This issue of The Living Pulpit concerns itself with the ancient practice of jubilee. Various perspectives on the subject are presented, examined and applied. I hope that you find the content and complexity of the topic stimulating to your own thinking and that you will be excited about the prospects that this theme has for preaching in the 21st century.
Read the full story »Selected readings for given day or occasion. Authors reflect on the passages.
Reflects on the particular themes through scripture
Reflects on the specific theme through traditional theological topics and/or historical perspectives
Reflects on the particular theme through a pastoral perspective
This section highlights sermons by specific pastors, preachers, etc
If the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? (1 Cor 14:8)
Ernest Renan remarked that “every country is founded upon a lie.” Perhaps “half-truth, half-lie” would be a more accurate way of pointing to what
we all remember about our past and what we forget.
Take, for example, the famous Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. Because they were Bible readers, the designers of this one-ton sonorous object chiseled a verse from Leviticus 25:10 around its rim: “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” One irony in this inscription is that the bell—authorized by the colonial legislature of Pennsylvania—was cast, noting Philadelphia in 1776, but in London in 1752. Almost immediately, upon being tested in Philadelphia, the bell suffered a crack. Then, in 1776, sure enough, its tolling announced the signing of a declaration of independence from the bell’s country of origin. Some 60 years later, it again suffered a crack while tolling the funeral of Chief Justice John Marshall. Cracked, and cracked again, is the American version of “liberty.”
There is, however, a second, more serious irony about that Liberty Bell. If there were a case against abstracting a single verse of scripture from its context, this is it. Read Leviticus 25 , and you find there a version of ” liberty ” that little entered the minds of the patriots who signed the great Declaration. They were, for the most part, a body of landowners. Did they plan eventually to return these lands to the “Indians” who were the original inhabitants? Leviticus 25:23 commands as much. Read the full story »
By Keith Russell
A book review of Jesus, Liberation, and The Biblical Jubilee: Images For Ethics and Christology by Sharon H. Ringe
By Walter Brueggemann
The ancient memory of Jubilee is very odd. The term “Jubilee” is from the Hebrew YBL, “trumpet.” When the “trumpet sounds,” debts are forgiven and property is returned. These actions are not undertaken out of an emotional “rush,” but “on signal,” under discipline, in response to a regular communal expectation.
By Marie Dennis
At the heart of the Judeo-Christian tradition lies a vision that deserves continued probing as we settle into the new millennium. In religious circles for the past few years much has been said about the need for “Jubilee.” In fact, Jubilee images have animated a spectacular global movement that made progress toward debt cancellation real for some of the world’s most impoverished countries.
By Henry Mitchell
It’s my impression that Jubilee is rarely discussed in church circles, except when encountered in Bible lessons. The topic is not exciting preaching material, either, I suspect.
By Walter J. Burghardt
Today, in our Jubilee year, we Christians have our own needs that call for various kinds ofliberation. I shall focus on one such need: justice. Specifically, justice for prisoners, for the men and women incarcerated for crimes. Three stages to my reflection: (1) the justice that is retributive, punitive, vengeful; (2) the justice that is restorative; (3) the justice that is capital punishment.
By Robert LaRochelle
Current economic realities and trends in church demographics have led an increasing number of churches to consider downsizing the job description of their pastors from full-time to part-time.
By Keith Russell
Reflections on the Lectionary Readings for December 2010
by J. Gerald Janzen
Reflections on the Lectionary Reading for November 2010
by David Bartlett
Reflections on the Lectionary Readings for October 2010
Rev. Dr. George D. McClain
This sermon provides a good example of the art of preaching and is shared with our readers for instruction and encouragement.
If you would like to submit an article or book review for The Living Pulpit, email us at thelivingpulpit @ mail.nyts.edu
Page optimized by WP Minify WordPress Plugin
Powered by WordPress | Entries (RSS) | Comments (RSS) | Arthemia Premium by ColorLabs Project | Valid XHTML and CSS Bandung - Indonesia
