Dearest e-votees-
Last week I unintentionally jumped the gun and looked at this week's epistle lesson with our e-vo.
So this week rather than revisit the same texts I wanted to step off the regularly beaten path just a little further. Next week we will be back on the lectionary.
Sometimes it is good for us to get out of our ruts and see where God might meet us.
Peace,
Karl
-------------
Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 3:23-29, NRSV
For our Lenten Wednesday services this year we are having the pastor types assume the characters of some of Jesus’ disciples. We are speaking through costume and words in the first person about encountering Jesus. It is an interesting way to enter into the story. It is a little playful and creative as for some of the disciples we don’t know nearly as much about them as we would like. As we prayerfully engage the texts and the task we trust that God will meet us. If you are able to come join us for this endeavor, please do. Your presence would be a blessing.
As I was thinking about this task of taking on the character of another it dawned on me that what we really need to be putting on is the character of Christ--not just in the safe confines of church but every day as we sojourn through this world. The text above from Galatians came to mind—particularly the verse about being clothed in Christ in baptism.
What is particularly striking is the passive voice of the verb. The clothing comes from without. We certainly know that to be the case when little children are dressed. It is true in many parts of the faith that Christ comes to us from without. Jesus is a gracious intrusion that we are called to receive with thanksgiving.
For almost all of us baptism happens long before we can make a conscious choice. Even those of us who come to the font later in life are brought by the stirrings of the Holy Spirit. Christ comes to us from without as the waters dampen our dry and dusty spirits. As we are baptized we are clothed in Christ. Baptism is a gracious intrusion that we are to receive with thanksgiving.
Communion comes to us as a gift from outside as well. “This is the body of Christ given for you” and we say “Amen.” “This is the blood of Christ shed for you” and we say “Amen.” Christ comes to us from without through the hands of the altar guild and the bakers and the vintners and the presiding ministers and the distribution assistants and certainly through the command of Jesus himself. We receive from others the ability to “Do this in remembrance of me.” Communion is a gracious intrusion that we are to receive with thanksgiving.
Jesus promises that where two or three are gathered in his name he is there with them. When we gather with others we can experience Christ more profoundly than we can in isolation. As others join us they bring Christ to us from without. We do that to them as well. Together we pray and encourage and call to account and offer forgiveness and bring comfort in ways that we cannot muster on our own. Living in community and communion with the saints is also a gracious intrusion that we are called to receive with thanksgiving.
This putting on Christ is no easy thing. Sometimes we have to severely acknowledge where we have put on something much more sinister. Or, truth be told, we have to acknowledge that we are those much more sinister characters down to our core. Lent is partly about allowing those troubled and darker characters be brought into the light.
As we prayerfully engage the texts and the tasks we trust that God will meet us. God comes to us in the form of gracious intrusions that we are to receive with thanksgiving.
Jesus, help us to be dressed up in you. Give us grace and courage to receive you from others. Help others to receive you from us as well. Help us get out of our ruts and see where you might lead us this day. Amen.
Last week I unintentionally jumped the gun and looked at this week's epistle lesson with our e-vo.
So this week rather than revisit the same texts I wanted to step off the regularly beaten path just a little further. Next week we will be back on the lectionary.
Sometimes it is good for us to get out of our ruts and see where God might meet us.
Peace,
Karl
-------------
Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.
For our Lenten Wednesday services this year we are having the pastor types assume the characters of some of Jesus’ disciples. We are speaking through costume and words in the first person about encountering Jesus. It is an interesting way to enter into the story. It is a little playful and creative as for some of the disciples we don’t know nearly as much about them as we would like. As we prayerfully engage the texts and the task we trust that God will meet us. If you are able to come join us for this endeavor, please do. Your presence would be a blessing.
As I was thinking about this task of taking on the character of another it dawned on me that what we really need to be putting on is the character of Christ--not just in the safe confines of church but every day as we sojourn through this world. The text above from Galatians came to mind—particularly the verse about being clothed in Christ in baptism.
What is particularly striking is the passive voice of the verb. The clothing comes from without. We certainly know that to be the case when little children are dressed. It is true in many parts of the faith that Christ comes to us from without. Jesus is a gracious intrusion that we are called to receive with thanksgiving.
For almost all of us baptism happens long before we can make a conscious choice. Even those of us who come to the font later in life are brought by the stirrings of the Holy Spirit. Christ comes to us from without as the waters dampen our dry and dusty spirits. As we are baptized we are clothed in Christ. Baptism is a gracious intrusion that we are to receive with thanksgiving.
Communion comes to us as a gift from outside as well. “This is the body of Christ given for you” and we say “Amen.” “This is the blood of Christ shed for you” and we say “Amen.” Christ comes to us from without through the hands of the altar guild and the bakers and the vintners and the presiding ministers and the distribution assistants and certainly through the command of Jesus himself. We receive from others the ability to “Do this in remembrance of me.” Communion is a gracious intrusion that we are to receive with thanksgiving.
Jesus promises that where two or three are gathered in his name he is there with them. When we gather with others we can experience Christ more profoundly than we can in isolation. As others join us they bring Christ to us from without. We do that to them as well. Together we pray and encourage and call to account and offer forgiveness and bring comfort in ways that we cannot muster on our own. Living in community and communion with the saints is also a gracious intrusion that we are called to receive with thanksgiving.
This putting on Christ is no easy thing. Sometimes we have to severely acknowledge where we have put on something much more sinister. Or, truth be told, we have to acknowledge that we are those much more sinister characters down to our core. Lent is partly about allowing those troubled and darker characters be brought into the light.
As we prayerfully engage the texts and the tasks we trust that God will meet us. God comes to us in the form of gracious intrusions that we are to receive with thanksgiving.
Jesus, help us to be dressed up in you. Give us grace and courage to receive you from others. Help others to receive you from us as well. Help us get out of our ruts and see where you might lead us this day. Amen.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment