{"id":5039,"date":"2014-01-14T07:46:15","date_gmt":"2014-01-14T12:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=5039"},"modified":"2014-01-08T14:26:30","modified_gmt":"2014-01-08T19:26:30","slug":"january-19-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/january-19-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"January 19, 2014&#8211;Who Needs Christ?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Contributed by Scott Mims, Virginia Beach, VA<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Warm-up Questions<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Who is the most famous or important person you have ever met, and what was the experience like? Or alternatively, if you could spend an afternoon with any one <i>real<\/i> person, currently alive or from the past, who would it be and why?<\/li>\n<li>What is the most meaningful part or worship for you?\u00a0 What makes it so meaningful?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Who Needs Christ?<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2014\/01\/shutterstock_124884124edit.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-5052\" style=\"margin: 5px\" alt=\"shutterstock_124884124edit\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2014\/01\/shutterstock_124884124edit.jpg\" width=\"250\" height=\"349\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2014\/01\/shutterstock_124884124edit.jpg 250w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2014\/01\/shutterstock_124884124edit-214x300.jpg 214w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a>Amidst all of the holiday advertising last month, one <a href=\"http:\/\/newyork.cbslocal.com\/2013\/12\/21\/state-senator-atheist-group-spar-over-times-square-sign\">Times Square billboard <\/a>drew national attention.\u00a0 Sponsored by American Atheists, its message sparked a lot of coverage and debate, both in the news and online, with one New York State Senator calling for it to come down. The following is an excerpt from the <a href=\"http:\/\/news.atheists.org\/2013\/12\/03\/press-release-atheists-nobody-needs-christ-at-christmas\/\">press release<\/a> which accompanied the billboard\u2019s launch:<\/p>\n<p>Using motion graphics, the billboard proclaims, \u201cWho needs Christ during Christmas?\u201d A hand crosses out the word \u201cChrist\u201d and the word \u201cNOBODY\u201d appears. The display then says \u201cCelebrate the true meaning of Xmas\u201d and offers a series of cheery words: family, friends, charity, food, snow, and more. The commercial ends with a jovial \u201cHappy Holidays!\u201d from American Atheists and displays the organization\u2019s website.<\/p>\n<p>Now that January has come and our schedules and lives are getting back to some sort of post-holiday \u201cnormal,\u201d it may be hard to think in terms of Christmas. But the question posed by the billboard is an important one for us to think about.\u00a0 \u201cWho needs Christ during Christmas?\u201d\u00a0 Or even more simply, \u201cWho needs Christ at all?\u201d\u00a0 Increasingly people in our culture agree with the sign\u2019s message.\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pewforum.org\/2012\/10\/09\/nones-on-the-rise\/\"> Roughly one fifth of adults in the U.S. \u2013 and a third of young adults under 30 \u2013 claim no religious affiliation.<\/a> Yet the witness of the Scriptures is that God is indeed present and active in our world and in our lives, and so during these Sundays after Epiphany we focus on exploring who the baby in the manger is and why and how his birth is good news for <i>all people<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Discussion Questions<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>What are your reactions to the message of this billboard?\u00a0 What do you think its sponsors are trying to say and how do you feel about that?<\/li>\n<li>Many people these days claim to be \u201cspiritual but not religious.\u201d\u00a0 What do you think that means?<\/li>\n<li>What are some of the reasons that people might have for not being \u201creligious?\u201d\u00a0 For not being spiritual?<\/li>\n<li>Can you be a follower of Jesus without being religious?\u00a0 Without being spiritual?<\/li>\n<li>Have you ever experienced a negative reaction or \u201cpush back\u201d from other people because of your faith?\u00a0 If so, how did you handle the situation?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, January 19, 2014 (Second Sunday after Epiphany)<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=256131454\">Isaiah 49:1-7<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=256131493\">1 Corinthians 1:1-9<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=256131528\">John 1:29-42<\/a><\/p>\n<p>(Text links are to <a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/\">Oremus Bible Browser<\/a>. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.elca.org\/Growing-In-Faith\/Worship\/Lectionary.aspx\">Lectionary Readings<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p>For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic <a href=\"http:\/\/www.agnusday.org\/\">Agnus Day.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Gospel Reflection<\/h3>\n<p>Who is John the Baptist?\u00a0 Who is Jesus?\u00a0 Who are we?\u00a0 These are some of the questions that John (the gospel writer) addresses today as we continue our journey through the Epiphany season.<\/p>\n<p>So first, who is John the Baptist?\u00a0 Despite his great popularity and powerful appeal as a preacher and prophet, John is not the Messiah.\u00a0 We hear this quite plainly, both in the opening words of the gospel (Jn. 1:6-9) and in John the Baptist\u2019s own reply to those who come seeking to know what he is up to (Jn. 1:19-23).\u00a0 Rather, John is \u201cthe voice of one crying out in the wilderness, \u2018Make straight the way of the Lord.\u2019\u201d As such, his divine purpose is to reveal to Israel \u2013 and ultimately to the world \u2013 the Messiah (Jn. 1:31)<\/p>\n<p>What then does John reveal?\u00a0 First, that the person whom he was sent to make known is Jesus and that Jesus is \u201cthe Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.\u201d Two times John uses this image to describe Jesus in today\u2019s gospel.\u00a0 It is an image that has connections both to the sacrificial system surrounding the Jewish Temple and to the Exodus event in which the blood of a lamb caused the final plague to pass over the households of the Israelites.\u00a0 What\u2019s more, Jesus will be crucified for the sake of the sin of the world on the day in which the Passover lambs are slaughtered (Jn. 19:14, 31, 42). This central part of Jesus\u2019 identity is what we often sing about during Holy Communion after the bread and wine have been consecrated: \u201cLamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jesus is also the one upon whom the Holy Spirit descends and remains.\u00a0 Unlike last week\u2019s gospel reading from Matthew, we do not actually get to witness Jesus\u2019 baptism in John\u2019s gospel.\u00a0 Instead, we hear John the Baptist\u2019s witness \u2013 his testimony about Jesus \u2013 as sort of a flashback.\u00a0 For John himself, this was the sign that he was looking for (Jn. 1:33).\u00a0 Not only is the Holy Spirit the marker of Jesus\u2019 true identity and the power of God at work in and through him, the Spirit is the gift the Jesus gives to those who believe and follow him (Jn. 20:21-23).<\/p>\n<p>Finally, in terms of who Jesus is, John makes an astounding claim: \u201cAnd I myself have seen and have testified that this is the <i>Son of God<\/i>.\u201d\u00a0 In my congregation we read the opening section of John\u2019s gospel as part of our candlelight services on Christmas Eve.\u00a0 In a darkened sanctuary illuminated by the glow of a hundred or so candles we hear about the Word of God becoming flesh, about the One who is the \u201ctrue light\u201d of the world, about God\u2019s only Son through whom we have all received grace upon grace.\u00a0 John the Baptist points to Jesus as being this One.\u00a0 It is a claim, of course, that many today deny.<\/p>\n<p>Which brings us to the third question this passage addresses: Who are we?\u00a0 In the second part of our gospel reading John the Baptist\u2019s witness \u2013 his sharing of his faith in who Jesus is \u2013 moves two of his own followers to find out more about this \u201cLamb of God.\u201d\u00a0 Seeing them following him, Jesus asks them, \u201cWhat are you looking for?\u201d For all who read John\u2019s gospel, this is more than simply a casual question.\u00a0 It is a question that we are asked, too.\u00a0 When it comes to the future, when it comes to our lives, when it comes to Jesus, what <i>are<\/i> we looking for?\u00a0 And, like the two disciples, are we ready to accept Jesus\u2019 invitation to us to \u201cCome and see?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So, what did they \u201csee\u201d when they were with Jesus that day?\u00a0 We aren\u2019t told, only that, whatever it was, it led these two seekers to a point where it was no longer John\u2019s witness but their own experience of being with Jesus that caused them to follow him.\u00a0 One of them, Andrew, is so moved that he, in turn, also becomes a witness, inviting his brother, Simon to come and see.\u00a0 Simon, who we also know as Peter, became one of the most central disciples in the whole gospel story.\u00a0 At this point there is a lot yet to happen before he truly begins to understand what it means for Jesus to be Lamb of God and Messiah.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps that is also something for us to take away from our gospel for this week.\u00a0 It is not perfection in understanding or completeness of knowledge that John (the gospel writer) is aiming for in his account of God\u2019s great love for us in Jesus.\u00a0 John is aiming for faith \u2013 that we might come to believe in Jesus ourselves and, in believing, to discover true and abundant life.\u00a0 Here, by the Jordan River, he looks back to the very beginning, to the mysterious and powerful proclamation of his opening words, and, at the same time, forward to the cross, to the very place where the image of Jesus as Lamb of God finds its fulfillment.<\/p>\n<h3>Discussion Questions<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The following are some of the titles and epithets that people have given to Jesus.\u00a0 Which one(s) is (are) most meaningful to you? Why?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Son of God\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Emmanuel\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Prince of Peace\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Man or Sorrows<\/p>\n<p>Good Shepherd\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lamb of God\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Friend of Sinners\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Teacher<\/p>\n<p>Lord\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Light of the World\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Bread of Life\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Messiah<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Who in your own life has shown \/ brought you to Jesus?\u00a0 In what ways have they witnessed to their faith?<\/li>\n<li>John the Baptist\u2019s role was to point other people to Jesus.\u00a0 If, as they say, actions speak louder than words, what are some practical, real-life ways that you might help other people know about Jesus and experience his love?<\/li>\n<li>Why do <i>you<\/i> need Jesus?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Activity Suggestion<\/h3>\n<p>Act out the gospel lesson.\u00a0 Try to imagine why Andrew is so eager to introduce others to Jesus.\u00a0 What about Jesus do you think made him so excited that he couldn\u2019t wait to tell Simon Peter?\u00a0 Have you ever had the chance to invite someone else to \u201cCome and see?\u201d\u00a0 If so, how did it go? Have those acting other parts give typical reactions to talking about Jesus with friends and acquaintances.\u00a0 Talk about how this story might be seen as a model for doing evangelism.<\/p>\n<h3>Closing Prayer<\/h3>\n<p>Gracious and loving God, in the waters of baptism you name us and claim us and make us your very own.\u00a0 Thank you for your love and for the forgiveness and new life that is ours through Jesus. As we seek to be his followers in our often messy and complicated world, place into our lives people and events who will remind us of who and whose we truly are.\u00a0 Help us, in turn, to be living signs of your love and grace in the lives of those around us.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name we pray.\u00a0 Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Contributed by Scott Mims, Virginia Beach, VA &nbsp; Warm-up Questions Who is the most famous or important person you have ever met, and what was the experience like? Or alternatively, if you could spend an afternoon with any one real person, currently alive or from the past, who would it be and why? What is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1400],"tags":[547,334,435,425,492,467,5947,1069,397,513,512,358,469,331,418],"class_list":["post-5039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-post","tag-atheist","tag-disciple","tag-doubt","tag-faithfulness-to-god","tag-follow","tag-john-the-baptist","tag-lamb-of-god","tag-need","tag-obedience","tag-servant","tag-serve","tag-service","tag-trust","tag-witness","tag-witnessing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>January 19, 2014-Who Needs Christ? - Faith Lens<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/january-19-2014\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"January 19, 2014-Who Needs Christ? - Faith Lens\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Contributed by Scott Mims, Virginia Beach, VA &nbsp; Warm-up Questions Who is the most famous or important person you have ever met, and what was the experience like? 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