Crazy Theological Thoughts

Sweaty Question of the Week on Collider Heroes was Superhero comics have been a part of America for decades now, but with the recent surge in popularity, thanks to Hollywood, do you think it could be seen as the USA's version of Ancient Greek Mythology a century from now?: "definitely not in the same realm as Religion" Hosts seemed to recognize DC heroes are related to Greek Mythology, and that these movies may help us morally or supportively. But their conclusion sounded more that they are not religious nor would they replace religion in our society. My Comments: There is a larger discussion to be had here. As one who studies Religion in America for a living. I feel the need to way in, especially with your simplistic notions of religion. Religion can be defined in several different ways. Hosts seem to define religion with some sort of altar or sacrificial system (Old Testament blood sacrifice rather than time and energy sacrifice). Others define religious devotion based...

There are many things we can ask of ourselves as a Congregation. Especially as Zion Lutheran Church has struggled with maintaining attendance levels and membership, “how do we reach new people” becomes a very pressing question. But as I am often reminded the greatest struggle we have is “how do we remain Church?” I think there might be yet a better question, which we have spent the last several months trying to address. What does a congregation look like that lives out a theology of vocation? This is where we started back in September. We talked about the definitions of Church verses Congregation and the Theology of Vocation. We talked about challenges that are faced in understanding a theology of vocation especially with Holy Orders. Then we talked about a couple of ways in which we can see the theology of Vocation used or could be used in a congregation. Maybe you have taken some notes along the way. Maybe you even have some new strategic planning ideas of how we can be church i...

Last month we helped you to see the Four Realms and how a Congregation can support its members and the understanding of Vocation in each of those Realms (it may have been a lot). This month we are going to talk first about the Theology of Place, and then how this may help us better understand the Theology of Vocation. The Theology of Place isn’t that complicated. It starts back in Genesis either with Garden of Eden where God is walking in the Garden, Jacob’s ladder to Heaven, Jacob wrestling with God, etc. It continues in Exodus as God establishes his presence in the place of Sinai or the place of the Tent of Meeting. Then further with the Holy of Holies throughout the Old Testament. Finally, the Theology of Place takes on a new character with Jesus being the place where God comes to be with his people. So the foundation for the Theology of Place is that God has established or promised to be with his people in certain places. In Church on Sunday morning God promises to be with us....

Some of you may not know what the Four Realms are, these are sometimes referred to as the Four Estates. Luther uses the Four Realms to talk about the four places in which a Christian lives. Every Christian lives within the family unit, community, church and employment. Within each of these Realms you also have different Vocations, responsibilities towards your neighbors within these Realms. What does a congregation look like that lives out a theology of vocation? In order to answer this we will look at each of the four Realms in particular. How does our Congregation help support your Vocation in the Family Unit? How does our Congregation help support your Vocations in Community? How does our Congregation help support your Vocations within the Church? How does our Congregation help support your Vocations in Employment? One of the major ways most congregations support our vocation within the Family Unit is through education. So in Sunday School you help children to understand their ...

This month we will be starting the Season of Lent, in which many Christians will be giving up something in order to show their devotion to God. (It may be a good practice to spend this season focusing on overcoming some particular bad behavior or developing a good behavior.) This is a good time for us to reflect on what the worship life may look like for a Congregation that lives out a Theology of Vocation. First, you need to reflect on what is the worship life of our congregation (remember that the congregation is the people of God). So this worship life is not one hour a week on Sunday mornings. It isn’t even the additional (not quite an) hour on Wednesday evenings during Lent. There are 168 hours in a week, so how does the congregation worship during these 168 hours? Does a congregation living out the Theology of Vocation worship only one hour out of 168? No, it is seen in our daily life of prayer. So it is important to ask: does the one hour we get together help elevate, suppo...

As you have started to make out your New Year’s resolutions, maybe you have given some thought into how you are going to be a happier person this year. We could all really use a resolution to be more “Positive Peggy”s rather than “Negative Nancy”s. So how does this help us better understand: What does a congregation look like that lives out a Theology of Vocation?  The last challenge we need to address is a constant Pursuit of Happiness. Our desire to be happy can drive us to do all sorts of things, which means that it can help us to do good things or bad things. Sometimes our desires can have good intentions but ultimately are either too self-centered or place greater burdens on others. (Sin can be defined as actions turned toward self or for advantage of self, in opposition to others.) One of the important keys to understanding the Theology of Vocation is that while Vocation is a Calling from God, it is also a call to service. God does not call you to serve yourself (Sin),...

We have spent the last couple of months with the question: What does a congregation look like that lives out a theology of Vocation? A congregation was defined as the people of God gathering together around the Word and sacraments. Vocation was defined by various things God has called us to do or be. So as we have started addressing the challenges to this question we first noted some idea of the Pastor or Holy Orders making a distinction between various vocations. Now as we are approaching the Christmas season, it may seem relevant to think about how we derive purpose in our vocations. Most people will tell you that the best Jobs are those in which you don’t feel like you have to go to work. The balance between “have to”s and “get to”s can reflect your understanding of purpose in your vocation. Thus, we like it when our “have to”s don’t outweigh our “get to”s. For some of you finding purpose and meaning in your vocation may be difficult. For others you may instantly understand. An...

Now that we have settled the understanding of Definitions, we can address the real challenges around answering the question: What does a congregation look like that lives out a theology of vocation? In the Augsburg Confession, the Lutheran Princes had to address the issue of Monks, Bishops, and Priests being declared the only Holy Vocations. They write:  [15] Furthermore, whoever was so ensnared and ended up in the monastery learned little about Christ. At one time there were schools of Holy Scripture and other disciplines useful for the Christian church in the monasteries, so that pastors and bishops were taken from the monasteries. But now the picture is quite different. [16] In former times, people adopted the monastic life in order to study Scripture. Now they pretend that the monastic life is of such a nature that through it a person may earn God’s grace and righteousness before God—indeed that it is a state of perfection, far above all other walks of life instituted by G...

Last Month we established a Question: What does a congregation look like that lives out a theology of vocation? We defined the congregation as the people of God gathered around Word and sacraments. So this Month it is our goal to look at the Theology of Vocation. The Theology of Vocation is outlined in many different places. It is most prominent in the Table of Duties. In Luther’s Small Catechism, he writes the Table of Duties outlining the various vocations people have. He lists things like Husband, Wife, Son, Daughter, Worker, Employer, Pastor, Hearer, etc. The Table of Duties is just a starting point. The term Vocation comes from the term vocatio in Latin. This Latin word means calling or called. As Paul talks about walking in the way of the Lord, this is about Vocation. Walking in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, screams vocatio or Vocation. So we think about the different things we have been called to be. Think not only of your station within ...

There are many things we can ask of ourselves as a Congregation. Especially as Zion Lutheran Church has struggled with maintaining attendance levels and membership, “how do we reach new people” becomes a very pressing question. But as I am often reminded the greatest struggle we have is “how do we remain Church?” But after being asked again today, what is Church? I think there might be yet a better question, which we will spend the next several months trying to address. What does a congregation look like that lives out a theology of vocation? You will note that the question itself assumes several things before it can be answered. First, what is the difference between a Church and a congregation or even a Parish. Second, we will have to define the theology of vocation. This will be followed by the further discussion on challenges and ways in which we can apply these answers. Luther tells us: We do not want to hear what they command or forbid in the name of the church, because, Go...