A Cup of Eau Claire

  Background:  Matthew starts with a genealogy, which most people skip over but serves as a nice connection between the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. If you read carefully, you’ll notice it’s a patriarchal genealogy, but 5 women are snuck in there: Tamar ( Gen 38 ), Rahab ( Josh 2 & 6), Ruth ( Ruth ), Bathsheba ( 2 Sam 11 -12), and Mary ( Luke 1 -2). While their stories might seem scandalous, they are instrumental in keeping the line going from Abraham through David to Jesus.  The family tree of Christ,  Hortus Deliciarum  (1180) While Herod the Great contributed much to the ancient world (like architecture ) his primary concern was the power of the Roman Empire, so he quickly and often killed anyone who got in the way, including infants. We are reminded here that Jesus is in danger from the moment Herod learns of his birth, to his death at the hands of Herod’s son, Herod Antipas.  The parallels between Jesus and Moses are set up right from the b...

The community book read is back this summer, and we’re going for MATTHEW! In June, July, and August, 2023, we’ll read about 2 chapters per week, discussing them at worship each Wednesday, 5:30 pm. [We meet at the Ecumenical Religious Center, 110 Garfield Ave, Eau Claire, WI– adjacent to campus.] Most weeks I (Pastor Lori) will provide a blog Bible study, with some key concepts and questions to consider as you read.  First, some overall themes that will shape the whole story, as an introduction.  Matthew is the first book of the New Testament, perhaps so placed because the genealogy that begins the book serves as a bridge between the Hebrew scriptures and the New Testament. Composed about 80-90 CE, it builds on the earlier Gospel of Mark, and shares much material in common with Luke. After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, the survival of Judaism is in question, and we see the tension between the Jewish religious leaders and the Jesus leaders each making the ...

 (This performance aired on Facebook Live on Friday, November 6, 2020, 7 pm CST.) Program notes The genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:1-17 is a list of 41 men who “begat” sons. While we know they did not accomplish this feat solo, the names of the mothers are mostly left out, even forgotten. No Sarah, Rebekah, Leah or Rachel; and the line doesn’t run through Moses, Aaron, or Joshua. But there are 5 interruptions in this masculine lineage, names of women who would not be forgotten, though a neat, unblemished family folklore may prefer they were. TAMAR (Gen. 38:1-30) This story follows a tradition of Levirate marriage prescribed in Deuteronomy 25:5-6, obligating a brother to take his sister-in-law as wife if the brother dies; we’ll see this again in Ruth. However, Deuteronomy happens several centuries after the setting for this story, a reminder that these stories were not “reports” of something that happened in real time, as much as a shaping of the identity of a people despite ch...

read the story here  One of our most prominent, best-known stories in Christian tradition happens outside: the tomb is empty, and Mary stands, bewildered, in the garden, wondering what it all means. As a preacher I am challenged both by having the same story every single year (maybe from a different gospel; this is one of very few stories recorded in all four) and having more than one sermon possibility in this story. Preaching on this story when it isn’t Easter Sunday is also interesting: does the story sound different in August than it does in April? We may be so familiar with this story that we miss some things that ought to be perplexing. 1. The tomb was likely sort of a cave carved into the side of a hill, with a large stone then moved in front of the entrance. For someone to remove the stone and take the body would require quite some commitment on their part. And what would the motivation possibly be for all this work? It isn’t like Jesus was buried with treasure like Ki...

read the story here  This story has two memorable characters. Philip, who is not the disciple called Philip we know from the gospels. He was one of those set aside not to preach the word, but to wait on tables. When he felt danger pressing on him in Jerusalem he fled to other parts. He is led in this story by angels and the Spirit. And even though his vocation is to tend tables, he apparently knows God’s story well and senses how to effectively share it.   Also a key character is the Ethiopian eunuch. He is a complex character. He is well-placed in Ethiopia, in charge of the treasury. He has a chariot at his command with another as its driver. (So he is not driving while reading a text, whew!) He is able to leave home and travel by chariot well over 2000 miles round trip. (Good thing he brought a book). He has access to a scroll of Isaiah (not a common possession) and can read it. But most often in the passage he is described as a eunuch. So while the things at his command p...

     In this week’s story we see the power of God to heal across borders and beliefs. Naaman is a commander of the Aramean army—one of the enemies of Israel (we met this army a couple weeks ago in the “Chariots of Fire” story from 2 Kings 6). While he is a mighty warrior, he suffers from leprosy, some sort of skin condition (not the same as what we know today as leprosy, but a more general term). He hears about a prophet in Israel’s capital, Samaria, and goes there for healing. Sent by his king, he first approaches Israel’s king, who does not have the power to heal and fears he is being provoked to war when he surely fails to meet the king of Aram’s conditions (to heal Naaman). However, Elisha the prophet intercedes—by message, not in person—providing a space for God to show up and heal Naaman. Things to note:         The Arameans and Israelites are neighbors (see map) and are often attacking one another, perhaps for control of borders or land; ...

We continue our series about God out and about in the world by exploring John 2:1-12 https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=461572342   Weddings in the world of Jesus were the responsibility of the groom’s extended family. They worked hard to create a hospitable celebration that both sides of the new family could enjoy. It would have been a shaming experience for them all, along with the bride and groom, when the wine gave out. Their preparations had been inadequate.   What would that say about the family as a whole? How long would that story be passed on with chuckles at wedding after wedding in Cana?   Jesus’ mother is not about to allow that to happen. Perhaps she was from the family of the groom; perhaps she was from the other side of the family; perhaps, though less likely, she was not related to either side.   She talks to her son conveying to him the bare facts of the matter, “They have no wine.”   Jesus knows this is not merely an observation that she offers. He k...