Monday's thoughts

Jesus and Judas

The sermon for Sunday, March 7th will take a look at one of the most complex parts of the New Testament narrative. The Christian Church has yet to resolve the place of Judas in its historical record.

Was Judas a villain? Did he betray Jesus and do what he should not have done? Was is act of betrayal something to be lamented or something to be celebrated as a good thing?

Here is the argument:

Some will say Judas was a villain. He committed the unspeakable act that history documents as vile and evil. He conspired to have Jesus arrested and that led to his death on the cross. Judas is reported to have thought that about himself since he ended his life in suicide; either by hanging or throwing himself off a cliff.

Others will say Judas could be looked at as a hero. It was he whose action took the Christian faith in a new direction. Either he was trying to precipitate Jesus' affirmation as a revolutionary and was striving to put things in motion that would commit Jesus and he movement to a more aggressive posture. Or Judas action initiated the set of circumstances that led to the resurrection and that was God's plan. Judas was a hero because he put God's plan into action.

The Gospel of Judas supports the idea that Judas was a hero.

What do you think?

If you have idea on this write me at charlesschuster@fcumc.net. If you are willing to have others read your thought click on the box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Friday's Thoughts

"What Do You Say to Your Best Friend?"
One of the most important aspects of the Christian faith is the issue of friendship. Actually, it is bigger than that. Martin Buber once said he thought the most important part of life is relationship. He built a theology around that as he compared what it means to have I-Thou relationships and I-it relationships. Buber thought relationships should be looked at with the same sense of sacredness as one thinks about one's relationship with God.

The sermon will take consider Jesus' relationship with "the Beloved Disciple". The more I look into this subject the more I am convinced that the Gospel writers intentionally made the name of the "Beloved Disciple" obscure. Many could claim to be the Beloved one to him.

It leads us to a question of how we treat our friends (our beloved friends).

There are two things I have concluded:

1. A true friend is someone who knows the value of the moment. A friend is someone who will be there for us when we need them and they will come without prejudice or judgment.

2. A true friend is someone who does not tie us down with a leash but who works to help us find a link to other. A true friend does not smother but leads us to the other.

I know there are many other aspects of this issue of friendship. These are two important ones that we see evidence in Jesus' relationship with the Beloved Disciple.

What do you think?

Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have others read your thoughts click on the box below.

Charles

Wednesday's thoughts

In doing the research on the sermon I had made an assumption the scholars have refuted and I'm not sure what we do about it. I have always assumed the "Beloved Disciple" was John Mark. I think that has been the traditional understanding. It was John Mark who was sitting next to Jesus at the Last Supper. It was John Mark at the foot of the cross and Jesus asked him to take care of his mother. It was John mark who came to the tomb after Jesus' death on the cross.

Scholars who have looked into this more carefully than I have had a chance to do have concluded that the Biblical writers are intentionally ambiguous about who the "Beloved Disciple" is. They claim it is a mistake and unfair to the intent of the writers to assume. Part of the message is the ambiguous nature of the fact that we don't know for sure.

It could have been Peter, or Judas, or Mary, or John, or James. Who was Jesus' best friend. The mystery of that is the message.

It makes us explore the meaning of friendship. It causes us to review the way in which Jesus treated his friends and his enemies. Maybe every one of the disciples thought they were the "Beloved Disciple". I think there is an important message in that assumption. What do you think?

Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have others read your thoughts click on the box below.

I look forward to hearing from you

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts

What Do You Say To Your Best Friend?"
Jesus and John Mark

There is on going debate about the relationship Jesus had with his disciples and considerable interest on which of his disciples was his favorite.

Some might have thought it was Peter. Jesus renamed him. Once he was Simon and Jesus called him Peter because the name Peter can be interpreted "rock" and it was "upon his rock he would build his church". Was Peter his best friend?

Some thought could be given to Judas as Jesus best friend. He trusted him to carry their purse. He seemed to rely on him for advice. There continues to be discussion as to nature of Judas' act of betrayal. Did he do what he did in order to further Jesus' ultimate mission in life which was to be crucified and then resurrected from the dead. If Judas was an accomplice then his act of betrayal was he act of a friend doing the most difficult deed in human history for the sake of the most important cause in history.

I think Jesus best friend was John Mark. I think there is enough textual evidence to suggest that and there is much rich material to glean some important insights.

What is the meaning of friendship? How do we speak to our friends? What if we think they are wrong, do we tell them?

Who is your best friend? What are the structures that increase your friendship? What are the patterns of behavior that solidify your relationship and deepen it?

If you have thoughts on this subject write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have other read your message click on the box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Friday's Thoughts

There are two things to be looked at and acted upon at the beginning of the season of Lent this year. These are two of the most important pieces of work we will ever do.

First of all there comes a time to tap into the Holy. There comes a time to think about the issue of character. We seek to be congruent and we seek to live with a sense of integrity. The issue is character and it comes from an understanding that whatever we have done and whatever we are we are not finished. There is rebirth for us. We are changing and evolving. There person we are is not the person we will be. Nicodemus had to realize this. His encounter with Jesus was an important interaction. He asked, "How can I be born again?" And Jesus answered, "You have to be born of the spirit."

What areas of our lives are calling us to be born into and in a new way? What are we becoming? What can, with God's help, we become?

We are beings who are becoming. This Lent we think about character and the evolution of our character as we are born into the spirit.

Secondly, once we have discovered some things about ourselves we didn't know and once we see that we are moving into a new stage of becoming we will want to find the courage to do what we never have done. Becoming isn't passive. It requires action. We can't become anew without doing something new. What new thing will we be doing. Nicodemus found himself performing the most courageous act of his life. He helped put the body of Jesus in the tomb. For a Pharisee that was an incredible act of courage.

What act of courage will we find for ourselves?

The sermon is about character and courage. It's about becoming a new person and acting on that in new ways. What do you think about your life and about Lent for you? If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have others read your thoughts click on the box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Wednesday's thoughts

In the third chapter of John there is this story of the encounter of Jesus and Nicodemus. That story can be see in so many ways. The question that Nicodemus asked, "How can I see the Kingdom of God?" was answered with Jesus saying, "You must be born again." What do we do with this text?

1. We could proceed in thinking about a "born again" religious experience. There are people who know what this means for their lives. There are people who have been "born again" and they are religious in every sense of the word. Being born again is an object of faith and we are encouraged to lean toward that kind of experience.
2. An alternate translation of the text suggest Jesus saying, "You must be born from above." This has, perhaps, a very different sense to it. Being born from above has a kind of perspective of vision or a loft of wisdom. It can mean looking at the world from a higher vantage point. It can encourage one to look at the world from the perspective of God.
3. Another interpretation of the text calls for a look at our lives as if we are considering something new about us. It is an evolution of spirit and soul into a new and unfounded state. We have something to look forward to in our lives. We have something about us that is undiscovered. If we are to be part of the Kingdom of God we must know there is a new being and a new awareness pending.

Of these interpretations I am most attracted to the third. I think the influence of faith is to force us to see that there is always something about us that we have yet to know. Being part of the Kingdom of God means we realize we are evolving and never finished.

What do you think about this? How do you understand "born again"?
If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have others read your thought click on the box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

Monday's thoughts

The sermon for Sunday February 21st:

"What Do You Say To a Fundamentalist?" (Jesus and Nicodemus)
In a strict use of the term "fundamentalist" we are referring to a series of propositions that came out of the 1920's when it was determined that the "true believer" holds on to basic fundamentals of our faith. It includes the inerrancy of scripture, the virgin birth, and the physical resurrection of Jesus from the dead, the historical belief in Jesus' miracles, and Jesus' atoning sacrifice on the cross.

The fundamentalists I have known are very religious people and they are very sure of their faith. They know what they believe and why they believe it. They tend to want to hold onto the faith they have always believed.

Nicodemus is a good character to consider as we enter into Lent. He is a pharisee. He is a respected member of the religious establishment and he comes to Jesus at night.

The encounter of Jesus and Nicodemus is in the 3rd Chapter of the Gospel of John. Interesting that John is the only writer who mentions Nicodemus and John is one who sees Jesus as "the light of the world".

The contrast is interesting. A man who has it all and knows it all comes to Jesus at night and Jesus, whose whole life has been a search and who has nothing but the clothes on his back and a group of confused disciples who really don't know what they are doing or who their leader is. Nicodemus in the dark comes to the light.

Nicodemus represents all of us fundamentalists. He represents all of us religious people who are coming to Lent with the understanding there is much we do not know and much we need we do not have. We can be conservative fundamentalists or liberal fundamentalists. We can be scientific fundamentalists or aesthetic fundamentalists. We can be fundamental at professing our lack of knowing. We can hold our search as the fundamental truth we possess.

We all, like Nicodemus, come to Jesus in the dark. We all come searching for the light.

Lent, this year maybe we will find ourselves in the light to the point that we become the light.

That is our objective as we look at Jesus and relationships he had.

What do you think about this? Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have others read your ideas click on the box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles

Friday's Thoughts

Joel Kershaw is preaching this coming Sunday, February 14th. The theme will surround the Camp Hope experience.

Earl Miller was a United Methodist Minister in the Rocky Mountain Conference. When he was a young man he contracted polio and was paralysed from the waste down. He dedicated his life to making it possible for people with handicapping conditions to be able to participate fully in all aspects of ministry and life. The theme for his life came from the words of Moses to Pharaoh, "Let my people go."

Joel has preached the Sunday when we remember Earl's unique ministry and the Camp Hope and Camp Share Sunday every year. His sermons on this subject are personal. He served as a counselor to Buckhorn.

If you wish to get in touch with Joel his email address is jkershaw@fcfumc.net.

(Build a Sermon prepared by Charles Schuster)

Wednesday's thoughts

Dr. Ray Miller is preaching on Sunday, February 7th. His sermon will finish our series on the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. He will speak on he importance of scripture.

There is a current and ongoing debate as to the place of scripture in the quadrilateral. Some believe the four resources of faith have an equal footing. Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience all have in influence on us. While we don't have one creed we embrace and subscribe to we do apply the resources of faith to the issue we struggle to determine and to the questions of theology and doctrine.

Others are convinced that scripture is the most important of all the resources of faith. They hold to the principle of the "primacy of scripture".

Is scripture primary or are all the resources of faith equal in importance.

What do you think?
What do you think Reverend Miller thinks?

Write him at raymil35@gmail.com.

If you would like to enter into this discussion in a public way click on the box below.

Written by Charles Schuster