Proclaiming Jesus!

 Proclaiming Jesus!

(I realize this might be hard to read--sorry!!)

A few weeks ago, in our in person class on You Are Witnesses of These Things, we put together an incomplete list of our favorite and remembered stories about Jesus.  Why?  Because as Christians, we are called to proclaim the Good News of Jesus.

As we were doing this, it occurred to me, is this what the church proclaims?  Do we proclaim Jesus, or do we, and I use we as a whole Church plural- not Ascension or even Lutheran- do we proclaim something else.  It seems on the news and in the media, we often hear about who is in and who is out.  What does Jesus call sin.  

However, when I look at this list, I have to think we have been getting it wrong!

I believe people want a relationship with Jesus, to know they are loved and cared for.  People also desire to have a higher purpose.  That is what Jesus offers when we look at the gospels--when we look at Jesus!

I'm not saying we ignore the rest of scripture, but as people of faith, it is Jesus in whom I put my trust.  Jesus is the Word, God with us.  

Look over the list we did as a class.  What stories might you add from the stories of Jesus?  Is this what you hear proclaimed by the Church in society?  How might we become better witnesses, proclaimers of Jesus to the world?

I believe in Jesus

What is a creed?

A creed is a set of beliefs that guides the words and actions of an individual, and then unites individuals into a shared identity in community together. Many organizations have creeds, not just the church.  

At Ascension we are most familiar with the Apostles' Creed.  We use this creed most services, it is used in baptism rites, we recently shared it as we installed our congregational leaders.  Creeds introduce a way to speak about what we believe for ourselves and in community with each other.  Though some of us use the creed individually in our devotions, I would imagine most of us say the creed in community. The Apostles' Creed begins "I believe, " but as we say it together, we are stating our community together.  If one has a creed memorized, it is likely the Apostles' Creed.

We use the Nicene Creed at times, generally on Festival services.  This creed begins "We believe."  There is a third creed that is used very rarely, some congregations use it on Holy Trinity Sunday.  The old green hymnal printed it, but our new read one did not.  If you wish to read it, click here:  Athanasian Creed.

The Creeds speak to the Trinity--God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  As people who believe and proclaim that Jesus is God with us, we will focus on the second article, I believe in Jesus.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit

and born of the virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended into hell.*

On the third day he rose again.

He ascended into heaven,

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

          OR

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead. (ELW)

Jesus is Lord!

Martin Luther addressed the creed in the Small Catechism saying:

What is this?  or  What does this mean?

I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father in eternity, and also a true human being, born of the virgin Mary, is my Lord. He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned human being. He has purchased and freed me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver but with his holy, precious blood and with his innocent suffering and death. He has done all this in order that I may belong to him, live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in eternal righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as he is risen from the dead and lives and rules eternally. This is most certainly true.

What is your reflection as you read and think about this creed?

What aspects of this portion of the creed to you believe with conviction?  What aspects do you question?  

If you were teaching the creed, what would be the most important for students to learn?

How would you rewrite the creed?

He Opened Their Minds

Luke 24:44-49

Then Jesus said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.’ ⁴⁵Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, ⁴⁶and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’

I have always loved that state
ment of the gospel writer Luke--he opened their minds. Faith and belief is not simply having knowledge or information about Jesus, it is to have a relationship, to be spiritually enlightened.  

Many of us struggle to share Jesus because we are afraid we are going to be asked something that we don't have the answer to, or that the person we are talking with can quote scripture and we don't have a come back!  Questions can be challenging.  But we are not called to witness to a series of facts, nor must we answer all of the questions people have.  In the book, "We are Witnesses of These Things" Satterlee writes, "We intentionally provide Jesus the space in our hearts, minds, and schedules to make us keenly aware of his abundant life and empower us to witness to him."  

The gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) witness to us by telling the stories of Jesus.  We find similarities in each and differences.  By doing so, we can get a broader perspective of who Jesus is.  There are likely stories that each of us find meaningful, while others may find other stories of Jesus important.  

Without looking in your Bible, what stories of Jesus do you remember?  They don't need to be exact and you don't need to know where they are recorded in scripture.  But what stories about JESUS do you recall?

In the account of the gospels, Jesus does not always respond to people in the same way.  Jesus will respond to what they need.  Sometimes we will be called to witness with words and other times with action--but both are important and inseparable.  We act with kindness in the name of Jesus.  This can get difficult at times, when we are serving in places that prohibit the use of Jesus' name or an outward display of faith.  It's tricky sometimes--but should not always be an excuse not to do this in Jesus name!

Witnessing is often as simple as telling someone about Jesus by one of his parables or teachings, and why this is a meaningful story to us.  

For instance, one of the most meaningful portions of scripture for me and how I live my life can be found in John 17.  Here Jesus is praying before his arrest and crucifixion.  He prays for himself.  He prays for those he is leaving behind--his disciples, family, followers.  And then he prays for those who will believe because of their words--Jesus prays for us.  I find it very meaningful that before his death, he lifts us up in prayer.  And his prayer is one of unity--that we may be one as he and the Father are one--united in relationship.  I strive to live out my calling, my faith, my life striving for this unity--it isn't easy sometimes, but I do try!

This week I'm interested in the stories of Jesus that are meaningful to you.  Please share!

Do you have a favorite gospel?  What makes it your favorite?

Choose someone in the gospels who Jesus interacts with.  Imagine you know that person--they may be a friend, a family member or a coworker.  Consider what you might say to them afterward and how you might respond to their witness of the event.