The Reconciliaton / Liberation Story: Some of Us For All of Us

The Reconciliaton / Liberation Story: Some of Us For All of Us

February 23, 2025
Matthew 7:13-14, John 13:1-17, Luke 19:41-44

Series based on The Seventh Story, by Brian McLaren & Gareth Higgins

As Jesus came to the city and observed it, he wept over it.  He said, “If only you knew on this of all days the things that lead to peace. But now they are hidden from your eyes. The time will come when your enemies will build fortifications around you, encircle you, and attack you from all sides. They will crush you completely, you and the people within you. They won’t leave one stone on top of another within you, because you didn’t recognize the time of your gracious visit from God.”

Luke 19:41-44

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     The Reconciliation and Liberation Story is an alternative seventh story embodied by Jesus. It contrasts sharply with the six dominant narratives of the first century and all of human history.  In Luke 19, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem.  He laments her refusal to embrace the way of peace and foresees the inevitable destruction caused by these other stories.

• The Revolution Story (Zealots): Zealots sought justice through violent rebellion, but Jesus  countered with a nonviolent revolution of love, teaching, “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44).

• The Purification Story (Pharisees): Pharisees pursued holiness by rigidly separating from impurity, often leading to exclusion. Jesus rejected this, touching the unclean, welcoming sinners, and declaring mercy and justice as the heart of the Law.

• The Isolation Story (Essenes): Essenes withdrew from society, viewing it as irredeemable. Jesus,
  however, engaged the world, proclaiming, “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14-16), calling His followers to transform the world rather than retreat.

• The Accumulation Story (Herodians): Herodians aligned with Rome, pursuing wealth and power.  Jesus warned, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth” (Matthew 6:19-20), inviting trust in God and generosity.

• The Victimization Story (Oppressed Jews): Many Jews, as victims of Roman oppression, sought vindication. Jesus blessed the poor in spirit and the persecuted (Matthew 5:1-12), offering hope and liberation from bitterness through resurrection.

• The Domination Story (Sadducees): Sadducees preserved power by compromising faithfulness.
  Jesus overturned their corruption, calling people to a kingdom where the first are last and the last are first (Matthew 20:16).

Jesus expresses God’s deep longing for humanity to reject these destructive narratives. His story — embodied in acts of love, service, and reconciliation — invites all into God’s kingdom of peace.  The six stories persist  today in violence, legalism, isolation, consumerism, resentment, and power struggles. Jesus calls us to reject these and live His story: Love enemies. Seek justice with mercy. Engage the world as light. Trust God over wealth. Move from resentment to hope. Serve humbly, rejecting power for its own sake.

• Which of these six stories tempts you most?

• How can you embody reconciliation in your life today?

The Accumulation Story: Us Competing With Them

The Accumulation Story: Us Competing With Them

February 16, 2025
Luke 12:15-21, Matthew 6:19-34

Series based on The Seventh Story, by Brian McLaren & Gareth Higgins

Stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth, where moth and rust eat them and where thieves break in and steal them. Instead, collect treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust don’t eat them and where thieves don’t break in and steal them. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:19-21

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The Accumulation Story is centered on the belief that wealth and material success are essential to happiness and security. The Herodians, a political group that supported the Roman-appointed Herod, are often seen as the embodiment of this story. They were willing to align themselves with Roman rule in order to maintain their wealth and status. Their pursuit of material success often took precedence over faithfulness to God.

The gospels mention collaboration between the Pharisees and the Herodians as a way to hold onto their power, wealth and privilege.  Herodians are portrayed as astute and cunning, using their connections solely for their own personal interests.  They often accommodated to Jewish customs and practices, but this in many ways was just to prevent any uprisings and keep the peace so they could maintain their good standing in the Roman government.  In some ways, we might call them the “God AND Country” people, in the sense that the were fine with God so long as their religious interests aligned with their political interests.  To challenge unjust Roman practices in the name of their religious beliefs would be too great a risk for their personal comfort. 

Jesus countered this mentality in powerful teachings, warning against the accumulation of earthly wealth. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth... But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven". For Jesus, true success and security came from dependence on God, not on material wealth or political influence. The Accumulation Story often leads to anxiety and greed, while Jesus calls us to trust in God's provision and practice generosity.

In our consumer-driven culture, the Accumulation Story is alive and well.  At the end of the day, the market, the economy, and our personal bank accounts have far more influence on our everyday decisions than our faith.  We are often willing to turn a blind eye to unjust practices if it means more profit, and we have no  problem lining the pockets of the ultra-wealthy and giving them virtually unlimited power so long as their services make life easier and more comfortable for us.

Jesus invites us to redefine success, finding meaning not in material wealth, but in spiritual richness and  generosity.  He warns that storing up treasures on earth is a foolish endeavor because all that will remain are the investments we make in the kingdom of heaven such as our care for the poor, the widow, the orphan and so on.  It’s easy for those of us who are not rich to think this is not an issue for us, but it is so embedded in our culture we cannot escape it.  This story is going to take a lot of hard work to change.

• Where do you find yourself placing security in material possessions rather than in God?

• What steps can you take to live a more generous life and resist the Accumulation Story?

The Victimization Story: Us In Spite of Them

The Victimization Story: Us In Spite of Them

February 9, 2025
Psalm 137:1-9, Matthew 5:1-12

Series based on The Seventh Story, by Brian McLaren & Gareth Higgins

Alongside Babylon’s streams, there we sat down, crying because we remembered Zion.  We hung our lyres up in the trees there because that’s where our captors asked us to sing; our tormentors requested songs of joy: “Sing us a song about Zion!” they said.  But how could we possibly sing the Lord’s song on foreign soil?

 Psalm 137:1-4

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The Victimization Story revolves around suffering and oppression, shaping an identity rooted in past harm.  In the first century, many Jews saw themselves as victims of Roman oppression, a sentiment deeply tied to their history of exile and subjugation. Psalm 137 vividly expresses this experience:

 "By the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars, we hung our harps" (Psalm 137:1-2).

This psalm reflects the pain of the Babylonian exile, where the Jewish people were torn from their homeland, mocked by their captors, and forced to sing songs of Zion in a foreign land. Their suffering was real, their grief legitimate, and their longing for justice palpable. These experiences of oppression carried forward into the Roman occupation, where heavy taxes, exploitation, and loss of autonomy deepened their sense of victimhood.

Despite their legitimate suffering, Jesus challenges the Victimization Story as the defining narrative of their identity. He declares, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Jesus acknowledges the reality of oppression but offers a vision of hope.  He calls His followers to see beyond their suffering to the transformative power of God’s kingdom. His resurrection stands as the ultimate rejection of victimhood, transforming suffering into victory and calling His followers to live in the hope of God’s justice and restoration.

In today’s world, the Victimization Story persists both personally and in our larger society. On a personal level, individuals often cling to past hurts, defining themselves by wounds and grievances. Socially, groups may highlight injustices, sometimes justifiably, while also perpetuating cycles of resentment and division rather than seeking healing. 

Jesus does not dismiss the reality of suffering and victimization, but he invites us to move beyond this story so that it does not become our core identity. He calls us to acknowledge pain and injustice while refusing to let them define us. Instead, He offers a path of forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation. This does not negate the legitimacy of suffering but transforms it into a story of hope that inspires others.  Jesus’ story is not one that avoids suffering and death, but rather one that invites us to transcend death through resurrection.

•  Are there areas where you are holding onto past hurts that prevent healing?

• How can you share your story of suffering in a way that brings hope and healing to others?

• How might Jesus’ resurrection inspire you to live beyond victimhood?

The Purification Story: Us Verses Some of Us

The Purification Story: Us Verses Some of Us

February 2, 2025
Luke 18:9-14, Matthew 23:25-36

Series based on The Seventh Story, by Brian McLaren & Gareth Higgins

Jesus told this parable to certain people who had convinced themselves that they were righteous and who looked on everyone else with disgust: “Two people went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself with these words, ‘God, I thank you that I’m not like everyone  else — crooks, evildoers, adulterers — or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week. I give a tenth of  everything I receive.’  But the tax collector stood at a distance. He wouldn’t even lift his eyes to look toward heaven. Rather, he struck his chest and said, ‘God, show mercy to me, a sinner.’  I tell you, this person went down to his home justified rather than the Pharisee. All who lift themselves up will be brought low, and those who make themselves low will be lifted up.”

Luke 18:9-14

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The Purification Story is rooted in a positive desire for holiness, a desire to separate ourselves from things or people we perceive as impure.  In the first century, the Pharisees were the key proponents of this story. They believed that strict observance of the Law, including  rituals of purification, was necessary to maintain God's favor. However, their emphasis on external purity often overshadowed the deeper work of the heart.

Jesus repeatedly confronted this legalism. In Matthew 23:23, He rebukes the Pharisees, saying, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices... but you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy, and faithfulness." His approach challenged the notion that purity could only be achieved through rituals and rules, showing that compassion and justice are the true markers of holiness.

In the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, Jesus points out that there is nothing distinct about the Pharisee, despite his genuinely high moral standing.  His good deeds make him no more or less worthy to enter into God’s presence. 

Today, the Purification Story often emerges in religious communities that emphasize outward purity over inner transformation.  While the Pharisees so often get a bad rap, we who seek to remain most faithful to our religious teachings may be far more like them than anyone else… or at least aspire to be more like them.  You see, their lives truly were morally upright and as Paul says, even blameless before the law.  How many of us can say the same?  And yet we too hold ourselves as models of moral excellence over and against entire groups of people we deem less worthy or call “sinners.”

Jesus invites us to a more inclusive and merciful path, where the heart is purified by love rather than rule-following.  We do not get to decide who is in and who is out, who is justified and who is not, and who is included in the inexhaustible love of God.  All of our religious purity tests are meaningless in the light of God’s grace. 

• How do you prioritize rules or traditions over compassion in your own life?

• Who in your community might benefit from an act of inclusion or mercy today?