Read More. Easter Day: All Things Are Made New: a service of light with Holy Communion. Later, at work, Anna sat down with me in the lunchroom to explain that their pastor had explained to them that he suspected that I didnt believe that God sent Jesus to die for my sins. The BASILEIA ton THEON may not yet be the world we live in, but the BASILEIA ton THEON is already here. Home becomes a tomb when flexibility vanishes, awareness contracts and adventure disappears. Today, in the midst of colossal violence, it is long past time for us to see beyond our conditioning about what to believe about resurrection so that we can focus our attention on practicing resurrection. You are still in your sins, and those who have fallen asleep in Christ are the deadest of the dead. The followers of Jesus stood up and got on with the business which was begun by Jesus. We take wine and drink, as Jesus invited his friends to drink, Surely, Jesus cant be pointing to the GREAT I AM, the MYSTERY which we call GOD and saying that GOD is a fool. What matters is that LOVE rises. Sign up for an account and get your newsletters right away! Jesus vision of the BASILEIA ton THEON, the Empire of DIVINITY, is not the world we live in. Think about it, Jesus cant have being trying to teach us that the DIVINE MYSTERY was a reckless fool. Then he said to them, Today, in your hearing, this scripture passage is fulfilled. (Luke 4:14-21). The Apostle Paul wrote: We who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. When followers of Jesus in the first century and in the twenty-first century talk about the resurrection of Christ, we are proclaiming that death did not have the last word in the Jesus story because his followers were raised up to be his body right here, right now. Faced with the needs of so very many, what can I do? O God, let us take in the moment of this day of crucifixion, not remembering it in the context of what came after it, but how it left Jesus' disciples and followers in tragic sadness and heart-wrenched disillusionment. When I arrived, the place was empty, and I thought I was going to make a clean get-away. //jQuery('#submit-action').attr('href','/paupress/?rel=pauContent&pau_type='+thisact); The trouble is, we all live in the 21st century and we know that the definition of what it means to be human that these stories rely upon no longer rings true. (LogOut/ And count the countless aeons in the banding of the stone. My words are not up to the task of describing CHRIST weeping in this way. Anyone among you, those who aspires to greatness must serve the rest; whoever wants to rank first among you must serve the needs of all. We can wrap our heads around GOD embodied in a shepherd, and even GOD embodied as the woman who losses her coin. Today, when science confirms that humans did not rise out of the Earth fully formed, but are continuing to evolve, surely today we can metanoia, think beyond the primitive, childish notions of original sin, and begin to see humanity as an incomplete, ever- evolving species which runs the very real risk of extinction if we dont move beyond the myth of redemptive violence. *Easter Peace Beloved in Christ, God's love pours out from the grave of despair. Years ago, a good many years ago in fact, when my life as an adult had only just begun, I was backpacking around Europe, and I began to hear people talk about the land of the mid-night sun. He . Somehow, the flight of the billionaire Bezos phallic Blue Horizon thrusting its five privileged passengers across our screens will capture more attention from those of us who are wealthy enough to own screens, than the roughly one and a half billion men, women, and children who are consigned to live in poverty. And star differs from star in brightness. 4810 Pt. I was unbeatable. Maybe Jesus was wrong about justice as the only way to peace. Infused, inspired, and incarnating as CHRISTs body, as LOVE here and now in this place and in this time, we are anointed to this bring Good News to the poor and to free the captives! Thats the loop which has been playing round and round in me, all week long. jQuery.noConflict(); Now let us greet one another: I honor the Divinity Within you Namaste Peace. Little did I know that in 1977 it would take me almost three days to travel the more than 1,000 km; a trip which included disembarking over and over again to lend a hand to the conductors as we worked together to clear the tracks of snow. But when we begin to see the DIVINE MYSTERY, the CREATOR of the Cosmos, and try to imagine the ONE WHICH IS the GREAT I AM, WHO I AM, I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE, YAHWEHas so much more than a person, well the idea of a shepherd, or a woman, or even the father who loses his son, these mere personifications begin to lose their ability to symbolize the MYSTERY. Now, the dingy wasnt totally inflated on account of the leak that it had sprung the day before. Make them the food and drink of everlasting life, [After the Lords Prayer, the ministers and other worship leaders break the bread and place the pieces in baskets or on plates for distribution. It is as the renewed, redeemed, enlivened people of God I expect people to act. (LogOut/ Well, with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek let me blame it on a dog. Give us today our daily bread. Our focus upon preserving the church gets in the way of our rebirth! Thats why, as we explore the meaning of [], John van de Laar2023-02-22T21:50:58+02:00Feb 22nd, 2023|0 Comments, John van de Laar2023-02-22T21:48:30+02:00Feb 22nd, 2023|0 Comments, John van de Laar2023-02-22T21:46:03+02:00Feb 22nd, 2023|0 Comments, By admin|2023-02-06T21:10:20+02:00Feb 6th, 2023|Categories: Lectionary Resources, Year A|, 02 April 2023 And so Holy Week begins! The apartment manager got out some WD40. The question of a physical body makes no sense to the ancients. Easter is the eternal moment that supersedes all time;the vision that puts into perspective all visionless living. Bert Polman (bdp5@calvin.edu) is a hymnologist who is a professor and chair of the music department at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Imagining the horizons of my ancient ancestors, I could see in my minds eye a familiar worldview, a three-tiered universe, complete with an omnipotent god smiling and then frowning down at me. Others stretched the wings of their spirituality and flew off into the magic darkness joyfully singing: All will be well and all manner of things shall be well! (Julian of Norwich). For Paul, Jesus was not God but a human in which God was revealed. In the Liturgy of the Hours, the Church fulfills Jesus' command to "pray always" (Luke 18:1; see also 1 Thessalonians 5:17). Think for a moment. 1 0 obj Crystal sobbed. Because when you look at the shepherd, the woman, and the father in these parables, they come do come off as reckless fools, unless they are risking all that they have for the sake of something worth risking everything for. It can be deadly. by demonstrating this power of life, love and being. Crystal cried out, Mommy Im stuck. Or study cells, or living things, seek truth with open hand. See if you can pick them out. The Bread of Life and the Cup of the Covenant: Gifts to unite the Body of Christ. thanksgiving prayers Do you still have a hold of that candy? Mmm humm. When all the rhetoric is said, and done, I lean in close to the beloved ones who have gathered, and I proclaim the same truth which Paul proclaimed, and the science of REALITY confirms to us: Listen, I will tell you a mystery! Alleluia! Excuse me if I sound a little too indignant but jockeying for a seat during a global pandemic is more than a little tone deaf, when according to the United Nations, yet another 150 million or so people will be plunged into poverty this year, swelling the ranks of the global poor to over one and a half-billion people, over half of which are children. We lift them up to God. There is so much more we can do and offer our readership with your support! *Leader: Grace be to you and peace, from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of kings on earth. You are the Cup of Blessing. Repent from the Greek word metanoia to think new thoughts. I mean, like, its common sense. On this the Feast Day of Saint Francis, an evening prayer service with texts from St. Francis. The proud questioned your power, devised your death. View the full Transfiguration Worship Video below, Yes! Paralyzed by their fear, hiding behind a locked door, something happened which gave them the strength to burst forth from their own tomb and change the world. United States But let me assure you that you are looking at someone who used to be a champion wrestler. I affirm the resurrection each and every time I look into your eyes and see the face of CHRIST.. All week long, I have been emersed in the anonymous gospel-storyteller we know as Lukes account of Jesus first sermon, in which Jesus declares that he has been anointed to bring Good News, and it wasnt until my own frozen epiphany set me to dancing on ice that I actually noticed that part of the Good News of which Jesus speaks involves the proclamation of liberty to those held captive! Listen to the way the anonymous gospel-storyteller recounts Jesus words: Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and his reputation spread throughout the region. Resist with reckless abandon, our fear of the very passions which flow from the LOVE which is the MYSTERY which allures us onto the pathways of justice and peace. The numbers, they are staggering. At this point, we would do well to remember that CHRIST is not Jesus last name. read more Progressive Christian Lent Course 2015 healed those who believed in him, received all who sought him. Communion is a ritual that draws us into a longing for God's justice to find its place on earth. Surly, even Putin will come to his senses. Michael first walks the reader through the theological shifts that are necessitating changes to liturgical, group, and personal prayer and then demonstrates how these major shifts can be incorporated into a new template for meaningful . It wasnt about believing in resurrection it was about practicing resurrection. Robert Solon Jr. Not if it means risking all that we have for the sake of Jesus vision of peace through justice. But there are times. It was written by Gord Waldie. That is the gospel, the message that I preached to you. Not all bodies are the same! In the past he was patient and overlooked peoples sins; but in the present time he deals with their sins, in order to demonstrate his righteousness. Lectionary, study and worship resources from Faith Futures Jesus Then & Now. jQuery('#submit-action').click(); So, let us begin with our own lives, our own daily challenges, let us strip ourselves of our own entanglements with violence. I stomped my feet upon the ice in a vain gesture of defiance until my stomping evolved into a dance of freedom, as I gleefully celebrated our liberation from the captivity of a three-tiered universe. Psalm 25:1-10. Pinging is currently not allowed. Worship Resources by Lisa Frenz, Mt. And now let us recite a creed, that is, an affirmation of faith, based on a contemporary view of Christianity: We believe in God, the power of life, love and being, We believe in Jesus, who revealed the good news. You can also find "Affirmations of Faith" by clicking on Affirmation of faith in the list of "Labels" at the lower right side of the page. Strip away our biased convictions so that through our selfless giving we can gaze clearly on your vision for our lives. Lets extend our hands over one another for a final blessing: May you have the power to live life fully. May your love be shared amongst us as we enjoy the gift of fellowship. Leader: For Christ indeed has been raised from the dead [here the minister lifts the elements], the First-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. When I think about the churchs practice of public confession, I can see how desperately I have been holding on to candies that no longer satisfy my need for forgiveness. Resurrection is beauty appreciated, love shared, justice implemented. Give us the gifts of this holy communion , [This triple blessing and sending/commissioning may be delivered by three different voices.]. It can all tend to become a nice "show" or a good academic exercise, but with little impact on us as we seek to follow this Jesus. With open minds and hearts, may the God-in-us find generous and courageous expression in our words and actions as we endeavor to make the presence of God evident in our world. I know it is much easier to poke fun at billionaires and lay the blame for suffering at the feet of self-serving fools. Second Sunday of Advent. Many Christians understand the sacrament of Holy Communion as a means of grace that nourishes and strengthens our faith for life and ministry in the world. Share as a whole group some responses: What do you know about the life of Jesus that sheds some light on who and what the MYSTERY that we call God is? Adventure disappears on a dog of despair a longing for God & x27., with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek let me assure you you. Round in me, all week long cant have being trying to teach us the. Resources from Faith Futures Jesus then & amp ; now of another fallen asleep in are... 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