Words Twice a Week 4.22
If you are more into listening than reading, Words Twice a Week is available, along with other good stuff, as a podcast from St Paul’s Episcopal Church. Click here.
A thought from Frederick Buechner for EarthDay – Ok, I give up. This is really frustrating. There was this nice piece from Frederick Buechner about how “The Environment” is such a lame word for what something that is really our mother as we are born and our home as we are buried. Something like that. But I can’t find it. I think maybe I included it in one of these posts, but I skimmed through all the way to last Nov and didn’t find it. Oh well. Happy Earth Day. Calls to mind a really nice song by Tom Chapin. Here’s a link. It’s off the Billy the Squid album. Here’s a link to that song.
Some thoughts on some of the scripture lessons for Sunday, Fourth of Easter
Acts 4.5-12
+ So Peter and John healed/saved a man who was lame and Peter explained it to the crowds. That was last week’s lesson. This upset the authorities and ended up with Peter and John being arrested. So now Peter explains to the authorities.
+ Note that he uses some of the same ideas as with the crowd – “you killed Jesus; God raised him.” Is this sharper because they are in fact the religious leaders/authorities? Note there is no suggestion that they acted in ignorance, as there was with the crowd.
+ the power of names in the ancient world. Where do we see the power of a name today? How did you get your name? If you could choose a name, what would it be? I did have a childhood friend who changed his name, but I guess I’m not really sure why. Anyway, Peter (and Luke) say that in Jesus God has given us a name we can use to access the divine presence, perhaps the divine power?
+ Peter asks, “Are we being questioned for doing a good deed? Like giving a bottle of water to someone standing in line to vote? Or is there something else behind all this?”
+ and here is a question – what is it that disturbs the authorities? Is it that Peter and John healed a man? Or is it that they are claiming the resurrection is real? Note that the resurrection shifts the balance of power towards the believers and away from the authorities/leaders. Does this seem like it might be a problem?
Psalm 23
+ have you memorized it? Consciously or unconsciously?
+ 2 possible structures, not necessarily contradictory
vs1-4 God as shepherd in time of threat; vs5-6 security in the worshiping community
+ “shepherd” in ancient Israel could also refer to the king, who was to take care of the people. So the image is both pastoral and political. Where do you see each theme in the psalm?
+ “I fear no evil for you are with me” echoes back “Fear not I am with you” (Is 43.5)
+ vs4-6 Life is ultimately good, secure, though with times of trouble.
1 John 3.16-24
+ in the scheme of the whole message, we shift from “avoiding sin” to “we should love each other”
+ True love is love in action. “True love may be done but left unspoken, but it certainly is not spoken but left undone.” What do you think – can love be done but left unspoken?
+ vs19-22 This just seems a little confused – one writer sums it up “the life of faith is not without dilemmas of conscience.”
+ that we should believe in his name and love one another. What does “believing in his name” mean to you?
John 10.11-18
+ vs1-10 is about shepherds, sheep, gates, strangers, thieves.
+ the good shepherd (as opposed to the hired hand) cares for the sheep, even at the cost of his own life. When do we act like a good shepherd, when do we act like a hired hand?
+ and this just occurred to me – why doesn’t the “ph” sound like “f”? Because it’s two different syllables?
+ the good shepherd lays down his life and takes it back for the good of the sheep. The text does not glorify powerlessness, vulnerability, or self-sacrifice for their own sake, but always for the well being of the sheep. Power and freedom are not inherently bad – the issue is always devotion to the well-being of others. Being like Christ means giving the self in service, whatever that entails. It might means using the gifts you have been given rather than simply enjoying them yourself, or ignoring them. What gifts/skills do you have that could be employed for the well-being of others? Is that happening? Because of something within you or some external issue?
+ “one flock” – because there is one shepherd, not because we are all alike. Who are other flocks like yours; who are other flocks different from yours? How does that work out?
+ the sheep and the shepherd know each other. How well do the sheep know each other? Is that important?
+ “other sheep, flocks” – could be 1) the Gentiles, 2) other “denominations”, even in the early church, 3) future believers – you and me!
+ Jesus was free and obedient. Ok – it’s a mystery, a paradox! When, where do you experience freedom, when are you obedient?
+ vs18 – just another reminder, in John no one takes Jesus’ life from him, he lays it down, and takes it up (like his clothes at the footwashing event in John 13!) for the sheep.
Comments are moderated – by me – and may take a day to appear
No comments:
Post a Comment