Reading Plan Text for April 1: John 7:11-18
And there was considerable complaining about him among the crowds. (7:12)
Peace,
Jeffri
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Bible Study With The Bishops: Doing It Differently
Reading Plan Text for March 31: John 7:1-10
We return to seeing Jesus interacting with members of his family--and with similar results to the first time at the Wedding at Cana. His brothers urge him to go the the Succoth festivities, and he refuses. His response to them echoes his response to his mother at the wedding feast:
Is this an instance of God's time is not our time? Or is he just being ornery, like some bishops we know of? And just what is his agenda in making his visit to Judea this way?
Of course, John--and we as his readers--know what the agenda is. Jesus is headed to his encounter with the cross, and before he gets there, he must teach as much as possible. He must teach so that many lives will be transformed before, during, and after.
As I looked at this passage, that trite question,which was so popular a couple of years ago, especially in Evangelical circles, popped into my head. It was symbolized on bracelets and elsewhere by the initials WWJD. What Would Jesus Do? The implication of the question is that everything we do should be considered in terms of what Jesus would have done when faced with a similar situation. An acquaintance of mine eventually started responding to people who asked--or confronted him with--WWJD by very calmly saying, "Jesus would die on the cross for us." That usually shut people up long enough for him to make his escape from the conversation.
A flip answer to an annoying question, but a truthful answer. But there is more to it than that. Most of the folks who asked the world "What would Jesus do?" were viewing the world from a very black/white, good/bad, yes/no perspective of a particular understanding of the bible. Frankly, I think they would be very surprised by what Jesus would actually do. Over and over again in the Gospels he is shown doing the unexpected. He turns the world upside down and backwards. He brings about the opportunity for transformation by showing a radically new perspective on the world around us and on ourselves.
Teach, feed, listen and learn.
And that, my friends, is what Jesus DID!
Peace,
Jeffri
We return to seeing Jesus interacting with members of his family--and with similar results to the first time at the Wedding at Cana. His brothers urge him to go the the Succoth festivities, and he refuses. His response to them echoes his response to his mother at the wedding feast:
My time has not yet come.But like he did in Cana, he actually does what he has been urged to do. He goes to the festival in Judea, and he does it without fanfare. In fact, this time he takes it even further by going "in secret."
Is this an instance of God's time is not our time? Or is he just being ornery, like some bishops we know of? And just what is his agenda in making his visit to Judea this way?
Of course, John--and we as his readers--know what the agenda is. Jesus is headed to his encounter with the cross, and before he gets there, he must teach as much as possible. He must teach so that many lives will be transformed before, during, and after.
As I looked at this passage, that trite question,which was so popular a couple of years ago, especially in Evangelical circles, popped into my head. It was symbolized on bracelets and elsewhere by the initials WWJD. What Would Jesus Do? The implication of the question is that everything we do should be considered in terms of what Jesus would have done when faced with a similar situation. An acquaintance of mine eventually started responding to people who asked--or confronted him with--WWJD by very calmly saying, "Jesus would die on the cross for us." That usually shut people up long enough for him to make his escape from the conversation.
A flip answer to an annoying question, but a truthful answer. But there is more to it than that. Most of the folks who asked the world "What would Jesus do?" were viewing the world from a very black/white, good/bad, yes/no perspective of a particular understanding of the bible. Frankly, I think they would be very surprised by what Jesus would actually do. Over and over again in the Gospels he is shown doing the unexpected. He turns the world upside down and backwards. He brings about the opportunity for transformation by showing a radically new perspective on the world around us and on ourselves.
Teach, feed, listen and learn.
And that, my friends, is what Jesus DID!
Peace,
Jeffri
Looking Ahead
I am writing from Vancouver, British Columbia where I am participating in the Start Up! Start Over! as part of my new job. Some of this work will be part of what I do going forward, but probably not all of it. However, my new boss as of April 7, Suzanne Watson (Director of the Evangelism and Congregational Life Center), felt that it would be a good opportunity for me to meet some of the folks involved in this work.
I left New York this morning after having spent two and a half days looking at the future of the new Center and of my parish. Thursday and Friday most of the soon to be Evangelism and Congregational Life staff went on a two day retreat at Stony Point. Mostly, it was a chance to get to know each other, but we did do some looking at the future of our work. I was not looking forward to the Scenario Planning work, because of my previous experience with it when I worked in a corporate setting.
That time the group I was in came up with a scenario that was presented with a poster that read "Will The Last Person Out Please Turn Out The Lights." Within five years the part of the organization for which I worked no longer existed.
The experience at Stony Point was very different. We worked through the process in small groups and as a whole group, and then four groups developed scenarios based on that work. We actually approached the assignment of writing a newspaper article describing the result of the 10 year scenario we developed. Our headline read
We had fun with the project. Will the scenario we developed inform our work as we move forward? Mostly in the fact that we are moving forward. As a group we began to pull away from our focus on the upheaval of the reorganization. That doesn't mean we won't be frustrated, mystified, and confused by what's going on at present. Only that we can see that it is possible to move forward.
Yesterday morning I spent nearly four hours at a meeting of parish leadership. This group has been looking at the future of our parish, which has become a small church over the last 10 years. Most of the meeting was frustrating and painful to participate in. But we finally named the elephant in the living room. The majority of the parishioners do not want to change the church. They are happy with it the way it is, but where does that leave the handful of us who envision a very different church?
Then we started to tell stories. Why are we at Grace Episcopal Church? What keeps us here? What would drive us out? What were our hopes and dreams? A new picture began to emerge. We need to stop trying to "fix" a church that doesn't want to be "fixed," because there isn't anything wrong with it. Instead, the smaller group at yesterday's meeting realized that we needed to minister to the parish where they were and figure out what things we could do that would feed and nurture us and our ministries. For the first time there was a concrete sense of hope in this small group. We have even begun an outreach project we believe will make a difference in the greater Norwalk community.
Pray for us.
Tomorrow morning I will immerse myself in the work of renewing churches and learning new things for my new position and my new/old parish.
Peace,
Jeffri
I left New York this morning after having spent two and a half days looking at the future of the new Center and of my parish. Thursday and Friday most of the soon to be Evangelism and Congregational Life staff went on a two day retreat at Stony Point. Mostly, it was a chance to get to know each other, but we did do some looking at the future of our work. I was not looking forward to the Scenario Planning work, because of my previous experience with it when I worked in a corporate setting.
That time the group I was in came up with a scenario that was presented with a poster that read "Will The Last Person Out Please Turn Out The Lights." Within five years the part of the organization for which I worked no longer existed.
The experience at Stony Point was very different. We worked through the process in small groups and as a whole group, and then four groups developed scenarios based on that work. We actually approached the assignment of writing a newspaper article describing the result of the 10 year scenario we developed. Our headline read
Episcopal Church Loses Tax-Exempt Statuswhich we saw as being the result of the church's work against isolationist policies of the government. We pictured the church as being vibrant and not needing tax-exempt donations to be fully self-sufficient. We even created a sidebar in which one of the members of our group was in prison for protesting against President Chelsea Clinton's tax policies at the George W. Bush Friendship Wall in San Antonio (the wall built along the border to stop illegal immigrants from crossing).
We had fun with the project. Will the scenario we developed inform our work as we move forward? Mostly in the fact that we are moving forward. As a group we began to pull away from our focus on the upheaval of the reorganization. That doesn't mean we won't be frustrated, mystified, and confused by what's going on at present. Only that we can see that it is possible to move forward.
Yesterday morning I spent nearly four hours at a meeting of parish leadership. This group has been looking at the future of our parish, which has become a small church over the last 10 years. Most of the meeting was frustrating and painful to participate in. But we finally named the elephant in the living room. The majority of the parishioners do not want to change the church. They are happy with it the way it is, but where does that leave the handful of us who envision a very different church?
Then we started to tell stories. Why are we at Grace Episcopal Church? What keeps us here? What would drive us out? What were our hopes and dreams? A new picture began to emerge. We need to stop trying to "fix" a church that doesn't want to be "fixed," because there isn't anything wrong with it. Instead, the smaller group at yesterday's meeting realized that we needed to minister to the parish where they were and figure out what things we could do that would feed and nurture us and our ministries. For the first time there was a concrete sense of hope in this small group. We have even begun an outreach project we believe will make a difference in the greater Norwalk community.
Pray for us.
Tomorrow morning I will immerse myself in the work of renewing churches and learning new things for my new position and my new/old parish.
Peace,
Jeffri
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Bible Study With The Bishops: We're Outta Here!
Reading Plan Text for March 28: John 6: 59-71
I'm posting two of these tonight. The Evangelism and Congregational Life staff will be on an overnight retreat tomorrow through Friday, and I will not have computer access tomorrow night.
I've been working through John's Gospel for a month, and there are almost three-and-a-half months to go with the Reading Plan. I know that these posts aren't always deep thoughts or great theology. They are one person's initial reactions after having spent a few minutes with both the Gospel passage and Burridge's commentary. They are intended to be discussion starters.
In spite of the sparse comments on these posts, they are a good discipline for me. It means I sit down and engage in some Bible study at least five nights a week, and I write something, however brief, at least five nights a week. Even those nights when I would rather spend the time doing something else.
Still, every once in a while, some feedback would be nice.
And now for a couple of thoughts on Friday's passage.
It's not just "the Jews" who find Jesus' teaching hard to take. Many of his own followers turn back, probably returning to their homes and their old lives. When I read the passage this evening, I thought of the Parable of the Sower found in Mark's Gospel--the seeds that fell on the rocky ground. When the going gets tough, we're outta here!
I get the sense that a vast majority of his followers leave, since Jesus turns his attention only to "the twelve." Of course, other followers probably remained with Jesus, but this is his core group. He needs to know if they are with him. Peter stands in for the entire group here. They do not wish to leave; they believe.
Except for one...
Peace,
Jeffri
I'm posting two of these tonight. The Evangelism and Congregational Life staff will be on an overnight retreat tomorrow through Friday, and I will not have computer access tomorrow night.
I've been working through John's Gospel for a month, and there are almost three-and-a-half months to go with the Reading Plan. I know that these posts aren't always deep thoughts or great theology. They are one person's initial reactions after having spent a few minutes with both the Gospel passage and Burridge's commentary. They are intended to be discussion starters.
In spite of the sparse comments on these posts, they are a good discipline for me. It means I sit down and engage in some Bible study at least five nights a week, and I write something, however brief, at least five nights a week. Even those nights when I would rather spend the time doing something else.
Still, every once in a while, some feedback would be nice.
And now for a couple of thoughts on Friday's passage.
It's not just "the Jews" who find Jesus' teaching hard to take. Many of his own followers turn back, probably returning to their homes and their old lives. When I read the passage this evening, I thought of the Parable of the Sower found in Mark's Gospel--the seeds that fell on the rocky ground. When the going gets tough, we're outta here!
I get the sense that a vast majority of his followers leave, since Jesus turns his attention only to "the twelve." Of course, other followers probably remained with Jesus, but this is his core group. He needs to know if they are with him. Peter stands in for the entire group here. They do not wish to leave; they believe.
Except for one...
Peace,
Jeffri
Bible Study With The Bishops: Eating Flesh And Blood
Reading Plan Text for March 27: John 6: 51-58
There is a family story about two siblings of my mother's generation. The elder was being confirmed, and the family decided that the younger should be as well. Since they younger had not been baptized, both rites were conducted on the same day as the elder's confirmation. When the two youngsters received communion, the younger became quite ill. The image of the bread and wine as the body and blood of Christ was too real for the younger sibling.
In this passage we see John the Mystic at work. Burridge does an excellent job of working through the layers and layers of meaning.
We also see Jesus pushing the envelope in ways not seen in the Synoptic Gospels, at least not this early in the story. Is it any wonder that "the Jews then disputed among themselves"? (Burridge points out that the Greek word actually means "fought".) In spite of several strains of Jewish Mysticism, it serves John's purpose to make those disputing with Jesus pretty literal minded.
Peace,
Jeffri
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Bible Study With The Bishops: Grumbling
Reading Plan Text for March 26: John 6: 41-51
Jesus has really put his foot in it this time. His claim that "I am the bread that came down from heaven" has riled many who heard it. They being to "grumble and complain" because he made this statement. They do not see beyond what they already know, that Jesus is a "local boy" known in the community. How then can he make this claim?
This passage is basically a continuation of the "Bread of Life" discourse, but the phrase "grumble and complain" really jumped out at me. There has been a lot of grumbling and complaining in my life lately, and I've been responsible for some of it. As I've been saying here over the past couple of days, change is hard. And most of us react to it by grumbling and complaining.
I've really tried not to complain too much, but for some reason, people seem to congregate around my cubicle for discussions. And lately, most of the discussions around the office have been about the reorganization. Often, I just ignore the conversation. Other times I find that I have to get up and leave my desk. And sometimes, I get sucked into the conversation. It is hard to stay out of the grumbling and stay focused on the positive aspects of the process. Some days I have more success than others.
At least in this situation it is only my work life that is being changed. The crowd in today's Gospel passage is being asked to change what amounts to their whole world view. It takes time to make the shift, and grumbling is part of the process.
Peace,
Jeffri
Jesus has really put his foot in it this time. His claim that "I am the bread that came down from heaven" has riled many who heard it. They being to "grumble and complain" because he made this statement. They do not see beyond what they already know, that Jesus is a "local boy" known in the community. How then can he make this claim?
This passage is basically a continuation of the "Bread of Life" discourse, but the phrase "grumble and complain" really jumped out at me. There has been a lot of grumbling and complaining in my life lately, and I've been responsible for some of it. As I've been saying here over the past couple of days, change is hard. And most of us react to it by grumbling and complaining.
I've really tried not to complain too much, but for some reason, people seem to congregate around my cubicle for discussions. And lately, most of the discussions around the office have been about the reorganization. Often, I just ignore the conversation. Other times I find that I have to get up and leave my desk. And sometimes, I get sucked into the conversation. It is hard to stay out of the grumbling and stay focused on the positive aspects of the process. Some days I have more success than others.
At least in this situation it is only my work life that is being changed. The crowd in today's Gospel passage is being asked to change what amounts to their whole world view. It takes time to make the shift, and grumbling is part of the process.
Peace,
Jeffri
Monday, March 24, 2008
Bible Study With The Bishops: The First I Am
Reading Plan Text for March 25: John 6:35-40
John gave the church seven of its most enduring images of Jesus:
Four of these images relate to agriculture and animal husbandry. In an increasingly urban society, these images become less and less "real" to us. They become familiar phrases, but like "the Good Samaritan," we no longer fully understand what is meant by them. Even our modern agriculture has become highly specialized and mechanized.
If John were writing today, what images might he use? The Oil Barrel of Life? The CEO (there is a book Jesus CEO written by a business consultant)? The True Corporation?
Talk about cognitive dissonance! Yet the people who heard the originals probably had similar reactions to our reading the ones in the previous paragraph. John's Jesus took images and phrases as familiar to the Jews as the Good Samaritan is to us, like the bread of life, and turned them on their ear.
Jesus often asks us to look at the familiar with new eyes. By doing that, he calls us to change our perceptions, change our actions, change our lives, and change the world. We are not comfortable with change, even when we initiate it. Change is unpredictable. It leads to new things.
To new life.
Peace,
Jeffri
John gave the church seven of its most enduring images of Jesus:
- The Bread of Life
- The Light of the World
- The Gate (of the sheepfold)
- The Good Shepherd
- The Resurrection and Life
- The Way, Truth and Life
- The True Vine
Four of these images relate to agriculture and animal husbandry. In an increasingly urban society, these images become less and less "real" to us. They become familiar phrases, but like "the Good Samaritan," we no longer fully understand what is meant by them. Even our modern agriculture has become highly specialized and mechanized.
If John were writing today, what images might he use? The Oil Barrel of Life? The CEO (there is a book Jesus CEO written by a business consultant)? The True Corporation?
Talk about cognitive dissonance! Yet the people who heard the originals probably had similar reactions to our reading the ones in the previous paragraph. John's Jesus took images and phrases as familiar to the Jews as the Good Samaritan is to us, like the bread of life, and turned them on their ear.
Jesus often asks us to look at the familiar with new eyes. By doing that, he calls us to change our perceptions, change our actions, change our lives, and change the world. We are not comfortable with change, even when we initiate it. Change is unpredictable. It leads to new things.
To new life.
Peace,
Jeffri
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