Episode 56: Stretching the God Box or Lent 4A
Opening Music: Your God Is Too Small excerpt from a sermon by Kyle Idleman
For Sunday, March 30, 2014
For more great cartoons like the one used in this episode check out David Hayward at http://nakedpastor.com/
Episode 56
Welcome to the Pulpit Fiction Podcast, where two local pastors discuss the lectionary reading for the week.
We’re gonna need a bigger box...
This is episode 56 for Sunday March 30, the fourth week of Lent year A.
John 9: 1-41- Jesus: Sinner or Prophet?
Psalm 23 - The Lord is My Shepherd
Sponsorship
This Episode is brought to you by Diann Bailey! Diann donated and issued the following NPR-esque challenge: if there are 8 more donors of any size before March 31st, she will double my donation to be the tenth donor!
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Check-in
- Fred Phelps and Westboro Baptist Church
- Shout out to Schaumburg High School. Played Justin Bieber’s “Baby Baby Baby” in hallways until school raised $1000 for St. Baldricks. Then had a pep rally, where about 50 kids shaved their heads in solidarity. They raised over $100,000.
- Psalm 23 Immersion - three great songs
Primary Scripture - John 9: 1-41- Jesus: Sinner or Prophet?
- Initial thoughts
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- Not about the healing but the response to the healing
- Why do we feel the need to condemn or explain away that which we cannot control
- Blindness
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- What does it mean to be blind?
- “What is it like to hear color?” by Neil Harbisson
- Sensitivity to those born blind or who are going blind
- What does it mean to be blind?
- Not about the healing but the response to the healing
- Bible Study
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- The Blind Man
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- Jesus approaches him (like the woman at the well)
- Like both Nicodemus and the Woman at the well goes through a transformative experience (Karoline Lewis, Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary - Feasting on the Word – Year A, Volume 2: Lent through Eastertide):
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- v.11 “the man called Jesus”
- v.17 “he is a prophet”
- v.33 “from God”
- v.38 “Lord...worshipped him”
- v.11 “the man called Jesus”
- v. 37 - seeing and hearing. Interesting as “seeing” is part of his new life and “hearing” is part of his old - it is in both seeing and hearing that he recognizes Jesus
- Jesus approaches him (like the woman at the well)
- Man’s blindness
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- Not about sin, about God at work within the Man’s Blindness
- Instead of a curse his blindness is seen as a blessing - a chance to see God’s work
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- Jesus is responding to the Pharisees who seem to be looking for an excuse not to help or serve the blind man
- Jesus’s response is not about explaining the blindness away or telling the blind man to be blessed in his blindness, but to include the blind man within the realm of God’s blessing
- Jesus is responding to the Pharisees who seem to be looking for an excuse not to help or serve the blind man
- Jesus does not explain the blindness in terms of “sin”
- How do we justify not helping our neighbors? In what ways do we “explain” poverty, isolation, addiction simply as “their” problem and not our responsibility?
- Not about sin, about God at work within the Man’s Blindness
- Rejection of the healed man
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- Nothing worse than someone we have condemned being redeemed
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- Why is this?
- Why is this?
- Everyone rejects him
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- Community
- Religious authorities
- Family
- Community
- Response
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- Reject: Fear, Anger, Derision, God-limiting
- Accept: Wonder, humility, God-expanding
- Reject: Fear, Anger, Derision, God-limiting
- Nothing worse than someone we have condemned being redeemed
- Providence of God
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- “[N]ot a Christian explanation of history, nor is it a compelling rational answer to and explanation of the horrors of the twentieth century. Providence is a confession by those who are given the eyes of faith that in particular events God works in, around, through those things that oppose God, to accomplish God's purposes.” ~ George W. Stroup, Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary - Feasting on the Word – Year A, Volume 2: Lent through Eastertide.
- “[N]ot a Christian explanation of history, nor is it a compelling rational answer to and explanation of the horrors of the twentieth century. Providence is a confession by those who are given the eyes of faith that in particular events God works in, around, through those things that oppose God, to accomplish God's purposes.” ~ George W. Stroup, Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary - Feasting on the Word – Year A, Volume 2: Lent through Eastertide.
- Our Theology Box- Is our God too small?
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- How do we continue to explore God , but remain open to the mystery that is God?
- The Pharisees force God into their theological box of faithfulness and sinfulness
- How often do we force people into our theological boxes?
- Do we promote a creative theology or a static theology?
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- How? What do we convey in worship? Prayer? Song? Look?
- How? What do we convey in worship? Prayer? Song? Look?
- It is about Orthodoxy, Orthopraxis or about simply showing up and being part of the community?
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- Holding one another responsible
- Not about being poor or rich, being a drug addict or a suburban soccer dad, about acknowledging our own blindness and seeing one another a fellow children of God.
- Holding one another responsible
- How do we continue to explore God , but remain open to the mystery that is God?
- The Blind Man
- Preaching Thoughts and Questions:
-
- How do we justify not helping our neighbors? In what ways do we “explain” poverty, isolation, addiction simply as “their” problem and not our responsibility?
- How often do we force people into our theological boxes?
- Do we promote a creative theology or a static theology?
-
- How? What do we convey in worship? Prayer? Song? Look?
- How? What do we convey in worship? Prayer? Song? Look?
- It is about Orthodoxy, Orthopraxis or about simply showing up and being part of the community?
- How do we justify not helping our neighbors? In what ways do we “explain” poverty, isolation, addiction simply as “their” problem and not our responsibility?
click the above link for lyrics and more of Richard’s great music!
Secondary scripture - Psalm 23 - The Lord is My Shepherd
- Initial thoughts
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- Check out Joan Stott’s Timeless Psalms (and from 2011)
- “So, I’ve never heard this passage before in my life,” said almost no one.
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- According to Wikipedia, quoted in Titanic, Deep Blue Sea, We Were Soldiers, Van Helsing, Lost, Terminator: Salvation, The Book of Eli, True Grit, and War Horse.
- According to Wikipedia, quoted in Titanic, Deep Blue Sea, We Were Soldiers, Van Helsing, Lost, Terminator: Salvation, The Book of Eli, True Grit, and War Horse.
- Use Common English - important translation issues and the newness of it will wake people out of “Oh, I’ve heard this already.”
- Check out Joan Stott’s Timeless Psalms (and from 2011)
- Bible Study
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- Psalm of Assurance and Trust.
- Joan Stott points to three aspects of God: Shepherd, Comforter, Host.
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- Shepherd is strong, and gives us courage
- In the call to worship she writes, “in life’s complex mix, your loving arms are always open to us. We come with our fears and anxiety quietened, because you are always with us.”
- God’s generosity and hospitality is radical and remarkable.
- Shepherd is strong, and gives us courage
- Clint McCann includes Psalm 23 in his book Great Psalms of the Bible.
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- Often considered “Funeral Psalm”
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- Not a funeral Psalm in history, or in other cultures. American churches and pop culture have put it into the realm of funerals.
- Actually “it is as much about life and living as it is about death and dying.” (Great Psalms of the Bible, McCann, p 45).
- Not a funeral Psalm in history, or in other cultures. American churches and pop culture have put it into the realm of funerals.
- Shepherd metaphor is often heard as a distinctly political metaphor.
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- King David is the shepherd King. The Lord is my Shepherd can be seen as a cry that “You [whichever corrupt political leader is in power right now] aren’t my shepherd”
- Green pasture imply food for all, no one goes wanting.
- Cup overflowing implies need to share.
- Not a call to arms, but to peacemaking at the table.
- Rest in God provides security and peace: “The grateful acceptance of God’s gift of life is the foundation of genuine security” (McCann, p. 52)
- King David is the shepherd King. The Lord is my Shepherd can be seen as a cry that “You [whichever corrupt political leader is in power right now] aren’t my shepherd”
- Often considered “Funeral Psalm”
- Table for One
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- What if the table is for one?
- What does it mean to be at the table with your enemies?
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- "Every time we try to draw a line between us and others, Jesus is on the other side." Nadia Bolz-Weber
- "Every time we try to draw a line between us and others, Jesus is on the other side." Nadia Bolz-Weber
- “Goodness and Mercy pursue me.”
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- Pursue, not follow. Pursuit is active, stalking. It is the same word as is used when enemies pursue.
- There is an edge to the pursuit of God, and sometimes, only when we pause long enough to take a deep breath may that mercy catch up to us.
- Pursue, not follow. Pursuit is active, stalking. It is the same word as is used when enemies pursue.
- What if the table is for one?
- Psalm of Assurance and Trust.
- Preaching Thoughts and Questions:
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- How can Scripture be used as a comfort, guide, and friend. How can familiar be a danger, lose the edge of a poem and relegate it to “special occasions.”
- Where are your green pastures? When can you take the time to lie down?
- Take the darkest valley seriously. God’s presence is there.
- How can Scripture be used as a comfort, guide, and friend. How can familiar be a danger, lose the edge of a poem and relegate it to “special occasions.”
Psalm Song - “My Love Is My Shepherd” by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan
click the above link for lyrics and more of Richard’s great music!
Quick Thoughts on the other Scripture:
1 Samuel 16:1-13
- Samuel grieving over failure of Saul
- Anointing of David, the youngest of Jesse’s sons, to be the next king.
- When is it time to do a new thing?
- How do we grieve the passing of one era to the next?
- Do all things in the light
- Be children of the light, no longer living in darkness
- Truth is the light.
- “But everything exposed to the light is revealed by the light. Everything that is revealed by the light is light”
CLOSING
Shout outs:
- Suz Cate- Wants Psalm 121 at her funeral instead of Psalm 23. Recommends “Don’t Swing for the Fences” by Daniel Darling from the Christianity Today Leadership Journal about preaching and “mountaintop experiences”
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- Best line: "Sanctification is slow-cooked and not microwaved."
- Best thought: "The exposure of our people to faithful preaching of the Word over a lifetime of ordinary sermons will have a deeper and more lasting impact than that one emotional Sunday."
- Best line: "Sanctification is slow-cooked and not microwaved."
Our featured musician for Lent is Richard Bruxvoort Colligan, we played his song “My Love is My Shepherd" which is based on Psalm 23 from his album Sharing the Road, vol. 1 of the Psalms Project.
You can find out more about Richard’s music at worldmaking.net
Our theme music is Misirlou by Dick Dale and the Del Tones and our closing music is “Oh No” by Paul & Storm.
Feedback:
- Show notes, links to resources we mentioned, older episodes, and other resources can be found at Pulpitfiction.us
- You can support this Podcast by going to pulpit fiction.us and clicking on the Donate link. Your donation helps offset the cost of the show and enables us to improve the show! Also, if you donate before March 31, then Diann Bailey will double her donation! Thank you Diann and Thank YOU for your support!