Characters around the cross-Caiaphas

We are people who love power. We like to be in control. If we don't have enough power in a relationship, we dig our heels in until we get our own way. Caiaphas had limited power as a high priest. Even though Rome dominated everything, the religious leaders and King Herod were charged with keeping the "peace." It was a perfect arrangement until Jesus came along. His teachings stirred up "trouble" for the status quo. Caiaphas said at one point, "It is better for one man to die for the people..." -John 18:14 The death Jesus was the expedient fix to keep the peace in the city.

As Jesus stands before Caiaphas and Pilate, he encounters the powers of his day. But Jesus did not come to "out-power" them but to humble himself as a servant, a servant who dies on the cross. Jesus puts to death the games and the schemes of power and invites us to live as brothers and sisters. During the days of racial struggle in South Africa, an unjust system called apartide existed:a minority of while citizens ruled as tyrants over a poor, black majority. Desmond Tutu was a bishop in the Anglican Church serving in that country. Instead of wielding power against the white oppressors he worked for justice calling on blacks and whites back to God's vision for humanity. He once said, "My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together."

The events of Holy Week, the death and resurrection of Jesus invites us to die to the old system of lording over others and to be born into a new community in order to live as Christ taught us. Love one another.

Mary Magdalene-Week 2 of Lenten Conversations

This coming week we will focus on Mary Magdalene. I will post a brief overview of this character for those of you leading and participating in small groups. Our Wednesday service at 6 pm, a short drama led by some of our high school youth will be featured in our evening prayer. Soup supper will begin at 5pm.






This Sunday, February 26th, our Chapel Choir will present "A Technicolor Promise." You will be blessed.

Who was Mary Magdalene, really?

In Dan Brown’s bestselling fiction, The Da Vinci Code, the main characters discover that Mary Magdalene was in a romantic relationship with Jesus and their child began a royal family in France. Pope Gregory once preached a homily referring to Mary as a former prostitute.

Nothing in Scripture or early tradition substantiates either one of the above claims. Yes, The Da Vinci Code was a fun read but has no basis in fact.

I do find it interesting; however, that Mary was considered a disciple of Jesus especially in a male dominant society. Mary had encountered Jesus, his preaching and healing ministry and was drawn into his movement. We learn in Luke, chapter 8 that Mary had seven demons exercised by Jesus. There is quite a deep chasm between our modern medical technology and the language of a first century diagnosis, complicated by translations from ancient texts. Regardless, Mary had experienced some sort of healing and her life was transformed.

Mary was faithful. She was a disciple who followed Jesus from Galilee to the busy streets of Jerusalem. Her sandals were soiled from the dusty roads of Judea and Samaria experiencing the powerful ministry of Jesus. Life was different because of Jesus. She followed Jesus all the way to the cross. All the men fled in fear-except for John. But Mary stood with Jesus at the cross and encountered him at the tomb in Luke, chapter 24. This is our journey as well. We are “followers of Jesus Christ.” This Lenten journey invites us to return to the cross to experience the love of Christ.

Mary reminds me of Ruth in the Old Testament. She was living in the land of Moab and was married to a Jewish man. When he died, instead of remaining with her family in her native land, she binds herself to her mother-in-law and returns to Bethlehem where she trusts that God would provide for her. Ruth is the model of loyalty and friendship. Like Mary, Ruth reminds us of the gift of relationship.

Lent is a time to value and experience those basic relationships in our lives. Take time from the busy demands to be with your family and friends. Small groups in this congregation are great places to connect with God and your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Pr. David Raben

Peter-Week One of Lent

Peter, our character for Ash Wednesday
Conversations Lenten renewal. 2012

Characters around the cross…this Lenten season we will gather in small groups to have conversation about these characters in the life of Jesus.

Characters in movies, books, and television are often interesting to us because we can see the truth about ourselves in them.

Willy Loman, in Death of a Salesman, you might see your ambition run amuck.

In Farris Buhler’s character, you might see your youthful tendency for escape and playfulness.

In the character of Dirty Harry, we might get a glimpse of our darker sides, our desire for redemptive violence.

In Peter, I see my passion for a faithful life but also the countless ways I deny Jesus in my thoughts, deeds, and inaction in my daily life.

Theme: The character of Peter invites us into a place of honesty, reflecting on our failures and our need for God’s love which transforms us.

Peter could talk the talk.

We read the gospels and learn that Peter is vocal, impulsive, and often wrong about his faith. But in spite of his short comings, he gets it right when he confesses that Jesus is Lord and Messiah. He is a person of contrast. He was both brave and cowardly, was wise and foolish, fearful and fearless, open-minded and closed-minded, a man of doubt and a man of faith. In Mark 14, he promises that he would never deny Jesus, would even give his life for him. But early in the morning as the roosters are crowing up the sun from the horizon, Peter denies that he knows Jesus. He wept bitterly.

He failed.

Peter could talk the talk but failed to walk the walk.

Peter is complex figure. I see myself in him. It is easy to raise a voice of praise in the liturgy, boldly confess the creeds of the church, and put that “fish” symbol to my bumper. But like Peter, I wimp out when the going gets tough.

Yet, Jesus chose him as the “rock” on which he would build his church. What’s the deal with that?

Peter learned that instead of dying for his Lord, his Lord would die for him. Peter learned that failure was not the end of his relationship with God rather the beginning. Peter learned that he was a member of the church of second chances, a church which he was join again and again throughout his life.

What changed for Peter? In the Book of Acts, Peter is courageous, bold and brave. How did he move from a “two-faced” faith to giving his life for Christ?

Peter was changed because of the Easter events. He experienced the death and resurrection of his Lord. Like Peter we too are called to gather at the cross and die to our old self so that a new person can be raised up.

Paul, in Romans 6, speaks of dying and rising with Christ in baptism. Martin Luther, the church reformer from Germany, understood this as a daily experience. When we are overwhelmed with our fears, sins, and mistakes, we turn to Christ. Out of his love for us, he takes our broken lives to the cross, a place of death and letting go. There we experience love, acceptance, and grace.

Peter was the rock. His confession that Jesus was Lord and Messiah is the foundation of the Christian Church. Like the large stone at the grave, Peter, the rock, needed to turn. The weight of our past mistakes can crush us. Easter is the turning of all history for us. We turn from sin to forgiveness, from fear to love, from death to life.

Peter’s daily life was empowered by this turning and experiencing God’s love.

In the end of John’s gospel (chapter 21), Jesus gives his instruction to Peter. Jesus asks Peter three times, “Simon Peter, do you love me?” Each time he responds, “Yes Lord; you know that I love you.”
The threefold response reminds of his denying Jesus three times.

We are tempted to get stuck in our past mistakes. Lent is not a time focus on our sinfulness but on our turning into the embrace and love of God. Jesus reminds Peter and us that it is love which empowers us to be followers of God in our daily lives.

“Do you love me?” During this season of Lent, let us keep this conversation going, let us keep talking with God and in our small groups and families. Like Peter, let’s turn and experience the grace and love of God, let us turn to the cross and be embraced by our friends and neighbors as we keep this conversation going.

“Do you love me?”

Amen.

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday worship is on February 22nd, 11 am and 7 pm.We will be learning about Peter, who denied Jesus three times. The Scripture for day and for our small groups is from Mark 14:29-31, 66-72.

The evening worship service will feature a short drama, "Peter and the Elder" led by some of our high school youth.

Join us for prayer, conversation, and the imposition of ashes on this holy day.
Remember to sign up for a CONVERSATIONS group in the fellowship hall.

Watch this blog site for more reflections on the characters around the cross.
Pr David Raben

Working Together

It was a great week working together. Several of the site coordinators were associated with Americorps and gave us great leadership.

On Thursday some of our Kenosha group met with the local Habitat for Humanity leadership. They had some great ideas for us as we establish a HFH affliate in Kenosha County.

Day one at the build site

Before we assembled the frame and flooring we had to bring fill dirt in under the house. Most homes in this part of the country need to be elevated from the ground due to flooding. We moved tons of red soil and raked it into place. To the surprise of our leaders no one balked at this work. We sang songs and worked together.

Habitat Build: Day 2

We have had two good days of work with Habitat for Humanity. We are working on 3 homes in the same block in Covington, a community north of New Orleans, LA.
Yesterday we shoveled red soil to make a grade around the base of the homes. Today we squared and leveled 6 x 6's, the foundation for the decking. Tomorrow we will be finishing the base for the floors.

We have met two of the future owners. We could see the anticipation in their faces are the beginnings of their homes started to take shape.

Please pray for our mission team that we have a safe and rewarding week!
Pr David