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Travel Pool
The basic purposes of the travel pool are to allow us:
1. To minimize the total travel costs of the ASM Conference (by choosing a central location).
2. To avoid discrimination against those members who live at a great distance from the central site chosen.
3. To avoid paying out funds that some institutional budget would have covered had this travel pool not existed.
The measures we have taken to accomplish these purposes are:
1. To incorporate into the registration fee for everyone a modest amount in excess of the expected expenses of the annual conference. This amount will be available for a travel pool.
2. To focus on that portion of everyone's travel costs (excluding ground transportation to and from an airport) which the member her/himself would have to pay were there no travel pool, and which is not in excess of the lowest cost air fare - night coach, economy, excursion, or super saver where possible, whether or not the member takes advantage of this fare. While not required, a stand-by fare (clergy or otherwise) is encouraged where this is feasible to the member. Where several come in a car, they should each submit the proportion of the 45 cents per mile chargeable to them should that be less than the lowest air fare.
3. Only those who have been ASM members for at least six months immediately prior to the annual conference are eligible to participate in the travel fund.
4. The maximum amount given to any member from the travel pool fund is $400.
5. This travel pool is available to all ASM members, regardless of their country of residence.
Our actual process is as follows:
1. We compile a list of those who are eligible, putting down their actual travel costs or minimum air fare, whichever is less.
2. We subtract $150 from the amount defined in #2 above and call the remainder the "reimbursable portion."
3. If the travel pool amounts to less than the total of reimbursable amounts (i.e., 75%), then 75% of each person's reimbursable portion will be repaid.
To apply for the travel pool, follow the link below to the travel pool form, print it and fill it out, and send it to the ASM Treasurer.
aete
Overview:
The Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education (AETE) is a scholarly guild dedicated to the study of evangelism through a variety of disciplines with a particular interest in promoting excellence in teaching evangelism. We welcome scholars and practitioners alike to join us by becoming a member of AETE and by publishing in our journal Witness: The Journal of the Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education. The journal is peer-reviewed and is published online annually. We especially encourage young scholars to submit their work.
AETE holds its annual meeting alongside of ASM, gathering the day before the ASM Conference begins.You can join AETE and register for our annual meeting as part of the ASM Conference registration process. Joining AETE includes a subscription to Witness.
To learn more about AETE, Witness, and the schedule for this year's meeting, please visit us at AETE.online.
2025 APM/AETE Annual Meeting
June 19-20, 2025
St. Mary's College, South Bend, Indiana
Position Openings
If you or your institution would like to announce a job opportunity on this page, please email [email protected].
Forums
Thank you for your patience as we get continue working to activate each of the forums listed below. The "Future of the Discipline of Missiology" forum is active; others are soon to follow. We appreciate your participation!
The Future of the Discipline of Missiology
ASM General Forum
Is there a particular puzzle, dilemma, problem you think needs some fresh insight? Post a topic, a question, a hypothesis, a wild idea. See where it leads. Have you been pondering a particular missiological issue and/or forming a new (you think) take on it? Are you ready to launch the idea among friends and see if it floats? Pose it. Show what brought you to it. Say what you would like to test, and the kind of responses you would be eager to hear. (Being brief and to the point helps!)
Missiology: An International Review Forum
In this Forum you will have an opportunity to read a lead article in the most recent issue of Missiology and engage the author in a discussion about its content, theory, proposals and implications.
Scholar in Residence Forum
Each month, ASM member(s) will host a discussion focused on their particular area of expertise, field of study, and/or current research pursuit. Join in the discussion to engage top scholars in the Field of Missiology-ask questions, explored new ideas, and engage our scholars around important issues for you in your mission pursuits.
Mission Research Forum
Post a few notes on your current research interest or project, in order to explore who else might be traveling down a similar path. Let connections spark and new collaborative relationships flourish! You may want to probe what other people find to be critical bibliographic resources for your line of research. Or as you begin teaching in a particular area, you may want to discover from veteran teachers in the field what pedagogical strategies have been found to be useful.
ASM Student Forum
Join other students actively engaged in formal Mission Study Programs. Share your own research ideas. Ask for the critique and insight of others. Seek out others who may be traveling the same educational and research path you are on. Create new study and research communities as you find like-minded colleagues in the same pursuits. (Let us know and we will be happy to create a new sub-forum for your group.)
Global Connections
The church consists of a patchwork of local theologies around the world. Each local theology has the need to be in dialogue with other local theologies and the larger church tradition as it develops and bears witness to God's presence in Jesus Christ within its own cultural context. Staying connected and encouraging participation in Global and North American mission conferences and events is one way the American Society of Missiology supports the essential dialogue necessary for the global church and its mission calling.
Global Events (to include an event here, please contact Darren Duerksen, the ASM secretary).
Manuscript Submission goes here
For Missology: An International Review: Most articles come from unsolicited submissions, which are always welcome. For information on how to submit a manuscript, please visit http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/mis.
For the ASM Series: Volumes in the Series are monographs on critical themes in mission studies. They are selected for their high merit and wide interest in the study of mission. Correspondence regarding submitting manuscripts for review should be addressed to Robert Hunt at [email protected].
For the ASM Scholarly Monograph Series: Authors wishing their dissertations or monographs to be considered for the Series must first submit an abstract, table of contents, and a letter explaining the relevance and importance of the study to the ASM Scholarly Monograph Series Editorial Committee Chair, James Krabill. If the topic is deemed of interest and appropriate, the Chair will request a full electronic copy of the dissertation. The Series welcomes submissions of doctoral dissertations completed in the last three years at universities and theological institutions in North America and around the world. Other similar scholarly monographs are also welcome. The manuscripts must be in English and not exceeding 350-400 pages. Members of the Series Committee judge whether the dissertations should be included in the ASM Monograph series.
Membership
| MEMBER LOGIN |
American Society of Missiology Membership Benefits
When you become a member of the American Society of Missiology (ASM) you join an inclusive and diverse professional association made up of members from Independent (Evangelical, Pentecostal, etc.), Conciliar (Ecumenical), and Roman Catholic communions of the Christian church. The unique makeup of our membership provides a dynamic and lively exchange of ideas, issues, and scholarship focused on the church's call to participate in God's mission to the world.
Your membership helps us to host our annual gathering, publish the journal Missiology, give scholarly awards and grants, and provide you with news and developments in the discipline of Missiology.
ASM members enjoy many special benefits:
Become a Member, or Renew Your Membership Today!
JOIN THE ASM COMMUNITY
| BECOME A MEMBER |
ASM Membership Rates
(ASM Membership comes with a digital* subscription to Missiology)
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Member Category |
2023-2024 |
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Student |
$30 |
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Resident of country identified by the UN as LDC |
$30 |
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Tier 1: $0-$35,000 income |
$70 |
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Tier 2: $35,000-$50,000 income |
$90 |
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Tier 3: $50,000-$75,000 income |
$100 |
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Tier 4: $75,000-$100,000 income |
$110 |
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Tier 5: $100,000 or more income |
$140 |
*(Please note: As of 2023 there are no more print editions of Missiology. All subscriptions are digital only.)
Subscription
Thank you for your interest in the American Society of Missiology and in subscribing to Missiology: An International Review, the quarterly ASM journal.
Important! November 30, 2012 was the last day on which non-member subscriptions could be ordered through the Editorial Office. If you would like to renew/subscribe as a non-ASM Member, please use to the addresses listed below to submit your subscription request:
ASM Membership Rates (includes a digital subscription to Missiology)
If you are an ASM Member and would like to renew your membership and subscription, or if you would like to become a member, please submit your request via the ASM Access Portal.
Individual membership $40
Retired membership $25
Student membership $20
Thank you for your interest in the American Society of Missiology!
Organization Links
ASSOCIATIONS
International Association for Mission Studies
South African Missiological Society
German Society for Mission Studies (English and German languages)
Evangelical Missiological Society
Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education
ORGANIZATIONS
Church World Service(NCCCUSA)
Global Mapping International
Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization
Maryknoll Missions
Overseas Ministries Study Center
U.S. Catholic Mission Association
PROJECTS
Gospel and Our Culture Network (North America)
Gospel and Our Culture Network (UK)
Newbigin.Net (Online Bibliography and Documents)
Regnum Edinburgh Centenary Book Series
Social Scientific Study of Missions Project
PUBLISHERS
Research Site Links
One of the core values of the American Society of Missiology is to facilitate mutual assistance and exchange of information and encourage research and publication in the study of Christian missions. In support of these core values the ASM lists below links to key research sites:
Missiology
Missiology: An International Review is the quarterly journal of the American Society of Missiology. The journal is a forum for the exchange of ideas and research between missiologists and others interested in related subjects. There are approximately 10,683 subscribers worldwide.
Missiology began publication in 1973, continuing in the tradition of its predecessor, Practical Anthropology. As one of the premier scholarly journals of mission studies, it is distinctively:
ASM Members can access Missiology online by logging into the ASM Member Center and selecting the link for “Missiology: An International Review.”
SUBSCRIPTIONS
If you would like to renew/subscribe as a non-ASM Member, please use to the following addresses to submit your subscription request:
Missiology welcomes the submission of original work that meets the requirements of the journal. For information on manuscript submission, please visit the Sage Missiology homepage.
A Book Review Style Guide is also available for those who contribute book reviews. To become a book reviewer for Missiology, interested parties should send an email to [email protected]. Potential reviewers receive quarterly lists of books that are available for review and must notify the Editorial Office if they are interested in applying to contribute a particular book's review. The Associate Editor, William Green, notifies individual reviewers if they have been assigned their requested reviews.
ASM Series
The ASM, in association with Orbis Books, publishes a series of monographs on critical issues and emerging themes in mission studies.
Authors wishing their manuscripts to be considered for the ASM Series must first submit a proposal containing a one page description of the topic, a table of contents, and a letter explaining the relevance and importance of the study to the ASM Series Committee Chair, Robert Hunt ([email protected]). These will be evaluated by the Chair and at least two members of the committee.
Manuscript proposals will be evaluated on the basis of their academic merits, reach of their potential readership, uniqueness of subject matter, and possibilities for adaptation as a textbook in missiology courses among other things. A complete list of the evaluation rubrics can be obtained from the ASM Series Committee Chair.
If the topic and scope of the manuscript is deemed of interest and appropriate to the series, the Chair will forward the review comments and information to Orbis, which will make a final decision on publication and will correspond directly with the author concerning the complete manuscript and editing.
Correspondence regarding submitting manuscripts for review should be addressed to [email protected]. If email is not possible, then paper proposals may be mailed to: Robert Hunt, P.O. Box 750133, Dallas, TX 75275-0133. The other members of the ASM Series Editorial Committee are Robert Gallagher, Kristopher W. Seaman, Brian Froehle, Peter Vethanyagamony, and Lisa Beth White.
IN PRINT AT ORBIS (in chronological order from earliest to most recent):
No Other Name? Christianity and Other World Religions, Paul F. Knitter
The Church and Cultures: New Perspectives in Missiological Anthropology, Louis J. Luzbetak, SVD
Missions and Money: Affluence as a Western Missionary Problem . . . Revisited (Second Edition), Jonathan J. Bonk
Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission, David J. Bosch
Mission Legacies: Biographical Studies of Leaders of the Modern Missionary Movement, edited by Gerald H. Anderson, Robert T. Coote, Norman A. Horner, and James M. Phillips
Classic Texts in Mission and World Christianity, edited by Norman E. Thomas
Christian Mission: A Case Study Approach, Alan Neely
The Missionary Movement in American Catholic History, Angelyn Dries, OSF
Mission in the New Testament: An Evangelical Approach, edited by William J. Larkin Jr. and Joel W. Williams
Changing Frontiers of Mission, Wilbert R. Shenk
Constants in Context: A Theology of Mission for Today, Stephen B. Bevans, SVD, and Roger P. Schroeder, SVD
Gospel Bearers, Gender Barriers: Missionary Women in the Twentieth Century, edited by Dana L. Robert
Church: Community for the Kingdom, John Fuellenbach, SVD
Mission in Acts: Ancient Narratives in Contemporary Context, edited by Robert L. Gallagher and Paul Hertig
A History of Christianity in Asia: Volume I, Beginnings to 1500, Samuel Hugh Moffett
A History of Christianity in Asia: Volume II, 1500-1900, Samuel Hugh Moffett
A Reader's Guide to Transforming Mission, Stan Nussbaum
Israel and the Nations: A Mission Theology of the Old Testament, James Chukwuma Okoye, CSSp
Women in Mission: From the New Testament to Today, Susan E. Smith
Reconstructing Christianity in China: K. H. Ting and the Chinese Church, Philip L. Wickeri
Translating the Message: The Missionary Impact on Culture (second edition), Lamin Sanneh
Landmark Essays in Mission and World Christianity, edited by Robert L. Gallagher and Paul Hertig
Miracles, Missions, & American Pentecostalism, Gary B. McGee
The Gospel among the Nations: A Documentary History of Inculturation, Robert A. Hunt
Mission and Culture: The Louis J. Luzbetak Lectures, edited by Stephen B. Bevans
Comprehending Mission: The Questions, Methods, Themes, Problems, and Prospects of Missiology, Stanley H. Skreslet
Christian Mission among the Peoples of Asia, Jonathan Y. Tan
Sent Forth: African Missionary Work in the West, Harvey C. Kwiyani
Mangoes or Bananas: The Quest for an Authentic Asian Christian Theology, Hwa Yung
Contemporary Mission Theology: Engaging the Nations: Essays in Honor of Charles E. Van Engen, edited by Robert L. Gallagher and Paul Hertig
African Christian Leadership: Realities, Opportunities, and Impact, edited by Robert Priest and Kirimi Barine
Women Leaders in the Student Christian Movement: 1880-1920, Thomas Russell
Traditional Ritual as Christian Worship: Dangerous Syncretism or Necessary Hybridity? R. Daniel Shaw and William R. Burrows
PUBLISHED BY WIPF & STOCK
From the Rising of the Sun: Christians and Society in Contemporary Japan, James M. Phillips
Confucius, the Buddha, and Christ: A History of the Gospel in China, Ralph R. Covell
An African Tree of Life, Thomas G. Christensen
Understanding Spiritual Power: A Forgotten Dimension of Cross-Cultural Mission and Ministry, Marguerite G. Kraft
Missiological Education for the 21st Century: The Book, the Circle, and the Sandals, edited by J. Dudley Woodberry, Charles Van Engen, and Edgar J. Elliston
Dictionary of Mission: Theology, History, Perspectives, edited by Karl Müller, SVD, Theo Sundermeier, Stephen B. Bevans, SVD, and Richard H. Bliese
Missions and Unity: Lessons from History, 1792-2010, Norman E. Thomas
OTHER
*World Mission in the Wesleyan Spirit, Darrell L. Whiteman and Gerald H. Anderson (published by Province House, Franklin, TN)
ASM Monographs
The American Society of Missiology publishes a series for distinguished dissertations and other similar scholarly monographs in missiology and in related fields of missiological interest. In its initial years the series was co-published with the University Press of America, and from 2006 onward it is being co-published with Pickwick Publications, an imprint of Wipf & Stock Publishers.
The ASM Scholarly Monograph Series makes more widely available quality scholarly work relating to the area of world mission. The Series welcomes submissions of doctoral dissertations completed in the last three years at universities and theological institutions in North America and around the world. Other similar scholarly monographs are also welcome. The manuscripts must be in English and not exceeding 350-400 pages.
Authors wishing their dissertations or monographs to be considered for the Series must first submit an abstract, table of contents, and a letter explaining the relevance and importance of the study to the ASM Scholarly Monograph Series Editorial Committee Chair, James R. Krabill. If the topic is deemed of interest and appropriate, the Chair will request a full electronic copy of the dissertation.
At two times during the year (May and December), the Committee determines which of the manuscripts received will be read by the Committee and considered for publication. Members of the Series Committee--who may request assistance from expert counsel on specialized topics--serve as readers who judge the dissertations. The reading process can take up to three months, at which time authors will be informed whether or not their manuscript has been accepted for publication.
For further information regarding the Series, contact the Editorial Committee Chair, James R. Krabill ([email protected]).
ASM SCHOLARLY MONOGRAPHS SERIES (Wipf & Stock, 2007-2022):
EARLIER PUBLICATIONS OF THE ASM SCHOLARLY MONOGRAPH SERIES [formerly ASM Dissertation Series]:
Course Syllabi
The Association of Professors of Mission has for many years made syllabi available on its website to enhance teaching of mission studies. We are pleased that we maintain a close relationship and partnership with the APM and can now link you to their site to access their colleciton of mission course syllabi.
Please click here to link to the APM Syllabi.
If you teach in the mission field and would like to have us post your syllabus, please email a copy (in pdf format) to [email protected]. Thank you.
Book Review Submission
Book reviews are an essential component of the ASM journalMissiology. William Green is the Associate Editor who oversees the Missiology Book Reviews. In collaboration with the Missiology Editorial Office, the Associate Editor maintains a list of approved book reviewers.
Contact William Green or the Missiology Editorial Office about your participation in this network of reviewers.
A Book Review Style Guide is also available for those who contribute book reviews. To become a book reviewer for Missiology, an individual must fill out the Book Reviewer Information Form and return it to the Missiology Editorial Office. Potential reviewers receive quarterly lists of books that are available for review and must notify the Editorial Office if they are interested in applying to contribute a particular book's review. The Book Review Editor notifies individual reviewers if they have been assigned their requested reviews.
key people
ASM OFFICERS |
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William Gregory President |
William P. Gregory is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa. He received his Ph.D. in systematic theology from Boston College in 2006 after teaching for two years with the Christian Brothers in The Gambia, West Africa. His research interests include Catholic theology of mission, religious epistemology, intellectual challenges to religious faith, and the U.S. context of Christian mission. He served as President of the Association of Professors of Mission in 2011 and edited Go Forth: Toward a Community of Missionary Disciples (Orbis, 2019), a collection of Pope Francis’s teachings on mission. He has published articles in the International Bulletin of Mission Research and the International Review of Mission. |
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Ruth Padilla-DeBorst 1st Vice President |
Ruth yearns to see peace and justice embrace in the beautiful and broken world we call home. A wife of one and mother of many, theologian, missiologist, educator, and storyteller, she has been involved in leadership development and theological education for integral mission in her native Latin America for several decades. She teaches at Western Theological Seminary and serves with the Comunidad de Estudios Teológicos Interdisciplinarios (CETI – a learning community with students across Latin America), and with INFEMIT (International Fellowship for Mission as Transformation). She serves on the board of the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies and the American Society of Missiology. She lives with her husband, James, in Costa Rica as a member of Casa Adobe, an intentional Christian Community with deep concern for right living in relation to the whole of creation. Her studies include a Bachelors in Education (Argentina), an MA in Interdisciplinary Studies (Wheaton College), and a PhD in Theology (Boston University).
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Jay Moon 2nd Vice President
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Jay Moon served 13 years as a missionary with SIM, largely in Ghana, West Africa, among the Builsa people focusing on church planting and water development, along with his wife and four children. He is presently a Professor of Evangelism & Church Planting and Director of the Office of Faith, Work, and Economics at Asbury Theological Seminary. He authored six books, including Effective Intercultural Evangelism. He also edited five books, including Entrepreneurial Church Planting: Innovative Approaches to Engage the Marketplace. He is a frequent speaker on areas of church planting, evangelism, discipleship, and marketplace mission. He previously served as the president of the Great Commission Research Network and APM. In addition to his role as a teaching pastor in a local church plant, Jay holds a Professional Engineer’s license and his MBA focused on social entrepreneurship. His hobbies include tree houses, axe throwing, and small business incubation. |
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Darren Duerksen Secretary (Three-year term beginning 2022) |
Darren Duerksen is Associate Professor of Intercultural and Religious Studies at Fresno Pacific University in Fresno, California. He received his Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary in 2011 and an M.Div from Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary (Fresno, CA) in 2002. He has served as a missionary with the U.S. Mennonite Brethren Church in India and, previous to that, with Youth With a Mission based in England. His research interests include Christian witness other faiths, Christian and interfaith relationships and collaboration, global theologies, theologies of church, Indian Christianity, and Critical Realism/Emergent theory. He has published articles in the International Bulletin of Mission Research and the International Journal of Frontier Missiology. He is the author of Christ-Followers in Other Religions: The Global Witness of Insider Movements (Regnum 2022), co-author with William Dyrness of Seeking Church: Emerging Witnesses to the Kingdom (IVP 2019), and author of Ecclesial Identities in Multi-faith Contexts: Jesus Truth-Gatherings (Yeshu Satsangs) among Hindus and Sikhs in Northwest India (Wipf and Stock 2015). Darren is ordained with the Pacific District Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. |
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David Scott Treasurer (Three-year renewable term beginning 2023) |
Dr. David W. Scott is Director of Mission Theology at the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church, where his work helps Methodists around the world reflect on the nature of mission through research, writing, and training. He has taught mission, church history, world religions, and leadership at Ripon College, Eden Theological Seminary, and through the United Methodist Course of Study. He is the author or editor of the books Unlikely Friends, The Practice of Mission in Global Methodism, Methodist Mission at 200, Crossing Boundaries, and Mission as Globalization as well as numerous articles and book chapters. He coordinated the 200th anniversary celebration (in 2019) of the founding of the first Methodist mission society in the United States and has contributed to the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism’s work on mission from the margins and the 100th anniversary of the founding of the International Missionary Council. |
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS |
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Class of 2025 |
Class of 2026 |
Class of 2027 |
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Conciliar Protestant |
Kirsteen Kim |
Ellen Sherby |
Soojin Chung OMSC |
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Roman Catholic |
Alison Fitchett Climenhaga |
Rosalia Meza |
Roger Schroeder Catholic Theological Union |
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Independent |
Dennis Horton |
Paul Lewis |
David H. Scott Fuller SMT |
MISSIOLOGY EDITORS
Editor - Leanne Dzubinski
Associate Editor - William Richard Green
PUBLISHER
Darrel Whiteman
BOARD OF PUBLICATION CHAIR
Michael Sweeney
ASM BOOK SERIES COMMITTEE CHAIR
Al Tizon
ASM MONOGRAPH SERIES COMMITTEE CHAIR
James Krabill
Contact Information
ASM Secretary:
1717 S. Chestnut Ave
Fresno, CA 93702
ASM Treasurer:
508 Center Ave.
Decorah, IA 52101
920-203-1069
ASM Conference Coordinator:
Asbury Theological Seminary
204 North Lexington Ave
Wilmore, KY 40390
Missiology Subscriptions:
Subscribers in UK, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Australasia: [email protected]
Subscribers in Asia (excluding India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, The Maldives, Nepal or Sri Lanka): [email protected]
Subscribers in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, The Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka: [email protected]
Subscribers in North America and the ROW: [email protected]
Missiology Editorial Assistant:
13800 Biola Ave.
La Mirada, CA 90639
Phone: (562) 944-0351 x5740
Fax: (562) 903-4851
Missiology Book Review:
William Richard Green, Associate Editor
Parallel Session Coorinator, ASM
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
2065 Half Day Rd
Deerfield, IL 60015
Phone: (267) 608-4140
205 Flagstone Dr.
Antioch, CA 94509
Phone: (510) 499-1194
ASM Scholarly Monograph Series Editor:
Adjunct Professor, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary
Senior Executive for Global Ministries, Mennonite Mission Network
P.O. Box 370
Elkhart, IN 46515
Phone: (574) 361-2061
3991 Brothers Court
Gig Harbor, WA 98332
Phone: (770) 789-7078
1, Oliver's Yard
55 City Road, London EC1Y 1SP
United Kingdom
Phone (Subscriptions Department): +44 (0) 20 7324 8701
Board Minutes
Publication Board Minutes
Business Meeting Minutes
Advertise Events
This page is under construction.
Please come back later.
APM - Calendar
2025 Joint Meeting of the Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education (AETE) and the Association of Professors of Mission (APM)
Despite the history of missiological attention to concerns such as contextualization and inculturation, the mode of doing the work of education in mission and evangelism has often assumed a middle or upper-class student population with the financial resources and community capital to survive and thrive in traditional, North Atlantic academia. This model doesn’t reflect Jesus’ invitation into the redemptive reign of God. It is both unethical, as it places barriers to education to multiple populations, and unsustainable in an increasingly diverse world.
At the same time, the need for interculturally astute Christian ministers, evangelists, and mission leaders has only increased, and will continue to increase in a world of globalization and migration, political and social polarization, and profound global economic disparities. Scholars, practitioners, and educators have a unique set of perspectives and skills to bring to the adaptive developments of the future of Christian higher education for evangelism and mission practice.
In this joint meeting of AETE and APM, we envision facilitating conversations along several potential tracks:
Economics and Evangelism: How does the redemptive reign of God speak to the economic implications for living out and proclaiming the good news?
Majority World Models: The development of higher education in the Majority World is designed to serve the distinctive needs of populations in which Christianity is increasingly centered. While global education still tends to be influenced by Euro-American models of higher education, new strategies are being developed to fit the socio-economic realities, evangelism needs, and ministry priorities of different populations. What are these models and how do they serve the distinctive needs of Christian communities around the world? What can educators in the United States, Canada, and Europe, with a spirit of curiosity and humility, learn from these global models?
International Student Concerns: International students make up a relatively small percentage of higher education students in the US overall yet are an important population in many Christian institutions, particularly on the doctoral level. What are the distinctive needs of this population? How might institutions grapple with the habit of essentializing “Western” thought and practice? What are strategies for addressing international student needs in a way that equips these graduates for work and ministry in their communities of origin?
Technology and Education: The availability of Internet connectivity ostensibly offers global accessibility to higher education. In reality, stable electrical power and strong Internet connection is not accessible to everyone. Additionally, distance education can create a “caste” system among students: those at a distance who struggle to connect and access resources (e.g. electronic books from institutional libraries) and those with a wealth of infrastructure experiencing little structural limitation to their learning. How might educational strategies address these (and other) inequities?
Looking Back / Looking Forward: Education is ripe for disruptive innovation. In a season of adaptive challenges in higher education and in light of global trends toward diverse communities and ministries, what are biblical, missional, and educational principles that may guide scholars and practitioners of mission and evangelism in this season of change and adaptation? What educational experiments and new initiatives are being imagined and/or tried at this time? Conference participants might consider offering a case study from a course or program or proposing a model for consideration.
The 2025 annual joint meeting of AETE and APM invites proposals for presentations from practitioners and scholars with experience or interest related to this year’s theme.
Presentation proposals should include the following:
• Working title
• Presentation type: solo presenter, multiple co-presenters
• Potential track (if applicable)
• Abstract that provides the thesis, context, and general overview of the presentation (500 word maximum)
• Sample bibliography of primary resources or conversation partners
• Name and a brief bio of each presenter
Proposals should be formatted as Word documents and emailed as an attachment to Susan Maros ([email protected]) and Marilyn Draper ([email protected]) with the subject
“AETE/APM Proposal.”
Deadline for proposals is February 1, 2025.
Decisions will be made by March 1, 2025.
APM - Constitution
Adopted: June 15, 1954
Revised: June 13, 1962; June 10, 1974; June 18, 1999; June 16, 2000; June 21, 2002; June 22, 2012; June 14, 2024
I. NAME: The Association of Professors of Mission
II. PURPOSE: The objective of this Association shall be to promote among its members Christian fellowship, spiritual life, networking, and professional usefulness in the teaching of Christian mission (mission(s), mission studies, missiology, intercultural studies, evangelism, global/world Christianity).
III. MEMBERSHIP: Membership is open to anyone involved or interested in the teaching of Christian mission Membership is determined by participation in the Association’s activities over the last five years.
IV. OFFICERS:
1. The officers of the Association shall be a President, a Vice-President, Second Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer.
2. These four officers shall form the Executive Committee.
3. The officers of the Association shall serve through the succeeding annual meeting or until their successors are installed.
4. In the event that the President, through resignation or any other cause, is unable to complete the term of office, the Vice-President shall succeed to the office.
5. A vacancy in the office of Vice-President or Secretary-Treasurer shall be filled by the Executive Committee.
V. MEETINGS: This Association shall convene, preferably in conjunction with the meeting of the American Society of Missiology. The time and place are to be determined by the Executive Committee. A quorum is the total number of members present at the business meeting. Other meetings may be called by the Executive Committee by notifying the members in writing at least thirty days in advance.
VI. FINANCES:
1. Dues for the succeeding year shall be set annually by the Secretary-Treasurer in consultation with the Executive Committee.
2. The Secretary-Treasurer's accounts shall be audited by the President annually.
VII. AMENDMENTS: This constitution may be amended at any annual meeting by a two-thirds vote of the members present at the business meeting.
APM - Current Officers
Susan Maros, Ph.D., President
Susan Maros is Affiliate Assistant Professor of Christian Leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary where she teaches courses on leadership and on formation, and supervises doctoral work. She is a past President of the Academy of Religious Leadership and currently the co-chair of the Practical Theology Interest Group in the Society for Pentecostal Studies.
Kyle Faircloth, Ph.D., First Vice President
Palm Beach Atlantic University
West Palm Beach, FL
Kyle Faircloth directs the Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies program and serves as an associate professor of intercultural studies at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Prior to joining the faculty at PBA in August 2019, Kyle and his family served in ministry for fifteen years in Southeast Asia. His research interests include the fields of intercultural studies, world Christianity, theology of religions, liturgical theology, ritual studies, and aspects of contextual theology related to Southeast and East Asian religious and philosophical contexts.
Antonio (Ton) D. Sison, PhD., Second Vice President
Catholic Theological Union
Chicago, IL
Antonio D. Sison, CPPS, is Professor of Systematic Theology and Culture and Vatican Council II Chair of Theology Chair, Department of Historical and Doctrinal Studies at Catholic Theological Union. Antonio or “Br. Ton” is a religious Brother of the Society of the Precious Blood (CPPS).
Dr. Sisson is committed to contextual, intercultural, and aesthetic approaches to doing systematic theology. His latest book is The Art of Indigenous Inculturation: Grace on the Edge of Genius (Orbis Books, 2021), a cutting-edge exploration of the phenomenon of religious inculturation through the “aesthetics of liberation,” with case studies from Asian, African, and Latin American postcolonial contexts.
Shawn Behan, Ph.D., Secretary-Treasurer
Missouri Baptist University
Chesterfield, MO
Shawn Behan is a PhD graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary with a focus on theology and mission, specifically working on the missionary ecclesiology of Lesslie Newbigin. Shawn has a wide range of research interests, which includes theology of mission, history of mission, ecclesiology, Global Christianity, church planting, evangelism, and world religions. Shawn currently teaches for Missouri Baptist University and Maryville University in St. Louis, MO. Shawn has served with APM since 2019, first as Executive Director of Membership and Member Relations and then later joining David Fenrick as Co-Secretary/Treasurer in 2022, before taking over as the sole Secretary/Treasurer in 2023.
Advisory Board:
Emmanuel Buteau
Xavier Unviersity of Louisiana
Ondina Cortes, RMI
Barry University
Lalsangkima Pachuau
Asbury Theological Seminary
Audrey Seah
Holy Cross College
Charles Van Engen
Fuller Theological Seminary
Uday Balasundaram
Duke Divinity School
Chris Robershaw
Asbury Theological Seminary
Sean Thomas
Palm Beach Atlantic University
Bryan Froehle
Palm Beach Atlantic University
APM - Key Dates
Key Dates in the History of the APM
|
APM - Membership
For membership information, print the linked form and follow the directions on it or contact:
Shawn Behan, Ph.D., Secretary-Treasurer
712 Cedar Field Court
Chesterfield, MO 63017
APM - Mission and Teaching Links
ASSOCIATIONS
IAMS List of Missiological Societies (with links where available)
TEACHING RESOURCES
A Berkeley Compendium of Suggestions for Teaching with Excellence
Course Syllabi
Listing of Missions Programs in North America
PUBLISHERS
Abingdon Press
Baker Book House
Eerdmans
Intercultural Press
InterVarsity
Kregel Publications
Orbis
Paulist Press
Sage Publications
William Carey Library
World Vision Resources
Zondervan
RESEARCH RESOURCES
Contextualization articles database
Libraries of the Ecumenical Centre and Bossey Ecumenical Institute (WCC)
MisLinks Research Page
Mission Research Resources (GMI)
Network for Strategic Missions Knowledge Base
Sources for Mission and World Christianity Research (Yale Divinity Library)
APM - Past Meetings
Papers from previous APM Annual Meetings have been compiled into volumes that may be downloaded for free in electronic versions or may be ordered as bound volumes for an inexpensive price.
Social Engagement: The Challenge of the Social in Missiological Education (2013): http://place.asburyseminary.edu/academicbooks/3/
Teaching for Mission: Educational Theory and Practice (2014):
http://place.asburyseminary.edu/academicbooks/10/
What's In a Name? Assessing Mission Studies Program Titles (2015): http://place.asburyseminary.edu/academicbooks/12/
Teaching Christian Mission in an Age of Global Christianity (2016):
https://place.asburyseminary.edu/academicbooks/18/
Teaching Mission in the Complex Public Arena (2017):
https://place.
Teaching Mission in a Technological World (2018):
https://place.
Reimaging Mission: Teaching Mission for a Changing World (2019):
https://place.asburyseminary.
The Early Proceedings of the Association of Professors of Mission
Volume one (1956-1958): https://place.asburyseminary.edu/academicbooks/26/
Volume two (1962-1974): https://place.asburyseminary.edu/academicbooks/27/
Click here to review the 2024 APM Meeting Minutes!
Annual Meeting Themes, Places and Presidents
| Year | Theme | Place | Presiding |
| 1952 | Organizing meeting | Louisville, KY | H. Cornell Goerner |
| 1954 | Constitution approved; syllabus sharing and teaching issues (No formal theme) | ||
| 1956 | Christian Faith and the Religions (Syllabus sharing and teaching issues) | Naperville, IL | R. Pierce Beaver |
| 1958 | Missionary Vocation | Boston, MA | Wilber C. Harr |
| 1960 | Frontiers of the Christian World Mission since 1938: Essays in Honor of Kenneth Scott Latourette | Richmond, VA | Theodore Bachmann |
| 1962 | Our Teaching Responsibility in the Light of the De-emphasis on the Words "Missions" and "Missionary" | Toronto, Canada | Charles Forman |
| 1964 | Theology of the World Apostolate | Philadelphia, PA | Creighton Lacy |
| 1966 | An Inquiry into the Implications of Joint Action for Mission | Takoma Park, MD | J. Leslie Dunstan |
| 1968 | The Theology of Religions | Webster Groves, MO | Sigurd F. Westburg |
| 1970 | Salvation and Mission | Washington, D.C. | James H. Pyke |
| 1972 | The Church Growth Movement | Nashville, TN | E. Luther Copeland |
| 1973 | Missions in Theological Education | St. Louis, MO | John Piet Frank Kline |
| 1974 | Missions in Theological Education | Wheaton, IL | |
| 1975 | Dubuque, IA | ||
| 1976 | Deerfield, IL | ||
| 1977 | North Park, IL | ||
| 1978 | Maryknoll, NY | ||
| 1979 | Techny, IL | ||
| 1980 | Wheaton, IL | ||
| 1981 | Inter-Religious Dialogue | Ft. Worth, TX | Charles Taber |
| 1982 | The Bible and Mission: Interdisciplinary Implications | Evanston, IL | H. Mckennie Goodpasture |
| 1983 | Wheaton, IL | ||
| 1984 | Third World Theologies in the Teaching of Missions | Princeton, NJ | Lois McKinney |
| 1985 | The Future of the Teaching of Missions: Tradition and Change | Deerfield, IL | Sam Moffett |
| 1986 | Approaches to the Teaching of Missions | North Park, IL | |
| 1987 | Pittsburgh, PA | ||
| 1988 | Teaching Mission: Curriculum Designs and Models | Techny, IL | Darrell Whiteman |
| 1989 | Globalization: Implications for the Teaching of Mission | Techny, IL | Steven Bevans |
| 1990 | Mission in Multi-Ethnic North America | Techny, IL | Wi Jo Kang |
| 1991 | Research for Better Teaching of Mission | Techny, IL | Ralph Covell |
| 1992 | Moving Toward the Center: Missiology for Pastoral Formation | Techny, IL | Mary Motte |
| 1993 | The Role of North American Seminaries in Preparing Third World Theologcial Educators | Techny, IL | John Webster |
| 1994 | Integrating Spirituality | Techny, IL | Jonathan Bonk |
| 1995 | Mission Studies: Taking Stock, Charting the Course (Joint Meeting with the ASM) |
Techny, IL | Anthony Gittins |
| 1996 | Classroom and Praxis: Is Mission Teaching Credible? | Techny, IL | Edward Poitras |
| 1997 | Teaching Mission Studies in a Post-Modern World | Techny, IL | Elizabeth Brewster |
| 1998 | Methods of Practical Education for Holistic Mission | Techny, IL | Roger Schroeder |
| 1999 | Mission Research: Classroom and Practice | Techny, IL | Brian Stelck |
| 2000 | The Global Church in the Mission Classroom | Techny, IL | Susan Higgins |
| 2001 | Weaving Experience into the Mission Classroom | Techny, IL | John Kiesler |
| 2002 | A Jubilee Celebration | Techny, IL | Young Lee Hertig |
| 2003 | Teaching, Learning, and Mentoring for Mission and Ministry in the Intra-cultural and Inter-cultural Setting | Techny, IL | Carlos Cardoza-Orlandi |
| 2004 |
Missiology and the Social Sciences |
Techny, IL | Robert A. Hurteau |
| 2005 |
Spiritual Formation and Missions: |
Techny, IL | Ruth A. Tucker |
| 2006 |
Missiology and Theology of Religions: Disciplinary |
Techny, IL | Stanley Skresnet |
| 2007 |
Teaching Mission Today: Texts and Topics |
Techny, IL | Paul Kollman |
| 2008 |
The Gospel Beyond Mere Words:Issues in Contextualizing Liturgy, Music, and the Arts |
Techny, IL |
Roberta King |
| 2009 | The Place and Pedagogies of Inter-Religious Dialogue in Teaching Mission Studies | Techny, IL | Robert Hunt |
| 2010 | Has Everything Been Tried?: Assessing 100 Years of Educating for Mission | Techny, IL | James Krabill |
| 2011 | Promoting Mission in the Undergraduate Setting | Techny, IL |
William Gregory |
| 2012 | Missiology and the On-line Revolution: Best Practices and Pedagogical Possibilities | Techny, IL |
W. Harrison Daniel |
| 2013 | Social Engagement: The Challenge of the "Social" in Missiological Education | Wheaton, IL |
Greg P. Leffel |
|
2014 |
Transforming Teaching for Mission: Educational Theory |
St. Paul, MN | Benjamin Hartley |
| 2015 | What’s in a Name? Assessing Mission Studies Program Titles | Wheaton, IL |
J. Nelson Jennings |
|
2016 |
Teaching Christian Mission in an Age of World Christianity | St. Paul, MN | Angel Santiago-Verdrell |
| 2017 | Teaching Mission in the Complex Public Arena: Developing Missiologically Informed Models of Engagement | Wheaton, IL | Larry Caldwell |
|
2018 |
Teaching Mission in a Technological World | South Bend, IN | Linda Whitmer |
| 2019 | Reimagining Mission: Looking Back, Moving Forward - Teaching Mission in a Changing World | South Bend, IN | A. Susan Russell |
| 2021 | Mission, Persecution, Martyrdom, and Meaning Making: Instructional Strategies and Methods of Interpretation | Online | Margaret Guider |
| 2022 | Issues of Power and Mission/Missiology | South Bend, IN | Paul Lewis |
| 2023 | The Teaching/Practice of Intercultural Discipleship and Evangelism | South Bend, IN | W. Jay Moon |
| 2024 | Trauma-Informed Witness: Transformation of the World in Light of the Gospel | South Bend, IN | Bryan Froehle |
APM - Past Officers
Presidents and Secretary-Treasurers
| Presidents | Secretary-Treasurers | |
| 1952 | H. Cornell Goerner | Norman A. Horner |
| 1954 | ||
| 1956 | R. Pierce Beaver | Wilber C. Harr |
| 1958 | Wilber C. Harr | R. Pierce Beaver |
| 1960 | Theodore Bachmann | |
| 1962 | Charles Forman | Herbert Jackson |
| 1964 | Creighton Lacy | Herbert Jackson |
| 1966 | J. Leslie Dunstan | David L. Lindberg |
| 1968 | Sigurd F. Westburg | David L. Lindberg |
| 1970 | James H. Pyke | John T. Boberg |
| 1972 | E. Luther Copeland | John T. Boberg |
| 1974 | John Piet | John T. Boberg |
| 1975 | Frank Kline | John T. Boberg |
| 1976 | ||
| 1978 | ||
| 1979 | ||
| 1980 | ||
| 1981 | Charles Taber | David Lowes Watson |
| 1982 | Mckennie Goodpasture | |
| 1984 | Lois McKinney | Alan Neely |
| 1985 | Sam Moffett | |
| 1986 | ||
| 1987 | Dana Robert | |
| 1988 | Darrell Whiteman | Charles Van Engen |
| 1989 | Steven Bevans | Charles Van Engen |
| 1990 | Wi Jo Kang | Charles Van Engen |
| 1991 | Ralph Covell | Charles Van Engen |
| 1992 | Mary Motte | Charles Van Engen |
| 1993 | John Webster | Charles Van Engen |
| 1994 | Jonathan Bonk | Charles Van Engen |
| 1995 | Anthony Gittins | Charles Van Engen |
| 1996 | Edward Poitras | Douglas McConnell |
| 1997 | Elizabeth Brewster | Douglas McConnell |
| 1998 | Roger Schroeder | Douglas McConnell |
| 1999 | Brian Stelck | Ray Prigodich |
| 2000 | Susan Higgins | Ray Prigodich |
| 2001 | John Kiesler, ofm | Bonnie Sue Lewis |
| 2002 | Young Lee Hertig | Bonnie Sue Lewis |
| 2003 | Carlos Cardoza-Orlandi | Bonnie Sue Lewis |
| 2004 | Robert A. Hurteau | Bonnie Sue Lewis |
| 2005 | Ruth Tucker | Bonnie Sue Lewis |
| 2006 | Stanley Skreslet | Bonnie Sue Lewis |
| 2007 | Paul Kollman | Bonnie Sue Lewis |
| 2008 | Roberta King | Bonnie Sue Lewis and David Fenrick |
| 2009 | Robert Hunt | David Fenrick |
| 2010 | James Krabill | David Fenrick |
| 2011 | William Gregory | David Fenrick |
| 2012 | W. Harrison Daniel | David Fenrick |
| 2013 | Gregory Leffel | David Fenrick |
| 2014 | Benjamin Hartley | David Fenrick |
| 2015 | J. Nelson Jennings | David Fenrick |
| 2016 | Angel Santiago-Verdrell | David Fenrick |
| 2017 | Larry Caldwell | David Fenrick |
| 2018 | Linda Whitmer | David Fenrick |
| 2019 | A. Sue Russell | David Fenrick |
| 2020 | Margaret Guider | David Fenrick |
| 2021 | Margaret Guider | David Fenrick |
| 2022 | Paul Lewis | David Fenrick |
| 2023 | W. Jay Moon | David Fenrick and Shawn Behan |
| 2024 | Bryan Froehle | Shawn Behan |
APM - Persons to Contact
General APM Business
Susan Maros, President
Fuller Theological Seminary
135 N. Oakland Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91182
Membership
Shawn Behan, Ph.D., Secretary-Treasurer
712 Cedar Field Court
Chesterfield, MO 63017
APM - Syllabi
Course Syllabi
Note: We are currently welcoming syllabus submissions for posting on this page. If you are a professor of mission or teach on a related topic and would like to submit one or more syllabi, please send the PDF version(s) to [email protected].
Cultural Anthropology (Northwestern College, David Fenrick, 2012)
Urban Intercultural Studies (Northwestern College, Robin R. Bell, 2012)
People's Religious Traditions (Covenant Theological Seminary, J. Nelson Jennings, 2011)
Cultures and Contextualization (Covenant Theological Seminary, J. Nelson Jennings, 2011)
Understanding Islam (Northwestern College, Garry Morgan, 2010)
World Religions (Northwestern College, David Fenrick, 2009)
Contemporary Issues and Trends (Northwestern College, John Easterling and Jim Raymo, 2012)
Cooperating with African Christians (Covenant Theological Seminary, J. Nelson Jennings, 2011)
Principles and Practices of Intercultural Work (Northwestern College, Garry Morgan, 2011)
Intercultural Communication (Northwestern College, David Fenrick, 2010)
Biblical Theology of Mission (Northwestern College, Garry Morgan, 2012)
God's World Mission (Covenant Theological Seminary, J. Nelson Jennings, 2011)
Article Discussion
Post your responses to articles in recent issues of Missiology or other key missiological journals. This is sort of like a "Letter to the Editors" column, but with the possibility of generating a more rigorous conversation.
Click here to join the article discussion.
ASM Board Documents 2012
ASM Board Documents 2012
Board of Publications Booklet Supplement
Blog
Several members each year are asked to blog on ASMweb.org, and your comments and interactions are welcome. Here are the most recent postings from this year's bloggers:
Click here to view the ASM blog.
ASM Board Documents 2013
ASM Board Documents 2013
ASM Board of Publications Meeting Packet 2013
Book Notes
What new book are you reading right now that seems to bring fresh insight to some aspect of missiological reflection? Or that is troubling or provocative? Tell the rest of us. Post a brief note about the book and what you find important about it, and see who else might have notes to add.
Connect
"3Greet Prisca and Aquila, who work with me in Christ Jesus, 4and who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. 5Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert in Asia for Christ. 6Greet Mary, who has worked very hard among you. 7Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives who were in prison with me; they are prominent among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. 8Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. 10Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. 11Greet my relative Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. 12Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; and greet his mother - a mother to me also. 14Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who are with them. 15Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you." Romans 16
St. Paul understood that our call to participate in God's mission does not happen in a vacuum, but in a wider context - within the whole church - in all of the world. We share in the missioning task with others in North American and equally with sisters and brothers around the world. Below you will find links and opportunities to connect with others who share a partnership with us in this missioning task.
Discover
Discover
Exploring the links on this page will allow you to DISCOVER and better understand who we are as the American Society of Missiology. From our rich heritage as a Society, to a listing of our members, to ways to contact our leadership - and more, you will discover a better understanding of our commitment for assisting the church to participate in God's mission to the world.
ASM Member Information Database
Forum New Member Message
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You only have to go through this process one time! Once you have registered you only need to enter your username and password to enter the ASM Forums.
APM - History of the APM
The Association of Professors of Mission: The First Thirty-five Years, 1952-1987
Norman A. Horner
International Bulletin of Missionary Research, 11:3 (July 1987): 120-24.
Posted with permission from OMSC.
Events leading to a North American association of missions professors grew out of the interest generated by the 1910 World Missionary Conference at Edinburgh, Scotland. A group of missions teachers in the eastern part of the United States began to meet informally as early as 1917,1 to promote fellowship and professional usefulness, sharing their research through papers and discussion of mission issues. There were only four full professorships of missions in American seminaries at the time of the Edinburgh Conference: Southern Baptist (Louisville, Ky.), Yale Divinity School (New Haven, Conn.), Episcopal Theological School (Cambridge, Mass.), and Omaha Seminary (a Presbyterian institution in Omaha, Neb., which has since ceased to exist except as an endowed program of continuing education).2 However, many other seminaries, colleges, and Bible schools were offering courses in missions within the decade after 1910. By the early 1930s the eastern fellowship was meeting on a regular basis, twice a year. In 1940, with some twenty-nine members, the participants adopted a constitution, naming their group the Fellowship of Professors of Missions of the Middle Atlantic Region.3 But the group continued to be known popularly as the Eastern Fellowship.
A wider association in the United States and Canada was a logical next step, and the Association of Professors of Missions (APM) was organized in June 1952 at Louisville, Kentucky. The group often thereafter became known as the Association of Professors of Mission, in the singular, although this change in terminology was never officially made. An invitation to the organizational meeting had been extended by H. Cornell Goeme of the Southern Baptist Seminary in that city and Norman A. Horner of Louisville Presbyterian Seminary. Goemer was elected the first president of the association, and Homer the first secretary-treasurer.
It was appropriate to hold the inaugural meeting at Southern Baptist Seminary. That institution justifiably claims the oldest continuing department of missions in America.4 There were indeed earlier professors at other seminaries who devoted part time to teaching missions courses,5 but the assignment of Southern Baptist's William Owen Carver to a new Department of Comparative Religion and Missions in 1899 marks the beginning of full status for this discipline in the curriculum of any American seminary.
The year of the APM's organization more than a half century later was in no other respect a high point in the history of missions as a recognized academic discipline in American theological education. Reflecting on it in 1974, R. Pierce Beaver wrote:
Mission teachers and scholars as well as field missionaries and board executives had the ground cut from under them. New justification for the inclusion of missions in the seminary curriculum had to be found and the very existence of the discipline had to be defended. Our Association of Professors of Missions came into existence in 1950 [sic] not as an expression of the old missionary triumphalism but as an attempt to build a lifeboat for floundering brothers and sisters. It really marks the beginning of a new era rather than the climax of the older development. The biennial reports of the Association reveal the wrestling we have done over our reason for being, curriculum, and teaching methods during the past twenty-odd years.6
The APM met biennially for a period of twenty years, from 1952 to 1972, ordinarily in conjunction with scheduled meetings of the American Association of Theological Schools (AATS). During those two decades the membership was drawn chiefly from the United States, although a few Canadian professors participated from the beginning. The charter members were all Protestants, mainly because Roman Catholic seminaries then offered few if any missions courses in their curriculum.7 There were no women members in the earliest years of the organization. By the time of the 1962 meeting one woman had enrolled, and only three were included in a total membership of ninety-seven listed in the biennial report of 1972.
A constitution was drafted and approved at the second meeting of the association, on June 15, 1954. It specified that APM membership was open to professors of missions at seminaries belonging to the AATS and, by action of the Executive Committee, to other qualified persons. During the early years "other qualified persons" were almost entirely teachers of missions at seminaries, colleges, and Bible schools not related to the AATS. A few were executives of mission agencies and ecumenical organizations, but the emphasis was clearly on people actually involved in classroom teaching. At the first three meetings, through 1956, considerable attention was given to such practical concerns as sharing course syllabi and teaching methods.
Pedagogical matters were by no means the only emphasis, however. From the outset the APM as a professional society challenged its members to engage in scholarly research into contemporary mission issues and to share that research through papers read and discussed at the biennial meetings. From 1958 through 1974 those papers were mimeographed and bound, along with the minutes of each meeting. The largest document, that of 1958, included not only the full text of all the papers but also those of the formal critiques. It was 152 pages in length. These and subsequent APM Proceedings were made available not only to the APM membership but, at modest cost, to other interested individuals and institutions. They include lasting scholarly contributions to the field of missiology, studies that are frequently cited in the missiological literature even today. The considerable variety of themes they addressed are as follows:
1958 (Boston)-"Missionary Vocation"
1960 (Richmond, Va.)-Frontiers of the Christian World Mission since 1938: Essays in Honor of Kenneth Scott Latourette, ed. Wilber C. Harr, and published as a book (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1962)
1962 (Toronto)-"Our Teaching Responsibility in the Light of the De-emphasis on the Words 'Missions' and 'Missionary'"
1964 (Philadelphia)-"Theology of the World Apostolate"
1966 (Takoma Park, Md.)-"An Inquiry into the Implications of Joint Action for Mission"
1968 (Webster Groves, Mo.)-"The Theology of Religions"
1970 (Washington, D.C.)-"Salvation and Mission"
1972 (Nashville, Tenn.)-"The Church Growth Movement"
1974 (Wheaton, Ill.)--"Missions in Theological Education"
The regional fellowship groups did not lose their importance. A Midwest Fellowship of Professors of Missions, centered in Chicago, had begun to meet informally sometime during the 1950s and was formally organized in 1957.8 From then on the biennial minutes of the APM normally included reports from both the Eastern and the Midwest fellowships. The first APM constitution (1954) provided that, in addition to the president, vice president, and secretary-treasurer of the APM, one member from each of those regional fellowship groups should serve on its Executive Committee, and that remained the practice until 1974. A plan to organize Southern and Southwestern fellowship groups was frequently mentioned but never carried through.
During the 1960s a small but increasing number of Roman Catholic professors joined the APM, four of them being admitted to membership at the 1968 meeting alone. By then it had become standard practice to have all three traditions--conciliar Protestant, Roman Catholic, and conservative-evangelical Protestant--represented in those assigned to read papers at each biennial meeting. The APM was thus in some important respects the most widely ecumenical body in North America at that time.
By the early 1960s the majority of missions teachers were no longer in the institutions of conciliar Protestantism but in the conservative-evangelical schools. The "mainline" Protestant mission agencies were appointing candidates primarily for short term rather than lifetime missionary service, and they began to use the brief but intensive orientation courses at Stony Point, New York, and elsewhere rather than the traditionally longer academic preparation for appointees to overseas service. This signaled the demise of some distinguished and ecumenically oriented schools of mission and the emergence in strength of conservative-evangelical schools. As Walter Cason noted in his paper read at the APM interim meeting in 1973:
Clear signs of changing interests in specialized missionary training are to be seen in the rise and fall of institutions or departments devoted primarily to this task. Among those who have grown since 1962 are: the School of World Mission and Institute of Church Growth at Fuller Seminary; the School of World Mission of Trinity Evangelical Divinity school; and the School of World Mission of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. Protestant institutions which have ended this type of program include the Hartford Seminary Foundation, Scarritt College, and the Lutheran School of Theology at Maywood.9
Throughout the period from 1958 to 1972 the APM maintained a fairly large total membership, usually well over 100, but attendance at the biennial gatherings was sometimes disappointing. Only twenty-two registered for the meeting in 1968, and the number dropped to fourteen, along with a few invited guests, in 1970. Those in attendance at the 1970 meeting expressed a concern to reevaluate the purpose of the association and the nature of its membership. They directed the Executive Committee to study the matter, seek suggestions from the members about possible changes, and report to the next meeting.10
Some twenty-five members and a few invited guests registered for the meeting in 1972, but that small increase afforded little encouragement. Moreover, the total membership roll, recently pruned of those who had not so much as paid their dues for the previous four years, was considerably reduced. Clearly something was needed to increase interest. The Executive Committee reported the results of a questionnaire it had distributed.11 Of the forty-two replies returned, a large majority (86%) favored relaxing the membership requirement to include professors of other disciplines who are also concerned with the study of missions. A smaller but still substantial majority (69%) favored including mission-board members and executives, representatives of publishing companies, and others professionally involved in mission studies. And more than half (55%) approved of opening the membership to field missionaries, graduate students, and others--"anyone interested in the purpose of the association." It had become clear that whatever else might emerge in a future restructuring, article III of the constitution, requiring special action to admit professors of missions in seminaries not related to the AATS, was clearly obsolete. That article was therefore amended to read: "Membership shall be open to all professors of missions and, by invitation of the Executive Committee, to other qualified persons."12
Early in June 1972, just prior to the eleventh biennial meeting of the APM in Nashville, a small group of the association's members had met during "Expo '72" in Dallas, Texas, to discuss the future of the association. They concluded that it would be wiser to begin a more inclusive organization, to be called the American Society of Missiology (ASM), rather than merely try to broaden the scope of the APM. This, they argued, would attract a much wider constituency. It would also help to avoid the danger of further polarization, and would solve the problem of attempting to merge the APM with the recently organized Association of Evangelical Professors of Missions. Moreover, a larger organization would be better able to undertake publication of a scholarly journal, a goal of the APM first articulated ten years earlier at the 1962 meeting and reiterated in 1970 but always frustrated by the insurmountable problem of financial cost.
The proposal to organize the new and more comprehensive society was conveyed to the Nashville meeting of the APM by Gerald H. Anderson, chairman of the ASM Continuation Committee.13 Despite a few expressions of regret that the timing of the proposal seemed to preempt the APM's effort to accomplish a similar purpose by restructuring its own organization, the reception was generally favorable. The mind of the group seems best summarized in the comment made by R. Pierce Beaver:
I am probably the only charter member of the APM present. I have long felt the need for an association that included professors of diverse fields, an organization that would bring together scholars and experts with an interest in the mission of Christ's Church. . . . We in the field of missions need the light, guidance and help of men from many other fields, like anthropology, sociology, linguistics, etc. I am doubtful whether our APM could be enlarged in such a way as to draw these others in. . . . I think there are tremendous advantages in a new organization that right from the start is based on comprehensiveness. We have been through a period of polarization. It has been a great obstacle to our common concern and task. A new society offers the possibility of broader development including Conservative Evangelicals, Ecumenicals and Roman Catholics. . . . The new society also offers the possibility of enlisting lay members (from industry, etc.) who can have effect on others. Perhaps it will also be more effective in producing a reading public for mission studies, something we all desire and need.14
A remaining question was whether or not the APM should attempt to retain its independent identity or simply be absorbed into the proposed larger organization. That question was tentatively answered by a decision at the 1972 meeting to gather again the following year under its own APM auspices but in association with the inaugural meeting of the ASM. In effect this was a decision to continue as an independent association of professors, but it was also a recognition that most APM members would be unable or unwilling to attend the national meetings of both organizations unless those meetings were held at the same place, one following immediately upon the other. Just as the APM meetings had maintained a "piggy-back" relationship to the biennial gatherings of the AATS for the previous twenty years, the APM was now moving in the direction of meeting annually in conjunction with the American Society of Missiology.
The APM met again in June 1973 at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, for its "twelfth interim meeting," called to celebrate "the creation of the American Society of Missiology with the help and blessing of the Association of Professors of Missions."15 Members of the APM conducted their own business sessions. Three papers on the theme "Missions in Theological Education," previously assigned and intended for the twelfth biennial meeting in 1974, were read and discussed. A fourth paper and further discussion of the same general theme were scheduled for the following year. The secretary was asked to investigate the possibility of having those and future papers published in the new ASM journal, Missiology: An International Review, no decision having yet been made about whether or not the APM wouI4 continue to publish its Proceedings in the accustomed format.16
At the meeting in 1974, article V of the APM constitution was changed to read: "This Association shall convene annually, preferably in conjunction with the meeting of the American Society of Missiology."17 The association had thus firmly established its affiliation with the new organization. Some fears were expressed by those present that interest in the APM with its more specialized concerns would decline in consequence, but quite the opposite has occurred. Attendance at the annual meetings since 1974 has consistently been at least double that of the old biennial gatherings. More than seventy registered for the meeting in 1986, the largest attendance in the association's history. The total membership roll, currently 119, is larger and more diversified than it has been for a number of years. In brief, the Association of Professors of Missions is flourishing because of, and not in spite of, its relationship to the American Society of Missiology.
Some APM members nevertheless continue to feel that the association need not maintain an independent identity but should become merely a special-interest section of the ASM. Motions to that effect were introduced at every annual meeting from 1979 to 1983, the liveliest discussion of the matter taking place in 1981. Such motions have invariably failed by a wide margin to pass. In 1984 a committee of APM/ASM members again moved to have the question reviewed, but that motion was tabled indefinitely by a vote of more than two to one.
Thus the continued existence of the APM as an autonomous organization seems reasonably secure, but only if it continues to meet the special needs and interests of its membership in ways the ASM cannot do. This means focusing on issues that relate specifically to the responsibilities of teachers, its main reason for being. To deal solely or even primarily with such broad missiological issues as characterized several of its meetings in the 1960s and early 1970s would risk merely duplicating the function of the ASM. Hence the recurrent appeal from APM members for more focus on pedagogical matters as such. The theme of the 1986 meeting was "Approaches to the Teaching of Missions," and there are regular requests to share course syllabi again as was done in the past.
Throughout the past thirty-five years the APM has brought together professors from as wide an ecumenical spectrum as that of any other professional society in North America. Their sharing of scholarly interests has resulted in more than personal satisfaction and professional usefulness. The Association of Professors of Missions no longer serves as "a lifeboat for floundering brothers and sisters," as was the case in 1952. It has helped to restore a measure of prominence to their academic discipline in American theological education. Its wider influence can be seen not only in the rise of the American Society of Missiology but, to a more limited extent, in the organization in 1972 of the International Association for Mission Studies.18
1 Olav Guttorm Myklebust, The Study of Missions in Theological Education, vol. 2 (Oslo: Egede Institute, 1957), p. 71.
2 Ibid. Myklebust mentions only the first three of these schools. He does not refer to Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary, but it should be included. See Edinburgh Conference Reports, vol. 6, p. 175.
3 Myklebust, vol. 2, p. 185. Myklebust bases this information on an unpublished typescript, "History of the Fellowship of Professors of Missions," dated 1955, written by Daniel J. Fleming, then professor of missions at Union Theological Seminary in New York City and an active member of the eastern fellowship; also a letter from R. Pierce Beaver dated Nov. 29, 1955. Neither Myklebust nor Union Seminary library were able to locate or provide copies of these in December 1986.
4 See Hugo H. Culpepper, "The Legacy of William Owen Carver," in International Bulletin of Missionary Research 5 (July 1981): 119-22.
5 See R. Pierce Beaver, "The American Theological Seminary and Missions: An Historical Survey," in APM, Proceedings, Twelfth Biennial Meeting (Wheaton, Ill., June 9-10, 1974), pp. 7-14. Beaver states that missions courses were offered at Princeton Seminary from 1836 to 1839 by Charles Breckinridge, professor of pastoral theology and missionary instruction, but the subject disappeared from the curriculum entirely in 1855. George Lewis Prentiss was appointed professor of pastoral theology, church polity, and mission work at Union Seminary, New York City, in 1873, but missions constituted a very small part of his teaching, and it was not until 1918 that Daniel J. Fleming became the first full-time professor of missions at that school. In 1885 Cumberland University of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Lebanon, Tenn., recognized H. C. Bell, a mission board executive, as professor of homiletics and missions, without salary, again a part-time teaching function. However, by the 1880s and 1890s missions courses had begun to appear widely in American Protestant schools.
6 Ibid., p. 13. Beaver here mistakenly dates the beginning of the APM as 1950. There was undoubtedly serious discussion about such a society by 1950 or earlier, but the organizational meeting was in 1952.
7 As late as 1973, only five of the twenty-nine Roman Catholic seminaries replying to a questionnaire reported having any teachers who offered courses in missions. See Charles W. Forman, "The Role of Mission Studies in Theological Education," in APM, Proceedings, Twelfth Biennial Meeting, p. 36.
8 The Midwest Fellowship first adopted a constitution on March 30, 1957. Charles Van Engen, the current secretary, indicates that records prior to that date no longer exist. However, article V of the constitution provides for charter membership to "any person who attended meetings of the Fellowship up to the time of the adoption of the constitution." In Van Engen's opinion, the group had met informally for several years prior to 1957 and was probably stimulated to organize on a more formal basis by the emergence of the APM in 1952.
9 Cason, "Missions in Theological Education: The Present Situation," in APM, Proceedings, Twelfth Biennial Meeting (1974), pp. 31-32. (Papers and minutes from the 1973 and 1974 meetings were published together in this 1974 document.)
10 APM, Proceedings, Tenth Biennial Meeting (Washington, D.C., June 16-18, 1970), p. 37.
11 See APM, Proceedings, Eleventh Biennial Meeting (Nashville, Tenn., June 12-14, 1972), pp. 79-83.
12 Ibid., p. 84 ("The Association of Professors of Missions, Constitution Adopted June 15, 1954, Revised June 14, 1972"). This amendment of article III, Membership, was the first substantive revision of the constitution. A 1962 modification had merely authorized each meeting to determine the amount of biennial dues.
13 Ibid., pp. 71-72.
14 Ibid.
15 APM, Proceedings: Twelfth Biennial Meeting (Wheaton, Ill., June 9-10, 1974), p. 3.
16 Ibid., pp. 5, 47.
17 Ibid., p. 48.
18 O. G. Myklebust, "On the Origin of IAMS," in Mission Studies III-1 (1986): 4. Myklebust credits R. Pierce Beaver's paper read at the APM meeting in 1952 with having given encouragement to the Oslo proposal to establish the international society.
Links
ASSOCIATIONS
IAMS List of Missiological Societies (with links where available)
TEACHING RESOURCES
A Berkeley Compendium of Suggestions for Teaching with Excellence
Course Syllabi
Listing of Missions Programs in North America
PUBLISHERS
Abingdon Press
Baker Book House
Eerdmans
Intercultural Press
InterVarsity
Kregel Publications
Orbis
Paulist Press
Sage Publications
William Carey Library
World Vision Resources
Zondervan
RESEARCH RESOURCES
Contextualization articles database
Libraries of the Ecumenical Centre and Bossey Ecumenical Institute (WCC)
MisLinks Research Page
Mission Research Resources (GMI)
Network for Strategic Missions Knowledge Base
Sources for Mission and World Christianity Research (Yale Divinity Library)
Meeting Information
Note: Page is under construction. Meeting information links coming soon!
For information regarding the ASM and APM annual meetings, follow the links below.
Please register for the Annual Conference early - the Maria House is
already full but there is still lodging in the Techny Towers.
Registration Form
ASM Meeting Description and Schedule
Meeting Announcement for the ASM Student Fellowship
Meeting Announcement for the Association of Professors of Mission
Venue and Travel Information
Lodging Options Offsite
ASM Travel Pool Information and Request Form
Schedule of Papers Accepted for Presentation
For information regarding the AETE annual meeting, please go to the AETE website at www.aeteonline .org.
Member Directory
Under Construction. Please come back soon.
Networking Opportunities
Under construction. Please come again soon!
Newsletter
Note: This page is under construction. A more complete Newsletter coming soon.
Online Topic Discussion
Is there a particular puzzle, dilemma, problem you think needs some fresh insight? Post a topic, a question, a hypothesis, a wild idea. See where it leads.
Have you been pondering a particular missiological issue and/or forming a new (you think) take on it? Are you ready to launch the idea among friends and see if it floats? Pose it. Show what brought you to it. Say what you would like to test, and the kind of responses you would be eager to hear. (Being brief and to the point helps!)
Click here to join the online topic discussion.
participate
"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, thankful for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now." -Philippians 1:3-5
This section of the ASM website provides various ways you can PARTICIPATE with others in discussion, reflection and study of important issues and themes within the field of Missiology - thereby sharing "partnership in the gospel." Along with participating through Facebook andTwitter, you can enter the following forums:
The Future of the Discipline of Missiology
This Forum contains papers being presented at the Annual Meeting of ASM on Saturday afternoon, June 18. The initial paper is a reflection by Craig Van Gelder on the Future of Missiology entitled "Historical Development of the Discipline of Missiology: From a Western Tradition to a Global Enterprise." The responses that follow are from those who will serve on the Response Panel. Please join the discussion by posting your response.
Click here to enter The Future of the Discipline of Missiology
ASM General Forum
Is there a particular puzzle, dilemma, problem you think needs some fresh insight? Post a topic, a question, a hypothesis, a wild idea. See where it leads.
Have you been pondering a particular missiological issue and/or forming a new (you think) take on it? Are you ready to launch the idea among friends and see if it floats? Pose it. Show what brought you to it. Say what you would like to test, and the kind of responses you would be eager to hear. (Being brief and to the point helps!)
Click here to enter the ASM General Forum.
Missiology: An International Review Forum
In this Forum you will have an opportunity to read a lead article in the most recent issue ofMissiology and engage the author in a discussion about its content, theory, proposals and implications.
Click here to enter "Missiology" Forum.
Scholar in Residence Forum
Each month, ASM member(s) will host a discussion focused on their particular area of expertise, field of study, and/or current research pursuit. Join in the discussion to engage top scholars in the Field of Missiology-ask questions, explored new ideas, and engage our scholars around important issues for you in your mission pursuits.
Click here to enter the Scholar in Residence Forum.
Mission Research Forum
Post a few notes on your current research interest or project, in order to explore who else might be traveling down a similar path. Let connections spark and new collaborative relationships flourish!
You may want to probe what other people find to be critical bibliographic resources for your line of research. Or as you begin teaching in a particular area, you may want to discover from veteran teachers in the field what pedagogical strategies have been found to be useful.
Click here to enter the Mission Research Forum.
ASM Student Forum
Join other students actively engaged in formal Mission Study Programs. Share your own research ideas. Ask for the critique and insight of others. Seek out others who may be traveling the same educational and research path you are on. Create new study and research communities as you find like-minded colleagues in the same pursuits. (Let us know and we will be happy to create a new sub-forum for your group - email [email protected])
Click here to enter the ASM Student Forum.
Become a friend of ASM on Facebook.
Click the facebook link below to launch the ASM Facebook page.
Join us on Twitter
Click here to recieve ASM Tweets
Previous Meetings
ASM Annual Meeting
Materials from Previous Meetings
2012 Papers on the Future of the Discipline of Missiology
Rozko, J. R. "Toward a Mission-Shaped Vision of Theological Formation: Implications of the missio Dei for Theological Education."
Fensham, Charles, and Archpriest Eric Tosi. "Not So Far West: Taking the 'Mission' out of Missiology."
Adeney, Frances S. "What Are They Saying About Women Doing Mission Theology?"
Poston, Larry. "Mission Impossible? The Encounter of Christian with the Religions."
Sills, M. David. "Missiology in a Changing World Since WWII."
Montgomery, Robert L. "The Resources Needed for Missiological Theory Leading to a Three-Step Approach in Producing Missiological Theory."
Matthews, Victor W., Jr. "The Earliest Outreach: 'Unraveling the Missiological Instructions of the Nativity.'"
For information regarding the 2012 ASM and APM meetings, follow the links below.
ASM 2012 Student Fellowship Flyer
ASM 2012 Registration Form (only fill this out if you do not wish to register online)
ASM 2012 Conference Schedule
ASM 2012 Conference Description (Letter from the President)
APM 2012 Meeting Description and Schedule (Assoc. of Professors of Mission)
ASM 2012 Symposium Schedule (Youth and Mission)
General Travel Information
Recommended Chicago Hotels
ASM Travel Pool 2012
ASM 2012 Parallel Sessions
AETE 2012 Meeting Schedule
REVISED ASM 2012 Master Schedule (includes basic conference schedule and parallel sessions schedule)
Reflections on the 2011 Conference:
This year's conference topic was "Mission Spirituality in Global Perspective." We invite you to reflect together on the presentations by participating in one of our forum discussions, perusing the materials posted below, or enjoying the forthcoming January 2012 issue of Missiology, which will include article versions of many of the conference presentations.
View 2011 conference highlights. Click a link below!
Pre-conference symposium details
Plenary sessions
Bible teaching outline
Voluntary papers schedule
Symposium topics and speaker bios
Symposium schedule
Life achievement award
Publish
The American Society of Missiology has a long distinguished history of publishing within the mission field. Our journal Missiology: An Internationoal Review has long been a premiere mission publication that is multi-disciplined, interconfessional, practical, and global. The ASM Series, in existance for over 30 years, is a series of monographs exploring current and cutting edge issues within the mission field. Our newer ASM Monograph Series is a publication of distinguished dissertations and other similar scholarly monographs in missiology and in related fields of missiological interest.
On this page you will also find links to Course Syllabi offered by the APM to enhance the teaching of mission, ATLASerials® (ATLAS®) access for members and non-member journal subscibers, and guidelines for manuscript and book review submissions.
2015 Book Award for Excellence in Missiology
The American Society of Missiology honors Dr. Scott W. Sunquist as the recipient of the annual Book Award for Excellence in Missiology. His book, The Unexpected Christian Century: The Reversal and Transformation of Global Christianity, 1900-2000, published by Baker Academic in 2015, is recognized for its significant contribution to missiology, and is noted for its distinctive influence on how missiology and mission studies are examined, understood, and interpreted.
Presented June 18, 2016, University of Northwestern – St. Paul, MN
Darrell Whiteman, Ph.D.
Publisher
American Society of Missiology
Gregory Leffel, Ph.D.
President 2015-2016
American Society of Missiology
Tandem Events
This webpage is under construction. Thank you for your patience.
Video Podcasts
Under construction. Please come back soon.
The Working Papers
WORKING PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MISSIOLOGY
Volume 1: Missio-Logoi/Contextualization http://place.asburyseminary.edu/academicbooks/13/
Volume 2: Third Wave Mission/Migration http://place.asburyseminary.edu/academicbooks/14/
Volume 3: Public Theology http://place.asburyseminary.edu/academicbooks/19/
Volume 4: Migration/Missionary Imagination http://place.asburyseminary.edu/academicbooks/17/
Volume 5: Conversations on the Future of Mission https://place.asburyseminary.edu/academicbooks/28/
Pentecost Season
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
23rd Sunday after Pentecost (Reformation Sunday)
Introduction to the Season of Pentecost
Welcome to the season of Pentecost where we remember and meditate on God's great outpouring of the Spirit on "all flesh" (Joel 2:28). Through the Spirit we have been born again as children of God. The Spirit is our guide, our comforter, our advocate, our guarantee and seal, the convicter of sin, and the sustainer of our faith. The Spirit empowers us for witness and ministry. During this season we will hear from pastors, missionaries, authors, and ministers. Each of them through the guidance of the Holy Spirit will tune our hearts and minds to God's missional activity in the Scriptures and challenge us to live, walk, and testify by that same Spirit to our world today.
Bishop Gohl reminds us "That Spirit empowers us to continue what Jesus kindled in the heart of every disciple - an unquenchable thirst for truth coupled with an evangelical urgency to share that truth, in word and deed, for the sake of God and neighbor." Steve Hawthorne will give us three practical lessons from the calling of Samuel and Tabor Laughlin will lead us to consider that during our momentary troubles we must seek to join God in what he is doing and not wait until better times to follow God.
Yamil Acevedo examines our cultural toolkit and how "the deification of our cultural presuppositions and resources, intentional or not, hinders the missio Dei." We are reminded by Paulo Oliveira that the common threads of altruism, suffering and glory characterize how God models missional engagement with the world. Finally, Philip Hirsch concludes the season of Pentecost with the message the world is waiting to hear; that knowing the way of Jesus is the hope for all humanity.
As we enter into this season of Pentecost let us each ask God to stir the Holy Spirit that dwells within us to empower us to join him in the missio Dei so that we might be his witnesses in our families, our cities, our countries, and to the ends of the earth. Amen.
Reverend Rhonda Garrison Haynes is an ordained minister of the Word and served God on the mission field of Bolivia for seven years. While in Bolivia she partnered with local believers to plant churches and disciple new believers. Prior to her service in Bolivia she was a missionary to her children raising them to know Christ as Lord, and served in her local church and community "doing the stuff" which shined Christ's light to the "least of these" through evangelism proclamation as well as social ministry to the poor and marginalized. Currently, she is pursuing her doctorate in Intercultural Studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
THE DAY OF PENTECOST
Acts 2:1-21 or Ezekiel 37:1-14
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
Romans 8:22-27 or Acts 2:1-21
John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
Exegetical Missional Insights
The Day of Pentecost brings the missio Dei to a crescendo: God's breaking into the world in a new and different way, the indwelling of such a Spirit in the heart of every believer.
Until this moment, Jesus has physically led the disciples and the beginnings of the church gathered around them. Until this giving of the Spirit, Jesus has preached and taught for those who would follow him. From this time forward, the Spirit will be the Advocate, sent from the Father, to continue the mystagogy/revelation, to lead the disciples and the whole church into all truth. It's a truly exciting moment swept up in the solemnity of both what was and a sense of what is to come.
Even as Jesus describes this moment, an exchange of presence/power, he acknowledges that the disciples feel a keen sense of loss, of being orphaned by the very risen Lord they have come to more fully experience and believe in. What is this Spirit compared to the concrete, physical reality of Jesus' bodily presence among them? Just when they have come to trust by their own eyes, ears and experience - to know that Jesus is the incarnation of God's presence - and they take those wobbly first steps to follow where our savior has first led the way; it is all changed and, ostensibly, taken away again.
First and foremost, the Day of Pentecost is about the Holy Spirit; still, at the heart of mission of God in the Pentecost event is the culmination of the mystery of faith. In the giving of the Spirit, Jesus asks us - his disciples, the church - to receive what God is giving anew: the Spirit, an Advocate sent by God that will guide us into a new understanding of the truth with the sure promise that this same Spirit will cause an indwelling that abides with us, in us, through us, always and ultimately in all ways.
That Spirit empowers us to continue what Jesus kindled in the heart of every disciple - an unquenchable thirst for truth coupled with an evangelical urgency to share that truth, in word and deed, for the sake of God and neighbor. That is what Jesus promises all who believe, the Advocate comes and will not leave us, empowering all of us for the work of ministry and making us credible witnesses of the life-changing love of God which transforms us in time, for eternity.
Acts 2:1-21
Every community is multilingual. Even in those where one language dominates - there is still the love languages of different generations, the language of the streets and marketplaces, the sometimes sentimental pap language of an increasingly spiritual but not religious world. The Pentecost event in Acts 2 reminds us that the Good News must be declared in ways that the world can hear it, ie. the unchanging Gospel message must be proclaimed in new ways, with new voices, so that those who have not yet heard or believed might experience Christ in dependable and powerful ways. That work starts in the church - we must be mindful of and break down barriers around "church-speak" - the theological and institutional language "everyone" knows and the newcomer can hardly decipher. This is not easy work - and it inevitably leads the greater challenge: listening to the community to learn the nuance, idiom, and even the slang of the neighbor, in order to translate and share the Good News in ways that people can hear it. This is critical as we seek to "open ears" even as God "loosens our tongues."
Romans 8:22-27
Paul lifts the physicality of the Pentecost moment into the more ethereal theological experience of the Spirit in the cosmos. The Apostle to the Apostles speaks of the entire creation groaning in deep and expectant hope. Like Jesus, he assures the church that this Holy Spirit is nothing less than new life catching fire in the hearts of disciples. That same Spirit drives us forward, gathering the whole creation into nothing less than a harvest of hope.
John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
After hearing about the Pentecost moment in Acts - and Paul's amplification in Romans - we "step back" to Jesus speaking to the disciples before his death. In what cinematographers call a "flashback scene" Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as our helper and advocate, and gives witness to the Pentecost moment and its aftermath, describing how the Spirit would make a difference in our lives, and empower us to make a difference in the world.
As Dr. John Barkman said in a recent contribution to this ongoing missiological conversation: an important part of preaching the mission of God is to grapple with the fact that the one mission of God comes to all the variety of the human condition. By speaking in truth to all of that diversity, the preacher is able to call all to one unity in Christ Jesus. These texts amplify that call to speak truth and give us the promise of God with us; the Holy Spirit who gives us the language and words to broker hope for a world that longs for truth.
Biographical Summary
William (Bill) Gohl, Jr. serves as bishop of the Delaware-Maryland Synod, ELCA. A graduate of Gettysburg College and the former Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, he continues to learn the love languages of his synod's many geographies so that the Gospel may be shared and heard anew.
The First Sunday After Pentecost
Trinity Sunday
Isaiah 6:1-8
Romans 8:12-17
John 3:1-17
God's Mission in the Text
Today is Trinity Sunday, the day in the church year set apart to reflect on the mystery of God in three people. Unlike the other feasts and festivals that commemorate a person or an event, the feast of the Holy Trinity is a celebration of a doctrine. It is the doctrine of the one true God who has revealed Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The gospel lesson for this Holy Trinity Sunday is about an encounter between the night visitor and Jesus. Not just any visitor but a religious leader who lived in a society with informers, Temple police, and unsubstantiated accusations that can lead to charges and punishment.
I grew up in communist regime that persecuted Christians until its downfall in the early nineties. Church buildings were destroyed or converted to multi-purpose halls. In many places Churches were used for mandatory pro-government propaganda chorus choir rehearsal places to disgrace the sacred place. Only a few churches were open for worship in large cities. Even though the church buildings were gone, Christian gathering continued at homes. To such underground gatherings, sometimes, persecutors of Christians showed up without being noticed by their communist peers. Sometimes it was hard to tell whether the official came to spy on Christians or was genuinely seeking to worship God.
When I was in Teachers Training Institute, a few Christian students formed a fellowship. Our fellowship met off campus for weekly worship and bible study. As Christians we were not allowed to congregate on campus even for social events. Workers Party Cadre members were actively monitoring us. After a few months, the main cadre from the student body approached me privately inquiring if we prayed for a persecutor like him. I said yes, assuming that it was just one way he was harassing us.
He was serious. He said, "if you pray for me without revealing that I am asking for prayers, and if in fact your God hears your prayer and heals me from nose bleeding, I would stop harassing you." The prayer request was shared with our Christian Fellowship members that night. We prayed. Two days later, the man came running to ask if in fact we prayed for him. I said yes. And he responded, "now I know your God exists, because the bleeding stopped." Just to make sure that his healing was not coincident, he waited two months before declaring his healing and finally joining the Christian fellowship he once persecuted.
One could wonder if Nicodemus, a member of the elite council of the Sanhedrin, came in the dark to spy on Jesus and his followers or to explore the nudging truth about Jesus's teachings and miracles. In any case, Nicodemus needed the darkness to feel safe. He had much to lose in coming to Jesus; his standing in the community; his authority as a leader; and his relationships with friends and neighbors.
Risking everything he ever knew and everything he ever was, he came to Jesus acknowledging Jesus as a rabbi, a teacher and as a Man of God who does miracles. To Nicodemus who made his way to Jesus under the cover of night, Jesus offered the miracle of rebirth--a "birth of water and of the Spirit." Born again is what Jesus told Nicodemus he had to be, in order to see the coming realm of God. He needed transformation, to be changed and to be reoriented to see the world differently and to be in the world differently.
Missional Connections for Our Context
Like Nicodemus, many of us are pretty good people, living conventional lives where religion brings us comfort and helps us feel good about ourselves. But Jesus is telling us that isn't enough. To be the kind of people who are part of God's kingdom we need to be spiritually reborn. Sometimes we come to that time in our life when we have the habits of faith without the heart of it, when our religion becomes a ritual without power, and when it is more structure than Spirit.
We need to be born again, to be born anew, to be born from above, to experience a rebirth of God's love in our heart. Through our baptism we were adopted as God's sons and daughters. We were made a child of the heavenly Father by water and the Spirit. We came into the kingdom of God. We began the process of being reoriented to God in baptism. This reorientation is a way of loving, a way of forgiving, a way of caring, a way of prayer, a way of worship, a way of thanksgiving and praise, and a way of being in tune with the Spirit of Jesus.
How can this be? It is God's doing. God is calling us to a new birth that does not require a return to our biological mother's womb but a rebirth that requires a return to that womb of life and source of being.
This is a gift from a gracious and loving God given to us through the son who came not to condemn but to die for us so that we may have life.
On this Trinity Sunday, the God we encounter as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is also a sending God. We are sent to those who like Nicodemus are looking for answers to life's pressing question but playing it safe. To those seekers who don't want to take a risk of following, we no longer have to demonstrate how religious, godly or pious we can be. For God loves us not because we earned the right to be loved but because God is love in his very nature, so much so that he gave his only Son. So dear missional preacher, preach Good News to those like Nicodemus and invite them to join this divine relationship. Declare to them that the God who created, redeemed, and sanctified us comes to us with His mercy and grace, forgiveness and life.
Transformed by the love of God, equipped by the good news of Jesus Christ, trusting in ever-present God, let us go out and share the good news in words and deeds.
Thanks be to God, Amen.
Biographical Summary
The Rev. Dr. Amsalu T. Geleta serves as the Executive Assistant to the Bishop and the Director for Evangelical Mission in the DE-MD Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Previously, he served as a pastor of St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Springfield VA and Christ Lutheran Church in Baltimore MD. A native of Ethiopia, he graduated from Mekane Yesus Seminary in 1995. In 2000, he earned a Master of Philosophy in Religious Studies at the Norwegian Lutheran School of Theology, and in 2005, Pastor Geleta graduated from the Virginia Theological Seminary with a Master of Theological Studies. In 2011, he earned his Doctor of Ministry in Missional Theology at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. He enjoys spending his free time with his wife, Ife Choma, and his daughters, Deborah, Simbo and Kenna.
Second Sunday after Pentecost
June 3, 2018
1 Samuel 3:1-10
Mark 2:23-3:6
2 Corinthians 4:5-12
Exegetical Missional Insights
1 Samuel 3:1-10
The scene is described at the end of the day. It is growing dark. But there are overtones of an increasing spiritual darkness in the phrase, "the lamp of God had not yet gone out" (3:3). Eli's poor eyesight is described as growing "dim" so that "he could not see well" (3:2), which deepens the sense of gathering gloom. Take note that the darkness at day's end is juxtaposed to the phrase describing a lengthier generational span of time, "in those days," during which a "word from the Lord" or "visions [from God] were infrequent" (3:1). The notion of a vision (chazon) was related to the idea of a word from the Lord. Samuel's experience of hearing God speak in the night is later described as "the vision" in verse 15.
Samuel is described in 1 Samuel 3:1 as "ministering to the LORD." The Hebrew wording for this ministry (mesharet) was primarily used in the Hebrew scriptures to describe priestly, liturgical service. Samuel has previously been described as fulfilling such service as a boy with Eli (1 Samuel 2:11 and 2:18). By contrast, the term "servant" that Eli will instruct Samuel to use to self-identify as God's listening servant is a more general term for servant (Ê¿ebed), often used to describe trusted slaves.
Samuel heard his name spoken aloud in the darkness. But he couldn't make sense of who it was or what it meant. Almost by way of explaining why, we are told that he "did not yet know the LORD" (3:7). The idea of knowing the Lord, as a relational reality, is of crucial importance in the story and in the entire book. The backdrop of not knowing God begins in the book of Judges. When Joshua died, "there arose another generation ... who did not know the LORD" (Joshua 2:10). Samuel is starkly compared to Eli's sons, who "were worthless men; they did not know the LORD" (1 Samuel 2:12). A key distinction: Eli's sons did not know God at all. Their ignorance was categorical. Some of the same words also describe Samuel, but with the important addition of the temporal adverb (terem) which means "not yet." Up until that moment, in spite of daily routines of worship service, Samuel had "not yet" had immediate relational experience with the living God. The verse adds, in parallel construction, that Samuel had "not yet" (terem) had the word of the LORD "revealed to him" (3:7). This contrast with Eli's sons highlights the importance of this event as a beginning of Samuel's relational knowing of God.
God's Mission in the Text
It would be easy to miss God's greater mission in the book of 1 Samuel. The stories are often retold as disconnected morality tales or revival cycles, pointing toward lessons of living in wisdom. Instead, the early part of 1 Samuel presents a crucial juncture in the forming and flourishing of His kingdom.
The Larger, Longer Story
In the larger, longer story, at this point God had redeemed Israel from Egypt so as to spread His name and glory to many peoples. God had formed a covenant relationship intended to abound in blessing that would be celebrated in open festivals of worship before the nations. As the people faithfully served God as their king, they would become a spectacle to the nations of God's blessing and justice.
We step into the larger story of 1 & 2 Samuel from the last verse of Judges: "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25, see also 17:6, 18:1, 19:1). Our story in 1 Samuel 3:1 begins with the same phrase that highlights the abnormality of this crucial time: "In those days" - the same kingless, leaderless days - we are told that words or visions from God were hardly known.
Into these days in which there was no king, we see Samuel used by God to speak to His people. As Samuel matured, "the LORD was with him and let none of his words fail" (1 Samuel 3:19). All of Israel was united in their recognition of Samuel as God's prophet (3:20). "And the LORD appeared again...because the LORD revealed Himself...by the word of the LORD" (3:21). This is tantamount to saying that God was effectually governing His people as their king.
Samuel is best known for being sent by God to anoint Saul as king (15:1), and later, to also anoint David as king (16:1). But Samuel was quite reluctant to anoint anyone as king, knowing that the people had "rejected [God] from being king over them" (8:7).
Throughout the book of 1 Samuel we find an ambiguity, a paradox: God Himself was altogether sufficient as their king; but God would also reveal His choice to exert His kingly rule through the agency of a chosen human viceroy, an anointed one. Samuel's mother Hannah's prayer has as its crescendo: "He will give strength to His king, and will exalt the horn of His anointed" (2:10).
But as events unfold, the language of paradox and ambiguity is telling. God is even anthropomorphically described as saying, "I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me" (15:11, 15:35). All of this ambivalence adds layers of complexity into the rich biblical hope of a later, greater anointed one, the Messiah that will bring God's kingdom in fullness.
In 1 Samuel we don't see the kingdom of God in its fullness, but we do see the kingdom in its essence. Samuel declares, "the LORD your God is your king!" (12:12). And that was to mean that the people would love, obey and serve God. "If you will fear the LORD and serve (Hebrew: Ê¿ebed) Him, and listen to His voice ...then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God" (12:14). The relational heart and soul of God's kingdom is to follow God Himself as the king that He is. God's kingdom is a reality when His people "serve the LORD with all [their] heart" (12:20).
Ways of Engaging in His Mission
With this larger mission of God in view, the story of Samuel's encounter with God takes on rich significance with respect to God's ways of engaging people in His mission.
1. Responding to God's call to relationship
Three times Samuel hears his name and each time he answers as any son or servant would have responded respectfully in that day, with the simple statement, "Here I am" (3:4, 6, 8). Finally, Eli discerns "that the LORD was calling the boy" (3:8) and gives Samuel a different, more profound response, "Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening" (3:9).
It's quite unlikely that the boy Samuel understood the overarching story or the geo-political issues involved. He was frightened by what he had heard God say. But God would continue to make Himself known to Samuel. Something had changed. From that time forward Samuel knew God. As Samuel matured, "the LORD was with him" (3:19), describing an ongoing and deepening relationship.
2. Listening as a servant
To refer to oneself as "your servant" was a standard expression of humble discourse. But Eli recognizes that God is summoning Samuel as a special servant, as one who would serve Him by hearing from God and then conveying that word. Eli's expectations are revealed by his first thought the next morning: "What is the word that He spoke to you?" (3:17). The phrase "the word of the LORD" occurs scores of times throughout the Old Testament. It usually refers to a revelatory experience in which prophets would receive, and then convey a specific message from God. The phenomenon known as "the word of the LORD" was often much more than simply passing on messages. God made Himself known to and through Samuel in a profound way "The LORD revealed Himself to Samuel...by the word of the LORD" (3:21).
God initiated the call of Samuel. It was a simple summons to know Him. God did not compel or obligate Samuel to perform deeds or services. Samuel was not conscripted or coerced. Eli's counsel, "Speak, for Your servant is listening," is a wise and even beautiful expression of how to engage in God's mission. In one simple expression, Samuel postures himself before God as a servant and positions himself to listen obediently.
3. Becoming a small part of a great purpose
What Samuel heard God say was downright frightening, "Behold, I am about to do a thing...at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle...I will carry out...all that I have spoken" (3:11-12). God was not merely planning to do a surprising or drastic thing. He was going to carry out His full purpose. Within Samuel's lifetime God would reveal more of His purpose to establish His kingly rule in an anointed human king. But at the moment of his calling, the boy Samuel was hearing God speak of His purposive acts that would affect and involve multiple generations.
God's choice of the weak or small, such as Samuel, to serve in His great mission will be seen again in God's choice of Saul, who came from "the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and [his] family the least of all the families" (9:21). Likewise, David was the unlikely choice since he was the youngest of his family (16:1-13), but "God sees not as man sees...but the LORD looks at the heart" (16:7).
Missional Connections for Our Context
The three points above (1. Responding to God's call to relationship, 2. Listening as a servant, and 3. Becoming a small part of a great purpose) are relevant for Christians of different lifestyles, vocations and callings. The points may be sermon-ready as they stand. But below find considerations worth considering as you seek to tell this story with relevance in your context.
Beyond activism and altruism
The story of Samuel's encounter with God presents a way of engaging in God's mission that stands in contrast with some commonplace notions of mission in our day. For many, Christian mission is a kind of activism, either moved by feelings of compassion, or compelled by the rightness of a cause. For others, mission can be a way of altruism, either as a way of balancing a presumptive priority of self-fulfillment, or as a way of authentically expressing one's inherent kindness.
Of course, participating in God's mission will always call for action, but activism that reduces mission to nothing more than proper social ethics is still essentially self-directed. Christian mission will always be motivated and display God's love in other-oriented endeavors, but altruism can be reduced as nothing more than using one's resources to do the most good that can be can be conceived (see effectivealtruism.org).
The story of God calling Samuel can be seen as a call to God's mission. But don't overlook that in this story we do not see God telling Samuel to do anything. Instead, God announces what He Himself is doing and will do. Samuel simply repeated what he had heard God say. As Samuel matures, we learn that "the LORD was with him and let none of his words fail," and that in the sight of Israel, he "was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD" (3:19-20). Samuel's mission would eventually involve speaking God's word with an authority springing from hearing and speaking with the living God.
God summoned Samuel into His mission, but not by pressing him to perform any kind of activity or cause. God's initial call was God's invitation for Samuel to know, hear, and speak with God in a relational way.
To serve is to listen
Every follower of Christ can find fitting ways to allow Samuel's words to shape their approach to the living God. No one need wait for a mystical or esoteric experience to simply speak these words aloud, "Speak, for Your servant is listening." Mission mobilizers often urge Christians to consider what God is doing and pursuing. It may be just as critical to personally listen for what God might be saying. There are many who have exhausted themselves by taking on heroic roles in great causes touching deep needs. God does not need heroes. The only way for us to be part of God's mission is as His servants. The way to mature as God's servant in His mission, regardless of one's place or vocation, is to be one who listens to God speaking.
Biographical Summary
Steven C. Hawthorne works in partnership with several different missions and networks to mobilize mission obedience primarily with Perspectives study movements in many parts of the world. After co-editing the course and book called Perspectives on the World Christian Movement in 1981, he launched a series of research expeditions among unreached peoples in Asia and the Middle East. He holds a PhD in mission theology from Fuller Seminary.
Third Sunday after Pentecost
June 10, 2018
1 Samuel 8:4-11, 16-20
2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1
Mark 3:20-35
Exegetical Missional Insights
1 Samuel 8:4-11, 16-20
The Israelites wanted Samuel to give them a king (v. 5). This request displeased both Samuel and the Lord (v. 6). The Lord knows it is Him that the Israelites have rejected, and not Samuel himself. The people have turned their hearts away from God. And the kings will not lead the people nearly as well as if they had been lead by the Lord. The kings will only care about their own interests. This indeed is what ended up happening, with all of the kings being sinful and imperfect in their leadership, with most of them being completely wicked idol worshippers.
2 Corinthians. 4:13-5:1
Verse 13 refers to the speaking that happens when we truly believe. Certainly this seems to be somewhat related to Paul's words in Romans 10:9,10 about our response in faith, and "confessing with our mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Rom. 10:9,10). This speaking mentioned in 2 Corinthians. 4:13 also could be referring to the importance of us speaking to others about our faith. It is a natural consequence that if we truly believe, an overflow of this will be our verbal proclamation of the gospel to those in our lives. Is our faith something that we speak about to others? If we truly believe, it is natural that our belief will overflow into all parts of our lives. Verse 14 clarifies the reason why we are to proclaim our faith in our lives and to others: Christ was raised from the dead and we similarly will be raised from the dead. This is what lays the foundation for our proclamation of Christ in faith, or proclamation of Christ to others.
Mark 3:20-35
Jesus' mission is to do the Lord's will. And nothing was going to deter him from that mission, even his own family trying to stand in his way. And our mission in following God is to equally be fully committed to go wherever He leads us and do what He wants us to do. And anyone who does God's will is our brother or sister or father or mother (v. 35).
God's Mission in the Tex
God is a God who is jealous and wants to be at the center of our affections. When we pursue idols like personal autonomy, money, power, or following those around us, God is displeased. He wants us to serve Him with all of our hearts, minds, souls and strength.
Verse 15 of 2 Corinthians, clarifies how all of this is to our benefit. Our being with Christ and being with other believers in heaven is for our benefit. This is something we are to anticipate with all of our hearts. This is somewhat similar to Paul's words in 1 Thess. 4:17-18, that we will be with the Lord forever, and we are to be encouraged and encourage others about this reality. Even if sometimes our communion with the Lord in heaven may seem very far away, we are to remain hopeful and keep our eyes fixed on Him, and have a spirit of thanksgiving toward Him. God is a God who wants to bless us. When we follow God, we are also blessed and benefited. Our faith is not to be some sort of personal "punishment" or "self-denial", but our faith is a blessing to us.
We know that sometimes God calls us to do things that our loved ones may not approve of. For example, Jesus' family in the early years of Jesus' ministry thought that Jesus was crazy (3:21). Our loyalty and love towards the Lord must be greater than our loyalty and love towards our family or friends. We must be willing to go against what loved ones want of us, if it is contrary to what the Lord wants of us. The most important thing is that we are seeking the Lord first and foremost above all other things. We must obey the Lord in what He asks of us, even if sometimes it means going against the wishes of loved ones.
Missional Connections for Our Context
A good lesson for us from this text is that we are to be content in what God desires for us. We cannot be like the Israelites, thinking that we know better than God what is best for us. We must be content in the Lord, in where the Lord has us in this season of life. We cannot be tempted to have the "grass is greener on the other side" syndrome. Rather, we are to be content in our current situation. We must seek to serve the Lord now with the opportunities that the Lord has given to us, rather than being unsettled and thinking we can follow God and do something once circumstances in our life have changed. Now is the time to pursue the Lord. We must be open to how the Lord will guide us. The Israelites in this story were only concerned about the desires of their heart. But, their hearts were not in alignment with the Lord's will for them. We must strive to align our hearts with God's: "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" (Ps. 37:4).
Our physical sufferings are a constant reminder of how limited and temporary our bodies are. The best reminder for us of our own mortality is when we are going through various trials, whether physical, psychological, or spiritual trials. Paul says it well in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18: "Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." Our bodies are wasting away outwardly with each passing moment, but spiritually we are being renewed every day.
Paul next says, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." So, the troubles that we are going through are miniscule in comparison to the glory that we will experience when we are with Christ. Finally Paul says, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." So when we are going through trials, we are forced in some sense to think about eternal things and keep our eyes fixed on Christ. We recognize that we don't want to go through those earthly trials forever, and we must think about our impending passing out of this world.
All through the Scriptures, there is mention of the reality of demons. As Western Christians, it is easy for us to only accept things that are visible and based on science. But, the Bible is clear that there is a spiritual world that exists, whether we acknowledge it or not. Satan is real. Demons are real, as is shown in this passage in Mark. If we ignore these realities, it will be easier for the enemy to tempt and lure us into temptation and sin.
Biographical Summary
Tabor Laughlin is an Intercultural Studies PhD student at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He was a missionary in China for ten years, leads a small mission organization in NW China, and published the book Becoming Native to Win the Natives [Wipf & Stock Publishers].
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
June 17, 2018
Our Cultural Tools and the Kingdom of God
1 Samuel 15:34 - 16:13
2 Corinthians 5:6-10, (11-13), 14-17
Mark 4:26-34
Exegetical Missional Insights
The passage from 1 Samuel 16 is well known across Christian circles since it uncovers for the first time one of the most beloved figures of the Old Testament, David. However, it is precisely because of our familiarity with the text that we could miss one of the most meaningful movements of God towards his people. While Samuel was grieving Saul, God was searching (v.1 "I have provided for myself"). In fact the word used in verse 1 to describe God's action literally means "respect, regard or treat with consideration" (Bible Sense Lexicon). Therefore, God's movement is never arbitrary, but always comprehensive. It was God's movement that re-ignited the torpid prophet. It was God's movement that found the young shepherd on the hills of Bethlehem, and later poured his Spirit over the man who will become the king of the golden years of Israel.
On the second passage, the apostle Paul is writing to the community of believers in Corinth, and is masterfully building his thesis on the ministry of reconciliation entrusted to all believers. But, before he reaches to his main argument on this section he expresses four things that concern his ministry on earth. First, that his motivation to persevere comes from his "aim to please him [God]" (v.9). Second, that everyone will be called before the bema (judgment seat) of Christ (v.10); meaning that he (Paul) wanted to be a good steward of the ministry entrusted to him. Third is his natural response to the previous two; Paul's commitment to "persuade others" (v.11) with the Gospel. Lastly, that his persuasion of others is not selective. He has learned to "regard no one according to the flesh" (16). These four things point to the fact that Paul's ministry was not compromised by personal agendas, nor by his cultural values in the flesh, but by a new set of values, Kingdom values.
Our final text from the Scriptures comes from Mark, a chapter full of parables about the Kingdom of God. Considering verses 26-34 we could see that the sower sows what he had at hand, seeds. Small seeds, products of a previous harvest, that had nourished and sustained his family, but that now were unable to give more fruit, unless they are sown in the ground. Only then, what started small, grows into a full harvest. The application is simple, the Kingdom of God might start small, as seeds in the hands of the farmer, but when scattered, it has an extraordinary- uncontainable- harvest.
God's Mission in the Texts
When the messenger takes his or her cultural tools and promotes them to a divine status the message becomes instantly compromised. Michael Emerson and Christian Smith pointedly observe that culture provides to individuals, and groups as well, a tool kit (2000, 75), that help them make sense of the world and realities they live in. In other words, the way we cope everyday, our habits and ideas, all come through the use of our cultural tool kit, that is made of our history, experiences, surroundings and upbringings. When we pay attention to Samuel's demeanor we could easily see the cultural kit he was using to make sense of his divine appointed endeavor. First, Samuel was hesitant and even doubtful to go to Bethlehem to anoint a new king. This speaks to the fact that his first attempt (with Saul) resulted in a complete failure, meaning that perhaps this whole idea of a king and the choosing methodology he was using was not good after all, and moreover it could have infused fear and uncertainty. Second, in various occasions Samuel thought that he had in front of him the future king of Israel (as each son from Jesse was introduced to him). Again, based on his previous experience, Samuel was looking for certain characteristics. Perhaps, a tall and strong man that could lead the armies of the Lord against the Philistines. Maybe, Samuel had in mind that a handsome fellow with a piercing look in his eyes could become a great monarch and leader. However, his cultural tools were insufficient and limited. God had been searching hearts to accomplish his purposes, and it was not close to what Samuel had in mind. In simple words, Samuel and God's methods were very different. Samuel's was sight oriented, and God's was heart oriented.
The deification of our cultural presuppositions and resources, intentional or not, hinders the missio Dei. As a messenger from God, Paul contrasts Samuel's story providing us with an insight into his approach to ministry not allowing his cultural values stand in the way of the message. Regarding this particular subject, Dennis P. Hollinger concludes that the church should "encorporate (sic) those cultural themes and patterns which give flesh and blood to God's transcendent message," and, Hollinger continues, "prudently rejects those cultural aspects that are incongruent with the faith and distort the essence of God's message and work" (Hollinger, Dennis P. "The Church: A Social Institution?" TSF Bulletin, Jan-Feb 1987, 14). Hollinger's perspective is fully embodied in Paul's message to the Corinthians to whom he also said, "for though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them" (1 Cor. 9:19 ESV). For the sake of the Gospel, for the love of all, the messenger's cultural kit serves under the authority of the King, never otherwise. The servant serves its master by serving others; just as Jesus obeyed God, emptied himself, and came down to serve us.
Our final passage illuminates a key idea in these two stories by revealing that it is only when we co-labor with God, a small movement on our behalf, that we have a fruitful outcome. Overcoming involuntary biases (or unaware assumptions) is no easy task, but it is crucial for fruitfulness. Because Samuel overcame his own biases and obeyed God, David was anointed king and became a pivotal link in Jesus' lineage and a reflection of the establishment of the future Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven inaugurated by Jesus himself. Samuel's small movement had eternal repercussions, as a small mustard seed "grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade" (Mk. 6:32 ESV).
Moreover, Paul also orients us in the same direction, adding the variable of divine accountability and self-denial for the sake of others who will also believe. In the same measure that our regard for Jesus have changed, Paul teaches (2 Cor. 5:16), also the regard for others should change. The myopic lens of the flesh (cultural kit) holds a limited and slim view of others, and in consequence limits the reach of God's grace to all people. However, a farmer sees beyond the immediate, and spreads the seed, envisioning and awaiting the harvest (Mk. 6:26-27). The nature of the sending God will always challenge the sight of those who are sent.
Missional Connections for Our Contexts
If the church is to remain faithful to the mission of God in our American context it will be critical for it to enter into the divine movement that values, honors and embraces the diversity of race and ethnicities in this place we call home. Michael Emerson and Christian Smith argue that U.S. evangelicals use their cultural tools to "shape how they explain and negotiate race relations in the United States" (2000, 19). However, what we fail to fully comprehend is that the movement from heaven, through Jesus Christ, already replaced our cultural tools with the Kingdom's. Jesus exchanged our human made structures of worth and regard for others through the cross, as we read in The Message version of 2 Corinthians 5:
Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own. (2 Corinthians 5: 14-15 MSG)
Therefore, could we live this far better resurrected life dropping our cultural tools and embracing God's (as Samuel did)? How could the church co-labor with the missio Dei de-racialize our society, and not evaluate people for what their looks or material worth (as Paul proclaimed)? What if it is through the small movements that heavens breaks in (like the mustard seed)?
At Pentecost, the disciples were filled with divine boldness to carry out the missio Dei in the midst of a Roman society in decay. The seed buried and dead (Jesus), sprouted and gave fruits that have multiplied and spread for over two millennia. May the church find the same boldness today, to run faithfully and glorify God in the midst of superficial society, so that others may see, experience and believe. May we all whole-heartedly pray:
Grant us grace to see what we can do, but also to know what are the limits of our powers, so that courage may feed on trust in you, who are able to rule and overrule the angry passions of men and to make the wrath of men to praise you. (Reinhold Niebuhr, 1882-1971)
Biographical Summary
Rev. Yamil Acevedo is ordained with the Christian and Missionary Alliance, and is also a Conflict Coach and Mediator with the Alliance Peacemaking. He served as Lead Pastor for a number of years in San Juan, Puerto Rico, before moving to Indiana in 2015. Yamil completed his Masters Degree in Pastoral Counseling at the Alliance Theological Seminary (Nyack College) and is currently journeying his second year as a Ph.D. student in Intercultural Studies (Missiology) at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, IL. He and his wife, Yaremí, have being married for eighteen years, have two children; they all love to eat sushi, travel, learn about cultures, and meet people.
Seventh Sunday in Season After the Pentecost (Ordinary Time)
July 8, 2018
2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10
2 Corinthians 12:2-10
Mark 6:1-13
With all the spiritual glare and glow of the days after Pentecost, it is the image of the old Roman sandal that commends the most penetrating analogy in regard to the themes that threads the biblical texts for this reflection: altruism, weakness and glory.
Exegetical Missional Insights
The book of Samuel speaks of a time of kingdom building. It is a transitional time in the life of Israel from theocracy to judges to kingdom. The first stage to kingdom with the ruling of Saul was a disastrous venture. In such environment, God reveals to David a procedure for "becoming" a ruler of His people: pastoring as the way to rule. This is also a procedure of missional engagement in which altruism comes before the power of influence. Witnessing is power as it is carried in love and care for others.
Such witnessing in power and influence for the building of the kingdom happens in sociocultural context. 2 Corinthians is written to a cosmopolitan community living in a multicultural and sophisticated, yet morally decadent and idolatrous city. The church in that context was dealing with complex issues which are characteristic of global urban centers. Missional movements must engage in the messy realities of current global condition from a chosen position of weakness.
In the gospel of Mark we find a parallel to Samuel's text as a time of kingdom building; the eternal kingdom of God. Jesus is not establishing procedures for the formation of rulers but social influencers; witnesses for and of the kingdom. The disciples are sent out in total dependence on God for spiritual and material needs. Such is the Missional engagement in contemporary society.
A common thread of altruism, suffering and glory permeates the three texts as characteristics of God modeling missional engagement.
God's Mission in the Text
The three texts that guide this reflection of the seventh Sunday of the Season after the Pentecost reveal God active in commanding history. He does so from a position of such high power to the affect that this power can be completely dismissed in favor of weakness. God's mission is rooted in love and selflessness to the point of ultimate sacrifice. The mystery of the divine paradox of weakness and glory is striking.
In a moment of great vulnerability of the nation transitioning from the turbulent era of Saul, God commands David to be a pastor. That doesn't sound like a great strategy for consolidation of power. David is to transition from a military leader to a pastor of the people. That seems to indicate that God is situating David in relation to himself, to the kingdom and to God. The people, the kingdom and the world belong to God. God is the assurance of the young king. History is in his hands and so is the fate of humanity.
God is revealed as one who has faith in humanity as redeemable. As people wrestle with complex sociocultural issues, God is patient and kind as the figure of the good shepherd. Forgiveness and resilience towards the fallen realities of people are characteristics shown to the church in Corinth. At the same time, Jesus sends the disciples assuring them that God is the provider of all human needs.
Missional Connections for Our Context
In a time of rampant narcissism and divisions of all sorts in our country, the church is called to a journey of altruism, suffering and glory in the company of the Holy Spirit. It is in the twenty first century reality of pluralism and complexities that we are called and empowered to witness.
At the original seventh day after Pentecost, the church was on fire and in awe, static at the manifestations of God in building his kingdom. The church was compelled to experience the movement of the Spirit by joining him. As the old Roman sandal, we are invited to the journey to witness God moving in mission. At the same time, we have the privilege to be witnesses in pastoral mode. Missional engagement in care and love requires a posture of vulnerability acutely aware and proud of the possibility of joining Christ in his temporal sufferings but with certainty of joining in his eternal glory.
Missional engagement in our context is one of becoming social influencers, cultural shapers, leaders and rulers not by power and privilege but in weakness and vulnerability. Selflessness is presented to David as the route to power instead of self-centeredness. It is by introducing himself as self-sufficient and provider of all spiritual and material human needs that God is redeeming the world and inviting people to participate in his mission.
The Roman sandal in the picture above was once on the journey in a context. Simple and fragile by current standards: sweaty and bruised by exposure. After serving its purpose it finds itself in condition of timelessness and pricelessness. Kept as a museum jewel the old sandal transcends its weakness to a final stage of glory. It rules over those who gaze at its mysteries of weakness and glory.
Such is the sojourn church, on the go, moving towards the coming of Christ our Lord.
Biographical Summary
Paulo C. Oliveira, D.Min. is a Brazilian with over twenty years of pastoral/missionary service in Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Oman and the United States. He currently serves as pastor of the Northridge Seventh Day Adventist Church in Los Angeles and is a second year Ph.D. student at the School of Intercultural Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary. His current research is on the intersection of faith, technology, youth and Islam.
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
July 15, 2018
2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19
Ephesians 1:3-14
Mark 6:14-29
Exegetical Missional Insights
St. Ignatius of Loyola said the Spirit of God gives comfort when you behave in ways that are in sync with God's will. That same Spirit challenges you when acting out of sync with it. In the texts today, there are examples of each. When King David danced in front of the Ark of the Covenant ‘with all his might' (I would have loved to see that!) he was clearly acting in alignment with God's will. He was bringing joy and hope to people and they responded by playing music and dancing. David blessed them and gave them meat, bread and raisins to eat. David and his people were, in those moments, living demonstrations of God's goodness and love.
On the other hand: when John spoke to Herod, he was confrontational about marrying his brother's wife. While Herod may not have taken offence, his wife sure did. These words of God spoken through John, caused such discomfort in Herodias that she ordered his death the first chance she got. Many became complicit in John's violent and unjust murder: Herodias who told her daughter to ask for his death, her daughter who did the asking and, Herod himself who gave the order but could have belayed it if he was only willing to stand for what was right and risk displeasing his guests. Perhaps the guards who carried out the beheading carried guilt for killing an innocent man even at the order of a superior.
In the beautiful words of Ephesians, there is a blessing and hope for humanity that repeatedly act in sync with God's Spirit. In Christ, we find hope through redemption that we cannot earn. Our lives are in sync with God's will as we are in Christ and Christ is in us. Only then it is possible to ask for discernment to figure out the best way to live.
God's Mission in the Text
Violence is a part of the brokenness of all humanity. John the Baptist was a man who was as close to God as anyone ever knew and he was not immune to violence that came around to him because of speaking the truth. Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi and, Oscar Romero exemplified the way of Jesus in a world that does not receive the truth as a good thing to be celebrated but as a discomforting and infuriating agent of change. This is especially true when human beings have been lulled into thinking that everything is fine just the way it is. Ignatius said that evil wants to create places of comfort with the way things are so that no change is ever desired, and brokenness and pain become standard.
Reconciliation comes through Christ in whom "we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace" (Eph 1:7). This is not cheap grace but the kind of grace that was earned by blood on the cross. Costly grace requires metanoia and change in the person and then the world. When you know you are loved, real change becomes possible because you are free from fear.
Then it is possible for all of us to dance with David and the saints of Israel in a way that is strong and free. Then there is blessing and plenty of food that is celebrated in the safety of a supportive community. This is the promise of the kingdom of heaven and it is a gift from God for all.
Mission Connections for Our Context
The world is now and has always been a violent place. In the United States, more people have been killed by civilian gunfire than in all the wars it ever fought. Thousands are succumbing to violence of heroin overdose. Perhaps you know someone so overcome with the violence of bitterness that they seethe in anger that is just under the surface. How are the rest of us complicit in the way our society allows guns and drugs to be so prolific that people can too easily destroy themselves and each other? Perhaps we have been lulled by the evil one into thinking this is normal and the way that is not to be changed.
We have a hope to share with the world. It is a way that calls for repentance and change. It leads us to a world where no one has to fear what will happen to children when they are at school. Hope for humanity is offered by knowing the way of Jesus. It is a way of truth that brings life and light and dancing. It is the only way to deal with the brokenness that leads to unspeakable acts of violence. More guns, different drugs and better laws alone can't alleviate all fears. Christ enables reconciliation with ourselves and others to God. In that embrace is the love that nothing else in this world can provide.
Works Cited: On Ignatius and the Discernment of Spirits
Biographical Summary
Rev. Dr. Philip C. Hirsch is the Director for Evangelical Mission in the Metropolitan Washington DC Synod of the ELCA. His Doctor of Ministry was focused on homiletics and reducing the propensity for violence among inner city youth in Camden, New Jersey.
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
September 2, 2018
Proper 17
Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9
James 1:17-27
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Exegetical Missional Insights
Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9
The book of Deuteronomy contains a reiteration or summary of the Law written in the form of a farewell address from Moses to the people of God. The people of God were in a decades-long process of change: from slaves to desert wanderers to occupiers of the land. Set in this context, the message of Deuteronomy is one of exhortation to be faithful to God with an expectation of blessing and a warning that the worship of other gods will bring a curse upon the people.
Some scholar suggest Deuteronomy may be the text found in the Temple in Jerusalem about 622 BC and brought to Josiah (2 Kings 22:8; 2 Chronicles 34:15). This was yet another vulnerable time in the life of the community as the Northern Kingdom had fallen to Assyria and the Southern Kingdom was threatened by Assyria, Egypt, and Babylon.
James 1:17-27
Possibly the earliest of the books of the New Testament, James represents the teaching of a distinctly Jewish community of Jesus-followers. As with Deuteronomy, this book is significantly concerned with the community behaving in a way that shows its faithfulness to God. It is a book written to people who are vulnerable to political and military power in the form of the Roman Empire.
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
According to early church tradition, Mark was written in Italy, possibly in Rome. It may have been occasioned by the persecutions of the Roman church under Nero. There are many references, both explicit and implicit, to suffering and discipleship throughout Mark.
God's Mission in the Text
We are called by God, as God's people and beloved children, to participate with God's work in the world. It is one thing to think of engaging with God's work, reaching out to the Other-the foreigner, the stranger, the person of a different religion-when we feel secure and confident in our location. It is entirely another thing to think about engaging the Other when we feel vulnerable and threatened. Yet that is exactly what God has been doing with God's people through the millennia: calling us to be faithful people, reflecting God to the world, and doing so from places of vulnerability.
Missional Connections for Our Context
It is the nature of human beings to want to define the Other-the other race, the other political party, the other nationality, the other religion. It is the nature of human beings to be concerned with keeping ourselves from being "polluted" by the Other. We want our kids to be safe-emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually. We want our families and communities safe. We want to feel we are free and secure to live the lives as desire. As followers of Jesus, want to know that we ourselves are good and clean and acceptable to God.
The people of Jerusalem lived in complicated times. They lived with political and social tensions. They lived with a threat of violence. They lived with constrained religious freedom. They lived with ethnic and racial tensions in the community of faith and around it.
The Pharisees of Jesus' day were people trying to be faithful to God. The religious rules they so carefully sought to define and practice were intended to be a guard: to keep them from accidental violations of the Law. And Jesus challenged their hearts.
There is little chance that the Pharisees' self-image would have included self-identifying with the hypocrites Jesus named them any more than we who gather on a Sunday at church would self-identify as hypocrites with hearts far from God. A sermon about how God loves us just as we are is more palatable than a sermon that puts its finger on our fear or hate or greed. We don't much appreciate when anyone challenges our sense of goodness, our self-perception of cleanliness. Yet that is just want Jesus did with the Pharisees: challenge upright, clean, religious people in their self-perception. And this is what Jesus still does through the text to us today.
What does it look like to live as faithful people of God in a world where we feel threatened by the Other? What does it look like to have a religion that is pure and undefiled before God? This is what Jesus says: it looks like attending to the state of our inner lives. This is what James says: it looks like caring for the marginalized. It looks like being engaged with the world without having our hearts governed by the values that govern the world.
Our aim is not perfection but a heart being transformed by attention to the word of God and empowered by the Spirit of God to live in this world in a way that reflects that Spirit-powered transformation.
God's mission is for us to be salt and light in the world, for us to live as God's children, engaging with God in God's work in the world. Our fear of contamination provokes us to hide in "safe" places with others who believe and act as we do. Our fear of contamination provokes us to uphold our own righteousness, condemning those who "eat with unwashed hands"...or cross borders looking for work, or protest government actions, or practice a different cultural traditions, or speak a different language from our own.
We are just as afraid as the Pharisees. We are just as self-righteous as the Pharisees. And we are invited by Jesus to set down our fear-formed rules and be transformed.
Biographical Summary
Susan L. Maros is Affiliate Assistant Professor of Christian Leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary where she also has an administrative role working with faculty teaching Integrative Studies courses. She has an M.Div. and a Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Seminary. Her current research focuses on the impact of social location on vocational formation.
Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
September 9, 2018
Proper 18 (23)
Proverbs 22: 1-2, 8-9, 22-23
James 2: 1-10 (11-13), 14-17
Mark 7: 24-37
Exegetical Missional Insights from the Texts
The biblical texts that the church invites to consider this Sunday are woven together with a common theme of care for those excluded from society: poor people, the exploited, the disabled, the stranger, anyone different from ourselves. Put simply, those on the margins or peripheries of our society.
The text from the Book of Proverbs, like all the Bible's wisdom literature, calls us to grow up to be wise people who have allowed God to shape our lives according to God's worldview and to see people and events through the lens of God's vision for humanity. God's people are challenged to accept that all people, rich and poor alike, share a common origin and are owed common respect (Prov. 2:2). Further, the text reveals God's special care for the poor and the fact that "injustice reaps calamity," while those who are generous toward the poor will be blessed (Prov. 22:8-9). Exploitation of the poor is a sign of folly, not wisdom.
The authors of the Book of Proverbs address situations in daily life that are meant to guide us in the ways of wisdom so that, as we are gradually transformed, we can work to shape the human community to reflect God's reign.
Though obviously not named as such by Solomon and the other authors of Proverbs, the missio Dei is clearly at work in this text, especially in verse 2: "The rich and the poor have this in common: The Lord is the maker of them all." Race, ethnic origin, economic status or cultural background makes no difference in God's mission, for all people are made in God's image and are meant for union with God.
Biblical scholars agree that James, the leader of the earliest Christian community in Jerusalem, is the author of the Letter of James. James presents the demands of Christian living in concrete ways so that there can be no doubt about their meaning. His community is wrestling with how to implement Jesus' teaching in everyday life. Members of the community are attempting to cope with divisiveness, hypocrisy, and particulars of wealth and status that were characteristic of Roman society at that time. James deals with these issues head-on.
James calls into question the commitment of the Jerusalem church to the Lord Jesus Christ because of their favoritism toward the wealthy, which he says is incompatible with their faith. He is appalled by their shallow assessment of people based on how they are dressed. James contrasts the welcome given to a wealthy person wearing "gold rings" and dressed in "fine clothes" with the community's behavior toward those who are poor in the eyes of the world. There is an obvious disconnect between faith and moral action. The Old Testament belief that the poor are the object of God's special care informs James' question put to them: "Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?"
The message of the Letter of James is that faith and action go together. An orthopraxis of faith in Christ looks on "the other" with eyes of mercy, not judgement. Growth in Christian life is thus not simply a matter of personal piety, but action motivated by a desire to be a witness to God's love by how we live our faith.
The Gospel of Mark is characterized by its simple, direct, and unadorned language and pace of rapid action. Mark has Jesus move quickly, often using the word "immediately" as Jesus carries out his ministry. There is general agreement that Mark wrote the Gospel while in Rome, some scholars contend that Mark was presenting Peter's account of the life and teaching of Jesus as a pedagogical tool for instructing Christians about church life and practice. Other scholars believe Mark sought to prepare his readers for suffering and martyrdom, especially during the reign of Nero. Mark's theology develops out of his "realized eschatology": in Jesus the kingdom is made present, yet the kingdom will come in its fullness at the end of time.
For Mark, the kingdom and discipleship are interwoven. Discipleship is, of course our response to God's invitation to be in relationship with God, and this becomes apparent through the life and mission of Jesus. The gospel for this Sunday exhibits Mark's awareness of the expansive nature of Jesus' mission, which reaches outward from the Jewish community to the Gentiles. This is illustrated by the stories of the healing/exorcism of the Syrophoenician woman's daughter and the cure of the deaf man. People who hear about the deaf man's healing proclaim: "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."
God's Mission in the Texts
Generally, the lectionary's first reading and the gospel fit together with a common theme, and the second reading is part of a sequential series from a particular New Testament book. This Sunday all three readings are woven together by concern for people whose lives are marked by exclusion and discrimination. God's response is always to reach out to us with the arms of mercy.
An aspect of the missio Dei in the Proverbs text is God's special care for the poor. God warns that in any action taken against the poor he himself "will plead their cause." James letter confronted people with the truth that faith must be lived in concrete ways in our ordinary lives. Judging people by outward appearances is never acceptable. He reminds people that it is not the materially rich who are guaranteed a place in the kingdom of heaven, but, instead, those rich in faith are heirs of the kingdom of heaven. This is the real goal of Christian life that Jesus manifested as the missio Dei through his mission. When we respond to his invitation to be his disciples we learn the transforming effect of his mercy, and that same mercy enables us to invite others to be sharers in this saving grace. Faith then leads us to find ways to make it evident in our relationships with others and our concern for our world.
Mark uses two stories of healing and redemption to demonstrate the missio Dei at work in the lives of people who are outsiders in the Jewish understanding of faith. The Syrophoenician woman has no social standing in the Jewish world because she is a Phoenician woman and a pagan and she has a daughter who is possessed by an evil spirit. Yet because her daughter is suffering and needs healing she risks approaching Jesus in the face of social and religious barriers. In an unusual exchange that seems to us quite rude, Jesus tests her faith, and the woman's answer that manifests her faith is rewarded.
In the second story of the expansive missio Dei Jesus, traveling through Gentile territory, encounters a man who is deaf and has a speech impediment. The people bring him to Jesus and beg him to heal the man. Jesus takes him aside and after some moments of prayer uses gestures that were familiar to the people of ancient times to heal the man. He puts his fingers into his ears, with a bit of his saliva touches the man's tongue and to him, "Ephphatha, be opened." Now this Gentile man was ready to participate in Jesus' mission! Despite being told not to tell anyone, the people "zealously proclaimed it" and declare, "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."
Missional Connections for our Context
In the context of the United States, how deep is our commitment as Christians to the Gospel. How ethical are our actions? What motivates us in our daily life to live the truth taught us by Christ? Do we do what is simply expedient or profitable instead of what is ethical and just? Do our lives and ministry reflect the teaching of Jesus, or have we been co-opted by US cultural values?
The texts challenge us to critically examine whether our appreciation of another is based on externals or on the dignity of the human person? Have we learned to see others as the Lord sees them? Do we work for justice for every member of the human family, or are we content with the social, economic and political reality that so many are excluded from prosperity? Are we committed to work for the common good and to share in God's mission in the world?
In our personal lives do we experience a deep personal encounter with Christ? Are not only our ears open to the voice of Christ, but also our minds and hearts? Has the truth of Christ penetrated the depths of who we are, or has political correctness persuaded us to accept that there are alternative versions of the truth? Are we open to people of other faiths and other cultural, racial and ethnic traditions? Can we embrace the other as our sister or brother?
Croatian theologian, Miroslav Volf, in his book, Exclusion and Embrace, writes, "Exclusion happens, wherever impenetrable barriers are set up that prevent a creative encounter with the other. Increasingly we see that exclusion has become the primary sin, skewing our perceptions of reality and causing us to react out of fear or even anger to those who are not within our (ever-narrowing) circle." Jesus, in being faithful to the mission given him by the Father, breaks down every barrier and instead has given his life for our reconciliation with both God and one another if we act with faith and love. In embracing "the other" we find that we ourselves are embraced by God and strengthened to share in the missio Dei.
Biographical Summary
Dr. Madge Karecki is a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis (SSJ-TOSF). She spent over twenty years on mission in South Africa. She received her D.Th. degree from the University of South Africa under the direction of David Bosch and Klippies Kritzinger. She taught missiology at UNISA and was the recipient of the School of Theology's Excellence in Teaching Award. Madge served as the President of St. Augustine College in Johannesburg until ill health forced her to return to the United States. She currently lives in Bartlett, Illinois, and guides missiology doctoral students for UNISA.
Holy Cross Day
September 14, 2018
Num 21:4b-9
Psalms 98:1-5
John 3:13-17
I Cor 1:18-24
Exegetical Missional Insights
The texts in Numbers, John and I Corinthians correspond to a God who intersects our world. If mission can be subsumed under God's action in the world, these texts point to the divine action on behalf of humanity. Each text discusses a shocking turn of events culminating in a cross. Let's take each in order.
Numbers narrates a story where God breaks out in judgment, justice and mercy, all in a few lines. The people once again ask Moses why they were taken out into the wilderness. "Why are we here? Why is my life derailed? Why are my circumstances such as they are?" The questions express contempt for Moses and the God who is leading Moses. In our contemporary sensibility, we are shocked to read of an outbreak of serpents attacking and killing people. What was bad turned worse. Yet the people are not surprised. They instantly understand judgment has been released on their sinfulness. God is refining a people to fully trust him and his way.
Meanwhile God is merciful and offers a way of salvation. The symbol of a serpent on a stake is erected as a way to reflect the faith of the people in God's compassion and salvation. God met the people at the point of their faith. In a bitter irony, the image God chose for them to look upon for salvation was one that reminded them of the judgment that had been prompted by their sin. God gave them an object to behold, a placeholder until they could behold the image of his glory, Jesus Christ.
Second, John takes the story of the serpent to the next stage with Jesus taking the place of the snake on the stake. In John's account, Jesus is speaking with Nicodemus, a Pharisee, about God's inbreaking into the world through one who came from above (v. 13). Jesus relates this person to the serpent, saying, the Son of Man will be lifted up. Now, Christ becomes the object of our faith. Jesus calls Nicodemus, a person deeply familiar with the exodus narrative in general and the story of the serpents in the desert in particular, to behold the Son of Man as the object of his faith. Furthermore, verses 16 and 17 build out the reversal motif of the gospel while linking the Son of Man with the Son of God. Those who believe will not die but live, reversing the effects of sin. God's Son did not come as one would expect to condemn and conquer but to forgive and restore, turning things right side up again.
The third passage elucidates the role of the cross in this unsettling turn of events. Paul writes to the young mission church in Corinth, a church infatuated with philosophy and worldly wisdom, that the cross is folly. The cross evoked horror in the collective minds of those living in Greco-Roman culture as the most brutal experience of death the Roman Empire devised. Through these few verses, Paul details how the cross came to disarm the wisdom of this world, to reverse what seems powerful by becoming powerless. God's wisdom overthrows the wise thinking of this world, but how? In a plot twist many could not reconcile. The divine hung on a tree for all to see. Perhaps the echoes of Psalm 98 flow through this reading, for many at this point of time had heard of Jesus death on the cross: "God has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations" (Ps. 98:2). Some will see God's action through the cross as turning things right side up and undoing the wisdom of this world that keeps us bound up in slavery to sin, slavery to the powers of this world, slavery to hopelessness. Yet the cross provides our escape from the shackles of worldly attempts at freedom, security and salvation.
God's Mission in the Text
In No Handle on The Cross, Kosuke Koyama argues that the foolish question God asks Adam and Eve, "Where are you?" is a question from the top of the cross. These words "Where are you?" demonstrate God on mission, or, in the words of Koyama, God's decision to limit himself to where we are. God certainly knows where we are but wants to become present with us. In the wilderness wanderings, the Israelites flipped the question, asking God, "Why are we here?" God continues to seek his people, asking the question, asking, "Where are you?" This is not a geographical question, but a question about our relationship with God.
The Israelites barely had any context for their relation to God, so he continued to work with them on their faith. Numbers details the journey of 40 years through the desert, largely a punishment for the people's disbelief that God could bring them into the Promised Land. God forms his people through this time. We see a God on mission, at work in the world as he builds trust in his people to follow his ways. In the midst of this wandering, God intersects faithlessness again while offering a sign and foretaste of the crucified Christ to come. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob offers a sign of the coming kingdom, the kingdom of God that Jesus will inaugurate when he hangs on the cross.
The cross stands as a symbol of God's intervention on behalf of the world. Jesus draws on the story from Numbers in order to help Nicodemus see salvation history unfolding before him. The Son of God both looks back into history and points ahead to a future to come. Through the picture of the cross, John underlines a summary statement for the missio Dei. The Father sent his only Son on mission for us, motivated by his love. The love of God overcomes our sin through the cross. Our judgment is met as we behold Jesus crucified. The early church runs with this story, spontaneously sharing the good news in word and deed wherever they went, seeing the church take root throughout the Roman world.
Paul identifies with the cross of Jesus in Corinthians. A foolish message, a message which must have sounded ridiculous to the Corinthians, that a God-man would allow himself to die. The fundamental message of the gospel throughout the Corinthian correspondence is of a God who died that we might live. This is folly, but this is the message and the symbol which draws the world to worship God. While we were under condemnation, like the Israelites in the desert, God provided a way of salvation, a way out of our mess.
Mission Connections for Our Time
Martin Luther calls the work of the cross a divine exchange. Through Jesus' death, our death was exchanged for new life, sorrow for joy, dishonor for honor, brokenness for wholeness. In our day, the cross continues to call many to lay down their pain, sickness and sorrow and exchange them for peace, joy and righteousness.
Today, God continues to call from the cross, "Where are you?" Through the cross not only is there a divine exchange but a divine invitation with Christ's arms spread wide open, calling us to turn around and come to him. The cross offers a divine hospitality to a world in need of welcome.
In today's context, the people of God must embark on mission by identifying with Christ crucified. We pick up our cross, allowing it to mold our life and works into a life shaped by the cross. To draw on Koyama again, we participate in mission not by a crusading mind but with a crucified mind. We must not use the cross as a tool to coerce people into following Jesus. Instead, we must die to our own self in order to serve others, to humbly participate in the life of others. We demonstrate the love of Christ as we die to our self, our agenda, our quest for significance in ministry.
When I served as a foreigner in Bangkok, Thailand, for six years, the Thai people saw my whiteness as a symbol of prestige. Without trying, I had status to speak, to teach, to preach. As a white person, my words carried a power. I had to die to the sense of superiority that came to me. I had to die to my Americanness in order to let Christ shine through. We worked hard to prevent Christianity from being connected to our w hiteness. As we went out to witness at the university, we brought Thai people with us. When relationships formed, we worked hard to connect our new Thai friends with Thai people in the church. We worked to become less.The ministry had to be about people finding God, and not about me building something. The mission for us was about God being lifted up, lifted up so that all men and women will be drawn to him.
These texts beg us to return to the cross, to behold the object of our faith. We come as people on a mission sent by a crucified and risen Christ. The cross reminds us that God uses surprising and foolish concepts to see his kingdom break into this world. As Christians, we are first humbled at the foot of the cross, seeing our sins washed away, while also sent in the modus operandi of the cross, dying to our self daily.
Biographical Summary
Andy Opie and his wife Christina served with Foursquare Missions International in Bangkok, Thailand, for six years. They ministered in evangelism, leadership development and church planting and pastored a church in crisis before transitioning it to Thai leadership. Currently, Andy is working on a Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
September 16, 2018
Proverbs 1:20-33
James 3:1-12
Mark 8:27-38
All three of these passages ask the reader to make a choice, to choose God and life over self-interest and death.
Exegetical Insights
Proverbs 1:20-33
In this portion of scripture that Wisdom, as a personified aspect of God, is portrayed as a woman. I suggest we then view other scriptural references to wisdom through same gendered lens. This same spirit of wisdom appears in Isaiah 11:2 as coming to rest upon the prophesied Messiah. In 1 Cor. 2:12-13 and 12:8, after the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, wisdom is bestowed upon humans through the Spirit of God.
God's Mission in the Text
In Proverbs 1, God as Wisdom makes a clear call for reverence, for the fear of the Lord (1:29), in order that we might repent and return to God. Wisdom pleads with us to accept reproof (1:25) and to choose life (1:33) over death (1:32).
Missional Connections for our Context
There are two main points about this passage that are often overlooked. First, God embraces the fullness of gender and is not, as is so often the way of western theological thinking, solely male. Second, Wisdom personified as a feminine aspect of God stands in sharp contrast to the way Genesis chapter 3 has been used to discredit the wisdom of women. Discounting the traditional wisdom of women is foolish.
In preparation for writing this commentary, I visited some good friends, a gathering of six Mexican and Indigenous Indian women who live and study God's word in one of the poorest barrios of Tijuana, and asked them for their insights about women's wisdom. Eighty-year-old Maria explained that women's wisdom understands that love opens the door so that other things can come behind it. The others mostly agreed, and then left the topic behind as the circle took up the more immediate concerns of how to deal with alcoholic sons and the children they abandon. Two hours later, after heated discussion, laying on of hands in prayer, and many tears, consensus was that God was in control and that it would take more waiting and prayer before real answers would be found. Rosa turned to me, smiled, and said, "Look! We have come full circle. Your questions earlier put me to sleep. But here is our wisdom. It is what we have been doing. We pray together as sisters and we seek God."
Exegetical Insights
James 3:1-12
James 3:5-6 uses a reciprocal metaphor to Acts 2:3-4; "the tongue is a fire" as distinguished from "tongues, as of fire." In James, the human tongue is a fire that is capable of igniting a conflagration of destruction. In Acts, the Holy Spirit's fiery tongues inspire the tongues of people to praise God, a positive conflagration that changed the world.
God's Mission in the Text
This passage challenges us to choose life over death by taming our tongues and causing them to bless instead of curse. However, James couches this challenge with a warning. We who are teachers serve the same purpose to those we teach as do rudders to ships, and we had best be careful as to the direction in which we are steering.
Missional Connections for our Context
It is not enough to teach in our churches that we Christians should bridle our tongues. We must actually take a look at ourselves, and the power of what we say, as we direct and teach others. Our tongues habitually use language that we are not consciously aware of, but which is hurtful and divisive. This ought not to be so.
We need to examine and guard against the harm that has been perpetrated by much of what has been traditionally said about the relationship between Wisdom and women. Just because we are unintentional about it does not diminish the harm of an unbridled tongue. My research shows that both prisoners and Christian prison ministry volunteers sometimes get caught up using the institutional label of "inmate" in such a way that the world is separated into two categories. The first category is "people," which always and only refers to everyone who is not a prisoner. The second category is "inmate," which becomes a way of saying that prisoners are not "people." In another example, I still remember my shame and horror in first realizing the gross racism of the rhyme,"eeny, meeny, miny, mo" that I had so casually recited in my childhood.
To extend the scriptural metaphor, before we can missionally invite others on board, we must first recognize in which direction we are steering our boat.
Exegetical Insights
Mark 8:27-38
The account of Jesus' admonition to his followers to "deny themselves and take up their cross" is found in three gospels. This cross that Jesus speaks of, therefore, is not some figurative burden, but the radical willingness to follow Jesus into literal death.
God's Mission in the Text
Here again, we are asked to make a choice for life or death. If we know who Jesus is, are we ready to stake our physical lives on Him?
Missional Connections for our Context
Jesus asks, "Who do you say I that am?" How do we answer Him? How do we describe Jesus? Do we simply use our physical tongues to talk about Him? Or do people come to see who Jesus is through our lives, through the flame tongues of the Holy Spirit? And what does it mean, how does it affect who we think Jesus is, if the Spirit of Wisdom that rests upon Jesus is elsewhere personified as a woman?
First, we are called to decide who Jesus is. Then we are asked to make a choice. Choose Jesus and gain life or choose life and gain death. It seems simple and trite, except that God's wisdom is not like human wisdom. Peter's human wisdom errs in setting his sight on "human things," on following the earthly Jesus. All the while Jesus is calling him to a new wisdom, to let go of his attachments to earthly life in order to lay hold of heavenly life.
Biographical Summary
Linda Lee Smith Barkman earned a Ph.D. from Fuller Theological Seminary, with a focus on Intercultural Communication. As an educator, writer, and advocate, her heart ministry is providing voice to the marginalized, particularly women in difficult circumstances, and most especially to incarcerated women.
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
September 30, 2018
Track 1: Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22; Psalm 124
Track 2: Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29; Psalm 19:7-14
James 3:1-12
Mark 8:27-38
These scriptures bear witness to the different ways God's power is manifested to save God's children from physical and spiritual death.
Esther's fasting and prayers, combined with those of her exiled countrymen, are honored by God, who blesses Esther by helping her create an opportunity to speak to Persian King Ahasuerus not only about her people but to expose the works of darkness being plotted in the background by the wicked Haman who, as an antitype of Christ, dies as God covenant's people are saved.
In Psalm 124 the psalmist praises the Lord, for, says he, if the Lord had not been on our side we would have been swept away in the flood when our enemies were attacking us (an obvious reference to the parting of the Red Sea and Israel's deliverance from Pharaoh's armies), and like a bird in a snare is allowed to escape, "our help is in the name of the Lord."
Let us reflect on the many times our lives have been miraculously spared, as were the children of Israel, and the many times God has spared our souls from the death of grief, sorrow, pain, loneliness and despair.
In the Book of Numbers, we read of the Israelites rebelling against the Lord's anointed servant Moses, crying out against the very God who so mercifully and graciously delivered them from spiritual and physical death. Ignoring the beauty, and life-sustaining grace of his Holy Word, they cry out "If only we had meat to eat!" They forget that man cannot live on bread or meat alone but requires the nourishment provided by his Holy Word.
In desperation, God's servant Moses cries out, "I am not able to carry the burden of this people alone!" So, to increase access to his Holy Word and to his Holy Spirit, God directs Moses to gather 70 elders, and God puts upon them the same Spirit he bestowed on Moses. When Eldad and Medad prophesy in the camp, Moses' servant Joshua becomes alarmed, but Moses says to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!"
As we seek to participate in God's mission we need more people to propagate God's saving word. In Psalm 19 the psalmist points out that the Lord's word is perfect, reviving our soul; it is clear, enlightening our eyes, it is sweeter than honey because it warns us, detects errors, exposes hidden faults and even keeps us from transgression.
What we do with his word is our missional connection. James implores us as the Lord's servants: "My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner's soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins."
Both Moses and Jesus had disciples who were jealous for them as they heard other strangers preaching, prophesying, healing and giving life. In the passages from Numbers and Mark we see God's ministrations of his word through servants who are sometimes strangers to the designated protagonists in the texts. One aspect of God's mission, or missio Dei, is simply portrayed in these passages as saving life. The missional connection is equally transparent: God performs his mission through servants who allow his Holy Spirit to rest upon them and then transmit his saving word through them.
Both Jesus and Moses taught that those who are not against us are for us. This sheds light on an important dimension of missional discernment. While we seek to be faithful to how God in Christ is guiding us in mission, we must avoid disparaging brothers and sisters whose ministries might be foreign to us, but who are bringing the word of life to others, albeit in a way that might be different from our own. Let us make sure that in our missional efforts we do not cause others to stumble and fall by detracting from those who are engaged in the missio Dei through means that may be different from our own. Similarly, we need to recognize that while the church as the Body of Christ has a special place in fulfilling God's mission, we must be alert for signs of God working through people of other religious paths and through secular agencies.
In God's holy word is truth and salvation: salvation for the soul, and from both physical and spiritual death. May our witness to God's holy truth be life-sustaining to everyone whom we have the privilege and joy of meeting on life's treacherous paths. With care and the power of the Holy Spirit may we, as James implores, help save a sinner's soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
Biographical Summary
Dr. Ronald E. Bartholomew is on the faculty of the Utah Valley Institute of Religion in Orem, Utah. He served a short-term mission in South Korea from 1979 to 1981 and is currently training short-term missionaries who have been called to serve the people of South Korea. He is an active member of the American Society of Missiology and the International Association for Mission Studies and has published mission research in the United States and Europe.
20th Sunday after Pentecost
October 7, 2018
Job 1:1, 2:1-10
Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12
Mark 10:2-16
Exegetical Missional Insights
Job 1:1, 2:1-10
The book of Job sets the stage for a difficult topic: suffering. Satan challenges the basis for Job's faithfulness to God. Job is known as a righteous man who is blameless and upright and who feared God and turned away from evil (Job 1:1). Does he fear God only because his life is blessed? Satan argues, Take it all away and Job will curse God. Is it possible for humans to love God without the hope of reward? Can humanity have authentic relationship with God? God permits Satan's actions against Job, requiring only that his life be spared. Job endures emotional, spiritual and physical suffering "for no reason". All the while, he remains faithful. The story presents a framework for addressing and responding to suffering, including the role of lament. What is the role of God and faith in the undeserved and extreme suffering that Job experiences? Job 1:10 provides insight as Job asks, "Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?"
The book of Job asks challenging questions including:
Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12
The Letter to the Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were tempted to return to Jewish worship because of pressure from the community, the absence of rituals and practices as well as the status they had enjoyed. The text proclaims the superiority of Christ (over angels) as an heir (including birthright, name and lineage). Angels serve as God's messengers, part of God's creation, subject to judgement. (Note: At this time, Gnostics worshipped angels as mediators between God and humans.) God spoke to his people through angels, the prophets, dreams, the Torah, scriptures, stories, and directly to certain individuals. In these end days God's mission culminated in his speaking through his Son, the word of God made flesh. Jesus became human, walked "with us" and communicated the Father's love through his life. Even though humans were created a "little lower" than angels, we are joint heirs with Jesus and thus invited to participate in his mission in the world. Jesus was present at the beginning of creation and is the very image of God's substance. He demonstrated agency as well as the power to forgive sins through his sacrifice. Suffering was made perfect in Jesus.
Mark 10:2-16
The text from the Gospel of Mark captures the testing of Jesus by Pharisees about divorce and marriage. Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee and Perea, divorced his wife Phasaelis to marry Herodias, previously the wife of his half-brother Herod II. John the Baptist criticized that marriage as a violation of divine law. Shortly after, he was beheaded. The Pharisees thought that if Jesus condemned divorce, then Antipas and Herodias might get rid of Jesus as well. The Pharisees challenged Jesus with a question about divorce - "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" v. 2) - hoping to destroy Jesus. They designed their question as a trap: in forcing Jesus to pick a side, he would alienate the other side. Jesus responded with the question, "What did Moses command you?" (v. 3). At that time, a certificate of divorce provided the wife both legal protection and the right to remarry, so the second marriage was not condemned. Moses permitted divorce, but did Moses and God approve it? Is divorce lawful or unlawful? Did Jesus approve or reject the Mosaic Law? Jesus moved the conversation from divorce to the meaning of marriage: "What God has joined together, let no one separate." In the midst of this conversation, people brought children (with the intent of dedication) to Jesus. The disciples were critical of these people,yet Jesus blessed and affirmed that the kingdom of God belongs to children.
God's Mission in the Text
The three texts present themes of suffering, God's sovereignty and the presence of Jesus in our lives. God invites us into honest and authentic relationship. There is no need to sugarcoat the pain of suffering endured. Relationship with God is what gives humans comfort and strength in suffering, whether caused by our own hand or for no reason at all. In the midst of suffering, God is with us. It's not that he just shows up, he never left. He was always present with Job. He was always present with the Hebrew Christians. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is present, walking among us, God with us. From the time of creation, Jesus was sovereign. He is not bound by our laws or ways. God calls us to faithfulness to him and relationship with him. Jesus looks to the condition of the heart, not merely our practices and rules. His suffering covered the penalty for human sin (falling short of the letter of the law) and the pain of suffering endured. The salvation of humankind was made perfect through the suffering of Jesus, which was a center point of God's missional work. Humankind receives salvation through Jesus as well as the gifts of inheritance and family. The texts from Job and Hebrews and Mark proclaim God is with us in the suffering. We are God's blessed children, his beloved.
Mission Connections for Our Context
In the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles, there are tapestries on both walls of the cathedral with saints looking toward the cross at the front altar, symbolic of our shared journey to the cross of suffering. Behind the cross there is a tapestry with a text from the book of Revelation proclaiming hhe is our God, we are his people and he will be with us. There is also a map of downtown Los Angeles. The tapestry reminds us that we are on a journey to the cross of Jesus, a road marked by suffering. On that journey Jesus invites us to be on mission with him in the city. We often associate suffering with punishment rather than with the journey we share with Jesus as we follow him to the cross.
We find suffering all around us in our communities. Like Job sitting among the ashes, a broken man in a place of brokenness, these can be physical places such as Skid Row or spiritual and emotional realities, desolate places of brokenness. Do we allow God and others into those realities? Do we allow ourselves to be comforted by the presence of Jesus? When we journey missionally with those who are suffering, do we chastise them for not "following the rules" or do we point them to a Messiah who is present with them?
The suffering of Job, the pain of divorce or the challenges we find in our lives can bring shame, fear and a striving to make it right. God isn't asking for us to carry the suffering, he is asking us to let him carry us in the suffering, to journey with him in relationship. "To this end, one hopes (against all human inclination) to model not the ‘one false move' God but the ‘no matter whatness' of God. You seek to imitate the kind of God you believe in, where disappointment is, well, Greek to Him. You strive to live the black spiritual that says, ‘God looks beyond our fault and sees our need'" (Gregory Boyle, Jesuit priest and founder of Homeboy Industries, Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion). God invites us into relationship with him and offers us perfect salvation paid with the suffering of Jesus. As we journey on mission with him to the cross, a road marked with suffering, God is with us.
Biographical Summary
Mary Glenn, D.Min., is an Affiliate Assistant Professor of Intercultural Studies (Urban Studies) at Fuller Theological Seminary. She regularly leads urban immersions and city walks in her home city of Los Angeles. She has served as a law enforcement chaplain since 2001 and is a police chaplain trainer and an ordained pastor.
21st Sunday after Pentecost
October 14, 2018
Proper 23
Job 23:1-9, 16-17
Hebrews 4:12-16
Mark 10:17-31
Exegetical Missional Insights
Job 23:1-9, 16-17
Job is replying to Eliphaz, one of his "friends," in this passage. Eliphaz has just finished telling Job that he should yield to God's judgments and simply accept his suffering with submissive faith. It sounds like a good religious answer, but Job is not satisfied with this viewpoint because he knows what is happening to him is not fair or just. Job does not wait for God to come to him to explain what is happening. Job actually desires to pursue God- to find out where God is physically so he can make his case face-to-face.
Job has faith that God is just and that God will pay attention to his complaints. God will not be offended by Job's complaints because God is a fair judge. But Job does have to wrestle with God's apparent absence, which he indicates through a mental geographical search for God in verses 8-9. But despite all his efforts, Job cannot find a physical place in which to present his complaints.
In verse 16, Job presents two options for his next step. The first is despair. The search for God has worn him out and he might respond by simply believing that God might not exist. The second response is fear. Perhaps God does not care about Job's situation or perhaps God exists, but is not just. But in verse 17 Job declares that he will not accept either response. Job is firm in his belief that God exists and that God is just and cares about the human condition. Job clearly announces that he will be heard. He will not be silenced by the darkness that surrounds him.
Hebrews 4:12-16
The reading from Hebrews is an important transitional text, beginning the discussion of how Jesus represents a priesthood greater than the Levitical priesthood of the Old Testament. In verses 12-13, the writer emphasizes that we are accountable for everything we do. The same living word of God that created the world continues to operate like a surgical knife on our souls, thoughts, and attitudes. Nothing is hidden from God. In light of this fearsome reality, the writer of Hebrews presents Jesus as our best hope through two arguments.
First, because Jesus is transcendent, we have the assurance that Christ as our high priest has God's ear. With this knowledge and assurance, we should hold on to our faith, even when we face difficulties. Second, because Jesus lived as a human being, he understands our failure to live up to God's standards. The Greek word used for "empathize" or "sympathize" in verse 15 is actually stronger than the English word. It carries with it the idea that God not only cares, but this caring will lead to actual assistance (or action) on our behalf. Because of our knowledge of both Christ's transcendence and his humanity, we are given the assurance that we can approach God and find mercy and grace. We need not approach in fear and trembling, but rather "boldly" or with "confidence."
This passage answers the age-old question asked by many people in times of suffering, "Does God care?" It not only assures us that God does care, but also indicates that through the work of Christ it is possible to approach God and ask God for help and assistance in times of difficulty.
Mark 10:17-31
This account of the encounter between Jesus and a wealthy young man follows the account of how Jesus assured his followers that the Kingdom of God belonged to those who were like little children, completely helpless and dependent upon God. Now, in juxtaposition to this point, we see a sincere young man come to Jesus, kneeling before him to show deference and respect to a teacher of the Law and even attributing to Jesus the word "good," which in Jewish tradition could only be ascribed to God. The young man asks Jesus the question that is troubling him; what actions can he do to win eternal life?
Jesus responds by telling him to obey the Law, and the young man replies with great assurance that he has perfectly kept the Law since he passed into adulthood. However, even this strict obedience to the Law has not provided him assurance about his condition before God. Jesus responds by telling him to sell his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor. In other words, he should become helpless, as with the state of the children mentioned earlier. The focus here, though, is not on the possessions, but rather on the command to then follow Jesus. However, it is the security of his wealth that stops the man from following Jesus. He leaves sadly, unable to give up his dependence on his financial security.
Jesus notes the difficulty wealth causes with its false security by using an absurdly impossible event, the passing of a camel, the largest of the animals found in Palestine, through the eye of the needle, the smallest possible opening. The disciples respond in astonishment, wondering who could possibly meet such standards, and Jesus replies that salvation lies not with human effort, but solely with God. Peter speaks up and notes with a sense of pride that he and the others of the Twelve have given up all to follow Jesus. Jesus responds that God is just and will reward those who suffered or lost possessions, property, or family for the sake of Christ and the Gospel, but he also ends with a strong statement that if Peter thinks his sacrifice will somehow assure his salvation, he had better think again. Those who think they are first may in actuality be last!
Missional Connections for Our Context
The readings from Job and Mark provide bookends for the message in the Hebrews text. The message of the Hebrews reading is that through Christ, human beings can approach God with confidence, knowing that God understands our pain and suffering. Whether that suffering is like Job's, who lost all his wealth, possessions, family, and friends and is left sitting among the garbage scraping his sores (the very image of the poorest of the poor in our world today) (cf. Job 1-2), or whether that suffering is the internal turmoil of the rich young man in Mark, who apparently has everything the world can provide, but lacks the assurance that his works will lead to eternal reward.
In the theology of the missio Dei, we see that God sends the Church into the world to meet the needs of hurting people. The Good News of the Gospel is that God, through Christ, is available, listens, and hears our human cries. Job pursues God to lay out his complaints about his situation. He does not need to worry about what God might think of him, because God is holy and just. With confidence Job is "not silenced by the darkness." The rich young man was also able to approach Jesus with confidence, seeking the answer to his inner spiritual struggle since all his wealth, power, and education could not provide the answer. When Jesus provides a solution to remove his reliance on himself and his resources, the young man leaves in sadness because his wealth has trapped him spiritually.
God sends us out to meet the needs of all people, not just those who are materially wealthy or those who are among the poorest of the poor, but for all those in between as well. This is the mission field. People long to put their complaints and concerns before God, but this is a scary proposition. Is it okay to complain to God about our difficulties? These passages make it clear that it is not only okay, it is our right as children of God to come before the throne of God, expecting grace and mercy.
In our world today, there are so many people crying out from situations of hunger, sickness, pain, want, and loss. The Church is designed to be part of God's solution to these problems. We are called to go out and feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the stranger, and visit those in prison (cf. Matt. 25:31-46). Are we doing these things? There are also many people struggling spiritually to be right with God, and the Church is designed to be part of the solution for these people as well. Are we part of the solution? If we are not part of the solution, then we are part of the problem. The false dichotomy between social justice and evangelism is one of greatest ills of the North American church over the past century. The Church is responsible for helping meet all the needs of hurting people in the name of Christ our savior, regardless of the source of their pain or suffering - be it spiritual or physical. If we as a Church need help in doing this, let us boldly approach the throne of God together to receive the grace and mercy needed to make us better servants of God to a lost and hurting world.
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 as an affiliate professor in the E. Stanley Jones School of World Missions and Evangelism. He has 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.
22nd Sunday after Pentecost
October 21, 2018
Proper 24
Job 38: 1-7, (34-41) and Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35c
Isaiah 53:4-12 and Psalm 91:9-16
Hebrews 5:1-10
Mark 10:35-45
God made us as individuals, and knows us each by name, with all of our differences. Although God's love is universal, the ways in which God reveals that love is as varied as is the human condition. If you want to reach out missionally to a wide variety of people, it will be helpful to pay attention to the differences which we call "personality," and to notice the ways that God's message addresses the strengths and needs of those differences. Part of proclaiming the Gospel in light of personality is the awareness that most of personality comes in contrasting pairs, for example, practicality versus imagination. So anything one says must not deny the validity of the opposite trait, even as one focuses on the first. Sometimes the need of one is the strength of the other. Sometimes they are simply different.
The passages for this week explore greatness, both in relation to God and to God's work among people. From the point of view of human character, they relate to our traits of striving for excellence, dominance, and either the ego strength to manage suffering, or the grim soberness to grit ones' teeth and get through it. The passages have all of this, and a side order of boldness which revels in the thunderous power of nature.
This lectionary provides a choice of Old Testament passages. The central theme is the discussion of greatness in Mark. The choice is whether one relates this to the greatness of creation in Job and Psalm 104, or to the suffering of the Servant Song in Isaiah 53 and its contrast in Psalm 91. Isaiah and Psalm 91 are close comparisons to the main points of the Mark gospel passage, while Job and Psalm 104 are a contrasting exploration of greatness.
Exegetical Insights
Job 38:1-7, (34-41) and Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35c
Job 38 and Psalm 104 describe the greatness of God in creation and serve as a counterpoint to the different discussions of greatness in the other passages of this week's lectionary. God is the creator of the universe, not we humans. When we humans are feeling on top of the world, perhaps through our dominance or the satisfied feeling of having successfully pursued excellence, we need to remind ourselves of this truth. This is what the psalmist does so effectively in Psalm 104 through praise. When we do not remind ourselves, we are in danger of being reminded by God. Hence, God rebukes Job, in effect asking him "Who do you think you are?" (Job 38:2)
There is a lot of energy in the descriptions of creation. For some, the energy will be experienced as invigorating excitement; to others the same energy will be overwhelming threat. We differ in how our bodies respond to emphatic stimulation. But with all the excitement, Psalm 104:9 declares that there is a boundary to the tumult of the water. The declaration that God has fixed boundaries to the threatening floods might be a comfort to those who are anxious, whether their floods are literal or figurative.
Isaiah 53:4-12 and Psalm 91:9-16
Isaiah 53
This is one of the great Servant Songs of Isaiah. It is full of the tender compassion of God that heals our sickness and sin. People vary in how much they care about tender compassion, or in how much they feel infirm or prone to sin. Additional themes are highlighted when this text is seen in the context of the other lectionary passages for the week, especially Mark 10. Now it serves to flesh out both what Jesus meant by "the cup that I drink" and "the baptism that I am baptized with" as well as the definition of greatness and glory which is active in Jesus. The description in Isaiah 53 is a poetic account of what Jesus offered and promised James and John when they asked to be next to Jesus in glory. The path to greatness and strength passes through suffering on behalf of people who transgress.
Do note Isaiah 53:12b. We often pray for victims, as we ought. But do we "make intercession for the transgressors"? How much a person feels connected to other people varies. Do we let sin make someone a "them" instead of an "us" (Mark 10:38-39)? In addition to our general feelings of solidarity with humanity, or not, our attitude toward sinners relates directly to how much we see ourselves as transgressors in need of intercession.
Given these themes, this Isaiah passage will resonate with people who feel the self-discipline to pursue excellence, the dominance to wish to be among the great and strong (v. 12a), the strength of character to endure pain for a cause, or the determination to see an endeavor through difficulties to its end. Additionally, it connects with those who feel guilty or weak, and with those of tender compassion who feel connected to others and desire their salvation. Note that any one of these personality traits may provide a point of connection to the passage. Not all are needed at once.
Psalm 91
Psalm 91 describes protection from danger. How much protection people feel they need varies, both situationally and according to how they vary in their physiological response to threat. This passage is a true, scriptural declaration of God's care and protection. But we must consider how it shapes our use of it when we know that Psalm 91 was misused by Satan to tempt Jesus. How does the protection declared in Psalm 93 interact with the victory that was only won through suffering which is described in Isaiah 53? How do we use Psalm 93, and encourage others to use it properly? More on this later.
Hebrews 5:1-10
This is about a leader, a priest, but it talks of reverent submission. Living out that tension between decisive leadership and submissive service is one of the challenges of the model of leadership which Christianity values. Different individuals will find it most comfortable to live at different points in that tension. This is all well and good, as long as we do not ignore the pull in both directions.
As with Isaiah and Mark, the Hebrews passage picks up the theme of achieving the goal of ministry through suffering. But suffering is hard! What resources of character do different people bring to the task? How can the mercies of God in Christ Jesus leverage our resources and support us in our weakness? This is what Hebrews 5 points out, Jesus is able to help us, because he also knows suffering like ours. But for those of us who enjoy the internal resources to better handle the sufferings we have encountered, how well do we, like Jesus, empathize with those who are weaker?
Mark 10:35-45
Here the lectionary selections move from poetic or theoretical descriptions into personal narrative. Two of Jesus' disciples want honor. He questions them, "Can you handle the hardship?" They say that they can. This is an important detail which shapes the response Jesus gives them, as will be discussed more below. What does Jesus tell them, and us, about what the path to honor looks like? The path is found in service to others, which will involve hardship.
God's Mission
God's mission as seen in the lectionary texts for this week is to serve and to save. Such mission does not look like arrogant power (Mark 10:42), which cannot empathize with weakness (Hebrews 5), and which rejects transgressors instead of making intersession for them (Isaiah 53). Nor can human arrogance stand up in the face of the power and majesty of God shown in creation (Job 38 and Psalm 104). (It won't even stand up if you leave "of God" out of that previous sentence.) Greatness is achieved through empathy, intercession and service, which will require suffering. God's strength, protection and our status as God's redeemed "holy priesthood" do not make us immune from any of that.
Beware of letting the comforting words of the Bible's description of God's saving power on our behalf make us think that the power and strength and greatness of our service in the kingdom of God means that we're immune from the price. Think back to Mark, "Oh, you want to be great? Can you drink the cup?"
The protection is real. For abused, stomped-on people, beware of throwing the Suffering Servant material in their face when what they need is the salvation message of God. God does not save through powerless martyrdom. Jesus is a martyr of power who invites us to join him in both power and martyr service. Thus, the powerless are saved.
God is not telling my powerless friend Elizabeth to stay in her abusive relationship as a martyr, but she could be hearing it as such when I preach the Suffering Servant theme to the powerful from Isaiah and Mark. I note that Jesus asked James and John if they could drink the cup, and they said "Yes." The Mark passage is a message to those who are not overwhelmed by suffering or the prospect of it. When people came to Jesus asking to be healed or freed from the evil which oppressed them, he did not ask them if they could drink the cup that he drank. He just healed and freed them.
There are two contrasting messages and contrasting situations. At the point when Jesus' status had just been affirmed as the powerful Son of God and he was stepping into the ministry to which he was called, the words of comfort and protection in Psalm 91 were a deceptive call to avoid suffering. Isaiah, Hebrews and Mark describe the glory of the powerful work of God, which will, however, include suffering. It is inappropriate to skip over this truth. Equally inappropriate is to tell the weak and suffering to ignore God's words of comfort, salvation and deliverance from oppression. As Hebrews 5 points out, it is a priestly duty to empathize with the weak and make intersession for them.
Most of these lectionary passages focus on the difficult service to others that defines true greatness with Christ, while Psalm 91 is included to keep us from being simplistic. Overall, the passages lend themselves to preaching the challenging call of Jesus' teaching for "whoever wishes to become great among you." (Mark 10:43) The participants in Mark 10 are not needy people when they first come to Jesus for healing and freedom. They are those who have been following Jesus for many chapters already, and are now eager to live into the life in Christ, as some who hear your sermon may be. On one hand, the danger is to offer a triumphalist vision of ministry in Christ which claims God's words of protection for those in need of saving as immunity from hardship for those who chose to serve. On the other hand, the danger is to place the weight of our sharing in the sufferings of Christ (e.g. Phil. 3:10, Col. 1:24) on those who first need to hear the words of God's saving protection, healing, and freedom.
Biographical Summary
John Barkman, with a Ph.D. from Fuller Theological Seminary, integrates a background in the 16 Personality Factor tradition of psychology with his practical theology, all while working as an academic institutional researcher. His current projects include compiling a personality-aware commentary for the entire lectionary cycle.
23rd Sunday after Pentecost (Reformation Sunday)
October 28, 2018
Proper 25
Jeremiah 31:7-9
Hebrews 7:23-28
Mark 10:46-52
God's mission is drawing all peoples toward the fullness of God's life and is calling us to respond with faithful persistence.
Exegetical Missional Insights
The first reading, Jeremiah 31:7-9, is from an oracle of Jeremiah that draws upon the story of the exodus and the journey through the wilderness. As Miriam led the women in song after the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 15:20-21), those who are delivered will shout for joy (Jeremiah 31:4, 7). Just as God has delivered the enslaved people from Egypt, so God will continue to do so (Jeremiah 31:7). Jeremiah was offering this message of hope to people who were living through the catastrophic times of Jerusalem being captured, the temple burnt and many inhabitants being deported. The deliverance from "the land of the north" (Jeremiah 31:8) refers to the exile of the northern tribes under the Assyrians. The prophet believes that hope for the future lies with those in exile, including the blind and the lame (Jeremiah 31:8). They will be consoled and led/guided back to the streams of water (Jeremiah 31:9). Later in the same chapter, Jeremiah proclaims a renewed covenant (31:31-34).
The gospel reading, Mark 10:46-52, is the second incident in Mark of Jesus restoring sight to a blind person. In the first encounter (Mark 8:22-26), which takes place in Galilee, a blind man was brought to Jesus, who in turn led him through a gradual process of healing, sent him home and told him not to go into the village. In contrast, in the second story, which takes place at Jericho, the blind Bartimaeus initiates the event. The crowd tries to silence him, but Bartimaeus continues to call out, "Son of David, have pity on me!" (Mark 10:48). Jesus then invites him to come forward. Bartimaeus immediately throws off his cloak and runs to Jesus with the request, "Master, I want to see" (Mark 10:51). Rather than sending him home, Jesus invites him, "Go on your way," and Bartimaeus after receiving his sight follows Jesus on the Way (Mark 10:52). This latter phrase points to the decision of Bartimaeus to become a disciple. The blind person in the earlier healing from blindness was told not to go into the village. It is also interesting to note that between these two stories of the blind gaining their sight, Jesus tried to give sight to his disciples about the cost of true discipleship by warning them of his upcoming passion and death.
God's Mission in the Text
God's mission (missio Dei) is evident in both readings. In Jeremiah, the focus is more on the nation or community, while the gospel encounter is more focused on the individual of Bartimaeus (although it had implications for the others who witnessed it personally or heard of it later). God is calling God's people, first of all, out of slavery into freedom and fuller participation in God's reign along peace-filled waters (Jeremiah), and secondly, out of blindness to being able to see clearly and find their way on the journey (Mark). Jeremiah referred to people being led to level/smooth ground where they would not stumble (31:9).
Underlying both scripture passages is an invitation into a renewed covenant (Jeremiah) and to following the Way (Mark), in order to participate in the missio Dei. Bartimaeus (together with the personal life and challenges of Jeremiah himself) represents the faithful persistence required of disciples and covenantal people. Despite the opposition of the crowd, Bartimeaus called out all the more. He was persistent. And Jesus told him that his faith had saved him (Mark 10:52). He was faithful. Bartimaeus had faithful and faith-filled persistence as a disciple. Pope Francis refers to this as "missionary discipleship" (Evangelii Gaudium 24, 120).
Missional Connections for Our Context
The passage from Jeremiah reminds us of the communal dimension of the missio Dei, or what we may call our salvation history. Over the years, I have had the privilege in my Catholic religious community of living with many Vietnamese. In the early years, many of them were exiles who had experienced the perils of escaping by boat (where almost half of the people died at sea), solitary confinement, reeducation camps, and the culture shock of entering a new land with little or no knowledge of English and often without all the members of their family. After time, some of them shared their faith journey - or the Vietnamese history of salvation - through these many trials in terms of the crossing of the Red Sea and the pilgrimage through the desert. Jeremiah's vision of deliverance, freedom, hope, and a new covenant for a nation or people would resonate well with such exiles and migrants today.
While people in the West don't always think of salvation in communitarian terms, how would our congregations and Christian communities/neighborhoods describe their own history of salvation? Perhaps by also looking at the nation of the United States today with both its unfaithfulness and faithfulness. How would we understand our communal need to move from slavery and sin to freedom and grace? How might we understand our communal need to recognize God's faithfulness to the covenant in our past, present, and future as a people of God? We are called to respond to God's mission of drawing peoples "from the ends of the earth" (Jeremiah 31:8) back to God through the wilderness.
Jeremiah also believed that the hope for the future came from those returning from exile. In the United States, we have the opportunity to be blessed through the faith journeys of the many refugees, migrants, and other marginalized groups among us. How can we open ourselves up more and more to such enrichment and challenge in our local contexts and faith communities? Together we called by the missio Dei back to the fullness of God's life. Jeremiah spoke of the blind being included among the remnant, and Luke's gospel illustrated God's gift of sight in the life of the blind Bartimaeus. The blind and others with physical challenges are also often on the edges of our society and our churches.
For the first time at the annual conference of the American Society Missiology last June, we had sign language available for the deaf participants. I was inspired by their faithful persistence in living out their lives under those circumstances. However, I was further moved when the deaf community led the rest of the three hundred conference participants in Sunday morning worship. It was especially touching as they showed us how to sing in sign language. On the one hand, I was reminded both of how I need to continue to face my prejudices toward all marginalized people - including migrants and refugees, the blind and deaf. At the same time, how do I/we allow ourselves to be touched by God as individuals and communities by those on the margins? Can we allow God to show us the Way through them? God's grace and mission is at work in unexpected ways!
Both scripture passages invite us to reflect upon our individual responses to be freed of our own blindness to God's mission (Mark) and freed from slavery to idols and addictions of all types (Jeremiah) in order to see and follow the Way more faithfully. The witness of Bartimaeus urges us to be faithfully persistent in our journey of discipleship. He had to overcome the opposition of the crowd in order to be healed of his blindness. His decision to then follow Jesus as a disciple reminds us that discipleship requires enduring and understanding sickness, suffering, and death in a redemptive fashion, which Jesus was teaching his disciples before the Bartimaeus encounter. Bartimaeus followed Jesus as a missionary disciple.
These themes also are relevant as we celebrate Reformation Sunday. We are called as the church and God's people to listen to and collaborate with the stirring Spirit of the mission of God, who is calling all peoples and all of God's creation back to God. We need to overcome our enslavement, blindness, and sin. Both readings call us to the ongoing and persistent process of transformation and reform on individual, communal, and ecclesial levels.
God's mission is drawing all peoples toward the fullness of God's life and is calling us to respond with faithful persistence.
Reference
Brink, Laurie, and Paul Colloton. Living the Word: Scripture Reflections and Commentaries for Sundays and Holy Days. Year B. Franklin Park, IL: World Library Publications, 2017. Pp. 197-199.
Biographical Summary
Roger Schroeder is the Louis J. Luzbetak, SVD Professor of Mission and Culture at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago (CTU). He co-authored with Stephen Bevans Constants in Context (2004) and Prophetic Dialogue (2011). As a member of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), he served as a missionary in Papua New Guinea for six years before beginning his teaching and academic ministry at CTU in 1990.
All Saints Sunday
November 4, 2018
Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9
Isaiah 25:6-9
Psalm 24
Revelation 21:1-6a
John 11:32-44
Exegetical Missional Insights
Isaiah 25:6-9
This text is situated right in the middle of a distinct section within the book of Isaiah, the apocalyptic chapters 24-27, which are focused on the ultimate salvation that God will bring to God's people. This pericope is a hopeful image of God's justice rolling down from heaven for a people who have been persecuted, who find themselves scattered, and whose religious leaders have been found to be corrupt. Isaiah offers an image of God's providence, justice, and blessing.
Psalm 24
Psalm 24 is a beautiful vision in which the God of creation restores God's people. This text is possibly a liturgy within the celebration of the return of the ark of the covenant to the people of Israel. The text is a victory chant of war in struggles that have been experienced by people outside of the people of Israel. Furthermore, it is a victory chant that God has brought victory to the Israelites.
John 11:32-44
This story of Lazarus is one of puzzlement and wonder. John is the only gospel in which this story is found. The timing of the death and raising of Lazarus foreshadows the death and resurrection of Christ. This text demonstrates that the light and life of the world reside within Jesus the Christ and that no matter what darkness and what power has grip, the light and life within Christ always comes out victorious. Even death itself has lost its sting.
Revelation 21:1-6a
As John the Revelator reaches the end of Revelation, he leaves us with this beautiful image of the coming of the new heaven and the new earth and the first earth passing away. Isn't it interesting that when someone experiences loss, we use the phrase "pass away"? Here death itself is passing away. This text is the image of the completion of the missio Dei and the triumphal celebration of bringing all of creation to the point of redemption and putting it back into order.
God's Mission in the Text
Today's texts allow us to see the fullness of God's mission throughout time. We are invited to remember that the God of creation continues to be with us from the Garden of Eden to the creation of the new heavens and the new earth. Furthermore, God is showing humanity that God is in ultimate control. In fact, it is not up to us. God's great shalom is going to be made manifest on this earth not due to us, but despite us.
Christopher Wright states, "It is not so much that God has a mission for His church in the world, but that God has a church for His mission in the world" (Christopher J.H. Wright, The Mission of God, 62). That is, God is the one that will wipe away all tears, cure all sickness, and vanquish all pain. We, the church, do not have to try to reinvent the wheel or to sacrifice the truths of the gospel to make them more culturally palatable - God transcends culture. It is simply our honor and privilege to join God in God's mission.
Missional Connections for Our Context
The story of Jesus weeping at the tomb of Lazarus is a moment in scripture that causes the reader to pause. It seems to stop us in our tracks because the person who holds the keys of life and death is weeping. God weeps when we die. This is a critical truth that our congregations must understand - we were never created to die. Death is a path that God never meant for us. Yet it is a necessity and a condition of our fallen and broken state.
Too many times we avoid our grief, our pain and our suffering when we encounter human loss. But the the gospel of the day confronts us with the reality that when someone leaves this world, those who remain are not only left with the loss of a loved one, but also with the unconscious recognition of the consequences of sin. We are reminded and ushered into the pain of life, the darkness of the world, the anguish of suffering, and the inescapable realities of sickness. The congregation is given permission to enter into their pain, but they enter into their pain not alone but with Christ. And then we are reminded in the midst of our pain that the God who created us in the very image of God and spoke creation into being is continuing to come to us and break into our reality and allows us to experience glimpses of the new heaven and earth even now.
One of the ways in which God has done that is through the saints that have lived before us and have passed on to glory ahead of us. I think of the pastor under whom I found faith. I think of the little grandma who was my mentor in my confirmation class. I think of my grandfather who visited the shut-ins and the sick with me in tow. Our saints helped bring us to faith and grow in faith. Our shared lives gave us glimpses of the new heaven and new earth. Our saints pointed us to the work of Christ. And when the new heaven and new earth are fully ushered in, we will join our saints and celebrate the redemptive love and work of God.
Biographical Summary
The Rev. Kaury C. Edwards serves as the lead pastor of Wesleyan Heights United Methodist Church within the Kentucky Annual Conference. In 2013 he received a Master of Divinity degree from Asbury Theological Seminary, and in 2016 he received a Master of Theology degree in World Missions and Evangelism with a specialization in missional theology and desecularization from Asbury. He is currently a Doctor of Ministry student at Duke University and is focusing his research on reconciliation, sociological imagination, and violence in the church.
25th Sunday after Pentecost
November 11, 2018
Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17
Hebrews 9:24-28
Mark 12:38-44
Exegetical Missional Insights
Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17
The book of Ruth reveals the heart of God at work through people. God cares deeply for all people and instructs us to extend special care for "widows and orphans," the most vulnerable in society (cf. Exodus 22:22; Deut. 10:18; and James 1:27). Ruth, a young widow, cared deeply for her widowed mother-in-law, Naomi, and pledged to take care of her for the rest of her life (1:16-17). As widows, they were both vulnerable, potential targets of abuse by the more powerful ones around them. After they arrived in Bethlehem and Ruth ventured out into the fields to gather the leftover grain for her and her mother-in-law, Boaz had compassion on her, providing both food and protection (2:8-9). He also blessed her, saying, "May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge" (2:12, NIV). The Psalms often depict God's protection as "wings" that shelter the vulnerable (Ps. 17:8; 36:7; 57:1; 61:4; 63:7; and 91:4). Naomi worked to provide such a place of security for her caring daughter-in-law when Naomi instructed Ruth to go and sleep at the feet of Boaz as he was guarding the grain at the end of the harvest season. When Boaz awakened, Ruth proposed marriage by telling him to "spread his wings" over her because of his obligation under the Law (3:9). In essence, she was telling him to fulfill his own blessing to her about God's protection by acting on God's behalf to protect her. As one of Naomi's nearest relatives, Boaz had a responsibility to function as a "redeemer" to rescue her and Ruth from their vulnerable position in society. He gladly fulfilled this obligation, and Ruth became his wife. Their child then became a "redeemer" for Naomi and the family through the future care that he would provide (4:14). The women of Bethlehem also identified the important role that Ruth played in this process, declaring that her value to Naomi was greater "than seven sons" due to her devoted love and care for Naomi (4:15).
Hebrews 9:24-28
Hebrews 9 also highlights the theme of rescue and redemption. Jesus became the ultimate redeemer by offering himself as a one-time sacrifice to free us from our sins (9:26, 28). All of us commit sin. We are spiritually broken, in desperate need of forgiveness and salvation. We are helpless on our own. Even while humanity was mired in spiritual poverty, our own suffocating sinfulness, Jesus paid the price for our forgiveness with his own life (Romans 3:24). In so doing, he provides "eternal redemption" for us (Hebrews 9:12; cf. Ephesians 1:7). This was the purpose of his incarnation (Luke 1:68) and what Jesus accomplished (Colossians 1:13-14).
Mark 12:38-44
Preachers often highlight the widow's extravagant giving as the key message in this passage, emphasizing how their members should give sacrificially to the church. Is this really the point that Jesus was making? As with many of his teachings, this lesson has a double-edge that cuts in two directions. Yes, the widow gave much more than the rich people in comparison to their relative resources. She gave everything she had while they gave out of their excess. Jesus acknowledges her total commitment, and he desires that his followers be completely committed to God. Nevertheless, Jesus prefaced his comments about the widow with a condemnation of religious leaders who take advantage of the poor. He condemned them for devouring widows' houses (v. 40). "Houses" here refer to all of their material resources. The widow who gave the last of her possessions to the temple treasury becomes a prime example of one whose final resources have just been devoured by the religious leaders. Instead of caring for the most vulnerable of society, the religious leaders took advantage of them, actively consuming what remained of their meager estates.
God's Mission in the Text
All three texts focus on the theme of redemption. The book of Ruth illustrates how each of the people in the narrative act in ways to redeem the lives of those around them. Ruth gives of herself to care for her mother-in-law, Naomi. Naomi works in ways to help provide for her daughter-in-law. Boaz willingly acts as the "redeemer" for his relative Naomi and her daughter-in-law. As such they provide concrete examples of the many ways that the followers of God should reach out to the vulnerable and rescue or "redeem" them from their dire circumstances. The Hebrews passage demonstrates how the heart of God is filled with redemption. Jesus becomes the ultimate redeemer for all of humanity through his sacrificial death. God loves us so much that he provides for our eternal redemption from the sin's captivity. While the book of Ruth shows through the examples of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz how we should reflect God's love for others, the passage in Mark warns us about what we should not do. The religious leaders in Mark become the "anti-redeemers." Rather than helping the vulnerable, these powerful leaders use their influence to take advantage of the weaker ones of society. They have become the oppressors of the poor. The priests and scribes should be shepherds caring for the sheep; instead, these leaders are wolves who devour the flock.
Mission Connections for Our Context
God has deep compassion for those who are suffering, and God meets us in our brokenness, offering redemption for all areas of our indebtedness. As followers of God, our mission is to work together with God and others to serve as channels of God's redemptive action in the world. To do this, we must first avoid actions that actually hurt the ones we are trying to help. Certainly, some supposedly Christian leaders try to extort the poor for their own gain. They urge their impoverished followers to give sacrificially for the benefit of the leaders. After all, these leaders really need a private jet or a lavish mansion or an exorbitant salary or all of the above. We can readily identify such charlatans who prey on the poor.
Are there not also times, however, when our more respected Christian leaders pressure all their church members, including the materially poor, to give sacrificially to building campaigns and other seemingly worthy causes. Many families are on the verge of financial bankruptcy, and the church pressures them to give beyond their ability. When we do this, we are no better than the religious leaders that Jesus condemned for devouring the resources of the poor. At other times, we mean to help others but unwittingly hurt them. When we import hundreds of free shoes or tons of food into an impoverished area of the world, we can bankrupt the local merchants and farmers by destroying their local economy. We can also create an unhealthy dependency. When we import large amounts of unskilled labor into such communities through our short-term mission teams, we unwittingly take away much-needed jobs desired by local citizens. In all that we do, we must take care to be truly helping, not hurting.
On the positive side, we should endeavor to demonstrate God's love by genuinely caring for those suffering from the various forms of poverty. The Potter's House Association of Guatemala has properly identified eight forms of poverty: intellectual, spiritual, economic, and physical poverty along with poverty of a support network, of the will, of affection, and of civic involvement. By addressing these many different types of poverty in constructive ways, the Guatemalan leaders of this organization have been able to work redemptively in several different impoverished communities (https://pottershouse.org.gt). In a similar manner, we need to take a holistic approach to our missional efforts, realizing that we also serve as wounded healers. We may abound in material wealth that we can use to minister to others, but we may lack the depth of faith found among those with fewer material resources. We learn from one another, minister to each other, and work together as partners in God's work of redemption.
Biographical Summary
Dennis J. Horton, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Religion and Director of Ministry Guidance at Baylor University. He has been involved in mission work and research and currently teaches cross-cultural ministry. He is a former youth minister and pastor, having served churches in Texas, Indiana, Hong Kong, and Georgia. He has taught at Hong Kong Baptist University, Yonok College in Thailand, Brewton-Parker College in Georgia, Howard Payne University in Texas, and Baylor University (2005-Present).
26th Sunday after Pentecost
November 18, 2018
1 Samuel 1:4-20; 2:1-10
Hebrews 10:11-14, (15-18), 19-25
Mark 13:1-8
Exegetical Missional Insights
1 Samuel 1:4-20; 2:1-10
The book of 1 Samuel does not open with exhilarating tales of the prophet's adventures or triumphs. It instead begins with the seemingly anticlimactic introduction of an unremarkable, barren, and bullied woman named Hannah. She is in fact so pitiful, that when she visits the temple to cry out to God, Eli mistakes her for a drunk woman, and tries to send her on her way. Remarkably, she stands up for herself, explaining her situation and correcting the high priest in the process. Moved by her dedication, Eli blesses her and assures her that God has heard her cries. Soon after, Hannah finds herself pregnant and responds with an incredible prophetic prayer of praise. In this prayer, she recognizes, like Mary after her, that God's ways are wonderfully and subversively backwards- "He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor" (1:8a).
Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18), 19-25
In this passage, the author of Hebrews reaches the climax of his exposition carefully explaining Jesus and the New Covenant as a fulfillment of Old Testament theology and prophecy. Unlike the current priests who stand daily "offering repeatedly the same sacrifices which can never take away sins" (10:10), Jesus made a single offering that makes us perfect forever. This is a direct fulfillment of the promise from Jeremiah 31:33-34 that one day God would make a new covenant with his people, writing his laws on their hearts and minds, and forgiving and forgetting their sins once and for all. This was, in fact, God's final and ultimate plan for His people, giving them the confidence to draw near to Him like never before in the new and Holy community of the Church.
Mark 13:1-8
In his typically controversial manner, here Jesus responds to a disciple complementing the appearance of the Temple complex by predicting the great and total destruction of the Temple. He then explains the "beginning of the birth pains" (13:8) that will signal the end of time. Many will come claiming to be Him and they will confuse many, but the end will not come until the Gospel is first proclaimed to all nations, or people-groups. For Jesus' followers, this will be a tumultuous time of trials, beating, betrayal and death, but he assures them the Holy Spirit will sustain them and even provide them with the exact words to say.
God's Mission in the Text
Despite the vastly different contexts of these three passages, together they bear witness to the powerful theme of God's sovereignty and timing. For a hopeless and barren woman, God gave her a son who became of the greatest prophets of all time and the man to anoint the very first king of Israel. In Hebrews, the author assures his audience that this New Covenant is not "Plan B," but rather the ultimate reality that God had always intended. And Jesus offers cryptic details about the future end of time, with no concrete details other than an emphasis on our task of sharing the Gospel, and a promise that the Holy Spirit will intervene when we need Him. In these passages, we see a God who is intensely involved in the world He created. He regularly defies our earthly wisdom, exalting the lowly as His agents, and acting on a timeline that frankly doesn't make sense. Why would God allow Hannah to be barren, only to then bless her with a son who would play such a pivotal role in the story of God's people? Why wouldn't God just start with the New Covenant instead of making it the slow fulfillment of thousands of years of the "shadow of good things to come" (Hebrews 10:1). Why must we wait indefinitely for Jesus' return with no details and under the threat of violence? Although there could be lengthy theological debates about each of these questions, at the risk of oversimplification, I would answer them all with: "Because God is sovereign." God is King of the whole earth and everything in it. He stands above our finite understanding and reality of time and chooses to be involved. Despite our sinfulness and rebellion, He chooses to stay involved and even to involve us in His master plan of redeeming humankind to Himself. This awesome sovereignty could make us feel insecure and insignificant, but I believe it can also help root us in an increasingly disconnected world. As Hannah proclaimed it, "For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and on them has set the world" (1:8b). If we really believe that, there is nothing more reassuring.
Missional Connections for Our Context
Philosopher Jean Francois Lyotard famously defined postmodernism as "incredulity toward metanarratives." Although we are now currently in some version of post post-modernity, this particular feature still defines much of the West. In the increasingly pluralistic, secular, hedonistic societies of the West, obsessed with disembodying technologies, the erosion of metanarratives and plausibility structures present a significant spiritual and epistemological challenge. Who do we belong to? Why do we exist? What is true? Does it matter? Is there a community for us? These questions would have been unimaginable in traditional societies where the shared worldview clearly defined reality, but now they nag and pull at our psyches. This unprecedented loss of continuity reveals itself in significant social ills, like the current epidemic of loneliness, depression and anxiety, the breakdown of the family, meaningless violence, and the reemergence of radical ideologies attracting young people in search of meaning and community. I believe this crisis could actually be a kairos moment, where the Church is already equipped to respond to these needs with the powerful, grounding, meaning-giving metanarrative of God's reality-defining sovereignty. Instead of striving to make the Gospel message the most clear and simple possible, we should embrace the complexity and mystery of God's involvement in the world. Our evangelistic message must not be a truncated "sinner's prayer," but an invitation into God's redemptive work in the world-an invitation to join the people of God and to participate in what He is doing-an invitation to a purpose, an identity, an all-inclusive understanding of what it means to be human. Years ago, church-growth researchers were surprised to find that American young people were becoming more attracted to the seemingly dusty and antiquated forms of liturgy and tradition, rather than the mega-church performances they had anticipated. I believe this is because liturgies and traditions root us to a community and reality that is thousands of years old, which is intensely refreshing in our society's ceaseless march toward the future where even our most treasured technologies are declared obsolete every 18 months. The current reality presents a significant missiological challenge for our churches. However, the good news is that in the Gospel we find exactly what we need. Through the Word and Tradition, we are equipped with the message and practices to offer the world this invitation into the true reality of our sovereign God. We can be certain, like Hannah, the disciples and community before us, more people can find their true selves in God and His Kingdom.
Biographical Summary
Matthew Blanton lives in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, where he works as a house-church planter among university students with Beyond Walls Guatemala. He holds an MA in intercultural studies from Fuller Theological Seminary and has taught interculturally for years.
Liturgical Day and Texts
November 25, 2018
From Beginning to End
Year B, Proper 29, "Reign of Christ"
2 Samuel 23:1-7
Revelation 1:4-8
John 18:33-37
Exegetical Missional Insights
The three texts testify to the strong pull of God's action through history: in Christ, in individual lives (in the case of David), and even cosmically in Revelation. As the days grow shorter and we approach Christmas, these passages also reach from the beginning until the end.
The reading from 2 Samuel presents the "last days" of David. David's witness here is to the God's action, and it is called an oracle (verse 1), where "the spirit of the Lord speaks through me" (verse 2) and "the Rock of Israel has said to me..." (verse 3). God speaks throughout the passage, forming an everlasting covenant and prospering God's people. Meanwhile, "the godless are all like thorns that are thrown away" (verse 6). This is not just personal testimony; instead it is a recitation of God's revelation and goodness. Over and over again God has spoken.
The opening of Revelation offers a vision of John "to the seven churches that are in Asia." These seven churches were in what is now Turkey, but they have cast a shadow through history, representing God's reach throughout the world. The passage includes the famous saying "I am the Alpha and the Omega.... who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." As in the passage in Samuel, we see God reach from age to age.
The gospel text has the back-and-forth exchange between Pilate and Jesus over who Jesus is and what type of kingdom he proclaims. Pilate asks three questions: "Are you the King of the Jews?" "What have you done?" "So you are a king?" Pilate is trying to answer a binary question to his satisfaction: Is Jesus making a claim to kingship that will threaten the Romans? "My kingdom is not from this world," responds Jesus, but then he affirms who he is: he was born for this, for this he came into the world, he testifies to the truth.
God's Mission in the Text
A conundrum for a Biblical theology of mission is that the modern concept of "mission" does not appear in the Bible. Instead we piece it together from a host of Biblical phrases and sayings such as proclaiming the gospel, announcing the kingdom, testifying, witnessing, shepherding, healing, teaching, sentness/apostolicity, and so on. Today's passages show how God's mission is formed through the vast, cosmic reach of God's action in history. In includes both individual testaments, such as David's testimony at the end of his life, and specific places, such as the seven churches in Asia. God's revelation is both startlingly broad - from age to age and Alpha to Omega - and also very specific, touching down in individual lives and real cities.
Jesus' testimony points to how this may take flesh in life. Missiologist David Bosch said that mission is God's "yes" to culture and also God's "no" to culture. In Pilate's interrogation of Jesus, Jesus offers both this yes and this no. No, his kingdom is not of this world. No, his followers will not fight for him. No, his kingdom is not from here. Yes, he was born for this purpose. Yes, he came into this world to testify to the truth. Yes, those belong to the truth will listen to his voice. No, no, no, yes, yes, yes. The culture he enters both seeks and fears a king. He is a king, but not as they understand it. He is both less than they want and more than they fear.
Missional Connections for Our Context
Part of the church's struggle with the Christendom legacy is that we have often said yes, yes, yes to violence, control and coercion, and no, no, no to discipleship, peace and the kingdom of God. The dividing line in the text is hard to see. We associate ourselves with Jesus, but we're just as likely to be Pilate, murky about who Jesus is and what to do about him. What is the nature of his kingdom? This week's passages remind us both of God's great scope and universal reach, and also of the strikingly personal and specific ways God says yes and no to us.
The biggest challenge I have had with missional theology is how to live it out. I accept almost all the critiques I have read in missional theology. I'm against Christendom and consumerism, individualism and the separation of faith from vocation. I believe that we are called to serve and that we do this best in community. At the same time, I get stuck on how to live it out. How does mission transcend the "no" we often offer to culture and share the "yes" of God's grace?
Today's passages give us several models. First, we have David's witness to God's relationship with Israel, offered from his deathbed. In the face of suffering and difficulty, tragically wounded by our own sin and pride, we may still testify to God's work in the world and among God's people. We also have the vision offered to the seven churches. And we have Jesus's Yes/No dialogue with Pilate. The three models remind us how our individual lives are part of God's covenant. They present our lived mission as part of God's stretch to cities and people. They show us a glimpse of the kingdom Jesus proclaims.
Biographical Summary
Jonathan A. Seitz, Ph.D., is a Presbyterian Church U.S.A. mission co-worker serving at Taiwan Theological Seminary in Taipei, Taiwan. This year he is a visiting scholar at Princeton Theological Seminary and is itinerating throughout the U.S.A.
stand in
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Keywords: ASM
Advent Christmas Year B
Introduction to Advent and Christmas
How are we waiting?
Missio Dei in Advent and Christmastide
December 3-December 31, 2017
We all have a birth narrative, a story of how we came to be. Even if our birth parents were not part of our lives, we still have a story of our arrival and can speculate about the anticipation of our birth. Advent and Christmas seasons begin the church year highlighting the anticipation of the miraculous events surrounding the incarnation of God, the birth of Jesus Christ as a small helpless Hebrew child. This ultimate act of missio Dei, the mission of God, foretold in the Old Testament and an example and anticipation of the eschaton, made a way for the redemption of all people through the sacrifice of Jesus, the Son of God. A church community's view of Advent is largely dependent on its understanding of Christmas. The main point is that without the incarnation, there would be no atonement through Christ's death and resurrection. There would be no hope for reconciliation or the Savior's return as the ruler and restorer of all of creation. The missio Dei is the ultimate demonstration of God's love for, salvation and redemption of his best creation, humankind. The Kingdom of God came to earth through God's Son, fully human and fully divine.
The focus of the following homiletical reflections helps us to look again in a different way at the Advent and Christmas season through the lens of the missional heart of the triune God. The concept of missio Dei reminds us that mission is not limited to the action of the church; rather, it is the inherent nature of the relationship found in community that is modeled for us within the Trinity. The mission is God's deepest desire to restore and redeem that which was lost and fallen from his good and perfect creation. The actions of discipleship and outreach in the church are part of the greater plan. Over the next six weeks, the journey will take us once again to that familiar story that culminates in the celebration on December 25th. Yet if we limit our focus to one day, we miss much of the anticipation of the greatest gift we could ever receive. If we consider the seasons of Advent and Christmastide from the missional viewpoint, we must consider what was the missional activity of God and who was it for both then and now. Martin J. Connell reminds us that what we wait for determines the way we wait. (Connell, "The Origins and Evolution of Advent in the West," in Between Memory and Hope: Readings on the Liturgical Year, 2000).
The Old Testament readings recall the writings of the prophet Isaiah. Considering the nation of Israel, the prophet calls for the acknowledgement of sin. All of the characters involved in the narrative in these texts are included within the fallenness of humankind, a message that remains relevant for us today. No one is without sin. Likewise, the psalmist calls for restoration among the nations, which includes both individuals and the wider community. The words of Isaiah paint the picture of a comforting shepherd who will establish the year of the Lord's favor and bring good news to the poor. The way must be prepared for a savior who will carry out the missio Dei through to the restoration among nations by establishing his eternal reign on David's throne. The restoration of joy is echoed in Mary's song from generation to generation (Lk. 1:26b-55).
Little did anyone know that God would come incognito in the most humble of beginnings, in human form, as a helpless infant. The sense of expectancy and the culmination of God's ultimate gift to us once again reminds us of the extreme lengths our loving God goes to for the accomplishment of his mission; the redemption of ALL his creation! The words of the Psalmists and Prophets herald the anticipation of the Messiah, one sent from God to accomplish the mission. Characters such as Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, and Joseph give us a glimpse into the all-encompassing love of God as priest, women and laborer are part of the missional story. The mission of God extends from common folks of the working class, such as innkeepers and shepherds, to the halls of royalty as the wise men sought audience with the earthly King Herod. All creation announced His glory from the company of angels to the unique star that appears in the heavenly realm. The religiously dedicated Simeon and Anna rejoice in the news that the Kingdom of God has come for the redemption of the world, God's ultimate mission!
The following blog entries will bring fresh insight into the birth narrative of Christ as we begin the church year with the season of Advent and Christmastide. The authors have offered her or his thoughts on the lectionary texts and how they fit into the idea of missio Dei. They come from various backgrounds with insights gained from their own research and missionary experiences. Their six entries are based on "The Revised Common Lectionary - Year B" for the four Sundays of Advent, Christmas Eve/Day and the first Sunday after Christmastide as found on the Vanderbilt Divinity Library website. Each commentary begins with the liturgical day and associated texts and then provides exegetical insights, thoughts on God's mission in the text and finally the missional connection for our current context.
What will we see by examining the texts through a missional lens? What is at the heart of God's mission? How are we as pastors and teachers to share the good news of the missio Dei that begins in the first season in the church calendar year? How will we, and those whom we lead, share the anticipation with others? Will we agree with Connell that what we wait for determines the way we wait? May we wait well with joy and expectation of participating in the mission of God to redeem the world!
Almighty God, who has poured upon us the new light of [your] incarnate Word: Grant that the same light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord who [lives] and [reigns] with [you], in the unity of the Holy Spirit in God, now and for ever....Amen.
(The Book of Common Prayer: According to the use of The Episcopal Church, New York: Oxford University Press, 1990, 161.)
Biographical Summary
Jody Fleming, M.Div., Ph.D. is Associate Editor for Advent and Christmas Season, MissionalPreacher, Board of Publication, American Society of Missiology. She is a seminary professor in practical theology and a researcher and writer concentrating in the area of pneumatology in global Christianity and mission. Her publications include studies on Africa and Latin America with field experience in Venezuela. She is an ordained elder and endorsed chaplain in the Church of the Nazarene and served many years in ministry as a corporate, hospital and hospice chaplain. She lives in South Central PA with her husband Cole.
First Sunday of Advent
December 3, 2017,
Isaiah 64:1-9
1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Mark 13:24-37.
With sullen faces turned toward the sky, the Black Eyed Peas's music video Where is the Love? cries out, "Father, Father, Father, help us; send some guidance from above" and then fades away with the haunting words:
One world, one world (We only got)
One world, one world (That's all we got)
One world, one world
And something's wrong with it (Yeah)
Something's wrong with it (Yeah)
Something's wrong with the wo-wo world, yeah.
Today we enter another season of Advent, a season in which we lament the state of the world and yearn for God's kingdom to come. We give vent to a universal dissatisfaction born from a sense that our planet is broken and "surely there must be something more!" Our call to participate in God's mission arises from the foundational conviction that "there's something wrong with the world" and our only hope rests in God's coming.
Exegetical Missional Insights
Our text from Isaiah is situated in the period when the post-exilic Jews were once again settling in their homeland, but times were tough and God seemed far away. The people had a rich historical memory of times past when God had stepped in and done something mighty and magnificent on their behalf, but now he seems hidden and unconcerned. The good old days of the first exodus come to mind, when God shook the mountains, showed up in fire, made himself known to his people and their enemies in fearful, compelling ways. But, alas, the present reality fails to live up to expectations, and it is hard to sustain faith and hope when you feel helplessly trapped and God seems to have withdrawn from action. Isaiah seems to suggest that God's silence has pushed the people into deeper sin and a giving up on seeking after God.
Isaiah's lament culminates with a note of resignation and a reminder, "you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand....Now consider, we are all your people" (8-9). In other words, "We are counting on you, God, not to forget who we are!" Lament always takes place within the context of covenant community, it is a complaint to God for not holding up his end of the bargain and a way of reminding God that we are still here, waiting, longing, and hoping for his intervention in our world. C. Clifton Black expresses this well: lament is "the deep and irrepressible conviction, in the teeth of present evidence, that God has not severed the umbilical cord that has always bound us to the Lord" ("The Persistence of Wounds" in Lament: Reclaiming Practices in Pulpit, Pew and Public Square, Sally A. Brown and Patrick Miller, eds. Louisville, Westminster John Knox, 2005: p.54).
Paul's opening words to the Corinthians are not framed around lament, yet Advent tension rings in the passage. While he rejoices in the ways God's grace has taken root and born fruit in the lives of this community, he reminds them that they are in a posture of waiting "for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ." While Isaiah coaxed God into action on behalf of his people, Paul is confident that we can rely on God's faithfulness because of the bond of covenant established through "fellowship in his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." This tension between the already and the not yet is called Mission Between the Times in Rene Padilla's popular collection of essays on the kingdom of God. God's new work among us has begun, yet it is incomplete; we continue to long and wait for the second Advent, the "day of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Mark's Gospel describes this day with cataclysmic detail, with similar phenomena to that expected by Isaiah. Isaiah longed for God to "tear open the heavens and come down" (64:1) and Jesus prophesies that "the powers in the heavens will be shaken" (13:25) and "they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory" (13:26). It is both a day of dread and a day of anticipation, shrouded in the mystery of God's secret timing. The point of this little apocalypse is stated three times, "keep alert" (13:33), "keep awake" (13:35), and again, "keep awake" (13:37).
God's Mission in the Text 
Advent rekindles hope, challenges our cynicism, and calls us to believe in fresh possibilities, new beginnings, and opens us up to a new encounter with God. Our default setting is to become deadened to hope, resigned to the way things are, unable to imagine any way out of the mess we humans have conspired to create. Looking back at the long list of hurricanes, earthquakes, mass shootings, the mammoth refugee crisis, and tensions between nuclear powers that have characterized 2017, it is hard to believe that anything will change, that anything can fix this "wo-wo world."
But our historical memory jump starts our weary spirits and gives birth to new dreams. We remember how God brought Pharaoh to his knees and liberated his people from slavery with one powerful showdown after another. We take heart in a God who brought exiles back from captivity and resettled them in their precious homeland, through the unexpected benevolence of a Gentile king. We celebrate with awe and wonder a God who smuggles himself into human history through a virgin's womb and declares that a new order has been inaugurated.
Mission Connections for Our Context
In Advent, we echo the world's lament that there is something wrong with the world, even though Immanuel has made his dwelling among us and God's grace has taken root. Yet our lament is grounded in a narrative of hope, secure in a future that nothing can extinguish. And so, people of God, we carry on his mission of planting seeds of the kingdom, seeking justice, inviting others into God's love and forgiveness, caring for wounded creation, all the while keeping alert, awaiting the coming of the one who will complete the feeble work of our hands and bring shalom in all its fullness.
Biographical Summary
Allan Effa teaches mission and spiritual formation at Taylor Seminary, Edmonton, Canada. He grew up as a missionary kid in Brazil and served as a career missionary in Nigeria, and received his PhD in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary.
Second Sunday of Advent
December 10, 2017
Isaiah 40:1-11
2 Peter 3:8-15a
Mark 1:1-8
Exegetical Missional Insights
Throughout history, Christians have observed great festivals to acknowledge and celebrate their faith. Today, we observe the second Sunday of Advent and consider its message of promise and hope.
From three Scripture readings (paraphrasing from The Message), we see a pattern of what God's eternal plan is for all the peoples of earth. Isaiah 40:1-11 announces that there is Good News to be shouted from the mountain tops that our God is here! Even though we people are like little wildflowers that quickly fade, we are to declare, as His brave messengers, that God's promises are true and lasting. He speaks tenderly and comfortingly about how our sin has been taken care of. The Lord God holds us to his heart and tells us not to be afraid.
Our second reading (2 Peter 3:8-15a) assures us that God's time-frame is not like ours. For Him, 1000 years is as only a day on our calendars. There will eventually be a new heaven and earth, but God is holding out in sending judgment. Because He is patient, we are being given a chance to change our ways and live holy and godly lives. The Message version of the passage phrases it this way: "Interpret our Master's patient restraint for what it is: salvation." We, as God's people and as part of an eternal plan, are to live well during our time.
Mark 1:1-8 refers back to the Isaiah passage, and what does this writer tell us? He describes John the Baptist, a wild sort of man who is a messenger telling us that Jesus, the Son of God, is coming among us. This messenger, John, claimed that he was sent to prepare the way for Jesus, as the Christ. While serving in Ethiopia, I had the privilege of watching many dramas put on by Ethiopian young people. They are very creative, spontaneous and uninhibited. I remember one very special occasion when we were privileged to watch a drama in which children in an orphanage enacted the Christmas story.
In the drama, Mary was about thirteen years old, wearing a tattered taffeta dress. She was just working around her humble home when she saw that bright angel and heard that amazing message! Nine months later, she groaned in labor as she kept hitching up the pillow which gave her an appropriately swollen stomach. The shepherds were squabbling over bread crusts when they were suddenly shocked with the message from heaven. Then Jesus was born amidst all the hubbub. After a pause, John the Baptist appeared in the drama. A wild teenager, dressed in skins with hair all askew, shouted and charged his way down the aisle of the auditorium waving a horse tail. God's great promises came tumbling out of his mouth. "Make straight a way for the Lord! He is mightier than I am and will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." The reality of the biblical story that day struck me so strongly that I just sat there and wept. These orphaned children portrayed a much more powerful, terrifying and realistic version of the Great Story than we ever see performed here in our churches.
God's Mission in the Text
In celebrating Advent, how then should we live and respond? What do we see that causes us to reflect and take action? There is Good News that needs to be to be shouted out and transferred to others . . . on and on . . . to the ends of the earth, through all time. The art I selected for today pictures Elizabeth and Mary when they met each other and discovered they were both pregnant. Their babies were destined to become a powerful part of this amazing story. Elizabeth's John became the wild guy who knew what he had to proclaim. And Mary's Jesus was the promised Savior. Both the mothers and their sons were utterly possessed with their glorious message and hope, rejoiced in it, and declared the truth. We discern in the painting that both Elizabeth and Mary are excited about their news and rejoicing in their involvement. Their surroundings are very simple and rural, but they are content with life and thrilled to be a part of God's great plan.
Missional Connection to Our Context
Today we rejoice in the great promises that came true, and we are also responsible for the ongoing proclamation of salvation in the world. God sent Jesus. Jesus sends us. It is always and now happening. We are part of that great missio Dei in the world. My husband and I had the joy of serving in Ethiopia for almost a half century. We saw churches born and nurtured. And now the Ethiopian churches themselves are sending out their own missionaries to far-flung places like Chad, Afghanistan, and China. How beautiful are the feet of those who carry the Gospel . . . always moving on, always proclaiming the story of Jesus.
On this Advent Sunday in 2017, what is the challenge to which we may respond? I share two of my favorite Christmas season quotes. The first one challenges us personally to be a part of the great drama in our own lives:
Though Christ a thousand times in Bethlehem be born;
If He's not born in thee, thy soul is still forlorn.
(Johann Scheffler)
Secondly, having experienced Jesus Christ in our own lives, we are challenged to share in the mission of God in the world:
That's how it is with God's love.
Once we've experienced it . . .we want to pass it on.
(Kurt Kaiser)
Just like Mary and Elizabeth, our lives are steeped in the larger vision of God's great plan. We continue to live within the Christmas story and, in our own generation, are a vital part of the mission of God.
Upper Room - Nov/Dec 2012
Cover art courtesy of Our Lady of the Missions in Vietnam. © 1997, Mai Nhon.
Biographical Summary
Lila Balisky was raised in Kenya in a missionary family. She and her husband, Paul, served in Ethiopia under SIM from 1967-2005 in a variety of ministries with the Ethiopian Kale Heywet churches. Now retired in Alberta, Canada, they are both actively involved in writing, and Lila is currently publishing a book on the songs of an Ethiopian soloist.
Third Sunday of Advent
December 17, 2017
Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
John 1:6-8, 19-28
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Exegetical Missional Insights
Biblical scholars usually divide the book of Isaiah into two sections. The first, chapters 1-39 during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, the nation of Judah experienced great material prosperity. However, this bred an environment of spiritual degeneration through idol worship, injustice, violence and moral decay. Inevitably despite warnings by prophets like Isaiah and contemporaries, decay spiraled out of control towards God's judgment, conquest by powerful neighbors, eventual exile. Isaiah Chapter 39 ends with impeding judgment. We have to look at 2 Kings 25, 2 and Chronicles 36 to get the devastating stories of Israel fall and exile. In parts of Jeremiah and Ezekiel we catch a glimpse of the grim life of exile. We can then turn back to Isaiah chapter 40 through 66, a foretelling of post-exilic restoration and beyond. In this second half, Isaiah charges Israel to give up apostasy, trust Yahweh and act in accordance with a restored faith. Yet Isaiah is known as the prophet of hope for good reason. Beyond the devastation present historical he infuses his message a strong undercurrent of a final deliverance of God's people, prefigured in what are known as the "servant songs", in Isaiah 42, 49, 50 and 52-53. They tell of the "Lord's servant", the identity of who is debated by biblical scholars. Perhaps it is specific heroic individuals who would deliver Israel from ongoing oppression, or the righteous remnant after Jerusalem's conquest. For some scholars, the servant is identified with the remnant of Jewish people after exile, circling back to the Egyptian deliverance narrative where as they were called by God to be a "a treasured possession out of all nations, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation" (Exodus 19: 5-6). Christians will of course later name this person as the Messiah (See North, 2005, pp. 1-5).
I go into the detail of context because the full import of today's Advent reading cannot be adequately appropriated apart from this much bigger picture. It is remarkable that when Jesus comes into the public as a teacher, early on, he makes this text the anchor of his ministry. The passage itself is about the servant's commission to care for the poor, heal the brokenhearted, free captives, release prisoners, comfort mourners, and effectively bringing justice. However, whatever Jesus says of himself as an extrapolation of Isaiah 61 passage is so preposterous that the people of Nazareth do a double-take to confirm he is the same young man who grew up in their midst. They kick him out of the synagogue and try to throw him over a cliff.
N.T. Wright points out that the reason that the people became furious is that Jesus confidently and emphatically takes upon himself Isaiah's identity of "the servant". "In proclaiming God's grace for everyone, including the nations" Jesus is taking on an exalted role of the long-expected servant Messiah (Wright, 2001). The author of the gospel of John also sees this identity of Jesus with crystal clarity and declares right at the start of his gospel, "In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind." He then records in John 1: 6-8, John the Baptist equating himself with the messenger in Isaiah 40 who goes ahead of the forthcoming messenger to make a highway for God will "come forth with power, rule with a mighty arm, tend his flocks like a shepherd, gather the lambs in his arms, gently lead those that have young" (paraphrased). To Luke, John, even Mark and Matthew, it is quite clear that God has passed on the mission that belonged to his chosen servant Israel, to Jesus of Nazareth. I do not think it is fair to say that Israel failed in its mission, rather "In the fullness of time, God sent forth his son, born of a woman... to redeem all those under the law and beyond the law, essentially that Jews and gentiles can, through Jesus and the Spirit have access to the Father as "Abba, Daddy!" (Galatians 4: 4-6, paraphrased).
As Wright argues, once Jesus takes on the mission of the servant, he resolutely proceeds to announce the kingdom of God in ways close to the job description of the servant in Isaiah. In Luke 7, John the Baptist has a crisis of doubt about Jesus, despite announcing him a short while earlier. He sends messengers to ask, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?" Curiously, Jesus does not reply immediately. Instead he fulfills Isaiah 61, "At that time, Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits and gave sight to many who were blind". Then he looks at John's disciples and tells them, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy as are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor". The style of the Nazareth manifesto is exactly in the same style of Isaiah 61.
In Luke's breathless narrative, Jesus proceeds with certain firmness, as though Luke is progressively confirming Jesus was indeed the servant running through Isaiah's songs. (N.T, Wright, The Narrow Gate (Video), 2012). In Luke chapter 8, Jesus travels from one town to another healing, teaching, bringing hope to an oppressed people. Chapter 9 and 10 he sends out the 12, then 72 disciples on a similar mission. At each point they are growing in their understanding of who he is. So, Jesus shifts towards teaching them how they are to differentiate themselves as a community of the kingdom of God while still ministering to the world. They try to pin the kingdom to physical or political realities, to which he emphasizes, "The kingdom is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, here it is, there it is, because, the kingdom of God is in your midst" (Luke 17), and he goes on to do more kingdom work. Then Luke shifts in chapter 20 to the confrontation with religious leaders, on to the pending confrontation with larger powers in destruction of the temple and signs of the ends of the times. These build up to the crucifixion and his apparently tragic death. By chapter 24, where to disciples express dismay that everybody's hopes had been dashed, the risen Jesus refocuses them to the fulfilled mission as he "explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself" (Luke 24: 27). Luke will go to write about the commissioning of the disciples in the book of Acts, and in their Holy Spirit-powered action from Acts 1 to 28 to confirm that the mission of the "servant" has passed on to the new community, which Paul later calls the body of Christ. The rest is the history we know as the Church in and beyond the New Testament, through two thousand years to the present moment.
God's Mission in the Text
Raise your hand up if every time you have heard this Isaiah 61 or Luke 4 passage, the reading was extrapolated first to Jesus and a few heroic Christians, or a social development project of a local church community. That is understandable. In fact, the Advent scriptures have this common factor: they offer an endless encouragement in times of personal crises of significance. For those committed to God's mission these passages are often our personal commissions. And that as it should be, for in so far as "All scripture is God-breathed and useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction and for training in righteousness so that the man and woman of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work (2 Tim 3:16), these passages are signposts and lampposts for us when we are in spiritual, physical or material poverty.
That said, there is great premium in the thematic big picture running right out of the Old Testament, to Jesus and the church to date. In Genesis, Israel is called and blessed to be a blessing to the nations. In time Israel becomes enslaved, is delivered, gets its own constitution (law) and land, eventually a full identity as a kingdom under kings. In the centuries of decline and exile the mission of the chosen nation shifts to the anointed servant, recalling the nation of priests in Exodus and Deuteronomy, which Peter will echo in the New Testament. Jesus in the gospels first takes on the mission of the servant then passes it on to his new community, and on, today when, "The earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:9), or, as the 18th century missionaries went forth singing, "Jesus shall reign wherever the sun / Does its successful journey run/ His kingdom stretch from shore to shore/ Till moon shall wax and wane no more." Amen. The kingdom of God has come, and is already here. As N.T. Wright insists, it is not a disembodied, otherworldly kingdom, much as that is part of it at the end of time. In the bible, human history is the arena of Gods work, and continues to be the arena of God's activity through the embodied presence and work of the church.
Mission Connections for Our Context
If we are engaged in the mission of God, we all know, with that other hymn, "The task is unfinished". Billions of humanities are yet to have firsthand access the gospel. Millions are debilitated by abject poverty. Depressingly, there is a current of political and social despair sweeping the world, and a debilitating world-weariness about the church, making it seem the church has failed. This Advent, might we recover hope, faith and strength if we look back at how the kingdom of God has come and is here, because the church was and is here. If you have trouble believing this, read some history with Rodney Stark, Scott Sunquist, Mark Noll and a great deal of literature on world Christianity across the global south. A particularly easy access reading to see the impact of Jesus and his church through history is John Ortberg's Who is this Man? (Ortberg, 2012). In these historical witnesses you will hear and see that healthcare, literacy and higher education, human rights, cultural renewal, inventions that have grown into technological solutions find their roots in the work of Christians who saw their work as Christian vocation even when they could not overcome darkness of their times.
The world would be a much darker place without the redeemed people of God who "rebuild ancient ruins and establish justice". John saw that "the light shines in the darkness," (and yes there is still darkness), "but the darkness has not overcome it". With the writer of Hebrews, this advent, let's look to the "great crowd of witnesses" testifying that God has been at work through the church in history right up to the present. The long hall of faith is still being decorated, the "now and but not yet" of the kingdom, as David Bosch puts it (Bosch, 1991). Much has been done; that gives us hope. Much more to be done; that refocuses us from despair to faith. Let us run the race set before us in our time with the certainty of a purposeful God and a sure commission from our Lord.
Works Cited
Bosch, David J. Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission. Maryknoll, N Y: Orbis Books, 1991.
North, Christopher, R. The Suffering Servant in Deutero-Isaiah: An Historical and Critical Study. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2005.
Ortberg, John. Who is this Man? The Unpredictable Impact of the Inescapable Jesus. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2012.
Wright, N.T. Luke for Everyone. London: Society for Promotion of Christian Knowledge, 2001
N. T. Wright. The Narrow Gate, How God became King: Why We've All Misunderstood the Gospels. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mks4gYcjpXc&t=7s. Calvin College January Series, 2012.
Biographical Summary
Wanjiru M. Gitau, Ph.D., World Christianity, is a Templeton World Charity Foundation (TWCF) Visiting Scholar at Center for Religion and Civic Culture (CRCC), University of Southern California. For further bio information, please click here: https://crcc.usc.edu/people/wanjiru-m-gitau/
Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 24, 2017
2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16
Luke 1:46b-55
Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26
Romans 16:25-27
Luke 1:26-38
Exegetical Missiological Insights
God promises David an eternal dynasty in 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16. In a prophecy central to the saga of David and to his continuing significance in Jewish tradition, God (as the Lord, Yahweh) promises that the dynasty of David will be eternal ("established forever," 11:16).
The narrative background is David's successful conquest of both Israel and Judah, which culminates in his taking Jerusalem and designating it "the city of David" (5:7-10) where, courtesy of King Hiram of Tyre, David takes up residence in a cedar house (5:11-12). In a celebratory and controversial pageant, David then has the ark of God, regarded as God's very throne, brought from Baale-judah to Jerusalem, where it is placed in a tent (Ch. 6).
It is this contrast between his own probably elaborate cedar house and God's residence in a tent that prompts David's resolve - implied rather than explicit - to build what David regards as a proper house, a temple, for God. God's response through the prophet Nathan stresses that God has been content with a tent throughout Israel's wanderings since Egypt and that God's focus has been on elevating David from his humble origins to a position of supremacy over all adversaries so that the people of Israel can have a place in which to flourish in peace. It is not David who will build God a house but rather God who will build David a house (7:11), in the sense of an eternal dynasty, and this will ensure security for God's people. (Verses 12-15 are omitted from the lection because, as an insertion designed to anticipate Solomon's building of the temple, they weaken the overall impact of God's promise to David.)
In Luke 1:46b-55, Mary celebrates God's mercy to herself and the downtrodden. Revised Common Lectionary lists the Magnificat first as the selection to follow the Old Testament reading, implying that it is preferred in connection with the day's gospel, which is the Annunciation. In her song - which is how Christian tradition has interpreted it in countless choral and chant settings - Mary responds to her pregnant relative Elizabeth's exultant exclamation when Mary, now pregnant, visits her after the Annunciation (1:39-45).
Whereas in the encounter with Gabriel Mary responds simply as the faithful recipient of startling news, here she boldly celebrates how in mercy and power God has not only looked with favor on her but has, at least proleptically, challenged and reversed situations of deprivation and powerlessness in the world. Luke may have appropriated a preexisting canticle from a Jewish Christian setting, and, if so, he has personalized it to Mary's voice at 1:48.
In addition to various OT allusions, the song depends heavily on the prayer of Hannah when she leaves the boy Samuel to serve with Eli in God's house at Shiloh (1 Samuel 2:1-10). In view of the especially prominent role women play in Jesus' mission in Luke's gospel, it is noteworthy that Elizabeth's conception of John in older years is similar to Sarah's conception of Isaac, son of Abraham, who is recalled at the end of the Magnificat, whereas the situations of Hannah and Mary in their childbearing years are exactly opposite: Hannah cannot conceive, whereas Mary is called unexpectedly to conceive virginally. Yet they sing similar songs.
In Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26, the psalmist praises God for the promise to David. Revised Common Lectionary lists this second as the reading to follow the OT, thereby implying that the Magnificat is to be preferred. Much of Psalm 89, attributed to Ethan the Ezrahite, a famous temple musician, laments an unnamed military defeat, but the verses in this lection are selected because they are a poetic version of God's promise to David in 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16, the day's OT lesson, that David's dynasty will be established forever. Thus the themes and homiletic possibilities are very similar. A missional preacher might find it more helpful to turn to the Magnificat, which extends significantly the import of 2 Samuel and the Annunciation.
In the very familiar passage of Luke 1:26-38, the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear Jesus. The Annunciation highlights the mission of God in intervening in the human situation, Jesus' role in fulfilling the mission of God's people through the kingship of David's lineage, Jesus' unique identity as Son of God, and Mary's discipleship in God's mission as she, a virgin, accepts the call to give birth to the Son of the Most High.
As "the sixth month" (1:26) refers to the pregnancy of Elizabeth, the announcement to Mary echoes Gabriel's announcement to Zechariah of the impending birth of John the Baptizer, but escalated up from an elderly conception to a virginal conception. Missional mode and content are evident in 1:26 and 28: Gabriel is "sent," the Greek verb here being apostello, from which we have the words "apostle" and "apostolate," a synonym of "mission," itself derived from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send." The Greek angelos for "angel" means literally "announcer," news of some kind being assumed. Gabriel's initial words, "The Lord is with you," while directed to Mary, can also be taken as reassuring good news for God's people and, indeed, for humanity as the birth of God's Son is about to be promised.
Some terms in which Gabriel describes the child Mary is to bear stem directly from 2 Samuel 7, the day's first reading: the child will be "great"; as he inherits the throne of David, from whose house Joseph is descended, his reign will be everlasting, as promised to David. "Son of the Most High" is a messianic title, while "Son of God" here emphasizes the child's unique filial relationship with God (without, in Luke's case, asserting a preexistent state such as we hear in John's gospel). The name Jesus, derived from the name Joshua, has been interpreted to mean "Yahweh, help!" or "The Lord is savior," emphasizing that God is the source of the chosen people's restoration. Overall, the message is that God is intervening in human history through the extraordinary event of a virgin birth in order to help God's people by restoring the Davidic kingship and establishing it for all time.
Paul celebrates the Gentile mission as he bids farewell at the end of his letter to the Romans (16:25-27). Many regard Paul's Letter to the Romans as Paul's greatest letter and such giants of Christian tradition as Martin Luther and Karl Barth have mined it as a theological treatise. Yet while Paul was the first great theologian of Christianity, he regarded himself primarily as a missionary charged with proclaiming the faith and establishing catalytic congregations among Jews and Gentiles around the Mediterranean.
Paul writes to the Romans in order to introduce himself prior to a westward mission journey to Spain, during which he wishes to stay with the Roman house churches (1.9-15; 15:22-24). Probably it is reported discord there between congregations of Jewish origin and congregations of Gentile origin that prompts Paul's extended discussions of the Abrahamic covenant, the relation between faith and works, and the status of the Jewish people.
The reading chosen for Advent 4 is the doxology with which the letter closes, an ending that some attribute to later scribes and editors. However that may be, the doxology strikes notes consistent with the import of the letter as a whole. In his proclamation of Jesus Christ Paul has sought to be faithful to God's plan, the "mystery," which is cosmic salvation as prefigured in the scriptures of God's chosen people the Jews and now extended to the Gentiles, the nations of the world. It is to this God that Paul gives glory, much as Mary and Ethan the psalmist extoll the Lord.
God's Mission in the Text
In 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 the global scope of God's vision for Israel as a vessel of God's presence is evident in God's promise, "I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth (11.9). The predicted eternity of David's line forms the basis for later generations' hope for God's vindication in the world through a Davidic resurgence and the synoptic gospels' identification of Jesus as the son of David, as in the day's gospel, although with a very different form of kingship. Equally striking is the thematic contrast between humility and exaltation. God on mission in the world through the chosen people begins in humble places - "I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep" - to exalt the chosen leader - "to be prince over my people Israel" (11.8). Meanwhile God chooses to remain in the humble abode of a tent. This contrast prefigures the exaltation that Mary celebrates today in the Magnificat and the humility God undertakes in bringing to birth God's Son in very modest circumstances.
In the Magnificat, Mary celebrates the mercy God has shown her: "he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant" (Luke 1: 48). Given the low status of women in first-century Jewish society, this is all of a piece with God's missional concern for all who are excluded, poor and downtrodden. The proud and powerful are displaced while the lowly are lifted up, and the hungry are fed while the rich are sent away empty. This theme of God reversing conventional power relations in the world is congenial to Luke, the evangelist of the poor, who elsewhere particularizes the beatitudes to the poor and pronounces woes for the rich (6:20-26), and who includes such parables as those of the merciful Samaritan (10:25-37) and Lazarus and the rich man (16:19-31)
Unlike Zechariah's question, which Gabriel interprets as culpable doubt (Luke 1:18-20), Mary's question in the Annunciation story is taken as a natural query from a virgin, and the birth to come is attributed to the coming and overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, "for nothing will be impossible with God" (1:34-37). As the Magnificat recalls the prayer of Hannah, so also Mary's willing response may echo Hannah's reply to the promise delivered through Eli: "Let your servant find favor in your sight" (1 Samuel 1:18). Mary becomes a model for discipleship in God's mission.
Missional Connections for Our Context
There are a number of themes a missional preacher might explore. The cosmic gravity of God's entry into the human situation through Jesus can be related to the perennial need to relate that entry to the challenges of today. God's choice of Mary in the humble hamlet of Nazareth can be related to the theme of humility and exaltation in 2 Samuel and God's challenge to worldly power relations in the Magnificat. Mary's faithfulness can be explored as a model of Christian participation in God's mission. In turn, all this can be related to today's challenges of disparities of wealth and poverty, gender relations, and the scourges of war and authoritarianism - and the perennial challenge of receiving the God who wishes to make a home among us.
Showing mercy and generosity across boundaries of social difference is intrinsic to Christian mission modeled on the mission of God, as is challenging the forces of greed and brutality that disfigure persons and human communities. A missional preacher might relate this urgency to needs in today's world. At the same time we note that authentic mission arises out of true encounter with the living God, such as Mary was willing to receive, not simply as a response to ethical mandates.
God's universal mission of reconciling humanity, both Jews and Gentiles (or "the nations") with God through the death and resurrection of Christ is the presupposition of the doxology with which Paul ends his letter to the Romans, and the missional preacher can readily relate this to the Annunciation and the Magnificat. How can Christians bring that mission of God to bear in their daily lives and in the wider world through their Christian communities?
Biographical Summary
Titus Presler, Th.D., D.D. is an Episcopal missiologist with experience in India, Zimbabwe and Pakistan. He is a former president of the Seminary of the Southwest and academic dean of General Seminary having taught at both Episcopal and Harvard Divinity Schools. He specializes in mission theology and gospel-culture interactions. He currently serves as vice president of the Global Episcopal Mission Network and is a visiting researcher at Boston University School of Theology. He is author of Transfigured Night: Mission and Culture in Zimbabwe's Vigil Movement, Horizons of Mission, and Going Global with God: Reconciling Mission in a World of Difference, along with numerous articles and book chapters.
Christmas Eve/Day
December 24 & 25, 2017
Christmas Eve, Morn, or Mid-Day
Isaiah 9:2-7
Titus 2:11-1
Luke 2:1-20
(Psalm 96)
The Night That Changed the World
The texts and the Psalm for the day relate as follows:
The central event - Lk. 2:1-20
The prophecy of the event - Is. 9:2-7
The "REAL GOD" behind the event - Ps. 96
How the Real God wants us to respond to the event - Titus 2:11-14
Exegetical Missiological Insights
The event is down to earth. The story is full of details about an imperial edict, an unwed couple having a baby, and shepherds watching sheep at night, but it does not mention priests, the Temple, ritual, or prayer. The angels are the only "religious" component in a mostly non-religious story, which is focused not on some internal religious sphere of experience but on the intersection of religious realities (angels) and ordinary life.
The text deliberately convinces. Within the story, the shepherds are convinced by finding the baby in the very unlikely circumstances the angels described, and the shepherds' story helps convince Mary of an angel's message to her nine months earlier. The story also convinces us today because if it were merely a legendary exaggeration or fabrication, it would be an incredibly clumsy, counter-intuitive one. What would be the kernel of truth that later generations exaggerated into this story? Why would any fabricator make lowly shepherds the key witnesses in the story instead of at least some respected businessmen in Bethlehem or some respected elderly people like Simeon and Anna in nearby Jerusalem, known for their decades of prayer and prophecy at the Temple (Lk. 2:25-38)?
The "REAL GOD" behind the story. In the English text of Ps. 96, "LORD" (Yahweh) occurs 11 times in 13 verses. Typically translated "I AM," or "The One who is," Yahweh is more meaningfully translated "the REAL GOD," which implies that all the others, the idols, are fakes. The REAL GOD is; the fake gods are not (do not exist). If Ps. 96 is read and "REAL GOD" is verbally inserted for LORD, the appropriateness of this translation pops out, most emphatically in v. 5, "For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the ‘REAL GOD' [LORD] made the heavens." The Real God of Ps. 96 is the One behind the real event of Luke 2.
The scandal of particularity. The English text sounds like the joy of Christmas is for everyone- "good news of great joy for all the people (laos, Lk. 2:10)", but the Greek is probably narrower, with laos referring to "all the people" (the whole people of God) rather than "all people" (all peoples). That reading fits better with v. 14, ". . . on earth peace among those whom he favors!" We will return to this point in the later note on "Our Context," as this is crucial to God's mission and our response.
God's Mission in the Text
God is proactive and pro-human. This whole story is not about people seeking or approaching God but about God encroaching on human lives and human history. Both the birth and the birth announcement are totally grace-initiated. Neither was requested or expected, much less earned either by the people concerned or by Israel as a whole, as if they had finally done enough good to persuade God to send the Messiah. The human race could not get ourselves out of the predicament we created, so God intervened to inject hope into the human situation by supplying what we could not-a perfect leader at a perfect time and in a perfect way. And the message is not, "The baby you will see is my Son, the Prince. Accept him or else!" It is, "This is the day you have been waiting for! Discover the baby, and celebrate his arrival."
God's mission is Messiah-centered. The birth of Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah, changes everything in our world even before he utters his first word or does his first miracle. In Jesus, heaven intersects earth, the divine intersects the human, in a way never before seen or imagined and never since explained. This one of a kind incident is at the heart of God's mission. It is the hinge of human history, tying this child to God's promises all the way back to Abraham and bringing God's hope all the way forward to our time.
God carefully times and orchestrates the details of the mission. The story of God's mission is the most fascinating, intricate story in the world. God only gets boring when we convert the missional truth of Scripture into timeless truths and morals. Those are so predictable. Contrast the vibrancy of this passage-God gets all the people in the right places at the right time by impossible coincidences, such as the timing of the taxation edict in relation to Mary's pregnancy, the fact that Joseph's family home was Bethlehem (where the Messiah was to be born), the only time of year when the shepherds were in the fields at night (lambing time), the inn being full that night causing the baby to be born in an unusual place the shepherds could not mistake. Yet God does all this without treating any human as a puppet or a subject of the spiritual equivalent of hypnosis. It all is masterfully woven into the warp and woof of the story.
God's mission strategy may appear scary. The prophecy of seeing light in darkness links it to joy not fear (Is. 9:2-3), the Psalm brings creation itself to express joy (Ps. 96:11), and the angel's announcement is meant to bring joy (Lk. 2:10), but at first the whole thing is such a jolt that the shepherds are terrified. How ironic yet how instructive it is that the shepherds were more afraid of the light of the angels than they were of the dark before the angels arrived. They were used to the dark. God's mission is intrusive, bringing drastic and sometimes scary change. The mission may be moved forward by angels, as in this case, or by the Holy Spirit giving specific personal instructions we would never have found in a book or deduced from any teaching. Western culture has taught us that all such "instructions" are not to be trusted, and all unmediated contact with "spiritual" beings is illusory, but if we obey our culture on this point, we throw out the baby with the bath water. While shutting out the untrustworthy voices of auto-suggestion, we also plug our ears against the true voice of the Spirit of God. Then we claim the Spirit is not saying anything to us, and we miss the mission that God is calling us to participate in.
Missional Connections for Our Context
Authentic or hypocritical Christmas celebration? Of course, it is very easy to condemn the commercialization of Christmas and/or the removal of Jesus from the celebrations, but that does not make our own celebrations authentic. Authentic celebration is celebration that trusts God's announcement, "The Messiah is born. The central figure in God's mission to save the world has arrived!" As noted earlier, that news brings "peace among all he favors" (Lk. 2.14). However, it brings war with those who, like King Herod (Mt. 2.13-18), are trying to maintain their own little kingdoms in opposition to the mission God is working out. The point is not that God is playing favorites, but that God is on a mission and he "favors" all who embrace his mission. We celebrate Christmas with authenticity and integrity to the extent and only to the extent that our everyday lives and choices embrace the mission of God. If we are still trying to maintain our own little kingdoms, however we define them, we have not yet accepted the real king, Jesus. Why celebrate the birth of a king we do not follow? "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me" (Mt. 15.8). Rather let us be like the shepherds, whose lips and hearts were in the same place (Lk. 2.20).
Repentance at Christmas time? We associate penitence with Lent and joy with Advent, but might we need to reconsider that pattern in light of God's mission? As we look at the joy of Christmas, with God's mission taking a great leap forward, we may realize how far our lives have slipped out of alignment with that mission. The mission was supposed to move onward through the life of Jesus and work itself out in his Church, "training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly" (Ti. 2.11-12). If we are out of line with that vision, will we paper over that misalignment with Christmas gift-wrap? Why not make Christmas Day a day of authentic realignment (metanoia, often translated "repentance")? And let the realignment be motivated not by a fear of God's judgment but by the sheer joy of being swept up into God's magnificent initiative-the baby Jesus.
Biographical Summary
Dr. Stan Nussbaum is a missionary trainer and researcher with long experience in southern Africa and England, as well as the author of several works including American Cultural Baggage, and, A Reader's Guide to Transforming Mission. As president of SYNCx.org, he is developing an experimental program for making disciples. He lives in Morton, Illinois, with his wife Lorri.
First Sunday of Christmas
December 31, 2017
First Sunday of Christmas
Isaiah 61:10-62:3
Galatians 4:4-7
Luke 2:22-40
Exegetical Missional Insights
This gospel lesson is uncommonly fruitful for missiological reflection. At a human level there are at least two different witnesses to Christ: 1) The righteous and devout Simeon recognizes who Jesus is, takes him in his arms, and bears eloquent testimony to him through praise of God using words of the prophet Isaiah. 2) The aged widow Anna also recognizes the child in Mary's arms and, though the content of her witness is not recorded, she voices her insight by thanking God and speaking to everyone who anticipated the redemption of God's chosen people. Two watchers and waiters for the coming of the kingdom have been transformed by the simple presence of the Christ child into message bearers of the news that it has arrived. At a human level the text is deeply missionary.
Of course, it doesn't end there-or even begin there! Three times in three verses (2:25-27) the Holy Spirit is explicitly recognized as present in the life of Simeon, preparing him with an expectation of the encounter, and actually even making the encounter happen, directing him to be at the right place at the right time. More subtly, but "at that very moment" (v. 38) (the pious reader is left to deduce how this happened to happen), Anna is brought to her own encounter with Christ. Not only so, it's in response to God's command that Mary and Joseph are there in the first place-"to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord" (v. 24). As a matter of fact, there's not a soul in the whole text that is at the encounter by their own volition! The whole affair is driven by God, with divine initiative written large in every corner. And so, also at a divine level, the text is deeply, deeply missionary.
Certainly, Simeon's message is steeped with missionary awareness in a cross-cultural sense. It reflects the expectation of Second Isaiah that God's salvation, now identified with this child, has universal significance. Jesus is declared to be not only Israel's glory, as many Jews of his day would expect of the promised one; Jesus is also for the nations. His coming will be marked by all people, he will be a light for them, and, once again, all this is by God's preparing. Such is Luke's strong conviction, and for him to set these passages as the capstone of his account of the annunciation and birth narratives is to state the conviction as forcefully as possible.
The text from Galatians, coming from quite another direction in an argument for the end of the law, also comes to focus on God's missional initiative. That it happened at "the fullness of time" (NRSV) or "when the right time had come" (Good News), suggests intentionality on the part of the God who is creator of the universe and its time. It makes "his Son" the agent of God's intention, detailing both a missionary strategy and goal. By participating fully through human birth, no less, in a life "under the law," this Son would "redeem those who were under the law," enabling the adoption of these formerly law-bound people as children of God and heirs of God's richness. For Trinitarian believers the participation of God's own Self in this work of this "Son" is self-evident, and the metaphysical risk God takes in reaching out to them missionally is staggering.
The Isaiah text, originally reflections of the sense of joy experienced by the exiles returning from Babylon, may be seen more generally as the believer's response to the result of God's saving activity. The urgent resolution of the prophet in 62:1 reflects the evangelical resolution to make this salvation known.
God's Mission in the Texts
God's driving intentionality and purpose is advanced in several ways in these texts, and it is useful to list them in logical order:
Missional Connections for Our Context
Over the past couple of centuries or so, a secular era of Western thought has proved itself better at knowing than discerning. The volume of apparent available facts has exploded exponentially while a sense of meaning behind these facts has been severely diminished, even extinguished, for many.
The texts invite a sense of a missionary God surprising the unwary secularist with unexpected ultimate reality precisely in the midst of the ordinary. That which seems to be merely interesting might turn out to be more than that- meaningful beyond measure. It becomes so because a meaning-driven God is conspiring behind the scenes to make it happen. The prospect promises refreshment in dry secular places.
On the other hand, more recent New Age-type spirituality is generating a people more affirming of the role of meaning and more open to transcendent power that might want to give it. Alienated from traditional social or religious guidance, many feel free to seek their meaning in many places-from other denominations to other religions, from contemporary shamanism to historic ethnic paganism.
Would not the kind of intentional God proposed by these texts invite fulfillment of this thirst and seeking for spirituality? The watchers and waiters of the new era, though they know not for what, might find the possibilities of the texts intriguing. Is this the place, after all, and is Christ the one, beyond all others.
From yet another perspective, a new generation of highly motivated Christian witnesses seeks to become as effective as possible in proclaiming their faith. Strategizing for maximum impact is a reputable Western methodology. With a commendable concern for good stewardship these evangel-bearers yearn to deploy assets shrewdly to make the greatest possible impact for the gospel.
How intriguing for such committed spirits that these texts point in a different direction. Simeon and Anna were not calculating; they were watchfully waiting. What ignited their witness was not their careful planning; it was God's direct intervention. The text has the potential to be refreshing and hopeful to tired spirits of zealous ones who strain for the coming of the kingdom.
Biographical Summary
Mark Nygard (PhD, Luther Seminary, St. Paul) is a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He has served 22 years in Cameroon, Senegal, and Egypt, most recently at Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo as director of graduate studies. His doctoral work, The Missiological Implications of the Theology of Gerhard Forde (Minneapolis: Lutheran University Press, 2011) traces connections between the work of a classic teaching theologian of the church and its missional task.
Epiphany Season Year C
Epiphany, The Revealing of the True Nature of Jesus
Celebrated as a Christian feast, the Epiphany of our Lord is about the many ways that the Christ (Messiah) has made Himself know on earth. The term "epiphany" comes from the Greek epiphainen, a verb that means to "shine revealingly upon," "to manifest," or "to make known." At the heart of Missio Dei, Jesus, the Son of God, is the hinge upon which God hangs His restored reign.
The three specific events revealing His mission and divinity related to the Feast of Epiphany is the Visit of the Magi (Matt. 2:1-12), Jesus' baptism, with the proclamation (Mark 1:9-11), and the miracle of Water to Wine at Cana (John 2:1-11). In each of these, Jesus' unique positioning is seen in the characters involved and His self-presentation in each instance.
Liturgical Day and Texts
January 6, 2019
The Epiphany of Our Lord
Matthew 2:1-12
Ephesians 3:1-12
Isaiah 60:1-6
Exegetical Missional Insights
Raymond Brown has pointed out that the birth narratives in both Matthew and Luke constitute a separate narrative, independent of what comes after them in the Gospels. (Birth of the Messiah p. 179f.) He also points out that each of them constitute their own mini-gospel with their Christological moment (when Jesus is proclaimed as Messiah, the Son of God through the activity of the Holy Spirit) moved from the resurrection back to conception and birth. With this movement, the narrative before us this week then represents the fullness of God's Kingdom breaking into the world. This narrative by Matthew becomes God's manifestation of Jesus to the established religious and political community (Herod, the Pharisees and the Scribes) as well as those "beyond" the accepted definition of being "God's people"-the Magi.
The birth narrative also follows a similar pattern found in the Resurrection narratives. There is a Christological revelation and epiphany that Jesus is Lord and the Son of God, followed by acceptance and rejection. This also reflects the situation in Matthew's Jewish/Gentile congregation. Most of the established faith community, and especially the religious leadership, who did not receive Jesus as Messiah or recognize his presence through scripture, are now hostile to Matthew's faith community. (cf. Mt 21:42-43) It is the wise and learned Magi from the East (where the sun, moon and stars rise) that recognize, understand and pay homage to the epiphany of God's grace and salvation.
The epiphany to the Magi, the gentiles from the east, comes through a phenomenon of nature. A new astrological event has cued them to the presence of a "newborn King of the Jews" (also a reference and connection to crucifixion). However, this astrological event is not enough for them to locate and find this new king so they may pay homage to him. Nature alone does not lead to full revelatory encounter. So, they go to the existing king to see where they might find the new king. He doesn't know, so he asks the chief priests and scribes if they can determine where the Messiah is to be born. Through interpreting scripture, they ascertained that the Messiah would be found in "Bethlehem, in the land of Judah." The Magi obey Herod's command to seek out the child. They are overjoyed to find that star continues with them on their journey and its epiphany is consistent with the interpretation of scripture they had just received. Both revelations lead to the same place. Finding the manger of their Lord, they bow down as one would do before a king and present their gifts befitting a king (cf. Isaiah 60:3-6).
Then there is the change of plan. God's purposes and mission will not be derailed by the hard-of-heart-those who correctly interpret scripture but fail to embrace its witness, as well as those who embrace its witness only to be threatened and lash out, intending to harm and kill. God's purpose will be realized over and against their objections and threats. God sends the Magi home another way.
God's Mission in the Text
In the fullness of time, in the fulfillment of the Hebrew scriptures, God's purpose for the salvation of the world is brought full in the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem in the land of Judah. The transformative spread of the gospel after the death and resurrection of Jesus is foreshadowed in his birth and epiphany. This manifestation of salvation for all of the world in the birth of Jesus breaks down the barriers of race and culture that divide. With the manifestation to the Magi, God's mission of salvation for all of the world in the person of Jesus is anticipated. God's Word brings people from afar, of different races and culture to bow down and pay homage to Jesus our Messiah. The Holy Scriptures are a means of God's grace that enables us to discover the cradle of our Lord. In the words of Luther-"scripture is the cradle where in Christ is laid."
God's mission will not be prevented from accomplishing its purpose. Those like Pharisees, Scribes and Herod will not prevail against the coming of God's Kingdom or those who embrace its presence. Those who plot to do harm to God's mission in the world will only be frustrated in the end. God sends missioners home another way.
Mission Connections for Our Context
When I consult with congregations in the Mission Transformation Process, I often use this text to help teach the concept of missio Dei. When I ask people, "How do the Magi find the manger of their Lord?" Without exception, everyone answers, "by the star of Bethlehem." Our hymnody helps lead us astray. The well know hymn, We Three Kings of Orient Are, proclaims:
Star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright;
Westward leading sill proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light."
But, contrary to the hymn, the star alone does not allow the Magi to find the manger of their Lord. It does not lead them to "thy perfect light." It points to an activity of God in the world and to the existence of a new king. But it alone does not allow them to be encountered by our Lord. To do that, they must be encountered by scripture and hear its witness. Only then can the real presence of Christ be found. That is not to say that Bethlehem Star is unimportant. But in and of itself-it is not missional. For an event to be missional it needs to put the face of Jesus in front of those who do not know him-to bring the reality of Jesus' presence and where he is cradled in the lives of those who do not yet know him as Lord.
There is a saying that if everything is mission, then nothing is mission. When I ask congregations to tell me what mission they are doing it often includes everything that they do. All mission is ministry, but not all ministry is mission. In congregational life both ministry and mission are important-and crucial. It isn't an either/or proposition-but the two must be distinguished. Mission is the witness, event or process that puts the face of Jesus in front of those who do not know him and strengthens the faith and missional calling of those who do. Mission is that which leads to adult baptisms and serving as a catechetical mentor to those new to the faith. Mission is discernment for how a person or local congregation is uniquely called to participate in missio Dei. And to be clear, mission is not getting people to believe in Jesus-only the Holy Spirit can do that.
So, while the Bethlehem star in our text is not missional, it can be the precursor to that which is. Just as there are missional events in the life of the congregation, so too can there be Bethlehem Star events. Bethlehem Star events are those events, not yet missional, that help the community and those who do not yet Jesus to become aware his presence in the world and in their life.
I served St. John congregation as they listened, as a community of faith, to discern how God was calling them to participate in God's mission in the Thurmont, MD mission field. As a part of their overall missional calling and mission plan they put in place a number of Bethlehem Star events. Early in September it was a "Back to School Family Fair" held on the grounds of the church with games, a large blow up bounce house and food. In October it was a festive hay ride with a farm wagon full of hay and decorations of orange lights and carved pumpkins-beginning and ending at the church with refreshments inside. In November it was fresh turkey give away (turkeys provided by one of our members who raised and sold them) to families in the community that might not have a Thanksgiving turkey otherwise. In December the event was a "Parents Shopping Day Out." Members babysat the kids for free at the church while parents had the day to do Christmas shopping, knowing their children were safe and well cared for.
None of these events were necessarily mission. We didn't specifically mention Jesus or witness to people about his kingdom or his being Lord of their life. These events were good ministry, providing a service to the community and helping us to build relationships with our neighbors. They weren't missional but they were like the Star of Bethlehem. Because these events were always done in proximity to the church, in the church's name and by people who called themselves after Jesus it allowed people to know of Jesus presence in their community and lives. These events also provided the ground work that allowed us to take the next step and to invite them into a relationship with the Lord of their life. It allowed us in subsequent events and conversations to invite them to consider baptism, to eat at the Lord's table and be embrace by God's Word through the interpretation of scripture. In fact, the Bethlehem Star events, leading to missional events and conversations, lead to 62 people joining the congregation over the next year-7 of them by adult baptism.
This text encourages congregations and their leaders to look for those places and events within their community and within the new relationships they have developed to point to Jesus' presence. Where in nature (in its broadest sense) is God manifesting God's Epiphany presence in the world? What are the Bethlehem Star events that God has gifted your congregation so you can take the next step to interpret scripture for people so they might find the cradle of their Lord?
This text also begs the question-are we prepared to be missioners? Have we done sufficient training within our congregations so that when those who have become aware of the Messiah in their world, show up at our door, we are prepared to interpret scripture for them and point to where they can find Jesus cradled in their life?
If we confuse ministry as mission-then we never get to doing mission. We participate in Bethlehem Star events and never interpret scripture for "the Magi" so they may journey with us to the manger of our Lord. Luke's witness calls us and our congregations to complete the journey-to allow the Bethlehem Star events of congregational life to move to the missional event of interpreting scripture to those who do not know Jesus as Lord and pointing them to where they can find the cradle of Jesus in their lives. When all of us are standing around the manger of our Lord, then the Holy Spirit has much more to work with for creating faith.
This text also points to a growing harsh reality in our own world. The age of Christendom really is over. Like Herod, there will be those who receive news of the "new born king" as threat and be greatly disturbed. They will try to "kill off" all the church's efforts to be speak a word of grace to a dying world. We shouldn't be surprised when we find it or experience it. At the same time, we rest in the security of knowing that God's mission is not ultimately in our hands nor do those who oppose it have the power to stop it. God simply gives us a new path for the journey home.
A number of years back James Taylor released the song Home By Another Way on his Never Die Young Album.
Those magic men the Magi
Some people call them wise
Or Oriental, even kings
Well anyway, those guys
They visited with Jesus
They sure enjoyed their stay
Then warned in a dream of King Herod's scheme
They went home by another way
Yes they went home by another way
Home by another way
Maybe me and you can be wise guys too
And go home by another way
We can make it another way
Safe home as they used to say
Keep a weather eye to the chart on high
And go home another way
God does not leave us in the clutch of Herod. Our journey to the manger of our Lord is a transformative event-for those who would be Magi and for us who accompany them there. The embrace by the Messiah and his cradling of our lives changes us, transforms us and frees us from old patterns. Having been to the manger of our Lord we can no longer go home the way we came. God opens new paths, new possibilities and in our wildest dreams allows us to be the wise who go home another way.
Biographical Summary
Phillip C. Huber is Senior Pastor of St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southwest, Washington, D.C. He is also Managing Partner of Transforming Ministry Associates, LLC and serves as Disaster Response Coordinator for Delaware and Maryland, Lutheran Disaster Response. He served on the faculty of Tumaini University (now Iringa University) in Iringa, Tanzania, as Visiting Professor of Missiology and Cultural Anthropology. He is the past Chair and presently serves on the Board of Publications, American Society of Missiology. He also serves as Series Editor of MissionalPreacher.
Liturgical Day and Texts
January 13, 2019
The Baptism of Our Lord
First Sunday after the Epiphany
Isaiah 43:1-7
Acts 8:14-17
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Exegetical Missional Insights
The Queen is coming! The Queen is coming! This was very exciting news to a young man growing up in Australia from a family ruthlessly loyal to the British crown. Twice in my life, I have seen Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. The first time occurred when my kindergarten class walked from our elementary school to a nearby park that was adjacent to the railway line that connected our rural village to the big city. The school administrators spent weeks cleaning and shining the buildings in preparation for the royal visit. In addition, on the special day we washed our hands extra well because we were going to see the Queen. As the royal train blew past we waved little British flags, and her majesty waved back from the end of the train; and she smiled at me.
The second occasion in which I saw the Queen was fifteen years later in an industrial city 50 miles south of the big city. Again, the Queen was coming. The city fathers and mothers spent months painting, cleaning, and shining our drab city by the sea until everything sparkled and sang. That day, her majesty was riding in a Rolls Royce as thousands of people clustered in the streets to get a glimpse of their sovereign. Everyone waved. The Queen waved, the crowds waved, and I waved; standing in the street a few feet from her vehicle. For the second time, she smiled at me.
In Luke 3, the Gentile author, likewise, is enthusiastic about a royal visit. Not a visit of a Queen but a King-the King of kings. Jesus the King coming to earth to visit his people in human form to bless all peoples with God's salvation. The chapter starts with Luke embedding the event in human history by listing the most powerful political and religious leaders of the time. Yet, the human majesties are not the ones who deliver God's message of the celestial occasion (Lk. 3:1-3). A wilderness man, named John, from the deserts of Judea is trumpeting the good news. He is blasting forth the prophecy of Isaiah 40:3-5 that the Royal One is coming along the road of God's salvation, and the people need to fill in the pot-holes, level the mounds, and straighten the bends so that the King can have a smooth ride as he comes into town to deliver his gift. The blessing of the King is the redeeming gift of salvation to all humankind (Lk. 3:4-6; cf. Isa. 43:1-7).
In first-century Jewish Palestine there was an amplified expectation of the coming of King Messiah bringing forth his Kingdom of peace, justice, and righteousness to save the oppressed Roman province and its people (cf. Jn. 1:19-28, 41; 3:26-30; 4:25-26). Many followers of John the dipper, hearing his straightforward preaching, thought that he was the long-awaited Savior (Lk. 3:7-14). However, John made it clear. He was only dunking people in water. The coming mighty King, however, is going to immerse his followers in the fire of the Holy Spirit, which will herald a time of social upheaval. The visiting King is coming to save his followers, and in doing so, clean them up for his royal household (Lk. 3:15-17).
God's Mission in the Text
So far in Luke 3, John and the prophets are broadcasting, "The King is coming! The Savior is coming! Yet, it is not us! The One coming is far greater than us." Luke then wrenches John out of the parade, and suddenly, Jesus appears at the front of the procession (Lk. 3:18-20; cf. Matt. 3:13-17; Mk. 1:9-11). Indeed, the spot-light not only rests on the Son, but on the Holy Trinity with the appearance of the Father and the Holy Spirit at the baptism of Jesus. What unfolds in the Lukan narrative is a repeated missional motif throughout the writer's two-volume history of the mission of Jesus and the early church (i.e., Luke and Acts). While Jesus was praying during his baptism (v. 21), the Spirit came upon him (v. 22), and he began his ministry (v. 23a). In other words, when the people of God pray, the Holy Spirit comes upon them to enable the mission of God (missio Dei). We also witness this missional pattern during the transfiguration (Lk. 9), and continuing in Acts at Pentecost (2), with the believers in Jerusalem (4), the ministry of Stephen (Acts 6), the beginning of Saul's call (Acts 9), the Gentiles coming to faith (10), and the start of the mission to non-Jewish people (13).
It is in the repeated patterns of the Lukan story that the author implants his salvation message. For instance, in observing the prayer, Spirit, and ministry model in Luke 3:21-23a, we need to be aware that in Luke-Acts there are over 50 occasions where God's people are praying. Luke sees Jesus praying as no other gospel writer (i.e., Lk. 3:21-22; 6:12-16; 9:18-20; 9:28-31; 11:1-2). Further, there are seventy-three times in which Luke-Acts records the Spirit of God in action. It is through prayer that the Spirit guides and empowers God's people to speak and manifest healing, deliverance, and economic welfare. Through prayer, the Holy Spirit transforms and equips God's people "on the way" toward accomplishing God's salvation in the world (missio Dei).
Additionally, what is of missional significance at Jesus' baptism is what God said to his Son. "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased" (NIV). The Son had not begun his mission, yet God loved him and was pleased with him. Without Jesus uttering a single sermon, or healing a person, God spoke of his Son as the beloved. Jesus had not accomplished anything, yet God loved him. Ministry comes from a relationship with the Father, and not out of productivity or achievements.
Moreover, the Father's statement is a combination of two quotations of the Hebrew Scriptures (italics is mine). The first extract is from Psalm 2:7-8 and occurs at the heavenly coronation of King Jesus when God turns to his Son and declares, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession." Imbedded in God's first declaration at Jesus' baptism is the promise of God's salvation to the nations through the Messiah, the anointed. We find the next portion of the phrase in Isaiah 42:1-2: "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations." Again, the second brief citation God extracts from a passage that displays the Lord's desire for all peoples to receive his salvation. The beginning of the mission of the Lord Jesus at his baptism is echoing the First Testament's witness of God's salvation being available for all people groups; both Jew and non-Jew.
Missional Connections for Our Context
Luke talks about God's salvation more than any other gospel writer. He festoons the salvific path throughout Luke-Acts (e.g., Lk. 1:69, 77; 2:30; 3:6; 19:9; Acts 4:12; 13:26, 47; 16:17; 28:28); not only God saving us from sin, but also from physical illness and demonic oppression. The Lukan gospel is holistic since the Lord Jesus is our King, and we are the beloved children of God. The King is smiling at us.
We need God to be a follow of his Son. We are not alone. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be with us, to empower his followers to continue his mission that he began in the gospels. The Book of Acts is the continuation of the ministry of Jesus empowered by his Spirit through the early church. We are to continue the work of Jesus via the guidance of the Spirit, boldly speaking his truth to accomplish the purposes of God in our generation.
When God's beloved church withdraws from activity and prays, the Lord works within his people to align their desires to his will. In prayer, there is a transformation that occurs within our hearts to whittle away the excesses of our life so that what remains are the desires of God. Then with those longings, we move forward in faith believing that the Holy Spirit is directing our witness of our resurrected God in word and deed. The gospel is announcing the kingdom of God through the Lord Jesus healing the sick and casting out darkness together with providing succor to the poor and marginalized. Go forth in faith and in the blessing of the Holy Spirit, proclaiming in joy and peace, the Lordship of our Savior and King.
Biographical Summary
Robert L. Gallagher (Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary) is the director of the intercultural studies programs, and professor of intercultural studies at Wheaton College Graduate School in Chicago where he has taught since 1998. He previously served as the president of the American Society of Missiology (2010-2011).
Liturgical Day and Texts
January 20, 2019
Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Isaiah 62:1-5
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
John 2:1-11
Exegetical Missional Insights & God's Mission in the Text
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
Corinth was a bustling town of at least 80,000 inhabitants and was a region steeped in paganism and idolatry. There, on his second missionary journey (Acts 15:40-18:23), the apostle Paul established a church. Years later, upon receiving disturbing reports from Chloe's household and from a delegation from the Corinthian church, Paul writes this letter to address both his and their concerns. To this predominantly Gentile congregation he rebukes, corrects, and teaches about numerous issues including disunity, class divisions, sexual immorality, eating meat sacrificed to idols, and, in this passage, spiritual gifts.
This is one of three lists of gifts described in the New Testament (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 4:1-11, 28-30; and Ephesians 4:7,11), although collectively they are not intended to be an exhaustive listing. Spiritual gifts are special abilities received after conversion for the express purpose of building up the church, but in the Corinthian church they were used in a divisive manner. In verses 4-6, Paul repeats the "different, but same" phraseology to reinforce the truth that no believer or believer's gift out ranks another, because the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them (v. 4), different services or offices, but the same Lord (v. 5), different kinds of activities or displays, but the same God is at work (v. 6). And all these manifestations are to be used for the church's common good (v. 7). The wider context of the chapter indicates that persons ought not exalt one gift as more important than any another.
Typically during Epiphany the church reflects on God's appearing in the world through Jesus, and specifically remembers the revelation of the Christ to the Gentile magi. The same Lord who came to the magi, who ministered in the flesh to masses, and who gifted Jewish believers in the early church, was present and at work in this predominantly Gentile congregation, as evidenced by the various manifestations of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was sent to comfort and guide, as well as to equip and empower. Those gifts are evidence of God's presence. And they are the embodiment of God's commitment to minister to and through all followers.
Missional Connections for Our Context
The Corinthian church is not alone in the messiness of its problems. Modern day congregations deal with issues of division, competition, and pride. Today's text reminds us that the Lord freely gives gifts for the edification of others. We have the awesome privilege of participating in God's mission through the exercising of our spiritual gifts!
When our gifts are not employed, the body of Christ suffers. How many of us are in congregations where 20% of the people do 80% of the work? How many of us are exhausted trying to compensate for what our fellow brothers and sisters neglect to do? How many needs go unmet because the person empowered to minister to that need neglects to operate in their gift? Yes, the body of Christ suffers when all of our gifts are not being used.
Worse yet, how many of us suffer because persons seek to operate in a gift they desire, rather than the gift they possess? Such persons don't flourish. I remember as a newly converted Christian serving with others in nursing home ministry. How thankful I was when one of the seniors in the church released me from my sense of obligation to serve in that capacity. I had missed the mark by trying to emulate others' gifts and callings-and it made me and those I served miserable. Pride and self-glorification cause us to waste the precious time and energy which could be used edifying others through the appropriate exercising of our gifts.
Exegetical Missional Insights & God's Mission in the Text
John 2:1-11
God came near. Jesus, his mother Mary, and his disciples were invited to the party! They were welcomed to what would have been a week-long wedding feast in the town of Cana. As many people as possible would have been invited, and according to New Testament backgrounds scholar, Craig S. Keener, it was the custom to include distinguished guests from the community. And so, Jesus, a prominent teacher, was included on the invite list. The incarnate God dwelled with human beings in the everyday events of their lives. In fact, the gospels depict Jesus as one who regularly spent time in the company of sinners-so much so, that he gained the reputation for being a "friend of sinners" (Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:34). In spite of the critics, Jesus declared that he did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance (Lk 5:31-32). Therefore, proximity was important. What a blessing, that a loving God draws near to human beings!
God stepped in. Mary hears that this, likely poor, family has run out of wine and informs Jesus of the impending crisis. Crisis? Yes. To run out of wine at a wedding was a serious social mistake. Having a wedding with no wine would be like Thanksgiving with no turkey, like a birthday party with no birthday cake, like...you get it. It was unthinkable, inhospitable, inconsiderate, rude. Such an error would never be forgotten by the community. In compassion Jesus intervenes, performing his first miracle, turning approximately 100 gallons of water into the finest of wine. He violates religious protocol by using water jars reserved for ritual purification purposes for wine. The Lord steps in, not to heal a suffering or tormented soul, but to save a family from social disgrace-and prioritizes this above observing ritualistic propriety. As a result of Jesus manifesting his glory, his disciples believed in him.
Missional Connections for Our Context
Religious people certainly know how to ruin a good time! Sometimes we are so heavenly bound that we are no earthly good. Being joyfully present, as Jesus was, in the special (and mundane) occurrences of someone's life communicates genuine caring. Because I serve in a complex, economically disadvantaged, and rapidly changing urban context, means I need to be in the margins-on the streets, at community meetings, in homes, at rallies, in prisons-wherever the people are that God has sent me to. Often we extend invitations for people to come to church, but a commitment to mission requires that we engage in secular environments and minister in ways that are useful to those we encounter.
The Church is called to be the conduit through which Christ pours out his redemptive love and grace-and that requires our presence with people (John 2), and the use of our God-given gifts for edification of others (1 Corinthians 12:1-11).
ART: http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-save-image.pl
Biographical Summary
Kimberlee A. Johnson serves on the Urban Studies faculty at Eastern University where she also directs the Center for Urban Youth Development. She is an ordained American Baptist Churches, USA clergy person and is the founder and overseer of the Fellowship of Women Clergy. She earned her D.Min. in Urban Missiology from Westminster Theological Seminary.
Liturgical Day and Texts
January 27, 2019
Third Sunday after the Epiphany
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
I Corinthians 12:12-31a
Luke 4:14-21
Exegetical Insights
The church has been described as many things Biblically, but the image as the Body of Christ may be one of the more indelible. Paul uses the picture of a body to continue his discussion of the weak and powerful that was begun in 1 Corinthians 1:18. The message of the cross is weak and foolish to the perishing but strong and wise to those who are being saved. The cross draws the young Christians together and relativizes their differences. Paul spends the remainder of the letter arguing for unity in the church, a unity where the powerful are on the same level as the common person. New Testament scholar, Richard Hays suggests the letter is written to see the factions live in unity, the powerful in harmony with the powerless. The body motif sets a new norm where the weak are invaluable to the community. The ultimate point is that each person has a role to play in the church. The body of Christ is incomplete without everyone included. The body of Christ is the visible representation of Christ in this world.
Similarly, we see this principle as the people of God listen to the law being read by Ezra. Nehemiah narrates a scene where Ezra reads the law to the gathered people of God. The word ecclesia comes from this scene in Nehemiah depicting a gathered community of people as translated in the Septuagint. As Ezra read the law, tears began streaming down the face of the gathered congregation. The people perceived their brokenness, the depth of their weakness when it came to following the way of God. Yet Ezra turned things on their head by telling the people this is a time of celebration, "for the joy of the Lord is your strength". The people who were weak are seen as strong through the joy of the Lord.
In the same way, those in the ecclesia, the body of Christ who seem to be weak are seen as strong as God works through them, as the Holy Spirit works in them. There is a new kind of strong, a strength which comes from the Lord.
In the section of I Corinthians we read today, we observe God highlighting the weak and relativizing the powerful. The comment on weaker members fits the overarching theme of the letter, the reversal of the powerful with the weak. The cross has reversed or flipped upside down the way of the world, and those who are powerful in the world are now seen as weak, while those who are weak are seen as strong. In this passage, those who seem weaker are indispensable to the body (I Cor 12:22). Here, Paul is discussing the role of the weaker members in being the hands and feet of Christ in this world, the visible representation of the invisible Christ. In other words, the church cannot fully be Jesus in this world unless all members are not only included but empowered for gospel work.
God's Mission in the Text
Epiphany reminds us that God reveals himself and witnesses to himself in this world. In many ways, he chooses the church to be his instrument as a witness in this world. Let us begin by asking how God shapes the church. Amos Yong, In the Bible, Disability and the Church, claims this passage turns the norms of the world on their head. In the world, those who are weaker receive less honor or are pushed to the periphery. However, in the body of Christ this should not be. The weaker members are indispensable. For the church to fully be the church, the people with disabilities, stigmas, and other weaknesses would not only be included but central to the church. The weaker members would help make the church thrive. This goes farther than an ecclesiology of weakness as Yong proposes but to a missiology of weakness.
One of the key notes in the text is those who seem weaker. Corinth was a city built on upward mobility, competing and comparing with one another. The social status of a person made a huge difference. In the Nehemiah text, the people have returned from exile. When they are confronted with the law of God, they see their imperfections and weaknesses. In the Corinthian text, we learn a subversive way of God to reveal himself in this world. God has a place for all peoples. When we judge people according to the way of the world, we do not stand out to the world, we do not reveal what God is up to in this world. This passage teaches us to see people in a different way, in a way according to God's economy. When the church aligns with the principles of the kingdom of God, the world will take notice as the church contrasts a society bent on comparison and competition.
Missional Connections for Our Context
The Whole Church Taking the Whole Gospel to the Whole World has been a motto professed many place and many times since Lausanne II in Manilla 1989.
So often, the church hopes to present the best picture it can. Churches will manicure their social media site to put only the pictures which represent positive images of the church. However, here God calls the church to a counter intuitive way, a way of weakness. Only when the weaker members are released along with the so-called stronger members will the church achieve its potential for witness in this world.
Take a moment to envision what the world would see if the church includes all members in active participation of being God's people in their city. The world might stop and take notice as the church includes those on the margins. Rather than being a place which perpetuates oppression and promotes privilege, the church will exalt the lowly, not at the expense of the privileged but alongside the privileged. All will be lifted up as they are empowered by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not a respecter of persons. With the Holy Spirit, each person, the one who seems strong and the one who seems weak are given place within the church.
The text is not calling people weak but acknowledging that in the eyes of others, people are marginalized. It will look different in different contexts. Those who seem to be weaker might take many shapes or sizes, but they know it when they feel it, and we can catch God's heart if we slow down and ask who is it that is being pushed to the edges, who are the outcasts, the dishonored. As a blind person, I served as a missionary for six years in Bangkok, Thailand. Often the most impactful part of my story was not the words I said but the fact I was blind and used by God. The same can be said as I serve in the U.S. or study for a Ph. D. There are innumerable ways the so-called weaker members can be enfranchised. We can start by listening to their story and hearing what God is saying over their life. What is God saying when it comes to how he wants to use them.
When the church sees the weaker members as invaluable, the church begins to live out the gospel, a story of grace for those undeserving gifts. The weaker members showcase the grace and power of God. Weaker members are a reminder that we all have limitations and inadequacies. We are all human and subject to weaknesses. God draws us to himself through grace, and the church should be a conduit of that same grace. When the church displays grace through releasing those who seem weaker into ministry, something of beauty will attract the world. People will want be part of the body of Christ.
Biographical Summary
Andy Opie and his wife, Christina, served with Foursquare Missions International in Bangkok, Thailand, for six years. They worked with evangelism, leadership development, church planting, and pastored a church in crisis before transitioning it to Thai leadership. Currently, Andy is working on his Ph. D in Intercultural Studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
Liturgical Day and Texts
February 3, 2019
Fourth Sunday after Epiphany Reflection
Jeremiah 1:4-10
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Luke 4:21-30
To focus my reflection, I am taking the Luke 4:21-30 passage as my key text. I integrate the other two passages into the missional insights.
Title: "I will not be your town hero." Signed, Jesus.
By Dr. Wanjiru M. Gitau
Exegetical Insights
In Luke's passage for today, Jesus has just returned from the desert where he fasted and faced temptation. Full of the power of the Holy Spirit and a firm sense of his mission, he went about teaching those who gathered to him, cast out demons, comforted the afflicted, restored sight, fed the hungry. In a region with so many problems, this sort of activity does not go unnoticed. News spread quickly, fame precedes him, and by the time he arrives at his hometown, people are folding up their sleeves, squaring their shoulders, with expectations galore. Just imagine a rural town, the sort that Nathan, will later quip, "Nothing good comes out of Nazareth." (John 1:43-46). For people in Nazareth, this is their one shot at fame.
On the Sabbath day he went to the Synagogue, nonchalantly, "as was his custom". From the synagogue library, he reads prophet Isaiah's passage about the commission of God's chosen servant to care for the poor, heal the brokenhearted, free captives, release prisoners, comfort mourners. Then he connects reading to the fame that has preceded him: the works that people are amazed about (at every turn when Jesus does a miracle, Mark records that everyone was amazed) are the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. He is the chosen servant that Israel has been waiting for. Gasp! "All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. Isn't this the son of Joseph?" they asked.
Then there is a twist that they didn't see coming. As any preacher from a small-town community will guess, such events are unhurried. It's a Sabbath, there are no long trips to take, no farm, no donkey parking restrictions, no dinners burning in the oven, no phones, no emails to reply. Therefore, the sermon and the turn of the events that Luke records is a highly condensed version of a much longer exchange between Jesus and people at the synagogue. It includes intent listening and surprised gasps, puzzled enquiries and sharp retorts, outright telling-to and shout-downs, and resolute resistance of Jesus from proving himself.
I grew up in a rural community. Every once in a while, the town headman summoned everyone to a baraza, a town palaver under the large tree to discuss big issues. Those meetings lasted the whole afternoon. Similarly, in the churches, when there was a problem, particularly involving a leader, a meeting could go on for hours in stalemated discussions. I can see a long baraza here, a drawn-out church meeting, full of confusion and dissonance. A couple of thoughts come to mind:
One is that even when people doubt him, Jesus does not belittle the mantle of the chosen servant through feigned humility. He has lived here all his life, knows the mission to be accomplished. His credentials have already been given by the Holy Spirit during his baptism in the Jordan. "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased" (Luke 3:22). Even if the people have a hard time reconciling the image of the expected messiah with this young man, his apparent power and wisdom, with their expectations of who should really be imbued with such gifts, he does nothing to imply he is unequal to the task. He is ready. I once led a team of young leaders to Southern Africa for a short-term mission trip. One of our key hosts was the leader of a prestigious company. He was volunteering with his church to host our mission, so I emailed back and forth with him for several months. Because I was trained and passionate, I was quite skilled as the leader of the team. So, it was a surprise when we landed in Johannesburg and introduced the team. I introduced myself as the team leader. This well-respected, top notch leader did a double take. "You, you are the team leader?" You see, I was rather skinny, quite dismissible, the least likely to look like the team leader. But there we were, having raised funds for air tickets and all the mission plans in place, evidence of a team with a good leader. The encounter has turned out to be prescient, for I have witnessed quite a few doubletakes since. I see what is going with in the synagogue palaver in this passage. This young man grew up here, so to take on the mantle of so great a responsibility as prophesied by Isaiah, the messiah for whom all the Jews had been waiting for centuries? That is rather preposterous! Then again, how do you account for his miracles, his wise teaching skills don't forget, his recent endorsement by the famous John the Baptist? Jesus just lets them have a go at it.
The second thing I notice is that in addition to establishing and embracing his credentials and skills, Jesus also goes on the offence in the confrontation. He does nothing to cultivate their good graces. ‘Surely you will quote this proverb to me: "Physician heal yourself!" ‘And you will tell me', "Do here in your hometown what we have heard you did in Capernaum"'. Then he throws the gauntlet that ruptures the confrontation into murderous rage in the minds of his interlocuters, "Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown". He goes further to claim the mantles of two great prophets, Elijah and Elisha. Both were sent to regions and people who were least expected to receive God's blessings. When we read the story from the perspective of the whole gospel, where we know the full trajectory of Jesu's career, it is easy to miss out on how preposterous, possibly blasphemous Jesus sounds in claiming status like that of Elijah. To the good, Torah believing Jews of Nazareth, Jesus he has gone too far. The ran him out of town, intent on killing him. I like the message's rendition of this, "he gave them the slip and was on his way". Understandably, the people are furious, but what strikes me is not that they are furious, it is that Jesus does not try to impress or please them. I mean, this is home ground.
Luke chapter 4 is a pivotal in Luke's narration of Jesus's life and mission on earth: his prior baptism, his temptation, his claiming of the servant's mantle. What remains is a home for Jesus to establish himself, right? But what Luke tells us is that Jesus got into a confrontation with the crowd that should have mattered the most to him as a newbie in the public ministry.
Not just that Jesus could use a support base-his own town needed him. In the political realm, rulers Herod and Pilate had a long-drawn out power struggle; they would only reconcile at the expense of Jesus's unfair trial. (Luke 23:12). The Sadducees and Pharisees had longstanding conflicts with one another and carried on a superiority religious class struggle with everyone else in society. The common man and woman was always on the receiving end of the bullying that came from these power struggles. In the troubled, oppressed world as the region of Galilee was in those days, people were crying out for deliverance. Word Jesus has been spreading that Jesus was slated out to rewrite the pages of history. Why, with a mere word, he can heal the sick, feed and drive out demons. Perhaps drive out the bad leaders?
Back in Kenya where I come from, politicians are adept at cultivating the favors of their rural communities. During campaign seasons, we say that money is poured out. Politicians spare no efforts to woo and attract public opinion leaders, media gurus, and the sway of the populace to vote on their side. They will eat in roadside kiosks, buy farm produce from poor Mamas which they will then duly give to other Mamas, get themselves dressed with local regalia, walk through crowded streets to demonstrate solidarity. If or when they eventually win an election, they throw a homecoming party at the home base. This is not very different from what happens in America, is it? Wooing, wheedling, bribing is part of political art. Jesus is doing the contrary. In antagonizing his home base, Jesus throws out the premium of leadership: free publicity.
Politicking involves a high stakes game in public relations. Oh, the spiel is always the same-the new politician is going to change this or that circumstance for this or that marginalized group. But in order to convince reluctant voters, the game of public relations must be well calculated: to grease the hands of those with money for donations; appeal to emotions of the troubled so they can commit votes; vilify the opposition so that voters of the opposition are demoralized or shift loyalties. No wonder politics has long been called a dirty game.
It strikes me then, that early in his public ministry, Jesus has this heightened sense of call. But here and elsewhere he persistently refuses to run his mission via publicity stunts. It is not that he stops doing what he has been called to do-as a matter of fact he goes from strength to strength. He will go ahead and perform miracles, but not towards building a public persona. People will continue to wheedle themselves to cultivate his favor. Others will seek to be protective. A bruhaha will arise among his disciples about who is the greatest of them. His mother and brothers will look for him "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you." "My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and carry it out." Jesus just told his mom and brothers that his disciples are more important to him than his birth family. That is what millennials call throwing shade. Ouch. The text does not give us context as to why they were looking for him. Had they been sent by the village elders to call their son/ brother back home before Herod did him in, just as he had done John? Did they want to be more protective of him? Did they need a family miracle-in which case, a little more Jesus to the family, a little less Jesus to the crowds, like a sprinkling of salt and pepper?
God's Mission in the Text
Here is what I take away from this passage. Jesus navigates something that is very hard for people called into public positions in highly volatile times: he pursues mission, not by according to public expectation, certainly not for the sake of popularity, but by the script God has given him of what has to be done. This in fact makes sense when you consider the previous passage in the same chapter. The devil tempts him to achieve fame by turning stones into bread, which would have been a hugely welcome miracle in a region where food was scarce. The devil tempts him to worship in exchange for the kingdoms of the world in one quick swipe. But the devil knows no bloodless swipe. As somebody said, he who dines with the devil better use a long spoon, because the devil will always have his price. Finally, the devil tempts him to jump from the pinnacle of the temple. Jesus resists quick fame. He keeps sight of his mission-he heals, teaches, he nurtures a small community of followers. But he resists the quick fixes of popularity. We receive the gospel story in its entirety, so it is easy to miss how hard it is to strike this balance when you are living out your mission.
Jesus' circumstances are not too different from our times today, are they? In modern-day life, the temptation to cultivate, and grab at popularity is very huge. It seems to be all that matters in sales pitches and in the quest for relationships. Social media popularity means the likely to be tapped to endorse products and gain entrance into selective spaces. In corporate and sales offices, to cultivate congeniality by hook or crook is the way to increase the chances of career progress. What's more, in Christian institutions, leaders have become adept at the art of wordsmithing to nurture likability, while actual structural arrangements within those institutions beg question of the quality of discipleship among leaders. While no one is fooled we have all learned to smile through gritted teeth at inane public speeches and sanitized mission statements on our websites. In the nonprofit world, premised as it is on the cause of the marginalized, fundraising pitches have morphed into self-promotion spiels about the large numbers reached or the enormity of needs. If you probe the façade, much of the work is less about the marginalized and more about sustaining dated organizations. In later chapter of Luke's and Matthew's gospel, Jesus had very strong word for all the kind of charade we are running in our Christian circles: "You hypocrites!" And Paul in the other passage appointed for today's reading, 1 Corinthians 13, calls out the charade of those who speak with the tongues of angels, who prophesy and fathom mysteries, who exhibit deep knowledge, who give large sums of money, but in it all, they lack the most essential thing: love. Patient love. Kind love. None envious love. None self-seeking. Isn't it striking that Jesus realizes that if he has to impress anyone, whether his mother, brothers, his closest followers, hi town, even Herod, Pilate, the Sadducees, the Pharisees, any of them, he will be forced to make mockery of his true mission?
This too makes sense when one considers the other passage appointed for today's reading: Jeremiah 1: 4-10 traditionally named the call of Jeremiah. I am always reading these kinds of passages with the overall trajectory of events in mind. Here, God gives Jeremiah his job description. But Jeremiah doesn't have the luxury of foreseeing the difficult circumstances in which he will carry out his mission. We experience that world with Jeremiah as he comes to terms with the enormity and impossibility of the job, "to uproot and tear down kingdoms, destroy and overthrow, build and plant". What? Who is equal to such a task? You think we have political problems today? Jeremiah is prophesying to tumultuous convulsions during the reigns of Josiah, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah. His commission drove him to the edge of his sanity; he quarreled with God; he lost respectability; his very life nearly sunk in the muck of an old well. But Jeremiah was no publicity prophet. He went hard at it. It is precisely because of those hard, hard circumstances that Jeremiah not only had to be thick-skinned, he also could not afford to be swayed by public opinion or coopted into political and religious expediency. Jesus too had to face his mission with a resolute consistency only true to God and only driven by love for humanity.
Missional Connections for Our Context
There is no doubt, in Jesus mind, and in mine as I reflect on Luke's text, that there is always an urgent or critical aspect of the mission of God to be accomplished at any given time, in the now. In Jesus time, given the conditions of Roman occupation, the Nazarenes could really have used Jesus as their town hero.
So, it is today. Many of us know of spaces and conditions where social life is so bad, they could use an instant messiah, a hero. And after reading or listening in on quite a few biographies of public figures, I am convinced that most people (to be sure not all) who go into public life-any leadership role-are motivated by some kind of pain in the arena where they cast their lot. So it does no good to vilify passionate politicians for instance, or to sabotage those who vie for higher positions of responsibility in work spaces. There is nothing wrong with the ambition to lead if we have the capacity and call to do so. What we should not do is lend blind allegiance to public figures. But neither should we place messianic expectations on them. One of my early mentors used to say to a bunch of young, zealous trainees, "There is only One Messiah, and it is neither you nor I". And as to those who take on leadership, like Jesus we should stay on mission, but shun the deception of facile popularity. If we accept superficial public applause, we are likely to make unrealistic promises that then force us to make deals with the devil-literally, as the devil tempted Jesus. This is why, for instance political figures accept donations from corporate organizations that then compromise their leadership integrity. Closer home to most of those reading this devotional are those of us who serve in the arena of Christian leadership, which has not been spared the stain of duplicity. We tend to disparage the more populist public preachers, but if we are honest, two-facedness runs right by the front door of most contemporary Christian institutions. In these socially sensitive times, a thin facade of "cultural niceness" has become so emblematic that outsiders looking in can see the disingenuity while those who should be partners and colleagues mask deep aloneness in siloed roles. It all started with the publicity stunts and facile expectations we first put out there.
Jesus sets a pattern for us in Luke 4 that is worth following. Yes, there is a job, a mission, and there is urgency. Yes, I am the appointed one. Yes, I am equipped through education, experience, and God's call for this job. However, I will not let any of your groups corral and coopt me into their corner. I will not be any village's hero. Jesus maintains this attitude throughout his years of public ministry. Every time people try to exalt him, he slips away. Two of his disciples imagine him rising to power and stage a request through their mother, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom". Jesus is like, really now? You have no idea what you are asking for. "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" "We can," they reply rather glibly. "You will indeed drink my cup", Jesus said. "But to sit at my right or left is not mine to grant. These seats belong to those whom my father has prepared for them." When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. So Jesus called them aside and said, "You know the rulers of the gentiles lord it over them and their superiors authority over them. It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave-just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:21-28).
This contest for popularity and power that is bound to come when people exult in a messianic leader is exactly the scenario that Jesus is avoiding in chapter 4 of Luke. He must establish his mission, he must do so with skill, he must teach well, he will meet material needs where there is suffering, he will draw in those who are excluded. But, ‘"I will not be your town hero". Signed, Jesus.'
Biographical Summary
Wanjiru M. Gitau hold a B.Ed in Linguistics and Literature from the University of Nairobi; an MA in Missiology, and a PhD in Intercultural Studies-World Christianity from Africa International University (NEGST). She is the author of Megachurch Christianity Reconsidered: Millennials and Social Change in African Perspective (IVP Academic, 2018). She is currently senior researcher at St. Thomas University, Miami.
Liturgical Day and Texts
February 10, 2019
Fifth Sunday after Epiphany Reflection
Isaiah 6:1-8, (9-13)
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Luke 5:1-11
Exegetical Missional Insights
Isaiah 6:1-8, (9-13)
This passage is Isaiah's first-hand account of his call story and subsequent encounter with God, perhaps as a way of legitimizing his prophetic call and message. Set during the 8th century BCE, this particular passage comes at a time of political vulnerability for Judah - Judah's king has died, and Assyria looms as a threat to her independence. Fantastical imagery dominates the text - Seraphim! Smoke! The Lord himself! All set the experience aside as wholly other, as holy. Isaiah experiences this vision of the Lord as his call to be a prophet, but immediately responds to this call with a confession of his unworthiness. The Lord provides the remedy - a burning coal that cauterizes Isaiah's lips, purifying them for the prophetic task and preparing him to be sent out. And, true to the prophetic vocation, Isaiah is given words to speak that no one wants to hear. These words of judgment call to mind the looming threat of the Assyrians while also foreshadowing the long period of exile. But all is not lost. A stump will remain, which contains a seed with the promise of hope and return.
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Paul addresses the Corinthians' doubts and concern over resurrection. What seems like fantastical foolishness is actually truth that is rooted in scripture and can be vouched for by a series of eyewitnesses. Paul isn't making the resurrection up; this good news was passed along to him by others, just as he is now passing along this good news to the Corinthians. They are all linked to the first women in the garden who shared the good news of Christ's resurrection, and they will be linked to all others with whom they share this good news. The series of eyewitnesses to the resurrection give legitimacy to Paul's message, as the Corinthians had most likely heard of (or met) Cephas and understood the authority of the twelve. Paul drives home the very real impact of this good news by describing his own transformation from a persecutor of the church to one of its servants. The good news of Christ's death and resurrection is to be believed, taken to heart, and given free reign to transform the life of the believer.
Luke 5:1-11
This passage contains a call story without an actual, verbal call! Contrary to parallel accounts in Matthew and Mark, Jesus never says "come, follow me" to the disciples in the boat with him. Rather, he begins the encounter with a simple request to use one of their boats to go out on the sea to gain distance from and teach the pressing crowds. Simon complies, stops washing his nets, and takes Jesus out on the Sea of Galilee in his boat. He sits and listens to Jesus for a while, then receives another, stranger request from Jesus. This request - to put the nets into the water again to bring in a big catch - comes as nonsensical, as Simon has now cleaned his nets, and had a very unsuccessful night of fishing with his partners. He complies, nonetheless, and is astounded by the over-abundance of the catch, so much so that he needs to ask his fishing partners to come and help him bring in the catch. Upon witnessing this miracle, Simon Peter realizes he's standing on holy ground and confesses his unworthiness to be there. Note the name change - an encounter with the divine often leads to a significant external change that represents the internal change. Ignoring Simon Peter's protestations, Jesus extends an invitation to him, James, and John by way of a statement - "do not be afraid, for you will now be catching people." "Do not be afraid" brings to mind the words of the messengers to Elizabeth, Mary and the shepherds in the fields, and connects to the many other times Jesus gives this command before a miracle. This is a clear call to set aside one's fears so that one can hear and respond to the second part of the message being conveyed. In this case, the three new disciples hear Jesus and, upon arriving at the shore, leave everything behind - their boats, their prize-winning catch, and more - to come and follow him.
God's Mission in the Text
All three of these texts contain call narratives. God has called each of the people in each story - Isaiah, Paul, the Corinthians, Simon Peter, James and John - to be a part of the unfolding story of God's relationship with God's people. The instigating moment for each call is a theophany. Isaiah has a vision of the Lord enthroned in the temple; the 1st Corinthians passage indirectly refers to Paul's encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus; Simon Peter listens to Jesus teach and then witnesses a miracle that reveals Jesus as Lord. These theophanies are revelations of God's glory and splendor, which leads to an acute awareness of each individual's inadequacy to do what God is calling them to do. However, God has something else in mind. The defining moment of each call story is the way that God equips and empowers each person to be God's messenger. Isaiah confesses unclean lips, so God purifies them with a hot coal. Paul was a persecutor of the church, so God gave him an acute awareness of grace. Simon Peter confesses his sinfulness in the face of Jesus' holiness, so Jesus tells him not to be afraid and gives him a specific vocation. God does what God is going to do, and uses ordinary people as participants in God's mission.
These texts also speak to how God works through people across time and space to serve as witnesses to God's work in the world and in the lives of individuals and communities. Isaiah, as God's messenger, is a witness to God's power and sovereignty. He is tasked with delivering a difficult message that was undoubtedly challenging to hear (or not hear, in the case of the people to whom the message was directed - a challenging topic for a preacher to explore!) Isaiah is not set up to be a "successful" prophet, in that the people will not heed his message and repent. But their refusal is not a failure on his part. Like many other witnesses to the gospel throughout time whose efforts seem fruitless, success cannot be judged by results. Rather, as the Biblical witness shows, the success of God's mission in the world will be brought about by God in the fullness of time. Paul's witness is a continuation of a story that he inherited, and will pass along to others. This pattern of receiving, then transmitting the story links generation to generation, connecting all to a narrative that is larger than themselves. It is God's Living Word, which stands within time, as it becomes incarnate in each believer and is interpreted anew in each time and place, and also outside of time as it is inherited. Simon Peter, James and John encounter Jesus and recognize him as Lord. Their witness is embodied: they demonstrate the life-altering nature of their encounter by physically leaving everything behind to follow him.
Mission Connections for Our Context
The language of call is often relegated to those who serve in the professional ministry. Ask any pastor to share their call story, and we will most likely be able to do so in a polished, engaging way - we had good practice with our call committee interviews and essays, after all! What is often neglected is a robust understanding of how each and every one of the members of our congregations is also called to serve Christ. We (all) may assume that these stories are unexceptional - I once asked a member of a congregation why he was called to be there, and he answered "genetics" (the longer story is that his father had served as a pastor at that particular congregation, and he, the son, stuck around afterwards for a number of reasons). What had seemed like an ordinary story to him was actually quite interesting, once engaged more deeply.
An interesting question to engage through a sermon would be to ask members to develop their own call stories: how has God called them? Both as individual disciples, and to their particular congregational community? Another way of getting to the point could be to ask them, "why are you a Christian, and why are you one here?" Again, simple questions that do not always get the thought and airtime they deserve. I can guarantee that their answers will be thought provoking and deeply transformative for the person answering, and for the congregation itself as all ponder their encounters with God's Living Word and how it has transformed their lives. Who knows - this line of questioning could even lead to a fruitful congregational visioning process in which the congregation can come together to develop an understanding of their unique purpose in God's mission.
Asking members of the congregation these questions has another benefit: they are being equipped and empowered to be witnesses to Christ. They will have developed stories and language to describe how the good news of the Gospel has impacted their lives - stories that can be shared with others in their lives. So often, people are intimidated by the idea of sharing their faith with another person - what will I say? Will I be rejected? Both are valid questions in the North American missional context, where Christianity can have a bad reputation, or is assumed to be the faith tradition that people default to on major holidays. As the Isaiah passage shows, the witness has no control over whether or not their message will be received. But developing a deep understanding of how God is at work in the life of a particular individual or community can be a good first step that addresses that first common concern. A next step could be to ask members of the congregation to give testimonies during worship services to publicly "practice" witnessing. Who knows? Maybe this practice will embolden a person to begin sharing their story with others in their lives.
Biographical Summary
Rev. Katherine Chatelaine-Samsen serves as Pastor of Mission and Outreach at First Trinity and St. Matthew Lutheran Churches in Washington, D.C. where she leads each congregation in efforts to connect with and serve their neighborhoods. She has a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and completed additional coursework at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. Her ministry interests include: young adult ministry, congregational public witness, and creation care.
Liturgical Day and Texts
February 17, 2019
Sixth Sunday after Epiphany
Jeremiah 17:5-10
Psalm 1
1 Corinthians 15:12-20
Luke 6:17-26
Exegetical Missional Insights
Happy. Blessed. Psalm 1 begins with announcing the blessed state of those who revere God and do his will, and also by pointing to the Scriptures as the only way to true joy.
To illustrate the extreme difference between trusting in God (and the joy that brings)and trusting in man(and the pain that brings), Jeremiah paints a vivid contrast between a small scrub bush in a barren and rocky desert, weak and barely holding on, and a strong tree with its roots in fertile and well-watered soil, standing tall and fruitful. In desert regions, shrubs grow low to the ground, struggling to survive their arid conditions. They tend to be small, with thick outer layers. Their roots grow close to the surface, grasping at any moisture that comes close. The trees that grow closer to the river, however, grow tall, sending their roots deep. These trees do not have to grasp for water because their roots run deep and find water even during the driest times. Their branches provide dwelling and food for all manner of creatures that depend upon them. The tree planted by the river that continues to thrive even during a season of drought because of its deep roots is a beautiful image of the constancy of the walk of a believer in every phase of life, both the good and the ill. The person who trusts in the Lord is ‘like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green." (Jeremiah 17:7-8).
Contrasting the vivid imagery of the tall stately tree is the image of the chaff being blown by the slightest wind in Psalm 1:3. The chaff invokes the image of lightness, instability, and unimportance, in contrast to the anchored tree. Chaff is something which is easily driven away, tossed by the whims of the wind. In Scripture, the image of chaff is parallel to that of blown tumbleweeds (Ps. 83:18), or fine dust (Is. 29:5), the morning mist that evaporates with the sun, or the early morning dew and smoke escaping through a window (Hos. 13:3).
In the repeated patterns of the blessed and woes of the texts, the authors speak of the blessed as those who have a relationship with a loving God who sees everything about them and prizes them for the creation that they are. Unlike the ungodly, who may be seen as great before men, but not before God where they will blow away like chaff in the final judgment, those who seek after God will be preserved through the trials and sorrows of this life.
In great missional significance, Christ-followers are blessed and have infinite hope, developing deep relationship through meditating on his word (Ps. 1:2). But, there are many in the world that are lost like the chaff, blown by the wind of the worldly ways without an anchor in the roots of knowledge of the love of God. These lost ones, without doing a single thing to approach him, are loved by God who desires a deep relationship of love and commitment with them. God seeks those who do not know him and requires those who do to join his mission to draw them to him.
Believers are like that mighty tree, with its roots going deep into the earth, never having anything to fear. God sees our heart, holds us close and never lets go.
God's Mission in the Text
The emphasis of the repeated pairings of both blessings and woes in each of these passages falls on what it means to be a disciple of Christ, a complete follower of the One who sees the heart and judges and rewards accordingly, both in this present life and also in relation to the larger spiritual reality of the Kingdom, now and future.
God's mission will proceed. In reading Luke's words, as well as the blessings and woes of other passages, we are painfully aware that there are hurting people in the world, those who weep, who are poor, who are hungry, and those who are hated by the world around them. Those people certainly did not choose to be in those states of existence. The very nature of their existence in many cases opens them to a seeking for answers which can only be found in God. Imagine a world where all those who claim to be believers in God and are seeking after him, also seek to reach out to those who are hurting! Followers of Christ should concern themselves with joining God on his mission to care for their fellow humans. Those who are blessed with the knowledge of the love of God are desperately needed by those who are still stuck in the "woe" category.
Missional Connections for our Contexts
The imagery of these passages is rich in opposite extremes. Life is full of good and trouble - or to use Psalm 1 language, blessings and woes. We rejoice in the bouquet of beautiful flowers sent to make us feel better when we are ill, but bemoan the doctor's bill that arrives at the same time. We enjoy that delicious hamburger that is cooked to perfection, but frown at the stale French fries that are served along with it. These are not the grand examples of great suffering and loss we will face in life, nor of the great joy, but they simply illustrate the endurance of trails we face in the world, while waiting for the greatest joy of our being, being gathered to God's dear embrace. God sees the heart and rewards. We have a hope that is beyond human understanding. We are promised that God is with us, and sees our pain. We are never alone.
What is the impact of the imagery in the texts, the joys and blessings, the sorrows and woes, on those who hear these passages? These texts invite us to examine our lives and to align our trust in God with the manner in which we live on a daily basis. By asking the questions, "Do I trust in God, or do I strive to do it all myself?", "Does my daily life show hope in a God who is all-powerful, or do I trust him when it is convenient and I am sure of the outcome?", and, finally, "Does God require me to change aspects of my life to follow him more closely, to demonstrate more clearly to the world that my trust is in God and not the people of the world?"
What separates the blessed of the world? It is not those with worldly loss. The blessed are the followers of Christ, those who trust in God wholeheartedly. "Looking at his disciples, he said: Blessed are you ..." Jesus specifically pointed out the disciples in contrast to the "woe to you" group (vs. 24ff), because they possessed a specific quality. They are poor in spirit, desiring above anything else to be right before God. Theirs is a poverty that cries out for those who are lost and for their own brokenness before God. They desire to follow Jesus in the face of their rejection by the world.
We who have so little to promote us before our Living God are embraced by him and rewarded with riches beyond anything that the world sees as wealth. We are happy. We are broken before God, but God lifts us up and calls us his own. This blessing and joy is ours, not because we are poor, but because he is kind and generous to those who call him Father.
Living a life full of confidence in the Lord, full of faith, is a risky business from the world's perspective. However, because of the promise of God's eternal presence, his followers can step out into that risky world with full confidence of the outcome. God calls his people to trust in him and to move forward, joining him in mission to those who do not yet know the hope that is so real, both in the present and the future Kingdom of God.
Biographical Summary
Linda Whitmer (Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary) is the Dean of the School of Intercultural Studies, and Professor of Intercultural Studies at Johnson University, Knoxville, TN, Kissimmee, FL, and Online. She served as a missionary for over 20 years in southern Africa and continues to be active in teaching worldwide. Linda has also served as the president of the Association of Professors of Mission (2017-2018).
Liturgical Day and Texts
February 24, 2019
Seventh Sunday after Epiphany
Genesis 45:3-11, 15
1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50
Luke 6:27-38
Partnering for Mission in Life Today
By Steven M. Whitmer, Ph.D.
Information is forthcoming.
Liturgical Day and Texts
March 3, 2019
Transfiguration Sunday
Exodus 34:29-35
2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2
Luke 9:28-36, (37-43a)
Transfiguration Sunday
This is the last Sunday of Epiphany, the season during which we reflect on God's revelation of God's purposes through the person and life of Jesus. The texts for the day, Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99, 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2 and Luke 9:28-36 (37-43a), together highlight the significance of God's self-revelation in Christ as well as the nature of his mission and, hence, that of his followers.
Exegetical Missional Insights
Walking the dusty desert roads, eating what could be found along them, engaging day-in and day-out with the down-trodden of the day with little respite from the crowds. And then hearing their teacher predict his death (Luke 9:22-27). Might not the disciples have hopelessly wondered what they had gotten themselves into? Might they not have doubted about the wisdom of leaving their regular occupations in order to follow Jesus? Controversy regarding the identity of their teacher had been in the air for some time (see Luke 9:7-9; 18-21). Was he John the Baptist? Elijah? Some other prophet? Had he been sent by God or was he simply a charlatan? If sent, for what? Left to their own recourse, the disciples had no satisfactory answer to their questions.
Yet God is the Divine Community who makes itself known in the midst of history. Truly, as today's Psalm highlights, God is Holy, other, uniquely distinct from Creation, and worthy of all praise. People do well to fear this God of perfect justice, to hide their faces in sight of God's splendor. Yet, at the same time, God chooses to draw near to humankind. Rather than remaining the unapproachable "other," God appeared to people, revealing not only God's nature but also God's purposes for the entire created order. God did so in the garden at Creation. God did so to Moses on Mt Sinai, granting him the law that would guide the people in living out those purposes in very concrete ways (Ex. 19-24). God did so to Elijah, re-commissioning him to live out the mission of God to which had called him (1 Kings 19). These Theophanies (appearances of God) were not merely for the benefit of the witness but instead served to affirm God's presence in the midst of their personal and communal stories, and to enroll them in God's mission in God's world.
Moses and Elijah had been privileged witnesses of God's self-revelation. The reflection of God's presence was so bright on Moses' face after being with God that people feared looking at him and he had to veil his face. What is distinct about Jesus -and is powerfully made known to his wavering disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration-- is that he himself is God. He is the one towards whom the law and the prophets pointed: in him, the intent of their mission was expressed and fulfilled. While Moses communicated God's purposes to God's people, Jesus lived God's will. While Elijah's prophetic role was to remind people of God's will, Jesus showed, in word and deed, what that will looked like in every-day relationships and issues. Jesus' authority rested on his identity as God's beloved Son and on his living out of the mission for which he had been sent into the world. ("You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased" and "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" Luke 4:22 and 35). Jesus is the utmost revelation of God's identity and mission in the world.
God's Mission in the Text
Striking as it was for Peter, James and John, in their sighting of Moses and Elijah, far more life-changing was their refreshed understanding regarding the carpenter of Nazareth and the nature of his -and consequently their -mission in the world. Yes; basking in the wondrous light of Jesus' transfigured presence and witnessing the reunion of people who had served as God's witnesses through history was an exhilarating experience, even if the content of their conversation was ominous (Luke 9:31). And yes; Jesus self-revelation in such glory might have dispelled their doubts and offered reassurance. So it is fully understandable that the disciples would not want to leave the mountain top. Yet they are not to remain there. They are not the end recipients of God's revelation. Truly, they have witnessed both God's holiness and God's mercy. And that face-to-face encounter with the living God - as the apostle Paul later reminded the scatted Christians in the house churches of Corinth-inspires hope, bolsters confidence, awakens freedom and transforms disciples ever more into the likeness of their Teacher (2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2). So, with renewed hope in the midst of their questions, the disciples must follow their Lord down the mountain, back to the needy crowds, and back to his -and their-mission, which he had clearly declared at the beginning of his ministry: healing the ill, giving sight to the blind, and freeing people from all oppression (Luke 4:14-40).
Missional Connections for Our Context
Personal challenges, family or financial trouble, different forms of loss and suffering: when we confront those, our faith may waver as did that of the disciples. We might wonder if trouble will ever end. We may question God's goodness and lose hope. We, as they, need times of retreat in order to gain perspective, to encounter the living God and allow the Spirit to reveal God's presence in the midst of human history and in our personal stories. Do we allow ourselves and the people we accompany those needed breaks from activism? Or do we rest so fully on our own strength that we run dry in ministry and have nothing left to share? How can we challenge and encourage one another to carve out time for personal and community worship, time to stop, and acknowledge both God's holiness and God's mercy so that our sense of identity and mission may be renewed?
At the same time, some churches are so dedicated to constructing the perfect worship service and some Christians are so focused on caring for their personal spirituality that they grow deaf to the promptings of the Spirit and fail to live out their calling as agents of God's all-encompassing, life-giving mission in the world. Times on the mountaintop are meant to equip us for days in the valley, following our Teacher into the messiness of life in order to make God's purposes visible there. True encounter with Jesus makes us more and more like him, gives us his passions and moves us to engage wholeheartedly in his mission. If that is not happening in our lives, we must ask if we have truly met the Lord.
Biographical Summary
Ruth Padilla DeBorst is a wife of one and mother of many. Her communities include Casa Adobe (casaadobe.org in Costa Rica), CETI (ceticontinental.org in Latin America), Resonate Global Mission and the International Fellowship for Mission as Transformation (resonate.org and infemit.org globally).
Lent Year C
Second Sunday
Third Sunday
Fifth Sunday
First Sunday in Lent
March 10, 2019
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Romans 10:8b-13
Luke 4:1-13
Looking Inward to Serve Others
As we think about the first Sunday in Lent our minds are normally drawn to what we as individuals will do during this season. What will I focus on? What will I give up during this season? What does it mean to me? One of the things that I have learned first as a missionary and now as a professor of Intercultural Studies and Missions, is that much of the world thinks more about how we relate to others than about self. What can we learn during Lent from this focus on others? As we experience this time leading up to the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, how does this time help us to think missionally? How can Lent be a time in which we see beyond ourselves to the reality that the work of Jesus Christ is truly global in nature?
Exegetical Missional Insights: Thinking beyond ourselves
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
As we ponder Deuteronomy, it is easy to become bogged down in the details of Israel's religious law and not see beyond the veil of legalism that often creeps into the church. This reading presents a shift away from looking at the law to worship. More particularly the directions for the First Fruits offering enables us to gain a big picture of what God was doing in Israel and what God continues to do with His people today.
It is important to remember that Israel as a people are not yet in the promised land when they receive these directives about how to worship. It is anticipatory for once they are in the land and are harvesting the crops of the land. Remember as well that up until this time, Israel as a people have been pastoralists, not farmers. As they enter this new context and learn to be agriculturalists they are to remain obedient to God, and recognize him in all things. They are not to be lead away from worshipping God by the agricultural/worship practices of the people they are displacing. By giving the First Fruits as God directed, His people take the time to remember His work done on their behalf. They are reminded that God has made them into a people (their father was a "wandering Aramean") and that they were a people without a land who now are in a land that is their "inheritance".
God's Mission in the Text
Giving God the first and best of the harvest is worthy worship and recognition of God. Yet worship is not to be self-centered. While the focus of the ritual is on the presenter and his relationship with God, we need to remember the First Fruits were primarily for the Levites and the aliens, who are included in God's grace. Even at this early stage in Israel's development, we can see the missional nature of God's people. God is the center of the action, he beings people to him, his people are blessed, and through their blessings others are to be blessed.
Romans 10:8b-13
In this reading from Romans, Paul is in the middle of a discussion regarding Israel's lack of faith and that righteousness comes from God. Just as we noted in the passage from Deuteronomy, God's people are to be in a relationship with him that is evidenced by fellowship and resulting conduct (worship) that points to God.
In the offering of the First Fruits, the land as an inheritance from God was key. Here in Paul's discussion the inheritance from God is salvation. The offering of the First Fruits was an act of faith. Here Paul points to a similar reality that salvation begins in our lives with our inward act of faith that is evident in our outward confession and living that demonstrates our relationship with God. Paul closely ties his discussion to Mosaic Law. It reminds us that God's message has not changed. Just as Israel's identity was dependent on God's work, so our salvation is dependent on God's work in Jesus Christ. Paul makes it clear, that what we do is not the means of our salvation. Faith is key and this is available to both Jew and Gentile. While we are not required to bring the produce of our land as an offering, we are to offer the fruit of our lips in our confession that Jesus is Lord and live in commitment to him. Further, n this reading Paul quotes Joel 2:32, which ties this message with Peter's message on the day of Pentecost Acts 2:21, and thus to the missional nature of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
God's Mission in the Text
Paul has made it clear that God's work is missional. All people everywhere find themselves it the same position before God and need to hear about salvation in Jesus Christ. Because salvation is by faith, it is available to all people, both Jew and Gentile. Likewise, all need to know this truth so that they can exercise faith by calling on Jesus.
The work of our heart is not just righteous living, but the sharing of the source of righteousness in Jesus Christ. This should be central to Lent. As we focus on God's grace during this time, it should lead us into sharing the good news about Jesus. This is a work of obedience from the heart just as the Israelites were to offer the First Fruits and be a blessing by passing the blessing that they had received from God.
Luke 4:1-13
We are all familiar with Jesus's temptations. Perhaps one of the dangers is to gloss over this account as something that we have mined for all it is worth. How does reading this passage during Lent, open up our thinking about what this passage is teaching us missionally?
One new insight came to me from the African Bible Commentary. The author describes this set of temptations as a rite of passage leading Jesus into his ministry! In this light, the victory of Jesus is not only about how we handle personal temptation but is about knowing that dealing with temptation prepares us for service. In other words, how is our own spiritual victory not just a personal matter, but how is it missional? If we think about Lent in this manner, it is not just a time to focus on our personal spirituality, but how are we being prepared to continue the ministry of Jesus. Our spiritual victory and growth are not just to be accomplished, but as a rite of passage it moves us into a new phase of life, or service in God's Kingdom. Just as Jesus emerged from these temptations confident in his direction about doing the Father's work, we should emerge from Lent, ready for doing God's work.
Again, this passage takes us back to Israel's story. Just as they Israel was tested in the wilderness and in occupying the Promised Land, Jesus was tested as to his obedience to the Father. Over against Israel's repeated failures, Jesus shows us the way to remaining faithful to God as his people, whatever our circumstances, hunger, problems, or temptations. The way forward is being "full of the Spirit."
God's Mission in the Text
Just as Jesus shows us that his status as God's Son was only to be used for God's Kingdom purposes, not his needs or wants; so, we need to live and serve in the reality that our relationship with God is for God's Kingdom purposes. While we might be tempted to think that our sacrifice in Lent is for our own good, we need to remember that Satan's temptations of Jesus were self-focused. Satan invited him to do the miraculous for his own good. However, once Jesus began his public ministry, he immediately met the needs of others that they might see the coming Kingdom. As we journey through Lent, may we see that all that God does in us is to enable others to see him at work in us and through us that they may see His Kingdom.
Further, Jesus was offered an easy way out to world dominion. By the actions of Jesus we see that God's purpose of being missional cannot be cut short. While it may not be easy, doing God's work God's way is the only way to do God's work. Other options will leave us without fully doing what God desires. If the Son of God needed to avoid the easy way out, we need to recognize the same reality.
Missional Connections for our Context
These passages challenge our culture's corrupting influence to make everything, even Lent, about us. As we journey through Lent, we can become more in line with God's purpose for His people as we ask how this time of introspection and giving up can open the way for us to be more missional. Nestled in each of the readings for the First Sunday in Lent, we see God speaking to his people about being His people for His Kingdom not for our own purposes or our own good. How can our activities in Lent prepare us for missional living the rest of the year?
Biographical Summary
Marcus W. Dean, Ph.D. is currently Professor of Intercultural Studies and Missions and chair of The Department of Global Studies at Houghton College, Houghton, New York. Along with his wife and three sons, he served for 15 years with the Wesleyan Church (Global Partners) in Colombia (eight years) and Puerto Rico (four years) in theological education and administration. Prior to serving in missions he pastored in Indiana.
Fourth Sunday of Lent
March 27, 2022
Joshua 5:9-12
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
(Re)turning to God
Introduction
Each of the three lectionary texts for the fourth Sunday of Lent in their own way deal with repentance, that is, (re)turning to God. This is fitting because, for many Christians, the season of Lent is a time of surrendering more fully to God as we journey toward the cross. These texts, however, remind us that genuine turning toward God is inseparable from participation in the missio Dei, that is, the mission of God.
Exegetical Missional Insights
Joshua 5:9-12
In the preceding chapters, Joshua, a new type of Moses, leads the people of Israel to cross the Jordan River and establish a memorial testifying to the God of Israel. Israel approaches the end of their 40 years of wilderness wandering and prepares for the conquest of their enemies in the land of promise. On the precipice of the conquest, Israel is instructed to engage in two identity-defining practices deeply rooted in their story as a people. The first practice is male circumcision. In Israel’s male-centered society, this symbolizes God’s covenantal relationship with God’s people (see Genesis 17). Quite shockingly, the new generation of Israelites that have grown up during the wilderness journey have not been circumcised (Joshua 5:2). In other words, they do not have the sign of God’s covenant commitment to them and their corresponding commitment to God. Moreover, in this time of Israel aimlessly wandering in the wilderness, it is likely that Egypt, one of Israel’s enemies, has begun to scorn Israel as if God has abandoned God’s people. Thus, Israel is invited to turn away from this disgrace through being circumcised at a place called Gilgal. Gilgal is related to the Hebrew word galal or “to roll” (5:9). Once Israel is circumcised and has taken the time to be “healed,” Joshua pronounces that “the disgrace of Egypt” has been “rolled away” (5:9). Israel’s submission to circumcision leads God to roll away the disgrace of any suggestion that God is not committed to God’s people. The second identity-defining practice Israel is called to embody is the Passover, a meal that the newly circumcised Israelites now meet the proper requirements to partake of as a community (5:10; see Exodus 12:48). The Passover speaks of God’s faithful deliverance of Israel from bondage in Egypt and the formation of a new people. After the Passover meal, it becomes clear that a new part of Israel’s story is unfolding. God is still on the move, and the people of Israel are invited to move with God. The wilderness wandering is over. No longer will Israel’s diet be based on manna, as it had been in the wilderness. They now eat “the produce of the land” that will soon be theirs as part of God’s promise (5:12).
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
In 2 Corinthians, the apostle Paul, along with Timothy, offers a description and defense of their apostolic participation in God’s mission. As a result of the new work God is doing in Christ, they have turned away from seeing people based on human standards, that is, according to the sarx or flesh (5:16). With their new perception, they recognize that those who are in Christ are a “new creation” (5:17). In other words, those in Christ are part of the eschatological renewal of all creation (see Isaiah 65:17, Romans 8:18-25, and 2 Peter 3:13). And this renewal comes “from God,” the reconciling one (5:18). God has given a “ministry of reconciliation” that flows from God’s own ministry of reconciliation (5:18-19). While the ministry of reconciliation described here clearly stresses humans being restored in a vertical relationship with God, reconciliation also inherently has a horizontal dimension—one that encompasses the restoration of relationships in the new community that is brought into being through Christ and the Spirit (c.f. Ephesians 2:11-22, Galatians 3:28). Similar to ancient diplomatic representatives seeking to honor their sender, Paul and Timothy are “ambassadors for Christ” appealing to others to turn or repent and “be reconciled to God” (5:20). According to the text, this is possible because of Christ. Though he was perfect, Christ identified with humanity such that he somehow came to “be sin” in order that others might “become the righteousness of God” (5:21). As Irenaeus, a second-century theologian, put it, “Christ became what we are, in order that we might become what he is.”
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
2
The setting of this well-known story or parable is critical to understanding its meaning. Jesus is surrounded by eager “tax collectors and sinners” who desire to listen to his teaching (15:1). As this takes place, devout Jewish religious leaders called Pharisees and scribes criticize the fact that Jesus “welcomes sinners and eats with them” (15:1, 2). Then, Jesus tells a parable to them, that is, the Pharisees and scribes (15:3; italics mine). After telling brief stories of a lost sheep and a lost coin, Jesus continues with a story of two lost sons. Many are familiar with the story of the younger son who shamefully requests his inheritance from his living father and then goes on to squander it (15:12). The young son ends up desperately coming home to his father where he becomes the recipient of lavish hospitality. The father runs to greet him—something uncommon for distinguished elderly men in the first-century (15:20). The father generously offers gifts that signify the restoration of sonship—a robe, a ring, and sandals (15:22). And the father throws a party to celebrate the return of his lost son (10:24). At this point in the story, Jesus has described God’s mission of welcoming and restoring the tax collectors and sinners of the world. The remainder of the story is a plea to the Pharisees and scribes who refuse “to go in” to the party (15:28). Like the elder son, the Pharisees and scribes are frustrated because they have worked “like a slave” and “never disobeyed” Torah (15:29). Resentful of the younger son, they lament not being given a celebration. Yet they fail to see that the father’s hospitality includes them as well—"all that is mine is yours” (15:31). Essentially, Jesus invites the Pharisees and scribes to repent or turn toward embracing God’s mission of hospitality to sinners. As the parable ends, we are left wondering: Will they join the party?
God's Mission in the Text
The missio Dei is palpably present in each of our texts as people are called to repent and participate in what God is up to in their midst. In Joshua 5:9-12, God faithfully sustains Israel to the end of their wilderness journey and calls them to turn more fully toward God through circumcision and the Passover as they step into the new season into which God is inviting them. In 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, God’s reconciling mission is vividly depicted—a ministry that restores fractured relationships through the self-giving love of Christ. Humans are invited to participate in the ministry of reconciliation, but God is the initiator and sustainer of the ministry. And, in Luke 15, we see God’s mission of lavishly offering hospitality to sinners. The devout religious leaders of the day are invited to repent from their resentment and approximate God’s hospitable heart.
Missional Connections for Our Context
While there are several possible interrelated missional connections for this week’s rich lectionary texts, I would like to offer one brief reflection from each text connected to the Lenten theme of repentance. Hopefully, my reflections can stimulate thinking about faithful and fitting embodiment of these texts in readers’ contexts.
Joshua 5:9-12
One of the great barriers to repentance and participation in God’s mission is relentless activity. In the fast-paced, 24/7 North American context, it is easy to cultivate habits (e.g., overworking, impulsive/compulsive shopping, excessive media consumption) that numb us to the whispers of God that call us to deeper devotion. Despite the recent global pandemic, some of us have still struggled to slow down. While Israel’s 40 years of wandering in the wilderness does not amount to the frantic activity of much of North American culture, I find it interesting that they were apparently so driven to reach their destination that no one thought it was problematic that the new generation of male Israelites had not paused to commit themselves to receiving the sign of God’s covenant—circumcision. Circumcision does not happen by accident. It involves stopping, planning, and, then, healing from the painful process of it all. The various forms of deeper devotion that God invites us to often involve the same. We cannot repent in a rush. This is most especially true for communities. Inasmuch as we might want to side step the painful process of lament, it is here where God often meets us most profoundly. Lent is a season of pausing to invite the Spirit to help us align our lives more fully with God’s will (even when it hurts) as we anticipate the fresh work of the God of Israel in and through Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
In this Lenten season, I wonder if the profound portrait of reconciliation between God and humanity in 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 might be an invitation to repent from well-intentioned, but, ultimately, all-too-often cheap racial reconciliation efforts—efforts that conveniently ignore the deep, historical roots of racial injustice. God’s mission of reconciliation that stands at the heart of the Christian gospel is a reconciliation that is costly, self-giving, and beyond the point of returning to things as normal. If U.S. Christians have any hope of making meaningful, consistent progress on this side of the eschaton in addressing the racial/ethnic (and many other) divisions of the church, I imagine it will involve repenting from self-protective reconciliation efforts and instead, empowered and sustained by God, approximating the vulnerable, costly reconciliation that is revealed in the gospel of Jesus.
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
Lastly, in this time of Lent, we are invited to repent and recapture the wonder of God’s heart for those whom the late Bishop Barbara Harris called “the least, the lost, and the left out.” The well-loved parable in Luke 15 reveals a prodigal (i.e., lavish, wastefully extravagant) God on mission to seek what is lost. It speaks of the urgency and beauty of the gospel. Like the Pharisees and scribes, self-righteous leaders (and others) are called to repent and reflect the welcoming father who embraces the rule-keepers and the rule-breakers alike. No one is left out of God’s extravagant embrace.
References
1 All Scripture citations are from The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010).
2 Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1606-1669. The Return of the Prodigal Son, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54306 [retrieved January 1, 2019]. Original source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rembrandt-The_return_of_the_prodigal_son.jpg.
Biographical Summary
Edgar “Trey” Clark III is a husband, father, and ordained minister. He holds degrees from Wheaton College and Fuller Seminary, where he is a Ph.D. candidate. Along with serving in pastoral ministry for several years in the U.S., he has lived and studied in England, South Africa, and Costa Rica.
Easter Year C
This page is under construction. Please come back later.
Pentecost Year C
The Day of Pentecost
A Special Reflection for the Second Sunday after Pentecost
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost
Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost
Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Introduction to the Season of Pentecost
The season of Pentecost reminds us of the coming of the Holy Spirit to dwell in every believer (Acts 2:1). We are the Temple of the Holy 
Spirit where the presence of God dwells (1 Cor 6:19). The same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in us (Rom 8:11)! This same Spirit was with God in the beginning (Gen 1:1, 26) and guides us into all truth (John 16:11). We have received power because we have been filled with the Holy Spirit and we are His witnesses (Acts 1:8).
However, what is this power and indwelling for? Is it to sit on a pew every Sunday? Do we need the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to get up in the morning, to go to work, or eat dinner? Maybe sometimes it can seem that way, but truly the power and indwelling of the Holy Spirit is to equip us to be salt and light, to be ambassadors of God calling all humankind to be reconciled to their heavenly Father (2 Cor 5:20). God does not need us to participate in His plan of redemption of creation; He invites us to join Him in His mission, the Missio Dei. Our behavior does not determine our salvation; our great salvation determines our behavior. Our great forgiveness bears fruit of forgiveness, the unconditional love of God bears fruit of love for all of God's creation, the mercy we have been shown yields mercy fruit.
During this season we will take a journey with some Spirit-filled, empowered ambassadors of Christ that will share with us their insights and reflections. We will be reminded of our participation in the "sacred dance" of the Trinity, how God uses "election and rejection" to speak to us in His word. We will see how God's transformational character changes us, and that God's mission is inclusive, mutual, and empowering. Finally, we will see that God's mission is one of mercy and sacrifice.
Rhonda Garrison Haynes is an ordained minister recently returned from serving seven years on the mission field of Bolivia. In Bolivia, she partnered with nationals to plant churches, train pastors, disciple and baptize new believers, and minister to women formally trapped in prostitution. She is pursuing her PhD degree in Intercultural Studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
The First Sunday After Pentecost
Trinity Sunday
Suggested Hymn-- Lord of the Dance
Exegetical Missional Insights
Today being Trinity Sunday, we are invited to explore the following lectionary passages for what they can teach us about the nature of the Trinity and what this means for our calling as Christians.
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
In the 8th chapter of Proverbs, we find Wisdom (Sophia) personified as a female who was created by God at the beginning. Theologians have long debated who she is in relation to the Trinity. Is she to be understood as the Holy Spirit? Christ in feminine form? An attribute of God? John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, did not reach a clear conclusion, writing that "some understand it of the Divine wisdom; others of the second person in the Godhead... Possibly both may be joined together, and the chapter may be understood of Christ."1
Instead of folding ourselves into theological knots over this poetic metaphor, I suggest we focus today on one of the ways in which this passage can guide Christian praxis. For me, the most compelling of these is the image of Wisdom as a woman standing in the busy crossroads at the main gate of town boldly calling out to all who pass by words of warning, guidance, joy, and delight.
Romans 5:1-5
The opening of the 5th chapter of Romans is often used to preach on the doctrine of the Trinity because here Paul writes about the connection between God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. "We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (vs 1) and "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us." (vs 5)
These verses not only speak of the relationship between the three persons of the Trinity but to our place in this interaction. Through Christ, we have received access to grace and peace with God such that even amidst our suffering we can speak boldly of our hope -not a flimsy hope, but a hope solidified by the virtues formed through our endurance. We know this hope to not be vain, for God already poured God's love in our hearts through the act of giving us the Holy Spirit.
John 16:12-15
In John 16 we again find a discussion of the interplay between God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit and our place in this relationship. Christ tells his disciples that there is much more he wants them to know, but they are not yet ready to handle those truths. This does not mean that Christ's followers will never be ready to hear them, though. Instead, the Spirit of Truth will guide them to deeper and fuller understanding.
God's Mission in the Text
By juxtaposing these three passages, we see not only conversations about the three persons of the Trinity; we see a picture of the nature of wisdom and what God wants for us. God's desire for us to grow in wisdom and love-to become fully reconciled to the Divine-is at the heart of God's agenda for humanity.
The Good News does not end with the announcement of forgiveness-of our justification through Christ. That is only part of God's plan. The Divine Trinity is offering us even more; more Love, more Truth, more Hope and more reasons to rejoice. The Holy Spirit-the spirit of Truth and Wisdom-has been given to us so that we continue to grow in love and understanding. As the passage in Proverbs shows us, Wisdom is not to be fearfully or jealously guarded in secret. She stands at the busy crossroads and proclaims truths to all who will listen. While she does speak words of warning concerning arrogance and evil behavior, Wisdom also describes God as adoring the inhabited world and delighting in humanity (vs 31).
Missional Connections for Our Context
Many pastors dread writing sermons for Trinity Sunday. Fearing that they will either fall into a theological heresy in their attempts to explain the doctrine of the Trinity2 or simply fail to help their congregants see why such a doctrine matters, they can be tempted to avoid the topic altogether in their preaching. This is a great loss for all, for instead of dancing around the topic, we could choose to celebrate that we have been invited to participate in what has been described as the Divine Dance.
Trinity Sunday is a perfect day to affirm and celebrate the sacredness of relationships-our relationship with God and our relationship with all of God's beloved children. It was not until I went to seminary that I was introduced to the beautiful word perichoresis and began to view the Trinity not as a paradoxical logic puzzle but as a wonderous interaction-an interweaving and swirling dance of delight between the totality of God-a dance that we through Christ have been invited to join. This is a metaphor that can speak to and inspire our congregations. We are being called by the Holy Trinity not so much to do but to be in relationship and to rejoice in it. Yes, suffering is real. Injustice and evil are real forces that must be called out. But there is more to life than this. There is love and laughter and hope born from the pure joy of being with one another.
The metaphor of being in relationship as a dance allows us to think about different kinds of sacred dances and the music that accompanies them-there are dances to express gratitude, lament, and liberation. There are even comedic group pantomimes sung around campfires that can bring much-needed stress release. Dancing with others is a different experience from dancing alone. Think about including in your sermon observations from your own life about the experience of dancing with others or interview a dancer in your community for additional words of wisdom. This is a perfect time to invite your congregation to reflect on the way in which they have (or haven't) been dancing with the Lord lately and ask God to reveal to them what dances they could do with other persons in their community/neighborhood.
Biographical Summary
Taylor Denyer is a missiologist, global nomad, and pastor in The United Methodist Church. She serves as the president of Friendly Planet Missiology.
1 John Wesley. Wesley's Notes on the Bible. Christian Classics Ethereal Library http://www.ccel.org/ccel/wesley/notes.ii.xxi.ix.ii.html
2 John Wesley. Wesley's Notes on the Bible. Christian Classics Ethereal Library http://www.ccel.org/ccel/wesley/notes.ii.xxi.ix.ii.html
s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQLfgaUoQCw
[imagine source: http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/diglib-viewimage.pl?SID=20190110362793547&code=act&RC=56538&Row=&code=act&return=act]
Second Sunday after Pentecost
June 23, 2019
1 Kings 19:1-4, (5-7), 8-15a
Galatians 3:23-29
Luke 8:26-39
Exegetical Missional Insights
1 Kings 19:1-4, (5-7), 8-15a
Despite the pressures and fears swirling around the Lord's prophet, the story is not ultimately about Elijah himself. Yes, his litany of hardships (rivaled only by the résumé of the apostle Paul) is difficult to overlook: Elijah has been zealous for the Lord while the people have abandoned God's covenant, torn down God's altars, and killed God's prophets. Their behavior amounted to a complete denial of Israel's identity as the people of God. Elijah, the designated survivor, has endured but it's just a matter of time before they come for him. Jezebel herself has sworn to end Elijah's life (19:1). It's hard to blame Elijah for wanting to die beforehand, not wanting to give Jezebel the pleasure. So, he lies down and asks God to make it all go away.
God's response is fascinating. First an angel rouses Elijah from his sleep, providing sustenance to keep going, not once but twice-and this food and drink sustains him for forty days and nights. That number is our first clue that Elijah may still have work to do. It is, after all, the time span the biblical writers use to tell us that the future holds purpose. That possibility is confirmed when God tells Elijah to go to Mt. Horeb-the mountain of the Lord where God's promises and law and love for the people had been proclaimed (v. 11). In this holy place, the Lord's asks: "what are you doing here, Elijah?" Elijah finally unloads his troubles on the Lord (v. 14). Right when a well-placed word of comfort might be expected, instead God self-reveals in the "sound of sheer silence." After this, God asks Elijah a second time: "what are you doing here, Elijah?" Elijah repeats his litany of woes, but God does not repeat the display of wind, earthquake, and fire; this time, God prescribes a new commission: "Go, return on your way..."
Gal 3:23-29
Like Elijah, the Galatians are harried and harassed by outsiders. In their case, however, it seems to be Jewish "missionaries" who are trying to get these Gentile Galatians to become Jewish as a condition for living out their Christian life. Paul's letter is an impassioned response to this crisis of faith among them. His anger and reassurance-in that order-are intended to get the Galatians to realize what is at stake. The Jewish law, which outsiders are attempting to force on these Galatian Christians, had its place (vv. 23-24), but the distinctions upon which that law operated (Jew/Gentile, slave/free, male/female) are no longer operative. Unity in Christ-by the gift(s) of the Spirit-trumps distinctions by law.
To be clear, Paul does not contradict himself elsewhere when he seems to accept the basic existence of things like slavery (cf. Philemon) or gender inequities (cf. Eph 5:22-28). In Gal 3:26-29 (cf. Col 3:11), he establishes the thick, foundational claim that in Christ these distinctions do not have ultimate significance. They are not the basis for salvation, as they tended to be in the Roman Empire, for example. Whether one was born citizen or alien, slave or free, male or female, went a long way toward determining one's fate. To be baptized, on the other hand-to be re-born in Christ-meant freedom from the determinative power of such distinctions. To be truly free is to become Christ's servant.
Luke 8:26-39
The story of the Gerasene demoniac takes the story of Jesus through Gentile country. If we did not know first-century geography, Luke gives us contextual clues: the man roams around naked, lives among the tombs in the vicinity of a pig farm and gives his name (or the name of the demons possessing him) as "legion"-a Roman military classification. The story, in other words, is thoroughly non-Jewish in its details. At the end of the story, we are told that "all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear" (8:37). The Gentile residents in the area do not want whatever this wandering miracle worker has to offer, especially if it is more powerful than whatever had driven the demoniac mad. In this respect, the passage parallels other "rejection" passages in Luke. Most well-known, perhaps, is Luke 4:25-30, when Jesus' home synagogue attempts to throw him off a cliff, presumably because he interpreted their unbelief as confirmation of God's favor toward Gentiles as well. In addition to rejection by fellow Jews, elsewhere Jesus finds little acceptance among Samaritans (9:52-55). In their own way, each story of rejection (by Jews, Gentiles, and Samaritans) follows from Jesus' ministry of outreach to people those groups disdained. Everyone is fine with Jesus until he includes in his saving purposes those other people over there.
God's Mission in the Text
There are several motifs that tie the three lectionary texts together-the loneliness of those singled out for God's purposes, the military-like battle waged between the way of God and those who oppose it, various interpretations of what it means to be free. But the motifs are not unrelated to one another, so it may be best to handle at least two of them together. Two with special significance for thinking about God's mission are: God's election and the experience of rejection. The two themes, moreover, may resonate in the season of Pentecost, when the gift of the Spirit both singles God's servants out for witness (Acts 1:8) and puts them, inevitably, on trial (Acts 3-7, 22-28).
Elijah got to glimpse-or hear, rather-God in person. But this revelation came in the midst of Elijah's great suffering and anxiety. And it was no idle revelation, but the basis for Elijah's new commission. God used rejection as a way to confirm Elijah's election (cf. 1 Peter 1:1-7), but election is never a thing in and of itself, but the basis for a vocation.
The Galatians had a target on their back for other reasons. Like all Christians, they were vulnerable to voices telling them that Christian faithfulness required "Jesus plus"-that is, Jesus was insufficient in and of himself. The law (circumcision, purity rituals, legal observance) was needed, so these voices said. But the freedom in Christ to which Paul called his Gentile Galatian believers meant liberation from this remarkably persuasive view. To accept the law (and its necessary category distinctions) in addition to Christ was tantamount to slavery, according to Paul. The only servitude that, paradoxically, offers true freedom is obedience to Christ by the Spirit. The elect are baptized into Christ-and not into Christ plus this or into Christ plus that.
Luke's story of the Gerasene demoniac shows how Jesus, who had at his disposal the very "finger of God" (Luke 11:20), could rebuke a legion of demons. But, as God's chosen one (Luke 9:35), Jesus' exercise of mercy and release was met so often with fear (Luke 8:37) or outright rejection (23:35). The cross stands as the definitive confluence of election and rejection, characteristics of a life patterned after Jesus' own faithful obedience.
Missional Connections for Our Context
It is remarkably easy for Christian leaders and churches to avoid a missional vocation by appealing to any number of more pressing issues-after we get the budget in order, after we fully train leaders, after we've done a survey of the community's needs. Missional activity can always be postponed because of present hardships or circumstances. But, as with Elijah, God refuses those excuses by providing hard-pressed prophets with sustenance and by revealing himself in the midst of hardship. Sometimes the experience of rejection itself can provide the circumstances in which God is most recognizable. Ask the apostles (Acts 3-5), ask Stephen (Acts 6-8), or ask Paul (Acts 9-28; 2 Cor 4-5). Are there places in your communities where rejection could be a potential site of fruitfulness in God's hands?
Had the reaction of God to Elijah's troubles been narrated in 21st century terms, it might have been to tell Elijah that he is a good prophet, that sometimes bad things happen, that grieving together is the first step to true healing. But as the text stands, to the question of "can this get any worse?" the answer seems to be "well, how big is your God?" At those moments when events, as tragic as they are, are most in danger of becoming all about us, it is really all about God. Moreover, God promises to meet us in the carrying out of our (Pentecost-al) commission, not (simply) in the cavernous places we hide from the world.
Or, written today, Paul's letter to the Galatians might have insisted that it didn't really matter whether the Galatians followed the "Judaizing" teachers among them. As long as they believed something, that was probably good enough. But Paul says that much more is stake. In a season in which we celebrate the gift of the Spirit (Pentecost), a return to the elemental distinctions of the Law would be to act as if the Spirit had never come (Acts 2). But the Spirit makes all the difference, since it is the liberating presence of Jesus himself (Acts 2:17-21; 16:8). Pentecost, for Jews of Jesus' day, was a festival celebrating the gift of the Law. That this was the day on which God poured out the Holy Spirit was surely no accident, but an event signifying that the covenant was newly written on the inside of believers, so to speak. The Spirit of the Lord Jesus now cleansed both Jewish and Gentile hearts by faith (Acts 15:11).
Or, written today, Luke 8:26-39 might have talked about how Jesus ingratiated himself with the local Gentiles by giving the Gerasene demoniac a fish-or, better yet, teaching him how to fish, as the saying goes. Had he done that, Jesus and his NGO of apostles maybe wouldn't have been kicked out of the Decapolis. But Jesus, engaging a (literally) demonized man with every conceivable stigma attached to him, overpowers the forces oppressing him. As a result, Jesus himself becomes stigmatized, rejected once again by a community fearful of the wideness of God's mercy. It is ironic that the demons immediately recognize Jesus, while the villagers only close their hands and hearts. Sometimes the very goodness of the deed-while it confirms Jesus' identity as God's Chosen one-is the reason for rejection.
The twin motifs of election and rejection are captured well in lines from Wesley's Covenant Prayer, a fitting word for the season of Pentecost: "I am no longer my own, but thine. Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee, exalted for thee or brought low for thee. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal."
Biographical Summary
Colin H. Yuckman is an ordained Teaching Elder of the Presbyterian Church (USA). He formerly served as Pastor/Head of Staff of a church in Western Pennsylvania. Currently, he is completing his doctoral dissertation in New Testament and Mission Theology at Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC.
UNDER THE BUSH: DISMAY AND HOPE
A Special Reflection for the Second Sunday after Pentecost
1 Kings 19:1-4, (5-7), 8-15a
Galatians 3:23-29
Luke 8:26-39
Last Fall, a phone call came in the early evening. I detected a slight sadness in my friend's voice on the other end of the line. In a most unexpected way, the air in my living room froze and I felt out of breath. My aunt Wendy had passed away during a trip to Paris. How could this be? Hers was the most vibrant life I know. We had just been chatting over texts when I was doing research in Boston. She even joked about finding me a husband whose last name starts with "Z" so she would walk before me when we would graduate and receive our doctoral degrees together. She had been very disappointed when I told her I would keep my last name. All my memories with aunt Wendy rushed back to my head and I kept playing the scenes. That day I sobbed for a long time; I knew many of her family and friends did the same.
When the death of a beloved one takes place in our lives, whether sudden or gradual, regardless of the age of the person, we all are impacted to different degrees and durations of grief. We experience the sting of death, the most excruciating emotional, even physical pain. Somehow, it feels like an ocean wave knocks us off the board, and we desperately crave for air. On a personal and communal level, it could be a miscarriage, fighting an illness, a betrayal by a spouse, or the failing of an important exam, or the loss of a dream job. On a social level, the causes of our suffering could be political tension, regional war, separation of families, medical injustice, or economic exploitation. Many times we suffer when we see our loved ones suffer. The pain may not be any less when we shed tears for people we have not even met, also pets and other creatures. Somehow, we find ourselves being moved.
Our first reading of 1 Kings 19 situates us in the context of the Northern Kingdom in Israelite history. Elijah faced his own life and death situation. As a prophet, he had confronted the dynastic power of the Omri and conducted multiple miracles. He was fulfilling God's calling for him with a full-blown passion, but all his fellow prophets had been killed (18: 4; 13). He then courageously challenged four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and demonstrated that Yahweh, the LORD, was the only one who provides life-giving water.
The story took a dramatic change; instead of a glorious victory, Elijah received a death threat from Jezebel. He ran for his life to the wilderness, a whole day's journey. Then we read that Elijah cried out to God, "It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life..." (19: 4). Interestingly, we find him falling asleep under a broom tree. Instead of arguing with Elijah and reassuring his life calling and ministry as a prophet, God took a rather different approach. The LORD sent a messenger to provide bread and water for him. The second time the messenger came, we even find comforting words such as, "Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you." Elijah then walked forty days and forty nights. At Mount Horeb (Sinai), he encountered not an answer, but a question from the LORD. At this point, Elijah was stripped of everything he had. He had been abandoned by the children of Israel. He had witnessed the LORD's altar being wrecked. He had agonized over all the other prophets' violent deaths. Nothing was left except his own life, which seemed to be pointless at the moment.
Another surprising turn of the story was how the LORD dealt with all the pains and sorrows Elijah was experiencing (1 Kings 19: 11). When the LORD passed by, Elijah looked to the mighty wind, but the LORD was not in the wind. Elijah looked to the terrifying earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. Elijah looked to the strong fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. Instead, it was qol demama daqqa (Hebrew, sound of sheer silence). It was the exact question that Elijah had heard in verse 9, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" Elijah's answer was exactly the same as in verse 10 and verse 14. Then, the LORD gave instructions to Elijah. Although the LORD was not in the mighty wind, terrifying earthquake, or the strong fire, He used these elements to get Elijah's full attention.
Mount Sinai was the same place where the Israelites encountered Yahweh in the third month when they left Egypt (Exodus 19). Thunder, lightning, a thick cloud and smoke, and an increasingly loud trumpet sound set the stage for the divine meeting between the Holy one and the trembling people. Yahweh descended on Mount Sinai in fire. Yahweh gave Moses the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) and called the people of Israel to enter into a covenantal relationship with Him alone. We may recall another extraordinary parallel story in Genesis 21 when Abraham and Sarah sent Hagar and Ishmael away. In the hot desert, Hagar and Ishmael ran out of water. Hagar laid down her son under a bush when all her hopes had died. God heard Ishmael's crying and opened Hagar's eyes to a well of water. In the most desperate circumstance, God provided life-giving water and even promised to make Ishmael a great nation.
Turning to the New Testament, at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17: 1-13), Jesus took Peter, James, and John to a high mountain. There, Jesus transfigured in front of them. Moses and Elijah were talking with Jesus. Both Moses and Elijah had heard from God on Mount Sinai in two previous historical periods. Like the trembling Israelites, Jesus' disciples also felt fear when they experienced the revelation of God. The Messianic expectation of the Jewish people at the time was for Elijah to return and to make things right. In a way, Moses and Elijah foreshadowed the role of Jesus. Through Moses, Yahweh gave the Ten Commandments to the Israelites; through Elijah, Yahweh challenged king Ahab's abuse of power in spirituality, politics, and land ownership; through Jesus, God gave Himself to us. Through the Incarnation, God entered into the world He had made! Moses had seen the burning bush which indicated the holiness of Yahweh; Elijah had surrendered his life and prophetic office under the bush; and Jesus, the true Messiah, gave his life on a different kind of tree, the Cross. As Jesus was dying on the cross, darkness came over the land. When Jesus cried out, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani [my God, my God, why have you abandoned me]?" (Matthew 27: 45-46), people misunderstood and mocked him for crying for help from Elijah. When Jesus gave up his spirit, the temple curtain was torn from top to bottom, the earth shook and rocks split, tombs broke open, and holy people resurrected and appeared to many people, including women (Matthew 27: 51-56). Jesus rose from death and commissioned his followers to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28: 19).
In our Gospel reading of this week, we read the story of Jesus subduing the demonic legion in Luke 8: 26-39. A legion is roughly about five thousand troops. The demon-possessed man had to live among the tombs. Jesus healed the man by driving out these spirits. He sent this new disciple to tell others how much God had done for him. In our second reading, Galatians 3: 23-29, we are reminded that we have become heirs to the Kingdom of God. We have inherited the promise God gave to Abraham and Sarah. More importantly, we are the children of the Creator, regardless of class, gender, ethnicities, and economic differences and distinctions. Jesus became the second Tree of life, from which flows the water of life that nourishes us, revives us, cleanses us, and enables us to hope, to thrive, to confront evil, and to love.
Hope may present to us in different forms. It could be hiking in the woods where we could clear our minds; it could be chiseling a sculpture while contemplating on God's goodness; it could be seeing a beautiful flower blossoming and whispering beauty into our ears; and it maybe your rambunctious cat galloping through the house like a heavy horse. In an unexplainable way, our souls are comforted and lifted.
God does not despise our pain, questions, or even doubts. He makes room for us in a place where we can pour out ourselves and where we can hold discussions or even debates with Him. On the road of following Christ, God does not promise a painless ride, but He gives Himself to us. He calls us to enter into a deeper place, where we lament together, not just for ourselves, but for our local, regional, or global sufferings. It is in long-suffering that we know what holy love means. When we find ourselves being exhausted, ready to lay down everything under the bush like the prophet Elijah, God points us to the cross. He always provides small doses of hope, sufficient for us to be refreshed. He then gives us more hope, enough for the journey ahead of us.
Coming back to my aunt Wendy. In honor of her memory and her contribution to Indigenous theological efforts, our school invited her husband to attend her posthumous graduation. They held a special ceremony and shared her research. A few close friends gathered with her husband and shared stories over meals; we cried and laughed. We are all grateful for the memories she has gifted to us, like the sweetgrass aroma, a precious life well-lived finding a mysterious new beginning. The best of all, God never abandons us. It is with our Creator that we walk on this journey, lamenting and rejoicing in this world.
Biographical Summary
Susangeline Patrick. Adjunct Professor in History of Christianity, NAIITS.
Third Sunday after Pentecost
June 30, 2019
2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14
Luke 9:51-62
Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Exegetical Missional Insights
All three passages highlight in some way the transformational character of God's presence in human lives. There is a lot of imagery and symbolism in all three passages.
2 Kings 2 narrates the passage of leadership from one generation to the next. The transfer of leadership from Elijah to Elisha is reminiscent of that from Moses to Joshua and even of what we can sense in Paul's second letter to Timothy. The theme of loyalty is a common thread to these stories. In the Elijah to Elisha transition, there are obvious signs of tension and anxiety. Elisha asks for something specific in that transition and, in doing so, gives us a glimpse into the relationship between that older prophet and his younger protégé.
Luke 9 describes a teaching moment in Jesus' ministry. Is He using some hyperbole to press home what discipleship really means? Perhaps so, but there's no mistaking the idea that following Jesus will have its costs.
Galatians is a letter about contrasts and chapter 5 is no exception. Galatians 5 is in the "so what?" section of Paul' letter against distortions of the gospel being promoted by Judaizers insisting on conformity to Jewish culture. Being a Jesus-follower is clearly more than claiming one can be a Christian without slavishly following Jewish practices and customs.
Did Paul have Plato and Aristotle in mind as he was writing to the churches in Galatia? Those two Greek philosophers had differing ideas about how people acquire virtue. Aristotle had the idea that virtue results from habit patterns, i.e., do good things enough times and eventually you'll become good. Plato thought virtues were acquired by right learning. From there comes the idea that enough education will eliminate racism, poverty, human trafficking, bullying and other social evils. In his letter to the churches in Galatia, Paul argues that virtue is the fruit of something other than repetition or education.
From time to time Paul uses military imagery in his letters. Galatians is no exception as verse 25 of Galatians 5 evokes the image of people marching in line military-style.
The variety of graces, behavior and character traits listed in Galatians 5 is spoken of as one fruit, the fruit of the Spirit. This holistic language is different from what is employed in Ephesians 4, Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 when Paul speaks of a plurality of spiritual gifts which are distributed separately. This fruit of the spirit with all its characteristics is available to all Christ-followers. The metaphor of fruit in Galatians 5 is reminiscent of what Jesus had to say about the vine and branches. We're the branches and we cannot bear fruit if we're not connected to the vine.
God's Mission in the Text
The Elijah/Elisha narrative describes God intervening in human history in a specific way at a specific time and place. Wind and fire are oft-used symbols in Scripture. The mighty acts God had performed through Elijah will continue to be performed through Elisha. This is far more than deism in which a Creator creates but then sits back to watch without involving Himself in any way.
Jesus' words in the Luke passage say this "Way" as it is called in Acts 9:2 is something serious. Clearly, being a Jesus-follower has to be more than a capricious lark or a passing fancy. Jesus' words in Luke 9 as well as those of Paul in Galatians 5 signal something radically unusual about Jesus-followers. Neither of those passages are about dividing people into categories of church-goers and non-church-goers. Instead, the categories are those who allow the Holy Spirit to bear fruit through them and those who do not.
In our very culturally diverse world, Galatians 5 helps us see the core characteristics of authentic Christ-followers. Being filled with the Spirit of Jesus means more than being a "nice" person (however "nice" may be defined in any culture).
In Galatians, life in Christ is life lived far beyond demands of the law. This starkly contrasts with the bloody self-flagellations in some Holy Week celebrations around the world in which people seem determined to gain God's forgiveness by inflicting pain on themselves.
The Christian life is not simply radical obedience to a particular set of lifestyle rules or guidelines. Paul calls us to produce or bear the "fruit of the Spirit." There is no way we can educate or discipline ourselves into the "pure heart" condition Jesus mentioned in the Beatitudes and which is unpacked here in Galatians 5. Bearing the fruit of the Spirit requires God's transformative presence.
The Spirit, not the law, produces fruit (the same Spirit who will make us witnesses in all the world). The contrast between what Paul said and what the Judaizers were saying seems reflected in the use of "works" for behavior not of God and "fruit" for the outcome of the Spirit's work in us.
Missional Connections for Our Context
All three passages invite us to be willing to let go of some things in the past and move into uncharted waters.
Believers must not be content to simply follow a moral code in which they do the right things and avoid the wrong things, as for instance our Buddhist friends might say. From Luke 9, the idea comes through clearly that we Christocentric kingdom members are aliens, nomads and pilgrims on earth. Jesus words about discipleship call us to embrace a lifestyle evocative of the "road not taken" of poet Robert Frost.
Can Galatians help us see that, in every culture, there are radical inner differences between those who are in Christ and those who are not? Obviously, fruit can be cultivated. In so doing, however, one must not think that righteousness stems from our own works. The fruit of Galatians 5 is the fruit of the Spirit. There is freedom in this, but Paul reminds us it's not freedom to practice self-indulgence which is in itself a form of slavery.
Life to be lived in the Spirit is not simply about trying harder or doing more. It is allowing the Spirit to produce His fruit in us. The inward goodness spoken of in Galatians 5 is a fruit reflecting God. To be sure, that fruit can be cultivated. But it cannot be produced by us alone. The authentic fruit of the Spirit is not a righteousness of works.
In 1937, German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote a book titled Cost of Discipleship. That same year, the Nazis were opening some of their infamous concentration camps and Martin Niemöller, a pastoral colleague of Bonhoeffer, was arrested. Later Bonhoeffer himself would be arrested and eventually executed. One of the most memorable lines in that book is "When God calls a man, he bids him come and die." That kind of costly discipleship is included in the radical transformation which these three texts ask us to consider.
Biographical Summary
Dr. Howard Culbertson is missiology professor emeritus at Southern Nazarene University. Prior to his 25 years at SNU, he and his wife were missionaries to Italy (10 years) and Haiti (5 years).
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
July 7, 2019
2 Kings 5:1-14
Galatians 6: (1-6), 7-16
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
Exegetical Missional Insights
2 Kings 5:1-14
Naaman was a powerful foreigner and the commander in the army of the King of Aram (Israel's enemy) who had leprosy. Although leprosy is typically a cause of marginalization and alienation, there is no indication that Naaman experienced either as a result of this condition, but he does want to be rid of it. Of all people, a young unnamed slave girl, who was taken captive from the land of Israel as a spoil of battle, raises the issue of his healing. The King of Aram and the King of Israel, both powerful men, defer their roles in his healing. Elisha the prophet offers to help Naaman and tells him to wash in the Jordan seven times. Naaman angrily questions why Elisha didn't call on God and heal him with the wave of a hand. At the urging of his servants, Naaman listens to Elisha, his flesh is restored, and he is made clean. The text brings into focus the value of marginalized voices, contrasts various examples of power and demonstrates the interconnectedness of our lives. It is not merely a story about Naaman's healing but about how people who are named and unnamed, powerful and powerless, play a role in God's mission to bring healing to Naaman.
Galatians 6: (1-6), 7-16
We are urged by our brother, the Apostle Paul, to receive the gift of new life in Jesus. Gentleness, humility and loving our neighbors as ourselves are all indicators of this new life. Distinct from carrying our own load, this text calls us to bear one another's burdens and in doing so, the law of Christ is fulfilled (v. 2). Followers of Christ are called to live by the Spirit and mutually care for one another. It is not an easy way to live but it is the new life to which God calls his people. Mutuality helps to eliminate the barriers, labels and realities that may cause separation. There is neither (circumcised and uncircumcised) Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female, all are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). New life in Christ is marked by one another's interdependence and dependence on God.
Luke 10: 1-11, 16-20
In Luke 10, Jesus appoints, calls, and sends out the Seventy. Jesus carefully laid out how they were to go and what they were to do on mission with him especially after he is no longer with them. They were to receive hospitality offered to them and eat what is set before them. In addition, they were to cure in his name those who were sick and proclaim the Kingdom of God "has come near". Communion, partnership, and collaboration mark the mission of God. Humanity's participation in the mission of God is led and empowered by the Spirit of God. God is the one who invites, calls, sends, and gives authority.
God's Mission in the Text
These texts emphasize three aspects of God's mission:
1. Every voice counts, every life matters.
In God's economy, there are no barriers nor boundaries for who is valued and utilized in His mission. God calls and uses even those deemed voiceless and invisible in society. Whether a young unnamed captive female (viewed as property), servants, a king, a prophet, uncircumcised, circumcised, followers of Jesus, all have value and voice. God makes room for each person to play a role in his mission and one other's healing and wholeness. God's mission is revealed not only in what he does but also in who (powerful and powerless, named and nameless) He notices and enlists in His mission.
2. Mutuality, peace seeking and hospitality are signs of the Kingdom of God.
Naaman's story demonstrates how healing is a joint effort. Paul reminds humanity that all are called to help one other in the journey. Jesus calls people into communal mission and life. Humanity's wholeness is interwoven and interdependent. In bearing one another's burdens and receiving of hospitality, interconnectedness, mutuality, and reciprocity are embodied. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit model this in their being and activity. This way of living calls for shared peace instead of individualism. Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). Community and shared life mark the way and mission of God, Missio Dei. In loving one another, loving neighbors as ourselves and seeking one another's peace, the law of Christ is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God comes near.
3. God calls and empowers.
God invites humans to speak and live the Good News of Jesus with one another as ministers of his hope, peace, reconciliation, healing, and restoration. God called and empowered the young captive girl, the prophet Elisha, the kings, Naaman's servants and the Seventy just as he calls us today. It is His spirit that provides authority and calls the follower of Christ into mission.
Missional Connections for Our Context
The Good News of Jesus is not only about eternal life to come but the abundant life for humanity now (John 10:10). What are the expectations, even demands that we make of God in regards to our abundance, healing and wholeness? Are we open to the ways God might heal us? Is our own healing the only concern we have? How is our healing connected to our neighbor's healing? How do we seek the well-being of our neighbors and the land we live in addition to our own? God intended for our shalom to be interwoven with one other (neighbors and even enemies) and place. Do we believe this and yet live in a way that doesn't reflect that belief? In Jeremiah 29, God exiles the people of God to live among their enemies and to seek his peace there. We need each other. This is the mission of God. It is the upside-down kingdom. How can we live, act, engage in a way that reflects the truth that one another's peace, well-being, and healing are interdependent and that each person has a role to play? This kind of living, sowing hope, seeking healing, and wholeness in the land with our neighbors, are signs of the Kingdom of God.
St. Teresa of Avila speaks of God's invitation into mission:
Christ has no body on earth but yours; no hands but yours; no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ looks out to the world.
Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good.
Yours are the hands with which he is to bless others now.
Biographical Summary
Mary Glenn, D.Min., is an Affiliate Assistant Professor of Intercultural Studies (Urban Studies) at Fuller Theological Seminary. She regularly leads urban immersions and city walks in her home city of Los Angeles. She has served as a law enforcement chaplain since 2001 and is a police chaplain trainer and an ordained pastor.
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
July 14, 2019
Amos 7:7-17
Colossians 1:1-14
Luke 10:25-37
Exegetical Missional Insights
The background of the message of Amos, like the other Old Testament prophets, is God's universal plan of salvation for all nations and the mission of God's particular people. Israel was to mediate God's righteousness and glory to the nations by living righteously and worshiping the Lord alone.
The history of Israel, however, demonstrates that this was often far from reality. Israel's unfaithfulness was evidenced by its blatant idolatry and their mistreatment of different groups. Religious purity could not be found among the people. Nonetheless, God had not given up on his people and his plan of salvation. Prophets, God's spokespersons, had the difficult task to communicate God's Word, including warnings and exhortations, in contextualized ways for the best comprehension.
The oracles to the nations in the book of Amos give an international dimension to his message and mission. This is the third vision of Amos (7:7-17). The prophet employs the image of a plumb line to communicate the need for Israel to meet God's specifications for their fidelity and witness. He announces that the Lord would check the wall and announce his approval or not. Because Israel was guilty of injustice toward the innocent, the poor, and the young women, this was a message of repentance in the face of judgment. Failure would bring captivity and destruction.
Several centuries later, the letter to the Colossians also gives insight into the relationship between God and his people (the church), and its relationship to God's universal missional purposes. Ephesus was probably Paul's center of operations in the region. Since Epaphras was from Colossae, he most likely had the task of evangelizing his own people. Among other dynamics, however, Christians faced some tension in their relationship with the Jewish community, who regarded their own Jewish religious practices as superior.
As Paul introduces his letter, he has thanksgiving and prayer in mind. The purpose of his prayer is that they "may live a life worthy of the Lord" (Cl 1:10). This is a prayer for spiritual growth, transformation, and mission. In order to describe that dynamic, Paul then resorts to a contextual imagery-a gardening illustration for the new plant of the gospel.
This metaphor is introduced in verse 6, "All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth." It is later revisited in verses 10 and 11 with mentions to "bearing fruit," "growing," and "being strengthened" as Paul highlights that the word of the gospel bears fruit and grows. The term "growing" has both individual and collective dimensions since being employed by Paul in verse 6 in reference to the spread of the gospel around the world. Those who have the knowledge of God's will also have the power to persevere and to experience joyful thanksgiving (v. 11).
Different from the typical Jewish emphasis in their context, the knowledge of God (v. 9, 10) is the root of a righteous life and the test of this conduct is what it produces. Fruitful living is totally dependent on God's grace, which qualifies one for the entrance into the kingdom of the Son (v. 13-14). Ultimately, Paul seems to connect his audience the God's original command in creation to "be fruitful and multiply" (Gen 1:28).
As one ponders upon the theme of a righteous life, it is impossible to forget probably Jesus' best-known parable-the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-37). Jesus teaches that the essence of God's law is mercy, which cannot be a theoretical concept. "Do this and you will live, go and do like-wise" (v. 28, 37), instructed Jesus to the expert in the law twice. In the parable, the priest and the Levite, who claimed to be in accordance with God's will, clearly did not do it.
God's Mission in the Text
God has never given up his universal purpose of salvation and restoration. To Amos, being faithful to his covenant with Israel, he said "Go, prophesy to my people Israel" (7:15). His message was critical of religious traditions and structures that are disconnected from practical ethical living. It also included the unpopular teaching on judgement and coming destruction, however, with an emphasis on the end result as hope and restoration for all humanity and assurance of God's love and sovereignty.
According to God's sovereignty and a last resort to a people that kept falling short and insisting on disobeying, He allowed the people of Israel to be taken captive. He turned that captivity into partial fulfillment of His missionary plans as a blessing to all nations.
Following Israel's failure, Jesus became the neighbor to all humanity-the standard of mercy to everyone. He himself left his glory in heaven to come rescue his creation without distinction of age, race, gender, color, or social status. He considered everyone property of God.
He challenged the cold formality of institutional religion in his day and rescued the original meaning of God's law. "Christ illustrates the nature of true religion. He shows that it consists not in systems, creeds, or rites, but in the performance of loving deeds, in bringing the greatest good to others, in genuine goodness" (Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 497).
Before ascending into heaven, Jesus had explicitly manifested his desire for the disciples to continue his mission. Faithful followers of Christ like Paul and Epaphras were God's instruments in planting the gospel in many places. As a result, through the divine power and grace, the knowledge of God and his will grew and bore fruit around the world.
Missional Connections for Our Context
God's will for his children is for them to live a righteous life worthy of the Lord, in fulfilment of his law of love and mercy, and for the witness of his glory to everyone. The law of God is the law of his kingdom. He wants his children to begin experiencing the abundant life now, the reality of his kingdom by following his law. Therefore, "the gospel doesn't just produce a new religious experience for those who might like such a thing. It brings about something much greater: nothing less than new creation."1
Contemporary "Good Samaritans" radically oppose this-worldly values through living testimonies characterized by sacrificial love and mercy. That is only possible when people are able to correctly answer the question "Who is my neighbor?" (Lk 10:29). One cannot ignore the broken and damaged lives that can be found in the streets and neighborhoods of today. Don't engage in categorization and labeling of those around you in order to identify who might be your neighbor. Break down the walls of prejudice and turn yourself into their neighbors no matter who they are. This demands authenticity and coherence in people's spiritual life- a common demand today from church members and leaders by the younger generations.
"Amos knew the history of Israel and the history of the nations around Israel. He knew Israelite politics, society, and religion. He had enough courage to confront those who oppressed the poor, religious leaders such as Amaziah, and greedy landgrabbers and merchants. His strong sense of the Lord's call to prophesy was the enabling force of his ministry (7:15). Such a sense of call has continued to be the authority and motivation for service to the Lord."2
The above paragraph could be easily written about Jesus. Could it be written about you too? Echoing the apostle Paul, one could counsel contemporary followers of Christ: "Grow in the knowledge of God, be strengthened with all power, and bear fruit in every good work."
Biographical Summary
Marcelo E. C. Dias serves as Missiology professor at Brazil Adventist University, São Paulo, Brazil, where he also directs the Center for World Missions. He is an ordained minister of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He earned his Ph.D. in Religion at Andrews University, Michigan, USA.
1 Tom Wright, Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004), 143.
2 Billy K. Smith and Franklin S. Page, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, vol. 19B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995), 28.
ART: https://home.llu.edu/sites/home.llu.edu/files/images/look-17/good-samaritan.jpg
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
Amos 8:1-14
Luke 10:38-42
Colossians 1:15-28
Exegetical Missional Insights
These texts are tough, certainly when brought together, but even individually. The Amos passage excoriates Israel for its evil business practices and announces impending judgment. The Luke passage is that of Mary at the feet of Jesus while Martha is in the kitchen. The Colossians passage is the majestic hymn telling of the supremacy of Christ. I am not sure I have captured what the Fathers of the church meant to show by tying these together on this Sunday, but will look at them with an eye to God's mission.
Amos 8: 1-14
This passage occurs after Amaziah, priest in the northern city of Bethel, confronted Amos and told him to leave Israel. Amos instead curses Amaziah and his family, and then rings the bell for another round of condemnation of the northern tribes.
He begins with the picture of a basket of summer fruit, suggesting that the time is now ripe, and the end is near. It is near because the Israelites have been cheating each other day in and day out, trampling the poor. Catastrophe is at hand, with land quaking, rivers rising, and dark portents in the heavens. There will be famine, not only of bread and water, but of God's Word.
Luke 10:38-42
The story is well known. Jesus is welcomed to his friend's home, that of Lazarus, Mary and Martha. While Martha bustles about making sure everything is suitable for her guests Mary lies near Jesus, listening.
Colossians 1:15-28
This is one of the great, magnificent odes to Christ. He is-"the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, the one in whom all things hold together, the head of the church, the firstborn of the dead. The fullness of the Father dwells in Him and through Him all things on heaven and earth have been reconciled to God." The mystery of God in Christ has been made known to Paul, and that mystery is the gospel which Paul is compelled to share among the Gentiles.
God's Mission in the Text
Who is the Christ? Is he truly central to our lives? Does Christ impinge on the way we conduct business? This seems as near a way to tie the passages together as I can, without creating a knot.
The Colossians passage is magnificent. Christ is....everything; all good, all creation, all that can reconcile us to God, and a sublime mystery revealed. This mystery must be shared, as Paul says, "Admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ." Every, every, every. Admonish, teach, present. Christ is no local hero. He made the Cosmos, and then changed our relation to it by reconciling us to its' God. No wonder Paul seemed nearly manic in spreading this Word. All things, all men, all of creation are involved. He will do what it takes-admonish, teach, show. There is nothing more amazing than Christ and what He has done. How could anyone keep that to himself?
Mary understood this. The key to the cosmos was in her house; she would not leave him to take up ordinary household chores.
The northern ten tribes got almost nothing of God's grandeur. They held some ceremonies, played some music, and then did as they pleased. No visible sign of God's presence among them. After the dreadful judgment at the hands of the Assyrians they would long to hear the words of the Lord, the very ones they ignored when Amos prophesied. Why? Why would anyone ignore the Word of God, the Key to the Cosmos, Christ?
The cosmos bears the weight and shape of God. Yet the world ignores or denies Him. How is that possible? Why don't people see, and repent? On one hand we have the very contented Mary, who enjoys sitting in the presence of God. On the other hand we have the Israelites, fooling themselves with the notion that their dirty dealing will yield no consequences. But it will. The Word of God is also the Cosmos' judge.
God's Mission in the Text
What would it look like to recognize the Image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of Creation, etc. in our lives? First, we'd pay attention, like Mary. Today, enormous money and energy is spent getting our attention. Every time we go to a website, ads scream at us: "Look at Me!" Letters arrive in the mail: "See the Great Need You Can Solve!" Bosses demand our attention; children crave it. Why not pay most attention to that which is most important? God, whose shadow was all Moses could bear to see, is here. He was, is, and will be here. We can only know Him in fragments, but those fragments are lovely.
Second. We'd treat others as if they were directly related to this ineffable being. What if we thought of those others not as only customers, or parishioners, or prospects, but glorious beings derived from the one God? I doubt we'd cheat one of them. I doubt we'd look down on one of them. I bet we would honor them, regardless of status.
The key to the cosmos is here. And He is also the key to each day of our life.
Biographical Summary
Kent Van Til has a Ph.D. in Moral Theology. He is ordained in the Christian Reformed Church and is a former missionary to Central America.
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost (Revised Common Lectionary)/Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Vatican II Lectionary)
July 21, 2019, Year C
Fifty years ago yesterday, on July 20, 1969, Presbyterian Ruling Elder Buzz Aldrin celebrated the Lord's Supper on the moon. The first food and drink consumed on the moon was the blessed bread and wine from Aldrin's church, Webster Presbyterian, near Houston, TX.
Each year, on the Sunday closest to July 20, Webster Presbyterian holds its Lunar Communion Sunday. This year, many Christian Churches will be joining Webster in spirit. The co-director of the Presbyterian Office of Worship, David Gambrell, has suggested that the name be changed to Cosmic Communion Sunday.
Every Christian who accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior and is baptized is a witness to what Jesus has accomplished on our planet. Aldrin's action reminds us deeply that Jesus is Lord and Savior not only of humans, but of everything animate and inanimate on our planet and its satellite.
The Scripture readings for today, especially St. Paul's Letter to the Colossians, help us appreciate what Aldrin's Church and he did. When St. Paul stuns us by stating that something is missing in the sufferings of Christ, and that he, Paul, fills up what is missing, we begin to appreciate the vital importance of our actions. Presbyterian Biblical scholar William Barclay calls Paul's statement "a daring thought" (The Letters to the Philippians, Colossians and Thessalonians, The Daily Study Bible Series, rev. ed., 1975, p. 126).
St. Paul continues Colossians by explaining that the mystery hidden in ages past is now unfolded, with Jesus at the center. Christ is our hope of glory, and every Christian is called to proclaim that glory. Webster Presbyterian Church went as far as the moon to do it.
What are we and our church doing to proclaim the mystery of Christ, our hope of glory? Most of us will not be astronauts, but Paul makes it clear that every Christian in every age is called to make Christ known to every person and race and culture.
When poet laureate Archibald MacLeish reflected on humans circling the moon, Christmas Eve, 1969, he linked our adventure with humility. His short essay "Riders on Earth Together," concluded with these moving lines: "To see the earth as it truly is, small and blue and beautiful in that eternal silence where it floats, is to see ourselves as riders on the earth together, brothers on that bright loveliness in the eternal cold--brothers who know now they are truly brothers."
Our Gospel today proposes the account of Martha and Mary, Martha busy with so many tasks of hospitality; Mary seated at the Lord's feet. We note that Jesus does not reject Martha's ministry. He calls Mary's the better part, telling us that both the tasks of hospitality and the choice of being at His feet in admiration, are important.
Is it probable that Aldrin's celebration of Communion is the more important part, but the work of getting to the moon and exploring it are necessary too? This may lead us back to Paul's view that somehow he fills up what is lacking in Christ's suffering. Christian ministry is varied, with so much of it hidden.
Missiologist Stephen Bevans, SVD, underlined the new, cosmic dimension of our joint witness, when he wrote "to think in terms of the vast amount of time, the 13.8 billion years since the Big Bang, to think of the vastness of space in this universe of billions of light-years in diameter, to think in terms of the complexity of cosmic and biologic evolution--such a perspective changes completely our understanding of doctrines like creation, redemption, Christology, ecclesiology, and mission itself" ("My Pilgrimage in Mission," International Bulletin of Mission Research 43 [Jan. 2019, 1]:89).
If Christ's "blood is on the rose, and in the stars the glory of His eyes" (Joseph Mary Plunkett), is it not the responsibility and privilege of every Christian to make that known? Between the roses in our home gardens and the dust of the moon?
Biographical Summary
Rev. Harry E. Winter, OMI, is the coordinator for the ministry of Mission, Unity and Dialogue (MUD) for the Oblates of Mary Immaculate USA province. He is semi-retired in Tewksbury, MA, and maintains the MUD website (www.harrywinter.org).
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
July 28, 2019
Hosea 1:2-10
Colossians 2:6-15, 16-19
Luke 11:1-13
Exegetical Missional Insights
The readings lead us to the intersection of two New Testament passages, Luke 11:1-13 and Colossians 2:6-15. The first passage is the Lukan version of the Lord's Prayer, an instructive from Christ to the disciples on how to pray. The disciples requested instruction on prayer and Jesus obliged, providing a model that is about 50 words long and takes less than 20 seconds to recite out loud. The brevity of the prayer contrasted to the perceived spirituality of that era. First century prayer often used a declaration of personal righteousness to justify the person's requests (Luke 18:9-14, Psalm 15). Prayer in the form that Jesus taught was counter-cultural, striking out against typical understandings of what it meant to follow God. In fact, such prayer as Jesus taught his disciples recast the relationship between God and man, moving the conception of God from ‘He who is beyond understanding' (Judges 13:18), to Father, the closest progenitor and personal relationship. We understand Jesus taught them how to pray, not what to pray, and a paraphrase helps to bring that into focus.
‘Father, help us to reverence your name and pursue all you represent,
We pray for your kingdom to come and for the provision of our daily needs. Forgive us and help us to be forgiving in the same way to others,
And don't let us fail when we are tempted'.
What is revealed in this brief prayer? The prayer demonstrates a family relationship, a focus on God at work in the world, a correct connection with our temporal needs, and a desire to represent God well through mercy and right living. The narrative explanation that Christ offered immediately following the prayer concludes with Jesus' statement that ‘...the Father gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask'. Christ drew a line which connected prayer, the coming of God's kingdom and the Father's willingness to give the Holy Spirit. This can be understood as an invitation for the Holy Spirt to come and reign.
Christ used the same Father language for God in verses 2 and 13 but the language shifted from the kingdom of God to the Holy Spirit which come as a fulfillment to requests made to God the Father. One understanding of this is that right relationship with God and others, seeking God's kingdom in the world, and representing God well are signs of the Holy Spirit's presence and power in our lives. Christ unified the announcing of the kingdom, prayer to the Father, and the presence of the Holy Spirit into his response to the request to teach his disciples how to pray. The presence of the Holy Spirit and the presence of the kingdom of God are interconnected by Christ in his instruction to the disciples. This narrative insight affirms that mercy, compassion, right living, and God's work in the world are signs of both the kingdom and the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Colossians 2 expands the Trinitarian view of the relationship between the Holy Spirit's presence and God's kingdom by emphasizing that Christ, even in his earthly form, is God and that He rules over every kind of power and authority. The cross and resurrection mean the defeat of those rulers and powers in the spiritual world creating victory for us through Christ. The Christ event happened in time and space, for all of creation to see, both visible and invisible. This was so that every type of created being in the entire universe understands that Christ came as a human for the sake of humanity. God the Father as sender, Christ the Son as sent and the Holy Spirit as the one who empowers affirm the mission of God in the world.
God's Mission in the Text
What does this tell us about God's work in the world? What do we see concerning what God is doing, how he is at work, and how our sentness can align with his mission? One point is that it suggests that we need to take the embrace the divinity of the Holy Spirit because God's kingdom activity is tied to the presence of the Holy Spirit. Cooperation with the Holy Spirit means that we are ambassadors of the kingdom of God and our effort is toward kingdom purposes. The Holy Spirit is God in the world for the purpose of announcing the kingdom.
Another point is that each person should press into a deeper relationship and understanding of the Holy Spirit. Ancient practices of listening to and discerning direction from the Holy Spirit are vital for working within God's mission. This impulse suggests that we ground ourselves in the word of God and in relationship to the Spirit of God that they work together in our prayers to keep us correctly aligned with how God is at work. Prayer plus activity unites the intent of our hearts and action so that there is holistic continuity of our being which flows from God through us and into the world. Colossians encourages us to follow and depend on Christ and in that dependence to draw our strength from him. The same power which raised Christ from the dead is at work in us and through us for the sake of the world.
This thought points towards intimacy with the Holy Spirit as the source of missional impulse. It bears repeating... the power of the Holy Spirit which raised Christ from the dead is the same power which is at work in us. The same quantity, the same quality, the same person of the Trinity not only raised Christ from the dead but is using us for mission in the world. Within those boundaries, what should the depth and breadth of our prayers become?
Missional Connections for Our Context
We understand Christ was the herald of the inbreaking kingdom of God who was empowered by the Holy Spirit. We also can understand that the Holy Spirit is present to empower the proclamation and demonstration of the kingdom. The Holy Spirit provides us with boldness to interact with the world in positive, loving ways. Living and proclaiming the kingdom of God in the power of the Holy Spirit means being a friend to the friendless and loving the unlovely. It is about sensitivity to the broken, empowerment for the weak and compassion for the wounded - it means being good news to others. The Holy Spirit in our lives directs us in fresh ways to further the kingdom of God.
The kingdom of God and the Holy Spirit are linked together to fulfill the mission of God in the world. May we invite the fullness and power of the Holy Spirit daily to flow in our lives for the sake of the world.
Biographical Summary
Bud Simon (Ph.D. student, Asbury Theological Seminary) planted churches in the Brazilian Amazon for twenty years before recently embarking on Ph.D. studies. He continues to serve as a mission consult in church planting, evangelism, contextualization and spiritual formation.
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
August 4, 2019
Hosea 11:1-11
Colossians 3:1-11
Luke 12:13-21
Exegetical Missional Insights
Hosea 11:1-11
Hosea was the only prophet speaking out of the northern kingdom of Israel (or Ephraim) during a time of expansion and prosperity under King Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:23-29). His themes are familiar: God brought Israel out of bondage in Egypt, but Israel strayed from God, worshipping Canaanite Baals (Hosea 11:2). Such superficial commitment exposed Israel to God's judgment as the people relied more on their own abilities than on God's mercy. Indeed, such apathy, if not idolatry, led Hosea to denounce Israel as unfaithful to God's covenant, liking Israel to a whore who had had children with other partners (Hosea 1:2). As Hosea goes to say, though, God will nevertheless seek to love Israel, as a parent loves a child (Hosea 11:1).
This section in Hosea represents one of the classic expressions of God's compassion, despite Israel's unfaithfulness (Hosea 11:8). Time and again, as this pericope demonstrates, God will offer divine love to Israel only to see Israel refuse to repent and turn to God (Hosea 11:3-4). It is why God threatens to return Israel to Egypt and Assyria, as the people have only turned their backs on God and God's covenant (Hosea 11:5-7). The people's lack of devotion is simply too much.
And yet, Hosea proclaims, God is the Holy One of Israel, and the One whose presence communicates compassion and whose activity seeks to return the people to their homes (Hosea 11:10-11). Thus, God's mission is ultimately a restoring mission, a mission to heal and forgive, to discipline yet offer grace. It is a mission meant to be overheard when God decides how to judge and redeem the nation.
Colossians 3:1-11
What happens when we are united with Christ? Who are we when we are baptized into Christ and Christ's body, and what kind of people are to be?
Pau's letter to the Colossians paints the picture of Christ through whom God creates all things (Colossians 1:16), but it also equally paints a picture about the Christ who rules in love (Colossians 3:14). Seated at God's right-hand above, the risen and ascended Christ sets forth the pattern for holy living on earth, as he reveals such a pattern not only to individuals but to the whole community, if not all creation (Colossians 3:2).
Paul proclaims this throughout this chapter: first as the declaration of who we as God's children, hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3), and second as the sacramental new way of life, oriented toward a whole new Christ-shaped existence (Colossians 3:5-7). It is the movement from indicative to imperative, or from what we are in Christ (having died and been raised with Christ) to how we are now free to live in the knowledge of the new self (being renewed according to the image of the Creator, as in 3:3). It is a tension that runs between past and future, or the putting to death the old way as captive to sin and the putting on the new humanity as determined by Christ, clothed with new values, desires, and habits (Colossians 3:5-11). Thus, Christ gears the church toward such dying and rising and living into what has been revealed from above (Colossians 3:3). Christ guides the church toward such a mission of renewal, moving the church toward mission and pointing to God's gracious rule in all things.
Luke 12:13-31
The parable of the rich fool interrupts a section where Jesus is speaking to his disciples about their attitude toward possessions (12:1-12). In this particular passage, a person in the crowd asks Jesus about how he and his brother are to divide the inheritance (v. 13) and about what he wants to do. Jesus' response, however, is telling, and he goes into an account about the folly of covetousness (Exodus 20:17). In other words, Jesus' parable of the rich fool is meant to highlight the tension between a life defined by false desire and a life characterized by wisdom. Indeed, what Jesus shares is a story about a man who has not done anything wrong per se (e.g., he is not a criminal, and he is not trying to manipulate others). In fact, the work he brings forth fruit. Rather, at issue is the decision to make more: to build bigger barns (12: 21). It is why the problem goes deeper: covetousness as foolishness, covetousness as idolatry (cf., Colossians 3:5). The farmer acts according to his own desires, living completely for himself, consulting with no one, including God, worshipping himself rather than the Creator, reminding us all how easy it can be to keep within the confines of our own ego the resources of God's abundance and goodness (Romans 1:25).
God's Mission in the Text
What is God stirring up in these passages? The missional preacher has several options. First, the missional preacher may decide to focus on the tension between past, present, and future. All the passages, in some fashion, speak to the tension between the already and the not-yet of God's rule, between what God has done and what God will do. As Karl Barth and others reminded us, Christ's church always lives between-the-times. Second, there is the tension between the old and the new self, the way of life determined by sin and the new way of life characterized by Christ. We can see this in terms of Israel living in whoredom, or the church in Colossae swaying toward disobedience, or the rich fool coveting what belongs to God: God's mission lies in the tension between living out that mission in this world and in the world to come. And third, in keeping with the first two points, the missional preacher will want to note the tension between who we are in Christ (indicative) and who we are to become, or who we are as part of God's redemption and how we are to act as God's children (imperative). Here, we can reflect on how the shaping of God's people in community (e.g., through the cultivation of habits, desires, attitudes, etc.) goes to the heart of the kind of people Christ sends into the world. Indeed, as the missional preacher prays these texts, he or she will realize how God's forming and sending, while distinct actions, are part of the same movement in God, as God's actions are always seeking concrete forms in mission and witness (Gerhard Lohfink, Jesus and Community, 16).
Missional Connections for Our Context
Possible connections to our present context in North America? Gregory of Nyssa once quipped that we become like the things we worship. In our context in North America, we may want to reflect on this insight. Indeed, in a neopagan culture, we worship gods just as capricious and unpredictable as the Greeks did. Our faith in polls, politics, and popularity produce more vertigo than stability. We would do well to reflect on Gregory's statement that "those who look towards the true God receive within themselves the characteristics of the divine nature." The soul is like a mirror which takes on the likeness of whatever it contemplates. It cannot reflect what God intends unless it focuses on the mirror and draws near to it (Herbert Musurillo, ed., From Glory to Glory: Texts from Gregory of Nyssa's Mystical Writings, 154). In a similar way, the church is the arena where this all takes places, where we worship and reflect Christ to God and into the world, where we and creation are restored to what God intended. In our present context, the church is called to bear witness to this, but carry it out in both word and deed.
Therefore, the mission of the church is not just to save a few people for heaven to escape such neopagan dread, but rather, as Paul shares with the Colossians and others (2 Corinthians 5:17) is to create a new kind of people, living in obedience to God's covenant and in wisdom. The mission of the church is to live in Christ and to indwell the Holy Spirit, having our image renewed by and restored to God. Or, as C.S. Lewis, once put it, the church is to proclaim how "God became man to turn his creatures into sons [and daughters]: not simply to produce better people of the old kind, but to produce a new kind of man (Lewis, Mere Christianity, 178). Living in North America means living in the tension between the old and the new, between what is passing away and what God is bringing into being, between life in this world and life in the world to come. Missional living means living in this kind of life and love.
Biographical Summary
Andrew Kinsey is senior pastor of Grace United Methodist Church in Franklin, Indiana. He holds a Doctor of Ministry in Evangelism from Perkins School of Theology, and he is currently in the DThM degree program at Durham University (UK). He is editor of Notes from a Wayward Son: A Miscellany and The Logic of Evangelism Revisited, both by Wipf & Stock Publishing.
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost Season
August 11, 2019
Genesis 12:1-3
Acts 1:8
John 15:26-27
Holy Spirit, the Mastermind of the World Mission
Exegetical Missional Insights
Genesis 12:1-3
Christians need to align their lifeview with God's will and the biblical purpose of believers on earth. We find this classic missional mandate in the century-old Abrahamic blessing, found in Genesis 12:1-3. We should be mindful that this Abrahamic blessing is based upon our total dependency on God and God alone. For most people, my country, my people, my family and relatives are the three major sources of our dependency. The first step for Abrahamic blessing is not to develop a sense of dependency on any of those visible matters. Rather, the invisible God should be the focus of our daily and lifetime dependency. But here is the danger. Too often, we become fascinated by the part where God promises to bless us. We should never forget that any of God's blessings on our life is given for a specific purpose, as clearly articulated at the end of this Abrahamic blessing; "And all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
In other words, our live as Christian is set either to contribute toward blessing others and the world, or simply to enjoy and keep God's blessings to ourselves and just stop there. I believe this Abrahamic blessing is a foremost missional mandate, which each and every born-again believer of all walks and careers should strive to contribute in this one life to live. Blessing the world with God's blessings given to me ought to be stamped as our worldview and lifeview. Getting the world blessed through me should be our highest life priority that will help fulfill my own God-given destiny as Christ's follower.
Acts 1:8
In Acts 2, multiple nations were represented on the Pentecost and orchestrated by God to witness the birth of the Church. Prior to that, in Acts 1:8, the missional mandate of the coming of the Holy Spirit was stated to give the Church the power to be witnesses to the ends of the earth. Even the sanctifying enablement of the Holy Spirit was to prepare believers to be more effective and faithful witnesses of Christ and his redeeming power. The parameter of the mandate was set as Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. This list is known as M-categories in a missiological term. However, it was Jesus, the Commander-in-chief of the Great Commission, who created and knew the earth to be round. In other words, one's own Jerusalem equates to his/her own ends of the earth. Therefore, Jesus' parameter of Jerusalem to the ends of the earth was not sequential but rather categorical relating to one's missional influence.
We are to live out the witness lifestyle both at home and far away. Mission forces of goers and senders are certainly needed for the collaborative task of world evangelization. The two parties should strive to create a greater partnership for the Church's common task of the Great Commission. After all, both are imperative resources in God's kingdom. One can't excel in the world mission without the other.
John 15:26-27
In these verses, the Holy Spirit is referred to as the Advocate, which is a legal term. The third Person of the Trinity came to testify to the world about the truth that Jesus did not die on a horrible cross for his own sin of treason against the Roman government or blasphemy against Judaism. It was him who has constantly revealed to the world that Jesus died a substitutionary death for our sins. That is an integral part of the gospel. Jesus invites us to participate in this glorious redemptive venture of the Holy Spirit by saying "you also must testify."
However, the prerequisite of this calling is to have been with Jesus. Mark 3:14 confirms this when Jesus clarified his primary reason to call the disciples; that they might be with him. Koinonia (fellowship) with our invisible Lord is correlated with the visible results of our mission and evangelistic efforts. It is critical to submit all our missional enterprises to the Lord by prayer, inquiry, and fellowship with his Spirit. God is still willing and able to use anyone who is committed to following Him and His mandate to "go and make disciples of all nations."
God's Mission in the Text
The Old Testament is about perversion and preservation of God's will, plan, and message. The New Testament is about provision and propagation of the same (Lee, Paul S.R. "Multiplying Discipleship in Cross-cultural Contexts," Lausanne World Pulse: Iss. 10, 2010; http://www.lausanneworldpulse.com/perspectives-php/1332/10-2010). From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is about restoring the lost humanity back to God.
Three texts synthesize to illustrate the Holy Spirit's unending passion to call the lost to salvation. God wants all people to be saved and to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:4). For this cause, He continuously calls out His instruments from the nations and compels them to incubate this world ‘vision.' He also empowers them to live it out in every given opportunity. It is God Who reminds us that every born-again believer is indebted to the lost world, just as Paul confessed himself to be a debtor to everyone (Romans 1:14).
Missional Connections for Our Context
The Spirit of the Lord came upon Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1a) and Jesus (Luke 4:16-21) and likewise comes upon the believers today. His coming had an apparent connection with reaching our world, both near and far. Even Isaiah chapter 61 connotes the concept of the world mission by ending with the mention of all the nations. Above all known theories and strategies of the world mission, the sovereign work and grace of our God can't be ignored in this endeavor. It is the underlying ingredient of all God-used mission and evangelism efforts in church history. Matthew 24:14 tells us that the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. The word "will" gives us a hint that this enterprise of world mission is eventually a work of the Holy Spirit. Again, Acts 11:21 evidently shows that it was the Lord's hand that brought a great number of people to believe and turn to the Lord. Therefore, total dependency on the leading of the Holy Spirit and fellowship with him are undeniable keys for the successful missional enterprise.
For us as God's people, life is not about where to live but rather how to live and who to live for. It is not about just getting my blessings but getting the world blessed through me. The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him (2 Chronicles 16:9). Are your heart, your worldview, and your lifeview fully committed and aligned to the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit, the Mastermind of every missionary works still does make disciples of all nations. He is calling us today to labor with him for this honorable yet inevitable task - either by sending or by going.
Biographical Summary
Paul S.R. Lee is an ordained minister affiliated with the Christian & Missionary Alliance Korea. He serves as international director of the Evangelical Alliance for Preacher Training & Commission (www.goeaptc.com), currently reaching 15 countries with leadership training, church planting and social outreach, and as Professor of Intercultural Studies at the International Graduate School of Leadership (www.igsl.asia) in Philippines, a ministry of Cru. He holds a PhD in religion from Oxford Graduate School and guides Peace Studies doctoral students for Asia Graduate School of Theology.
Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
August 18, 2019
Isaiah 5:1-7
Hebrews 11:29-12:2
Luke 12:49-56
Exegetical Missional Insights
Isaiah 5:1-7
The Song for God's Beloved Vineyard invites the hearers into an allegory of the relationship between God and Israel. God, being the Beloved, owns the vineyard and Israel, being the vineyard, have a strained relationship. The Beloved has worked tirelessly to prepare and to tend to the vineyard so that it might be at its most ready to produce and bare fruit. The Vineyard itself had little to do with its preparation and readiness for producing the crop. Only the Beloved has slaved away removing rocks, building fence, constructing a watchtower, and actually planting the seeds in the ripe and ready soil. As the vines grow the beloved continues to care for and prune them in a way that is filled with love and affection. Due to this great care that the Beloved has given to this vineyard, the beloved expects a great harvest, but the beloved must patently wait on the vines to grow and produce fruit.
This all seems well and positive up to this point. Unfortunately, the vines produce a "wild" grape or spoiled fruit that is unable to be used. The great expectations of the good wine that should have been, turns into an unusable and spoiled crop. This is when the Beloved must act in a way that will ultimately rid the land of the "wild" grape and make it possible for the land to, over time, return to being fertile. In the same way, Israel must face the wrath of God to be able to produce fruit. The good vine, Jesus the Christ, is coming and all that grow from or are grafted into this vine will produce good fruit.
Hebrews 11:29-12:2
The author of Hebrews gives the reader an opportunity to rapidly reflect on and remember many of the greats of the Old Testament. Starting with Moses, we are invited to remove the crossing of the Red Sea, the crumbling of the walls of Jericho, the salvation of Rahab, to Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. We are reminded of the bold power and success of God's diligent servants as they faithfully follow God's will. Then, the author reminds the reader that, just as there have been many grand and glorious things that the people of God have experienced, there are also a lot of pain, sorrow, loss, and persecution that have been experienced in following God's will.
The author gives the reader hope that whether they experience great victories or great sorrow while following God's will, they must remain hopeful because God will provide something better. The illustration of a race is used to help encourage the reader. While running the race, God has called each individual to run, they will be surrounded by a cloud of witnesses of all those that have run the race before them. This cloud of witnesses act as an encouragement and strength to press on and finish as Christ did on the cross.
Luke 12:49-56
At first glance this text seems to be full of frightening apocalyptic imagery of God fire brought by Jesus himself starting with the religious people to whom he calls hypocrites. I believe that there is something more going on here. This text has three different sections. The first is a quick summary of Jesus' ministry and its eventual end; a fire of cleansing judgment that spreads the good news and the baptism of his death in order to conquer death. Following this is a discussion of the effects the gospel might have on anyone who follows him, and finally, a warning from Jesus about our willingness to hear and see only what we want.
God's Mission in the Text
Time and time again God has invited humanity to live into what it is to be fully human. Unfortunately, throughout history, God's people have repeatedly turned away from God. Ellen Davis states there is a cyclical pattern where "1) God Creates by initiating a new relational reality, 2) Humans cause a rupture in the relational reality that God has established, 3) Divine judgment and suffer of humans and nonhumans ensue, and 4) God takes a new initiative toward humans creating new kinds of through which a degree of the original harmony may be restored to the world" (Opening Israel's Scriptures, 10, 2019).
In these three texts, we are able to see this pattern and warnings as God's desire to create and be in relationship with those who have chosen to follow him. Yet, too often, humans desert these relationships with God and slip into sin. Nevertheless, God continues to move with restorative power to reconcile the relationships. These efforts, from God, to restore and reconcile with humanity, comes to a head when God comes in the form of Jesus of Nazareth to be the ultimate Messiah and Savior of all people.
Missional Connections for Our Context
As the culture of today continues to engage in eclectic pluralism we must take these warnings very seriously. The church continues to struggle with either being in the world too much or not enough and has lost its grasp of the grand narrative of scripture that is there to illumine the present in such a way that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. God is calling the church today to continue to run its race through all of the success, growth, and fruitful times, but even more so in the times of decay, struggle, and death. As the North American church seems to be drowning in the cultural milieu, the church must continue to run the race, proclaiming the gospel, setting people's hearts on fire for God, and creating disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Biographical Summary
Rev. Kaury C. Edwards serves as the lead pastor of Wesleyan Heights United Methodist Church within the Kentucky Annual Conference. In 2013, he received a Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary, and in 2016, he received a Master of Theology in World Missions and Evangelism with a specialization in missional theology and desecularization from Asbury Theological Seminary. He is currently a Doctor of Ministry student at Duke University and focusing his research on reconciliation, sociological imagination, and violence in the church.
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
September 1, 2019
Jeremiah 2:4-13
Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
Luke 14:1, 7-14
Exegetical Missional Insights
The God of the covenant revealed himself as the source of all blessings while the Jews, in the 6th century before Christ, were constantly turning away from him and rather chose to "dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that could not hold water" (Jer 2: 13, NIV). As a consequence of the people's unfaithfulness, which is best seen in their ongoing idolatry, they eventually were brought into the Babylonian exile. The passage of Jeremiah shows us two important characteristics of God. The first characteristic is that God never forces his people to follow him. The covenant God of Israel, the almighty creator of heaven and earth, almost seems desperate in His struggle for Israel's love. He released them from Egypt and brought them into the promised land (Jer 2, 5-7). They, however, answered with idol worship. They exchanged the spring of living water for broken cisterns. It was a sin that was not even observed among other peoples (Jer 2,11). The second characteristic is abundant hospitality. The spring of living water will never cease to give water. God does not only indict the Jews for their idolatry, but He invites them to take part in his great hospitality, to drink from the living water which is only to be found in the eternal God. Jesus himself repeats this invitation in John 7: 37-38; "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them." In Jesus Christ, God the spring of living water became incarnated.
Furthermore, Jesus' invitation includes the consequence of what happens when people drink from the living water, which means enjoying the fellowship with God in Christ. Fellowship with Christ will consequently have ethical implications. This can be seen in the other two passages of this Sunday. For instance, in Luke 14:12-14, Jesus demands, "when you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." God is generous, He is giving freely and abundantly, and so should the followers of Christ. Whoever drinks from the spring of living water is asked to share the water with others. The church thus exists of beggars who show other beggars where to find bread. It is worth mentioning that the third passage of this Sunday brings this together. God is pleased by lip sacrifice, that is worship songs and adoration in prayer. Sacrifice of praise, the fruit of our lips (Hebr 13: 15), however, also includes "not to forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased" (Hebr 13:16). Because followers of Jesus know the One who says "never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Heb 13: 5; Deut 31:6), they know that He will always care for their practical needs, and thus can share freely with others. To know the generous God means to live generously.
God's Mission in the Text
God is introduced as the source of ultimate hospitality. The spring of living water does not cease to give (Jer. 2, 14) as he cares for all the needs of His children (Heb. 13:5). God gives unconditionally. Moreover, scripture tells us that God blesses the unrighteous (Matt 5:45) and sacrificed his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, for His enemies (Ro 5:8). God gives freely and plentifully even for those who do not care for Him. It is God's character that He enjoys giving in order to solicit for our love.
Imitation is the highest form of worship. In her mission, the church is asked to imitate Christ. God has filled the church with gifts, time, money, love, and the Holy Spirit. Now, every individual Christian is asked to imitate Christ in giving unconditionally, inviting the lepers, the sick, the poor, and the outcasts. Those who cannot repay (Lu 14: 14) are the most invited. By doing so, they become a mirror to the church's own situation. As follower of Christ, I must confess that I am not qualified for all the great blessings and gifts, God pours out on me every day. I am dependent on His never-failing love and mercy.
Thus, God's unconditional love is not mere words, but becomes visible. God helps people through His church. This is missional power. People meet the unconditional love of God through the church's acts of mercy. It is as one of the Japanese tsunami victims said when she was visited by a group of Christians, "When you come to me in my despair, Christ himself comes to me." Encountering the unconditional love of God through the church makes such people open for the word of the Gospel of Christ. The church takes from God's abundancy and gives them "bread for life" and shares with them "the bread of life." This might call for rejection, as best illustrated in John 6. Christ unconditionally fed the 5000. He used the five loafs and two fish given by the disciples and challenged them to share the food with the masses. Everyone had a full stomach afterwards (cf. Jo 6:1-14). However, Jesus preached about himself as the "bread of life" (Jo 6:48), many of those who expected him to become the "bread-king" were disappointed and left (Jo 6:66). Jesus knew beforehand that they were going to leave, yet, he fed them anyway and he invited them without expecting them to repay (cf. Lu 14:14). If the church helps the people only in order to make new converts or to raise the numbers, she is not following her master. Feed the poor and give freely, because you can take from the well of everlasting love and blessing.
The poor invited to the feast.
Missional Connections for Our Context
There are three applications that might be included in a sermon about the passages above:
Biographical Summary
Tobias Schuckert, PhD (Fuller Theological Seminary), missionary in Japan from 2000-2013, assistant professor of Intercultural Theology and director of student affairs at Internationale Hochschule Liebenzell, University of Applied Sciences, Germany. Tobias is married to Sabine. Together, they have three children.
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
September 15, 2019
Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28
1 Timothy 1:12-17
Luke 15:1-10
Exegetical Missional Insights
The passages for this Sunday have the common theme of God's mercy extended to a lost humanity.
Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28
This passage is set within a larger section of the book (4.5-6.30) that deals with the sins of Judah, and the coming judgment of God upon Israel. The people are described as lost without knowledge or understanding of God and engaged in evil (vs.22). Without a knowledge of God, Israel commits all manner of evil (vs. 22). In spite of the depth of their sin God refers to Israel as "my poor people' (vs.11), a reminder of God's love and that he desires for at least a remnant to be spared his judgment (vs. 27).
1 Timothy 1:12-17
Accepting the authorship of 1 Timothy as Pauline, the apostle Paul in this passage testifies to the grace of God which he received, which not only included forgiveness, but also called Paul into God's service (vs. 12-14). Paul underscores that he is an example of the fact that Christ came into the world to save the sinful, of which he regards himself as the worst (vs. 15,16). At the mention of such grace Paul is compelled to exclaim praise to God (vs. 17). As this letter is directed to his disciple Timothy, one can surmise that Paul intended to remind Timothy that the people we may least expect - even those who violently opposed the gospel of Jesus today - may yet become followers of Christ.
Luke 15:1-10
In the previous chapter Jesus tells the parable of a great feast. After others have rejected the invitation, the master commands his servants to go into the streets and bring in "the poor, and the maimed and the lame and the blind," (Luke 14.21). In Luke 15 the Pharisees and scribes are criticizing Jesus for actually eating with those who appear unworthy (vs.2). Jesus responds to this criticism by the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin. When the lost is found friends and neighbors are called to celebrate - just as there will be celebration in heaven when every sinner repents.
God's Mission in the Text
These texts are a reminder that the mission Dei is characterized by God taking initiative to reach the lost - especially those least expected to respond. The words of the Lord through the prophet Jeremiah in their forceful bluntness concerning Israel's sins can be taken as an effort to wake Israel from its sinful stupor. Without God's intervention - even through judgment - the implication is that they will continue to rush headlong into the sins at which they are skilled.
God's initiative to redeem is underscored in his intervention into Paul's life on the road to Damascus (Acts 9. 1-9). It is God, Paul emphasizes, who came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1.15). Again, it is to the least expected - the man who is persecuting the first believers in Jesus - that God's saving grace is revealed.
Finally, just as the master of the feast sends his servants to the roads to aggressively invite those marginalized in first century to his feast, Jesus is found eating and drinking with the sinful. His parables emphasize taking initiative to find what is lost.
From these passages Christians may be assured that God by the Holy Spirit has already preceded them into the world, touching and drawing the lost to himself.
Missional Connections for Our Context
Often the primary approach of local churches toward reaching the unchurched is to produce the most attractive worship service as possible with the hopes of attracting them. This is essentially a passive model of mission. It requires that the non-Christian to take the initiative to come into the Christian community. How can this passive pattern be reversed so the Christian community takes the initiative to bring the message of God's love to those outside their circles? Perhaps a place to begin is within the circle of contacts each church member already has. Can each church member take stock of all those around them at their place of work, in their neighborhood, with fellow hobbyists? Can we pray that the Lord will bring into our sphere lives that need to hear the gospel?
Biographical Summary
Andrew. F. Bush is chair of the Department of Global Studies and Service at Eastern University, St. David's, Pennsylvania. He has served for more that thirty years in the Philippines and the Palestinian Territories. He is the author of Learning from the Least: Reflections on a Journey in Mission with Palestinian Christians and Millennials and the Mission of God: a Prophetic Dialogue.
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
September 22, 2019
Jeremiah 8:18-9:1
1 Timothy 2:1-7
Luke 16:1-13
Exegetical Missional Insights
Jeremiah is a major prophet of the Old Testament who lived during the reign of Josiah, King of Judah, through the time of the destruction of Solomon's Temple in 587 BC. Coming from a priestly family of Levites, Jeremiah was called to prophecy the destruction of the Temple, and to call God's people to repentance and conversion. His people had broken their covenant with God, and they had been sacrificing to foreign idols. During his ministry, Jeremiah was sorely distressed that they would be cast out, taken as slaves, and sent into exile in a foreign land. Jeremiah is known as "the weeping prophet" because he shed many tears over God's wayward nation. Like a good pastor, he wanted to save them all.
The First Epistle to Timothy is one of three letters in the New Testament grouped together as Pastoral Epistles. Paul writes this letter to the younger priest, Timothy, to mentor and instruct him on the responsibilities of pastoring God's people, Christ's church. Having gone on many missionary travels together, Timothy would have received instruction and ordination directly from Paul into the mission of Christ, which Paul tells the younger man is "that everyone be saved, that all come to the knowledge of truth."
The Gospel of Luke has often been considered unique among the four gospels in that its author, presumably Luke himself, did not know Jesus personally. Luke was an educated Greek-speaking person, a physician who left his profession to follow Paul and serve the church with him. He gathered stories directly from many disciples who were alive during Jesus' ministry and had witnessed his teaching and miracles first hand. It would be a hollow characterization, however, to call Luke a mere historian. From these interviews, Luke wrote an inspired gospel-one that includes a full account of Jesus' birth, probably gotten from Mary, mother of Jesus, herself-as well as the Acts of the Apostles. Luke took part in the mission of God though these inspired writings, passing on the truth of Christ's redemption and saving grace to so many generations.
God's Mission in the Text
These readings remind us that each of us will be judged by the mercy we show to others, especially those who are poor and suffering.
Who is this unjust manager? A wealthy landholder's dishonest steward lies and squanders his master's money, and yet, Jesus tells us to follow this man's example. After exploiting poor farmers on his master's land, the steward is caught and called to account for his misdeeds. Once he confesses, he sets out immediately to make amends. Although he is about to be fired, he prudently uses his last few hours of employment to help the poor farmers with their debts to the landholder. The steward's newly just and merciful actions are an effort to befriend his poor neighbors instead of objectifying them. That way, when he finds himself homeless and jobless, he might go and seek shelter from some of the poor farmers, who he hopes may have mercy on him in turn.
Like the dishonest manager, any wealth and privilege we have been given is not really our own. It belongs to our Lord the Living God. Whatever wealth, education, and privilege we have been given, no matter how it is given, is best used to help save others who are "of our own generation," much as Jeremiah, out of love for his people, tried to save them from exile and slavery. In Luke's gospel, the healing balm of which Jeremiah speaks is revealed for what it truly is: repentance, mercy, and care of God's people, especially the meek and the poor. Luke, the good physician, shows us the true balm of Gilead, and it is the way to redemption through Christ Jesus.
Missional Connections for Our Context
Some parables are tougher nuts to crack than others. Most readings of the "Parable of the Unjust Steward" focus on the moral struggles of the dishonest manager as he handles his master's accounts. This seems logical because of the way the passage ends, with the memorable saying, "You cannot serve God and mammon." In our modern context it may be a good reminder to be charitable to poor people, such as migrant farm workers or children separated from their parents. However, the way Jesus appends this saying to the parable is a clue to read it in an even more profound and specifically religious way. If the passage is mainly about material wealth and using it justly, why does the wealthy lord praise the dishonest manager when he accepts less than he is owed? Isn't he cheating the lord out of his money when he helps the poor in this way? How is that just?
What if we read this parable not only as a story about how we should be charitable to the poor, even if we got our wealth unjustly--but rather as a parable about the true riches Jesus mentions in his concluding comments? Then the story is about the gifts that are given to each of us by the Living God--gifts that are only leant to us to show others the way and the truth.
When I meditate on this week's readings, I know in my heart that I am asked to see myself in the role of the dishonest manager. This manager is like an abundantly gifted but chronically self-absorbed Christian. The social-climbing manager's real need is to be saved, not by material and social security, but by the abundant grace of God, which so often arrives in the guise of mercy from others who appear less fortunate than we are.
When we keep in mind God's infinite desire for all people to be saved, the brilliant irony of this parable shines through. When the well-to-do manager becomes a beggar, it is the poor working families who are in the position to show him mercy. Often, if we dare to be open to it, those who are uneducated and marginalized have the greatest riches to give us. Sometimes these gifts are material, but just as often they are spiritual gifts--hope, mercy, even faith itself. Because they are meek, those who are poor can more easily see that everything they have belongs not to themselves, but to the Living God.
Biographical Summary
Lana Portolano is professor of rhetoric and humanities at Towson University in Maryland. Her recent research investigates the use sign language and religious traditions of Deaf communities in the Catholic Church. She and her husband Joe have six grown daughters (one Deaf and five adopted from Ukraine) and sixteen grandchildren. You can find her on the web at lanaportolano.com
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Jeremiah 31:27-34
2 Timothy 3:14-4:5
Luke 18:1-8
Exegetical Missional Insights
Jeremiah 31:27-34
One of the most popular family movies of the 1990s was The Sandlot, a story about a boy named Scotty Smalls who moves to a new town. In order to fit-in with other children his age, Scotty attempts to learn how to play baseball. He eagerly wanted to be like the other kids his age, but he was the least experienced, could not catch or pitch the ball, and was always chosen last. Every afternoon at the sandlot, teams would be selected. No one wanted Scotty to play with them, and most days he just watched the game from a distance. Scotty experienced a lot of rejection in the movie, until the most gifted of the players decided to teach him the sport of baseball and always chose Scotty from that point on.
Jeremiah 31, the first text for today, provides a similar story. The people of Israel were like Scotty in The Sandlot; the least and most insignificant. They had no special qualities, but God chose them because he loved them (Deut. 7:6-9). He engraved his covenant Law on stone tablets as a concrete reminder that he chose them. His covenant obligated them to his purpose to make them a kingdom of priests (Exod. 19:6) and to become a light to the nations (Isa. 49:1-6). By the time of Jeremiah, their disobedience to the divine task culminated in their downfall. Jeremiah 25 is a final prophetic plea for the nation to return to God, repent from disobedience to the covenant, and enjoy God's favor. Their refusal leads Jeremiah to declare the imminent destruction of the nation as a viable people. This was realized when they were led captive by the superior Babylon kingdom. Their beloved Jerusalem became "a heap of rubble" (26:18). But God also promised that a day would be coming when old obligations to ritual and codified law would give way to inner transformation and renewal through a universal covenant of inclusion for all. God will place his "law in their minds and write it on their hearts" (31:33) so that all may know him. The writer of Hebrews uses this very passage to declare the Incarnated Christ as the fulfillment of this new covenant established on a superior priesthood inclusive of better promises (8:33).
2 Timothy 3:14-4:5
In 2 Timothy, we see Paul's entire ministry focused on the proclamation of God's new covenant revealed in Christ. In Paul's last interactions with his young protégé, he wanted to remind Timothy that God had called the young evangelist to his new covenant purpose. Timothy's family had instilled in him a biblical worldview with a foundational core belief that God loves all people and his message is to be proclaimed to the nations. Timothy heard this message, had seen it enacted in Paul, and lived by the convictions that the new covenant is good news for all people (3:10-15). Paul reminds Timothy of God's mission declared in the Scriptures, then charges him to proclaim it, live it, and share it in all circumstances (3:16-4:5).
Luke 18:1-8
In Luke 17 Jesus engages religious leaders and the crowd on the eschatological anticipation of God's Kingdom. Distinctively, the Kingdom cannot be predicated on human effort, but will come suddenly through the persistent hope of the faithful in watching, waiting, proclaiming it, and praying for it. The parable in 18:1-8 indicates such a posture. The widow's determination in coming to the judge repeatedly for justice indicates elements of this consistency. Justice is one of the covenant themes throughout the Old Testament and is often seen in the prophetic literature as a call to live out the themes of justice and righteousness in dealing with the orphaned and widows, the most helpless and vulnerable within a population1. The story thus metaphorically represented good news for those who are helpless, marginalized, suffering, and hurting; these will have justice from God2.
God's Mission in the Text
God is on mission and the scriptural narrative reinforces God's salvific agenda. In Abraham, God chose a man to be the vanguard of his mission to bless the nations (Gen. 12:1-3) and developed Israel as the exclusive bearer of this message. Israel's failure to live according to God's standards led to a prophetic declaration that a new covenant will be realized that would redefine what relationship with Yahweh entails. Devotion and commitment to God and his mission will come from a transformed heart and mind rather than obligation to an agreement codified into legal documents. The covenant will be relational, universal, inclusive, and available to all through a universal priesthood. This is most readily seen in the coming of Jesus Christ, who through his life, death, and resurrection, inaugurates God's mission to the nations through a redeemed community (Matt. 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20). This makes God's people ministers of "a new covenant-not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Cor. 3:6).
The new covenant announcement within Jeremiah 31 speaks to the inclusion of the helpless, the widow and orphan, those who cannot speak for themselves, but seek justice and restoration (Luke 18). Timothy is singled out by his mentor as one discipled in new covenant processes to believe its truth and relevance as he faithfully proclaims it in all contexts.
Missional Connections for Our Context
I remember well as a child standing next to my father outside our home one evening. The night sky was sprinkled with pinpoints of starlight that were distant but seemed so close I could reach up and touch them. The moon had not yet started its evening circuit and the whole sky was brilliant with those lights shining in the darkness. My father asked me what I thought those stars were there for; what was their purpose? I did not know. After all, I was just a boy and did not have his understanding of the world. I said to him, "I do not know. Why are they there?" For the next fifteen minutes or so, my Father explained to me his perspective on Creation and the purpose for the Universe. He believed that each planet and each galaxy would someday serve a purpose. Until that time, God helped us to navigate our way in the darkness by those little points of light. There was the North Star that gave mariners their position on the seas and had done so for centuries. There were multiple constellations that helped explain the rotation of the earth and again, assisted the traveler in the night to navigate along a certain pathway. People had used some of these types of natural way-markers for generations, and yet for my Father, they exemplified a design, an intelligent purpose to everything.
The significance of our texts for this special Sunday is similar. Like Scotty, we may have no special qualities or capacities, but we have made the team; we have been chosen. God has a purpose for our lives to represent his Kingdom as a beacon in the night to those who have lost their way. The church as local institution reflects the continuing process that there is justice in God's Kingdom, and he will make a way. It stands as a way-marker to help the lost navigate their way toward the light. The Church as global faith community goes into the world, from everywhere, to announce the message of a new covenant of peace, reconciliation, and hope for the hopeless and voiceless.
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 Hays, J. Daniel. "Sell Everything you have and give to the Poor: The Old Testament Prophetic theme of Justice as the connecting Motif of Luke 18:1-19:10." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 55, no. 1 (2012): 43.
2 Leon Morris, The Gospel According to St. Luke (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1974).
Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost
Proper 27 (32)
November 10, 2019
Haggai 1:15(b)-2:9
2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17
Luke 20:27-38
Exegetical Missional Insights
Haggai 1:15(b)-2:9
It was 586 BC and the temple had been destroyed. The Glory of the Lord no longer has a place to reside. What were they going to do? Two years into the 36-year reign of King Darius, Haggai, the voice of God's asks the people a profound question. Was it time for them to be living in their nice houses, while the House of God lay in ruins? They had given and not reaped, they had earned wages and they had nothing to show for what they had earned. God now gives them instructions. "Memories, of the way we were" was the question the prophet asked the people. God was going to shake the earth, and his glory was going to once again fill the temple. The Resurrection had come.
This text brings to mind the restorative power of God. This text is not merely about a physical building that laid in shambles and ruins, but it speaks to the restorative, resurrection power of God who is able to take our brokenness and put us together again, so His glory can rise and shine in and through us. Paul writes to the Corinthian church and says "...your body is the temple of the Holy spirit..." (I Corinthians 6:19). Our bodies are the Temple, which houses the Glory of God, and it is with our bodies that we are used for the mission of God to restore and resurrect the brokenness in our world.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17
Paul's second letter to the Thessalonian church was a piggyback off his first letter, in which he addresses their expectation and return of the Messiah. The Thessalonian church had grown weary in what they were doing and just wanted the Lord to return. However, Paul had to let them know that even though it was spoken of his return, it was not going to happen that day. There were things that had to happen before the Lord could return. This second letter of Paul's to the Thessalonians has three (3) main points. First, he writes to encourage them that in the midst of their persecution for their faith, God was going to reward them for their faith, their steadfastness, and fortitude. Secondly, he writes to explain to them that they were to maintain their tradition because the Messiah was going to return and defeat the devil. Thirdly, he writes to exhort them and admonishing them that no matter what they were to continue on-the Resurrection is coming.
Luke 20:27-38
Jesus' conversation with the Sadducees would have stumped the average person; however, Jesus knew that they were merely seeking to trap him and stump him. Everyone knew they did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, and Jesus was aware of this. They had no idea that there was life after this one, so they wanted to find out if the normalcy of this life would remain even after death. Jesus' response was quite profound. He tells them that those who are of this world get married and do the things that married people do; yet at the time of the resurrection, there is no more marriage as they knew it to be. Yet, Jesus tells them that those who died and are married will no longer be considered as married but now become equal to the angels and are now considered the sons of God. Jesus final answer to them let's them know that there is life after death with God in the resurrection as God is the God of the living, indicating that those who die in Christ, shall live again.
God's Mission in the Texts
These three texts emphasize the missional theme of restoration, restoration and reconciliation:
1) God's mission is to restore the brokenness of his people. We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. We house the glory and splendor of God. Sadly, many temples are broken, fragmented, in shambles and destroyed. God can't see or find his glory in the brokenness of a fallen humanity. He sends a prophet (Haggai) to speak to the people and tell them that it's time to rebuild the temple. God is sending the prophets to tell humanity you may be broken, but you won't stay broken. The Glory of God will once again rise to the top. God speaks to us through his prophets to speak to the brokenness of our lives, and the brokenness of a fallen society and tells the people that it shall be restored. It shall be rebuilt and the glory that once was in humanity shall now be greater because the broken have been restored and peace has shall inhabit the earth.
2) God's mission is to comfort in the wait for His return. Don't worry! Jesus will return and He will gather his Bride with him. Paul's message to the Thessalonians is quite simple. Yes, you have been through a lot and yes, you are weary. However, do not give up. Jesus is coming to take you with Him. Paul's letter is comforting to us; reminding us that we have been chosen as God's jewels as Haggai mentioned to Israel. Yet, in the process of our salvation, and our humanness, we have been persecuted for our beliefs and for our faith, and many have fainted and lost heart. Many people have said, "What's the use?" However, as Paul encouraged the church, we too are comforted in that hope that we can hold secure to what we know and believe. We can not fall prey to the deceiver because it hasn't happened yet. The ultimate mission of God will be when He returns to gather His church and those who remain. The key is to keep believing and expecting His return.
3) God's mission is seen in the hope of a resurrection. The message is simple. We are going to be gathered again with God. Many question if this life is all we have to look forward to. Well, the answer is NO. If this were all we have, we would all live miserable lives. Jesus' mission is clear, there is more after this. His mission is to give us hope that there is a life after this life. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:9 "If our hope in Christ is good only for this life, we are worse off than anyone else." (CEV). If this is all we have to look forward to, we are very miserable people. The Kingdom of God is where our hope lies, and that God is the God of the living and that's where our hope and celebration lies. Moreover, we will be raised, restored and resurrected to live life eternally with God.
Missional Connection for our Context
The Good News of this glorious Gospel is there is restoration in the broken place. It is apparent that we live in a broken world. Issues such as racism and discrimination have seemingly resurfaced. The Me-Too movement has arisen out of brokenness. Mass killings are apparently on the rise all because we the Temple of God are broken and to some destroyed. Yet, in the midst of the rubble, there is hope. There is something that God sees that he can resurrect, repair, restore, and present as glorious. God's mission is to have a whole and wholesome church even in the midst of her brokenness. It is in this brokenness the prophet speaks. The message "the glory of what is to come is greater that what was" and all we have to do is wait for it. Weariness in doing well does happen, but Paul writes to the Galatians these words; "Don't get tired of helping others. You will be rewarded when the time is right, if you don't give up." (Galatians 6:9- CEV). We all hope of the resurrection so that we can spend eternity with God, and that is the reward we will reap if we do not get tired of helping others and if we do not get tired of carrying out the mission of God in the earth. It is the reward and comfort that we will receive because we have allowed God to resurrect us in the midst of our brokenness. We are now prepared to live in wholeness and shalom with our brothers and sisters, which is what the Kingdom of God will look like-a lot of broken people resurrected and made whole by the power of the Living Christ.
Biographical Summary
Rev. Terri Champion, MDiv., MTS is a graduate of the former Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, now known as Palmer Seminary of Eastern University and is the founder of The Oasis Ministry Church in Bradenton, Florida.
Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost
Proper 28 (33)
November 17, 2019
Isaiah 65:17-25
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Luke 21:5-19
Exegetical Missional Insights
Isaiah 65:17-25
In this poetic vision, the Lord speaks and announces the advent of a new creation. The new heavens and new earth wrought by the Lord will be so glorious that all that is past will be forgotten in the joy of the Lord's work in the world. That joy will overwhelm common sources of human grief. No one in Jerusalem will cry or experience distress. Infant mortality will be no more. All will be blessed by long life and prosperity, and each will have homes and vineyards of their own. The Lord's presence in this new creation will be so immanent as to answer the people even before they call out.
The poetic language in this oracle is evocative of several other biblical images. It is a kind of intertextual crossroads. The most apparent reference is to the "peaceable kingdom" of Isaiah 11:6-9 where the wolf and lamb may lie down together and the lion becomes a vegetarian. But this text also informs imagery of the new heaven and new earth found in Revelation 21 and echoes the immanent presence of God as described in Psalm 139:4, for example.
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Although the term "idleness" recurs in this text, Paul's primary concern is not that the believers in Thessalonica are less than industrious. The fundamental issue is exploitation and the common good. He is concerned that some in the community may take advantage of others. He offers himself and his companions as models since they did not unfairly burden the community in Thessalonica with their support. They worked so as not to be a burden. Those who are not working, "living in idleness, mere busybodies" are a burden to the community (v.11). They are not in need but are "free riders" contributing nothing to the common good.
Luke 21:5-19
Luke's apocalyptic description covers a lot of ground-the destruction of the Jerusalem temple, those who might lead believers astray, international tumult, and the persecution of believers. It may seem to some that the only connecting theme is found in interpretive frameworks given by esoteric prophetic speculations about the future. Another theme, however is trust.
Jesus warned those who marveled at the beauty of the temple not to trust it would endure. Even the beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God would "be thrown down" (v.6). People would arise and claim to speak in Jesus name and claim to be Jesus, but we are not to trust and "go after them" (v. 8). Trusting Jesus' assurance, even the eruption of "wars and insurrections" (v. 9) should not concern us unduly. Even being arrested and persecuted provides the opportunity to trust. If called to testify, we are "not to prepare [our] defense in advance" but trust that Jesus will "give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict" (v. 14-15).
God's Mission in the Text
Depending on the context of the preacher, these lectionary passages offer different options for theological reflection. The Isaiah reading reminds us that the anticipated joy, life and prosperity described in the vision is the work of the Lord in the world. It's is the Lord's new creation, not ours, and the new heaven and earth come about at the Lord's initiative and emerge out of the Lord's vision and promise. Anything we do to address human grief and suffering is done with the knowledge that God goes preveniently before us.
While the text from 2 Thessalonians may be cited in support of so-called "tent-making" missions, on a deeper level it may attune us to the health of the Christian community. The possibility for division always lurks and we may by our action or inaction create frontiers within the body of Christ. It is problematic when some believers burden others and do not contribute to the good of all.
Luke's apocalypse emphasizes the importance of trusting that God holds the future and is with us in times of uncertainty and catastrophe. Even when ambiguity abounds and the most permanent looking temples fall and "nations...rise against nations" God abides with us. We are simply called to trust and to be prepared to testify with the words and wisdom given to us.
Missional Connections for Our Context
Currently at the U.S. border with Mexico children who have been separated from their parents are being detained. News reports describe how some children have died while in detention. In leaked audio, listeners may hear sounds of children weeping or cries of distress. In God's new creation, however, we can trust that any cause for tears such as these will be no more. Joy overwhelming will reign with God's wholistic salvation. In the meantime, we may rest confident that suffering and oppression is contrary to God's hope for the world, and that God goes before us and anything we do to rectify such injustices.
You never know when you will have a chance to testify. A few years ago, I was empaneled on a jury. Through the trial and deliberations, it was clear that a fellow juror knew more than the rest of us about courtroom procedures. Eventually one of us asked him, "How do you know about all this?"
He said, "I'm a legal translator. I'm often in court."
"How did you get into that line of work?" another juror asked.
He said, "A few years ago, I had to go to court for something. While I was there, I decided to sit in on a proceeding, just out of curiosity. It was a trial and a woman was testifying in Spanish. There was a translator, but everyone else in the courtroom spoke English. As I listened to her testimony, it became clear that the translator was not translating what she was saying correctly. He was twisting her words around to make it sound like she was admitting to have done something that she wasn't! It was wrong; I had to do something. It was wrong what the translator was doing. He was lying, and the woman was going to get in trouble. So, I stood up in the courtroom and shouted, ‘That's not true! The translator is lying!'"
We had all seen enough episodes of Law and Order to know you are never supposed to interrupt a trial! We all asked at the same time, "What happened next?" "The judge was very angry," he said. "He banged his gavel and yelled at me, ‘If you ever do that again, I will have you put in jail. Do you understand?' ‘Yes, sir,' I said. ‘Good, now come up here and tell me the truth about what is going on.'"
You never know when you will be called upon to testify.
Biographical Summary
Douglas D. Tzan is the Director of the Doctor of Ministry and Course of Study Programs and Assistant Professor of Church History and Mission at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. He is also an ordained elder in the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church and the Senior Pastor at the Sykesville Parish (St. Paul's and Gaither United Methodist Churches) in Sykesville, Maryland. His forthcoming book, William Taylor and the Mapping of the Methodist Missionary Tradition: The World His Parish, will be published by Lexington Press.
Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Reign of Christ, Proper 29
November 24, 2019
Jeremiah 23:1-6
Psalm 46
Luke 1:68-79
Colossians 1:11-20
Luke 23:33-43
Exegetical Missional Insights
Jeremiah 23:1-6
Jeremiah 23:1-6 show the contrasts between the good shepherd and the bad shepherds in a way that pre-shadows the reign of Christ as the Good Shepherd. Jesus was almost certainly referencing this in John 10:1-18.
Psalm 46
Psalm 46 paints a picture of what God's reign looks like on earth. While God's power and might are graphically portrayed, this same God is our refuge. There is a parallel in Revelation 21, with a melting away of the earth while God's city is unshaken.
Luke 1:68-79
An excerpt from the song of Zechariah at the birth of his son, John the Baptist, who prepares the way for Christ and his reign. We are reminded that God is sending us a "mighty savior" (v.69) who brings "forgiveness" of sins (v.77) to "those who sit in darkness" (v.79).
Colossians 1:11-20
Both here and in the Luke 1 passage, the theme of redemption is featured. One metaphor that I have successfully used to explain redemption in Christ is the comparison to a pawnshop. While more affluent congregants might not relate to this, many pastors involved with urban mission will find that their congregations find the following metaphorical story relevant.
When I hock an item such as a watch to a pawnbroker, I give the broker my watch and he gives me some money and a ticket. I have a limited time to pay back the money, to redeem my ticket. If I do not have the currency in cash to buy my watch back, at the end of the agreed period of time the watch belongs to the pawnbroker, who may then do with it as he wishes. He can sell my watch to someone else. And when he does sell my watch, it now belongs permanently to the new owner, to the person who bought it.
In parallel, I am a sinner, born into a fallen world that taints the best of us with its sin. I have pawned my soul to the devil, who holds the ticket. And I do not have the necessary currency of righteousness that I need to redeem my soul (see Mark 8:35-37). However, when we come to Jesus, He does have the currency, and the will, to redeem my soul. But the idea is that Jesus has bought and paid for me, and that my soul belongs to Jesus.
Luke 23:33-43
In looking at this passage in terms of the Reign of Christ, it is important to remember that Jesus had referred to His kingdom in the previous chapter saying, "I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom" (Luke 22:29, NRSV). The penitent thief, (traditionally referred to as St. Dismas or San Dimas) is a significant figure in this account of the crucifixion. We learn of Jesus' willingness to redeem the guilty and condemned prisoner.
God's Mission in the Text
A main purpose of this selection of texts is to preview and declare the (already and not yet) reign of Christ.
A goodly number of theologians have explored the tension between Christ's reign having begun and Christ's reign to be completed at the eschaton/end times. But something less often explored in North America is what it means for Jesus to "come into" his kingdom. My expanded understanding comes from, of all places, watching subtitled Korean historical dramas. An often-repeated theme in these historical dramas is that of a usurped throne, and of a surviving heir of the original king struggling to claim his rightful place on the throne. The rightful heir is then supported in his struggles by those righteous people who believe in him. The trusted companions who are with the heir when he achieves his throne and comes into his kingdom are greatly rewarded; they become the most powerful of the leaders. Those companions who sacrifice their lives in the struggle ask the heir to "remember me when you come into your kingdom," which the heir does by providing for the families of the fallen supporters.
There is a reason that supporting the rightful heir, especially when he seems to be too weak to overthrow the usurper, deserves such special honor. Just as it is when said by the thief crucified on the cross next to Jesus, asking to be remembered when the heir "comes into" his kingdom is a statement of incredible faith.
Missional Connections for our Context
The Reign of Christ may not look exactly like what we are expecting. Those who mocked Jesus for allowing himself to be crucified were looking to a present kingdom that reflected this world's understanding of rule and reign. Instead, Jesus looks towards his impending reign with the Father, one in which Christ will reign with might and power, but also with mercy.
Likewise, God's righteousness and justice may not look like what we think of as righteousness and justice. Official U.S. righteousness and justice often takes the shape of condemnation and retribution. Everyone in the North American context is affected by the current phenomena of mass incarceration. According to 2018 U.S. Bureau of Justice statistics over 2.1 million adults were held in American prisons and jails, and if the incarcerated populated a city it would rate among the top ten U.S. cities. It is very likely that, if you do not have a formerly incarcerated person in your congregation, you do have someone whose family member, friend, or loved one is or has been in prison. In urban contexts, the likelihood of this is even higher. What can we learn from Jesus' example in Luke about how reach those impacted by mass incarceration?
In the Luke 23 passage, what we see is a contrast between redemption and reconciliation on one hand and a sentence of death on the other. When we look at how Jesus models righteousness and justice, he allows himself to be crucified and he promises to remember a convicted criminal when they enter into Jesus' kingdom.
This informs my understanding of what it might mean when Jesus says during the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:10). I suggest that "for righteousness' sake" may also mean "condemned by the world structures and institutions for unrighteousness." Honored saints might not be exactly who we imagine. We may meet redeemed former criminals serving as leaders in Jesus' heavenly kingdom.
This perspective of the Reign of Christ is important and relevant to missional preaching for two reasons. First, the idea that a repentant criminal is honored by Jesus is an incredibly hopeful message to those who live in guilt, whether or not they were caught or convicted of a specific crime. Secondly, this message prepares God's people regarding those who have committed crimes but have repented and turned their hearts to Jesus, to set aside their prejudices here and now, and to accept and honor these saints. It may save many people from future embarrassment when we meet again in Christ's kingdom and see who Jesus honors.
Biographical Summary
Dr. Linda Lee Smith Barkman earned a PhD from Fuller Theological Seminary, with a focus on Intercultural Communication, and is also under care toward ordination with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). As an educator, writer, and advocate, her heart ministry is providing voice to the marginalized, particularly women in difficult circumstances, and most especially to incarcerated women and to indigenous women in the barrios of Tijuana, Mexico. Dr. Barkman was herself incarcerated in a California prison for thirty years.
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Keywords: Missions, ASM, Missiology, Ecumenical
An ecumenical professional association for mission studies. We bring together more than 600 academicians, mission agency executives, and missionaries in a unique fellowship of scholarship and mission.
Who We Are
As the ecumenical professional association for mission studies in North America, the American Society of Missiology includes more than 600 academicians, mission agency executives, and missionaries in a unique fellowship of scholarship and mission. It seeks to:
Promote the scholarly study of theological, historical, social, and practical questions relating to the missionary dimension of the Christian church.
Relate studies in Missiology to the other scholarly disciplines.
Promote fellowship and cooperation among individuals and institutions engaged in activities and studies related to Missiology.
Facilitate mutual assistance and exchange of information among those thus engaged.
Encourage research and publication in the study of Christian missions.
The ASM publishes the quarterly journal Missiology: An International Review, which has a worldwide print circulation of approximately 1,150 subscribers. The Editor of the journal is Leanne Dzubinski.
In cooperation with Orbis Books, the society publishes the ASM Series, in which more than 30 monographs have been published since 1980. Robert Hunt is chair of the editorial committee for the series.
The ASM Dissertation Series was begun in 1993, and in June 2006 the name was changed to the ASM Scholarly Monograph Series. James Krabill is chair of the editorial committee for that series.
In all of its publications, it is the concern of the ASM to incorporate the knowledge, understanding, skills, and techniques provided by the social and behavioral sciences, by regional area studies, by a wide range of professional experience (in fields such as agriculture, education, medicine, and public health), and by biblical, theological, and historical studies.
The ASM meets annually in June in tandem with the Association of Professors of Mission (APM).
Read The History of the American Society of Missiology, by Wilbert Shenk here.
You can read the Articles of Incorporation and the Bylaws of the ASM here.
Advent Christmas Year C
Nativity of the Lord - Proper 1
Introduction to Advent and Christmas Year "C"
Once again, we begin the ancient story of our faith. We trace the steps from our first parents in the garden and their disobedience that separated humankind from the intimate relationship they had with their creator God. The scenario of faithfulness, disobedience and redemption continues repeatedly through the Old Testament as we trace the development of God's people through Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob, Leah and Rachel, Joseph, Moses, David and many other men and women in the nation of Israel. The prophets speak God's word to the kings of Israel and Judah, calling for repentance, rebuilding of the Holy City and a return to faith in the One God who delivered his people in many different ways and situations. And then...silence. No words from the prophets, those who spoke for God, for many years.
In that silence, God reaches out once again in an incredible act of love and grace. He leaves the glory of the heavenly realm and enters His creation in the most vulnerable way, as a helpless infant, born to ordinary Hebrew parents in less than perfect conditions. The missio Dei, the mission of God, once again appeared as a way to mend the broken relationship between humankind and God. His mission to redeem not only his people but all of creation may not have been clear at the moment of the incarnation of Jesus, but as time progressed, the realization that the time that had been foretold by the prophets became clear. The deliverer had come. This time to redeem ALL of creation, Jews and Gentiles alike. The mission Dei continues today through the church, the people of God, as we share the incredible love of Christ with a dark and hurting world. Our mission is in sync with God's desire to re-establish relationships with all people as we look forward to the glorious return of our savior and the redemption of all creation.
Advent is our period of waiting expectantly for the arrival of God in human form, Jesus. The missio Dei reaches a pivotal point when Jesus comes to earth, the whole reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place. We begin a new church calendar year with waiting in these "pregnant" moments anticipating the incredible appearance of God on earth and celebrating the birth of a new age that gives peace and hope to all humankind.
Rev. Jody Fleming, M.Div., Ph.D.
Associate Editor, Missional Preacher
American Society of Missiology; Board of Publication
First Sunday of Advent
December 2, 2018
Jeremiah 33: 14-16
1 Thessalonians 3: 9-13
Luke 21: 25-36
Kairos Moments
The first Sunday of Advent brings us once again to the beginning. The church calendar year begins again as we remember the most important event of the Christian faith. The moment when God came down to earth and took on human flesh in the form of a helpless Jewish baby: Jesus of Nazareth. The Advent season is one of expectancy and anticipation. We read again the ancient stories of the Old Testament as the prophets prepare the way for the coming Messiah; the one who will set all things right. But God's missional intent was far beyond what the Old Testament could have imagined. This Savior, the Messiah, would be the one who would redeem ALL humanity and reconcile us to God. The time was right, a kairos moment; a fitting season that would signal a juncture (Moulton, 1977). The missio Dei takes on new meaning, heaven and earth will be reconnected; the kingdom of God is at hand. God's ultimate mission to reconnect with his precious creation will be realized.
Exegetical Missional Insights
Jeremiah 33: 14-16
The promise of restoration in Jeremiah 33 speaks of a coming time, a kairos moment, in which the Lord "will fulfill the good promise" he made to his people, at that time Israel and Judah (v. 14). It is the prophetic forthtelling of what is to come. Jeremiah says that David's line will produce a "righteous branch" (v. 15), a sprout at a time that will be just right. He says that in those days, salvation and safety will come to Judah and Jerusalem that are currently under siege and certain for destruction. The future hope is in the appearance of "The Lord Our Righteous Savior" (v. 16), at a set time, a kairos moment. God's mission of restoration will come.
1 Thessalonians 3: 9-13
Paul writes to the Thessalonians, one of his missionary church plants, expressing the desire to be with them again and rejoices in receiving good news from Timothy (1 Thess. 3: 6). His desire is for the Lord to clear the way for them to return to the community that has been spiritually supporting them. Like the advent theme of waiting for the right time, the kairos moment, Paul is expectantly waiting for a time when they will be reunited. Until that time, he prays that the Lord will strengthen the hearts of the community so that they will be holy and blameless before God (v. 13). This is in preparation and expectancy, another kairos moment, when Jesus will return. The missional message speaks to the here and now and the future return of the Lord.
Luke 21: 25-36
Luke's gospel points our attention to Jesus' teaching to the disciples about coming signs. Once again, we see a reference to time (v. 27). At a certain time, a kairos moment, Jesus will return in great glory. Much will happen before that takes place. God's mission of restoring his relationship with creation will take place as the disconnect between heaven and earth will pass away. What will remain, and still does, are the words of Jesus (v. 33). But Jesus calls the disciples, and us, to not be too overly anxious about these signs. Instead life is to be lived in holy obedience to God's son (v. 36). Watchfulness is key just as it was for Jesus arrival in Bethlehem at just the right time, the kairos moment.
God's Mission in the Text
These three passages speak of time as a moment. From Jeremiah's call and prophetic announcement of a coming king, to Paul's encouragement to his missionary church plant, to the words of Jesus himself, the message is clear; something BIG is coming! The missio Dei is the restoration of the relationship between God and humankind, which was accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus. If we look a little more closely at the texts we see there is the idea that we are to expect the return of the Lord and the restoration of ALL creation. We are to be waiting in expectation for the kairos moment; the moment when Jesus returns to set all things right as he spoke of in Luke 21. Every year the season of Advent reminds us of the call to watchfulness. We need to be aware of what is going on around us, but yet not fretting or getting caught up in the things of life that might trap us, cutting us off from the abundant life in Christ. As the parable from Luke 21 teaches, we watch and pray, expecting God to complete the mission he has started; the mission that began in Bethlehem with a very small cast of faithful people. God is faithful to complete his mission when the time is right, a kairos moment.
Missional Connections for our Context
The beginning of the Advent season signals the start of the Church year, as we remember the miraculous incarnation that we celebrate on Christmas. While the world seems to have started the anticipation of the Christmas season weeks ago, as Christians we turn our focus to God's timing. Those outside of the Christian faith are caught up in the celebration and while they may not realize it, they are celebrating God's incredible and far reaching love...He came to us. His mission was, is and always will be to connect with his creation and have a personal relationship with each of his precious human creations. The missio Dei conveys that mission is "like [an] overflowing fountain [that] cannot be ‘contained' in the church" (Bevans and Schroeder, 2011). What a great way to view the Advent and Christmas season! The joy and celebration of Jesus birth cannot and should not be contained in the church. God himself left his glorious place to dwell with us; he did not stay contained. He came in the form of a helpless Hebrew baby at just the right time; a kairos moment that has forever changed the world.
Biographical Summary
Jody Fleming holds a Master of Divinity degree from Evangelical Seminary and a Doctor of Philosophy from Regent University School of Divinity. She teaches the field education courses at Evangelical Seminary as the Director of Mentored Ministry. She is an Endorsed Chaplain and Ordained Elder in the Church of the Nazarene and lives in South Central Pennsylvania with her husband, Cole.
Second Sunday of Advent
December 9, 2018
Baruch 5:1-9 OR Malachi 3:1-4
Philippians 1:3-11
Luke 3:1-6
Prepare Ye the Way of the LORD - An Advent Reflection
As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness" ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight'" (Lk 3:4).
At times, I can find the Advent season a bit unnerving - even when I approach it in my most appropriately spiritual posture. Advent is, in its soul, a season of expectation; and expectation is necessarily a very passive endeavor. I'm not always comfortable being passive. I don't mean that as a slight against passivity. Indeed, in a world swallowed up in frenetic, self-aggrandizing, activism (of all stripes) I often wonder if the yearly spiritual discipline of Aventine expectation, of wonder and waiting, ought to be extended beyond what the current church calendar allows. But I also think it is not altogether bad to find oneself chafing under too much anticipation, too much passivity. This week's readings invite us to recall that while God is inviting us this Advent into a season of anticipation; it is also a season of preparation. They remind us that Advent speaks to us in a voice that is BOTH passive AND active. In them we find that the movements of God which seem to us so sudden and unexpected are, in truth, the result of long-implemented provisions. And we hear, not just a description of his preparations, but an invitation to join him in preparing his next and grandest move. Much like Hemmingway's description of bankruptcy or John Green's description of falling into both love and slumber; we find that the way of the Lord appears to us very slowly and all at once.
Exegetical Missional Insights
Baruch 5:1-9 OR Malachi 3:1-4
One may expect the alternate passages given for the first reading to be roughly similar, yet they could hardly be more different. In Baruch the tone is that of a tender father, pledging to trade his estranged people's splendor, joy, and light for their sorrow and affliction. It is full of promises to undo the pain and ignominy of exile and remember the children of the forgotten ones. Even if it means a cataclysmic re-making of such transient things as mountains and forests, nothing will obstruct his ultimate purpose of making a safe and easy road home for his people. But if the way of the Lord appears as a source of comfort and peace in Baruch, in Malachi it comes as the sternest of warnings. The appearance of the Lord and His messenger are not described as a far-off thing to savor and anticipate. Instead they suddenly appear, unlooked for, on a scene that is woefully unprepared for them. And the day of their appearing has none of the tenderness, security, or ease of the earlier chapter. In describing the eventual redemption of God's people, the terms and metaphors employed by Malachi are scorching and caustic. In this passage we see a path home that is painful and difficult. The opposite of safe.
God's Mission in the Text
Why such a stark contrast? Perhaps it is because each passage is addressed to different groups of people. The passage from Baruch is addressed to Jerusalem as a poetic stand-in for the exiled and forgotten people of God. People who, at the time, lived in distress and trouble and were struggling with the world-shattering implications of being forsaken by an ever-faithful God. They were in desperate need of a way back from what, to them, must have seemed like existential annihilation. Malachi, however, is addressed to the tribes of Levi and Judah, symbolic for the priests and kings of God's people. His addressees lived in relative comfort and ease, struggling mightily to cling to their influence and prestige. They had twisted a God-given call to serve his people into a life of self-service. They were in desperate need of a way back from the idolatry of their own power, to which they had become blind. And it is crucial to note that the crucible described in Malachi does not bring about the annihilation of the priests and kings themselves, but of their impurity. Though painful, and perhaps costly, the way God has prepared for them brings them from the counterfeit worship and safety they have made for themselves into the same beatific existence and pure worship promised to all God's people. These are not two separate paths so much as one path from two very different places.
In Baruch and in Malachi we see God preparing way for his people to return once more to his perfect reign. A way that restores the soul of the downtrodden and that confronts and removes the idolatrous affections of the comfortable.
Exegetical Missional Insights
Luke 3:1-6
We see the promises of both passages reflected beautifully in our reading from the Gospel. It is easy to simply blow past the names listed in the first two verses as mere trivia; but to do so misses one of the most significant points of the passage. These were not mere names in their day; they were the great men of their times. The headline-makers, the people whose policies and decisions shaped the everyday lives of the people of first-century Palestine. To the people we encounter in Luke's narrative, these were the people of true significance; the presidents and prime ministers, the congresspeople and governors, the mega-church pastors and conference-speakers of their day. These are the movers and shakers, the ones making history. In the story of Jesus, they are reduced to accidents of history. Why? Because the message does not come to any of them. It by-passes all of the people of significance and instead it comes to a man of utter insignificance, save that God was with him. And the messenger is sent first to a forgotten place (the Jordan valley) that has been left largely undeveloped and under-served by centuries of empire-builders. It confers neither the economic advantages of the plains or the military advantages of the highlands. God's message of salvation does eventually come to the people of significance. But, in the wisdom and mercy of God, it comes first to the forgotten and only last to the important.
God's Mission in the Text
When God's message finally does come before priests and kings in Luke's Gospel it is entirely unexpected, just as Malachi warned. Jesus, our help unlooked for, suddenly appears as the long-prepared Way back for the people of God. The promises of Baruch, Malachi, and Isaiah (glory, light, mercy, unadulterated worship, forgiveness of sins) all burst onto the scene in such a way that all flesh (significant and insignificant, forgotten and celebrated, afflicted and comfortable) sees together the Salvation God has so carefully prepared.
Exegetical Missional Insights
Philippians 1: 3-11
In this passage, Paul directs our attention to both the passive and active dimensions of preparing the way of the Lord. First, he looks forward with unwavering certainty to the completion of the work Jesus has begun. And this work is entirely outside the prerogative of his hearers. While the work is being done within them, it is not done by them. Whatever may be called righteous in them has come through Jesus. They are summoned to discern the reign of Jesus and join Paul in hopeful anticipation. Yet at the same time Paul commends them for living into their hope. The life the Philippians long for does not come through their work, yet they are working it out in their care for God's prisoner and, most importantly, in their love for one another.
God's Mission in the Text
This raises some important questions for us. How can we attend to what God is doing when it is so often hidden? And as we expectantly await the coming of his kingdom in its fullness, how might we join him in making preparations? This passage does not offer an easy answer to these questions. But it does offer a clear path to it: ever-increasing love. The Philippians seem to have been expecting some insight or wise counsel from Paul. And his reply was that those things come not when we pursue them but when we pursue love. All those good things that God is preparing in us: knowledge, insight, blamelessness, and the unending song of praise to God; flow from a single source. Our love. This is the work that has been given to us, the (often difficult, sometimes impossible) task of loving and loving more.
Missional Connections for our Context
This is the invitation of Advent. To behold the way God has made for us out of the counterfeit comforts and very real afflictions we have found in this world and into the peace of his Kingdom. To attend to his slow and hidden preparations among insignificant people in forgotten places. To repent of our idolatrous insistence on looking for significance where we most expect it. To receive from him the salvation we so desperately need. And to join him in preparing the way for the final act of the story by cultivating lives of ever-increasing love.
Biographical Summary
Danny Hunter is a PhD Candidate in Intercultural Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. An avid missiology junkie who loves serving in his local church, Danny spends most of his time finding and studying ways for mission and churches to intersect. And also making fresh salsa from his garden.
Third Sunday of Advent
December 16, 2018
Zephaniah 3:14-20
Philippians 4:4-7
Luke 3:7-18
The King is Coming
The Messiah is coming! Israel had longed for this for centuries. No wonder these Advent texts are full of JOY! But they are also troubling. The Messiah is not exactly what they expected.
Exegetical Missional Insights
The coming of the Lord is announced in all three passages. Each passage brings out different effects that will result.
Zephaniah 3:14-20
In Zephaniah it is entirely good news for the people of God. They should "shout!" (v. 14) and "rejoice!" (v. 4) for numerous reasons:
Philippians 4:4-7
In the letter to the Philippians, Christians are also bidden to rejoice (v. 4, a, b). The day of the Lord is near, thus joy and gentleness should characterize them. Prayer should relieve them of anxiety, and provide the peace that can only be found in Christ Jesus.
Luke 3:7-18
In Luke, John the Baptist warns the Jewish crowds that the Messiah is coming, and that he will not be impressed by those who claim Abraham as their father (v. 8). Instead of claiming rights on the basis of paternity, they are to show whose children they really are by their morality. All are called on to help those in need of things like coats or food. Soldiers and tax collectors are not to use their power to extort, but only to do their job. John announces the impending judgment (v. 17) but One who is coming will enact it at any moment, with great power.
God's Mission in the Text.
This is the Big One! The Messiah, the Son of God is coming. All of us are mired in problems, many of our own making. But God is breaking in to redeem his people in Christ. These passages remind us just how revolutionary that is. It is the war that brings about peace. It is the gathering that creates a new and renewed people. It is the judgment which will be horrifying for many, but comforting for Christ's own. It has always been God's design to call out a people for himself; and the coming of the Messiah is the point in which this mission comes to its head. This is the day that many long for, but many need also fear.
Missional Connections for Our Context.
God's mission rarely seems urgent in my hometown. We go about our business, take care of kids, and generally keep ourselves entertained and out of trouble. But... "The King is Coming." I had an uncle who sang this song in a powerful baritone. One of the verses and the chorus say:
Happy faces line the hallways
Those whose lives have been redeemed
Broken homes that He has mended
Those from prison He has freed
Little children and the aged
Hand in hand stand all aglow
Who were crippled, broken, ruined
Clad in garments white as snow
The King is coming
The King is coming
I just heard the trumpet sounding
And now his face I see
The King is coming, oh the King is coming
Praise God, he's coming for me.
Bill Gaither
The renewal and redemption that Zephaniah speaks of is pictured in this song. There is no punishment, nor fear of harm, nor mourning; rather, the God who delights in you is now coming to you. No surprise that in this week some churches light a candle of Joy.
It would be easy to pause here and ask a congregation if they were ready for the coming of the Lord. If all answer yes, since they are saved, we have begun well, but are not nearly done. This is where the words of John the Baptist strike to the heart. So, you are children of Abraham, or of Christ; does your life prove it? Have you dedicated yourself to the work of God, sharing Gods' goods with Gods' image bearers, or do you merely cling to a magical phrase like, "we are Abraham's children?"
We need a reminder that the King has come, and that he will come again. At present we see too little of the joy that Paul and Zephaniah speak of. Why? The King has come, and will come again. We experience anxiety rather than the peace that passes all understanding. Why? The King has come and will come again. And the reason for both visitations is that God delights in his children, and wishes to gather them together and shower honor and praise upon them.
Of course we have the honor, too, of joining in God's mission. We can certainly proclaim that there is a judgment awaiting all, but grace is more than sufficient to place us on the honor role. We may legitimately ask ourselves and our fellow believers whether we merely claim to be children of Abraham and Christ, or whether we indeed follow him. And we can exhibit the peace, joy and the gentleness (even in the political sphere?) that reside in those whom Christ loves.
Biographical Summary
Kent Van Til teaches Christian Ethics at Hope College, having earned his doctorate at Marquette University. He, with his family, was a missionary in Central America in the 1990s.
Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 23, 2018
Micah 5:2-5a
Hebrews 10:5-10
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)
The texts chosen for our Advent reading today challenge us to consider the actions of God in fulfilling his purpose and decree. Instead of expectations of the exceptional and unique, Micah, Luke, and the author of Hebrews reveal God in the insignificant and unexceptional. God works in the ordinary and chooses the least to reveal his sovereign way.
Exegetical Missional Insights
Micah 5:2-5a
Micah the prophet is often overshadowed by the more prominent of Old Testament prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, or Ezekiel, but his short prophecy is just as important today as then. He ministered in a time of political, social, and spiritual decay. The immediate context within Israel and Judea describe the inward collapse of society and the outward invasion of stronger and more powerful military forces. In those moments, Micah offers promise that in this present age of suffering and moral collapse, another age, a time to come, is bursting forth like the first rays of the sun, dispelling the night and awakening possibility for a better tomorrow. Our readings for this Advent Sunday remind us of a special arrival, just on the horizon, that promises to restore hope and possibility in the midst of much gloom and despair. Micah's prophecy reflects a time of uncertainty, expressing the real and potential problems of those who turned their back on the covenant King. Micah foresees and anguishes over the future destruction of Samaria by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. He laments those who "hate the good and love evil" (3:2), "who detest justice and make crooked all that is straight" (v.9). Time and again, the prophet's voice resonates with a message of doom at the abuse of power, injustice against the poor, and the destruction of the family. He warns of foreign troops coming to lay siege to Israel's fortifications, a portrait of divine punishment for abandoning the way of Torah. Destruction, chaos, and disintegration are not the final word the prophet speaks, however. He promises hope, an advent of life appearing as a flicker of light in an otherwise bleak landscape. It comes in both a future event and in a person. David may no longer be present to lead the people toward this future, but David's son, the promised eternal King comes; to Bethlehem, David's hometown.
Micah's present age proved futile to achieve people's dreams and aspirations in the routines of life. Religious piety crumbled under the decay of moral values. National objectives for good governance and equitable judicial systems miscarried with the corruption of management at all levels. Israel's Covenant King wearied with the pretense of burnt offerings and sacrifices while priests practiced injustice, cruelty, and pride (Micah 6:1-8). The old order provided no hope and no relief.
Hebrews 10:5-10
The writer of Hebrews reveals a solution in the person of Jesus Christ, the hope of Israel and the world. His advent was a necessity to incarnate God himself. He came that through his offering of himself as a sinless and more perfect sacrifice, a new order might be realized where there is justice, peace, mercy, and loving kindness. All that Micah envisioned merges in a portrait of a God of grace and forgiveness revealed in the one who existed as both Son of Man and Son of God. His advent culminates in a final and ultimate sacrifice that enables a way into the future for all humanity.
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)
Luke's Gospel opens a window to a scene between two young Jewish women, both expectant mothers, not fully understanding the significance of their humble context. Each one, unimportant in the political, cultural, or religious establishment, carry within them the seeds of God's grand design. The old order of the present age is about to surrender to the age to come with the advent of the Savior, Immanuel. The hope promised will be realized. One of the unborn will create a pathway for traversing the boundary of the present age with the age to come. The other will be the divine Son of God who will sit upon his father David's throne (1:32). Bethlehem will soon welcome a new guest that will forever change the course of human history.
God's Mission in the Text
God's Israel experiment receives a "failure" label by many. The descendants of Abraham never really aspired to be the people through whom God would bless the ta ethne, the people groups of the world (Gen 12:1-3). God chose Abraham's progeny as "a light for the nations" that his "salvation may reach to the ends of the earth" (Isa 49:8). They came close during the reigns of David and Solomon, but rapidly declined from that moment.
Throughout the ebbs and flows of Israel's history, the highs and lows of national religious life, the Missio Dei never wavered. God's mission was always there with suggestions of an impacting sacrifice of significant consequence (Gen 3:15). He gave Israel a roadmap with the promise of a future prophet who would reveal the full intent of God's grand design (Deut 18:15-18). God promised he would send a true priest and king to govern and guide the people into God's preferred future (Isa 9:6-7).
For the nation and its people, when all seemed lost, when divine favor receded, Micah promises hope. The first light shines on the horizon and the dawn of a new day emerges. It is small in the beginning. A promise here and there of God's intent and purpose. The event itself garners little global attention or fanfare. It starts in a small insignificant village with the announcement of a child yet to be born (Isa 9:6). When the Savior finally does appear, there is nothing appealing to him (Isa 53:1). For those attentive to the obscure and insignificant, such as Simeon and Anna, the small child was destined to change the world (Luke 2:25-38).
Missional Connections for our Context
The beautiful proclamation of Micah 5 in the textual reading for this advent Sunday reminds us of insignificance amid small beginnings. Bethlehem, the least and irrelevant location among Israel's tribes is destined to be the genesis of a much-anticipated visitation from the Heavenlies. The small-town plays host to The Immanuel, God with us, who comes in the little things; a manger, surrounded by farm animals, draped in human flesh. Without fanfare or welcome, The Redeemer steps into our world as one of us.
Hope sparks to life in such small beginnings. God's mission starts thus with a promise for tomorrow, that the age to come dawns in the person of Christ to bring salvation to the ends of the earth and loudly declares reprieve for a world in turmoil, uncertainty, and despair. We therefore proclaim during this Advent season that the Christ has come, and people can find him in the everyday, the ordinary, and the simple. Maybe he is seen in the eyes of a child at play or an old man playing chess. Maybe it is the disabled and homeless veteran pandering on a street corner.
At this advent season, the historic Gospel reminds us to be agents of mission to the least, the insignificant, the vulnerable. Advent presents an opportunity to see God in the unexpected, to look for him at the boundaries, and find God manifested and realized in Jesus as he walks among the broken and forgotten. As those called to God's mission, we need to follow the path of small beginnings, and allow God to reveal himself even as we reveal him.
Biographical Summary
J. Stephen Jester, PhD, served in cross-cultural education for over twenty-fives years in both Africa and Asia. He currently teaches Christian Missions and Worldview courses at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona.
Nativity of the Lord - Proper 1
December 24 & 25, 2018
Isaiah 9:2-7
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)
What Kind of Joy?
You could add a brief introduction to your post here to spark the reader's interest. It's up to you! The traditional Christmas scriptures are familiar to most Christians. I suggest here that there are new insights to be gleaned from this week's lectionary about the meaning of Christmas joy.
Exegetical Missional Insights
Isaiah 9:2-7
The day of Midian refers to Judges 7:2: "The Lord said to Gideon, "The troops with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand. Israel would only take the credit away from me." This is a clear statement that it is indeed the "zeal of the Lord of hosts" that will establish the reign of Christ.
Titus 2:11-14
The "already but not yet" concept of the Kingdom of God, where tension exists between whether the Kingdom is already present in the incarnation or whether the Kingdom is yet to come at the eschaton, finds support in this passage (see: George Eldon Ladd. 1993. A Theology of the New Testament. Eerdmans). Here Titus: 1) tells us that the grace of God has already appeared (v11), 2) gives us advice on how to live in the present world (v12), and 3) specifies that we still wait for the manifestation of the glory of God in Jesus (v13). This is followed by a succinct, one verse exposition of the gospel message of redemption in Jesus.
Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)
Luke uses two different Greek words in this passage to refer to people. In verse 10, "good news of great joy for all the people," the word used is law (lao), which is usually used to mean the nation, crowd, often the Jews, or the church as the people of God. So here the good news is for the people of Israel, who have been waiting for the Messiah.
However, in verse 14 "peace among those whom he favors" or "with whom he is pleased" is offered to anqrwpaiV (anthropais), or human beings. It is less clear as to precisely whom it is that God favors. It could be in agreement with verse 10, that God favors the Jews. But an argument can also be made that those God is pleased with are the oppressed and marginalized among His people who are faithful to Him.
This exegetical insight feels contrary to what we expect from the Christmas message in that it appears here that joy and blessings of Christmas are not for absolutely everyone. But a closer examination reveals a correlation between salvation and joy in that they are both available for those who love God and His righteousness. Alternatively, both are in question for those who oppress, who place their own riches above the welfare of others, and who follow after "worldly passions" (Titus 2:12). Ultimately, the great joy and hope is that Jesus came to "redeem and purify" us into becoming part of the laon (laon), the people of God.
God's Mission in the Text
The incarnation of Jesus as the Christmas child is God's work, not our own. In Isaiah God says this bluntly, by referring to the day of Midian (9:4). Titus reinforces the agency of God in the salvific work of Jesus by reminding us that "He it is who gave himself for us" (v14). The Luke passage is less direct, but when a "multitude of the heavenly host" makes an appearance, praising God, there is no room for us to think that the incarnate Jesus is just another human baby.
Missional Connections for our Context
The traditional nativity scriptures are rich in meaning for the Church. I present here three themes that are present in these lectionary passages but are not as frequently addressed.
Theme #1: Jesus' birth is the first contextualization of the gospel message. Contextualization is the process of presenting a message in a culturally relevant form so that the message makes sense to the hearers. God became a human baby so that humans could understand the message of salvation and redemption.
Some Christians are uncomfortable seeing the traditional nativity scene re-imaged as an African kraal or indigenous hut. Some resist the contextualization of Bible stories to other cultures because they think that such might make the gospel message less "pure." However, when we realize that it was God's contextualization of himself that resulted in the baby Jesus being born to a Jewish family in Israel, it becomes entirely appropriate that other cultures adapt the nativity scene to meaningful and relevant images.
Theme #2: The birth of Jesus is a matter of great joy. So after the waiting and expectation of advent, what is this joy that Jesus brings? Isaiah gives us images of the kind of joy that only comes after much darkness, waiting, and suffering. This is a different picture of Christmas joy than the pretty lights and a stocking full of gifts and candy from Santa Claus that our world often portrays.
Isaiah gives us the image of the joy of harvest. The joy of harvest comes after much toil, much waiting. For a farmer, there is no greater joy than harvest. However, harvest is an uncertain outcome at best, that only possibly comes after much toil, sweat, and waiting. Even then, a sudden rain or storm at the last moment can destroy an entire year's hope. Isaiah's second image is joy from the dividing of plunder. Plunder comes from a difficult battle won, which may well be the culmination of years of deprivation, fear, death of loved ones, and even of subjugation. In order for great plunder to exist, a great enemy, an enemy well fortified and provisioned, needs to have been overcome. The point here is that the joys Isaiah uses for comparison are contingent and did not come without price. This is the kind of joy associated with the child that is born to us on Christmas.
It can be difficult for people in the U.S.A. to understand how significant the birth of an heir is in other cultures, and just how much joy is associated with such a birth. It might help to consider the case five years ago of the birth of Royal Prince George of Cambridge, third in line to the English throne. The very human birth of this little boy was the cause of much rejoicing, and was even followed by many in the U.S. For the tiny island country of Great Britain, it was estimated that just the sales of baby related items commemorating the birth alone would boost the British economy by over 200 million pounds! Now consider that the British system is a constitutional monarchy, where the king or queen is not particularly powerful, but instead makes "suggestions" to the parliament. Yet the birth of Prince George symbolizes hope and continuity to the people who identify themselves with the country that the monarchy represents.
The Jews of the OT believed that the Messiah would restore the line of David to the throne, and thereby restore the fortunes of God's people. To the oppressed nation of Israel, the hope of a Messiah was indeed good news in itself. However, Jesus is not simply the heir of a nation or ethnic group; Jesus is heir to all of creation.
Theme #3: What are gifts that the Savior/Messiah brings? Isaiah refers to the broken rod, bar, and yoke of oppression. Modern technology means that few in the U.S. know the physical burden of carrying a heavy load, or know the joy and relief of having that burden lifted. Titus describes the gifts as salvation, redemption, and purification. Again, it is those who have been lost, enslaved, and defiled who best appreciate such gifts. Perhaps this is why we are more familiar and touched by the promise of peace on earth that Luke offers; the brokenness of the world is a concept we are more familiar with.
The missiological implication to the above is that Christmas joy is not nearly so relevant to the wealthy oppressor as to the oppressed. Christmas joy is most truly ours where we are the oppressed, and not the oppressor, when we are the ones who desperately wait, not those who are sated by what we have already.
Biographical Summary
Linda Lee Smith Barkman earned a PhD from Fuller Theological Seminary, with a focus on Intercultural Communication. As an educator, writer, and advocate, her heart ministry is providing voice to the marginalized, particularly women in difficult circumstances, and most especially to incarcerated women.
The First Sunday of Christmas
December 30, 2018
1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26
Colossians 3:12-17
Luke 2:41-52
Stepping into Our Calling
All three of today's texts deal with calling. Each of the passages describe a set apart relationship in relationship to God and others. God's calling transcends family boundaries. Two of the three texts depict a yearly visit to the Temple and two of the texts refer to a set-apart clothing that highlights the distinction between the new and the old.
Exegetical Missional Insights
1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26
In the section immediately following the escapades of Eli's crooked sons (1 Sam 2:11-17), the narrator describes the annual trip from Ramah to the Temple where Hannah and Elkanah offer their sacrifice and visit their son Samuel, whom Hannah had left there for the Lord (1:26-28). Every year Hannah brings Samuel a new robe-perhaps as a gift. Eli would bless Hannah and Elkanah before making the journey back to Ramah. This short passage shows the contrast between God's faithful and the wicked (v. 9), particularly in the sacrifice Hannah made to God contrasted with the sin of the scoundrels in the previous section, who committed sin "very great in the sight of YHWH; for they treated the offerings of YHWH with contempt" (v. 17).
Colossians 3:12-17
In the previous section of Colossians 3, Paul instructs the Colossians to put to death their old ways, taking off the old self (3:5-9). Now Paul admonishes these chosen holy people to clothe themselves in a new clothing; but unlike Samuel's garments, this clothing is not physical but spiritual. The new believers at Colossae must clothe themselves in compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and-above all-love. This new clothing sets them apart from the old, a life characterized by sexual licentiousness, impurity, evil desires, greed, and malevolent speech. By putting on the new, one does away with division and begins living into unity, life together. From hate to love, from immorality to holiness; this describes what it means to become a community patterned after Christ.
Luke 2:41-52
In the third gospel, the narrator describes the twelve-year-old Jesus and his earthly parents, friends, and relatives making the annual pilgrimage up to Jerusalem for the festival of Passover. Mary and Joseph realize on the journey back that Jesus-the Son of God, mind you-is missing. So they return to Jerusalem in search of him for three days. They find the prodigious yet humble lad in the Temple sitting among the teachers. The teachers are astounded with his grasp of the teachings, but his frantic mother is less than impressed: "Child, why have you treated us like this?" Jesus' first recorded words in this Gospel point to God's higher purposes, which are above our immediate concerns, and, like any true adolescent, Jesus is quite short and ambiguous with his mom: "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" Here the sword of division against the household has pierced its first wound in the heart of his own mother, as Jesus would later warn (12:51-52). Luke summarizes the next 18 years of Jesus as living obediently under his parents, giving us a very fleshly Jesus we do not encounter in John 1. The narrator depicts the God incarnate who succumbed to normal human development and to earthly parents.
God's Mission in the Text
In the first reading, Hannah reaps the benefits of her faithfulness to God in dedicating her son's life. Hannah (demonstrated so poignantly in her song in 2:1-10), who like her counterpart Mary (expressed beautifully in her Magnificat in Luke 1:46-55), entrusts the life of her child to God's divine purposes. It may be outside of both women's understandings, but they sing boldly in light of their miraculous pregnancies, surrendering the lives of their miraculous baby boys to the missio Dei.
In the second reading, Paul paints a striking picture of what the church is called to be, and does so in contrast to a community marked by its old ways. He admonishes the Colossians to put on new clothing that will set them apart from the world. It is this type of community that will bring about God's purposes.
In Luke, we see a God who sent was into the world, taking on flesh, living and breathing very humanly and growing up as an adolescent, going through a learning process. It is critical that Jesus (God) walks the earth for a given time so that his kingdom can be enacted and proclaimed. For anyone who is called by God there are no skipping steps, including for God there is no skipping steps; Jesus must walk humbly and go through the developmental phases of life, and he will continue to walk humbly in his ministry and even on his way to the cross. This story located in the context of Luke 2 is furthermore a reminder of the continuation of Mary's and thereby Israel's story: a mixture of the ordinary and the extraordinary.
Missional Connections for Our Context
In light of the liturgical season and the passages for today, the message for today that stands out to me is one of steps-early steps. Jesus' ministry has yet to begin. He's learning as a human child learns-at least this is what Luke records. It's a period of incubation, a time of growth. Jesus is not ready to go to the cross yet; he is not ready to die, as the kingdom of God has yet to be preached. God in Jesus is walking the same dusty roads of the very people created in his image.
The liturgical texts following Advent and Christmas are intended to nurture this growth for this next season, leading us to the cross.
The foundational characters in the first reading and the Gospel reading did not skip steps. Rather, they followed the natural progression to get from here to where God desires them; and they do so with allegiance to God, acting in faith(full)ness toward God and neighbor. One must go through the rites of becoming a priest to become a priest; Jesus had to go through the steps of becoming the Messiah. It first required living a fairly ordinary life for over a quarter-century before God's purposes could be fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Perhaps this is cause for reflection on patience, an act of resistance in our culture of instant gratification.
The same could be said of ourselves as we work out our own callings. The same could be said of myself in my own walk, in my journey towards full submission of my will to the missio Dei (never mind the fact that I have to say this over and over again). We need to be prepared for ministry; it takes many steps-sometimes complicated steps. My own formation was like this: I felt a strong call to mission on a beach in Oregon in 2014, but I had to be thrown a curve ball, apply to my mission agency, interview, finish a monumental task-and-a-half, fundraise, reconcile past hurts and say goodbyes to friends, mentors, and family.... and then I was ready to move to New York. And it's not until I sit back and reflect on that journey and how I got here that I realize that those were all necessary steps, some more natural than others, that led me to this current place of ministry. And I am still not fully there; there is more growth to go.
In this season of the liturgy, it is all about incubation. Jesus himself went through the process of growth, learn the family trade, and do so in submission to his earthly parents. We do not have these details of his life from age 12 to 30-we may infer it was probably quite ordinary as Luke summarizes it in v. 52.
Each of the three passages deal with being set apart in dedication to God. There is a higher calling that transcends family boundaries and requires many steps in preparation for that calling. As we wrap up the calendar year and look forward to a new, it may be helpful for us to examine our own lives and what relationships we prioritize and seek out ways we can more obediently follow God.
Biographical Summary
Joel David Ickes is serving in his third year as a mission catalyst with Global City Mission Initiative in the Bronx, New York. He graduated from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (MDiv, 2016) and Great Lakes Christian College (BS, 2012).
ASM Student Fellowship
Who We Are
The American Society of Missiology Student Fellowship (ASMSF) is a group of graduate students within ASM who gather at the annual conference and throughout the year (often through email and social media) to support, challenge, collaborate, and celebrate with each other as we navigate the waters of graduate work in the field of missiology.
Check us out on Facebook! 
Advent Christmas Year A
Introduction
Advent 3
Advent 4
Nativity of the Lord - Proper 1
Second Sunday after Christmas Day
First Sunday of Advent
December 1, 2019
Isaiah 2:1-5
Romans 13:11-14
Matthew 24:36-44
Exegetical Missional Insights
Isaiah 2:1-5
The prophet Isaiah allows the reader to have a vision of hope for the day that "the Lord's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it." This reference is to the blessing that will eventually come from the establishment of the Lord's House. In this establishment, God will allow Jerusalem to become secure, firm, and lasting. This hope is given to the people of Judah at a time when the kingdom had fallen away from the Lord and had entered into a situation of imminent demise. In the days to come, there will be no darkness in the land, and the threat of war, capture, famine, or sickness will be no more. The time will come when even the weapons created to kill, still, and destroy will be turned into plowshares and pruning hooks - the time when the light will never be able to be put out or covered up.
Romans 13:11-14
In this passage, Paul gives us some of his most easily remembered and well-known sayings: night versus day, darkness versus light, honor, and virtue versus debauchery and licentiousness. These contracts allow the readers of this letter to see the undeniable choice of the new life that is offered in Christ's salvation and in the old life of sin, darkness, and death that must be left behind. Paul is calling this community to allow their salvation to be actualized in the way they live here and now. This ability of this transformed life is only made possible by their new lord and master, God the Father, through the life and light of Christ the Son, and by the power to live with virtue and honor by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 24:36-44
The text is concerned with two ages, the present age, and the new age. The present age is consumed by evil, sin, injustice, war, sickness, and the presence of Satin. While the new age will be a time that has the complete rule of God and the angels where acts of authentic worship, forgiveness, mutual support, health, blessing between nature and humankind, and eternal life will be manifest. This new age will come unexpectedly, so the people of God must be ready. If we have no way of knowing when this new age and second coming will occur, we do not have the luxury to wait, but we must be prepared at all times.
God's Mission in the Text
Time and time again, God has invited humanity to live into what it is to be fully human. Unfortunately, throughout history, God's people have repeatedly turned away from God. Ellen Davis states there is a cyclical pattern where "1) God Creates by initiating a new relational reality, 2) Humans cause a rupture in the relational reality that God has established, 3) Divine judgment and suffering of humans and nonhumans ensue, and 4) God takes a new initiative toward humans creating new kinds of through which a degree of the original harmony may be restored to the world".1
In these three texts, we can see this pattern and warnings as God's desire to create and be in relationship with humanity, yet, too often, humans have deserted these relationships with God and slipped into sin. Nevertheless, God continues to move with restorative power to reconcile the relationships. These efforts, from God, to restore and reconcile all of humanity, comes to a head when God comes in the form of Jesus of Nazareth to be the ultimate Messiah and Savior of all people.
This is the time that God has been preparing for to restore all things that have fallen into sin, death, darkness, and evil. The time when the old earth will pass away and everything contrary to God's life and light with it and the new creations of heaven and earth shall be established forever.
Missional Connections for Our Context
As the culture of today continues to engage in eclectic pluralism, we must take these warnings very seriously. The church continues to struggle with either being in the world too much or not enough and has lost its grasp of the grand narrative of scripture that is there to illumine the present in such a way that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. God is calling the church today to continue to run its race through all of the success, growth, and fruitful times, but even more so in the times of decay, struggle, and death. As the North American church seems to be drowning in the cultural milieu, the church must continue to run the race, proclaiming the gospel, setting people's hearts on fire for God, and creating disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. This advent season is a time to remember the time is coming when the darkness of the world will disappear in the marvelous light of Christ Jesus.
Biographical Summary
Rev. Kaury C. Edwards serves as the lead pastor of Wesleyan Heights United Methodist Church within the Kentucky Annual Conference. In 2013, he received a Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary, and in 2016, he received a Master of Theology in World Missions and Evangelism with a specialization in missional theology and desecularization from Asbury Theological Seminary. He is currently a Doctor of Ministry Candidate at Duke University and focusing his research on leadership innovation, John Wesley studies, and Design Thinking.
1 Ellen F. Davis, Opening Israel's Scriptures (New York: Oxford University Press, 2019), 19.
Second Sunday of Advent
December 8, 2019
Isaiah 11:1-10
Romans 15:4-13
Matthew 3:1-12
The scriptures this morning proclaim the advent themes of hope and peace and give wonderful pictures of God's intention for God's creation. This points to the good yet sometimes difficult news we proclaim as we are called to participate in God's mission for our world.
Exegetical Missional Insights
Isaiah proclaims the coming of a Messiah in the line of King David - from the root of Jesse - who will be strong in the Spirit of God. The idea of Jesse brackets this passage which is full of images of righteousness, wisdom and a strong walk with God. The latter half of the passage contains some of the most beloved images from Isaiah - a world where the conflicts of nature shall cease and where the carnivores of the world can live without killing. Where the power of snakes, their venom, no longer threatens human kind, represented by their children. All of this peace of Christ will be ushered in by the coming figure who will reconcile humankind and in fact, all nations, to God his wisdom his righteousness. Note there is also a note of the Word of God "striking" and "killing" the wicked, although specifically on behalf of the poor and the meek.
Paul picks up some of the images from Isaiah and calls on the people to live in peace with one another. Specifically, he calls on them with the help of the Holy Spirit and the example of Christ to model God's peace so that the "gentiles" might join in that peace and the hope given by God through Jesus Christ.
John the Baptist in the Gospel of Matthew also stands in the tradition of Isaiah. Like Isaiah, his very life points the way to God and prepares the way for Jesus - wearing "clothing of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey." And his ministry is enormously successful as people come to him from the city and the whole region to repent and seal their repentance; that is, turn to God, and symbolize this turn with baptism in water. In fact, John is successful despite his sometimes-difficult message. He calls out those with power who have come from the city, suspecting that their repentance is not real but for show. He proclaims that the test of their faith will be to do justice and practice mercy and if not, they will be destroyed by God's wrath, echoing the destruction spoken of by Isaiah.
God's Mission in the Text
As God's people, we are called to a mission to proclaim words of peace and hope through knowledge of God's goodness and faith in God's good intention for all creation Specifically our call is to see and help the weak and the marginalized for there can be no peace without first justice. Notably, God's peace is not without its cost. Those with power who abuse that power, who practice evil and who oppress their sisters and brothers, will bear the cost of that evil. Hence the tough language in Isaiah and John. Our call is to prepare hearts and minds for the Christ, as Isaiah and his community did. As John did in the wilderness. Our call is to proclaim the need for true repentance and to baptize the nations into Jesus Christ and a vision of righteousness grounded in hope and living in harmony. We can demonstrate this harmony by the fruits of caring for the poor and the weak with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Missional Connection to Our Context
We live in a world suffused with violence. People are killed just because of the color of their skin. Wars and rumors of wars abound, in Africa and Asia and other places. Whole groups of people are forced from their homes in places like Myanmar and Syria. Because we live with so much violence, we sometimes confuse the absence of violence with peace. But God's peace is different. As we learn from Isaiah and Matthew, God's peace is an upsetting of the natural order for something that is different.
We can participate in the upsetting of the natural order by the fruits of our lives. We can call out the rich and the powerful as John the Baptist does. But perhaps it is not necessary, and it is certainly not sufficient, to simply decry the state of the world. We can bring harmony and upset the order of things by reaching out to and lifting up the poor, the meek, the powerless, the disenfranchised. As Paul suggests and John preaches, it is our living in harmony and the fruits of our actions to bring justice and mercy that foreshadow Isaiah's vision and God's ultimate peace. And in this we have the strong example of Jesus Christ and the help of the Holy Spirit. Thanks be to the God of hope and peace.
Nativity of the Lord - Proper I
December 24 & 25, 2019
Isaiah 9:2-7
Psalm 96
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)
Exegetical Missional Insights
Isaiah 9:2-7
Isaiah 9 presents a changing world. The light shines into darkness (v. 2). The underclasses finally feel relief as the oppressive leadership loses its power (v. 4). And the tearful reminders of war and loss are obliterated (v. 5). Verse 6 claims that this new order rests on the shoulders of a child who would become king. The hope contained in this passage rests in knowing that peace, justice, and righteousness characterize God's reign. Peace transforms the tools of war because they are no longer needed. Justice provides for the common folk and protects them from the abuse of power. Righteousness rightly orders relationships of all kinds: between God and humanity, person to person, between humanity and nature, and between societies and individuals.
Titus 2:11-14
Jesus appears and shatters any monopoly on salvation. The grace of God brings "salvation to all" (v. 11). These verses unsettle the reader who assumes they know who is inside or outside of God's saving power. Grace also serves another purpose; it is the force that disciplines life on earth. In light of experiencing the powerful grace of God, people reject ungodly lives (v. 12) and live well as they wait for their hopes to be fulfilled when Jesus appears again (v. 13). Salvation centers on God's expansive grace. This grace extends to all and transforms the desires and lives of those it touches.
Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)
Luke places the story of Jesus' birth in context. Joseph takes his pregnant fiancé to be registered in accordance with the political powers of the time (vv. 1 & 5). This fragile budding family has nowhere to stay because the city itself is overcrowded. Modern readings of this story assume Joseph and Mary were mistreated, yet the social-political setting of the text explains the holy family suffered merely because the city lacked enough resources to care for all its inhabitants and visitors. This was the scene for the birth of the new king ("Messiah," v. 12, NRSV). Mary delivered her firstborn son - his birth order provides an indicator of Jesus' right to inherit the throne - underneath the backdrop of Emperor Augustus' rule (v. 7).
Verses 8 through 18 shift the focus away from the holy family to the other actors in the narrative. This passage announces the birth of the savior yet emphasizes the perspective of humble shepherds as they hear "great news of great joy for all people" (v. 10.) Then a "heavenly host" joins the angel to praise God and declare peace for all God favors (v. 14). What a proclamation this must have been! A message of a new king, a message of peace for God's beloved. And the first people to receive and then have the privilege of spreading this good news are peasants (vv. 15-17). What kind of king is this? Luke provides two ways to respond to this good news: the way of the shepherds was to investigate and see if it really was true and then tell everyone how God promised and delivered; and the way of Mary who deeply reflected on the gravity of it all (v. 19).
God's Mission in the Text
The Nativity of the Lord spurs hope. To hope means to anticipate (expect, look for) God to establish a new reality. Anticipation requires action. We live, act and operate in ways that demonstrate we believe God's words are true and coming to pass. People of faith not only wait for God's mission to be accomplished, but they also participate in the mission. Hope fosters a life of acting alongside God's promises.
Isaiah, Titus, and Luke each present readers with trustworthy and dependable promises from God. Titus and Luke reveal that salvation extends to all people. God's mission consists of breaking into painful realities and establishing a new kind of rule. Isaiah encourages the underdogs of society that the coming Messiah will overthrow the status quo. Readers hope for the day when they are no longer tied up and weighed them down. Faithful people participate in this coming reality by undoing the knots they have placed around others within their sphere of influence. The Titus text offers democratizing salvation which all can access. Just after stating that slaves obey their masters (vv. 9-10), Paul declares the grace of God has appeared and salvation reaches all. Read these words subversively, what effect does an all-saving grace have on oppressive relationships? God's mission destabilizes human claims to power not rooted in liberation. Finally, Luke narrates the most paradoxical of royal births. God's mission delivers a king born into a society that could not even make room for him. God's mission brought the good news of great joy to all. God demonstrated the validity of this good news being for "all" by presenting the message to peasants. Peasants inspired enough to share this news and later privileged enough to have their stories recorded and shared for centuries.
Here lies our hope. In a faithful God whose grace extends to all.
Missional Connections for Our Context
This Christmas season how can we live our hope? The Nativity of the Lord challenges us to consider our present reality in light of the coming reality God desires for all. Luke 2 examines the Christmas story from the perspective of the shepherds - common, everyday folk. In our families, churches, and communities, who are the "shepherds?" Who among us works tireless, late nights in obscurity, and could benefit from hearing about God's glorious reality breaking into their life? Hope and mission meet through our actions. This Christmas, how will we participate in God's reality of grace, salvation, joy, peace, justice, and righteous relationships?
Biographical Summary
Shari C. Madkins resides in metro-Atlanta. As an ordained Baptist minister, Shari served in local and foreign missions and youth ministry. Shari obtained her Master of Divinity from Emory University's Candler School of Theology. Currently, Shari is a doctoral candidate concentrating in Ethics and Society in Emory's Graduate Division of Religion.
Second Sunday after Christmas Day
January 5, 2020
Jeremiah 31:7-14 or Sirach 24:1-12
Psalm 147:12-20 or Wisdom of Solomon 10:15-21
Ephesians 1:3-14
John 1:(1-9), 10-18
Exegetical Missional Insights
Jeremiah 31:7-14
In verse 9 God declares himself to have become "a father to Israel" and that Ephraim is his "firstborn," in a foreshadowing of what was to come in Jesus at his advent. Further, we get a glimpse of what it means to walk with God as his child, that we will be consoled, enabled, and refreshed. Living in a world with "God with us" is like water provided to a garden.
Sirach 24:1-12
Wisdom, as feminine aspect of Spirit and Christ, affirms both Wisdom's origin within God, and Wisdom's being sent by God to his chosen people. In this we can see both Spirit and Christ as aspects of God that are sent from God to dwell amongst His people, that are "God with us."
Psalm 147:12-20
Again, we learn what it means that God is father to his people. Here the list of what it means to have "God with us" includes deliverance, protection, blessings, peace, and abundance.
Wisdom of Solomon 10:15-21
Wisdom is portrayed here again as a feminine aspect of "God with us," God who travels with and leads God's people.
Ephesians 1:3-14
The twin themes of redemption and inheritance are interwoven in this passage. We are chosen to be recipients of the redemption that makes our adoption and inheritance possible.
John 1:(1-9), 10-18
In this passage inheritance is again referenced as we are given the "power to become children of God." But another key word here is "grace," which is used four times in verses 14 through 17. In contrast to law, Jesus has brought us God's grace.
God's Mission in the Text
The Old Testament scriptures this week share the theme of what it means to be Israel, to be God's chosen people, when God gathers the remnant to Himself. These are joyful, comforting messages of lavish love. God will go fetch the lost and bring them home. He will include those who are no longer whole, those who are damaged as a result of living in this fallen world. He will include the vulnerable, even the pregnant women and children.
The passages in this week's lectionary exemplify what God's mission is really all about; he desires a close loving relationship with his children. God's desire is for us to be in close relationship with him, so that by his grace, he can bless us and care for us. And since we are such faithless creatures, who are so easily lost along the way, God sent us a light to show us the way. God became "God with us."
Missional Connections for our Context
Now that Advent is past, the waiting for God's revelation of himself is over, everything has changed. The incarnation has occurred. Christ is born, and it is time to ponder the significance of this. What does it mean to us now that Advent has occurred, now that the incarnate baby is a week old, now that "God with us" Emmanuel is not just a proclamation but a permanent reality? How does this change what it means to be God's chosen people?
God made promises to his people, promises of blessings, and God's people attempted to comprehend the form that God's blessings would take. The Old Testament passages talk about protection, sufficient food, comfort, and God's control over the elements. And while these are indeed blessings from God, these are not the totality of what it means to be part of Ephraim, the firstborn of God (Jer. 31:9). To be God's child means to be subject to his grace, even "grace upon grace" (John 1:16). We are forgiven and redeemed by the grace that is lavished upon us (Eph. 1:8), that we may live for "the praise of his glory" (Eph. 1:12, 1:14).
"To all who received him" (John 1:12), this is the missional cry of God. God's grace is not extended due to family line, having the right DNA, the right color of skin, the right country of origin, the right abilities. God's grace is for all who accept that God is with us, that he became incarnate in the babe Jesus.
In some circles we hear talk about "family of origin" in contrast to "family of choice." The idea is that while we have no control over where or how we are born, we do have options about with whom we choose to associate ourselves. So while Israel had a "family of origin" relationship with God, through Jesus we are given a "family of choice" option to align ourselves with God. The problem is that not all "families of origin," do a good job of teaching us what it means to have a loving parent relationship. Thus, if God is our parent, but our experience of a parent is someone who is cold, or self-centered, or abusive, or controlling, or demanding, we are likely to project that understanding onto God. But God loves us too much to leave us in such a dark and lonely place. God sent us an example, in flesh and blood, of what parent-child relationship could and should be, in Jesus.
God reached out to us when we could not comprehend his loving will for us, contextualized himself by incarnating in Jesus, so that we could see, hear, and experience God's love for us. Now we are to emulate him and reach out, to be Jesus for those who do not know him, and help them to see, hear, and experience God's love for them. While this may indeed involve travelling to the ends of the earth, the usual understanding of what a missionary does, such is not always the case. Reaching the person next door, or the person sleeping on our curb, is also part of God's mission. God gathers his children from near as well as far!
Biographical Summary
Dr. Linda Lee Smith Barkman earned a PhD from Fuller Theological Seminary, with a focus on Intercultural Communication, and is also under care toward ordination with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). As an educator, writer, and advocate, her heart ministry is providing voice to the marginalized, particularly women in difficult circumstances, and most especially to incarcerated women and to indigenous women in the barrios of Tijuana, Mexico. Dr. Barkman was herself incarcerated in a California prison for thirty years.
ASM announcements
2024 Book Award for Excellence in Missiology
The American Society of Missiology honors
Al Tizon
As the 13th recipient of the annual Book Award for Excellence in Missiology
His book
The Rich, the Poor, and the Mission of the Church
Published by Orbis Books in 2023 is recognized for its significant contribution, and is noted for how it will affect how mission studies are examined, understood, and interpreted.
Presented June 15, 2024, Notre Dame, Indiana
2024 Lifetime Achievement Award
The American Society of Missiology presents this award to
Darrell L. Whiteman
For his commitment as a missiological anthropologist to incarnational identification as a model for cross-cultural ministry, and for a lifetime of teaching, writing, and training people as they cross cultures with the Gospel, and join God’s mission throughout the world.
Presented June 15, 2024, Notre Dame, Indiana
by Benjamin L. Hartley, ThD, President and Darren Duerksen, PhD, Secretary
Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award is given annually to a member of the American Society of Missiology who has made a significant contribution to mission through their service to the ASM, mission practice, and missiological scholarship. The selection is made by the American Society of Missiology Board of Directors.
Samuel Escobar Book Award
The purpose of the ASM Samuel Escobar Book Award is to encourage ASM members who are from the Global South or who are North American persons of color in the publication of their first book, by providing an official award of $500 to the author and a publishing subvention of up to $4,000 to be given directly to the publishing house of the book that receives the award. A publisher does not need to be secured to be eligible for this award.
The ASM is offering this award to promote racial and ethnic diversity in the field of missiology and out of a recognition that publishing houses increasingly face financial difficulties in publishing academic missiological titles. The $4,000 subvention is thus intended to encourage publishing houses to publish a missiological text of the highest caliber at a reasonable price.
This award is named after Professor Samuel Escobar who served as the first president (2001-2002) of the American Society of Missiology who was from the Global South. Originally from Peru, Professor Escobar’s early ministry was as a traveling secretary and evangelist for the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students in Peru, Argentina, Brazil, and Spain. In the Lausanne movement, he played a leading role in affirming the importance of holistic mission and was a founding member of the Latin American Theological Fraternity. From 1985 to 2005, Professor Escobar was a beloved teacher and prolific author at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University) near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His publications encompass more than twenty books in Spanish and English, including Tiempo de misión (Semilla 1999), Changing Tides: Mission in Latin America (Orbis Books, 2002), The New Global Mission (Intervarsity Press, 2003), En busca de Cristo en America Latina (Kairos, 2012), and In Search of Christ in Latin America (Intervarsity Press, 2019).
How to apply: To apply for this award, one needs to be either a person of color from North America or be a resident in the Global South. Eligible persons must also be a member of the American Society of Missiology. (It is acceptable for persons to become a member during the same year that they are applying for this award.) The manuscript submitted for this award must be a scholar’s “first book” beyond a doctoral-level dissertation. The ASM already has a publication outlet for dissertations in our Scholarly Monographs Series.
It is the author’s responsibility to secure a publisher of their work. Under no circumstances will the subvention be awarded to the author of the manuscript for the purposes of self-publishing.
The recipient(s) of the Samuel Escobar Book Award, as part of their acceptance of the award, will agree to acknowledge that they were the recipient of the “American Society of Missiology Samuel Escobar Book Award” in their book.
To apply for this award, eligible persons may send an electronic copy of the completed manuscript to the following email: [email protected] by February 1. The recipient of this award will be notified prior to the ASM’s Annual Conference in June. It is requested but not required that recipients of this award be present at our annual conference.
Epiphany Season Year A
First Sunday after the Epiphany
Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Third Sunday after the Epiphany
Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
First Sunday after the Epiphany
January 12, 2020
Isaiah 42:1-9
Matthew 3: 13-17
Acts 10:34-43
Exegetical Missional Insights
Isaiah 42:1-9
In this passage Christians have long seen God's Servant as the Christ. God chooses Him and puts His Spirit on Him. This Spirit filled Servant will bring forth justice, not only in Israel, but among the nations. His justice is not the kind of justice imposed by the sword of emperors. He will not pronounce, nor demand, nor trample the weak. He will not put out the faint hopes of the weary. Unlike other leaders, he will not tire till he has established justice on the earth.
In verse five Isaiah takes up another oracle that addresses the people of Israel, of which the Servant is a part. God establishes his credentials as the all-powerful, Creator God, He tells Israel what they were called to do: be a sign of righteousness to the people and a light to the nations, to heal the blind, and release the prisoners.
Isaiah then circles back to remind Israel who is speaking-the Lord, whose praise and glory can be given to no other. The same Lord who has already brought things to pass now promises that new things will happen.
Matthew 3:13-17
In contrast with John the Baptist, who baptizes with water for repentance, Jesus will baptize with the Spirit and with fire. Nonetheless Jesus, the greater, comes expressly to be baptized by John, the lesser. John rightfully resists, but consents when Jesus insists that only in this way will the righteous demands of God be fulfilled. Immediately upon coming up out of the water, the Spirit descended on him like a dove. A voice from heaven speaks: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
Rightfully seen a proof-text for the Trinity, the passage marks the commencement of Jesus' ministry, and all Christian ministry.
Acts 10:34-43
The Spirit sends Peter to Cornelius' house. Peter narrates the story of the gospel, highlighting Jesus' anointing in the Spirit. At the conclusion of his speech "the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word." Peter's brief sermon shows that the presence of the Spirit breaks down all previous barriers between Jew and Gentile. God indeed shows no partiality, and the sign of His impartiality is the presence of the Holy spirit.
God's Mission in the Text
The missional message in these texts is overt, beautiful, and powerful. Failing to preach a "mission sermon" on this Lord's Day would be to ignore the clear words of Scripture.
Isaiah has been called the first gospel, and with good reason. His Servant Songs sing out the story of the coming Messiah. This Servant is ever so pleasing to the eyes of God. He is the chosen one, the apple of God's eye. And he is empowered by the Holy Spirit. Remember that God's servants in the First Testament were anointed-kings, priests, and prophets. It is fitting and even necessary that the Messiah who fulfills all these roles should also be anointed.
The sum of the Servant's task is to bring forth justice and healing to the nations. The mission is global. It touches all of life-political, physical, emotional, and certainly spiritual. The overwhelming mover in these passages is the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowers the Servant, the people of Israel, Jesus, the apostles, and the Gentile church. It seems that those empowered by the Holy Spirit cannot do otherwise than go out to enact justice, healing, and redemption.
Mission Connections for Our Context
On reading these texts, I am overwhelmed. The power of the Holy Spirit is atomic. I certainly don't have such power, and I have never seen such power in church or society. But it is there. And as a Christian I have a minute portion of that power within me. As a member of a church, and of The Church, we have that great power within us. Are we tapping that power? I fear that business as usual does not. Yes, we must go go to meetings, and pay the budget, and make the meals, but do we allow for the possibility that the Holy Spirit could really change things?
The changes that we servants must enable are the same ones that the Servant was sent to accomplish. He and we must do justice in a way that respects the weak. He and we must open the eyes of the blind and free the prisoners, both literally and spiritually.
God does not demand something of us that we are un-equipped to do. The Spirit equipped the Servant, and the Apostles, and our church to do the work of justice and healing.
~Kent Van Til~
Second Sunday after the Epiphany
January 19, 2020
Isaiah 49:1-7
First Corinthians 1:1-9
John 1:29-42
Exegetical Missional Insights
Isaiah 49:1-7
When considered together, Isaiah chapters 49-55 address the second of two major issues facing the children of Israel: Sin. Israel has a sin problem. It is that problem that caused the first problem: Exile in Babylon. Israel is supposed to be a beacon of hope and an example to the world but, in their current state, they cannot live into that role. In Isaiah 49:1-7, God offers a remedy for Israel's problem with sin. God will send a servant who from birth will be called and commissioned to set Israel free from sin. He will be to Israel what Israel is supposed to be to the world. This "One who is to come" will make it possible for them to live into their servanthood by freeing them from their bondage to sin.
First Corinthians 1:1-9
First Corinthians 1:1-9 is the opening section of Paul's letter to the Corinthian church. Paul begins his letter in a manner that would be familiar in the ancient Greco-Roman world. He starts with a greeting, identifying himself and his readers. What is interesting is how Paul identifies himself. Paul says that he has been, "called", a word not often found in Paul's writings, to be an "apostle". He is one who has been gifted and sent out not just to preach, but to plant churches. This ultimately leads him to a celebration of God's "grace-gifts" to the Corinthians, in spite of the fact that he knows of the often chaotic and cantankerous character of their worship. None of that withstanding, he encourages them to use their God-given gifts in faithful service to God until the return of Christ.
John 1:29-42
John 1:29-42 begins what some commentators consider to be a bridge, or a transition point, in the Gospel of John. Though John the Baptist continues his role as a forerunner and witness, Jesus and his mission begins to take center stage. Jesus is identified as "the Lamb of God", the messiah, the one foretold by Moses and the prophets. He is God's servant, sent to save the world from sin. John describes Jesus' empowering for the work that he is to do in verse 32 and, ultimately, affirms that Jesus is the "Son of God." In the remaining verses of the periscope, Jesus gets his first disciples, Peter and Andrew, because of John's convincing and constant testimony about Jesus and his mission.
God's Mission in the Text
Taken together, these texts are a reminder of the fact that one of the ways that God has been at work in the world is through both inviting and equipping people to partner with God in doing the work of the Kingdom in the world. Each text, in its own way, connects the reader back to the idea that God endows particular people, with particular gifts, for particular purposes, sometimes in spite of that person's faults and failures. Israel was sinful. The Corinthians were contentious. John the Baptist at one point questions whether or not Jesus is the Messiah. Yet, God promises to send Israel a servant who will free them from sin and make it possible for them to walk in their purpose and, through the pen of the Apostle Paul, reminds the saints in Corinth that, despite their challenges as a worshipping community, each of them has a purpose and has been given gifts by God to use faithfully in the work of the kingdom until Christ comes again. In the Gospel of John, through the Evangelist, God even uses John the Baptist as an example of what it looks like to lean into and live out our God-given purpose. The work of building the Kingdom of God in the world is not a divine "solo mission". It is a partnership in which God not only chooses to partner with a flawed and fallible humanity but also provides the gifts necessary to get the job done.
Missional Connections for Our Context
God not only uses ordinary people, but God equips ordinary people for the work of ministry. Each one of us has been invited by God to partner with God in the work of the Kingdom. God has given each one of us a purpose and a gift. It should not be missed that the passages from Isaiah and First Corinthians are addressed to groups of people, not individuals. All of us have been gifted in some way, with something, and all of us, even with our faults and failures, have a purpose and something to offer to the Kingdom of God. Our job is to prayerfully discern our purpose and our gift and then do the best that we can to obediently and faithfully live into them.
Biographical Summary
Rev. Xavier L. Johnson (D.Min., Virginia Theological Seminary), is an Adjunct Professor of Homiletics at United Theological Seminary (Dayton, OH) and the pastor of the Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Dayton, OH.
Blomberg, Craig L. The NIV Application Commentary: 1 Corinthians. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994.
Carson, D.A. The Gospel According to John. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991.
Oswalt, John N. The NIV Application Commentary: Isaiah. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003.
Third Sunday after the Epiphany
January 26, 2020
Isaiah 9:1-4
1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Matthew 4:12-23
Exegetical Missional Insights
Isaiah 9:1-4
The northern regions of the Promised Land have a particularly disturbing and chaotic history. Passages in the Old Testament describe forced deportations into slavery and city-wide massacres. In Isaiah 9, the region of Galilee is described in progressively negative language: dimness, vexation, lightly afflicted, grievously afflicted, the land of the shadow of death. Isaiah contrasts the severe disadvantages of the region with coming honor by using metaphors of darkness and light, the joy of harvest, the joy of military victory, and the climactic breaking of implements of oppression (yoke, staff, and rod).
1 Corinthians 1:10-18
In Paul's first letter to the Church in Corinth, one of his priorities is dealing with sectarianism within the body of Christ. The fact that sectarianism is becoming a problem is evidenced by Paul's references to "divisions," "contentions," and a following of spiritual celebrities such as Paul, Cephas, and Apollo. He argues for unity and lends weight to his argument by a transparent description of his own missional activities in Corinth - none of which involved maneuvering himself to the head of a personality cult.
Matthew 4:12-23
Matthew cites the commencement of Jesus' ministry in Galilee as a fulfilment of Isaiah 9:1-2. The immediate context is a description of Jesus preaching, teaching, healing, and calling disciples. For the time being, Jesus operates only in Galilee, investing locally and choosing to mentor indigenous disciples.
God's Mission in the Text
All three passages reflect on the conflict between the "ruler of this world" and the inbreaking of the Kingdom of Heaven. Themes of darkness versus light, division versus unity, mundane fishing versus life-changing discipleship, and sickness versus healing all remind us that we live in a context of unfinished business. Although Christ defeated the powers of Satan at the cross, we still wait in earnest expectation for the fulfillment of His already-but-not-yet kingdom. We must contend with the tensions and paradoxes of this life while we wait for the salvation of the Lord. However, we are reminded that our waiting must not be passive or lethargic. In these passages, fishermen were called to higher duty, contentious church members were called to reconcile their differences, and the oppressed people who walked in darkness were called to open their eyes and "see" a great light - a choice that not everyone made (John 3:19-20). While God carries out His mission to reconcile fallen humanity to Himself, we may expect to be challenged and transformed.
We also see that God chose an oppressed and struggling community to be the theater of His grace. History speaks of an influx of foreign migrants into Galilee at the time of the Assyrian captivity, leading to the name "Galilee of the nations." It was a severely disadvantaged region, the collective ethos was downtrodden, and the population was a jumble of ethnicities and religions. Such a parish would have discouraged even the most hopeful earthly minister, but to God, the author of mission, Galilee was the perfect platform to show forth His glory. The darkened history and shadowed worldview of the people created a dramatic contrast with that "great light." God's missional plan for the world climaxed here, in the incarnational ministry of Jesus.
Missional Connections for Our Context
Jesus' incarnational witness in "the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali...beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles" reminds us that distressed regions and minority groups are sometimes the most open to the gospel. For example, Kurdish minorities in the Middle East or Hill Tribes in Southeast Asia have often demonstrated greater receptivity to the Word of God than their more traditionally advantaged countrymen. Jesus' example reminds us to not ignore the underprivileged among us, many of whom reside within reach of our American churches. According to Pew Research Center, Black and Hispanic Americans are more religious than White Americans on numerous key indicators. Could it be that those who have gone through more difficulty and have "walked in darkness" are more appreciative of the "great light?" To follow in Christ's footsteps, we must take care that our outreach efforts serve not only the people who are like us, but also individuals of every ethnic, socioeconomic, religious, and national background residing in our church's district.
Paul's admonition to unity in Corinth also has implications for mission. With the rise of the megachurch and trendy Instagram pastors, the tendency to "follow" specific personalities rather than the Word of God is tempting. As Paul emphasized, "Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel." This can be extremely difficult for organizations that measure pastoral or missional success by number of baptisms. Paul's understanding of mission was to lead people to the undivided Christ. He described believers as being baptized into Christ (Gal 3:27), but somewhere along the way, this ritual was turned into an initiation rite that joined you to a particular following. We would do well to view our brothers and sisters of other denominations as being part of the body of Christ into which we all have been baptized. The missional implication of such unity would be a showing forth of God's love such as the world has never seen: "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35). When the body of Christ experiences perfect unity, perhaps our communities will have an epiphany of sudden clarity: not that Jesus came down to us 2,000 years ago, but that He is incarnate right now, embodied in His church.
Biographical Summary
Jaimie Eckert has served in Beirut, Lebanon, since 2013. She is currently taking her PhD in Mission by distance from Andrews University while working with a team of creators in alternative methods of digital media evangelism.
Presentation of the Lord
February 2, 2020
Malachi 3:1-4
Hebrews 2:14-18
Luke 2:22-40
Exegetical Missional Insights (New International Version)
Malachi 3:1-4
In the 6th century B.C. The Jews came back from Babylon, built up a new temple, Jerusalem and its' walls were renewed. However, after a while, they fell back into a spiritual routine, towards God their hearts became cold again. Thus, Malachi calls them back to a renewal of their faith and God promises a messenger (Hebr.: Malachi) of the covenant. In the beginning, the text leaves it open whether, the messenger and Lord are the same person. Then it becomes clear, the Lord himself is the messenger. He comes and prepares himself a people that pleases Him. The messenger purifies the people of God and renews their relationship with the Lord. This is what was fulfilled with the appearance of Christ. He came to bring His people back to a worship that is characterized by love and affection. Through the Epiphany we know the messenger becomes the message - the Word becomes flesh (John 1:14).
Hebrews 2: 14-18
The Word became flesh. Christ became fully human to understand our suffering and temptations. He is not a god far away who has no idea what it means to live a human life with all the issues. He became one of us to help us: and as a high priest He reconciles us with the Father. It is significant to understand that Christ was not a priest from the tribe of Levi, Christ was not an Aaronite high priest. He was a high priest in the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:6,10; 6:20; 7). The order of Melchizedek (cf. Genesis 14;18-20) is older than the order of Aaron. It is an order originating in times before there were any Israelite worship. Therefore, the order of Melchizedek is not limited to the people of Israel as the order of Aaron had been. Christ is the high priest for all people, for God`s people including the people of Israel and the nations. He is the high priest who reconciles the world with the father. He became the light of the world. As we will see in the reflection of the next text.
Luke 2:22-40
Simeon came to the temple, because he was driven to by the Holy Spirit. Simeon sees the redemption of Israel in the person of the newborn Christ. The promise that is given throughout the Hebrew scriptures became a personal promise to Simeon. "You will not die (perish) unless you have seen your savior." Like Simeon, the people of Israel had not perished before the Christ had to be born. In this way, Simeon, therefore, becomes a symbol for the people of Israel. God`s plan is even greater. The messiah of Israel has come, and He is the Christ, the savior for the whole world. He is "a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel." (Luke 2:32) When Christ first came to his temple (c.f. Malachi 3:1-4), He was soon recognized as the Savior of Israel and the light of the nations. It is furthermore important to mention that Simeon understood that the light of the nations will be a suffering messiah. Simeon prophesized the cross, telling Mary, "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too." (Luke 2: 34-35) Christ is the suffering Savior who gave His life for the redemption of the nations. The Epiphany is the beginning of Christ`s way to the cross.
God's Mission in the Text
Reflecting on these three texts one recognizes three characteristics of the missio Dei.
The first characteristic of God`s mission is that it starts with the particular people of Israel. The common aspect of all three texts is the temple in Jerusalem, the place that God has appointed where the Jews worshipped God. God chose this single place for worship. In the same way, God created the people of Israel and "salvation is from the Jews." (John 4:22) God`s mission starts with a particular people, but it is not restricted to them.
Therefore, secondly, the mission of God starts with Israel, but is not limited to a certain race, culture or language. Christ is the high priest for all nations. He is the light for the gentiles. There is no people that is excluded from the love of God. In Christ the blessing of Abraham (Genesis 12: 1-3) is fulfilled and brought to all the peoples of the earth are blessed. It starts with the people of Israel, but goes out to the whole world, to all nations.
The third feature of God`s mission is that it is fulfilled in Christ. The God who rules history is able to keep His promises from long ago. Therefore, all the promises of the Hebrew scriptures find their fulfillment in the person of Christ, the messenger who is the message himself. He came and prepared himself a people that loves and worships him in the way that pleases him. It was not human effort that brought the messiah Jesus in the world, but God`s love of his people Israel and of all the nations on this globe. A love that works even before the beginning of time. A love that revealed in the sending of the messenger, the Son who came to His temple as the beginning of His way to the cross to redeem the nations. This love does not avoid suffering and takes on the cross to reconcile the world with God.
Missional Connections for Our Context
Through Christ`s Epiphany, God himself came into this world. He lived as Jew among Jews. Although He came in weakness and poverty to His temple, He was recognized as the Messiah, the light of the nations. This fact contains two crucial implications for the church in the 21st century.
Today, North American and European societies face a deep division due to racial issues. Churches are not immune against these tendencies and not seldom they step into the racism trap. We grieve over this great division among the people of God about the pressing questions of how to deal with these urgent issues of our times. These three texts show us that Christ wants to prepare a people for Himself that pleases Him. It is not our own efforts that make us suitable to God, Christ`s justice makes us just. That turns away all legalism and judging of each other. It helps us to find a new unity, a unity that is based on Christ`s love and work among us, this spiritual unity is now more necessary than ever. We must not divide over political and racial issues but keep remembering that the body of Christ is one. He came into His temple; He is the messenger and the message. Those who follow Him are purified to follow Him in unity. There are no two people of God.
Furthermore, Christ was soon recognized as the light for all nations. He is the high priest for all the people in this world. No nation, no culture, no language is excluded. What does this mean for the one church in the 21st century? There is no such thing as a privileged culture in the eyes of God - all the peoples in this world are qualified recipients of God`s love and mercy that became visible in the person of Jesus Christ. Thus, the church must not show any racial tendencies. If God loves all the people, so must we. We are called to love and to accept everyone, no matter where he or she might come from. This is how we display the love of the Christ who came to this world. This is not an easy task for the church, because it needs to stand against all tendencies of the societies it is placed in. This might lead the church to suffering. Again, in her suffering the church follows her master, who came to redeem himself a people through His suffering at the cross of Calvary.
~Tobias Schuckert~
Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
February 9, 2020
Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12)
Psalm 112:1-9 (10)
Matthew 5:13-20
1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)
Exegetical Missional Insights
Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12)
Do you remember the following words of the song:
"I want to know You
I want to hear Your voice
I want to know You more
I want to touch You
I want to see Your face
I want to know You more" by Sonicflood?
These few lines fully express every believer's thirst and hunger for a very close relationship with God. Hearing directly from the Lord, finding favor with him as he turns his face toward us, following his direction for our lives is exactly why we spend time in prayer and fasting before the Lord. The word of the Lord teaches us that God delights in our devotion to him (Ps. 147:11).
The Israelites had the same desires. Fasting and prayer were the most conventional ways to demonstrate their devotion and obedience to God's will. Yet, when the prophet Isaiah brings the divine word to his people, he seems to suggest that God is no longer pleased with their fasts and prayers. Could it be that true religion is not only about personal relationships with God, but rather about the community's relationship with the world as a demonstration of the dedication to their God?
In Chapter 58, Isaiah focuses on what constitutes God's true pleasure. While seeking the Lord's face and fasting (58:2-3) as well as keeping the Sabbath (58:13-14) remain the instituted means of demonstrating one's devotion to God, the prophet rebukes the people of Israel for doing only that. Isaiah contends that fasting and prayer are superficial acts of obedience because his fellow citizens engage in them for the sake of gaining power and prestige in the society. They are not interested in sharing this power and benefits with the marginalized and the powerless. As the chosen people, who have received the grace of God, they should freely share this grace with the world around. This is the meaning of the covenant between God and his people (Isa. 56:4, 6). Fasting and prayer are means to exhibit a changed heart and a changed attitude of submission and trust in the Lord. Without such attitude, God finds no pleasure in those activities.
With the help of irony, Isiah communicates God's displeasure over Israel's religious life. Numerous fasts do not result in God's favor because the Israelites are only interested in their own prosperity (58:3-4). God seems to be amused at the idea that he only cares about his people not eating and publicly humbling themselves by dressing in sack clothes and lying in ashes (v.5). God address his people through the power of the prophetic voice to reveal their misconceptions about his favor and intentions for Israel.
Isaiah makes it clear that the people's actions to pursue God bring strife and oppression. Such pronouncement would naturally shock his listeners; yet, these words would also ensure they pay close attention to the prophetic message. God is always ready to explain once again what his will is. He does not see any dichotomy between internal devotion and external behavior. On the contrary, he finds pleasure in his people, when they associate worship of God with care and love for others, especially those who struggle in life. Denying oneself food is only meaningful when such action enables people to take care of the hungry. Denying oneself comfortable clothes and a nice bed is even more meaningful when it is accompanied by practicing hospitality not only toward one's own kin, but also to strangers (58:6-7).
Isaiah believes that showing love and care to others results in five things - light, healing, protection, divine presence, and God's answers to prayers (58:8-9a). This can only be possible if the Israelites choose to express their devotion to God by focusing on others. Light will break through the darkness of oppression. Healing will spread through the land. Personal righteousness will go before the people. God's presence will be evident in the people's lives as their prayers are answered. These prophetic words make his listeners examine their behavior and the intent of their hearts. God cannot be manipulated even by righteous behavior if it is motivated by selfish ambition. Only when his people allow the Lord to guide them and act through them to reach others, they will live in harmony with God's will for them.
God's Mission in the Text
Time and time again God speaks to his people about true worship and obedience. The Psalmist praises the Lord for blessing those who are faithful to him. Abundant life and blessings come when God's people practice hospitality, share their resources with those who lack, show justice and mercy to the poor and marginalized (Ps. 112). The prophet Isaiah calls his people to examine the intent of their hearts and behavior in light of finding favor with God. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus calls his followers to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth as he invites them to live a life of submission to God and love for others (Matt. 5:13-20). When addressing the church in Corinth, Paul emphasizes his weakness and inadequacy in sharing the word of God to demonstrate to the Corinthians that God finds pleasure and works through anyone who is obedient to him and is willing to serve others (1Cor. 2:1-12).
In these texts we find descriptions of kinds of religious practices in which the Lord delights. God is always pleased when his followers practice "the true fast." He pours his blessings on those who live out their devotion and dedication to him by taking care of others, by practicing hospitality to strangers, sharing their resources with the poor, and showing justice and mercy to the aliens. God is always looking for such people to serve him and to build his kingdom in this world.
Mission Connections for Our Context
I believe God, through the prophet Isaiah, speaks today in hope to reach his people, his church with the same message. God has not changed. God's word has not changed. God's people have not changed. God still desires the purity of heart and mind, and his people still aspire to live holy lives. They pray without ceasing. They practice spiritual discipline. They go to church faithfully. However, is this the sum total of a holy life? John Wesley once wrote, "The gospel of Christ knows no religion, but social; no holiness but social holiness."1 He argued that a life of holiness included much more than praying, going to church, and paying tithe. He believed that the gospel of Jesus Christ calls for a complete transformation of mind, will, heart, and strength of every believer, so that Christ's followers would welcome strangers into their homes, share their resources with the poor, and act justly towards the marginalized.
We live today in a society that looks with suspicion on any stranger, that prefers tightly closed doors to keep the poor and needy away and talks a lot about justice for the marginalized. And yet, God and Isaiah still call us to live a life of hospitality, to act in justice and mercy, and to surrender our privileges for the sake of others. The Methodists under the leadership of John Wesley practiced social holiness and turned the English society around in the nineteenth century. We can do it too when we engage in the fasting that God has chosen for us!
~ Larisa Levicheva~
1 John Wesley, The Works of John Wesley. Volume XIV, p. 321 preface to poetical works; Hendrickson Publishers (1991).
Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
February 16, 2020
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
I Corinthians 3:1-9
Matthew 5:21-37
Living for God in Kingdom Service
This Sunday is an opportunity to reflect more deeply on what it means to be called by God to be a part of his kingdom and live in service to him. As we keep the concept of Missio Dei in front of us, we are reminded that as great of a blessing as it is to be called to follow Jesus and live the life of a disciple; we are really to be about helping others to see who God is. It is a time to look inwardly to ask ourselves important questions such as: Am I living in obedience to God?, Am I doing Church for the right reasons?, and Do my inner thoughts and attitudes come closer to those of Jesus or the world? How we answer these and other questions will tell us if we are living fully in God's kingdom or are trying to carve out our own niche-which really is where Satan wants us.
Exegetical Missional Insights: Life as a follower of Christ
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
This passage ends God's reminder to Israel about what he has done for them. These verses set before Israel the options that frame their response to God's call on their lives. Israel, just as God does today with his people, is given a choice. It is a clear choice, yet as we look at the history of Israel, it is not an easy choice.
In these verses God, through Moses, is seeking a commitment from his people to live in a relationship with him that is founded on trust and obedience. While this life of obedience may seem overwhelming, as demonstrated by Israel's repeated failure, we have to remember that God himself would provide for his people the means to live in obedience. Looking back at verse 6, Israel should have known that obedience is possible because of the work that God would do in their hearts.
Even though, it may seem impossible to live in full obedience, God does not ask from us what he will not prepare us to fulfill. It enables us to see that living as God's people is possible, because of the inner work that he will do for us. Our choice between life and prosperity or death and destruction is not unreasonable. It is not oppressive but is rather freeing and is the true secret to a blessed life.
God's Mission in the Text
As God's people we are to live in a way that reflects that his work is active in us. Choosing obedience and thus receiving life and prosperity are not things we get so that we can live the good life. All that we receive and have is from God, and we are to use all for God's kingdom. As the final call to covenant by Moses, this pericope reminds God's people what we are made for: to love God and live out his plan, to be missional showing God to those around us.
1 Corinthians 3:1-9
The bridge into this passage is 2:16b, in which Paul reminds the Corinthians that they are to "have the mind of Christ". Yet in this pericope Paul has to reprimand the church because they are not demonstrating the mind of Christ. Paul is dealing with their squabble over leadership which is an attitude problem revealing that they are still worldly and infants spiritually. This is true because the church is not about following leaders, as much as we may do that with our different governmental structures and theological difference. Ultimately, we have to be a church in which God is our leader. Paul argues that each leader does have a role in the growth of the church, but it is only God who makes our personal and our corporate growth possible. It is always God who gives the increase, the work is his, yet he gives us different roles in his work. Because of this truth, each leader is actually just a worker who is a servant of God as the work belongs to God, not us.
God's Mission in the Text
Paul's message is that we are to be involved in the growth of the church--some plant, some water, but God gives the growth. We are in the work of the church as servants of God. It is because of this truth that the work of the church is missional. We each have a part, but it is God who is in the driver's seat. On this basis we recognize that we are called to move away from worldly standards to live like the people of God. Being a part of God's mission brings the expectation that our spiritual life is in order; anything less than focusing our lives on God demonstrates a lack of maturity. The focus that as Christian workers we are God's servants, reminds us that all results are from God and the church is his. God is looking for all and any who will be his servants in his work. Our labor is to be unified in God's purposes.
Matthew 5:21-37
In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus challenges his followers to move beyond the traditions of the Pharisees that tend towards legalism in our interpersonal relationships. He makes clear that being a disciple is all about right relationships. In contrast to the so-called traditions, he helps us see that the essential nature of living in God's kingdom is not just our actions, but our heart. In each example he pushes beyond the outward behaviors to our inner attitudes. When our heart is right towards others, our actions will be right as well. Being a disciple is about internal obedience, not external conformity. Internal obedience is about a right relationship with God as this is the foundation for right inner attitudes, or inner purity. He helps us to see that right behavior may not lead to right spirituality but aligning our spirit with God will lead to right behavior. Jesus' way is actually more demanding as it is a righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law.
God's Mission in the Text
In the previous verses Jesus carefully connects his teaching to the Law and the Prophets as well as the Kingdom of God. In this we know that we are seeing what it means to be God's people in his kingdom. It is only as we live in God's kingdom and follow God's design that we can live rightly for God. As we live rightly for God, we will be right with others, and as we are right with other, we will be able to point them to the God who has transformed us. In this we are being missional.
Missional Connections for our Context
In our world today each of these passages helps us to live in God's kingdom as missional witnesses. From Deuteronomy we understand that an abundant life is to show God to others. In choosing God's way and living in obedience we are reminded that all that we have is from God. In attributing that truth to God, we help others to see that he is the source of all that is good. In I Corinthians we are reminded that those who serve God are working with him for God's glory which is achieved through the salvation of others and growth of the Church. In Matthew we learn that our inner attitudes is essential as members of God's kingdom. Our actions will point to God when they come from proper inner attitudes. In each of these passages we see that by living in obedience to God, by letting him work in our hearts, we will see God's purposes and kingdom lifted up. Living in this way is to do God's work. It is to be missional in God's kingdom as our lives will show God to others.
Biographical Summary
Marcus W. Dean, Ph.D. is currently Professor of Intercultural Studies and Missions and chair of The Department of Global Studies at Houghton College, Houghton, New York. Along with his wife and three sons, he served for 15 years with the Wesleyan Church (Global Partners) in Colombia (eight years) and Puerto Rico (four years) in theological education and administration. Prior to serving in missions he pastored in Indiana.
Transfiguration Sunday
February 23, 2020
Exodus 24:12-18
2 Peter 1:16-21
Matthew 17:1-9
Exegetical Missional Insights
Exodus 24:12-18
The occasion is the start of God giving the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai.
One major theme running through this passage is the exercise of dominance. The occasion is the giving of law. Note the hierarchy: God, Moses, and Moses' assistant Joshua. Temporary rulers are set up (verse 14). Although there is rule, this does not describe an isolated ruler. Moses has an assistant, Joshua (verse 13). And in his absence, Moses delegates authority to Aaron and Hur (verse 14). The act of dominance is not that of dominating command but is instead an action for the benefit of the people. The ten commandments are intended for "instruction."
Another theme is the injunction to not be impatient. However, just how easy patience is to practice varies from person to person. Moses was on the mountain for "forty days and forty nights," (verse 18) which is a duration often cited when the intended message is "a long time."
We also see here that Moses goes up into the middle of what reads like an active volcanic eruption (verse 17)! Whether this produces excitement or fear depends in part on how a person's body reacts to an abundance of adrenaline. But the stimulation is emphatic!
Psalm 2
Psalm 2 is one of the "Royal Psalms" about the kings of Judah or Israel, which may also ultimately be describing the Messianic King. Handel's Messiah makes use of this psalm where a bold and dominating rule and/or ruler is on display. The Lord is portrayed as the one who ensures the kings' rule. The message is to serve the king/God, lest he be angry with you, "for his wrath is quickly kindled."
While the psalm is a declaration of God's relationship and support for the (Messianic) king, that tone is not what Jesus picked up. The nature of Jesus' ministry seems more in line with the suffering servant of Isaiah. "the bruised reed he will not break" (Isaiah 42:3). This psalm is doubtlessly in the mind of Jesus' contemporaries when they think about the hope of a Messianic King. And it ends with blessing on those "who take refuge in him" (verse 11). "Refuge" does seem like a proper word to use in the context of the strife and danger described in the rest of the psalm. When we see danger, which some of us do more quickly than others, "refuge" is exactly what we want.
Psalm 99
Although related to the Royal Psalms, which include Psalm 2, this psalm is more clearly about God as king than about a human ruler. Again, boldness and dominance are a main focus. Psalm 99 portrays God as great and exalted. However, the portrayal is not in as harshly domineering a way as that seen in Psalm 2. Here the works of God are positive: justice, equality, righteousness, and forgiveness (verses 4 and 8). These concepts will especially appeal to people who look for change for the better, who feel a trusting connection with the rest of humanity, who are oriented toward doing what is right, and whose guilt knows the need for forgiveness. The bold dominance of God is working for human benefit.
2 Peter 1:16-21
This is Peter's reference to the event of the Transfiguration, which is the subject of this week's Gospel reading. Note Peter's emphasis on being an eyewitness, on being there to hear the voice. The directness of the witness should appeal to those who favor tangible, practical things over the reaches of the imagination. Along that line, also note that the existence of this passage is additional testimony to the event, which is also recounted in the three Synoptic Gospels (Matt. 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:28-36). This is important since the Synoptic accounts show the similarities of a single common witness to be counted as one piece of evidence. Yet here is a quite separate, additional witness. When looking at things from a practical point of view, it matters greatly that there are multiple witnesses.
What Peter adds to the account here is that he picks up the significance of the brilliance of the Transfiguration. It is light which illuminates in a dark place. The proper response is to be attentive to what the light reveals (verse 19).
Verses 20 and 21 contain a caution against trying to interpret the prophecy of scripture on one's own. This caution may be especially relevant to people who are intelligent, independent, or especially both. These are persons who have the skill and temperament to successfully do many things on their own. Then why is this situation, the interpretation of scriptural prophecy different? The difference is that prophecy comes from God, thus it is not contained in human reason. Remember all that glory and majesty which permeates the passages for this week? That is the character of the source of prophecy. It really is greater than individual human minds.
Matthew 17:1-9
The voice which declares of Jesus, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" (verse 5) is a common focus of commentary on this passage. Here I will look at other aspects.
In Matthew's account of the Transfiguration, notice the abundance of light. As mentioned earlier, this light is central in the imagery used in 2 Peter 1 of lamps and stars.
Some people care more than others about having special status. In this passage, these three disciples, Peter, James, and John, are the only ones whom Jesus brings to this special event. It is emphasized that they were "by themselves" (verse 1).
Moses and Elijah appear (verse 3), providing a connection with the past, with the Law and with the Prophets. People differ in how much they care about the past in comparison to looking toward a better future, which will influence how significant they find this connection. Here we have both. There is the new thing that God is doing in Jesus, and this is connected to the faithfulness of what God has done in the past through Moses and the Prophets.
The actions of God in the past also had their revelations of God's majesty. Witness the glory of Sinai in this week's passage from Exodus, and the various calls of the prophets such as Isaiah (Isaiah 6). Biblical accounts of the glory of God appear as a continuing theme, throughout the saving works of God all through history.
It is significant that the disciple's experience of fear does not come with the original brightness of Jesus, nor with the appearance of Moses and Elijah. Instead, the fear comes with the voice (verses 5 and 6). A rather direct experience of God overcomes them with fear. But Jesus overcomes their fears. Jesus touches them, calls them to get back up, and tells them not to be afraid.
Jesus instructs the disciples not to tell about this vision until after he has been raised from the dead (verse 9). Like Peter in Matthew 6:21-28, too often we want to skip the cross. But the transcendent glory of Jesus is proper to talk about only after Easter. The way of Christ, the way of the cross, is hard. Don't shortchange the difficulty, just because the end is transfiguring glory. An Olympic medal is glory, but a person only gets there through difficult training. People will differ in how easily they are able to hear this. People with strong ego strength, or who are well self-disciplined will have resources that help them to face such challenge, while those who are tough minded will respond by agreeing that life is just like that.
Mission Connections for Our Context
The passages for this week invite us to consider the transcendent majesty of God by giving us a collection of quite different experiences of that majesty.
What aspects of God's transcendence do we consider to be the central part of our message as Christians? In which aspects do we most clearly see the mission of God in our world? It may be in the revelation of rules to live by that we find transcendence most important. In the past age of Christendom people saw God's transcendence in a king's domination backed by the dreadful strength of God. Perhaps we now see the transcendent mission of God in a declaration of the rule of God characterized by justice, equality, righteousness, and forgiveness. Or maybe transcendence serves as illumination and teaching to be listened to. Our individual personalities will shape how we respond to these passages and themes.
Perhaps what we most need is Jesus, the Beloved One, giving us a non-fear inducing experience of God. The majesty, glory, and transcendence of God are beyond what people can handle. Without Jesus, there is overwhelming reason to fear. But Jesus comes to us and says, "Get up and do not be afraid."
Biographical Summary
John Barkman, with a PhD from Fuller Theological Seminary, integrates a background in the 16 Personality Factor tradition of psychology with his practical theology, all while working as an academic institutional researcher. His current projects include compiling a personality-aware commentary for the entire lectionary cycle, and involvement in establishing an indigenous women's mission in the barrios of Tijuana, Mexico.
Lent Year A
First Sunday in Lent
March 1, 2020
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
Romans 5:12-19
Matthew 4:1-11
Exegetical Missional Insights
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
The "fall" story is a battle between faithfulness and will, obedience and choice, life and death. God places the man and woman in the Garden of Eden directing them to eat freely except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If they do, the result will be death. As the serpent appears, his challenge is this: did God really say that? Up to this point, the man and woman only knew good and now they have the opportunity to "know" evil. "Before the fall, all they knew was good; evil was beyond their experience. 9 Unsatisfied with a merely intellectual knowledge of evil - "in the day that you eat of it you shall die" (Gen 2:17) - they wanted to know it experientially, to spread their wings, so to speak, and travel beyond the confines of the good world whose shadows they do not know."1 The serpent proclaims that the man and woman will not die saying that God doesn't want them to eat from that particular tree because God feared that they will then be like him, "knowing good and evil".
The woman "saw" that the tree was not only good for sustenance but that the tree was something to be desired. Both the man and the woman were complicit in disobeying God as they ate of the tree. Upon the realization that they were naked, they clothed themselves. Did they not know that they were naked before or was it that their nakedness now demanded a response? Their decision didn't lead to freedom but rather enslavement to their sin, disobedience to God and harm to their relationship with him and each other. The text illustrates humanity's struggle with dominion vs. stewardship, power vs. freedom, knowledge vs. knowing God, being like God vs. being God's beloved. Ultimately, they (and we) are faced with the decision to choose self or God, death or life.
Romans 5:12-19
Romans 5 describes the ongoing impact of sin on humanity. Sin entered the world through the man and woman in the garden with consequences for all the people. As a result of their act, all were made "sinners". This is contrasted by Jesus who was without sin. His death offered life and freedom for all from the punishment of sin. Jesus did not merely negate sin; he paid the price for the sin of the man and women in the garden and for all of humanity. Through Jesus, God offers the chance to be made right. The sin of one meant death for all. And the gift of ONE means life for everyone. This is the mission of God, to reconcile humanity to himself.
Matthew 4:1-11
In Matthew 3, Jesus is baptized by John and God proclaims Jesus as his beloved. After Jesus' baptism and before he began his public ministry, Jesus (led by the Spirit) fasted for forty days and nights in the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil. The devil challenged Jesus to three things: 1. Turn stones to bread, 2. Throw himself down from the temple, and 3. The devil offered all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would fall down and worship him. Jesus responded: 1. Man doesn't live on bread alone but by every word from the mouth of God, 2. Do not put the Lord your God to the test and 3. Jesus tells Satan to leave for it is written worship the Lord your God and serve him only. After this intense encounter, the devil left, and the angels tended to Jesus. Jesus' experience in the desert is not because he had done something wrong. It was a time of preparation for Jesus' mission, offering redemption to humanity.
God's Mission in the Text
The Genesis text illustrates humanity's struggle with dominion, power, knowledge and the temptation to be like God. In Genesis 11, humans build a tower to make a name for themselves in an effort to be like God, to be a god. We know the danger of what the devil is offering in this "knowledge". Access to evil makes us vulnerable to power. These three texts reveal the redemptive nature and work of God in the world. In the midst of the temptation of power and knowledge, God invites us to know him and be known by him. God invites us into relationship. God sent Jesus into the world as a salvation and love letter to humanity. What we can learn from the text:
Mission Connections for Our Context
As we think about our own lives, churches and communities, what guidance and hope do we glean from these texts? We are invited to be known by God and to know God. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, all of us can be known and know God. God proclaims he is with us; we belong to him and he is in solidarity with us. Knowing takes on new meaning. It is not enough to know facts. Through the gift of ONE, Jesus, all are offered hope. Salvation is received and experienced in authentic relationship with God, leading to transformation. These biblical texts challenge us to move from knowing about something to knowing God through relationship.
Lent is a time of preparation likened to Jesus's preparation in the wildness for ministry. Wilderness experiences expose our vulnerabilities. We may feel isolated and weak. Like he was with Jesus, God the Father is with us. How is God preparing us in our wilderness times? What is he preparing us for? How does knowing God and being known by God strengthen us during these times? What is needed for our congregations, corporately and personally, to choose knowing over knowledge? For several years I lived on a vineyard. During winter season (called winter dormancy), the vine looks dead. Rather it is in hibernation, preparing for spring. The winter season forces the vine's root to grow deeper in the soil (knowing and) connecting to its' life source. How might we deepen our roots in God during Lent, pressing into this "knowing"? In what ways do we know God and are known by God? God knows us, he knows our plight, he invites us to know him and he calls us to help others know him. This is what strengthens us to participate in God's mission. May we lean into God's mission and witness in our world by knowing him and being known by him.
Biographical Summary
Mary Glenn, D.Min., is an Affiliate Assistant Professor of Intercultural Studies (Urban Studies) at Fuller Theological Seminary. She regularly leads urban immersions and city walks in her home city of Los Angeles. She is a law enforcement chaplain (since 2001), a police chaplain trainer and an ordained pastor.
1 Maggay, Melba Padilla. Global Kingdom, Global People : Living Faithfully in a Multicultural World, Langham Creative Projects, 2017, p. 3)
Second Sunday in Lent
March 8, 2020
Genesis 12:1-4a
Romans 4: 1-5, 13-17
John 3: 1-17
Exegetical Missional Insights
Genesis 12:1-4a
In many respects, these verses are the pivot on which the book of Genesis turns. In the call of Abram, the prehistory describing the development and disbursement of the nations in Genesis 1-11 ends, and the story of a particular family begins. But these verses indicate that particular story will have a relevance for "all the families of the earth" (v. 3).
The remainder of Genesis will tell the story of Abram and several generations of his descendants. The call to Abram begins with an imperative command for him to "go from your country and your kindred and your father's house" (v. 1), but the balance of the Lord's speech contains promises that the Lord will fulfill. The Lord will make Abram "a great nation. The Lord will bless Abram. The Lord will make Abram's name great, and will "bless those who bless you, and" curse the one who curses him.
Romans 4: 1-5, 13-17
In this selection, Paul offers his own theological reflections on the story of Abraham to develop his doctrine of justification by faith. It is worth noting in this context that the Genesis passage above does not mention those concepts. In addition, Paul cites another verse in Genesis (15:6) to argue that Abraham's "faith ‘was reckoned to him as righteousness'" (v. 3). For Paul, Abraham's faith was evident when he believed God's promise that he would have descendants as plentiful as the stars in the sky. Paul juxtaposes that faith against adherence to the law, as exemplified in circumcision.
John 3: 1-17
Jesus' dialogue with Nicodemus is pregnant with theological meaning about what it means to be "born from above" (v. 3, 7). Several themes that John develops throughout the gospel are named here: light and dark, the Spirit and the world, and God's sending of the Son into the world. Nicodemus' statement that Jesus has "come from God" (v. 2) opens the conversation. Jesus words that God sent the Son into the world so that "the world might be saved through him" (v. 17) close the passage. In between, Jesus discusses the need for all to be "born from above" (v. 3, 7). Although Nicodemus seems not to grasp Jesus' meaning, his place in the story of Jesus does not end here. In chapter 7, he speaks up in favor of giving Jesus a hearing, and after Jesus' death (ch. 19), aids in preparing Jesus' body for burial.
God's Mission in the Text
Depending on the context of the preacher, these lectionary passages offer different options for theological reflection. Mission begins with God, and all three texts speak to God's initiative in the world to call a new thing into being. It is God's action that calls Abram to "go," and God promises to create out of him a new and blessed nation that is the source of blessing to others. Paul testifies to God "who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist" (Rom. 4:17). John's gospel proclaims that God sent the Son into the world to save the world.
In all cases, God's initiative invites a human response that points toward God's larger purposes. Abram leaves his home, not simply to receive the Lord's blessing for his own family, but so that the Lord may bless all the "families of the earth." (Gen. 12:3) For Paul, faith like that of Abraham leads one to be reckoned righteous by God's grace and to the fulfillment of God's promises to make of him a great nation. In John, the imperative of being "born from above" (v. 3, 7) puzzles Nicodemus, but Jesus promises the result of this second birth is "eternal life" (v. 15, 16). The salvation that Jesus offers is not just for individuals, however, John proclaims that Jesus came for the salvation of the world.
Missional Connections for Our Context
Jesus and Nicodemus begin their dialogue with a point of common agreement: that Jesus has come from God. Abraham is an important figure in three major religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In a multi-religious context, he offers a common point of departure for dialogue and understanding. Although Christians, Jews, and Muslims do not agree on Abraham's role, he offers a starting point for dialogue. Paul's theological exploration of Abraham, faith, grace, and justification is foundational for a Christian understanding.
The experience of answering a call to leave one's home and go to a new land in order to be a blessing to others is common among people who have experienced a call to be sent as missionaries. Abram's call, however, does not end with himself, but with a community. In the fulfillment of God's promise, he will become a great nation. That nation will become a source of blessing to others. Even though individuals may perceive God's call to serve in mission, that mission must be grounded in the formation of a missional community that may bless others.
Two door-to-door evangelists paid me a visit. After introducing themselves, they asked, "Do you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?"
After I suggested that was the wrong question to ask me, their Bibles flew open to John 3:16-7. They read to me (from the King James Version), "‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.'" They asked, "Do you believe in him?"
I answered, "Yes, but that's not the question you asked me at first. Yes, I believe in Jesus. I believe he is the Son of God and that he came to bring salvation, but you asked me if I accepted Christ as my ‘personal savior.' Then you read, that God loved the world and send the Son to save the world. You should have asked me if I accepted Christ as savior of the world, not just me, personally."
Door-to-door evangelists tend to be a fairly certain lot, but to their credit these two admitted that they had never quite thought of it that way before.
Biographical Summary
Douglas D. Tzan is the Assistant Dean and Director of the Doctor of Ministry and Course of Study Programs and Assistant Professor of Church History and Mission at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. He is also an ordained elder in the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church and the Senior Pastor at the Sykesville Parish (St. Paul's and Gaither United Methodist Churches) in Sykesville, Maryland. His recent book, William Taylor and the Mapping of the Methodist Missionary Tradition: The World His Parish, is published by Lexington Press.
Third Sunday in Lent
March 15, 2020
Exodus 17:1-7
Psalm 95
Romans 5:1-11
John 4:5-42
Exegetical Missional Insights and God's Mission in the Text
Exodus 17:1-7
It is important to begin by locating this passage in the grand narrative of God's rescue of the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. Chapter 13 describes the first Passover; chapter 14 the crossing of the Red Sea; chapter 15 the Song of Moses and the Song of Miriam, along with the miraculous sweetening of (desperately needed) water at Marah; and chapter 16 the provision of bread and quails for food in the desert. In chapter 18, Jethro organizes the wandering band of Israelites, and in chapter 19 begins the story of the giving of the law on Sinai.
So chapter 17, which describes God's provision of water in the wilderness, is early in the wanderings of the people in the wilderness. 17:1 tells us that the people of Israel have been obeying the Lord's command: they are following the route he prescribed. And yet they run into the problem of a lack of water. What follows is a fascinating, if frightening, interchange between the people, Moses and God. Not unnaturally, the people begin by blaming Moses for their plight. Moses responds by bringing God into the picture: "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?" Yet the people persist in blaming Moses - not the Lord - for their thirst. In fact, they are so thirsty that they start questioning Moses' whole liberation project: "Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?" And evidently, they are angry enough to threaten the life of Moses. At this point he turns to God in desperation: "What shall I do?"
God's response is five-fold, and the five interventions are deeply intertwined. First, the authority of Moses over the people of Israel is reestablished: "Go on ahead of the people." Second, the breach between Moses and the Israelites is repaired: "Take some of the elders of Israel with you." Third, as if in response to the people's questioning of their liberation from Egypt, Israel's present salvation is connected to the previous salvation from Egypt: "Take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile." Fourth, Moses' anxiety about his own precarious position is allayed: "I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb." Finally, water is provided for the thirsty people: "Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink." YHWH's instructions and actions illumine God's complex way of working in the world. Salvation is not a one-dimensional affair, but rather a multifaceted, ongoing process.
The mountain of Horeb is significant in the story. It is the mountain of the Lord, presumably another name for Mount Sinai. However, the name "Horeb" has been used only once before this narrative, and that is in Ex. 3:1: "Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God." Horeb is here identified as the mountain of God, which is why scholars think of it as another name for Mt. Sinai. It is the mountain of the burning bush, the mountain where God first commissions Moses to lead Israel out of bondage in Egypt, and the mountain on which YHWH first reveals himself to Moses: "I am who I am." So Horeb/Sinai is the place from where God's identity is revealed, and God's work of salvation - in the forms of social liberation, water, and the law - in the past and in the present and in the future, flow. The missio Dei, revealed at Horeb/Sinai, is to provide God's people with social, physical and spiritual liberation and redemption.
The pericope ends with verse 7, with Moses calling the place Massah and Meribah, "because the Israelites quarreled with the Lord." There is an interesting identification here between Moses and YHWH. The people, according to the narrative, had quarreled with Moses, and not YHWH; however, because Moses is God's representative, quarreling with him is tantamount to quarreling with God. At least that's how Moses sees it; whether the people see it that way is not clear. Moses' perspective becomes canonical in Psalm 95:8-9.
John 4:5-42
The relationship between Jews and Samaritans was complicated. Perhaps it was not as antagonistic as we have usually been led to believe; after all, if Jesus' disciples could go into a Samaritan city (or village - the Greek word polis can be used that way) to buy food, at least the two groups were on speaking terms with each other. Moreover, the shortest route between Judea and Galilee was through Samaria, and Jesus did not avoid the route altogether. There were, however, significant disagreements and tensions between Samaritans and Jews, especially regarding religious thought and practice - as is evident in verses 9 and 20-22.
Many of the literary motifs found throughout John's gospel are evident in this passage: wordplay, metaphor, irony, meaning-laden misunderstandings. The misunderstandings between the Samaritan woman and Jesus remind us of many interchanges in the gospel (already between Jesus and his mother in chapter 2, and Jesus and Nicodemus in chapter 3). What is significant here is that unlike in many other narratives in John, the woman and then the Samaritans in her town come to realize who Jesus truly is. Misunderstandings lead to true understanding.
The conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman is initiated by Jesus, who asks for a drink. Jesus is thirsty. Interestingly, it is only in John's gospel that Jesus says on the cross, "I thirst" (John 19:28). The idea of a thirsty Christ/God will be discussed below. The woman is surprised at Jesus' request and he uses her questioning to initiate a conversation in which he offers her "living water," which is literally water from a spring rather than a well or cistern. Jesus uses the term to speak about the source of eternal life.
His authority to offer such water is bolstered, in her eyes, by his knowledge about her husbands and other men in her life. There is nothing in the text itself that indicates that this woman was living in sin; neither she nor Jesus ever says that she was a sinful woman. Customs of levirate marriage (see Deut. 25:5-10, Mark 12:18-23 and parallels) may have pushed her into marriages. Indeed, could she have been a credible witness to her fellow villagers (or city dwellers) if she was a woman of ill repute (vv. 29-30, 39)? In fact, if she had been put in tragic circumstances where she was compelled to marry several men in the same family, and the last man refused to marry her (Deut. 25:7), then the people she knew would have found her testimony - that Jesus told her everything she did - persuasive. This is not the first time in John's gospel that Jesus knows about a person's life, and that knowledge leads to the realization of Jesus' true identity: in John 1:45-49, Jesus tells Nathanael something about him, which leads him to recognize who Jesus is (1:49, see 4:29). Interestingly, both the Samaritan woman and Nathanael become Jesus believers and workers.
If we assume that the Samaritan woman's life was not full of sin but full of hardship, as the text seems to indicate, then Jesus' offer of living water to her becomes a powerful ministry to her. He offers to slake her thirst for deep human community - within her family, within her village, even within her larger context which comprises Jews and Samaritans who are at odds with each other. And he slakes her thirst for a Messiah or Christ. In verse 26, the first words which Jesus says to her are "I am," not "I am he," so that the verse in Greek reads, "I am, the one who is speaking to you" or even "I am is the one speaking to you." Jesus' use of "I am" in John's gospel is well known (I am the light of the world, I am the resurrection and the life, etc.), and indicates his identity with YHWH, his Father (5:18). Jesus' miraculous care for people which leads to the revelation of his true identity and garners him followers is another common feature of narratives in the gospel of John (chapters 2, 5, 6, 9, etc.).
Finally, if we assume that Jesus ministers compassionately to the hardships in the life of a woman, the interchange between Jesus and his disciples about food becomes more understandable. In ministering to this woman, Jesus is doing the work of his Father (4:34, see 5:17 for a parallel). His ministry will yield those who believe that he is the Christ/Messiah (see also 9:35-39), and these believers need to be drawn into a community of love that is led by the disciples (4:38).
Mission Connections for Our Context
There are a number of ways that these texts can connect to our present situations and mission. Only a few will be briefly mentioned here. First, note that in both the Exodus and John passages, actual physical water is crucial. The people of Israel need water. Jesus asks for water. We should not rush to spiritualize these passages but think about the way in which physical water has become an issue in our lives because of climate change. The lack of water (California, Australia) has led to incredible devastation, as has the overabundance of water (the country of Kiribati). How should we and do we as Christians, as churches, deal with the water crisis in the world? Second, when it comes to water and thirst, the physical and spiritual, the divine and human, are intimately linked. In Jesus, God thirsts. What is God's thirst, or deepest desire for our world? Our passages suggest that God thirsts for everything from a life-giving planet, to reconciled persons and communities, to justice and righteousness, to spiritual communion with God, to belief that Jesus is the Christ and Son of God, to the growth of the church, to eternal life. Knowing all that God thirsts for, how are we called to be present and to act in our world as believers in, and workers for Jesus Christ? What is our role in satisfying the thirst of God and the world? Moses and Jesus' disciples are two good starting points to think about this, but they are not the ending points. Finally, the texts today tell us that God, "I am," satisfies all the ways we thirst in body, mind, spirit and society. Romans 5:5, not discussed above, is very important in this respect: "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit." Suffering for Christ's sake, and for the sake of the mission of his gospel, is tied intimately to God's love being poured into us. YHWH at Horeb; Jesus at the Samaritan well; the Holy Spirit in the hearts of believers: the Triune God quenches the thirst of God's people in so many ways. And this quenching must lead us to be witnesses and workers of God in our thirsty world.
Biographical Summary
Arun W. Jones is the Dan and Lillian Hankey Associate Professor of World Evangelism at the Candler School of Theology, Emory University, in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to this position he taught at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Texas, pastored United Methodist congregations in New Jersey and Connecticut, and served as a short-term missionary in the Philippines. He has degrees from Yale University (B.A. and M.Div.) and Princeton Theological Seminary (Ph.D.).
Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 22, 2020
1 Samuel 16:1-13
Ephesians 5:8-14
John 9:1-41
Exegetical Missional Insights
The season of Lent is the preparatory period for our celebration of the risen Christ. Lenten practices evolved from the early activities of abstaining from festivities, almsgiving, fasting, and religious exercises to the contemporary emphasis on reflection and spiritual renewal. Each lectionary scripture suggests that the process of transforming darkness into light is not merely an inspired internal change, but that God desires our active participation to transport light forward.
To see is to know light, and where there is light, the invisible becomes visible. Then the light goes on in our hearts and minds. The active characters in the three scripture readings are not alone because God is the origination of their light. It is God who sends fearful Samuel to discern the future king over Israel, and while doing God's will with persistence, Samuel's fears subside. What was hidden is found. David, son of Jesse, appears, and he is in turn set apart as the servant of the Lord - the future king. Samuel had to get out there and do God's will before God provided his next instructions, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one." Samuel continued his journey with God as did David with the Spirit of the Lord lighting his way.
Likewise, the apostle Paul taught the Ephesian congregation to be set apart and bear "the fruit of the light found in all that is good and right and true." Being light empowers the Church to expose darkness. Paul implies that the Church, as such, lights up unfruitful works by carrying light into the world. What is revealed by the light becomes visible - the spiritually blind see. Sent by God, Paul reminds the church that Christ shines on them as they go.
The rhythm and process of being sent and going, being light as compared to the dark, and the invisible becoming visible continues in the gospel reading of John. Jesus tells the man born blind, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam." The gospel writer left us a clue to understand: the word Siloam means sent. As the story goes, Jesus sent the blind man with mud in his eyes to the pool called sent to find the light to see. Where after Jesus disappears from the story until its end. There is a kerfuffle between the Jews, the Pharisees, and the blind man's parents. The spiritually blind Pharisees representing the law ask the man born blind to answer questions about washing mud from his eyes and other people like Jesus and things he had never seen. Now, having seen light, no longer a blind man, the blind beggar shares his truth: "I was blind but now I see." Jesus then finally reveals himself to the man born blind. Living in the light, the man believes Jesus is the Son of Man and becomes a disciple of Christ. The process of being sent by God, going, and ensuing conversions is continuous.
God's Mission in the Text
The mission process that results in conversion involves God sending and believers heeding the call to go into places of spiritual darkness. God sends the faithful to share their faith in truth: Jesus' light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it. The earliest manuscripts of John 9:4 say, "It is necessary for us to do the deeds of the one who sent us," but other first documents say, "I must do the deeds of the one who sent me." Propelled by the phenomenon of light, Christians follow the voice of the Son sent into the world to dispel darkness. Sharing the light of truth about the gospel is neither formulaic nor can it be a blanket method prescribed for every context. Approach and applications are contextual on a case-to-case basis; whereby, being light is the essential attribute for transmitting light.
Mission Connections for Our Context
Being sent by God and going in faith are principles of the missio Dei. These Lenten readings, however, subtly destabilize by implying a certain unpredictability about what to expect when on the way. Samuel anoints an unexpected leader, the Ephesian children of light face an uncertain hostile culture, and the man born blind had no expectation of meeting his healer. Each of the narratives suggests a missional ripple effect, the outcome of which often goes unseen in our hurried, frenzied North American culture of immediate gratification. The Church must live within the paradox of a mission in which spiritual light is born by those set apart to reenter darkness to expose spiritual blindness regarding social justice issues, racism, and the confusion of pluralism in the North American context.
Biographical Summary
Rev. Dr. Rebecca Giselbrecht-Häfner is Research Associate in Practical Theology and Reformed Church History at Vancouver School of Theology and Pastor of Campbell River United Church in British Columbia, Canada.
Fifth Sunday of Lent
March 29, 2020
First: Acts 7:55-60
Psalm: Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16
Second: 1 Peter 2:2-10
Gospel: John 14:1-14
Exegetical Missional Insights
Stephen was the first martyr of the primitive church. What is there about his death that sheds light on how God is at work in the world? What distinctives stand out from Acts 7:55-60 that demonstrate principles of living in the world? Luke recorded the Stephen account with several possible intentions including explaining how Stephen died, why he was the first martyr, how the church scattered, and the introduction of Saul/Paul. In addition, there are parallels between Stephen's final three recorded statements at his death and Christ's words before Pilate and on the cross, parallels that can be interpreted as intentional on the part of Luke. These parallel statements reveal missional insights about how to live our lives.
Christ: "But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God." (Luke 22:69)
Stephen: "Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." (Acts 7:56)
Christ: "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit." (Luke 23:46)
Stephen: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" (Acts 7:59)
Christ: "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)
Stephen: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" (Acts 7:60)
"Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." (Acts 7:56) This first statement focuses on the location of Christ at the right of God, highlighting the authority and power of Christ. The authority and power of Christ is a fundamental part of his commission of the disciples (Matthew 28:18). The disciples understand clearly that their mission is grounded not on their own strength, but on the strength of Christ. Their actions were anchored not only in the person of Christ, but in his power and authority. The first sending of the disciples in Luke 9:1-6 noted that power and authority were conferred with the specific, but not exclusive, intent of casting out demons and healing. These actions were signs that the kingdom of God was at hand. The disciples were to preach the gospel and along with proclamation, they were to demonstrate that evil and sickness would no longer have its way in the world. This first sending was predicated on the authority and power of Christ, something which was repeated in the Great Commission. Stephen's words served as an affirmation of the divine sonship of Christ, confirming the authority and power in which the primitive church operated.
"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" (Acts 7:59) Stephen made a bold declaration of belonging and identity. In death, Stephen affirmed his identification with Christ, but such a declaration could only happen through a life lived in right relationship with Christ. Stephen's life in Christ was demonstrated through his service, testimony, prayers, signs and wonders, all of which revealed the presence and power of Christ in his life (Acts 6). At the moment of Stephen's death, he saw Christ in the place of authority. Stephen's vision affirmed that his life had been lived in submission to Christ's authority as Lord and Savior. When we live for Christ on a consistent, daily basis, we are empowered and emboldened when asked to respond for our faith.
"Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" (Acts 7:60) A life of forgiveness is a life that is able to pardon others. Stephen's forgiveness at the moment of his death defeated the anger and bitterness that motivated those who killed him. The refusal to retaliate or react in anger elevated Stephen and the manner of his death. Christ declared that he came to ‘seek and to save the lost' (Luke 19:10) and ‘did not come to condemn the world but to save it' (John 3:17). When we live into forgiveness as an expression of God's mission, it means that we join with Christ in seeking the salvation of the world. When others see forgiveness and the refusal to perpetuate offenses, it demonstrates a redemptive way of life. This forgiveness releases those who have committed offenses by leaving the door of repentance and reconciliation open.
God's Mission in the Text
What does Stephen's death tell us about missional life in our context? How does Stephen's demonstration and declaration of Christ's power, identity, and forgiveness work out in our reality? These themes are continued in several accounts in Acts and the life of the early church. Phillip, a fellow deacon with Stephen, is one example found in Acts 8. In this account, he used Christ's power to overcome the evils of a magician, identified with Christ through testimony and baptism, and exhibited forgiveness by accepting the Samaritans into their company. In Acts 10, Peter received a vision as a demonstration of the power of Christ, affirmed his identity with Christ through his preaching and extended reconciliation to the Gentiles. This pattern of power, identity and forgiveness is a way in which the gospel demonstrates entrance into the kingdom of God.
Mission Connections for Our Context
In our daily life, when we rely on the power of Christ, we see the Holy Spirit work in ways that we could never orchestrate on our own. When we identify with Christ, it affirms the source of our power and the reason for our lives. When we extend forgiveness, it provides reconciliation with the other and brings unity to a divisive world. Power, identity, and forgiveness build a bridge that points people towards the kingdom of God in ways that connect with the audience. This life keeps Christ at the center of the conversation and allows us to move with boldness in ways that otherwise would not be possible. Praise God that he is still at work today as he was in the days of Stephen to point people towards Him - may Christ always be praised!
Biographical Summary
Bud Simon (Ph.D. candidate, Asbury Theological Seminary) planted churches in the Brazilian Amazon for twenty years before embarking on Ph.D. studies. He serves as a mission consult in church planting, evangelism, contextualization and spiritual formation as well as speaks at conferences and trainings internationally.
Sixth Sunday in Lent
April 5, 2020
Isaiah 50:4-9a;
Philippians 2:5-11
Matthew 26:14-27: 66
THE BITTER CUP AND THE GOOD ROAD
Exegetical Missional Insights
If there were two drinks in separate cups on the table: one being honey sweet, and the other rhubarb bitter, which one would you more likely choose? If there were two roads, one being paved and wide, and the other thorny and narrow, on which one would you more likely walk? This week's texts present to us these two cups and these two roads, and people who have made their choices under varied circumstances.
In our first reading of Isaiah 50: 4-9a, a conflict had broken out among the people who accepted the prophet's message about the "Servant of the Lord" and those who rejected it. The prophet's faithful proclamation of the Word of the Lord evoked a violent reaction. As a result, the prophet was physically beaten and emotionally tormented. In the midst of such opposition, the prophet still believed that God was with him, standing by his side. Four hundred years later, we encounter a similar scene in Jesus' suffering. During Jesus' arrest, the soldiers spat on him, struck him with a bamboo cane, and mocked him as a false prophet (Matt 26: 67-68). Jesus was scourged and bloody with a leather whip with metal knotted into the straps, nailed to the cross, and left to die from suffocation and dehydration. Jesus was also stripped to nakedness, a severe humiliation in the ancient Jewish context. The betrayal, trial, and death of Jesus composed the bitter cup Jesus had aguishly prayed about at Gethsemane, an olive press on the western slope of the Mount of Olives (Matt 26: 37-38). Instead of avoiding the bitter cup of suffering, Jesus chose faithfulness to his calling and walked on the thorny but good road of redemption.
God's Mission in the Text
Matthew showed us many contrasts, ironies, and comparisons that involved multiple layers of the betrayal, death, and burial of Jesus. Some chose to drink the bitter cup and others refused it. Some chose to walk on the good road and other rejected it. The stories of Judas and Peter reveal two different scenarios. Having been a disciple of Jesus for three years, Judas was expecting Jesus to be a charismatic and militant leader to overthrow the Roman Empire and become the king. Subsequently, Judas would share the glory of power and authority. When Jesus spoke of his own death, Judas was disappointed at the realization Jesus was not the kind of Messiah he expected, so Judas sold his teacher for thirty pieces of silver, an equivalent compensation for the death of a slave in Exodus 21: 32. By dipping into the same bowl, Jesus and his disciples shared a covenantal bond of friendship. Ironically, Judas betrayed Jesus at the most intimate table fellowship at the Passover, a festival at which the Jewish people remembered God's leading them out of bondage in Egypt. Furthermore, Judas used a kiss, a great expression of affection for one's teacher at the time, to mark the person to be arrested. Later, Judas was unable to repent. He chose to hang himself instead of turning to God for forgiveness. Interestingly, the same word "betrayal" is used for the religious leaders who bore false witnesses against Jesus. On the other hand, Peter was readily willing to die for Jesus and even used the sword to fight against injustice. Yet, Jesus reprimanded Peter's impulsion and engagement with violence. After Peter denied his association with Jesus, the perceived criminal, he wept bitterly and repented.
The second contrast is between Pontius Pilate and Joseph of Arimathea. Pilate chose the honey sweet cup and Joseph chose the thorny but good road. As a governor, Pilate possessed political power. As a Sanhedrin and a council member, Joseph had religious power. They chose to use their power in opposite ways. Pilate was astonished by Jesus' silence, but he decided to ignore his wife's warning, and wilted in his power to please the crowd. Although Pilate washed his hands, he still betrayed the knocking of his own conscience. He not only condemned Jesus to be killed by the most terrible punishment, but he also sent guards to secure Jesus' tomb in case Jesus' disciples would steal the body. On the other hand, Joseph of Arimathea did not consent with the council that delivered Jesus to the Roman authorities (Luke 23: 50-56). Roman law of the time denied crucified people burial, and the bodies were usually left to be devoured by vultures or dogs. Under such circumstances, Joseph of Arimathea, risked his own political security in asking for Jesus' body. Joseph, a rich man, even placed Jesus in his own tomb.
Like Joseph of Arimathea, Simon of Cyrene and the women disciples of Jesus chose to walk on the good road. Simon, a Jew from Cyrene, a city in present-day Libya, was made to carry the horizontal beam of the cross for the severely scourged Jesus (Matt 27: 32). Simon was not a disciple of Jesus, nor had he dipped into the same bowl of food with Jesus. Traveling from North Africa to attend the festival, he shared and eased Jesus' suffering by carrying the beam. The women followers of Jesus: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons traveled all the way from Galilee to Jerusalem. They ministered to Jesus shortly after his death (Matt 27: 55-56). Out of deep love and devotion, the women disciples also prepared Jesus' body for burial (Matt 27: 61).
Mission Connections for Our Context
As we reflect on these different people, we may be confronted with the question of who we might have been? Would we share the same cup with Jesus? Would we walk on the good road? We may dream of big things we can do for Christ, but many times, in unrehearsed and unnoticed situations, our true character shines through. God the Creator calls believers to be different from Judas, or Pilate. We are called to hear integrity and resist evil in Church or politics. God calls us to be like the repentive Peter, to denounce violence, and to overcome fear of suffering. He calls us to be like Joseph, willing to risk loss of power in order to do the right thing. Moreover, He calls us to be like Simon and the women disciples, serving and loving Christ from our marginality. Drinking the bitter cup and walking on the good road may be holding hands and singing beloved songs with a grandmother who suffers from Alzheimer's. It may be building a cardboard shelter and feeding a hungry neighborhood cat. It may be rejecting consumerism and reducing waste. It may be carefully listening, researching, and discerning a much-debated topic. Walking with Christ also calls us to receive unexpected hospitality from others. I think of a young Muslim mother who used her last food source to feed us, a small group of Christian visitors. I also think about the incredible forgiveness my friend's father offered to the person who killed his son. That forgiveness gradually compelled the murderer to turn his life around and he even became a pastor.
Philippians 2: 5-11 calls believers to take on the same mindset as Christ. Jesus called out the heinous crime of Judas' betrayal, but grieved deeply for Judas' life. Jesus prophesized Peter's denial but showed kindness to Peter when he repented. Jesus proclaimed his messiahship but refused to compromise with tyrants. With the women and men who ministered to him, Jesus received hospitality, faithful friendship, and sacrifice that he himself embodied. Jesus, the true Passover Lamb, would share the new cup of covenant with his followers.
Drinking the bitter cup and walking on the good road with Jesus is often uncomfortable and inconvenient, but we are never alone. True humility from Christ drives out our egocentric arrogance and superiority. Out of the bitter cup and the good road comes the healing for our wounded world.
Biographical Summary
Susangeline Patrick, Ph.D. (Asbury Theological Seminary) is an adjunct professor of History of Christianity at NAIITS.
Easter Year A
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.
Pentecost Year A
Day of Pentecost
May 31, 2020
Numbers 11:24-30
Acts 2:1-21
John 20:19-23
The Surprising Work of the Holy Spirit
Introduction
The work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church is manifold. The Holy Spirit restores us. The Holy Spirit directs us. The Holy Spirit equips us. These are some of the many cherished dimensions of the Spirit's work in the Church. However, our texts for the Day of Pentecost remind us of one of the oft-unwelcomed aspects of the Spirit's work - disruption. Of course, the Spirit does not cause disruption to harm us. Rather, the Spirit is profoundly present in pain to help us (Romans 8:26-27). "Still, the Spirit of God often disrupts our plans, agendas and carefully calculated means of control in ways we cannot always understand. Why? The Spirit seeks to more fully align us with the missio Dei (the mission of God). In the lectionary texts, we see the Spirit of God amid loss, grieving and fear manifesting in unexpected people and in unexpected places to advance the purposes of God. In a word, we learn that the mission of God is intricately connected to the surprising work of the Holy Spirit.
Exegetical Missional Insights
Numbers 11:24-30
The Spirit of God is revealed unexpectedly in the wilderness journey of the people Israel. God calls an overwhelmed Moses to gather 70 elders of Israel, to help care for a massive group of dissatisfied and disappointed Israelites. (Num. 11:1-23). Moses situates his new leadership team around the "tent," a reference to the Tent of Meeting or central place of worship before the divine presence (11:24). Then, a theophany - that is, a manifestation of God - takes places. YHWH descends in a "cloud," directly addresses Moses, and distributes the Spirit of God among the elders (11:25). The result? The elders prophesy. Most scholars equate this shocking yet singular sign of the Spirit with a kind of ecstatic speech seen in other instances of the Old Testament (1 Sam. 10:6-13; 19:18-24). Even more surprising is that two of the elders - Eldad and Medad, who remain "in the camp" away from the tent - also begin to prophesy as "the spirit [rests] on them" (Num. 11:26). Joshua, Moses' protégé, is critical of their behavior. He literally begs Moses to "stop them" (11:28). Joshua is offended by God's unexpected ways of advancing God's mission. Moses, on the other hand, welcomes the surprising work of the Spirit-even in elders who are away from "the tent" of traditional divine encounter (11:26).
Acts 2:1-2
The Holy Spirit comes upon the early followers of Jesus in ways that none of them could have imagined. It is the Day of Pentecost, a festival that celebrates the barley harvest and renews covenant with God 50 days after Passover (Lev. 23:15-16). While the followers of Christ are "all together in one place," God's Spirit manifests as "a sound like the rush of a violent wind" and like "divided tongues, as of fire" (Acts 2:1-3). The God who blew like wind over the waters of creation in Genesis is now showing up in a sound like the roaring of a violent wind (Gen. 1:1-2). The God who manifested the divine presence at a fiery, burning bush before the prophet Moses is now showing up as something like flames of fire over each member of the community (Ex. 3). And the God who raised and restored a valley of dry bones in Ezekiel by the Spirit is now acting to restore and raise up a new people through the Spirit (Ezek. 37). Same God. A new work. As a result, the people are filled with the Spirit of God and begin to "speak in other languages" (Acts 2:4). Many scholars see this manifestation of the Spirit as a reversal of Babel. At Babel, God scattered languages to separate people, but here God scatters people to bring them together (Gen. 11:1-11). The Spirit is poured out on "devout Jews from every nation" (Acts 2:5). Some sneer at such a surprising, unexpected event. But the apostle Peter offers an interpretation of the outpouring that puts it in continuity with God's mission from long ago. Drawing on the words of the prophet Joel, Peter speaks of God's Spirit being poured out "upon all flesh"-young and old, male and female, slave and free (2:17; Joel 2:28-32). Among other things, the story of Pentecost reveals God's socially subversive mission of welcoming all peoples in Christ by the Spirit.
John 20:19-23
The story of the sending of the Spirit in John's Gospel occurs in an unlikely place. It is the third day - the day of Jesus' resurrection. Jesus has already appeared to Mary Magdalene and commissioned her as a witness to his resurrection (John 20:11-18). However, the disciples are secluded in fear behind locked doors. In the midst of their panic and isolation, Jesus comes and stands "among them" (John 20:19). Jesus arrives in the flesh. He shows the scars of his victory in his "hands and his side" (John 20:20). He not only twice speaks the traditional Jewish greeting of "Peace be with you," but he embodies the wholeness of peace previously promised in his very person (John 20:19, 21, 14:27, 16:33). And, most importantly, he sends forth the Spirit as the disciples live in obedience to the way of Jesus and continue the mission of God. "As the Father has sent me, so I send you," Jesus says (John 20:21). And he breathes on them the breath or wind of God: "Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:22). This is the basis for much discourse on missional theology. Behind locked doors, the sent Son sends the disciples empowered by the sent Spirit. The final words of Jesus to the disciples on forgiving and retaining sins remind us of the seriousness of sin and raise a host of questions we can't treat here (John 20:23). However, and in context, Jesus' words, at the very least, are a humbling call to be representatives of God's authority. Yes, God alone forgives (Isa. 43:25), But, shockingly, God sends forth fearful less-than-perfect disciples empowered by the Spirit to be agents of divine forgiveness in the world.
God's Mission in the Text
Each of the three texts provides a window into the way God's mission is extended through the surprising work of the Spirit. In Numbers 11, God sends the Spirit upon Moses' new leadership team as a witness to God's ongoing work amid the disorientation of the wilderness. In Acts 2, God pours out the Spirit upon Jews from many nations and announces through Peter the boundary crossing nature of God's fresh work in the world. In John 20, God's Spirit is breathed upon the cloistered disciples to continue the mission of Jesus in a world in desperate need of God's forgiveness. In short, the mission of God in these texts speaks of the ways in which God's Spirit surprisingly works in unexpected people and places to advance God's redemptive purposes for the sake of the world.
Missional Connections for our Context
The lectionary passages above raise important questions that can renew the missional imagination of churches in North America. Some of these questions include: What are the surprising and unexpected ways that God's Spirit might be poured out in our community? How is the Spirit inviting us to participate in God's mission in ways that more fully affirm cultural difference and diversity as God's gift and design? Finally, how might the Spirit be revealing God to us in the midst of our fear, vulnerability and exposed weakness as a church?
These questions may begin to reveal idols that prevent a church from embracing the Spirit's invitations to join God's mission. One of the common idols for many churches is control and safety - especially among those of us in the dominant group in our context. While there is something to be appreciated about the serenity that emerges from wise planning and organization, an obsessive desire to maintain power and control can easily prevent individuals, leaders and faith communities from learning the vulnerability that is at the heart of participating in God's mission in the world. God, in God's grace, comes to our places of acute insecurity and vulnerability. Thanks be to God. Jesus, in God's grace, walks past the locked doors we have so carefully guarded and protected. And in the midst of pain, loss and fear, God invites us to receive the gift of the Spirit to embody God's surprising and subversive mission in the world.
Biographical Summary
Edgar "Trey" Clark III is an experienced pastor, preacher, and teacher with ministry experience in Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco, and, for the last 10 years, Los Angeles. He holds degrees from Wheaton College and Fuller Seminary where he is currently a PhD student. In addition, as a recipient of the Parish Pulpit Fellowship, Trey and his wife, Dominique, spent time living and studying in England, South Africa, and Costa Rica.
Keywords: privacy, policy
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Keywords: terms, conditions
American Society of Missiology Terms and Conditions
Last updated: April 13, 2019
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Keywords: cookies, policy
American Society of Missiology Cookies Policy
Last updated: April 13, 2019
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Keywords: Conference
Schedule and Speakers
Annual Conference
June 20-22, 2025
St. Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
Since the world mission movement birthed modern ecumenism more than a century ago, a commitment to Christian unity has accompanied numerous efforts in mission. Obedient to Jesus’ desire that his followers “all be one… that the world may believe” (John 17:21), twentieth century Christians left a legacy of ecumenical achievements, just as the demographic center of the faith was shifting to the global south. Now, with the church fully inhabiting the era of world Christianity, the context for pursuing unity for the sake of mission is markedly different. Independency, sectarianism, and suspicion of the historic ecumenical movement challenge older ecumenical structures and new grassroots unity movements alike, while the vastly expanded scope of global ecclesial diversity enriches and complexifies the search for togetherness and common ground. Simultaneously, in wider human affairs, one increasingly sees “dark clouds over a closed world” (Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti 9) in a rising tide of divisiveness, an erosion of fraternity and solidarity, and accelerating crises of migration, war, and climate change—all of which cry out for a far less fragmented Christian witness to the world.
At this critical juncture, nearly two millennia after the council of Jerusalem and 1700 years after the first ecumenical council at Nicaea, how might churches and Christians in mission better advance cooperation, partnership, interconfessional friendship, mutual learning, stronger spiritual bonds, closer relations between churches and parachurch structures, and other forms of togetherness in response to Jesus’ prayer? Further, how might this be done with genuine freedom and respect for all, celebrating unity in diversity, and without overlooking hard differences or historic injustices? In fulfillment of Jesus’ new commandment (John 13:34-35), how might the Holy Spirit be calling the church today to more visible bonds of love between different Christian groups and traditions as they embark upon the many paths of mission?
The 2025 Annual Conference of the ASM will take up this challenging theme and explore the intricate connections between the missio Dei, global Christian identities, and the many efforts “to pursue the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:13).
Papers are invited on a broad array of topics, employing the insights of mission leaders and global church practitioners, as well as contributions from biblical studies, history, theology, ecumenics, anthropology, liturgical studies, and other areas of expertise.
Contributors might examine such topics as:
Our ultimate goal in 2025 will be to reflect on the centrality of Jesus’ desire for the unity of the church in the work of mission so that the glory given him by the Father will shine more brightly across the many hued, beautiful face of the church. “I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:23).
For ASM 2025, we will accept organized panels and individual papers, with preference given to organized panels on the conference theme. We will also host our round table session for doctoral students and our Korean-Language track for speakers of Korean.
Organized Panels – here is the link for panel submissions
Teams of three or more presenters collaborate and submit proposals for panels focused on a theme or topic. Panel sessions can take a wide variety of formats, including formal paper presentations, discussions, and digital media, book, or film discussions. Formal paper presentations can be accompanied by respondents or panel discussion. We especially encourage panels that are ecumenical and bring scholars and practitioners into conversation. Most panel sessions will last 2 hours. A few 90-minute panel sessions will be available.
Panel organizers should strive, if possible, for diverse (tradition, race/ethnicity/nationality, sex/gender, rank, linguistic, scholarly location, etc.) representation in the composition of presenters and perspectives engaged.
Individual Paper Presentations – here is the link for individual paper submissions
We give preference to organized panels but will accept individual papers that will be complete by the annual meeting on a selective basis. We will prioritize papers associated with the proposed meeting theme, and as space permits, may also accept non-related papers. Presenters should submit a title and abstract and prepare to present a finished paper for the conference.
Round Table Session – here is the link for round table submissions
We offer a unique Round Table experience to nurture emerging scholars! The Round Table Session utilizes a workshop model to provide doctoral students and candidates a platform in which to present their research to a distinguished panel of mission scholars. Round Table proposals need not focus on the conference theme but on the student’s doctoral dissertation or research project. Each presentation will be 7-8 minutes, followed by 10-12 minutes of feedback from the panelists.
Korean-Language Paper Track – here is the link for K-Track submissions
ASM proudly hosts a Korean-Language Track to gather Korean speakers to discuss issues of missiological importance. For questions, please contact Daniel Ahn at [email protected].
YOU MUST BE AN ASM MEMBER TO PRESENT AT THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE.
You can become an ASM member by clicking on this link to join.
The American Society of Missiology announces its 8th Annual Graduate Student Paper Competition to recognize the best student paper presented at the society’s 2025 Annual Conference. The award is $500 and an opportunity to publish a revised version of the paper in Missiology: An International Review.
The competition is open to any graduate student ASM member who presents a paper at the 2025 Annual Conference and who is enrolled at an institution of higher learning at the time the paper proposal is accepted. The paper should be in English, approximately 5,000 words in length (including abstract and footnotes), and can engage with any subject in the field of missiology. The paper must follow Missiology style guidelines.
The deadline for submission is September 1, 2025. Submitted papers should be sent to [email protected] and participants should expect an email reply confirming their submission. The prize will be awarded at the 2026 Annual Conference, and it is anticipated that the recipient will be present to receive the award at that time.
Please direct all questions regarding the Annual Conference to the
ASM Conference Coordinator at [email protected].
Follow ASM on social media.
Past Annual Conference Plenaries
Please visit ASM’s YouTube channel to view past plenaries: https://www.youtube.com/@americansocietyofmissiolog6846
You can subscribe to our channel by clicking on the bell.
Association of Professors of Mission
Overview
The Association of Professors of Mission was formed in 1952 and was the founding organization for the American Society of Missiology in 1972. Among the many resources you will find on their website are a library of mission course syllabi, a listing of mission programs in North America, and research resources. The APM and ASM maintain their historical ties as they meet conjointly every year.
APM-AETE Call for Proposals 2025
2025 Joint Meeting of the Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education (AETE) and the
Association of Professors of Mission (APM) will be held in conjunction with the American Society of Missiology (ASM) at St. Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA.
Keywords: ASM
MissionalPreacher was created as a resource for pastors and congregational leaders in the North American context who endeavor to engage the mission field that lies outside their congregation's front door.
On behalf of the American Society of Missiology, we welcome you to our homiletical resource, MissionalPreacher.
MissionalPreacher is a resource for pastors and congregational leaders in the North American context who endeavor to engage the mission field that lies outside their congregation's front door. MissionalPreacher is not intended to replace or compete with the many fine web based homiletical resources that exist. It is intended to be a complement to them by intentionally focusing on the missiological aspects of Sunday texts as prescribed by the Revised Common Lectionary. Each Sunday's interpretation is authored by members of the American Society of Missiology as they bring their missiological lens to the understanding and interpretation of biblical texts.
The American Society of Missiology is an inclusive and diverse professional association made up of members from Independent (Evangelical, Pentecostal, etc.), Conciliar, and Roman Catholic communions of the Christian church. This unique make-up of our membership provides a dynamic and lively exchange of ideas, issues, and scholarship focused on the church's call to participate in God's mission to the world. MissionalPreacher draws on this diversity, to extend this lively exchange to you, as you wrestle with scripture this week.
It is our hope that MissionalPreacher offers you a fresh, cutting edge, and transformational understanding of biblical texts to assist you in your faithful reflection on the Word of God for the people and communities you serve.
It is impossible to produce a project like this without the support and contribution of others. We are indebted to our colleagues in ASM who have graciously given their time to author interpretations for the Church Year. A special thank you to those who served as our Associated Editors for the various Seasons of the Church Year:
Advent/Christmas
Jody Fleming, Lecturer in Practical Theology, Evangelical Seminary
Epiphany
Steve Whitmer, Professor of Intercultural Studies and Director of Online Programs, School of Intercultural Studies, Johnson University, Knoxville TN
Lent
Boubakar Sanou, Assistant Professor of Mission, Andrews University
Easter
Gord Brown, Teaching and Research Assistant, Systematic Theology, Knox College, University of Toronto
Pentecost
Rhonda Haynes, PhD Candidate, Intercultural Studies, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Missionary for 7 years in Bolivia
Paulo Oliveria, Ph.D. Candidate, School of Intercultural Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary
Titus Presler, Th.D. at Boston Univ., Visiting Researcher at Boston University School of Theology, Episcopal missiologist, having served in India, Zimbabwe, and Pakistan
Samuel Yonas Deressa, PhD candidate at Luther Seminary, Lecturer at Mekane Yesus Seminary, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
This site is not yet all that we anticipate it will be. Not every text is covered for each Sunday.
While you are here at our ASM site, please take time to look at our many offerings. You are cordially invited to become a member of ASM, subscribe to our quarterly journal Missiology: An International Review, or look at the fine volumes offered in our ASM Series - published by ASM for their high merit and wide interest in the study of mission.
If you have interest in becoming an Author for MissionalPreacher, have questions, additional information, or a suggestion for how we might improve the site, please contact [email protected].
Epiphany Season
Discerning the Missio Dei in a Time of Crisis
Epiphany Introduction
The season of Epiphany traditionally begins as a festival commemorating God's Anointed One revealed to the gentiles as seen through the Magi. As promised in Genesis 3:15, the story of the fall of man, the centerpiece of God's mission where the Kingdom breaks into history and begins gathering its members is Jesus, the Christ. The devotional insights for this season point out the repeated way Jesus is revealed, calling those who experience the epiphany of our Lord in His glory, authority, love, and risen majesty to transformation. Each also shows dynamics of God' mission in its relevance to us today.
Each of the Scriptures chosen are a part of the Revised Common Lectionary, year B1.
Liturgical Day and Texts
January 6, 2018
The Epiphany of Our Lord
Matthew 2:1-12
Ephesians 3:1-12
Isaiah 60:1-6
Exegetical Missional Insights
Raymond Brown has pointed out that the birth narratives in both Matthew and Luke constitute a separate narrative, independent of what follows in the Gospels. (Birth of the Messiah p. 179f.) He also points out that each of them constitute their own mini-gospel with their christological moment (when Jesus is proclaimed as Messiah, the Son of God through the activity of the Holy Spirit) moved from the resurrection back to conception and birth. With this movement, the narrative before us this week then represents the fullness of God's Kingdom breaking into the world. This narrative by Matthew becomes God's manifestation of Jesus to the established religious and political community (Herod, the Pharisees and the Scribes) as well as those "beyond" the accepted definition of being "God's people"-the Magi.
The birth narrative also follows a similar pattern found in the Resurrection narratives. There is a Christological revelation and epiphany that Jesus is Lord and the Son of God, followed by acceptance and rejection. This also reflects the situation in Matthew's Jewish/Gentile congregation. Most of the established faith community, and especially the religious leadership, who did not receive Jesus as Messiah or recognize his presence through scripture, are now hostile to Matthew's faith community. (cf. Mt 21:42-43) It is the wise and learned Magi from the East (where the sun, moon and stars rise) that recognize, understand and pay homage to the epiphany of God's grace and salvation.
The epiphany to the Magi, the gentiles from the east, comes through a phenomenon of nature. A new astrological event has cued them to the presence of a "newborn King of the Jews" (also a reference and connection to crucifixion). However, this astrological event is not enough for them to locate and find this new king so they may pay homage to him. Nature alone does not lead to full revelatory encounter. So, they go to the existing king to see where they might find the new king. He doesn't know, so he asks the chief priests and scribes if they can determine where the Messiah is to be born. Through interpreting scripture, they ascertained that the Messiah would be found in "Bethlehem, in the land of Judah." The Magi obey Herod's command to seek out the child. They are overjoyed to find that star continues with them on their journey and its epiphany is consistent with the interpretation of scripture they had just received. Both revelations lead to the same place. Finding the manger of their Lord, they bow down as one would do before a king and present their gifts befitting a king (cf. Isaiah 60:3-6).
Then there is the change of plan. God's purposes and mission will not be derailed by the hard-of-heart-those who correctly interpret scripture but fail to embrace its witness, as well as those who embrace its witness only to be threatened and lash out, intending to harm and kill. God's purpose will be realized over and against their objections and threats. God sends the Magi home another way.
God's Mission in the Text
In the fullness of time, in the fulfillment of the Hebrew scriptures, God's purpose for the salvation of the world is brought full in the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem in the land of Judah. The transformative spread of the gospel after the death and resurrection of Jesus is foreshadowed in his birth and epiphany. This manifestation of salvation for all of the world in the birth of Jesus breaks down the barriers of race and culture that divide. With the manifestation to the Magi, God's mission of salvation for all of the world in the person of Jesus is anticipated. God's Word brings people from afar, of a different races and culture to bow down and pay homage to Jesus our Messiah. The Holy Scriptures are a means of God's grace that enables us to discover the cradle of our Lord. In the words of Luther-"scripture is the cradle where in Christ is laid."
God's mission will not be prevented from accomplishing its purpose. Those like Pharisees, Scribes and Herod will not prevail against the coming of God's Kingdom or those who embrace its presence. Those who plot to do harm to God's mission in the world will only be frustrated in the end. God sends missioners home another way.
Mission Connections for Our Context
When I consult with congregations in the Mission Transformation Process, I often use this text to help teach the concept of missio Dei. When I ask people, "How do the Magi find the manger of their Lord?" Without exception, everyone answers, "by the star of Bethlehem." Our hymnody helps lead us astray. The well know hymn, We Three Kings of Orient Are, proclaims:
Star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright;
Westward leading sill proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.
But, contrary to the hymn, the star alone does not allow the Magi to find the manger of their Lord. It does not lead them to "thy perfect light." It points to an activity of God in the world and to the existence of a new king. But it alone does not allow them to be encountered by our Lord. To do that, they must be encountered by scripture and hear its witness. Only then can the real presence of Christ be found. That is not to say that Bethlehem Star is unimportant. But in and of itself-it is not missional. For an event to be missional, it needs to put the face of Jesus in front of those who do not know him-to bring the reality of Jesus' presence and where he is cradled in the lives of those who do not yet know him as Lord.
There is a saying that if everything is mission, then nothing is mission. When I ask congregations to tell me what mission they are doing it often includes everything that they do. All mission is ministry, but not all ministry is mission. In congregational life both ministry and mission are important-and crucial. It isn't an either/or proposition-but the two must be distinguished. Mission is the witness, event or process that puts the face of Jesus in front of those who do not know him and strengthens the faith and missional calling of those who do. Mission is that which leads to adult baptisms and serving as a catechetical mentor to those new to the faith. Mission is discernment for how a person or local congregation is uniquely called to participate in missio Dei. And to be clear, mission is not getting people to believe in Jesus-only the Holy Spirit can do that.
So, while the Bethlehem star in our text is not missional, it can be the precursor to that which is. Just as there are missional events in the life of the congregation, so too can there be Bethlehem Star events. Bethlehem Star events are those events, not yet missional, that help the community and those who do not yet know Jesus to become aware his presence in the world and in their life.
I served St. John's congregation as they listened together as a community of faith to discern how God was calling them to participate in God's mission in the Thurmont, MD mission field. As a part of their overall missional calling and mission plan they put in place a number of Bethlehem Star events. Early in September it was a "Back to School Family Fair" held on the grounds of the church with games, a large blow up bounce house, and food. In October it was a festive hay ride with a farm wagon full of hay, decorations of orange lights, and carved pumpkins-beginning and ending at the church with refreshments inside. In November, it was a fresh turkey give away (turkeys provided by one of our members who raised and sold them) to families in the community that might not have a Thanksgiving turkey otherwise. In December, the event was a "Parents Shopping Day Out." Members babysat the kids for free at the church while parents had the day to do Christmas shopping, knowing their children were safe and well cared for.
None of these events were mission. We didn't specifically mention Jesus or witness to people about his kingdom or his being Lord of their life. These events were good ministry, providing a service to the community and helping us to build relationships with our neighbors. They weren't missional, but they were like the Star of Bethlehem. Because these events were always done in proximity to the church, in the church's name and by people who called themselves after Jesus, it allowed people to know of Jesus presence in their community and lives. These events also provided the ground work that allowed us to take the next step and to invite them into a relationship with the Lord of their life. It allowed us in subsequent events and conversations to invite them to consider baptism, to eat at the Lord's table and be embraced by God's Word through the interpretation of scripture. In fact, the Bethlehem Star events, lead to missional events and conversations, calling 62 people to join the congregation over the next year-11 of them by adult baptism.
This text encourages congregations and their leaders to look for those places and events within their community and within the new relationships they have developed which point to Jesus' presence. Where in nature (in its broadest sense) is God manifesting his Epiphany presence in the world? What are the Bethlehem Star events that God has gifted your congregation preparing for you to take the next steps, interpreting scripture for people so they might find the cradle of their Lord?
This text also begs the question-are we prepared to be missioners? Have we done sufficient training within our congregations so that when those who have become aware of the Messiah in their world, show up at our door, we are prepared to interpret scripture for them and point to where they can find Jesus cradled in their life?
This text also points to a growing harsh reality in our own world. The age of Christendom really is over. Like Herod, there will be those who receive news of the "new born king" as threat and be greatly disturbed. They will try to "kill off" all the church's efforts to speak a word of grace to a dying world. We shouldn't be surprised when we find it or experience it. At the same time, we rest in the security of knowing that God's mission is not ultimately in our hands nor do those who oppose it have the power to stop it. God simply gives us a new path for the journey home.
A number of years back James Taylor released the song "Home By Another Way" on his Never Die Young Album.
Those magic men the Magi
Some people call them wise
Or Oriental, even kings
Well anyway, those guys
They visited with Jesus
They sure enjoyed their stay
Then warned in a dream of King Herod's scheme
They went home by another way
Yes they went home by another way
Home by another way
Maybe me and you can be wise guys too
And go home by another way
We can make it another way
Safe home as they used to say
Keep a weather eye to the chart on high
And go home another way
God does not leave us in the clutches of Herod. Our journey to the manger of our Lord is a transformative event-for those who would be Magi and for us who accompany them there. The embrace of the Messiah and his cradling of our lives changes us, transforms us, and frees us from old patterns. Having been to the manger of our Lord, we can no longer go home the way we came. God opens new paths, new possibilities, and in our wildest dreams allows us to be the wise ones who go home another way.
Biographical Summary
Phillip C. Huber is Senior Pastor of St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southwest, Washington, DC, leading the congregation through a seventy-seven-million-dollar Missional Redevelopment of its property. He served in East Africa as Visiting Professor of Missiology and Cultural Anthropology at Tumaini University, Iringa, Tanzania. He is Managing Partner of Transforming Ministry Associates, LLC and serves as Disaster Response Coordinator for Delaware and Maryland, Lutheran Disaster Response. He is the past Chair and presently serves on the Board of Publications, American Society of Missiology. He serves as Series Editor of MissionalPreacher.
Liturgical Day and Texts
January 7, 2018
The Baptism of Our Lord
Genesis 1:1-5
Psalms 29
Acts 19:1-7
Mark 1:4-11
Exegetical Missional Insights and God's Mission in the Text
God has always been the Initiator of all existence. God took the initiative to create all things. Even the world's basic frameworks of light and darkness, of daytime and nighttime, were created at God's initiative.
Furthermore, God took that initiative to establish divine presence in the world. At the very beginning stages of God's creative work, "The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters" (Genesis 1:2). The mighty and mysterious Creator is the One who hovers close, who does not stay hidden behind faraway galaxies or our willful ignorance but comes close, right from the beginning of creation.
Sadly, also at the heart of the biblical story of creation is humankind's subsequent initiative to take matters into our hands instead of trusting our good Creator. Consequently, disorder and death, sickness and sadness, division and heartache entered into God's good creation. These are indeed horrible consequences. Thankfully, God has retaken the initiative by the Spirit of God coming close, ever committed in mission to re-create the world into an even better created order.
God promised that a special Redeemer would one day come. God's Spirit inspired prophets to point toward this anointed Redeemer who would uniquely live, teach, and demonstrate God's Kingdom breaking back into the soiled creation. It was John who was the privileged prophet to be alive when the Redeemer actually appeared - when Christ's Epiphany ("Manifestation") took place. That anointed One, Jesus of Nazareth, came to ensure that God's Spirit would be even closer to the world than ever before. John was able to point to the Epiphany of Jesus as the One Who had finally come.
On top of John's announcement of Jesus as the Redeemer, God's Spirit once again took the initiative to come close to the world in Jesus receiving baptism by the Prophet John. (Eastern Orthodox Church traditions mark Jesus's Baptism as Epiphany.) John had proclaimed to the crowds, "I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit" (Mark 4:8). The Spirit affirmed John's prophecy about the Anointed One by "descending on him like a dove" when Jesus was baptized (Mark 4:10). God assured every one of his intention to work specially through Jesus by speaking from heaven, "You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased" (Mark 4:11). Epiphany - God the Redeemer has appeared.
The Spirit's closeness to people through Jesus became increasingly evident by the Spirit's initiative to take up residence in the very hearts of Jesus's followers. In the wake of the Spirit's outpouring at Pentecost as a sign of the risen Jesus's heavenly enthronement (Acts 2), God's Spirit expanded the divine presence with people as they received baptism in Jesus's Name (Acts 19:2-6). Even more intimately than the way that God's Spirit "was hovering over the face of the waters" at creation (Genesis 1:2), the Spirit has come to live in our hearts as we are "baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 19:5). God is determined to take whatever initiative is necessary to come close to the world, signaled by the Spirit's presence and declaration about Jesus at his Epiphany, including when he was baptized.
Missional Connections for Our Context
We in the twenty-first century live in this same stream of God's initiative and redemptive work throughout the world. All of our settings are still beset by disorder and death, sickness and sadness, division and heartache. Yet God breaks into our broken lives and communities, and the Spirit takes up residence as we are baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus and join his band of followers. Jesus himself was baptized as part of God's redemptive work in history. God's Spirit comes on us and uses us as we too join in this ongoing movement. It is as if God's Epiphany repeats itself as Jesus by the Holy Spirit appears to the world in the lives of the Church's particular communities.
The same Spirit takes the initiative to send us into our world to convey the ongoing Epiphany, the appearance, of God throughout the created order. In our work, families, communities, and every other setting into which God leads us, the Spirit of Jesus appears anew throughout the world that God's mission intends on re-creating in Christ.
Biographical Summary
The Rev. Dr. J. Nelson Jennings serves as mission pastor, consultant, and international liaison for Onnuri Community Church, based in Seoul. Earlier, with his wife Kathy and three daughters, he served in Japan, doing church work and theological education for 13 years, followed by 12 years of teaching world mission at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, MO, then four years with the Overseas Ministries Study Center in New Haven, CT.
Jesus's Baptism icon image2:
Liturgical Day and Texts
January 14, 2018
Discerning the Missio Dei in a Time of Crisis
1 Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20)
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18
1 Corinthians 6:12-20
John 1:43-51
Exegetical Missional Insights, and God's Mission in the Text
1 Samuel 3:1-20. The first ten verses of this text, very familiar to those who have grown up in the church, recount how God called the boy Samuel as he was serving the old priest, Eli, at the temple in Shiloh. While it is tempting for the sake of time to stop at verse 10, we do not find out why the Lord (Yahweh) is calling Samuel until verse 11 and following. It is only here that we can begin to answer questions about God's activity, God's work, God's mission, in Samuel's world. And what God is up to is not something that is kind or gentle. Rather, the Lord says that he is going to punish the house of Eli because the old man's sons, who are the active priests at Shiloh, are behaving wickedly, and therefore blaspheming God. Samuel's terrifying task and burden - his mission - at this revelation, at this "epiphany," is to tell the old man Eli, who is his loving guardian and guide, of the destruction that is going to befall him and his family.
Chapters 1 and 2 of 1 Samuel are crucial for understanding the given text. These chapters portray two crises that really have nothing to do with each other, but which through God's mysterious workings come to have great bearing on one another. The first crisis is a small one in the grand scheme of things: it involves just one family, in fact it involves just one woman. Hannah is barren, and so one year while visiting the Lord's house at Shiloh she makes a pledge to God: if she has a son, she will set him apart and dedicate him to the Lord's service after he has been weaned. She then becomes pregnant, gives birth to Samuel, and after weaning him brings him to Eli at Shiloh to serve in the temple.
The second crisis is national in scope. Eli's two sons are "scoundrels," as the NRSV puts it. They unjustly take the people's food offerings to the Lord for themselves; they sleep around with women who serve at the temple. The crisis for the Israelites is that their priests are extremely corrupt, their father has no control whatsoever over them, and there is no way to get other priests for Shiloh. The problem is intractable.
In Chapter 3, the solution of the minor crisis (Hannah's barrenness) becomes the means for solving the major crisis (the priesthood at Shiloh). God acts quietly, mysteriously, in this time when for all intents and purposes God has mostly withdrawn from the world: "the word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread." In fact, the double withdrawal of God - no word, no vision - compounds the crisis at Shiloh, just as God's active closing of Hannah's womb (1:6) compounds her crisis. God seems to be bent on making a bad situation worse. Yet it is just in this time of unsolvable immorality and fruitlessness that God quietly works to begin a new phase in the life of Israel, with the Lord's positive response to Hannah's plea. The missio Dei is indeed hard to discern in times of dire crisis, but it is precisely in such times that God is working to create something new.
1 Corinthians 6:12-20. Corinth was a busy, prosperous commercial city, about a century old when Paul established the church there, around 50 CE. Paul's letter is full of details about concrete issues that the congregation was tackling. It is ironic that one of his most contextual letters has been used to uphold general truths for all time (such as the ban on women speaking in the congregation). In the 6th chapter of 1st Corinthians Paul is dealing with thorny ethical and theological issues. The problem here is not that the Corinthian Christians are living like wild, promiscuous citizens. Rather, it is that they are living quite like ordinary citizens, and simultaneously trying to figure out what does it mean to be a Christian. The first eleven verses of Chapter 6 deal with lawsuits between church members. Paul is against such lawsuits, but not simply as a matter of principle. Rather, it is because lawsuits within the congregation reveal a community whose members are not in a proper relationship either with each other or with God. They fight among themselves, because they are wronging each other. God's mission is to create and nurture proper relationships within the Christian community.
Verses 12 to 20 follow a similar logic. Paul quotes arguments that the Corinthian Christian men make for visiting prostitutes: "All things are lawful for me;" "food is meant for the stomach, and the stomach for food;" "God will ultimately destroy the material world, including the body." These assertions were not uncommon in Corinthian society, nor was the habit of men visiting prostitutes. Paul combats these assertions with arguments of his own. Not all things are beneficial, even if they are lawful. Ultimately, our bodies are meant not for food and sex, but for God's use. What should dominate us is not bodily pleasures but the spirit of God (v. 19). In other words, the mission of Christians is to establish right relationships with one's own body, with one's fellow Christians, and with one's God who bought us "with a price" (v. 20). Right relationships, more than right causes, characterize the missio Dei.
John 1:43-51. The first chapter of John sets up all the action that comes in the rest of the gospel. In this chapter, the true nature and identity of Jesus is given to the reader. The relationship of John the Baptist to Jesus is explained. And Jesus calls the disciples who will accompany him during his earthly life. Verses 43 to 51 involve the calling of Philip and Nathanael.
The calling of Nathanael is particularly intriguing. To begin, Jesus does not call him directly (unlike Philip). As a matter of fact, Philip does not call Nathanael either: the former seeks out the latter and tells him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote" (45). It is only in verse 48 that we find out that by witnessing to who Jesus is, Philip is also calling Nathanael. Another unusual aspect of Nathanael's call is that he expresses skepticism about Jesus (46). Yet Jesus does not reprimand this skepticism, but quickly dispels it. Finally, Nathanael's incredulity is rapidly replaced by astonishing affirmation of Jesus' identity: "Rabbi!" "Son of God!" "King of Israel!" Truly, Nathanael is without guile: something which Jesus knew about him (47). Psalm 139:1-6 is very relevant here. Jesus knows Nathanael, and is going to use him.
The enigmatic saying of Jesus about angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man draws on Old Testament images, specifically Daniel 7:13 about the revelation of the Son of Man, and Genesis 28:12 with Jacob's ladder. Jesus is claiming that he, and not Bethel where Jacob dreamt of the ladder, is the locus of God's self-revelation, and hence God's mission.
What is God's mission in John 1? It is to show the disciples - to grant them the epiphany - that Jesus is now God's self-revelation. Once they are confronted with God's work of revelation, they do two things: they begin to recognize who Jesus truly is (41, 45), and they tell others about Jesus' identity. This telling in turn attracts others to Jesus. So, the disciples' mission, which is to tell others about who Jesus is, flows naturally from God's mission.
Missional Connections for Our Context
For most of us living in the United States, as well as many other parts of the world, the word "crisis" can describe the situation in which we find ourselves. This crisis, both real and perceived, cuts across political and ideological divides; it is palpable on both CNN and Fox News. The crisis is not simply a figment of our imagination: the very earth that supports and sustains our lives is under assault; governmental structures are incompetent, or impotent to deal with current and dire problems; race relations are becoming worse rather than better; the fair treatment of women is an even more elusive goal; income inequality is increasing; basic truth is disregarded in favor of convenient lies. The list goes on and on and on.
In our context, it would behoove us to look closely at 1 Samuel 3:1-20 as the foundational text for this Sunday. For here, too, we find a world in crisis, from the small and mundane (infertility) to the national (a thoroughly corrupt priesthood). In this critical time, what is God doing? It's not easy to tell. For one thing, Yahweh is part of the crisis: he has shut up Hannah's womb; he is allowing the priesthood to continue. Yet working in and through this crisis, God is creating new opportunities, new solutions, new avenues of life and goodness (note 1 Samuel 3:19-21). An insignificant barren woman's desperate prayer becomes the means by which the priesthood is overturned, and a new national religious leader (Samuel) appears. No political scientist or sociologist could have plotted this scenario.
So, the first observation is that the missio Dei is at a profound level mysterious, unfathomable, and surprising for humans. Nathanael's shock at discovering that Jesus, son of Joseph from Nazareth, is the one promised by Moses and the prophets (John 1:45-49) is part of this long biblical tradition of Yahweh's inscrutability. Psalm 139:17-18 beautifully captures this.
The corollary to this observation is that there is always, and necessarily, a gap between the missio Dei and the missio ecclesiae. For the church is a collection of humans, and no matter how in tune we are with God's Spirit, there is always something about God's mission that is hidden from us. Note how both Paul and the Corinthians struggle to understand God's mission in their world, and its implications for them.
So, is there no hope for us at least to glimpse, and to join to the best of our abilities, the missio Dei? Far from it! And this is the second basic observation to be made: that people can and do participate in the missio Dei. But how? Here 1 Corinthians 6 provides a crucial insight: it is in relationships with fellow believers, and with God, that we discern the missio Dei. The boy Samuel hears the voice of Yahweh because of his relationship with Eli; Nathanael joins Jesus' apostles (mission) because of his relationship with Philip; Paul's deep relationship with the Corinthian Christians elucidates God's work for both sides. Here it is important to think of how the Corinthians' perspectives and concerns, albeit refracted through Paul's lenses, are also part of God's word to us. Moreover, our own relationship with God (1 Cor. 6:17-20, Psalm 139:1-6, 13-16, 1 Samuel 3:1-10, John 1:43) is a crucial part in the work of discerning and participating in the missio Dei. But the two - relationship with God, relationship with fellow believers (and those beyond the Christian community) - work in tandem to help us apprehend the missio Dei.
There is a third theme that runs through these texts, and which seems important to mention in our current context. That theme is that the use of our physical bodies is a critical part of our participation in the work of God. It is Eli's sons' overwhelming desire for satisfying their gustatory and sexual appetites that leads them to blaspheme God; it is the Corinthian men's desire for prostitutes that separates them from God's spirit. For too long the Christian tradition has disregarded the body's role in the fulfillment of the missio Dei and the missio ecclesiae. The readings today (not to mention the high-profile news reports of sexual misconduct) remind us that the body is just as important as the mind and the soul and the spirit in the undertaking of God's mission.
Finally, the calling of the disciples in John's gospel reminds us of the great joy and satisfaction that comes with participating in God's mission. We can hear the excitement in Philip's voice as he tells Nathanael about Jesus; we can hear the wonder and admiration in Nathanael's voice as he piles on the titles for Jesus. Participating in the missio Dei can be difficult and challenging in a world of crisis, but ultimately the reward the unsurpassable.
Biographical Summary
Arun W. Jones is the Dan and Lillian Hankey Associate Professor of World Evangelism at the Candler School of Theology, Emory University. He grew up in India, where his parents were Methodist missionaries, and served as a missionary in the Philippines as well as a pastor in the United States. His scholarly work focuses on how Christians have spread and appropriated the Christian faith in different cultural and historical contexts.
Liturgical Day and Texts
January 21, 2018
Jonah 3:1-5, 10
Psalms 62:5-11
1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Mark 1:14-20
Exegetical Missional Insights
Jonah 3:1-5, 10
Parts of Jonah can sometimes be portrayed a bit too easily as a "missionary success story." Jonah proclaimed repentance and presto - the city repents! The text invites a more critical look. In verse 5 the name for "god" utilized here is the general "Elohim" rather than the particular "Yahweh." The Ninevites surely repented of their ways, but as this story is told it is not at all clear that they are turning to God as Jonah understands God to be. The story also does not give us any indication that Jonah lingered around to make sure the Ninevites "got their theology right." In this story Jonah's calling is simply to announce the need to repent.
Jonah's proclamation, in fact, is rather ambiguous. We are told simply that Jonah told them that in forty days "Nineveh shall be overthrown!" "Forty days" is used in Scripture several times to refer to a time of trial, but it is also a rather long time if one really wants to convey a sense of urgency!3 Again, Jonah reminds us that missionaries are never perfect and indeed can be very flawed human beings. His very identity in the Hebrew Scriptures is even in question. For example, unlike Jeremiah or Isaiah he is never directly referred to as a prophet in this book, although his prophetic call seems clear.
God's Mission in the Text
In this season of Epiphany, one could point out that in the verses immediately preceding the ones for this week we have a kind of "baptism of Jonah." Jonah is wet! Jesus' baptism could surely be brought to mind for one's congregation as could other ways the Jonah story is used in the Gospels (Matthew 12:38-41; Luke 11:30).
We might like to think that when the word of the LORD comes to us we'll be ready for it. Encourage people to use their imaginations about places where they would like to hear God's voice calling them into mission. A beautiful cathedral maybe? On top of a mountain? While sitting by a rushing mountain stream? Not many of us would choose to hear the word of the LORD after emerging as vomit from a large fish! And yet, that is what we have in Jonah's story. God's call to be in mission can surely happen anytime and anywhere.
Jonah's rather limited preaching in Nineveh did not bring with it a lot of theological detail. As a result, the Ninevites turned from their evil ways, but they did not exactly know what they were turning toward. That was still vague in their minds. Missionary experience throughout the ages suggests that a minimalistic approach can be helpful. Too often missionaries have sought to maintain control in their work among people rather than to trust that the Word will make things clear in time. Roland Allan's book, Missionary Methods: St. Paul's or Ours? published over a hundred years ago, is still a reminder that it is not easy to give up control of mission. It is one of the reasons - there are several - why contemporary missiologists more often speak about the missio Dei than the "mission of the church." The latter phrase is not wrong, but the humility implicit in those two simple Latin words, missio Dei, draws us to our knees in prayer again and again. It is a great privilege to be used by God in mission. It is God's mission much more than it is our own.
Missional Connections for Our Context
All three of the readings discussed here (Jonah, 1 Corinthians, and Mark) make explicit reference to time. But the context and meaning of that word in these passages of Scripture are not at all the same! For Jonah, the reference to time is a reference to God's persistence and Jonah's stubbornness in obeying God. In our 1 Corinthians reading it is a reminder that "time is short." In Mark Jesus is proclaiming that "time is fulfilled!" This one word is an invitation to invite your congregation to consider "time" in different ways. In many American contexts it has become commonplace for people to stress how little time they have almost as a point of pride in "small talk." How can people in your congregation be encouraged to see "time" differently?
Nineveh is a place where Jonah did not want to go for mission. It may be helpful to consider other "Ninevehs" that God may be inviting your congregation to visit. Some of these "Ninevehs" could be an actual place. For example, perhaps your congregation has gone on mission trips to Mexico but has never tried to develop a relationship with a predominantly Mexican congregation much closer to home. Why not? In such a situation who is it that is being called to repent? "Ninevehs," of course, may not even be geographical in nature but could describe a particular kind of mission engagement on which your congregation has so far not focused much attention. Creation care or an effort to re-learn the lost art of "neighboring" the people who are closest to you might both be Ninevehs.4
The repentance of the Ninevites could be used to teach a congregation about a sociological phenomenon whereby people come to follow Christ as part of a "mass movement" or communal decision-making process. Vincent Donovan's classic text Christianity Rediscovered is a beautiful story of Masai villages in northern Tanzania who corporately decided to join the Christian movement after patient conversation amongst themselves and Father Vincent Donovan. Several other examples of similar movements in India and elsewhere could also be mentioned in the context of this Jonah passage in order to educate people about mission in other parts of the world where the peoples' response was as dramatic as it was in ancient Nineveh.
Exegetical Missional Insights
1 Corinthians 7:29:31
In 1 Corinthians Paul is addressing situations of church conflict, sexual immorality, one-upmanship, and general confusion on the part of the Corinthians about a variety of social roles. In these short passages Paul is writing in an exaggerated way in order to make a very important rhetorical point; it is one's relationship with God in Christ that defines who we are. Whether one is mourning or rejoicing, married or single, rich or poor, a "player" in the world or a "nobody" simply does not matter compared to one's relationship with Christ. Paul seemingly feels he cannot make this point strongly enough: The Corinthians are called to model their lives after Christ. Full stop.
Paul does not choose in this part of his letter to expand upon what he means by "the present form of this world is passing away." What sort of new form is coming? When will this happen? Paul does not say. Surely, he still thought about the second coming of Jesus and writes extensively on this in his earliest letters. He does not expand on this here in part because he believes the Corinthians need to focus not on sensational gifts or other sorts of drama but on the deep love of Christ he writes so eloquently about six chapters later.
God's Mission in the Text
Some preachers might be tempted to expand on what Paul has to say about the present-day world "passing away" and to thus preach on eschatology. It might be important for members of a congregation to know something about Paul's belief in the return of Jesus which are expanded upon in his correspondence with the Thessalonians, but it would be wise for preachers to not go in this direction for the simple reason that Paul does not do so. Encourage your congregation instead to carefully consider what is really important to them. Is it really God's mission that rises to the top when they consider what they most highly esteem?
Our preoccupying concerns might not be the same as the Corinthians. Indeed, the questions the Corinthians have about marriage and singleness, widowhood, slavery, and circumcision which Paul talks about earlier in his seventh chapter are difficult to empathize with as they come from a culture and time period far removed from our own. What list of preoccupying concerns today do you think your congregation most needs to identify and receive a similar refocusing on Jesus that Paul provides here?
Missional Connections for Our Context
In this season of Epiphany perhaps it is helpful to imaginatively consider alongside this text from Corinthians the thoughts and feelings of the magi as they returned home from visiting the holy family. What was in store for them back home? Would their considerable possessions and status - which meant so much to the Corinthians as well - mean much to them after seeing Jesus? Or will they find it easy to return to their former lives and seemingly forget who they have seen, heard, and touched? These are speculative questions, to be sure, but they still may be instructive ones to explore when considering this text.
What are the ways members of your community can remind one another to keep focused on Jesus Christ amidst the distractions of our day which are no less than those facing the Corinthians? To answer that question, one could utilize this passage as a way to talk about a particular kind of prayer. To be sure, prayer is not mentioned in this passage, but prayer - especially when it is characterized by patient contemplation and listening - is precisely what is needed to refocus our attention on following Christ. My favorite prayer in my little church's worship life that I lead occurs immediately after we all have celebrated the eucharist together: "Eternal God, we give you thanks for this holy mystery in which you have given yourself for us. Grant that we, in the strength of your Spirit, may go forth in mission to give ourselves for others. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen." The Lord's Supper is a refocusing of attention on what is most important for us a worshiping people who are then, in this prayer, invited into the mission Dei.
If your congregation is beginning to prepare for a short-term mission trip this passage could be used to begin teaching about "coming home" and the importance of accountability after the trip to not get caught up in the petty idolatries of our age. You might even encourage people to - even now - begin to read resources like Bread for the World's Getting Ready to Come Back: Advocacy Guide for Mission Teams.
Exegetical Missional Insights
Mark 1:14-20
Jonah and the disciples depicted in Mark both took place on a shoreline, but that is where the similarities end. In contrast to Jonah, in this story we get the sense that the disciples did not need a second invitation. They responded quickly - even assertively - in a way that matches the assertive message of Jesus at the very beginning: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near, repent, and believe in the good news."
The disciples depicted here were not desperate people choosing to follow Jesus because they had lost everything else or had nearly died inside a fish. No. Mark makes it clear that these disciples were not poor. Some even employed hired hands. They were people with plans for the future and reasonable hope that those plans might become reality even under the oppressive weight of the Roman empire that marked their daily lives. But they followed Jesus without hesitating. It is as if Jesus embodied who they yearned for in their lives, and they just followed. No questions asked.
The text mentions two things the disciples left behind - their nets and their father. These two things could symbolize their status in the world and represent all the relationships they found meaningful. They left those things behind in order to follow a rather vague promise: "Follow me and I will make you fish for people."
God's Mission in the Text
Jesus announces in this text that "the kingdom of God has come near." It is a simple announcement. There are no series of stories explaining the kingdom of God as we find in Matthew 13. Mark seems to want to portray a stark choice. In contemporary society sometimes the assertion, "it's complicated" can be used to stand in the way of real, decisive action. It is true the Christian life is complicated, but this must not be used as an excuse for not getting involved in God's mission.
In recent decades many have offered new ways of understanding Jesus' teaching on the kingdom of God to help this concept make sense to modern readers. Replacement phrases like the "kindom of God" or the "reign of God" have been offered. There is value in these replacement phrases as well as drawbacks to them. In the same spirit, as a missiologist I wonder if the concept of "God's culture" might be helpful here as a conceptual replacement for "kingdom of God" even if it too is not without its problems. My favorite definition of culture put forward by my friend Michael Rynchiewicz goes like this:
"Culture is a more or less integrated system of knowledge, values and feelings that people use to define their reality (worldview), interpret their experiences, and generate appropriate strategies for living; a system that people learn from other people around them and share with other people in a social setting; a system that people use to adapt to their spiritual, social, and physical environments; and a system that people use to innovate in order to change themselves as their environments change." (Michael Rynkiewich, Soul, Self and Society: A Postmodern Anthropology for Mission in a Postcolonial World.)
This definition of culture is helpful in several respects. First, it is important to stress that it is a "system of knowledge, values and feelings" people use to live and think about their lives. The kingdom of God is a bit like that too. The kingdom of God can also be "more or less integrated" from person to person just as some people abide by cultural norms more strictly than others. Mature Christians in this analogy of kingdom to culture have integrated more of what the kingdom is in their lives, their outlook, and their behaviors. Second, this definition stresses that culture is adaptable. New contexts of mission require us to have "kingdom imaginations" about the world. Small and large manifestations of the kingdom of God will not be identical in every place at every time. Jesus' teaching about the kingdom must be kept in mind as we face new contexts of mission.
Missional Connections for Our Context
This is a rich passage that can be elaborated upon in imaginative ways to help a congregation identify with the disciples as well as Jesus. Encourage your congregation to imagine the setting. Seagulls flying overhead; the faint smell of fish and wet nets; men hard at work and talking with one another; Jesus walking along the shore on slippery stones glistening in the morning sunlight. There was a lot going on. The disciples were doubtless thinking and talking about a variety of different things, but Jesus' invitation to follow him rang true. It was able to penetrate through the distractions of their day.
Jesus' call to follow can lead to dramatic changes in our lives today just as it has throughout the history of the Christian church. This story of Jesus calling his disciples reminds me of the call of St. Francis eight hundred years ago. Francis of Assisi was the son of a cloth merchant, but when he heard the Gospel and asked a priest to explain it to him he responded in a very similar way as the disciples. It was a moment of Eureka! Hearing the Gospel that day changed his life, and he set out on a radical new pathway of discipleship. It is a simple decision to follow in a radical way. Francis's life, however, had many challenges after that simple decision, and the path of radical discipleship for all of us is no different.
But are we even open to the possibility of a similarly radical change that the disciples exhibited in this story? If our answer to that is "no" what small steps can we take to be more open to re-orienting our lives?
Biographical Summary
Benjamin L. Hartley is an Associate Professor of Christian Mission at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon. He is an ordained deacon in the United Methodist Church and preaches regularly at Mountain Home United Methodist Church in Sherwood, Oregon.
Liturgical Day and Texts
January 28, 2018
Deuteronomy 18: 15-20
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Mark 1: 21-28
Introduction
We look at what we perceive to be the stark difference between the power and presence of God and our actual ministries as pastor, missionary or lay leader. We wonder if God can really use us as epiphanies of himself, especially in this Epiphany season, when we focus on God's light of salvation as revealed in the world through Jesus Christ.
As a college professor and pastor, I have the opportunity to ask myself, "Is God really using me?" at the start of each semester. It is a fresh start each time. I ask undergraduates in my "Bible as Literature" courses to tell me about their journey with the Bible. Have they ever read it? It is important to them spiritually? What do they think it is? The typical response is something like, "I used to read that," "I have never read it" or "Why ask questions about an unimportant piece of literature?" Audiences like these, whether in church, in the mission field or in college settings, can be really tough. How can I reach those around me and how can I live out the mission dei or mission of God in these groups? Are we allowing God to fully use us?
Textual Analysis
Take a moment and think about your calling from God. How did God let you know you had one and what it was? Has it felt like God has put his words in your mouth?
Deuteronomy 18:15-20 establishes the foundation for our missional work. And that foundation is our calling from God. This passage is one of the first descriptions of a prophet or messenger of God found in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Verse 18 says God will raise up a prophet who will be just like his fellow travelers.
The Greek word raise means to confirm, decree, make good, lift up, ordain, rouse up, establish or stir up. In other words, a prophet and now a pastor, missionary or lay leader is ordained and decreed to be so. Even more, this person is stirred up to be one.
Verse 18 also says that God will put his words in the prophet's mouth and God will tell him everything he has commanded him, and he will speak to all God has commanded.
In other words, a calling from God involved being roused to be a pastor and being commanded to speak to anyone God wants them to speak to.
Reflect on the first time you spoke with authority and it triggered all sorts of amazing reactions in your ministry? How did it feel? How did it feel to have others be amazed? Does it still feel that way?
Mark 1: 21-28 describes an event in the ministry of Jesus where he spoke with authority. Moreover, he was recognized as having this authority and those around him were amazed.
After Jesus went into the synagogue to teach, he began his ministry just like you and I did once. Very quickly in verse 22, the people are amazed because he had taught them as one having authority. What does it mean to be amazed? The Greek word can be defined as to be struck with astonishment or to be astonished. What does it mean that he had authority? According to the Greek word, Jesus had "the right or privilege, conferred power and authorization." Even more, He had the actual power and strength to carry out his authority. In this case, Jesus demonstrates this ability by telling the demon to shut up and get out of a man.
Have you discovered that having a calling and having it expressed with authority and the ability to trigger amazement in the end, is not enough? In fact, there are many popular preachers who have these things but are still missing a key ingredient-love.
This is what is expressed in 1 Corinthians 8:1-13. At first glance this very practical passage is about eating food. Yet what is more important, 1 Corinthians 8 shows us what kind of attitudes we should have. In verse 1, The Greek word for knowledge is defined as having a functional ("working") knowledge gleaned from first-hand (personal) experience which connects theory to application. It is "application-knowledge." Most of us have this kind of knowledge based on information and practical application. We may have acquired this when we were ordained, typically through a seminary degree populated with courses in theology, church history, church polity and ethics. But according to 1 Corinthians 8, knowledge can be a problem if it is alone because it puffs up. This Greek word means to inflate, arrogant and proud. It comes from the Greek word that means to be swelled up, like an egotistical person spewing out arrogant ("puffed-up") thoughts.
Instead, according to 1 Corinthians 8, our motivation should be love, which builds up.
The Greek word for love is agape, which is typically defined as God's unconditional love. But it is even more than that. It means having affection, benevolence or charity. It means to hold dear and to love.
This love builds up. This Greek term means to erect a building or to build. Figuratively it refers to the building up of character: I build up, edify and encourage. To edify literally means to "build someone up," helping them to stand (be strong, "sturdy").
Paul explains who Christians should do this in the context of food offered to idols. He says the important fact is not that there are no restrictions on eating any foods. But what is more crucial here is that we should love our brothers and sisters enough not to destroy their souls with our freedom to eat anything and our great wisdom. This means understanding our audience and meeting them at their level of need. In any congregation there are many levels of spiritual maturity. Our teaching and ministries should take these things into consideration.
Application
Take a moment and think about your calling from God. How did God let you know you had one and what it was? Does it still feel like God has put his words in your mouth?
Do you remember the first time you spoke with authority and it triggered all sorts of amazing reactions in your ministry? How did it feel? How did it feel to have others amazed? Does it still feel that way? Are you connected with Jesus so that the Holy Spirit can speak with authority through you?
Is my ministry marked by love instead of merely knowledge? This is not to say knowledge is a bad thing; however, knowledge without love limits our missional impact.
Finally, is God using me? How is he using me?
Biographical Summary
Rev. Dr. Tom Russell is a faculty member for the University College, University of Memphis. He has a Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a PhD in Church History from Vanderbilt University. Russell is a priest in the Anglican Church in North America. He most recently published a book entitled, Women Leaders of the Student Christian Movement, 1880-1920. American Society of Missiology Series 55 (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2017). Russell resides in a mountain side home in the historic town of Franklin, TN outside Nashville, the home of Country and Christian music.
Liturgical Day and Texts
February 4, 2018
Isaiah 40:21-31
1 Corinthians 9:16-23
Mark 1:29-39
Exegetical Missional Insights
The passage of Isaiah 40:21-31 begins with four rhetorical questions - "don't you know? Haven't you heard? Hasn't it been told you before? Haven't you understood?" (v. 21). More questions are asked later in the passage - "why do you complain? Why do you say such negative things? Don't you know? Haven't you heard?" (v. 27-28) The author of the Second Isaiah is making a point here. Israel, the people of God should have known. They should have heard. They should have understood. They should have not complained or doubted God. Isaiah's glorious descriptions of what God does and what he has done (v. 21-29) are in direct contrast to people, who are compared to grasshoppers (v. 22). The kind of God they serve should not make them despair but instead give them hope and renew their strengths (v. 29-31). But people of Israel are tired and weary; they feel down with a sense of being abandoned by God; God's seeming indifference toward their cause is discouraging them (v. 27). It is in this context Isaiah reminds them what they have forgotten or been unwilling to acknowledge - the everlasting God will give strength to those who wait on him; who hope in him (v. 28-31).
In 1 Corinthians 9:16-23, the apostle Paul shares his passion of preaching the gospel. For him, preaching the gospel was not optional. He adapted himself to whoever he was trying to win. What might have compelled him, and to do so without any partiality or bias toward any particular people? He explains his motivation as "for the sake of the gospel" and to "share in its blessings." (v. 23) For Paul, the gospel itself provided all the motivation and inspiration he needed to continually engage in evangelism in all situations he faced. He did not need any other reason or motive to be committed in his work of preaching Christ's gospel.
Our text for today concludes with Mark 1:29-39. In this passage, Jesus heals Simon's mother-in-law, and then many sick and demon-possessed people. After healing so many into the late hours of the evening, he might have been tired, but he gets up very early, when it was still dark, and finds a solitary place to pray. Mark records that Simon and the others looked for him because everyone was looking for him. What did people want from him? More spectacular healings? Other miraculous signs? He would have been very popular, the main topic of all talks in town. But Jesus would have none of that. He gets up early in the morning. He finds a quiet place. He refreshes his soul through a time of solitude with God. Then he moves on to other places. For him, this is his mission, his purpose: to preach the good news of the Kingdom all around the area. He does not show a finch of interest in what people want from him. He is clear about what he has to do.
God's Mission in the Text
Today's text highlights at least three key points about God's missional character. First, the God of mission is an everlasting God who does not get tired or weary. The reason God sometimes does not seem to be very engaged or interested in what God's people care about may be that God's time is different from peoples. The everlasting God is constantly at work, but in order to remain connected to his work, God's people need to wait on him with patience, understanding, and perspective of who God is - what he does and what he has done in the past. Without this waiting for and hoping in God, people of God can get easily carried away by burdens and pressures of daily living in this world.
Second, God's missionary people need to remember the apostle Paul's example of having the sole motive of evangelism in the gospel itself. When they look for inspiration for witnessing to Christ in places other than the gospel itself (pride, personal achievement, meeting certain quota, etc.), evangelism so easily becomes another joyless job, another task that makes them restless. All the adaptations and adjustments to surrounding cultures for the purpose of proclaiming the gospel would mean little unless their heart is centered on the gospel itself.
Third, Jesus' clarity of his own mission should encourage Jesus' disciples to discern their own mission in the world. The discernment and sustenance of mission are perhaps possible through time of solitude alone with God bathed in prayers. But prayers won't happen unless the disciples, like Jesus, make it a regular ritual, a habit that gets well established in their lives.
Missional Connections for Our Context
As glorious a time the season after Epiphany should be, it coincides with the gloomiest time of the year - weather-wise - in many parts of North America. It is cold, raining or snowing, days are still very short; the memory of festivities of Christmas and New Year are long gone, we are often left with a feeling of loneliness, weariness, and even boredom; it is in these times that our moods also go down as it is certainly the case in the Chicago area where I live.
Today's text reminds us that God is an everlasting God. As people of God, we partake by faith in his eternal purposes when we wait patiently on him. And we choose to hope in him no matter how dire the situations may be. This is in fact the time of the year when we wait for spring to come - the warmth, return of greeneries, the outdoors, picnics, etc. In a sense, we are waiting for resurrection, for Easter. It is in the waiting of these good things that can give us the strength we need. Indeed, it is in the waiting on God that sustains our calling as people of God to be the light and salt of this earth. In a society where instant gratification has become a right and expectation, waiting is not something desired by many people. Who likes to wait in line, much less all their troubles to go away? Not so with God's people, Scripture seems to say. Not so for those who are sent on God's mission. Waiting is indeed hard. Whether waiting for a baby that doesn't get conceived by a couple, waiting for a wife who's left him, waiting for a job that does not call, waiting for a friend who is far away from God to come to church with me, or waiting for a family member whose immigration papers are not going through, waiting can be very, very difficult. But every waiting for followers of Jesus, as I am learning, can be or rather must be turned into an exercise of active and intentional waiting on God. This then turns the table and subverts all kinds of things that may have power over us.
Being God's people who participate in God's mission also requires us to evaluate ourselves and where our true motives might lie. Is it truly centered on the gospel, the power of God unto salvation of people? Or is it on something else? So many ministries start out with a fresh new vision and passion, only to fall into various temptations of self-glorification and lust for power and approval. Jesus' act of taking time away from the crowd and moving away from them should be a sobering reminder to those of us who are currently doing "successful" ministry to re-focus our heart and passion back to the mission given by God.
In conclusion, let me ask three questions to you. How are you doing in waiting on God? Where is your motive for doing ministry? What sustains your mission in the world as a follower of Christ? As you probe your own heart, may you be blessed and encouraged by our God. May you renew your strength, soar on wings like eagles, run and not grow weary, and walk and not be faint.
Biographical Summary
Peter Lee has served with Operation Mobilization as a field missionary in the Middle East and North Africa area since 2004. He is currently working on a PhD in intercultural studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois.
Liturgical Day and Texts
February 11, 2018
Transfiguration of Our Lord
2 Kings 2:1-12
2 Corinthians 4:3-6
Mark 9:2-9
Exegetical Missional Insights
Jesus took Peter, James and John to a mountain and was transfigured, glorified, shone like the sun before them. This event is recorded in the Synoptic Gospels and only Luke tells us that they went to the mountain to pray. While on the mountain, Moses and Elijah appear and talk with Jesus. In these two men, the totality of Old Testament is represented as Moses characterizes the Law, and Elijah the prophets. Their presence and conversation with Jesus also signify the heavenly witnesses have interest and investment in the Messiah and the activates of God's saving work in his creation. These two great voices that spoke of God to the Jews left heaven for a moment to be present with the incarnation of God on earth. Just as we are reminded in Hebrews 11, heaven is watching and surrounding us. When we pass from this life to the next we do not cease to exist, sleep, nor are we so caught up in heavenly bless that we no longer are concerned with God's mission to reconcile all things to himself.
When Peter speaks up and suggests building tabernacles for all three of the glorious beings, God responds with powerful clarity. Here, as in the baptism of Jesus, we see the evidence of the Trinity. Jesus as the Son, the Holy Spirit in the Shekinah cloud (this also reminds those present and us of the cloud that led the Hebrews through the desert by day) and the voice of God that speaks. Through the cloud the voice of God says, "This is my beloved Son, listen to him" and suddenly Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus. In the few words God spoke we see his message for of the New Testament is summarized and foreshadowed. These words are spoken to Peter, who will be the first to baptize and open the door of the gospel to the Gentiles who were filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 10), to James, who will be the first of the apostles to be martyred for his faith in Christ, and to John, who will be the last of the apostles to die and the one to whom God's final revelation of the Kingdom and Christ's glorious return is given. God says, "Listen to him," and these three followers of Jesus of Nazareth will, after the resurrection, proclaim Jesus the Christ with all passion and zeal until their deaths.
As they were coming down the mountain Jesus instructed them to tell no one of what they had witnessed. This event was not meant to stay a secret forever but only until Jesus had risen from the dead. Later, it would be written of in the synoptic Gospels and perhaps alluded to in John 12:28, "'Father, glorify your name.' Then a voice came from heaven: ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.'" Peter gives blatant testimony of the event in his second letter, "For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,' we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain" (2 Peter 1:16-18). What was to be hidden for a time would be revealed in the fullness of time.
Connection notes with the other texts for Liturgical day
Moses and Elijah are connected in more than just the story of the Transfiguration of our Lord. The Old Testament text for today is taken from 2 Kings 2:1-12. It is the story of Elijah passing the mantle to Elisha and the chariot of fire whirling Elijah away to heaven. In v8 Elijah parts the water of the Jordan river with his cloak (the symbol of his prophetic office and authority). We can observe the correspondence with Moses parting the Red Sea and later the river Jordan. We can see God prophesying through Moses in Deuteronomy 18:18 when he speaks of "a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I commanded him."
The New Testament text is from 2 Corinthians 4:3-6. This section actually begins in verse 1 when Paul uses the transitional word "therefore". To understand verses 3-6, we must understand the context of the "therefore" that points the reader back to the reason we have the "this ministry" that speaks of what we proclaim in verse 5. The contrast of "veiled gospel" (4:3) must be viewed in light of those who are proclaiming that is "we all with unveiled faces" (3:18). Paul is speaking in reference to Moses who wore a veil to hide God's blinding glory from the Israelites but we who are not veiled but have beheld his glory and are being transformed by it, now have this ministry to proclaim Christ as Lord and reconciler to God the Father (2 Cor 4:1, cf 2 Cor 5:17ff).
God's Mission in the Texts
David Bosch describes the classic understanding of the missio Dei, "God the Father sending the Son, and God the Father and the Son sending the Spirit was expanded to include yet another 'movement': Father, Son, and Holy Spirit sending the church into the world" (Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission, 2011, 399). In the Transfiguration, we see the Father testifying to the "beloved Son" and Holy Spirit's presence in the Shekinah cloud. Jesus implicitly instructs Peter, James, and John to tell about what they have seen with the stipulation that they must wait until his resurrection. This telling will blossom with the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost as Jesus will later promise "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). As we learned previously, Peter speaks of being an eyewitness to the Transfiguration as well as being a witness to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This "telling" is now the task of Christ's body, the church.
God's glorification of Jesus on the mountain was a view of the Son's pre-incarnate glory, his present glory that is only visible through the supernatural will of God and preview of his future glory in eternity. Peter, James, and John saw a glimpse of the now and the not yet. Post resurrection, they lived caught in between the now and the not yet. Peter and John, second and third to Paul, wrote the New Testament revelation of the Christ. James' martyrdom is written of in Acts 12:1-2.
God's mission in the text of Mark 9:2-9 is clear if not fully realized until the death and resurrection of Jesus. God' sent his Son, whom he loved, so that the world would listen to him. As John would later write, "but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:31). John also writes of the missio Dei "As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit'" (John 20:21-22).
Jesus' instruction to not tell becomes "go and tell" and listen to me - Matthew 28:18-20 "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."
Missional Connections for Our Context
Jesus revealed his glory on that mountain to Peter, James, and John and commanded them to tell no one until after his resurrection. But now, "He is Risen, he has risen in deed." The time to testify to the glory of Christ commenced on Resurrection day and was inaugurated with the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
Post resurrection we, like Peter, James, and John are called to be witnesses (Mt 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, 2 Peter 1:16-18). We are eyewitness to what God has done through Christ for the world and in our lives. When we follow God's voice to "Listen to him" we will speak what he speaks and testify to what he has done and is doing.
The mountain top experience that the three apostles experienced with Jesus' transfiguration is manifest in our lives when we ascend the mountain by faith and come to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Unlike the apostles, we have no instruction to not tell but rather are called to the ministry of reconciliation where Christ makes his plea through us, be reconciled to God (2 Cor 5:20).
To "listen to him" is not just a personal salvation experience. While it is imperative that each of us come to know Christ as our Lord through faith, listening and obeying the words of Jesus Christ does not end there. The mission of God is to reconcile all things to himself and he calls us to share in that mission with him. We share in that mission with the word of our personal testimony and by living lives that reflect his light. We listen to him when we proclaim the gospel in word and deed as we feed the hungry, visit those in prison, clothe the naked, heal the sick, forgive those who have sinned against us and seek to bring peace in our communities. How can we keep silent when we have beheld the glory of Christ and are being transformed even as he transformed Peter, James, and John into the leaders of the early church? As we wait for the future and complete glorification of Christ we are called to join all the saints of heaven and on earth in God's mission to reconcile all things to himself.
In a contemporary worship song Brian Johnson captures our response to "Listen to him" well. I have often made this song my prayer.
"Where you go, I'll go" by Brian Johnson
Where you go I'll go
What you say I'll say
What you pray I'll pray
Jesus only did what he saw you do
He would only say what he heard you speak
He would only move when he felt you lead
Following your heart following your spirit
How could I expect to walk without you
When every move that Jesus made was in surrender
I will not begin to live without you
For you alone are worthy and you are always good
Though the world sees and soon forgets
We will not forget who you are and what you've done for us
Biographical Summary
Reverend Rhonda Garrison Haynes is an ordained minister of the Word and served God on the mission field of Bolivia for seven years. While in Bolivia she partnered with local believers to plant churches and disciple new believers. Prior to her service in Bolivia she was a missionary to her children raising them to know Christ as Lord, and served in her local church and community "doing the stuff" which shined Christ's light to the "least of these" through evangelism proclamation as well as social ministry to the poor and marginalized. Currently, she is pursuing her doctorate in Intercultural Studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
1 Vanderbilt Divinity Library: https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//lections.php?year=B&season=Epiphany December 20, 2017.
3 Phyllis Trible, "Jonah" in The New Interpreter's Bible, vol. 7 (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996), 511, 513.
4 Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon, The Art of Neighboring: Building Genuine Relationships Right Outside Your Door, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2012.
Lent season
A Homiletical Reflection on Ash Wednesday
A Homiletical Reflection on Ash Wednesday
Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 or Isaiah 58:1-12
2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Jesus the Sacred Ash
I spent part of my childhood in a village in northern China. When someone in the community passed away, their family and relatives would sprinkle ash across the threshold of their gateways. Although I did not know the origin or the meaning of the local custom, it often reminded me of Ash Wednesday.
Early Jewish tradition used ashes as an expression of grief. Subsequently, early Christians continued using ashes to show repentance. The custom spread widely throughout western Europe. In the eleventh-century, the church in Rome adopted the rite as Feria Quarta Cinerum (Ash Wednesday). In the unfolding of the liturgical year, some Catholic and Protestant traditions celebrate Ash Wednesday to mark the beginning of the Lenten season.
As Lent parallels and mirrors the forty-days of Jesus fasting and temptations in the wilderness, Ash Wednesday calls and invites the Christian believer to contrition and repentance. In the ceremony, a believer receives a visible sign of the cross on the forehead and hears the Scriptural reminder, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you return" (Genesis 1:19) or the admonition, "Repent, and believe in the Gospel" (Mark 1:15). Ash Wednesday is a time to remember our humble origin.
Historically, Ash Wednesday reflections focus on the fallen-ness and sinfulness of humanity, but as I meditate on the ash itself, I have discovered that ash is more than a symbol of loss and humility. Ash also reminds us that we are made in the image of God. It commemorates the sacrificial love Christ has for us. It encourages us to purge destructive actions and urges us to pursue a life of purity. Ash heightens our awareness of the life-giving attribute of our Creator. It propels us to live out a renewed life by the power of the Resurrection. These expanded meanings give us fresh eyes and guide us into Lent.
First of all, ash is a residue from the burning of fire. The ash we use on Ash Wednesday is usually burnt from the palm branches we have used and carefully stored from the previous Palm Sunday. In King Solomon's time, carved palm trees adorned the first Jerusalem temple (1 Kings 6:29). When Jesus rode the colt into Jerusalem, people waved palm branches in the air and paved them for Jesus' path. Palm branches symbolized victory. In sharp contrast, Christ's triumph defies the worldly logic of conquer and conquest. In his forty-day of fasting in the wilderness, he resisted the temptation to turn stones into bread, instead, he became the Bread of Heaven for us to consume. He refused to put God to test, instead, he took the cup of bitterness and surrendered his will to God. He turned away from the kingdoms' splendors, instead, he pledged his allegiance to God the Father. Similar to the palm branches burned to ashes, Jesus laid down his life for the world.
When we enter into a deeper level of following Jesus, we are reminded by the ash that God breathed his sacred image into the lowly dust and formed us. Therefore, we recognize humanity as fundamentally worthy of respect. We grieve over our individual and communal sufferings of injustice, as when Tamar was raped and sprinkled ashes on her head (2 Samuel 13:19). We express our sorrows for harming others, as when David repented killing Uriah (2 Samuel 12).
Secondly, ash contains rich nitrogen. It helps to replenish the soil. In this world, we find people who are deeply caring and encouraging. As the nitrogen enriches the soil, so they nourish our growth. Maybe they are someone who has cleaned our buildings in the early mornings for decades. Maybe they are farmers who have sweated to grow our food. Maybe they are firefighters who risked their lives for ours. Maybe they are nurses who have been on their feet for many hours to relieve someone's pain. Perhaps they are faithful artists who paint beauty and hope with their brushes, perhaps they are stay-at-home parents who are committed to raising their children. Perhaps they are respected elderly who pour out their prayers and blessings over their friends. Many times, they are the unexpected people. They maybe the people who have little but still prepare a meal for strangers, they maybe the children who befriend the lonely, they maybe the injured who rescue the abandoned animals, and they maybe the disabled who put wings on dreams. These are the people who are like the ash. They nourish our souls. Through their choices, we see Jesus being our sacred ash. He renews us, so we can flourish as how the Creator intends us to be. May we also become other people's ash, so we may all thrive in God's Garden.
Thirdly, ash is a disinfecting agent consisting of alkaline. It is an alternative to soap. To make lye soap, you need to add ash as a main ingredient. Jesus is the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. Dirt and stains are like chains in that they burden us, rot, stink, and invade the surrounding space. Like the ash in the lye soap, Jesus breaks our bondage, washes away the heaviness, disinfects the wounds, and empowers us to seek a clean life that attracts others with the aroma of truth, goodness, and beauty.
Lastly, ash is not simply a signal of despair. Rather, it points to the glorious future of the final resurrection. Early Christians used a legendary phoenix as a symbol of the risen Christ. The allegorical meaning derives from the mystical bird that arose out of ash. On the crucifix, Jesus-God in humanity, was reduced to nothing. Yet, his powerful Resurrection testifies that death is not the ultimate destiny of the world we live in. As Christians, we participate and expect the New Heaven and the New Earth,
After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!' And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen." (Revelation 7:9-12)
Ash lays out and offers the Christian theology of the cross. It was the Holy Spirit who descended upon Jesus, and the heaven declared, "This is my Son, the Beloved" (Matthew 3:17). In the same way the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness and remained present to him, we must remember that the Holy Spirit is with us as we walk through water and fire. Let us bear in mind that the Holy Spirit accompanies us on our own Lenten trail.
Perhaps the act of sprinkling ash at the gate entrance in northern China can remind us that from the end comes a new beginning. As our foreheads bear the visible ash-sign of the cross, we are encouraged to embrace Jesus, the sacred Ash, who is long-suffering, purity, and the resurrection.
We give thanks to God for people whose lives emulate the ash. We pray that God our Creator mourns with us through the world's pain and sorrow. May God purify and replenish us so we may lay down our lives for the mission of God. We anticipate in the long-expected Reunion in the New Jerusalem, waving palm branches in the grand victory with people of all nations!
Biographical Summary
Susangeline Patrick is a PhD candidate in Intercultural Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary. She is also an adjunct faculty of History of Christianity at North America Institute of Indigenous Theological Studies (NAIITS). Her academic research focuses on the theology of visual art in Christian mission history, and her teaching emphasizes mission history from an Indigenous/ Native American/First Nations perspective.
First Sunday in Lent
February 18, 2018
As a Missional Preacher, I am self-consciously situated among boundaries and borders. I am aware of empty spaces, overlapping spheres and criss-crossing lines. And as a Missional Preacher, I get to experience God moving across those boundaries, creating new intersections and removing those borders. I get to witness God incarnated in each time and place; and resurrected in a transformation of each time and place. And I am sent to be part of God's continual movement to create community and abundance.
My own ministry context is in the humanitarian arenas of disaster and refugee ministries. The stories to which I am witness give me a particular eye for those borders and boundaries caused by natural disaster and by the forcible displacement of groups of people. I bring that lens to the texts suggested by the Revised Common Lectionary for use in worship on the First Sunday of Lent: Genesis 9:8-17, 1 Peter 3:18-22, and Mark 1:9-15. We preach these texts as the liturgical season of Lent begins. Lent itself is time set apart to stimulate our consciousness of borders and boundaries, of chasms and divisions, of floods and wilderness. It is a season of repentance in the midst of that brokenness and chaos. And emerging from authentic interactions with this chaos is renewal. Lent anticipates that this renewal is not just an adaptation to the way things are, but is the possibility of living the reality of what abundant life for all can be-resurrection.
Exegetical Missional Insights
From these lenses, some observations in the biblical texts:
Genesis 9:8-17 is a story of high drama. God makes a unilateral agreement with all of humanity and all creation, sealing that agreement with a bow set in the midst of clouds. This action and image is so concrete and yet, so out of the ordinary, that it catches our attention. It reminds us that the new pierces brokenness with the reality that beauty is in our midst. It is a sign. The bow in this story bridges the chaos and destruction flood waters with the nourishing and flourishing of the waters of creation. This is a prophetic text. Walter Brueggemann has described a prophet as one who helps communities imagine the unimaginable. The literary device that signals this prophetic moment is God's direct speech. Human prophets preface their words, "The Lord God says." Here, in Genesis 9, God speaks directly; bringing a new reality into being. The new reality is covenant relationship, a belonging and an interdependence that is abundant life. Covenant is mentioned in this text over and over again, a sure literary pointer to importance. The covenant that God initiates and follows through on is with all flesh and applicable to the whole earth. It is valid for all generations and times. God speaks this covenant into reality in the presence not only of Noah, but also of his children, referencing all their descendants. The passage is punctuated with God repeating what has just been said multiple times, "This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth" (Genesis 9:17).
1 Peter 3:18-22 is written for people in the context of political chaos. In this first generation after Jesus, followers are trying to figure out what it means to be a community of faith in new contexts and in the midst of turmoil. In this tumultuous context of border crossing, they identify with the experience of the flood waters of Noah's day. They ponder their own identity and purpose. Baptism with the sign of water is concrete and yet, out of the ordinary. This water indicates newness beyond the surface removal of dirt, but as a change of conscience (of self-understanding, identity and purpose). This text expands the scope of this newness into the cosmic with the introduction of angels, authorities, and powers.
Mark 1:9-15 narrates the baptism of Jesus, his being driven into the wilderness, and the newness that his identity embodies and makes possible. Again, this is a prophetic text. God speaks directly to Jesus of his identity, power, and purpose. That identity is beloved relationship. "This is my Son ..." Parts of creation have been actors in the baptism-the water and a dove. But other parts of creation in this text are actors of fear and destruction. In the wilderness, the beasts are not friendly, but produce turmoil for Jesus. And while Jesus is in the midst of his struggle, world events break in and give his identity purpose. John, the one who pointed the way to Jesus as God's beloved, is arrested, held as a political prisoner and then killed. This political violence moves Jesus to act on his identity. He is sent. Jesus speaks directly to the people, prophetically punctuating his purpose, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news" (Mark 1:15).
God's Mission in the Text
In the face of disaster events or violence that forcible displace people, the chaos and instability of flood waters, of community fear, and of political arrest and violence are real. God's mission as viewed through these texts situates the mission of God in the very nature of God and of what God does. God initiates and keeps covenant relationship. It is a covenant relationship with a scope of time and place that includes all flesh and all generations and the whole cosmos. God acts. God's signs are concrete, embedded within creation itself. In that creation is randomness and continual movement. And, in God's nature and actions are signs that pierce the reality of destruction and chaos to bring a new structure, form, and stability to creation, a realized promise of abundance, relationship, and belonging.
Missional Connections for Our Context
My take-away from standing in this in-between space with people who experience natural disaster and refugee displacement is that God-talk matters. Who we experience God to be guides the shape of the disaster recovery and of the refugee accompaniment and situates us in the purpose of relationship. While questions often turn to blame in the face of disruption, Jesus repeatedly diverts that response into opening another window into his own identity and purpose.
The created world is constantly in motion and that motion is life. God's creation is a constant creative tension among interdependent forces. Creation's complexity and interdependence means that the movement of one part of creation affects other parts sometimes without any intention or, even, consciousness. That movement can create beauty and new life, but it can also produce destruction and chaos. When those movements take place abruptly or in large scale, communities lack the time, ability, and resources to adapt. This destructive effect on large numbers of people is a natural disaster. In our day, human actions have accelerated and intensified these changes in creation's movements (climate change), disrupting this delicate interdependence and thus creating more and stronger natural disasters. Already vulnerable communities experience disasters most severely. The cycle of vulnerability and exclusion means that they are the least prepared to avoid or adapt to disaster events and that they are the least able to recover, making the next disaster more traumatic. God is embedded in these very situations of vulnerability and destruction. God suffers with those who suffer. God experiences the wilderness and the flood. God experiences pain. The covenant relationship is full and authentic and real. At the same time and in the same place, God is in the midst of creating newness that has abundance and well-being as its goal and purpose, not suffering.
Likewise, those who suffer the most from political violence and turmoil are those already vulnerable and excluded. Jesus experiences that political violence. He is personally affected by John's arrest and execution. It is the very experience of this pain that prompts Jesus to exercise his divine identity. Jesus himself becomes a bridge into the newness of the kingdom of God in which all are knit together in mutual relationship. It is good news that he himself embodies and empowers.
As communities of faith, we too are sent into God's mission, guided and empowered by the identity of who God is. The shape of disaster response is created in conversation with this God-talk and self-understanding of the people. Disaster recovery guided by God-talk of hierarchy and coercive power intensifies the cycle of vulnerability, widens the gap between those with power and those without power, and accelerates the destruction of creation's interdependence. But proclaiming God's nature and mission as both embedded in community and in the midst of creating new community sends us to live out our identity and purpose as covenant relationship. We are empowered to work with all those who are creating a post-disaster stability that preferences the vulnerable and empowers the powerless. We are sent to create a community of newness that is abundant and just for all.
In this season of Lent, a Missional Preacher can stand in chaos with those who suffer the destruction of natural disaster and of political turmoil and, at the same time, can be part of creating a reality that has form, order, and abundance for all. The Lenten rhythm of repentance and renewal enables the experience of those simultaneous realities. Response and recovery that are shaped by this God-talk of who God is and of what God does punctuate the promise-"This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth" (Genesis 9:17) and "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news" (Mark 1:15).
Biographical Summary
Mary Schaller Blaufuss, M.Div., Ph.D. is an ordained pastor in the United Church of Christ, serving as Team Leader for Humanitarian and Development Ministries in the UCC national setting. Her work and writings in disaster, refugee, global sustainable development and volunteer ministries emphasize partnership, mutuality, empowerment, and accompaniment. Mary formerly taught at the United Theological College in Bangalore, India, pastored congregations in Pennsylvania and Iowa, and is a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary and Eden Theological Seminary.
Second Sunday in Lent
Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
Psalm 22:23-31
Romans 4:13-25
Mark 8:31-38
Abram, historically called the father of our faith, receives a new name from God (Abraham). likewise, Sarai becomes Sarah. These new names, however, pale in comparison with the covenant God establishes with Abraham and Sarah. Together in their old age they will conceive and the son born to Sarah will initiate a line of nations and kings.
The Psalmist commands Jacob's offspring (descendants of Abraham and Sarah) to glorify God, further noting that all the ends of the earth will turn to God and worship before him for he is the Ruler over the nations.
Paul notes that the promise given to Abraham came through faith. We who look to him as the father of our faith do so through God's grace and not the Law. Just as Abraham's faith was "reckoned to him as righteousness," so too will those who believe in God-the very God who raised Jesus from the dead-be reckoned as righteous.
Finally, Mark notes that Christ paid a great cost and calls us to follow him in denying ourselves as he denied himself. It is only in losing our lives for the sake of Christ will we find life in him. Our simple trust in Christ, therefore, grants us righteousness but comes with a cost of our very lives given over the One who gave his life for us.
From a missiological vantage point, the essence of the Good News is encapsulated in the ideas of belief, grace, and cost. We believe even as we call others to believe together with us. Walking in the footsteps of Abraham, by God's grace our belief is credited to us as righteousness. While this comes freely to us, it also comes with a price. Being counted as righteous, we are to give ourselves to service of God and others. That service is mission rooted in belief in God and with eyes firmly fixed on Christ's work on our behalf. We don't earn righteousness, but we do follow in Jesus' footsteps by being willing to pay a price for our beliefs. This is the astonishing paradox that intertwines grace and cost. As we look towards the events of Easter, we can rejoice in both.
Biographical Summary
Scott Moreau is Professor of Intercultural Studies and Dean of Wheaton Graduate School. He served as the Editor of Evangelical Missions Quarterly (2001-2017) and as the general editor of Baker Books' Encountering Mission series. He served as a missionary in Swaziland (1978 to 1980) and Kenya (1984 to 1991) before coming to teach at Wheaton.
Third Sunday in Lent
March 4, 2018
Ex 20:1-17
Psalm 19
1 Cor 1:18-25
John 2:13-22
The Unlikely Wisdom of God-A Lenten Reflection
For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified [...] the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:22-24).
What does seeking wisdom as we participate in God's mission look like in the 21st century? And where can we find wisdom that is truly equal to such a task? To be sure there are many fields of study that can (and should!) inform how we go about our assigned tasks. Organizational leadership can help us understand the structures and practices that make groups of people effective. Anthropology and sociology can guide us into making our message maximally intelligible to, and transformational for, our socio-cultural settings. History can relate instructive narratives of what has worked, and what hasn't, as generations of God's people have pursued his mission. Psychology can give us insights into how people change and how the human instruments of mission can be renewed in their service rather than exhausted by it. But while these fields, and many others, offer essential wisdom for pursuing mission, the Lenten season calls us to remember the limitations and the frailty of human endeavor. While we rightly employ all our knowledge in the service of God's mission, the ash on our foreheads cries out for a more enduring source of wisdom to serve as our foundation. What power, what wisdom, is capable of sustaining the people of God participating in the mission of God? The immediate contexts of our four texts for the morning all provide rich ground for reflecting on God's mission in his revealed Word. And they also strongly agree on what that mission must be predicated on: the unlikely wisdom of God.
Our reading from the Torah comes right at the climax of the book of Exodus. Throughout most of salvation history, the mighty acts of God in this book served as the example par excellence of God's salvation, surpassed only by God's revelation of himself in his Son, Jesus. Exodus tells the story of the journey of Jacob's children out of the house of slavery and toward the promised inheritance. At the beginning of the book, God's earlier promise to make Abraham's descendants a flourishing nation could not seem further from fulfillment; they were decidedly neither flourishing nor a nation. Today's passage comes at the crucial moment in the narrative of God's redemptive story thus far. The children of Israel are gathered at the foot of the mountain, in the presence of their God, surrounded by storms and thick darkness, about to be made a people by their covenant with the God of Abraham. And the covenant (which will be elaborated for the rest of the book) is summarized here in a few verses; a preamble to the Torah; the essence of what constitutes living under his rule; the distilled wisdom of God.
Likewise, our Epistolary reading for this morning comes from a kind of preamble; an introduction to a letter written from a missionary to a church. This church, whose high calling was to live as the people of God in their own Roman Colonial context, was apparently struggling with a bickering membership, power-plays, broken sexuality, and disorderly worship. They were in desperate need of a renewed sense of how to live as God's chosen people, and of the power to do so. And the Apostle Paul begins his remedy by re-focusing them on a new criterion for self-understanding: the wisdom of God.
Our reading from the Psalms is a hymn that calls the bodies of the heavens (personified in the sun) and the sacred written word to bear witness to the surpassing wisdom of Israel's God. It is telling that this Davidic Psalm was written in a religious context where the two main witnesses called by the composer of this song (the Sun and the Sacred Texts) were often seen as the objects of worship or totems of power, rather than mere instruments. Rather than ignore these erstwhile idols, the psalmist redeems them, freeing them from the burden of being sources of life and power which they are simply unable to bear and restoring them to their rightful place in the order instituted by the Creator: as joyful signs pointing to the true source of wisdom. To the psalmist, nothing is sweeter than when life is ordered according to the wisdom of God.
And our Gospel reading finds Jesus at the Temple, the ostensible center of God's mission, the place where God had chosen to dwell in the midst of his people and from which Israel was to demonstrate the surpassing greatness and mercy of God to the nations. And he is very unimpressed with what he finds; a neglect of mission and a desperate lack of wisdom from God.
So, what does it mean for us to follow the wisdom of God in pursuing his mission? Let us look briefly at what each passage tells us about the wisdom that is from God. First, I find a great deal of hope in the fact that Paul addresses the Corinthian letter to "the Church." For all its dysfunction and all its failings, the body assembled in Corinth was still fundamentally the people of God. As the book unfolds, it reveals a church whose ideas about power, order, status, and identity were not discernably different from the rest of the Corinthian society. Paul's main aim in this letter is not simply to scold them for their shortcomings, but to exhort them to live a distinctive life, one worthy of being called the people of God. And he begins this task by extolling the wisdom of God in the Crucified One. He argues that Christ's kenotic example is not only a radical departure from the wisdom on which the Corinthian society is predicated (the wisdom of acting from a position of strength and serving self, for example), but that weakness and frailty, the seeming failure of an executed King, demolishes the pretensions of what they think is wise; bringing it to utter nothingness. In a Roman colony, status and identity were predicated on position, wealth, and patronage. And a wise person made sure to use these things to maximum advantage. But wisdom from God, according to verse 30, is predicated on "righteousness, holiness, and redemption." Not only are these very different criteria by which to evaluate what is wise, Paul takes great pains to drive home that all three criteria are gifts we receive by the grace and mercy of God.
Plenty could be said about the significance of the Ten Commandments for the mission and wisdom of God. But I think it is most significant that when God sets out to distill the covenant by which Israel will live as his people, he begins not with a discussion of moral reasoning, but by recounting (1) who he is (I AM the LORD), (2) his relationship to his people (your God), and (3) his mighty acts in history on behalf of his people (who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery). If this is what God chooses to predicate his covenant on, I think it also gives us a solid foundation for pursuing mission according to his wisdom. Whatever we do in mission should flow from this source: who God is, that he has made us his people, and how he has acted in history on our behalf.
Psalm 19 is a beautiful hymn to the wisdom of God. In it the psalmist proves the excellencies of the God of Abraham through two clusters of observations. First, he discerns the wisdom of God in ordering the universe (vv. 1-6). Then he notes how God's wisdom is proven by the fruits of obedience to his Torah (vv. 7-14). In verses 7-11 he notes the power of God's precepts to transform the human life. Then in verses 12-14 he exemplifies how meditation on the wisdom of God leads to an ever-increasing awareness of our need for more transformation. While the other passages are more focused on what the wisdom of God consists of, this passage tells us the tell-tale signs that God's wisdom is being followed. For one thing, the created order (including the fields of study we mentioned above) finds its rightful place, not as the fount of wisdom but as a mark of and contributor to it. Also, the fruit of pursuing God's mission according to his wisdom is an utterly transformed, enlightened, and joyful life. And finally, that transformation brings with it a kind of godly discontent that is constantly seeking to be transfigured with ever-increasing glory.
Finally, we turn to the Gospel passage and wonder the obvious question: why is Jesus, normally so merciful, patient, and kind, so very angry? Perhaps it is because he came into this place where his mission was supposed to be centered and discovered that wisdom from God was nowhere to be found. The decision to set up a trading floor in the court of the Gentiles doesn't particularly seem to consist in righteousness, holiness, or redemption. It certainly was not predicated on who God is, on being his people, or on his mighty acts. Nor does it seem to be in any way oriented to cultivating a life of ongoing transformation. No, instead Jesus walked into the place his mission was supposed to be going on and found them searching for wisdom from the marketplace, or maybe in the realm of efficiency, or of political expediency. It also bears mentioning that the author of the fourth gospel includes this narrative at the beginning, while the other gospels include it at the end. This is most likely because the first part of John's gospel is arranged as a series of signs of Jesus' messiahship. The first sign is that Jesus fulfills the prophecy of zeal for God's house by passionately seeking to re-orient the temple to its mission. But this passage also foreshadows the climactic sign of the book: The Resurrection of Jesus, the ultimate sign of the triumph of the weakness of God.
Today's reading invites us to carefully consider our pursuit of God's mission and to reflect on what source of wisdom really undergirds it. Is our practice of mission, as Paul declares, predicated on a proclamation of our own weakness? Do we view it as something we possess in and of ourselves, or is it received of God? Does it take as its example the people our culture extolls as wise and strong, or is our example the Crucified One? When we take action, is it predicated on a clear vision of who God is, of being his people, and of being part of the unfolding story in which God is the primary actor? Are our lives and ministries marked by continual formation into Christ's likeness? Are we marked by a zealous concern for his house to become what he meant it to be? These are important questions for any season; but I think they are rendered all the more poignant by our Lenten discipline. It is the weakness and frailty that we remember that begins our journey into the mission of God. It is not in spite of our weakness, but through it that God will continue to triumph. And we are reminded that it is in the resurrection which we are all anticipating together that our frailty will be vindicated; that though the wrong might seem today to be strong, the unlikely wisdom of the weakness of God will prevail.
Biographical Summary
Danny Hunter is a PhD Candidate in Intercultural Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. An avid missiology junkie who loves serving in his local church, Danny spends most of his time finding and studying ways for mission and churches to intersect; and also walking his dog.
Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 11, 2018
Numbers 21:4-9
Ephesians 2:1-10
John 3: 14-21
Exegetical Missional Insights
In Numbers 21:4-9, we see the Hebrews running low on trust in God after 40 years in the Sinai desert. They became angry with Moses and God for their difficult and demanding conditions and for the manna they came to loathe. While they had strong belief in this God after their liberating Passover and their escape across the Red Sea, they eventually turned to other gods, other idols, i.e., the golden calf, much to God's dismay. The Hebrews remembered that life in Egypt under the pharaohs as slaves was no picnic. However, after decades of walking in the hot sands, they were tempted to return to "the good old days" where they at least got by with their daily oppressive routine and dead-end "security."
Finally, Moses appealed to his people to atone for their complaining against God. Upon repenting, Moses instructed them to look upon the raised-up bronze serpent on the pole, (a pre-figure of Christ) as a sign of healing, redemption, life, and hope. Likewise, he cajoled them to put all their trust in God. And then, they could GO FORWARD to the Promised Land where they could finally live in freedom and establish a nation where economic and political justice could thrive based on God's commandments. The Hebrews were called to trust in God's power and life, to be on a MISSION with God, to be an example, and demonstrate to the world how living in God's grace liberates us all.
For us then, we can conclude the season of Lent remembering that God invites us to turn away from the temptation to be satisfied with a dead-end, joy-less life that focuses only on our self-interest. Easter can be that season to not only renew our belief in a merciful God, but a time to more fully trust this God who may be also inviting us to a similar journey and mission. Like the Hebrews, we are called to be examples and co-creators of God's reign of justice, reconciliation, liberation and peace.
In Ephesians 2:1-10, Paul, like Moses, behooved his people away from the slavery of sin and be raised up to God our liberator. Paul, like the Hebrews, experienced a time of intense conversion and turned away from his old life to become the exemplar of missionary ministry. It would have been so much easier for Paul to remain in his secure hometown gaining prestige by killing off Christians. However, by not only believing but also trusting in God's grace, he traveled fiercely thousands of miles in terribly difficult conditions and situations to people of many other cultures to share God's message of kindness, mercy, salvation and love.
In John 3: 14-21, we first need to remember that in the preceding verses Jesus had just been in a dialogue with the learned and accomplished Nicodemus where Jesus offered a Christological reflection of himself. He likened himself to the serpent raised up by Moses, again as a sign of healing, redemption, life, hope. And he urged Nicodemus to put all his trust in God...not just to believe. To believe that Jesus died and was raised from the dead in order to save us is easy to understand in the sense that it requires almost nothing of us. But to trust in Jesus is not simply to believe in something that happened 2000 years ago, but also to let our own lives to be transformed by the Jesus we discover in this account.
Putting our trust in Jesus, as Paul did, means withholding our loyalty and trust from other things and give our full allegiance to Jesus. Both were executed by the Romans accused of being an enemy of that empire. As we complete the Lenten season, we may ask ourselves, "Who or what will we serve with our whole selves? To whom will we put all of our trust?" Or, will we be content to remain in the comforts of Egypt, enjoying the "benefits" of the enslaving imperial powers?
Putting our trust in Jesus signifies being open, again like St. Paul the missionary, leaving behind our self-satisfied religiosity. Missionaries open themselves to new understandings of God as Paul and Peter discovered in their council of Jerusalem, permitting non-Jews to enter their infant Christian community. Like the early apostles trusting in God's Spirit, we too can become missionaries wherever we are and be open to new journeys and missions, following Jesus locally or globally. A missionary life in Jesus may sometimes lead us away from short-term personal happiness, health and safety. While there is nothing in this world worth killing for, there are things worth dying for. The "lifting up" of Jesus reminds us that the true Easter life God has promised us is not the life that we can secure for ourselves through self-interest and caution. (From John 3:14-21 Commentary by Lance Pape - Working Preacher. www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentaty_id=2394 Downloaded 2/7/18)
God's Mission in the Text
So, what is the missio Dei here, what is God stirring up? In all of three of these scripture readings we witness God stirring up people to leave behind their past lives of dull conformity, self-centeredness, complacency, fatalism, and slavery. God stirred up Moses to speak out against the pharaoh and shout, "Let my people go!" In turn, God stirred up the Hebrews to leave their slavery of brick-making in Egypt to escape to the Red Sea. It was there where God stirred up the waters to allow them to pass to personal and communal freedom. From that point on in history, the Hebrews became missioners of God's liberative power, giving way to Jesus who then called his followers to continue that mission of hope, reconciliation, justice and peace. In turn, God stirred up the great missionary Paul who not only believed in Jesus but trusted him through his journeys and hardships.
Missional Connections for Our Context
So how do we participate in that same mission today? ...especially at this time in our nation's history when xenophobia, racism and sexism seem to be growing. Some of us could leave our safe corners of our communities, cross over our own "Red Seas," in order to start or continue ecumenical dialogue with churches of other Christian denominations. We could be called to develop efforts of inter-religious dialogue with our Jewish and Muslim sisters and brothers. Take on joint community projects together. Trusting in God, some of us could reach out to local immigrant communities and neighbors to invite them to join our church membership and leadership. That could even lead us to standing up for their rights and dialogue with our local and national political leaders, so this could allow for a more just and peaceful society = reign of God.
Some of us might be called to encourage well developed mission trips for our youth and adults to learn and appreciate people of other cultures, races or nations to discover and honor how they experience the liberated life of God. This could lead some to build church partnerships or parish twinning relationships to grow in solidarity, mutually growing in God's love together, sharing each other's joys, sorrow and challenges. Some of us, like Paul, could be called to a longer missionary commitment as single person or as families willing to become bridges of understanding and compassion between their home faith communities and their newly adopted communities.
How do individuals, church communities, government representatives, and others transform their attitudes toward others, especially of other religions, races, cultures or nations? When they put their trust in God, open their hearts, and become friends with different peoples. Easter season does not need to be limited to celebrating the lifting up of Jesus. Easter's power doesn't need to be restricted to believing in God's liberation from only personal death, hatred and narcissism. But Easter's liberation may also be an opportunity to trust further that God will give us the strength to work for the elimination of the causes of xenophobia, racism and sexism...to live like our brother Jesus, full of joy, hope, mercy, and peace.
Biographical Summary
Mike Gable is a doctor of Missiology and full-time director of the Mission Office for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati besides teaching as an adjunct professor of Theology at Xavier University. He has served in parishes in the U.S. and as a lay missioner with the Franciscans in Honduras and later with his family with the Maryknoll Lay Missioners in Venezuela.
Fifth Sunday in Lent
March 18, 2018
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalm 51:1-12
Hebrews 5:5-10
John 12:20-33
Introduction
The season of Lent is a time of preparation and fasting where we dwell on introspection, reflection, and repentance. We journey through Lent in humility and our fasts highlight our weakness and God's loving provision over us. The Fifth Sunday in Lent is uniquely situated. It comes after the Fourth Sunday, where some traditions allow fasts and penance to lighten in anticipation of the coming of Easter. It comes just before the high celebration of Palm Sunday, the hard, dark walk toward the Cross during the Passion Week, and the triumph and joy of resurrection on Easter Sunday. Taking this context seriously, we can think of the Fifth Sunday in Lent as a pensive breath before the final plunge.
Exegetical Missional Insights and God's Mission in the Text
Jeremiah 31:31-34
"The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant..." Our first text of the day begins with a bright promise to the house of Israel. Recognizing the ease at which Israel broke the covenant the Lord made with them at the Exodus, He will make a new covenant where the law will be within them, written on their hearts. They will no longer have to teach each other to know the Lord, for they will all know Him, from the least to the greatest. How is this accomplished? "I will forgive their iniquity," we learn in verse 34, "and remember their sin no more."
It is worthwhile to explore the nuances of timing, context, and meaning of the Old and New Covenants. There are plenty of resources available to help you with this along with your tradition's understanding of this promise. Moreover, examining this passage's location within the historical and biographical narrative of the fall of Jerusalem and exile of the Israelites, will bear you much fruit. Our focus, however, will remain on how clearly we can see the missio Dei (the mission of God) in this passage.
Here, in this word of the Lord, judgement is far away but the Lord is close. Even talk of disobedience is only a far echo from the past, placed on the actions of ancestors rather than the living. In this passage what we see is the Lord drawing close-so close that His law is within His people, on their very hearts. God moves towards humanity, creating a new way to be known-and known personally. Who shall know? The rich and the powerful? Those whose lineage, such as the Levites, already allow them to draw close? No, ALL will know Him, from the least to the greatest. Rather than the law being written on stone tablets that can be broken, stolen, or hidden away, the knowledge of the law will be within His people and all will have access to it. But how? God Himself is the initiator, actor, mover who forgives their iniquity and remembers their sins no more.
Psalm 51:1-12
In the North American context, we are rarely taught to preach from the Psalms. We don't have time for poetry, the sentiment goes, and we want to get to the meat of the lectionary. I would encourage you, however, to not rush so quickly through Psalm 51 so that you miss the cry at its heart. If your tradition breaks the psalm into a call and response by verse or half-verse, in your own preparation do not let this versification distract you. (Nor let snippets of song lyrics make it too familiar.) Instead, sit for a minute, hear the desperation in the psalmist's voice, and let it become your own:
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
and blameless when you pass judgment.
Indeed, I was born guilty,
a sinner when my mother conceived me.
You desire truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.
The bibliographical information before the psalm tells us this is the cry of David when Nathan came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Yet, on this Fifth Sunday of Advent, in the fullness of Lenten humility, after five weeks of fasting and introspection, this could be any of our cries. Mercy, mercy, wash me clean, O Lord! I know I have sinned; it is right there in front of me. I know, after five weeks of fasting, that I am not strong enough. All I can do is cry out for your action, your movement, your washing, and depend on your steadfast love to answer me.
In a resource such as this, as we focus on God's movement in the world, this psalm provides us with a unique perspective-that of what God hears. Psalm 51, in this context, gives voice to all who cry out for mercy in humility and penance. It is a fitting psalm to be read on the Fifth Sunday in Lent.
Hebrews 5:5-10
The New Testament reading for this week provides a further exploration of humility and supplication, but this time in the person of Jesus Himself. In this passage, the writer of Hebrews specifically names Jesus as a priest in the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek is the ancient priest-king of Salem who blesses pre-covenant Abram and to whom Abram, in turn, gives tithe in Genesis 14. The parallels to Jesus are intriguing. Among other things, his is a dual role of priest and king, the same as Jesus, and we learn from Hebrews chapter 7 that his ministry happens before and is superior to that of the Levitical priests, as can be said for Jesus as well.
However, we must continue to be aware of the context of the season. Rather than focusing on these parallels by choosing the Genesis narrative of Abraham and Melchizedek, the lectionary gives us Jeremiah, where God draws near and desires a new covenant with the law written on His people's hearts. Again, rather than having us focus on the new covenant discussion in Hebrews 7, we have Hebrews 5 instead. Our focus, then should be as much on the person of Jesus as our High Priest, as on the parallels between Jesus and Melchizedek.
So, how does Jesus serve as a priest in the order of Melchizedek? Verse 7 tells us through offering up "prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission." (An imaginative reader could even say, this sounds like what we just read in Psalm 51.) In these cries, Jesus's humanity and priesthood are fully realized as He gives voice to those who could not cry out and be heard. Further, Jesus's reverent submission brings Him to the Cross, through which His role of High Priest is perfected, and which becomes the source of eternal salvation for all who, in turn, obey Him (v. 9). Harkening back to Jeremiah, the Cross is how the Lord will forgive our iniquity and remember our sins no more.
John 12:20-33
Finally, the Gospel reading shows us how the Lord will be known to His people: Jesus drawing all people to Himself. The narrative begins with Greek visitors who have come to Jerusalem to worship at the Passover festival and ask to see Jesus. John does not tell us what they come to ask or discuss, only that Jesus answers them that serving Him involves sacrifice, obedience, and even death. Like a grain of wheat, He says, the death of one bears much fruit.
Even Jesus does not find this easy. Rather than asking to be saved from the coming hour, however, He turns His voice to the Father and cries for the Father to be glorified through the hour to come. The Father, who desires to be near His people, affirms this audibly for the benefit of the audience. Then Jesus shares the end result of this glorification: judgement of this world, driving its ruler out, and drawing all people to Himself.
A powerful narrative to hear on what can arguably be the hardest Sunday in Lent, John 12 keeps us focused like a laser on the Cross and what true submission looks like when we may be struggling the most in our own Lenten fasts. It also shows us a Savior who sees the Cross clearly and, though troubled, does not shy away from it or His Father's will but rather pushes into both. Even more, it shows us what it costs to draw all people to God, which we must keep clearly in our own congregational vision as we seek to serve Him in submission and humility.
Missional Connections for our Context
In the introduction, I noted that the Fifth Sunday in Lent is like a pensive breath before the final plunge. The next two weeks, from Palm Sunday to Easter, will be very busy weeks in the life of the Church. It is easy to be swept up in the busy preparation of Christianity's highest holy days. Yet rather than rushing so quickly through this week, the lectionary readings give us a moment to pause and look.
Personally and corporately, use this week like experienced athletes use their post-warm-up moments but pre-championship game in the locker room-to envision the meaning of what is to come. Like a skilled public speaker readying themselves backstage for a speech, this week is the focus time where we remember why we do what we do, and Who we glorify as we do it.
Allow the difficulty of Lent to be felt. Allow Psalm 51 to become your congregation's own cry. Allow the person of Jesus, as He looked to His death, to be the focus of the week. And allow the Lord to come near and be known, for He greatly desires to be.
Biographical Summary
Amanda Allen is a PhD student in the Intercultural Studies department at Asbury Theological Seminary, with a concentration in relief and development work. She writes from an Anglican tradition.
Palm/Passion Sunday
March 25, 2018
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11
Mark 15:1-39
Exegetical Missional Insights
All four of today's biblical texts are about the same person-the servant of the Lord. The servant is God's missionary agent. He is deployed to defeat evil and reclaim the world for God ... but hardly in a manner that squares with our expectations.
Isaiah 50:4-9
This is the third Servant Song in Isaiah 40-55 (cf. 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 52:13-53:12). The servant is unreservedly surrendered to God. Despite violent opposition, the servant remains undeterred (v. 7). He says what God tells him to say (v. 4). He does what God tells him to do (v. 5). And rather than defending himself, or wavering in his commitment, he persists and entrusts himself totally to "the Lord God who helps me" (v. 9).
Psalm 31:9-16
This psalm is a prayer for help offered by the Lord's servant (v. 16). The servant's faithfulness has not resulted in blessing and peace, but in "distress" (v. 9), "sorrow" (v. 9), "grief" (v. 9), "anguish" (v. 10), "groaning" (v. 10), "affliction" (v. 10), "utter contempt" (v. 11), and conspiring enemies (v. 13). And yet, in the face of death, one comfort still remains: "But I trust in you, Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.' My times are in your hands" (vv. 14-15a).
Philippians 2:5-11
Who is this servant-the one who humbles himself to the uttermost? The answer to this question is beyond the realm of human imagination or invention: The servant, Paul tells us, is none other than the Lord himself. Jesus, who "being in the very nature God" (v. 6), relinquished himself entirely to do the will of the Father, "becoming obedient to death-even death on a cross" (v. 8).
And, more mysterious still, this same humiliated servant has now been exalted as Lord of heaven and earth (v. 9). The Son's submission to the Father leads to all creation being subjugated to Jesus (v. 10).
Mark 15:1-39
Although the word, ‘servant', is not found in this passage, a number of intertextual echoes serve to make the connection (e.g. Mk. 15:5 and Is. 53:7; Mk. 15:15 and Is. 53:6; Mk. 15:27 and Is. 53:12; Mk. 15:33 and Is. 50:2; Mk. 15:43 and Is. 53:9).
Through the long ordeal of injustice and abuse described here, Jesus never retaliates, attempts to explain himself, or looks to evade suffering. Instead, even when all is dark, he cries out to God, "my God" (v. 34). And as a result of his obedience unto death, the nations-starting with a Roman centurion-confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (v. 39).
God's Mission in the Text
Taken as a whole, the Bible provides a long and complex answer to a relatively simple question: How will God deal with evil in the world? (Wright, The Mission of God, 195). In these texts, as God's mission nears its climax, we are able to see the answer to that question a bit more clearly.
God acts, once and for all, to depose evil and bring a hostile world to its knees. But how does he do so? Not through overwhelming force. Not through fire and fury. But through a bleeding, beaten, and Suffering Servant. This is how God deals with evil in the world.
God's mission continues today. The Suffering Servant, having been enthroned as Lord of heaven and earth, is now reclaiming a people from every tongue, tribe and nation, along with every square inch of creation. And he is doing so, mainly, through the church. But in confronting evil, the church must faithfully follow the example of its Lord. As Lesslie Newbigin put it:
It is in the measure that the church shares in the tribulation of the Messiah, in the conflict that occurs whenever the rule of God is challenged by other powers, that the church is also a bearer of hope. This suffering is not the passive acceptance of evil; it is the primary form of witness against it. It is the way in which we follow Jesus along the way of the cross. Jesus challenged the power of evil consistently right to the end. At the very end, when the limit was reached, he surrendered not to the power of evil, but into the hands of the Father. This final surrender is not defeat but victory. ... The church is enabled by the presence of the Spirit to share in that victory as it gives itself continually to be offered up in and through the Son to the Father. In this life the church is enabled to share in the victorious passion of the triune God. (The Open Secret, 1995, pp. 107-108)
Missional Connections for Our Context
A handful of recent books speak about a growing hostility to Christianity in the West (e.g., The Benedict Option by Rod Dreher, Strangers in a Strange Land by Charles Chaput, Out of the Ashes by Anthony Esolen). The nature and severity of this hostility is, of course, debatable. However, what is not debatable is this: Both the Bible and church history make clear that commitment to God is very often costly. Persecution is certain to follow in most contexts whenever God's people unequivocally decide that: "Jesus Christ, as he is attested to us in Holy Scripture, is the one Word of God whom we have to hear, and whom we have to trust and obey in life and in death" (The Barmen Declaration).
But, as we have seen, it is exactly through such uncompromising and costly faithfulness that God's purposes are accomplished. Following the example of the Suffering Servant, Raymond Lull said, "Missionaries will convert the world by preaching, but also through the shedding of tears and blood, and with great labor, and through a bitter death" (Stephen Neill, A History of Christian Missions, 1991, p. 117)
Biographical Summary
Scott Sward and his wife, Andrea, have served as missionaries in Cambodia with Evangelical Friends since 2009. They have three sons.
Easter Season
Resurrection of our Lord - Easter Day
Sixth Sunday of Easter
He is risen! Mission doesn't get more basic than this central fact. God's people are called to share this good news near and far and everywhere. He is risen indeed! During this most important season of the Church year, the lectionary texts for the Gospel come primarily from John. Breaking from the rest of the year, the history texts come from the Book of Acts. The author of John emphasizes that God's mission to God's creation is primarily an act of love. The Acts of the Apostles tell the story of the earliest mission of Jesus' followers as it unfolded. Let us enjoy these adventures in love and service as we contemplate the mystery of Jesus Resurrection. Indeed!
Gordon Brown, Associate Editor for the Easter Season. Gordon is a doctoral student and teaching assistant at Knox College, Toronto School of Theology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario. His research interests are mainly ecumenical missional ecclesiology, with additional work on literary/rhetorical readings of the Bible and faith and pop culture.
Resurrection Sunday
Acts 10:34-43
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
John 20:1-18
The Conversion of a Missionary - A Bible Study from Acts 10
For this MissionalPreacher reflection, I have chosen to focus on the entire chapter of Acts 10, and not just verses 34-43. The lectionary reading concerns Peter giving the first recorded preaching of the gospel to the Gentile world. In doing so, Peter declares that, following the death of Jesus, he is a witness to the resurrection of Jesus. He notes: "...God raised him from death three days later and caused him to appear, not to everyone, but only to the witnesses that God had already chosen, that is, to us who ate and drank with him after he rose from death"i (vs. 40-41). The stunning conclusion and paradigm shift for Jewish followers of Jesus in the story of Peter and Cornelius in Acts 10 is found is verses 34-35 when Peter confesses: "...I now realize that it is true that God treats everyone on the same basis. Those who fear him and do what is right are acceptable to him, no matter what race they belong to."
It may seem strange on Easter Sunday to focus on the story of Peter and Cornelius but, in many ways, this is also a story of resurrection which was made possible by the resurrected living Christ. Jesus was resurrected from death. Peter was resurrected from the deadly captivity of his worldview and its religious requirements. This in turn opened the door for Gentiles like Cornelius and his household to become followers of Jesus, without having to become culturally and religiously Jews.
Today Christianity has become the faith of over two billion people around the globe and approximately one third of the world's population identify themselves as Christians. There are more Christians on the planet today than at any previous period of human history. Christianity is spreading most quickly in the southern hemisphere of Africa, Latin America and in parts of Asia. At the same time the North and the West are becoming increasingly post-Christian.
How did this spread of Christianity around the globe happen? That's a complex and exciting story, but not one that can be told here. How did Christianity which began among Jews in a backwater of the Roman Empire become a universal religion? In some ways we could say that it all began with Peter and the early church. Peter was very reluctant to enter the world of evangelizing Gentiles. It took Peter 11 to 12 years and a weird supernatural vision to conclude that "God has shown me that I should not consider any person unholy or unclean." (Acts 10:28)
Those of us who are called to join in God's mission in the world often see ourselves carrying out the task of conversion. At different periods of mission history, we have used different language to describe this task. For example, William Carey published his famous "Inquiry" pamphlet in 1792, calling for the conversion of the heathen. This was a popular term for over 100 years. Today we are inclined to use the language of reaching Unreached People Groups or taking the gospel to Hidden Peoples. The term "heathen" is no longer politically correct or particularly useful. Despite the language we use, there is, nevertheless, the common understanding that missionaries are in the business of converting others. At the same time, we are always conscious that, in fact, it is the Holy Spirit who brings conviction and conversion and not the missionary.
I want to suggest that in order to be an effective missionary or a true cross-cultural witness, a missionary must undergo two conversions. The first conversion is obvious. We must be converted to Christ ourselves. He must become Lord over our whole life, not just parts of it. Only as His Spirit fills us will we be empowered to lead others to Christ the Savior. In other words, we need a spiritual conversion to combat our egocentrism. We are born egocentric, seeing ourselves as the center of the world, and unless we are cleansed of our egocentrism we will remain self-centered all our lives. Egocentric people come in small packages - all wrapped up in themselves. I say this is obvious. But even this first conversion may be considered an "optional extra" in some mission circles. I remember once a missionary candidate going to Taiwan with a major denominational mission to teach Buddhism in a Taiwanese University. I asked her why she had decided to go to Taiwan with this particular mission. She said they had a nice pension plan and lots of opportunities for travel and adventure and it seemed like a good deal. She said she loved my anthropological teaching focusing on cross-cultural issues, but she also wondered why I talked about Jesus so much in my presentations.
The second conversion for missionaries is less obvious. This is a conversion to cross-cultural understanding and awareness. In a similar way that we are egocentric, we are also ethnocentric. We believe our way of knowing, perceiving and living is better than that of other cultures. Further, we use that as the standard by which we judge and evaluate all others. Ethnocentrism is sin writ large, and every society suffers from it. Indeed, some suffer more than others. Those who come from very homogeneous societies where there is little cultural variation in tend to be more ethnocentric than those from multicultural or multiethnic societies. When missionaries experience this second conversion they begin to see the difference between the gospel and culture. They distinguish following Jesus from simply adopting the cultural patterns and lifestyle of the missionary. If they are Americans, this will mean they no longer confuse the Reign of God with the American Dream.
Unfortunately, there are thousands of missionaries all over the world from many cultures who have not understood the importance of this second conversion. For example, you may have Southern Baptist missionaries from Alabama living in Hong Kong and trying to make Chinese converts into southern Americans - complete with a taste for sweet tea. Or similarly you have Korean missionaries in Thailand, urging the Thais to become Christian in the Korean way without even realizing what they are doing. So, we need this second conversion to counter our ethnocentrism.
The importance of a cross-cultural conversion for missionaries is not a new insight from cultural anthropology. Rather it is a principle clearly laid out in Scripture. We see it very clearly in the Apostle Peter's interaction with the Gentile Cornelius in Acts 10. Peter had to experience what I am calling a "cross-cultural conversion" before he was ready and able to lead Cornelius into a conversion to Christ. The structure and narrative of Acts 10 outlines Peter's cultural conversion, aided by the Holy Spirit and a miraculous vision.
Mission Connections for our Context
Unfortunately, we have had to keep relearning this principle at every era of the church's history. We fall back into our ethnocentrism and confuse our spiritual conversion of following Jesus with cultural conversion to our lifestyle, our values, our worldview, our language and our denominational requirements and theological doctrines. However, the lessons of Acts 10 are clear. We must be prepared to undergo a cross-cultural conversion along with our conversion to Christ if we are going to become effective missionaries or effective cross-cultural witnesses. Like Peter, we missionaries need two conversions, to remind us that: "In Christ there is no East or West, in Him no North or South."
The biblical understanding that God has no favorites is especially relevant today where in our own country we are deeply divided on so many issues. Ethnocentrism is rearing its ugly head and ethnic discrimination is on the rise. People on both sides of the political divide are becoming more entrenched with their views and visions of what our society should be. Civil discourse within and outside the church has waned and too often been replaced with sloganeering and name-calling. On this Easter Day of the Celebration of the cosmic paradigm shift from death to life, let us recall a parallel shift for the church. A shift from exclusive to inclusive. A shift from a select few Jews to the entire Gentile world, thus enabling the church to become a strong, viable missionary movement.
Biographical Summary
Darrell Whiteman, a missiological anthropologist, has served as a missionary in Melanesia, professor of cultural anthropology and editor of the journal Missiology.
Second Sunday of Easter
April 8, 2018
Acts 4:32-35
Psalm 133
1 John 1:1-2:1
John 20:19-31
Introduction
In addition to the Sunday of the Resurrection, Easter is a fifty-day season leading up to Pentecost. Incarnation, Atonement, Resurrection, Ascension - these events in God's intervention in Christ Jesus are interdependent. For instance, the cosmic significance of the cross depends on the fact that it was the incarnation of God who there absorbed the world's anguish and sin. In signifying God's victory over the power of sin and death, Easter represented the culmination of God's mission in Jesus and galvanized the Galilean prophet's following into the global movement we know today. Eastertide is thus inherently missional in its historical import - and the scriptures of especially the early Sundays in the season are rich in missional inspiration.
Exegetical Missional Insights
Acts 4:32-35 - The Jerusalem Community's Communal Lifestyle
The energy at the heart of this short passage is provided by Jesus' resurrection: "With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus." (4:33) The testimony is marturia, from which we have the word martyr. Marturia is not necessarily dying for the faith - but rather about the one who gives witness or testimony to the faith in whatever way. Just as the Jerusalem community's leaders did. Those leaders are here termed "the apostles," the inherently missional term Luke introduces at the naming of the twelve at Luke 6:13. This signals that, among the many people learning from Jesus, some were now sent to represent him and replicate his mission. Here the missional testimony of the apostles is said to be made with "great power" (dunamei megale). The intrinsic dynamism of Jesus' resurrection is now replicated in the witness that those who are sent now make.
The community life of the Jerusalem community convened by Jesus' resurrection was characterized by exceptional unity, for "they were of one heart and soul." (4:32) Disunity arose soon enough - grumbling about food distribution, disagreement about Paul's Gentile mission - as it has throughout Christian history. But this early unity is highlighted as a perennial call and aspiration. Unity is also the hallmark of Psalm 133, the psalm for the day. More remarkable was the Jerusalem group's communalism concerning money and property. The citation at hand is brief, but it introduces not only the generosity of Paul's future mission colleague Barnabas (4:36-37), but the ominous and detailed story of Ananias and Sapphira (5:1-11). There is no further reference to a communal lifestyle in Acts or in Paul's letters, nor is it implied anywhere that the conventional economic relations of other early Christian communities were a regression from this early example. Rather, the initial communalism is highlighted as simply a sign of the transformative power that Jesus' resurrection - and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost - worked in the earliest Jerusalem community.
1 John 1:1-2:2 - Christian Lifestyle: Incarnate, Forgiven, Light-filled
The First Letter of John majors in primal categories such as light and darkness, love and hate, truth and falsehood. Using these, it seeks to discern and explicate the nature of Christian identity and community life amid these alternatives. In fact, the issues are sharpened by the controversies in the Johannine community. The early insistence at 1:1-2, that the word of life could be seen and touched, emphasizes the full humanity of God's incarnation in Jesus. This probably stands in contrast against those who taught a docetic and dualistic view of Jesus that maximized His divinity but minimized His humanity.
This emphasis on incarnation applies to the life of the Christian as well. And it applies because, even as the Christian can claim the light of God in whom there is no darkness, no Christian can claim to be sinless - as perhaps some in the Johannine community did. Rather, the atoning sacrifice of Jesus enables the Christian to confess sin and be forgiven through Jesus - the "advocate with the Father." (2:1) Christ's atoning sacrifice is both the narrative pivot of God's mission and the catalyst for God's cosmic mission of revealing and shedding God's light. While gospel proclamation may be implicit in the missional activity that brought the Johannine community into being, the missional emphasis in 1 John is on the quality of community life shown forth to the world - loving, forgiven, light-filled.
John 20:19-31 - Mission and Incarnation in the Risen Jesus
John's gospel is the most mystical of the four gospels and the one that emphasizes the pre-existence of the Christ incarnate in Jesus. It is in order to guard this cosmic mysticism from misinterpretation that John emphasizes the physical humanity of Jesus in especially striking ways. This is probably to counter the docetic interpretations of the incarnation that were common at the time - and that continue to this day. Thus, while John says that Jesus appeared to the disciples through locked doors on the evening of the day of resurrection, he notes that Jesus immediately showed them his wounded hands and side (20:19-20). Of the mystery of the resurrected body, we can say that while it may have more dimensions than three (a possibility physics may help us with), it also has no fewer dimensions than three.
"As the Father has sent me, so I send you." This statement at 20:21 (which, as elsewhere, uses apostello and pempo interchangeably) is the missional heart of this lection, but it is also the pithiest statement of Christians' missional calling in the Gospel of John and, indeed, the New Testament. As such, it deserves prominence alongside the Great Commission in Matthew 28. Throughout John's gospel Jesus emphasizes that he has been sent by the Father - for instance at 3:17; 5:37; 6:57; 7:14; 8:16; 8:42; 12:49, and 17:3, 8, 23 - and that his sent-ness signifies both a unique relationship with the Father and a unique role in the world for revealing God's presence and nature. The commission at 20:21 is a direct-address version to the disciples of Jesus' statement in his High Priestly Prayer at 17:18: "As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world."
Jesus characterizes his own sent-ness by the Father as signifying intimate relationship, unity of will and full authorization. In sending the disciples on the model of his own being sent, Jesus therefore confers intimate relationship, unity of will and full authorization on them as well. Further, as He anticipates His return to the Father, He gives over and delegates His mission to them, confident that they will replicate His mission in the world. In John's version of Pentecost, Jesus then breathes on them, recapitulating God breathing life into the earth creature at Genesis 2:7. Jesus says, "Receive the Holy Spirit" - thereby empowering them for the mission he has conferred on them (20:22). It is striking that Jesus sums up that mission as one of forgiving and retaining sins, a function often seen as reserved to God alone.
The encounter with Thomas and his doubt (20:24-29) emphasizes again and more elaborately that the physical reality of the incarnate Jesus persisted in the resurrected Christ. Unlike the emphasis on post-resurrection eating at Luke 24:30 and 42-43 and at John 21:12-13, here the persistence of Jesus' bodily woundedness highlights the continuity between the crucified body and the risen body. Jesus' closing words - "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe" (20:29) - commends implicitly those in the Johannine community who have come to faith in Christ through missional proclamation. This is then declared to be the purpose of John's writing (20:31).
Missional Connections for Our Context
For Christians who see their faith principally as drawing them into regular worship in community, Jesus' commission - "As the Father has sent me, so I send you," - can be highlighted as a starkly direct call to mission. This is a statement that all Christians are called equally to participate in and carry out God's mission in the world. Faithful worship is intended to bear fruit in mission, and some congregations emphasize this by posting on the inside of their doors this sign for those exiting out onto the street: "You are now entering your mission field."
But to do what? Here is where the mystical element of John's perspective can be especially helpful, even for seasoned mission activists. For the call is both to be and to do, with the doing arising out of the being. On the basis of his own intimate relationship and unity of will with God, Jesus calls us to a similarly mystical union with God in attentive prayer. It is only out of such union that others will sense the presence of God and be drawn to it. Only out of such union can Christ's authority be clearly perceived.
The specific content of our missional work will arise out of mystical union with Christ. But overall for the continuing Jesus movement, we are to replicate Jesus' own mission: proclamation, healing, justice, reconciliation. As with the disciples, Jesus is ready to confer on us the Holy Spirit to empower us for mission. The remarkable unity and communalism of the earliest Jesus movement testify to how powerfully resurrection joy and the Holy Spirit can transform a community.
The physicality of Jesus' incarnation and resurrection - as emphasized in both the epistle and the gospel - is important to stress in contrast to the docetic views of Jesus that persist in many church pews. If God incarnate in the flesh was truly human, it means that God took a great risk in the incarnation, the risk that the entire venture could fail through sin and thereby compromise the nature of God and the metaphysical stability of the cosmos. The mission of reconciling the cosmos was just that important to God. The physicality of the resurrection also emphasizes that in mission God continues to be committed to the material as well as to the spiritual.
Finally, the wounds persist. The risen Jesus is not a fully healed Jesus, for He continues to bear the marks of crucifixion. All of us have been wounded in one way or another. All of us are in some way crippled. We are nevertheless called to participate in God's mission. As we do so, we live out community with the risen yet wounded Jesus. Equally, we must beware lest we go out in mission pretending to be whole, pretending to be omni-competent, pretending to have the answers. Instead, we offer ourselves in vulnerability and woundedness, standing in solidarity with the world's woundedness, yet in the power of Christ's resurrection.
Biographical Summary
Titus Presler, Th.D., D.D., is an Episcopal missiologist with experience in India and Zimbabwe and, most recently, as principal of Edwardes College in Peshawar, Pakistan. Educated at Harvard, General Seminary and Boston University, he is former president of the Seminary of the Southwest and academic dean of General Seminary and also taught at Episcopal Divinity School, Harvard Divinity School, and Pittsburgh Seminary. He specializes in mission theology and gospel-culture interactions. Former rector of St. Peter's Church in Cambridge, Mass., he was a researcher for the Global Anglicanism Project and a consultant for the Anglican Indaba Project. Currently he is vice president of the Global Episcopal Mission Network and a visiting researcher at Boston University School of Theology. In addition to numerous articles and book chapters, he is author of Transfigured Night: Mission and Culture in Zimbabwe's Vigil Movement, Horizons of Mission and Going Global with God: Reconciling Mission in a World of Difference. He blogs at TitusOnMission.wordpress.com. [email protected].
Third Sunday of Easter
April 15, 2018
Acts 3:12-19
1 John 3:1-7
Luke 24:36b-48
The Universal Saviour
Exegetical Missional Insights
Acts 3:12-19
The opening verses of Acts 3 give the first of many accounts of post-Pentecost healings. Peter and John encounter a lame beggar who receives miraculous healing, which the disciples credit entirely to the name of Jesus and the faith that comes through him (v. 16b). The Missio Dei, God's desire for renewal, continues on through the miracles of Jesus and now through his disciples. This is especially important for the Israelites as Peter and John point out the nation's rejection of Jesus (vv. 13-15), who was the fulfilment of God's prophecies (v. 18) and promises to his people. Forgiveness is available for those who repent and turn to the Lord resulting in times of refreshing and renewal (v. 19), which is the heart of the Missio Dei.
1 John 3:1-7 begins with an all-inclusive statement. All who have repented from sin and believed in the resurrected Christ for salvation are indeed children of God (v. 1). There are no exclusions here. Yet the importance of faith in Christ and taking on his likeness and purity is shown clearly in the next verses (vv. 2-3). God's heart for the restoration and relationship with his children shows through Christ to us via the Holy Spirit. He knows the temptations that hamper us in following the example of Christ and developing as His disciples. As children of God we are able to stand on the truth of God's word, through the sinless example of Christ (v. 5). This is true even in the midst of the temptations of modern day idols. The righteousness of Christ is at the center of God's mission for his children.
Luke 24:36b-48
Jesus completed his earthly mission and claimed victory over the grave. Peace had been made between God and humankind (v. 36b). He made it very clear to the disciples that it was He in His resurrected form who stood with them (vv. 37-43). This Jesus was real! As he had done for the past three years, he again prepared them for the continuation of God's mission. Once again, he explained his mission for the fulfillment of the Law and the prophets and opened the minds of the disciples for a new and deeper understanding of the Kingdom of God (vv. 44-47). The purpose was so that people from all nations would hear of God's love and restoration through Christ. The disciples were witnesses to it all (v. 48) and about to be commissioned into service! (v. 49)
God's Mission in the Text
In each of these texts we see definite connections to the Easter story and the coming commission to go into the entire world and make disciples in the name of Christ. Understanding Missio Dei, the mission of God, reminds us that God is a God-for-people, who desires nothing more than to be in relationship with his children. It is only through the resurrected Christ that we can stand before a holy and righteous God and be declared pure and blameless. The passage from Acts 3 reminds us of the importance of repentance and forgiveness that is available in Jesus all and that has been confirmed in the Law and the prophetic words in the Old Testament. He is the fulfillment of God's love for and restoration of the relationship between the created and the Creator.
Human beings are moved from God's creation to become His children through faith in the work that Christ did on the cross and through His resurrection. The extension of grace found at Easter is to all people, no longer bound by a specific nation and their religion. The Missio Dei is all-inclusive. Not only are all people and nations included, but the holistic understanding of restoration is present as well. Health and well being are reinstated, as in the story about Peter and John told in Acts 3. The power of the resurrection continues through the presence of the Holy Spirit in Jesus' disciples. The post resurrection visits recorded by Luke are evidence of the lengths a loving God will go to in the pursuit of relationship with his creation. Not only was sin dealt with through Jesus' sacrificial death, but the power of the resurrection is now shown in physical reality to the disciples. This includes the promise of the same for all those who place their faith in Him. The Reign of God is a present reality as well as a promise for the future of Christ's return.
Mission Connections for Our Context
The celebration of Eastertide reminds us how much we have been given in the resurrection, none of which was by our own merit. We now have an intercessor that has taken on our sin so that we might be pure and blameless before a righteous and holy God. Our debt has been paid! This alone should give us a sense of joy and purpose as we face our everyday lives and the challenges they bring. The transformation that takes place when we become children of a loving God both encourages and empowers us to continue the mission of sharing the good news of the Gospel message. We are given both power over sin and God's heart for a fallen and hurting world around us. The Missio Dei is indwelling because of the Holy Spirit, allowing us to remind others that God is loving and all-inclusive. Our mission is to share the promise of restoration now and the reality of the coming resurrection. The Reign of God is found both in the now and the not yet. Jesus is the universal resurrected saviour for mind body and spirit and for all people for all time!
Hail, thou once despised Jesus! Hail thou Galilean King!
Thou didst suffer to release us; Thou didst free salvation bring
Hail, thou universal Saviour, Who has borne our sin and shame!
By thy merits we find favour; Life is given through thy name.
~John Bakewell
Biographical Summary
Rev. Dr. Jody Fleming is Lecturer in Practical Theology and Director of Mentored Ministry/Field Education at Evangelical Seminary, Myerstown, PA, where she also earned her M.Div. degree. Her Ph.D. research at Regent University was conducted on pneumatology and renewal in mission theory based on fieldwork conducted in Venezuela. She is an ordained Elder in the Church of the Nazarene, having spent the bulk of her ministry in the local mission field of corporate, hospital and hospice chaplaincy. She also serves as an Associate Editor for Missional Preacher.
Fourth Sunday of Easter
April 22, 2018
Acts 4:5-12
1 John 3:16-24
John 10:11-15
Acts 4
In the fourth chapter of Acts the healing of the lame man resulted in an opportunity for Peter to introduce Jesus to a large crowd. This has now led to a confrontation with authority figures. In this the fourth week of Easter, the death and resurrection of Jesus should be fresh in our thoughts, just as it was to Peter's. We therefore are alerted to see a parallel between the resurrection of Jesus and the raising up from the dust of the man lame from birth.
God's Mission in the Text
This scripture tells us that there is "no other name ... by which we must be saved" than Jesus (v. 12). Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead by God, and that for a purpose. This purpose was to give us resurrection life. We, the church, are the tools by which that purpose is advanced.
Missional Connections for our Context
A challenge is extended here for us to follow Peter's example - to extend our hands in Jesus' name in order to empower our brothers and sisters to experience a resurrected life. This is never something done in our own power, but only by the name of Jesus and by the power of His Holy Spirit.
This may not make us popular. Indeed, there may be severe sanctions from authority figures when we reach out to the oppressed and down-trodden. Sanctions may also be from when we willingly lay down our lives to offer resurrection life to those in our world who are racially, ethnically and economically less powerful.
1 John 3:16-24
John, who writes so much about love, reminds us about Jesus' definition of love, "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life." (John 15:13)
God's Mission in the Text
There is a contrast between the prior passage in Acts with Peter's condemnation of Annas and his family as those who crucified and rejected Jesus, and John's words of comfort for those who condemn themselves. God does not condemn those who believe. In fact, God provides a way to prove to ourselves that we are saved believers. We do this through the Holy Spirit's work in us, which is evidenced by the love we actively show love to one another.
Missional Connections for our Context
We all have doubts about our own faith and salvation at some juncture, about whether we truly believe in Jesus. Here we are told how to dispel those doubts. Do we truly love one another? Do we lay down our lives for others - and not simply with empty words. When we look outside ourselves, do our hearts swell with compassion for others? Do we act on that compassion? We are not asked to give what we do not have. We are asked to use what God has given us to help our brothers and sisters.
John 10:11-18
The Psalm for this week's lectionary is Psalm 23, with all its wondrous sheep and Shepherd imagery. Jesus intentionally builds on this familiar metaphor by contrasting the hired hand with the owner-shepherd who will (and He says it twice) lay down his life for what is his. Thus, in this season of Easter, again we see not only the death but also the resurrection of Jesus, who lays down life "in order to take it up again." (v.17)
God's Mission in the Text
This can be difficult, to think of dying for another's wellbeing. But I submit that it is even more difficult to live for another's wellbeing. Yet this is what God calls us to do. We die with Christ in baptism. But are we willing to follow Him into resurrection by taking up our life again and serving others?
Missional Connections for our Context
Each of these texts speaks to the crucifixion of Jesus, to His willingness to lay down his life for us. But this season of Easter is about more than His death. It is about Jesus' resurrection, His willingness to take His life up again for us. Now we are charged to follow him in living for others.
Jesus is the real thing. Are we? Are we ready to lay down our lives to tend to the needs of and protect the "others?" And not just neighbors, but "others!" The missional call here is profound, to follow our Shepherd and be prepared to be assimilated into a single flock, a single Church. Who are the ‘others' that you are being called to embrace in this manner? Muslims? Refugees? Undocumented immigrants? Or, maybe, it's just the denomination in the church across the street?
Biographical Summary
Linda Lee Smith Barkman is a PhD candidate in the School of Intercultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, specializing in Intercultural Communication. Referring to herself as a "Pentecostal Lutheran married to a Mennonite," her heart ministry is providing voice to women in difficult circumstances, but especially to incarcerated women.
Fifth Sunday of Easter
April 29, 2018
Acts 8:26-40
1 John 4:7-21
John 15:1-8
Exegetical Missional Insights
The Book of Acts documents an invasion - God as Holy Spirit is on the loose in the world, invading our every day and our every moment. There is no holding God back - God moves, and we respond. God's actions are decisive - there is no going back to the way things were. We are living in a new reality - a reality that finds its ground and genesis in the resurrection.
We meet the Apostle Philip in Acts 8:26-40, after he had just spent time preaching in Samaria and following the cartographic foundation Luke sets out for the expansion of the Gospel (Luke 24:47, Acts 1:8). He is then sent out to a wilderness road, an in-between place that serves only as the territory connecting one place to the next. There he meets a eunuch from Ethiopia.
The eunuch is an important court official of the queen of the Ethiopians. He is presumably a Jew, as he just spent time worshipping in Jerusalem and is reading Hebrew scripture. The eunuch is different from Philip on account of his dark skin color, his origin in Ethiopia and his sexuality.
This unlikely meeting - on a wilderness road between two very different men - is imperative. The Holy Spirit implores Philip to meet the eunuch and pushes him to literally chase after the eunuchs' chariot. As Philip runs alongside the chariot, he overhears the eunuch reading and asks an invitational question which opens up the encounter: "Do you understand what you are reading?" The eunuch's response results in a joining of stories and a connection of need with skill. The eunuch needs help interpreting the text and Philip can assist him with that task. Reading and interpreting holy word is communal - God does not want the eunuch to be left alone with the text.ii
The joining between Philip and the eunuch draws out the latter's openness and desire to be united with the body of Christ in the waters of Holy Baptism. The eunuch wants God and God has been waiting for the eunuch all along. After the eunuch's baptism, Philip is whisked away, leaving the eunuch to move forward with joy into a new future with Christ.
Connections with notes from other texts for Liturgical Day
The allegory of the vine and branches in John 15:1-8 comes in the middle of Jesus' farewell discourse. The passage is preceded by Jesus' promise to send an advocate, the Holy Spirit. This event is then followed by a fuller description of the challenges of being a disciple. The elements of the allegory are clearly identified. Jesus is the vine. God is the vine grower. The disciples are the branches. Jesus and the disciples are different and yet share a bond and the same life that is cultivated by God's love. As any good gardener knows, pruning is necessary for an increased yield. Thus, the vine should be pruned to yield greater love. The community of the vine and branches is structured by mutual love and a shared identity among friends. Living into, or "abiding in" this mutual love bears fruit that witnesses to the glory of God.
The Epistle reading, 1 John 4:7-21, further illustrates the community of mutual love that is established in John 15. God is the source and definition of love. This love is most acutely expressed by God's redemptive action in the world through Jesus Christ the Son, who was sent by God. God also sends the Spirit so that the community may know and abide in God's love. As recipients of God's love, the community has no choice but to put God's love into action by loving others without fear. This love in action - God's love incarnated in us - is participation in God's great love for the entire world. The community for whom the letter was written was in conflict over boundaries of the community, theology, and false teaching. This explanation of God's boundary-crossing love thereby serves as a model for how they are supposed to love others both inside and outside of their community.
God's Mission in the Text
God is love and God's love knows no boundaries. God is on a mission to share this overflowing, boundary-crossing love with the world through the reflective love of those who abide with the Son.
The Johannine texts give us several insights into the missional nature of this love. First, God's love leads God to send the Son into the world in order to repair the broken relationship between God and the world. Second, God sends the Spirit so that we may fully dwell in this love, and so the love can become incarnate in us. God lives in us and we embody God's love in the world. Third, we are so full of this love that we are compelled to boldly - fearlessly! - share this love with the entire world, overcoming boundaries and breaking down barriers as we partner with God to put God's love into action in the world. We are sent.
The Acts text illustrates the missional nature of God's love. Philip is an agent rather than the author of the drama of this text. He is sent by the Holy Spirit - by God -- to an in-between place that he wouldn't have gone to on his own. It's God's mission and he has a purpose to play in it. He encounters the Ethiopian eunuch and, again, is pushed by the Holy Spirit to run after him. God desires a relationship with the eunuch so much that God is literally chasing after him. Philip embodies God's love as he shares the story of God's great love for the world with the eunuch. The boundaries between what is known and what is unknown are crossed as two very different people are brought together by God to create something new; namely, the eunuch's new life in Jesus Christ.
Missional Connection to Our Context
We live in a divisive time. Our public narrative includes overt encouragement of forces that seek to build walls between people based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, educational status or news media preference. The kind of all-encompassing, boundary-crossing love that God offers is desperately needed to mend the brokenness of our relationships with one another and with God. This is work that communities of faith are called to participate in with the support and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Where are places you see the Holy Spirit at work in your community as the Spirit crosses boundaries to bring together seemingly different groups of people? What walls are being pulled down by people filled with the Holy Spirit? What are stories of when the Holy Spirit has moved your congregation to overcome fear or difference and encounter God's love?
We also live in an in-between time. Many of the institutions and systems that used to hold places of power, influence and trust no longer occupy those positions. Changing demographics, shifting population centers and conflicting cultural values lead to resistance from some and enthusiastic support from others. An old way of doing things is passing into a new way. As with all times of change and transition, members of your congregation and community may feel sadness for what is being lost and anxiety for what the future may bring. Others may feel joyful anticipation. Regardless of the feelings, it's important to remember that God is in those in-between places, as disorienting or undesirable as they may be. To what in-between spaces is the Holy Spirit pushing your congregation? It could be a neighborhood that members drive through to get to the church building; a community of undocumented immigrants caught in a liminal space as lawmakers decide their fate, or a group of de-churched young adults who are wrestling with expressions of identity and spirituality. Keeping the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch in mind, a related question to ask your congregation might be: "Who are the people nearest to us that God is pushing us to get to know, come to appreciate and ultimately join - even and especially if we don't want to?" Hold front and center the initiative of the Holy Spirit as it illustrates God's love at work in the world and compels us to join God in the joyful work of sharing that love.
Biographical Summary
Katherine Chatelaine-Samsen is currently serving as the Coordinator and Developer of Young Adult Ministries with First Trinity and St. Matthew's Lutheran Churches in Washington, D.C. She has a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and is an approved candidate for ordained ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Seventh Sunday of Easter
May 13, 2018
Acts 1:15-17, 21-26
1 John 5:9-13
John 17:6-19
Exegetical Missional Insights
God made us as individuals and knows us each by name, with all our differences. This commentary will focus on the passages from 1 John and John. Although God's love is universal, the ways in which God reveals that love is as varied as is the human condition. If you want to reach out missionally to a wide variety of people, it will be helpful to pay attention to the differences which we call "personality," and to notice the ways that God's message addresses the strengths and needs of those differences.
Part of proclaiming the Gospel in light of personality is the awareness that most of personality comes in contrasting pairs Consider, for example, practicality versus imagination. So, anything one says must not deny the validity of the opposite trait - even as one focuses on the other. Sometimes the need of one is the strength of the other. Sometimes they are simply different. In the passages for this week, the contrast of personalities is used between style and content to strengthen the presentation of the one truth of God.
We expect that the important thing in a Bible passage is the content. But in these passages in John and 1 John the style is also important. By bringing attention to the literary style, we have an opportunity to reach out to people who may typically be uninterested in the Bible message. We can point out the ways the writers of these passages use a style which is comfortable to those who prefer hard-nosed logic in order to declare the great salvation which the tender love of God makes available to us through faith. The content of the Gospel is challenging enough. We can at least strive to present it in a way which does not add to the obstacles.
These texts have many direct logical steps and connections. There are statements which have structures like the following:
There are no long leaps of imagination to make connections, nor are there appeals to emotion. Yet the content of these direct, logical presentations is a deep matter of tender-hearted emotion and relates to the long reaches of faith.
It is not uncommon for the Church to tend toward the tender-hearted, because God's love and salvation are so great. It is easy to preach on the imaginative leaps of faith away from in-your-face everyday reality. There is value, therefore, in noticing tough-minded logic and direct, immediate connections - especially when that is the flavor of the text.
So, to whom does a direct, logical style of text speak? Most likely, it speaks more to the mechanic, the engineer or the physics professor than to the artist, the therapist or the day care worker. Our culture has, for the last century or so, been enamored with an image of a precise, scientific world. A world that has no need for faith or for God. Such a worldview can caricature religion as emotional and imprecise. Yet here are texts which give precise, logical statements of Christian faith.
1 John 5:9-13
This passage contains a very precise, step-by-step case for a very wild claim, that belief in the Son of God yields eternal life. It may be worth stepping through the verses, calling out each point in John's presentation. (There is a side comment about not believing. Note that John does not take the ramifications of unbelief farther than pointing out the immediate logical implication of unbelief-it means calling God a liar. This is not a passage about judgement.)
As with any logical argument, if one wishes, one can contest each point. Don't worry about that. It does not negate the fact that John gives a step-by-step, logical presentation. This can be accepted as a way to understand a life-changing mystery, especially for those who value such a direct description.
Also, do not downplay the nature of either the style or the content. Each is particularly comfortable to a particular kind of person. The combination helps declare the greatness of God. A presentation that is a clear, logical, step-by-step argument describes the high mystery of God's love in Christ. This love only becomes active through the belief, which John describes in point-by-point detail.
John 17:6-19
If 1 John 5 was direct statements of life changing realities, this passage is this even more so. The statements are short and direct, making clear connections and parallels. And those statements are world altering! Here the truths are not ornamented in the artistic, imaginative images of the parables. They are stated with shocking directness. What is said is so profound that it is easy to overlook the style with which it is said. The statements are short, clear and direct. Pick a few of them, and step through them. "All mine are yours, and yours are mine." (v. 10) This is simple, clear... and an amazing statement about the relationship to God of those who belong to Jesus. There are great mysteries of the faith in this chapter. But they are mysteries because the meanings are so profound, not because they are hard to state. Let the artist and poets revel in the mysteries, while the practical and hard-nosed take a firm grasp on the solid statements.
An important part of preaching the mission of God is to grapple with the fact that the one mission of God comes to all the variety of the human condition. By speaking in truth to all of that diversity, the preacher is able to call all to one unity in Christ Jesus.
Biographical Summary
John Barkman, with a PhD from Fuller Theological Seminary, integrates a background in the 16 Personality Factor tradition of psychology with his practical theology. He does these things while also working as an academic institutional researcher. His current projects include compiling a personality-based commentary for the entire lectionary cycle.
i Scripture text for Resurrection Sunday from Good News Translation.
ii Willie James Jennings. Acts, Belief (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2017) 82-84
stand in
Graduate Student Paper Contest
American Society of Missiology Graduate Student Paper Award
American Society of Missiology announces its 8th Annual Graduate Student Paper Competition to recognize the best student paper presented at the society’s Annual Conference. The award is $500 and an opportunity to publish a revised version of the paper in Missiology: An International Review.
The competition is open to any graduate student ASM member who presents a paper at the Annual Conference and who is enrolled at an institution of higher learning at the time the paper proposal is accepted. The paper should be in English, approximately 5,000 words in length (including abstract and footnotes), and can engage with any subject in the field of missiology. The paper must follow Missiology style guidelines.
The deadline for submission is September 1, 2025. Submitted papers should be sent to [email protected] and participants should expect an email reply confirming their submission. The prize will be awarded at the 2026 Annual Conference, and it is anticipated that the recipient will be present to receive the award at that time.
Keywords: Conference
Annual Conference
Conference Fees
Annual Conference Fees 2025
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FEE TYPE |
EARLY BIRD |
REGULAR |
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Member: Student/International Scholar |
$100 |
$125 |
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Member: Full-time Employed or Retired |
$225 |
$250 |
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Member: Part-Time/Contingent Employed |
$160 |
$185 |
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Member: United States-Based Minorities: African American, Latine, Indigenous Americans, East Asian Americans |
$125 |
$150 |
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Non-Member: Full-time Employed or Retired |
$275 |
$300 |
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Non-Member: Part-Time/Contingent Employed |
$185 |
$200 |
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Non-Member: Student/International Scholar/United States-based Minorities: African American, Latine, Indigenous Americans, East Asian Americans |
$150 |
$175 |
Please direct all questions regarding the Annual Conference to the ASM Conference Coordinator at [email protected].
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Keywords: stranger, refugee, immigration, diversity, mission
stranger, refugee, immigration, diversity, mission
In this blog I wish to discuss the refugee crisis and suggest how we, as followers of Jesus, might develop a missional response.
The front pages of the New York Times over the past year, and even the cover story of the March 2016 Christianity Today, remind us that we are facing the worst humanitarian crisis since WW II. 60 million people are affected, and if we added them up they would represent the 23rd largest country in the world. It’s unbelievable, but it’s reality.
Amidst the clamor, noise, nonsense, and fear about refugees, migrants, and other strangers in our midst, I have been thinking a lot about how Jesus would respond to and treat the Strangers in our nation, in our community, and in our personal lives. Would he build a wall to keep them out? Would he send police into neighborhoods where Muslims predominantly live? Of course not. So why do we even think we should? Unfortunately the Church is not immune to this way of thinking. In the March 2016 issue of Christianity Today it was reported that many evangelicals supported the ban on refugees, and according to the Pew Research Center only 1/3 of white evangelical Protestants said they favored the United States accepting more refugees, and that was prior to the Paris attack. Afterward, LifeWay Research found that 48% of self-identified evangelical pastors agreed that there was a “sense of fear” within their congregations about refugees coming to the United States. Do those congregations understand how Jesus would relate to refugees, to the strangers in their community?
What does it mean to be a refugee, to leave what is familiar and enter into permanent strangeness? Refugees experience the loss of all things—food, shelter, significance, predictability, the basics of life are gone. Their language, celebrations, traditions, even the familiar smells of home disappear, but the loss of identity is one of the greatest losses for refugees. How would Jesus relate to refugees who have lost so much?
I believe, as followers of Jesus, we must have a complete change of our worldview in order to welcome strangers instead of ignoring and fearing them. Paul writes in Romans 12:2 “Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind [worldview]. Then you will be able to know the will of God—what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.” As followers of Jesus we cannot allow ourselves to get sucked into all the fear, hatred, misunderstanding and even bigotry against the strangers and refugees who are living amongst us. We need a missional mindset, not a protective and fearful one.
I want to recommend several characteristics of a missional mindset needed to respond to refugees in a Christ-like way. Every perspective frames how we see and understand the world and its problems. Too often we are unaware that we even have a particular perspective, and so we sally forth into the world to do good, oblivious that there may be other ways of seeing and understanding refugees and strangers. This is when helping can too often hurt the very people we seek to assist.
First, we listen MORE and talk LESS. We have to listen with our ears and our heart in order to understand and empathize with the plight of refugees. Every refugee has a story which they want to share, but we are often too busy or too afraid to seek out and listen to their story.
Second, we cultivate a healthy appreciation for diversity. We celebrate diversity, we are not threatened by it. The picture of the fulfilled Kingdom of God as revealed in Rev. 7:9 is a Kingdom of enormous diversity because all people groups, languages, and cultures will be represented around the throne of God. The absence of diversity is not unity, it is uniformity. In fact, you can’t have unity without diversity, and the Kingdom of God is a kingdom of diversity unified in its worship of God.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly of all, a missional perspective on refugees takes an incarnational approach to identifying with them in the same way that God became Jesus the Jew and identified with his Jewish religion and culture in the midst of the oppressive Roman occupation of Palestine. An incarnational attitude, like the one Jesus had as portrayed in Philippians 2:1-8, is the most important characteristic of a missiological approach to ministry with refugees. When we have the attitude that Jesus had toward the stranger, it empowers us to identify and empathize with them. We begin to see the trauma of their world through their eyes, we weep with them over their loss, and we laugh and celebrate with them when they have hope for a better future. Like Jesus, we attempt to see and understand the world from their worldview and do not condemn nor fear them as refugees in our midst. You see, the strangers among us may very well be angels unaware.
Click the play button below each title:
1. Clearing the Ground
2. Building the Stadium
Click the play button below each title:
1. Incarnation and Mission
2. The Style of the Incarnation
3. The Agenda of the Incarnation
4. The Power of the Incarnation
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1. Human Rights, Religous Freedom, and Chinese Christians
Buddhism is everywhere in Thailand. Temples permeate every city and village. Shrines for appeasing the spirits adorn house yards as well as malls, businesses, and hospitals. The loudspeaker in my neighborhood announces daily the latest temple events and merit-making opportunities. Small Buddhas rest on the dashboards of cars and grace the necks of their drivers. Indeed, Buddhism in Thailand is not merely a personal religious preference or system of values, it is a way of life; a matter of identity. As they say, "To be Thai is to be Buddhist."
With Thai identity so thoroughly intertwined with Buddhism, religious conversion in Thailand evokes nothing less than a clash of worlds. For one, Christianity is considered a foreign religion. Just as everyone "knows" that Thai people are Buddhist, so everyone "knows" that Westerners are Christian. Not only that, but conversion immerses the self in an alternate community, the church, wherein converts find meaning and belonging among "brothers and sisters" of a new, spiritual family. The more time the convert spends with this new family, however, the more his or her biological family feels threatened by this new religion. What all this entails is that when a Thai becomes a Christian, a crisis of social identity ensues. Their newfound faith, while highly valued as their sacred home, is, at the same time, perceived by others as a subversive act of "dis-belonging." The result of all this is marginalization, or the lived experience of being a stranger in one's own familiar land.
Ever since I moved to Thailand in 2008, I've been amazed by how Thai Christians navigate their "strangerness." As a marginalized minority group, Thai believers have discovered creative and, at times, surprising ways for living successfully in a Buddhist society without compromising their faith. In fact, not only are many Christians managing their displacement well, but they are also bolstering their religious identities and boldly testifying to the presence of God's kingdom in the process. How is that possible?
I find this question to be of utmost importance for Christians today, not only in Thailand, but around the world. Throughout most of Asia, Christians have long existed as a minority people. They know what it is like to be misunderstood, estranged, and, at times, persecuted for living against the grain of their home society and culture. In response, they have learned how to maintain their religious exclusivism while, at the same time, holding on to their ethnic, national, and kinship identities. For them, strangerness is a way of life; the everyday background for how they relate to others, understand oneself, and live as a testimony of Jesus Christ.
What is it like to live as a stranger in a familiar land? What can the Western Church, which is finding itself more and more marginalized within post-Christian societies, learn from Thai believers who have for so long negotiated their Christian minority identities? How might marginalized Christians manage their existing social identities without compromising their faith commitments?
These questions form the basis for my recent book, Strangers in a Familiar Land: A Phenomenological Study on Marginal Christian Identity. The book presents an insider's perspective on what it is like to live as a minority Christian in a predominately non-Christian society. Through in-depth interviews with Thai believers, I set out to interpret their experiences of marginalization through the lens of phenomenology. In the book, readers are taken on a journey into the everyday world of Thai Christians. They will follow the participants through the joys of religious transformation, the excitement of entering an egalitarian community of saints, the difficulties involved in being displaced from one's family, friends, and society, and the struggles of negotiating religious identity on the one hand, and kinship and cultural identities on the other. The end result is a detailed description of the phenomenon of marginalization that not only reveals the lived experience of Thai believers, but also brings understanding to the lived experience of many believers around the world who are managing daily their minority Christian identities.
In the book, we discover that Christian identity is more than an ideal. It is not something we simply theologize about, teach, or seek to uncover within one's "true self." Instead, Christian identity is lived "out there," in the real world, by everyday Christians who live their embodied existence among those who hold a plurality of competing beliefs, lifestyles, and values. For Thai Christians, being Christian in a Buddhist world is a process. It involves successes and failures, joys and disappointments. However, it is inherently communal as well. The believer is never alone. The Thai church, while small, is a close-knit family that molds the social identities of its members so as to enable them to withstand the pressures of marginalization. We all have much to learn from these precious saints, and I hope my book is able to adequately reveal their stories and experiences so that all Christians, whether from the West or East, may together "attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13) as strangers in familiar lands.
It was August in 2013 just before dawn. My colleague and I were awake and wandering the streets of Alexandria, Egypt before the sun, eager to witness the annual Islamic celebration of ‘Id al-Adha. The four-day festival begins at sunrise with the ritual slaughter of an animal in commemoration of Ibrahim's near sacrifice of his son at God's command (cf. Genesis 22 and Qur'an 37:99-111). We expected a gruesome and bloody scene. What we did not expect, however, was how the blood would be used by ritual participants and passersby.
As pools of blood trickled out from the piles of limp carcasses in front of makeshift butchers on the side-streets of Alexandria, the residents of the apartments also began to trickle out to dip their hands in the blood. Returning to their apartment buildings, these same residents began making bloody handprints around the door frames of their homes. Curious about this phenomenon, I asked one of my well-educated Muslim friends to explain the ritual to me. He explained it away as a superstitious belief stemming from upper Egypt meant to ward off bad luck and envy.
When I alluded to seeing echoes of the Passover in the bloody handprints my Muslim friend was excited to see the potential historical-theological connection with the Bible and contemporary practices among his Muslim neighbors. However, despite the common use of blood tied into the Passover and the commemoration of Ibrahim's story involving a ransoming sacrifice, my friend-along with Islamic theology at large-vehemently denied the blood a role in achieving atonement. As a Christian, this whole scene provoked multiple questions about atonement, blood, forgiveness, and sacrifice in Islam. What I discovered is that there are at least four major differences between a biblical and qur'anic conception of atonement that have impeded communication over the last 1400 years of Christian-Muslim dialogue.
A Lexical Barrier
The first such barrier exists in the word "atonement" itself. As it turns out, the Qur'an and the Arabic Bible both employ the word kaffara in various places. In the Arabic Bible, this word is used to translate the Hebrew concept carried by the word kipper. The root of this word is found in the Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur: the Day of Atonement. This holiday is prescribed in detail in Leviticus 16 where the high priest is required to perform a complex ritual on behalf of the people that results not only in the corporate forgiveness of sins, but also the cleansing of impurity.
From the perspective of the Qur'an, the word kaffara can be best understood as an act of divine expiation. Rather than propitiation or cleansing, the qur'anic usage indicates that kaffara refers to God's willing dismissal of sin in order to effect forgiveness. Sin is not removed. Rather it is covered over and overlooked. This atonement is accomplished by a direct act of God himself in response to human repentance and through acts of piety. One such act of piety in Islam is the annual sacrifice in the Bible and in the Qur'an presents a second barrier to understanding.
A Ritual Barrier
While my colleague and I witnessed the annual ritual slaughter of sacrificial animals, the role of sacrifice within Islam is also different than the sacrifices prescribed in the Levitical law of the Hebrew Bible. Whereas the Hebrew Bible connects the sacrificial process to atonement by way of substitution and representation, the Qur'an is interested in sacrifice as rehearsal and remembrance.
‘Id al-Adha, then, is the ritualized performance reenacting the submission of Ibrahim and his son to God's command. It serves merely as an act of piety which demonstrates the worshipper's desire to imitate their faithfulness. Elsewhere the Qur'an is adamant that neither the blood nor the meat of the sacrifice reaches God. Qur'an 22:37a makes this explicit, saying, "Neither their flesh nor their blood will reach God, but the reverence from you reaches Him." The fact that sacrifice is unrelated to the presence of God living among His people points to the third and fourth barriers to understanding: a different story that begets a different worldview.
Narrative and Worldview Barriers
Ultimately, looking at the concept of atonement through the lenses of the Qur'an and the Bible, a different way of understanding the world emerges. Whereas the Bible speaks of atonement as the means by which God's holy and righteous presence might dwell among his people, the Qur'an does not envision such an intimate relationship between God and humanity. As a result, the story that the Qur'an tells-and the worldview that emerges from this story-need not remove the presence of impurity and guilt in humans because the full presence of God is forever transcendent and at a distance.
The biblical narrative and worldview, however, is everywhere concerned to depict a God who would be "God with us." From the tabernacle to the incarnation; from Pentecost to the New Jerusalem, the biblical portrait of God is one that shows him drawing near to commune with his creation. The biblical difference regarding God's proximity produces a more substantial problem for sin-stained and guilty humans. The solution for this problem-atonement-then takes on different characteristics than it does in the Qur'an. Highlighting these differences, my recent book Narratives in Conflict: Atonement in Hebrews and the Qur'an proposes that the book of Hebrews is uniquely suited to communicating a biblical view of atonement to Muslims by overcoming lexical, ritual, narrative, and worldview barriers.
Visit the ASM YouTube channel to see plenary presentations and awards ceremonies from our Annual Meetings.
Keywords: reconciliation, aboriginal, LGBTQ, mission, native Americans, Residential Schools, LGBTQ
reconciliation, aboriginal, LGBTQ, mission, native Americans, Residential Schools, LGBTQ
The Nitty Gritty Mission of Reconciliation
It has become a standard missiological practice to frame the Missio Dei around the four alienations described in Genesis 3. Our blueprint for mission encompasses the reconciliation of people to God, to themselves, to one another, and to creation. Each of these represents an enormous challenge that looks different, depending on where you find yourself.
I have been pondering the second of these in light of my Canadian urban context.
As the story go
es, Adam and Eve's disobedience resulted in a blanket of shame, signified by their hiding and make-shift attempts to cover their nakedness. Suddenly they were no longer at ease with their physical bodies and their psyches were marred with guilt and shame.
The pursuit of improved image, beauty, status, possessions, and an unhealthy clinging to others for affirmation are manifestations of this curse. Media projects the ideal physique, the preferred image, and what success should look like. Reality TV shows glamorize radical makeovers and clinics market cosmetic surgeries to rearrange face or figure, reinforcing the drive to remedy this self-estrangement and satiate the longing for wholeness.
Besides being a plague among Canadian youth, generally, two specific groups are negatively affected in even more acute ways. One of these populations is a visible minority that has experienced centuries of racial and cultural discrimination
. These are the aboriginal peoples of Canada. For decades, residential schools were an instrument of cultural genocide, a concerted effort by church and state to stamp out cultural identity. Children were removed from their families at young ages, forbidden to speak their languages, and were educated toward becoming productive white citizens. Instead of being agents of reconciliation, the church became a force of alienation, encouraging aboriginal children to despise their "indianness" and aspire to take on the identity of the Caucasian majority. An aboriginal member in my congregation recalls the deep childhood shame she felt over her dark skin and her avoidance of direct sunlight in the summer time, lest she take on even darker shades of pigment than her white classmates.
Only in recent years, within the framework of Canada's truth and reconciliation commission, has the church begun to address this deep-seated alienation that continues to manifest itself in Canada's many social problems. There are still large segments of the Canadian church that fail to see this dimension of reconciliation as integral to their mission.
Another minority group that acutely experiences alienation toward self is the gay/lesbian/transgendered community. Despite progress in laws protecting human rights and a significant shift in the attitudes of the Canadian population as a whole, much of the Canadian church continues to be a greater force for alienation than reconciliation. Teen suicide rates are high in Canada, but LGBT teens and young adults are four times more likely to commit suicide than their straight peers. Twenty percent of homeless youth are LGBT, many of them evicted by their church-going families. This brokenness, too, forms part of God's agenda of reconciliation.
Unfortunately, most churches have been a complete failure in this arena. The primary words LGBTs in Canada hear from the church are
words of condemnation. My denomination (Canadian Baptists of Western Canada) has an official position of "Welcoming, but not Affirming" toward LGBT people. Although the "not affirming" label is intended to communicate that we do not affirm gay marriage, the common reaction of sexual minorities is that these churches are not affirming any identity apart from traditional heterosexuality. Regardless of where churches may land on the matter of same sex relationships, there is convincing evidence that sexual orientation and gender dysphoria are not chosen behaviours, but determined by some still unknown factors. Too often we emit messages of disapproval to people who identify as LGBT, offering them either the option of trying to change who they are or to live as though they were heterosexual (sometimes with painful relational consequences). We continue to impose the same kinds of failed options that we did upon our aboriginal populations: change or assimilate. I am not interested in staking a position in favour or against gay marriage or same sex relations. This is a divisive issue on which the church needs to learn to peacefully agree to disagree. But, we are all compelled by Christ's love to offer acceptance, home, and spiritual community that can help heal the wound of alienation to self that these brothers and sisters live with.
We need to take up the mission of reconciliation by helping both our aboriginal and LGBT brothers and sisters come to a place where they can stop hating the way they were made and affirm with the psalmist, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well" (139:14). This is the nitty-gritty work of mission.
I've been asked to share with you about my choice of this year's ASM topic, Interfaith Friendship as Incarnational Mission Practice. Although I've been teaching mission history and practice for over 20 years now at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, my interest in interfaith relationships is a more recent development. It stems from witnessing a growing number of Muslim families moving into Dubuque when IBM opened an office here about eight years ago. I realized I knew so little about this second largest and fastest growing world religion, and my students were asking me questions. So, as any good professor can tell you, I decided to teach a class on Islam so I could learn something about it! I've told that story in a University of Dubuque publication of the Wendt Character Initiative, Character and...Courageous Compassion (Vol. 2/2016) or http://digitalud.dbq.edu/ojs/character. This is how it began. . .
"I was to teach a seminary class on Christianity and Islam and knew so little of the latter. A friend had introduced me to the local imam, Dr. Adib Kassas, a Syrian psychiatrist in town so I gave him a call. Could my friend and I have coffee with him some afternoon this week to talk about lecturing in my class? He laughed. "I'd be glad to, but it will have to be after dark," he said. "It's the last week of Ramadan." I was embarrassed. I had made the first of many religious faux-paus: I had not even realized that this was, indeed, the height of one of the most revered Muslim holy days, and one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Fortunately, Adib took my ignorance in stride and simply invited me and my friends to dinner with the Muslim community of Dubuque on Saturday, for Eid al-Fitr, the festival celebrating the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan.
"Thus, on that Saturday, September 11, 2010, nine years to the day after the Twin Towers fell, when a fanatic Baptist preacher was burning Qur'ans in Florida, and to the consternation of my family members who knew only of TV images of rampaging Muslim fanatics, I headed out to a Muslim home in rural Illinois. Welcomed by our host, a retired Syrian engineer and his family, my friends and I feasted on dates, nuts, palak gosht and many other succulent if unidentifiable dishes, in conversation with Muslims from around the world located in the Tri-state area. So began an incredible journey of discovery and shared companionship across religious and cultural boundaries, a journey that spawned a new community of Christian, Muslim and Jewish families engaged in dialogue, hospitality and friendship: the Children of Abraham" (pp. 63, 64).
In the years since that initial encounter with local Muslims and Jews (there has been a synagogue in Dubuque since the 1920s that now houses a Reform congregation), I have not only learned far more than ever expected about both of these faiths, but made such significant friendships within both communities that I cannot imagine my life would be complete without them. My own faith has deepened as I have seen God's grace extended to me through unanticipated avenues: a seven year Qur'an study with the Imam and friends, multiple opportunities to engage with members of all three faiths in monthly conversations and local service projects over these years, and simply spending untold hours celebrating birthdays, holidays and life together in each other's homes.
This has had such an impact on me that it has taken my teaching in a whole new direction. I now challenge - invite - students to begin to build bridges of friendship and engage their own congregations in interfaith relationships in their own communities. I have begun to see the fruit of such efforts as students cross religious boundaries and share their interfaith encounters. Their joy, their questions, their faith deepens. As they live out their faith among others who see God differently, they become more rooted in Christ. The opportunity to be voices of peace and brokers of "another way" with those of other faiths in a climate of hatred and distrust, bear testimony to the Psalmist's claim: "How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!" (Ps. 133:1)
Interfaith friendships not only contribute to "peace on earth," but better fit us for the kingdom of God! Practicing and accepting hospitality opens us to "the other" and the work of God in every human heart. It is also God's love, brought home to us in Jesus Christ and by whose grace and mercy we draw strength to love and serve one another, which leads us to fruitful and faithful relationships. I look forward to being together this summer at ASM to explore further the role of interfaith friendships in God's purposes!
Keywords: ASM, American Society of Missiology, Overseas Ministries Study Center, Media
ASM, American Society of Missiology, Overseas Ministries Study Center, Media
I have an attitude about this film. That's because I can't view Scorsese's faithful and haunting cinematic rendering of Endo's 1966 novel apart from my twenty years in Japan as a mission co-worker.1 Because of my long experience of working with Japanese Christians, I do not read Silence or any of Endo's works as theology, which may put me at odds with many who teach the book or show the movie in courses in North America.
It is worth recalling that Endo wrote for an audience where only 1-2% of the people are Christian. Further, we should be careful not to ascribe to him some evangelical motive. In fact, Endo faced searing criticisms from many of his fellow Japanese Catholics, especially for the famous fumie scene, which has so riveted the attention of Western readers. I see Silence as literary art, which was the author's intent and also how it is viewed by most Japanese readers.
As for Scorsese's interpretation, I felt uncomfortable only once early on in the film by the depiction of the Inquisitor Inoue, who comes off at first as a grinning and patently evil bureaucrat. But later on, when he personally interrogates Rodrigues, Inoue shows a more pragmatic side that somehow makes him more human. He taunts the young priest, "The price for your glory is their suffering." Adding, "You are not a good priest because you are not concerned about the Kirishitans... Korobu! Apostatize!" While never sympathetic, he is seen as a military man following orders.
While the story's background is a particularly agonizing chapter of mission history with natural interest to members of the ASM, the novel and film draw attention to universal human themes of faithfulness, betrayal, doubt, forgiveness, love, suffering, beauty, and hope. While Endo did careful historical research for Silence, he depicts Japan's early encounter with Christianity through the lens of his own life, which by all accounts was a rocky journey through pre and post-WWII Japan, a time of study in France, various illnesses, and an ambiguous relationship with the Christian faith into which his mother or aunt had baptized him. And it seems Scorsese brought his own existential struggles to the film, which is why it took him so many years to complete. In the story's sensitive portrayal of the motivations, experiences, struggles, and evolving identities of the characters-foreign priests, converts, and local authorities-I can also recognize myself and many others I met in Japan, as well as certain enduring features of Japanese cultural, social, and political life.
Silence beautifully weaves together contextual, personal, and universal concerns. But I think it is the story's universal themes that have enabled it to achieve the status of a classic. For example, in the Jesuit priests, we can see a range of possible responses to the encounter with a new culture or a stranger, from 1) remaining faithful to one's tradition and self no matter the cost (Garupe), to 2) being forced by circumstances (or love?) to adapt (Rodrigues), to 3) rejecting one's tradition and self in order to survive (Ferreira). Among the Japanese converts, Jiisama and Mokichi embody rare loyalty and courage in the face of horrific oppression, while Kichijiro is perhaps the more familiar, hapless character who muddles through life but never gives up, falling down and bouncing back up time after time like a Daruma doll.2 It is even possible that Endo may have meant these depictions as types, as Silence was written before deconstruction came to dominate literary theory. Yet, ever more the novelist than the preacher or teacher, Endo never takes the cheap moralistic or didactic shot, refusing to idealize any particular type.
If there is a theological gem to be gleaned from the wreckage of this tragedy, it is the nuanced, virtually silent suggestion that God does not abandon any of these characters, in spite of the relative depth of their deficiencies. So, after all, there may be good news to be heard in the sometimes-deafening silence.
1 For the last 13 of those 20 years, I was a professor teaching practical theology, in Japanese, at Tokyo Union Theological Seminary (TUTS), founded by Uemura Masahisa, a first-generation Protestant leader. I want to acknowledge that TUTS helped support my sabbatical for my doctoral coursework.
2 A Daruma doll is commonplace in Japan. It is constructed in such a way that it is weighted at the bottom so that it always returns to an upright position when pushed over. It is a symbol for perseverance and resilience.
Those in touch with the debates in the last century over the nature of the Christian mission know that the language of "whole" has indeed been used at various times to recover the truly comprehensive scope of mission. I have a growing sense of the need for a new kind of whole.
We find ourselves living amid massive global changes, and contrary to the notion that holistic mission was forever settled and defined by the raging debates of the last hundred years concerning the relationship between evangelism and social concern, it is a dynamic reality that needs fresh formulations according to an ever-changing world. Indeed, a church that seeks to share good news amid increasingly volatile times faces new missional challenges.
In our diversifying, globalizing, and increasingly fracturing world, I have found it vitally important to consider the ministry of reconciliation as central to a contemporary understanding and practice of mission. I join others who have been urging the church to see reconciliation as the necessary paradigm of mission in the age of unprecedented global fragmentation. Since the turn of the twenty-first century, reconciliation has received renewed attention among missiologists and missionaries. After describing the sociopolitical, economic, and cultural consequences of colonialism, as well as the ubiquitous, disorienting effects of globalization, Robert Schreiter, a leading voice in reconciliation studies, writes, "It is out of this miasma of violence and division that the theme of reconciliation began to surface as a compelling response to all that was happening in terms of mission." To show that reconciliation is emerging as a paradigm of mission for the twenty-first century, he cites the British and Irish Association of Mission Studies (2002), the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism of the World Council of Churches (2005), the International Association of Mission Studies (2008), and the Lausanne Movement (2010), all of which took up the theme in their respective annual meetings.1
I applaud this development and desire to reinforce the efforts of those who have seen the crucial importance of reconciliation as a way to think and do mission in today's world. Historically, amid the infamous fundamentalist-modernist split in North American Protestantism, holistic mission has referred to efforts on the part of a group of courageous evangelicals who dared to challenge a myopic evangelism-only missiology.2 Their efforts sought to reintegrate social justice into the evangelical missionary agenda, to make whole again the mission of the church, especially but not exclusively among evangelicals around the world.
It is to build on the evangelism and social justice affirmation by understanding the ministry of reconciliation as the new whole in (w)holistic mission. In the age of intensified conflict on virtually every level, it can no longer be just about putting word and deed back together again (though it will take ongoing effort on the part of the church to keep them together); holistic mission also needs to be about joining God in putting the world back together again. It needs to be about participating with God in the healing of the nations.
From a biblical perspective, reconciliation flows out of God's big vision to transform-that is, mend, heal, restore, renew, re-create, and make whole-the whole world and everyone in it. Colossians 1:19-20 beautifully sums up God's agenda: "For in [Christ] all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross" (NRSV).
God's vision of reconciliation only makes sense in light of the biblical story of creation and fall, when in the beginning God created shalom-that is, a social order wherein perfect harmony existed between the Creator, creature, and ecosystem-but also when that shalom was shattered by sin (Gen. 1-3). Theologically, then, reconciliation means God's initiative to restore wholeness to a shattered creation. The ministry of reconciliation to which God has called the church (2 Cor. 5:18-20), therefore, participates in God's big vision to reconcile all things in Christ. Practically or missiologically, Brenda Salter McNeil defines "reconciliation" as "an ongoing spiritual process involving forgiveness, repentance and justice that restores broken relationships and systems to reflect God's original intention for all creation to flourish."3
We participate in God's vision of reconciliation as ambassadors. Emmanuel Katongole and Chris Rice explain what that means: "An ambassador is a representative who bears someone else's message in their absence. Ambassadors live in foreign countries, which they never really call home. Living within a country other than their own, their practices, loyalties, national interests and even their accent appear strange to the citizens of those countries where they are posted. So it is with Christ's ambassadors of reconciliation inside the world's brokenness."4 Practically, as Christ's ambassadors, our ministry of reconciliation includes the hard work of overcoming distrust, misunderstanding, bitterness, and even hatred between deeply conflicted parties in the power of the gospel. Reconciliation as God's way of redeeming creation and the church's way of representing Jesus Christ, bringing a message of peace to a broken world, is clearly missiological at the core.
As we shall see, reconciliation has social, ecclesial, cultural, ethnic, and political implications, but any biblical treatment of this ministry sees the reuniting of humanity to God as the basis of all other levels of reconciliation. This vertical reconciliation between God and humanity in the death and resurrection of Christ leads (or should lead) to horizontal reconciliation between warring factions within the human family. As the Cape Town Commitment plainly states, "Reconciliation to God is inseparable from reconciliation to one another."5
I am convinced that in today's fractured and fracturing world if the church does not operationalize this understanding of reconciliation, then it cannot claim to be engaged in holistic mission. The whole church, which desires to bear witness to the whole gospel throughout the whole world, therefore needs to be gripped anew by the vision of reconciliation in Christ. It needs to discover the compelling image of being God's reconciled and reconciling people, modeling for a fractured world the power of God to mend, heal, and make whole even the most intense of enmities. For what does it mean to be the whole church engaged in God's whole mission if it does not include the goal of reconciliation between men and women, rich and poor, and black, white, and brown in a broken world?
1 Robert Schreiter, "The Emergence of Reconciliation as a Paradigm of Mission," in Mission as Ministry of Reconciliation, ed. Robert Schreiter and Knud Jorgensen (Oxford: Regnum, 2013), 11-12. See also his definition of reconciliation in "Reconciliation," in Dictionary of Mission, ed. Karl Müller, Theo Sundermeier, Stephen B. Bevans, and Richard H. Bliese (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1998), 381.
2 For an overview of this split as background for the development of holistic mission among evangelicals, see my chapter "Precursors and Tensions in Holistic Mission: An Historical Overview," in Holistic Mission: God's Plan for God's People, ed. Brian Woolnough and Wonsuk Ma (Oxford: Regnum, 2010), 61-75.
3 Brenda Salter McNeil, Roadmap to Reconciliation: Moving Communities into Unity, Wholeness and Justice (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2015), 22.
4 Emmanuel Katongole and Chris Rice, Reconciling All Things: A Christian Vision for Justice, Peace, and Healing (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2008), 51-52.
5 Lausanne Movement, "The Cape Town Commitment: A Confession of Faith and a Call to Action," January 25, 2011, https://www.lausanne.org/content/ctc/ctcommitment.
Keywords: ASM, American Society of Missiology, podcast, postcast series, Overseas Ministries Study Center, Andrew Walls, Ian Douglas, Jay Moon, Mary Mikhael, Ruth Padilla
ASM, American Society of Missiology, podcast, postcast series, Overseas Ministries Study Center, Andrew Walls, Ian Douglas, Jay Moon, Mary Mikhael, Ruth Padilla
American Society of Missiology is proud to collaborate with the Overseas Ministries Study Center of New Haven, Connecticut, in making available in our inaugural podcast series these fine lectures by leading scholars on a variety of missiological topics. Suggestions for future podcast series may be emailed to [email protected]. We are very grateful to Dr. Michael L. Sweeney for producing this podcast in collaboration with the ASM's Board of Publications. We hope it is just the first podcast series of many to come!
Click the play button below each title:
1. Andrew Walls_First African Diaspora and Its Mission to Africa
2. Andrew Walls_The Christian Chapter in the History of African Religion
3. Ian Douglas_The Church as Missionary Society
4. Jay Moon_Orality and Scripture Use
5. Mary Mikhael_Arab Spring and Christians of the Middle East
6. Ruth Padilla Deborst_Faith and Life
Insights into Global Christianity from the World Christian Database
Did you know that Christianity became a majority-global-South faith in 1981?
Did you know that, in 2018, Africa surpassed Latin America as the continent with the most Christians (631 million)?
Did you know that, despite roughly 400 years of Christian stability in the Middle East, the region has dropped from 12.7% Christian in 1900 to 4.0% Christian in 2015?
This is the kind of information you can get from the World Christian Database, published by Brill and edited by Dr. Todd M. Johnson and Dr. Gina A. Zurlo of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (South Hamilton, MA, USA). The Center has been tracking trends like this for over 50 years, from our humble beginnings in Nairobi, Kenya to our current home at Gordon-Conwell.
Perhaps you've seen the World Christian Database before... and the promptly ran in the opposite direction. Run no further! The WCD has been completed upgraded and represents an enhanced user experience both functionally and visually.
Overall, the WCD is, simply, much easier to use than it was before. The system to design searches is much more straightforward and user-friendly: you can search for a variable, add it to your query, rearrange variables, and change properties of a query all on one page. No more toggling between pages or guessing where variables are going to show up! The ease of query design allows users to customize their dataset to exactly what they need, without having to contact a researcher (though we're still always happily available to help!).
Queries, records, and bookmarks can also be saved in custom-made folders and workspaces to allow collaboration between users. Users can attach notes to queries and thus use the WCD as a functional workspace for research projects. You can also simply save frequently-used queries so you don't have to re-create them each time you log in. Users can still export datasets to Excel, but now the datasets it produces are formatted much better and are far easier to use.
The "look" and "feel" of the updated WCD is completely different with new colors, fonts, logos, and photos. It's brighter, cleaner, and more contemporary.
The navigation is also significantly improved. The Launchpad tool gives users immediate access to the different homepages so there is less clicking to access the data. There is a history button (just like a web browser) that tells you where you've been so you can get back there quickly.
The WCD team can customize what appears on every homepage, so we can switch out links according to user feedback.
Overall, the data in the WCD is now organized in a more logical way that makes sense to the user. Users will be able to find what they're looking for more quickly, without having to wander around. Though wandering around is always permitted! You might discover something about world Christianity you never knew.
To find out more, contact Dr. Gina Zurlo, co-editor of the World Christian Database at [email protected]. Also check out the free resources available for download at the Center's website: www.globalchristianity.org. We can also be reached by phone: 978-468-2750.
"Men hate each other because they fear each other;
they fear each other because they do not know each other;
they do not know each other because they do not communicate;
they do not communicate because they are separate."
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
This quote by Martin Luther King Jr. is at the top of my syllabus for the course on Intercultural Communication that I teach at Taylor Seminary. King was speaking about the problem of racism in America in the 1960s, but his observations apply to a myriad of contexts in our world today. Because we often find ourselves separated from people who are different and we do not share life with them on any kind of meaningful level, or engage in real heart-to-heart communication, we live in a culture susceptible to fear that sometimes even degenerates into hatred. People who have the harshest attitudes toward illegal immigrants, sexual minorities, the homeless, or followers of other religions, are seldom able to name anyone in their circle of friends who belongs to such categories. Stereotypes and misattributions are the fodder of fear and keep us from moving out of our comfortable ghettos into other people's domains.
I have taught a course on Understanding Islam numerous times here at Taylor. Two of the experiential assignments are to take a class trip to observe a prayer service at a mosque and for each student to spend at least one hour interviewing a Muslim about their practice and faith. That personal conversation, usually over a cup of coffee, is often the most transformational part of the course. We, in our divided world, need to spend time sharing life and conversation in order to dispel fear and hatred.
I remember the first time I had a conversation with a Sikh man. Sikhs had always intimidated me with their full beards, turbans and pajama-type clothing. So when the elderly Punjabi asked me a question at the bus stop I froze momentarily. Perhaps I feared he would bring out the little ceremonial dagger I heard they carry if I answered him inappropriately or that his poor command of English would make the conversation awkward. A few minutes into conversation and my pitiful stereotypes were destroyed. He had served in Her Majesty's Royal Air Force, spoke lovely British-Indian accented English, and had lived a fascinating life. Communication transformed fear and unknowing into warmth and potential friendship.
While the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Canada was concluding its hearings, an indigenous member of our church was invited to share her story on a Sunday morning. For fifteen minutes she relayed what it was like for her as a five year old to be taken away from her mother, placed in a residential school where the agenda was to make her think and act like a white girl, and then to be shuttled to several foster homes as a teen. Suddenly, the historical atrocities wore a human face and, when she was finished, the congregation stood and erupted into spontaneous applause that went on for a very long time. It was a time of healing and new understanding.
As we consider welcoming Syrian refugees or immigrants from other countries with cultures that are quite different from ours, there are a number of practical ways we can break down barriers and move from fear to understanding.
1. Be suspicious of your assumptions. Despite the poverty of their current situation, many refugees come with skills and education and at one time enjoyed a comfortable life in their homeland. Women who wear a hijab are not necessarily being oppressed by their husbands or made to feel like second rate citizens. They may be doing so out of respect and love for God.
2. Share hospitality by offering baked goods, gift cards but even better, by inviting them into your home to share a meal. Assure them beforehand that you will not be serving pork products or alcohol if they are Muslims.
3. Introduce them to common, everyday activities of North American life. Invite them to a high school basketball game, to visit a greenhouse, or just go for a walk. If they are new to winter sports, taking them skating or cross-country skiing can be a delightful time to laugh and play together.
4. Share practical tips on how to navigate life in their new land. My next door neighbours are from the Philippines and, during their first winter I saw them outside trying to chop thick ice on their sidewalk with a hammer and a plastic shovel. Much to their delight, I introduced them to my long handled ice chopper. It was a simple act, but it opened the door to conversation and sharing.
5. Be sensitive about inviting them to church. Newcomers may be eager to explore their new country and how Canadians or Americans worship, but beware of giving them a negative impression of Christianity before they have come to fully understand the culture. Remember that Muslims do not even use music in worship, so if your church worship is led by a rock-and-roll band and people pray to God in casual ways that would be highly disrespectful in other contexts, you might want to invite them to worship with you in a more traditional Christian service.
When Karen and I were missionaries in Nigeria, a Somali couple moved into a town a few kilometers away from our village. Abdi was working for an agricultural agency and came to meet us, confiding that his wife, Asha, was struggling with loneliness and looking for companionship. Abdi and Asha soon became dear friends. We shared meals, picnics, outings and many heart-to-heart conversations. They were practising Muslims, yet Abdi had done postgraduate studies in Wyoming and Asha had studied fashion design in Italy. We discovered that we had many things in common, despite our differences in faith and culture. Much to our surprise, we found greater joy in our visits with them than we did with some of our fellow missionaries. The oft-repeated saying is true, "There are no strangers, only friends you have not yet met" (W. B. Yeats).
I have been thinking and writing about refugees quite a bit recently. There's ample reason for it; today, seventy million people in our world have been forced from their homes as refugees or internally displaced persons.1
November 11, 2018 will mark the hundredth anniversary of the end of World War I. The end of that war brought peace to some, but the refugee crisis it spawned and the ensuing famine in Russia that affected millions made life a nightmare for years after the trench warfare ceased. I wrote an article about this that comes out in the International Bulletin of Mission Research in a couple of months. Specifically, I wrote about the European Student Relief - the first aid organization to be truly international and ecumenical. It was organized by Christian students around the world to come to the aid of refugee students.
Our refugee crisis today was again brought to my attention a couple of weeks ago at the Oxford Institute for Methodist Theological Studies with a sermon given by Rev. Peter Storey, a Methodist pastor from South Africa. I met him several days earlier - spotting his name tag as I trickled into a lecture hall with 150 other attendees for the conference's first plenary lecture. I was surprised to see him. He is not the young man that he was when he bravely fought against the apartheid regime for decades beginning in the 1960s.
As part of his resistance to that regime he would sometimes hold a sign that read,
All who pass by remember with shame the many thousands of people who lived for generations in District Six and other parts of the city, and who were forced by law to leave their homes because of the colour of their skins. Father forgive us.
This so-called "Plaque of Shame" was erected on the outside wall of the local Methodist church in District 6 as well. I'm told it is still there. In his sermon this past Sunday, Rev. Storey also described another time in the history of that church - long after he had departed as its pastor - when the building provided a place of refuge for people fleeing the ruthless regime of Robert Mugabe in the neighboring state of Zimbabwe.
A few days ago, on the last day of the Oxford Institute, Peter preached on the story of four friends who dug a hole in the roof of a home where Jesus was teaching and asked (demanded?) that Jesus heal their paralyzed friend. The church, he said, has to be broken in order to actually be the church. By serving refugees from Zimbabwe, the church he loved - including the building itself - was literally broken down from the stress of housing dozens of people who lived, cooked, and slept in the sanctuary.
I am reminded of how rarely I have seen this kind of ministry happen in the churches that I have attended and served in for the past several decades. To be clear, I have been a part of churches - urban ones especially - that did prioritize ministry to their neighbors over keeping the church building in shape. I am grateful for their witness, but I have not seen this enough.
When Rev. Storey finished preaching I felt compelled to thank him for his sermon. It had moved me to tears. But I knew that kind words and a handshake wouldn't be enough. I wanted to hug this man - to feel the aging sinews in his back muscles that had fought against oppression. Peter Storey reminded me that morning that the Christian life is not primarily about finely nuanced talks or academic papers (valuable as they can be) but about ministering to people where they are at in their fullness as people truly created in God's image and who reflect that image even in the brokenness of their bodies. "Too often," he noted, "we are more concerned about being right than doing good!"
Rev. Storey paraphrased Mother Teresa in his closing words that Sunday morning in Oxford. I can't think of a better was to close this blog than to follow his example:
"May God break my heart so completely that the whole world falls in." Reflecting on this quotation with respect to the story of the paralytic and his four friends, Peter went on, "Only if the church gets broken open does the world get mended... Open up the Church so wide that the whole world falls in."
[1] See the United Nations High Commission on Refugees. http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/data.html. This number would be higher if an even broader definition of refugee and internally displaced person were utilized.
My research focuses on the contribution of music and the performing arts to sustainable peacebuilding, especially among Muslims and Christians.1 Research consultations and participant observations took place in Morocco, Lebanon and Indonesia (2008-2012) where we pursued answers to the role of music and the arts in bridging divides, especially among religious peoples. Festivals and music events were the focus of our study. The eight-day Festival of World Sacred Musics in Fes, Morocco, impacted me profoundly. I had no idea how much peoples in the Middle East and North Africa valued their cultural musics. The possibilities for bringing peoples from around the world to watch, listen, and experience such groups as the Whirling Dervishes of Damascus on the same stage as a group of Byzantine Monks overwhelmed me. Even more impressive were the opportunities to sit together in the audience with peoples of diverse faith backgrounds as we entered into spaces of musical splendor. We were rubbing shoulders on the global stage.
Such scenarios led to me to the work of John Paul Lederach who argues that:
The artistic five minutes, I have found rather consistently, when it is given space and acknowledged as something far beyond entertainment, accomplishes what most of politics has been unable to attain: It helps us return to our humanity, a transcendent journey that, like the moral imagination, can build a sense that we are, after all, a human community.2
Ah, yes! The arts can and do indeed contribute to peacebuilding among religious peoples. However, I struggled with the possibilities of staging such large, one-time global events. Significant as they are, ultimately there is a need for sustainable peacebuilding, where the arts foster continuing dialogue among and between people of diverse nationalities, ethnicities, and worlds faiths. Drawing again from Lederach, I concurred with his admonition that "Peacebuilding requires a vision of relationship. Stated bluntly, if there is no capacity to imagine the canvas of mutual relationships and situate oneself as part of that historic and ever-evolving web, peacebuilding collapses." This triggered my concern for communicating the Gospel. The need and cry for relationship is necessary not only in peacebuilding but also in witnessing to the love of God and his compassion for all peoples.3
So, my questions turned to the role of music and the performing arts in building relationships among and between peoples of diverse faiths. Surprisingly, I discovered music events bringing together Muslims and Christians taking place in Southern California, right where I live. From a benefit concert for Syrian refugees at a local Presbyterian church to performing with a Middle Eastern ensemble in Pasadena, and researching the Middle Eastern Ensemble at the University of California at Santa Barbara, I discovered peoples coming together around music as a means of building relationships.
Enter the concept of musicking: to make music together is a verb, an action that involves everyone, not just the musicians.4 Music events and performances are not limited to the sounds produced. Rather, they also initiate and foster the building of relationships that can be reenacted over a sustainable period of time.
In the midst of musicking, not only do we find commonness, but we also find ourselves relating with our neighbors-testifying to God's glory. Dialoguing and entering into moments of sharing life together through music making witnesses to the hope that is within us.
1 See Roberta R. King and Sooi Ling Tan, Eds. (un)Common Sounds: Songs of Peace and Reconciliation among Muslims and Christians (Eugene, OR: Cascade Publishers, 2014.
2 John Paul Lederach, The Moral Imagination: The Art and Soul of Building Peace (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005), 153.
3 Lederach, The Moral Imagination, 35.
4 Christopher Small, Musicking: The Meanings of Performing and Listening (Music Culture). (Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 1998), 9.
This blog post first appeared at dr.altizon.com
The 2019 annual meeting of the American Society of Missiology (ASM) recently concluded. Over 240 professors, executives, and practitioners of mission met to explore the theme, "Lifestyles of the Rich and Faithful," essentially asking ourselves the question, "How should the fact of the gap between the rich and the poor impact the way we live and practice mission around the world?"
I had the honor of serving ASM as its president this past year. By that honor, I had the privilege of organizing the meeting, which included choosing the theme, securing speakers, and generally bossing highly efficient people around. Huge thanks to the ASM board-especially conference coordinator Alison Fitchett-as well as my associates of the International Fellowship for Mission as Transformation (INFEMIT)-especially operations director Tori Greaves-who all made the meeting run quite smoothly.
Issues surrounding wealth and poverty have always been central in my mission thinking. The God whom we encounter in the Scriptures, yes, loves all, but the lost, vulnerable, have-nots, marginalized, and oppressed get God's special attention. How should that fact-God's special concern for the poor-define both our personal lifestyles and the church's mission around the world?
(Photo: Dr. Debra Mumford speaking on prosperity gospel)
Our speakers "brung it!" as we say on the street. Renowned theologian Ronald J. Sider started us off Friday night (June 14) by sharing his own personal journey through six editions of Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. On Saturday morning (June 15), Father Benigno Beltran, a Catholic priest-scholar who served the people of Smokey Mountain in Manila for 30 years, brilliantly made the connection between serving the poor and serving the earth. That evening, I confronted classism and proposed ways to overcome it personally and corporately. And then on Sunday morning (June 16), Debra Mumford, a homiletics professor at Louisville Theological Seminary who has done extensive research on the prosperity gospel, gave an informative lecture-sermon on the logic, but ultimately the dangers of prosperity thinking.
I also invited storytellers, that is, people who reminded us that ministry among the poor needs concrete expressions. Maria Surat Schommer described the local ministry of the Catholic Worker. Viv Grigg shared about an innovative master's program in urban missiology for, with, and among the poor. And Ruth Padilla DeBorst described the vision and life of Casa Adobe, an intentional Christian community in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Sandra Maria Van Opstal, author of The Next Worship, and Hallel, a duo made up of Aracely Hernandez Bock and Adri Arango from the Jesus People USA community in Chicago, led us in song. This LatinX, all-girl band had us swaying and clapping to songs in several languages, reminding us that worship entails our whole bodies as we serve the God of all nations.
We gave out several awards. Colin Yuckman received the Graduate Student Paper Award; Brian Stanley earned the Book of the Year award; and J. Samuel Escobar received the Lifetime Achievement Award. I was especially gratified that Dr. Escobar, past president of ASM, received this award during my presidency. He has been a mentor and friend to me and to countless others throughout his remarkable career, which spans over five decades.
(Photo: Dr. J. Samuel Escobar receives the Lifetime Achievement Award with Ruth Padilla DeBorst and Al Tizon)
This summary barely communicates my extreme gratitude for allowing me the privilege of contributing to the life of the American Society of Missiology. My ultimate hope, of course, is that the issues with which we wrestled at the conference will translate into lifestyle changes, paradigm shifts, and powerful mission partnerships between the rich and the poor as God's people strive in the Spirit do on earth as it is in heaven.
Click the play button below each title:
1. The Gentile Breakthrough
2. Universalism and Particularism in Mission
3. Faith and Culture: Commitment and Freedom in Mission
4. The Scope and Effects of Modern Missions
Keywords: Bartomole de las Casas, Indigenous spirituality, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Residential Schools, mission
Bartomole de las Casas, Indigenous spirituality, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Residential Schools, mission
If one finds some gold nuggets in a pile of manure, does it make the pile less stinky? No, but it does prove that the pile is not composed of 100% pure manure and it would certainly encourage the finder to sift through the pile with greater interest. Perhaps the analogy is a bit crass, but the history of Christian mission to Canada's Indigenous peoples has come to be largely viewed with disgust, particularly in light of the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. To look for and highlight positive examples of humble, culture-affirming, advocates for the shalom of Indigenous peoples is to tread on sensitive ground when the scars of colonialism are so deep and the wounds still so fresh.
In 2015, Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission concluded a six year process of listening to the stories of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. More than 6000 witnesses shared their personal experiences at listening sessions set up all across the country. Their stories primarily recounted experiences of abuse and ethnocide through more than 100 years of Residential Schools, which operated in a cooperative effort between churches and the government of Canada. Indigenous children were often forcefully removed from their homes and relocated to these schools where they were given European names, haircuts, and clothing, forbidden to speak their languages, and immersed in a western and overtly Christian education system. The plan was to turn them into productive, assimilated citizens who would bring an end to "the Indian problem." Many suffered physical, psychological, sexual abuse and neglect. The trauma suffered by these children and their successive generations left a legacy of addiction and substance abuse, poverty, broken families, and much higher suicide and incarceration rates than the rest of the Canadian population. It is unquestionably a dark and regrettable period of Canadian history.
When Senator Lynn Beyak suggested that "positive aspects of residential schools have not been acknowledged" there was a massive outcry across the nation that led to her suspension from the Senate. Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett replied that "the entire purpose of the residential schools was wrong." Indeed, while there may have been examples of good, compassionate teachers in these schools the overall legacy has been decidedly damaging.
It would be in no one's interest to try to sanitize the history of a missionary strategy that so blatantly violated the ethos of mission in the way of Jes
us. At the same time, one need not affirm that the entire purpose of Christian mission to Indigenous peoples was evil. Mission was often a partner to colonial interests and many missionaries shared the biases and ethnocentric attitudes of their cultural peers. Yet, there are stories of men and women who rose above their natural prejudices and embraced the radical way of Jesus by offering an incarnational witness that made the Gospel compelling. A compendium of essays, recently published by the University of British Columbia, is entitled "Mixed Blessings: Indigenous Encounters with Christianity in Canada." Rather than paint a binary picture of white colonizer/abuser versus Indigenous victim, the scholars explore the nuanced dynamics of Indigenous agency and how Christianity had and continues to have, real meaning for many Indigenous people. The contributors argue that Indigenous peoples embraced Christianity for political as well as spiritual reasons, with many finding an affinity between their traditional spirituality and the spirituality demonstrated by missionaries. This is obvious every July when nearly 40,000 mostly Indigenous people flock to the pilgrimage site of Lac St. Anne, in Alberta, (a shrine founded by Oblate missionaries) for five days of special mass, prayers, blessings and family gatherings. Despite their flaws and cultural captivity, some missionaries offered a compelling and sacrificial witness of laying down their lives out of love for Indigenous peoples. These stories must be told and celebrated, for they round out and provide a fuller picture of our mostly troublesome past.
There are probably limits to this analogy, but I would propose that looking for heroic figures that defied the status quo during the Holocaust and risked their lives for the cause of justice and compassion, does not in any way diminish the horror or stench of that unspeakable period of history. Even while the French Reformed Church chose to remain silent and unopposed to the German occupation of France, we admire the likes of André and Magda Trocmé who mobilized the entire village of Le Chambon sur Lignon to spare more than 3,000 Jews from death. And while the majority of German churches endorsed Hitler's rise to power, Martin Niemöller became the leading voice of resistance for the Confessing Church. Yet, even these "golden nuggets" were flawed agents who struggled to discern the true essence of the Gospel while in the vice-grip of their powerful cultural milieu. During most of his ministry Niemöller maintained a strong commitment to nationalism and militarism. Only after the war did he come to a more refined understanding of the nature of mission in the way of Jesus.
Missionaries, like all humans, are inescapably shaped by their fallen cultures of origin. Their motives and methods are often a mixture of noble and evil. Bartolomé de las Casas, often lauded for his fifty years of advocacy for Indigenous rights, once owned Indigenous slaves himself and even supported the African slave trade to replace the forced labor imposed on Indigenous peoples in the West Indies. Only later in life did he come to see all forms of slavery as inconsistent with his Christian faith. Despite his inconsistencies, we uphold him today as an example of conscience and prophetic witness during an era characterized largely by collusion between mission and colonial power.
Finding golden nuggets in the manure pile brings hope into the historical narrative, reminding us that humans are capable of transformation and of breaking out of their cultural prison. It reignites confidence that glimpses of the missio Dei can be sighted in the flawed and sometimes smelly efforts of human agents.
Click the play button below each title:
1. The Lord High and Lifted UP
2. What is the Culture?
In late 2015, Robert Ellsberg of Orbis Books contacted me to ask if I would be willing to edit a volume of Pope Francis's statements on mission. I immediately said "yes." I, of course, had followed Francis in the news since his election in 2013 and been captivated by his simplicity, his humility, his manner of engaging people, and his unprecedented critique of church leaders in Evangelii Gaudium. But I had not yet acquired a deep knowledge of his views. So, I very much welcomed the opportunity to work on the project.
When we spoke, Ellsberg remarked that there were many in the U.S. Catholic church, including bishops, who seemed to be completely missing the missionary direction and agenda Francis was setting for the church. What was needed was a book that would show these things clearly and simply, drawing primarily on the pope's own words. Everything I would need was in English translation on the Vatican website.
So, I got to work. Over the next year I downloaded and read more than three thousand pages of Francis's speeches, audiences, and other statements. The depth and breadth of his missiological reflections were remarkable. There were teachings on every aspect of social mission, on proclamation and inculturation, on ecumenism and interreligious dialogue, on spiritual obstacles to mission, on bad missionary practice, and on the intellectual virtues at work in effective missionary engagement. All of this was suffused with theological insight and united to a profound call for the whole church to "go forth" out of its all too frequent non-missionary state.
As one familiar with prior Catholic magisterial teaching on mission, the novelties in particular stood out to me. Never before had a pope pointed out so directly the church's missionary faults and failings. Never in modern times had so sweeping a call for the church's missionary transformation been issued. And never had I seen the necessity and the beauty of mission presented in such compelling terms. To cite two papal biographers, I found Austen Ivereigh's description of Francis as "the Great Reformer" quite apt, and with Paul Vallely I saw that Francis was indeed engaged in a "struggle for the soul of Catholicism"-a struggle to make it more mission-oriented and more faithful to Jesus. The more I read, the more I saw the truth of Ellsberg's remark and the more Francis's words to the church seeped into my soul, challenging me.
Organizing the book took time, more than I originally anticipated. Reading Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis's 2013 apostolic exhortation, helped me identify many of the major themes the book would explore. But I soon discovered other themes, equally central to the pope's understanding of mission, that were hardly elaborated at all in Evangelii Gaudium. Several of these-including discernment, closeness, dialogue, accompaniment, corruption, prayer, and hope-I found were not developed at great length in any of his statements. Faithfully presenting these aspects of his thought would require a serious effort of compilation.
And that turned out to be one of the distinguishing features of the volume as it came to completion in the summer of 2018. Most edited collections of Pope Francis's teachings compile several dozen of his texts. Go Forth: Toward a Community of Missionary Disciples would ultimately compile over six hundred texts, all in order to convey the full force and sweep of the pope's message of missionary reform.
To every baptized believer and to every church community, Francis addresses these words: A wounded world awaits us. Our Lord awaits us. Will we follow him on the paths of mission? Will we be a church that shines?
"Christ is my ‘ishta'[God], he has never left me, I will never leave him, but I would not have joined the Christian community.
I would have lived with my people and my community and been a witness to them."
Yisu Das Tiwari (1911-1997), a follower of Christ from a Brahmin family of North India, made the preceding striking statement to his son, Ravi Tiwari. I find senior Tiwari's admission effortlessly intersecting with the narrative of thousands of Hindu devotees of Christ in India today. Why did Tiwari regret joining the Christian community? What could be the causes behind such rumination?
These are the questions that prompted me to investigate the pertinent issue of religious believing in Jesus Christ vis-à-vis social belonging of the believers. The relationship of believing in Christ and belonging to the institutional church or Christian community is as old as the Christian faith in India and the issue reemerges today in the form of a missiological dilemma: Many caste-Hindus claim to believe in Christ but remain outside the institutional church and some decide to remain unbaptized.
In my ethnographic case study in India, Believing Without Belonging? Religious Beliefs and Social Belonging of Hindu Devotees of Christ (2020), I argue that this response to the gospel needs to be viewed from the theoretical perspective of World Christianity in general and Christianity's enduring encounter with Hinduism and Indian culture in particular.
I am thrilled this study is finally seeing the light of day published under the ASM Monograph Series (48). Dr. Darrel Whiteman, in his endorsement of the book, writes, "In this carefully researched and well documented study, John brilliantly tackles the issues of baptism, identity, and ecclesiology and boldly concludes that these Hindu devotees of Christ are neither anonymous Christians nor secret Christians, but rather represent an authentic expression of World Christianities."
Christian mission not only transforms the cultures it reaches, but the new inculturation of Christianity also is transformed and particularized in that process. People do not merely become adherents of Christ, but that faith becomes localized in its theology, ecclesiology, and missiology. History is replete with such models of the gospel's transformative nature through contextual hermeneutics of the Bible. My book recognizes and promotes what Lamin Sanneh terms the "translatability"1 of faith, which represents the intrinsic characteristic of the gospel it preaches because the gospel will "invigorate and transform"2 the cultures and the peoples that accept it. Through the inclusion of people's history, culture, oral traditions, and their devotional piety in each context as valid sources of contextual hermeneutics, World Christianity as a theoretical perspective has widened the scope of sources for doing theology and practice of missions. These sources have not only been accepted as valid as the written scriptural texts for doing theology today, but they have also molded the nature of our faith and its mission, especially in the Majority World.
This process of the transformation of faith is no different in India where the gospel's interaction with various cultures and caste groups has produced distinct types of Christianities. For instance, the Syrian Orthodox Christianity of Kerala (South India) and the formation of a distinct community, because of Christians' migration from Syria and subsequent mingling with the local converts, are unequalled anywhere else in India. In northern India, during the colonial period, the ensuing Christianity was typically a replica of prevalent European Christianity. But then, the acceptance of the gospel by various aboriginal and Dalit cultures shaped distinctly indigenous forms of Christianity, with some Western structures intact. Furthermore, the dynamic interaction of the gospel with the Hindu tradition also culminated in the emergence of alternate forms of Christianity, quite dissimilar from its existing expressions in North India. One type of this emergent expression of indigenous Christianity among caste Hindus appears to exhibit the trait of believing in Jesus Christ but belonging differently to the church.
In this distinct form, some caste Hindus shift their religious allegiance to Jesus Christ but do not become formal members of an institutional church. Instead, they continue living in their communities of birth. Such a response to the gospel aptly fits as a case in point in World Christianity that "seeks to foster the study and practice of both local and trans-local ways of knowing and doing."3
The study highlights the emergent Hindu response to the gospel as a contemporary case in the transformation of Christian faith by the recipients in a multifaith context. The legitimacy, authenticity, and missiological significance of the movement of Hindu devotees of Christ are attested as an indigenous expression of World Christianity. They are negotiating a distinctive way of belonging to Christ and the church. Their beliefs and living out of their faith illustrate what it signifies to be a Hindu and yet profess the lordship of Jesus Christ today. This atypical belonging to Christ and the church challenges the notion that insists on identifying oneself as a "Christian" and joining the existing Christian community as the normative ways of being a follower of Christ.
1 Sanneh, Lamin, Translating the Message: The Missionary Impact on Culture, 2nd rev. ed. (Maryknoll: Orbis, 2009), 11, 211-37.
2 Sanneh, Lamin, Disciples of All Nations: Pillars of World Christianity (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008), 56.
3 Dale Irvin, "World Christianity: An Introduction," Journal of World Christianity (Online) 1 (2008), 1-26.
Click the play button below the title:
1. A Call to Mission and Unity
"Retirement...counting the days!" How often have you heard those words from people who are looking forward to leaving their work place and enjoying more leisure to travel and play and spend more time with family and friends? But what if your vocation has been so fulfilling and rewarding over many years that the thought of retiring brings more anxiety than anticipation, more dread than delight?
I've had a long and varied vocation as a missiological anthropologist, stretching over nearly five decades. With laser-like focus my passion has been attempting to understand, and perhaps share with others, the relationship between the gospel and culture. "Connecting God's Eternal Word with a Changing World" has been one of the dominant themes of my life. My "career" has not always been smooth sailing, but God has sustained me through the low points and difficult times.
As early as my days in high school, I sensed God inviting me to join God's mission in the world and so I began to pursue becoming a medical missionary. I took all the courses in college I needed to enter medical school, but near the end of my collegiate life I "stumbled" into anthropology. I had never heard of this academic field of study but when I discovered it I realized that here was a discipline that fit me as a person, like hand-in-glove, and I took as many courses as I could.
It was during two years right out of college as a young missionary volunteer in Central Africa that I asked God to guide me in making a vocational decision. Should I become a medical doctor or an anthropologist? Both would take about 10 more years of study and preparation. My missionary colleagues were not happy when I announced to them one day that I was going to return to the United States and enter graduate school to study anthropology instead of going to medical school. They told me I would probably lose my faith if I studied anthropology, and that even if my faith survived the secular onslaught there was nothing in the field of anthropology that would be of value to mission work. So with that kind of "encouragement" off I went, and indeed it was challenging to my Christian faith and very lonely at times because I had little encouragement from anyone, but I felt certain that this was God's call on my life.
With nine years of cross-cultural ministry, mostly in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, as professor of anthropology and later dean of the E. Stanley Jones School of World Mission and Evangelism at Asbury Theological Seminary for 21 years, and then as resident missiologist and vice-president for training at The Mission Society (now TMS-Global) for nine years, I have now entered "retirement." From 1985 to the present I've been an active and enthusiastic member of the American Society of Missiology, serving for many years as editor of Missiology, president in 2006-2007, and now publisher. I lovingly refer to the ASM as "my tribe," for over the years I have built some deep and endearing friendships.
Sociologists tell us that the crisis of retirement is not so much a financial crisis as much as it is an identity crisis. I have found this to be true in my situation. I've observed that when Americans meet other Americans anywhere in the world they immediately ask two questions of each other: "What do you do?" and "Where are you from?" Why would those two questions surface immediately? In many other cultures the first question would be "To whom are you related?" not "What do you do?"
The answer to "What do you do?" places one in a social location with a defined status and accompanying role, which we then quickly rank as being more or less important than ourselves. Anthropological studies of social organization and structure focus on the two major building blocks of status (a position in society) and rôle (the accompanying behavior). Shakespeare wrote, "All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances and one man [sic]in his time plays many parts." The part the person plays, to follow Shakespeare's analogy, is the status. And of course we all occupy several different statuses in a society. A given status, a position in the society, is what provides a person with a social identity, a place in social interaction. But what happens when our personal identity becomes too closely aligned with our social identity? We're in for an emotional roller coaster with highs and lows in our career. We measure our self-worth on what we do, on what we accomplish, more than on who we be. "Doing" takes precedent over "Being."
And this is where I have found myself as I have entered retirement, and it hasn't been easy. In fact, there are days when it is really difficult and challenging and I wonder, "What am I going to do with my life?" But then when I reflect on who I am in Christ, I'm reminded that my true, lasting, and eternal identity is that I am a child of the kingdom of God, created in the image of God, loved and treasured for who I am, not for what I do or for what I have done. This shifting of my personal identity away from my social identity takes intentionality. It requires that I become more centered and grounded in Christ, to slow down, be more reflective and not just active. It means working more on a "To Be" list, instead of trying to manage a busy "To Do" list. I resonate with the words of Dag Hammarskjold from his diary Markings (1964:93) "If only I may grow: firmer, simpler-quieter, warmer."
Ironically, I am writing this blog from somewhere in Asia where for security reasons my location must not be disclosed for I have been training a large group of national pastors and missionaries on how insights from missiological anthropology can help them in their cross-cultural ministry to better connect the gospel to the deepest parts of their worldview and culture. As I share from many years of experience and perhaps some wisdom, I plan to keep going, teaching and training around the world for as long as God gives me abundant passion, good health, and a sound mind. But I can now rest assured that my identity in this phase of semi-retirement is in who I am in Christ, not in what I do as a missiological anthropologist.
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1. Christian Ideals & Indian National Progress
(adapted from January 2020 IBMR Editorial)
Leaning into the convergence of past and future has been a perennial source of reform and renewal for the church's mission, theology, and institutional life. This enduring tension at the heart of Christian faith is captured well by the New Testament word kairos, which means both an opportune moment and a time of crisis.
The present kairos for OMSC invites us to embrace a known past and an unknown future, calling on the wisdom embodied by our institutional legacy while welcoming God's new and ever-hopeful future as we prepare for the move to Princeton Theological Seminary (PTS) in July, 2020 and the celebration of our centenary in 2022. I have been thinking that this moment calls for a clear sense of identity and a discerning and playful sense of joyful expectation.
Of course, we won't know the full implications of this kairos until after we have settled into our new home at PTS, but here are three of the procedural, programmatic, and pedagogical innovations on the horizon:
1. Application process. In place of our former practice of rolling admissions, we launched a new online application that opened on October 1 and closed on December 31, 2019 (for more information and link to online application, go to https://www.omsc.org/information-for-prospective-residents). Applicants for the 2020-21 academic year will be notified of our decision on Friday, February 14, 2020. This revised application process will allow time for us to tailor the content of seminars for the coming academic year to better suit the needs and interests of our incoming program participants.
2. Research and writing project. In light of Princeton's rich research environment and the expanded opportunities for interaction with faculty, seminarians, and others, all OMSC program participants will be required to pursue a practical or academic research and writing project in English that is relevant to their academic interests and ministry contexts. The new application for residency will include a proposal for this project. Given this new requirement, each yearlong program participant will also be asked to lead two morning seminars, one in the fall and one in the spring semester. In these seminars, they will present their work in progress and engage in dialogue with OMSC professional staff and other program participants, PTS faculty and students, and members of the broader community. Some of the best work each year may be selected for the IBMR or other OMSC publications.
3. Pedagogical strategy and outcomes. Concerning the shape of the Study Program, we do not plan to eliminate the excellent OMSC tradition of seminars facilitated by invited scholars and teachers, but we will resituate those seminars within a participant-centered pedagogical strategy that leads to the production of concrete outputs, such as books, articles, essays, op-eds, interviews, artwork, poetry, music, and so forth, which we will share with individuals, churches, and foundations who support our mission. Since each program participant will be pursuing a research and writing project on a particular topic, we plan to invite scholars from topic-relevant fields who will offer either a seminar with three morning sessions or two ninety-minute lectures for the whole group and others. We will also ask these invited scholars to give individual time to helping guide our participants' research and writing projects. While pursuing their own projects, program participants will commit in advance to attending all the OMSC-sponsored seminars and lectures. At PTS we will have the technological facility to offer some OMSC-sponsored seminars, lectures, and interviews as webinars and/or podcasts, thereby expanding our global impact.
We know that such an ambitious plan will require careful planning, execution, and management, but I believe we have a responsibility to strengthen our impact by sharing the concrete fruits of a season at OMSC with those in churches here in the United States and elsewhere who are committed to engaging in God's mission.
Postscript for ASM Colleagues: OMSC's Study Program was originally launched in 1967 as a continuing education opportunity for North American missionaries. Since taking on this responsibility in 2016, we have not hosted a single North American missionary in our program. Instead, we have had the privilege of welcoming African, Asian, and Latin American church leaders, scholars, and missionaries. Given this dramatic shift, we are being challenged to redesign our Study Program to serve the needs of these leaders and, through the two-way pedagogy gestured at above, to listen to what the Spirit may be saying through them. I want to thank the members of the ASM for your continued support, advice, and prayers as we move into God's ever-hopeful future.
With thanks and blessings,
Rev. Thomas John Hastings, PhD
OMSC Executive Director
IBMR Editor
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1. The Spirituality of African Women: The Sacred in the Writings of Buchi Emecheta
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1. Hopeful Missionaries at a Hopeless Time
2. Migration the Missionary Vocation and Identity
3. Mission at the Table
4. The Affective Infrastructure for Mission
In their book "UN-Christian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity" Kinnaman and Lyon write that people outside Christianity in North America perceive Christians as people who are, "antigay, antichoice, angry, violent, illogical, empire builders..." Clearly, North American Christianity has a problem with its public witness. In no small way the harmful anger and hatred directed at sexual and gender minorities from within Christian circles has played a role in creating this perception. From within many Christian contexts the perspective is quite different. There people argue that Christianity always condemned "sodomy" or "homosexuality" and that the criticism and negative attitudes represent a form of tough love aimed at helping people reform their lives in accordance with Christian teaching. Biblical texts such as Lev 18 and 20, Romans 1 and sometimes Genesis 19 as well as the creation stories in Genesis 1 and 2 are used as proof of a long and honorable Christian tradition rejecting same-sex relationships.
The vehemence and angry forms of hatred I have observed among Christians and the mounting evidence of profound harm done, especially to sexual and gender minority youth, combined with the shadow that these attitudes cast over the Christian church has puzzled me and led me through a five year project of research resulting in my book, "Misguided Love: Christians and the Rupture of LGBTQI2+ People." Even though I did not expect to find a lot of good history, I was profoundly disappointed in the ongoing historical failure of Christian behavior toward people who were singled out, tortured, and burned alive in public displays of extreme violence in the name of Christ. The history, it turns out, is not a beautiful history of Christian holiness, but rather a history of Christian shame. Unfortunately, Christians continue to behave in harmful ways.
Much of the contemporary culture wars have focused on parsing biblical texts, often taken out of context, and the literature on this is now very informative. Perhaps the death blow to the Christian focus on two texts in Lev 18 and 20 came in the work of conservative Rabbi Jacob Milgrom. In the Anchor Bible Commentary on Leviticus he demonstrated that Christians misread these texts and pull them out of the cultural context and ethos of the Jewish law. He argues persuasively that these texts are not about universal sexual morality, but rather, about the moral procreative responsibility of a married Jewish man, toward his wives.
In my journey of research, I explored Christian sexual ethics and some of the latest research on the role of internalized homophobia that shapes societal attitudes toward sexual and gender minorities. The greatest surprise, however, was to be found in the history of the rise of the myth of the sin of sodomy. As Missiologists, we pride ourselves in understanding the role of culture in relation to our faith. The story of Sodom and how it impacted the formation of early Christianity in the Roman Empire and particularly stoic Roman culture is a fascinating case study. It seems that it started with a Jewish Scholar, Philo of Alexandria (20 BC - 50 CE), who sought to make Judaism amenable to the popular stoic instincts of Roman culture. Philo built his ideas about the story of Sodom in Gen 19 on reading the Septuagint version of the Bible without a good grasp of the original Hebrew. He absorbed the profound misogyny of Roman society and started describing same sex relations as a form corruption of manliness. The flipside of this is the denigration of women. He considered women to be inferior human beings subject to their passions particularly displayed in sexuality. Men who indulge in such womanly behavior were to be put to death.
Philo's writing became so influential in early Christianity that many believed he was a Christian bishop. His writings shaped the emergence of the Alexandrian rule that considered sexual relations as undesirable amongst Christians and only permissible for the sake of procreation. Being celibate was proclaimed as the better way and was particularly important to establish the image of a Christian man. Such men were considered completely rational and not influenced by any form of sexual desire. Out of the cauldron of the collapsing Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity came a new negative conception of sex. The rest of the history is deeply troubling including protestants in Geneva literally slowly beating people to death, and the hanging of young boys in the 18th Century Protestant Dutch Republic. I believe this history of harm and new biblical research calls us to repentance and to a new assessment of our attitude toward sexual and gender minorities.
(Misguided Love: Christians and the Rupture of LGBTQI2+ People is a peer reviewed publication of the Journal of Pastoral Care and Counseling and is available at http://www.harvard.com/book/misguided_love/)
Click the play button below each title:
1. Integrity
2. Mission
3. Evangelism
4. A Missionary Church Engages Its Culture
The global pandemic has shaken our standardized methods and practices of transmitting the faith of our Christian traditions, leading us to revalue the essence of the gospel. Christian mission today is searching for new directions to approach the postmodern, postcolonial, and ecumenical paradigms. My new book, Towards a New Praxis-Oriented Missiology (Pickwick, 2020), argues that mission is not just a transmission of knowledge that keeps an established structure and culture alive (often justified and glorified by a specific ecclesiological model). Rather, mission seeks to embody the content and praxis of the gospel. Mission can be understood as an invitation to initiate a transformative process of faith, which leads to personal and social transformation.
This work brings into dialogue Stephan Bevans's notion of mission as prophetic dialogue and Paulo Freire's concept of conscientização. The aim is not to use Freire's conscientização as a method to do mission but to rescue the process that leads to a transformation in both concepts, allowing one to encounter the other where they are, while respecting the uniqueness of every person, culture, church, and society. Prophetic dialogue enriched by Freire's thought, and vice versa, can open new perspectives within missiology and provide a new approach to mission praxis. The concept of conscientização is shown to support the conscious dedication, preparation, dialogue, and commitment to incarnate the gospel in every culture. It sets up the interior attitude to read and interpret, as well as to intervene in specific realities. Besides revealing the riches that prophetic dialogue offers to mission praxis, my book explores questions and challenges in missiological discourse today, such as how to promote the gospel in a more experiential way.
My mission praxis is then analyzed through the experiential and transformative elements of the Verbum Dei charism applied to my ministry with the Latino immigrant population in California. Bevans's and Freire's work is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of prophetic dialogue and conscientização in the Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity mission praxis.
"Towards a New Praxis-Oriented Missiology" will awaken in missiology scholars, ministers, and in people dedicating their lives to serve others, the desire to rescue and transmit the humble power and beauty of the Gospel taught by Jesus. It will provide tools to initiate a transformative process of faith, leading to a personal and social transformation; tools to help people relate the content of faith to the concrete reality (personal, familiar, social); and tools to make the content of faith relevant to the reality of the present era.
Like many Americans, I enjoyed and appreciated the musical Hamilton and was excited when it became available to watch on Disney+, the cost of tickets to a live show being exorbitant. Although Alexander Hamilton, played by the musical's creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, is the title character of the popular musical, while watching the performance, I came to appreciate that Miranda actually puts the focus on many other characters in the story. The musical is about Hamilton, but we learn about that founding father primarily through his relationships with other people.
Occasionally, Hamilton sings about himself, but more often, we see Hamilton through the eyes of others. Aaron Burr narrates the musical and describes their parallel careers. Sister-in-law Angelica Schuyler sings of the Hamilton she knew and loved. Thomas Jefferson sings of the Hamilton he worked with and hated. Hamilton's Revolutionary friends brag that future generations will remember the story of their relationship. Notably, Hamilton's wife, Eliza, after she learns of an affair, declares she is "erasing herself from the narrative" so the story of their relationship will not be told. In the context of the musical, some of Hamilton's actions and deeds are related, some of his ideas are mentioned, and the Revolutionary context is presented, but the story told is one of relationships.
Hamilton is a work of historical fiction, but it offers an illustration of a tantalizing area of development in historiography of Christian missions. What might the history of Christian missions look like through the lens of actual, lived human relationships? Everyone familiar with mission history is familiar with the different forms it has taken over the years. There have been those (too often hagiographic) biographies that have told a story of deeds and actions undertaken by missionaries. Other histories focus on the missiology and theological ideas held and conveyed by missionaries and how those ideas have been received. Still other works focus on the larger cultural, political, and religious context in which Christian mission has occurred. Except for the hagiographic narratives, each of those historiographical approaches has its place, and the best examples of the genre address more than one area.
Intentionally putting actual human relationships in the foreground of mission history would offer a different view on history. To do so would require several things such as embracing a social historical approach recognizing that no two relationships are alike and that relationships change over time. It would also require an awareness that relationships often embody and sometimes subvert ideologies and power dynamics derived from the cultural and social context.
Perhaps the biggest challenge to using relationships as a way of exploring mission history is that history as a discipline must be grounded in solid source material. Unlike Miranda, historians don't have the freedom to tell historical fiction. Here, I suspect that in some instances, it is not that sources don't exist to explore different relationships, it's just that no one has looked for them. Researching my recent book on Methodist missionary William Taylor (William Taylor and the Mapping of the Methodist Missionary Tradition: The World His Parish, Lexington Books, 2019), I was able to uncover many new sources about Taylor life and work by intentionally exploring his interpersonal relationships. If Taylor mentioned a name in his writing, I searched to see if that person had left behind any published memoirs or archival material. Those that I found, I looked for and often found references to Taylor. I also researched the contexts around the world in which he worked to find other source material that might illuminate his story from a different angle, such as newspaper articles and writings of others who happened to be in those same settings at the same time. By taking seriously relationships Taylor mentioned, I was able to discover some important sources that offered insight into how those relationships shaped Taylor's ministry. For example, I discovered how the assassination of a friend in San Francisco prompted Taylor to write his first book.
Without source material, however, some gaps in the narrative cannot be overcome. Such lacunae have to stand, as is. All perceptive readers of my book will wonder what Taylor's wife, Isabelle Anne (Kimberlin) Taylor, thought of her husband's exploits around the world while he effectively abandoned her and their children to become a global evangelist and missionary. All I can say is, I wonder too. I was able to find precious few sources to document her actions, thoughts, and experience. Likewise, indigenous voices on the impact of Taylor's ministry were also hard to find and mediated through western sources. However, such gaps and problems in source material will not surprise anyone who has worked with primary sources on mission history.
My own experience leads me to suspect that relationships between different missionaries may be the most likely area to find source material. Different individuals serving in the same region with the same or different sending bodies have likely been preserved in some settings. Likewise, sources may be available on the relationships between missionaries and colonial administrators, as both church and governmental bureaucracies often generated documentation. Internal mission documents could illuminate relationships between specific missionaries and their translators, cultural intermediaries, or other people employed by missions. Again, my own experience makes me think familial relationships will be the most opaque, because the mundane and intimate nature of daily family life rarely generates durable records. Day to day interactions of missionaries and indigenous persons would also be unlikely to generate records.
One of the benefits of this potential approach to the history of Christian mission would be that it follows the lead of other missiological reflection. The importance of relationships in missiology is nothing new. Donald McGavran famously called them "bridges of God." As the title of Dana Robert's recent book, Faithful Friendships, suggests, cross-cultural friendships offer a particular form of relationship as a way of thinking about Christian mission.
The closing song of Hamilton! is titled "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story." In it, Eliza Hamilton declares she will, "[P]ut myself back in the narrative" by interviewing her late husband's comrades, exploring his writing, and seeking to continue his legacy. In a sense, she puts their relationship back at center of her own story. In the end, historians have the chance to do something similar and have the privilege of offering an answer to at least the third of those questions. We get to choose the stories we will tell about the history of Christian mission and how we will tell those stories. Perhaps within the rich tapestry of human relationships we can find new dimensions of historical knowledge to explore.
Click the play button below each title:
1. Translating and Being Translated
2. Lessons to be Learned from the History of Mission in Africa
3. The Church in China
4. The Missionary Movement as Learning Experience in India
Many of us who have devoted our lives to boundary-crossing ministries know well the gnawing feeling that, despite our good intensions, our work may actually be doing more harm than good-or, at least, doing more harm than we realize. Confessing this out loud can be scary; we risk damaging relationships, losing funding, and even being exiled from our home church communities when we earnestly seek to identify and repent of ugly truths about ourselves. And yet, it is through the continual process of soul searching and repentance that we draw closer to God and one another, becoming more fruitful disciples of Christ.
In recent years, an increasing number of folks with decades of ministry and anti-poverty work experience have boldly spoken their constructive criticisms and been heard. Books such as When Helping Hurts and Toxic Charity have made it onto mainstream bestseller lists and are joined by a chorus of similarly themed publications. And yet, these introductory texts barely scratch the surface of the deeper more painful issues that must be addressed-issues that sit at the intersection of vanity, racism, power imbalances, trauma, exploitation, hero-complexes, and alienation. If we are truly serious about a life of discipleship, of accompanying the vulnerable among us, bandaging the wounded, and announcing Good News to the poor and oppressed, we must be vigilant in our efforts to know ourselves better, be honest about our wounds and complicity in the world's problems, and seek out and shatter every golden calf we were taught to adore-even if it means parting ways with beloved church mission practices and traditions.
It was with this resolve that I entered into my doctoral research. As a second-generation missiologist pastor committed to standing in solidarity with The United Methodist Church (UMC) in the DR Congo, I wanted to analyze and learn from the mistakes I had made over the years, understand the myriad of invisible dynamics at play that had caused these stumbles, find out what work I needed to do on myself, and share my findings with others. This quest took me on a long and emotionally grueling journey, and my findings eventually took the form of a book that was selected in 2019 for inclusion in the American Society of Missiology's Monograph Series: Decolonizing Mission Partnerships: Evolving Collaboration between United Methodists in North Katanga and the United States of America.
While examining the history and recent shifts of relational dynamics between American and Congolese United Methodists in the North Katanga Conference (DR Congo), Decolonizing Mission Partnerships explores how colonial partnerships can be transformed into healthy boundary-crossing ministry partnerships. While much of the book's content is specific to the context of The UMC in North Katanga and its relationship with (primarily White) Americans, it sets up a conceptual framework through which one can analyze other missional collaborations in postcolonial contexts. Every postcolonial or cross-racial missional collaboration must wrestle with the legacies of colonialism, racism, and unhealed trauma. If they don't, those legacies will undermine their efforts, carrying that pain, shame, and harm into the next generation.
My prayer is that my book will serve as a useful tool for those seeking to create Christ-filled legacies of healing and atonement. If after reading it you would like to continue the conversation together, I would love to hear from you. I can be reached at [email protected] or on WhatsApp at +1-317-408-5036.
Praise for Decolonizing Mission Partnerships:
"Taylor Denyer's research on the dimensions of one colonized partnership-and what it would take to decolonize it-presents an informative case study and a compelling challenge. Her skillful integration of several academic conversations into a single missiological framework provides a helpful model for further reflection on transforming mission partnerships. This hope-giving study embodies an ethos of deep listening and vulnerable self-criticism coupled with a determined personal commitment to work for change." - Johannes (Klippies) Kritzinger, Professor Emeritus of Missiology, University of South Africa
"Taylor Walters Denyer takes an important topic-the missional relationships between large groups of United Methodists from the North Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of Congo and from the United States-and analyzes it through a refreshingly wide variety of critical lenses. In so doing, she lifts up important Congolese voices, and adds her own unique voice, developed through close personal connections to the Katanga region about which she so knowledgeably and passionately writes." - Dr. David W. Scott, Consultant, Office of the General Secretary, General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church
"Decolonizing Mission Partnerships is a book that should lead us into redefining what it means to be a church engaged in God's mission. Structures and systems that support mission are called to reevaluate themselves through the lenses of the perspective and experiences that Rev. Denyer presents to us. I appeal local churches to reflect on the book." - The Rev. Dr. Mande Muyombo, United Methodist Bishop over the North Katanga Episcopal Area
On January 20, 2021, history was made in the United States as Kamala Harris was sworn in as Vice-President, the first woman, and woman of color, to hold this high office. Vice-President Harris has been clear that she did not achieve this position on her own; her grandmother, mother, aunt, sister, and niece are part of her story. So are her husband and her stepson and stepdaughter. As is, of course, President Biden who selected her as his running mate. As she takes up her new responsibilities, they are there for her, encouraging and supporting and believing in her as they've always done.
Christian women also need other women and men to encourage and support us as we take up our responsibilities. And although women may only now be moving into top leadership in US politics, the Christian church has a different history. Women have been central to the mission of the church from the start. Women disciples followed Jesus and supported him financially. Women built and led monastic communities. Women raised and educated their children in the faith. Women left home to preach and evangelize and teach and heal as missionaries. Yet today, their stories are not widely known or told. We wrote this book so that today's Christian women and men could know those stories, and know about the vast array of women who have preceded us and who serve as encouragement and role models for us.
Our experience suggests that women are starved for these kinds of stories. So much history has been written purely from men's perspective that women may think they don't really matter. When Leanne started giving presentations about women throughout Christian history, the most common question was "Where's the book?" Women wanted to read these stories for themselves. Women who read drafts of the book as we were writing it called it balm for the soul and food for starving people. One was even angry that she'd been deceived because she never knew how much women have contributed to the global church.
We had a lot of fun writing it, too. We learned about women we'd never heard of before. We learned to view some women in a whole new way, different from howmen had represented them to us. Aimee Semple McPherson is a good example. Leanne remembers hearing her characterized in seminary as "flighty," "hysterical," and a "floozy," while Anneke recalls hearing her characterized as sexually immoral. Part of the characterization seems to have developed because Aimee was married three times. Digging into her story, we learned that her first husband died while they were on the mission field. Her second divorced her because she wouldn't abandon her call to ministry. At that point she decided never to marry again. But her third husband swept her off her feet and persuaded her to elope and get married. Two days later he was sued by another woman for breach of promise, and he lost! A little later he too divorced Aimee for the same reason as husband number two. Yet despite all these personal tragedies, Aimee developed an incredible ministry that reached thousands of people in Los Angeles. She developed dramatic sermons, embraced racial equality in her church, and fed more people during the Depression than the City of Los Angeles did. She even pioneered Christian radio.
Aimee also encountered powerful men who tried to hinder her ministry. H.L. Mencken, a well-known journalist of her day, was not at all a fan of the church. Yet he wrote favorably about Aimee. He said that local clergy were jealous of her because she had so many converts, and that political leaders were mad because she supported Prohibition. Both sets of men tried to discredit her, but God just continued blessing her ministry.
Reading the story of how Aimee persevered and how God blessed her work might really encourage women and men today who've encountered personal or ministry obstacles. People who've experienced failed marriages may find her story redemptive. Women who've encountered obstacles in ministry may find her story sounds all too familiar. But that means we're not alone. She's an example of how women throughout history have turned constraints into assets-a theme we show repeatedly throughout the book. For example, Aimee turned her marriage experience into a way to talk about the church as the bride of Christ, a relationship far better than any human marriage. Her illustrated sermons allowed her to capitalize on her own natural dramatic flair. These sermons were appealing to the people of Los Angeles who were used to having Hollywood on their doorstep. And her church grew and became a denomination with more than 86,000 churches today.
It helps women to know that we're not alone. Other women have modeled the way, walked the path, maintained the faith, and can now be mentors and examples for us. They can surround and encourage us as we read their stories, just like Vice-President Harris's family members surround and encourage her in her new role. But that can't happen if we don't know the stories. So read our book! Think about assigning it in your class. Consider using it in a small group at church. And tell us what you think! ([email protected], [email protected]). May the Lord use you for his glory even as he used the women in this book.
Dzubinski, L. M., & Stasson, A. H. (2021). Women in the mission of the church: Their opportunities and obstacles throughout Christian history. Baker Academic.
http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/women-in-the-mission-of-the-church/393020
Click the play button below each title:
1. Ethnic Minorities in the North American Mosaic
2. The Hispanic Presence in the North American Mosaic
3. The Promise of Mission Among The Hispanics of North America
Recently a friend visited me. As we talked about this and that, he told me about difficulties in his missionary work. He had spent six years serving the Kurdish community in Iraq. His initial contact with the Kurds was at a Development Center where he taught English and computer skills. With continued commitment to serve, but dwindling funds, he opened a Women’s Center where women were taught various classes. Six years later his sponsoring church asked him to evaluate his ministry and send them a report. He realized that during this time no one had come to Christ! This fact prompted him to ask a fundamental question, “How should I measure my ministry outcomes with the Kurds?”
While I was listening to his story, I sympathized with him and asked myself, “If I was him, how would I measure my ministry effectiveness?” In an arena that measures success economically or spiritually, how is success being measured in Christian ministry endeavors? How can one determine when a given mission’s approach has produced a good return? For too long in missions, financial stewardship or evangelical fruit such as the number of baptisms, and disciples have sufficed as the sole measuring tools for missional effectiveness. Increased economic pressures, however, such as the triple bottom line (e.g., financial, social, and spiritual) have pushed us to consider more than the quantifiable elements of spiritual reconciliation or financial flourishing, as well as to evaluate outcomes of social transformation, i.e., to be accountable. For effective ministry, social transformation also needs to be measured beside the use of common metrics associated with the spiritual and/or economic.
These questions and basic practices form the basis for my recent book, Faith in the Marketplace: Measuring the Impact of Church Based Entrepreneurial Approaches to Holistic Mission. This book seeks to identify key factors for holistic evaluation based on the salient characteristics that emerged in the case study of three church-based entrepreneurial ministries studied in San Francisco (Redeemer Community Church), Selma, Alabama (Blue Jean Church), and Lynch, Kentucky (Meridzo Ministries). A case study enabled me to study both the surface manifestations of the operation of church based entrepreneurial approaches to holistic mission as well as the underlying processes. This micro-level approach revealed how the leaders determined success and effectiveness. As the result of the studies, readers will note a new way of defining of success and effectiveness by exploring outcomes and impacts of holistic Christian ministries. Additionally, various paths to live out a public church and narrow the gap between the Kingdom of God and a not-yet-redeemed world will be identified.
In this book, we reveal that a true measure of success and effectiveness needs to be based on transformation of evangelical, economic, and social relationships. In other words, the ministries need to frame their ultimate goal in terms of the Triune God’s work through the Father within all creation, through Christ within the reign of God, and through the Spirit within the coming Kingdom of God. The key to these metrics is the intersection between the immanent Trinity (the inner life of the Triune God) and economic Trinity (the Triune God’s missional movement in the world).
Other books and missional practitioners may discuss how to start a missional church or public church, but fall short in providing specific end points or guidelines for assessing a church’s present state. This book provides metrics reflecting a more theological and missiological standard by which to measure a missional church’s effectiveness and success. It is my hope that this book is able to assist church leaders and practitioners to move away from the traditional numbers-based models to the use of a relational framework and from static numbers to dynamic relationships.
Click the play button below each title:
1. Gospel and Culture: Advocates or Adversaries of Contextualization Part 1
2. Gospel and Culture: Advocates or Adversaries of Contextualization Part 2
3. Gospel and Culture: Advocates or Adversaries of Contextualization Part 3
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1. The Presence of the Kingdom
In 2008 my family and I moved to Darhan, the second largest city in Mongolia, to serve in theological education and leadership development. The emergence of the Mongolian church following seventy years of socialism is nothing short of astounding. Now, more than thirty years after the re-opening to the world following the revolution of early 1990, relatively little scholarship has focused on the Mongolian church.
After several years of teaching, I began to see that I did not know the leaders I interacted with and sought to serve as well as I wanted to. This realization was crystalized for me one day during a training I asked those gathered, a group of thirty or so men and women, to line up in order of when they became followers of Jesus. Looking around the room I noticed two things. The first was that the majority of those present were women. I also noticed that the first man, who identified as a follower of Jesus, was a bit over halfway down the line. What I did not know was why this was the case or what this story held. I was fascinated to hear each of their stories and to try to understand the various journeys that their lives had taken to this point.
I have been greatly impacted by the work of Paulo Freire and the process of empowerment that comes through enabling people to share their stories. This encounter motivated me to research the stories and experiences of church leaders like this in the training. As I refined my research question, I realized that I wanted to allow the voice of Mongolian church leaders to be heard and expressed, giving an insider, emic, perspective. Another reality was that I needed to limit my research population. I chose to focus on the experience of male, evangelical Mongolian church leaders, the central question of my dissertation. Much of the literature looking at the contemporary evangelical church in Mongolia provides either the perspective of an expat international worker or that of an outsider or etic perspective.
Gathering research was simultaneously one of my greatest joys and challenges. I really enjoyed the opportunity to sit down with these Mongolian church leaders and listen to what they had to say. Their stories have inspired, haunted, and often reduced me to tears. It was an experience that I did not want to stop. Their words are the basis for my upcoming book as part of the ASM Monograph Series, Shepherds of the Steppes: The Experience of Male, Evangelical, Mongolian Church Leaders, an Ethnographic Approach (Anticipated publication in 2023) by Wipf & Stock.
Photo: Church leaders, newly graduated
My research focuses on four general areas of experience: conversion, discipleship, Mongolian culture, and theological education and leadership development. Under conversion I explore mechanisms of conversion or how leaders came to be a follower of Jesus as well as factors or orientations that led to their conversion. I also interact with different theories and models of conversion as well as experiences that confirmed their conversion, responses by family and their social groups, and experience with baptism.
The chapter on discipleship examines three different approaches to discipleship that male evangelical Mongolian church leaders experienced as well as what their preferred experiences are. The leader’s experiences are also evaluated through the lens of models of discipleship and discipleship in the broader Asian context.
When male evangelical Mongolian church leaders become followers of Jesus, how do they decide in what ways they interact with Mongolian culture and its customs? The chapter on Mongolian culture describes, in their own words, how the church leaders approach traditions common to the Mongolian context. Of particular interest will be the section in which the leaders describe the translation of the term for God in the Mongolian language and their personal use of the term. Further aspects explore the models of Alan Tippett, Charles Kraft, and Paul Hiebert on the concept of cultural negotiation.
The last section addresses theological education and leadership development (TELD). Participants share their experiences about the value as well as concerns with TELD. Based on the descriptions of the participants, I share what a valuable program for TELD looks like in the Mongolian context.
The process of this research has changed me. It has given me a deeper insight and appreciation for the church leaders around me and a better understanding of their perspective. My desire is that though this book it is their voice that will be clearly heard.
* First photo: Darhan, Mongolia
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1. Communication of the Christian Message
In this day of frequent jeremiads blasted out in tweets of 140 characters or less, sincere conversation is endangered. Yet, deep, intentional conversation in our reflections on the mission of God and the participation of Christians in it is crucial for missions' continued relevance in the 21st century. When such conversation occurs, it is a gift; it is often a surprise.
Such is the conversation I have enjoyed with Carolyn C. Wason for the last three years. In October 2014, the Evangelical Missiological Society issued a call for papers concerning contemporary problems in mission. In my view, a critical problem is the wide disaffection of millennials toward Christianity and even of many Christian millennials toward Western missions. They ask how Western missions, burdened by past abuses, can possibly be a viable vehicle of God's message of grace today, and even if missions is positively transformed, what assurance is there that its practitioners might not be as equally blind to their errors as were previous generations of missionaries?
In 2014, Carolyn happened to be a student - an exceptional one, now pursuing graduate studies in anthropology at the University of Oxford - in her final year of the Missiology and Anthropology program at Eastern University. As a Christian millennial skeptical of Christian missions, Carolyn bravely accepted my invitation to have an extended conversation concerning this generation problem facing mission. Our paper was in the form of a dialogue between a millennial Christian and a member of the baby boomer generation, the latter convinced of the value of Christian missions. Our consequent dialogue, which occurred in writing, was not easy. It was often hard to really hear what the other was saying, and to respond concisely and meaningfully. We couldn't see at that time; however, our real work lay ahead.
The outcome of our six-month conversation was a paper entitled, "A Cross-Generational Conversation Concerning the Future of Western Missions." First presented in the northeast regional conference of the EMS, it was subsequently chosen to be presented at the EMS national conference in Dallas, Texas in September 2015. At the conference we were assigned the unfortunate hour of eight o'clock in the morning on Sunday - the last day of the conference. I advised Carolyn who Skyped in from Maine not to be discouraged if only five or ten people attended. To our surprise the room was packed with more in the hallway! The paper generated robust discussion - even debate! Millennials expressed that ours was the only presentation in the conference they really wanted to hear! Afterward, as Carolyn and I reflected on the unusually strong reception in two missiological conferences, we concluded the topic was vital and our conversation should be continued.
And so, Millennials and the Mission of God: A Prophetic Dialogue was born. What began as a project of a few months became a two-year dialogue. As Carolyn writes in the preface:
As it turns out, writing a thoughtful critique of another author's work is considerably more difficult when that author critiques you right back. But that was the point of our paper, and it's the point of this book. This is a conversation. Not the kind of conversation that any of us normally have-the kind where I'm only silent because I'm waiting for my turn to reply and not because I'm actually listening; where I talk over you and you talk over me, and we all end up further affirming our own beliefs and denouncing that of the other. I can say with certainty that my views on Western missions (and my views on Baby-Boomers) have changed since we began this, and I suspect Andrew could say the same. I hope, Reader, that whatever your own views are, you will enter this conversation willing to stand up for what you believe as well as being willing to change your mind.
Our conversation's focus was the validity of Christian missions. In exploring this we discussed important related topics: can millennials find their place in the church? Is there a stream in Christian spirituality, which millennials might authentically embrace, that subsequently might facilitate the renewal of Christian missions? What place does social justice and sabbath rest have in Christian missions? How can evangelism separate itself from the political agenda of many conservative evangelicals?
Carolyn and I do not pretend to offer definitive answers to these questions. We are starting a conversation, and we hope readers will lend their voices to this ongoing dialogue. The future of Christian missions is at stake!
Andrew F. Bush, DMin., is the chair of the Global Studies and Mission Department at Eastern University. He speaks widely in churches, conferences and colleges. He has served internationally for thirty years and remains active in mission service in the Philippines and Palestine.
Andrew F. Bush and Carolyn C. Wason, Millennials and the Mission of God: A Prophetic Dialogue (Wipf & Stock: Eugene, Ore., 2017) p xv.
In less than six months we will gather for our ASM annual meeting to consider "interfaith friendship as incarnational mission practice." The past two Sundays three serendipitous events occurred which resonate for me with our ASM theme and make me anticipate our gathering even more! To be clear, the stories I relate here are not about interfaith friendships, but they are about friendship in the midst of difference and thus illustrate the generative nature of the theme ASM President Dr. Bonnie Sue Lewis has chosen.
First, this past Sunday I preached at two congregations near my home. This is not particularly unusual in itself. It is something I do every month or two. I preached on Mark 1:14-20; a few months ago I had written a short commentary on this text for the ASM "missional preacher" website. But the day before I was to preach, I saw something new in the text that I hadn't even mentioned in that commentary. In Mark's account of Jesus calling disciples by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus calls for three actions on the part of his disciples / eventual friends: Repent, believe, and follow. I closed my message by lingering with my congregations on the priority Jesus placed on repentance. Repentance is how our believing and following begins. Perhaps that is especially the case in our interfaith friendships. But surely not only there.
With my congregations I also spoke about another event that had occurred the previous week. I had visited a Coptic Orthodox Church in Portland, Oregon (the only Coptic church in Oregon) with my class of undergraduate students studying the history of African Christianity. In their ancient liturgy we heard the simple prayer, "Lord have mercy," well over a dozen times. I was reminded of the multiple layers of that simple prayer that simultaneously reminds us of our need to repent and the abundant grace and mercy that is poured out for us by our Lord Jesus Christ. While worshiping with these Coptic Christians I was also reminded of how little I pray for Christian sisters and brothers facing persecution in Egypt and elsewhere. Lord have mercy, indeed!
My third serendipitous event occurred the evening after I had preached on the Gospel of Mark. I went with a new friend to an evening service at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in a nearby town. I am still somewhat new to the American West, so I decided several months ago that I needed to better understand the Mormon tradition in my new home. As I climbed into my friend's car that rainy evening, I asked again what this service was going to be about. He said that he thought it was going to be "A kind of revival service." He is always generous to find words within my own Protestant and Methodist tradition that make sense. At the end of the service which was indeed "A kind of revival service," one of the priests from the regional ministry area or "stake" came up to me and asked, with tears in his eyes, if he could give me a hug. We had met just once before, but we had a meaningful conversation. As we embraced he said, "Thank you for being so kind to us." I recall that I mumbled something along the lines of "But, of course, we're supposed to love one another." He had previously told me of some hurtful encounters he had with evangelical Christians many years ago in our area. I don't yet know the history or current reality of Latter Day Saints - evangelical relations in my new home, but I know I need to learn. I also don't know what repentance would look like in this case, but if I am to follow Jesus more closely in my new home I need to open my heart in prayer about this. My friend's tears and words of gratitude, it seems to me, can serve as a kind of icon for my prayers in the months to come.
"Repent, believe, follow." "Lord have mercy." "Thank you for being so kind to us." May these phrases resonate for you too in the days to come as we all look forward to our ASM meeting on "interfaith friendships" at St. Mary's College in South Bend, Indiana. I'm looking forward to seeing you there!
To be clear, I don't see my relationships with LDS friends as an interfaith friendship. The evangelical - LDS dialogue that has taken place for the past 20 years seems to mostly use the language of "heterodox Christian sect" as a descriptor of the Mormon tradition that LDS Christians themselves are comfortable with. For now, so am I.
