"Many are called but few are chosen" used to scare me to death as a kid. I had been called to preach at 10 but feared I would not be worthy of the call. I was scared that because I had been called that God held me up to some kind of impossible standard. Nothing I did was ever good enough. I was the first at the altar at every revival. I had to be the most spiritual. I had to be perfect. And I never was.
But let's go back to the beginning of the passage. The king invites everyone to a wedding banquet. They do not come. So he kills them. Then he invites the society's outcasts to the banquet. One does not have a wedding garment so he is killed too.
Power and violence thrown around in another parable.
Barbara Brown Taylor calls this parable one of the 'biblical tales of terror'
http://web.archive.org/web/20030211005052/http:/www.theotherside.org/archive/mar-apr00/taylor.html
She talks about the real terror of obeying God and not knowing how it will turn out. Like Jesus heading to the Cross not knowing what would come on the other side.
Ugh. I don't like this passage AT ALL. As stated before, I don't like tales of violence. I can't watch violent movies because I feel the pain of every gunshot, gutpunch, or even dogbite.
Why do we have tales of a violent God included in the Bible? This is something I intend to explore this week.
Showing posts with label preach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label preach. Show all posts
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Easter 3A John 20:1-18
Sunrise Service. A guitar playing. This song. My favorite Easter song by one of my favorite musicians of all time.
So I haven't figured out how to put a video connection here. Someone comment and tell me how. But here is the link to the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbSnk1R31vg
The whole Easter sermon is right there. Who needs to preach?
A friend said to me after the service, the phrase, "Every fear I ever had just melted into peace" is the best description of the resurrection she has ever heard.
"He raised me to my feet and as I looked into his eyes/love was shining out from them like sunlight from the skies/Guilt and my confusion disappeared in sweet release/and every fear I ever had melted into peace"
As he said, "Peace I leave with you my peace I give you."
So I haven't figured out how to put a video connection here. Someone comment and tell me how. But here is the link to the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbSnk1R31vg
The whole Easter sermon is right there. Who needs to preach?
A friend said to me after the service, the phrase, "Every fear I ever had just melted into peace" is the best description of the resurrection she has ever heard.
"He raised me to my feet and as I looked into his eyes/love was shining out from them like sunlight from the skies/Guilt and my confusion disappeared in sweet release/and every fear I ever had melted into peace"
As he said, "Peace I leave with you my peace I give you."
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