spirit

Fleshy Life

Imbibing the embodied Christ

August 19, 2012 By The Hardest Question 2 Comments

by Nanette Sawyer

Gospel Reading: John 6:56-69

For Sunday, August 26, 2012: Year B—Ordinary 21

It bothers me that this pericope begins with Jesus talking about people eating his flesh and drinking his blood. I’ve been so trained to hear biblical verses in a literal way that I cringe at the gruesome nature of these words.

The Obstacle of Literalism

This should be a clue that we are not meant to hear these words in literal ways. But it’s challenging to get past this obstacle of literalism and into the broad open fields of rich symbolic teaching that Jesus does. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, John, New Testament, YearB Tagged With: blood, dualism, embodiment, flesh, incarnation, metaphysics, nanette sawyer, spirit, transformation

Being Here, Not Here, and Not Yet

May 21, 2012 By The Hardest Question Leave a Comment

The Full Absence and Full Presence of Christ Among Us.

by Neal D. Presa

Gospel Reading: John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15

For Sunday, May 27, Year B − Pentecost

As I write, the coroner’s report of Whitney Houston’s death has been made public. I couldn’t help but think about her last song, “I Look to You,” as she directs her voice heavenward, both in lyrics and in the music video. The chorus:

I Look To You,

I Look To You

After All My Strength Is Gone

In You I Can Be Strong

I Look To You,

I Look To You

And When Melodies Are Gone In You I Hear A Song

I Look To You

A Coming Presence

Our text finds Jesus going Cross-ward, then tomb-ward, and then heavenward, to what theologian Michael Horton calls the Triune God’s adventus “a coming presence, a presence in absence and absence in presence.”

The gifting of the Spirit by the Father through Jesus will fill and accompany the Church in the in-between living of Pentecost to Parousia.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, John, New Testament, YearB Tagged With: Absent, Fulness, I look to you, Michael Horton, Neal Presa, parousia, Present, spirit, Union, Whitney Houston

The Walking Alive

May 21, 2012 By The Hardest Question Leave a Comment

On being affected/infected by the Spirit.

by Neal D. Presa

New Testament Reading: Acts 2:1-21

For Sunday, May 27, Year B − Pentecost

We would expect no less from God than purely phenomenal, surreal, out-of-this world events as Acts 2 and the writer of Ezekiel present: talking tongues of fire and skin-grafted bones rising from the ground, images that could easily fit in a remake of the movie The Poltergeist or a future finale episode of the hit TV series, The Walking Dead.

Crazy Moments

The disciples have witnessed some pretty crazy moments since following Jesus: multiplication of loaves and fishes, walking on water, healings, exorcisms, just to name a few. A modern ear listening to such tales would dispatch 911 to send those disciples to an insane asylum for fanciful imaginations.

But this is Pentecost, this is God’s world, this is the Holy Spirit on the move. Of course the tectonic plates of our fixed expectations and calcified thoughts need to be shaken up and stirred.

Whole Lotta Shaking

It happened before with the creation narratives, the flood, the exodus, the exile, Jesus’ birth, Jesus’ ministry, Jesus’ death, Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus’ ascension.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Acts, Featured, New Testament, YearB Tagged With: community, Holy Spirit, Mark Labberton, Neal Presa, Pentecost, praise, Prophecy, spirit, Walking Dead, worship

The Law of Love

March 5, 2012 By The Hardest Question 2 Comments

The Ten Commandments as a Way Station.

by Mike Stavlund

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 20:1-17

For Sunday, March 11, 2012: Year B—Lent 3

If you or I were coming down from Mt Sinai, what would the commandments be today? Would we even have any? It is hard to imagine that God intended for us to be so concerned with these ten laws, thousands of years later, literally and metaphorically chiseling them into stone, again and again, like some totemistic icon.

Are they instead simply arbitrary, meant for another time and place? A friend of mine insightfully suggests that–in our day and age–they are exactly that: proxy measures for righteousness.

Situational Ethics, Reconsidered

To be clear to my wife and everyone else, I’m not planning on contravening commandments number six and seven. But I teach undergraduate ethics, and understand something about moral complexities: I will bear false witness to help someone, I don’t honor fathers who are abusive, I have crucifixes in the house, and I sometimes preach on Sunday. And it might be a good thing for me to covet my neighbor’s new all-electric Nissan Leaf, basking in the blue glow of its charging station, waiting to be pre-warmed via iPhone app just before he silently jets off to work in the morning.

But I digress.

Will You Love Me When I Don’t Keep Your Commandments?

May 22, 2011 By washadmin 3 Comments

Is the gift of the Holy Spirit dependent on my actions?

by Russell Rathbun

Gospel Reading: John 14:15-21

For Sunday, May 29 , 2011: Year A – Easter 6

I’m confused. You know, about this whole Holy Spirit thing. The heading in my study Bible calls this pericope “The promise of the Holy Spirit.” I guess I’m wondering what the exact nature of this promise is. It seems to be conditional:

If you love me you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father to send another Advocate (later identified as the Spirit of truth and the Holy Spirit) to be with you forever.

Now, the world cannot receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But I can receive him because he abides with me and he will be in me?

I’m Not So Sure

A couple of things here: I am not so sure about the dividing line between me and the world. Secondly, I’m not so sure that the way I understand my ability to love (both God and my neighbor—which are the commandments John is talking about here) is always as a gift from God.

The world in the Johannine writings seems to act as short hand for the death-giving-power-structures-that run-the-world, or the system-of-the-kingdom-of –this-world. So, I can understand that world being unable to see, hear or receive the presence of the spirit of God.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, John, New Testament, YearA Tagged With: Advocate, commandments, conditional, love, russell rathbun, spirit, world

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.

[Read more...]

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

Collapsing Our Dichotomies

February 6, 2011 By washadmin 7 Comments

In Defense of Flesh, Blood, Fat, and Dust

by Carol Howard Merritt

Epistle Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

For Sunday, February 13, 2011: Year A – Epiphany 6

I grew up in Florida, in a little beach town. I loved most things about being there—the brilliant beauty of the rising sunrise, the endless hunt for delicate shells, and the peace-inducing sound of the rolling waves. I long for these things when I’m caught in the anxiety-ridden culture of D.C.

So Exposed

But I do have some residual effects that I don’t appreciate when I think about growing up near that beach. Though I loved spending time on that shore more than any other place, I learned to hate my body there. People don’t wear many clothes in Florida. Perhaps it was the heat, perhaps it was just being a teenager, or perhaps it was because I felt so exposed all the time, but when I looked in the mirror I loathed what I saw. I despised the curves that developed and any ounce of fat. I deeply detested my flesh.

When I think back at all my friends who had eating disorders, I’m pretty sure that I wasn’t alone. The images of beauty in our country are often emaciated, and the fact that I didn’t match up to this gaunt perfection became clearer each time I donned my bathing suit. I knew that something was wrong as I watched as the smart, gifted girls around me struggle to stave off starvation and self-mutilation (usually cutting).

[Read more...]

Filed Under: 1 Corinthians, Featured, New Testament, YearA Tagged With: body, carol howard merritt, Dichotomies, fat, fatness, flesh, grace, holistic, law, postmodern, spirit

Fleshy Life

Imbibing the embodied Christ

by Nanette Sawyer

Being Here, Not Here, and Not Yet

The Full Absence and Full Presence of Christ Among Us.

The Walking Alive

On being affected/infected by the Spirit.

The Law of Love

The Ten Commandments as a Way Station.

by Mike Stavlund

Will You Love Me When I Don’t Keep Your Commandments?

Is the gift of the Holy Spirit dependent on my actions?

Foreshadowing

﻿Is our flesh so bad?

Collapsing Our Dichotomies

In Defense of Flesh, Blood, Fat, and Dust

New from sparkhouse

Is our flesh so bad?