Feasting on the Word

Prayer and Fasting for the EYN (Church of the Brethren in Nigeria)

Many in the Church of the Brethren are preparing to participate in a Prayer and Fasting week for Nigeria.  The Hagerstown Church of the Brethren is also participating in this week and we have developed a guide to help us focus our prayer time.  

Here is an excerpt from the Church of the Brethren resolution past at the 2014 Annual Conference which gives some background for the situation in Nigeria and the Church of the Brethren's understanding of fasting.

“Grieving with each new word from Nigeria, we as the Annual Conference of the Church of the Brethren resolve to walk with our sisters and brothers in Christ by entering a season of fasting and prayer. We commit ourselves to the practices of lament, prayer, fasting, and bearing witness 

“In lament we turn to the rich tradition of our faith witness to by the Psalms. We bring to God the realities of evil and violence, knowing that they bear no resemblance to the ways of God.

“In prayer we intercede for our sisters and brothers, asking God for protection, justice, and communities, seeking to embody the peace so graciously given through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the one who calls us to ‘love our enemies and pray for those who persecute you’ (Matthew 5:44). Thus, we pray also for the perpetrators of violence, for the softening of hearts and for right relationships among neighbors.

“In fasting we let go of a little in order to accompany those who are losing so much, and stand before God with them. We name our longing for the day when life overcomes death, justice and peace meet, and love drives out fear.

“In bearing witness we share the stories of our sisters and brothers, bringing atrocities to light, confident in our faith that the Good News of Jesus Christ is indeed light in a world covered in darkness.”

~ A Resolute Fast and Fervent Prayer: A Resolution Responding to Violence in Nigeria passed by the 2014 Annual Conference delegate body.

 Below is a schedule of scriptures that we are using at the Hagerstown Church of the Brethren in this time of prayer and fasting!  Feel free to use this as a guide too if you would like to join in prayer.  

August 17 - Fasting 

Esther 3:13- 5:8

August 18 - Power of Prayer

James 5:13-18

August 19 - Suffering

2 Corinthians 4: 7-18

August 20 - Lament

Psalm 44

August 21 - Solidarity

John 17: 20-26

Ephesians 4: 1-6

August 22 - Love of enemies

Matthew 5: 38-48

August 23 - Hope

Romans 12: 9-21

The Kingdom of God is like... The Kingdom of Heaven is like...

The Kingdom of God is like… The Kingdom of Heaven is like…

We’ve been talking a lot about the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven at the Hagerstown Church of the Brethren recently.  This is partly because of where the lectionary scriptures have led us the last few weeks, but this is also due to the wonderful seminary education that Tim and I are both steeped in.

The scriptures are full of images of the Kingdom as humans tried to make sense and understand something that is clearly not containable in one image.  Is it a mustard seed, a woman who takes yeast and mixes it with flour, someone who sows good seed in a field, etc?

Well, this past Sunday we talked about a new image… The Kingdom of God is like a Potluck. Why not, right — Jesus often uses images of food.  When this image popped into my head as I was remembering many potlucks growing up.  Each individual would bring their uniqueness to the table.  Even those that forgot a dish were invited to come to the potluck because there was always more than enough.  Those that may not have the right resources or who may not have been properly prepared were invited to eat around the table anyway.  Potlucks are not necessarily “fair,” but all contribute with what they have — food and fellowship.  

I often wonder if when Jesus invited his disciples during their last supper to “do this in remembrance of me” he was including anytime we commune together as the body; even around food.  “When ever you eat and drink together do this in remembrance of me.” 

I have recently encounter a section of scripture that I cannot say I have ever spent significant time with.  This scripture follows the list of images Jesus uses to teach about the Kingdom of Heaven.  In Matthew 13:51, Jesus asks his disciples if they have understood.  The disciples reply that they have.  So in verse 52 Jesus says “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old” (NRSV).

This quotation is so neat to me.  At this point Jesus has given multiple images to help the disciples understand what the kingdom is like.  He gave tangible examples that they can relate to.  The disciples supposedly understand, so Jesus invites them to remember the old but also to continue to be on the lookout for the new.  If the Kingdom is here but not yet, then we should be able to see glimpses of it all over the place.  I feel like Jesus is saying to his disciples, “I have taught you all about the kingdom, now you are ready to see it too.”  

So recently, I have seen that the Kingdom of God is like a Potluck, where all are invited to the bring their uniqueness to the table and the joy of fellowship around the table is contagious — all that hunger and thirst are invited to be at the table.  

Images have a unique ability to open up all sorts of conversations and connections.  I recognize that this image, just like all images, fall short of an exact relation, but that is why we need many images so we can encompass more of what the God’s reign is like.

So, the Kingdom of God is like… the Kingdom of Heaven is like…