The Vision of Faith
This class handout is from Lent 2006, 2 lectionary year B rounds ago.
Bringing the texts together
• Jeremiah 31:31-34
Internalized Gospel: now God is so immanent God truly lives in the hearts of humans; as Christians we read this as a Jesus-text; we read it as God "pitching a tent," living and sojourning with God's people! But what could this "new covenant" have meant to God's covenant people before God's incarnation in Jesus of Nazareth? To the people with whom God already had covenanted several times? Implication of "heart" in the Ancient Near East?
Contrast the law written on human hearts with the law written on stone tablets? In both cases, what is the law's content? I will be their God..." Say more about this!
• Hebrews 5:5-12
"...once made perfect..." kai teleiotheis... like the "perfect" Jesus tells us to be—whole, complete, a finished creation, achieving the humanness in which God created us to live, being ourselves in the same way God cannot be other than God.
God calls, designates Jesus high priest/mediator! God calls us—how? Christians affirm the priesthood of all believers: each of us is baptized priest, prophet and sovereign. But how does each of us discern God's particular call to us at any particular moment? How is God's call to us part of God's covenant with us? God's call to be our whole, true, fulfilled selves in Christ?
• John 12:20-33
Jesus dies on the scandal of a tree and the tree of death – the cross – paradoxically becomes the tree of life. Jesus promises to draw all to himself—the cross and empty tomb finish the redemption of all creation. In a reference back to the healing snake lifted up in the Exodus wilderness in Numbers 21:8-9, this gospel of John pericope is about Jesus lifted up on the cross, lifted up from the empty tomb, lifted up in the Ascension.
• And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. John 3:14-15
• So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he…" John 8:28a
"I Am the snake" could be Jesus' eighth "I Am" statement!
We see the Glory of God as we "see Jesus," the Human One, lifted up on the cross. We see the fulness of the glory of the Presence of God in the weakness, vulnerability and defenselessness of Jesus dying on the cross.
Paul determined to preach only Christ crucified, to preach only the crucified Human One lifted up in glory on the cross: 1 Corinthians 2:2 Why?
"...now the prince of this world will be driven out," marking the end of the control, the literal worship, and the tyrannical supremacy of the cosmic Powers and Principalities we read about in Colossians and Ephesians.
By destroying evidence of our sins, God also has disarmed principalities and powers"] and driven out "the prince of this world," since sin no longer can accuse those who have been forgiven. Because in Christ God remembers our sin no more, just as God promised through Jeremiah, we can be whole persons. Jesus Christ has provided total redemption and forgiveness; in Christ each of us has been "made perfect!"
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Paul of Tarsus notes 2
As I recently sorted through some random papers (again!), I discovered yet another handout from a bible study I facilitated a while back that I hadn't blogged and posted.
For Christians, Paul of Tarsus is a character of biblical proportions! He indisputably wrote 7 epistles, probably sometime between 50 and 60 CE: 1 Thessalonians; Galatians; Philippians; 1 and 2 Corinthians; Philemon; and Romans. His theology influenced 3 more: 2 Thessalonians; Ephesians; and Colossians (around 90 or 100 CE). In addition, the chronologically later epistle to the Hebrews (ca. 90 CE) bears unmistakable marks of Pauline theology and Christology. However, today most scholars do not consider the "pastoral" epistles genuine Paul. Written possibly as late as 125 CE, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus are socially very conservative; the language and content sometimes directly contradict what is found in the authentic letters. Particularly since the Reformation of the 16th century, most Christians are "Pauline Christians" at least to as great an extent as they are Jesus Christians!
In their work on multicultural evangelism, Latino theologians Justo González and Miguel De La Torre both point out Paul's name didn't "change" from Saul to Paul upon his conversion to Christianity but rather Saul was Paul and Paul was Saul - and Saul/Paul concurrently with "Saul" and "Paul" had at least two or three other names.
Since we're studying biblical personalities, here's a little about the apostle Paul: we know from reading Paul's undisputed letters and from the book of Acts that Paul was multicultural – Roman, Greek, and Hebrew/Jewish, which made him sensitive and responsive to the differences between cultures, and also aware that the Church would take differing expressions in different places. From the epistles we know how strongly Paul ran with his convictions, never backing down and always telling his readers – and his listeners – about the life-changing power of the Gospel and especially about the weakness of the Cross that is human foolishness and divine wisdom. Paul was more theologian rather than biblical scholar though only Romans, which essentially is his systematic theology, has much of what anyone would consider "system!" Lots of detours and many ramblings are hallmarks of his correspondence. There's some thought the author of Luke/Acts was Paul's amanuensis.
Today's texts all are from Acts: 4:32-37; 9:26-27; 11:19-30; 15:36-40
Acts 4:32-37
Acts 9:26-27
The following passage comes right after Peter's vision of unclean creatures telling him he's not to call anything – or anyone! – unclean: even the gentiles belong!
Acts 11:19-30
Acts 15:36-41
For Christians, Paul of Tarsus is a character of biblical proportions! He indisputably wrote 7 epistles, probably sometime between 50 and 60 CE: 1 Thessalonians; Galatians; Philippians; 1 and 2 Corinthians; Philemon; and Romans. His theology influenced 3 more: 2 Thessalonians; Ephesians; and Colossians (around 90 or 100 CE). In addition, the chronologically later epistle to the Hebrews (ca. 90 CE) bears unmistakable marks of Pauline theology and Christology. However, today most scholars do not consider the "pastoral" epistles genuine Paul. Written possibly as late as 125 CE, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus are socially very conservative; the language and content sometimes directly contradict what is found in the authentic letters. Particularly since the Reformation of the 16th century, most Christians are "Pauline Christians" at least to as great an extent as they are Jesus Christians!
In their work on multicultural evangelism, Latino theologians Justo González and Miguel De La Torre both point out Paul's name didn't "change" from Saul to Paul upon his conversion to Christianity but rather Saul was Paul and Paul was Saul - and Saul/Paul concurrently with "Saul" and "Paul" had at least two or three other names.
Since we're studying biblical personalities, here's a little about the apostle Paul: we know from reading Paul's undisputed letters and from the book of Acts that Paul was multicultural – Roman, Greek, and Hebrew/Jewish, which made him sensitive and responsive to the differences between cultures, and also aware that the Church would take differing expressions in different places. From the epistles we know how strongly Paul ran with his convictions, never backing down and always telling his readers – and his listeners – about the life-changing power of the Gospel and especially about the weakness of the Cross that is human foolishness and divine wisdom. Paul was more theologian rather than biblical scholar though only Romans, which essentially is his systematic theology, has much of what anyone would consider "system!" Lots of detours and many ramblings are hallmarks of his correspondence. There's some thought the author of Luke/Acts was Paul's amanuensis.
Today's texts all are from Acts: 4:32-37; 9:26-27; 11:19-30; 15:36-40
Acts 4:32-37
Acts 9:26-27
The following passage comes right after Peter's vision of unclean creatures telling him he's not to call anything – or anyone! – unclean: even the gentiles belong!
Acts 11:19-30
Acts 15:36-41
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Season of Creation 3C Storm Sunday
19 September 2010
Today is Storm Sunday, the third for this year's Season of Creation liturgical emphasis. With Ocean Sunday, we pondered and celebrated the earth's circulatory system. Fauna Sunday was a time to consider critters of all kinds that depend on humans for their sustenance and health, just as trees, rivers, forests and prairies do—animals are a major aspect of our interdependent world! Next Sunday, the twelfth and last will be Cosmos Sunday. Paralleling the Revised Common Lectionary, the Season of Creation includes a year for Matthew, one for Mark, and then Luke.
It feels as if especially during the five years since Katrina turned the world's eyes and hearts to the city of New Orleans and to the ineptitude of the federal government's response, every time there's a natural disaster media outlets overwhelm us with constant updates about the most recent hurricane, earthquake, oil spill, tornado or assorted "other" weather phenomena that disrupt the sometimes routine days of our lives.
In the reading from the Hebrew Bible, Job [28:21-22] inquires about wisdom, responding with words about some not readily apparent ways of being wise: “Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of all living, and concealed from the birds of the air."
Paul's first letter to the Corinthian Church forms the second pericope or scripture selection for Storm Sunday. At first glance its relevance may seem a stretch, since Paul again is all about the cross of Calvary and again Paul recognizes the paradoxical power of weakness, vulnerability and death, along with servant wisdom found in the cross. Paul trusts the invincibility of life in the overwhelming power of resurrection. In fact, you could say that for Paul the Gospel is death and resurrection!
23we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
Major seismic and atmospheric events can cause widespread destruction of all kinds, more often than not disproportionately impacting lives and surroundings of folks with fewer financial and other resources. It's well-known that people living in neighborhoods with more up-to-date infrastructure have better schools and get better coverage from police, fire and politicians. At 7.2 the Easter Day Sierra El Mayor geological event that shook, rattled and rolled Northern Mexico and Southern California was higher on the Richter scale than the 7.0 Haiti quake on 12 January. Alta and Baja California regions still are getting substantial aftershocks, but they warrant no more than a "did you feel that one?" while Haiti remains in chaotic disrepair and there probably never will be an accurate death count or reckoning of total costs. According to today's famous passage from Luke, the disciples "...were afraid and amazed, and said to one another, 'Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?'
"Who is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him." Hebrew and Christian worldviews emerged from God's self-revelation within religious contexts in which people believed that far away, distant, unapproachable gods caused natural disasters and disturbances out of their anger and displeasure with humans, along with more-or-less predictably cycles and recycles of the same events. The experience of God's nascent people Israel and later those of the early Church – I'd hope our experience as 21st century Christians, too – with the God who is Creator and Lord of the waves and the winds (the desert, the savanna and the outback, and Lord of history, too...) was distinctly different! This was not a remote deity requiring sacrifice and placation, but a God so in love with creation that in Jesus of Nazareth God chose to live as a human creature. Not only has the endless recurrence of the very same thing stopped in its tracks, this God promises and provides a hope, a future and the reality of resurrection from the dead.
Job asks about wisdom; the apostle Paul tells us about God's wisdom. When the very young John Calvin pondered compiling a systematic theology, he wondered whether to begin with Divinity or with Humanity but finally decided it made no difference, since the outcome of either would be identical. Back in the days of Jesus the Nazarene it was not unusual to be talking with someone who was half mortal, half divine—the offspring of a human and a god. In Jesus Christ we find something more: a Savior, a Lord both completely mortal and completely divine; in Christ Jesus we discover that the fullness of humanity and the fullness of divinity are one and the same! Baptized into his death and resurrection and walking with Jesus in trust, we participate in his humanity and claim his divinity. Martin Franzmann's poetry sings, "Thy strong Word bespeaks us righteous, bright with Thine Own Holiness."
A blizzard or flood, tsunami or environmental accident originating oceans and continents away from where we live or a block away from home will affect all of us wherever we are. Because of our intertwined lives, last January's earthquake in Haiti wounded and broke all of us. Each of us can be counted among Deepwater Horizon's victims and survivors.
Will major meteorological events keep on happening? Without a doubt they will. "Who is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him."
Who are we, the people of God? We live baptized into Jesus Christ, so do the oceans and the breakers obey us? God calls us to be co-creators and faithful stewards of all creation, to live as agents of justice, renewal, restoration and mercy for all, in those ways and probably many others, also, to be the presence of Jesus Christ...
Thursday, August 27, 2009
summer conversation 4
4. A Eucharistic community: the Welcome Table
John 1:1, 3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.
John 12:24 ...unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
1 Corinthians 11:23-24 ...our Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me."
And what about "this is my body"?
And "this cup is the new covenant in my blood"?
The bread points to nourishment in that same self-giving of God
At work in my body, that is in me.
And the cup points to the new community drawn together and nourished
In my blood, that is in God's total self-giving in my death.
–Paul G. Hammer–
You choose to be made at one with the earth;
the dark of the grave prepares for your birth.
Your death is your rising, creative your word;
the tree springs to life and our hope is restored...
–Fred Kaan–
In Saxon English, the Lord provided the loaf, the bread, the essentials for sustaining life. We are baptized into the biography of the baby born in Bethlehem, House of Bread. In the Eucharist, we celebrate the ultimate earth day, a feast of justice and reconciliation for all creation, that brings together the ground's fruitful yield along with the labor of farmers, vintners, truckers, grocers, bakers, sellers, weavers and potters, carpenters and contractors.
Consider Jesus' lifestyle of justice and inclusion along with Jesus' command "do this!"
backtracking:
1. A baptized community: Water and the Word
Consider Jesus' relationship to creation, Jesus' stewardship of all life.
2. Spaces, places, locations...
1st, 2nd, and 3rd spaces, (4th?) places in cyberspace; the liminal, the marginal and the central; thresholds, edges and centers; insiders, outsiders, strangers and friends
Consider Jesus' sense of home and geography.
3. Jesus, us, culture, counter culture
Consider Jesus' awareness of his own culture and the customs of others.
© leahchang
John 1:1, 3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.
John 12:24 ...unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
1 Corinthians 11:23-24 ...our Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me."
And what about "this is my body"?
And "this cup is the new covenant in my blood"?
The bread points to nourishment in that same self-giving of God
At work in my body, that is in me.
And the cup points to the new community drawn together and nourished
In my blood, that is in God's total self-giving in my death.
–Paul G. Hammer–
You choose to be made at one with the earth;
the dark of the grave prepares for your birth.
Your death is your rising, creative your word;
the tree springs to life and our hope is restored...
–Fred Kaan–
In Saxon English, the Lord provided the loaf, the bread, the essentials for sustaining life. We are baptized into the biography of the baby born in Bethlehem, House of Bread. In the Eucharist, we celebrate the ultimate earth day, a feast of justice and reconciliation for all creation, that brings together the ground's fruitful yield along with the labor of farmers, vintners, truckers, grocers, bakers, sellers, weavers and potters, carpenters and contractors.
Revelation 21:1-2a Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth…and I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem.Who is this Lord of the Church, this Jesus?
Consider Jesus' lifestyle of justice and inclusion along with Jesus' command "do this!"
backtracking:
1. A baptized community: Water and the Word
Galatians 3:28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus...Who is this Lord of the Church, this Jesus?
Consider Jesus' relationship to creation, Jesus' stewardship of all life.
2. Spaces, places, locations...
1st, 2nd, and 3rd spaces, (4th?) places in cyberspace; the liminal, the marginal and the central; thresholds, edges and centers; insiders, outsiders, strangers and friends
Romans 13:8 Owe no one anything else except to love one another...Who is this Lord of the Church, this Jesus?
Consider Jesus' sense of home and geography.
3. Jesus, us, culture, counter culture
Colossians 2:15 Having made hash of the rulers, the powers and the principalities and having been victorious over them, Christ then made a public spectacle of them!Who is this Lord of the Church, this Jesus?
Consider Jesus' awareness of his own culture and the customs of others.
© leahchang
Thursday, August 20, 2009
summer conversation 3
3. Jesus, us, culture, counterculture
Continuing awareness of the interdependence of all creation…
In Jesus of Nazareth God became incarnate within a particular culture, geography and historical time. And Jesus accepted death! How much more countercultural does it get?
Contexts, worldviews: natural, economic, ethnic, symbolic, class, linguistic, religious around us and within us shape us and limit where we go, what we think about, the options open to us. An individual becomes a person by becoming embedded in a textured, interwoven history of experiences shared with others. Insiders, outsiders, strangers and friends…
Contextualizing ministry, evangelism and worship. For Martin Luther, worship and hymn-singing in the vernacular was one of the marks of the true church; there are many vernaculars besides the linguistic.
Next week: 4. A Eucharistic community: the Welcome Table
An inclusive meal and a feast of justice and righteousness accomplished on earth for all creation. Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Then I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem…
© leahchang
Continuing awareness of the interdependence of all creation…
In Jesus of Nazareth God became incarnate within a particular culture, geography and historical time. And Jesus accepted death! How much more countercultural does it get?
Contexts, worldviews: natural, economic, ethnic, symbolic, class, linguistic, religious around us and within us shape us and limit where we go, what we think about, the options open to us. An individual becomes a person by becoming embedded in a textured, interwoven history of experiences shared with others. Insiders, outsiders, strangers and friends…
Contextualizing ministry, evangelism and worship. For Martin Luther, worship and hymn-singing in the vernacular was one of the marks of the true church; there are many vernaculars besides the linguistic.
1 Corinthians 12:4-7 There are diversities of gifts but the same spirit, and different kinds of ministries and ways to serve, yet the same Lord. Although there are many various types of activities and enterprises, the same God is active and works in all of them, and each person receives gifts of the Spirit for the good of the entire community.Christus Victor: an atonement model moving away from a focus on guilt and condemnation under the law to emphasizing freedom and victory of Christ, in Christ.
Colossians 2:15 Having made hash of the rulers, the powers and the principalities and having been victorious over them, Christ then made a public spectacle of them!Also consider 1 Corinthians 15:54-57 and…
Hebrews 2:14-15 Therefore, since the children shared in the blood and the flesh and Christ shared in the same things, that through death he might destroy the one having power over death - that is, the devil - and he might free all those who by their fear of death were bound to slavery throughout their lives.Let the river run, let all the dreamers wake the nation. Come, the New Jerusalem. Carly Simon, "Let the River Run"
Who is this Lord of the Church, this Jesus? Consider Jesus' awareness of his own culture and the customs of others.
Next week: 4. A Eucharistic community: the Welcome Table
An inclusive meal and a feast of justice and righteousness accomplished on earth for all creation. Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Then I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem…
© leahchang
Thursday, August 13, 2009
summer conversation 2
2. Spaces, places, locations…
Continuing to focus on our interdependence with all creation.
1st spaces: family, neighbors, local schools, face-to-face relationships;
2nd spaces: workplace, university, more distant and structured settings with more choices about self-revelation;
3rd spaces: traveling, affinity, trade and professional groups, social, cultural and other diversities, at times geographically further afield with potential for greater anonymity...regarding possible
4th spaces, consider cyberspace, where you can choose to reveal who and where you are, try on new ideas and even new identities.
The liminal, the marginal and the central; thresholds, edges and centers
Next week: 3. Jesus, Us, Culture, Counterculture
God beyond time and space became incarnate for us in Jesus of Nazareth, lived among us and shared our human experience. And Jesus accepted death! How much more countercultural does it get?
We're coming to the edge, running on the water, coming through the fog, your sons and daughters. Let the river run, let all the dreamers wake the nation. Come, the New Jerusalem.
© leahchang
Continuing to focus on our interdependence with all creation.
1st spaces: family, neighbors, local schools, face-to-face relationships;
2nd spaces: workplace, university, more distant and structured settings with more choices about self-revelation;
3rd spaces: traveling, affinity, trade and professional groups, social, cultural and other diversities, at times geographically further afield with potential for greater anonymity...regarding possible
4th spaces, consider cyberspace, where you can choose to reveal who and where you are, try on new ideas and even new identities.
The liminal, the marginal and the central; thresholds, edges and centers
John 1:14a And the word became flesh and tabernacled [pitched a tent, a portable shelter] among us.Where is home for you? Geographical origins, a more recent city or town, an emotional place, treasured people and activities? How do your experiences in various locations contribute to your understanding of yourselves, of others, of the world? Our histories and stories: insiders, outsiders, strangers and friends. …in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth!
Romans 13:8,10 Owe no one anything else except to love one another, for anyone who loves another has fulfilled the law. Love does no evil to a neighbor; therefore love fulfills the law.Paul insists we owe, we "ought" the love of Christ to every one another and compares love for others to a debt, an ought that we owe them.
Revelation 21:1-3 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…and I heard a tremendous voice from the throne saying, "Now God pitches a tent and lives among all humanity, and God will travel alongside all the people wherever they may go. They will be God's people, and God himself will dwell with them and be their God."…in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth!
Who is this Lord of the Church, this Jesus? Consider Jesus' sense of home and geography.
Next week: 3. Jesus, Us, Culture, Counterculture
God beyond time and space became incarnate for us in Jesus of Nazareth, lived among us and shared our human experience. And Jesus accepted death! How much more countercultural does it get?
We're coming to the edge, running on the water, coming through the fog, your sons and daughters. Let the river run, let all the dreamers wake the nation. Come, the New Jerusalem.
© leahchang
Thursday, August 06, 2009
summer conversation 1
1. A baptized community: Water and the Word
Consciously connecting ourselves with all creation, recognizing and celebrating our interdependence. Recognizing the countless ways in which time and space are essential conditions in which all creation lives.
Baptized into the Christ Event of God's supreme self-revelation in measurable, definable space and time, we become prophet, priests and sovereigns, in stewardship of creation and of all life. Baptism engulfs us in God's creative power of death and resurrection, identifying us with this planet's history and with Jesus Christ.
Consider our relationship to the elements of air, earth and fire…
We are the body, the corpus, of Christ! Corporate Identity [package]: our logo, our résumé, our curriculum vitae, where we've been, what we've learned, what we live for and die for…who are we? Baptism transforms us from lone, solitary individuals into a position of particularity within the gathered body of Christ. Each of us brings a special history along with unique gifts and perspectives for contribution and service within church and world.
Who is this Lord of the Church, this Jesus? Consider Jesus' relationship to creation, Jesus' stewardship of all life.
Next week:
2. Spaces, places, locations…
Where is home for you? Geographical origins, a more recent physical place or town, an emotional place, treasured people and activities of belonging? How do your experiences in various locations contribute to your understanding of yourselves, of others, of the world? 1st, 2nd, and 3rd spaces, (4th?) places in cyberspace; the liminal, the marginal and the central; thresholds, edges and centers. Insiders, outsiders, strangers and friends. …in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth!
© leahchang
Consciously connecting ourselves with all creation, recognizing and celebrating our interdependence. Recognizing the countless ways in which time and space are essential conditions in which all creation lives.
Genesis 1:1-2 In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.Water is the primordial substance of being, the womb of all creation, the fundamental stuff of our rebirth and continued aliveness. Water is the physical substance of our baptism.
Baptized into the Christ Event of God's supreme self-revelation in measurable, definable space and time, we become prophet, priests and sovereigns, in stewardship of creation and of all life. Baptism engulfs us in God's creative power of death and resurrection, identifying us with this planet's history and with Jesus Christ.
Consider our relationship to the elements of air, earth and fire…
Galatians 3:28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus…The waters of baptism form a border and boundary between our old, disconnected, alienated existence and our new life in the community that is the Body of the Crucified and Risen Christ.
We are the body, the corpus, of Christ! Corporate Identity [package]: our logo, our résumé, our curriculum vitae, where we've been, what we've learned, what we live for and die for…who are we? Baptism transforms us from lone, solitary individuals into a position of particularity within the gathered body of Christ. Each of us brings a special history along with unique gifts and perspectives for contribution and service within church and world.
Who is this Lord of the Church, this Jesus? Consider Jesus' relationship to creation, Jesus' stewardship of all life.
Next week:
2. Spaces, places, locations…
Where is home for you? Geographical origins, a more recent physical place or town, an emotional place, treasured people and activities of belonging? How do your experiences in various locations contribute to your understanding of yourselves, of others, of the world? 1st, 2nd, and 3rd spaces, (4th?) places in cyberspace; the liminal, the marginal and the central; thresholds, edges and centers. Insiders, outsiders, strangers and friends. …in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth!
© leahchang
Sunday, August 02, 2009
summer conversations 2009
description:
Four casual events bringing together the countless faith life connections! Participate in one, all four, in two or in three. As we explore and consider aspects of living together as a pentecostal community in the power of the Holy Spirit, discussions will particularly focus on the identity of Jesus Christ as Lord of the Church and our identity in Christ as the Church.
Topics may include: baptism as a countercultural event; boundaries and borders; centers, thresholds and edges of spaces and places around us and beyond us; Holy Communion as a welcome table of justice and reconciliation for all creation.
Location: Church Library
Days and dates: Thursdays August 6, 13, 20, 27
Time: 4-5 PM
Facilitator: Leah Chang
Teachers and learners: everyone
A Pentecostal community: Time of the Spirit; Season of the Church
1. A baptized community: Water and the Word
The living waters of baptism are border and boundary between our old, disconnected, alienated existence and our new life in the community that is the Body of the Crucified and Risen Christ.
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus…
Who is this Lord of the Church, this Jesus?
2. Spaces, places, locations…
1st, 2nd, and 3rd spaces, (4th?) places in cyberspace; the liminal, the marginal and the central; thresholds, edges and centers
…in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth!
Insiders, outsiders, strangers and friends
Who is this Lord of the Church, this Jesus?
3. Jesus, Us, Culture, Counterculture
God beyond time and space became incarnate for us in Jesus of Nazareth, lived among us and shared our human experience.
We’re coming to the edge, running on the water, coming through the fog, your sons and daughters. Let the river run, let all the dreamers wake the nation. Come, the New Jerusalem.
Who is this Lord of the Church, this Jesus?
4. A Eucharistic community: the Welcome Table
An inclusive meal as well as a feast of justice and righteousness accomplished on earth for all creation.
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Then I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem…
Who is this Lord of the Church, this Jesus?
© leah chang 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
summer conversations
Proposal:A Pentecostal community: Time of the Spirit; Season of the Church
Four casual events bringing together the countless faith - life connections! Participate in one, all four, in two or in three.
1. A baptized community: Water and the Word
The living waters of baptism are border and boundary between our old, disconnected, alienated existence and our new life in the community that is the Body of the Crucified and Risen Christ.
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus…
Who is this Lord of the Church, this Jesus?
2. Spaces, places, locations…
1st, 2nd, and 3rd spaces, (4th?) places in cyberspace; the liminal, the marginal and the central; thresholds, edges and centers
…in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth!
Insiders, outsiders, strangers and friends
Who is this Lord of the Church, this Jesus?
3. Jesus, Us, Culture, Counterculture
God beyond time and space became incarnate for us in Jesus of Nazareth, lived among us and shared our human experience.
We’re coming to the edge, running on the water, coming through the fog, your sons and daughters. Let the river run, let all the dreamers wake the nation. Come, the New Jerusalem.
Who is this Lord of the Church, this Jesus?
4. A Eucharistic community: the Welcome Table
An inclusive meal as well as a feast of justice and righteousness accomplished on earth for all creation.
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Then I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem…
Who is this Lord of the Church, this Jesus?
© leah chang 2009
Thursday, January 08, 2009
These Are The Words!!!!!
"Doing The Word" - a.k.a. The Mount Sinai Event
Study Scripture: Exodus 19:1 - 25:9
Study Scripture: Exodus 19:1 - 25:9
- "Eagles' Wings": Exodus 19:1-6
- The Lord in the cloud
- The Commandments and the Ordinances: Exodus 20-23
- Book of the Covenant; Blood of the Covenant: Exodus 24:3 - 25:9
- God among us! Sanctuary, Tabernacle and Jesus!
- Doing The Word, "Performing the Scriptures": The Word made Flesh
1 Walter Brueggemann, Biblical Perspectives on Evangelism: Living in a Three-Storied Universe. Nashville, Abington Press, 1993, page 74."Torah" means the entire written and cherished normative memory of the community, all the lore and narrative and poetry and song and old liturgy that had formed and shaped and authorized the imagination of the community. In rabbinic sources, moreover, it is later urged that there is also an "oral" torah alongside what is written. The reference to "law" smacks of a Christian stereotype of Judaism which grossly misrepresents it. The mistaken stereotype entails two severe costs. On the one hand, it does a disservice to Jews and Jewish practice. On the other hand, it cuts Christians off from the vitality and dynamic of the torah enterprise which could make a positive difference to us Christians.1
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Paul of Tarsus notes
For Christians, Paul/Saul of Tarsus is a character of biblical proportions! He indisputably wrote 7 epistles, probably sometime between 50 and 60 CE: 1 Thessalonians; Galatians; Philippians; 1 and 2 Corinthians; Philemon and Romans. Paul's theology influenced 2 Thessalonians, Ephesians and Colossians, all 3 authored around 90 or 100 CE. In addition, the chronologically later letter to the Hebrews (circa 90 CE) bears unmistakable marks of Pauline theology and Christology. However, scholars today generally do not consider the pastoral epistles traditionally attributed to him as genuine Paul. 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus (possibly from as late as 125 CE) are socially very conservative, with language and content that at times directly contradicts what we find in the authentic letters. Particularly since the Reformation of the 16th century, most Christians are "Pauline" Christians at least to as great an extent they are Jesus Christians!
In their work on multicultural evangelism, Latino theologians Justo Gonzalez and Miguel De La Torre both point out Paul's name didn't "change" from Saul to Paul upon his conversion to Christianity but rather Saul was Paul and Paul was Saul - and Saul/Paul concurrently with "Saul" and "Paul" probably had at least two or three other names.
Since we're studying biblical personalities, here's a little about the apostle Paul: we know from reading Paul's undisputed letters and from the book of Acts that Paul was multicultural - Roman, Greek and Hebrew/Jewish, which made him sensitive and responsive to the differences between cultures, and also aware that the Church would take differing expressions in different places. From the epistles we know how strongly Paul ran with his convictions, never backing down and always telling his readers and his listeners about the life-changing power of the Gospel and especially about the weakness of the Cross of Calvary that is human foolishness and divine wisdom. Paul was far more theologian than biblical scholar or scriptorian, though only Romans, which essentially is his systematic theology, has much of what anyone would consider "system!" Lots of detours and many ramblings are hallmarks of his correspondence. There's some thought the author of Luke/Acts was Paul's amanuensis.
Acts 4:32-37
32Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. 33With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. 35They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”). 37He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Acts 9:26-27
26When he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. 27But Barnabas took him, brought him to the apostles, and described for them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.
Acts 11:19-30
19Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, and they spoke the word to no one except Jews. 20But among them were some men of Cyprus and Cyrene who, on coming to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists also, proclaiming the Lord Jesus. 21The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number became believers and turned to the Lord. 22News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion; 24for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were brought to the Lord. 25Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for an entire year they met with the church and taught a great many people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called “Christians.”
27At that time prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine over all the world; and this took place during the reign of Claudius. 29The disciples determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers living in Judea; 30this they did, sending it to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.
Acts 15:36-41
36After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Come, let us return and visit the believers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. 38But Paul decided not to take with them one who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not accompanied them in the work. 39The disagreement became so sharp that they parted company; Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. 40But Paul chose Silas and set out, the believers commending him to the grace of the Lord. 41He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
In their work on multicultural evangelism, Latino theologians Justo Gonzalez and Miguel De La Torre both point out Paul's name didn't "change" from Saul to Paul upon his conversion to Christianity but rather Saul was Paul and Paul was Saul - and Saul/Paul concurrently with "Saul" and "Paul" probably had at least two or three other names.
Since we're studying biblical personalities, here's a little about the apostle Paul: we know from reading Paul's undisputed letters and from the book of Acts that Paul was multicultural - Roman, Greek and Hebrew/Jewish, which made him sensitive and responsive to the differences between cultures, and also aware that the Church would take differing expressions in different places. From the epistles we know how strongly Paul ran with his convictions, never backing down and always telling his readers and his listeners about the life-changing power of the Gospel and especially about the weakness of the Cross of Calvary that is human foolishness and divine wisdom. Paul was far more theologian than biblical scholar or scriptorian, though only Romans, which essentially is his systematic theology, has much of what anyone would consider "system!" Lots of detours and many ramblings are hallmarks of his correspondence. There's some thought the author of Luke/Acts was Paul's amanuensis.
Acts 4:32-37
32Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. 33With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. 35They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”). 37He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Acts 9:26-27
26When he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. 27But Barnabas took him, brought him to the apostles, and described for them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.
Acts 11:19-30
19Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, and they spoke the word to no one except Jews. 20But among them were some men of Cyprus and Cyrene who, on coming to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists also, proclaiming the Lord Jesus. 21The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number became believers and turned to the Lord. 22News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion; 24for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were brought to the Lord. 25Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for an entire year they met with the church and taught a great many people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called “Christians.”
27At that time prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine over all the world; and this took place during the reign of Claudius. 29The disciples determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers living in Judea; 30this they did, sending it to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.
Acts 15:36-41
36After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Come, let us return and visit the believers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. 38But Paul decided not to take with them one who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not accompanied them in the work. 39The disagreement became so sharp that they parted company; Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. 40But Paul chose Silas and set out, the believers commending him to the grace of the Lord. 41He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
imaging and enacting heaven on earth
A single Sunday morning worship service, preferably no later than 10:00, probably would help encourage inquiring newcomers to return and also benefit those of us who like to attend adult bible study. To get my own bias out of the way, despite my preference for musically blended worship I detest most 19th century hymnody, which is what usually happens at the traditional end of most blended worship, so unless we're having a dollop of North German baroque along with some harmonically discordant, rhythmically asymmetrical 20th-21st century music that sounds very unlike many people's idea of conventional church music, I'm cool with mostly praise music.
However, my primary concern is that we at Old Condo Shadows and in all churches offer public worship that reflects and embodies God's incarnation and Self-giving in Jesus Christ, which clearly happens whenever we celebrate a baptism or the Lord's Supper, but it also becomes possible with a carefully constructed order of worship sourced from scripture and history—including our own history here on this mesa.
As Christians, God's people in Jesus Christ, each Sunday is a day of resurrection, a time especially to remember who we are, Whose we are and Who has called us by retelling and re-enacting the meta-narratives of redemption, of deliverance from death to life in the Exodus and Passion/Easter stories within the context of public Lord's day worship; in these stories we find healing memory and discover hope for a free future. As we invite our neighbors and other people who don't have much church experience, we're hoping to meet and to reach them where they are and speak in a language they'll understand, which can be a precarious endeavor. But did God ever call the people of God to live in ways congruent with their local cultures? Or in a radically culturally incongruent, actually counter-cultural manner? Are we presenting inquiring newcomers with a choice, a real alternative to costly and deathly consumerism and related excesses? Are we telling and showing the world something very different from anything they've previously experienced? Do we dare imagine we can domesticate the wildness of Jesus? For sure it is about the ways our lives demonstrate faithfulness and obedience to the God Who covenants with us in Jesus, but it is equally about how together we worship the Crucified and Risen One, and it may require some explanation and interpretation, not only for so-called outsiders but also reminders for the insiders among us. It is strange; in many ways it is wholly "other than", this reality of a people (us!) who already have experienced their first death and their second birth, this reality of seemingly regular, ordinary, everyday people who follow a crucified outcast, trusting the God Whose ultimate word is resurrection from the dead.
I'm asking questions rather than offering answers, and I'll conclude by asking if our presence in our neighbors' lives and in the world beyond this corner of Paradise can be partly in our own world, partly in our neighbors', and wholly in the sovereignty of heaven? Can our Sunday worship reflect such a way of life? There are no easy, instant answers, and we'll need to anticipate a lot more changes as the months unfold.
However, my primary concern is that we at Old Condo Shadows and in all churches offer public worship that reflects and embodies God's incarnation and Self-giving in Jesus Christ, which clearly happens whenever we celebrate a baptism or the Lord's Supper, but it also becomes possible with a carefully constructed order of worship sourced from scripture and history—including our own history here on this mesa.
As Christians, God's people in Jesus Christ, each Sunday is a day of resurrection, a time especially to remember who we are, Whose we are and Who has called us by retelling and re-enacting the meta-narratives of redemption, of deliverance from death to life in the Exodus and Passion/Easter stories within the context of public Lord's day worship; in these stories we find healing memory and discover hope for a free future. As we invite our neighbors and other people who don't have much church experience, we're hoping to meet and to reach them where they are and speak in a language they'll understand, which can be a precarious endeavor. But did God ever call the people of God to live in ways congruent with their local cultures? Or in a radically culturally incongruent, actually counter-cultural manner? Are we presenting inquiring newcomers with a choice, a real alternative to costly and deathly consumerism and related excesses? Are we telling and showing the world something very different from anything they've previously experienced? Do we dare imagine we can domesticate the wildness of Jesus? For sure it is about the ways our lives demonstrate faithfulness and obedience to the God Who covenants with us in Jesus, but it is equally about how together we worship the Crucified and Risen One, and it may require some explanation and interpretation, not only for so-called outsiders but also reminders for the insiders among us. It is strange; in many ways it is wholly "other than", this reality of a people (us!) who already have experienced their first death and their second birth, this reality of seemingly regular, ordinary, everyday people who follow a crucified outcast, trusting the God Whose ultimate word is resurrection from the dead.
I'm asking questions rather than offering answers, and I'll conclude by asking if our presence in our neighbors' lives and in the world beyond this corner of Paradise can be partly in our own world, partly in our neighbors', and wholly in the sovereignty of heaven? Can our Sunday worship reflect such a way of life? There are no easy, instant answers, and we'll need to anticipate a lot more changes as the months unfold.
Friday, December 14, 2007
God Among Us discussion 04
I've posted the first three classes in this series on desert spirit's fire; this last class is a review and roundup, so I'm posting it here.
Advent 1: Historical Witness – Creation and Prophets
Advent 2: Historical Witness – Jesus Christ
Advent 3: Liturgy, Word, Sacrament
Advent 4: Contemporary Witness – us and our neighbors
Backtrack
Abraham, Jesus, us—from the other side of the dominant social and economic culture of consumerism and exorbitant consumption; from the other side of death…alive in Jesus Christ!
2 Samuel 7:5-6 "I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling.'"
John 1:14 And the word became flesh and tabernacled, pitched a tent among us...
Creation
Genesis 1:1 - 2:4 God creates humanity in a multifaceted Image of the Divine; God's attributes and our attributes include holiness, justice, righteousness, servanthood and creativity. Yahweh's specialty was constant, unmediated presence with creation. How about us?
Acts 1:1-8 …they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" He replied… "you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
RCL Advent 3A: Matthew 11:2-11 "Are you the one who is to come?" "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk…and the poor have good news brought to them…"
Historical and contemporary
Exodus 5:1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'Let my people go, so that they may celebrate a festival to me in the wilderness.'" The church gathers as the community that already has experienced its first death and second birth, fully alive under the subversive Lordship of Jesus Christ and called to live in a radically culturally incongruent, actually counter-cultural manner. An individual becomes a person by becoming embedded in a textured, connected, interwoven history of shared experiences and different viewpoints; there is no other way to create a humanly connected sense of your own identity, form memories and become part of history. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are cosmic events in each of our lives and part of our transformation from individual into person.
In worship, especially when we celebrate the sacraments, we anticipate, celebrate and commemorate and carry with us a microcosm of a redeemed world, a living and a life-giving memory of Jesus. In us, Jesus again becomes alive in the world and we offer the world a living connection to the heaven of God's Reign here on earth.
Liturgy, time; Sacraments, space and matter
Liturgy - Holy Time: remembering Whose we are! Who has called us! We recall, retell and re-enact our corporate and individual histories of the journey from death into life.
Sacraments - Holy Place and Holy Stuff—sacred creation: re-membering who we are! The person and communities God has called and enabled us to be and to do.
Corporate Identity Package; God's call to us
We are the body, corpus, of Christ! Each of us is a member of the body of Christ. Jesus Christ incarnate, re-enfleshed in us. Corporate Identity [package]: our logo, our résumé, our curriculum vitae, detailing where we've been, what we've learned, what we live for and die for...who are we? In Christ, we have experienced our second birth and our first death. We live under the reign of life rather than in the enslavement, the subjugation of death.
Baptism: primal experience, water, womb;
Romans 6:3-10
Eucharist: we find sacred memory and discover hope for a free future in the meta-narratives of redemption, of deliverance from death to life in the Exodus and Passion/Easter stories. Theologian Jürgen Moltmann describes baptism as "sign, witness, representation and illumination of the Christ Event," and we can claim the same about the Eucharist. We know Jesus Christ as sovereign, prophet and priest; baptized, we participate in that royal, prophetic priesthood. In the Eucharist, the church in every place and every time blesses and reintegrates all creation in every place and time.
1 Corinthians 11:23-28
Liturgy: holy time - remembering Whose we are
Sacraments: holy space - re-membering who we are
Time and space are the conditions in which all creation lives. Living within the cycle of the liturgical year as it replicates the history of God and the people of God and celebrating the sacraments within that context helps refocus time and space as the necessary environment of God's revelation to us as human creations. How does the Divine Presence enter our lives in decayables such as human speech, grain, grape, memory and music?
Neighbors, co-workers, family, assorted "others"
Jesus' presence in our lives often becomes a two-way street in which we are both guests and hosts to each other; they are guest and host to us, also. Our experiences? Do we need to be open, or does God open our eyes in surprise? Both/and, maybe?
Living on the limen, the threshold
Can our presence in the world and in our neighborhoods be a liminal, in the process of becoming, though not-quite-yet one? Partly in our own world and way, partly in theirs, and wholly in the sovereignty of heaven?
© leah chang
Advent 1: Historical Witness – Creation and Prophets
Advent 2: Historical Witness – Jesus Christ
Advent 3: Liturgy, Word, Sacrament
Advent 4: Contemporary Witness – us and our neighbors
Backtrack
Abraham, Jesus, us—from the other side of the dominant social and economic culture of consumerism and exorbitant consumption; from the other side of death…alive in Jesus Christ!
2 Samuel 7:5-6 "I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling.'"
John 1:14 And the word became flesh and tabernacled, pitched a tent among us...
Creation
Genesis 1:1 - 2:4 God creates humanity in a multifaceted Image of the Divine; God's attributes and our attributes include holiness, justice, righteousness, servanthood and creativity. Yahweh's specialty was constant, unmediated presence with creation. How about us?
Acts 1:1-8 …they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" He replied… "you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
RCL Advent 3A: Matthew 11:2-11 "Are you the one who is to come?" "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk…and the poor have good news brought to them…"
Historical and contemporary
Exodus 5:1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'Let my people go, so that they may celebrate a festival to me in the wilderness.'" The church gathers as the community that already has experienced its first death and second birth, fully alive under the subversive Lordship of Jesus Christ and called to live in a radically culturally incongruent, actually counter-cultural manner. An individual becomes a person by becoming embedded in a textured, connected, interwoven history of shared experiences and different viewpoints; there is no other way to create a humanly connected sense of your own identity, form memories and become part of history. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are cosmic events in each of our lives and part of our transformation from individual into person.
In worship, especially when we celebrate the sacraments, we anticipate, celebrate and commemorate and carry with us a microcosm of a redeemed world, a living and a life-giving memory of Jesus. In us, Jesus again becomes alive in the world and we offer the world a living connection to the heaven of God's Reign here on earth.
Liturgy, time; Sacraments, space and matter
Liturgy - Holy Time: remembering Whose we are! Who has called us! We recall, retell and re-enact our corporate and individual histories of the journey from death into life.
Sacraments - Holy Place and Holy Stuff—sacred creation: re-membering who we are! The person and communities God has called and enabled us to be and to do.
Corporate Identity Package; God's call to us
We are the body, corpus, of Christ! Each of us is a member of the body of Christ. Jesus Christ incarnate, re-enfleshed in us. Corporate Identity [package]: our logo, our résumé, our curriculum vitae, detailing where we've been, what we've learned, what we live for and die for...who are we? In Christ, we have experienced our second birth and our first death. We live under the reign of life rather than in the enslavement, the subjugation of death.
Baptism: primal experience, water, womb;
Romans 6:3-10
Eucharist: we find sacred memory and discover hope for a free future in the meta-narratives of redemption, of deliverance from death to life in the Exodus and Passion/Easter stories. Theologian Jürgen Moltmann describes baptism as "sign, witness, representation and illumination of the Christ Event," and we can claim the same about the Eucharist. We know Jesus Christ as sovereign, prophet and priest; baptized, we participate in that royal, prophetic priesthood. In the Eucharist, the church in every place and every time blesses and reintegrates all creation in every place and time.
1 Corinthians 11:23-28
Liturgy: holy time - remembering Whose we are
Sacraments: holy space - re-membering who we are
Time and space are the conditions in which all creation lives. Living within the cycle of the liturgical year as it replicates the history of God and the people of God and celebrating the sacraments within that context helps refocus time and space as the necessary environment of God's revelation to us as human creations. How does the Divine Presence enter our lives in decayables such as human speech, grain, grape, memory and music?
Neighbors, co-workers, family, assorted "others"
Jesus' presence in our lives often becomes a two-way street in which we are both guests and hosts to each other; they are guest and host to us, also. Our experiences? Do we need to be open, or does God open our eyes in surprise? Both/and, maybe?
Living on the limen, the threshold
Can our presence in the world and in our neighborhoods be a liminal, in the process of becoming, though not-quite-yet one? Partly in our own world and way, partly in theirs, and wholly in the sovereignty of heaven?
© leah chang
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Called into Faithful Community
I found yet another Bible study handout from several years ago; I've included just a few of the texts here, since most are very familiar and you easily can check out the rest from your own Bible or online. Notice I'm not even compulsively linking to the texts! Notice, too, at the end I've cited the basic source I developed this from.
Called into Faithful Community | Living as Exodus People
Wordspeak:
* Called
* Faithful
* Community
* Living Exodus
* People
Scripture:
* Genesis 1:1 - 2:4 - Creator of All
* Genesis 6:1 - 9:17 - Keeper of Covenant
* Deuteronomy 4:32-38 - Lord of History
* Leviticus 19:1-18; 25:1-55 - Designer of Community
* Deuteronomy 6:1-25 - God of All
Genesis 1:1 - 2:4 - Creator of All
Not only does God create everything; God also provides for the environment all creation needs to live faithfully and fully. God creates humanity in the Image of the Divine - Imago Dei; in Genesis 2:3 we encounter the Bible's first use of the word "holy."
Genesis 6:1 - 9:17 - Keeper of Covenant
Our God Who freely and faithfully covenants with us, the People of God
And Leviticus 25 is the Jubilee text! As well as isntructions for redemption of land, real property and chattel. "Jubilee" so points to Jesus' establishing the Sovereignty of God, Kingdom of Heaven, Reign of God - whatever expression you prefer - and, of course, the Reign of Christ is the fulness of God's reign and the fulness of Jubilee.
Ideas source, etc.
The Bible Speaks: Old Testament, Unit 1: The Shaping of a Faith Community
© 1998, Curriculum Publishing PC(USA), Louisville, Kentucky
Called into Faithful Community | Living as Exodus People
Wordspeak:
* Called
* Faithful
* Community
* Living Exodus
* People
Scripture:
* Genesis 1:1 - 2:4 - Creator of All
* Genesis 6:1 - 9:17 - Keeper of Covenant
* Deuteronomy 4:32-38 - Lord of History
* Leviticus 19:1-18; 25:1-55 - Designer of Community
* Deuteronomy 6:1-25 - God of All
Genesis 1:1 - 2:4 - Creator of All
Not only does God create everything; God also provides for the environment all creation needs to live faithfully and fully. God creates humanity in the Image of the Divine - Imago Dei; in Genesis 2:3 we encounter the Bible's first use of the word "holy."
Genesis 2...holy time, in which all of us live and which is essential for everyone.
3 So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.
Genesis 6:1 - 9:17 - Keeper of Covenant
Our God Who freely and faithfully covenants with us, the People of God
Genesis 6But what is the nature of covenant? What other covenants are in the Bible? Try tracing them!
18 But I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 And of every living thing, of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.
Genesis 8
1 But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and all the domestic animals that were with him in the ark.
Genesis 9
8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 ‘As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.’ 12 God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.’ 17 od said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.’
Deuteronomy 4:32-38 - Lord of HistoryLeviticus 19:1-18; 25:1-55 - Designer of Community
32 For ask now about former ages, long before your own, ever since the day that God created human beings on the earth; ask from one end of heaven to the other: has anything so great as this ever happened or has its like ever been heard of? 33 Has any people ever heard the voice of a god speaking out of a fire, as you have heard, and lived? 3 4Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by terrifying displays of power, as the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? 35 To you it was shown so that you would acknowledge that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him. 36 From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, while you heard his words coming out of the fire.
37 And because he loved your ancestors, he chose their descendants after them. He brought you out of Egypt with his own presence, by his great power, 38 driving out before you nations greater and mightier than yourselves, to bring you in, giving you their land for a possession, as it is still today. 39 So acknowledge today and take to heart that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. 40 Keep his statutes and his commandments, which I am commanding you today for your own well-being and that of your descendants after you, so that you may long remain in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for all time.
Leviticus 19The rest of this chapter are ordinances for ordering and living within a just and righteous society, with "I am the Lord" or "I am the Lord your God" following each declaration; this section includes giving of the Ten Commandments.
1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
And Leviticus 25 is the Jubilee text! As well as isntructions for redemption of land, real property and chattel. "Jubilee" so points to Jesus' establishing the Sovereignty of God, Kingdom of Heaven, Reign of God - whatever expression you prefer - and, of course, the Reign of Christ is the fulness of God's reign and the fulness of Jubilee.
Leviticus 25Deuteronomy 6:1-25 - God of All
1 The Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying: 2 Speak to the people of Israel and say to them: When you enter the land that I am giving you, the land shall observe a sabbath for the Lord. 3 For six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather in their yield; 4 but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of complete rest for the land, a sabbath for the Lord: you shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard. 5 You shall not reap the aftergrowth of your harvest or gather the grapes of your unpruned vine: it shall be a year of complete rest for the land. 6 You may eat what the land yields during its sabbath—you, your male and female slaves, your hired and your bound labourers who live with you; 7 for your livestock also, and for the wild animals in your land all its yield shall be for food.
8 You shall count off seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the period of seven weeks of years gives forty-nine years. 9 Then you shall have the trumpet sounded loud; on the tenth day of the seventh month—on the day of atonement—you shall have the trumpet sounded throughout all your land. 10 And you shall hallow the fiftieth year and you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you: you shall return, every one of you, to your property and every one of you to your family. 11 That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you: you shall not sow, or reap the aftergrowth, or harvest the unpruned vines. 12 For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you: you shall eat only what the field itself produces. ...
... I am the Lord your God.
Deuteronomy 6"Into the land" is the deuteronomic historian's (Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings) constant refrain; it clearly shows God's Jubilee passion for the total and complete needs of creation, which supremely includes physical and temporal sustenance as well as spiritual.
1 Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the ordinances—that the Lord your God charged me to teach you to observe in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy, 2 so that you and your children and your children’s children may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life, and keep all his decrees and his commandments that I am commanding you, so that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you.
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. 6 Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. 7 Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, 9 and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Ideas source, etc.
The Bible Speaks: Old Testament, Unit 1: The Shaping of a Faith Community
© 1998, Curriculum Publishing PC(USA), Louisville, Kentucky
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