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The Other Advent (November 29) 2009-11-26 by Tim Norton Submit a Question | Submit an Article An interesting text to use for the first Sunday of Advent; and it reminds me that there is more than one advent story in the Bible. The Advent of the birth of Christ each year gives me pause to pray, reflect, share some peace, and practice “waiting” – something I’m not always very good at. But Jesus here tells of the “other” Advent – the time when he will return. Peaceful and reflective it is not – and not something I would relish waiting for, either. But there it is, and Jesus says get prepared and watch for it. How do I do that? Pastor, talk to me about this Advent. You know, every year in this season, we pray and sing, “Even so Lord, quickly come.” But I wonder if we really want all that that would mean to happen. “We will be changed in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye,” – do I really want that? I’ve become accustomed to this life, flawed and difficult as it is; and I believe it will be hard to “let goods and kindred go, this mortal life, also.” What Jesus describes is currently viewed as the end of the world, and that sort of prophecy foments the same fears and feelings of panic that movies such as “2012” do – if we forget that the process leads to the return of the Son of Man. Jesus tells us that it leads to our redemption. A very wise pastor told me last week, that for many people on this planet (most of whom are invisible to me), every day is the end of the world. It is for these lowly, oppressed, defeated, dehumanized children of God that Jesus will return to redeem. They are the ones invited to “rest beside the weary road to hear the angels sing.” And those of us who are able, are invited to “stand up, raise our heads,” and “prepare the way of the Lord” – that we might “stand before the Son of Man.” Maybe I’d better kneel. Comfort Amid Tension (November 29) 2009-11-23 by Winola Green Submit a Question | Submit an Article Again we deal with the end time, or rather the 2nd coming of Jesus. We see natural disasters, etc. The 2nd coming of Jesus was expected soon by the the people, before this writing and after. It is an on going theme for Christians of this day. I am often dismayed at the many predictions being made about the 2nd coming or the end of the world. I think there are so many that we become complacent. However, we need to be alert and in prayer at all times. How do we handle that tension? Pastor, speak to me here. There is comfort in the words, Heaven and earth will pass away, My words will not pass away. (Read response to Winola's question in Homiletical Hot Tub.) The King (November 22) 2009-11-20 by Andrea Hodges Submit a Question | Submit an Article What is a "king" anyway? We in America have so little contact or understanding of this notion. The closest political thing we have is a President, whom we want to "keep under control" with checks & balances. So how can Americans have any idea how to understand Jesus as their king, much less, WANT Jesus to be that king? I think it almost becomes easy for us to put this idea of "my kingdom is not of this world" off and out of our minds because, of course, we do not have any type of relationships like that in our culture. So it becomes EASY to think that Jesus's heavenly kingdom just doesn't have anything to do with our real lives! It's just something to hear about on Sunday. Pastors: How do we LIVE this on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday....??? Kingship gets in the way of our idea of "freedom." how do we reconcile the 2? Hey, there's text about "truth" this week, and a few weeks ago: "the truth will set you free.." Can you connect truth, freedom & kingship? Bless you this week, I think this is a hard one! The Gift of Free Will (November 22) 2009-11-18 by Camille Alleyne Submit a Question | Submit an Article This passage lets us listen to an interesting conversation between two leaders, one secular, Pilate and the other religious, Jesus. Pilate is charged with the responsibility of condemning Jesus and is therefore questioning him in a very straight forward way about his guilt. Jesus, on the other hand is less that straight forward. In a circuitous manner, Jesus talks about being king and his heavenly kingdom. This leads Pilate to ask Jesus, “So you are a king?”
To my mind, Pilate had the ability to choose to condemn Jesus or not to condemn him. He was looking for an answer from Jesus which would confirm Jesus's guilt, and so justify why he should condemn Jesus and yet not own up to the responsibility of having condemned him. Jesus also had the ability to choose. Should he say he is king or should he not? Jesus tosses the ball back to Pilate telling him, “You say that I am king.” Jesus provides a very spiritual discussion about being a king beyond the earthly domain, testifying to the truth and belonging to the truth. This dialog raises questions in my mind about free will and the choices we make: What if Jesus had chosen not to acknowledge his kingship? What if Pilate had not sought to establish the guilt of Jesus? How would things be different for us as Christians? In our everyday lives we very often have to exercise our free will to make choices. Our choices can affect our families, friends and communities either negatively or positively. It behooves us to be acutely aware of the power of our free will in making our decisions. Questions: Where is the kingdom of Jesus? What is truth? Whose truth? The King of Kings (November 22) 2009-11-17 by Tim Norton Submit a Question | Submit an Article I have never really understood the exchange between Jesus and Pilate in this passage from John. The other three gospels offer the same sketchy account of the trial before Pilate, but John’s gives particular detail to the questions – and there lies my confusion. It seems clear that Jesus has resigned himself to the will of the Father, that his betrayal, trial and crucifixion must take place “that the scriptures might be fulfilled”, so when Pilate asks him point blank, “Are you the King of the Jews?”, Jesus gives a vague response. Granted, he is the master at that, and proves it time and again whenever he is confronted by the so-called authorities, whether from the Roman government or the Jewish leaders. His technique of answering a question with another question seems to indicate that he is toying in a manner with his prosecutors; perhaps saying that the lessons and answers he offers are for his followers – the seekers of truth. He knows Pilate is not seeking truth, only trying to end a politically embarrassing scene. So why this response, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Obviously Pilate, a Roman governor, is only going to know about Jesus through reports from others. Is he trying to teach Pilate something here? Is he playing on the dual meaning of kingship here? For Pilate, if Jesus admits being a king, it would mean a direct challenge to the emperor, and a basis for a charge of treason. And does Pilate have any idea what Jesus means by “his kingdom”? Jesus’ answer gives reference to his kingdom not being from this world, which only further confounds Pilate’s efforts to get Jesus to incriminate himself. Instead of confirming Pilate's accusative question, Jesus simply states that the reason he came into the world was to testify to the truth. And Pilate’s final question makes it clear that the governor does not belong to the truth. This Sunday is named “Christ the King” and is the last Sunday in the liturgical year, the Sunday we celebrate the kingship of Jesus. Pastor, talk to me about the kingship of Jesus. [First Page] [Prev] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 [Next] [Last Page] Login - (This login is for administrators and bloggers. Usernames and passwords for GoodPreacher subscribers will not work here.) |
