Blog Posts containing "literalism"

Year C Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost Meditation

Grace understanding is about what faith is. It is not belief. Faith is the experience of the Presence of God’s grace in our life. The purpose of what Jesus told the disciples was to get them to pay attention to the faith they already had available to them. The disciples were right there with Jesus and were not open to the Presence of the grace of God. They, like us, cannot increase what unconditionally and inclusively is in all of us.  Read more

Year C Nineteenth Sunday After Pentecost Meditation

In the story of Lazarus and the rich man, Lazarus mad it to Heaven and the rich man didn't. Why was Lazarus saved? What good did he do to deserve heaven? There is no evidence he was a believer. He may not have done anything evil, but he probably did not do much that was good. He did suffer much. Some Churches might say he did not have a snowball’s chance in Hell of making it to Heaven. Then why did Jesus have him make it?  Read more

Year C Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost Meditation

Literal thinking deals with what is written to discover how to think. Grace understanding deals with how to think to discover what is written. The literal starts with what it reads to discover the spiritual meaning. Grace starts with the spiritual feeling of being in the Presence before it starts to read. The Parable is about a rich man who finds his servant is cheating him of his profits. Jesus summarized the parable by saying, “I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into their eternal homes.” Some people are shocked because it seems as if Jesus is commending the shrewdness of the servant in cheating his master.   Read more

Year C Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost Meditation

Jesus was sharing with the sinners and tax collectors. They all drew near to hear Him. The Pharisees were off in a distance grumbling about Him. Jesus tells the three parables. Literal thinking sees the point of the parables is show the Love Jesus has for sinners. What was the real meaning of His parables? You have a lost sheep and the shepherd leaves the righteous ninety and nine to search other for the lost sheep. A woman loses her dowry. She may not be able to be married if she does not find the coin. She finds the lost coin and rejoices. Literally, we would think this was about the joy of having sinners repent. Wasn’t that what Jesus was supposed to be working with?  Read more

Year C Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost Meditation

Jesus challenged the difference the heart makes between the struggle of trying to literally justify the phrase in the head and the ease of understanding it gracefully. He keeps using His graceful language so that the literal mind will be so frustrated that it might suddenly shift and “come to itself” as the Prodigal Son did in the pig pen. (Luke 15:17 ESV)  Read more

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