So What?
Not one to take coincidences lightly,
I share with you the reading for July 5th from “My Utmost for His Highest,”
by Oswald Chambers, a favorite devotion of mine, and the reading that popped
up as I opened my Bible program to work on this week’s readings…
He seems to have summed up the confidence present in the “future perfect”
of Chilton’s translation.
Don’t plan without God.
God seems to have a delightful way of upsetting the plans we have made, when
we have not taken Him into account. We get ourselves into circumstances that
were not chosen by God, and suddenly we realize that we have been making our
plans without Him—that we have not even considered Him to be a vital,
living factor in the planning of our lives. And yet the only thing that will
keep us from even the possibility of worrying is to bring God in as the greatest
factor in all of our planning.
In spiritual issues it is customary
for us to put God first, but we tend to think that it is inappropriate and
unnecessary to put Him first in the practical, everyday issues of our lives.
If we have the idea that we have to put on our “spiritual face”
before we can come near to God, then we will never come near to Him. We must
come as we are.
Don’t plan with a concern
for evil in mind. Does God really mean for us to plan without taking
the evil around us into account? “Love … thinks no evil”
(1 Corinthians 13:4–5). Love is not ignorant of the existence of evil,
but it does not take it into account as a factor in planning. When we were
apart from God, we did take evil into account, doing all of our planning with
it in mind, and we tried to reason out all of our work from its standpoint.
Don’t plan with a rainy
day in mind. You cannot hoard things for a rainy day if you are truly
trusting Christ. Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled …”
(John 14:1). God will not keep your heart from being troubled. It is a command—“Let
not … .” To do it, continually pick yourself up, even if you fall
a hundred and one times a day, until you get into the habit of putting God
first and planning with Him in mind.
Anthropological Reading
Today’s text for Preaching Peace
is both one on which I have extensively lectured and my personal favorite
meditation. I am filled with things to share but am certain that it could
easily get too long to read. I would like then to offer a more personal reading
of today’s text, of things that are important to me as I pray this prayer
today in the context of preaching peace.
To begin, it is important to recall the
place of the Lord’s Prayer in the early church. It is shared with new
Christians only post baptism, during Easter week, along with the Eucharist.
It is the prayer of small groups huddled everywhere in the name of Jesus.
It is precious. It is an element of the ‘arcane discipline.’
Second, it is translatable into Aramaic.
Bruce Chilton (Rabbi Jesus) translates the Lord’s Prayer :
Abba, Your Name will be sanctified, your
kingdom will come, give me today the bread that is coming and release me my
debts
Rather than emphasizing the command of
the Greek imperative, this translation focuses on the future perfect, in a
series of affirmations, of core beliefs. Each petition in the Lord’s
Prayer can be demonstrated throughout Jesus life. His use of abba occurs all
over the Four Gospels; the hallowing of God’s name is Jesus doing God’s
will; God’s kingdom language is all over Jesus’ teaching; daily
bread is evidenced in the feeding of the multitudes and the Last Supper; forgiveness
of sin is shot through Jesus teaching, miracle stories and parables; deliverance
from evil and the conquest of Satan in the Gospel tradition [You will not
put us to the test: our Chiltonian addition].
Hence Chilton’s translation makes
sense, these affirmations are core affirmations; they describe what our theology
looks like and how we live. The lex orandi (rule of prayer) is the soil of
the lex credendi (rule of faith). This is truly the Lord’s prayer, his
affirmations, what he believed.
This prayer is for those who have chosen
an intentional journey with Jesus. It is for those who have been through the
‘tomb and the womb’ of baptism, who understand that Satan has
been renounced, who comprehend the boundless indiscriminate love of the abba,
who believe that God feeds them. It is the life journey we call discipleship.
For those who have chosen this journey, this is their prayer, their set of
core beliefs, the important realities to reflect upon.
This is very similar to the ideas propounded
by Dr.Wayne Dyer in his Power of Intention Lectures. We need not ask God,
as though we are lacking anything, for all this to take place, but rather
we give thanks that all these realities are a part of our life and our world.
In this sense, the reality is here and we are the glad recipients of all the
blessings the Father has bestowed on us.
The “petitions” of the Lord’s
Prayer are not then petitions in the traditional sense. They are affirmations
of a present reality which remains out of sight to those still ensnared in
the miasma of mimetic crises. To the one who has died and risen with Christ,
all that is needed is given each day, no matter how it may seem to those looking
on from outside the wonderful celebration of God’s saving. (See Paul’s
description of this in II Corinthians 6!)
Biblical theologians are fond of talking
about the “already” and “not yet” qualities of the
kingdom Jesus preaches (though Jesus insisted on describing it in the present
tense…) Somehow or another, in their thoughts, Jesus “inaugurated”
a kingdom that has a present reality, but still “is not” yet.
The prayer of Jesus shows us that we who are members of his body live in daily
thanksgiving for present blessings, not future ones.
This manner of life is the only way to
escape the trap of mimesis and scapegoating. Only when we are able to live
in a way that trusts implicitly in the Father for all things, that looks to
the Father as the model for all our desires, will Satan lose his hold on us
and our “civilization.”
Jeremias’ work remains indispensable
(The
Prayers of Jesus). James Dunn has some important observations to make on
Jesus’ charismatic experience in Jesus
and the Spirit ; a good bibliography on the Lord’s Prayer runs to
over a hundred pages (I have one). There are also many fine studies on the Lord’s
Prayer in the early church.
Jeremias may be right and Luke’s
version may be the original and Matthew’s version the ‘cadenced
version’ but we do not have to resort to Q to explain the divergence.
Luke’s version may well be original and where it is recited, it is recited
without the Antiochene additions of Matthew. It may be pointed out that Luke
has a preference for shortening up Matthew’s version of Jesus’
teaching.
Either
this page has not yet been completed, or we have not found any significant textual
issues in the lectionary texts for this Sunday.
Introductory Articles
We will add articles as we are able,
or as users of the site request them, so if you have suggestions for additional
pieces, please write to us!
"Introduction
to Mimetic Theory"
"Mimesis"
"The
Scapegoat"
"The
Pillars of Culture"
"Jesus"
"The
Four Gospels"
A Brief Introduction
to Luke
What's New:
What's New? on Preaching Peace. (Hover your mouse over to pause cycling) |
Hos 1:2-10 or * Gn 18:20-32
Ps 85 * Ps 138
Col 2:6-15,(16-19)
Lk 11:1-13
(Hosea 1:2-10)
When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, "Go,
take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the
land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD." So he went and took
Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. And the LORD
said to him, "Name him Jezreel; for in a little while I will punish the
house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom
of the house of Israel. On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the
valley of Jezreel." She conceived again and bore a daughter. Then the
LORD said to him, "Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have pity
on the house of Israel or forgive them. But I will have pity on the house
of Judah, and I will save them by the LORD their God; I will not save them
by bow, or by sword, or by war, or by horses, or by horsemen." When she
had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. Then the LORD said, "Name
him Lo-ammi, for you are not my people and I am not your God." Yet the
number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which can
be neither measured nor numbered; and in the place where it was said to them,
"You are not my people,"
it shall be said to them, "Children of the living God."
* (Genesis 18:20-32)
Then the LORD said, "How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah
and how very grave their sin! I must go down and see whether they have done
altogether according to the outcry that has come to me; and if not, I will
know." So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, while Abraham
remained standing before the LORD. Then Abraham came near and said, "Will
you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty
righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the place and not forgive
it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a
thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as
the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do
what is just?" And the LORD said, "If I find at Sodom fifty righteous
in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake." Abraham
answered, "Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am
but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Will
you destroy the whole city for lack of five?" And he said, "I will
not destroy it if I find forty-five there." Again he spoke to him, "Suppose
forty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of forty I will
not do it." Then he said, "Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I
speak. Suppose thirty are found there." He answered, "I will not
do it, if I find thirty there." He said, "Let me take it upon myself
to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there." He answered, "For
the sake of twenty I will not destroy it." Then he said, "Oh do
not let the Lord be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found
there." He answered, "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it."
(Colossians 2:6-15)
As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your
lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just
as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes
you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition,
according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ.
For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to
fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority. In him also
you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body
of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; when you were buried with him
in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God,
who raised him from the dead. And when you were dead in trespasses and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he
forgave us all our trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us with
its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed
the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over
them in it.
(Colossians 2:16-19)
Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of
observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. These are only a shadow of what
is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Do not let anyone disqualify
you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on visions,
puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking, and not holding fast to
the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments
and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.
(Luke 11:1-13)
He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples
said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."
He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the
time of trial." And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend,
and you go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves
of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before
him.' And he answers from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already
been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give
you anything.' I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything
because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get
up and give him whatever he needs. "So I say to you, Ask, and it will
be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened
for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds,
and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among
you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish?
Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are
evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the
heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
Occasional Articles
As with the Introductory Articles, we
will add other articles as time permits or as our readers request. If you
have a suggestion for anything, please let us know.
Michael Hardin
Is the Apocalypse Inevitable?: Native American Prophecy and the Mimetic Theory presented to the Colloquium on Violence and Religion 2008
Michael's Essay for a Celebration Volume honoring Rene Girard
Michael's Response to Willard Swartley's Covenent of Peace at the November Colloquium and Violence Meeting
Does
Peace Make A Difference? - Michael's essay in response to Rick
Warren's P.E.A.C.E. plan (which somehow never mentions peace).
An Analysis of Rick Warren - Michael's response to "The Purpose Driven Life."
"The
God of Pat Robertson" - a response to Pat Robertson's words
to the people of Dover, PA.
"A
response to Charles Stanley's "A Nation at War"
"Must
God be violent? A Diagnosis and Prescription for Modern Christianity"
The
Scapegoat: Christologies in Conflict - A Study in Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Biblical
Testaments as a Marriage of Convenience: Rene Girard and Biblical Interpretation
Finding
Our Way Home: A Brief Note On The Authority and Interpretation of Scripture
"Does
The Passion of the Christ Preach the Gospel?"
A
sermon for the holiday devoted to Dr. Martin Luther King. (requires
Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
GRASPING
GOD: Philippians 2: 1-11 in the Light of Mimetic Theory
Essay on Brethren Life & Thought to Rene Girard and the Recovery of Early Christian Perspectives (Brethren Life and Thought)
Essay on Mimesis and Dominion to The Dynamics of Violence and the Imitation of Christ in maximus Confessor (St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly)
"EcoSpirituality"
Or What Happens When You Sit Down With A French Literary Critic
Jeff Krantz
Mighty
One or Crucified Messiah? Competing Christologies and the Chiastic
Structure of Mark's Gospel
There's
No Such Thing as the Rapture - A sermon preached at the Church
of the Advent, Westbury (requires Acrobat Reader)
Holy
Scripture and the Consecration of Gene Robinson - a response
to the request of the Windsor Report for a Scriptural rationale. (requires
Adobe's Acrobat Reader)
Worship - The Redemption of Desire by Jeff Krantz
Myth
and Film - a piece written for the City of Angels Film Festival
The Stations of the Cross - Rewritten by Jeff Krantz
A Dramatic Presentation of the Stations of the Cross for Youth by Barb Fabijan-Waddell
Escaping
the Power of "My" - A NonViolent Approach to Stewardship
Preaching
Peace in Hollywood: The Theologies of Terminator, Lord of the Rings, and the
Matrix
V
for Vendetta - The Name Says It All A review of the movie.
Essays, Sermons and Liturgical Pieces by Friends of Preaching Peace
"Jesus and the Gibeonites: Reading the Bible from the Perspective of the Hidden Victim" by James Warren.
Mark Heim's "No More of This" - A hymn on Nonviolent Atonement
Kate Layzer's "No More of This" - A hymn on Nonviolent Atonement (and inspiration for Mark Heim's hymn!)
Alan Cork, "Transformation" in L'Arche: A Mimetic Account presented to the Colloquium on Violence and Religion 2008
"The Wisdom of God's Peace" a sermon by Jim Amstutz, co-pastor of Michael's church.
Girard's Christology - Per Bjornar Grande
Violence, Anarchy and Scripture: Jacques Ellul and Rene Girard - Matthew Patillo
Comparing
Plato's Understanding of Mimesis to Girard's - Per Bjorner Grande
C. Frank Terhune, an Easter Sermon: "God's Big But" (no kidding!)
Gerald Biesecker-Mast's paper from Theologia Pacis on Pacifist Gospel Epstimology.
An essay by the Rev. John Hill on Mimetic Theory and Catechesis
