TEACHING
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SUNDAY, April 4, 2021, 10:30 AM - ONLINE ONLY
Resurrection 2021: IS IT POSSIBLE? "If someone predicts their death ahead of time, and their coming back to life, and manages to pull it off, follow them." Jesus is not a religion. While much of "Christianity" throughout history has gone off the rails when aligning too much with the cultural norms of the day, there has always been a faithful minority who are curious about (and captivated by) Jesus. This group has been sustained by a teaching and power that keeps drawing and advancing them. Today we lean into the scandal everyone wants to deny: Christ is risen—everything is changing. Can you open yourself to this possibility? EMAIL QUESTIONS HERE or TEXT: 604-426-1230 CONNECT WITH US HERE GIVE HERE CATCH-UP (after the service): No chat this week because of the Communion Gathering. Narrative Lectionary Guide for week of March 28 |
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ONLINE NOTES:
Luke 24:1-12
Assessing the Evidence 1. The story was early and unexplained. Paul wrote these words letting us know that there was an "unbroken line of teaching about the resurrection of Jesus that goes back to the beginning of the Jesus movement" (217). 2. The tomb was empty. 3. The disciples saw something supernatural. 4. Women were the first witnesses. 5. The messiah movement continues. What moves us from 'evidence that helps' to 'embracing belief'? "... it works the other way around—the teachings of Jesus affirm the veracity of the resurrection of Jesus. There is something about the message of Jesus that leads me to trust in the mission of Jesus. Jesus as teacher wins my trust in Jesus as Lord. The more I study and apply the teachings of Jesus to my life and help others to do the same, the more I encounter wisdom's children, that is, the more I become convinced of this one fact: the teachings of Jesus fit the needs of this world perfectly, they bear the marks of the miraculous." (220) Here are four examples: 1) Jesus only offers us objective evidence to _______________________. 2) Jesus only saves us from ________________________________. "Forgiveness is the name of love practiced among people who love poorly. The hard truth is that all people love poorly. We need to forgive and be forgiven every day, every hour increasingly. That is the great work of love among the fellowship of the weak that is the human family" -Henri Nouwen, EOR, 222. Matthew 6:12 and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors. Luke 17:3-4 Watch yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him. Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to you saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” Forgiveness is needed to sustain well-being.... 3) Jesus only sets up _________________. John 18:36 "...Atheist friends point out that religion makes things worse because it can be used to justify anything, thereby making atheism the preferred moral alternative. I agree with their critique of religion, but cannot accept atheism as an improved moral framework. Atheism removes objective morality and the categories of absolute "good" and "evil" and thereby, like religion, can be used to justify anything. Out of the frying pan and into the fire" (Cavey, EOR, 222). 4) Only Jesus shuts down ________________________________ . Jesus speaks to the human condition with uncanny, insider knowledge. He knows what you, what we need, he's giving us the owner's manual for human flourishing. "What Jesus teaches convinces me of who Jesus is, and once I accept who Jesus is, well, his resurrection makes perfect sense" (223). Why the Resurrection Matters It validates ___________________ . Gives us a glimpse ___________________ . John 11:23-26 Jesus replied, “Your brother will come back to life again.” Martha said, “I know that he will come back to life again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even if he dies, and the one who lives and believes in me will never die. Jesus puts HIMSELF at the centre of the future. (Colossians 1:18, 1 Corinthians 15:20-23) NT Wright "Jesus is the start of the creator's new world: it's pilot project, indeed its pilot" (224). Today
Sources: www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/narrative-lectionary/resurrection-3/commentary-on-luke-241-12-7; End of Religion, Bruxy Cavey. GO DEEPER
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