Acts 1:15-17, 21-26
Easter 7 - Year B
And just why couldn't the body of Christ get along without the body part of a 12th apostle? Was a prothesis or organ transplant life-saving needed or cosmetic surgery?
Even if the symbolism was important (making it sound like an elective procedure) how did the criteria of being male and present since John's baptism (a hazing requirement even stronger than any present apostle had met) come to be so important (particularly when the unintended consequences set up by that pattern have been so destructive/distrustive within the life of the body)? When we look at the whole gamut of apostles in the Christian scriptures those criteria seem rather narrow.
If this was really intended to be a pattern why was James not replaced when he was killed in chapter 12 (or somewhere else)?
Well, are you going to be heard of again, unlike Justus and Mathias? If so, in what prophetic context will that be?
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2003/june2003.html
What is your name, your character, your nature?
Might it be Protecter?
Might it be Eternal?
Might it be Ent? [giant tree-like creatures who have become like the trees they shepherd and protect]
Might it be Prophet?
To which of these passages are you drawn? What would be your Myers-Briggs assessment of the personality of each name or passage? If you use a different personality descriptor, what attributes would you give to each character or nature in these passages?
As you look at the communities which which you spend the most time, what is their name, character, nature and your place within such? What needs to change within yourself and your community that your name might be more clearly lived and not simply be an appellation.
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2006/may2006.html
We get so caught in tradition, particularly new tradition. For whatever reason, Jesus had twelve male disciples/apostles (let's not argue about that).
Imagine them all in bed and someone calls out, "Roll over." And they all roll over and Judas fell out. What to do! What to do!
Obviously roll back the other way and add one more in. The form of twelve is at this point more important than anything.
By the time we get to chapter 12 and James is killed by Herod, there is no repeat of the selection of another twelfth. Are we learning that it is not so much the form that is crucial in G*D stuff as it is function? [although another way of coming at this is that we didn't want Judas to be a martyr and so we simply replaced him, James' death we could use in another way to our benefit and so we remembered him. - play with replaced and remembered for a bit]
- - -
sanctified in truth
protected from whatever
evil "one" approaches
happy in G*D's presence
planted by whatever
stream flows by
chosen or not
life is present
minister through it
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html
Yes, leadership development through a prayer process is still possible.
We can learn something from every leadership attempt and we can help folks grow. Imagine, if you will, a new cycle of leadership selection in whatever group you are a part of. This year, however, you are going to follow this Biblical model of leader selection.
First, put everyone (yes, everyone, not just those deemed appropriate by some criterion or another). Spend some time in prayer that the right leadership for the year will be forthcoming (not the perfect leadership – the right leadership that we can learn from).
Start with what you consider to be the humblest team/committee/whatever and draw out an appropriate number of people for it. The last one selected will be the convener of the group.
Continue until you come to whatever is considered to be the key position and finally draw out the person who will be named.
Use this as your starting point. At a minimum, view this as you would making a decision by flipping a coin – not so much trusting the coin as investigating your response to what turns up. It may lead you to a new appreciation of what it means to be community and to rely upon the least as a way to greatness (whatever that might mean to you).
Presuming you will try it, reflect on these questions after completing the process. What surprised you about viewing someone in a different position than usual? Would you be willing to trust this process over time (perhaps in a given year you might have to learn what not to do as well as what might be done)?
This is as valid a process as a group of nominators sitting around talking about what they know about folks – there is always more to know than we know.
Try it, you may like it.
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html
So often we define ourselves against someone or someones. We are not as bad as they, so we must be good.
At least Judas was still seen as one of the twelve, even as Thomas was after his desire for personal confirmation in addition to the witness of the other 10. This leaves room for me and for you when we have done our own betrayal or evidenced our own deep questions of authority.
Back then there was magic in numbers. There probably still is. And so more magic was used to determine who would be added for the purpose of some desired number. Neither Justus nor Matthias seemed to have anything going for them other than having hung around for long enough. Sometimes that is all we have going for us, longevity.
So why would G*D shave the dice to favor Matthias, of whom we nevermore hear? No good reason. Why are you where you are, with the opportunities you have? No good reason, so go ahead and make the best of it.
And what of Justus? Was he humble enough to get back in line? Did he pack up and leave, as so many others had done over the years? Did he pick up a third alias?
These are probably the wrong questions to be asking and so let’s return to numerology. Should any Christian Community be larger than 12? This size can engage one another and fruitfully have both a Peter and a Judas in it. Larger gets into voting folks out or pressuring them to not be themselves. Imagine what limiting a congregation to 12 might mean for freeing up resources (no building needed); for engaging the world prophetically (what other option would there be); and for attending to the mystery of a community together (folks called together, not a social club).
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2012/05/acts-115-17-21-26.html