The true God, the God who creates and gives life. The God who loves first, unconditionally, always. The God who is active in this world, today.
Jesus is on the road to Jerusalem. In his crucifixion he will be revealing a dimension of God's interaction with this world that is mind boggling even today. At the cross, we will encounter God. Not an academic God. Not a God who is far off. But God who is one with the suffering of human life, in God's own body......and for the sake of the world.
The time is running out. The cross is ahead and Jesus knows this.
So it is crucial to Jesus that our conversation shift from what we are doing, what we need to do, what we want to obtain......to what God is doing for us, how God is at work in this world, and the grand invitation God extends through Jesus for us to be a part of this adventure.
This is the focus of the text on divorce (Mark 10.1-15) and the story of the rich man (Mark 10.17-31) and now this request of James and John to sit on the right and left hand of Jesus in his glory (Mark 10.35-45). Jesus pushes us to engage in a new conversation, a new possibility of who God is and how God is at work in the world.
It's all about God; once you grasp this you are set free to live generously, graciously, with forgiveness, and joy. This is the challenge we face these next several weeks: to make it about God and not us. We are along for the ride and thank God that God has invited us in Jesus.
Showing posts with label divorce. Show all posts
Showing posts with label divorce. Show all posts
Monday, October 15, 2012
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Where love and hurt abounds
It is time for us to [attempt] to listen with open hearts to 'the divorce text.' We are treading on dangerous ground, a veritable mine field of emotions, for marriage and divorce are places where both love and hurt abound.
Genesis sets the tone for us this week. We look at the Genesis 2 rendering of the creation of man and woman: co-partners in God's work. Man is ish and Woman is ishshah (in the Hebrew) and the words alone tell us something of the relationship between these two.
At the first glimpse of Woman, Man cries out, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh!" There is rejoicing. There is fellowship. There is a partnership forged to care for one another and all of God's creation.
By the time we get to the gospel of Mark, the bloom is off the rose and the Pharisees are trying to back Jesus into a corner. Focused on a legal system that had developed through the centuries, the Pharisees want Jesus to confirm or deny a man's superior rights and minimal obligations when the wedding of two turns into two households, two individuals.
Jesus is unwilling to play that game. He goes all the way back to Genesis and points out what God's intent was for creation - no one is to be left powerless, vulnerable. Every person bears consequences for his/her own actions, and God's kingdom of God has a special line for the nameless ones at the bottom of the heap.
It will be hard for folks to hear the nuances of these lessons because, as we all know, marriage and its unwelcome relative: divorce, are places where both great love and great hurt abound. Pray for those who are hurt when they hear this lesson; pray they will hear Jesus' call of love to them.
Genesis sets the tone for us this week. We look at the Genesis 2 rendering of the creation of man and woman: co-partners in God's work. Man is ish and Woman is ishshah (in the Hebrew) and the words alone tell us something of the relationship between these two.
At the first glimpse of Woman, Man cries out, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh!" There is rejoicing. There is fellowship. There is a partnership forged to care for one another and all of God's creation.
By the time we get to the gospel of Mark, the bloom is off the rose and the Pharisees are trying to back Jesus into a corner. Focused on a legal system that had developed through the centuries, the Pharisees want Jesus to confirm or deny a man's superior rights and minimal obligations when the wedding of two turns into two households, two individuals.
Jesus is unwilling to play that game. He goes all the way back to Genesis and points out what God's intent was for creation - no one is to be left powerless, vulnerable. Every person bears consequences for his/her own actions, and God's kingdom of God has a special line for the nameless ones at the bottom of the heap.
It will be hard for folks to hear the nuances of these lessons because, as we all know, marriage and its unwelcome relative: divorce, are places where both great love and great hurt abound. Pray for those who are hurt when they hear this lesson; pray they will hear Jesus' call of love to them.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Just a warning
Unless you pay particular attention to the rhythm of the scripture that 'the powers that be' have selected for each Sunday's reading (known as the Common Lectionary), you might have missed the tendency for the gospel readings in the Fall to get fairly edgy.
All those feel good healing and miracle and simple teaching stories happened during the summer while folks were vacationing or sleeping in or whatever they do when they take a hiatus from Sunday worship.
But that leaves us with the end of the church year lessons, and those are chronologically close to Jesus' arrest and crucifixion. Of course we don't actually deal with Jesus' death in these months - that is reserved for our Lenten season - but we run right up to the very edge. Time is coming to a close for Jesus and he engages in his final teachings about the Kingdom of God and his role as God's son.
These are demanding texts. They demand our attention, our consideration and then ultimately our commitment to the one who stands at the center. These texts are about taking up your cross, being obedient in righteousness, weathering the coming apocalypse, and then standing face to face with the cross.
And if you think that facing the cross is difficult, wait until October 7th: we get the text on divorce. Ain't nobody going to be singing after that one. So, just a fair warning....we are getting down to the wire and all that we think we believe will be challenged. God help us all to listen with an open heart.
All those feel good healing and miracle and simple teaching stories happened during the summer while folks were vacationing or sleeping in or whatever they do when they take a hiatus from Sunday worship.
But that leaves us with the end of the church year lessons, and those are chronologically close to Jesus' arrest and crucifixion. Of course we don't actually deal with Jesus' death in these months - that is reserved for our Lenten season - but we run right up to the very edge. Time is coming to a close for Jesus and he engages in his final teachings about the Kingdom of God and his role as God's son.
These are demanding texts. They demand our attention, our consideration and then ultimately our commitment to the one who stands at the center. These texts are about taking up your cross, being obedient in righteousness, weathering the coming apocalypse, and then standing face to face with the cross.
And if you think that facing the cross is difficult, wait until October 7th: we get the text on divorce. Ain't nobody going to be singing after that one. So, just a fair warning....we are getting down to the wire and all that we think we believe will be challenged. God help us all to listen with an open heart.
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