Weekly News from Zion and our Ministries Under the Cross: Evergreen Academy & Nina's Place

May 17, 2023

In Case You Missed Them: Pictures of Jesus

Pictured above (L to R): The "forensic" or "historical" Jesus, a modern-day scientific rendering of how a first-century Palestinian man, like Jesus, would have looked; the picture of Jesus with which those of European descent are familiar; and, the Rastafarian Jesus, a Caribbean-based image in which Jesus appears as the one who liberates the people from their oppression.

Pictured left: A Native American picture of Jesus, showing both tribal chiefdom and a nurturing spirit.

In Confirmation class over these two weeks, our students are learning about the Gospels as four unique pictures of Jesus. Taken together, the four Gospels give us a sense of the major events of Jesus' life; however, each Gospel is unique in its audience, point of view, and overall goal. It is like four different people telling the same story from four different perspectives.

For instance, did you know that only the Gospels of Matthew and Luke talk about Jesus' birth? Did you know there are no parables in the Gospel of John? These are not accidents, but a combination of God's inspiration and the authors' choice of what material from the oral (spoken) tradition to include. As the disciples/apostles and other key eyewitnesses died, there was an increasing urgency to document the important and memorable details of Jesus' life.

Scholars date authorship of the first Gospel, Mark, sometime around the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD. Matthew and Luke follow (separately) between 80 and 90 AD, and John is believed to have been authored between 90 and 100 AD. The synoptic Gospels (Mark, Matthew, and Luke) are named as such because they "see together" (syn = together; optic = see) the events and details of Jesus' life. At the same time, there is content unique to each Gospel, and all with good reason.

As our Confirmation students learned, Mark is written "in a hurry" because the writer wastes no time getting right to the point: Jesus is the Messiah and the Kingdom of God is now. Matthew is written to a Jewish audience and, as such, contains more citations of passages from the Hebrew Scriptures than any other Gospel. Luke's thrust is immediate salvation: "today" salvation comes to Zacchaeus' house, "today" the father celebrates the prodigal son, and "today" the criminal on the cross will be with Jesus in paradise.

Of the four pictures of Jesus found in our Bible, the Gospel of John is, without question, the most unique and different from the other three. The writer of John is determined to show the listener/reader what God is like through Jesus. The written text is overflowing with symbols of who God is ("bread of life," "good shepherd," etc.) and a series of signs (miraculous acts) that reveal the power of God found in Jesus, culminating with the power to raise Lazarus from the dead.

Consider John 1:1 and 1:14:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth."

Replace "the Word" with "Jesus" and read it again. In the Gospel of John, Jesus shows us what God is like.

No matter how we or any culture "sees" Jesus, we know that the best picture of him is as our Lord and Savior, the one who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow!

PS — Our Confirmation class meets this Friday at 7:00 p.m. in Katie Luther Chapel for our last meeting before summer break. All are welcome to join us as we complete our bird's eye view of the New Testament!

Order Your Anniversary T-Shirt

(Just a graphic. Not the final design.)

We are in the process of designing a 65th Anniversary T-Shirt that we will wear to all of our community events, anniversary events, and "just because" for the next twelve months (and beyond).

We want to make sure that everyone that wants one gets one, so please complete the order form by clicking below so that we order enough of each size.

We expect that shirts will cost around $10 each, but if cost is a barrier, please let us know!

Congratulations, Cullen! Now, Let's Celebrate!

Congratulations to Cullen Stephen Clancy, who graduated yesterday from West Boca Community High School in Boca Raton!

The Zion Community is invited to celebrate with Cullen at a Baccalaureate Service on Sunday, June 4th at 11:00 a.m.

The celebration continues with Cullen's Eagle Scout Court of Honor at 1:00 p.m. in Katie Luther Chapel. Refreshments will follow and the congregation is encouraged to remain for both events.

Opportunities to Serve Joyfully & Give Selflessly

Synod Assembly Service Project

Every year, as congregations from across the synod gather, they participate in a service project for a local organization. This year's service project will benefit Harbor House of Florida, which provides safe shelter, ​counseling & support services to survivors of domestic abuse.

Our delegates from Zion (Gail & Kurt Schmidt) will be bringing toothbrushes, full-sized toothpaste, combs, and hairbrushes to add to the welcome baskets being assembled for Harbor House clients. Please assist Zion's contribution by bringing these items to worship on Sunday, May 21st and Sunday, May 28th. Alternatively, you may designate a financial contribution and we will purchase the items for you.

Opportunities to "Just Show Up"

This Sunday: Seventh Sunday of Easter

Note: We are meeting for worship & all events in Katie Luther Chapel.

In these days between Ascension and Pentecost, we gather with the disciples in the upper room, waiting for the Spirit to transform the church around the world. In today’s gospel Jesus prays for his followers and for their mission in his name. Amid religious, social, and economic divisions, we seek the unity that Jesus had with his Father. Made one in baptism, we go forth to live our faith in the world, eager for the unity that God intends for the whole human family. 

The Rev's Thoughts & Recs

Last Sunday we talked about falling in love with Jesus and obeying his commands out of our love for him. We concluded there are innumerable people in this crazy world who have never known the joy of loving our Lord and Savior. Listen to this song as an inspiration to share our love of Christ with those who would wildly benefit from his grace and peace.

Zion is a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) community, and extends God's radical welcome to all people, because we're all created in God's image.