Are Parts of the Lord's Prayer More Essential than Others?

Lectionary Reading: Luke 11:1-13 (NRSV)

My earliest years of religious life were in Assembly of God churches.  I remember in Sunday school memorizing the 23rd Psalm.  It was the King James Version and that remains my preferred reading for this passage regardless of the better scholarship available in newer translations.

My experience must be shared by others because we have the KJV of this psalm available in the United Methodist Hymnal (#137) as a responsive reading.  When I utilize Psalm 23 at funerals (often requested), I read from the King James.  Familiarity in religion is comforting.

As I became United Methodist, I memorized the Apostles' Creed for my confirmation class.  I'm not sure I understood everything in it as a 6th grader but I could recite it to you easily (and still can to this day).  Other things I learned in worship were the Gloria Patri and the Doxology.  These were easier to memorize because we sang them.

As a youth, I memorized Numbers 6:24-26 through the UMYF (United Methodist Youth Fellowship) Benediction:

May the Lord bless you and keep you.  May the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you.  May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.  Amen.

We would say this in an interlocking circle (right arm over left) and then spin out to depart.

As a college student, I solidified my memorization of a table blessing that we would sing together at the Wesley Foundation.  It was to the Old 100th tune and we sang these words:

Be present at our table Lord; be here and everywhere adored; these mercies bless and grant that we may feast in fellowship with thee.  Amen.

I learned to enjoy harmonization as we sang this multiple times through the week before meals together!  I still smile as I hear John Rusco's bass voice starting us out.

At some point, I learned the Lord's Prayer.  I can't remember when or specifically memorizing it - it likely came as an older elementary student after we joined Boston Avenue United Methodist Church.  Later, I learned that while I say "trespasses" that others say "debts" or "sins".

Even later, I learned that this prayer is named for Jesus because he taught it to his disciples.  The version that we utilize in worship comes from Matthew 6:9-13.  Luke also has a version found in this week's lectionary reading and it doesn't have different material from Matthew's version, just less of it.  Was Luke aware of Matthew's version and just utilized what he considered important or essential?  Or did he write about the tradition as his community prayed it?  

In Luke's version, we praise God and look for the divine reign to actualize.  We pray for sustenance for our immediate needs.  We ask for forgiveness that seems expectant based on our own merciful behavior.  And we ask that we could avoid any testing of our faith.  Maybe as we look at Matthew's version, we can see that these are the essentials.  I do like the emphasis on God's reign being earthly and spiritual in Matthew but maybe it is implied in Luke.  Was this so obvious, he felt it didn't need inclusion?

Those spiritual things that we memorize can become precious to us.  They may pop up in our heads at just the moments we need them.  They can be a source of strength ("And God will raise you up on eagle's wings...") that give us courage and fortitude.  They allow us to drink more deeply from the well, refreshing our thirst.

This Sunday, we'll be exploring this passage from Luke as it continues to not only apply to our lives but also lifts up God's countenance upon us and gives us peace!

In Christ,

Sam

Photo by jenni_froedrick via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

What is Jesus Thinking?

Lectionary Reading: Luke 10:38-42 (NRSV)

Leadership is a strange thing.  You have to try it on before it actually fits.

Some people seem to have natural instincts for leadership but even they must hone their skills, making poor showings along the way.  If a person can learn from mistakes, they will find this a life-long teacher!

Church taught me valuable leadership skills.  We had a summer program when I was in Middle School where I was named an "L.I.T." which stood for "Leader-In-Training".  We helped out at various activities through our church's children's ministry such as Vacation Bible School, summer church programs at Camp Egan, and two weeks of day camps at the Naifeh Ranch.

The latter were times where we went out with small groups and had a home-in-the-woods each day.  We learned here to dig a pit for the fire where we cooked our food.  We learned to ring the pit with rocks - only the

You learn when cooking on a fire that

the heat helps you keep a safe distance!

one tending the fire would be allowed inside this circle.  I can remember making all kinds of meals such as hobo dinners, banana boats and pudding in a cup.  This was the first place I ate super spuds.  I learned that you couldn't get antsy with the cooking time of the potato unless you wanted a crunchy spud!  One of my favorites was when we made mini pizzas by placing foil across some hangers.  We used English muffins topped with spaghetti sauce, grated cheese and pepperoni slices.  My older brother rigged foil on the hangers at a 45 degree angle so the heat reflected back on the top and really melted the cheese!

I learned when playing games like Capture the Flag that if the teams were not even, the game was not enjoyable for everyone.  When a particular athlete was dominating a game like "Squirrel-in-the-tree" you could switch the rules and reverse the person who was it so that the slower child could get off the hook.

I learned about leading a particular Psalm in worship through our small group's particular interpretation.  This may have been my first foray into church liturgy!

I learned that the leaders of the camp took me seriously even though I was in middle school.  I was held to standards, given real responsibilities and expected to carry my weight.  This was the camp where I brought my brother's blow torch (with his permission) to help light the campfires after a downpour the previous night.  I had no temptations to misuse it because I realized that this was a big responsibility.  I also knew my brother's reputation was on the line.  I desired to live up to the person the church thought I could be.

In today's scripture reading, we may be wondering why Mary is slacking off.  This would definitely be a 21st century reading!  When Martha addresses Jesus about her sister, she may be concerned about the gender roles that were being bent.  The phrase "sat at the Lord's feet" was a euphemism for discipleship.  If someone bothers to learn something, they would be expected to eventually teach it.  Women of that day would not be considered to teach and so Martha may have been trying to restore the order of things.

This example shows us that the church has long had a history of seeing the potential in people whether it was a woman being able to do things normally reserved for a man or a youth doing something normally reserved for adults.  I wonder at the image of Mary teaching people about Jesus (and being able to repeat lessons he taught) following the resurrection.  I bet that people came from all over to hear this marvelous woman.

To share God's grace is a blessing.  When we do so whether it be in a Bible lesson or in helping someone else to learn fire safety while cooking, we may find that we have chosen the better part and it can't be taken away from us!

We'll be exploring this passage further this Sunday in worship!

In Christ,

Sam

Photo by Dan Thibodeaux via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

The Boundaries of Love

Lectionary Reading: Luke 10:25-37 (NRSV)

This week's Gospel reading contains what may be the most famous parable Jesus ever told.  While some might give the Prodigal Son that title, I would be hard-pressed to say that it is more well-known than the Good Samaritan.  While both titles have taken on life of their own as pop-culture examples (you can be called both a Prodigal and a Good Samaritan depending on context), I would argue that there are probably more references to being a Good Samaritan.

There are lots of takes on this particular parable which does make it interesting for sermon interpretation.  

As I was re-reading it, I thought that Luke (only author to use this parable) might be foreshadowing the fate of Jesus as he seeks to expand our understanding of the Christian mission.  I believe that Luke's Gospel would have been written to the churches in the Mediterranean world rather than in Judea.  This would mean a much broader audience and a wider variety of cultures than a more Jewish context.  As the Church expands into Gentile territory, Christianity must reflect a greater appreciation for the types of people that it will seek to evangelize.

Most Christians have heard many times over about how the Samaritans and the Jews were enemies.  It would have been a surprise to see the Samaritan cast in the hero's role.  The lawyer can't even bring himself to utter "Samaritan" when Jesus asks him which was the noble person in the story.

What if we imagine Jesus to be the man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho?  The bandits who set upon the man rob him, strip him, beat him and leave him for dead.  Jesus when turning over the tables in the Temple quotes scripture telling them that they have made God's house a den of robbers. 

Sometimes when we offer a helping hand,

we find that we are holding onto resurrection.

The priest and the Levite who avoid tending to the injured man could also refer to the factions of Judaism that ignored Jesus as the Messiah.  The Samaritan who provides for the man could represent the Gentiles who are now embracing Jesus as the Christ in Luke's day.

Interestingly enough, the first person to acknowledge the righteousness of Jesus following his death was a Gentile in Luke 23:47: "When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, 'Certainly this man was innocent.'”

Of course, this allegorical interpretation is only one way to look at the parable.  That's the beauty of the stories of Jesus - they are worthy of much discussion and we find a great multitude of truths contained within them.  The Good Samaritan should always challenge us and just when we think that we are getting it right, it should remind us that we may have a ways to go.

I hope you'll join us this Sunday (or online at your convenience) as we encounter this most famous of parables once more.  Even though we may know it well, it is surely worth another listen so that we may continue to be shaped by it.

In Christ,

Sam


Photo by Vicki DeLoach via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

Snakes and Scorpions

Lectionary Reading: Luke 10:1-11; 16-20 (NRSV)

Handling serpents at the 

Pentecostal Church of God. Lejunior, Kentucky

15 September 1946

Ever been to a snake handling?  They were more prevalent in the 20^th century in some holiness churches where some of the church members would prove their faith in God’s protection by handling venomous snakes.

While this may seem ludicrous, those with a more literal interpretation may have looked at this Sunday’s reading for justification.

Luke speaks in verse 19 of Jesus giving his disciples the “authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you.”

Likewise, Mark’s Gospel states something similar in 16:18 when Jesus refers to future disciples being able to “pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them.”

Snakes often represent evil in the Bible starting with Adam and Eve in Genesis.  While God’s people were on the move to the Promised Land, their own complaining caused venomous serpents to attack them in the desert as recorded in Numbers 21:4-9.  John’s Gospel refers to this in chapter 3 just prior to verse 16 which may be one of the most famous passages in the Bible. 

The apostle Paul suffers no ill effects after being bitten by a snake in Acts 28:3-6.  They name the reptile as a viper which is venomous. 

As we go back to Luke’s account, we see snakes associated with the “power of the enemy”.  What does it mean for God’s people to have authority over evil?  I do not think that it means that we should participate in flashes of “faith” where we make a show of our belief in God’s protection. 

As interpreters of the Bible, we conclude that handling venomous snakes in worship would not be in accordance with God’s will as Jesus reminds us not to put God to the test in multiple Gospel accounts.  Rather the venomous snake is a metaphor of evil.  As we are in Christ, evil has no sway over us.  This doesn’t mean that we won’t suffer on account of evil.  The passion of our Lord quickly sets this thought aside.  Rather, it may mean that as we remain in Christ, we are able to vanquish the sway of evil.  We do not fear that evil will unduly influence us in our actions.  In this way, we trod on the serpents and scorpions that we encounter in life.  We put them under foot and our ankles remain unscathed.

After two solid weeks of church camp, I’m looking forward to being back in the pulpit on Sunday.  One of the best things about having this emersion in youth culture is that I’m able to stay young (at heart) and to share this indirectly with the rest of the congregation.  It is important for us to remain aware of what is happening with the next generations so that we might better communicate the Good News with them.  This hopefully helps us to hear it in a fresh way as well which keeps us all young (at heart). 

I hope you’ll join us this Sunday in Edmond.  Trey and our Worship on Hurd band will be starting in Guthrie this Sunday at 8:30 as well before heading back here for the 10:50 service.  Please keep this new venture in your prayers and send us names of any people in Guthrie that you know that do not regularly attend worship anywhere.  We are excited for this new chapter in ministry together!

In Christ,

Sam

Photo by Russell Lee (Public Domain) via Wikimedia Commons.