God's Word in Action: Ask the Pastor BLOG
Welcome to this new resource! At the suggestion of God's Word in Action (GWIA) subscribers, we are expanding this resource to include the opportunity to ask questions of our Pastors regarding their sermons, weekly Bible lessons for Sunday or any other faith/Bible based topics.
To best facilitate the question and answer process and to best share the benefits of all questions and answers with anyone who subscribes, we have choosen an interactive tool called a "BLOG". Short for "web log", the BLOG format allows for you to view the sermon summary from each weekly edition of GWIA and ask questions and view answers.
How to Use the "GWIA - Ask a Pastor BLOG":
- Scroll down the page to find the GWIA edition you wish to ask a question about. Note that the newest week (date) appears on top.
- Click the comments link under the sermon summary to ask your question.
- A new "Post Comments" form is displayed below the edition you want to ask a question about. Note the other weeks are temporarily out of view.
- Type a name. Even though a name is required, "Anonymous" and "Guest" are perfectly acceptable if you wish to ask your question anonymously.
- Type your email address. Also required but will not be publically displayed.
- Skip the Website field as it is NOT required.
- Type your question in the Comments Box.
- Click the "Add Comments" button at the bottom to submit your question. Your question now appears below the related GWIA edition.
- Click the <<back to the blog link to return to the BLOG and close the Post Comments box.
- Questions are reviewed and answered by our Pastors which can take anywhere from an afternoon up to 2 days in the event of questions posted on Fridays or Saturdays.
How to View Your Answer:
- Return to the GWIA - Ask a Pastor BLOG by clicking the Question Button in one of your weekly GWIA emails -OR- by visiting the All Saints home page and clicking the "view the current edition" link in the subscription box.
- Scroll down to view the GWIA edition you asked a question about and click the "Comments" link.
- This displays all the questions and answers posted for this edition.
- Once you have completed your review, you can click the <<back to the blog link and return to the complete list of weekly editions. From here you may choose to view other questions and answers posted for other edition, etc.
Questions about or difficulities with the BLOG:
Contact Bobbie Tomasek at btomasek@allsaintsphoenix.org or Gina King at ginaking@allsaintsphoenix.org
March 12 Edition: Life from Death
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26
We can all relate to the story of Lazarus, because we have all been deep in sorrow following the death of a loved one. We wonder where life is. Jesus in this story grieved deeply, showing His human side, as he mourned the death of his friend with the grieving family. Even though Jesus knew that Lazarus would soon be alive again, he shared the pain of loss. But this is a story of life, which can come forth out of sorrow and pain. Jesus commanded Lazarus to come out of death into life. This is reflective of Genesis and John 1:1, where God creates and affirms life and the impossible is made possible.
Gary Rathgeber
It seems that many prayers and Bible passages have been changed. I think specifically of the Creed and the 23rd Psalm. Is there a reason for this?
Posted on Sun, Apr 13, 2008 @ 8:50 AM CST
Bobbie with Pastor Joe
You are correct about things changing, but it is only in translation, not in the meaning of God's word. In the particular instances you mention, both were printed by permission from the Lutheran book of worship. In general, language and its use is always changing. King James English is simply not in use so many Bible translations attempt to keep the original Word but in contemporary language.(others strive to keep the poetic or literary forms such as acrostics, alliteration, etc. Still others are attempting a colloquial approach and so on) An important feature of a translation is to see if it was translated directly from a Greek or Hebrew source. These translations may be closer to the actual original meaning than one translated from an old english, Latin or German source for example--think of the game of telephone. So the committee that created the new book of worship used the original Greek language to translate these and other verses/liturgical elements, etc. The committee operated to the best of their ability to use modern language usage to convey accurate translation and theological content. Many of us, including Pastor Joe struggle with the changes, getting all tongue tied in those places where we want to say the extra or different word. We are so familiar with our childhood versions that the new doesn't seem to be any clearer or necessary, but for younger or future generations that may not be the case.
This was not an ELCA change, by the way. This was only the committee creating the worship book.
An interesting aside: The Lord's Prayer is so ingrained even in people who have never set foot in a church, that the likelihood of it changing seems extremely slim.
Pastor Joe especially notes that the translation "descended to the dead" vs. "descended into hell" are probably both equally accurate translations from the original Greek--this is one that he gets tripped up on every time. And don't we all want to keep saying "the power of the Holy Spirit."
Thanks for the great question
Bobbie
Posted on Mon, Apr 14, 2008 @ 1:58 PM CST