Resurrection of the Lord - Easter Sunday
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Easter - Year A
The story of the birth of the Church as found in the book of Acts is foundational to our understanding of the missio dei. This is underscored by the placement of this account in the Lectionary for Year A, which highlights the parallels between this event in Acts and the Resurrection of Christ in the Easter story. These are accounts of surprise and wonder show how God breaks into his Creation for each of us and indeed for all of Creation. Clearly one of these wonders - the speaking in tongues - is a model for mission that speaks to us of Good News, surprise and God's good intentions.
Resurrection of the Lord Sunday
April 12, 2020
Jeremiah 31:1-6 or Acts 10:34-43
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
Colossians 3:1-4 or Acts 10:34-43
John 20:1-18 or Matthew 28:1-10
Exegetical Missional Insights
Jeremiah 31:1-6
Jeremiah 31:1 begins with a restatement of the central covenant of the Old Testament, but with a slight twist. God will not just be the God of Israel, but of all the families of Israel. The prophet then goes on to speak about the rest and joy that will be ultimately experienced by those who have survived affliction and difficulties. Images of a restored Israel rejoicing with music, dancing and prosperity, and where even those assigned to watch for danger will feel free enough to leave their positions to go and worship God. All of this surrounds a key passage in verse three, when God announces that God has loved the people with an "everlasting love" and "unfailing kindness." In Hebrew, "everlasting love" is ahavat olam in which ahavat means "love," but the word olam means both "eternity" and "world." This is a Divine love that encompasses all of time and all of space. It is not just a love that lasts forever, but a love that encompasses the entire world. Because of this love, God draws us with chesed or "unfailing kindness." This Hebrew word is not just about being nice to someone else. It is firmly rooted in a covenant relationship. Because of God's relationship with the people of Israel, God will never abandon the people but always be faithful to the people of God.
No matter what we go through in life, God desires to restore us to a fullness of life. God desires this because God loves the entirety of the world, with a love that goes on forever. At the same time, God draws people back to Godself because God is unwilling to let people fall into sin and despair. God's kindness is rooted in the depth of God's love and, as such, it knows no bounds. It is from this love and unfailing kindness that restoration comes.
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
Psalm 118 begins with the same type of theme as Jeremiah - God's love endures forever. Again, a version of chesed is used here as well. Because of this "unfailing kindness" that lasts for all time, God is praised and thanked throughout this Psalm. In particular God is being praised for God's strength and righteousness that leads to salvation. This salvation is emphasized in verse 22, a pivotal verse that is repeated in several New Testament passages referring to the work of Jesus Christ (cf. Matt. 21:42, Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17, Acts 4:11 and 1 Peter 2:4-7). The stone, which has been rejected by the very people charged with building up the people of God, has become the very foundation of what God is doing. This unexpected act of salvation is the ultimate sign of God's chesed - God's unfailing kindness rooted in God's eternal world-encompassing love.
In the same way God took the people of Israel as a despised and marginalized people and made them into a kingdom. So, God delights in taking the rejected elements of this world and renewing them and building something great. This is part of the very nature of God - the essence of God's love and the kindness that flows from it. The promise is again that joy will emerge from difficulty - not through our own physical strength or ability, but through the love and never-ending faithfulness of God.
Acts 10:34-43
While it may come as a shock to many Christians, the message preached in Acts is not focused on the crucifixion of Christ, but rather on the miracle of resurrection. In this passage, Peter has been stunned by the story of Cornelius, the God-fearing gentile who God has chosen to bless with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It is as if the message of Jeremiah 31 and Psalm 118 has broken through. The love of God encompasses the world, not just the Jewish people, and God's might and power is capable of renewing all of creation, not just the nation of Israel. Peter reveals this in his first statement in verse 34. Peter recounts the life of Jesus in a brief outline, noting that he is an eyewitness to these events. But he does not dwell on the crucifixion or the theology of salvation, rather the point of his speech is found in verse 40, where God raised Jesus from the dead and "caused him to be seen." Peter, and those with him, were first and foremost witnesses to the resurrection. They were the witnesses to testify that God has defeated death and has begun the process of renewing all of creation (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17, 2 Peter 3:13).
The crucifixion and the atonement for sin is only part of the story, and yet often the story that Christians tend to focus the most on. But the real story is not that people can cruelly kill and torture good and innocent people - that is not news. The real story is that God has decided to reverse the effects of sin through a powerful act of renewal and recreation. Jesus Christ is alive and is Lord. Through this good news, and through the gift of the Holy Spirit that is poured out on Cornelius in the Tenth Chapter of Acts, we are also able to become new creatures, renewed and reborn (cf. Galatians 6:14-15). We also become witnesses to the resurrection power of God as we witness to this event in our own lives and help others find the same life-giving experience through Christ Jesus.
Colossians 3:1-4
This message that began in Jeremiah and the Psalms, continued through the stories of Mary Magdalene and Cornelius, finds its completion here in Colossians. Verse one points out that we "have been raised with Christ." The same resurrection power that brought Jesus back to life as a new person, a new creation renewed from death and decay to life and power, is available to us here and now. We do not need to live life as broken people, possessed by the demons of life. Nor do we need to wait for death to experience the glory of heaven. It is possible to become a new creation right now, through the power of God in Christ! Paul encourages his listeners to focus on spiritual things and not worldly things, because we have already experienced that life - the one which leads to death, decay, and destruction. Instead, we are asked to focus on God, because that is the course of the resurrection power that enables us to experience a new life. In fact, this new redeemed life is the evidence that eternal life also is possible.
John 20:1-18
The passage from John tells of the familiar story of Mary Magdalene going to the tomb of Jesus early on the day of resurrection and finding that the Lord she treasured was not in the tomb. Mary is an intriguing character. From Luke 8:1-3 we know she travelled with Jesus in his ministry and helped provide resources for him and the disciples. We also read that Jesus had released her from seven demons. She was present at the crucifixion, when the disciples fled in fear (Mark 15:40, Matthew 27:55-56, and John 19:25). Now she is the first person to visit the tomb. Imagine this woman, rejected by society and probably feared. Whether her demons were real spiritual possession or serious psychological illness and trauma, she was a broken and marginalized person. Yet the eternal love of God reached out through the unfailing kindness of Jesus Christ and made her into a new creation. She left whatever she had and - freed from pain and anguish; turmoil, and social rejection - she followed Jesus meeting his needs with whatever resources she had. She returned the love and kindness that had been showered on her and brought her to new life. What better witness for the first person to see the resurrected Lord?
She reports the news to the disciples, and Peter (along with John, most likely) race to the tomb to verify her story. They see the body is gone and the funeral wrappings removed and, in shock, they go back to tell the other disciples. But Mary remains alone, weeping for the one who had restored her to a new life and freed from the demons that had crippled and possessed her. In the midst of this she sees angels in the tomb who ask about her tears. She replies with a statement of conviction. She identifies with the recently crucified criminal and calls him "Lord." She is unwilling to reject Jesus despite what others may think. She turns away to continue her mourning and her search for the body, when Jesus confronts her in his resurrected body. Through the tears she cannot recognize this man. Instead she begs to be told where the body of Jesus is to be found. Jesus then speaks one word, just her name, and it is enough. No other person had so loved her or so cared for her. She immediately acknowledges that he is her teacher. Jesus then sends a message through her to the disciples. She, who had been broken and rejected because of the demons in her life, becomes the messenger of God. She becomes the one to announce that Jesus is alive!
Matthew 28:1-10
Matthew tells a slightly different account, but Mary Magdalene is still the primary figure in the account. In Matthew's account, there is more of a focus on the power of God in the form of the earthquake and the angel who rolled away the stone. The angel, whose appearance turned the armed guards into ordinary people paralyzed by fear, speaks to Mary and her companion (another woman named Mary). In the midst of this mighty act of God's power, the angel says: "Do not be afraid." An event has just occurred which paralyzed trained warriors so they were like "dead men," yet these women are told not to be afraid. They are not to be afraid because God has done something extraordinary. God has reversed the ordinary order of things and instead of life-giving way to death - life has been restored to what was dead. And not just restored - but rather renewed! In an act of recreation God has brought life from what was once dead. The women are given a message to take to the disciples and we are told the women left with the message "afraid yet filled with joy." The angel's reassurances had been helpful, but they were still impacted by what they had seen and so they still had trepidation and uncertainty.
Then Jesus appears to them and greets them. The two women fall at his feet and worship him - the one who they had followed and cared for throughout his ministry. Jesus then tells them, "do not be afraid" and in essence repeats the angel's message for the disciples. Jesus does not give a new message- that is not really the reason he appears. Rather his purpose is to banish fear from these women who have gone through so much. They had stood there and watched him die. They had seen him buried and his friends desert him. They had seen the might of the Roman Empire poured out in punishment on the one who taught them about the love of God. Jesus did not desire them to experience one more moment of fear, even if it was fear mixed with joy. The salvation of God comes with joy and, as such, there is no place for fear.
Missional Connections for Our Context
The message of the resurrection is inherently missional. The idea that God's love for people encompasses all time and all space is at the heart of who God is. That this love is the reason for the unfailing kindness God shows and - the fact that this kindness is rooted in our relationship and covenant with God - is the reason God is concerned with the renewal of all creation. God desires to restore people to a perfect relationship with God so they might lead fulfilled lives that can help in the work for the restoration of all creation (cf. Revelation 21:1-3). God accomplishes this through the power of God to restore and renew, as well as the work of the Holy Spirit to guide and encourage. All of this comes down to resurrection - a renewed life that has meaning and purpose in which we walk constantly in the light of God's guidance and direction.
Mary Magdalene provides a good example and reminder that we can experience resurrection in our lives and not just at death. Torn apart by demonic influences, she would have been a marginalized person living a life of oppression and difficulty. Whether these influences were real demons or psychological issues is really irrelevant. Either way, she was leading an unhappy and unfulfilled life. Jesus restored her and renewed her to a new life. She was part of the community of followers who learned and listened to Jesus. She went from being excluded to being included, from being marginalized to being accepted. She was restored to wholeness and you can feel this in her emotional reaction to the death of Jesus, just by knowing she once had seven demons and Jesus set her free.
Cornelius, despite his political power and connections with the Roman conquerors, was also unfulfilled spiritually. He sought to understand God as best he could until in desperation God sent him a message to contact Peter. Through Peter's teachings and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Cornelius was also restored and renewed. He too became a new creation in much the same way as Mary Magdalene. Through the resurrection power of God, he became included and accepted - a part of the people of God. This became a major realization for Peter - that God did not desire the power of the resurrection to be limited to Jews, but rather God's eternal love and unfailing kindness extended to all the families of Israel- the people of the world.
Like Mary Magdalene and Cornelius, we too must go through the act of dying to self and being resurrected again by God's power through Christ. We become renewed people - a new creation living out the resurrection every day in new spiritual and physical lives focused on the things of God and not on the things of earth. This is a promise for right now - not just a distant promise of eternal life. We can be new creatures right here and right now through God's power. This is made possible because God did this before in Christ Jesus. That same power continues to spread like ripples in a pond as part of God's ultimate concern- the redemption of all creation.
Love is the spark that set off the missio dei. We take that spark and the redemption message of the resurrection into the entire world to be witnesses that God can and does change people. That power is here and is freely available due to the unfailing kindness of God - a God who wants to be in relationship. Because we have died and risen with Christ into a new life here and now, we can know the idea of a life after death that is no longer so distant and impossible. All of this is possible because resurrection is the pivotal moment in the history of the world. From the Garden of Eden, the world has been on a track for decline, death and decay - but the resurrection of Jesus Christ has reversed that natural trend. Now as the Church spreads from believer to believer across the globe, the renewal of lives and hearts is spreading. This will continue until the promise of the heavenly city in Revelation is fulfilled and when we shall live together as a restored community in a restored creation without a temple. All this comes about because God is our resurrection and our life!
Biographical Summary
Robert Danielson received his Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies from Asbury Theological Seminary and is currently the Scholarly Communications Librarian at the Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He also serves as the current treasurer of the American Society of Missiology and has served in the past as the book review editor for Missiology: An International Review. He is currently the editor of The Asbury Journal and teaches courses in World Religions and Missional Formation at Asbury Theological Seminary as an affiliate professor in the E. Stanley Jones School of World Missions and Evangelism. He has also served as a missionary in the People's Republic of China with the Amity Foundation and been involved in short term missions to Honduras and El Salvador.
Second Sunday After Pentecost
Jesus is Alive! Now What?
Acts 2:14a, 22-32
1 Peter 1:3-9
John 20:19-31
Introduction
Low in the grave he lay, Jesus my Savior,
waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!
Refrain:
Up from the grave he arose;
with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;
he arose a victor from the dark domain,
and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!
The first verse of the old hymn at the top of the page is often presented in a rhythmic cadence that seems to barely suppress an explosive shout bursting forth in the first line of the refrain: "Up from the grave he arose!" It is a celebration that the days of darkness just past, gives way to the dawning of new life, a daybreak of hope, the start of fresh beginnings. It provides a clear pathway to answer a question: Jesus is Alive! Now What?
On this second Sunday of Easter, the full impact of the resurrected Christ and his gathered community takes shape through the witness of the faithful in words and actions that reflect Christ as the Risen Lord. In revisiting the Gospel of John, the Pentecost event, and the Apostle Peter's missional witness, we gain a clear understanding of the agenda contained within the missio dei.
Exegetical Missional Insights
Acts 2:14a, 22-32
The resurrection is the most significant and monumental event in human history. God became a man and lived among a people (Matt. 1:23). Immanuel - God with us - revealed the extent of God's willingness to lay aside divine privilege and status to demonstrate the depths and magnitude of His love for all people (Phil. 2:5-8). As God, Jesus came; he died, then he rose from the confines of death in joyous resurrection. The fear that permeated the gathered disciples at Calvary gave way on Easter Sunday to joy and incredulity as they encounter the risen Christ for the first time (Luke 24:36-43). Each Easter Sunday, celebrants recall God's divine entrance into the boundaries of human existence. One week later, the second Sunday of Easter, the celebrations are over for many. The crowds of Easter return to the routines of business as usual, the parking lot is bare, and there is more than enough room in the rows of the pews. Returnees for Second Sunday of Easter must make a choice. Jesus is alive! What next? As James Harvard writes, "the Easter reality is not over ... because those who come back are ready to raise the question of what to do with the Easter message that "the Lord is risen."1 The lectionary reading gives us the answer to how the Early Church responded to the question.
The reading today does not describe the events just preceding Acts 2:14 when the Spirit of God descends upon the gathered disciples and empowers them to be the community of Christ (Joel 2:28-30; Luke 24:47-49, Acts 1:8). The context for the reading presents a scene with universal implications. Jews from the diaspora - God-fearing Greeks, locals, and Roman imperial troops - all are gathered in Jerusalem. Some travelled long distances to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, while others gather in the city for a variety of personal and commercial reasons. It is this crowd that is described in Acts 2:1-13. Greek, Aramaic, and Latin were the predominate languages of the Empire, but this crowd hears about the glories of God in their mother tongues from their home countries.
It is at this juncture that Peter demonstrates what must be done with the question: Jesus has risen, now what? Peter stands before the amazed crowd and gives a proclamational witness to the resurrection of Christ as the creation of a new humanity, a Kingdom Community. This is the fulfillment of God's salvific design narrated throughout the sacred text of scripture. The fabulous news Peter announces is for all peoples, embracing the diversity of ethnicity and differences, and is intelligible in the "languages of ‘every' nation under heaven. ...[as] objects of mission."2
1 Peter 1:3-9
Peter would later write to those who missed out on Easter Sunday. They were not present at the feast and had no experience of the momentous events of Pentecost and the birth of the Church. They did, however, receive the same message given in Acts 2:14-32. With the Pentecost crowd, they too believed. Peter proved to be a credible and reliable witness to those events and its life changing message. For Peter's audience, the trials and challenges of existing under the oppression of the Roman Empire, the Emperor cult, and active persecution were constant reminders that they now belonged to something more and had a living hope that transcended the moment for the possibility of the eternal. In Christ there was the security that God's power in raising Him from the dead secured for them a living hope that will never "perish, spoil or fade" (1 Pet 1:4).
John 20:19-31
The final reading today is an emphatic call to be sent as Christ himself was sent. As the Father sends Christ, so Christ sends the church (v. 21). Note that Jesus implied the church's sending was not unlike his own and had similar characteristics of being incarnational representatives of God's love to all people, sacrificially giving of the self that others might see Christ represented and experience his love.
Peter and the Eleven were eyewitnesses of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. The apostle John stated: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched - this we proclaim concerning the Word of Life" (1 John 1:1). Jesus himself was the message and his sending reflects the same manner in which the apostles and those who follow Jesus would answer the question of the significance of his Incarnation.
Thomas represents those who struggled with the impossibility of natural revelation. He was absent when Christ first appeared to the apostles. Jesus uses those moments in the narrative to remind his audience and future believers that future believers not present for the Easter events will also believe. They too are partakers in the new Kingdom Community.
God's Mission in the Text
The focused readings for this second Sunday of Easter are profound descriptions of Christ as having risen from the grave in triumph over sin and separation resulting from human disobedience. The church in its communal nature reflects a vivid portrait of this new humanity that God is creating through the church. It is empowered by the Spirit to reflect the glorious dimensions of this new life in Christ. The church's very existence as the new people of God is a visible representation of the implications of Christ's resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:42-47). Peter, in both the Day of Pentecost sermon and later in his written Epistle, centers his thesis on Christ's death and resurrection as the focus of God's purpose throughout history (Acts 2:22-32; 1 Peter 1:3-9). From the beginning, Jesus was the Lamb Slain from the foundation of the World (John 1:29; Rev. 13:8). God was not caught resting, and did not made a mistake, nor was it a secondary option when first choices did not work. It was his intention all along, that Jesus would be sent to accomplish the will of the Father by laying down his life for the sins of the world (John 20:21). Raised in power through the Holy Spirit, he is the Savior who provides access to the Father. He challenges his followers to expect their own mission to be characterized by the same incarnational qualities.
Missional Connections for our Context
The question remains: Jesus is Alive, now what? What does the church do with the news that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father with a glorious resurrected body? The textual readings today provide as much relevance for the contemporary audience as for the First Century. Believers respond to the Easter event as did Peter by sharing the message of the living and eternal Christ. That through his sacrificial death, there is hope for the world. Life has a purpose and God includes all those who were not present on Easter Sunday to join his community in announcing the Good News of the Gospel in the power of the Spirit. This message is for all peoples; is translatable into every language and should be most vividly represented in the life of the communion of the Saints. The Gospel, through the lived expression of ecclesial community, welcomes all and embraces all with love and mercy as a blessed homecoming.
Biographical Summary
J. Stephen Jester, PhD, served in cross-cultural education for over twenty-five years in both Africa and Asia. He currently teaches Christian Missions and Worldview courses at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona.
1 Joseph S. Harvard, "Preaching the Easter Texts: Can I Get a Witness?," Journal for Preachers 37, no. 3 (Easter 2014): 3.
2 Hinne Wagenaar, "Babel, Jerusalem and Kumba: Missiological Reflections on Genesis 11:1-9 and Acts 2:1-13," in International Review of Mission 92, no. 366 (2003): 414.
Third Sunday of Easter
April 26, 2020
Acts 2:14a, 36-41
Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19
1 Peter 1:17-23
Luke 24:13-35
Exegetical Missional Insights
Acts 2:14a, 36-41
After having recently made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover, "devout Jews" once again made a return trek for Pentecost, the Festival of Weeks. They came from "every nation under heaven" (v5). Places specifically mentioned include: Parthia, Media, Elam, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libya and Rome. A common religious heritage may have brought them together. But culturally and linguistically, they were worlds apart.
Surely the recent events of Passover would have continued to be the talk of the town. All would have known about the arrest, trial and crucifixion of Jesus. Some of his disciples had since claimed to have seen Jesus alive, but then a "cloud took him out of their sight" (v9). In fact, they said that Jesus told them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit - whatever that meant. All of this was bound to have fed the rumor mill with diverse opinions and wild stories. Some of those who had gathered would scoff, while many were confused. Others expectantly waited - even if they were not exactly sure for what they were waiting. Apparently without warning, a "violent wind" came from heaven and "divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them" (v2-3). To the amazement of all, each person could hear in their own language what the apostles had to say.
Amidst the confusion, Peter stands to address this crowd of devout, biblically literate Jews. Peter applied a hermeneutical lens that presented the case for Jesus as the promised Messiah. Then he confronts the crowd with the truth that. Despite the "power, wonders, and signs" (v22) that Jesus had performed in their midst, they had allowed him to be crucified. They may have hidden their faces, convincing themselves that it was none of their business. Or they may have joined the crowd in chanting: "Give us Barabbas!" Peter's words challenged them, and they were "cut to the heart" (v37). Knowing that they could not change the past, they asked: "What should we do?" (v37).
Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19
At first glance, the psalmist appears to be expressing a theology of quid pro quo. Taken out of context, one could slip into a dangerous theology of believing that YHWH's job is to do our bidding, for which we reward God with our worship. More important are the psalmist's responses to God's actions. He rhetorically asks: "What shall I return to the LORD?" (v12). Then, the writer responds with: "I will pay my vows" (v14,18). God may have gotten the psalmist's attention by having "loosed" his bonds, but the psalmist pledges himself to service and worship. This he pledges without any preconditions regarding the future.
1 Peter 1:17-23
Peter reminds his Jewish audience that God judges impartially, and that each person will be judged "according to their deeds" (v
17). That his Jewish audience had been "ransomed from the futile ways" of their ancestors should not be interpreted as a negative critique of Judaism. One possibility could be an acknowledgement that when we, as human beings, use religion as a tool to suit our own purposes. But when we do, religion becomes twisted, misguided and corrupted.
Jesus, the Passover "lamb without defect or blemish," was sacrificed in order to atone for our sins - something we cannot do for ourselves. However, we have hope in Jesus since God raised him from the dead. Therefore, we need to follow his example, in "reverent fear" (v17) and "obedience to the truth," the proof of which is our commitment to love one another "deeply from the heart" (v22).
("Love One Another" photo, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55171 [retrieved March 2, 2020])
Luke 24:13-35
Luke's account of Jesus appearing to two of his disciples returning home from Jerusalem to Emmaus is one of those dramatic stories where the reader, even while knowing what is to come, is drawn into the tension and suspense of the narrative. We find ourselves rooting for Cleopas and the unnamed "Other" to discover that it is Jesus. It takes at least a few hours to walk back home, but they remain in the dark for the entire journey. They were emotionally distraught - grappling with the reality that their beloved rabbi had been laid in a tomb.
For Cleopas and Other, grief and bewilderment had blinded them from the present reality. They knew that a few female disciples had visited the tomb and found it empty. These women even said that angels told them he was alive. But they knew "better" than to listen to this "idle tale" (v11). The walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus provided an opportunity for Jesus to explain to them what Scripture had to say, "beginning with Moses" (v27), about himself and his mission. It was not until they arrived at their destination, when Jesus - their invited guest - "took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them" (v30). Only then did they realize who he was! Despite having spent several hours walking alongside him. And despite the authority with which he spoke along the way, they did not recognize him. Exactly why is never explained, and neither is what specifically had opened their eyes. It could have been at the point of breaking bread given the familiarity of that act. Or it could have been that they noticed the nail scars on his hands when he passed the bread to them.
God's Mission in the Text
These four passages share common themes. One of these is that God is still active in the world. From cover to cover, the Bible testifies to God taking the initiative on behalf of Creation - and humanity's responses to that initiative whether positive, negative or indifferent. Sometimes, God acts by waiting for us to call on him - as perhaps was the case with the psalmist.
In many Spanish Bible translations, the word logos in John's gospel is translated to "verbo." This does not quite capture the essence of logos, but it might be closer than our common understanding of the English concept of "Word." Verbo implies action. Even in the "Acts of the Apostles," God is the one who acts and God is always the center of the story. It was God who sent the Holy Spirit to violently blow on and then rest on the disciples. On the road to Emmaus, the Verbo acted, first by showing up to guide two pilgrims to a greater understanding of the missio dei. Finally, the Verbo revealed himself through the act of breaking of bread.
Mission Connections for Our Context
The psalmist praised YHWH for "loosing" his bonds. The hearts of the two disciples returning to Emmaus burned as Jesus spoke. The crowd in Jerusalem was amazed at God's dramatic entrance on the Day of Pentecost. The biblical witness to God's active and continuing presence is clear. But even when God does act in a way that is plainly visible to all, there will be scoffers and those who are indifferent.
Faithful followers of Jesus are also susceptible to missing out on God's initiative, sometimes because of preconceived notions of how a message must be delivered. Such was the case with the women who had visited the tomb and then shared the good news with the disciples. They could not fathom that God would deliver his message through a bunch of women!
Untold numbers of Christians today make weekly pilgrimages to church - many believing that they know what to expect from God. Perhaps they know to expect nothing. Our own cultural-religious presuppositions inhibit our ability to encounter the Verbo. We may have our hermeneutics on lockdown. We may be unwilling to listen to someone that God would never call as prophet or preacher. Or our minds may be closed to Truth because it is not a truth that we want to hear. When religion becomes a tool to further our own purposes, religion leaves God out of the equation.
Most importantly when we forget the call to love one another deeply and unconditionally as Christ has loved us, we fail at a most crucial task that we as Church have vowed to fulfill. Churches disfellowship themselves from one another because they cannot agree on doctrine. Or they divide along ethnic, cultural, and political lines. We even squabble over who is invited to the Lord's Table. What Pentecost demonstrates however is that conformity and uniformity are not godly pursuits. God poured out his Spirit in Jerusalem on all nations. The Holy Spirit acted in such a way that everyone heard in their own tongue. God affirmed the distinctiveness of each. Christ's church is called to do the same.
The message of salvation, hope and love that Christ offers is a message that the Church proclaims. That is the road that we pilgrims are called to travel. We do it more effectively and more authentically, when our hearts and minds are open - walking alongside others who might not think or worship the way that we do. We do it when we open ourselves to hearing God speak through the Scripture, or an unexpected messenger or even through a rushing wind of the Holy Spirit.
Biographical Summary
Ruth A. Clowater, D.Min., President of SIGA Ministry Partners, Inc. SIGA (Servants in Grace Abounding) is a "ministry of encouragement" located in the remote tropical rainforest along the Costa Rica/Nicaragua border and where the best roads are the rivers.
Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 17, 2020
First Reading: Acts 17:22-31
Second Reading: 1 Peter 3:13-22
Gospel: John 14:15-21
Exegetical Missional Insights
Acts 17:22-31
After a difficult time in Thessalonica and Berea, Paul was whisked away to Athens. While waiting for his companions Silas and Timothy, Paul explored the city and was vexed to see so many idols. As was his custom, he sought out conversation with the Jews and sympathizers in the synagogue and the marketplace. These conversations resulted in an invitation to address a meeting of the Areopagus.
Paul's address follows an established pattern. There is an introduction and a conclusion with several points in between. His introduction includes a mention of an altar to an "Unknown God," which he had seen while walking around the city of Athens. Paul points out that this unknown God is the creator and sustainer of all things. He quotes from some of their own poets - "In him we live and move and have our being," from the Cretan poet Epimenides and "we are his offspring," from the Cilician poet Aratus - in order to capture their attention. And if this "Unknown God" is creator and sustainer, it would be important to seek after such a god. Indeed, people do seek after God almost like in a game of ‘blind man's bluff' or like Homer's Cyclops groping after Odysseus. Paul ends his address with an invitation to turn to this "Unknown God," Because while God has overlooked their ignorance in the past, God has appointed a day of reckoning. Further, Jesus Christ has been appointed as the judge for this day. "The proof of the pre-eminence of Christ is the resurrection. It is no unknown god but the Risen Christ with whom we have to deal."3
1 Peter 3:13-22
Like Paul who was invited to give an address, Peter urges a group of Christians who are "strangers in the world" and "scattered" (1 Peter 1:1) to be prepared to answer questions their hosts might put to them. He urges these outcasts to "always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands an account for the hope that is in you (v3:14)." Peter offers several hints as to what should characterize the Christian defense. It should be with "gentleness and respect" and from the position of a "clear conscious" (v3:15-16). This will ensure that, if anyone were to speak maliciously about them, they might be ashamed of their slander.
Peter, like Paul, focuses on the resurrection of Jesus Christ referencing the fact that Christ was put to death in the body but "made alive by the Spirit" (v18). Drawing on the story of Noah and the ark, Peter describes how eight were saved from the waters of the flood. In a curious expression, Peter claims that the water of the flood "symbolizes baptism that now saves." This can be understood in the sense that one of the pictures of baptism is that the believer is buried with Christ and rises with Christ - seen particularly in the practice of baptismal immersion though assumed in other modes as well. Peter goes so far as to say that baptism "saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (v21). As Barclay says, "The whole idea and effectiveness of baptism is dependent on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the grace of the Risen Lord which cleanses us; it is to the Risen, Living Lord that we pledge ourselves; it is to the Risen, Living Lord that we look for strength to keep the pledge that we have given."4
John 14:15-21
Jesus is preparing his disciples for the fact that he is leaving them. He tells them that he is going to prepare a place for them and that he will return so that they can be together again. While they are apart from one another, he promises to send them "the Spirit of Truth" (v17) who will be with them forever. He will not leave them as orphans.
God's Mission in the Text
Waiting is not wasted time. Paul is waiting for his colleagues in Athens but uses the in between time to observe what is happening. This ‘participant observation' allows him to observe features of the great city of Athens including the significant material culture - a city "full of idols." One such item attracts his attention and becomes the focus of his address. It's the one with the inscription: "To an Unknown God."
Paul's speech is culturally relevant inasmuch as quotes from some of their own poets. These were ‘rude, lewd, and crude' poets and it makes one wonder what the great former rabbi and apostle of Jesus Christ to the gentiles was doing reading these writers. However, the fact that he is aware of them and able to quote from them at will is a tremendous ‘hook' for his presentation.
While strangers and aliens in this world, the believer can take great comfort that "no one will harm you" (1 Peter3:13). In light of this, Peter urges the believers with these instructions: "Do not fear" and "Do not be intimidated (v14).
The words of Jesus in John are similar to Jesus' words at the end of the gospel of Matthew, where he promises to be with his disciples to the end. In John's Gospel, Jesus promises: "I will not leave you as orphan; I will come to you" (v18). It's like the words of parent to a child that is going to be away for a few days: "Do not worry. I will be back. We will be together again soon." In fact, Jesus promises even more: "Because I live, you also will live" (v19).
Missional Connections for Our Context
The well-known phrase that "The best defense is a good offence" is relevant in sports such as hockey, basketball and football. It's also a strategy for war according to Sun Tzu, Mao Zedong and George Washington. Investors consider this as do those who play board games like chess and Risk.5 Perhaps it is a good adage for sharing the Christian faith as well.
The ‘defense' of the faith, often called ‘apologetics,' is balanced by the ‘offense' of the faith, often called ‘elenctics.'6 Apologetics may be more familiar to many and it seems to be what Peter urges the isolated believers in his letter to utilize - "always be prepared to make your Defense." Elenctics, on the other hand, is the approach of Paul at Mars Hill. He does not give an ‘apology' for the faith, but rather pushes forward trying to ‘set right' the Athenians. Although Paul goes on the offence and attempts to correct the thinking of the philosophers in Athens, he is not offensive or off putting. With politeness ("I see you are very religious") and relevant content, Paul, to borrow Peter's phrases. proceeds with ‘gentleness and respect.'
Biographical Summary
Reverend Dr. Daniel D. Scott is a minister at St. John's Presbyterian Church in Bradford West Gwillimbury, Ontario, and an associate professor at Tyndale University in Toronto, Ontario.
3 William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles Revised Edition. (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1976) 132
4 William Barclay, The Letters of James and Peter Revised Edition. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1976) 245
5 Brad Thomas, "The Best Offence is a Great Defense," Forbes Magazine, May 29, 2018
6 See Cornelius J. Hoak, "The Missional Approach: Reconsidering Elenctics (Part 2), Calvin Theological Journal 44, 2009:288-305 and Robert J. Priest, "Missionary Elenctics: Conscience and Culture, Missiology: An International Review, Vol XXX11 No. 3 July 1994:291-313.
