By Redeemer Lutheran on Jun 26, 2015 05:50 am
The Followers of Jesus as provocative. Comments to: adebelak@redeemerluth.com The Followers of Jesus as provocative are present to bring in the life of the Reign of God. That is the reason we are a provocative people. The Reign of God does not follow the character of the society and times around us. We are not run by fear or anxiety. We are a people who trust that our God is bringing in God's peaceable Reign and it is in the shape of all of us acting out within our everyday lives. The Followers of Jesus are provocative when we do not simply go along with how the story of Scripture have been told or interpreted. We continually re-fresh those stories and bring the life-giving life-affirming, life-healing meaning back into old, old stories. Those old stories are often being smothered in ancient tribal images and thought that does not need to preside among us anymore. Therefore we question all that is being read and we ask for images of God's Reign to shine through. The Followers of Jesus as provocative will cause a stir as we move aside that which is not essential to the coming of God's peaceable Reign and keep digging for new ways to see beyond the limits of past days and into the expansiveness of God's unfolding grace and love. God of Love and All Hopefulness, keep opening the heart of your Reign and fill us with its glory and hope. Amen.
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By Redeemer Lutheran on Jun 25, 2015 06:50 am
The Followers of Jesus as provocative. Comments to: adebelak@redeemerluth.com The Followers of Jesus as provocative may be seen as people who are raising doubts and therefore not faithful. And yet, I find that when the Follower of Jesus question that which we are saying and that which we are doing there is a bit of new life introduced to the room. Whenever we use language that just is allowed to carry baggage without understanding its meaning in real life terms the excitement of follower Jesus becomes a journey into 'magical' words that grab people's attention but usually means little When we are free to question and ask for thoughtful discussion and are not afraid to entertain argumentation, we are stepping into the excitement of the early church we can see in Acts. For in those days, the Follower of Jesus were extremely provocative. They questioned. They were often asking questions and doing things that the did not really understand. But in time - through their experiences outside the norm of the words and images they thought they knew - they were greeted with a door open to life beyond all expectations. O God of Love and All Hopefulness, open the doors of our hearts and minds so that we will not shy away from the grand vision of your Reign that we too often try to lock up and keep for ourselves. Amen.
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