Much has been made over the "shorter ending" to the Gospel of Mark in recent years. Some early circulating manuscripts of the Gospel end at verse 8 of chapter 16. This is an attractive avenue for preachers, to be sure, since it leaves the women at the tomb running in fear and invites us modern hearers to consider the question: "What are you going to do? Just sit there or proclaim the Gospel?" (paraphrase of Dr. Thomas Ridenhour) It's abruptness is inviting.
However, the received canonical text of the Gospel goes all the way through 16:20. The verse that gets me is 16:18, especially the parts about drinking poison and snake handling and faith healing. This is not stuff normally taken up by Lutherans--on Sunday or any other day of the week. [For a great treatment of modern "snake handling" churches, see Salvation on Sand Mountain by Dennis Covington, Penguin, 1996 (also title link above).]
And yet, why should it surprise us that what Christ does on Calvary is made manifest in the community of his followers? For he took up the snake, the serpent, satan, the age-old foe and "handled" him on the Cross (cf. Genesis 3:15). He drank the poison of death, the wormwood and the gall, and yet it did not destroy him (on the contrary, death tasted what it could not swallow). He laid his hands on the sick and they were healed.
Thus the end of Mark's Gospel (the long ending) proclaims that the Risen Jesus is on the loose, living quite audaciously and concretely in the community of his followers, his Body the Church, that rag-tag band of snake(devil)-handling, poison(death)-drinking, faith-healing rascals from Galilee.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Resurrection according to St. Matthew
What is striking to me about the 28th chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel is not how it begins (earthquakes, angel, etc.), but how it ends: with the Risen Christ promising his disciples he will be with them always (28:20). These are the same disciples who worshiped him and doubted (28:17). Note that the text does not say "some doubted" but "but/and they doubted" (pointed out to me by Dr. Mark Allan Powell of Trinity Lutheran Seminary).
To me, that is outstanding Resurrection Hope: the Risen Christ promises his perpetual presence with us, his doubting worshipers.
To me, that is outstanding Resurrection Hope: the Risen Christ promises his perpetual presence with us, his doubting worshipers.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Holy Saturday: The Crux of Lent and Easter
The Easter Vigil is my favorite service of the year as Lent gives way to the Glorious Celebration of Easter. Death is vanquished! Christ has triumphed! He is risen! Amen! Amen! Amen!
Easter Sermon
This is perhaps one of the most wonderful Easter sermons ever preached.
The Easter Sermon of St. John Chrysostom
Is there anyone who is a devout lover of God?
Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival!
Is there anyone who is a grateful servant?
Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord!
Are there any weary with fasting?
Let them now receive their wages!
If any have toiled from the first hour,
let them receive their due reward;
If any have come after the third hour,
let him with gratitude join in the Feast!
And he that arrived after the sixth hour,
let him not doubt; for he too shall sustain no loss.
And if any delayed until the ninth hour,
let him not hesitate; but let him come too.
And he who arrived only at the eleventh hour,
let him not be afraid by reason of his delay.
For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first.
He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour,
as well as to him that toiled from the first.
To this one He gives, and upon another He bestows.
He accepts the works as He greets the endeavor.
The deed He honors and the intention He commends.
Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!
First and last alike receive your reward;
rich and poor, rejoice together!
Sober and slothful, celebrate the day!
You that have kept the fast, and you that have not,
rejoice today for the Table is richly laden!
Feast royally on it, the calf is a fatted one.
Let no one go away hungry. Partake, all, of the cup of faith.
Enjoy all the riches of His goodness!
Let no one grieve at his poverty,
for the universal kingdom has been revealed.
Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again;
for forgiveness has risen from the grave.
Let no one fear death, for the Death of our Savior has set us free.
He has destroyed it by enduring it.
He destroyed Hades when He descended into it.
He put it into an uproar even as it tasted of His flesh.
Isaiah foretold this when he said,
"You, O Hell, have been troubled by encountering Him below."
Hell was in an uproar because it was done away with.
It was in an uproar because it is mocked.
It was in an uproar, for it is destroyed.
It is in an uproar, for it is annihilated.
It is in an uproar, for it is now made captive.
Hell took a body, and discovered God.
It took earth, and encountered Heaven.
It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see.
O death, where is thy sting?
O Hades, where is thy victory?
Christ is Risen, and you, o death, are annihilated!
Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down!
Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is Risen, and life is liberated!
Christ is Risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead;
for Christ having risen from the dead,
is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
To Him be Glory and Power forever and ever. Amen!
Rendered in stanza format by Dn. Mark Baker.
The Easter Sermon of St. John Chrysostom
Is there anyone who is a devout lover of God?
Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival!
Is there anyone who is a grateful servant?
Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord!
Are there any weary with fasting?
Let them now receive their wages!
If any have toiled from the first hour,
let them receive their due reward;
If any have come after the third hour,
let him with gratitude join in the Feast!
And he that arrived after the sixth hour,
let him not doubt; for he too shall sustain no loss.
And if any delayed until the ninth hour,
let him not hesitate; but let him come too.
And he who arrived only at the eleventh hour,
let him not be afraid by reason of his delay.
For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first.
He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour,
as well as to him that toiled from the first.
To this one He gives, and upon another He bestows.
He accepts the works as He greets the endeavor.
The deed He honors and the intention He commends.
Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!
First and last alike receive your reward;
rich and poor, rejoice together!
Sober and slothful, celebrate the day!
You that have kept the fast, and you that have not,
rejoice today for the Table is richly laden!
Feast royally on it, the calf is a fatted one.
Let no one go away hungry. Partake, all, of the cup of faith.
Enjoy all the riches of His goodness!
Let no one grieve at his poverty,
for the universal kingdom has been revealed.
Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again;
for forgiveness has risen from the grave.
Let no one fear death, for the Death of our Savior has set us free.
He has destroyed it by enduring it.
He destroyed Hades when He descended into it.
He put it into an uproar even as it tasted of His flesh.
Isaiah foretold this when he said,
"You, O Hell, have been troubled by encountering Him below."
Hell was in an uproar because it was done away with.
It was in an uproar because it is mocked.
It was in an uproar, for it is destroyed.
It is in an uproar, for it is annihilated.
It is in an uproar, for it is now made captive.
Hell took a body, and discovered God.
It took earth, and encountered Heaven.
It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see.
O death, where is thy sting?
O Hades, where is thy victory?
Christ is Risen, and you, o death, are annihilated!
Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down!
Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is Risen, and life is liberated!
Christ is Risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead;
for Christ having risen from the dead,
is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
To Him be Glory and Power forever and ever. Amen!
Rendered in stanza format by Dn. Mark Baker.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Great and Holy Friday
Suggested Good Friday meditation: Genesis 22:1-14 and Psalm 22.
On the Sacrifice of Good Friday:
"God's Son, that is to say, became man in order to do what unaided man was unable to do--to give himself completely to God in perfect and consummate love, thereby restoring the human race to divine communion."
-Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon, The St. James Daily Devotional Guide for the Christian Year, Spring 2008, p. 30.
On the Sacrifice of Good Friday:
"God's Son, that is to say, became man in order to do what unaided man was unable to do--to give himself completely to God in perfect and consummate love, thereby restoring the human race to divine communion."
-Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon, The St. James Daily Devotional Guide for the Christian Year, Spring 2008, p. 30.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Spilling Blood
I presided at our service of Holy Communion this afternoon for Maundy Thursday. Since it was a small group, we gathered in the chancel around the altar for the Eucharistic prayer. When I raised the chalice, I bumped the handle on the ciborium (know affectionately here as the "Lamb box" because of the silver lamb on the cover), spilling the chalice. It was in the ciborium and on my hands.
What a wonderful way to enter the Triduum: with Jesus' blood both on my hands and in my belly: complicit in his betrayal and crucifixion, yet freed and forgiven by the same blood.
What a wonderful way to enter the Triduum: with Jesus' blood both on my hands and in my belly: complicit in his betrayal and crucifixion, yet freed and forgiven by the same blood.
Healing and Teaching in Matthew's Gospel
From a conversation with colleagues while translating the first part of Matthew, chapter 8:
In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus is always teaching. And yet, it is surprising that following the Sermon on the Mount (chs. 5-7), Jesus heals. One would expect the opposite. However, the pattern in Matthew, where Jesus is strongly portrayed as a teacher, is that Jesus teaches the disicples, but he heals the crowds (oxlos). The "insiders," the disciples get instruction, while the "outsiders," the crowds, get healing.
I wonder if there is not a word for the church here.
I think sometimes we have it all backwards as the church. We as insiders want to teach the crowds: behave, shape up, follow the Ten Commandments! And yet we want ourselves to be healed (What can the church do for me?). The thrust of Matthew's Gospel suggests just the opposite: that instruction is for those who have already signed on as disciples (Matthew 5-7) and the compassion, the healing, is for the world into which these disciples are called and sent (Matthew 28:11-20). Certainly, Jesus does extend healing/compassion to the disciples and also teaches the world, but the primary pattern for me is instructive (no pun): in the church: teach; outside the church: heal/show compassion.
*Thanks also to Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon, whose devotional reflections on Matthew also prompted this reflection.
In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus is always teaching. And yet, it is surprising that following the Sermon on the Mount (chs. 5-7), Jesus heals. One would expect the opposite. However, the pattern in Matthew, where Jesus is strongly portrayed as a teacher, is that Jesus teaches the disicples, but he heals the crowds (oxlos). The "insiders," the disciples get instruction, while the "outsiders," the crowds, get healing.
I wonder if there is not a word for the church here.
I think sometimes we have it all backwards as the church. We as insiders want to teach the crowds: behave, shape up, follow the Ten Commandments! And yet we want ourselves to be healed (What can the church do for me?). The thrust of Matthew's Gospel suggests just the opposite: that instruction is for those who have already signed on as disciples (Matthew 5-7) and the compassion, the healing, is for the world into which these disciples are called and sent (Matthew 28:11-20). Certainly, Jesus does extend healing/compassion to the disciples and also teaches the world, but the primary pattern for me is instructive (no pun): in the church: teach; outside the church: heal/show compassion.
*Thanks also to Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon, whose devotional reflections on Matthew also prompted this reflection.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
First Peter: Preaching Through the Letter
Beginning the second Sunday of Easter (March 30), we will be preaching through the lectionary texts from the first letter of Peter. You are invited to read along with these texts (see links at the right) and to read the "in between" verses during the week. Another option is to read the entire letter through each week, one chapter each day from Monday - Friday.
Week of...
Easter 2 (3/30): 1 Peter 1:3-9 (read 1 Peter 1)
Easter 3 (4/6): 1 Peter 1:17-23 (read 1 Peter 1)
Easter 4 (4/13): 1 Peter 2:19-25 (read 1 Peter 2)
Easter 5 (4/20): 1 Peter 2:2-10 (read 1 Peter 2)
Easter 6 (4/27): 1 Peter 3:13-22 (read 1 Peter 3)
Easter 7 (5/4): 1 Peter 4:12-14 and 5:6-11 (read 1 Peter 4 and 5)
Week of...
Easter 2 (3/30): 1 Peter 1:3-9 (read 1 Peter 1)
Easter 3 (4/6): 1 Peter 1:17-23 (read 1 Peter 1)
Easter 4 (4/13): 1 Peter 2:19-25 (read 1 Peter 2)
Easter 5 (4/20): 1 Peter 2:2-10 (read 1 Peter 2)
Easter 6 (4/27): 1 Peter 3:13-22 (read 1 Peter 3)
Easter 7 (5/4): 1 Peter 4:12-14 and 5:6-11 (read 1 Peter 4 and 5)
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Matthew 27:55-56 + Good Friday
The women who will "keep watch" at the tomb are also hear at the cross. Notice that the text goes out of its way to specify that there were many women there, even naming some: the grand cohort of those named Mary. These are the women who had provided for him, his patrons, so to speak. The word here is diakoneo, from which we get the word "deacon."
These women teach us, in a remarkable way, how to keep Good Friday:
+Look on! Perceive! (theoreo)
+Follow! (akoloutheo--where we get "acolyte" from)
+Serve! (diakoneo--be a deacon)
This is what the Cross of Christ is for us: a banner that commands our allegiance to the One that was crucified on it. Look! Follow! Serve!
These women teach us, in a remarkable way, how to keep Good Friday:
+Look on! Perceive! (theoreo)
+Follow! (akoloutheo--where we get "acolyte" from)
+Serve! (diakoneo--be a deacon)
This is what the Cross of Christ is for us: a banner that commands our allegiance to the One that was crucified on it. Look! Follow! Serve!
Matthew 27:51-54 + Maundy Thursday
This text wrestles with the cosmic implications of the death of Christ. In his death, the holy of holies is torn open, the earth shakes and rocks are split. Indeed, the very firmament of creation, that "dome" separating the heavens from the created order below (Genesis 1:14) is fractured in the incarnation and virtually blown open in the crucifixion.
But the effects of the crucifixion run deeper, much deeper, into the realm of the dead, to the very gates of hell and beyond. The graves are opened and the dead walk free!
What is striking to me is that these same bodies of the holy ones are raised as Jesus dies and yet await his "resurrection leadership." It is not until after He is raised that they came out of the tombs and appeared to many in the holy city. Christ is the firstfruits of the Resurrection, the very Resurrection and the Life himself. Jesus is the firstborn of the dead.
The one who gets it best, however, is a Gentile in the employment of the current geopolitical superpower of the time, a Centurion who by tradition is named Longinus. He gets it: "Truly this man was God's Son!"
But the effects of the crucifixion run deeper, much deeper, into the realm of the dead, to the very gates of hell and beyond. The graves are opened and the dead walk free!
What is striking to me is that these same bodies of the holy ones are raised as Jesus dies and yet await his "resurrection leadership." It is not until after He is raised that they came out of the tombs and appeared to many in the holy city. Christ is the firstfruits of the Resurrection, the very Resurrection and the Life himself. Jesus is the firstborn of the dead.
The one who gets it best, however, is a Gentile in the employment of the current geopolitical superpower of the time, a Centurion who by tradition is named Longinus. He gets it: "Truly this man was God's Son!"
Matthew 27:50 + Wednesday in Holy Week + Spy Wednesday
Traditionally, this day, the Wednesday of Holy Week, is known as "Spy Wednesday," for on it we mark Judas' betrayal of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our single verse for today allows us to listen to the cry of heaven and earth as we hear Jesus cry aloud and breathe his last. The whole earth stands silent as God the Son gives his life for the salvation of the world.
Our single verse for today allows us to listen to the cry of heaven and earth as we hear Jesus cry aloud and breathe his last. The whole earth stands silent as God the Son gives his life for the salvation of the world.
Matthew 27:45-49 + Tuesday in Holy Week
Many churches observe a three-hour-long service on Good Friday, from noon until three in the afternoon, as a way of marking these "dark hours" of Jesus' dying on the cross. The church, historically, has often marked these times (noon and 3 pm) as times of daily prayer. Consider this as a Holy Week devotion.
Jesus' words from the cross in v46, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" are best understood in their fullness as a voicing of the whole 22nd Psalm, from which they are drawn. Read the 22nd Psalm to enter into the fullness of Jesus' cry.
Notice that this is the second time on the cross that Jesus is offered sour wine to drink.
The Old Testament figure of Elijah is again evoked. In previous questions about the return of Elijah, Jesus identifies him as John the Baptist. Something greater than even the Great Elijah is here!
Jesus' words from the cross in v46, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" are best understood in their fullness as a voicing of the whole 22nd Psalm, from which they are drawn. Read the 22nd Psalm to enter into the fullness of Jesus' cry.
Notice that this is the second time on the cross that Jesus is offered sour wine to drink.
The Old Testament figure of Elijah is again evoked. In previous questions about the return of Elijah, Jesus identifies him as John the Baptist. Something greater than even the Great Elijah is here!
Matthew 27:39-44 + Monday in Holy Week
We sink to the utter depths of Christ's humiliation in these verses. The passersby wag their heads and deride Jesus as he is crucified. It is almost as if everyone needs to get in on the mocking: the ones passing by, the religious leaders--even the criminals on either side of him. Christ does not escape the torture of mocking as he is crucified.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ our God, who bore our sin and humiliations on the Tree of the Cross, grant to us poor sinners life and salvation. In your name, Amen.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ our God, who bore our sin and humiliations on the Tree of the Cross, grant to us poor sinners life and salvation. In your name, Amen.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Matthew 26 and 27
For worship today we will be reading through the entire Passion according to St. Matthew. For your devotions today, I suggest re-reading this Passion story as we begin Holy Week. Take notes. Pray.
Matthew 27:37-38
This is our Lord. King of the Jews. Humiliated on a cross. Crucified between two bandits. Remember that conversation in chapter 20 and Jesus' answer? He said to them, "You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father" (20:23). The conversation about positions of power and authority take a sharp realignment in light of the cross.
This, our Lord declares, is how I will be king. This, our God declares, is how I will save.
This, our Lord declares, is how I will be king. This, our God declares, is how I will save.
Matthew 27:35-36
Casting lots. On the one hand, we shudder to think of soldiers gambling over Jesus' clothing. On the other hand, lots were used to determine which disciple would take Judas' place among the Twelve (Acts 1:26).
The point seems to be Jesus' humiliation. For as he is dying, they gamble for his clothing, leaving him naked, exposed, humiliated on the cross.
The point seems to be Jesus' humiliation. For as he is dying, they gamble for his clothing, leaving him naked, exposed, humiliated on the cross.
Matthew 27:32-34
"Oh the wormwood and the gall, O the pangs his souls sustained..." So goes the line from the hymn "Go to Dark Gethsemane." What is wormwood? What is gall? I invite you to consider the following passages from the Bible:
Psalm 69:21-22
Deuteronomy 29:18
Jeremiah 23:15-16.
Jesus refuses the "mixed drink" of wine and bitter gall. For the "cup" that He drinks is much fuller (cf. Matthew 26:39), it is the fullness of death. Jesus drinks of this Cup, the Cup of the Cross, so that we might drink not bitter wine but sweet wine, the Cup of Salvation (Luke 22:20), which is his Blood.
Psalm 69:21-22
Deuteronomy 29:18
Jeremiah 23:15-16.
Jesus refuses the "mixed drink" of wine and bitter gall. For the "cup" that He drinks is much fuller (cf. Matthew 26:39), it is the fullness of death. Jesus drinks of this Cup, the Cup of the Cross, so that we might drink not bitter wine but sweet wine, the Cup of Salvation (Luke 22:20), which is his Blood.
Matthew 27:27-31
The stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him.
In Matthew it is a "scarlet robe" (a soldier's outer garment).
In Luke it is a "elegant clothing" (Luke 23:11).
In John he is dressed with a "purple robe" (outer garments) (John 19:2).
In Mark it is simple a "purple" (garment) (Mark 15:17, 20).
For Mark and John, the purple speaks to the wealth of Christ and his royalty, even in the midst of his humiliation. In Luke, the one who identifies with the poor and lowly (even in his birth) is mockingly clothing with the clothes of the rich. But in Matthew, the robe is scarlet, the color of blood, because by his blood, Christ will make atonement for the people.
In the film The Passion of the Christ the scourging scene is the most difficult to stomach, perhaps rightly so.
In Matthew it is a "scarlet robe" (a soldier's outer garment).
In Luke it is a "elegant clothing" (Luke 23:11).
In John he is dressed with a "purple robe" (outer garments) (John 19:2).
In Mark it is simple a "purple" (garment) (Mark 15:17, 20).
For Mark and John, the purple speaks to the wealth of Christ and his royalty, even in the midst of his humiliation. In Luke, the one who identifies with the poor and lowly (even in his birth) is mockingly clothing with the clothes of the rich. But in Matthew, the robe is scarlet, the color of blood, because by his blood, Christ will make atonement for the people.
In the film The Passion of the Christ the scourging scene is the most difficult to stomach, perhaps rightly so.
Matthew 27:24-26
It is interesting to me that Pilate succumbs to fear of the crowds and fear of rioting. The Governor of one of the most powerful empires in world history gets nervous, appears powerless, and gives into the crowd. So much for the Roman confession "Caesar is Lord"!
The cry "His blood be on us and on our children!" has sadly been used to justify horrific acts against the Jewish people by Christians. Perhaps our Christian fathers and mothers in the faith missed something. For this cry, "His blood be on us and on our children!" is the cry of the whole people of God. But far from being simply a cry of murder or vengeance, it is also--if unintentionally--a cry for salvation. We want the precious Blood of Jesus to be on us and on our children, for this blood saves, this blood washes, this blood gives new life. Every time we celebrate the Holy Communion, this blood is our salvation drink.
Prayer: O Holy Jesus, Lord Christ, may your precious and life-giving blood be on us and on our children, now and forever. Amen.
The cry "His blood be on us and on our children!" has sadly been used to justify horrific acts against the Jewish people by Christians. Perhaps our Christian fathers and mothers in the faith missed something. For this cry, "His blood be on us and on our children!" is the cry of the whole people of God. But far from being simply a cry of murder or vengeance, it is also--if unintentionally--a cry for salvation. We want the precious Blood of Jesus to be on us and on our children, for this blood saves, this blood washes, this blood gives new life. Every time we celebrate the Holy Communion, this blood is our salvation drink.
Prayer: O Holy Jesus, Lord Christ, may your precious and life-giving blood be on us and on our children, now and forever. Amen.
Matthew 27:20-23
This first verse makes me, a pastor, a presbyrteros (elder), stop dead in my tracks. For it is the chief priests and the elders, who persuade the crowds to ask for Barabbas' release and for Jesus' death. I am reminded of the mighty and persuasive power of this office and calling and how easily it can be abused. So my humble prayer this day is that I may fulfill this calling faithfully and not "release Barabbas," so to speak.
And yet this text should make all of us stop dead in our tracks and mourn and wail and weep. For we are the crowd shouting "Crucify him!" That is how the church has celebrated Holy Week: by admitting our own complicity in Christ's death.
And yet this text should make all of us stop dead in our tracks and mourn and wail and weep. For we are the crowd shouting "Crucify him!" That is how the church has celebrated Holy Week: by admitting our own complicity in Christ's death.
Against Daylight Saving Time
I do not Daylight Saving Time. I do not like it Sam-I-Am. I do not like Daylight Saving Time.
I know there are many good reasons for Daylight Saving Time, but here are the reasons it drives me crazy. First, it takes me a good week or two for my body's rhythms to get into the new time. Second, it throws our children's waking and sleeping patterns--and those of many others, I'm sure--into a whirlwind. Third, it just seems plain odd to me that we are only on "standard" time for now four months of the year.
But the main reason I do not like Daylight Saving Time is that it is a harsh reminder of how much our lives are driven by the clock, by arbitrary schedules and by anything other than the rhythms God has gifted us with. A few examples...
-God gives us the rhythm of six days of work and one day of rest... We demand and participate in a 24/7 economy.
-God gives us the rhythm of daylight for work and play and nighttime for sleep... We instead set alarms and arbitrary schedules and then rigidly adhere to them.
-God gives us internal "clocks": rest when you are tired, sleep when you are sleepy, eat when you are hungry... We go to bed when we want, get up when the boss/company says so, and drink energy drinks to keep running the race.
What is the cure, then, for Daylight-Saving-Time-induced angst? For me, this year, it is Holy Week. It is a time to enter into God's time, so to speak. As a pastor, since I have the privilege of presiding and preaching, my whole week is reconstructed around worship and the gathering of the church. Holy Week is never easy. But I think that is the point. Getting on God's time takes much more work then pushing the hour button one hour back or ahead twice a year.
Come rest with the weary disciples in the Garden. Come sleep the Sabbath sleep with the Lord Jesus. Come rise on Easter.
I know there are many good reasons for Daylight Saving Time, but here are the reasons it drives me crazy. First, it takes me a good week or two for my body's rhythms to get into the new time. Second, it throws our children's waking and sleeping patterns--and those of many others, I'm sure--into a whirlwind. Third, it just seems plain odd to me that we are only on "standard" time for now four months of the year.
But the main reason I do not like Daylight Saving Time is that it is a harsh reminder of how much our lives are driven by the clock, by arbitrary schedules and by anything other than the rhythms God has gifted us with. A few examples...
-God gives us the rhythm of six days of work and one day of rest... We demand and participate in a 24/7 economy.
-God gives us the rhythm of daylight for work and play and nighttime for sleep... We instead set alarms and arbitrary schedules and then rigidly adhere to them.
-God gives us internal "clocks": rest when you are tired, sleep when you are sleepy, eat when you are hungry... We go to bed when we want, get up when the boss/company says so, and drink energy drinks to keep running the race.
What is the cure, then, for Daylight-Saving-Time-induced angst? For me, this year, it is Holy Week. It is a time to enter into God's time, so to speak. As a pastor, since I have the privilege of presiding and preaching, my whole week is reconstructed around worship and the gathering of the church. Holy Week is never easy. But I think that is the point. Getting on God's time takes much more work then pushing the hour button one hour back or ahead twice a year.
Come rest with the weary disciples in the Garden. Come sleep the Sabbath sleep with the Lord Jesus. Come rise on Easter.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Holy Week Services ELW (pp. 245-271)
I find it helpful that the pew edition of ELW includes the full text of the rites for Ash Wednesday and the Triduum (Three Days) of Holy Week. The general movement, since SBH, has been to put more of the occasional rites "in the hands of the people," as it were. The reason the number of pages has expanded is that these services have moved from the desk or pastor's or presider's edition to the pew edition.
Sabbath Snow
As Christians, I think we get the part of keeping the Sabbath that involves offering our prayer and praise in worship, a la Martin Luther's explanation in the Small Catechism. However, I'm not sure we do the resting and ceasing from labor part so well.
In her book Keeping the Sabbath Wholly (see title link above), theologian Marva Dawn rightly challenges us on this point.
That is why I love snow days. They are a forced Sabbath of rest for many. Can you hear the divine whisper? "Slow down. You don't need to do it all. Rest. Marvel at the wonder of my creation. Drink in the beauty of what I have done and am doing. Take it all in. Play!"
See you on the sledding hill this afternoon?
In her book Keeping the Sabbath Wholly (see title link above), theologian Marva Dawn rightly challenges us on this point.
That is why I love snow days. They are a forced Sabbath of rest for many. Can you hear the divine whisper? "Slow down. You don't need to do it all. Rest. Marvel at the wonder of my creation. Drink in the beauty of what I have done and am doing. Take it all in. Play!"
See you on the sledding hill this afternoon?
Holy Communion age article in The Lutheran
The title link above will take you to an article about age of first Communion in The Lutheran magazine. I am encouraged by ongoing reflection on this topic.
Sunday School Query
I am debating about what to offer during the next six or seven weeks of our adult Sunday school class, beginning Palm Sunday: March 16. One idea is to offer a quick walk through of the first 1000 years of church history, using the seven ecumenical councils as benchmarks and doing a little theology along the way. Another idea is to explore the richness of the Christian prayer tradition: from the Jesus prayer to Lectio Divina to Ignatian Contemplation to praying with children. I have a few other ideas on the deck as well.
Now I would like to open it up to you, my readers, for suggestions. You can post ideas using the "comments" link below. They may take some time to appear, however, since they are moderated. Feel free also to suggest ideas for a Wednesday night year-long Bible study beginning in the fall.
Now I would like to open it up to you, my readers, for suggestions. You can post ideas using the "comments" link below. They may take some time to appear, however, since they are moderated. Feel free also to suggest ideas for a Wednesday night year-long Bible study beginning in the fall.
Monday, March 3, 2008
John 11: Lazarus
This is a popular text for funerals. I think it is because it captures both the depths of grief (Mary and Martha's pleas, Jesus' weeping) and the hope of resurrection.
Matthew 27:19
Dreams are not insignificant in the Scriptures. One only has to think of Joseph in Genesis or Daniel in Babylon. Here the dream comes from Pilate's wife as a warning of sorts.
Matthew 27:15-18
Two Jesus-es are now put before the crowd: the notorious Jesus Barabbas and the innocent Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah. We know very little about this Jesus Barabbas. His sole claim to fame as that he is the guilty one who is freed while the innocent one, the Lord Christ, is condemned to death.
In preparation for understanding the next verses, read Leviticus, chapter 16.
In preparation for understanding the next verses, read Leviticus, chapter 16.
Matthew 27:11-14
What is striking to me is Pilate's amazement at Jesus' silence. In John's Gospel, Jesus is clearly in charge and says so (John 19:11). However, hear in Matthew, Jesus asserts his authority in humility, in silence. Jesus is quietly in charge.
I wonder how we, as disciples of our Lord Jesus, might mirror in our own lives this quiet assertion of the truth that Christ is King. This is a more difficult brand of Christianity. It is no flashy or showy, but neither it is shy.
I wonder how we, as disciples of our Lord Jesus, might mirror in our own lives this quiet assertion of the truth that Christ is King. This is a more difficult brand of Christianity. It is no flashy or showy, but neither it is shy.
Matthew 27:6-10
The blood money cannot be kept, so it is used to purchase a "blood field," a graveyard to bury strangers, foreigners (xenos). This too is rich with Old Testament fulfillment, this time of the Prophet Jeremiah (32:6-9). Actually, this quotation pulls together both words from Jeremiah and Zechariah (11:12-13). Reread these chapters from Zechariah and Jeremiah as part of your devotions today.
Matthew 27:3-5
We all know Judas, or do we? What is striking in these verses is that Judas repents (metamelomai) . He wishes it could be undone. Judas, in a strange way, begins to get it. He even takes back the blood money, but the chief priests and elders will not accept it.
So this blood money is spilled on the Temple floor and Judas hangs himself.
What is the eternal fate of the Betrayer? I cannot definitively say. On the one hand, he betrays the Lord Jesus ("woe to the one..."). On the other hand, he repents.
So this blood money is spilled on the Temple floor and Judas hangs himself.
What is the eternal fate of the Betrayer? I cannot definitively say. On the one hand, he betrays the Lord Jesus ("woe to the one..."). On the other hand, he repents.
Matthew 27:1-2
This is all done out in the open: "in the morning." And look at who is a part of it: the chief priests and the elders and Pilate, the religious leaders, the popular leaders, the political leaders. As a pastor, these verses give me great pause.
John 9: Blindman
John's Gospel has been compared to peeling an onion. The more you peel away, the more layers are there. These last weeks of Lent, as we walk with Photine at the well (John 4), the blind man who is ostracized (John 9) and next Sunday with Lazarus (John 11), there are literally hundreds of angles by which we can approach these texts.
Perhaps our prayer is one of discernment, then, that we may truly see with eyes of faith.
Christ our God, give us eyes of faith to see what you see this week. In your holy name, Amen.
Perhaps our prayer is one of discernment, then, that we may truly see with eyes of faith.
Christ our God, give us eyes of faith to see what you see this week. In your holy name, Amen.
Matthew 26:75
Bitter tears. We know them. They are the tears of pain mixed with the full awareness of our own sin. They are the ones that gush from our eyes and bear pain in their saltwater mix as we taste it, sobbing uncontrollably.
Perhaps these tears of repentance and acknowledgment are so that our eyes may be washed so that we can see truly, so that our blindness is taken away (cf. John 9:1-41). Perhaps these tear-filled eyes are the most appropriate eyes for gazing upon the Holy Cross of Christ our God.
Perhaps these tears of repentance and acknowledgment are so that our eyes may be washed so that we can see truly, so that our blindness is taken away (cf. John 9:1-41). Perhaps these tear-filled eyes are the most appropriate eyes for gazing upon the Holy Cross of Christ our God.
Matthew 26:69-74
It is always painful to me to read as Peter's triple denial unfolds. Perhaps it is because I am so painfully aware of my own denial of Christ our God. And so it is that the crowing of the rooster hauntingly resonates in our ears too.
There is, however, hope. Read John 21 and see Peter's triple redemption.
There is, however, hope. Read John 21 and see Peter's triple redemption.
Matthew 26:65-68
Blasphemy was no small charge. Indeed, Martin Luther has written [I think it is in the Large Catechism] that all of the commandments are a meditation on the first commandment: You shall have no other gods before Me. This charge of blasphemy was central as the early church wrestled with the identity of this Messiah Jesus. If God is One and the only one worthy of worship and yet there is this Jesus, He must be in some intimate way, be God, for if He is not, we have committed the sin of idolatry.
The dark twist of course, for those of us who confess Jesus to be non only the Messiah but God incarnate, is what is done to him: spitting on Him, striking him, slapping him, mocking him. The one charged with blasphemy is blasphemed.
The dark twist of course, for those of us who confess Jesus to be non only the Messiah but God incarnate, is what is done to him: spitting on Him, striking him, slapping him, mocking him. The one charged with blasphemy is blasphemed.
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