Good morning! Today we begin reading the book entitled “Acts of the Apostles”. As you may remember, one way to think about Acts is as the “second half” to Luke. The same writer continues on from the story of Jesus to the stories of the early church. Acts describes the gradual expansion of the Christ-following tradition in concentric circles out, from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria, “and to the ends of the earth” (1:8). These twenty-eight chapters largely follow the traveling ministries of Peter and Paul, but the activities of other female and male disciples also become clear. Today in Acts 1-2, we pick up in the immediate aftermath of the resurrection, with the arrival of the Holy Spirit on the first believers.
Month: November 2016
John 20-21
Good morning! Today we move from death to life, crucifixion to resurrection. The death of Jesus does not “come undone”, yet the disciples discover that death is not the last word. Jesus reveals a new and resurrected life—with ongoing calls for discipleship—proceeding from the last place anyone expected it: the tomb itself.
John 18-19
Good morning! Today in John’s gospel (chapters 18-19) we read the description of Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion and burial. Though the order of events here largely concurs with that of other gospels, John makes some unique tweaks to these episodes to underscore theological points about what happened in the crucifixion.
John 15-17
Good morning! Yesterday’s passage from John ended with “Rise, let us be on our way,” but Jesus here goes on for chapters more! In John 15-17, he gives something like his valedictory speech, final instructions before leaving earth. Or maybe, given the significance of this day in the United States, think of this as Jesus’ final campaign speech on Election Day. (Go vote today!) In these chapters, Jesus speaks directly to his disciples (and then to God) about abiding in God’s presence, the coming of the Holy Spirit, and the benefits of sustained faithfulness.
John 13-14
Good morning! Jesus prepares the disciples for his death in today’s passage (John 13-14). He gives them the symbol of foot-washing, the commandment to love, and the promise of the Holy Spirit once he is gone. When Jesus’s forthcoming crucifixion and burial are mentioned beginning in chapter 13, notice that John doesn’t make reference to death, but only to departure. This is but one of many characterizations of Jesus’ actions in these final chapters that show him utterly in control, never a victim of circumstances but always a master consenting to the turn of affairs because they serve his purposes.
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Edina Morningside Community Church
Did anyone else here have a hard time getting up on Thursday morning? There was a bit of a cliffhanger that kept many of us up on Wednesday night. I’m looking especially at the man whose email address is “mncubfan”—how are you feeling, Chuck?? If you were under a rock or stranded on a desert island for the last week, you might have missed the news that the Chicago Cubs are the “Lovable Losers” no longer. After more than a century of losing, the Cubs have won the World Series of baseball. All throughout this past year as one thing after another fell in place for them, Cubs fans kept pinching themselves and reminding each other not to get their hopes up too high. Their team—like a certain Minnesota pro football team—always manages to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory. The Cubs actually winning the World Series seemed unbelievable. The Boston Herald’s front page on Thursday captioned the moment the best: “Pigs fly. Hell freezes over. Cubs win!”
John 11-12
Good morning! Today in John 11-12 we have several stories of tenderness and pathos, even amid the growing gloom of institutional and imperial power aligning against Jesus. His clarity of purpose leaves little room to worry about the opposition scheming for his life. Instead, he seeks to fulfill the purpose for which he was sent: eternal life.
John 9-10
Good morning! Today in John 9-10, we see the life-altering effect of an encounter with Jesus on a man born blind, and on his community. When the man’s neighbors, parents and religious authorities all fracture into different camps based on whether or not they believe this to be a valid healing, Jesus then goes into a chapter of extended metaphors around sheep and the “good shepherd”, making the point in several different ways that what matters is not so much what one believes, but whether one recognizes in Jesus a true shepherd and follows him.
John 7-8
Good morning! Have you had your coffee yet today?? I find when reading the soliloquies of Jesus in John that I can quickly lose myself in the metaphors of these deceptively simple passages. Though the exact nature of the images and arguments tend to pile up in my head, what’s clear today in John 7-8 is Jesus’ antipathy for the Pharisees, Sadducees, and other Jewish authorities. While they present themselves as the ultimate authorities of Hebrew theological interpretation, Jesus claims his own identity with God as the final, definitive authority. As you can imagine, this does not go down well with the Jewish authorities, especially when he flatly contradicts them.
John 5-6
Good morning! Today we experience the beginning of what some people say is the best of John, and others say is the worst of John. Characteristically for this gospel starting today (John 5-6) and going forward, Jesus breaks into soliloquies that extend for most of a chapter or beyond. Today we also have the first “I am” statement, another consistent theme in this gospel that we’ll engage each day for nearly the next week.
Pastor Oby Ballinger 