Happy Palm Sunday! We had a beautiful service this morning with the pews and altar decorated in palm branches. Our adult choir sang a song with our kids' choir for the first time. The church was packed with members and visitors. The sermon message reminded us - God knows what he's doing. It may not of looked like it as he rode in on a dippy donkey. It sure didn't look like it as he hung up there on the cross. It didn't seem like it even after his resurrection since he still wasn't establishing the earthly kingdom his followers kept expecting.
Likewise, in our lives God knows what he's doing. It may not always look like it. But we can trust in him and his providential care. The ultimate victory has already been won! As Bonhoeffer says, "We are the church beneath the cross, that is, in disguise. Yet here as well, all we can do is realize that our kingdom, too, is not of this world."
Earlier this week I listened to the podcast for the Concordia Sunday School lesson about the Passion of Christ. You can find it here - http://issuesetc.org/2014/04/07/4-the-passion-of-christ-matthew-2711-66-pr-tom-baker-4714/ We don't use the word "passion" in our vernacular the way it's meant in regards to the "passion" of Christ and it's worth noting especially to little ones who may not be aware of the difference. Bonhoeffer does a pretty good job describing the meaning here in words like debasement, revilement, persecution, etc.
Any thoughts on the letter quoted from his fiancé? I'm not quite sure what to think of it.
It was not a traditional Palm Sunday for us. We did decorate our home with palm branches, and we gathered here with two local WELS college students as we watched a streaming online Palm Sunday service. Sunday school for our two sons around the kitchen table focused on the story of Jesus riding in to Jerusalem. This week in our nightly devotions we will walk through the events of Holy Week together. We look forward to worshipping with a larger family of believers next Sunday when we and our college student friends make the 2-hour drive to church for Easter Sunday service.
Thank you for the suggestion about the Passion podcast. I will definitely give that a listen!
I like Bonhoeffer's idea of focusing on the church walking with Jesus through the events of the week. Each of us can do this individually, but thinking of the body of believers as a whole puts a little bit different spin on it.
Like you, I found the excerpt of Maria's letter to be a little odd. I did a little sleuthing, and I think I have found the answer. Bonhoeffer was arrested on April 5th, 1943. Easter that year was on April 25th. Maria lived through that Holy Week and Easter in grief and fear, I would imagine. Fast forward to a year after Dietrich's arrest. April 5th, 1944. It is the Wednesday of Holy Week. She observes the anniversary of her husband's arrest that day. The next day she observes the "anniversary," if you will, of Jesus' arrest, followed the next day by Good Friday, his death, and then comes Easter Sunday (April 9th), Jesus' resurrection. The letter was written on Tuesday, April 11th, 1944. She gets to the 3rd page of her letter and keeps having to write it over again because she just can't describe the way she feels about how the past week has been for her. Surely she must be thinking about the possibility that Dietrich is also awaiting his unjust death at the hands of a corrupt government. I could imagine how the idea of there being parallels between her fiancé and her Savior would be "strange and fundamentally incomprehensible." What is the "immense inherent force" that is "new and great and unfathomable"? I can't be sure, but to me it's not out of the question to think that the Holy Spirit was strengthening her to be able to bear what would come in the future.
I can't even imagine. It seems to me that "meaninglessness and despair" doesn't even begin to describe it.
If we are tempted to think that we are pretty decent people, all we need to do is look at what our sins did to Jesus.
Bonhoeffer's quote about the message of the gospel being a package deal is very fitting. It reminds me of what a former pastor of ours used to say - that you can't really celebrate Easter until you've observed Good Friday. The meaning of each aspect of Christ's life, death, and resurrection depends on both of the others.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do some sleuthing into the context of Maria's letter. Does that ever shed light on the situation! The parallels and their timing to the church year is uncanny. Wow.
I can relate a bit on a personal level to your situation - living far from a church to attend. My family spent many years living in a place that didn't have an established congregation or even a mission congregation. At best, we were considered a preaching station and a pastor visited our small group on Sunday nights. We didn't have the traditional church situation, Christmas, mid-week Lenten services or Easter morning. My parents were challenged to provide this for us in our home environment and if you ask my Mom, I think she'll tell you those were the years that provided her much growth in her faith. I have many fond memories of time spent around the family table and being taught by my parents, doing liturgical themed crafts and reading Bible stories. These were days before the internet when watching a sermon or streaming a podcast wasn't available. But the Lord always provides! He's providing for you, too:)
Monday - If there were no resurrection
…there'd be no hope. I remember this being a real problem in the early church as people doubted the authenticity of the resurrection and Paul taught strongly to counter this. The whole of 1Corinthians 15 is a good read on this!
I recall a personal conversation I had with a Muslim woman who exclaimed, "Jesus isn't dead. He never died - it was just a rumour." Good heavens! In the moment I only remember saying, "you're right, he isn't dead. He rose from the dead.". I wish I had been more insightful in the moment!
"…our entire culture is also judged." A call to the urgency of getting the gospel message out there!!
Thank you for that personal note about your experience living far from an established congregation! I'd be interested to hear more about that experience. One of these days when I get a spare minute I'll send you an email about that. :)
Tuesday - The Reconciliation of the World with God
"Those who look at Jesus Christ in actuality.. can no longer see God without seeing the world, nor the human without seeing God."
2 Corinthians 5:16 - "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer." This verse is followed by a discussion (vs. 17-21) of reconciliation, what it means, where it comes from, and what it leads us to do. Beautiful!
As you now know, I like to look things up. :) So of course I looked up eccehomo. Wikipedia has it as 2 words and describes it as follows:
Ecce homo ("behold [the] man", pronounced [ˈetʃːe ˈomo] or [ˈekːe ˈhomo]) are the Latin words used by Pontius Pilate in the Vulgate translation of John 19:5, when he presents a scourged Jesus Christ, bound and crowned with thorns, to a hostile crowd shortly before his Crucifixion. The original Greek is Ἰδοὺ ὁ ἄνθρωπος (Idou ho anthrōpos). The King James Version translates the phrase into English as "Behold the man!"[John 19:5] The scene is widely depicted in Christian art.
Behold the man who looked so pathetic and powerless, but who was in the process of conquering the world in a way more powerful than anything any human being could muster!
Now my favorite part of this reading: "Not ideals, programs, not conscience, duty, responsibility, virtue, but the perfect love of God all alone can meet reality and overcome it!" Isaiah 64:6 - All our righteous acts are like filthy rags.
To add to that, "It is not a general idea of love, but the love of God really lived in Jesus Christ, that accomplishes that." This kind of love is humanly unfathomable. God himself "suffers the reality of the world in the severest way.. forgives the world its sin. This is how reconciliation takes place."
And then the reminders that God is with us and he will always be! How precious that gift of God's presence is, when we are reminded the price he paid to give that gift to us! "I will never leave you or forsake you. Why would I? I loved you so much that I lived, suffered, died and rose for you!"
Tuesday - The Reconciliation of the World with God
All the quotes you highlighted were the very ones that stood out to me too! I looked up 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 where he talks more about this reconciliation. My Concordia self-study has the note "When the Saviour died, God's justice was satisfied. His anger was appeased. God was reconciled to the whole world. This does not mean, however, that all the world has received the benefits of Christ's atoning sacrifice. The sinner enjoys peace with God only when he comes to faith."
Oh, that all the lost souls would come to this faith!
"…the love of God really lived in Jesus Christ." Jesus is love in human flesh!
And such comfort in the final words of Jesus promising to be with us. We find him present in the body and blood we receive in communion. It doesn't get more intimate or personal than that!
Holy Wednesday - Our Entire Life Depends on Easter
A rather dramatic title to today's reading but true nonetheless! I don't know that I have any insight to add but I find myself personally reflecting on past Easter celebrations. The Easters of my childhood, the different places we lived and different ways the churches we were attending celebrated. I've been south and spent Easter morning outside and I've been north where I've insisted on wearing sandals despite the frigid temps outside! I think of the Easter egg hunts, the hunts for our baskets at home, their contents, the meals my Mom would make. Now my Easters in adulthood are characterized by my role as pastor's wife, serving my congregational family in various ways and serving my own little chicks still safe in their nest of our home. In a pastor's family, the whole season of Lent culminating in Easter seems to finally end in sheer exhaustion for all of us and a desire to get out of town as fast as possible! So for me to think about all this in light of today's thoughts are needful as I can easily and predictably get overwhelmed with the tasks on my plate. To remember and reflect that "our existence would be threatened if there were no Easter" does ,indeed, put it all in perspective!
I find it REALLY odd that this reading was taken from a sermon on 1 Corinthians 14:17 of all things. The 1 Corinthians 15:20, 21 from the Scripture quoted seems more fitting.
Not thrilled about the quote from today and it's at least not from Bonhoeffer. Not sure who this woman is and I'd look her up if I didn't have to run to Costco where I seem to live lately. But anytime someone claims a divine word spoken to them not from the Word of God, I have to question the authenticity. Of course, Christ's love for us in not a hoax - I wouldn't question the truth in that! But the Word with it's gospel message will convince my soul far better than an inner voice I might have heard. And that's all I have to say about that;)
I don't have much insight or comment either from today's reading. Regarding the Scripture listed as the basis of Bonhoeffer's sermon from which our reading was quote, I think it HAS to be a misprint. It wouldn't be strange for there to be a misprint in a book that is supposed to have a daily reading for each day of Lent but is one week short, now would it? I think the sermon was most likely based on 1 Corinthians 15(not14):17 - "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. "
Hearing of how busy you are as a pastor's wife leading up to Easter makes me, in a certain sense, thankful for our situation. Even if we are not able to attend mid-week services, at least it is easier to carve out some time to meditate on Jesus' suffering and death, and to contemplate the depth of the joy of His resurrection!
I am not as skeptical as you are about Angela of Foligno's quote. It is not saying anything that would contradict Scripture, and so it certainly could have been from God. No one needs a special word from God to tell them that his love for us is not a hoax, though, and if she is trying to use that recounting of her experience to prove something to her readers, she would be better off using Scripture to do that.
One time I experienced what I believe were some words that came to my mind from God. I believe this because they did not come out of my normal thought process - they just sort of jumped into my mind VERY suddenly and clearly. They delivered a message that was consistent with Scripture. I see it as just a little gift that God chose to give me at that time, and the only purpose was to tell me he loves me. I already knew that, but like a little hug from your mom or a picture your son drew for you, it was just a little something to brighten my day.
If you're curious, here's how it went. I was standing up at communion waiting for the pastor to go down the row to give the rest of the people the wine/blood. In front of me was a painting of Jesus, bloody, carrying his cross. After I have received communion, I usually just sort of bask in the glow of God's presence and forgiveness, so I wasn't really thinking any particular thoughts. Suddenly the question "Why?" came into my mind - just one word, essentially asking why Jesus would put himself through all of that agony. There was a half-second pause as that question sank in to my mind, and then, just as suddenly, the answer came in that same "voice." It wasn't a sound, but just a very clear sentence, very "loud" in my thoughts, if that makes sense. "Because I love you." There was another pause as I stood there, still enjoying the after-glow of having received the Lord's Supper. During that basking I often feel that I'd like to get sucked right up to heaven to my Savior's arms. I express that to Him, although not in words - more like directing my longing heavenward for the Holy Spirit to translate. This was one of those times. At that point words came to me in the same "voice" as before, and they seemed to be responding to my wordless prayer expressing my longing to leave earth and be with Jesus forever. The words were, "But there are others." I was being told that I had to stay on earth to witness to others whom Jesus loves, so that they can join us in heaven too.
So there ya go. I'm one of those crazy people who hears voices. Feel free to doubt whether it was from God. I won't be offended, and I don't think God will either.
May God grant you his peace and some moments for reflection this Holy Week!
I certainly don’t want you to think I regard you as “crazy”! That is not the case at all!! But I still stand by my warning based on Isaiah 8:20, “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to the word, they have no light of dawn.” I’m so glad the “voice” you heard was consistent with what is written in God’s Word, but would if it hadn’t been? Would you despair if the message was “I don’t love you”? We can avoid this uncertainty when we put our trust in God’s Word alone.
Having said that, I think all Christians can look back on their lives and see God working in many different ways. He has no limits! But he gives us His Word and sacraments so that we know his love, without doubt, even in moments of despair. That is the blessing of the means of grace!
The ultimate betrayal - not from someone you'd expect like one of his enemies, but from the inner circle; a friend! "The most fearful event does not happen from the outside but from within." Do we think we're any better? The disciples had just finished arguing with one another who was more important so that none of them had a heart of service upon arrival at the Supper. Jesus was the one down on his knees washing their feet. Am I any better? We can shake our heads at those disciples falling asleep in the Garden while Jesus sweat drops of blood for what was to happen. Haven't I done the same?
Jesus' perfect service has become our perfect service and Jesus stayed awake for us when we could not. He took the sins of the world on himself and suffered the ultimate - his Father's rejection! - so that we would not. Through the gift of faith this is ours! And as we celebrate a Christian Seder Supper at our church tonight, we will be reminded through a service of catechesis the importance of his new command in establishing the Lord's Supper. Are we at all surprised by the power behind such simple, everyday foods as bread and wine when spoken with his Word? Isn't this just like him?
"Yes, it is all so simple that we may miss the glory in it. For glory it has, glory beyond all telling. Here is the Lamb for sinners slain, the Lamb whose blood redeems the world. Yes, here in this new feast is the solution to the sins the disciples were committing that very night. For Jesus comes in this feast to give forgiveness." Theology of the Cross, pg 269.
Preserve in Your Church this blessed Sacrament given on this sacred day. Let thousands and ten thousands find through it the assurance of forgiveness, peace, and salvation. And grant that I and all who are Yours may be faithful to your Word and Sacraments that your name be glorified, Your will be done, and we at last live with You in Your external kingdom forevermore. Amen. (Lutheran Book of Prayer)
The sins that were evident in the guests at the last supper are also evident in my heart. Self-centeredness and concern for my own advancement like the disciples who argued about who was the greatest; less than full commitment to Jesus like the betrayer; an interest in earthly "kingdoms" that distracts me from the heavenly kingdom all around me; selfishness and pride as contrasted with Jesus' humble service as he washed his sinful disciples' feet.
In a certain sense, it is encouraging to see the disciples' sinfulness. Jesus was loving and patient with them, and was preparing them for more work in his kingdom. He provided this beautiful sacrament for them to carry on after he had gone back to his Father that would offer forgiveness of sins, his presence, comfort, and peace! What an amazing blessing! Thanks be to God for this precious gift!
The quote and the prayer you posted are wonderful! Thank you for sharing those words.
May Jesus bless your Seder meal this evening! I have only had the opportunity to take part in maybe 1 or 2 of those kinds of celebrations, and it was a wonderful experience.
RE: Our conversation about the way the Lord reveals himself to us...
I absolutely agree with your comment! ...Well, except for the part that says I'm not crazy. :)
Seriously, humans are so wishy-washy and fallible and gullible, easily distracted, etc., not to mention steeped in sin! Without the solid, immovable foundation of God's Word and the sacraments, I'd have been lost long ago!
Such a thought-provoking reading on this Good Friday!
At first it didn't mean much to me. I have mentioned before the idea that we have to observe Good Friday in order to really celebrate Easter, so I appreciated that part. I didn't see anything interesting in the rest of it, and I was confused about why that particular Scripture was chosen.
Then I read it over again. "It had all happened the way it had to happen." What looked and felt like hopeless tragedy to the disciples was all part of the plan.
Need we attempt to feel hopeless today? No, I don't think so. But I do think it's helpful to contemplate what a dead Jesus would be like without the resurrection.
Maybe it would be a bit like that time spent in the waiting room while a loved one is undergoing a risky surgery. Until we hear from the doctor that the surgery has been successful, all we can do is wait and wonder and pray. Until Jesus rose from the dead, the disciples hunkered down in fear.
Put another way, humanity's only possible hero has come to save the day (well, the eternity really). He has received our punishment. But was it enough? There was no possible "plan B." If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, all hope would indeed be dashed.
I think Romans 11:1-6 was chosen because without a risen Savior, we would all have to be rejected by God! But no! as hopeless as things felt, God had a plan and he was carrying it out, just like in Elijah's time. It was only God who could complete the work of our salvation.
So on this Good Friday we can contemplate a dead Jesus without immediately jumping forward to the comfort of Easter. We will wait and watch and pray.
The reading challenges us to take the time contemplating Good Friday without jumping ahead yet to Easter. I had to laugh because last night at the church service, the chairman of our congregation was helping set up the candelabras that would be snuffed out one by one as Jesus' last words were read. And he was saying that he refuses to be sad because He knows how it all works out for good! We are blessed to have that perspective that the disciples at the time did not. It's impossible for us to truly comprehend what they must have went through in the time of his death through his revealing himself to them again. But I think it's an important spiritual exercise for us to take that time to mourn on Good Friday of the part we've played in his death.
In my own life that looks like: not decorating for Easter until today (Saturday), laying low on Good Friday, attending service, wearing black, this year we are planning on watching "The Passion of the Christ" tonight. These are some examples of what I do or have done to "keep" Good Friday. It helps to make Easter all the more joyful in its anticipation! Tomorrow morning I'll put our my spring wreath on the front door and add my "He is Risen" sign to it. I'll put out my garden flag in the front with the "He is Risen" cross on it. I'll be polishing my toe nails a happy shade of pink - haha!!
The passage quoted was an interesting choice but I liked the way you explained it:)
Well, I read this one a couple times and I'm still not sure exactly all he's saying. I think it has the potential to get really complicated anytime you start discussing history, science, faith, miracles, worldview, etc. Skeptics want to discredit the Bible and especially the claim of the resurrection. Believers know the "proof" is built in to the very words of the Bible itself, the numerous eyewitnesses, the sealing of the tomb, etc. I am aware that Bonhoeffer himself was becoming influenced by Darwinism and was confusing science and history with what the Word of God says, so I'm cautious in trying to figure out his angle here. Oi! I think I'll refrain from continuing just because this could get to be too much!! I'll be interested to hear your take on it.
I like his comment at the top of the next page and I don't think it's just Good Friday and Easter that allows us to think of all those things but the whole of the Lenten season - we've been discussing and contemplating those very topics. I've appreciated the opportunity immensely!
Blessings as you and your family anticipate the glory of the morning to come!! I'm off to church now armed with bunches of tulips!!
My take on this reading was, in short, believing in the resurrection is a matter of faith, so we should not be surprised when the world finds ways to explain away the miracle with some sort of "science." No matter what was offered as proof, the sinful nature (God's enemy) would resist it!
It reminds me of the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Luke chapter 16 says:
27 “[The rich man] answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
No evidence that is presented will ever "solve the puzzle" for the scientists and historians of the world. Bonhoeffer says, "Thus, for the world there remains an unsolvable puzzle, which in no way can compel faith in the resurrection of Jesus."
For believers, the puzzle - no matter the worldview through which we are looking at it - is pretty much irrelevant. "[The decision of the historian] loses interest and importance for believers who are grounded in God's acting in history." Or, he points out, the fact that there is a puzzlement for those looking at the resurrection from a worldly perspective may even help to verify the fact that God was indeed at work here.
The passage that now comes to mind is in 1 Corinthians 1:
27 "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption."
That which baffles the learned but comforts the simple just may be a mark of God.
16 comments:
Hosanna to God in the Highest!!
Happy Palm Sunday! We had a beautiful service this morning with the pews and altar decorated in palm branches. Our adult choir sang a song with our kids' choir for the first time. The church was packed with members and visitors. The sermon message reminded us - God knows what he's doing. It may not of looked like it as he rode in on a dippy donkey. It sure didn't look like it as he hung up there on the cross. It didn't seem like it even after his resurrection since he still wasn't establishing the earthly kingdom his followers kept expecting.
Likewise, in our lives God knows what he's doing. It may not always look like it. But we can trust in him and his providential care. The ultimate victory has already been won! As Bonhoeffer says, "We are the church beneath the cross, that is, in disguise. Yet here as well, all we can do is realize that our kingdom, too, is not of this world."
Earlier this week I listened to the podcast for the Concordia Sunday School lesson about the Passion of Christ. You can find it here - http://issuesetc.org/2014/04/07/4-the-passion-of-christ-matthew-2711-66-pr-tom-baker-4714/
We don't use the word "passion" in our vernacular the way it's meant in regards to the "passion" of Christ and it's worth noting especially to little ones who may not be aware of the difference. Bonhoeffer does a pretty good job describing the meaning here in words like debasement, revilement, persecution, etc.
Any thoughts on the letter quoted from his fiancé? I'm not quite sure what to think of it.
Blessings to all on this Holy Week! Rachel
Hosanna indeed! Save us, Lord!
It was not a traditional Palm Sunday for us. We did decorate our home with palm branches, and we gathered here with two local WELS college students as we watched a streaming online Palm Sunday service. Sunday school for our two sons around the kitchen table focused on the story of Jesus riding in to Jerusalem. This week in our nightly devotions we will walk through the events of Holy Week together. We look forward to worshipping with a larger family of believers next Sunday when we and our college student friends make the 2-hour drive to church for Easter Sunday service.
Thank you for the suggestion about the Passion podcast. I will definitely give that a listen!
I like Bonhoeffer's idea of focusing on the church walking with Jesus through the events of the week. Each of us can do this individually, but thinking of the body of believers as a whole puts a little bit different spin on it.
Like you, I found the excerpt of Maria's letter to be a little odd. I did a little sleuthing, and I think I have found the answer. Bonhoeffer was arrested on April 5th, 1943. Easter that year was on April 25th. Maria lived through that Holy Week and Easter in grief and fear, I would imagine. Fast forward to a year after Dietrich's arrest. April 5th, 1944. It is the Wednesday of Holy Week. She observes the anniversary of her husband's arrest that day. The next day she observes the "anniversary," if you will, of Jesus' arrest, followed the next day by Good Friday, his death, and then comes Easter Sunday (April 9th), Jesus' resurrection. The letter was written on Tuesday, April 11th, 1944. She gets to the 3rd page of her letter and keeps having to write it over again because she just can't describe the way she feels about how the past week has been for her. Surely she must be thinking about the possibility that Dietrich is also awaiting his unjust death at the hands of a corrupt government. I could imagine how the idea of there being parallels between her fiancé and her Savior would be "strange and fundamentally incomprehensible." What is the "immense inherent force" that is "new and great and unfathomable"? I can't be sure, but to me it's not out of the question to think that the Holy Spirit was strengthening her to be able to bear what would come in the future.
Monday - If There Were No Resurrection
I can't even imagine. It seems to me that "meaninglessness and despair" doesn't even begin to describe it.
If we are tempted to think that we are pretty decent people, all we need to do is look at what our sins did to Jesus.
Bonhoeffer's quote about the message of the gospel being a package deal is very fitting. It reminds me of what a former pastor of ours used to say - that you can't really celebrate Easter until you've observed Good Friday. The meaning of each aspect of Christ's life, death, and resurrection depends on both of the others.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do some sleuthing into the context of Maria's letter. Does that ever shed light on the situation! The parallels and their timing to the church year is uncanny. Wow.
I can relate a bit on a personal level to your situation - living far from a church to attend. My family spent many years living in a place that didn't have an established congregation or even a mission congregation. At best, we were considered a preaching station and a pastor visited our small group on Sunday nights. We didn't have the traditional church situation, Christmas, mid-week Lenten services or Easter morning. My parents were challenged to provide this for us in our home environment and if you ask my Mom, I think she'll tell you those were the years that provided her much growth in her faith. I have many fond memories of time spent around the family table and being taught by my parents, doing liturgical themed crafts and reading Bible stories. These were days before the internet when watching a sermon or streaming a podcast wasn't available. But the Lord always provides! He's providing for you, too:)
Monday - If there were no resurrection
…there'd be no hope. I remember this being a real problem in the early church as people doubted the authenticity of the resurrection and Paul taught strongly to counter this. The whole of 1Corinthians 15 is a good read on this!
I recall a personal conversation I had with a Muslim woman who exclaimed, "Jesus isn't dead. He never died - it was just a rumour." Good heavens! In the moment I only remember saying, "you're right, he isn't dead. He rose from the dead.". I wish I had been more insightful in the moment!
"…our entire culture is also judged." A call to the urgency of getting the gospel message out there!!
Thank you for that personal note about your experience living far from an established congregation! I'd be interested to hear more about that experience. One of these days when I get a spare minute I'll send you an email about that. :)
Tuesday - The Reconciliation of the World with God
"Those who look at Jesus Christ in actuality.. can no longer see God without seeing the world, nor the human without seeing God."
2 Corinthians 5:16 - "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer." This verse is followed by a discussion (vs. 17-21) of reconciliation, what it means, where it comes from, and what it leads us to do. Beautiful!
As you now know, I like to look things up. :) So of course I looked up eccehomo. Wikipedia has it as 2 words and describes it as follows:
Ecce homo ("behold [the] man", pronounced [ˈetʃːe ˈomo] or [ˈekːe ˈhomo]) are the Latin words used by Pontius Pilate in the Vulgate translation of John 19:5, when he presents a scourged Jesus Christ, bound and crowned with thorns, to a hostile crowd shortly before his Crucifixion. The original Greek is Ἰδοὺ ὁ ἄνθρωπος (Idou ho anthrōpos). The King James Version translates the phrase into English as "Behold the man!"[John 19:5] The scene is widely depicted in Christian art.
Behold the man who looked so pathetic and powerless, but who was in the process of conquering the world in a way more powerful than anything any human being could muster!
Now my favorite part of this reading: "Not ideals, programs, not conscience, duty, responsibility, virtue, but the perfect love of God all alone can meet reality and overcome it!" Isaiah 64:6 - All our righteous acts are like filthy rags.
To add to that, "It is not a general idea of love, but the love of God really lived in Jesus Christ, that accomplishes that." This kind of love is humanly unfathomable. God himself "suffers the reality of the world in the severest way.. forgives the world its sin. This is how reconciliation takes place."
And then the reminders that God is with us and he will always be! How precious that gift of God's presence is, when we are reminded the price he paid to give that gift to us! "I will never leave you or forsake you. Why would I? I loved you so much that I lived, suffered, died and rose for you!"
Thank you Jesus.
Tuesday - The Reconciliation of the World with God
All the quotes you highlighted were the very ones that stood out to me too! I looked up 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 where he talks more about this reconciliation. My Concordia self-study has the note "When the Saviour died, God's justice was satisfied. His anger was appeased. God was reconciled to the whole world. This does not mean, however, that all the world has received the benefits of Christ's atoning sacrifice. The sinner enjoys peace with God only when he comes to faith."
Oh, that all the lost souls would come to this faith!
"…the love of God really lived in Jesus Christ." Jesus is love in human flesh!
And such comfort in the final words of Jesus promising to be with us. We find him present in the body and blood we receive in communion. It doesn't get more intimate or personal than that!
Holy Wednesday - Our Entire Life Depends on Easter
A rather dramatic title to today's reading but true nonetheless! I don't know that I have any insight to add but I find myself personally reflecting on past Easter celebrations. The Easters of my childhood, the different places we lived and different ways the churches we were attending celebrated. I've been south and spent Easter morning outside and I've been north where I've insisted on wearing sandals despite the frigid temps outside! I think of the Easter egg hunts, the hunts for our baskets at home, their contents, the meals my Mom would make. Now my Easters in adulthood are characterized by my role as pastor's wife, serving my congregational family in various ways and serving my own little chicks still safe in their nest of our home. In a pastor's family, the whole season of Lent culminating in Easter seems to finally end in sheer exhaustion for all of us and a desire to get out of town as fast as possible! So for me to think about all this in light of today's thoughts are needful as I can easily and predictably get overwhelmed with the tasks on my plate. To remember and reflect that "our existence would be threatened if there were no Easter" does ,indeed, put it all in perspective!
I find it REALLY odd that this reading was taken from a sermon on 1 Corinthians 14:17 of all things. The 1 Corinthians 15:20, 21 from the Scripture quoted seems more fitting.
Not thrilled about the quote from today and it's at least not from Bonhoeffer. Not sure who this woman is and I'd look her up if I didn't have to run to Costco where I seem to live lately. But anytime someone claims a divine word spoken to them not from the Word of God, I have to question the authenticity. Of course, Christ's love for us in not a hoax - I wouldn't question the truth in that! But the Word with it's gospel message will convince my soul far better than an inner voice I might have heard. And that's all I have to say about that;)
Wednesday - Our Entire Life Depends on Easter
I don't have much insight or comment either from today's reading. Regarding the Scripture listed as the basis of Bonhoeffer's sermon from which our reading was quote, I think it HAS to be a misprint. It wouldn't be strange for there to be a misprint in a book that is supposed to have a daily reading for each day of Lent but is one week short, now would it? I think the sermon was most likely based on 1 Corinthians 15(not14):17 - "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. "
Hearing of how busy you are as a pastor's wife leading up to Easter makes me, in a certain sense, thankful for our situation. Even if we are not able to attend mid-week services, at least it is easier to carve out some time to meditate on Jesus' suffering and death, and to contemplate the depth of the joy of His resurrection!
I am not as skeptical as you are about Angela of Foligno's quote. It is not saying anything that would contradict Scripture, and so it certainly could have been from God. No one needs a special word from God to tell them that his love for us is not a hoax, though, and if she is trying to use that recounting of her experience to prove something to her readers, she would be better off using Scripture to do that.
One time I experienced what I believe were some words that came to my mind from God. I believe this because they did not come out of my normal thought process - they just sort of jumped into my mind VERY suddenly and clearly. They delivered a message that was consistent with Scripture. I see it as just a little gift that God chose to give me at that time, and the only purpose was to tell me he loves me. I already knew that, but like a little hug from your mom or a picture your son drew for you, it was just a little something to brighten my day.
If you're curious, here's how it went. I was standing up at communion waiting for the pastor to go down the row to give the rest of the people the wine/blood. In front of me was a painting of Jesus, bloody, carrying his cross. After I have received communion, I usually just sort of bask in the glow of God's presence and forgiveness, so I wasn't really thinking any particular thoughts. Suddenly the question "Why?" came into my mind - just one word, essentially asking why Jesus would put himself through all of that agony. There was a half-second pause as that question sank in to my mind, and then, just as suddenly, the answer came in that same "voice." It wasn't a sound, but just a very clear sentence, very "loud" in my thoughts, if that makes sense. "Because I love you." There was another pause as I stood there, still enjoying the after-glow of having received the Lord's Supper. During that basking I often feel that I'd like to get sucked right up to heaven to my Savior's arms. I express that to Him, although not in words - more like directing my longing heavenward for the Holy Spirit to translate. This was one of those times. At that point words came to me in the same "voice" as before, and they seemed to be responding to my wordless prayer expressing my longing to leave earth and be with Jesus forever. The words were, "But there are others." I was being told that I had to stay on earth to witness to others whom Jesus loves, so that they can join us in heaven too.
So there ya go. I'm one of those crazy people who hears voices. Feel free to doubt whether it was from God. I won't be offended, and I don't think God will either.
May God grant you his peace and some moments for reflection this Holy Week!
I certainly don’t want you to think I regard you as “crazy”! That is not the case at all!! But I still stand by my warning based on Isaiah 8:20, “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to the word, they have no light of dawn.” I’m so glad the “voice” you heard was consistent with what is written in God’s Word, but would if it hadn’t been? Would you despair if the message was “I don’t love you”? We can avoid this uncertainty when we put our trust in God’s Word alone.
Having said that, I think all Christians can look back on their lives and see God working in many different ways. He has no limits! But he gives us His Word and sacraments so that we know his love, without doubt, even in moments of despair. That is the blessing of the means of grace!
Maundy Thursday - One of you will betray Me
The ultimate betrayal - not from someone you'd expect like one of his enemies, but from the inner circle; a friend! "The most fearful event does not happen from the outside but from within." Do we think we're any better? The disciples had just finished arguing with one another who was more important so that none of them had a heart of service upon arrival at the Supper. Jesus was the one down on his knees washing their feet. Am I any better? We can shake our heads at those disciples falling asleep in the Garden while Jesus sweat drops of blood for what was to happen. Haven't I done the same?
Jesus' perfect service has become our perfect service and Jesus stayed awake for us when we could not. He took the sins of the world on himself and suffered the ultimate - his Father's rejection! - so that we would not. Through the gift of faith this is ours! And as we celebrate a Christian Seder Supper at our church tonight, we will be reminded through a service of catechesis the importance of his new command in establishing the Lord's Supper. Are we at all surprised by the power behind such simple, everyday foods as bread and wine when spoken with his Word? Isn't this just like him?
"Yes, it is all so simple that we may miss the glory in it. For glory it has, glory beyond all telling. Here is the Lamb for sinners slain, the Lamb whose blood redeems the world. Yes, here in this new feast is the solution to the sins the disciples were committing that very night. For Jesus comes in this feast to give forgiveness." Theology of the Cross, pg 269.
Preserve in Your Church this blessed Sacrament given on this sacred day. Let thousands and ten thousands find through it the assurance of forgiveness, peace, and salvation. And grant that I and all who are Yours may be faithful to your Word and Sacraments that your name be glorified, Your will be done, and we at last live with You in Your external kingdom forevermore. Amen. (Lutheran Book of Prayer)
Thursday - One of You Will Betray Me
The sins that were evident in the guests at the last supper are also evident in my heart. Self-centeredness and concern for my own advancement like the disciples who argued about who was the greatest; less than full commitment to Jesus like the betrayer; an interest in earthly "kingdoms" that distracts me from the heavenly kingdom all around me; selfishness and pride as contrasted with Jesus' humble service as he washed his sinful disciples' feet.
In a certain sense, it is encouraging to see the disciples' sinfulness. Jesus was loving and patient with them, and was preparing them for more work in his kingdom. He provided this beautiful sacrament for them to carry on after he had gone back to his Father that would offer forgiveness of sins, his presence, comfort, and peace! What an amazing blessing! Thanks be to God for this precious gift!
The quote and the prayer you posted are wonderful! Thank you for sharing those words.
May Jesus bless your Seder meal this evening! I have only had the opportunity to take part in maybe 1 or 2 of those kinds of celebrations, and it was a wonderful experience.
RE: Our conversation about the way the Lord reveals himself to us...
I absolutely agree with your comment! ...Well, except for the part that says I'm not crazy. :)
Seriously, humans are so wishy-washy and fallible and gullible, easily distracted, etc., not to mention steeped in sin! Without the solid, immovable foundation of God's Word and the sacraments, I'd have been lost long ago!
Friday - All Hope Dashed?
Such a thought-provoking reading on this Good Friday!
At first it didn't mean much to me. I have mentioned before the idea that we have to observe Good Friday in order to really celebrate Easter, so I appreciated that part. I didn't see anything interesting in the rest of it, and I was confused about why that particular Scripture was chosen.
Then I read it over again. "It had all happened the way it had to happen." What looked and felt like hopeless tragedy to the disciples was all part of the plan.
Need we attempt to feel hopeless today? No, I don't think so. But I do think it's helpful to contemplate what a dead Jesus would be like without the resurrection.
Maybe it would be a bit like that time spent in the waiting room while a loved one is undergoing a risky surgery. Until we hear from the doctor that the surgery has been successful, all we can do is wait and wonder and pray. Until Jesus rose from the dead, the disciples hunkered down in fear.
Put another way, humanity's only possible hero has come to save the day (well, the eternity really). He has received our punishment. But was it enough? There was no possible "plan B." If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, all hope would indeed be dashed.
I think Romans 11:1-6 was chosen because without a risen Savior, we would all have to be rejected by God! But no! as hopeless as things felt, God had a plan and he was carrying it out, just like in Elijah's time. It was only God who could complete the work of our salvation.
So on this Good Friday we can contemplate a dead Jesus without immediately jumping forward to the comfort of Easter. We will wait and watch and pray.
Good Friday - All Hopes Dashed
The reading challenges us to take the time contemplating Good Friday without jumping ahead yet to Easter. I had to laugh because last night at the church service, the chairman of our congregation was helping set up the candelabras that would be snuffed out one by one as Jesus' last words were read. And he was saying that he refuses to be sad because He knows how it all works out for good! We are blessed to have that perspective that the disciples at the time did not. It's impossible for us to truly comprehend what they must have went through in the time of his death through his revealing himself to them again. But I think it's an important spiritual exercise for us to take that time to mourn on Good Friday of the part we've played in his death.
In my own life that looks like: not decorating for Easter until today (Saturday), laying low on Good Friday, attending service, wearing black, this year we are planning on watching "The Passion of the Christ" tonight. These are some examples of what I do or have done to "keep" Good Friday. It helps to make Easter all the more joyful in its anticipation! Tomorrow morning I'll put our my spring wreath on the front door and add my "He is Risen" sign to it. I'll put out my garden flag in the front with the "He is Risen" cross on it. I'll be polishing my toe nails a happy shade of pink - haha!!
The passage quoted was an interesting choice but I liked the way you explained it:)
Holy Saturday - The Empty Tomb, a Puzzle
Well, I read this one a couple times and I'm still not sure exactly all he's saying. I think it has the potential to get really complicated anytime you start discussing history, science, faith, miracles, worldview, etc. Skeptics want to discredit the Bible and especially the claim of the resurrection. Believers know the "proof" is built in to the very words of the Bible itself, the numerous eyewitnesses, the sealing of the tomb, etc. I am aware that Bonhoeffer himself was becoming influenced by Darwinism and was confusing science and history with what the Word of God says, so I'm cautious in trying to figure out his angle here. Oi! I think I'll refrain from continuing just because this could get to be too much!! I'll be interested to hear your take on it.
I like his comment at the top of the next page and I don't think it's just Good Friday and Easter that allows us to think of all those things but the whole of the Lenten season - we've been discussing and contemplating those very topics. I've appreciated the opportunity immensely!
Blessings as you and your family anticipate the glory of the morning to come!! I'm off to church now armed with bunches of tulips!!
Saturday - The Empty Tomb, a Puzzle
My take on this reading was, in short, believing in the resurrection is a matter of faith, so we should not be surprised when the world finds ways to explain away the miracle with some sort of "science." No matter what was offered as proof, the sinful nature (God's enemy) would resist it!
It reminds me of the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Luke chapter 16 says:
27 “[The rich man] answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
No evidence that is presented will ever "solve the puzzle" for the scientists and historians of the world. Bonhoeffer says, "Thus, for the world there remains an unsolvable puzzle, which in no way can compel faith in the resurrection of Jesus."
For believers, the puzzle - no matter the worldview through which we are looking at it - is pretty much irrelevant. "[The decision of the historian] loses interest and importance for believers who are grounded in God's acting in history." Or, he points out, the fact that there is a puzzlement for those looking at the resurrection from a worldly perspective may even help to verify the fact that God was indeed at work here.
The passage that now comes to mind is in 1 Corinthians 1:
27 "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption."
That which baffles the learned but comforts the simple just may be a mark of God.
Post a Comment