Monday, August 31, 2015

Reflections on "Sulking in the Shade" Jonah 3: 1 - 4:11

I had a lot of fun with this sermon.  If you can imagine me in shorts, sandals, and an Hawaiian shirt, sitting in a lawn chair with a tall bush providing me shade (until God struck it down), you have a picture of the first person sermon I shared yesterday.  In my notes on Jonah, I had mentioned that we ought to see the humor in Jonah, so I tried to live that out in the sermon.

Thanks to Kathy, our Program Director who designed the perfect bush for the scene and to Bill, the liturgist Sunday, who took on the role of the Narrator with his usual dramatic flair. Their added parts to the sermon really made it work.


“Sulking in the Shade” FPC, Troy; 8/30/15; Minor prophet series; Jonah 3&4

Jonah: I'm going to just sit here in the shade and watch old Nineveh. Here in the shade of the bush God gave me to keep cool I can watch what happens to those Ninevites.

Watch them get into trouble with God. They are nothing but a bunch of losers.

Narrator: Welcome to the minor prophet Jonah, perhaps one of the most familiar of all the prophets.

We tell the story of Jonah being swallowed by the big fish (we say that he was swallowed by a whale, but the biblical text only tells us a big fish).

Biblical scholars do not know when Jonah was written.

Jonah reads more like a short story than a prophecy, but is probably included in the minor prophets because it connects itself with the prophet Jonah, son of Amittai.

I am not sure why Jonah is wearing an Hawaiian shirt this morning. You might need to ask him that.

But the biblical text does tell us that God provided Jonah a bush with shade to sit under as he watches over Nineveh.

Jonah: So you want to know how I got here.

It all started when God called me to go and preach judgment to Nineveh. If anyone deserves God's judgment, it's the Ninevites.

I really don't like the Ninevites, so I wanted no part of going and preaching to them, even if it was going to be a word of judgment.

So I left. I hit the road and headed to the coast. I was going to go to Tarshish by way of Joppa, which meant traveling by boat.

My friends thought I was being ridiculous. “Jonah,” they said, “you always tell us that God is the God of everything – land, sea, heavens, the earth, everything. So how do you think you are going to run away from God?”

I was not in the mood to deal with their theological commentary. I just left.

I got to Joppa, found a boat that was going to Tarshish, and set sail.

And what does God do? God sends a big storm. I mean a giant storm. Winds and rain. The waves crashing in on the boat. Even the sailors were scared by this storm.

Not me. What did I care? So what if the ship sank and we all drowned. As long as I didn't have to go to Nineveh, it didn't matter to me. So I went down below and went to sleep.

The sailors were praying to their different gods. They were throwing things overboard to make the ship lighter. Someone saw me sleeping and decided that if I were able to sleep through the storm, then maybe my faith in God was so strong it could save them.

They asked me about God, and I told them about God and how God was in control of heaven and earth. That seemed to impress them and scare them a little bit.

Someone got the great idea that we would cast lots to see which one of us had made God mad enough to send this storm.

I figured I knew how that was going to turn out, and sure enough, I drew the lot.

Me. God would not just let me alone. Oh no, God has to chase me down on the boat.

The sailors grilled me about what I had done. I told them don't worry about it. Just throw me overboard and your problem will be solved.

They didn't believe me. They tried to do it their way. It didn't work. They finally listened to me and threw me overboard.

Guess what? The storm stopped. The waves calmed. The sailors were overwhelmed at what God was doing. So they all became believers.

Yay for God. I'm in the water in the middle of nowhere and the sailors are impressed with God.

But that was not enough. Oh no, God couldn't just thank me for my part in making the sailors believers. God couldn't somehow send me ashore aboard some big wave.

No, God had to send a big fish to swallow me.

Narrator: Let's stop here for a second.

Jonah gets thrown overboard and all the sailors come to believe in God.

In an odd sort of way, Jonah is being a pretty good prophet.

Of course, God's not done with Jonah.

Jonah: Have you ever been swallowed by a big fish? Of course not, God only did that to me.

Let me tell you, it was disgusting. Can you imagine what else that fish had been swallowing? Yuck.

Three days. I was in the belly of that fish three days and three nights. Dark and nasty.

Then, I had one of those moments when I just gave up and turned myself over to God.

Whatever you want, God,” I shouted. “You are the one, the only God. I will be your servant and do whatever you want.”

God then made the fish spit me out. Let me tell you that was some kind of trip, with a pretty hard landing.

Of course, God still wanted me to go to Nineveh and preach judgment.

So I went. I preached that they had forty days until judgment would arrive. They were in big trouble.

But, of course, they decided to turn to God. They put on sack cloths. Even the king. Even the animals. Have you ever seen a cow in a sack cloth?

The king said, “who knows, maybe God will not destroy us if we ask repent and ask for forgiveness.

The king was right. God decided not to destroy them.

How do you like that? God decides not to destroy the Ninevites. I wanted the Ninevites to be destroyed. But they were saved, all because I came and proclaimed the coming judgment day.

Made me wish I were not a prophet and that I'd never heard of God.

So here I sit, watching Nineveh.
I must be back on God's good side because God has given me a bush to shade me while I sit here.

Narrator: Jonah either succeeded beyond his wildest dreams or he failed, depending on how you look at it.

ON the one hand, he preached the destruction of Nineveh, and he was wrong.

On the other hand, all of Nineveh repented. A prophet's dream

Maybe that's why Jonah's story keeps getting told – a reminder to Israel, a reminder to us, that God calls us to repentance.

But, God is not done with Jonah yet (Knock over bush)

Jonah: What have I done now God? You've killed the bush tree that was giving me shade. Really? What did that bush ever do to you.

Now the sun is beating down on me. It is so hot. What did I do to deserve this?

I'm sick of you, God. All this over the Ninevites. You really care that much about them?

That's why I didn't want to go preach to them, you know. That's why I ran away. Because I know you are a gracious God. I knew they would repent just like I knew you would forgive them.

And now you kill the bush that was giving me shade.

Some days I'm not so sure I like the way you choose to be gracious.

Narrator: There's Jonah, sweating a way. Still not sure what to make of God.

But God shut Jonah up with one simple question: If you are worried about that silly bush, why are you surprised that I am worried about Nineveh, a city of 120,000 people?

To which Jonah could only shake his head and remember the graciousness of God that not even Jonah could fathom.

Amen.







Thursday, August 27, 2015

"Sulking in the Shade" Jonah 3: 1 - 4:11

Jonah perhaps is known  most for running away from God and being swallowed by a big fish.  I used to mention that and then note that the real issue is Jonah not liking God's graciousness toward the Ninevites.  I may have said that so many times over the years, that it is no longer the often forgotten point Jonah.

Although Jonah reads more like a narrative than a prophesy, its inclusion among the prophets is due, in part, to its beginning with a call story, its main character being Jonah, a prophet briefly mentioned in 2 Kings 14: 25; and because it probably originated in prophetic circles (Gowan, Theology of the Prophetic Books:  The Death and Resurrection of Israel, 138).

Jonah has a different feel to it if we think of it as a humorous short story. Laugh at the ridiculous scenes and let the humor instruct.  I am contemplating having some fun with Jonah and doing something like a first person sermon.

Jonah preaches judgment. The Ninevites repent and acknowledge their sinfulness. Note what the king of Nineveh says: "Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish” (3:9).  Note that Jonah has not called on the Ninevites to repent. He has only preached judgment to them.  The king takes it upon himself to repent before God.  Perhaps this is the real theme of the story – a suggestion to God’s people that God may relent and change God’s mind about how Israel and Judah are being destroyed.

What do you find interesting about the Jonah story?

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Reflections on "God's Desire" Joel 3: 17-21

I never became excited about Joel this week, and the sermon showed that lack of excitement.  Probably the weakest of the minor prophet sermons that I've preached.  Ironically, Joel could probably have similar comments about my sermon that I had about his prophesy!

God's Desire” FPC, Troy; 8/23/15; Minor prophet series; Joel 3: 17-21
Move 1: there is nothing particularly remarkable about the minor prophet Joel – rather generic prophecy.
a. The name “Joel” is not unique.
  1. It means “the Lord is God.” A pretty basic affirmation.
  2. No unique spin on who God is.
  3. There are many Old Testament characters with that name.
b. Joel is difficult to date.
  1. Some date it as early as 9th century, others as recently as the 2nd century.
  2. No particular time frame mentioned, and dissecting the prophecy does not reveal a particular context in time.
  3. You don't read Joel and go he was prophesying just before the fall of Jerusalem or just after the return from exile and point out how Joel's words fit that context.
  4. Joel could fit into whatever time period the reader wants.
  1. There is the locust disaster, of course.
    1. go back to Chapter 1 and read about it:
We are told; “What the cutting locusts left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten.”
    1. For those of you who remember the video game Pac-man, the locust portion in Joel reads like a group of Pac-men munching away as they devour the crop.
    2. I suppose that is what Joel is known for most.
    2. To become ordained as a Presbyterian minister, you have to pass the Bible content exam. Now I think most of the studying is done on-line, and you even take the test on-line.
    3. Back when I was in seminary, we would have a few review sessions to prepare for the exam. We were given packet of information about every book in the Bible and certain clues about the different books. The clues were based on what kinds of questions previous tests had had.
    For example, if it there was a quote about love, your best guess was 1,2,3 Letters of John; or if there was a question or quote that had light/darkness, your best guess was the Gospel of John.
    4. The only thing we learned about Joel was locust. Apparently, there had never been a question about the minor prophet Joel that had included any content besides locust.
    1. The only problem with the locust plague is that there is no historical record about some big locust plague that took place so that we could say Joel was prophesying about that.
    2. The locust plagues could be metaphorical references to invasions, or actually refer to locust plagues.
    3. But the locust plague is not really explored fully. There is no comment on why this disaster had struck.
    4. The disaster is not used to attack the lifestyle of God's people or set the stage for a repentance.
  1. Joel has little concern with attacking the government or leaders.
    1. Joel does not discuss the ethical responsibilities of the people.
2. . No list of things to do.
3. No strong exhortation to change their ways.
4.w e have read other minor prophets like Amos who call for social justice or minor prophets who have made strong statements about looming destruction or compelling calls for repentance.
    1. But not Joel.
    2. Joel does not focus on justice, name specific sins, or single out specific people or castes of people for their sins.  Rather, Joel bids the people to turn toward God in repentance and worship. http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=256; Rolf Jacobson, Professor of Old Testament Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.
Move 2: So why is Joel part of the biblical canon, one fo the minor prophets whose prophesy we preserve and read?
a. Young Adult sports fiction.
Takes me back to summers at my grandmother's house when I would go to the library to read. The air-conditioned library that became our cool place of respite from my grandmother's hot house.
I would sit and read for hours at a time. (and listen to all the gossip of the small town; it seemed like everyone person who came in had to the tell the women at the desk the latest news, and loud enough for everyone to hear!).
Today's young adult sports books have much more ambiguity – divorce, or drugs, or power struggles; and often the end has not clear victor or victory; just some sort of lesson learned. Probably more realistic, but sometimes I have enough real-life and want to read to forget about reality.
But those old sports books I read are much simpler: you meet a main character; the main character has a problem; the problem is overcome, usually by good teamwork or some other good deed; and then there is a rousing victory. The good guys won.
Maybe that' not as realistic to the world in which we live, but I still pull out one of those books to read when I'm feeling down or just want find some certainty in the world, if only for a brief moment.
b. Joel is that book you pull out to read when you are feeling kind of down and need to hear a little word of comfort.
  1. When you don't want to hear the trumpet call you to a new life
    or you don't need to be inspired to new heights
    Or you don't really want to challenged by someone pointing out your faults.
  2. You read Joel
    c. You read of the locust plague and you connect it to whatever is going on in your life.
      1. Read Joel and are reminded that God's desire is blessing (Gowan, 183).
      2. Read Joel and find comfort in the God who desire that sons and daughters will prophesy, old men have dreams, young men have visions, the God who even connects with male and female slaves.
    d. Joel is about being reminded of God's comfort in a low-key, little pressure way.
Conclusion: Several years ago, a story appeared in the Minneapolis Star and Tribune. The story was about a Catholic nun, Sister Helen Merosia, who had taught school in the western Minnesota community of Morris for many years. The story told of Sister Helen’s remembrance of an especially difficult Friday in 1965 when her students, frustrated by some difficult math problems, became cranky and edgy. So she told them, on a whim, to put the problems aside and take out a clean sheet of paper and make a list of their classmates’ names. Then she told them to think of the kindest thing they could say about each of their classmates. She collected the lists at the end of the period and then took them home. Over the weekend, she wrote the name of each student in the class, one by one, on separate sheets of paper, and then listed for each one all the good things their classmates had written about them. On Monday, she handed the compiled lists back to the students. There were smiles, but no one mentioned the lists again — at least not for several years.
A half dozen years later, in the summer of 1971, Sister Helen learned that one of those students, Mark Eklund, had been killed in Vietnam. His parents called with the news and invited her to come to his funeral. And so she went, and afterward, visited with the family and a group of Mark’s classmates, her old students, at the family home. “We want to show you something,” Mark’s father told her, and he brought out a wallet and took from it a piece of paper. “They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it.” The piece of paper had obviously been folded and refolded many times. It was the paper on which she had written all the good things each of Mark’s classmates had said about him. Mark’s mother thanked Sister Helen, “As you can see, Mark treasured it.” Then some of Mark’s classmates chimed in. “I still have my list,” Charlie said. “It’s in the top drawer of my desk at home.” “I have mine, too,” Marilyn said. “It’s in my diary.” Vickie pulled her list from her pocketbook. “I carry this with me at all times,” she said. As told by Michael Lindvall at the Moveable Feast, 1999.









Thursday, August 20, 2015

"God's Desire" Joel 3: 18-21

Joel is known for locusts, that is, the swarm of locusts that destroyed the crop.

the destruction of the first two chapters goes without explanation, although the basic assumption works like this:  if there is disaster and there is God, then the disaster must be of God's choosing (Gowan, 183).

Joel expresses the belief that God's ultimate desire is to bless God's people.

Joel is not a very sophisticated work.

Biblical scholars do not know when to date Joel.  Some date his as early as the 9th century BCE and others as late the 2nd century BCE.

I am having trouble thinking of a different approach than I've already used several times during this minor prophet series.

Sunday, August 16, 2015

Reflections on "Get to Work" Haggai 2: 1-9

Another minor prophet, this week Haggai.  I intentionally tried to start the sermon with a story instead of a recap of what we have already done in the minor prophet series and/or historical context for the minor prophet.  To make it work in the Chapel, I had a few of those comments before the Scripture lesson, which gave the information needed but in a different way than most weeks.  In the Sanctuary service, I forgot to do the introductory remarks before the Scripture.  I was going to just skip them, but when I looked out at the congregation I noticed one of our biggest crowds of the summer (it was our Giving Tree dedication Sunday), and realized that the information might be helpful to some who have not been hearing the sermons on the minor prophets every week.  Thus, the Sanctuary sermon began like a lot of the sermons this summer with a reminder that we are in a series on the minor prophets and some info about the historical context.  So much for trying to vary my preaching.

as I read the text in the Chapel service, it struck me that the passage that talks about it being God's gold and God's silver being used to rebuild the Temple might make for a good sermon one day.

Get to Work” FPC, Troy; 8/16/15; Minor prophet series; Haggai 2: 1-9
Introduction:
Thirty-five years ago, when ethicist- theologian Stanley Hauerwas was teaching at Notre Dame, he was involved with a Methodist Church in South Bend. The story of this church was typical—they were located downtown and as the downtown began to struggle, so did the church. Changing, challenging neighborhood, dwindling membership—BUT they saw their mission and were committed to staying downtown. Then the roof began to leak badly. They got estimates. They could do a patch job for 2000… …or they could do it right for $10,000. One option was a tough swallow. The other option felt like climbing Mt. Everest. After much debate, it was clear to the church that the $10,000 option made the most sense. The debate was fierce though: HOW could they consider themselves as being committed to the city, and to the poor by spending so much…on themselves? What witness was this to their neighborhood? Well, Hauerwas says, the neighbors noticed. As soon as the scaffolding went up, the neighbors noticed that¬ only was the church repairing its roof, it was doing it in FIRST CLASS fashion. …And the response of the neighborhood was NOT to be scandalized…but ENCOURAGED. The church was told by several neighbors: “You have said by this action that you were serious when you said you were going to STAY in our neighborhood.” NOT ONLY that…but the church had been sharing its building with a Pentecostal church. The pastor of that church said to the pastor of the Methodist church: “You know, we share your building, but we DON’T share your values. We do not trust you or your ministry. As a matter of fact, your building is SHABBY. You’ve welcomed us, but into a place of disrepair. “But NOW…we’re beginning to believe that you are true to your promise and to a SHARED vision.” “Who would have known,” Hauerwas said, “that a boring, contentious decision in a board meeting about a ROOF…would end up being a PROPHETIC action?” Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church Asheville, North Carolina 15 February 2015 Sermon: “Can a Building be a Prophet?” Mark Ramsey

a. Who would have known? The minor prophet Haggai would have known.

1. He has returned to Jerusalem with other exiles as as part of Persia's approach to dealing with its empire after the defeat of Babylon.

2. Whereas Babylon brought the Judeans into exile, Persia approach was to send the exile back to rebuild their homes, which Persia hoped would provide stability and financial resources for the empire.

    1. Issues – some were legal. For instance, ownership of property issues. One of the challenges faced with the returning exiles revolved round property issues. Did the returning exiles have property rights for the property they held before being exiled, or did the new landowners maintain their property rights? A form of collectives were established that allowed for shared ownership among families who were returning and those who had stayed.

    1. emotional – imagine you are one of the exiles returning, so excited to be back. Full of energy to rebuild the place you've been dreaming about for all those years in exile.

5. But, imagine if you are one of those who has stayed. You had made accommodations and figured out how to live your lives and worship God despite the Temple that lay in ruins.

6. Now, here are these returning exiles – they had not suffered with you; they did not know the new customs that had been developed. All they can talk about is the changes that need to take place now that they are back home in Jerusalem.

    1. For all these people, the exiles who have returned and the ones who never left, Haggai brings a word from God --”get to work. Rebuild the Temple.”

    1. God's house needs to be repaired and made the center piece of their worship, their community, their shared live.
      b. We know the importance of a building and what it can represent.
        1. Presbyterians have been here in Troy over 200 years.
        2. this church has had a presence on the corner of Walnut and Franklin for 150+ years.
        3. We now have a building complex that covers the whole block of Walnut from Franklin to W. Main.
        4. a place where we gather each week to worship, yes.
        5. but also place where God's work is done.
          6. In the civil war era, this would have been known in the community as the place where everyone gathered to pray as they sent their loved ones off to war.
I can hear a mother tearfully noting that the last time they prayed with her son before he went off and was killed in battle was right here in this church.
    1. In the early 20th century, this church would have been known as the place where those women gathered who were part of the Prohibition movement.

I can hear someone talk with an admiring tone about those crazy women who meet at that church to plan their war on the bars in town.

    1. Now, when I tell someone I am the minister at the First Presbyterian Church, people say things like, “that's where AA or NA meets,” or “Breakfast Club,” or the church that does the back to school thing!”

Our building and the ministries it represents serves as a sign in Troy, Ohio that God is present and that God is not done yet.
      c. Center of the their lives

  1. Before the exile, the Temple had become almost a royal chapel. Although it symbolized the hopes and reams of God's people, it was primarily the place where royalty and priests went.
  2. After the exile, the Temple took on a much greater role as the center of the social and economic activity of the Judeans.

Haggai knew that the Temple was more than just a building, it was the place that stood as testimony to the God who was still in their midst.
Move 2: The prophet Haggai,whose name means in Hebrew, “make a pilgrimage” has returned to the Holy city to tell God's people to rebuild the Temple.

a. And the people actually listened to him.

  1. From a preacher's standpoint, I wonder if Haggai is surprised by their response.
    2. people often share comments with me about the sermons. Typically, a comment about something they heard or some story that I told. I like to hear comments about the sermons, or most of the comments!
    3. Every once in awhile I have a conversation with someone about a change they are making in their life, and when we start talking about it, they say something like, “Well, when you read that Scripture,” or “you said in your sermon.”
    4. It sort of catches me off guard.
    5. And, to tell you the truth, sort of scares me.
    6. But that's what happened to Haggai. His words were not some interesting comment from God, but a call to action.
    b. Harvey Cox, who is a professor of Divinity at Harvard University and the Harvard Divinity School tells the story of being jailed during the civil rights movement.

The jail practiced segregation, so the white protesters were in a cell at one end of the jail and the black protesters were in a cell at the other end of the jail.

They were arrested on that Saturday and there were no plans for their release until at least Monday.

Cox notes that the jail warden happened by his cell on Saturday night and shared that the black protestors had asked for a Bible so that they could have Sunday School and church services in their cell the next morning. The warden agreed to get them a Bible and told Cox, “Can't do no harm” to let them have a Bible.

The next morning the whole jail filled with singing of gospel songs, preaching from the Exodus story about being led out of bondage, and prayers for deliverance and strength coming from the young, black protesters who were holding church.

As Cox reflected on the warden's comment that the Bible could do no harm, he noted that the reason these young blacks were in jail was because they had been reading the Bible.
And not just reading the Bible, but laying claim to the fact that God's story of liberation was not just a story, but “it was their story.” It shaped their lives and gave them the courage and desire to protest the inequality and discrimination in the world (How to Read the Bible, Harvey Cox, 7-8).

The bible “can't do no harm,” but it can empower and inspire people to change their lives and the world.

Move 3: Final thought – God's desire is transformation of the whole world.

a. Haggai mentions three names: Haggai, who is the prophet with a word from God; Zerubbabel the governor of Judah appointed by the king of Persia; and Joshua, the high priest.
  1. The work God calls the Judeans to will involve both the government and Temple officials.

2. God's realm of activity is not just the religious, but all of life.

b. And this worldview expand beyond even Jerusalem.

1. Haggai finishes with a reminder that it is not just about Jerusalem, but the whole world.

2. Darius may be king of Persia, but God is actually in control.

Conclusion: God has a word for us. Get to work.

Resources consulted: The New Interpreter's Bible, Vol. VII.


Theology of the Prophetic Books: The Death and Resurrection of Israel, Donald E. Gowan

Friday, August 14, 2015

"Get to Work" Haggai 2: 4-9

I have not figured out my entry into this weeks' sermon on Haggai, but here is the background info I have.  I am reflecting on the role of buildings in our life or faith and also the fact that the people actually responded to what Haggai called them to do!


1. Haggai is another of the minor prophets for whom no lineage is given.

2. The name Haggai appears to be from the Hebrew word for “make a pilgrimage” or “observe a pilgrimage feast,” which would fit with the movement back to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple.

3. Haggai was presumably a contemporary of the minor prophet Zechariah. Haggai does not mention Zechariah, nor does Zechariah mention Haggai, but Ezra links the two together as working in Jerusalem at the same time with the same goal of rebuilding the Temple and Jerusalem.

4. Haggai has returned to Jerusalem as part of Persia's approach to dealing with its empire after the defeat of Babylon. Whereas Babylon brought the Judeans into exile, Persia approach was to send the exile back to rebuild their homes, which Persia hoped would provide stability and financial resources for the empire.

5. Before the exile, the Temple had become almost a royal chapel. Although it symbolized the hopes and reams of God's people, it was primarily the place where royalty and priests went. After the exile, the Temple took on a much greater role as the center of the social and economic activity of the Judeans.

6. One of the challenges faced with the returning exiles revolved round property issues. Did the returning exiles have property rights for the property they held before being exiled, or did the new landowners maintain their property rights? A form of collectives were established that allowed for shared ownership among families who were returning and those who had stayed.

7.  Haggai is divided into five units, or speeches from the prophet.

a. Haggai 1: 1-12 Three names are mentioned – Haggai, Zerubbabel the go governor of Judah; and Joshua, the high priest. The work will involve both the government and Temple officials.

b. Haggai 1: 12-15a The people obey the word of the Lord as delivered to them by the prophet Haggai

c. Haggai 1: 15b – 2:9 The people are exhorted t take courage and continue their work

d. Haggai 2: 10 – 19 Haggai reminds the people that the altar must be made clean. This sets the stage for “from this day on,” the future that God has in store for God's people.

e. Haggai 2: 20-23 A final reminder that God's plan is not just for Jerusalem, but for all the world. Darius may be king of Persia, but God is actually in control.


Resources consulted: The New Interpreter's Bible, Vol. VII.

Theology of the Prophetic Books: The Death and Resurrection of Israel, Donald E. Gowan.


Monday, August 10, 2015

Reflections on "A Flying Scroll" Zechariah 5: 1-4

I decided to add a change of pace to the sermon on Sunday on the belief that the congregation had heard enough historical background information.  The change of pace as having a PowerPoint presentation with each of the visions enumerated in the sermon.  It worked pretty well in the Sanctuary service.  If nothing else, it engaged a different part of the listeners' senses.  In the Chapel, however, we do not have the technology to do the PowerPoint.  I thought it would not be too bad, but it became clear that it was too much information being dumped on the listeners!

The text below is not as close to what was preached as most weeks.  I kept adjusting and shifting how things were said, and even the order in which they were said.  I can't really remember the changes well enough to correct the text (just assume that it was better than how you read it!).  I did not hit the "cognitive minority" point that Gowan makes very hard in the sermon.  That would be a very interesting topic for a future sermon.

A Flying Scroll” FPC, Troy; 8/9/15; Minor prophet series; Zechariah 5: 1-4
Introduction: Minor prophets; late 6th century; Persia now the world power; Persia's policy was to treat the exiles kindly, and all ow some to move back to their homelands in order to exert control and generate revenue
Zechariah colleague of Haggai writing during the time when the exiles are returning to Jerusalem – Ezra always mentions both together.
Zechariah is actually two different prophets prophesying at different times. First Zechariah (Chapters 1-8) and Second Zechariah (Chapters 9-14).
Move 1: Jerusalem and the Temple continue to be the focal point.
a. as you have surely noticed, all of the minor prophets and their prophecies have revolved around the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple.
  1. Initially, the threat to Jerusalem.
  2. Then the fall of Jerusalem and destruction of the Temple. This event becomes to that generation and future generations what the what the Exodus story had been for earlier generations.
3. In our own context: American revolution or 9/11.
4. In the modern world for Judaism, the Holocaust.
    1. We also are reading Psalm 137, which expresses the Israelite perspective on how it felt to be in exile.
    1. Gowan suggests that the plight of the Jewish exiles fits Peter Berger's, a sociologist of religion, concept of a "cognitive minority," which is "a group of people whose view of the world differs significantly from the one generally taken for granted in their society" (Gowan, Theology of the Prophetic Books: The Death and Resurrection of Israel, 145).He notes that the Babylonian cities were dominated by giant temple towers, which made it hard for the exiles to see any relevance to their worship of Yahweh, who apparently could not protect the Temple in Jerusalem or save the exiles (Gowan, 145).
    1. how do they claim their faith?

8. what can they say about their God given the evidence around them in the world?

b. Zechariah prophesies from the time when exile is becoming the time of return and restoration.
  1. new questions arise – is this the fulfillment that the prophets had been talking about?
    1. Rosalind Banbury, “god Tames the Waters,” The Presbyterian Outlook, 8/3/2015, 27: “In the crucible of exile, Jews searched sacred texts and the words of the prophets. They came to realize that it was they who had brought the exile on themselves. ...Out of this soul-searching came a renewed commitment to be God's faithful people and an astonishing theological affirmation that God, not the Babylonian god Marduk, was the creator of the heavens and the earth.                                                                                                                                               3. Incredible statement that Zechariah addresses in his prophecy.
Move 2: Content of Zechariah
a. First half is visions

1. The images make Zechariah feel a bit like Revelation. In fact, Revelation makes a good parallel for another reason -- in both instances, the one sharing the prophecy is part of a minority group, which may be why the vivid imagery is used. From a minority perspective, you cannot call out the ones who rule, so cryptic images are used to represent the prevailing powers.

2. First vision: fantastic figure of horses at the intersection of heaven and earth – in the midst of chaos the angel rides in to bring order (deep goes back to Genesis?); God will return to restore order

3. Second vision: Four nations that are Israel's enemies will be dealt with by God

4. Third vision: measure Jerusalem; holy city; Jerusalem is bursting at the seams; notice that God controls all the world

5. fourth vision: Satan accuses Joshua, but God cleanses

6. Fifth vision: lamp stand and two olive trees: God will work through the governor Zerubbabel and high priest Joshua

7. Sixth vision: flying scroll – thirty feet long and fifteen feed wide; the whole world will be judged by the word of God.
    1. Seventh vision: Woman in a basket being carried away – Woman who personifies wickedness and has a corollary in the Mesopotamian gods is sent back to the land Shinar.
    2. Eight vision: four chariots announcing God to the ends of the earth; completes the cycle as it takes us back to the first vision.
b. Second half of Zechariah look at what post-exilic life might be like.
  1. Is there more to come than the return and restoration of the Temple? Chapter 9 suggests that.
  2. There is still a future hope. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem. Lo, your king come to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of donkey (9:9)
  3. We know this passage because the Gospels of Matthew and John quote it 9: 9 as part of the Palm Sunday story.
  4. Even as Jerusalem and the Temple are rebuilt, there is more to come.
  5. Donkey vs. horse? Clue that they still do not have it right?
  6. Is there conflict in the post-exilic community? The bad shepherd in Chapter 11 would suggest that..
    1. Everything should be good after the return to Jerusalem, right? Well, maybe not.
Move 3: How do we claim Zechariah?

a. We obviously are not embattled people in exile. Nor are we returning to rebuild.

b. But, we know the question – is God at work in the world around us.
  1. Someone in my office just this week asking me if I thought what was going on in the world was the part of the signs we read in Revelation. Are we at the beginning of the end?
    1. Someone will be right one day!
    1. If we believe God is at work in our world, then it's a fair questions to ask where and align ourselves in the places we see God.
b. Changing context does not move us outside of God.
  1. As they see the fall of Jerusalem coming, they see God.
    1. In exile they discover God.
    1. In the return and restoration they affirm God.
    1. Reminder to us that God is in the mix.
Conclusion: I had a mentor who used to say that we keep baptizing as a sign of hope and our belief that God is still present among us.
The community of believers still exists with a future in front of it, or there would be no need to baptize an infant and expect the community of faith to be a part of her future.
We baptize today and lay claim to the future God has for us.


Note: I consulted quite heavily the The New Interpreter's Bible and the study notes found in The New Interpreter's Study Bible. While I have not quoted directly in most instances, their comments have greatly guided my preparation of this sermon.








Thursday, August 6, 2015

"The Flying Scroll" Zechariah 5: 1-4; Psalm 137

The minor prophet Zechariah has all sorts of images, at least in the first half of the prophecy.  The images make Zechariah feel a bit like Revelation.  In fact, Revelation makes a good parallel for another reason -- in both instances, the one sharing the prophecy is part of a minority group, which may be why the vivid imagery is used.  From a minority perspective, you cannot call out the ones who rule, so cryptic images are used to represent the prevailing powers.

We also are reading Psalm 137, which expresses the Israelite perspective on how it felt to be in exile.

Gowan suggests that the plight of the Jewish exiles fits Peter Berger's, a sociologist of religion, concept of a "cognitive minority," which is "a group of people whose view of th3 world differs significantly from the one generally taken for granted in their society" (Gowan, Theology of the Prophetic Books:  The Death and Resurrection of Israel, 145).He notes that the Babylonian cities were dominated by giant temple towers, which made it hard for the exiles to see any relevance to their worship of Yahweh, who apparently could not protect the Temple in Jerusalem or save the exiles (Gowan, 145).

The challenge/decision to be made with this sermon is whether to make it more of a teaching sermon -- I could share what each of the individual visions represent, for instance -- or to try to find a theme from Zechariah.

The Gsopels of Matthew and John quote Zechariah 9: 9 as part of the Palm Sunday story.

What strikes you from Zechariah?

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Reflections on "Future Justice" Obadiah 1: 1-21

Another minor prophet sermon.  Obadiah was the biggest challenge so far because he basically prophesied the destruction of Edom, Judah's enemy for many generation.  The prophecy is about vengeance, although I suppose it is in the context of hope that God will act in the future.  I relied very heavily on my three foundational resources:  Anderson's Understanding the Old Testament; Gowan's Theology of the Prophetic Books: the Death and Resurrection of Israel; and The New Interpreter's Bible.   I have tried to note those resources internal to the sermon.

I also am indebted to a sermon preached by Rev. Kristy Roberts Farber at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Asheville, NC on May, 17, 21015, entitled "Two Sides of the Sea."  Although I did not quote her in my sermon, her exploration of imagination led me to seeing imagination as a possibility for responding to Obadiah.

The story near the end of the sermon from Shane Claiborne had an additional quote:  Then he looked square into my eyes, with tears pouring from his, and said, "Has your country lost its imagination?"  That addition to the quote makes it more powerful in some ways, but I also thought it might distract from the conversation about imagination and shift to a political conversation.

Future Justice” FPC, Troy; 7/26/15; Minor prophet series; Obadiah 1: 1-21
Introduction: The minor prophets we have been reading have been looking toward the fall of Jerusalem.  Now, Jerusalem has fallen to the Babylonians, Judeans are being exiled, and the prophet Obadiah has something to prophesy (Obadiah probably prophesied in the first few years after the fall of Jerusalem. (The New Interpreter's Bible, VOL VII, 436).

Obadiah literally means “servant of the Lord.” or “worshipper of the Lord.” Unlike the other prophets, there is no information given about Obadiah or his heritage.

As I mentioned when i preached on Nahum, only a few books of the Bible are left out of the Revised Common Lectionary's three-year cycle of readings. Obadiah is one of the others. With Nahum, I could see why it ought to have been included.

With Obadiah, I can see why it was left out of the lectionary.

Move 1: Obadiah has a single message – judgment against Edom.

     a. Edom was the land to the southeast of Judah beyond the Dead Sea.

          1. Edom was associated with Esau, Jacob's brother. Remember that they were Isaac's twins who wrestled in the womb to see who could come out first.  Esau was born first, so he was the eldest son.  Jacob, the second son, steals the birthright from his brother Esau.

          2. Relations between Edom and Judah are characterized by animosity and hostility (NIB, 437).

         3. In some ways the hostility goes back to Rebekah's womb, when Jacob and Esau struggled.

          4. When the Israelites were traveling from Egypt to the Promised Land, they requested permission from the King of Edom to pass through his land. The king refused Israel passage (Numbers, 20: 14-21).

          5. In the time of King Saul (I Samuel 14:47) and King David (2 Sam 8: 13-14), Edom is on the list of enemies.

          6. After the fall of Jerusalem, Edom prospered by capturing fleeing Judeans and turning them over to the Babylonians, an act of betrayal (NIB)

     b. Jerusalem has fallen, and now Judah responds as we often do when we confront failure – blame someone else.

           1.  Human response we know -- when feeling hopeless and helpless lash out.

           2.  Who better to attack than Edom, the enemy for generations.

            3.  Obadiah finishes with a violent word of hope with the house of Jacob and the house of Joseph being fire and flame that burn down the Edomites (“house of Esau”) is how it is described (Obadiah 1: 18).

     c. Prophetic judgment is part of the prophetic tradition, but in all the other cases the judgment is part of a larger prophecy

             1.  The destruction of another nation speaks to God's justice, and then that is turned against Israel or Judah.

              2.  Or the defeat of another country is used as a call to Judah to change their ways.

              3.  Or the destruction is used as a lens to explore how God is at work.

               4.  But Obadiah just lashes out and stops there.

              5.  No further development of thought.

              6.  As Donald Gowan notes, retribution as part of God's final justice is a starting point, but most of the other prophets moved considerably beyond that starting point (Donald E. Gowan, Theology of the Prophetic Books: the Death and Resurrection of Israel, 121).

              7.  Sort of like the kid who has a temper tantrum and yells, “I hate you,” or “i wish you were dead.”

We might expect the parents to allow for a cooling off period, followed by a discussion of why the child was angry, and some sort of apology, and a plan for moving forward.

               8.  But the Obadiah model is the temper tantrum with no growing form the experience. The temper tantrum, the anger and the hatred expressed, are the final word.

Move 2: What do we do with Obadiah?

     a. As I reflect on that, it reminds me of the generations of hatred that fuel the violence in the Middle East and the terrorism we experience.

            1.  Or the racial divide that seems to be exploding in our country today.

            2.  It is never about what happened in this exact moment, but the building up of anger and resentment over generations.

           3. How do we break the cycle of hatred and violence?

           4. Obadiah would seem to lead us to holding on to the anger and waiting for the day when God's vengeance would take place.

          5. From a theological standpoint, I have to ask, “Does that sound anything like what the God was was revealed to us in Jesus Christ would call us to do?”

           6.  Even from a pragmatic standpoint, we might ask, “how does that seem to work?”

           7.  From both a theological and pragmatic standpoint, we might say, “it's not working very well.”

            8. we seem trapped in a cycle of hatred and violence.
     b. Mitch Albom,in his book Have a Little Faith, tells his story of being asked to do the eulogy by rabbi Albert Lewis, with whom he had grown up.

          1. It led to a series of conversation with the rabbi.

          2.  In one of his reflections, he was reminded of a previous sermon a 1974 sermon preached by Rabbi Albert Lewis: Talmudic interpretation (the Talmud is the collection of wisdom pre-Christian rabbis who studied the Hebrew texts developed through the years; reportedly 6200 pages of interpretations) of the crossing of the Red Sea: After seeing Pharaoh's soldiers drowned in the Red Sea, the angels in heaven wanted to celebrate the enemy's demise. God grew angry with this and said, '"Those are my children too.'" Mitch Albom, Have a Little Faith: a true story (76)

       c.  I read Obadiah and think that it is in the biblical canon to challenge us to do better.
             1.  Imagine how God might be at work in new ways that break the cycle of violence and hatred.

             2.  Rodger Nishioka quotes Albert Einstein: “Imagination is more important than knowledge because while knowledge defines all the we currently know and understand, one's imagination point to all we have yet to create.”

             3.  we know the history and the present reality of violence and hatred just like Obadiah knew the history and present reality of Judah's enmity with Edom.

             4. But do we have to carry that forward? Is that what God desires? Or is God calling us to a new way?

            5. Shane Claiborne, a Christian activist.  I was in Baghdad in March 2003, where I lived as a Christian and as a peacemaker during the "shock-and-awe" bombing. I spent time with families, volunteered in hospitals and learned to sing "Amazing Grace" in Arabic.

There is one image of the time in Baghdad that will never leave me. As the bombs fell from the sky and smoke filled the air, one of the doctors in the hospital held a little girl whose body was riddled with missile fragments. He threw his hands in the air and said, "This violence is for a world that has lost its imagination."
Blog Don't Eat Alone, Milton Brasher-Cunningham, 8/28/2011, http://www.donteatalone.blogspot.com/

Conclusion: We come to our Lord's Table – a place that is set by the God who imagined a better way; a future ruled by love; a future in which death was transformed into life.

We come to the Table to find a better way that Obadiah never found, but the way to which God calls us.