From the Pastor’s Pen: A Summer Catechism
(A summary of the 10
questions in 20 weeks sermon series)
The
Lutheran understanding of what happens in Communion threads the needle between
a Medieval Catholic understanding focused on Aristotelian Logic and a Calvinist
understanding focused on a chunkily literal reading of scripture.
Our
understanding focuses instead on Christ’s promise to be present in the meal. Rejoice,
he will be there! Rejoice, because his words point us to the reality of his
forgiveness—in the meal Jesus promises us forgiveness, life, and salvation. And
Jesus doesn’t lie.
What is the
significance and meaning of the procession and recession of the cross?
We process
the cross to remind ourselves we are a cross shaped baptized community, a
people redeemed by Christ’s actions for us. Having been fed with the bread and the
word of life, we recess with the cross to go find God on the cross, following
Christ wherever he may lead.
Reflecting
upon the nature of angels helps us to think about redemption as a passive
reflection of the good light of Christ, and reminds us that redemption can
involve the spirit of whole systems.
We don’t
become angels when we die, but we can trust that all the Saints of God—both
living and dead—are one in Christ Jesus.
Is there a particular
significance to Jesus casting the “Legion” of Evil Spirits from the Gerasene
Demoniac into a herd of swine?
Jesus found
an unclean place for an unclean thing.
It is
unclear, but the arguments people make to link a Winter celebration of Christ’s
birth directly with Paganism is not as air tight as it might appear. They
ignore weather, historical facts about emperors, and the testimony of Irenaeus,
an early Church Father.
Why do people go to
church on the Sabbath? What is the Sabbath for?
Sabbath is
about rest, liberation, and holiness.
It’s about rest, a time that is “good… for nothing.” It is also about liberation, acts of kindness and justice are part of living into the holiness of God’s time. It, finally, is holy in and of itself, dragging us into the reality of God through our worship together in which we receive and cherish the promises of God.
It’s about rest, a time that is “good… for nothing.” It is also about liberation, acts of kindness and justice are part of living into the holiness of God’s time. It, finally, is holy in and of itself, dragging us into the reality of God through our worship together in which we receive and cherish the promises of God.
There is a
wide variety of ways to understand marriage and be a faithful member of the
ELCA.
Any
pointing to purity laws to justify discrimination or worse against gay folk, if
followed through logically, would have such severe consequences for everyone in
our society, that it could make the Salem
witch trials or the reign of the Taliban, ISIS, and Boko Haram, look tame.
We are
truly at a different place than people in the 1st century were—Romantic love,
especially between same gendered individuals, just wasn’t a thing, but it is
now.
Pastor
Chris is wholeheartedly convinced marrying gay folk is not baptizing gay sex,
but instead creating a healthy and holy space for legitimate yearnings for
companionship, the protection of gay parents, and the strengthening of the
institution of marriage.
Between
Paul and Luke’s interpretations of the 1st council of Jerusalem, we end up with rules that try to
bridge relationships between Christians who are different from one another.
The basic
rules for us Christians are rules that bind us one to another. They bind us economically
to one another, but they also bind us to a modicum of decency and consideration
for the sensibilities of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
When we
read about rewards in heaven we are not talking about our salvation, or if we
are, we’re talking about God rewarding us because of the promise found in Jesus
Christ, and finally, the reason reward makes us feel squirmy, is that at face
value it could make us trust in our own goodness, which often is lacking.
What does “greatest”
and “least” in the Kingdom
of Heaven mean? How does
that square with “neither Greek nor Jew” etc,? Aren’t we all equal?
It is part
of Jesus’ inversion of values, Jesus taking the God’s eye view instead of the
human view.
Proclaiming that when God rules, the last are first and the first are last.
Proclaiming that when God rules, the last are first and the first are last.
In Baptism
we are entering into that God’s eye view, we’re struggling—just as the
Galatians and Paul himself struggled—to live into who we are together—live into
our calling to be part of the Body of Christ—live into the vision of humanity
set out by God through Jesus Christ—a vision that breaks down barriers between
believers and allows for nothing to get in the way of life together resting in
God’s grace.
The Church
Universal, in this in-between time, suffers while fulfilling the Great
Commission, so that Christ may be all in all.
Explain, “Death has
died.”
The whole
creation will find redemption. All of us will find ourselves in the fullness of
the Body of Christ. Even that last enemy, death, will be destroyed. Through the
Life, Death, and Resurrection of Christ, we can truly say Death has died.
Are mistakes “sins”?
Are there degrees of sins? Is the sin in the intent or in the action or in the
consequences? Ie. If you intend to do something good for someone and it turns
out to hurt them?
They are
all Sin and the effects of Sin. Sin being a much more all encompassing thing
that “sins.”
Explain, “Keys to the
Kingdom.” “Which you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven” etc.
For Lutherans the key to “the Keys of the Kingdom” is the Word of God comforting our consciences.
For Lutherans the key to “the Keys of the Kingdom” is the Word of God comforting our consciences.
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