We live in a time in history when, even in a small rural suburb, in West KY, a 14 year old kid brings a gun into a high school and kills 3 teenage girls and wounds another 5, how does the preacher speak of the tender mercy of God, and forgiveness in the light of that? How do we speak of the advent of peace in the midst of this? Of course we must also include the John B. passage(Luke 3:1-6) and call all people to repentance. We must be certain to prepare with great care, and much much prayer, and then we must, we must speak about the light that comes to all to lead us to the tender mercies of God, and to salvation. We must! Jim in Memphis. GlassJC@aol.com
Jim, Those children in KY were gunned down in while they were praying before classes began. That kind of senseless violence -- which illuminates the distress of "this present age" -- adds intensity to the longing I experience for the parousia during Advent.
John's birth heralded the fact that God's intervention into human history was at hand. That's certainly something to sing about!
Ben in NC
Thanks for the challenge to connect this passage with what has happened in Paduka, KY. Jim's question of how do we speak of tender mercy, and forgiveness is a very honest one. My gut reaction is to cry for vengence...Try the 14 year old as an adult. I sense a lot of hate.
How does the Christian community respond to this tragedy? Where is our light? Where is our forgiving, even when forgiveness may not be asked for. Is the way of peace shown in our response.
Another thought. The world is a very dark place, resting in the shadow of death. Life is cheap and the individual is all-important. What can I do in my community to see that things like this won't take place? Are there troubled individuals/youth that the church can reach? Am I living a violence-inspiring lifestyle? How do I treat the people around me?
Is the peace and mercy in this situation gong to be seen in us? Pretty hard. If my child was killed I would screaming for the death penalty! How can I learn mercy, forgiveness, and peace? -John
"Mum's the word" I spent an hour and a half at a World Aids Day service on Monday last, and heard with chilling matter of factness (?)the statistics of children with AIDS, those affected by AIDS, those infected with HIV, the list goes on. The speaker said we need to stop with the Ostrich approach to this situation in our world today. It doesn't just happen to other people; it happens right in our own hometown, right in our neighborhood, right in our homes - rural area in upstate NY. When I mentioned looking into ways our church could help with these AIDS victims at my board meeting last night, I was met with blank looks, or no looks at all. Ostrich-effect. Denying that AIDS exists is much like Zechariah denying that the Angel of the Lord spoke to him. We have been left mute because we do not believe. Zechariah was left mute because he did not believe. Zechariah responded to his son's birth with joy, hence Luke 1:68-79. How can we respond in a joyful fashion to the needs of AIDS and HIV victims in our world today? Today on the net I had a message regarding STOP. Stop and listen to God's voice in our lives. How is God speaking to each of us right now as we seek to bring a message of hope through these words? Whether it be the senseless killings in Padukah or the senseless deaths of countless numbers through AIDS? Our God is a God of love, but he requires our help to share the vision of what can be. Any thoughts? Betty in NY
"Mum's the word" I spent an hour and a half at a World Aids Day service on Monday last, and heard with chilling matter of factness (?)the statistics of children with AIDS, those affected by AIDS, those infected with HIV, the list goes on. The speaker said we need to stop with the Ostrich approach to this situation in our world today. It doesn't just happen to other people; it happens right in our own hometown, right in our neighborhood, right in our homes - rural area in upstate NY. When I mentioned looking into ways our church could help with these AIDS victims at my board meeting last night, I was met with blank looks, or no looks at all. Ostrich-effect. Denying that AIDS exists is much like Zechariah denying that the Angel of the Lord spoke to him. We have been left mute because we do not believe. Zechariah was left mute because he did not believe. Zechariah responded to his son's birth with joy, hence Luke 1:68-79. How can we respond in a joyful fashion to the needs of AIDS and HIV victims in our world today? Today on the net I had a message regarding STOP. Stop and listen to God's voice in our lives. How is God speaking to each of us right now as we seek to bring a message of hope through these words? Whether it be the senseless killings in Padukah or the senseless deaths of countless numbers through AIDS? Our God is a God of love, but he requires our help to share the vision of what can be. Any thoughts? Betty in NY
"Mum's the word" I spent an hour and a half at a World Aids Day service on Monday last, and heard with chilling matter of factness (?)the statistics of children with AIDS, those affected by AIDS, those infected with HIV, the list goes on. The speaker said we need to stop with the Ostrich approach to this situation in our world today. It doesn't just happen to other people; it happens right in our own hometown, right in our neighborhood, right in our homes - rural area in upstate NY. When I mentioned looking into ways our church could help with these AIDS victims at my board meeting last night, I was met with blank looks, or no looks at all. Ostrich-effect. Denying that AIDS exists is much like Zechariah denying that the Angel of the Lord spoke to him. We have been left mute because we do not believe. Zechariah was left mute because he did not believe. Zechariah responded to his son's birth with joy, hence Luke 1:68-79. How can we respond in a joyful fashion to the needs of AIDS and HIV victims in our world today? Today on the net I had a message regarding STOP. Stop and listen to God's voice in our lives. How is God speaking to each of us right now as we seek to bring a message of hope through these words? Whether it be the senseless killings in Padukah or the senseless deaths of countless numbers through AIDS? Our God is a God of love, but he requires our help to share the vision of what can be. Any thoughts? Betty in NY
"Mum's the word" I spent an hour and a half at a World Aids Day service on Monday last, and heard with chilling matter of factness (?)the statistics of children with AIDS, those affected by AIDS, those infected with HIV, the list goes on. The speaker said we need to stop with the Ostrich approach to this situation in our world today. It doesn't just happen to other people; it happens right in our own hometown, right in our neighborhood, right in our homes - rural area in upstate NY. When I mentioned looking into ways our church could help with these AIDS victims at my board meeting last night, I was met with blank looks, or no looks at all. Ostrich-effect. Denying that AIDS exists is much like Zechariah denying that the Angel of the Lord spoke to him. We have been left mute because we do not believe. Zechariah was left mute because he did not believe. Zechariah responded to his son's birth with joy, hence Luke 1:68-79. How can we respond in a joyful fashion to the needs of AIDS and HIV victims in our world today? Today on the net I had a message regarding STOP. Stop and listen to God's voice in our lives. How is God speaking to each of us right now as we seek to bring a message of hope through these words? Whether it be the senseless killings in Padukah or the senseless deaths of countless numbers through AIDS? Our God is a God of love, but he requires our help to share the vision of what can be. Any thoughts? Betty in NY
How to preach about peace in the midst of Heath High School in West Paducah? We might remember that a child shall lead them. The student who stopped the 14 year old has publicly forgiven him and wants to talk and witness to him again, Some of the parents have spoken a word of forgiveness. Let's also remember that peace is shalom which is not the absence of conflict or violence, but the presence of God, the source from which we draw strength and assurance. Just when things appear the most hopeless or the darkest, God's presence comes to us. God's word is spoken to us, sometimes through the preachers and counselors who are helping in the situation, sometimes through the students themselves. We must educate our people about what peace really is. stan in memphis conference land
There is indeed power in the season of Advent in realizing that it is not immune to violence, death as witnessed in Kentucky. That despite the seemingly unceasing trouble and unrest, God comes to us and offers his presence and peace through Christ. This is the wilderness in which we live, as the John 3 passage refers to. It will be important to address this Kentucky incident to our congregations because it is on their minds. The Advent Season is like the commercial that repeats over and over. We find a power in the presence of the Christ childand the peace that is possible through him, even in the midst of never halting unrest. Tommy in Texas.
Maybe the word of God breaks through and comes to us even in the midst of tragedy. One "little child" who was "prophet of the Most High" in this situation gave up her life (or had it taken from her), but she gave life to another as well. Nicole's lungs are now allowing my cousin, Tommy Hereford, to breathe again! He would have died within a year or two without a lung transplant. Nicole had told her parents how strongly she believed in organ donation. The tender mercy of God has indeed broken in upon our family and Nicole's, giving light to those who sit in the shadow of death and guiding our feet in the ways of peace. Maybe it's those who suffer the most in this corrupt world who have the most power to show us God's righteousness.
HW in HI ...try look UCC Book of Worship, "Services of Reconciliation and Healing," Day sound sacramental to me. Lon in Kalaupapa
Interesting to see how these comments have wrapped around from last year. I was wondering why the incident was brought up again until I noticed the dates! As one fairly close to the situation (about an hour's drive) it was interesting to note the national media's take on forgiveness. It seemed the further you got from Paducah, the less people understood what was going on. From my pespective it was clear that even in the midst of murder in a prayer group, Christ is King!
KenTucky
At our Lectionary group this morning, while looking at this reading, someone said that they thought Mary was also a descendent of David as well as Joseph - but we couldn't find any biblical reference to that. Is this another myth or were we not looking in the right place?
Mary in Australia
Mary in Australia:
Nowhere in the Bible does it say that Mary is a descendent of David. When I was a teenager, my youth group leader tried to insist that there was a geneaology of Mary in the Bible, but he couldn't tell me where-for good reason-there isn't one!
My guess is that this idea "originates" from two (probably related) sources. First of all, there is a tradition (I don't know how early) that said that Mary and Joseph were cousins. Church tradition has named Mary's parents-an presumably given their ancestry-and explained how she was conceived. None of that story is Biblical, and most of it probably grew out out of the need to address theological concerns that develped later.
This leads directly to what I think is the other source of this myth: the need to preserve the idea of the Virgin Birth, and maintain the literalness of Jesus being a (biological) son of David. Indeed, some of the opponents of the Virgin Birth have used this very argument: Only Joseph is related to David, so if Jesus is really David's descendent, then he must be really Joseph's son. Not an argument I buy, but it probably led to the proliferation of the tale that the Bible says Mary is descended from David.
By virtue of being adopted by Joseph, Jesus becomes David's descendent. Given the Biblical verse that says God can raise up descendents of Abraham from stones, God can certainly create a descendent of David without a direct biological line.
Oops! I forgot to sign. That last entry (about the Bible not claiming that Mary is a descendent of David) was from:
Lorinda in IA