First Sunday of Lent
First Sunday of Lent:
March 5th, 2006
Genesis 9:8-17
Psalm 51:1-17
More than anything else during this Season of Lent, I wish to impress upon adults and children how sacred this time is in the life of individual Christians and in the long spiritual history that is the Christian faith. The journey thought Season of Lent should be the defining experience in what it actually means to be a Christian. During Lent, the Church allows itself to reflect, meditate, and focus upon why Jesus came to this world, what He accomplished, and how His Birth, Life, Death, Burial, and Resurrection have changed the direction of the world in its entirety. Thus, for the children and adults that we both teach and impact by our lives in general, I feel that it is our responsibility to truly embody all that this Season entails.
I approach the task of writing the lessons for this Season, having really only celebrated Lent for the second time in my whole life. Oh, by going to Church with my Roman Catholic father for the first 15 years of my life, I attended many services during Lent, with many Palm Sunday being of noticeable memory. However, since I was not a Catholic myself (as a child, my father never pressed my mother to send me to Catholic Sunday School, i.e. CCE), I did not have any appreciation for the confessional voyage that Catholics, Orthodox, and “high” Protestants undertake during Lent, or any season for that matter. And while I have no regrets over the events comprising my past, as they make me who I am today, I do wish that I could have grown up experiencing community in a liturgical fashion.
I say all that to say this: too many Christians, especially here in the evangelical South, have never made this journey part of their spiritual lives. Thus, even more so than during Advent, the Church should create an environment in which all believers might have the opportunity to experience Christ in a new, yet utterly timeless way. Through these 7 weeks of readings, studies, and reflections of mine, I am looking forward to both lead and travel alongside people as we walk, crawl, stumble, scratch, claw, and eventually run towards the Cross and Empty Tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ. Read along with me…
Genesis 9:8-17: In the 7 verses prior to this selection, we read of a covenant between God and man that totally changed how humanity would be dealing with each other and with the animal life of Creation. Specifically, “in the Talmud, it is taught that the ‘descendents of Noah’ – that is, universal humanity – are obligated by seven commandments: 1) to establish courts of justice 2) to refrain from blaspheming the God of Israel, as well as from 3) idolatry, 4) sexual perversion, 5) bloodshed, and 6) robbery, and 7) not to eat meat cut from a living animal.” (Jewish Study Bible, p25) Thus, due to the corruption of humanity prior to Noah and his family entering the Ark, God had to extend a clearer set of guidelines by which all of humanity might live.
However, right after establishing those conditions for men, God speaks forth a beautiful series of detailed promises to Noah and his progeny. God promises Noah that never again will all of creation be killed off because of their disobedience. Furthermore, Never again would God issue floodwaters to wipe away the face of the earth & all the creatures upon it. “In this covenant, God takes the stipulations upon himself, rather than imposing them upon Noah and his family. Unlike the later covenant with Abraham, and those that build on the covenant with Abraham, this covenant does not entail election or a new phase of revelation. It is also made with every living creature, not just people.” (IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament, p39)
Moreover, God, as a sign for all future generations that the world would not be destroyed, sent the rainbow. When the rainbow is seen in the clouds, this would be God’s way of continually reminding humanity that God does love us and wouldn’t send waters to destroy us ever again. “The designation of the rainbow as a sign of the covenant does not suggest that this was the first rainbow ever seen. The function of a sign is connected to the significance attached to it.” (Ibid, p39) The rainbow isn’t important or memorable because it’s a rainbow; the crucial element of this sign is what the rainbow tells us – that God won’t be destroying us again any time soon.
What can we learn from this section? Why would this story be included in the lectionary readings for Lent? In my estimation, I feel that the concept of covenant is instrumental in how Christians come to view their relationship with Christ. When examining the Old Testament and the relationship between Jews and God, the concept of covenant is used to provide a detailed outline of how humanity and deity would interact. Thus, it is only through the events observed during Lent is humanity ushered into a more complete and more holistic covenant with their Creator, one that allows humanity the chance to re-create and re-enter Eden with the Second Adam – Jesus Christ.
Psalm 51:1-17: This psalm is one accredited to David, written when the prophet Nathan came to him to censure David after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba and sent her husband Uriah to die on the frontlines of battle in order to cover up their sin. What follows are the first four verses of this psalm and the bulk of the general commentary on this psalm, taken from The Jewish Study Bible: JPS Tanakh Translation. These are provided to better engage us in reading and praying these songs in the light of how the Hebrew people make the Psalms a part of their religious life. My challenge to the reader would be that you read through David’s confession and fervent petition for forgiveness and meditate upon what you might have in your life that would bring you to a place of repentance akin to David’s.
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from all my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.” (Psalm 51:1-4, TNIV)
“Ps. 51: An individual complaint expressing an extreme sense of guilt. Although written in good classical Heb[rew], internal evidence suggests that this psalm may be exilic or early postexilic. 2: See 2 Sam. Ch 12, where Nathan rebukes David for two grave offences: committing adultery with Bathsheba, and having her husband, Uriah, murdered. Given the tremendous guilt expressed in the psalm, and the specific request to be saved ‘from bloodguilt’ (v16), it is understandable that tradition would explicitly connect this psalm to those events. 3-4: The complain in a nutshell, containing four imperatives (Have mercy, blot out, purify, wash me thoroughly), an invocation (O God), and the motivations (as befits Your faithfulness; in keeping with Your abundant compassion). God is asked to act according to His faithfulness. … 7: So extreme are the psalmist’s guilt feelings that he sees himself as sinful even before birth; in other words, he is, by nature, a sinful being.” (Jewish Study Bible, p1338-1339)
Teachers: As you can probably tell, we have already told this story from Genesis to the kids, having done so back in November, the week before we entered into the Season of Advent. Thus, my proposal is this: 1) read through the Psalm for each week, allowing the words of the Hebraic song/prayers to sink into your kids; 2) read through the main Old Testament selection (whether in whole or in part, depending upon the ages of your kids); 3) talk about any concepts from the passage that spring to your mind (whether from your reading or my notes) as being important; 4) possibly talk about how the words of the Psalm tie into the general OT story; and 5) emphasize how this story about God’s agreement with Noah is similar to the agreement that God made with all humans through Jesus.
Now, I fully realize how esoteric this could be for some/most kids/age-groups. You might be asking, “What in the heck am I supposed to do with this when teaching my 1- & 2-year-olds?” And I believe that to be a very valid question. Thus, I recommend that you simply 1) read through the Psalm, 2) read through the OT selection, and then 3) talk to them about Lent in whatever way you feel is most comfortable or appropriate. The goal is not to overwhelm the children, but to provide them a safe & loving space where they can feel Christ’s love in us. If you are walking through and observing Lent, the children will be able to sense that in you.
March 5th, 2006
Genesis 9:8-17
Psalm 51:1-17
More than anything else during this Season of Lent, I wish to impress upon adults and children how sacred this time is in the life of individual Christians and in the long spiritual history that is the Christian faith. The journey thought Season of Lent should be the defining experience in what it actually means to be a Christian. During Lent, the Church allows itself to reflect, meditate, and focus upon why Jesus came to this world, what He accomplished, and how His Birth, Life, Death, Burial, and Resurrection have changed the direction of the world in its entirety. Thus, for the children and adults that we both teach and impact by our lives in general, I feel that it is our responsibility to truly embody all that this Season entails.
I approach the task of writing the lessons for this Season, having really only celebrated Lent for the second time in my whole life. Oh, by going to Church with my Roman Catholic father for the first 15 years of my life, I attended many services during Lent, with many Palm Sunday being of noticeable memory. However, since I was not a Catholic myself (as a child, my father never pressed my mother to send me to Catholic Sunday School, i.e. CCE), I did not have any appreciation for the confessional voyage that Catholics, Orthodox, and “high” Protestants undertake during Lent, or any season for that matter. And while I have no regrets over the events comprising my past, as they make me who I am today, I do wish that I could have grown up experiencing community in a liturgical fashion.
I say all that to say this: too many Christians, especially here in the evangelical South, have never made this journey part of their spiritual lives. Thus, even more so than during Advent, the Church should create an environment in which all believers might have the opportunity to experience Christ in a new, yet utterly timeless way. Through these 7 weeks of readings, studies, and reflections of mine, I am looking forward to both lead and travel alongside people as we walk, crawl, stumble, scratch, claw, and eventually run towards the Cross and Empty Tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ. Read along with me…
Genesis 9:8-17: In the 7 verses prior to this selection, we read of a covenant between God and man that totally changed how humanity would be dealing with each other and with the animal life of Creation. Specifically, “in the Talmud, it is taught that the ‘descendents of Noah’ – that is, universal humanity – are obligated by seven commandments: 1) to establish courts of justice 2) to refrain from blaspheming the God of Israel, as well as from 3) idolatry, 4) sexual perversion, 5) bloodshed, and 6) robbery, and 7) not to eat meat cut from a living animal.” (Jewish Study Bible, p25) Thus, due to the corruption of humanity prior to Noah and his family entering the Ark, God had to extend a clearer set of guidelines by which all of humanity might live.
However, right after establishing those conditions for men, God speaks forth a beautiful series of detailed promises to Noah and his progeny. God promises Noah that never again will all of creation be killed off because of their disobedience. Furthermore, Never again would God issue floodwaters to wipe away the face of the earth & all the creatures upon it. “In this covenant, God takes the stipulations upon himself, rather than imposing them upon Noah and his family. Unlike the later covenant with Abraham, and those that build on the covenant with Abraham, this covenant does not entail election or a new phase of revelation. It is also made with every living creature, not just people.” (IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament, p39)
Moreover, God, as a sign for all future generations that the world would not be destroyed, sent the rainbow. When the rainbow is seen in the clouds, this would be God’s way of continually reminding humanity that God does love us and wouldn’t send waters to destroy us ever again. “The designation of the rainbow as a sign of the covenant does not suggest that this was the first rainbow ever seen. The function of a sign is connected to the significance attached to it.” (Ibid, p39) The rainbow isn’t important or memorable because it’s a rainbow; the crucial element of this sign is what the rainbow tells us – that God won’t be destroying us again any time soon.
What can we learn from this section? Why would this story be included in the lectionary readings for Lent? In my estimation, I feel that the concept of covenant is instrumental in how Christians come to view their relationship with Christ. When examining the Old Testament and the relationship between Jews and God, the concept of covenant is used to provide a detailed outline of how humanity and deity would interact. Thus, it is only through the events observed during Lent is humanity ushered into a more complete and more holistic covenant with their Creator, one that allows humanity the chance to re-create and re-enter Eden with the Second Adam – Jesus Christ.
Psalm 51:1-17: This psalm is one accredited to David, written when the prophet Nathan came to him to censure David after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba and sent her husband Uriah to die on the frontlines of battle in order to cover up their sin. What follows are the first four verses of this psalm and the bulk of the general commentary on this psalm, taken from The Jewish Study Bible: JPS Tanakh Translation. These are provided to better engage us in reading and praying these songs in the light of how the Hebrew people make the Psalms a part of their religious life. My challenge to the reader would be that you read through David’s confession and fervent petition for forgiveness and meditate upon what you might have in your life that would bring you to a place of repentance akin to David’s.
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from all my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.” (Psalm 51:1-4, TNIV)
“Ps. 51: An individual complaint expressing an extreme sense of guilt. Although written in good classical Heb[rew], internal evidence suggests that this psalm may be exilic or early postexilic. 2: See 2 Sam. Ch 12, where Nathan rebukes David for two grave offences: committing adultery with Bathsheba, and having her husband, Uriah, murdered. Given the tremendous guilt expressed in the psalm, and the specific request to be saved ‘from bloodguilt’ (v16), it is understandable that tradition would explicitly connect this psalm to those events. 3-4: The complain in a nutshell, containing four imperatives (Have mercy, blot out, purify, wash me thoroughly), an invocation (O God), and the motivations (as befits Your faithfulness; in keeping with Your abundant compassion). God is asked to act according to His faithfulness. … 7: So extreme are the psalmist’s guilt feelings that he sees himself as sinful even before birth; in other words, he is, by nature, a sinful being.” (Jewish Study Bible, p1338-1339)
Teachers: As you can probably tell, we have already told this story from Genesis to the kids, having done so back in November, the week before we entered into the Season of Advent. Thus, my proposal is this: 1) read through the Psalm for each week, allowing the words of the Hebraic song/prayers to sink into your kids; 2) read through the main Old Testament selection (whether in whole or in part, depending upon the ages of your kids); 3) talk about any concepts from the passage that spring to your mind (whether from your reading or my notes) as being important; 4) possibly talk about how the words of the Psalm tie into the general OT story; and 5) emphasize how this story about God’s agreement with Noah is similar to the agreement that God made with all humans through Jesus.
Now, I fully realize how esoteric this could be for some/most kids/age-groups. You might be asking, “What in the heck am I supposed to do with this when teaching my 1- & 2-year-olds?” And I believe that to be a very valid question. Thus, I recommend that you simply 1) read through the Psalm, 2) read through the OT selection, and then 3) talk to them about Lent in whatever way you feel is most comfortable or appropriate. The goal is not to overwhelm the children, but to provide them a safe & loving space where they can feel Christ’s love in us. If you are walking through and observing Lent, the children will be able to sense that in you.
posted by APN | 10:35 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home