
I made the comment last week how lonely it was, over the summer, with all the students gone. David Jarrett, Maglin Halsey, and Kaitlin Grove heard me and reminded me that they were here over the summer. Their tone, appropriately, asked me what I meant to imply in saying that I was all alone. A similar apology is due to all of you who where here during the months of May, June and July – but might I also get an agreement that things have certainly become a lot more lively in the past ten days?
It is not just the resumption of classes at TriCounty, SWU, and Clemson, this morning we kickoff the Sunday Church School year with our Rally Day. Linda Holt was here for most of the morning yesterday preparing her lesson and classroom. Anita Edge was setting up for Rally Day. And while I am giving shoutouts, how could I forget Jean Askew and the crew of landscapers who planted and watered and trimmed.
Everywhere we turn there are signs of life and living. While spring might be the time of year when the earth reflects the glory of our living God, this may be the better time of the year to see life among God’s followers. Seeing that life; experiencing that life is essential if we are to taste and see the “Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” If we fail to grasp this life, we likely to repeat the mistakes of Peter rather than build Christ’s church upon his witness.
Maybe we need start with a review of last week’s lesson. Jesus asks the disciples, “Who people say that I am?” After a few tried and true suggestions (like Elijah, or Jeremiah or even John the Baptist,) Jesus asks them who “they” say he is. Simon blurts out, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus points out that this is not something Simon has come to on his own, rather it is a revelation given to him by God. Then Jesus renames Simon, giving him the name Petros, or “Rock”. Pastor Hartsell pointed out in last week’s sermon that this witness of Peter’s is the confession upon which Jesus says he will build his Church. We are all invited, he reminded us, to join in this confession and bear testimony to this “Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”
Today’s text follows immediately upon the previous. This is not so the Gospel writer can build Simon Peter up only to knock him down. It has more to do with a desire to teach - to teach all those who follow Jesus of the danger of confessing with our lips, and yet failing to comprehend with our lives. Simon Peter has the right answer; he simply isn’t prepared for how that answer will alter the world around him.
Simon Peter is not yet prepared to accept that this Messiahship of Jesus would mean going to Jerusalem, experience rejection, and condemnation. “That just isn’t the way this thing ought to play out,” Peter insists.
There are countless commentaries which examine what Peter might have thought identifying Jesus as the “Messiah, the son of the living God” meant. Perhaps he was of the mindset that Divine Messiahship ought to be linked with political coronation. There are numerous hints that among the Disciples there were rebels and insurrectionist. Perhaps they expected their Messiah to lead them on a path similar to that taken by David as he gained a following and the confidence of the Hebrew people. Whatever Peter expected, it was not this sudden turn. He didn’t see this one coming. It is as if he made his confession using the jargon of the religious community; that he repeated the words which he had heard in Sunday school and taken to heart during religious celebrations. He speaks the words, but he didn't understand their meaning. He was totally unprepared for the power and the promise which those words represented.
And I wonder, whether we might have the same problem. Do we know the titles and phrases, and yet fail to grasp their meaning? How many of us blunder and reveal our ignorance when confronted with the presence of Christ, the Son of the Living God?
It seems that the key to understanding lies in the adjective which is used. Peter refers to God as "living". Such a description implies one who is active, interactive and free to respond. God isn't dead; God isn't some set of lifeless doctrines or teachings or codes for moral behavior. God is living. And even though Peter makes correct use of this descriptive language, he remains closed to what that means.
Peter responds negatively to Jesus’ description of where his path will take them. That isn't the way the books say it is to happen. Such a path would not follow the expectations outlined by the prophets. It would not be in keeping with the traditions of the temple. This wasn't the way that John or Elijah or Jeremiah did it. And you can almost hear the argument that if it hadn't been done that way in the past, what right did Jesus have to move out in a new direction.
Jesus' "right" comes from his special relationship to the one we call God. Jesus, the Christ, is the Son of the Living God. And this "living", active, interactive God has chosen to do a new thing. It is not in keeping with what has been done in the past. A “living” God is very different than a God who only lives in history.
Jesus asked the disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" Simon son of Jona responds, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." And he should have known that those words implied a savior who was not "bound" to what had previously happen. These words bear witness to a God whose prime concern is life and the living. They are the witness to a God who acts, freely and intimately with those who call upon God's name.
God didn't stop living when the cover was placed around our bibles. The God to whom the scriptures bear witness continues to live and to interact. And we have to be careful that we don't allow ourselves to forget this. We have adopted language for use in worship which illustrates that God is alive and active, and yet if we simply repeat the words and don't pause long enough to consider their meaning, we too can misunderstand what we are saying. This is why it is so important that we continue to study and to learn. If we pretend that we have mastered the information and have no further need for growth then our faith has be¬come as dead and as lifeless as the codes of moral behavior which all too often are substituted for Christian faith. Bible study is not research into the past so much as it is an attempt to discover what God is saying to us now.
God is alive. God's people are alive. And the faith we possess lives within us. If our faith isn't active, interactive and free, then it is as good as dead.
Upon hearing Peter's rebuke, Jesus responds with: You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things. "Human things" cause us to want to stay where we are. To live with business as usual. To retain our ability to predict and to control. "Divine things" are quite different. They are living, changing, unfolding. You never know exactly where they are moving, all you can do is follow.
It is the nature of our God to be living. God acts, interacts, and reveals to us the way we should go. Setting our minds on God means we follow where God is leading. Learning from the past, for sure, but primarily seeking to understand the signs of life emerging around us and through us.
Amen.
Matthew 16:21-26
A Living God begets Living Faith
I made the comment last week how lonely it was, over the summer, with all the students gone. David Jarrett, Maglin Halsey, and Kaitlin Grove heard me and reminded me that they were here over the summer. Their tone, appropriately, asked me what I meant to imply in saying that I was all alone. A similar apology is due to all of you who where here during the months of May, June and July – but might I also get an agreement that things have certainly become a lot more lively in the past ten days?
It is not just the resumption of classes at TriCounty, SWU, and Clemson, this morning we kickoff the Sunday Church School year with our Rally Day. Linda Holt was here for most of the morning yesterday preparing her lesson and classroom. Anita Edge was setting up for Rally Day. And while I am giving shoutouts, how could I forget Jean Askew and the crew of landscapers who planted and watered and trimmed.
Everywhere we turn there are signs of life and living. While spring might be the time of year when the earth reflects the glory of our living God, this may be the better time of the year to see life among God’s followers. Seeing that life; experiencing that life is essential if we are to taste and see the “Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” If we fail to grasp this life, we likely to repeat the mistakes of Peter rather than build Christ’s church upon his witness.
Maybe we need start with a review of last week’s lesson. Jesus asks the disciples, “Who people say that I am?” After a few tried and true suggestions (like Elijah, or Jeremiah or even John the Baptist,) Jesus asks them who “they” say he is. Simon blurts out, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus points out that this is not something Simon has come to on his own, rather it is a revelation given to him by God. Then Jesus renames Simon, giving him the name Petros, or “Rock”. Pastor Hartsell pointed out in last week’s sermon that this witness of Peter’s is the confession upon which Jesus says he will build his Church. We are all invited, he reminded us, to join in this confession and bear testimony to this “Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”
Today’s text follows immediately upon the previous. This is not so the Gospel writer can build Simon Peter up only to knock him down. It has more to do with a desire to teach - to teach all those who follow Jesus of the danger of confessing with our lips, and yet failing to comprehend with our lives. Simon Peter has the right answer; he simply isn’t prepared for how that answer will alter the world around him.
Simon Peter is not yet prepared to accept that this Messiahship of Jesus would mean going to Jerusalem, experience rejection, and condemnation. “That just isn’t the way this thing ought to play out,” Peter insists.
There are countless commentaries which examine what Peter might have thought identifying Jesus as the “Messiah, the son of the living God” meant. Perhaps he was of the mindset that Divine Messiahship ought to be linked with political coronation. There are numerous hints that among the Disciples there were rebels and insurrectionist. Perhaps they expected their Messiah to lead them on a path similar to that taken by David as he gained a following and the confidence of the Hebrew people. Whatever Peter expected, it was not this sudden turn. He didn’t see this one coming. It is as if he made his confession using the jargon of the religious community; that he repeated the words which he had heard in Sunday school and taken to heart during religious celebrations. He speaks the words, but he didn't understand their meaning. He was totally unprepared for the power and the promise which those words represented.
And I wonder, whether we might have the same problem. Do we know the titles and phrases, and yet fail to grasp their meaning? How many of us blunder and reveal our ignorance when confronted with the presence of Christ, the Son of the Living God?
It seems that the key to understanding lies in the adjective which is used. Peter refers to God as "living". Such a description implies one who is active, interactive and free to respond. God isn't dead; God isn't some set of lifeless doctrines or teachings or codes for moral behavior. God is living. And even though Peter makes correct use of this descriptive language, he remains closed to what that means.
Peter responds negatively to Jesus’ description of where his path will take them. That isn't the way the books say it is to happen. Such a path would not follow the expectations outlined by the prophets. It would not be in keeping with the traditions of the temple. This wasn't the way that John or Elijah or Jeremiah did it. And you can almost hear the argument that if it hadn't been done that way in the past, what right did Jesus have to move out in a new direction.
Jesus' "right" comes from his special relationship to the one we call God. Jesus, the Christ, is the Son of the Living God. And this "living", active, interactive God has chosen to do a new thing. It is not in keeping with what has been done in the past. A “living” God is very different than a God who only lives in history.
Jesus asked the disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" Simon son of Jona responds, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." And he should have known that those words implied a savior who was not "bound" to what had previously happen. These words bear witness to a God whose prime concern is life and the living. They are the witness to a God who acts, freely and intimately with those who call upon God's name.
God didn't stop living when the cover was placed around our bibles. The God to whom the scriptures bear witness continues to live and to interact. And we have to be careful that we don't allow ourselves to forget this. We have adopted language for use in worship which illustrates that God is alive and active, and yet if we simply repeat the words and don't pause long enough to consider their meaning, we too can misunderstand what we are saying. This is why it is so important that we continue to study and to learn. If we pretend that we have mastered the information and have no further need for growth then our faith has be¬come as dead and as lifeless as the codes of moral behavior which all too often are substituted for Christian faith. Bible study is not research into the past so much as it is an attempt to discover what God is saying to us now.
God is alive. God's people are alive. And the faith we possess lives within us. If our faith isn't active, interactive and free, then it is as good as dead.
Upon hearing Peter's rebuke, Jesus responds with: You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things. "Human things" cause us to want to stay where we are. To live with business as usual. To retain our ability to predict and to control. "Divine things" are quite different. They are living, changing, unfolding. You never know exactly where they are moving, all you can do is follow.
It is the nature of our God to be living. God acts, interacts, and reveals to us the way we should go. Setting our minds on God means we follow where God is leading. Learning from the past, for sure, but primarily seeking to understand the signs of life emerging around us and through us.
Amen.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Devotion - Thursday, August 25
Having just last evening preached a sermon inviting all of you into a deeper relationship with Jesus, I probably should hold off on this morning's reflection. But one of the reasons I make use of an established lectionary is so I won't pick the passages pleasing to me, but be directed to the whole of God's scriptures.
This morning from Mark 5 I was reading the story of the demonic whose possession was Legion. The evil spirits ask to be cast into the herd of swine, who drown themselves in the sea. The herdsmen flee and go into the village. The townspeople come out, see the man who had been cleansed, and Jesus. Mark tells us, "They were afraid... They began to beg Jesus to depart from their neighborhood."
It is a wonderful thing, to accept Jesus' invitation into relationship. Aware of how our human friendships alter our routines, why would we not realize that a relationship with Jesus will do the same. And yet, we are sometimes unprepared for the change when it comes. It may even frighten us.
As a result of my interaction with Jesus, I have been cleansed of my insecurities, of my fear that I am not loved; but that relationship places me in frightening situations - like when I know that it is up to me to speak out when the conversations around me become abusive or demeaning. I want to join in the conventional wisdom of this age, but I realize that God has spoken to me of a differing way to see His creation.
I remain committed to this deeper relationship with Jesus. As a result, my life is so much better than it could be otherwise. And those moments when I become frightened and nervous only serve to strengthen my resolve to live the way Jesus would have me live; to follow the path which leads to the Life of which he speaks.
This morning from Mark 5 I was reading the story of the demonic whose possession was Legion. The evil spirits ask to be cast into the herd of swine, who drown themselves in the sea. The herdsmen flee and go into the village. The townspeople come out, see the man who had been cleansed, and Jesus. Mark tells us, "They were afraid... They began to beg Jesus to depart from their neighborhood."
It is a wonderful thing, to accept Jesus' invitation into relationship. Aware of how our human friendships alter our routines, why would we not realize that a relationship with Jesus will do the same. And yet, we are sometimes unprepared for the change when it comes. It may even frighten us.
As a result of my interaction with Jesus, I have been cleansed of my insecurities, of my fear that I am not loved; but that relationship places me in frightening situations - like when I know that it is up to me to speak out when the conversations around me become abusive or demeaning. I want to join in the conventional wisdom of this age, but I realize that God has spoken to me of a differing way to see His creation.
I remain committed to this deeper relationship with Jesus. As a result, my life is so much better than it could be otherwise. And those moments when I become frightened and nervous only serve to strengthen my resolve to live the way Jesus would have me live; to follow the path which leads to the Life of which he speaks.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Devotion - Wednesday, August 24
Mark 4:35-41 records the events of Jesus calming the storm at sea. He sets off, with the disciples, to cross the sea. As they are making their way, the storm arises. The text tells us "the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion."
I thought this morning of the storm. This is an appropriate image for the day we are facing. Perhaps I need to say something more about this storm. Those of us who make Clemson our home year round are very aware of how the surface has changed in these past five days. We spent our summer dodging the construction crews reworking the downtown. But the trucks and graders are nothing compared to the crush of cars and laptop carrying young adults. We saw the long line of cars on move-in day and we have seen you all in the stores, setting up your rooms and preparing for the term about to start.
Since you arrived with the storm, you may have little idea of what it was like, before it all got started. You may not realize that there is a calm, below the surface and pre-dating the crashing waves we see around us now. There is a storm brewing; not only for our little town, but also for you. What will this year bring? How will your life be changed?
What has intrigued me the most about Mark's story isn't that Jesus was able to calm the storm. What catches my attention is that even as this storm was raging, Jesus isn't anxious or concerned. In fact, he is asleep, on the cushion, in the stern of the boat.
I want to offer this as an image for our ministry. That as all the waves crash around you there is one place where a slice of tranquility exists. That while so much is happening and so many things are tossing you around, there is the opportunity to turn to Christ and have your calm restored.
Jesus does speak to the storm. He tells it that it is limited in its power. And in retelling the story Mark reminds us that we are not forever tossed to and fro by the raging waters. We can take our rest, in the stern, on the cushion.
God be with you this day; allow God to calm the storm.
I thought this morning of the storm. This is an appropriate image for the day we are facing. Perhaps I need to say something more about this storm. Those of us who make Clemson our home year round are very aware of how the surface has changed in these past five days. We spent our summer dodging the construction crews reworking the downtown. But the trucks and graders are nothing compared to the crush of cars and laptop carrying young adults. We saw the long line of cars on move-in day and we have seen you all in the stores, setting up your rooms and preparing for the term about to start.
Since you arrived with the storm, you may have little idea of what it was like, before it all got started. You may not realize that there is a calm, below the surface and pre-dating the crashing waves we see around us now. There is a storm brewing; not only for our little town, but also for you. What will this year bring? How will your life be changed?
What has intrigued me the most about Mark's story isn't that Jesus was able to calm the storm. What catches my attention is that even as this storm was raging, Jesus isn't anxious or concerned. In fact, he is asleep, on the cushion, in the stern of the boat.
I want to offer this as an image for our ministry. That as all the waves crash around you there is one place where a slice of tranquility exists. That while so much is happening and so many things are tossing you around, there is the opportunity to turn to Christ and have your calm restored.
Jesus does speak to the storm. He tells it that it is limited in its power. And in retelling the story Mark reminds us that we are not forever tossed to and fro by the raging waters. We can take our rest, in the stern, on the cushion.
God be with you this day; allow God to calm the storm.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Devotion - Tuesday, August 23
Continuing in Mark 4, Jesus tells a number of parables about the Kingdom of God. In Verse 34, Mark tells us, "With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything."
The first part of Mark's assertion is obvious: Jesus tells a lot of parables. It seems that most of what he says, he says in parables. Whenever we are trying to understand this teaching or that belief, we most likely to refer to one of these parables. Even the longest of his sermons (the Sermon on the Mount) consists of a number of shortened parables.
But what of that last part in Mark's assertion: that he explained everything to the disciples? There are several instances where the Gospel writer will include one of these explanations. But not in every instance.
By the time the Gospel writers were doing their work (Mark is the first of the Gospels to be written, and the references to the destruction of the Temple would lead us to think that its writing was as late as 70 a.d.) it was already obvious that folks wanted some definite answers. These parables were too open-ended. They lacked the specificity desired by the masses.
Even if the full explanations for the parables were not included in the text, the reference allowed one to have confidence that we knew exactly what Jesus was trying to say.
But do we? How many sermons have your heard on the same parable? Did they all agree? One of the beautiful things about a parable is that it allows enough openness of thought that it might lead me in one direction today, and another tomorrow. It isn't that the parable has changed; rather the circumstances in my life have changed. Jesus could not give a guidebook which would address every instance, but he could tell a parable rich enough in its imagery to speak to wide variety of human experiences.
I am leading to the notion of a living word of God. The words spoken by Jesus reveal a Word which follows me all the days of my life and guides me in all things.
This is what a parable is able to do. This is how Jesus' voice remains fresh every day of my life.
The first part of Mark's assertion is obvious: Jesus tells a lot of parables. It seems that most of what he says, he says in parables. Whenever we are trying to understand this teaching or that belief, we most likely to refer to one of these parables. Even the longest of his sermons (the Sermon on the Mount) consists of a number of shortened parables.
But what of that last part in Mark's assertion: that he explained everything to the disciples? There are several instances where the Gospel writer will include one of these explanations. But not in every instance.
By the time the Gospel writers were doing their work (Mark is the first of the Gospels to be written, and the references to the destruction of the Temple would lead us to think that its writing was as late as 70 a.d.) it was already obvious that folks wanted some definite answers. These parables were too open-ended. They lacked the specificity desired by the masses.
Even if the full explanations for the parables were not included in the text, the reference allowed one to have confidence that we knew exactly what Jesus was trying to say.
But do we? How many sermons have your heard on the same parable? Did they all agree? One of the beautiful things about a parable is that it allows enough openness of thought that it might lead me in one direction today, and another tomorrow. It isn't that the parable has changed; rather the circumstances in my life have changed. Jesus could not give a guidebook which would address every instance, but he could tell a parable rich enough in its imagery to speak to wide variety of human experiences.
I am leading to the notion of a living word of God. The words spoken by Jesus reveal a Word which follows me all the days of my life and guides me in all things.
This is what a parable is able to do. This is how Jesus' voice remains fresh every day of my life.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Devotion - Monday, August 22
I should begin with a word of greeting. After three months, you may have forgotten that you were on the list to receive these morning reflections. It is good to be back with you; it is a blessing to be able to share this spiritual journey.
How appropriate that the appointed Gospel text for today is Mark 4:1-20. Here we have the parable of the soils. Jesus speaks of the sower who generously casts his seed. Some falls on the path, some in rocky soil, some among the weeds, and some on the good soil.
I grew up on a farm. Not one of those huge, industrial size places. More like a dirt-farm. My parents worked in the mills, but we maintained an apple orchard, cow pasture, and various other cash crops on the 84 acres my great-grandfather farmed. Regularly, we would sow seed by hand. Seed had to be purchased. My father taught me not to waste it. When you were sowing by hand, you have a lot of control as to where the seed is going. No sower, concerned with the effectiveness of their sowing, would cast seed along the path, among the thorns, or into the rocks.
This parable begins with a statement of God's generosity in spreading the Word. God is not frugal; God does not prejudge the worthiness of the receiver.
Turn to Mark 4 and read this parable for yourself. Reflect on where you find yourself in the storyline; are you one of the soils? Are you the one who has been asked to help sow?
Rejoice in that regardless of the type of soil you might think yourself to be - God's Word is coming your way.
Remember, God makes the sun to shine on the righteous and the unrighteous - How can a servant of God judge someone unworthy of an expression of God's grace? Share the Good News with all you meet!
This journey we share is one in which all are to come to know the joy of God's presence in our lives. This journey will continually remind us that the measure of a Christian life is the service rendered to the least among us. This is the seed which has been planted in our lives; this is the Word taking root in our lives. May we experience the thirty-fold, hundred-fold growth of God's grace.
How appropriate that the appointed Gospel text for today is Mark 4:1-20. Here we have the parable of the soils. Jesus speaks of the sower who generously casts his seed. Some falls on the path, some in rocky soil, some among the weeds, and some on the good soil.
I grew up on a farm. Not one of those huge, industrial size places. More like a dirt-farm. My parents worked in the mills, but we maintained an apple orchard, cow pasture, and various other cash crops on the 84 acres my great-grandfather farmed. Regularly, we would sow seed by hand. Seed had to be purchased. My father taught me not to waste it. When you were sowing by hand, you have a lot of control as to where the seed is going. No sower, concerned with the effectiveness of their sowing, would cast seed along the path, among the thorns, or into the rocks.
This parable begins with a statement of God's generosity in spreading the Word. God is not frugal; God does not prejudge the worthiness of the receiver.
Turn to Mark 4 and read this parable for yourself. Reflect on where you find yourself in the storyline; are you one of the soils? Are you the one who has been asked to help sow?
Rejoice in that regardless of the type of soil you might think yourself to be - God's Word is coming your way.
Remember, God makes the sun to shine on the righteous and the unrighteous - How can a servant of God judge someone unworthy of an expression of God's grace? Share the Good News with all you meet!
This journey we share is one in which all are to come to know the joy of God's presence in our lives. This journey will continually remind us that the measure of a Christian life is the service rendered to the least among us. This is the seed which has been planted in our lives; this is the Word taking root in our lives. May we experience the thirty-fold, hundred-fold growth of God's grace.
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