gathered and scattered

Well, here are the first paragraphs. I thought I had to start with scripture. I guess I'm "that kind of Christian," whatever that means. I just think it is too easy to pontificate without saying, hey, is the deep wisdom of God's word, or just my shallow wisdom? So I hope in these opening paragraphs quickly pointed to the gathered/scattered dynamic in Scripture so that I can then work with that dynamic in an authentic way as I move forward to the next sections of the Introduction. By the way, I write faster if I have footnotes in mind but do them later and just write paragraphs without them. And they are not here yet. FYI.
Peace,
Chris

"Chapter One: Introduction—Faith Lived?

Gathered and Scattered
In Acts chapter 8, following on the heels of the harrowing story of Stephen’s martyrdom, the persecution of the church begins. Driven by his fervor, Saul pressed forward to destroy the church and the text says, “all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria” (Luke 8:1). Such an expectation might be more disconcerting to the reader had Jesus not said this would be so. At the end of Luke’s account of the days following Jesus’ resurrection, two believers walk to Emmaus with him and he reveals himself through breaking open the word and a loaf of bread. The next morning, the two returned to Jerusalem, found the community “assembled together”, and told them what had happened. Jesus appeared in their midst rehearsing the reasons for his suffering, death, and resurrection, suggesting that the Father would give them what they needed to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations. And as the Acts of the Apostles continues Luke’s story, Jesus says “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Here at the beginnings of the church we see the core impulse that has defined her life ever since. Gathered, we receive God’s own self through holy word and holy food; scattered, we carry on Christ’s work as his very body, upheld by his very Sprit, proclaiming his truth. This same impulse is at the heart of Jesus’ teaching ministry. As an example, take his well-known parable about the farmer sowing seeds. Luke reports that a large crowd gathered together and Jesus told them a parable about the work of scattering. The good news of the Kingdom of God is the seed, and the task is to scatter it so God might work in the lives of those who receive it (Luke 8:4-15). While for the moment Jesus wanted his disciples to keep the good news of this kingdom quiet, their ultimate task was likened to being given a lamp—a lamp shouldn’t be hidden under a bed but rather put upon a stand so many can see the light (Luke 8:16). Light, salt, and yeast all do similar work in Jesus’ parables of the kingdom—all point to the purpose of Jesus’ work and our own. Who we are and are becoming in Christ is for the sake of the world. We are to be light shining in the darkness.
Were the world as it should be, there would be no necessity to scatter into the world. Were their already, as Isaiah (65:17) describes and John’s Revelation (21:1) imagines, “a new heaven and a new earth,” they we could all gather around in the presence of God’s glory, joining in that heavenly banquet that knows no end. Then there will be no tears, no sorrow, no suffering. Then we will not be scattered out into the darkness to shine and share light. Yet we are now still in the long Saturday, the stretch of time between God’s decisive “NO” to the sin and evil of the world through the resurrection of Jesus and that day when God will make all things new. In this “now but not yet time” (we ourselves are “now and not yet” and our calling to this pattern of gathering and scattering, worship and mission, celebrating the light of Chris and sharing the light with shines in each of us by the indwelling of his Spirit. "

Comments

[joshua Ralston]

a good intro begining with acts. maybe i am that kind of Christian as well! i look forward to hearing and reading more. especially the later chapters. its seems 115 is pretty short though.

[Chris]

hey, joshua, thanks for checking in. nope, 115 is way too short, but pastors are way too busy and so my goal is to write a book they actually read and that leaves them curious for more, rather than a book that is too long and they don't read and that then doesn't really connect. my aim is to plant seeds, and let god give the growth. even trying to plant good seed is pretty audacious, but that is, with fear and trembling, what pastors and theologians (and disciples all) are called to do! i'll post the next section later today, and keep pressing forward.
peace,
chris

[Jeremiah]

If you would like to open another huge (end-time) door to the gathered/scattered concept, please read...
Eze 36:19
Eze 11:16
Eze 37:21
Eze 36:24-27
Eze 28:25
Eze 20:34,41 and
Psalm 44:11 = Psalm 106:47
This has to do with the 12 tribes of Israel being scattered after the reign of Solomon wherein Israel was divided into the northern (Jeroboam) and southern (Rehoboam) kingdoms.
This is going on today, right now.
Blessings and peace to you and yours.
Jeremiah