REPENT!!!

Gathering Prayer: Holy One who is know to us by many names and in many ways, we give thanks for the blessings that we have in our lives. You know the thoughts of our hearts; hear our prayers. Be present now as we enter a time of thought and discussion.

Focus: You just never know from where the next big thing will come. I mean, a video about a family of sharks becoming a worldwide obsession – really?

Today’s Scripture puts us in a similar reality. There was a new temple, but the Judaism of the time (Second Temple Judaism) did not resemble the religion of the Hebrew Scripture found in the Bible. The Jews had not had a prophet for over 400 years and now there is this guy who is dressing, eating, and talking weird stuff. John the Baptizer, some say he is like Elijah, is out in the wilderness talking about someone who will change lives, alleviate the oppression of the empire, and build a new kingdom. John the Baptizer was “the next really big thing”

Sentences on the Subject (Matthew 3):

 When John realized that a lot of Pharisees* and Sadducees**were showing up for a baptismal experience because it was becoming the popular thing to do, he exploded: “Brood of snakes! What do you think you’re doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskin is going to make any difference? It’s your life that must change, not your skin! And don’t think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as father. Being a descendant of Abraham is neither here nor there. Descendants of Abraham are a dime a dozen. What counts is your life. Is it green and blossoming? Because if it’s deadwood, it goes on the fire.

 “I’m baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. The real action comes next: The main character in this drama—compared to him I’m a mere stagehand—will ignite the kingdom life within you, a fire within you, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned.

*Pharisees were religious leaders who taught Torah in the communities. They kept traditions and the Law. They believed in the resurrection of the dead. Many authors believe that Jesus was a Pharisee.

**Sadducees were religious leaders who believed that worship happened at the Temple. The followed the Law but not necessarily the traditions of the elders.

Below is some “food for thought”, a few probes that might kick start a conversation. Read over them and pick one (or more, or none) to discuss. Remember to hold space for others to share and share only what you feel comfortable sharing.

Probe 1. Have you even been in the place that the Pharisees and Sadducees find themselves? You know, you are a good person who is doing your best and suddenly you get called out for not doing enough or doing it well enough?

Probe 2. In Christian circles the Judaism of the time of Jesus has often been thought of as an outward legalistic religion to which the message of Jesus and the early Christians was completely opposite. Such a picture has, however, proved to be a very wrong. Today the ministry of Jesus is seen rather as having been a movement within Judaism rather than as something opposed to it. At the same time people have begun to understand how complex and still developing a phenomenon first-century Judaism was. At the beginning of the Christian era Judaism was divided into several different groups, each of which had its own views concerning the true Jewish way of life. On the other hand, certain  basic beliefs were common to them all. What are some of the beliefs that all Jews would have held in common?How is the description of Second Temple Judaism like modern day Christianity?

Probe 3 . “If there were Hitler statutes all over Germany, I couldn’t go there. I just couldn’t. I would not able to make peace with the nation that was still comfortable with the era of German history where Nazis were responsible for the death of millions of Jewish people in concentration camps. But if you go to Berlin, the Holocaust memorial is extraordinary. You can barely go a hundred feet without seeing a monument that’s been placed at the home of a Jewish family that was abducted.

In Rwanda, you are required to hear about the genocide. You can’t go to Rwanda and spend a few days without someone talking to you about the damage and despair and the hurt and the pain created by that horror.

In this country, we don’t talk about slavery. We don’t talk about lynching. Worse, we’ve created the counter-narrative that says we have nothing about which we should be ashamed. Our past is romantic and glorious. In my state of Alabama, Jefferson Davis’s birthday is a state holiday. Confederate Memorial Day is a state holiday. We don’t even have Martin Luther King Day in Alabama. We have Martin Luther King/Robert E. Lee Day. Our two largest high schools are Robert E. Lee High and Jefferson Davis High. They’re both 90-some percent African-American. If we don’t think it matters, then I think we’re just kidding ourselves. We do think it matters; that’s why we have a 9/11 memorial. What we haven’t done is understand what we are saying about who we are.

In faith perspectives, to get to salvation — at least in the Christian tradition — you have to repent. There is no redemption without acknowledgment of sin. It’s not bad to repent. It’s cleansing. It’s necessary. “ Bryan Stevenson, National Memorial for Peace and Justice.

Slavery has been called America’s original sin. If that is true, What would repentance as a nation look like?

Probe 4.Across Christendom, baptism is a really big deal. Although it varies in form (some require moving water, some sprinkle, some dunk, some baptize infants, others adults) and function (some believe it is a way to affirm repentance and a doorway to the salvation offered by Christ, others it confers the grace of the Holy Spirit and a doorway into the covenant people of the church (like circumcision to the Jews). Is baptism a really big deal in the UCC (or specifically, at Immanuel). Might Confirmation not be a bigger deal?

The Takeaway: There are three things to do with a mistake: acknowledge it, fix it, learn from it. Dean Edwards Smith

Commission: Hold on to what is good. Love deeply. Honor others. Stay excited about life and your faith. Be joyful. Be patient. If you pray, have faith. Share with people who are in need. Welcome others into your homes. Be loving to those who hurt you. Be present; be in the moment. Be agreeable, even with those with whom you disagree. Be humble. Be a friend of people who aren’t considered important. Do the right thing. If possible, live in peace with everyone. And remember, no matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey- you are welcome here.

For more on the Justice Initiative, check out https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/apr/28/lynching-memorial-backlash-montgomery-alabama

For more on Jesus as a Pharisee, check out http://www.vatican.va/jubilee_2000/magazine/documents/ju_mag_01111997_p-48_en.html