David Tiede Sessions 1-4

David Tiede (Past President of Luther Seminary and past Bernhard M. Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation, Augsburg College)

Apostolic Israel: How the Communities of Jesus were Scripturally Formed to Serve God's Mission

Overview: The Bible is the Church's Book of Faith, and every assembly of believers is a community of interpretation in its worship, witness, and action. These sessions will explore how Jesus and his communities of followers heard God's apostolic calling to them in Israel's scriptures. The Holy Spirit is at work both in what is written and how you read the scriptures.

Session One:  “All the Rest is Commentary!At the time of Jesus, Israel's scriptures (Torah, Prophets & Writings) were interpreted in varied communities. Their traditions embodied diverse convictions and defined their places in the world. Their hand-written scrolls were not yet our “Book of Faith, but Israel's scriptures were the common ground of the people of God and the contested ground for identifying faithfulness. Session One will introduce this variety of communities of interpretation, exploring the social and theological worlds into which Jesus came. It wasn't simple then. It isn't now.

Session Two:  “That is What I Came Out to Do!Jesus is still remembered as a teacher and his followers are often called disciples or learners.  Appreciating his profound interpretation/enactment of the “script of Israel's scriptures is one of the best ways to understand why Jesus was so authoritative, and so adamantly denounced. Session Two will investigate how Jesus enacted an embodied scriptural vision of God's mission. Less original or heroic than often thought, Jesus was obedient to his role in the scriptural story.

Session Three: “An Instrument I have Chosen!Paul, “A Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee, Paul's abiding concern was Israel. In writing to churches, he opened the apostolic gates of Israel's scriptures in the light of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. He is often credited (and blamed) for the ways the communities of Jesus' followers reached out to the varied peoples and nations of the Roman world.  In Session Three, the Apostle Paul will teach us to read the scriptures to mobilize for mission.

Session Four: “That My Salvation may Reach to the End of the Earth!The four Gospels were probably written during the last third of the first century. The first three include many of the same stories. Selections from all four are read every week in Christian communities, then interpreted with deep deference to local pastoral and liturgical realities. Session Four will sample how varied selections (gospel pericopes) stir again with new power and challenge in the light of their apostolic (Spirit driven) vitality.

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