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QUEST OF QUESTIONING - from Sunday, April 23, 2017

4/24/2017

Misunderstanding happens all the time. Asking questions helps build understanding, particularly on matters of faith where we easily fail to recognize what God is doing. Joining "doubting Thomas" and his questioning, we learn anew that seeing is believing. And what does that mean for us in the church as contemporary witnesses to the resurrection?

The Suffering Servant imagery in Isaiah 53 (starts 52:13) is about as enigmatic and ambiguous as you'll ever find. Both celebrated and condemned, the Suffering Servant is an unknown figure who may also be a composite representative of God's people who are returning from exile and enslavement in Babylon.

It makes clear (in a muddy sort of way) that common perceptions of the Suffering Servant failed to understand God's purpose in his mission. Asking the right questions completely changed the understanding of this tragic figure.

Jesus gives a commissioning to the disciples in John 20. However, the language of the text on forgiveness is dificult. (It isn't nearly as smooth as the NIV text makes it. Check out the sermon for the real meaning that likely underlies the textual difficulty.) The emphasis is clearly on forgiveness, that this is a priority for the disciples' Kingdom work.

Questions come to the fore anew as Thomas has expressed his doubt about the other disciples' report of Jesus' appearance to them in his absence. "I'll believe it when I see it," Thomas flatly asserts. He gets quite a response about a week later when Jesus suddenly appears again to answer his doubts.

Thomas came to believe as Jesus erased his doubts. However, he had the opportunity to enciounter Jesus, something that won't be available to those who doubt going forward.

That leaves us with our question for today as we seek to be faithful witnesses to the resurrection. Find out where this takes us in the sermon video and downloads below.

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WHOM DO YOU SEEK? - from Easter Sunday, April 16, 2017

4/17/2017

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The stone is rolled away to reveal the empty tomb of Easter morning. Jesus is not there. Yes, death cannot hold him, but where did he go? The angel asks Mary and us: Whom do you seek?

There are several unique characteristics to the gospel of John's portrayal of the empty tomb discovery. Unsurprisingly, the John editor points out that it's "still dark," fittingly continuing at the end story the light-dark interplay that started in the gospel's opening. Mary is identified as from Magdala, from Galilee, and Mary appears to travel to the tomb alone. (This seems odd in itself, and gets compromised when she reports to the disciples "... and we don't know where they have put him.")

With John's penchant for drawn out stories, this one follows suit, involving lots of movement back and forth, mysterious signs, confusion, mis-identification, and ultimately disclosure about the true nature of Jesus.

Yes, we eventually have Jesus revealed, but it isn't the same Jesus that the disciples knew before. Everything has changed, including Jesus. There is some action on Jesus' part that requires him to disclose himself in order to be recognized. We find this same thing happening in the story on the Emmaus Road in Luke 24. In the end, the disciples may see Jesus, but they don't ever seem to understand what's going on. Sound familiar?

Today, we come back to that empty tomb and encounter the angel's question, whom do you seek? And the original question impinges as well, where can he be found? There is an answer, and you'll find it in the sermon video below and in the downloads below the video panel.

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FAITH'S FULFILLMENT - from Sunday, April 9, 2017

4/11/2017

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Little faith is needed to attend church, or to put a check in the collection plate. Genuine faith pulls us away from comfort and security, and thrusts us into uncertainty and vulnerability, where God becomes all that's worth our trust.

We've had other servant passages in Second Isaiah. Here is another where the servant seems to have been arrested and is being held captive. Imprisoned, he is taunted, tormented and tortured. He anticipates an eventual trial, even if it is by a predictably corrupt court. Standing in his faithfulness, the servant proclaims his faith in God and challenges his accusers to dare to make a real case against him. The True Judge, the Sovereign Lord, will vindicate him, and his faithful activity will be completed as the promise of God is fulfilled.

The familiar story of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem occurs in all the gospels (however, palms only appear in John's gospel; palms are not native to Jerusalem). Matthew is concerned with portraying Jesus as a devout and faithful Jew as he writes not simply for a Jewish audience, but to justify the nascent faith to non-Jews as being more faithful to Judaism than the typical Jews!

To this end, Matthew shows self-consciously how Jesus acts to fulfill the Zechariah 9 prophecy concerning how the Messiah of God's promise will be recognized by God's people. Alerted by this clear signal, riding a donkey into the city amid the throngs of pilgrims arriving, both Jews and Romans are tipped off as well as the people who are excited by the presence of this country preacher who has come to stand with God's people.

The peoples' excitement and enthusiasm will wane quickly as they see little from Jesus that resembles their expectations of deliverance and new life from the burdens of living under Roman occupation and corrupt quislings among the Jewish leadership.

Jewish and Roman leaders will wait and see about this Jesus character, knowing little about his agenda, his ideas, or his intentions. There will be time to deal with in days ahead.

As we consider these two characters, they've extended themselves in challenging directions, propelling themselves into dangerous consequences. Faith carries them forward in their mission. Faith finds its fulfillment when God carries the faithful servant through an ordeal and into the promise of new life.

Get the whole picture with the sermon video below and downloads below the video panel.

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PROPHESY LIFE - from Sunday, April 2, 2017

4/4/2017

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Images of death haunt the scriptures - Ezekiel's valley of dry bones vision and the Lazarus story in John's gospel. There is no disputing God's agenda for life for God's people whether the death is physical or not.

Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones is really a vision of the condition of God's people under the domination of the Babylonians. It is compelling drama as the lifeless skeletal remains are transformed.

Ezekiel prophesies - uttering the command of sacred authority - and the bones begin coming together as sinews and flesh reappear. But they aren't animated. Ezekiel prophesies again, this time to the wind-breath-spirit - in Hebrew ruach which is the name for all three. Then, as ruach works, life returns. So God promises to restore life to God's people once again.

The story of raising Lazarus in John 11 is another long and winding tale.

Jesus seems ambivalent about news that Lazarus is dying, and even seems to dally so that Lazarus can die. Once news of his death arrives, then Jesus and the fearful disciples travel to his tomb.

Upon arrival, the grief and mourning are in full swing. Lazarus' sisters Mary and Martha consecutively greet him with "Lord, if only you had been here." They are certain about the irrevocable nature of their brother's death, and make pleasantries with Jesus who is trying to get their attention away from death and toward the new life that he represents.

The dread, doom, and despair that can afflict anyone is met with the power of Jesus' good news and his promise of new life. Find out how by viewing the sermon video below and the downloads below the video panel.