Thursday, June 8, 2017

The God Pause - The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Thursday, 8 June 2017 - Matthew 28:16-20

The God Pause - The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Thursday, 8 June 2017 - Matthew 28:16-20
Matthew 28:16 So the eleven talmidim went to the hill in the Galil where Yeshua had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they prostrated themselves before him; but some hesitated. 18 Yeshua came and talked with them. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore, go and make people from all nations into talmidim, immersing them into the reality of the Father, the Son and the Ruach HaKodesh, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember! I will be with you always, yes, even until the end of the age.” [Complete Jewish Bible]
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"Go, therefore, and make disciples..." It's a phrase that's launched a thousand church mission statements. They're our Christian marching orders: Head into the world and spread the good news so all may come to believe Christ died and rose for them. But be honest: How often do you hear this verse and feel just a little bit guilty? Here's one more faith-related thing you know you should be doing, but aren't.
Somehow we've managed to take something that should be energizing and turn it into the biblical equivalent of flossing. But what if we read Jesus' last words in Matthew's gospel as less command and more invitation? You've come to know my love for you and the whole world. I need you to help others know that love too! These words become active, transforming, relational--a reflection of the active, transforming, relational love of a God who comes close to us in Jesus Christ.
Jesus, help me hear the opportunity in your words, and inspire me to seize the moment to share your love with others. Amen.
Shelley Cunningham, '98
Pastor, Zumbro Lutheran Church, Rochester, Minnesota
Matthew 28:
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.
17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
[New Revised Standard Version]
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The God Pause - The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Wednesday, 7 June 2017 -  2 Corinthians 13:11-13
2 Corinthians 13:11 And now, brothers, shalom! Put yourselves in order, pay attention to my advice, be of one mind, live in shalom — and the God of love and shalom will be with you.12 Greet one another with a holy kiss.
13 All God’s people send greetings to you. [Complete Jewish Bible]
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And also with you. It's hard to read these verses without having that response pop into my head. Is it that way for you, too? Since these words are shared as part of the traditional greeting at the start of the Lutheran liturgy, regular church-goers are trained to extend a spirit of grace back to the worship leader. It's a sweet, familiar way to begin worship.
There's a little irony in this instinctive call-and-response, though. When Paul wrote this letter, his relationship with the church at Corinth had hit a rough patch. Things weren't going smoothly within the community itself. And also with you might not have been their first instinctive response.
Paul's message is just as important today: We need each other. God calls us to the holy work of supporting other believers. Just as Christ came to reconcile us to the Father, we are to be reconciled to one another. And also with you is more than a liturgical response. It's meant to be a way of life.
Bless your church--and the messy, beautiful, broken and at the same time saint and sinners who are part of it. Amen.
Shelley Cunningham, '98
Pastor, Zumbro Lutheran Church, Rochester, Minnesota
2 Corinthians 13:
11 Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.
13 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
[New Revised Standard Version]
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The God Pause - The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Tuesday, 6 June 2017 -  Psalm 8
Psalm 8:1 (0) For the leader. On the gittit. A psalm of David:
(1) Adonai! Our Lord! How glorious
is your name throughout the earth!
The fame of your majesty
spreads even above the heavens!
(2) From the mouths of babies and infants at the breast
you established strength because of your foes,
in order that you might silence
the enemy and the avenger.
(3) When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars that you set in place —
(4) what are mere mortals, that you concern yourself with them;
humans, that you watch over them with such care?
(5) You made him but little lower than the angels,
you crowned him with glory and honor,
(6) you had him rule what your hands made,
you put everything under his feet —
(7) sheep and oxen, all of them,
also the animals in the wilds,
(8) the birds in the air, the fish in the sea,
whatever passes through the paths of the seas.
10 (9) Adonai! Our Lord! How glorious
is your name throughout the earth! [Complete Jewish Bible]
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With great power comes great responsibility. Whether you have the voice of Jesus (a la Luke 12:48) or Spider-Man echoing in your head, this saying neatly ties together Genesis 1 and Psalm 8. That amazing creation we read of yesterday is not left alone to care for itself. Though Genesis 1 doesn't give responsibility for tending creation to the man and woman (that vocation comes in Genesis 2), Psalm 8 reminds us that being "just a little lower than God" (v. 5) means nurturing and sustaining all God has made. The choices we make can affect our planet for good or for ill. Do you reach for a plastic bottle of water or use a refillable one? Are you investing in social purpose funds supporting companies that follow environmentally-conscious business practices? Have you written your Congressional representatives encouraging them to adopt legislation that addresses climate change? You have great power. How will you use it to care for God's creation today?
Creator God, forgive us all the ways we neglect and abuse the earth and its creatures. May we be caretakers worthy of the esteem you bestow on us. Amen.
Shelley Cunningham, '98
Pastor, Zumbro Lutheran Church, Rochester, Minnesota
Psalm 8:
1 O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established;
4 what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?
5 Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet,
7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
[New Revised Standard Version]
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The God Pause - The Lutheran Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Monday, 5 June 2017 -  Genesis 1:1-2:4a
Genesis 1:In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was unformed and void, darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God hovered over the surface of the water. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. So there was evening, and there was morning, one day.God said, “Let there be a dome in the middle of the water; let it divide the water from the water.” God made the dome and divided the water under the dome from the water above the dome; that is how it was, and God called the dome Sky. So there was evening, and there was morning, a second day.
God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let dry land appear,” and that is how it was. 10 God called the dry land Earth, the gathering together of the water he called Seas, and God saw that it was good.
11 God said, “Let the earth put forth grass, seed-producing plants, and fruit trees, each yielding its own kind of seed-bearing fruit, on the earth”; and that is how it was. 12 The earth brought forth grass, plants each yielding its own kind of seed, and trees each producing its own kind of seed-bearing fruit; and God saw that it was good. 13 So there was evening, and there was morning, a third day.
(A: ii) 14 God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to divide the day from the night; let them be for signs, seasons, days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the dome of the sky to give light to the earth”; and that is how it was. 16 God made the two great lights — the larger light to rule the day and the smaller light to rule the night — and the stars. 17 God put them in the dome of the sky to give light to the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 So there was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day.
20 God said, “Let the water swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open dome of the sky.” 21 God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that creeps, so that the water swarmed with all kinds of them, and there was every kind of winged bird; and God saw that it was good. 22 Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, multiply and fill the water of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 So there was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day.
(A: iii) 24 God said, “Let the earth bring forth each kind of living creature — each kind of livestock, crawling animal and wild beast”; and that is how it was. 25 God made each kind of wild beast, each kind of livestock and every kind of animal that crawls along the ground; and God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, in the likeness of ourselves; and let them rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the animals, and over all the earth, and over every crawling creature that crawls on the earth.”
27 So God created humankind in his own image;
in the image of God he created him:
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them: God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air and every living creature that crawls on the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Here! Throughout the whole earth I am giving you as food every seed-bearing plant and every tree with seed-bearing fruit. 30 And to every wild animal, bird in the air and creature crawling on the earth, in which there is a living soul, I am giving as food every kind of green plant.” And that is how it was. 31 God saw everything that he had made, and indeed it was very good. So there was evening, and there was morning, a sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, along with everything in them. On the seventh day God was finished with his work which he had made, so he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. God blessed the seventh day and separated it as holy; because on that day God rested from all his work which he had created, so that it itself could produce.
(A: iv, S: ii) Here is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created. On the day when Adonai, God, made earth and heaven, [Complete Jewish Bible]
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When's the last time you told the creation story? Not read it, but shared it aloud, as it originally came to be. When you take the words off the page and start describing what God has made, the story comes alive. And what a story! God made the hopping kangaroos and snorting wildebeests and rambunctious otters; God painted delicate Queen Anne's lace and brilliantly pink hibiscus; God spun dew-drenched spiderwebs and breathed the fog that rises from glassy mountain lakes on crisp summer mornings...start coloring in the details of creation and it's hard to stop.
But God's work doesn't stop with creation. Martin Luther's explanation of the first article of the Apostles' Creed beautifully describes God's continuing care for all God has made: God protects, preserves and provides for us and for all creatures. When you tell the creation story, be sure to include that, too.
Amazing God who made all things: Wow! For all you have done, we thank and praise, serve and obey you. Amen.
Shelley Cunningham, '98
Pastor, Zumbro Lutheran Church, Rochester, Minnesota
Genesis 1:
1 In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,
2 the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.
3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
4 And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.
5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
6 And God said, "Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."
7 So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so.
8 God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
9 And God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so.
10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it." And it was so.
12 The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good.
13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years,
15 and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth." And it was so.
16 God made the two great lights--the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night--and the stars.
17 God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth,
18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
20 And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky."
21 So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
22 God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."
23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
24 And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind." And it was so.
25 God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."
27 So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."
29 God said, "See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.
30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so.
31 God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude.
2 And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done.
3 So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.
4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created. 
[New Revised Standard Bible] 
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