Sermon for June 6th
"Who Told Jesus to Go To Hell?"
In the Apostles' Creed we find a phrase that has been used traditionally. It suggests of Jesus that, "He descended into hell". Some denominations have dropped that phrase. The United Methodist Church has put it in as a option. We don't repeat those words most of the time when we read the Apostles' Creed but it is something we could include.
Jesus descended into hell....
Interesting thought. When did he descended into hell? How did he do it? Who told him to do it? Where is hell?
In the first century there was a place the early church thought of as hell. It was the Valley of Hinnom and it was called Gehenna. It was a place where it was reputed to have been used in the ancient past for child sacrifice. It was a terrible place that was haunting. It was thought of a fiery.
The early church developed this idea of hell from the place called Gehanna and that idea has been picked up and employed to suggest an eternal punishment that is given when a life is lived in a way that deserves punishment.
I don't think Jesus believed God would will that people should spent eternity in hell; in a suffering state of agony. But the church has picked up the concept to suggest there is an ultimate judgment on the way we live our lives.
Are there places you might identify as so evil and frightening that it lives up to the image of hell? Where would such a place be and how do we handle those kinds of places?
Chucky Cheese restaurant closed its Aurora location after Nathan Dunlop killed all the employees in a massacre several decades ago. You might think of that place as a place that was evil. Dachau has that kind of mystique. I have been to Dachau Concentration Camp. It was haunting.
Do you know places that rise to the level of evil?
If so write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to let others read your thoughts click on the "comments" box below.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Charles Schuster
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Alcatraz is haunting -- I was left with a sense of evil and of unspeakable human tragedy. There's a place in Israel, I think it's called Meggido, where the whole town was beseiged and slaughtered centuries ago. Now it's a grassy mesa, but I could still sense the evil energy there.
Post a Comment