Are We There Yet?

Trouble in Paradise

May 20, 2013 By 3 Comments

by Mike Stavlund

Gospel Reading: John 16:12-15

For Sunday, May 26, 2013: Year C—Holy Trinity

In this week’s Gospel reading, Jesus seems to be a bit greedy. Or at the very least, territorial.

The doctrine of the Trinity is all about sharing and partnership and ultimate inseparability —and even perichoresis, that lovely metaphorical dance between Father, Son, and Spirit —but this sounds like an internecine debate about who gets to lead, where Jesus claims preeminence and prior ownership over the Father, and makes the Spirit into a puppet. Not to mention the sequentialism that leaves us thinking that the Spirit has been waiting in the dressing room since the beginning of time. [Read more...]

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Less Than Satisfactory

If you want a description of the Trinity, this is as good as it gets.

May 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

by Danielle Shroyer

Gospel Reading:  John 14:8-17, 25-27

For Sunday, May 19, 2013: Year C—Pentecost

Have you got questions about the Trinity? You’re not alone. The disciples are right there with you.

If you’ve spent any time at all in a religion class discussing the Trinity, you already know the scriptural verses to “back it up” so to speak are few and far between. It’s a mystery, and mysteries aren’t spelled out in chapter and verse. But if you’re looking, this is one of the better examples of a relational Trinity you’ll find. That doesn’t mean it’s not confusing… [Read more...]

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You Don’t Take Pentecost Seriously

No, really. You don’t. But you should.

May 13, 2013 By 6 Comments

by Danielle Shroyer

New Testament Reading: Acts 2:1-21

For Sunday, May 19, 2013: Year C—Pentecost

I’ll be straight with you: Pentecost is my favorite Christian day. So please excuse me while I hop up on my Pentecost soapbox for a moment.

[Clearing throat with gravitas.]

Pentecost is a radically important day. It’s the rightful conclusion to the story of resurrection. The dismantling that begins in Holy Week isn’t completed until Pentecost. Yes, we are all rightfully dazzled by the surprising turn of events at Easter. But then Jesus leaves on Ascension, and the Spirit comes at Pentecost. Then and only then is the work of Holy Week finished. So unless you want to have a really slim view of salvation (and really, who wants to skimp out on something as important as salvation?), you’ve got to hold all of these mysteries together to get the fullest picture of this new creation. Otherwise, you are going to MISS OUT. [Read more...]

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Paul and Silas’ European Adventure

Lydia went on to be a legend and a saint—what happened to the slave girl?

May 6, 2013 By 6 Comments

by Russell Rathbun

New Testament Reading: Acts 16:16-34

For Sunday, May 12, 2013—Easter 7

Wow. This is a pretty exciting story, like worthy of the Homer. It even takes place in the same region as the Iliad and the Odyssey. Except they were written eight hundred years before the book of Acts and Acts is not written in dactylic hexameter—for which I am grateful. Still this is one of the epic-worthy sections of Luke’s follow up to Luke.

A Little More Lydia?

I will quibble with the Lectionari-eers once again and amend their pericope trimming. This story really needs to start in verse fifteen and end with verse forty. Then this reading would be clearly bookended with the references to Lydia and her home. To leave out the Lydia verses in this reading is to miss a critical juxatposition. [Read more...]

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What about the Mystical Union?

Something Went Wrong.

May 6, 2013 By 2 Comments

by Russell Rathbun

Gospel Reading: John 17:20-26

For Sunday, May 12, 2013—Easter 7

The “heart of the Gospel,” the “culmination of John’s message,” where we find all the major themes coming together in Jesus’ “central teaching for the church,” the “summation”—these are the ways that interpreters describe the seventeenth chapter of the fourth gospel, so it must be really important.

The only problem is that it is really confusing and I am not completely sure I know what it means. I don’t mean that, given what it says, I am not sure how to interpret it. I mean, I do not always understand the sentences that are formed by the words which are strung together. [Read more...]

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Not As the World Gives

Jesus’ Farewell and the Gift of Peace

April 29, 2013 By 1 Comment

by MaryAnn McKibben Dana

Gospel Reading:  John 14:23-29

For Sunday, May 5, 2013—Easter 6

I’m reading the seventh Harry Potter book to my daughters these days.

While I love J.K. Rowling’s expansive imagination and loving attention to detail, the book could’ve been 200 pages shorter. But given how much bookshelf real estate the latter books take up, it’s clear that Rowling got so big as an author that no editor could tame her. No editor was willing to stand up to her and say, “No, Jo—you don’t need to show us Xenophilius Lovegood’s castle-shaped house in quite such exquisite detail.”

I feel that way about Jesus in his Farewell Discourse.

“I am going away.” We know.

“I will be sending the Advocate.” I believe you said that five minutes ago.

“I am with you just a little longer.” Well, the marathon sermon makes it seem like an eternity. [Read more...]

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Christian Wanderlust

Paul, Lydia and the Holy Detour

April 29, 2013 By 2 Comments

by MaryAnn McKibben Dana

New Testament Reading:  Acts 16:9-15

For Sunday, May 5, 2013—Easter 6

I’m intrigued by this text as the story of Christianity coming to Europe. For congregations like mine, i.e. predominantly white and of European descent, this is our origin story.

Yes, much of the ensuing history of Western Christianity is problematic in any number of ways. But think of it: Notre Dame Cathedral, Michelangelo’s Pieta, and Calvin’s Institutes exist in no small part because of a vision, a shaky sojourn through Phrygia and Troas and across the sea, and a woman who was willing to listen to a stranger’s testimony. [Read more...]

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Love One Another, For God’s Sake!

Love as command

April 22, 2013 By 3 Comments

by Clint Schnekloth

Gospel Reading:  John 13:31-35

For Sunday, April 28, 2013: Year B—Easter 5

John chapter 13 begins with Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. It then includes that terrible, bone-chilling, moment when Jesus is indicating who will betray him even while he serves him. The disciples don’t get his drift—but the reader does, and we watch Judas sent out to do his dirty deed, done dirt cheap, while we remain (in terms of the text and narrative structure) with Jesus and the faithful disciples.

Then we hear this next word, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him.” What does this mean? How can this possibly be the moment of glorification? [Read more...]

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Heaven is Descent

It condescends by descending to us.

April 22, 2013 By 2 Comments

by Clint Schnekloth

New Testament Reading:  Revelations 21:1-6

For Sunday, April 28, 2013: Year B—Easter 5

We do not go to heaven; heaven comes to us.

This bears repeating.

We do not go to heaven; heaven comes to us.

Belinda Carlisle may not have intended it as a gloss on Revelation, but her song does nicely: “Ooh heaven is a place on earth/they say in heaven love comes first/We’ll make heaven a place on earth.” It could be the duet sung between Christ and his bride. It might also be the basis for a great bible study. [Read more...]

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The Real Palm Sunday

If you’re going to wave palm branches, this is a much better day.

April 15, 2013 By 4 Comments

by Danielle Shroyer

New Testament Reading:  Revelation 7:9-17

For Sunday, April 21, 2013: Year C—Easter 4

I know it’s a long-standing Christian tradition to bring out palm branches for Palm Sunday, but honestly, this scene from Revelation is much closer to the victorious celebration we envision than the one that happened on the streets of Jerusalem in the gospels.

What are you waving for?

For starters, the crowd that is gathered in John’s vision is a crowd with clear motives. They are not there for some sort of popularity parade. They’re not gearing up for an uprising. They’re not counting the days until their enemies get their just deserts. They are not hanging their hopes on the Lamb of God being the next political ruler. They know exactly who they are worshipping. They know what happened after the parade (Calvary), and then what happened after that (Easter). They are worshipping the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help them God. [Read more...]

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