We are having some wonderful discussions at our Wednesday evening faith study.
Here is a story from Session 1 …
“Let us Gather Shoes Together!”
“Another irony is that Jesus didn’t intend to start a new religion, so much as to reform certain elements of his own faith tradition. Although it seems ridiculous to even have to mention it, it has to be said again and again: Jesus was Jewish. All his companions were Jewish. That cannot be overemphasized. They were faithful Jews, steeped in the Torah and practiced in the ways of ancient Hebrew traditions. You can find precedence for much of what Jesus taught in Hebrew Scripture, and throughout his life he was faithful to the spirit (if not the letter) of Jewish law.
So you could argue that Jesus—like Martin Luther and John Wesley after him— didn’t set out to start something new so much as to reform something old. Theologian John Cobb says that Jesus “took the Jewish tradition and transformed it, developed it in such a way that it became available to the Gentiles.” What is startling is just how fast and how many new movements sprang from Jesus’ life and teachings and the stories of his death and resurrection.
Monty Python’s movie, “The Life of Brian,” follows the life of a hapless peasant named Brian. From the day of his birth (on the same block that Jesus was born), he is constantly mistaken for the Messiah, and nothing he says or does seems to deter those who are determined to follow him. One memorable scene shows how people then (and now) seem willing to follow just about anyone. Brian’s disciples quickly plunge into a debate over the finer details of following Brian: “Hold up the sandal, as He has commanded us!”
“It is a shoe! It is a shoe!”
“It's a sandal!”
“No, it isn't!”
“Cast it away!”
“Put it on!”
“Clear off!”
Ridiculous? But true. We run around claiming to have the whole truth. We’ve got the right way! Believe like us, or else! Turn or burn! It’s the tribal “us vs. them” mob mentality deeply ingrained in us. After all, we want to be on the winning side.” [1]
You can see the hilarious scene at The Shoe Is The Sign - The Beginning
In our weekly Wednesday evening sessions, we are continuing to explore the process how The Bible came to be over hundreds of years. And also, how much it has been misrepresented and misinterpreted over those hundreds of years.
This past Wednesday we ended up spending quite a bit of time in conversation about the true teachings of Jesus, (and how we know what they might be), the issue of integrity as followers of Jesus, and how and when do we find our voices to speak out when we see injustice, and challenge folks that misrepresent our faith. The question was asked “When did people lose their integrity.”
Of course, we got around to speaking about what is going on in Minneapolis as it seems those in power seem to be doubling down as far as misrepresenting and falsifying the truth.
These conversations were floating around in my mind this week as I read about the following in my news feeds:
On Wednesday January 28, the legendary rocker Bruce Springstean released a protest song titled “Streets of Minneapolis” in reaction to the protests and the violence. In only a matter of hours, the track has become a quick bestseller. In just 2 days it has over 4 million hits on YouTube. Have a listen …
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Lyric Video)
After I listened to it I, thought … “wow … that’s pretty hard to find words that rhyme with Minneapolis” … as usual, Springsteen seems to have hit the mark again with his timely anthems.
Talk show host Stephen Colbert thought the same thing. “You really don’t want Bruce Springsteen to write a song about your streets, not even Sesame,” Colbert joked. He called the song “poignant and powerful” and also asked: “Do you know how hard it is to rhyme with Minneapolis?” Colbert said the song “sends a powerful message” as Springsteen was “as American as it gets”.[2]
Also, I heard about celebrity chef Martha Stewart, who took to social media last Monday to reveal that, at the urging of her granddaughter, she decided to condemn both the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents against migrants and against peaceful protesters demonstrating in the streets of the Minnesota city.
"Granddaughter Jude wrote me a note yesterday I took it to heart and posted the above," Stewart, 84, wrote on Instagram Jan. 26 alongside a screenshot of the message. "I'm not sure it's excusable to not being speaking up right now," Jude wrote in a message to Stewart, according to the photo.[3]
And lastly, I heard Nicole Wallace on MSNBC interview someone who was commenting on what’s going on in Minneapolis who, when Wallace asked about the people of Minneapolis and how, despite threats were still showing up to protest. She said that even with threats, even though folks are worried about being attacked, assaulted, even killed by ICE or CDP, it is an incredible testament to the people of Minneapolis and St. Paul that in these sub-zero temperatures they are coming out. They are opening up warming centres for their neighbours, they are taking care of their neighbours, we are seeing some of the best of America. She went on to say that as an American she could no longer say that she felt safe going out and protesting, that she no longer felt she knew what the response would be by the Department of Justice or the Department of Homeland Security.
And, this just came into my inbox … from Broadview, a story about a Lutheran Church in Minneapolis that is doing just that … stepping up to help their neighbours.
This Minneapolis church is providing frontline help amid ICE operations | Broadview Magazine
So, enjoy The Boss, (I’ve already watched it a few times!), and may these stories give you courage to find your voices to speak up in your own circles, and most importantly, to not lose hope. They have done that for me.
This Sunday, we explore one of my favourite biblical stories, the encounter between Jesus and the woman at the well. And I heard it through the grapevine that the Sunday School is baking again!
Blessings, and hope
Martha
[1] Saving Jesus Redux © 2010 livingthequestions.com, LLC Jesus through the ages
[2] Colbert on Springsteen’s anti-ICE song: ‘Do you know how hard it is to rhyme with Minneapolis?’ | Late-night TV roundup | The Guardian
[3] Martha Stewart condemns ICE crackdown after urging from granddaughter