July 2, 2024 – suggested reading: Acts  9:32 – 43

“Now as Peter went here and there among all the believers,he came down also to the saints living in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years, for he was paralyzed. Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed!” And immediately he got up. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs.Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.”So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them.Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up.” Acts 9:32-41

The healings of Aeneas and Tabitha are one illustration of a number or paired stories in Luke/Acts in which something that happens to a male also happens to a female. See for example the stories of Zechariah and Mary, the prophets Simeon and Anna, and the shepherd who finds a lost sheep and the woman who finds a lost coin (Luke 15:4 – 10). It is interesting enough that we should stop and consider this question: Is Luke interested in gender equality, or is something else going on here? While the Gospel of Luke has more stories that feature women than the other three gospels, the roles in which he casts women tend to be roles where they are silent and passive. But, we should be careful not take this and give it a contemporary spin that women should remain in subservient roles in the church.

Luke was writing in a patriarchal world, where women were considered less than men. But, Luke does make it clear that there are women disciples who receive the word, are baptized, and host house churches. These are the kinds of details that often are glossed over when we quickly read a healing story, or some familiar verse that we know so well. We must always consider not only the word, but the world of the text. It is almost mind-blowing to consider the radical nature of Jesus and his teachings – and how especially edifying it is to know that Luke preserves a strong tradition about women who are given leadership functions in the church. 

Can you imagine there are Lutheran churches in our Synod who have never called a female pastor? Well, there are. Just as there are synods in the Lutheran church who will not ordain women, there are churches who will not confirm their gifts for pastoring. I for one find this unacceptable. Embracing the gifts for ministry in women was important for the early church – it was a bold statement – and the church today cannot survive without the use of the gifts of all of G-d’s people.

Pastor Dave

July 1, 2024  —  suggested reading:  Psalm 82:1 – 86:17

“God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I say, “You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince.”Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!” Psalm 82

There is a scene of divine judgment going on in this Psalm – Psalm 82.  It is an odd scene, especially the verse that reads, “in the midst of the gods he holds judgment.” Who belongs to the divine council, and how many are there? Our hope comes in the last verse, “Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!” We know that injustice destroys and damages the earth. We see it happening all around us – in our country, in our schools, in our every day lives. Our hope comes in a G-d who will ultimately rule over everything. One scholar says this in regards to the theme of Psalm 82: “As long as nations and their peoples do not see the reign of God as the reality that determines their way and destiny, there will be other gods who play that role.” As long as nations do not turn to the One True G-d, they will and have turned to other gods. And we know this to be so true in our world today, Amen?

Every day we make decisions about who will be our gods, who we will bow down to, and who will rule our lives. If I watch television long enough, I will be convinced that a new car will give my life purpose; or eating a certain brand of cereal will give me the strength to climb mountains. My friends, what gives me the strength to climb out of the ruts and potholes of my life is G-d – not a certain kind of probiotic or colon cleanser. It takes recognizing G-d as our Lord and Savior every day to keep us from following other gods — who will always disappoint us. 

Pastor Dave