One thing that modern religious consumers crave is certainty. It can feel very comforting. You feel like you know what’s really going on. But sometimes it becomes deceptive. A false sense of certainty will keep people away from the truths they really need to hear.
This came to mind when I was studying the empty tomb narrative in the gospel of Luke. Luke 24:6-8 includes the angelic figures telling the women this: “’Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ Then they remembered his words…” Notice the role that memory plays in this. There was a great quote from Fred Craddock in his seminary textbook on preaching: "So much of a pejorative nature has been said and written about reflection as hindsight or understanding which comes too late that it is difficult for many to appreciate it as a learning posture. But the fact is, the Bible is a product of reflection. Its portraits of Jesus are offered after a time of remembering and experiencing what was *really* going on. The disciples did not understand at the time, say the Evangelists, but after the resurrection they remembered." Think of what a powerful thing memory is. Learning comes by way of hindsight; it doesn’t always happen right away. This is true with preaching, with lessons from parents, and with other life experiences. In this case, the women had heard Jesus speak before in anticipation of the violence, rejection, and death that He would suffer (in Luke 9:22,44-45; 18:31-34) – but it didn’t really register at the time. It’s just like it was for me in my driver’s education class in high school. So much of driving is intuitive and experiential that you don’t really learn it well from studying the books. The same is true in other parts of life: Christian teaching and engagement isn’t just for the present moment. This is a hard thing to grasp in a culture that values short-term and immediate results. But we’re in it for the long haul. Look at how it played out in Luke 24:9-12: “…returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.” Mercy Oduyoye, a Methodist theologian from Ghana, once wrote: "...without women's participation the transformation of human society towards justice, peace and compassion will not happen, because it takes women to insist that hierarchical and periphery/centre paradigms should give way to caring community." Amen! The experiences of women should not be devalued. They have a great capacity for initiating godly change. Jesus’ disciples were initially dismissive of their report from the empty tomb. But notice how things changed when Peter got curious and went to look for himself. This is how great change comes about: There’s initially a false sense of certainty in a collective mindset, but it just takes one person to start questioning and investigating. Then the old certainty is left behind and others come on board. What was the driving force for Peter? At least one part of it was curiosity. In the Bible curiosity is a good thing. Exploring, learning, and discovery are life assets (e.g., Proverbs 25:1-5). That’s why I’m glad to be in a church tradition that elevates academic learning. There have been so many colleges and universities through the years that have been founded by Congregationalists. Curiosity drives learning, which shapes conviction. And it's the truth that makes us free. God bless you, Pastor Andrew McHenry First Congregational Church
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Andrew McHenryI am a husband, a Congregational pastor, and a native Kansan currently living in Thermalito, California. In the past I have also been a prison chaplain and a youth pastor. Interests include reading, railroads, prog rock, KU, and the KC Royals. Archives
April 2024
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