Nic at Night

Nicodemus. I wonder if there is anyone in the narratives of Jesus earthly ministry that thought so hard about what it would mean to follow Jesus. We get hints along the way that he followed from a distance, that when Jesus died he was part of the group that provided a burial and after Pentecost became an ardent follower. My impression is that when he came to Jesus one night and sought answers to his questions about Jesus he was asking his own questions. I think he was weary of Pharisaism and saw in Jesus the possibility that God was seeking us because he loves us rather than keeping us at a distance because we are not holy enough. I think he understood that this would mean leaving the things he had built his life on. The things that had defined him so long. I think Nicodemus understood what it would mean to follow. He knew what the cost would be for a member of the Sanhedrin to be numbered among the followers of this radical rabbi. So he followed from a distance. I wonder what that was like for him. Or do I know what that is like more than I want to admit. I still find myself wanting to choose those things I welcome about being a follower and what things I would rather not be changed to accept. I hear ya Nic! My hope is in the love of God for all the world being great enough to welcome me with my questions. And yours?

Not what I was trying for

As I started this blogging effort it was my hope that this could be a place of dialogue. There is way too much pontificating (I like that word) going on in our world already. The last thing we need is another preacher that wants to weigh in on everything. I wanted to propose ways we might think together. It seems quite Quakerly to trust that God can speak to all of us and through any of us that work at discerning God's voice. Well, apparently this blog site was not designed with Quaker principles in mind. I began to hear about how difficult it was to be able to post comments because some kind of account needed to be set up. Turns out there are some protocols that are connected to my blog that I need to change to alter the comment process. I am going to work on this (with the help of more knowledgeable folk) between now and Sunday. Hopefully I will be able to share how we have fixed our situation.

In the meantime, I have some wonderings. You might comment later. Please do so. In fact, I want your help. It seems the more I read the New Testament I am having more questions than I ever have had about the way Chistian faith as I have received it has been packaged. For the life of me I can't figure out how we have gotten where we are if we all are working from the New Testament. Do I hear someone already wondering if Clyde is becoming a heretic? No heretic here as long as we hold Jesus and his teachings and those of the ones he sent out into the world to make disciples as our starting place.

For instance. We readily use the word "gospel", good news, to reference something rather specific. What is the "gospel"? Usually it is linked solidly to a plan of salvation and that we are all included in it by the grace of God. We are so solidly linked to the concept of "gospel" that our alignment as "evangelicals" is using a word extracted directly from the Greek word for "gospel" - "euangelion". We are literally "good newsers". What would your definition of "gospel" be? If we are "gospelers" we should be able to explain it. If cornered and asked for an explanation (which Scripture tells us we should be able to do) of the "gospel" what would you say. I'll offer mine soon. I've been working on it. I'm going to try to make the fix happen so that you can comment here. I would love to hear from you even before Sunday. If you can't comment here I would love to hear from you by email, clydenolanparker@gmail.com.

Whoa! Could this be what Jesus is talking about?

Here I am. Finally. Over a hundred times some of you have checked out this blog. I am still committed to this process but getting it worked into my week is going to be a challenge. This week I have had several people events that have demanded my time as well as having to deal with a house fire (not my own) and all the phone calls and meetings that follow have sucked discretionary/blogging time out of my life. It is interesting that the text for this Sunday (Luke 9:57-62) deals with what it means to be a disciple in realtionship to the demands of life. A few wanna-be disciples come to Jesus and say  "I'm going to follow you" but is sent away because the things of life (family, security and distractions) keep them from following as Jesus demands. So my question is this: How do you/we make it work as a follower of Jesus? In the world we live in is there a way to be 100% undistracted in being a follower of Jesus? Are there levels of discipleship? Let me know how it works in your thinking and in your life.

What's wrong with greatness?

I admire people who have dedicated themselves to becoming the best at something.  There are authors, athletes, scientists and educators that I regard as great people. They are great not because they like to be but they are great because they have given everything about themselves to excel in life. I guess one of the things about great people is that they cause me to look at my own life. In what am I pursuing greatness?What are you working on right now? What kind of conversations are you having with friends about what you aspire to and how do you invite them to be part of that aspiration? The text for this Sunday, Luke 9:46-48 records an event that is usually seen as the petty arguing and jockeying for position among the disciples of Jesus. Is it possible that maybe the question arose from a more noble discussion? Could it be that their discussion sounded more like, "Well, what is greatness, and who is great, and how do we become great, and which one of us is farthest along on this journey and how can we all be great for God?"  It strikes me as noteworthy that Jesus doesn't rebuke the 12 for missing the point in Luke's account. His response is to point to a child that was present and re-frames the discussion with a brief statement about how greatness is defined in his Kingdom. What do you think? You might check out Mark 9 and Matthew 18 to add breadth to your thinking.

my first blog

With this post I enter the world of blogging with a certain trepidation. My hope is not to occupy anyone's time with my "wisdom" but to somehow facilitate our interaction over Scriputre and issues that relate to our shared life as a faith community. I'll try to let you in on some of my wonderings as I prepare to preach and some of my post-sermon realizations. I'll also try to suggest ways we might interact with each other in Community Groups if discussion would be valuable on a topic.

Last Sunday I made reference to a classic painting I had read about but didn't find time to search it out. It turns out the painting is by Rafael. I have pasted a copy of it here for us. Doesn't look like much of a mountain but the tension of Jesus in his glory and the less than glorious real life situation of a father finding no help for his son from the disciples is portrayed. Let me know what your observations are.

 

This Sunday we will try to identify the challenges of being identified by the characteristics of greatness in the Kingdom. Read Luke 9:46-50. Where might the discussion among the 12 have come from? What parallel stories in the other gospels shed light on this discussion?