In His New Book, “Simply Jesus,” N.T. Wright Suggests We May Miss the Essence of Christianity If We Don’t Understand the Implications of Who Jesus Is

I just finished reading Simply Jesus by Anglican theologian N.T. Wright over the holidays, and, once again, he has radically disturbed my very Western, Americanized perception of Christianity.

On the other hand, in doing so, he has offered a vision of Jesus that is much more compelling, and, which, according to the author, deals with the right questions and enables us to gain a fresh worldview – that of first century Christians.

Wright points out that the questions we ask about Jesus as 21st-century American Christians are very different from those asked by those in the first century. Our questions are generally quite direct: Do heaven and hell exist? How do I get to the first and avoid the second?

Back then, he suggests, the questions were very likely quite different. First century Palestinians had quite a different worldview than ours, and we need to understand their worldview in order to understand what it meant for Jesus to be born, live, die and be resurrected in that period of history. Only then can we understand enough to ask the right questions today.

And so for most of the book, Wright weaves an intricate thread consisting of the strands of history, culture and religion that formed the genre of first century Christianity.
 
What emerges is an understanding of Jesus that you or I likely did not learn in Sunday School. But it is a powerful and enlightening tapestry which is woven. We learn, according to Wright, that Jesus himself, by his death and resurrection, established the kingdom of God on earth which continues now and will be fully known at his second coming (in spite of the predicaments we find our world in today).

Of course there is considerable theological discussion on the whens and wherefores of the kingdom, but Wright weaves a tightknit and comprehensive brief for his views.
  
I found the book a fascinating read. But keep your mind open to fresh gleanings. The Jesus you meet in this book is one you’ve likely not seen quite this way before.

Christmas Eve Church Service Celebrates The Culmination Of Advent With “Festival of Lessons and Carols”

Kay Lynne and I just returned home from the Christmas Eve Church Service at our church, St. Andrews Lutheran in Bellevue, ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ who changed the world forever. Pictured above is the choir and orchestra processional.

We have expectantly awaited Christmas Day for slightly more than a month during the season of Advent on the Church calender. The word advent means “coming” or “arrival” and is observed in anticipation of Christ’s coming to earth as a babe in a manger.

In celebrating the Festival of Lessons and Carols, we joined with many churches in observing an historic format for worship to honor the birth of Christ. The Festival tells the story of the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah, and the birth of Jesus in nine short Scripture readings from Genesis, the prophetic books and the Gospels, interspersed with the singing of Christmas Carols and hymns.

Our service included the participation of our church chancel choir and brass and strings ensemble, which added a wonderful sense of celebration. We concluded by lighting candles and singing several Christmas Carols.

Now we are ready to enjoy the full meaning of Christmas, the celebration of the coming to earth of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. In not too many minutes it will be Christmas morning.

Come, Lord Jesus. We are ready for your arrival.

Lutheran Culture Scratches Our Spiritual Itch

You may have heard me say on this blog, a time or three, that of all Christian venues through which my wife and I have traveled, the Lutheran pathway not only is working for us, but also has provided purpose for our lives.

Yesterday, once again, we received another confirmation of this during the sermon by our Pastor, the Rev. Jim McEachran, a gifted scholar and Bible teacher.

Before we get to his Bible text, it may be worth noting that we’ve often used the phrase, “living out the Grace of God in our everyday lives” as sort of a summary capsulization of how we’ve come to understand what it means to live the Christian life in Lutheran terms. By the way, Lutherans love “grace,” as did Martin Luther himself.

The core of yesterday’s sermon text was the familiar message of Ephesians 2:8-10, but for some reason, the way the NRSV Bible translates the 10th verse really struck me yesterday. Here’s the passage:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast.

"For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”

Italics on verse 10 are mine; that's the portion that stood out to me yesterday. If that verse doesn't provide an excellent rationale and wonderful perspective for "living out the Grace of God in the world,” I surely don’t know what would.

Thanks be to God.

Spinning Our Wheels?

I finally finished James Davison Hunter’s book, To Change the World – The Irony, Tragedy & Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World. The book really delivers in the realm of social theory, explaining why Christians are mostly ineffective in their efforts to “change the world”.

In fact, “changing the world” should not be our primary focus, he suggests. And he laboriously makes the case that despite our country being nearly 80% “Christian,” the influence of Christianity is, to a great degree, ineffective. Further, he suggests, rather than positively influence society, Christians (especially the Christian Right) have instead come across as angry, bitter and resentful.

A significant part of the problem, he says, (and I’m greatly oversimplifying here) is that the Christian Left, the Christian Right and the neo-Anabaptists, all have chosen, in one way or another, politics, policies and law as the target areas in which to “penetrate” in order to change society.

This will surely fail, he says (two thirds of the book is given to explaining why), and his proposed alternative is what he calls and defines as “faithful presence.” “A theology of faithful presence,” Hunter says, “calls Christians to enact the shalom of God in the circumstances in which God has placed them and to actively seek it on behalf of others.”

This should be done in our daily living, rather than through the political or legal systems as is seemingly the current focus, he offers. You can see that simply understanding what he means and how it should be implemented is a significant challenge - but a worthy one - and one for which the book is very much worth a read.

The book does not end on a particular high note. His own assessment of his theology suggests that even if Christians and the Church could live according to his concept of “faithful presence,” his best prognosis is that we may be able to live in “a better world.”

I think I might have titled the book, Spinning Our Wheels?

Should Christians Try to “Change the World”? A Controversial Sociologist and Theology Professor Believes It May Be A Misdirected Effort

I enjoy reading “controversial” or “edgy” books that want you to stretch your thinking. I’ve found another one in To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World by James Davisson Hunter.

This professor of Religion, Culture and Social Theory at the U. of Virginia has taken on the views of some heavyweights in the Christian world like Chuck Colson, Jim Dobson and Jim Wallis with his persuasive – and provocative – observations.

His 1991 book, Culture Wars, in which he described the dramatic realignment and polarization that has transformed American politics and culture, laid the groundwork for his current writing efforts.

Christopher Benson, a book reviewer for Christianity Today, said the following in his comments about Hunter’s latest book:

“Faithful presence (Hunter’s coined term) is not about changing culture, let alone the world, but instead emphasizes cooperation between individuals and institutions in order to make disciples and serve the common good. ‘If there are benevolent consequences of our engagement with the world,’ Hunter writes, ‘it is precisely because it is not rooted in a desire to change the world for the better but rather because it is an expression of a desire to honor the creator of all goodness, beauty, and truth, a manifestation of our loving obedience to God, and a fulfillment of God's command to love our neighbor.’"

Interestingly, this is not, at first look, at odds with our Lutheran concept of “living out God's grace in the world.” Stay tuned. More coming when I finish the book.

Discovering Perspective in Lutheran Worship

The longer my wife and I worship in the Lutheran venue, the more we appreciate its teachings.

During this morning’s worship, we participated in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism for two precious infants who were welcomed into the family of God and whose families and the congregation were commissioned to be an integral part of these young lives until each can declare her own faith at Confirmation. The wonderful photo montage, by the way, is on the main web page of our church, St Andrews Lutheran in Bellevue.

Just as water is needed to sustain physical life, Lutherans believe that the Baptismal water initiates and symbolizes one’s entrance into the kingdom of God. The encompassing support a child receives from family and congregants provides the guidance to lead that young child to his or her own personal faith and salvation.

An idea that is new to Kay Lynne and me is the “sidebar” on each page of our weekly worship bulletins. Each week these informational comments shed light on the particular theme for the week - usually related to the church calendar - or give enlightenment on a liturgical point that we might be celebrating.

As an example, because we had Holy Baptisms today, following is the sidebar which appeared on the first page of our worship order bulletin. It provides a wonderful perspective and deeper understanding as to how Baptism fits in to our faith practice. Here it is:

Today’s Theme – Grace alone is key to our understanding of life with God. In Jesus Christ, we share the promise of forgiveness and new life. By the power of the Holy Spirit, God comes to us again and again through the Means of Grace, the Gospel, Holy Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. This morning we remember God’s enfolding grace that comes to us as we remember our baptisms into the Body of Christ, the Church.

Thanks be to God.

“He Is Not Here; For He Has Been Raised, As He Said”

This 14th century painting, The Holy Women at the Sepulchre, by Duccio di Buoninsegna, depicts the early moments of that first Easter morning when the angel proclaimed the exciting news of the Resurrection.

We trust your Easter will be filled with worship, thanksgiving, and celebration of the Risen Christ.

He is risen, indeed!

A Reflective and Memorable Palm Sunday Holy Communion

Today’s worship service at St Andrews Lutheran Church was perhaps one of the most memorable that I can recall in my dozens of years of church attendance.

As we entered, we noticed that behind the center altar in the circular-shaped sanctuary was a long table with 13 places in a tableau-like scene. Following Scripture readings and prayers, 13 people fell into place at the setting, representing the 12 disciples and Jesus at the Last Supper, or Passover Meal.

Each disciple then offered personal reflections on what it was like for him to follow their leader, Jesus. We learned a bit about each one’s home town, family, calling and commitment.

It was a moving worship experience. We were reminded that Christ chose ordinary people, warts and all, to follow him and embrace a changed perspective for living.

When all had spoken, the entire congregation came to the altar one-by-one to celebrate and participate in Holy Communion. Still today we find our spiritual strength renewed and refreshed with every partaking of the meal elements.

My wife and I have learned to appreciate a fresh and deeper meaning to the Communion sacrament since we have been worshiping in the Lutheran tradition. We have become conscious that the Eucharist is much more than just a “remembrance” or a symbolic ritual.

The Eucharist meal, we now recognize, in a mysterious way provides us and sustains us with what we need to live out the grace of God in our daily encounters and occurrences.

Thanks be to God.

Finding the “Right” Church Is a Challenging Experience

Since we moved to the Eastside (actually the NorthEastside) of the Seattle metro area just over four months ago, my wife and I have been “church hunting” on most Sundays. We’ve been to many churches once but we have visited two churches several times at least.

Today, after a wonderful worship experience at St. Andrews Lutheran in Bellevue (above pic), Kay Lynne and I agreed that we may not have to look much more. It’s a good feeling to be finally zeroing-in on what could become our church “home.” We very much miss the wonderful experiences we had at First Lutheran Church in Poulsbo when we lived in Kitsap County.

As an overview, St Andrews maintains a traditional, orthodox, liturgical worship service (which fits our particular needs at this point in life) with an inclusive, broad-based membership that crosses apparently all socio-economic categories as well as a fairly balanced age distribution from the very young to the very aged (thankfully :). Holy communion is celebrated each Sunday.

The primary preaching minister (and senior Pastor) is the Rev. James McEachran (right), a learned Bible scholar and superb communicator. He’s been at the church since 1983 and appears to be loved and esteemed by the congregation.

One of the things most attractive to us at St Andrews is the incredible variety of Bible studies and opportunities for growth and learning. It looks like there’s no excuse here for relaxing into complacency regarding one’s faith journey.

I won’t be so bold as to say our “church search” is over, but I think we both agree that we’re going to give St Andrews every opportunity to become our church home. Thanks be to God.

A Life of Thanksgiving Rather Than Just a Day

“O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever.”

Those well known words of King David were expressed in a Psalm and described in I Chronicles, as the ancient Israelites placed the Ark of the Covenant – containing God’s glory – in a tent that David had made expressly for that purpose. The people were asked to thank and praise the Lord God regularly and to do so as well with harps, cymbals and trumpets.

Today, in our culture, we set aside a day to be with family where possible and to thank our God for our blessings. Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday. Kay Lynne and I today wish you a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving Day.

There is one word in the chapter mentioned above that stood out to me as I read the passage. The word is “regularly.” It’s wonderful that we give thanks on this day, but how much better it would be if we gave thanks regularly and not just on one day.

I continue to be troubled by the fact that we in America have so much, and people in other areas of the world have little or nothing. As my wife often muses, “why should we be so blessed simply as the result of an accident of where we were born, when others are born in poverty?”

It’s a sobering question for a mostly happy day. We may never have an adequate answer, but we can at least do a little bit to help alleviate the pain in our world. And we can start right here in our neighborhood.

I’ve often seen ministers at this time of year use the sermon title, “Thanksgiving is Thanks Living.” It seems to me that “thanks living” must at least be about helping someone who needs it when we have so much.

The Sustaining Elements of Authentic Worship

Our church service this morning put spiritual “gas” in the tank, so to speak, for the upcoming week.

What do I mean?

In a previous life I used to think that one went to church “to try and get something out of it.” Was the music good? Did I “enjoy” it? Was the sermon timely? Did it meet “my” needs?

All the wrong questions to ask, of course, as authentic worship focuses on God, not on “me.”

In our Lutheran venue, worship consists of many liturgical elements that can be grouped in a number of ways. I’ve put them in four sets here: 1) Confession and forgiveness, 2) Listening to God through the Scriptures (Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Gospels) and through the sermon, 3) Giving thanks to God with our offerings and with the reciting of the the foundational creeds of our faith, and 4) Partaking in Holy Communion for spiritual strength and sustenance and then, with the benediction, being sent out to serve. Click here for a previous post which amplifies this a bit.

When our worship experience focuses on God, rather than on what we might think we need, the wonderful thing that happens is that our needs are met in ways we could not have anticipated. If you look at the elements of worship mentioned, you’ll see that authentic worship is a kind of “dialog with God” in which we confess our inadequateness to Him and He in turn fills us with what we are lacking.

It just could help explain why the Sunday “pit stop” can make the Monday through Saturday raceway that much more effectual in living out God’s grace through our vocation. Thanks be to God.

The Audacity of Apostolic Economics

This past Sunday in church we got a lesson in economics unlike one gets at a secular university.

Our associate Pastor, Kent Shane (photo), pointed out that “apostolic economics” (a term used and apparently coined by Dr David Tiede, former president of Luther Seminary and current Bernard M. Christensen Chair professor at Augsburg College) does not involve either “supply side” or Keynesian points of view.

Instead, the term suggests something relatively simple and easy to understand: you must give away what you have in order to gain everything.

What?

Pastor Kent’s sermon focused on our lectionary reading of 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 and reminded us that even as we give away love, our lives become rich in “meaning, purpose and promise.” Following the service, I commented on the term “apostolic economics” and he pointed me to Dr. Tiede’s commentary on these same scriptures.

“God’s distribution of the manna in the wilderness set the standard in Israel that ‘the one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little,’” says Dr. Tiede.

He goes on, “The Gospel of Apostolic Economics is about ‘our Lord Jesus Christ:’ ‘though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor’ (2 Corinthians 8:9). This is the theology of the cross in economic language, leading not to human privilege to possess our wealth, but to Christian freedom to put the well-being of the neighbor ahead of our own interests.”

For me, that’s “the audacity of apostolic economics” stated about as well as it could be expressed. If only we had the audacity to live by it.

Today Was Nathan’s Baby Dedication

Our grandson Nathan was dedicated in the Christian faith today. As it happened, he turned five months old on this day also. As the minister, with a light touch, traced the mark of the cross on Nathan’s forehead, the little guy took it all in with his typically gracious demeanor.

I was not able to get any photos of the actual ceremony because, first, it was a worship service, and secondly, both sets of grandparents were standing up with Nathan and his parents in front of the congregation. This photo we took several days ago at his home where he gave us his “I’ve been really good; can I have a cookie?” look.

He sure is a charmer.

Church bodies observe the dedication rite in a variety of ways. The basic intent is that the child is welcomed into a nurturing community of love within his or her local parish. In this way, parents, grandparents, family and members of the congregation together agree and commit to participate in helping to raise the child in faith.

Today was Nathan’s day to be presented to God. Luke chapter 2 tells of baby Jesus himself at a very young age being taken to the Temple for the same purpose. Our prayer for Nathan, as has been our prayer for our own sons and for all of our grandchildren, is that he, and they, will grow up in the knowledge and wisdom of God, acknowledge the provision of salvation for them, and live their lives in the faith, as God would guide them.

Thanks be to God.

It’s Monday. How’re we doing?

Monday morning can be a drudgery for many. Or it can be an opportunity for a full week of productive effort. Our attitude and perspective can often determine our outlook.

“Monday Morning Men” is a group of mostly elderly and retired gentlemen at our Church who meet for coffee, sweet rolls, (most are Scandinavian) and Bible study, followed by several hours of working around the church on various maintenance projects. What a great way to begin the week.

On the other hand, today’s Washington Post contains an article by columnist Robert J. Samuelson which suggests that our new President and elected leaders are facing the economic equivalent of enduring a back-to-back Ironman triathlon and Tour de France if they want to overcome the three financial monsters we face (consumer spending collapse, financial and credit collapse and our trade imbalance crisis). Not a positive beginning for the week.

However, this, in a sense, is the ongoing challenge for those of us who are followers of Christ and who also must live, work and raise families in this culture and in this world. Every day we are immersed in the often conflicting compellings of practicing our faith while we live our lives.

I’m learning to really appreciate the Lutheran perspective on faith and living. In fact, I’ve already alluded to it in a previous post. Lutherans believe that there are, at the basic level, two factors involved in faith living (or living the faith, if you will): justification and vocation.

In other words, we are justified (“restored” in God’s eyes) by God’s grace alone, and then our vocation is to live out our faith as God calls us to do. This oversimplifies, of course, but the model holds for me.

So, how does our Monday look? Let’s be busy in our vocation and trust God for the possibilities.

Mark’s Gospel Provides A Contrast In Approach To The Record of Christ’s Life and Ministry

The account by the apostle Mark of the life and works of Jesus is somewhat in contrast to those in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Matthew and Luke begin with accounts of Christ’s birth, while Mark (and John, sort of) begin their storytelling with the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.

The reason I call attention to Mark is that our current church Lectionary readings and related Bible studies are sifting through the second Gospel. In any Bible reading or study, Lutherans generally begin by asking two basic questions about the text:

The first query is, what is God up to in this lesson? And then we can ask, what is God telling me in this text?

Of course there are other questions to ask as well. But by beginning with these, we can get a sense of perspective and direction from the message, rather than just randomly reading and drawing “off-the-top-of-the-head” conclusions.

So, in this particular instance, what might God be up to with the way that Mark begins his story? I got my inkling as I read, and you can begin your consideration by carefully reading chapters one and two, which was our assignment this week.

Most interesting to me was that Christ’s public ministry began with a baptism (a “commissioning” of sorts—his uniquely with heavenly approval) but then our Lord was immediately driven into the wilderness, apparently by the same Spirit that had descended on him in the form of a dove .

While in the wilderness for 40 days, he was confronted by Satan himself and tempted to the "nth" degree. After the temptation and subsequent strengthening, Jesus then “hit the road”, so to speak, with all cylinders firing.

He began his ministry by performing miracle after miracle that got immediate, regional attention. But his complementing message was early and often misunderstood. Check out Mark for yourself for a most interesting narrative of the initial events in Christ’s public life.

Emulating a “Servant God”

In this month’s issue of our church newsletter, the PFLC Visitor, our associate Pastor, the Rev. Alison Shane, right, made a wonderful – but perhaps a bit intimidating – Epiphany observation in her remarks:

“Nothing makes God-with-us more tangible for people than when we serve them. In our actions of service, people catch a glimpse of God’s work on earth.”

Stop. And let the implications of that thought sink in for a moment.

Pastor Alison continues in her comments, “A servant God is a very different image than many people are used to. Popular religion holds up a God who is ‘in control,’ whose ‘will is done’ in everything that happens to us, even in death. But a servant God comes in the midst of the brokenness of life and comforts, washes feet, and carries the load. God comes and says, ‘Sin has caused a broken world, and many things in life are therefore senseless. But I am here with you, and I have redeemed you and this world. Together now we walk through life.’”

She then gives us our core impetus for Christian service (living out our vocation, in Lutheran terminology): “When we serve, when we walk with others in service to them, they can catch a glimpse of our servant God. As we walk with them, they see God walking with them, and we are bearing Christ’s light to the nations.”

Thanks, once again, Pastor Alison, for cutting right to the quick and shedding important light on our mission as followers of Christ. Thanks be to God.

Advent Season Prepares Us For the Celebration of Christmas

We often think of Advent as part of the Christmas celebration. In reality, it is not a part of Christmas but a season of preparation for the celebration of Christmas.

The four-week long season of Advent begins a new year in the Church Calendar, and it concludes on Christmas Eve, just prior to the beginning of the Christmas celebration, often called “the 12 days of Christmas”. The word “advent” means “coming.”

In the Lutheran tradition, Advent’s month-long focus is on a two-fold anticipation: it looks toward Bethlehem and the birth of the promised Messiah while also looking toward the coming of God’s kingdom at the end of all things.

As a matter of fact, the first two Sundays in Advent center on the Second Coming of Christ in liturgy and music. The third Sunday spotlight is on John the Baptist, the herald of Christ, and the fourth Sunday concentrates on the Virgin Mary as the obedient servant, chosen to bear God’s anointed one.

Part of the Lutheran celebration of the Advent season includes the Advent Wreath with its two symbolic implications. The wreath is an ancient symbol of victory and glory, and its four candles, in addition to showing that Christ is the “light of the world,” depict part of the story of Jesus’ birth.

The Prophecy Candle points to God’s promise of a Messiah and King in the line of David who would bring salvation to all people. The Bethlehem Candle calls us to remember God’s word and to prepare for Christ’s coming. The Shepherd Candle invites us to share with others the message of Christ’s upcoming birth. And the Angel Candle proclaims the glory of God and his salvation and gives us the eternal hope we have in Christ’s coming.

In our adult ed class this morning, we took an intriguing look at the birth of Christ narratives in Matthew, Luke and John. Surprisingly, Mark ignores the birth story and begins with John the Baptist and the Baptism of Jesus. We learned which Gospel has the story of the Wise Men and which has the story of the Shepherds. The stories are not common, but separate.

Do you know which writer has which story?

How Do We Read and Study the Bible?

In the Lutheran perspective and tradition, of which my wife and I have been a part for several years now, elementary things – like how one reads the Scriptures – have taken on new meaning and application. I’ll try to summarize from our current adult education class, taught by Pastor Kent Shane.

Lutherans believe and practice the recognition that Scripture is an ancient text and was written by people who lived in times and places quite different from our own. The basic assumption is that we cannot fully understand the meaning of the text without an adequate understanding of the context of the people, the culture, the geographical location, and the time in history. Without that insight, the task can be overwhelming if not confusing.

I have to admit that for most of my life I have read the Bible with a “devotional” outlook; that is, simply with the expectation of hearing God, engaging the truth and attempting to incorporate it in my life. By itself, that is well and good. Lutherans, however, (and many other traditions, I’m sure), suggest that there are at least three additional considerations in studying the Scriptures.

Initially, there is the “historical” viewpoint. What do we know about the author, where he lived, and what the implied social and political realities were? Then there is the “literary” approach. What is the plot, and what are the characters, the setting and the theme (or story)? Finally, there is the “theological” aspect (obviously this is affected to a degree by the particular denomination or tradition). How do we distinguish law and gospel, how does the text point us to Christ and salvation, and how do we allow scripture itself to interpret other scripture?

Further, how do we distinguish the difference between the “plain meaning” of the text and “public meaning”? It’s not just our own little truth gleaned from several possible that is important; if Scripture is to be true for us individually, it must be true for all.

Encompassing all four methods into our study of the Scriptures helps to accomplish what Lutherans believe our faith practice is all about: a) to make room for God’s voice to speak to us, b) to beckon us to lead lives worthy of our calling, c) to lay out our sins and offer us God’s grace, and d) to deliver to us the promise that is ours in Christ.

Thanks be to God.

“Forgiveness is Life-Changing”

Our husband-wife Associate Pastor team Kent and Alison Shane (they job share the one and one-half time position) have been on a sabbatical leave this past summer. (Photo at right is by Carolyn J. Yaschur of the Kitsap Sun.)

I missed Pastor Kent’s return to the pulpit a week ago, but I was glad to be back two days ago to hear Pastor Alison’s sermon.

I can sort of sum up her comments in a sentence: Forgiveness is life-changing.

I base this conclusion on her comments on Christ’s parable on forgiveness in Matthew chapter 18. First, Peter asks how many times we should be expected to forgive? Jesus’ answer was so large a number that the intent was obvious.

To further clarify, Christ told the parable of the king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. One slave owed the king an enormous amount that was impossible to repay by any standard of the time. The king was moved by the slave’s pleas, and granted not the asked for additional time to pay, but full forgiveness of the monstrous debt.

That same slave was owed a smaller debt that was easily payable, and the debtor came to him and asked for more time to pay. Forgetting what had been just granted him, he had the second slave thrown in jail until the debt could be repaid.

So the one who was forgiven an unpayable debt in turn had his debtor incarcerated for a far lesser amount owed him. This slave, according to Jesus, was wicked, had not learned his lesson and was given a worse punishment.

The point of this parable – and the sermon – is not at all about how many times we should forgive. What we should learn is that forgiveness changes us, and that was the point that Pastor Alison was making. In a similar way that we have been forgiven (which we could not accomplish on our own), we should now forgive.

And in the process God uses the change to make us more effective agents of His grace. Thanks be to God.

Grace and Mercy Are Not Fair

Two of the most perplexing New Testament parables, for me, until the past few years, have been “The Prodigal Son” and “The Vineyard Laborers”.

The reason is that neither of them is “fair”.

In Luke’s “Prodigal Son,” the son who did everything right (and with whom I always tried to identify) got sort of shoved aside when the disobedient son (admittedly penitent) finally returned home to his father and was lavished with celebrations and gifts. I would at times wonder, what good is it to do things right all the time? (Shown, btw, is Rembrandt’s “Return of the Prodigal Son”)

In Matthew’s “Vineyard Laborers,” the landowner hired workers at various hours throughout the day but paid them all the same wage at the end of the day. I would at times wonder, why not go to work at noon, then, if you could?

Of course I missed the point on both counts.

Neither grace nor mercy is fair. But both are inherent in God’s character. And if you think more about it, it’s a very good thing for us humans that things are the way they are with God.

If God were fair, rather than full of grace and mercy, humankind would have no chance. If God were fair, he’d judge us on our own performance. And of course, in that vein, we’re all failures and, moreover, incapable of extricating ourselves from our deficient plight.

Fortunately for us, God’s grace and mercy was bestowed on us in this way, according to Romans 5:8 as translated in The Message:

“God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.” (Italics mine.)

That is true grace. That is true mercy. Providentially for us, and as shown in the two parables, it isn’t fair.