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add other discussion questions, or substitute other questions for the marked ones, at their discretion.
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"Shepherds enriching themselves at the expense of the sheep"
Thursday, 26 October 2017
Ezekiel 34:1 The word of Adonai came to me: 2 “Human being, prophesy against the shepherds of Isra’el. Prophesy! Tell them, the shepherds, that Adonai Elohim says this: ‘Woe to the shepherds of Isra’el who feed themselves! Shouldn’t the shepherds feed the sheep? 3 You eat the choice meat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, and you slaughter the best of the herd; but you don’t feed the sheep! 4 You don’t strengthen the weak, heal the sick, bandage the broken, bring back the outcasts or seek the lost; on the contrary, you tyrannize them with crushing force. 5 So they were scattered, without a shepherd, and became food for every wild animal — they were scattered. 6 My sheep wandered around aimlessly on every mountain and hill; yes, my sheep were scattered all over the land, with no one to search for them or look after them.
7 “‘Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of Adonai: 8 “As I live,” Adonai Elohim swears, “because my sheep have become prey, my sheep have become food for every wild animal, since there was no shepherd, since my shepherds didn’t look for my sheep, and instead my shepherds fed themselves but not my sheep,”
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A big reason Luther posted his 95 Theses in 1517 was the sale of “indulgences.” The pope would “pardon” some or all of a person’s time in purgatory (itself an extra-Biblical idea), and sell the pardons to finance various projects. Salesmen urged peasants to buy indulgences to release their loved ones from purgatory. Luther boldly challenged them: “Why doesn’t the pope build the basilica of St. Peter’s out of his own money? He is richer than Croesus…. If the pope knew the exactions of these [indulgence] vendors, he would rather that St. Peter’s should lie in ashes than that it should be built out of the blood and hide of his sheep.” *
• Luther was trying to be generous. Pope Leo X knew clearly what was going on. Historian Bainton said he was “as elegant and as indolent as a Persian cat.” He quoted Catholic historian Ludwig von Pastor as saying Leo X’s papacy “was one of the most severe trials to which God ever subjected his church.” ** Yet few people, even those who saw clearly the spiritual hollowness of the medieval church, were at first willing to stand with Luther to say Scripture should be valued more highly than deference to a wealthy, powerful pope. This isn’t a simple black-and-white issue. When, or on what kinds of issues, should we honor and defer to leaders even if we disagree with them? When is it worth saying, like Luther later did, “Here I stand. I can do no other”?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, your brother James wrote that you will give me wisdom when I ask (cf. James 1:5). Help me to know, with your wisdom, when and where to give my allegiance. Amen.
* Roland H. Bainton, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1950; paperback edition by
Mentor Books, p. 61.
** Roland H. Bainton, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1950; paperback edition by
Mentor Books, p. 56.
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Chris AbelChris Abel is the Young Adults Pastor at Resurrection, and he describes himself as a "Pastor/Creative-type/Adventurer." A former atheist turned passionate follower of Christ, he completed his seminary education in Washington, DC. Before coming to Resurrection, Chris was a campus pastor near St. Louis, MO.
Chris Abel has been at an out-of-town conference this week. In his absence, as we reflect on the contrast between Martin Luther and the selfish, wealthy Medici pope Leo X, we may find the same principles at work in this story that Liz Gyori shared with us back in March.
This is a story about a man who served one master, and a woman who served another.
For fifty years, the man owned a candy store in his small town. He and his wife had no children, and after she died, he did not remarry. This man’s candy store was celebrated for its flavored popcorn, and occasionally, a stranger would visit from the big city, offering to buy the secret recipes. For years, the candy store owner proudly declared his refusal to sell. Eventually, the visits from the big city ended.
This man had one sister, a kind-hearted woman who was widowed young and left to support eight children on her own. She was a farm wife and had little money. She was forced to sell the farm and worked multiple jobs to feed her family. They lived hand-to-mouth for many years, but the sister was beloved for her optimism and her generosity towards those who had even less than she did. Her children all began working at a young age, and when they were adults, they pooled their resources to support their mother. She lived modestly but contentedly. Her brother had never offered her financial help. He did, however, occasionally bring candy to his nieces and nephews.
When the sister was eighty years old, the candy store owner died suddenly. It took a few days for his body to be discovered. His sister was surprised to learn that she was his heir. “Heir to what?” her children wondered, since their uncle appeared to have very little himself.
The “what” was $1,000,000. One. Million. Dollars. The candy store owner had indeed sold his special recipes many decades earlier. He had carefully and secretly tended his investments, not appearing to ever use the money, while his only sister and her children struggled and his own house crumbled down around him.
The sister, who was frail and ill, died before any inheritance came her way. Her room was crowded with family as she passed. Consider which sibling enjoyed ’true riches’ during their life here on Earth, and who was ‘faithful with little’, as Jesus instructed. Who served God, and who served wealth? I feel sorrow for the brother, who died alone despite his bank account. And I’m deeply grateful for the example set by his sister, my extraordinary maternal grandmother.
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"God gives us more grace—submit to God"
Friday, 27 October 2017
James 4:4 You unfaithful wives! Don’t you know that loving the world is hating God? Whoever chooses to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s enemy! 5 Or do you suppose the Scripture speaks in vain when it says that there is a spirit in us which longs to envy? 6 But the grace he gives is greater, which is why it says,
“God opposes the arrogant,
but to the humble he gives grace.”[James 4:6 Proverbs 3:34]
7 Therefore, submit to God. Moreover, take a stand against the Adversary, and he will flee from you.
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Luther didn’t merely protest poor church practices. His deeper concern was that indulgences, relics, confession and the like led people to trust in their own activity instead of God’s grace. “He began to hear a new voice in the very texts of Scripture he was poring over…Luther was surprised to find what he called ‘the gospel,’ as something apart from ‘the law.’ Christ alone makes sinners right with God through faith only…. Then he was quickly led to a series of amazing conclusions about the church practices he grew up with.” *
Ø One crucial principle at Resurrection, of which Pastor Hamilton frequently reminds us, is that Jesus is the head of the church. Jesus called it “my church,” (cf. Matthew 16:18), and Ephesians clearly identified Christ as “the head” (cf. Ephesians 4:15-16). So James, like Luther, called Christfollowers to “submit to God,” rather than pursuing the ways of the world. In what ways have you
faced that choice during your spiritual journey?
• James, who is sometimes misread as saying we can try to earn God’s favor by being good, said God “gives us more grace.” The actions to which he called his readers (cf. James 2:14-18) were active expressions of gratitude for God’s saving grace, not in any sense a means of earning God’s favor. How can you use your gifts actively in God’s service, while never slipping into a belief that your service earns God’s grace rather than growing out the abundance of grace?
Prayer: God, when I need it, you always give me more grace. Thank you for your amazing patience
and forgiveness. Help me to live out your gift by blessing others in any ways you give me the gifts to do so. Amen.
* Steven Paulson, Luther for Armchair Theologians. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p. 7.
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"A plea to return to God’s ways"
Saturday, 28 October 2017
Hosea 14:1 (13:16) Shomron will bear her guilt,
for she has rebelled against her God.
They will fall by the sword,
their little ones will be dashed to pieces
and their pregnant women ripped open.
2 (1) Return, Isra’el, to Adonai your God,
for your guilt has made you stumble.
3 (2) Take words with you, and return to Adonai;
say to him, “Forgive all guilt,
and accept what is good;
we will pay instead of bulls
[the offerings of] our lips.
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As Luther more fully internalized his understanding of God’s gracious ways, he became more prophetic in challenging medieval practices like selling indulgences to release souls from purgatory. At one point, he wrote, “If the pope does have the power to release anyone from purgatory, why in the name of love does he not abolish purgatory by letting everyone out? If for the sake of miserable money he released uncounted souls, why should he not for the sake of most holy love empty the place?” * It was unimaginable that the gracious God would sell spots in heaven to raise money. How, then, did the church, called to be the body of Christ, dare to act in ways God would not act?
Ø God’s people have needed to listen to Hosea’s heartfelt plea (“Return, Israel, to the Lord your God”) many times through the centuries. As we remember Luther’s powerful living out of that plea
500 years ago, we are challenged to look at our own lives, and those of the churches in which we worship God. Are we living lives that share the light of God’s grace with everyone with whom we come in contact? Are we organizing and sustaining our church activities in ways that express God’s wonderful grace?
Prayer: Great God, you always stand ready to flood our hurting world with your grace. Keep me and my church open and receptive to living out that grace in all we do and say about you. Amen.
* Roland H. Bainton, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1950; paperback edition by
Mentor Books, p. 62.
Family Activity: What is your family’s experience of going to church each week? Are you excited, joyful and gracious to one another? Do you complain about the weather and the walk from the parking lot? Are you struggling to get dressed and out the door on time? Is your home filled with words of encouragement, or frustrated, hurried words? To remind yourselves that you are going to worship our
gracious God, consider playing some praise music as you prepare. Maybe you could say a prayer for a soft heart and positive spirit the afternoon or evening before you go. Read a story from the Bible to help center your mind on God. Nothing works perfectly in family life, but choose one way to try this week to help all of you appreciate a more grace-filled experience in God’s house!
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer
Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
• Carol Beasley and family on the death of her mother Evelyn Spangler, 10/15
• Bill Walters and family on the death of his father Robert W. “Bob” Walters, 10/11
• Jason Orenzoff and family on the death of his mother Pauline Quickel, 10/11
• Roxanne Petter and family on the death of her mother Madge Broz, 10/9
• Patsy Shipley and family on the death of her mother Mary Lee Lockard, 10/5
• Christal Heier and family on the death of her grandmother Mary Lee Lockard, 10/5
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©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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