A Two Goal Lead is the Most Dangerous Lead...

The Rev. Aron Kramer 2 Epiphany January 20, 2008 How many of you here today are Aries, born between March 21 and April 20? The animal symbol of Aries is the Ram, but that, it turns out, is only a recent phenomenon, it was known for many years as “teleh”, which to the Latins, meant “male lamb.” The book of Revelation identifies Aries as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David. The sign of Aries was always pictured as a male lamb with its head reverted backwards, looking over its shoulder at the emerging Taurus, the next constellation arising out of the cosmos. Only a being with a broken neck could look over its shoulder as the animal sign for Aries does, and yet, the sign shows the lamb still standing, still upright even with its neck broken. It becomes quite clear then that Aries was the perfect choice with which to identify Jesus and his life that would eventually be broken on a cross, only to see him standing upright again as a resurrected being, looking back as we fo...

I like this song by Rob Thomas, and it is an interesting addition to the study. Are their songs or poems that you know of that speak about the city? Send them to me and I will post them! The city is where we work out our corporate life, becasue the city is where we gather, where we come together, all walks of like, all people, all of us. It's morning I wake up The taste of summer sweetness on my mind It's a clear day In this city Let's go dance under the street lights All the people in this world Let's come together More than ever I can feel it Can you feel it Come on over Down to the corner My sisters and my brothers of every different color Can't you feel that sunshine telling you to hold tight Things will be alright Try to find a better life Come on over Down to the corner My sisters and my brothers there for one another Come on over Man I know you wanna let yourself go Some people It's a pity They go all their lives and never know How to love or to let lo...

Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch; and he built a city, and named it Enoch after his son Enoch. Genesis 4. With the story of Cain and Abel, everything about cities seems to get off to a very negative start. It seems that they are founded out of restlessness, out of wandering. It seems that they are rooted in being cut off from the land, and murder and violence and blood. It seems, at first glance, that the opportunities for cities are nothing but dread and death. At first glance they seem to come out of everything that is antithesis to God and community. But when we stop and look at the story closer, many more questions arise. Why did God mark Cain in such a way that no one on earth would be allowed to kill him? Why did God allow Cain to go off, seemingly of his own volition, to start a new life, away from his family? Finally, the biggest question of the whole te...

So, I have been wanting for some time to have regular posts and what not, but have never really been able to get motivated about it in one way or another. So one of my work new year resolution is to take 2 hours or so a week and blog two different things. First, the title of this post has been a phrase that has been clinging to me for some time, so I am going to do some Bible Study on the word and concept of "the City" in Scripture. I want to see how cities functioned in the OT and the NT. I want to listen to the Word of God and hear how this line, "The City is where we work out our corporate life" can change or transform or affirm our minstry here in the Garden in Downtown Minneapolis. I imagine it will be both fun and wonderful, and challenging and difficult to hear, but I want to try it. Second, the BCMS stuff is still out there, and after spending all of Advent studying it with members of the congregation there are many things to say and to think about. S...