Thursday, August 15, 2013

A Sermon for Sunday

Luke 12:49-56

49 "I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! 52 From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53 they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." 54 He also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, "It is going to rain'; and so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, "There will be scorching heat'; and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

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When I read this passage at first I thought to myself, “Oh no!”

This text is one that is not easily preached on because Jesus is super dramatic and angsty. At first I thought... This does not even seem like the Jesus I know. Jesus is here talking about division and breaking apart families. I mean, I don’t know about all of you... but this just isn’t the Jesus I’m use to seeing.. and if Jesus always acted like this I probably wouldn’t be a Christian. 

If someone asked me to tell them a story about Jesus, surely I wouldn't pick this one! I'd tell them a story about Jesus healing or welcoming the outcast or kissing the leper.

I attempted to figure out why Jesus was acting like this. I think that Jesus was a little nervous about the impending doom of his death. I looked further in Luke and right after this text Jesus is talking about the stress that he is feeling concerning his mission and ultimate death.

This led me to really consider what stress does to humans. Jesus is God, yes, but Jesus is also fully human. God becomes a human to live among the people and ultimately save the people. We live in a world filled with stress!! So, What is stress doing to all of us?

During my time as a chaplain I met an individual whose mother just died. Whenever I would enter the room of someone who just died and their family was there I could instantly feel the stress. The woman who had died was on hospice and dying for about two weeks. Her daughter would visit her regularly and I considered her a faithful daughter. When I arrive, about ten minutes after her death, her daughter had just arrived. When she realized that her mother had died she began to cry, really cry. I was surprised by this reaction because in previous encounters she told me that she was at peace and wanted to see her go because she was suffering. I asked her how she was feeling, and she broke down even more and told me if she hadn’t done her hair this morning she would have been there for her mother’s death. WOW... What can I even say to that. I said all I knew to say... “You couldn’t have possibly known.” But the stress still ran high in the room and I could tell that she would carry this with her as she left the room that day. 

This is but one example of the stresses of life. We see stress in so many aspects of life. Kids feel stress, adults feel stress, the elderly experience stress. It's everywhere and it's doing a number to our bodies. 

Stress can make it difficult for us to get up in the morning, to continue throughout the day, to go to bed at night. Stress makes us eat, stress makes us starve, stress makes us cry, stress makes us cold, stress makes us sick, it makes us distant, it causes us to fight with people we care about most... It’s not good for us. And it was not good for Jesus either. This section of Scripture presents us with a Jesus who is struggling with his mission. Jesus expects the disciples to at least understand the “season” that they’re in... but they don’t get it. 

I don't think we get it either. We are distracted by issues in our communities. We see young children dying on our streets, we see single mothers and fathers struggling to provide for their children, we see people who don't have homes, who suffer from addiction, there's so much pain in our city and even within the walls of this church. Don't get me wrong, we should be concerned about these issues, but how do we continue to see the risen Christ through that pain?

I was feeling a little cynical this week as I thought about this text. I started to feel a little like Jesus. A little stressed... A little worried about how God is working among us. I felt a very real sense of division.

The division that this text speaks of is just the division that Christ tears down with the cross! Christ is tearing down our walls to bring forth the kingdom of God. Christ will work through our issues, our inability, and Christ will make all things new. It thanks this division for us to really see the goodness and newness in life.

I was at the ELCA’s churchwide assembly this past week where we elected a new presiding bishop and secretary, adopted a social statement, and approved various memorials. This work was exhausting but totally rewarding. Through this assembly, being among so many people that truly believe that God is real.... was incredible! It reassured me that God is still working and, to steal a phrase from the Ucc church, God is still speaking!! The Spirit moved through the conference center in Pittsburg and raised up leaders to embark on a new and exciting future.

Look what God is doing here! In this place!! Despite the issues we face...God is finding ways to make things new! 

Kelsi is about to embark on a year long trip around the United States bringing God's word to people through music.

Hannah is traveling to South Africa to accompany the people in her assigned village.. To be part of their community. To accompany people in their pain and joy.

God is using Kelsi and Hannah, but God is also using all of you, even if its on a small scale and in ways you may not know. Even when you don't think God is working through you, God is! God gives all of us to one another in love and service. Christ died so we could live. We don't serve our neighbors because we want God to reward us. We serve one another because we can't help it! The need flows out of us!

Over this past year I saw amazing things happening within this congregation! The young adults now gather to share fellowship which turned into an incredible community of faith. The new pantry church ministry on Tuesday evenings is feeding the bodies and the souls of individuals! The bible school that happened a few weeks ago lit kids on fire and helped them to see how God loves and protects them! So many things are happening here!!

We have a living, daring, confidence in God’s grace! God is moving and working within these walls and outside. God is making all things new in our lives because the God we serve is a God of resurrection! We aren't tied to sin, we can work through sin, and God can work through our brokenness because God is bigger than our wildest imagination!

This congregation has a missional heart. It sustains the community within and outside. The love of this community pours out of the doors of this church. Love is not for the faint of heart because loves asks us to sacrifice a lot, but the Holy Spirit gives us the strength to love and to be loved, to serve and to be served...

Amen!


Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Body Language: Distinction and Unity in Christ

Now the Pharisees, having heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, gathered around him, and one of them, an expert in the Law of Moses, asked him a question to test him: “Teacher, what is the greatest commandment of the Law?” Now he said to him: “‘You will love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, and with your whole mind.’” This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You will love your neighbour as yourself.’ On these two commandments the whole Law hangs—and the Prophets.” –Matthew 22:34-40, translation by DS

Go into any bookstore, and you’re bound to find a section dedicated to books on self-help. Many, if not all of them, focus on how to access your emotions. Our society is obsessed with getting in touch with how we feel. This obsession, more than likely, points to the fact that we have a hard time doing just that—getting in touch with our feelings.

But we sure like to think we that we know how, though. We like to think that when we get in touch with our feelings, then we’ll really be able to make headway into conquering the problems facing us individually and as a race. I’m not quite so convinced.

Last summer, I completed a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) as a requirement toward ordination in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The purpose of this experience was twofold. On the one hand, it was about providing me an opportunity to get practical experience in providing pastoral care to people from all different walks of life and faith backgrounds. On the other hand, it was about reflecting on the theological and personal “baggage” that I bring into any and all interactions with other people, both inside and outside the pastoral relationship.

I found the CPE experience frustrating not long after it began. Of my fellow chaplain interns (that’s what we in the CPE summer program were called) and my supervisor, I was by far the most “thinking” oriented of the group. It’s no wonder to me—when I took the Myers-Briggs personality assessment, I scored INTJ. Out of twelve possible points, I scored eleven on T, which stands for “thinking.”

I’m a thoughts guy—one who thinks about things and operates on my thoughts about whatever matter is at hand. Many other people tend to be more “feeling”—F is the counterpart to T in the Myers-Briggs world—than me, and so operate more readily on their emotions than I do.

In my CPE experience, I was frustrated because I naturally worked in my head when others around me challenged me about being genuine because I wasn’t fully in touch with my feelings. Once I began asserting myself about who I am, Daniel the Thinker, and owning my cognition as integral to who I am, I found it easier in fact to delve deeper into my feelings. In this case, it was my feeling of frustration at “feeling over against thinking” that I learned to appreciate and articulate.

Part of accepting this component of my personhood was helping my group understand who I am—and who many people are. I used the passage from Matthew above to do so. When asked what the greatest commandment of the Law is, Jesus responds that it is loving “the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, and with your whole mind.” It’s not about loving God with just your heart, just your soul, or just your mind. It’s about loving God with your whole being. That’s why it’s important to get in touch with your emotions if you’re a heavy thinker like I am—I can love God more deeply when I get in touch with the emotional part of my life experiences. At the same time, it’s important for the feeling types out there to think about their beliefs—what they believe and why they believe it. God commands us to love with our whole beings—with both heart and head—and embrace that wholeness as a fulfillment of the Law.

The church is made up of all kinds of people. It’s full of diversity. St. Paul uses the masterful metaphor of the body to refer to the church—the body of Christ. In his letter to the church at Corinth, he writes
Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honourable we clothe with greater honour, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honour to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it. –St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians 12:14-26

We as the church must be careful not to privilege particular ways of approaching the world over another. We must be careful not to say, “Those who are more in tune with their emotions have a more genuine experience of the Holy Spirit.” We must be careful not to say, “Because I have the Holy Spirit, I have no need to ponder and think over the nature of God.” We are all members of the body of Christ and each members of it—members whom God calls with our individuality, our personalities, and our gifts. To some God has given the gift to be able to think deep thoughts. To others, God has given the gift to be able to experience the raw majesty, glory, and transcendence of the Divine in a way that our intellects can’t articulate.

We need all these expressions of God’s graciousness toward all of us individually in order to create a complete body—a complete body of Christ. The very diversity of gifts, experiences, and personalities that marks us a complete body, many would amputate and cast away as unnecessary, unfaithful, or ingenuine. Nothing can be more opposite or farther from the truth of reality that that misguided, inoperative assumption belies.

The unity of the Trinity—the three in one, and the one in three—is archetypal for the unity of the body of Christ, whose members are diverse and distinct from another, yet nonetheless one with God and one another.


God has called us, with our distinctive personalities, be they thinking or feeling, to love—to love God and to love one another. As a church, we are called into unity, unity as of a body that is Christ’s presence in the world, unity with one another and with God through Christ Jesus—whose unity with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit didn’t preclude his distinction from them.

Our separateness from another doesn’t mean our alienation from one another. Our diversity doesn’t mean our disunity. Our differences of seeing, experiencing, and recognizing our world and God’s love don’t mean incompatibility. For in truth, all these gifts make us more whole and reflect the glory of uncorrupted creation as God first intended—a creation rich in diversity yet harmoniously one with itself.

-DS

Sunday, August 4, 2013

The Relevency of the Gospel

It’s not a secret that I’m a word guy. By my senior picture from high school, the yearbook has my “best known” quality listed as my “grandiloquence and lexophilia.” I’m okay with that designation. I like words (hence “lexophilia”). The longer or more arcane the word, more often than not, the more impressed I am when someone uses it correctly (hence “grandiloquence”). I have dictionary definitions committed to memory—sometimes multiple variants of the same lexeme (that’s the linguistic term for “word” for those who were wondering), and I commit a vast array of etymologies (another linguistic term, this time meaning “study of word origin”) to memory. I love to use words made up of several parts according to those parts’ original meanings, even if their not used quite like that today. Words are my thing, you might say.

grandiloquence - from the Latin grandis, "grand" or "great" and loqui, "to speak" or "to talk"
lexophilia - from the Greek λεξις, "word" from λεγειν, "to speak" and φιλια, "love" or "affection"


I say all this by way of introducing this post because I’ve been thinking about a hip topic in the church lately—relevancy. The term is thrown around a lot, but when I really think about what people are talking about, I’m unsure of what it is they mean. “What does it mean to be relevant?”—that’s the question I found myself asking over and over and over again. And then I ask myself an even more fundamental question—“What is relevance?”

Now, we hear in the church that the church is irrelevant to people’s lives. That the number of nones is on the rise. That people not born into faithful families they will more likely than not grow up and never have a Damascus Road conversion. That these sorry facts point to the decline of the faith. I could counter those claims by pointing to the massive crowds who congregated for World Youth Day with His Holiness in Rio de Janeiro. Or I could point to the return of young adults to traditional liturgical traditions—despite their oftentimes “liberal” social policies—as evidence that the death knell hasn’t quite yet sounded for the future of Christian ritualism. But those examples still don’t really answer the question about what relevance is. They tell us that someone thinks the church and its message is relevant, but what does that mean?

So I decided I could look at the word itself—relevant.

(Caution: the next paragraph might get linguistically technical, but bear with me.)

It’s an adjective that tells us about a noun. In our case, the church. This adjective comes from Latin and is made up of two parts—the prefix re- and the verbal form levant. This verbal form comes from the noun levis, which means “weight” or “burden.” The prefix re- on Latin words and their derivatives designate that something is done again or repeated many times. When the speakers of Latin made a verb levare out of levis, they used it to mean “raise.” When we attach the prefix re- to levare, we get a word that means to “raise again and again.” In the strictest linguistic sense then, "to be relevant" means that something keeps lifting again and again. In our case, we can say the church is lifting again and again.

This might not seem too helpful at first glance, but it holds breakthrough paramounce for us in understanding what it means for the church to be relevant. Let’s look at Scripture for a moment. Christ says
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” –Matthew 11:28-30

Christ promises us that in him, we will find rest from the burdens of our lives, from the things that weigh us down time and time again. Christ will lift the burden from us and take it on himself. We see that in the cross—Christ takes on the sins of the world to himself and becomes sin where he was not sin, and gives us his blamelessness where we deserved blame. Christ takes our burdens and makes them his own. When Christ was crucified, he suffered the burden of death so that we don’t need to fear death anymore because by his death, he destroyed death. He rose victorious on the third day proving to us, the world, and all those forces that defy God that life in its abundance is the original intent of this world’s creator and that nothing can stand in the way of that. We need not fear death because Christ promised us we will share in a resurrection just like his.

The message of Jesus Christ, the message the church proclaims, is nothing but a message of relevance—a message that shares the good news that Christ lifts from us the burdens of this world and frees us for life in peace.
In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was punished for his deception by being made to roll a boulder up a hill each day only to have it fall back down each night for eternity.
Not a peace that means we have no worries or concerns about the day-to-day cares of living, but a peace that transcends human words and expression—a peace that gives joy when it resides in us and makes us a new creation in Christ. The message of Jesus Christ is the proclamation that in Christ we no longer live in fear of irrelevance, in the sisyphean fear of endlessly pushing our burdens before with no rest in sight. Instead, the message of Christ is the proclamation that we are time and again freed from the burdens that weigh us down in this earthly life and elevated to a higher existence knowable only in Christ Jesus. That’s what it means for the message of Christ and his church to be relevant.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

A Way of Looking at the Palestinian/Israeli Conflict (The Lens of Peace)


Since there has been a great deal of talk about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict in recent times due to Secretary of State John Kerry's role in peace talks, it is important that Christian theologians, religious leaders, and lay individuals to become aware of the controversies surrounding this issue.
In Genesis, God creates order from chaos, and the essence of right living and stewardship of creation and people reflects peace. In the Genesis text God also creates all of humanity in God’s image. This image is extended not only to Abrahamic faiths, but it is extended to all people regardless of creed. The Palestinian/Israeli Conflict has plagued the Holy Land for centuries. This conflict has become increasingly violent since the institution of the state of Israel in 1948. The conflict between Israel and Palestine does not only affect the people living in the surrounding area, this conflict affects the entire Christian community and its relationship to society. This conflict affects the entire world, because it is a continuation of centuries old strife over “the promised land.” But not only that, it draws attention to the ways in which Jews have been wrongly victimized by their neighbors throughout the world, the dangers of nationalism, and the particularly Western practice of internment and anti-Islamic sentiment manifesting itself in the Holy Land.

“Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no children. She had an Egyptian slave-girl whose name was Hagar” (Gen 16:1 NRSV). And thus the present day conflict between the indigenous Muslim population of Palestine and the people of Israel was born. War has been raging in the cradle of civilization for thousands of years, a chaotic, seemingly endless war. In Genesis, God creates order from chaos, and the essence of right living and stewardship of creation and people reflects peace. In the Genesis text God also creates all of humanity in God’s image. This image is extended not only to Abrahamic faiths, but it is extended to all people regardless of creed. The Palestinian/Israeli Conflict has become increasingly violent since the institution of the state of Israel in 1948. The conflict between Israel and Palestine does not only affect the people living in the surrounding area, but rather this conflict not only affects but afflicts the entire Christian community and its relationship with other bodies of faith and political institutions.
It is necessary to define peace and to briefly discuss the attributes of peace. In the beginning God organized the chaos that plagued the earth. God moved over the waters and took the תהו ובהו that the earth was and created order.  In Genesis 3 sin breaks into the perfect world and forever humanity is plagued by sin and death’s sting. God preserved humanity with God’s faithful witness and covenant with God’s chosen Israel. Through Jesus Christ, God’s son, God fulfills God’s promise to remain in relationship, save, and protect God’s people. Peace is rooted in the relationship between God and God’s people. This is represented in God’s identity and communicated to humanity through God’s reflection in humanity. It is the responsibility of the Church universal to work toward peace, justice, and an appropriate quality of life for all people regardless of race, nationality, sexual identity or orientation, creed (or any other defining attributes). As Christians, we wait for eternal peace to come to earth with the second coming of Christ, but this is not to say that we sit back and allow injustice and chaos to occur in our world. As Christian, we work toward peace and healing in our broken society. It is necessary to define peace and to briefly discuss the attributes of peace. In the beginning God organized the chaos that plagued the earth. God moved over the waters and took the תהו ובהו that the earth was and created order.  In Genesis 3 sin breaks into the perfect world and forever humanity is plagued by sin and death’s sting. God preserved humanity with God’s faithful witness and covenant with God’s chosen Israel. Through Jesus Christ, God’s son, God fulfills God’s promise to remain in relationship, save, and protect God’s people. Peace is rooted in the relationship between God and God’s people. This is represented in God’s identity and communicated to humanity through God’s reflection in humanity. It is the responsibility of the Church universal to work toward peace, justice, and an appropriate quality of life for all people regardless of race, nationality, sexual identity or orientation, creed (or any other defining attributes). As Christians, we wait for eternal peace to come to earth with the second coming of Christ, but this is not to say that we sit back and allow injustice and chaos to occur in our world. As Christian, we work toward peace and healing in our broken society.



Scriptural References:
The Scriptures inform the faith of Christians, Jews, and Muslims and allow humanity to find guidance. The Greek New Testament, Torah, and Qur’an are littered with references to peace. There are numerous references to peace throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, especially the Psalms. One example of peace in the psalms comes at Psalm 29:11 where the psalmist writes, “May the Lord give strength to the Lord’s people! May the Lord bless the Lord’s people with peace!” It becomes clear that God wants peace for God’s people. In the Book of Isaiah, like the Psalms, there are a plethora of references to peace. Arguably the most important reference to peace (for Christians) comes in Isaiah 9:6, “For a child has been born for us a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” This is only relevant to Christians involved in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, but this passage speaks volumes about the relationship of Jesus Christ to peace.
In the Greek New Testament, there are three important references to peace in the gospels. The first comes at Matthew 11:28-30 where Jesus says, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” This passage does not explicitly mention peace, but Jesus is talking about peace. This is a peace that comes from laying down the things that weigh down the spirits of humanity and giving these issues to Jesus. Jesus can take care of all these things that burden, which ultimately leads to internal peace. The notion of internal peace is necessary for there to be external peace in families, communities, nations, and the greater world.
In John’s gospel there are two references to peace that are relevant to this discussion. In John 14:27 Jesus exclaims, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” Peace is something that runs deeper than a feeling. Peace is a state of being and further a way of life. Peace comes from God because God cares about comforting God’s people. In John 16:33 the reality of the depth of peace is found in Jesus words, “I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!” This peace is only possible through God, and the rejection of God is a disruption of peace. This is supported by Paul’s letter to the Romans where Paul writes, “For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The one who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and has human approval. Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” If we serve God first then peace will come because God’s identity is grounded in peace. In Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth Paul nails God’s identity in peace saying, “For God is a God not of disorder but of peace.” God, above all, seeks to bring internal and external peace to every person in every nation.
The internal and external attempt to gain peace reflects the Islamic notion of jihad. This is an internal and external struggle with elements that oppose God. The Qur’an is often mistaken for a fundamentalist book against peace in individuals who are opposed to Allah. On the contrary, similar to the Christian Bible, there are many reference to peace in the Qur’an. The Qur’an makes reference to the word peace 76 times. There are three helpful verses (among many) that will aid in this discussion. The Prophet writes, “Allah is He, than Whom there is no other god; the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace (and Perfection).” It becomes clear that all three Abrahamic faiths see their God as encompassing peace and holiness. In 5:16 the Prophet writes, “Where with Allah guiding all who seek His good pleasure to ways of peace and safety, and leading them out of darkness, by His will, unto the light,- guiding them to a path that is straight.” Here God is represented as leading individuals toward justice and peace because God is interest in peace. God seeks peace not trouble because God wants Gods people to experience good times. The third verse that is particularly important in this discussion comes in 8:61 where the prophet writes, “But if the enemy incline towards peace, do thou (also) incline towards peace.” Everyone should be working toward peace, even enemies, because it is not good to be at war with one’s neighbor. These Scriptural foundations are the vertebrae of this discussion.
There is one particular story found in scripture that binds together all three Abrahamic faiths. The story of Hagar and Sarah is the one to which, historically, all of the Abrahamic faiths reference in terms of how Jews, Christians, and Muslims have related to one another and as a guide to how these three sister faiths might relate in the present and future. Feminist theologians and liberation theologians have long turned to this story to highlight the oppression of women by a male-dominated society and the subjugation of people of color. The Jews traditionally consider Sarah and Isaac the true wife and son of Abraham. However, Muslims consider Hagar and Ishmael the true wife and son of Abraham, viewing the line of Ishmael as the inheritors of God’s promise. This discrepancy is concerned with who the true heir of Abraham is because God’s covenant runs through that son. The story of Hagar and Sarah is especially pertinent for the conflict in Palestine and Israel because one can easily see the continuation of the conflict regarding the “rightful” heir of God’s promise continuing throughout recorded human history in this particular geographic region. In the story of Hagar and Sarah, Hagar and Ishmael are sent away when Sarah provides Abraham with an heir. But Hagar is faithful to Abraham and Sarah, and to God, and thus it is unclear if one woman is more righteous than the other. Traditionally, Hagar is one of the most revered women in Islam, and a matriarch of the line through which the prophet Muhammad would come. Sarah is revered as a matriarch in the Jewish and Christian faiths, while Hagar is an indication of those who will not inherit the freedom found in God’s promise. Out of this story is birthed the conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis, but condensing the issue to the single story does not do this conflict justice as earlier stated in this paper.

Theological References:
Theology is based on faith in the God to whom the doctrines of different faiths point. The most influential theological thought on this issue is birthed by liberation theology. Liberation theology seeks to take the teachings of Christ and apply them to the injustices in society. Liberation theology looks for the source of suffering and returns again and again to sin. Most often, these sins are sins part of a bigger system. At the heart of liberation theology lies the fundamental relationship between theology and social activism and awareness. The liberation theology movement in the Holy Land began with The Rev. Dr. Naim Ateek, who created a committee of ten clergy and lay people to understand the plight of Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land. This committee became Sabeel, an organization that seeks to educate Palestinian Christians at the grassroots about liberation theology. The official website for Sabeel states, “Sabeel strives to develop a spirituality based on love, justice, peace, nonviolence, liberation and reconciliation for the different national and faith communities. The word "Sabeel" is Arabic for ‘the way‘ and also a ‘channel‘ or ‘spring‘ of life-giving water.”
The most important work that Sabeel does concerns international awareness. Sabeel seeks to bring accurate awareness to the international community, so that individuals get a better understanding of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The international opinion of the conflict is driven by both theology and politics. In the United States there is a great movement to support Israel by conservative Evangelical Christians because they believe that there is cosmological and eschatological reward in rebuilding the Temple. These evangelical read the Bible through this lens, which causes an interesting exegesis. David Grafton writes,
An important precursor to the return of Christ and his thousand-year reign on earth (based upon a literal interpretation of Rev 20:1-3) is the “return of the Jews to Zion” (Zech 1:16; 14:1-3). Millennialists understand this passage as referring to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 and the possession of the temple mount in 1973. This biblical hermeneutic leads to a political activism that supports the State of Israel, known as Christian Zionism. Supporting Israel and its possession of the Holy Land is necessary for Christ’s return.

This support for Israel does not consider the needs and rights of Muslim and Christian individuals living in Palestine. There is also Islamic support for Palestinian that seek to give land to the Palestinians that does not consider the rights of Israelis and their beliefs about the land. This is where the discrepancy over land becomes particularly difficult. Sabeel, though the organization is not free from biases, seeks to establish lasting peace. Their website proclaims,
Only by working for a just and durable peace can we provide a sense of security and create ample opportunities for growth and prosperity in an atmosphere void of violence and strife. Although remaining political and organizational obstacles hinder the full implementation of programs, Sabeel continues to develop creative means to surmount these challenges. We seek both to be a refuge for dialogue and to pursue ways of finding answers to ongoing theological questions about the sanctity of life, justice, and peace.

Dialogue is essential in truly understanding each side’s beliefs, opinions, preconceived notions, and goals.  Peace is not something that can be accomplished overnight it must be continually worked on.

Ethical References:
Ethical relativism is at play in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict because each side sees their violence and unrest merited. This ethical relativism makes deciding what the ethical actions are difficult to discern. There is also a strong cultural relativism that is difficult for Americans to understand fully because Americans (and other Westerners) cannot truly understand the emotivism behind the dilemma. The most practical way to deliberate this ethical conundrum is by consulting Immanuel Kant’s categorical imperative. The first formulation of the categorical imperative refers to one not taking any action that the one committing the action would not will universally. This is to say that one should never act unless one would want every other person committing the same action. The second formulation of the categorical imperative refers to never treating humans as a means to an end because humans are ends in themselves. Finally, the third formulation of the categorical imperative refers to a combination of formulation one and two with the addition of autonomy. In formulation three, the actions must be free on the part of the person committing the action and s/he must know what s/he is doing.
In terms of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, both sides of the conflict use the other as a means to an end. Each side attempts to accomplish their individual goals without consideration of the other. The difficulty emerges when one considers the first formulation. If one considers this imperative fully it become impossible to consider in this realm of reality. This becomes a cosmic question that ends only in the destruction of the world and the return of God to earth. One might ultimately will everyone to kill the other because that is the only way for God’s will to be expressed. This idea of cosmic warfare is one that is not alien to this specific conflict.
The Church’s role becomes nearly impossible to discern on the grounds of ethics. The ethical position in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is built on Jesus command in Mark 12:31. The ELCA’s social statement on peace states,
For the welfare of our neighbors, we in company with others must press for what is right and good within the limits and possibilities of the actual situation. Leaders and citizens make decisions among many competing goods and interests when not all can be realized. In the uncertain task of calculating the probable outcomes of these decisions and choosing the best alternative, we must view the desired ends of action in light of the means and resources available.
This statement is influenced by different forms of ethics, especially divine command theory. Jesus commands the love of one’s neighbor, which should lead Christians to treat one another with compassion, integrity, and honor. Unfortunately, the issue of sin in society does not allow humanity to fully love one another unconditionally. This love becomes conditional according to one’s self interest.
There are numerous ethicists that could be consulted to determine the ethical dilemmas surrounding the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. It is due to the ethical relativism that this is nearly impossible to sort out. The ethical conclusion here is that neither side of this dispute is blameless, and each side has made unethical choices.

Liturgical Themes/Perspectives:
What happens in the liturgy affects what happens when one leaves the liturgical space. One’s experience in the liturgy, the words used, the themes of worship, and the action that these words and themes cause are interrelated. It would not be fair for the authors of this paper to consider the liturgies of Jews and Muslims because that is not the tradition of the authors. This section will examine Christian liturgies and how they affect or should affect the life of the Christian.
The liturgy brings people together from different place for a common purpose. The Christian assembly, specifically Lutherans, gather around the Word and sacrament to proclaim the gospel. The Word and sacraments promote forgiveness that allows individuals to feel internal and external peace. This gospel message is centered around the Kingdom of God drawing nearer to humanity. In the gathered community the congregation is reminded of the injustices of the world, which promotes works of justice outside of the liturgical space.
The liturgy includes many mentions of peace. In the Kyrie the leader begins, “In peace let us pray to the Lord” and concludes the prayer saying “For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all let us pray to the Lord.” The presider and the congregation speak explicitly about unifying all people together. This inclusion does not leave anyone out, not even Israelis and Palestinians. In the proclamation of the Word this concept of peace is placed in a new light. This peace is a peace that passes all understanding and only faith can create this peace. The proclamation of the Word through reading of the Holy Scripture and preaching is followed by prayers and the passing of the peace. Often in the prayers of intercession, the presider focuses on peace in creation, in communities, between nations, among others. Through the prayers and the peace the gathered assembly reaffirms the peace of the risen Christ as the answer to all prayers, and the gift of Christ that God gave humanity. The passing of the peace builds a bridge between the service of the Word and the celebration of Holy Communion. The Great Thanksgiving is an essential celebration within the Sunday assembly. In the prayers of this section of worship, the presider recalls the mighty acts of God, recalls God bringing order to chaos, and God maintaining order through all of the events we recall in the anamnesis (including God’s work through Christ).  Through the Eucharist we, as humanity, are transformed! The Eucharist draws us together, fills us with Christ, and sends us into the world to live and set individuals free from bondage.
The Sunday assembly begins with a gathering and ends with sending out into the world. What happens in the assembly is not to remain in the assembly. The assembly should empower the people in attendance to go out into the world and love everyone regardless of creed. God is actively at work in the worship space and outside the worship space in all places!

Responses to the Challenge:
Theology matters because theology is interwoven throughout this issue, the lives of the people involved in this issue, and the very beginnings of the cultures in question. Liberation theology, Sabeel and otherwise, allows individuals to look at situations and respond to them differently. If individuals and groups can recognize the plight of the oppressed on both sides of the issue people will begin to relate to them. Aside from liberation theology, Craig Nessan’s work on the Shalom Church could be effective in transforming individuals involved in this conflict.
Nessan’s work with developing the guidelines for the Shalom Church as the body of Christ in a ministering community is helpful in understanding how the church can take action in this situation. Nissan highlights what he calls “two spiritual maladies” that are infecting the church and affecting the way the church responds to conflict. These two maladies include rampant individualism in Western society and the identity of the individual churches built out of what the church opposed not what the church supports. This work leads to conclusions about what the universal church should look like in order to promote progress and above all peace.
There are twenty virtues that are attributes and characteristics of the Shalom Church and can be broken down into smaller groups. First, the church must be committed to inclusivity, love for one’s enemies, and the church must be ready to forgive. Second, The church must repent of violence, act with nonviolent resistance, and stand in solidarity with the oppressed.  Third, the church must offer hospitality to strangers, care for the physical needs of all, and offer special concern for the weak. Fourth, The church must act justly in economics, act as good stewards for the earth, and affirm all of humanity as created by God. Above all of these the Shalom Church is called to care for the marginalized, defend all basic human rights, and care for every person regardless of defining characteristics. All of these characteristics, if followed, would lead to peace in the Holy Land, but it is not that simple because humanity is broken. Humans find it difficult to love their friends, which makes loving enemies seem nearly impossible.
The Shalom Church has the potential to empower individuals and to lead them to begin thinking in new ways. The Shalom Church prays for peace and always interprets the actions of others in the kindest way. This is particularly helpful in this conflict because both sides often believe the other’s actions to have the worst intention. In utilizing this framework, individuals and larger bodies can work together to establish peace in cultures, communities, and the world.

There's no way I could look at all of this in one post or one book...
-LB