death

Justice Delayed 1.0

Indeed or Final Answer

March 25, 2013 By The Hardest Question 2 Comments

Gospel Reading (Take 1): Luke 24:1-12

For Sunday, March 31, 2013—Easter Sunday

It is Easter, and you are loved. The soft insistence of Love has overwhelmed all other possibilities, to become the end, the final answer, the destination, the location for our wonderings and wanderings—

It is Easter and Love is possible. Love is present. It is Easter and you are loved, in an inconceivable, irrevocable, uncanny, prodigious way by God who created us all for this purpose. God created us so that God could love us. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, Luke, New Testament, YearC Tagged With: answer, death, Easter, love, Luke, proclamation, risen indeed, russell rathbun

Look, But Don’t Touch?

April 1, 2012 By The Hardest Question 8 Comments

What about anointing the body?

by Unvirtuous Abbey

Gospel Reading: Mark 16: 1-8

For Sunday, April 9, 2012: Year B – Easter Sunday

The most hopeful woman I know has a head full of brain tumours. Yet, naturally, she is filled with fear. It’s a dual existence for her: anticipating the wedding of her first born child in July, while not being sure that she will live long enough to see it.

Anointing the Body

Mark’s Gospel records that Mary Magdalene and Salome (meaning, “peace.” In the Secret Gospel of Mark, Salome is named as a disciple of Jesus) went to the tomb of Jesus, where his body rested, to anoint him with spices.

In today’s culture, in which we often “celebrate the life of” rather than “mourn the death of” a person, we have little or no concept of anointing a body. Or do we?

Acts of Mourning

Before her radiation treatments began, my friend shaved her head. Because the treatments, though palliative, cause minor burns to her skin, a nurse covers the affected area with cream to ease the irritation. Because she objects to narcotics, her doctor has prescribed medicinal marijuana and Extra Strength Tylenol to ease the pain in her system.

Sometimes anointing happens before we die. It’s about our care for, and respect of, the body so that the soul may still rest there for a time. Anointing is an act of mourning, but it is also an act of love in the face of the fear of death and dying.

Don’t be Afraid?

Rabbi Harold Kushner says that the most repeated phrase in the Bible are the words, “Don’t be afraid!” sometimes translated as “Fear not!” They are the words spoken to Mary by an angel about Jesus’ conception; they are the words spoken to shepherds by an angel about Jesus’ birth. And now, these words are spoken to the women at the tomb about Jesus’ death and resurrection.

That’s easy to say if you’re an angel; however, it’s not so easy to do for a human. So often we are incapacitated by our fear. So often ministry is about going where angels fear to tread. It becomes a mantra as a person walks down the hall in a hospital, or walks into a home where people are in unspeakable pain: “Don’t be afraid.” Throughout his ministry, Jesus challenged those around him to have faith instead of fear.

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Filed Under: Featured, Mark, New Testament, YearB Tagged With: cancer, death, Easter, life, tomb, Unvirtuous Abbey

The Result of Revolution

March 18, 2012 By The Hardest Question 7 Comments

Did Jesus understand the universal implications of his death, and does it matter?

by Lia Scholl

Gospel Reading: John 12:20-33

For Sunday, March 25, 2012: Year B—Lent 5

The Gospel lesson for the Fifth Sunday in Lent (B) gets subtitled by the New International Version as “Jesus predicts his death.” But the supposition that most preachers make is that Jesus not only predicts his death, but he also predicts the universal implications of that death. When he says, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself,” it’s as if Jesus is predicting the salvific nature of his death for all people.

But what if Jesus didn’t understand that universality? What if he’s speaking only to the disciples standing in front of him and only about the immediate results of his impending death?

Did Jesus fully understand his death?

I believe that Jesus predicts his own death in the same manner that Martin Luther King, Jr. predicted his death in 1968, in a sermon entitled, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop.” King could tell that his death was coming, not because of some sixth sense, or some ability to predict the future, but instead because every revolutionary faces death. When you disrupt the state and the religious rulers, death is nearly inevitable.

When predicting his death, King said, “I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land.” Like Jesus, he knew that the movement, the revolution, would continue when he was dead. Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

Death by Revolution

Movements are strengthened by the death of their leaders. Jesus would have known this—he’d read about the death of Moses, the death of Jews after the Judean civil war in 96 BCE, and the Maccabean martyrs. And we’ve seen it in our lifetimes, with the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the United States, Steve Biko in South Africa, and Óscar Romero in El Salvador.

Martyrdom benefits the followers of a movement. When the leader dies, the people around him or her are made, in some way, safer. Perhaps it’s the blowback of public pressure; perhaps the death of the leader is like a release valve of the tension around a revolution. Often times, the death of the leader becomes the catalyst to change.

What kind of revolution did Jesus bring? He brought a revolution of relationship over religion. A rebellion against riches and the exploitation of individuals. A mutiny against judgment and religious superiority.

Nic at Night

March 11, 2012 By The Hardest Question 4 Comments

Does the Gospel include God’s past deeds being exposed to the light as well our own?

by Russell Rathbun

Gospel Reading: John 3:14-21

For Sunday, March 18, 2012—Lent 4

The state of humanity is snake bit. The poison of the serpent has entered our collective blood stream, a metallic taste in our mouth, our whole body going numb, it attacks our nervous system, and it is getting hard to breath.

Address the Elephant?

The deep evangelical groves in my brain keep pulling me to address the elephant in this verse—John 3:16—but my need to debunk the narrow interpretations of ye must be born again, are more easily resisted, perhaps as a result of years since those battles were heated for me.

Now I don’t need to engage—I think we should all be born again, what ever you mean by it, rock on—I am more interested in the snake on a stick.

Light/Dark Magic

While I literally have eaten snake on a stick at both the Minnesota State Fair and the Beijing Night Market, this is something else entirely. There is some kind of dark/light magic going on in this verse. Nicodemus comes at night looking for something, but Jesus doesn’t give him a chance to say what it is.

Jesus either senses what he wants or knows what he needs. He tells Nicodemus, no one sees the kingdom of God with out being born from above. Nic takes the bait and goes into his, how can anyone be born after growing old line. Jesus fleshes out the metaphor, throws in the Spirit, water, wind. Nic’s head is reeling. “How can these things be,” he asks? Jesus says, “You are a teacher of the law, you know your Bible, and you should be able to understand.” Then Jesus provides this learned man a deep track from the scriptures.

Just As?

Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him hay have eternal life.

Is Jesus messing with him? He didn’t get the born again metaphor, so Jesus moves on to this allusion to a crazy story in Numbers (see my post on the OT reading for the back story)? It is true that this lifting up of the serpent on a pole seems to be a clear reference to Jesus being lifted up on the cross, but aside from both Jesus and the serpent being lifted up on wooden things what else do they have to do with each other?

At the end of this book Jesus will be raised up on a cross where he will die and it is through that death and resurrection that all is reconciled, real and eternal life is possible. In Numbers 21 Moses makes a bronze serpent and places it on a stick and raises it high above his head. All of the people, who had been bitten by poisonous, fiery serpents, need only look up at it and they will have life. There is a clear correlation for sure, except for one glaring fact—God is the one who sent the poisonous, fiery serpents to bite and kill the Israelites. God provides Moses with a fix to save the people from the gruesome death God had inflicted on them.

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Filed Under: Featured, John, New Testament, YearB Tagged With: born again, bronze, dark, death, idol, kingdom, life, light, nicodemus, night, resurrection, russell rathbun, serpent

Thessalonian Comfort

October 30, 2011 By The Hardest Question Leave a Comment

Do Paul’s words still solace today?

by Lauren F. Winner

Epistle Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

For Sunday, November 6, 2011: Year A – Ordinary 32

Someone in the Thessalonian community died before Jesus had returned—that’s the situation that occasioned this portion of Paul’s letter.

That’s Not Supposed to Happen!

One can imagine the Thessalonian wife or child or husband, not only beset by the sorrow of loss, but also knocked down by theological confusion—this wasn’t supposed to happen. That new widow or widower insisted—the Lord is returning, he was going to return so soon, before anyone could take ill and die.

In the face of this Paul offers comfort—calm, steady comfort. “For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him”—even those who died before Jesus’ return.

I suspect the Thessalonian mourners found Paul’s words very solacing indeed.

The Impulse to Console

The impulse to offer consolation to mourners is with us still.

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Filed Under: 1 Thessalonians, Featured, New Testament, YearA Tagged With: Comfort, consolation, death, grief, Lauren Winner, Paul

Salvation and Fear and Jesus’ Ghost

July 31, 2011 By washadmin 19 Comments

How Can We Preach this Tired Story in a Way That People Can Hear it?

by Russell Rathbun

Gospel Reading: Matthew 14:22-33

For Sunday, August 7 , 2011: Year A—Ordinary 19

This story is about, well, life and death and who Jesus is and what that means when Jesus is coming toward us walking toward us.

It is a ghost story.

It is hard for me to feel the fear in this story. I think it’s simply the amount of times I have heard it.

Jesus walking on the water. Peter walks on the water and then takes his eyes of Jesus and starts to sink and yells, to Jesus “Save me!” and Jesus reaches out to him pulls him up and they get back in the boat. Jesus spanks him a little—“Ye of little faith—Why did you doubt?” The rest of the disciples look up into Jesus’ eyes with Peter and confess in unison “Truly you are the Son of God,”

Lessons that tell themselves.

It is hard to think of it as real, because I know it so well. I have heard so many sermons and songs and lessons about it. When I read the story those lessons just start telling themselves to me.

You know, you have to keep your eyes on Jesus—or you know there were eleven other people that didn’t get out of the boat—get out of the boat, Russell.

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Filed Under: Featured, Matthew, New Testament, YearA Tagged With: death, disciple, fear, Jesus, metaphor, preach, russell rathbun, story

I’m Sorry, Did You Say Something?

June 27, 2011 By washadmin Leave a Comment

The adventure of listening for God in the midst the sounds of world.

by Bruce Reyes-Chow

Gospel Reading: Matthew 11:16-19,25-30

For Sunday, July 3, 2011: Year A – Ordinary 14

I am notorious for allowing myself to get distracted by shiny things. Be it some wonderful conversation on twitter or a good mystery I can get unexpectedly drawn into my own world for hours at a time. When there is room in my life to do this, these things can be wonderful. I gain new insights, I disengage from stressful situations and I become more balanced.

Shiny Things

But when there is something that I must focus on, these shiny things are all of a sudden not so good for me. As often as I can experience grace in these clarion calls to engage in something unexpected, I can also be drawn AWAY from projects and people that I need to pay more attention to. I listen, I am drawn in and five hours later—I have moved from a space of unexpected discovery in to blatant irresponsibility. I allow myself to listen to the wrong rhythm and song in my life.

We do the same thing as a people and a society. We lose the ability to listen for where and how God is calling our attention. We develop patterns in our life that create blinders to what we are supposed to be doing in exchange for doing what we WANT to be doing.

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Filed Under: Featured, Matthew, New Testament, YearA Tagged With: Bruce-Reyes Chow, death, discernment, distraction, god, hear, life, listen, music, song, transformative

Circuitous Story

April 4, 2011 By washadmin 8 Comments

Isn’t it wiser to accept the inevitable?

by Mike Stavlund

Gospel Reading: John 11:1-45

For Sunday, Apr. 10, 2011: Year A - Lent 5

I’ve always been a Matthew Man. My beloved Gospel writer is practical and straightforward. Slightly metaphorical, with some Messianic overtones. More leisurely than Mark, and without all the clinical rigor from Dr. Luke. But John is just too much. Too “spiritual” (whatever that means, and whatever that helps).

I imagine John’s Jesus with perfectly blow-dried and coiffed hair, moving about with his feet barely touching the ground and with stilted characters standing around him. It reads like a bad high school play, with the lead actor staring at the lights and all of the supporting actors delivering their lines as mini-monologues. In this week’s passage, even Jesus is enacting obfuscation with euphemisms, and then delivering stage-whispers to God: “I’m only saying this so they’ll hear me, Father.”

High-eyebrowed Expectation

Had I never read this before, I wonder if the conclusion would be as obvious as it is to me now. Everyone is leaning toward Jesus, offering pedantic dialogue about ephemeral matters, hoping for all their breath that John will write their words down on his scroll for posterity. Allusions, foreshadowing, and high-eyebrowed expectation that Jesus is about to do the impossible.

And it’s so circuitous − so long! The words stretch down the page, and yet the conclusion is quite abrupt. Lazarus finally comes out, and everyone gives everyone else a high-five. Everyone, that is, except the stunned Lazarus. We don’t hear anything else from him.

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Filed Under: Featured, John, New Testament, YearA Tagged With: death, dignity, fight, Lazarus, life, Mike Stavlund, Peace, weary

Foreshadowing

April 4, 2011 By washadmin 1 Comment

Is our flesh so bad?

by Mike Stavlund

Epistle Reading: Romans 8:6-11

For Sunday, Apr. 10, 2011: Year A - Lent 5

Resurrection is everywhere this week. Lazarus rises, the Psalmist cries out from the depths, and Ezekiel sees a vision of a massive restoration of a pile of dry bones. Everyone seems to be making the reflexive move to “choose life” and push back death.

Escaping our Mortal Coil

With resurrection on our minds (and right around the Lenten corner), it’s no surprise that our faithful Lectionarians reach for Paul’s intriguing mix of flesh, death, and resurrection. But why does Paul seem to hate his body so much? And must we follow suit?

I understand that Paul is extending the typology of “flesh” and “spirit” that he begins exploring in chapter 7, and leading his way toward the embodied activism of chapters 12 and 13. But I wonder if we’re all straining our necks to see around elephant that’s sitting in middle of the family room: Uncle Paul has issues.

My body is no prize. I’m certainly not in love with it. It works fine, but no one is asking to make a closer examination of it, that’s for sure. But it’s hard to hate it, too. Believe me, I’ve tried. But it’s exhausting. Why? Because it’s always there!

Stating the Obvious

Paul’s assertion is so forceful that it’s hard to argue with it: “You’re not in the flesh.” Really? Because it sure seems like that’s exactly where I am. I mean, I know that Paul wants to differentiate between our flesh (ick) and our spirit (cue angelic voices) to implore us to ignore our fleshly pitfalls and to rise above.

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Filed Under: Featured, New Testament, Romans, YearA Tagged With: blood, body, death, flesh, life, Mike Stavlund, spirit

Renounce the Delusion

March 27, 2011 By washadmin Leave a Comment

Can we experience the Lenten journey if we think we already know where it ends?

by Russell Rathbun

Old Testament Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1-13

For Sunday, April 3, 2011: Year A – Lent 4

The Lord really keeps Samuel busy. He is always sending Sam on this or that errand, a lot of the time with messages that are certain to be poorly received. After working with the Lord all that time Samuel might have got used to questionable journeys with unexpected outcomes. Still, when the Lord tells him it is time to head out to anoint a new king, Samuel is scared.

Cover Story for a Call

Go to Jesse the Bethlehemite and anoint a new king from among his sons? Samuel says, in exasperation. If Saul finds out he will kill me. But the Lord comes up with a cover story that satisfies Samuel, so he goes to Jesse’s. His sons present themselves one by one to Samuel, and in spite of Samuel being impressed; the Lord passes on all seven of them. Samuel asks, are you sure that’s everyone?

David, the kid, out with the sheep was not even called in, was not even considered by Jesse until asked. When David finally arrives, as surprised as the rest of his family that he was called out of the fields, the Lord tells Samuel, he’s the one.

Called Into the Unknown

The Lenten texts are full of people being called into unexpected and unknown situations. As many times as I have questioned what the lectionary-ers chose, I think they have gotten it right in this Year A cycle of readings.

Lent is a six-week journey that reflects our complete life’s journey. Lent is a journey that culminates on Black Friday with making the Stations of the Cross. It is a journey of preparation for baptism, of deepening in our faith, both of which are another way of saying Lent is a Journey that ends in death. We don’t know where we are going, were we will end up. As much as we plan or assume the future is unknowable.

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Filed Under: 1 Samuel, Old Testament, YearA Tagged With: call, death, follow, Journey, lent, life, meaning, russell rathbun, truth, unknown

Indeed or Final Answer

What about anointing the body?

Did Jesus understand the universal implications of his death, and does it matter?

Does the Gospel include God’s past deeds being exposed to the light as well our own?

Do Paul’s words still solace today?

How Can We Preach this Tired Story in a Way That People Can Hear it?

The adventure of listening for God in the midst the sounds of world.

Isn’t it wiser to accept the inevitable?

﻿Is our flesh so bad?

Can we experience the Lenten journey if we think we already know where it ends?

New from sparkhouse

Is our flesh so bad?