[Uucf-bible] readings from lectionary for Sept. 5

[Erika Webb]

First, I apologize for re-sending Ron's email earlier--I was about to reply
when I had to leave and although I thought I merely minimized the window, I
apparently mailed it!

I find this week's lectionary readings particularly interesting since I am
the worship leader this week at the UCC church we've been attending.  I have
the Luke passage below and Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 18:1-11
At the Potter's House 

1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD : 2 "Go down to the
potter's house, and there I will give you my message." 3 So I went down to
the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was
shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into
another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. 
5 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 6 "O house of Israel, can I not do
with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD . "Like clay in the hand of
the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 If at any time I
announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and
destroyed, 8 and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will
relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. 9 And if at another
time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, 10
and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider
the good I had intended to do for it. 
11 "Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem,
'This is what the LORD says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and
devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you,
and reform your ways and your actions.' 

Together I have been struggling with a "spin" for these two, since they both
represent a harsher side of God and belief than I might like on first blush.
I have come to the conclusion that Luke is mostly about "understand what
this undertaking will mean" as a way to get the disciples to really commit
to being disciples.  But the Jeremiah is just not the loving Universalist
God that I worship.  Be good or I'll crush you like a bug?  Yipes!  This
doesn't even fit into my parenting style.  I have never thought the threats
of punishment style was as effective as positive reinforcement of the
behaviors I want.  Anyone have any ideas about how to approach this reading
(short of the disclaimer at the outset =)?

Erika

-----Original Message-----
From: uucf-bible-bounces at lists.uua.org
[mailto:uucf-bible-bounces at lists.uua.org] On Behalf Of
RevRonRobinson at aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2004 11:52 PM
To: uucf-bible at lists.uua.org
Subject: [Uucf-bible] readings from lectionary for Sept. 5
And, thirdly, the very interesting passage that the "family values" crowd
often ignores. LOL. 
Oh, that mild-mannered nice boy named Jesus who just wants everyone to get
along...The Jesus seminar gives the words about hating families a barely
pink rating, as probable of Jesus, and the rest a black rating as coming
from much later. They base that a lot on the cross being a Christian symbol
and since Christianity came much later the passage must have too; however,
I'm not so sure. 
The cross was used some as a Jewish symbol even before Jesus was born, and I
would think Jesus was acquainted during his lifetime with the Romans
profligate use of the cross as punishment and that it might very well have
been much on the mind of Jesus and those who followed with him. 

 
Luke 14:25-33
25 Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them,
26'Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and
children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my
disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my
disciple. 28For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit
down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it?
29Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all
who see it will begin to ridicule him, 30saying, "This fellow began to build
and was not able to finish." 31 Or what king, going out to wage war against
another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with
ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand?
32If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a
delegation and asks for the terms of peace. 33So therefore, none of you can
become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions. 

I guess one of the questions tying them together, if one is interested in
doing so, is---so what is most important to God? O