Prepared Hearts for December 1st, 2013

Hello Friends,

Welcome back to Prepared Hearts, the online Bible study of the Wacousta Community United Methodist Church.

For this first week of Advent our texts include: Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 122, Romans 13:11-14, Matthew 24:36-44.  I’ll be preaching from the Gospel of Matthew this week. The text is below, followed by starter thoughts:

Matthew 24:36-44

 ‘But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

STARTER THOUGHTS

This week’s text is what is referred to as apocalyptic literature (also known as the parts of the Bible that give a lot of folks the creeps). Let’s put it this way: it’s not often chosen for bedtime reading! In the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries a lot of emphasis was placed upon the “Rapture” or Second Coming of Christ. Most of it focused on how God was going to save some and burn others. When I read this stuff, it seems (at least to me) like the church was trying to terrify folks into believing in Jesus. As Christians, we do believe that our God is the ultimate and just judge. However, I have a problem with using fear to coerce people (especially young people) into the faith. What do you think? Have there been times you’ve experienced preaching and teaching that cast God in a terrifying light? What do you think of fear as a motivator? Does the church still use it to convert folks into believers?

This passage in Matthew is ultimately about the coming of God’s Kingdom in its fullness and the return of Jesus as Lord. This brings me to a critical note on Advent, something that escaped me until I went to seminary. In all my time growing up in the church, I thought Advent was about awaiting the birth of baby Jesus. Turns out, it’s not. It’s about awaiting the final coming of Jesus and God’s complete reign on earth. Now this is something that many of you astute theologians may have picked up on years ago…but it was news to me! We aren’t waiting on a baby. God’s been there and done that. We are waiting on the completion of God’s Kingdom: that it would be on earth as it is in heaven. What do you make of this? How have you understood the season of Advent?

The text is pretty clear about the unknown timing of the parousia (Coming of the Son of Man): the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. Yet throughout church history, there have been groups who have pored over the books of Daniel and Revelation and sifted through every piece of apocalyptic literature, attempting to nail down the exact date of Christ’ return. What do you think that’s about? Is the unknown too much for us?

The theme for the first Sunday of Advent is always hope. Does this reading give you hope? Do the other lectionary texts? Why or why not?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and reflections! Email me or post a comment here. 

Peace,

Pastor Amee

Prepared Hearts for November 24th

Hello Friends,

Welcome back to Prepared Hearts, the online Bible study of the Wacousta Community United Methodist Church.

The lectionary texts for this week are as follows:  Jeremiah 23:1-6, Luke 1:68-79, Colossians 1:11-20, and Luke 23:33-43. I will be preaching from Luke 23.

The text is below, followed by starter thoughts:

Luke 23:33-43

When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they cast lots to divide his clothing. And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!’ The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!’ There was also an inscription over him, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’

 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’

STARTER THOUGHTS

This coming Sunday, we’ve got a lot going on. We’ll be celebrating the Hanging of the Greens, as well as Christ the King Sunday, which is the last Sunday before Advent. Christ the King Sunday has also been referred to as “Reign of Christ” Sunday, and all of the scriptural passages have to do with Christ’ authority in heaven and earth. This is a good week to check out all of the lectionary texts because the common theme is evident (which is frankly not always the case). In fact, Luke 23 seems to be the odd text out. The rest proclaim Christ’s dominion and authority, but Luke 23 describes how Jesus was mocked during his crucifixion. Why do you think this section of Luke 23 was selected as a reading for Christ the King Sunday?

The description of the other two criminals crucified with Jesus and Jesus’ prayer for those who were tormenting him are unique to Luke. The Lord’s prayer, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing,” has always touched me very deeply. As he hung upon the cross, painfully and slowly dying, Jesus prayed for those who were killing him and had a conversation with one of the criminals hanging beside him. How does this image compare with other images of kings?

Clearly, Jesus came to usher in a Kingdom that is like no other. Wherever Jesus encountered customs set up to separate and rank individuals, he was found breaking those customs and proclaiming that the meek would inherit the earth. What does it mean to today to declare Christ as King? What are the marks of his Kingdom in our world today?

As the last Sunday before Advent, Christ the King Sunday always feels like a springboard into Advent. Nearly every year, as Advent approaches, I begin to hear (as I’m sure you do) complaints about how Christmas comes earlier every year…about the commercialization of Christmas…how we’ve lost the Christ in Christmas. It’s a time of year when we (as followers of Jesus) can cave to the temptation of self-righteousness…judging others for not understanding the “true meaning” of Christmas. Personally, I’ve found that my faith in Jesus Christ doesn’t automatically make me immune from the commercialization, the shopping frenzy, and the overall stress of the season. Christ the King Sunday is the perfect time to decide what you can commit to during Advent. What prayer or meditation time do you plan to take for you and God? What devotional will you and your family use together as you light your home Advent wreath? During these dark days, how can you make room for God to shine some extra light into your life?

As always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts and reflections. Feel free to email me or post a comment here. 

Peace,

Pastor Amee

Prepared Hearts for November 10th, 2013

Hello Friends,

Welcome back to Prepared Hearts, the online Bible study of the Wacousta Community United Methodist Church.

The lectionary texts for this week are as follows:  Haggai 1:15b-2:9,  Psalm 145:1-5, 17-21, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5:13-17, and Luke 20:27-38. I will be preaching from Luke.

The text is below, followed by starter thoughts:

Luke 20:27-38

27 Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him 28 and asked him a question, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; 30 then the second 31 and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. 32 Finally the woman also died. 33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.” 34 Jesus said to them, “Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; 35 but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. 36 Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. 37 And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.”

STARTER THOUGHTS

This is the kind of scripture lesson that probably fascinates some and bores others. I’ll be honest, I have enough to worry about in this life that I don’t give a lot of thought to my afterlife. I trust that God is going to take care of me, that it is going to be peaceful and beautiful, and beyond that, I don’t give it a lot of thought. I’ve known others, however, who are very interested in this topic. They search the scriptures for every indication of what life after death will be like. What about you? Is the afterlife something that you spend a lot of time considering? What are you most curious about? Do you find the mystery of it unsettling? Or is it an exciting topic for you?

 The Sadducees are an interesting group in the Bible. Although we don’t know a great deal about them, we know that they, unlike the Pharisees, rejected the oral tradition, and so they didn’t believe in resurrection or angels. The Sadducees intentionally took the topic of resurrection to an absurd level when they asked this question of Jesus. In answering their question, Jesus used the Sadducees’ own source of authority, the Law of Moses, to defend his response. If God is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the three must still be alive to God, right? The Sadducees were satisfied with Jesus’ answer…but are you? What do you think of Jesus’ response? What about couples who have spent a lifetime in a loving marriage together…is Jesus really saying that they won’t be together in the afterlife? What do you think about that?

It’s important to put the concept of marriage in its historical context when we look at this text. It was, after all, not an institution based on love and affection at that time. It was a business arrangement which ensured procreation and community stability. Men were guaranteed wives (who were considered property) and in turn, women were protected by the law (if not for a brother to take her in, a widow would have been in sore shape). Does this fact change how you read this text? Is Jesus saying something more about the bonds and structures that shape our communities on this side of death versus the afterlife?

My favorite verse in this passage is 36: Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. I love the concept of being “children of the resurrection.” What does this make you think of? What is your vision of the afterlife? Is it based on particular scriptures or upon the oral traditions that you have received?   

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments. Feel free to email me or post a comment to our blog.

Peace,

Amee