Jesus Getting Caught with His Compassion Down

Who is the “under the table” in your life?

September 2, 2012 By 6 Comments

by Carl Gregg

Gospel Reading: Mark 7:24-37

For Sunday, Sept. 9, 2012: Year B — Ordinary 23

Letty Russell, in Church in the Round, described Jesus’ encounter with the Syrophoenician woman as the case of Jesus getting “Caught with his compassion down” (162). Jesus is usually so mind-blowingly impressive that we can forget he did not emerge from the womb fully grown.

Part of what it means to be “fully human” is to grow, mature, and develop over time. Most famously in Luke 2:52, we are told that, “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in divine and human favor.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, Mark, New Testament, YearB Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Is The Book of James Proto-Marxist?

Luther Was Wrong, Behavior Is Believable.

September 2, 2012 By 3 Comments

by Carl Gregg

Epistle Reading:  James 2:1-14

For Sunday, Sept. 9, 2012: Year B — Ordinary 23

Martin Luther dismissively called The Book of James a “right strawy epistle.” Luther wanted to base the Reformation on phrases such as sola scriptura (“by Scripture alone”), sola fide (“by faith alone”), and sola gratia (“by grace alone”). But the Bible is an anthology that does not speak in one voice, and prophets such as James are a vital counterweight to the idea that one can be saved by “grace alone.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, James, New Testament, YearB Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Proclaiming What?

January 15, 2012 By 16 Comments

What is the good news Jesus proclaims?

by Russell Rathbun

Gospel Reading: Mark 1:14-20

For Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012: Epiphany 3

I have spent a lot of time with Mark.

Its absence of a birth narrative, its ambiguous ending, the breakneck speed with which its author moves through the story, are all intriguing to me.

Mark leaves a lot of questions, which, I obviously like a lot. But in all the study of the book I have never noticed the most obvious question before—what is the good news of God?

Assuming Salvation

I have just assumed that the good news was Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection to save humanity from its sins and reconcile creation to the Creator. But when I read this pericope this time through I got hung up on verses 14 and 15.

Jesus comes to Galilee proclaiming the good news. If he is proclaiming the good news, it is obviously not his death and resurrection. It seems like it must be something that is available or accessible at that point in the narrative. 

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, Mark, New Testament, YearB Tagged With: , , , , ,

Deception and the Hand of God

July 31, 2011 By 3 Comments

Can We Still Speak Credibly of Salvation?

 

by Russell Rathbun

Epistle Reading: Romans 10:5-15

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

I feel like I should post about the Epistles every now and then. I don’t really like to. A lot of times they feel like essays about particular theological points or ethical exhortations that I am not really that interested in, but, you know, they are in the Bible, so….

Paul sure talks a lot…

Whenever I write about Romans in particular I’m struck by two things: 1) Paul sure talks a lot, and 2) Why isn’t there a more recent translation of Barth’s Epistle to the Romans? 1932 was a long time ago. Any Barth scholars out there? German translator, theology nerds? But I digress.

I like that Paul talks a lot, and he is never more interesting then in Romans, but this week’s Epistle reading leaves me searching for something to preach. In chapters 9-11, Paul is getting himself all twisted up trying to get Israel saved. He wants them to be saved, he is pretty sure God is saving them, he just needs to reason it out.

The thing that keeps getting in the way is that he wants them to confess that Jesus is Lord. And given that Jesus is the end of law, or that the law is contained within Jesus, somehow a devotion to the law could get them there—as long as they don’t interrupt the doing of the law, as Moses puts it, in some way that contradicts Paul and Barth.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, New Testament, Romans, YearA Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

January 9, 2011 By 15 Comments

Dare I Shoot Isaiah’s Arrows?

by Jennifer Johnson

Old Testament Reading Isaiah 49: 1-7

For Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011:Year A - Epiphany 2

As a seminary student, I lapped up the call stories in Scripture as milk to the hungry kitten. I knew the story of the first Isaiah who lamented over having unclean lips, of Jeremiah who expressed concerns over being too young, and the various apostles who were interrupted in their jobs by Jesus to “Follow me.”

Why Are There No Plumbing Classes In Seminary?

What an idiot I was. Back then I pictured myself in all the warm fuzzy moments of people’s lives. I’d preach inspiring sermons and my flock would sit in rapt attention until my benediction when they’d go charging out the door to work tirelessly for the Kingdom. They’d tell me how my service and leadership had changed their lives. Instead, I got “Nice sermon. Umm. Did you know the basement’s flooded?”

Oh, it hasn’t all been building issues. I’ve had my share of holy moments. I’ve wept at the bedsides of the dying. I’ve endured the middle of the night calls when tragedy struck. I’ve held startled babies at their baptisms and taught pre-schoolers “Seek Ye First.” I’ve also been tempted to wrench my hair out in handfuls at the stiff-necked propensity of people not to “do right.” However, unlike the words of Isaiah in this servant song, I’ve never had to convince a people to return to a homeland some of them have never even seen, especially when that homeland was in ruins. I’ve never publicly spewed judgment on them because of their lack of obedience or faith.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, Isaiah, Old Testament, YearA Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

God with Us Revisited

December 13, 2010 By 6 Comments

How do you live when wrath is no longer an option?

By Sonja Olson

Gospel Reading: Matthew 1:18-25

For Sunday, December 19, 2010: Year A – Fourth Sunday of Advent

It’s strange when the Bible misquotes itself. But it is really good at it. I have gone for what seems like, well, all my life not even noticing how Matthew takes a common pregnant woman who gives birth to a common boy named Immanuel and turns it into a prophecy about a virgin giving birth to the Christ child. I have heard it year after year, yet never noticed.

Clever Switch-a-roo?

Matthew takes a sign Isaiah gives to Judah about her salvation/destruction and twists it into a promise of a Messiah coming for the forgiveness of sins. In Isaiah the mother will name him Immanuel (“God with us”). In Matthew, the father does the naming and calls the boy Jesus (“Yahweh Saves”). Jesus is not Immanuel. That’s two different names.

Either Matthew is not well-versed in Jewish prophets, or he is getting at something more when he writes that this birth occurs to fulfill what the Lord said through the prophet Isaiah. Perhaps this idea of “God with us” being revisited was part of the plan all along.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, Matthew, New Testament, YearA Tagged With: , , , , , ,

God with Us

December 13, 2010 By 1 Comment

Does God’s presence require both salvation and destruction?

By Sonja Olson

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 7:10-17

For Sunday, December 19, 2010: Year A – Fourth Sunday of Advent

If God is with us, is that a good thing?

If you spend any time with the prophets of the Old Testament you know a lot is made out of the doom, destruction, and calamity of God’s wrath. But Isaiah is a peculiar prophet. Not only does Isaiah hear pictures on the temple walls speaking to one another, has an angel touch his mouth, but also his very name means “Salvation is of the Lord.”

A prophet whose name means salvation? It doesn’t make sense. Prophets aren’t known for such happy news. But “salvation” occurs twenty-six times in the book of Isaiah compared to the seven times the word is used in all of the other prophetic books combined. Where is the death and doom?

How nice.

In the Isaiah passages we have read so far this Advent season, Isaiah tells of a time when all nations will recognize one true God and there will be no need for warfare. The wolf will live with the lamb. The blind will see. The deaf will hear. The lame will leap like dear. How nice that sounds. So many nice things are told to us in weeks one, two and three of Advent.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, Isaiah, Old Testament, YearA Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Cost of Salvation

October 24, 2010 By 7 Comments

Is salvation really as simple as ditching half of your stuff?

by Jake Bouma

Gospel Reading: Luke 19:1-10

For Sunday, October 31, 2010: Year C – Ordinary 31

Ah, Zaccheus. The famous little man of the Bible, whose story is excitedly taught in Sunday school classes around the country. I suppose Zaccheus’ story is expected to resonate with children, who are always struggling to get a good view of the action wherever they are. My interest, however, lies elsewhere.

Open To Speculation

Part of my struggle with this passage stems from the fact that Luke leaves so much open to speculation. Because the story of Zaccheus is not a parable but rather an account of Jesus’ ministry, we’re not given implicit permission to read into the text. In the case of a parable, we know that we’re supposed to look for meaning beyond the story for a deeper, spiritual meaning. Such is not the case with Zaccheus. We’re given what we’ve got, and it isn’t much.

Here’s what we do know: Luke goes to great lengths to communicate the extent of Zaccheus’ despicable sinfulness; it’s mentioned in the beginning, middle, and end of the story. We learn immediately that he’s the chief tax collector of Jericho and therefore he’s loaded. After Jesus chooses Zaccheus’ house for lodging, the crowd reminds us that Zaccheus is, in fact a sinner. And finally at the end of the story, Jesus proclaims that “the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost,” the lost one(s) being Zaccheus and sinners like him.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, Luke, New Testament, YearC Tagged With: , , , , ,

New from sparkhouse