episode 3.10 in which our hosts discover their signature sound
Episode 3.10 IN WHICH OUR HOSTS DISCOVER THEIR SIGNATURE SOUND
We’re still in one of the longest seasons after Epiphany, but it is not too soon to think about Ash Wednesday coming up, and the season of Lent. There’s all kinds of symbolism and tradition mixed in with this season.
Also, baseball begins (https://www.springtrainingonline.com/reporting-dates/).
Baseball is coming, pitchers and catcher report in a couple of weeks. Time to remember why baseball is better than football with George Carlin’s: Baseball vs Football https://youtu.be/aIkqNiBASfI
Craig’s pretty happy with the two new tunes being sung in his congregation for worship. Walls, by Tommy Emmanuel https://youtu.be/MLhXnquvH6I; and God is not a white man, by Gungor https://youtu.be/-WybvhRu9KU
Twitter: @allthatsholy check out All That's Holy (@allthatsholy): https://twitter.com/allthatsholy?s=09
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/allthatsholy/?ref=bookmarks
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/craigdanm/playlist/4MSLCTYyVIEP7wnQqaNeuV?si=636SBNhWSNW1wXmjtk9cSQ
Looking at themes in the Lectionary
Remembering that the Season after Epiphany is actually not the “season of epiphany”, but is actually numbered as “ordinary time,” Luke’s chronological reading of the life of Jesus will be interrupted by Lent and Easter seasons. We will pick up the chronological reading of Luke again when we return to ordinary time in the season after Pentecost.
As the Sundays move into Lent, the chronological passages of Luke, give way to more thematic gospel readings. But the Lukan passages will come around again in sequence. One of the the things churches can be thinking about in their proclamation is “who is Jesus?”, not so much as a declarative proposition, but more in terms of a probing question. Alan Culpepper (New Interpreter's Bible, vol IX) notes the structure of Luke uses Jesus Galilean ministry, previous to his turn toward Jerusalem (Luke 4.14-9.50,
http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=415945039) as a period to ask questions.
Luke 5.21 Who is this speaking blasphemies?
Luke 7.20 Are you the one who is to come?
Luke 8.25 Who is this who even forgives sins?
Luke 9.9 John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?
Luke 9.18 Who do the crowds say that I am?
This section concludes with Luke 9.20 and 9.35, answering with “the messiah of God”, and “this is my son, my chosen.”
Questions for congregational life and mission
What are the ways the questions about Jesus’ identity are invitations to share in an exploration, rather than an attempt to prove his identity?
How can questions invite and expand the welcome of God’s community?
What do the “answers” in Luke 9 lead toward in orthopraxy, not just orthodoxy?
Moving from Season after Epiphany into Lent
The Hebrew Bible themes could be an interesting point of departure if you are not looking to preach through the Gospel of Luke for Year C. The Hebrew Bible texts look at key texts in God’s creation of a people. There are some challenges, but with the Isaiah passages leading toward the final week, there’s a great tie-in to Advent with promise of Immanuel. Or, stay with Luke and move through Lenten themes of in the life of Jesus.
March 3, 2019
Exodus 34:29-35 Psalm 99 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2 Luke 9:28-36, (37-43a)
March 6, 2019
Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 Isaiah 58:1-12 Psalm 51:1-17 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
March 10, 2019
Deuteronomy 26:1-11 Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16 Romans 10:8b-13 Luke 4:1-13
March 17, 2019
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 Psalm 27 Philippians 3:17-4:1 Luke 13:31-35 Luke 9:28-36, (37-43a)
Resources:
Worthy, by Melanie Springer Mock is a book we are both reading. We’ll be talking with Melanie Springer Mock in the coming weeks and having a give-away contest for her book, Worthy. Stay tuned.
Articles:
The Verge: Take this test to figure out how tone-deaf you are: And then take a quiz to see if you can tell what different songs are used for
Over at Harvard University, the department of psychology has opened a new lab to study the science of music. While this is sure to lead to plenty of interesting research in the future, the important takeaway from this news is that the Music Lab has created a citizen science platform where the general public can take various music quizzes and contribute to research. Currently, the site has four tests, which we can all take to figure out how well we truly understand music. (Right now, the tests are only available on desktop.)
This is an opportunity to become involved with citizen science research. Go over to the Citizen Science Alliance to learn about other projects: https://www.citizensciencealliance.org/
Stop Trusting Viral Videos
“A controversial video of Catholic students clashing with American Indians appeared to tell a simple truth. A second video called that story into question. But neither shows what truly happened.….it might be better to stop and look at how film footage constructs rather than reflects the truths of a debate like this one. Despite the widespread creation and dissemination of video online, people still seem to believe that cameras depict the world as it really is; the truth comes from finding the right material from the right camera. That idea is mistaken, and it’s bringing forth just as much animosity as the polarization that is thought to produce the conflicts cameras record.”
Have Aliens Found Us? A Harvard Astronomer on the Mysterious Interstellar Object ‘Oumuamu
And…
Mysterious radio signals from deep space detected
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46811618
These two articles should have received more press than they did, but we were all side-tracked following the exploits of the nincompoop occupying the people’s house. These and related stories remind us that there is a lot going on in the not-so-quiet depths of space.
Why Ex-Churchgoers Flocked to Trump
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/why-ex-churchgoers-flocked-to-trump/
This is a challenging study, due in large part to the circumstantial evidence (correlational evidence), is pretty convincing. Where church adherence is low (and churches are closing), the American Dream feels dead, there is where the highest percentages of Trump voters are found.
“The most Mormon county in the U.S., however, is not in Utah, but is Madison County, Idaho, home to BYU Idaho. Trump’s share of the primary vote there: 7.6 percent, making the most religious county in America Trump’s worst county in the primaries. The more people worshipping and studying with neighbors with whom they shared a higher cause, the less belief that the American Dream was dead.”
A Dutch Church’s 24/7 Vigil to Protect Refugees Ended With a Government Deal
http://time.com/5517327/netherlands-bethel-church-24-7-service-refugees/
“The church service began Oct. 26 to protect the Tamrazyan family — including the parents, their two daughters and a son. Dutch law prohibits authorities from entering a church building while a service is underway.”
Books:
The Last Temptation of Christ
Movies:
John Q.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0251160/
John Quincy Archibald’s son Michael collapses while playing baseball as a result of heart failure. John rushes Michael to a hospital emergency room where he is informed that Michael's only hope is a transplant. Unfortunately, John's insurance won't cover his son's transplant. Out of options, John Q. takes the emergency room staff and patients hostage until hospital doctors agree to do the transplant.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
The War
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111667/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Vietnam War vet Stephen Simmons must deal with a war of a different sort between his son and
their friends, and a rival group of children. He also must deal with his own personal and
employment problems that have resulted from his Vietnam experiences.
For Children:
Amazing Grace, by Mary Hoffman, Illustrated by Caroling Binch
https://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Grace-Mary-Hoffman/dp/1845077490
When Grace learns of her class’s production of Peter Pan, she immediately dreams of taking on the lead role. But her classmates don’t think she is right for the part because she is a girl and because she is black. Grace tells her family about her classmates’ comments. Her mother and grandmother encourage her and take her to a performance by a ballet dancer from Trinidad. When the time comes for auditions, Grace shines and leaves behind the hurt she experienced a few days earlier.
Rufus and His Angry Tail, by Elias Carr, Illustrated by Mike Garton
https://www.amazon.com/Rufus-His-Angry-Tail-Frolic/dp/1506410499
In the story of Rufus and His Angry Tail, Rufus quickly becomes agitated by Ava and her mud pies. Ava doesn’t mean to upset Rufus although it happens. Ava continues to get into Rufus’ space and Rufus becomes more and more upset. When Ava pushes him too far, Rufus escapes to collect himself and says a prayer about feeling angry. Upon his return to Ava, they apologize and forgive one another, returning to their friendly relationship.
Inside Out
Music
I couldn’t find the Gungor song to put onto our Spotify playlist https://open.spotify.com/user/craigdanm/playlist/4MSLCTYyVIEP7wnQqaNeuV?si=kCAveeUjSv-tl9MuLuu0Cg . So there is a YouTube link below.
Tommy Emmanuel and Christine Lenee, Walls, https://youtu.be/MLhXnquvH6I
Some walls are build on pride
Some keep the child inside
Some walls are build in fear that
Love let go will disappear
If there is any hope for love at all
Some walls must fall
Gungor, God is not a White Man, https://youtu.be/-WybvhRu9KU
Atheists and Charlatans and
Communists and Lesbians
And even old Pat Robertson
Oh God He loves us all
Catholic or Protestant
Terrorist or President
Everybody, everybody
Love, love, love, love, love, oh
Yeah, I say God is love
God is love
And He loves everyone
Stop the hating
Please just stop the hating now
'Cause God is love
SWEET WEBSITE FINDS
Prayer & Politiks
http://www.prayerandpolitiks.org/
At the intersection of spiritual formation and prophetic action.
“Practicing prayer-and-politiks is not the pursuit of an impossible ideal, or the fantasy of
woolly-headed day dreamers, lost in the fog of sentiment and segregated from the
blood-smeared face of history. The care we extend to the broken, battered and bruised parts of
creation is a form of prayer before it is an act of ethics. For it is from the margins, where life is
coming unraveled, that our hearts are most open to the beat of God’s promised future. ‘It is
from the ash heap God is seen.’ (Archibald MacLeish in J.B.)”
