Month: March 2018
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Good Friday
Today, the second day of the Triduum, Christians all over the world are remembering and ritually observing the event of Jesus’ passion. It’s “passion” in the sense of suffering, unto death, related to the Greek notion of pathos, rather than “passion” in the more contemporary sense of strong emotion or enthusiasm, as in “shopping is […]
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion (Luke 24 1-35)
The Uniform Series text for Sunday, April 1 is Luke 24:1-12 and 30-35, which is Luke’s account of the discovery of the empty tomb, and the conclusion of the narrative of the “walk to Emmaus.” These are some questions that we might want to consider in class …
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Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday is the first day of the liturgical event known as the Triduum, the “three days” that lead up to Easter. The name “Maundy” Thursday comes from the Latin mandatum, mandate or commandment, a reference to Jesus’ words in John 13:34, I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as […]
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Notes on Luke 24 1-11
The Uniform Series or “Standard Lesson” text for Sunday, April 1 – April Fool’s Day, and Easter Sunday – is Luke 24:1-12, 30-35. This spans much of “the Easter Story” as told by Luke, but leaves out Jesus’ final appearance to the disciples and Jesus’ ascension in vv 36-53. (This makes liturgical sense at least, […]
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Palm/Passion Sunday
This morning in class we focused on worship in 2 Chronicles 7:12-22, and asked what difference it makes who or what the object of our worship is. What difference does it make whether we worship this or that deity? Why does the God of Israel make such a big deal out of who the Israelites […]
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion (2 Chronicles 7 12-22)
The text we’re studying for Sunday, March 25 is 2 Chronicles 7:12-22. Here are some questions it might or might not be helpful to consider in class: God (YHWH) appears to Solomon at night – possibly in a dream or “vision of the night.” What would be our response to an appearance from God? Why?
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Just Say No More
Noticed in today’s reading: “Nor shall you accept ransom for one who has fled to a city of refuge, enabling the fugitive to return to live in the land before the death of the high priest. You shall not pollute the land in which you live; for blood pollutes the land, and no expiation can […]
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More on “Tradition in Action”
Notes on Awake to the Moment1, “Tradition in Action” (69-104): The second chapter of Awake to the Moment discusses Christian “tradition” as a resource for constructive theology. What most readers probably think of as tradition, “sets of shared meanings and practices that repeat, or have continuity with, the past” poses both “problems and possibilities” for […]
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Exegetical Exercise (2 Chronicles 7 12-22)
The Uniform Series text for Sunday, March 25 (Palm Sunday, already!) is 2 Chronicles 7:12-22. Here are my notes on the text: This text is one long speech by God – the Holy One. It follows Solomon’s prayer and the narrative of the dedication of the Temple, which began in chapter 5 and winds up […]
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Happy Hawaiian Shirt Day!
Once upon a time, where I used to work, we celebrated the official arrival of Spring every year with Hawaiian Shirt Day. This was in Chicago, so there was a good chance we’d be wearing our Hawaiian shirts to work under our anoraks. But it didn’t matter, because we knew we’d turned the corner. From […]
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Fifth Sunday in Lent
We spent some time in Sunday school this morning considering the meaning of worship for us in connection with the text of 2 Chronicles 7. We thought some about the meaning of numbers, specifically the extravagantly large numbers of sacrifices in 2 Chronicles 7, wondering whether what we were supposed to think in our own […]
Matters of Interpretation 