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<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal">To
what are they to listen? Certainly to what Jesus has just said (16:24-28) and to
the next words from his mouth (17:11-12) about suffering as the narrow way of
sonship and the path of glory. ...in the larger Matthean context disciples are
called to listen to all that Jesus has commanded (28:19), to bend their necks to
his yoke (11:24), to understand that the way of the cross and of servanthood is
the way of sonship and discipleship.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal">Robert
H. Smith, Matthew: Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament (Minneapolis:
Augsburg Press, 1989), pp. 210.</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><A
href="http://www.sermonsuite.com/content.php?i=788021403&key=48dtqqEHybhqkbfj">http://www.sermonsuite.com/content.php?i=788021403&key=48dtqqEHybhqkbfj</A></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><FONT
size=4>- - - - -</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><FONT
size=4></FONT></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><FONT
size=4>In Mark, Peter addresses Jesus as "rabbi." Matthew changes this to
"Lord." Mark never has anything good to say about the disciples, and
especially Peter. They never get anything right. Even Mark's Easter
story is marked by yet another failure of the disciples. His women
disciples were told to go and tell the others, but they didn't do it. Even
the women disciples--his most devoted followers--fail. </DIV>
<DIV>In Mark, <EM>per</EM> usual, Peter gives Jesus an incorrect
title, another example of the disciples getting it "wrong." Werner Kelber
says that a major objective of Mark, which was written during or just after the
Roman-Jewish War (AD 66-70), was to encourage the followers of Jesus to look to
Galilee, to the beginnings of the movement, rather than to Jerusalem--the "head
office," led by Peter--whose leadership Mark appears to discredit.</DIV>
<DIV></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><FONT
size=4><A
href="http://www.progressiveinvolvement.com/progressive_involvement/2011/02/lectionary-blogging-matthew-17-1-9.html">http://www.progressiveinvolvement.com/progressive_involvement/2011/02/lectionary-blogging-matthew-17-1-9.html</A></FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><FONT
size=4>John Petty, 2011</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><FONT
size=4>- - - - -</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><FONT
size=4></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><FONT
size=4>I don't know quite how to do this. Perhaps for some it will be easier to
have pads of paper in the pew with which folks can journal. Or maybe you'd be
willing to risk having them turn to each other and talk about where they have
felt called, maybe where they feel God is calling them even now. You'll know
best how to make room for this with your own people. (And you're certainly
welcome to share your ideas in the comments.) But however you do it, I think
it's an important first step in helping people recognize that God still speaks,
that we still are called to listen (and indeed have listened!), and that when we
fall in fear or failure Jesus is there to reach out and pick us up
again.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><FONT
size=4></FONT></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><FONT
size=4><A
href="http://www.workingpreacher.org/dear_wp.aspx?article_id=459">http://www.workingpreacher.org/dear_wp.aspx?article_id=459</A></FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><FONT
size=4></FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><FONT
size=4>David Lose, 2011</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><FONT
size=4>- - - - -</FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><FONT
face=TimesNewRomanPSMT><FONT size=4>The verbal thread of Moses and Elijah links
the parts of the second episode together; first</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4>"there appeared Moses and Elijah" and then Peter
says "one for Moses and one for</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4>Elijah." Another interpretive matter in the telling
of this episode is the performance of</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4>Peter's words. Mark explains after Peter's words
that "he said this because he was</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4>afraid," which explains to the audience why Peter’s
words were spoken in a bumbling</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4>and fearful manner. Matthew has no such
explanation. This may imply that Matthew told</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4>this episode with a little more dignity for Peter
since Jesus stated just before this episode</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>"on this rock I will build my church" (Matt.
16.18).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT
size=4></FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><A
href="http://gotell.org/pdf/commentary/Matthew/Mt17_01-09_commentary.pdf"><FONT
size=4>http://gotell.org/pdf/commentary/Matthew/Mt17_01-09_commentary.pdf</FONT></A></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',Georgia,Times; FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><FONT
face=Arial-BoldMT><FONT size=4>Thomas E. Boomershine</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT><FONT size=4></FONT><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>We UMC clergy in Maryland & Dc have just been<BR>reminded of some
startling and scary information.<BR>When UM Laity were asked if they expected
to<BR>encounter the Living God in worship, 72% said<BR>"No"; 11% said "yes".
Only 5%<BR>of UM clergy said they expected their congregation<BR>to experience
the presence of the Living God in<BR>worship.</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.desperatepreacher.com/bodyii.htm">http://www.desperatepreacher.com/bodyii.htm</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Joye in Md</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
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