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From Generation to Generation Psalm 145:1 – 5, 13 – 17; Luke 20:27 – 38 Years ago when I took my first semester of statistics, the professor warned us to be diligent with our weekly assignments. He assured us we could not let a week go by without studying, and that failure was assured if we thought we would be able to cram at the last minute. He also said that for most of the semester, we would have absolutely NO IDEA what we were studying…but if we took each piece as he gave it…and read each chapter as he assigned that at one point – more than half-way through the semester – we would have an ‘a-ha’ moment when we understood…when it all would fall together. “Believe me,” said Dr. Schmidchens ”work with me…and it will be revealed!” I scoffed at the idea – as did other students. But I did do the work! I still remember the morning – in the shower – when it all made sense…and it happened just as he promised. All those pieces he had forced into our little minds – suddenly had connectors between them. Believe and trust…do the work…it will be revealed. ……………………………… The resurrection is pivotal to the Christian faith. It is not something we can touch, see, or understand in any logical way. Jesus – before his resurrection – was caught in the midst of an argument about the resurrection in general. Two groups of clerics – priests had a basic disagreement. The Sadducees were fundamentalists. They believed in the literal word of the first five books of the Bible. That was authoritative for them…nothing more, nothing less. The Pharisees – who were more the ongoing troublemakers for Jesus – were actually far more liberal in their scriptural understandings. For they also believed in the oral tradition that the word of God had been passed through tradition and interpretation as well as the books of Moses. These two groups were always at odds with each other (something like America denominations today). Neither was especially amiable to Jesus – who was certainly a good Jew, but was doing some fairly outrageous interpretation of faith for the time. Anyway, the two groups of priests decided to pull Jesus into their own little spat…about the resurrection. Nothing is mentioned in the first five books of the Bible about resurrection – therefore, there is no such thing – according to the Sadducees. It did, of course, come into the Jewish tradition later – and was a part of the teaching of the Pharisees. The elaborate tale of the woman who was passed from brother to brother, never bearing children to any of them was the challenge the priests gave to Jesus. They were not asking a legitimate question. They were not interested in clarity, or theological understanding. They were certainly not asking because of their own grief. They were picking a fight and trying to triangulate Jesus into a fairly absurd confrontation. As usual, Jesus was able to stand above the challenge – not get caught in the absurdity. “Apples and oranges” – might be one of the ways we respond today to this resurrection question. Is the answer ‘a’ or ‘b’? No, the answer is not even in the alphabet, was Jesus’ response! All we know now is the life we can touch and see. Although our imaginations have helped create civilizations, businesses, medical advances and technology that former generations have not known, we still cannot imagine the life that God has for us after this existence we now know. So there is no reason for us to get the rules set up now for what will come later. It just is not going to be up to us. It is not even within our powers of imagination. But, as my statistics professor said…do the work, believe in the promise that it will all come – and connect later. Jesus makes that promise, and his own resurrection became a witness to that reality. That faith has been passed from one generation to the next. Our generation…the one living right now…right here…has the responsibility to receive that faith and pass it on. Our witness to a baptism calls forth that faith in us – as we confirm God’s call in Rachel’s life as she was baptized this morning. Other parts of the Christian family have elaborate processes of naming saints – those who were special carriers of the faith – people who would be known from one generation to the other. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has no such process – and with our lack of ‘top-down authority’ we never will! Yet, we value the imprint of every faith-filled life – and know that we are being shaped in our own faith because of the witness of others…and we honestly believe that God claims them all as saints. Therefore, on this All Saints’ Day, we remember those who have lived and died and been resurrected to a life we cannot yet imagine. We remember those of our church family who were instrumental even in small ways of passing the faith from one generation to another. We celebrate those whose lives have touched ours with hope. And now we come to a time when we prayerfully lift the names and words many of you have written about the ‘saints’ of our lives. (Names provided Bob Swift, Art Webb, Margaret Stamper, David Bowyer, Opal Eagle, Claire Mulch, George Caroland, Berniece Stifel, Claude Welch and Mary Eleanor Welch Penny, Betty and Don Legg, Myrtis Caton).…• SW |
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