Journey Lesson for Sunday, March 28th, 2010

The Last Supper of the Last Week of Jesus' life...

What does the Lord's Supper mean to you? What does it mean to our church?
When Jesus says, "Do this in rememberance of me." what is it we are doing? What is the "this" in his command?

Luke 22:14-29

Luke 22:14-23:56
22:14 When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him.

22:15 He said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;

22:16 for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."

22:17 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves;

22:18 for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."

22:19 Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

22:20 And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

22:21 But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table.

22:22 For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!"

22:23 Then they began to ask one another, which one of them it could be who would do this.

22:24 A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest.

22:25 But he said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors.

22:26 But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves.

22:27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

22:28 "You are those who have stood by me in my trials;

22:29 and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom,

The danger of lost meaning for the Communion? How do we live out the Last Supper amongst our neighbors. What meaning does the Last Supper have for our neighbor if we do not, as the Lord's table reads, do this in "rememberance" of Him? What meaning remains for us if we do not "remember?"

Journey Lectionary Sunday March 21, 2010: Anointing of Jesus

Have you ever failed to realize the full significance of an event until after it was over, until days, months are sometimes never grasping the whole import of what you have witnessed?

Who are the characters in this biblical scene and how did they appreciate the significance of this event?

John 12:1-8
12:1 Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.

12:2 There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him.

12:3 Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

12:4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said,

12:5 "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?"

12:6 (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.)

12:7 Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial.

12:8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."

How do we discern the appropriate time to use the gifts we have been given?

What are some of the ways you need to utilize the gifts you have been given for the sake of another?

JOURNEY LECTIONARY LESSON FOR 4TH SUNDAY OF LENT 2010: Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32

The painting is The Prodigal by Rembrandt

A prodigal: a spendthrift, or person who spends money recklessly and wastefully.

What does it mean to “come to one’s senses.” Can you recall a time in your life when this realization came to you?

Last week we spoke that while we may feel we have done no real wrong, we still may possibly be guilty of a wasted life. Our lesson for this week is taken from one of the most recognized parables of the New Testament, the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. The prodigal is not only found in the Christian scriptures but is also a well known story in other cultures. In many ways it appears as a stage in our human development, a landmark, so to speak, on the way to adulthood and recognition of one’s responsibility.

However, this story as presented by Luke is part of a larger trilogy of stories regarding value lost, property lost and a relationship lost: The Lost Coin, The Lost Sheep, and The Lost Prodigal, which looked at together bring out the level of God’s mercy regarding his relationship with us.


Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

15:1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him.

15:2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."

15:3 So he told them this parable:

15:11b "There was a man who had two sons.

15:12 The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.' So he divided his property between them.

15:13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living.

15:14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need.

15:15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs.

15:16 He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything.

15:17 But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger!

15:18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you;

15:19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands."'

15:20 So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.

15:21 Then the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

15:22 But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly, bring out a robe--the best one--and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

15:23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate;

15:24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!' And they began to celebrate.

15:25 "Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.

15:26 He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on.

15:27 He replied, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.'

15:28 Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him.

15:29 But he answered his father, 'Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends.

15:30 But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!'

15:31 Then the father said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.

15:32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.'"


Is it ever too late to repent, to turn away and change our ways in regard to God, in regard to others we may have hurt? How does a merciful response affect the outcome of the restoration?

Why does Jesus use the setting of a family to make his point? Why do people such as Pharisees and Scribes have this attitude toward "sinners?" What is Jesus saying to you??

Evil and Mortality: Lectionary, March 7, 2010

Questions of Evil and Mortality:
Luke 13:1-9

In economics it is sometimes stated that the definition of a recession is when your neighbor is out of a job, while the definition of a depression is when you are out of a job. Today we look at the question of evil, known in theological parlance as “Theodicy,” a term sometimes similar to recession in that we can sit back and talk about the unfortunate plight of others and the various theories as to why this has happened. But when it happens to ourselves, it’s pretty much just plain “ol’ evil.”

Lectionary Passage:
Luke 13:1-9

13:1 At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

13:2 He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?

13:3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.

13:4 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them--do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem?

13:5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did."

13:6 Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none.

13:7 So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?'

13:8 He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it.

13:9 If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"

COMMENT:
Types and degrees of evil:
We often categorize evil into two forms: natural and moral. What do we usually mean by these? How does Jesus seem to be approaching this dichotomy in the passages above?

How do you respond to this statement? Evil can only be experienced, not explained.

Questions of morality, mortality and meaning:
Sin = Death? The awareness of our mortality as our defining moment.
Death as the parameter and determiner of life itself?
What is Jesus saying about this in the fig tree and fruit parable?