Reflexion, A Spiritual Community: Recent Episodes
Chuck Smith, Jr
The last two weeks I’ve been encouraging you to listen for God’s voice
Now, today, using this spectacular episode of Isaiah’s life is neither practical nor fair
– he was chosen by God to be a prophet,
• and the prophet’s calling is in most instances very dramatic
◦ e.g., Moses and the mysterious flames; Ezekiel’s fantastic vision, impossible to imagine
• so if there’s a legitimate reason for us to consider Isaiah’s experience,
◦ it’s because in his vision he saw and heard God speak to him
◦ that is what defines the prophet
– even if we never have a dramatic or spectacular encounter like Isaiah,
• we can draw lessons from what he describes, because we want to hear God’s voice
◦ and Isaiah’s experience may help us navigate our own less dramatic experiences
• let’s see what we can find in this story that will be useful to us
About six years before my dad died,
For some reason, that I don’t remember,
- I got the idea that it was really important for him to tell his life’s story
• there were already a lot of fictional stories regarding his life,
◦ and how he came to be the founder of a new church movement
• I suppose, that as his son, it was important to me,
◦ that people learned how God worked in his life to make him the man he was
- however, I knew that though dad was a gifted storyteller,
• he was not a writer, and would never find the time to produce an autobiography
◦ so I volunteered to be his ghost-writer, and he agreed
• I’m telling you this, because there’s something in his book I’m going to read
What are we witnessing in this archetypal story?
First, why do I refer to the story as “archetypal”?
– archetypes have to do with basic themes planted in the human mind
• familiar themes are revealed in the heroes, heroines, and villains of fables, myths, and fairytales
◦ these characters represent specific qualities that define human persons and their behavior
◦ including: virtuous, courageous, clever, creative, wise or foolish, industrious or lazy
• the plot of the stories, and the actors differ from culture to culture,
◦ but the qualities are universal, so we recognize when they’re pointed out to us
– in this story of Eli and Samuel, the archetypal theme is similar to the “the sorcerer’s apprentice”
• it doesn’t follow specific rules, because Eli was a priest and not a prophet
◦ but he was familiar with prophecy and could give Samuel basic instructions
• so first, after a delayed response, Eli discerns what is happening to Samuel
◦ he is able to explain to the boy that God is calling to him
◦ and, then he instructs him how to respond to receive God’s message
Romans 14
• A deep story describes a collective, emotionally rooted narrative that individuals and groups use to make sense of their lives and the world, prioritizing feelings and metaphors over cold facts or moral judgments.
• The concept was developed by Arlie Russell Hochschild, a sociologist and we will talk about her more in a bit.
• Today we will be considering how competing "deep stories" lead to conflict and how we can, in our spheres of influence contribute to understanding, healing and hope.
• First we will look at competing deep stories in the New Testament, then we will look at how some deep stories are impacting the Church and society today.
Some time ago, I took a course in speed-reading
We were required to practice every day for at least an hour
- the only drawback–I chose to read books that didn’t interest me, so I wouldn't get distracted by their content
• but going fast, I got nothing at all from them – I wasn’t reading, but just looking at words
- later on I was exposed to a method of slow-reading
• the purpose: to get as much as possible from what I read
◦ this applied specifically to reading the Scriptures
◦ the benefit is hearing God speak to me clearly and directly
• and that is what I want to teach you this morning
Here we are, after several weeks, at the end of Jude
There’s not another letter in the New Testament exactly like it
- a small bit of 2 Peter incorporates some of the same lines
• but the overall structure and content of Jude are unusual,
◦ and his quotations from two non-biblical books is unique
• but coming to the end, he closes with a familiar prayer
◦ it’s not his exact words that are familiar, but how the words are arranged
◦ Jude signs off with a “doxology”
- the Greek word doxa, is frequently translated “glory”
• and this word usually appears in doxologies, making it easy to identify them
• a doxology is a prayer or song in praise of God
◦ in many churches doxologies are read, recited, or sung every week
My friend, Clint Freeman, sent me an article this week
It has to do with Artificial Intelligence and I added it to my “weird news” file
Darin White, “Four in ten Gen-Z and millennial adults say spiritual advice from AI is just as trustworthy as advice from a pastor. One-third of teenagers have talked to an AI companion rather than a human being about serious, personal issues. Thirty-nine percent of Gen Z would skip or delay a doctor’s visit if AI told them their symptoms were low risk . . . . And 26 percent of Gen Z adults have engaged in some form of romantic or companion relationship with an AI chat bot.”
- this is either scary or silly, but there is another development that is more serious for us
White, "[In] April, a tech company . . . launched an AI-generated avatar of Jesus that people can talk to, pray with, and seek spiritual counsel from for $1.99 per minute. The avatar was trained on the King James Bible . . . .”
- one of the concerns I have about this, is AI is not bullet-proof
• I’ve been reading Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations
◦ in chapter 5, he quotes an author without naming him, but claims he was,
Adam Smith, “by far the most illustrious philosopher and historian of the present age”
◦ I assumed he was referring to David Hume, because he was a friend that Smith admired
• when I looked it up, an AI engine immediately popped up and curtly (I felt) reported,
"no philosopher is quoted in book 5 of The Wealth of Nations
◦ dissatisfied, I searched for the actual quote, and that was in Hume’s writings
◦ feeling vindicated, I corrected the snobbish AI bot
A couple weeks ago I got a phone call
The number looked familiar, so I answered – “Hello”
- a man’s voice asked, “Is this Charles?”
• at that point it was obvious he didn’t know me
• so I said, “Maybe”
- there are too many scams running in our world for me to take chances
• if you respond to a text or call, a fake offer, a warning,
◦ or a simple “click” and next thing you discover is that your bank account is emptied,
◦ or your credit card is hacked, or your identity is stolen
• I appreciate the warnings I receive regarding the con artist who are constantly fishing for personal information
That is how we are to read Jude's letter
What he wrote was a “fraud alert” – as he has said,
“For certain people have crept in unnoticed”
I have been reading a book by Bill Elliot, who is a therapist
But it’s not about psychology – it has the unlikely title, Falling Into the Face of God
– it’s an autobiography of sorts
• Bill felt called by God’s Spirit to go to the Judean desert
• and , to spend forty days there like Jesus, only without fasting
– on day 17, he was meditating on Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness
• then his thoughts went to Jesus and disciples in Philippi, and the moment when he called Peter “Satan”
William J. Elliot, “Why did Jesus do that? Especially since Peter was just trying to be helpful? It was because Peter was opposing Jesus’ deeper sense of destiny and Jesus’ deeper sense of God’s will. Satan comes from the Hebrew word for ‘opposer’ or ‘adversary.’ And that’s the point: we each have friends, and even parts of ourselves, that are often opposed to our deeper truth and connection with God. Even though they are trying to be helpful, they are still adversaries. So how do we find the skill and the courage to rebuff those well-meaning adversaries—especially when they love us and have often loved us in the past.”
We’re going to reenact the story
- this is what Jesus meant for us to do
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Cor. 11:26)
• in this ritual, there is the potential of a profound encounter
• he has given us something:
◦ for our eyes to see
◦ for our ears to hear
◦ for our hands to touch
◦ for our mouths to taste
◦ for our minds to contemplate
◦ for our souls to receive
- I am going to present this to you as a devotional thought
• what I mean, is something other than a Bible study tracking the literal meaning of each word
• instead, this is what I perceive happening in these few verses
There have been songs, that I loved the first time I heard them
There are others that I had to hear several times to appreciate
- but the ones that I've loved at first sight had two qualities:
• the sound of music (instruments and vocals) and the lyrics
◦ psychologists refer to this response to music as “emotional resonance”
◦ the sound waves and meaning of the music find a string that vibrates deep in the soul
• for me, one of the songs that instantly moved me was Van Morrison’s
When will I ever learn to live in God?
“When will I ever learn to live in God?
When will I ever learn?
He gives me everything I need and more
When will I ever learn?”
On the days I spend with three of my grandchildren,
I sometimes say to my thirteen year old grandson,
“I’m going for a walk, do you want to go with me?”
- he has never said, “Sure, Grandpa, let’s go” – never
• and I know why – he’s convinced it won’t be fun
◦ he’d have to get unnecessary exercise, and
◦ it’d be difficult to stay on trail with eyes glued to his cell phone
• this morning I’m inviting you to take a walk with me–
◦ through the book of Jude – it’s a short walk,
◦ and much of it is unpleasant, or confusing, or dark
- what I don’t want to do is make this a Bible study
• my tendency is to be drawn to technicalities
◦ that’s a problem with this letter that was written in haste,
◦ so there are several tough technical issues – also,
• a lot of its information is crunched together in a short space,
◦ entire stories abbreviated in three or four words
◦ and there are even references to stories we’ve never seen in the Scriptures
Prior to this moment, Abram was merely a name on a list
Now he becomes a person; he’s given an identity
- he emerges from the genealogy into space and time
• he has a history and he is given a destiny
where he is from and where he is going is what has defined him
◦ where he is from: “your birthplace and your father’s house”
◦ where he is going: “to the land that I will show you”
• God is in the process of redefining Abram’s life
◦ he will no longer be the person shaped by family history
◦ he will become a person living in a covenant with God
- normal course of a person’s life: grow up in family system
• each person has there place and is assigned a role
◦ this does not happen consciously,
◦ it works itself out in interplay of each personality
• psychology would encourage us to ask two questions:
◦ how did I get were I am?
◦ where do I go from here?
and this may require that we escape from our family system
or the neighborhood where we grew up
What was the primary responsibility Jesus gave to Peter?
- if you’re not sure, then listen to what I’m about to read,
• because Jesus makes Peter’s assignment absolutely clear
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep” John 21:15–17
◦ Peter’s calling was to devote himself to the care of Jesus’ sheep
• these are not Peter’s sheep – Jesus refers to them as, “my sheep”
◦ the Lord did not tell Peter to use the sheep to make a fortune for himself
◦ in fact, from now on, his life wasn’t his own, and it would not be easy or what he would choose for himself
“Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself ad walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go. . . .” “Follow me.” (v. 19)
- giving Peter this responsibility, Jesus answers his own prayer in Matthew:
I am going to take a risk this morning
Aside from whatever ways I’m supposed to help others,
- my own life in God has been driven by one passion
• that is, to experience everything Jesus promised his disciples
• my primary rationale is to take Jesus at his word
◦ to be more specific:
- what is on the table for me is not that I work miracles
• at least, not extraordinary miracles, I’m okay with ordinary miracles
◦ like bringing a smile to a baby’s face
• I know I’m not called to “signs and wonders”
◦ what I’ve longed for is personal, and has been my longing from childhood
In the scripture I read, Jesus is telling his disciples goodbye
Every week I spend two days in Scotty’s home
I’ve been doing this for years–making meals for my grandchildren:
- one breakfast for Calum (and afternoon snacks), one lunch for Adrianna, and three dinners
• I’m still taking two of them to and from school
• in the lull, while they’re at school, I’ve been taking walks around the undeveloped land near their neighborhood
◦ it’s been a good time to practice focusing my awareness on the presence of God's Spirit
◦ maybe three months ago, I began sharing moments of my walk on Facebook
- from the very first book of the Bible, walking is used as metaphor
• it usually refers to the way we live out our days with God in closeness to him
• however, in this Easter story, these two disciples (whom otherwise we do not know),
◦ find themselves actually walking with Jesus for real!
◦ what Jesus shares with them turns their lives around, literally
“And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem” (v. 33)
We’re told this large crowd “had come to the feast”
I take that to mean they were not locals, but most likely from the Galilee region where they had followed Jesus' ministry
- being visitors to Jerusalem, they “camped” on the mountains around the city
• and especially the Mount of Olives,
◦ staying in tents, a lean-to, or sleeping under the open sky
- a rumor shuttled through the crowd – Jesus was near
Jesus spent the previous night in Bethany,
• a small village on the backside of the Mt. of Olives
◦ there had already been speculation, whether he’d show up
◦ many people had been looking for him in and around the temple
• a murmur of voices floated down the slopes of the Mount of Olives
◦ breathless anticipation hung in the air
- someone, not yet clued-in, felt it and asked, “What’s going on?”
she was told the rumor, “We think Jesus is here!”
“Where?”
“We don’t know yet, but he’s close”
- then there was some commotion at the crown of the mountain
• a man threw his cloak on the worn path, perhaps hoping Jesus would step on it when he arrived
• that triggered a wave of people carpeting the road
◦ some throwing down their cloaks or a palm branch
◦ others cut more branches and preparing to wave them like banners
Passage: Galatians 5
The Big Question:
When did faith become more about the lines we draw than the love we live?
We all do the internal calculus:
• Can I be friends with someone who voted differently?
• Can I worship with people who read scripture differently?
• Can I belong here with my doubts, questions, and messy parts?
• Can I still call myself a Christian if I don’t fit the mold?
“For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of
slavery” Galatians 5:1
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing
that counts is faith working through love.” Galatians 5:6
“For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters… through love become enslaved to one
another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment: You shall love your neighbor
as yourself.” Galatians 5:13-14
Samuel enters the Scriptures during a chaotic period of history
The best way to understand it, is found in a line repeated in Judges
“In those days there was no king in Israel” (Jdg. 18:1 and 19:1)
- and again at the very end of Judges, with an added explanation
“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Jdg. 21:25)
- I have a friend who wrote a book on the Kingdom of God
• and though I enjoyed reading it and trust him as a serious student of the Bible,
◦ I disagree with his take on this verse
◦ he suggests that everyone doing what was right in their own eyes was a good thing
Steve Gregg, suggests that “. . . liberty of personal conscience prevailed, rather than dominated by a human (and therefore corrupt) earthly ruler.”
• but that this isn’t what that line means is proven elsewhere
◦ in Moses’ instructions to Israel when they would enter the land, he says,
“You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes . . . .” (Deut. 12:8-9)
◦ really, all you have to do is read the last three chapters of Judges to see the confusion and tragedy that resulted from everyone doing what they considered the right thing
This morning, we’re going to explore a crucial question:
What are we doing here, for heaven’s sake?
- answers are scattered through the New Testament,
• and it's the focus of Paul’s entire first letter to Timothy
• he intended to go over this in person
◦ but here he provides only a summary statement
Paul explains how we “ought to behave”
“Ought” is not one of my favorite words
- Christian preachers, youth leaders, and Sunday School teachers have used it to control and manipulate adults and children
• so let’s try to get to the heart of Paul’s concern
• Francis Schaeffer, wrote an excellent essay entitled, “The Mark of the Christian”
◦ for centuries Christians displayed their faith with different symbols
◦ “uniforms,” cross necklaces, and annoying bumper stickers
I’m not convinced we’ve ever truly understood Jesus
At least not as deeply or fully as he intended
- not “as deeply,” because we tend to stay on the surface
• we read the words and verses without penetrating their depth
• we grab at interpretations that make immediate sense
◦ and we settle for simplistic "commentary" explanations
- I don’t think Jesus taught in riddles – sometimes, perhaps
• he did not teach in a secret code that required deciphering
• but it's possible that his intent was that the meaning of his message would be revealed to us
◦ and only then will we be able to live it in truth and deed
I’ll finish reading the verse in a moment, but first we will pause here
- every morning when I open my Bible, I don’t jump into it
• but at the entrance to the Scriptures, I take a moment to slow my breath, and focus my attention
◦ I bring awareness to God’s presence and let myself hear him say,
“at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you to speak to you there" (Ex. 29:42)
• so before I even begin reading, I’m already listening to God
◦ and there is always something in my reading worth writing
◦ (though not necessarily worth sharing with others)
- yesterday morning, when I began, I felt a familiar frustration
• my desperate longing is to actually hear God,
◦ for his voice to be so clearly in my brain, there’s no doubt I'm hearing him
◦ anyway, the first words I read yesterday were, “And the LORD spoke to Moses . . . .”
• normally, my eyes would have glided over that phrase,
◦ especially because what follows is long and repetitious
◦ anyway, reading the opening line, I may have felt a twinge of jealousy
▫ but then, like from a small inner voice I heard,
“See, I do speak to you. Wasn't this what you were just now thinking? Desiring?”
Friday morning, near the end of a long walk,I passed by a mother and her toddler son
- he was on a small four-wheel bike, perfectly fitted to him
• he was poised to move from asphalt to a dirt slope
◦ I said, “Looks like you’re about to go off-roading,”
◦ more for his mom’s sake than his
• he looked at me with the most engaging smile
◦ it was the loveliest moment of my morning
- I kept walking, but he didn’t take his eyes off of me
• he turned his head as I passed,
◦ so I had to walk backwards to hold his gaze
◦ his mom was quiet, but enjoying her son’s response
• if cherubs were small, toddler-looking angels,
◦ he could have been a model for the prototype
As we make our way back into Hosea this morning,
Let’s remember the passion running through the entire book
- it isn’t what we’re likely to feel when reading the bare words
• what it sounds like, is the ranting of an enraged deity
◦ but that is not the correct tone of voice
• if God were like one of the pagan deities of mid mid-east or Greece,
◦ he wouldn’t bother to rage at his rebellious people,
◦ he would just annihilate them
- this prophetic book, in fact, is the message of a wounded lover
• a husband who’s been disrespected, betrayed, and discarded
◦ yet for all that, he continues to try to reason with his wife
◦ he is not ready to give up, and he will not let Israel go
• so, we are not hearing the voice of anger, but of heartbreak
Imagine you're walking through an art gallery, and standing nearby is the artist whose work you admiring. So you point to an object in one corner of an especially beautiful painting, and ask the artist, "Why did you put this right here? What does it mean?" The artist--if a true artist answers, "Well, if I could explain it, I would not have had to paint it." You would get a similar answer from a poet, a composer, a sculpture, and most any other artist. "If I could explain it, I would not have had to write it, compose it, sculpt it." Their work does not always begin with an idea, but oftentimes with an inspiration.
Intro: I’m not trying to avoid jumping into Hosea
However, I want to enter Hosea's by way of Matthew's gospel
“When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Mt. 9:36-37)
- this is a simple observation, the Lord saw something, and it made an impression on him
We are returning to Hosea this morning
The prophet who had to experience in his own life, with his wife, what God had experienced with Israel
– a people who were unfaithful to him, not only by adultery,
• but prostituting themselves with other gods
• you may have guessed that I’m not comfortable with Hosea
◦ I’d rather be with Jesus in the New Testament, loving and rescuing sinners
◦ instead, Hosea delivers a barrage of condemnations
– Israel had a long history of turning their backs on Yahweh
• and he repeatedly called them to return to him
◦ when they didn’t return , he withdrew from them
◦ and there were consequences–enemy invasion and crop failure
• this time, they were reaching a point of no return
◦ I think it’s okay to say God was desperate to stop them, to reach them and motivate them to return
◦ so he used strong language and threats of calamity
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read 1 and 2 Timothy
Still, it was only a few years ago that two words snagged me
- here in this passage, Paul refers to the Hebrew Scriptures as “the sacred writings”
• I had always believed this regarding the Bible, but never in those precise words
• the effect they had was to motivate me to meditate on them
◦ eventually, I spent nine weeks sharing with you what I learned
- I’ve decided to tell you what these have done worked in my life since then
• what I hope, is to inspire your reading of the sacred writings
◦ and enhance your experience with God’s word in the new year
The Advent theme for today is LOVE
I’ve never heard anyone argue whether that theme is appropriate
- the words of the previous themes–hope, peace, and joy–are all found in the biblical text
• but love doesn’t appear in the details of the Christmas story
◦ it feels right that love should be another theme, but is it right?
• does love add a sentimental tone that wasn’t there?
◦ our culture is certainly attached to an “ideal” Christmas
◦ a “Hallmark special” with smooth edges and a soft glow
- the initial reaction to the early announcements of Christ’s birth,
• given to Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, shepherds, generated confusion and fear
◦ but love isn’t right there on the surface of the page
• love only comes in after much theological reflection
◦ the gospels tell the story, theology identifies its meaning--which is:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (Jn. 3:167-17)
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Luke 2:10
Intro: So here we are again, with the angels and the shepherds
I chose to read only these three verses, because the story is so well known
- but when we circle back to it every year at this time,
• we run the risk of treating it as if it only exists for this season
◦ like the tree, and the lights, and the nativity scene with its little figures
◦ the heavenly choir shows up every year for their Christmas cantata
• they announce the arrival of Jesus, and with him, joy and peace
◦ the theme for the third Sunday of Advent is joy
- who am I to talk about returning to this theme only one day a year?
• how often do my Sunday morning talks return to joy?
◦ we weren’t hearing much joy in Hosea!
• if anyone needs to be reminded of joy all year round, I’m that guy
For my own sake, I decided to explore JOY
The Liturgical Calendar is a sequence of seasons, that organizes the year around the life of Jesus.
Liturgical seasons Invite us to take our place in the great drama of the Gospel
To take the time to experience God’s love and redemption through Spiritual rhythms and traditions
shared across generations and cultures and faith communities.
Practicing the liturgical calendar allows a lot of room for variety of expression,
and differences between church traditions,
but its beauty is to help Christians of diverse backgrounds participate--collectively and individually
in observances, prayers and Scriptures that focus on the life and message of Jesus Christ.
Advent is the first of the seasons; it is the beginning of Church Calendar year.
It’s interesting to me that the beginning of the liturgical year comes as the end of our calendar year,
and that its traditions and vibe are so different than the Western New Year.
The beginning of January looks forward and is filled with resolutions, plans, goals and energy.
It’s new exercise routines and new diets, at least for a few weeks.
It screams - Don’t look back, yesterday is done, stay future focused for success.
I think you most likely know that I love the Scriptures
The more I read them, the more I get from them,
- and the deeper I go, the richer my experience
• however, the journey is not always pleasant, and
◦ some parts of the Bible are not as easy to digest as others
◦ Hosea is not one of my favorite books
• still, there are verses in it that are among my favorites
◦ other than those few, working my way through Hosea,
is like crawling through a long, dark tunnel
◦ but the Bible doesn’t have to please me; I only need to let it speak to me
- in chapter 4, Hosea continues to hammer theme of spiritual adultery
• it’s like he can’t let go of it–perhaps God won’t allow him to let it go
◦ or maybe his own painful experience haunts him
• so far, it’s been the central metaphor of his prophecies
◦ he will move on to other more pleasant analogies, but not yet
Years ago, I was engaged in a conversation with two friends
In making a point, one of them quoted a famous evangelist,
“People change–but not that much”
- okay–so I reacted immediately, but kept my mouth shut
• this same person stood in front of large crowds,
◦ promising them that Jesus would transform their lives
◦ that in Christ, they would become a new creation
• that is the essence of the evangelical message
◦ it’s what we’ve been singing for the past 250 years
“I once was lost, but now I’m found; was blind but now I see”
◦ could we regard the scope of these changes "not that much"?
- what good is my Christian faith if it it isn't thorough? If it doesn’t make me a better person?
Since it has been a couple of weeks, let me remind you . . .
The book of Hosea is a love story – but not like a romance novel
- it was never meant to entertain
• God’s message came to Israel in a graphic illustration,
◦ played out in the life of his prophet
• first, God told Hosea to marry a prostitute
◦ the point was to give Israel a living re-enactment of
◦ their history with God – deserting him for another god or other gods
- Hosea and his wife had three children who were placed onto the stage with their parents
• each of their names revealed an aspect of the unfolding crisis
◦ Jezreel – a place where God would render a verdict, to bring closure
◦ Lo-Ruhamah – No Mercy – God would leave them to their fate
◦ Lo-Ami – Not Mine – God rejected them from being his people
• so up till now, the unfolding drama has been harsh
If what I read doesn’t match your Bible, there are two reasons
First, I’m reading from Robert Alter’s translation of the Old Testament
– so obviously that is different from other standard translations
• but another reason is that Alter worked from the Hebrew Bible,
◦ and in that version, chapter 1 has only nine verses
◦ in our English Bibles there are eleven verses in chapter 1
• so those two verses missing in chapter 1 are the beginning of chapter 2 in the Hebrew Bible
(If you didn’t get all that, just trust me; the texts are basically the same)
– reading through this chapter can be confusing
• that’s because in the first part God condemns his unfaithful wife
• but without warning, in the second part he is romancing her again
Before we began Galatians, I asked for recommendations as to where in scripture to go next
A trusted friend suggested we venture through the minor prophets
- “minor” because they are relatively short compared to Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel
• I hesitated for awhile, then procrastinated, finally hoping to dodge The Dozen prophets at the end of the Hebrew Scriptures
• even though the longest of them is only fourteen chapters and shortest is only one chapter,
◦ they still require as much study and preparation as the major prophets
◦ so it’s basically been a matter of laziness
- however, we have reached a point in our nation’s history,
• in which we need to hear the voice of these prophets
• and Hosea in particular
The Galatians were coming to the end of Paul’s letter,
And suddenly the handwriting was different
– instead of the well-formed characters of a professional scribe,
• the printed letters were large and scribbled
◦ this shift was certain to grab their attention
◦ like changing the “font” of a sentence in a document to all upper case or bold print
• but why did Paul insist on writing this last bit with his “own hand”?
◦ perhaps this is how he usually signed off (as many commentaries point out)
“I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write” (2 Thes. 3:17)
◦ or, he wanted to ensure that they took notice, and that is why he drew attention to it
Years ago, and in another life, I had a feisty personal assistant
Although she is genuinely compassionate, she had a favorite line: “Get over yourself”
- I think that held her together through a hard and complicated season of her life
• she said it to herself, to he friends, to people who called the church office for help,
◦ and more than once she said it to me–her boss
• but she never said it when I didn’t need to hear it
◦ Paul’s next lesson in this letter to the Galatians is, “Get over yourself”
- the chapter break here is unfortunate
• his contrast between the works of flesh and fruit of Spirit ended at chapter 5, verse 25
◦ verse 26 fits perfectly with where chapter 6
◦ now he begins to stress the importance of caring for each other
• “conceit” interferes with that personal care
◦ rather than assisting each other, conceit provokes others
◦ rather than respecting others, conceit envies others
“Get over yourself so you can be here for those who need you”
Paul has chased a serious concern through his entire letter
So it is not surprising that near the end, he would present an the ultimate challenge of the Christian life
- in verse 16 Paul begins last segment of his central message
• what follows in chapter 6 is his concluding remarks and directions
- what we have in verses 16-25 is this chunk of scripture that tracks one theme
• Paul makes this clear by marking where it begins and ends
•it begins in verse 16, “walk by the Spirit,” and in ends in verse 25, “live by the Spirit”
◦ in scripture, framing a passage this way is common, and is referred to as an envelope structure or closing circle
◦ anyway, the literary structure reveals the heart of the passage–it’s one key point
I assume most of us are familiar with The Message Bible
One of the more popular versions, and easiest to understand
– Eugene Peterson did not set out to write a new translation
• beginning in early 1980’s the U.S. economy went into a slump and mortgage interest rates were rapidly climbing
◦ people in his church were feeling the pinch, and reacting in the same way as people in town
Peterson, “Paranoia infected the small talk I would overhear on street corners and in barbershops. To my dismay, all of this seeped into my congregation without encountering any resistance.”
• to turn them from worldly concerns and find freedom in Jesus, he chose to immerse them in Galatians
If you ever decide to read the Bible all the way through,
At some point, you will find yourself struggling to understand it
– even if you’ve been a believer for a long time and read it before (or read a kiddie version)
• a passage will confuse you, trouble, or just seem wrong
◦ I’m fortunate to have many helpful resources
• however, when even those study aids leave me with questions
◦ then I resort to creative thought experiments; for instance, I ask, “what if”
◦ what if this were meant to frustrate? or be a puzzle? or experienced rather than studied?
– there have been occasions when these “off trail” ventures,
• have led me to surprising and edifying insights
For the last month or two, I’ve noticed a trend
– people are using a “Jesus image” in a variety of video posts
• like a famous celebrity, he’s immediately recognizable
◦ there’s the trademark long hair and beard, the robe, and sandals
◦ his image is used to promote an ideal, or to criticize, ridicule, or make fun of something
• three observations immediately come to mind:
◦ first, the image is used for propaganda purposes
◦ second, they’re all impersonators
third, not one of these characters is the real Jesus
– Galatians is Paul’s attempt to rescue his readers from impersonators
In the first half of this chapter, Paul scolded the Galatians
You know how sometimes, as a parent,
- when you're very worried about your child–maybe they did not arrive home on time
• when they finally show up, your worry turns to anger
◦ if ever our lectures were rougher than they needed to be,
◦ it was because we had agonized over their safety
• I think that's a little piece of what is happening here
◦ Paul has called the Galatians "foolish" and asked "Who has bewitched you?"
◦ that is because they had him worried about the stability of their faith
- it is often the people who are most concerned with pleasing God,
• that are misled by false preachers and teachers
◦ they desire so much to be absolutely right with God that they fall victim to someone who seems knowledgeable
• anyway, Paul' agitation rises to the surface in these short, clipped statements that barely say enough
- here in verse 15, he presents Abraham as an example of being true to a promise
Do I need to mention that Paul does not try to hide his frustration with the Galatians?
To our ears, his language--"foolish" and "Who has bewitched you?" sounds offensive
- later on he will say, if they’ve truly taken this wrong path,
“You are severed from Christ . . . you have fallen away from grace” (Gal. 5:4)
• he doesn’t mince words, because he’s terrified for their sake
◦ he wants to make the strongest possible impression on them
• and this is just the beginning
- we’re going to spend some time in verse 1
• first, because the truth in it is so rich and enlightening
• second, because here Paul constructs a foundation for everything else
Paul has shared with the Galatians a brief autobiography
He completed it with a story about his run-in with Peter
- when Peter first came to the Gentile church in Antioch,
• he allowed the wall between Jews and Gentiles to collapse
◦ but when rigid and dogmatic believers arrived from Judea,
◦ he broke away from close contact with Gentile believers
• how sad, when a person withdraws from generous gestures,
◦ ones that represents acceptance and camaraderie,
◦ and make the break for fear of being attacked by narrow-minded zealots
- somewhere along the way, Paul left off telling his story
• it was a backdrop for the point he wanted to make;
• namely, Jesus--and not the law--works God’s righteousness into believers
If you remember from last week, Paul is telling his story
Now, at the end of his autobiography he mentions Peter (Cephas)
– this is the only record of them ever having a personal encounter
• as Paul approaches the primary purpose of his letter
• he uses this story to illustrate his central point
– the leaders of the Church in Jerusalem recognized
the difference between his ministry and Peter’s
“they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted to the circumcised” (v. 7)
• he used those “circumcision” terms to distinguish between Gentiles and Jews, because he wanted to make a point
• they all belonged to Jesus, but Jewish believers had an obligation that did not apply to Gentiles
◦ circumcision is shorthand for all the laws of Moses
Last week we ventured into Paul’s letter to the Galatians
Right away we learned that he was not pleased with these Christians
- he accused them of deserting Jesus for “another gospel”
• but he hasn’t defined that other gospel specifically
• that's what he does in the next section of the letter that we will cover today
- beginning in verse 11, Paul writes a brief autobiography
• he does this because his personal history tells a story
• as we make our way through this passage I’m going to include details supplied by the Book of Acts
◦ that will give us a fuller perspective of the problem in the region of Galatia
I’m going to make this simple, and show you what I see in the introduction to this letter
First, there’s something different about the way it begins
- in Paul's usual typical greetings he identifies himself, his title, and whoever else is with him
• then, he greets and blesses his readers with, “grace and peace”
• but in this letter, before he mentions his companions, he takes a detour
◦ he turns this simple greeting into a strong assertion
- humans had nothing to do with Paul becoming an apostle
it was “not from man nor through man”
- this cuts to the heart of what Paul wants to say in this letter
• he’ll spend most of the first two chapters with autobiography
◦ how he was inspired and the revelations that came to him
• but that is because Paul is very upset, as will become obvious
◦ if you’ve ever been “lectured” by a parent, a police officer, or a teacher,
◦ you will recognize how Paul is dealing with the Galatians
For a few weeks we’ve been bouncing around in Scriptures
Next week we’ll settle into something more consistent,
- and I’ve chosen to hike through Paul’s letter to the Galatians
• but not today–
• my talk this morning will be another random meditation
- what I will say about this letter,
• Paul was not at all pleased with the churches in the region of Galatia
◦ he had introduced them to a life in God through Jesus
◦ but others had followed Paul with a “distorted gospel”
• so the Christian faith was represented by two different forms
◦ the distorted version emphasized a deadly legalism
◦ Paul’s version was a new life in the Spirit of God
“Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Gal. 3:2-3)
- I believe this letter identifies a problem that’s prevalent today
Pastor Allen was a preacher in Small Town, U.S.A. Relaxing at home one evening he settled into his recliner, pushed his reading glasses up to the bridge of his nose, and reached over to his side-table for something to take his mind off of work. He could have picked up one of the magazines lying there, or a novel with a bookmark where he left off, or if all else failed the TV remote.
He accidently grabbed his Bible.
Normally, when worn out in the evening, all he wanted was a distraction; anything that didn’t require exertion. The Bible, however, was “work.” He was never able to read it in a light-hearted way or for entertainment. The Bible required a serious attitude. One needed to come to it with reverence, humility, and focused attention.
His inner voice told him, “Read this.” So he chose to glance at a couple verses and move on. Without looking for any particular place to begin, he let his Bible fall open wherever it would, only being careful not to land in the Old Testament. Looking down he found himself in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 8. Skipping to the red letters, he began to read and heard Jesus saying,
“I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
In May we completed our trek through the Sermon On the Mount
Since then, I have not felt a strong direction toward bringing another series
- Nancy Lopez, whom I love and trust,
• suggested that we go through the Minor Prophets
◦ I’m still mulling that over
• meanwhile, I’ve been sharing on Sundays my own random musing from the past week
- today I’ve chosen an odd place to drop into the Scriptures
• and it will require some explaining,
• but I promise, the point I want to make is important
The way Luke introduces John the Baptist has a familiar ring:
“The word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness” (Lk. 3:2)
For example: “The word of the LORD that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri” or “The word of the LORD that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel”
- Luke is obviously forging a link between John and previous prophets
• Jesus will soon say, John was a prophet “and more than a prophet” (v. 26)
◦ John also appears as an eccentric character
• we usually focus on John’s wardrobe and diet
◦ but his message was edgy too – “fire and brimstone”
“He said to the crowds . . . ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? . . . . His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ So with many other exhortations he preached the good news to the people.” (Lk. 3:17-18)
1 Corinthians 8:1-6
It’s not one of my favorites, but this time something happened
- it was like I saw a glint of light sparkle from one of the verses
• so I started digging at it
◦ I took my investigation as far as I could,
◦ but when that wasn’t enough, I consulted a biblical scholar
• in a few minutes I’ll share with you what I discovered,
- but first, we’ll take a brief look at this passage
Reading the stories of Jesus,
Have you ever wished you could hear the tone of his voice?
- for instance, I imagine a note of disappointment or sadness when says,
“Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?”
• Philip was one of the first disciples to follow Jesus
◦ so he’s traveled with him as long or longer than the others
◦ if anyone should know Jesus, it’s Philip
• Jesus has completed his work, and his time with his disciples is winding down
◦ now, near the end, Philip doesn’t know Jesus as well as the Lord desired
- bear with me as I read through statements Jesus made re: himself
“I am the bread of life” (Jn. 6:35)
“I am the light of the world” (Jn. 8:12)
“You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world” (Jn. 8:23)
“I am the good shepherd” (Jn. 10:11)
“I am the Son of God” (Jn. 10:36)
“I am the resurrection and the life” (Jn. 11:25)
“You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am” (Jn. 13:13)
In an ultimate statement regarding his person, “Truly . . . before Abraham was, I am” (Jn. 8:58)
And in this same conversation: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life”
In a few minutes Jesus will say, “I am the true vine” (Jn. 15:1)
• the cumulative effect of these self-revealing statements,
◦ should have convinced Philip he’s seen the Father in Jesus
• one insight we can draw from this conversation:
◦ Jesus wants to be known by his followers,
◦ and in knowing him, he wants us to know God, his Father
For some theologians and many believers,
Paul’s letter to the Romans is the heart of the Christian faith
- but what they see as the central message isn’t my favorite part
• chapter 8 and this chapter speak directly to our need
• that is, our connection to God and life in the Spirit
◦ then chapter 14, where we learn what living our faith looks like in practice
- a natural division occurred in churches of the Roman Empire
• the split occurred along both ethnic and cultural lines
◦ they consisted of both Jewish and Gentile members
◦ Paul was clear re: his ministry, to Jews first and also to Gentiles
• in some churches, this became a problem – Galatians
◦ there is a hint of that same tension here (and in Colossians)
◦ only it has a slightly different look – based on practice
Do you have a favorite psalm; for instance, Psalm 23?
Whether one psalm speaks to me and another one doesn’t,
- depends a lot on my mood at the time I read them
• the Psalms are moody, and some of them match my mood perfectly
• whenever a psalm speaks to me, it’s effect is palpable
◦ it not only gives me something to think about,
◦ but also stirs up significant feelings
- the Psalms speak to our frustrations, conflicts, and heartaches
• there are psalms that encourage and console
• others give us wise counsel and guidance
• more than once, a psalm has met me in my grief
• many psalms are reminders that God is with us
Jesus crossed an international border looking for rest
Matthew says, he “went away” and “withdrew”
- he needed space where he was free from the desperate crowds
• care givers have to be careful to care for themselves
• otherwise burn out can take out a care giver
◦ during this brief respite, Jesus and disciples were off the clock
- last thing they wanted was to hear the cry of a Gentile woman
• Jesus buries his face in a newspaper or checks his cell phone
◦ seeing that he ignores her, she begins pestering his disciples
◦ and it worked – in frustration they went to Jesus
“Send her away, for she is crying out after us”
• they broke but not because they were more merciful than Jesus
Helmut Thielicke, “They can’t take the woman’s misery. The woman clearly feels that too, otherwise she would have turned to the weary and therefore more helpful disciples. She realizes, however, that they are not merciful in yielding to her cry for help. They just have weak nerves.”
◦ so far, she has been rejected and not helped
My grandchildren have been helping me with social media, by interpreting a slew of new acronyms
Acronyms are abbreviations for phrases, titles, or names, using only the first letters of each word
- for instance, USA, BTW, or RFK
• acronyms look strange, initially
◦ a popular political insult is RINO: Republican In Name Only
• this came to mind when reading a quote by Justin Martyr
◦ a first century philosopher who became a Christian
- he quoted the part of Jesus’ Sermon we've been going over (Mt. 7:21-27)
Justin Martyr, “. . . let those who are not found living as He taught, be understood to be no Christians, even though they profess with the lip the precepts of Christ; for not those who make profession, but those who do the works, shall be saved . . . . And as to those who are not living pursuant to these His teachings . . . are. . . “Christians only in name”
• Jesus continues with his theme from last week
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven"
◦ and now he concludes the Sermon with a parable
We’re nearing the end of Jesus’ Sermon
I think we must admit, there have been surprises along the way
- but it has been a journey of wonder, skirting the edges of the kingdom of God
• at the same time, the Lord has exposed us, to truth that is deep and difficult
• so, what does Jesus want to say to us this morning?
- though he’s never one to sugarcoat the hard things, Jesus is being rather blunt, don’t you think?
• maybe what we hear is a tone of voice that offends
◦ we ask, Where is God’s compassion and mercy?
• if Jesus must deliver this truth, couldn’t he at least be polite?
◦ but is there a polite way to shout, “The building’s on fire”? or "Run for your lives"?
◦ when Jesus is direct and rough, even then he loves us
Before we explore what Jesus is saying in these verses,
There are three issues that need to be addressed
First:
- belonging to a church family can sometimes be devastating
• I’ve met people whose first real family was their church
◦ it became their lifeline, until one day it fractured
◦ an angry and hostile faction split the church
• those on sidelines were so disillusioned, and so hurt,
◦ they never ventured into another church
◦ their church became their second destructive and dysfunctional family
- a similar sadness occurs when we discover a particular religious leader’s true colors,
• when the mask comes off and the real person is exposed
◦ maybe they were with us during a difficult time,
◦ maybe they quoted scripture and prayed with us
but now we see them for what they are
Every Easter, until COVID, my dad would host a Sunrise Service
(First at the Pacific Amphitheater and later the Verizon Amphitheater)
And most every year he would tell the same story; this one about Mary Magdalene
- you might expect people to say, “Oh no, not this story again,”
~ but instead it was, “Oh! This is one of my favorite sermons”
~ about forty years ago, a Sunrise Service was held at San Clemente High School
I went because I heard Eddie Piorek was going to speak
He also told the story of Mary Magdalene
- I’m don’t intend to recover or carry on a tradition today
~ but last week—Palm Sunday—we read the story about another Mary,
the one who poured perfume on Jesus’ feet
~ it felt right to spend a moment with the Mary in today’s story,
who lost Jesus and then found found him
John, in fact, highlights three Marys who appear in connection with Jesus’ death
Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, who prepared Jesus for his burial (Jn. 12:7)
Mary Magdalene, who stood by the cross and later came to the tomb,
And Mary the mother of Jesus
John 12:1-8
INTRO: I know this is Palm Sunday and I read the wrong story
However, this is like an introduction to this big occasion, because
Jesus came to stay in the home of his friends the day before his grand entrance
- by the time he reached Bethany, his ministry was winding down
~ when we read to the end of this chapter,
We come to the end of Jesus’ service to the crowds (in John’s Gospel)
~ they will hear nothing more from him, personally
- in fact, this important detail of limited opportunity is highlighted in this chapter
I wonder how long Mary had been wanting to bless Jesus in this way
- she not have been sure she’d ever have the opportunity
~ but here he was, right there in her home
if she chickened out now, would she have a second chance?
~ turns out, she wouldn’t! it was now or never
- later on, Jesus will talk about missed opportunities — vv. 35-36 & 46
You may hear something today you haven’t heard before
So I’m going to try to make this as clear as possible
- we need to consider the larger context that surrounds and informs verses 12-14
• not only the context of this chapter, but in Jesus’ entire Sermon
- the first big idea is this:
• the key to interpreting these verses is love
• it may not look like it at first, so we jump to other verses to shed light on these
◦ but those similarities turn out to be coincidence and not real connections
◦ if we stay with the themes of the Sermon, we will see how these verses fit
Three times in Matthew we find the phrase, “the Law and the Prophets”
- two of those times occur here in the Sermon
• in one other place he says “the Prophets and the Law” -- reversing the order
◦ there Jesus is referring to John the Baptist’s ministry, and he said,
"For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John" (Mt. 11:13)
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened Matthew 7:7-8
Intro: Before we explore what God has for us in these verses,
We need to address a misconception about what Jesus is promising
- reading these verses closely, something piqued my curiosity
• in verse 7 Jesus encourages us to ask, seek, and knock
• then verse 8 is a virtual repetition of verse 7, only it’s more like a guarantee
◦ is is as though Jesus is saying, “Do this! You’ll see that it works”
- then–as if that were not enough–Jesus adds an illustration
• we'll come to that in a moment, but the point is we can count on God’s favorable response
• why does Jesus make this effort to convince us to go to the Father to ask, seek, and knock?
Judge not, that yo be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measured you use it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:1-2
Intro: Until recently, whenever I came to this chapter I felt lost
I was able to follow the continuity of Jesus’ Sermon this far,
- but I was not able to see how chapter 7 fit with what came before it
• I assumed that our Lord chose to add these random lessons as an afterthought
◦ but I made a mistake, and that was thinking I had come to a new chapter
◦ and the new chapter appeared different from the previous chapters
• but the truth is that the chapter breaks in the Bible are artificial
◦ they weren’t inserted in the Scriptures until 16th century
◦ this created the illusion of one thought ending and a new thought beginning
- the thread of the Sermon’s central themes continue through chapter 7 to the end
• previously, Jesus had been teaching his disciples with their spiritual development in view:
◦ this included:
The revelation of a true righteousness
Offering service to God without seeking recognition from others
How to eliminate anxiety by seeking first the kingdom of God
Did you know, many Christians avoid the Sermon On the Mount?
The problem is that they misread the Sermon
- they think Jesus demands a perfection that is beyond us
• what actually happens in the Sermon is that it empowers us
◦ we learn the way of sincerity, integrity, and mercy
• whatever else it might mean to be Christian,
◦ above all, it means to be a “good person”
◦ loving, caring, helping, serving
- I feel that what we go over today can’t be “just another talk”
• we need to know how to get Jesus’ teaching into our hearts, and minds, and our everyday lives
• this verse, that I skimmed over last week,
◦ teaches us where we need to go from here
Jesus is explaining and extending what he had said in verse 21
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”
In scripture, the heart can have several meanings
- here, it isn’t the physical organ that pumps blood through our bodies
• nor is it exclusively the seat of our feelings or emotions
• here the heart is the central hub of our entire inner life
◦ our perspectives, perceptions, and assumptions
◦ our thoughts, feelings, and emotions
◦ our needs, desires, and drives
◦ our motives, intentions, and habits
◦ our actions and reactions, beliefs, and commitments
- the heart stands for your complete interior “person”
• what Jesus wants is for our hearts to belong to God
◦ and that’s where we left off
◦ his last point is that we cannot serve both a heavenly Father and a materialistic god
We’re still in the Sermon On the Mount,
But I’m going to begin by reading a of couple verses from Psalm 139
- this is one of the very popular Psalms
• its beautiful and haunting poetry are easy for us to follow
◦ and at the same time, carries us from heights of the heavens
◦ and depths of the ocean, to the abyss of our own souls
• it begins:
“ O LORD, you have searched me and known me!”
◦ but then it ends:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Ps. 139:1 and 23-24)
- although David begins confessing God has searched him and known him,
• he ends the poem with a request that God will search him
◦ I think that’s because he realizes God knows his heart,
◦ and he does not know it as well as God
• the truth is, we can fool our own hearts about how righteous we are
This week I met with Harry Robinson – a few of you may know him
He is a man of God and a visionary, and for awhile we worked together
- he is also someone I love and respect
• during our long, rambling conversation, Harry said something that woke me up
• he said, “I’ve been finding beauty lately–everywhere”
- it seems I need to be awakened to beauty
• friends do this for me – though they don’t always know it
◦ maybe, I’ve been trudging through too much muck, concerned with
◦ the condition of our nation and disappointed with obnoxious Christians
• but since our meeting on Tuesday, I’ve been seeing more beauty
I’ll tell you why we begin with beauty today
Because Jesus has been warning us away from behavior
- we could describe as “ugly religion,”
• and it has been spreading through our culture in recent years
◦ it’s always been here: people who enjoy heated arguments
◦ who assume it’s their job to pronounce judgments,
◦ who will always act like they’re more righteous than others
• it’s possible you’ve seen your share of ugly religion
Jesus has given the world this incredible prayer
Recited every day and prayed in almost every language,
- it contains the essence of what everyone needs to say to God and ask of him
• and yet, when Jesus taught this prayer to his disciples,
◦ it was in a side comment he felt needed to be included
• up to this point, Jesus theme beginning in verse 1 was, "Don’t advertise your spiritual devotion and service to God"
◦ he follows this statement with three examples: charity, prayer, and fasting
• there are four parts to each example:
First, “Don’t be like the hypocrites, to be seen by others”
Second, “The hypocrites are rewarded when others notice them”
Third, “Serve God in secret, keep it between you and the Father”
Fourth, “Your reward will come from the Father”
◦ this was how he began this second example, "Don't pray like the hypocrites"
◦ but then the Lord swerved onto a side-track
Don’t pray like the Gentiles
• and he was still off-topic when he taught them the "Lord's Prayer" (AKA: the “Our Father”)
◦ the impression I get reading this is that Jesus felt this point required elaboration
◦ in a sermon that defines our spiritual life, prayer is key!
The next point of Jesus’ sermon has to do with prayer
I don’t think you need me to teach you anything about prayer
- one year in Russia, an orphan tried to teach me the alphabet
• but she gave up on me – there was just one letter, I could not pronounce well enough to please her
◦ I couldn’t even hear the sound she was making when she said the letter
• prayer isn’t like that– prayer is the native language of every child of our heavenly Father
◦ we may feel we're not doing it right,
◦ but God hears what we feel and need even if we can’t put those things into words
- there’s no Christian life or experience without prayer
• if you want lessons on prayer, read the Psalms
◦ there you’ll find every prayer imaginable, and nothing is out of bounds
• otherwise, there is also Paul's explanation of how God’s Spirit helps us and prays within us
◦ and in those instances, words are optional
Peter and Andrew were knee-deep in Lake Galilee. A school of fish swam near shore, so they threw a net into water, dragging out whatever it collected. Jesus, walking the shore that morning, stopped and called to them. When they turned and looked at him, he said, “Follow me.” It was as if they were waiting for that moment, because they dropped everything to go with him. As Matthew tells the story, it was not long after they got the call that they were sitting on a nearby mountainside, listening to Jesus teaching lessons on True Righteousness and how to walk that spiritual path. They heard, first the Beatitudes, then the impossible requirement (5:20), after that Jesus ran through several examples of what the True Righteous looks like.
Now Jesus takes them to a new gate, where written on a sign hanging from it was the word “Beware.”
Today we reach the end of this second part of the Sermon
But not until Jesus takes us all the way to end of the trail we’re on
- we've been following a theme that began with Jesus saying,
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. . . . For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 5:17-20)
• we’ve seen the heart of the Law and Prophets is relational
• Jesus will confirm this later on in Matthew's gospel when he is tested by a lawyer
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets" (Mt. 22:35-40)
◦ notice he makes reference to "the Law and the Prophets" again,
and he says that love for God and others is the summation of those Scriptures
There’s a fateful story in the Bible that begins like this:
It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (2 Sam. 11:2-4)
You know the directory in the mall, with the little star that reads, “You are here”?
Well, let's figure out where we are in Jesus' Sermon
- we’ve been through the Beatitudes
• we've made the transition from Jesus’ closing remarks to his declaration that he had not come
"to abolish the Law or the Prophets,"
• but to empower them so they do in our lives what they’re meant to do;
◦ and that is to turn human hearts toward God
Approaching 2025, I found myself struggling with hope for the new year
- I think of myself as an optimist
• for instance, Divorce equals two Christmases and two birthdays
- but today's world looks grim
• vicious election cycle, out of control inflation, wars, many tragedies, etc.
• I have been searching for hope
We need to know where we are in Jesus’ Sermon
Verses 17-20 are the heart of the Sermon (perhaps the heart of the entire Bible)
- these verses hold the key to interpreting the rest of Sermon
• unfortunately, many Christians read this passage, but don’t understand it
- speculations have resulted in some big errors:
• one, is that Jesus and St. Paul were not on the same page
◦ i.e., Jesus taught we’re made righteous by the Law
◦ Paul insisted we’re righteous by faith, and not works of the Law
• another error: the Sermon was meant for a Jewish audience not for Christian disciples
◦ because of this kind of misreading and faulty interpretation, it’s really important that we get this right
Back in the days, when I was the pastor of a sizeable church,
We would celebrate Christmas with big productions. One year, when the stage was crowded with props and children, the music still ringing in our ears, I went to the microphone with my Bible in hand. As I began to speak, a girl six or seven years old, who had been sitting on a step right in front of me, stood up. She turned around, and with hands on her hips looked up at me and said, “Boring!”
- Christmas is a challenge – we run through the same story every year
• but here's a twist:
◦ we’ve heard (plenty of times ) that Jesus is God’s Christmas gift to world
◦ but coming to Christmas through the Sermon, we hear something new
• Jesus announces that he is not God’s only Christmas gift
◦ we are also God’s gift to the world–we’re not the big one;
◦ we're more like stocking stuffers – but still, we’re salt and light
These last two Beatitudes on Jesus’ list are not easy to digest
Jesus envisions a grim future for us – and if so,
- we’re expected not only to survive it, but to rejoice and be glad
• John Chapman was the Abbot of a monastery in Britain
• he was also a spiritual director to others, especially through letter writing
◦ one man who wrote to him, wanted his insight as to
◦ how he could extricate himself from a painful situation
Chapman, “I cannot possibly show you a way out . . . . [what you have is] the simple experience that suffering is really suffering and that the chief feeling it causes is rebellion against it, and even against Providence for allowing it. ¶ It is all a nasty medicine, but works wonders.”
- we agree it’s a nasty medicine, but doubt it works wonders
• we’re more of the opinion expressed by Helmut Thielicke,
Thielicke, “What a ghastly prospect! It makes one ask in all seriousness how Jesus could ever have gained disciples with an appeal like that.”
• so I think what we need to do first, is back away from these verses
◦ and get an aerial view of the entire Sermon
The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation. They say that God
became Man. Every other miracle prepares for this, or exhibits this, or results from this.
C. S. Lewis, ". . . In the Christian story God descends to re-ascend. He comes down; down from the
heights of absolute being into time and space, down into humanity . . . down to the very
roots and sea-bed of the Nature He has created." (C S Lewis)
Incarnation literally means “embodied in flesh…or taking on flesh”
The union of the Divine Nature with human nature…as the Son of God assumed our
flesh, body and soul.
Jesus is sitting on a mountain overlooking Sea of Galilee
He is teaching a course on “Christian Spirituality”
- we are now five weeks into his introduction: The Beatitudes
• prior to teaching this course, Jesus had been announcing, "the kingdom of heaven is at hand"
◦ the course he teaches is meant to prepare us for that kingdom
◦ the Beatitudes reveal characteristics of the abundant life--the truly "good life"
• Jesus is not giving us a new list of rules
◦ he isn’t telling us what we should be doing, but describing what his followers are becoming
• all through this course, Jesus is working from the inside-out
◦ this is obvious in the next Beatitude we’re going to probe
“Blessed are the pure in heart”
When I began preparing today’s talk, there was a sudden moment when I felt very small
The spiritual wisdom of Jesus rivals every other enlightened text
- even gurus, like Gandhi, who rejected Christianity have admired the Sermon
• reading the words of Jesus, and trying to explain them to you,
◦ leaves me feeling inadequate and foolish
◦ like a four-year old who is told, “Explain quantum physics
- what I know about these two Beatitudes, I learned on the job,
• not from other Bible teachers or commentaries,
◦ but in my own ministry of applying the words of God to the lived experience of people on this journey
• what we’ll go over today may be challenging, but it will be practical and liveable,
◦ and what I believe Jesus wants us to learn
Welcome back to Jesus’ Sermon On the Mount
He begins with the Beatitudes – not to be confused with "benedictions"
- they are more like a series of riddles
• he describes conditions in which people are already blessed
◦ already acceptable to God and discovering the abundant life
◦ but what he says sounds like the opposite of abundant life
• we would never tell a friend who is grieving, “You’re so blessed”
◦ and even in Jesus’ time and culture meekness was a deficit
- for this reason, we must pat attention to both lines of each Beatitude
• the first line is an incomplete picture
◦ something else comes after the situation Jesus identifies
◦ his “Blessed are” lines are explained in the “for they shall be” lines
• Jesus surprises us in order to enlighten us
◦ he reveals the contrast between worldly values and heavenly
◦ I admit, the most difficult place to practice the Beatitudes is in real life
Recently, I came across an interesting ad:
The caption said, “Free AI Sermon Generator”
“Free AI sermon outlines help you preach a confident, creative message. AI sermon starter ideas make your sermon fresh and relevant.”
- I realized, from now on my life could be easy; for example,
• last week I mentioned my frustration with “kingdom” (bringing to mind the idea of a nation with borders)
Last week I gave my introduction to the Sermon On the Mount
This week we’re going to look at Matthew’s introduction
- but first, I have a question – and it’s for me as much as anyone:
Are we ready for this?
- the Lord has made many changes in our exterior lives,
• but the big challenge of the Sermon is what it does on the interior
◦ we’ve cleaned up our speech; what about our thoughts?
◦ we've given up bad habits; what about desires and resentments?
• I rationalize my inner life:
“My thoughts don't hurt anyone” and “I’ve a right to my private thoughts”
◦ the Sermon tells me, “Not any more”
A couple weeks ago someone told me,
“Your next series of talks should be about The Sermon On the Mount”
- that title has a pleasant ring to it, doesn’t it?
• isn’t that where Jesus talks about birds and lilies? Love your enemies? Do not judge?
• it’s like a friend has invited us on an outing:
“Hey, go with us to the park for a picnic. We’re going to sing our favorite worship choruses, then share our favorite Bible verses.”
- but the reality is, the Sermon isn’t butterflies and rainbows
• it doesn’t read like a collection of Hallmark greeting cards
• it contains the most intense demands in all of scripture
◦ some Christians have given up on it
The prophetic ministry of Elijah provides one of the most entertaining stories in all the Bible. When it comes to phenomenal miracles, Elijah’s only rival would be Moses. His spiritual stature as a man of God is equal to the greatest heroes in scripture, and yet St. James wrote, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours” (Jas. 5:17). Like us, Elijah could be frightened, discouraged, and ready to give up.
Elijah would have been a fun person to know– if you like surprises. For instance, this final episode begins with a surprise. It seems we were supposed to already know he was going to be swept up to heaven by a whirlwind. He certainly knew that his work was done and something significant was about to happen, but it’s not likely he was aware he would take a ride unlike any other in the entire history of humankind. As we walk the last leg of his journey with him, it’s as if he already has one foot out the door.
Psalm 3 is the most loved, most quoted, and best known of all Psalms
There are lots of reasons for this.
It’s short – just six verses. But though it’s so short it’s incredibly deep.
It’s simple – easy to understand. The Lord, the shepherd is God. I am the sheep. I get it!
And there is something uniquely encouraging, comforting, and empowering about this Psalm.
So, this morning, I’d like to give you Psalm 23 as a “fixed focal point” for your faith – through all the different seasons and experiences of your life.
This first sentence of 2 Kings is an odd way to begin a new chapter. The transition from the previous book to this one could have been much smoother. For instance, the last lines of 1 Kings provide all the explanation we need for this new episode:
Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria . . . and he reigned for two years. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother . . . . He served Baal and worshiped him and provoked Yehovah, the God of Israel, to anger in every way that his father had done (1 Ki. 22:51-53)
Instead of this clear statement regarding the throne of Israel passing from the deceased father to the firstborn prince, we have an odd report of Moab’s rebellion. Why?
King Ahab left the battlefield, victorious over the Syrians, but he arrived home moody and sullen. In theory, there’s no reason for kings to be “moody and sullen.” If they are troubled, they have counselors. If they feel sad, they have jesters. If they need comfort, the priest is always on call. Having the luxuries afforded them by wealth and power, one imagines they could avoid ever being moody and sullen.
Ahab may have assumed he did a good thing, releasing the enemy king who had attacked Israel, and sending him back to Syria with a slap on the wrist. But as he was riding through his troops with them congratulating him, there was suddenly that miserable prophet standing in his way, telling him God did not want King Ben-hadad to go free, and Ahab would pay for that wrong he did in releasing him. That spoiled everything.
Today’s episode requires an explanation, because my plan was to skip this chapter. For the past seven weeks we’ve been immersed in the story of Elijah, but for some reason he does not appear here; not even his name is mentioned. But that is one of the curiosities in this episode that interests me. There are still gifted seers through whom God delivers messages to King Ahab, and these three fill the void that Elijah leaves. However, not even one of the three is named, but each one is identified by a title: the first is simply “a prophet,” the second is “a man of God,” and the third is “a certain man of the sons of the prophets,”
I have two reasons for including this chapter in the story of Elijah, even though we lose sight of him. First, there is a strong connection between the end of this episode and a moment in the next episode where an unusual phrase is repeated using the exact same words. The link is strong enough to suggest a theme that deserves attention.
The second reason I’m including this chapter is because I-love-this-story! The first time I discovered a truth revealed in this chapter, it was something I desperately needed to learn. So, here we go.
The Elijah with whom we spent time in the previous chapter is hardly recognizable in this episode. He is no longer the prophet who lost heart and had been wallowing in defeat, sulking in a cave. He was transformed. Once again he is on the move, and you would have had to jog to keep pace with his long, rapid strides. Every time his foot hit the ground, it raised a small, meaningful dust cloud. He was on assignment for Yehovah–nothing could stand in his way. The wild and fearless prophet was back.
God had given him three tasks to perform involving three men: Hazael, who would become king of Syria; Jehu, would become king of Israel; and Elisha, who would become his replacement. Elijah began with the third task; and as the Lord would have it, Elisha, his protégé would complete the other two assignments after he was gone. So at least he could cross the Elisha task off his “to do” list.
Elijah was excited–an energetic excited–an excited he had not allowed himself to indulge until now. The tide was turning. The entire crowd witnessed God’s answer from heaven. They had been won over. They had chanted, “Yehovah, he is God! Yehovah, he is God!” The king was there too. He saw it for himself. Now he also knew who was the real God.
Running off to Jezreel was a bold move for Elijah. King Ahab had a palace there, and the royal family used it to retreat from the demanding affairs of state in the capital city. But the contest had been huge, the miracle breathtaking, and the response of the crowd overwhelming. This was the beginning. God was brining Israel out of their idolatry and back to himself. Elijah was confident of it–maybe overconfident. He may have missed one detail.
What happened on Mount Carmel was a substantial breakthrough, and one could imagine that a spiritual revival was underway. However, Elijah may have overlooked one potential fly in the ointment: Queen Jezebel.
Elijah found King Ahab sitting off by himself still as a statue, staring into nothing, and his face coated in confusion. Ahab wondered, “What just happened? How could it have happened?” His feud with Elijah had ended suddenly in a phenomenon of fire and blood. His army of prophets failed to rouse their Bah-al god, while from the sky Yehovah answered Elijah with a spectacle never before seen. The king was defeated, but it was a strange loss that left him groping for his next move. Elijah had proved himself to be the real deal, and Yehovah proved himself to be the true God. Would Ahab now have to switch gods? Reform his rule over Israel? Defy his wife Jezebel?
Elijah’s voice broke his trance. “Ahab,” he called to him, “Go up higher, get something to eat and drink. There’s a sound of thundershowers coming our way.”
There must have been court officials who wished they could restrain King Ahab’s poor decisions and thoughtless actions. But those with enough skill in diplomacy to hold a position in the royal court also had enough sense to value their lives. Ahab was too full of himself to take advise from anyone else, let alone, take orders.
However, there was that one exception.
From the time Elijah first set foot in Israel, the king willingly listened to him and did as he was told. Perhaps Ahab believed there was more that a slight possibility Elijah’s words came straight from the God of Israel. Perhaps he respected Elijah for this reason. Or, maybe Ahab was afraid of Elijah. Anyway, when the prophet told him to assemble all the people of Israel, and summon the 450 prophets of Baal, the king obeyed him.
The village where Elijah had been living was on the Mediterranean coast, so I find it easy to imagine him walking the shoreline, allowing the onshore breeze to be refreshed. He listens to the rhythm of the waves and the squawking seagulls, and opens his heart to receive the moment. Then, hearing something else, he pauses, and shading his eyes from the glare of the sun’s bright reflection glancing off the ripples that stretch to the distant horizon, he looks and he listens. And now, after many days, the word of Yehovah comes to him–again.
Before we have finished reading the story of Elijah, we will have learned more about the mysterious Word of Yehovah, how it came to Israel’s prophets, how it empowered them to obey it, and then how we can condition ourselves to become sensitive enough to the voice of God when he speaks his word to us.
Picking up from last week, directed by the word of Yehovah, Elijah came to the home of a widow in Sidon, north of Israel’s border. She had helped Elijah when he was hungry and homeless. She let him stay in her home, in the small room upstairs. She hid him from King Ahab’s spies. And, now, this! Her son was struck down with an illness. Was this the reward for her hospitality and kindness.
Who is she? What is her name? We were never told, and now it’s buried in a history archeology cannot retrieve. Her son is nameless too. Nameless, and yet we know them. We know about widows, we know the sons of single moms. There were a mass of them in biblical times and hundreds of thousands more today. We may not know the specifics of their personal identities, but we know enough to draw us into their dramas.
A crooked king, a wicked queen, and a foreign god. You know this is going to be a great story. That’s because in literature (and storytelling), evil is more entertaining than good. We can predict a good person’s actions–they will be honest, kind, generous, and always choose what is right. The villains, however, are full of surprises. And they typically create the conflict that the heroes must overcome and resolve.
There are times when the scoundrels are at their worst, the champions must be all the more outstanding. This is exactly what we find at the beginning of our story. If Ahab was the most wicked king in Israel’s history, Elijah will prove to be Israel’s most illustrious prophet.
This week a nearby church hosted a Vacation Bible School
My fourteen-year-old granddaughter, Adrianna, volunteered to help out
- on Friday, a friend sent me a video that she filmed the day before
• when I watched it, there was Adrianna on a stage in front of a crowd of kids
• she had a Bible in her hand, and from it she read a couple verses from the Psalms
◦ then she gave a brief talk, encouraging everyone to trust God’s love and faithfulness
- Adrianna was superb – as if she were a professional and had done this for years
• I was very impressed
In this final chapter we come to the end of the vision
To me, it feels like waking up from a dream
- just before I woke up yesterday morning, I was enjoying a pleasant dream
• I heard someone call me, and I was immediately awake
◦ the house was completely silent
◦ I then realized it was my dad’s voice in the dream that called my name
• for me, this chapter unfolds in the same sort of fuzzy way
- four times, the voice of Jesus breaks into the flow of the chapter
• however, it does not feel like an interruption
• perhaps we could imagine the chapter flows like a documentary
◦ John is narrating, then the camera shifts and Jesus delivers a live quote
Once again, John begins to describe an event with “I saw”
We are reminded that this entire book is a mystical vision and uses the strange language of images and symbols
- however, we could be tempted to read last two chapters differently,
• as if John were describing events in a literal future
• but when, once again, he says “I saw,” we know this is the same as the rest of the book
- so we turn our imaginations toward what he saw;
• namely, something that had been predicted in prophecy of Isaiah
For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth,
the former things shall not be remembered
or come to mind (Isa. 65:17)
◦ "heavens and earth" refer to all of creation
I’m going to begin with a quote by St. Augustine
In The City of God he traces two cities through world history
Augustine, “Accordingly, two cities have been formed by two loves: the earthly [city] by the love of self, even to the contempt of God; the heavenly [city] by the love of God, even to the contempt of self. The former, in a word, glories in itself, the latter in the Lord.”
- John, the visionary, identifies the heavenly city as Jerusalem and the earthly city Babylon
• Babylon is featured in chapters 17 and 18, then in chapters 21-22 we visit the new Jerusalem
- Growing up, I was taught that in these chapters of Revelation, Babylon was the Roman Catholic Church
• this was reinforced in commentaries and books I read later on
◦ but one morning, reading these chapters, I said to myself, |
“This is not the Roman Catholic Church! If anything, it’s the USA.”
• now I realize that the city revealed exercises a worldwide and inescapable influence
A few years ago, Barry Liesch, a professor at Biola-Talbot University,
- wrote an article on worship in the book of Revelation
• he suggested that by using its examples of form, content, and splendor,
◦ we might enjoy a more meaningful, intense, and richer worship experience
• worship here on earth is already a participation in heaven’s worship
◦ our prayers are mixed with the incense that burns in heaven (Rev. 8:3)
- it will not always be a feel-good worship (that’s for sure!)
• but it would be authentic and appropriate to the moment
• that’s how I view the song of worship we’ll soon read
I’ve been feeling that talking about the book of Revelation
Is like trying to practice dream interpretation
- how do I make sense out of all these foreign signs and symbols?
- of course, the bigger question is: what is God’s Spirit trying to communicate to us?
I think most anyone reading Revelation sees that it takes a turn in chapter 13
What stays the same: the dragon (Satan) is still here
- at least at the start – and he’s continuing his fight against God
What changes: the dragon, after being defeated three times in the previous chapter
- now scores a significant victory
- also, prior to this, his battle has been in the religion arena
• he tried to sabotage the life and ministry of Jesus
• but now he changes the battlefield and his strategy
Yesterday Barb asked me, “Are you still in Revelation?”
In answered with a weary, “Yes”
She said, “Oh.” then added, “You’ll probably be in Revelation till the end of the world”
One of the challenges of this mystical book is distraction
- the shifting scenes, outrageous creatures, and sudden surprises pull my thoughts in different directions
• if I blink, my mind turns a corner and I’m on the wrong street
- John has left us with more than a book of visions
• Revelation is a rich resource for our spiritual journey
◦ it helps us to identify who we are in Jesus,
◦ to discover where we are, and where we go from here
• but to understand it, we need to read in two dimensions
◦ events going on in heaven are revealed in symbols
◦ these run parallel to events taking place on heart
What unfolds on earth, mirrors what is going on in heaven
We have arrived at the heart of Revelation
Not only the middle of the book, but its central message
- I’m going to take you backstage and show you my work room
• the Bible is many books and among them, different writing styles
◦ there are books of history (written more or less like storytelling), poetry, legal codes, prophetic writings, wise sayings, and letters
◦ each literary style has its own form, rules, and devices, and that style determines how it is to be read and interpreted
• for instance, poetry, wherever it appears in the Hebrew Scriptures, uses lots of parallelism
◦ one line is followed by another (or more than one other) line that mimic or react to it
◦ sometimes the second line repeats the first line backwards, or uses different words to say the same thing, or intensifies the message of the first line, and so on
Story of El Sal Prison
There's something life giving when we choose to be a loving presence. Especially to those who
have been out-casted.
I’m addicted to it… but I’m not perfect at it.
I have a sneaky suspicion that after I share about this, I’ll be reminded of how great it is to be a
loving presence and then I’ll get into my truck outside and start driving…
Watch as that just sails away off into the pacific ocean when someone cuts me off
You feel me on that?
Wanting to be a loving presence but falling short in the process?
It's not easy
I get the feeling that when we read the book of Revelation,
We tend to watch each scene unfold from a safe distance
- I don’t think it was meant to read this way,
• we’re supposed to feel a threatening closeness
• we’re drawn into the dream – it’s our collective nightmare
- John was certainly more than a spectator
• characters approach him, converse with, and engage him
◦ in this chapter he’ll be told to take and eat what he has been shown
• we do not merely read the Revelation, we encounter it
◦ we go on an adventure through this fantastical other-world
When my children were small, I’d read to them every night
First from a book of fairytales, then from a Bible storybook
- we would pray, say goodnight, and turn off the lights
• we were careful about the last thing that entered their minds before bed
• I doubt we can prevent our kids from having nightmares
◦ but we can do things to help them sleep well
◦ and we can comfort them after a nightmare
- I certainly would have never read from Revelation the last thing before bed!
• this makes me wonder why God gives us this nightmare stuff
• anyway, we know that God can make good use of anything
They came on the first day of week, first thing in morning
They knew what spices and ointments to bring,
- and knew what they were doing – they had done this before
• what they did not know, was that overnight their world had changed
• so what they found at the tomb was not what they expected
- I love the lines:
Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen
• they had come to the wrong place, looking for wrong thing
◦ they came to a cemetery looking for a dead body
◦ but Jesus wasn’t there – and he wasn’t a corpse
• they were wrong that morning – but not they were not the only ones who were wrong
◦ the apostles were wrong to not believe them
◦ the two on the road to Emmaus were wrong when they said, "We had hoped" – using the past tense
(Jesus still was "the one to redeem Israel"; v. 21)
◦ the disciples were wrong when Jesus appeared to them and they mistook him for a ghost
But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit (Lk. 24:37)
How did Palm Sunday become recognized as a holy day?
I don’t mean, how did it get put on the Church calendar,
- but why do we celebrate it?
• Palm Sunday is not like Christmas, Good Friday, or Easter
◦ these were the major events in Jesus’ life and ministry
• but Palm Sunday is not noteworthy in the same way
◦ in fact, if you’ll excuse the expression, it sort of fizzled out
◦ by the end of the week, Jesus had been crucified
- I’ll share with you why I celebrate Palm Sunday
• because this was only time that Jesus permitted public recognition
◦ until now, he told his disciples to keep his identity a secret
• but on this day he allows people to celebrate who he is
◦ he wants this moment in the spotlight – he planned it
◦ it’s because Jesus wanted to be recognized that I remind myself to see and worship him for who he is
Revelation is not a normal book – in fact, it’s a conundrum
We enter a mystical world of symbols without a map or compass
- as I understand it, the Revelation is meant to open our eyes to a reality beyond our knowing or experiencing
• there is no way for us to go straight into it with our rational minds
- I’ll share something with you that helps me understand this
• consider a person blinded by cataracts since birth
◦ when, as an adult, the cataracts are removed, they do not immediately see clearly
◦ the world appears to them as a confusion of shapes and colors
◦ they cannot recognize or understand anything they see unless they also touch an object or hear a familiar voice
You may not have noticed, but something is missing
The action that began prior to this chapter involved a magic scroll secured with seven seals
- six of those seals have been opened (chapter 6)
• but now in chapter 7, there’s no mention of the seventh seal
• instead, we have come to an interlude before returning to the seventh seal
- this will happen again (after six trumpets sound, then there's a delay before the seventh)
• while I’m at it, “After this” is not chronological
◦ it does not refer to the next thing that happened as in a sequence, but the next thing John saw
• he’s not marking days on calendar, he’s "changing channels"
◦ John says, “Let’s see what’s happening over here”
- then he takes us two places:
• in verses 1-8 we see what is happening on the earth
• in verses 9-17 we see what is happening in heaven
A long time ago, I became interested in Douglas Coupland’s works of fiction
One novel he wrote as if it were the journal of a young man traumatized as a child
- his character had lived on a military base that came under a nuclear threat, and everyone was rushed into a shelter
• this had left a lasting and foreboding impression on him
• an entire chapter consists of brief scenarios he imagined of his life interrupted by an atomic explosion
◦ he gives graphic and creative expression to the experience of a flash like lightning, except for it being everywhere, and powerful blast, and the world dissolving into dust
◦ his journal entries in that chapter begin with lines, like:
“I was by the fridge in the kitchen when it happened”
“I was having my hair done when it happened”
“I was at the mall when it happened”
- the feeling he evokes in his powerful images probably has the effect on us as John's vision in chapter 6 had on its first readers
Among Jeremiah’s prophecies, we find one that is different from the rest.
The difference is that this one brings a positive message regarding Israel’s future
- after receiving the prophecy, Jeremiah says,
At this I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me (Jer. 31:26)
• when I wake up from a pleasant dream, I want to go back to sleep and continue it
• that's because some issue was resolved, finally “worked,” or I just got a lucky break
◦ dreams help our brains work through stresses, upsets, some puzzle is solved
- explaining the unconscious, some psychologists use an iceberg illustration
• our waking conscious is the small tip of the iceberg that is visible above water
◦ the great mountain of the iceberg is submerged beneath the surface
• there’s this huge repository of stored memories in our unconscious
◦ things that we never think about, yet they shape our perception of self and others, and of our behavior
◦ our brains access these hidden files and bring them into our dreams, usually by way of symbols
One day, a few years ago, I was visiting my oldest daughter
Her oldest daughter, came to me and said, “I dreamed you last night”
- she had told my daughter, “I dreamed grandpa”
• Jennifer asked her, “Which grandpa?” she said, “The bald one.”
• fortunately I have another dream story
- in 1992, my life had been shattered by divorce
• that summer a nine year old boy in the church sent me a letter
◦ he had colored a picture that looked like a church, with clouds in the sky
◦ a from one giant cloud a text bubble emerged with the message, "Hi Chuck"
◦ a little stick figure on the ground was saying, "Hi God!"
• with the picture I also received the following letter:
Chapters 2 and 3 may be the most well known section of Revelation
At least two of our favorite quotations are found here
- what’s the theme of these chapters? Answer: “Church Repairs”
• in chapter 1 Jesus appears in a form not found in the Gospels
• in his right hand he held seven stars–which represented the angels of the seven churches
◦ in scripture, the hand represents power, control, and ownership
- so in these two chapters, Jesus acts as General Contractor has the seven churches in his hand
• he will tell each church what repairs need to be made
If you notice, reading the letters we are still on earth
- we aren’t taken to heaven until chapter 4
• but these letters build a stage on which the drama is played out
• this is a threshold we must cross to get to the heart of Revelation
- it begins with a self-examination – that's the prerequisite for going forward
Revelation gives us a unique picture of the inner life of our Christian experience
It is much different from Paul’s carefully structured teaching
- with his separation of the new self from the old self
• and his contrast of having the mind of the Spirit versus the mind of the “flesh”
• Revelation reaches into our inner lives through symbols and bizarre events
Therefore, I feel comforted when reading the first few words of verse 4
- they have a familiar ring–like finding a street you know when you’re lost
• we recognize this same type of greeting from many of Paul’s letters
i.e., “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus . . . . To the saints who are in Ephesus . . . . Grace to you and peace from God our Father” (Ep. 1:1-2)
• but already we see a difference: this introductory letter was written to seven churches!
◦ and then John takes a sharper turn, not identifying God specifically,
◦ but according to a timeless attribute – who is and who was and who is to come
- then it gets even weirder – John adds another source of grace and peace
“and from the seven spirits who are before his throne”
• this has caused a lot of discussion among commentators
◦ many of whom opt for the sevenfold Spirit of God
• I’m going to suggest something else
You may wonder, Why the book of Revelation?
I admit, it is the most confusing and frustrating book in the Bible
- it’s not an easy read – some images are very strange
• they seem fairytale or mythical, except but even weirder
◦ for instance, we find, not just a beast with ten horns,
◦ but it has seven heads (?) and ten crowns on its horns
• there’s not another book in Bible exactly like this
- but it is also one of the most fascinating books in the Bible
• Revelation can work in us in ways like no other book
• if it disturbs us, it also calms us; if it frightens also reassures; if it is structured, it is also free;
and if its meaning is hidden, its overall effect is Revelation
Today’s story is challenging and difficult to understand
It turns everything we think we know about Jesus on its head
- it involves a foreigner in a different region of the map
• the setting for the life of Jesus is mostly in Israel
◦ he passes through Samaria, and briefly sets foot in Gadara
◦ but in this story he goes north – the one and only time
• it is most likely that Jesus wanted to get away from the crowds
◦ to be someplace where he and his crew could rest
He “went away from there and withdrew”
In Mark's telling of this story, we read, “And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know” (7:24)
◦ the last think Jesus needed during this break was one of the locals coming to him with a consuming need
- And behold – ta da! – the "behold" indicates a shift in the point of view
The stories we hear today will serve as an illustration
They illuminate a line from the prayer Jesus taught us
- you know it and you’ve prayed it–maybe many times
• it is one-third of a petition
“hallowed [revered] be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt. 6:9-10)
• it is that last line I hear in these two stories
◦ one teaches us what happens when we resist God’s will and the other when we surrender to his will
- I don’t expect you to remember the names of the characters, so I’ll give their brief biographies
• the three key figures are Jeremiah the prophet and the two kings Jehoiachin and Zedekiah
I decided to continue in Jeremiah for another week
There are two stories we will consider that I’ve always enjoyed
- one reason they appeal to me is because they’re interesting
• another reason is that they are meaningful
• although the main character in each story is connected to Jeremiah,
◦ they have nothing else in common
- both stories have two parts, found in two different places
• so we will begin with the first part of each story, and then move to the second part
• I hope you enjoy them as much as I do,
◦ and that we get something worthwhile from them
The two chapters of Haggai are about putting God first
Israel had been driven from the land of Judah for seventy years
- on returning to their homeland, one of their priorities was to rebuild the temple,
• but there was a lot of work to be done, few workers, and limited resources
◦ they also had to construct homes for themselves
• after awhile, a few setbacks, and discouragement,
◦ they began to slack off and, instead, they were making improvements to their own homes
◦ the danger of not having the temple was the possibility of losing the nation’s spiritual center
- two times in both chapters of Haggai, God challenged them to “consider”
Even in infancy, people discerned that Jesus was extraordinary
Simeon, a righteous and devout man, was led by God’s Spirit into temple
- there he encountered Mary and Joseph and their baby
• taking Jesus into his arms, he prophesied over him
- then the elderly widow, Anna–who was herself a prophet,
• she also encountered the holy family in the temple
And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of [Jesus] to all who were waiting for the redemption of Israel (Lk. 2:38)
Morning Talk: Jim Calhoun
Luke 2:8-19, King James VersionThis is how I first heard the Christmas story.
King James original from Linus van Pelt (from the Peanuts comic strip).
I can’t say it makes me sad.
It was a fine way to be introduced to Christmas.
Later, when I was 11 or 12, I found our family Bible, my grandmother’s Bible and read it for myself. King James again. I loved this story but I didn’t much understand it yet. That was still a few years away. Then I found myself, my life in this story.
I want to go through it today and point to some of the parts that still hold my attention, my affection. Things that continue to make this story so compelling to me.
The Christmas story is compressed into a few pages in New Testament
For instance, no sooner do the birth announcements arrive than the babies are born
- first John and then Jesus
• in Luke chapter 2 Jesus is born, and by end of the chapter he’s already twelve years old
◦ though the magi are often pictured alongside the shepherds at the stable,
◦ when they actually arrived in Bethlehem, Jesus was already two years old
• through all the personal and political movement going on during this time,
◦ a variety of human emotions surface
- shame was a factor and fear was frequently present or assuaged
• more than once, someone was troubled, and Herod was furious
◦ but there is also joy and rejoicing, and people are blessed
• but in all these alternating feelings and emotions, there is no mention of LOVE!
- the main characters in the story are husbands and wives, facing challenges together
• they were two couples, blessed with miraculous pregnancies and births
• and still, there is no mention of LOVE
A few months ago, my grandson Calum began telling me what he wanted for Christmas
Do you remember when it took forever for Christmas to get here?
- now it’s like, “Is it that time again already?”
• I used to be amused by people who left Christmas lights up all year
• now I get it – they’re not lazy, they’re just old
- we’re about to complete another lap around the sun
• we pull out the old boxes, look at our bank statement to see what we can afford, and I take us back to the familiar story
◦ of angels and shepherds, mother and child, magic and miracles
This week I began reading through Luke’s Gospel again
Chapter is not what we’ve come to expect from Jeremiah
It is a short piece of autobiography,
a personal episode in the life of the prophet
Background
King Zedekiah was the end of the line for the kings of Israel and Judah
And he was in the last full year of his reign
Jerusalem, the capital city of Judah, was under siege
the army of Babylon was at their gates
Meanwhile, Jeremiah was behind bars "in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king"
King Zedekiah placed him there after interrogating him
“Why do you prophesy our defeat? Why did you say I would be handed over to the King of Babylon?"
Two weeks ago, I pointed out a shift in Jeremiah’s prophecies
Until now, his message was a reminder to Israel of all their failures
- they had turned from their God and were rushing downhill
• so Jeremiah delivered a message of condemnation, rejection, of doom and gloom
• but now a light breaks through the dark passages
◦ there is hope for Israel after all
- but if God made it possible for his people to return,
• could they maintain a relationship with him this time?
◦ their history had indicated otherwise
◦ was it enough for God to say, "Come home. I forgive you?"
• something had to happen that would change his people
◦ something radically new in the history of Israel
A god who never surprises us nor could ever surprise us, a god we could know perfectly well,
whose every move we could predict, who has no secrets, so there’s no mystery, no confusion, no missing pieces, is not the God of the Scriptures
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,
declares the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isa. 55:8-9)
- the only gods that never surprise us are the ones we make
Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
One thing we cannot say about prophecies of Jeremiah
We cannot say God was silent –he did not sit back and watch passively,
- as his people destroyed their religion, their nation and themselves
• Jeremiah says God rose early to send all his prophets (Jer. 25:4)
◦ in the Old Testament, to rise early signifies eagerness, a compelling energy
• God eagerly sent his word to his people
◦ they would have heard him if there were equally eager to listen
- but we also notice, God had a funny way of speaking at times
• for instance, the chapter I read begins with two baskets of figs
◦ we can’t help but wonder, Where is God going with this?
• this is not unusual, but how God spoke frequently to his prophets
◦ he begins by showing the prophet a vision, then asks "What do you see?"
◦ the message was in the object or scene, which God used for its symbolic value
One of the challenges I’ve wrestled with in Jeremiah,
Is that it is so distant and unpleasant that it seems irrelevant or offensive
- distant, because we are out of sync with that period of time and culture
• we don’t share their norms, values, or kinship structures
◦ their geopolitical context was nothing like ours today
◦ their hardships are not our hardships
• their language is foreign, their names are foreign, their cities are foreign
◦ moreover, they had ruined their relationship with God
◦ Israel had violated and broken God’s covenant
And many nations will pass by this city, and every man will say to his neighbor, “Why has the LORD dealt thus with this great city?” And they will answer, “Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and worshiped other gods and served them” (Jer. 22:9)
- it’s unpleasant, because hell-fire preachers have capitalized on damnation
Chuck Fromm, “There are lots of angry men behind pulpits”
• they shout at us like abusive parents who take their anger out on the children
• this has left us with an unpleasant taste in our mouths
◦ we’ve become sensitive to these passages of doom
◦ on other hand, do we want a God who has no anger?
a God who doesn’t grieve? Doesn’t react? Doesn’t care?
We’re going to make two trips to the Pottery Shack this morning
The messages God had for his people required illustration
- there’s an interesting angle to using pottery to reveal a truth
• archaeologists depend on clay pots for vital information regarding ancient cultures
◦ even broken pieces of clay vessels have stories to tell
• excavations dig up more clay artifacts than any other object
◦ clay doesn’t decay over time and can withstand water and heat
- clay fragments provide the most reliable way to date a site
• the clay composition, shape, and exterior decoration,
◦ tell us about the people who made them, and whether they were used for:
◦ cooking, holding oil or water, if they were lamps, or for storage of other things
• of course, God had another story to tell through clay
My senior year in high school, my best friend surprised me
He said, “I don’t think I can justify bringing a child into this world”
- that was something I was still looking forward to enjoying,
• getting married and some day having children
◦ I knew about war and poverty and race riots and assassinations and environmental pollution
• but my outlook was not so bleak as to rule out children
- what God is describing in this passage is just that bleak!
• there was no future for the people of Judah
◦ if they had children now, it would be only for them to die
• God was watching out for Jeremiah,
◦ but he was using Jeremiah’s situation as an illustration
The purpose of Yom Kippur was to resolve a problem
Israel was the community of God’s people living in a world of impurities
– some impurities resulted from contact with natural sources (not sinful)
• others resulted from violations of God’s religious and social laws
• these impurities affected the entire community, even God’s sanctuary and its furnishings
– every year, atonement was made for the people and the sacred tent
• Kippur, is usually translated as “atonement” and means “cover”
◦ the lid of the Ark of the Covenant is called a covering (same word)
• on Yom Kippur the priests purified God’s dwelling and his people by covering their sins
◦ the people and sanctuary were covered for the past year
To fully appreciate what’s here, we need perspective
If we take an aerial view and rise high enough,
– we’ll discover in Jeremiah themes and sayings from Deuteronomy
• both use the metaphors of a circumcised heart and an iron furnace
• both lay great emphasis on God’s covenant with Israel
The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. Not with our fathers did the LORD make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today (Deut. 5:2-3)
◦ it turns out, Deuteronomy is laid out in a covenant format
There were two times in the gospels when Jesus identified precisely what had to be done in the moment
- once, when he told a wealthy man, “you lack one thing”
(the man had to liquidate all his assets and follow Jesus)
- another time he explained to Martha, “one thing is necessary”
• then he defended the one thing Mary had chosen to do
- it can be a big relief to narrow down what’s most important now to one thing
Through Jeremiah, God confronted his people for their many betrayals
- one of their worst failures was their attachment to other gods
• but regardless of their many sins, there was one most important thing;
◦ namely, that they would know God
• unfortunately, they did not know their God
◦ and as we saw in the verses above, they refused to know him
- so God re-introduces himself to them
• for me, this passage is one of the major highlights in Jeremiah
◦ so we’re going to spend some time with it
The first time I visited Shiloh in Israel, I loved it
Finally I felt something extraordinary in Israel--like an energy vibrating up through the soil
- that was on the path, before we had even reached the site
• one strong appeal that Shiloh that appealed to me was that there was nothing there but bare hillsides
• but for that same reason, Shiloh was a message of doom for Jerusalem
- I knew about Shiloh from this passage in Jeremiah–it had always intrigued me
• so I looked closer at scripture and found that when Israel entered the land,
Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there (Jos. 18:1)
The first time I visited Shiloh in Israel, I loved it
Finally I felt something extraordinary in Israel--like an energy vibrating up through the soil
- that was on the path, before we had even reached the site
• one strong appeal that Shiloh that appealed to me was that there was nothing there but bare hillsides
• but for that same reason, Shiloh was a message of doom for Jerusalem
- I knew about Shiloh from this passage in Jeremiah–it had always intrigued me
• so I looked closer at scripture and found that when Israel entered the land,
Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there (Jos. 18:1)
In 1989 Bob Dylan released the song “Everything Is Broken”
- it’s a bluesy song that I love listening to when I feel down but not out
• when something that is important to you falls apart,
◦ or a lot of unpleasant things line up in your day, this song fits your mood
◦ lots of people, in different situations can connect with these lyrics
• it sometimes seems everything, everywhere is going wrong
- this was Jeremiah’s world
Every year, my dad directed a summer camp in Williams, Arizona
So that was our typical family vacation
- one year, when all the campers were assembled in the chapel,
• Dad began, “There was a murder in the forest last night
◦ he paused to let that sink in
• then holding up a carving knife, he said, “This was the weapon”
◦ and “Here is the victim” – and he showed us a twig from an apple tree
- he explained that once he cut the twig from the tree,
• separated from its supply of sap, it was as good as dead
• he then explained why it was so important for us campers,
◦ to abide in Jesus all year long – not just at summer camp
◦ that was quite the attention getter
There are several words in the Bible we don’t understand
They pose a problem for us, because they’re common words,
- and we assume we know what they mean
• that is why we get confused when we come to them
◦ for instance: "name," "fear" ("Am I supposed to be afraid of God?"), "holy," and "sons of"
• biblical Hebrew has a small vocabulary
◦ so it has to expand the meaning of various words
◦ that enabled biblical writers to describe spiritual values and experience
- I thought a series of talks on those words might be helpful
• a short dictionary of words that confuse or upset us
About twenty years ago, Barb attended a seminar at work
A psychologist lectured on Compassion Fatigue Syndrome
- it is a common condition among healthcare professionals
• their encounters with the suffering of others takes a toll
◦ if they are not treated yet continue to work, they can become numb
◦ they stop feeling empathy for their patients’ pain and grief
• the speaker provided the audience with a list of symptoms
◦ Barb said as she was going down the list checking boxes, she was thinking,
“Yes, that’s Chuck. Yep, that too.”
Last week, God’s question to Elijah was, “What are you doing here?”
We’ll start with that question: “What are you doing here?”
- isn’t one reason that your here is because you came to hear what I have to say?
• Okay, I feel uncomfortable when I think that or say that
◦ not only because it’s like I have to give an oral report every week
(and feel like I'll be graded on it),
◦ but because I can’t take myself that seriously
• I’m a mediocre guy who makes more mistakes than gets things right
- However, I do take God seriously and the work he’s given me
• and I take you very seriously – so I don’t want to waste your time
• but I’m like a court jester; the silliness of what I do and who I am, causes others to think
We’re going to spend time this morning with a unique person
Elijah was one of the most gifted prophets in scripture
- in fact, he became the representative of all the prophets,
• right up to and including John the Baptist, who came
in the spirit and power of Elijah (Lk. 1:17)
• Elijah will teach us a lesson on hearing the voice of God
We’ve come to the last chapter in Mark’s gospel
And to the enigma at the end of the book
- that’s because the story ends at Mark 16, verse 8
• you say, “Chuck! My Bible still has more verses”
◦ “Yes, I know, but read the fine print”
• the most ancient manuscripts that we have in our possession end at verse 8
◦ scholars tell us the quality of the Greek writing changes at verse 9
◦ the evidence supports the abrupt ending
- this has become a fascination for me – so, it has been a frequent meditation
This story is about Christ the Victim becoming Christ the Victor
I’m going to jump right into my meditations on this chapter
My meditation: “I want Mark to use his remarkable storytelling skills to enhance the details of what is depicted here. I want him to enable us to visualize it and hear every sound. It would benefit us to begin to fathom what Jesus suffered and to feel the utter hopelessness of the cross. I feel it’s important to sit in dark shadow of his abandonment, aloneness, sorrow, and death. But here, when I think the action should slow down and perhaps zoom in on still frames, Mark hurries us along at his usual fast clip, using "and . . . and . . . and . . ." to keep the action moving quickly.
But Mark has his own agenda and his own purpose. He carries us from one critical point to another, rising and falling like peaks of a wave. That is how he presents the story and that is how we must receive it, noticing when he wants to emphasize a specific sentence.”
My first thought is that this is Jesus these religious leaders want to eliminate. He has done only good; he has opened windows to the kingdom of God; he has advocated for spiritual and humanitarian reforms; and he has healed countless people.
My second thought is the devious approach the religious teams use to eliminate him. There is something about injustice that disturbs me so intensely it keeps me awake at night. My feelings are intensified if the injustice is intentional, perpetrated through deceit, and manipulates the court. In the most horrific cases, the victim is not only innocent, but a good person.
A third thought is that God allowed this to happen to his Son! He allowed the bad guys to win.
Does this mean I have to give up my outrage at injustice? Not if it is in my power to ensure justice for someone else. However, when it comes to an injustice against myself, then quite possibly I must lay down my sword—and at the same time let go of the intense feelings that rise within me. I will need to stand close to Jesus. That is where I’ll find the grace to be at peace.
- in my next meditation I introduce the theme I want to develop today: “a beautiful thing”
The temple plays an important role in Jesus’ story
The one clear accusation brought against him at his trial was,
“We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands’” (Mk. 14:58).
- but they weren’t certain what that even meant
Yet even about this their testimony did not agree (Mk. 14:59)
• I tend to think, if something was sacred, it is sacred forever
◦ if God visited a place, the ground would always be holy
• that’s kind of the idea people have about going to Israel
◦ “I want to walk where Jesus walked”
◦ as if I’ll experience something unique or supernatural
- when Solomon built the first temple, a phenomenon occurred
For the last few chapters, tension has been growing
The religious establishment has taken notice of Jesus
– in this chapter, the conflict leads to a public showdown
• this began at end of chapter 11 with priests, scribes, and elders
By what authority are you doing these thing or who gave you this authority to do them? (Mk. 11:28)
◦ so the ‘And’ at beginning of chapter 12 is a continuation of that encounter
◦ the ‘them’ in verse 1 refers to the priests, scribes, and elders
• the answer to their question is hidden in Jesus’ parable
When Nicodemus visited Jesus, his first words were,
Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God
Nicodemus was correct -- Jesus is a teacher
- Mark tells us teaching people Jesus' “custom” – his usual response when people showed up
• that is what we witness as we watch Jesus move through this chapter
• Jesus never ran out of things to say
◦ and every word he spoke was enlightenment
- one of his teaching techniques was that he allowed people to ask questions
• and when they did, he typically answered their questions with a question
There are at least two ways to read the Bible
We can dive into it head-first or we can enter with our heart
– of course it’s important to think about what we’re reading
• but it’s also important to feel what we read
◦ to be responsive to the content of the text and how it affects us
• I study Scriptures with my head and meditate with my heart
– my meditations are mostly private
• they consist of what God speaks to me regarding my own issues
◦ so why am I sharing my meditations in Mark’s gospel with you?
• because even though Jesus walked the earth long ago,
◦ it’s possible to know and love him today
◦ how? By immersing ourselves in his story
We are at the center of Mark’s gospel, heart of his message – the hub of the wheel
In chapter 8 Mark pulls everything together
- Jesus Christ appeared in the world on a mission
• he came to introduce people to the kingdom of God
• but making them aware of God’s presence and kingdom proved to be extremely difficult
◦ it is not easy for us to awaken to God’s Spirit
- this chapter reveals the tension our worldly mind and spiritual mind more clearly than any other
• I tried to describe this tension a few years ago in one of my meditations:
“A theme that Mark has emphasized, is that the human mind is geared to physical reality. As a result, our
Years ago, a woman who worked at the church experienced an emotional or psychological breakdown
– her therapist recommended a clinic for in-patient care
• when she was allowed visitors, her family asked me to go see her
• right away I noticed she looked different – lighter, like a weight had been lifted
◦ she was definitely in a better frame of mind
◦ brighter, positive and hopeful
– she explained that to get well, she had to detach from her family
• she could no longer be around them
◦ hearing that shocked me–in fact, it upset me
• I knew her family – they missed her and wanted her back
◦ but I didn’t know them the way she did – so I just listened
◦ my responsibility was to support her progress, not question her therapy
Every year, one line from the Easter story comes to mind
I decided that I would talk about that line today
- the women came early in the morning,
• and they found the tomb, but they did not find Jesus
• however, two men met them, dressed in dazzling apparel
◦ I don’t know about their "apparel," but that sounds like "Project Runway" to me
◦ the only other time Luke uses the word for dazzling, it’s translated “lightning”
(later they’re referred to as “angels”--vv. 22-23)
they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”
- that’s the line: “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”
• it’s a good one, isn’t it? The kind that preachers love
• can we think about this line for awhile?
I have enjoyed this story ever since I was a child
When spending the night with cousins or friends,
- we would sit in the dark and tell ghost stories
• it surprised me to find one of the spookiest of ghost stories in Mark's gospel
◦ and this one is true – it really happened
◦ Mark turns flashlight into his face and tells "The Legend of Legion"
• “It all began on the other side of the sea”
◦ this is like saying, “the other side of the tracks” -- it was a bad neighborhood
◦ it was Gentile territory – and anything awful could happen there
- in fact there was a wild man there, tormented by demons, and who lived in the graveyard
• he lacerated his body with stones and was heard howling night and day
◦ he was like an animal, but too strong to capture and cage
for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him (v. 4)
◦ doesn’t Mark begin this story well?
I’ve enjoyed the privilege of walking the shores of the Galilee "sea"
Sometimes in the early morning, other times in the afternoon, and some evenings as well
- so once, when reading this chapter, I put myself there
• Jesus could be seen walking those shores frequently
◦ that’s what he was doing when he called his first disciples (Mk. 1:16-20)
• in the previous chapter, people found him there
◦ so many, in fact that the press of the crowd threatened to crush him (Mk. 3:8-9)
◦ what he did then, he did again this time
◦ he climbed into a boat, pushed off from shore, and taught them from there
- I imagined serene surface of the lake, heard ripples running on shore,
• and noticed that the gentle rocking of the boat was mesmerizing
◦ it is easy to sit and listen to his voice coming across the water
• he tells his simple stories and my mind watches them unfold ,
◦ filling in details with color and texture
Last week a friend asked me “What Bible book to read to get to know Jesus–the person?”
– my immediate answer was Mark’s gospel
• that’s the book where I meet Jesus – and feel that I’m drawn close to him
◦ this is my experience, even though Mark is most condensed of the four Gospels
• in fact, he tends to downplay some of the exciting episodes
◦ for instance, Jesus’ temptation (Mk. 1:12-13) – blink and you’ll miss it
– for forty plus years I have read and re-read this book,
• spending time in meditation on every chapter
◦ that is what I want to share with you
◦ not a Bible study, but a seeing and savoring the stories of Jesus
• perhaps if you see Jesus through my eyes,
◦ you’ll come to see him better through your own
◦ and then seeing him for yourself, you can move beyond what I hope to share with you
This is an odd story.
Not only for the strange miracle that God sets up,
- but also because it seems unnecessary in the context of the larger narrative
• the people of Israel were disappointed and discouraged
◦ their situation was primed for discontent and insurrection
• four rebellions had been staged and subdued:
◦ Moses’ sister and brother (ch. 12)
◦ the whole nation turned from God at the border of Canaan (ch. 14)
◦ a clan of rebels that refused to follow Moses any further (16:1-3, 12-34)
◦ a crew of Levites, who claimed rights to the priesthood (16:4-11, 35)
- in each instance, God intervened and punished the rebels
• so God's choice for priesthood and service in the sanctuary would seem obvious
• however, considering Israel’s state of mind, and history of complaint and stubbornness,
◦ extra evidence for God’s choice may have been required
Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites. Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away. Matthew 22: 15-22
Jim Calhoun
We live in an anxious age. I think I begin most of my talks with this observation. But we need to remind ourselves that today has its own flavor. That today isn’t just like yesterday. We haven’t been here before.
We continue to observe a decline in civility, of decency. We continue to observe increasing aggression in words, in deeds. On the road, at the market, between friends and acquaintances. Our culture, our society is changing and it is creating pressure on people and groups. Some are leaning into the changes asking for more while others are pushing back disheartened or dislocated by the come differences.
Intro: I wasn’t going to mention anything about depression today
Everyone goes through stuff – and we just have to ride it out
- I feel like the poet who in Psalm 13 asks God,
How long, O LORD, Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day? (Ps. 13:1-2)
You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Matthew 5:43-47
Is there anything Christmas brings that can last the whole year?
The answer is obvious: Christmas brings Jesus Christ
- his last words to the disciples in Matthew’s gospel:
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Mt. 28:20)
The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.
“I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.” Malachi 1:1-3
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey. . . .
and he shall speak peace to the nations;
his rule shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth Zechariah 9:9-10
When St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, he told them,
He was impressed by three qualities that they demonstrated:
your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thes. 1:3)
- faith, love, and hope – essential building blocks of a Christian life
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Cor. 13:13)
• Paul may have looked for evidence of these traits in the churches he visited
• do they walk by faith, hang onto hope, and do everything in love?
- "Hope" is the Advent theme for this Sunday
I feel like we’ve taken an intensive course – on prayer
Luke provides lessons Jesus taught on prayer that are not not found in the other gospels
– he has also reported times Jesus prayed than no one else recorded
• so it has taken us a long time to get this far
• Luke is a rich source information and it is helpful to learn what he has to tell us
– the prayers we’ll look at today are pretty basic
• there’s no new form of prayer and nothing exotic
• nevertheless, the situation of each prayer is exceptional
◦ and some of the material is extraordinary
I try not to say much about prayers that go wrong
There is no good reason to feel nervous about praying
– we’re children coming to a good, loving Father to ask for bread
• in fact, Jesus taught us to use prayer to rid ourselves of anxiety
◦ we can ease into prayer and find rest in God’s presence
• you will pray right, if your heart is right
– so we pray with confidence, but we also know that prayer can malfunction
• that’s what we’ll learn from Jesus in our two passages from Luke’s Gospel
The place of prayer can be spoiled
And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers” Luke 19:45-46
Before we jump into these verses, take a breath
Remember who is telling the story – he is not a stranger
– we know this person – this storyteller
• we met him when as children we were dragged to church
◦ or when a friend first introduced us
◦ or when we picked up the Bible and read one of the Gospels
• we know Jesus, we trust him with our lives, and we love him
– it’s good for us to occasionally clear our calendar,
• perhaps go on retreat or find our own place of quiet solitude
◦ and there, renew the intimacy of our relationship with Jesus
• God sent Jesus into our world to reveal himself through him
◦ in Jesus we have discovered the depth of God’s love for us
◦ I will always want to know Jesus better than I do now
Jesus asked a question, and immediately we see that it is rhetorical
He wasn’t looking for an answer – he was making a point
- when we went through the previous parable, we learned,
• when Jesus began a question with, "Who among you?"
◦ the answer is already known and always negative
◦ “None of us would act this way” or “No one would do such a thing”
- Jesus poses this question in a story-like setting
• there’s a father and there’s his son
◦ Jesus invites his listeners into this story world
• in fact, he tells them to identify with one character: the father
◦ as soon as he tells the story, his question answers itself
Jesus has just used a parable to encourage his disciples to pray
He is about to illustrate a condition of prayer with another parable
- but between the two parables, he does something unusual
• Jesus tells them how to respond to these parables
And I tell you could be translated So I tell you or Likewise, I tell you
◦ Jesus connects the statement in verses 9-10 to the parable that came before
• most of the time, he lets the parables speak for themselves
◦ he would teased their minds with a mystery and then send them home
◦ in this instance, however, he solves the riddle for them
- there are two lessons to learn from this passage (vv. 5-13); one is about God (his reliable goodness)
• the other lesson is about doing things with prayer
• there are ways we can use prayer to move closer to God
We have come to an important waypoint in our journey
A message that has been forming the behind curtain is brought onto the stage
– alongside the story, Jesus has taken time apart to pray
• the difference here, is that Luke uses the disciples to make this point explicit
Lord, teach us to pray
In any series of talks I give it's helpful to have a reminder
We are following Jesus through Luke’s gospel learning prayer,
- by listening to Jesus and by watching him
• I sometimes forget the absolute necessity of prayer
◦ when that happens, I treat prayer like it’s optional
• many people think prayer is asking God for things,
◦ and if they don’t get what they want,
◦ they decide it doesn’t make any difference if they pray
- that’s like a married couple who consider communication to be unimportant
• prayer is the hub of our relationship with God
◦ it’s what holds it together – how we stay connected
• prayer is the breath of our spirit – without it, the spirit dies
In the first half of this chapter, Jesus launches a campaign
Of course, like Jesus himself, the operation is modest
- there’s no funding and its reps are unskilled volunteers
• but it’s the crew Jesus chose and the plan is simple and low-key
• there is a twofold purpose for this mission:
◦ prepare people for Jesus’ arrival and ministry
◦ for these disciples to experience their first solo-flights in doing his work
- Jesus begins their preparation with an observation:
The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few
• based on this observation, he makes a request:
Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers
• then he gives them precise and austere instructions
I like the strange passages that call attention to themselves
– and force me to pay closer attention to what is there
• I would not say I did my best Bible reading this past week
◦ I took three of my grandchildren to Flagstaff, Arizona,
◦ where we shared a hotel room – so there was no private space for me to read and pray
• nevertheless, I tried, but with many apologies to the Lord
– so yesterday I sat down with this strange scripture,
• and it demanded that I pay attention
• I heard these verses tell me, This is a very important passage
There are three words in these verses I want to highlight
“and was praying”
- between the time Jesus was immersed in water and the heavens opened,
• he was praying – and this intrigues me
◦ in the life of Jesus, this is the first mention of him praying
• of course we have only a glimpse of his childhood
◦ but those snapshots reveal someone already conscious of God
And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him (Lk. 2:40) And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man (Lk. 2:52)
- in the story of Jesus, this is his critical rite-of-passage
• immediately after this Luke tells us:
Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age
• baptism is also a rite-of-passage for us; an entry point
◦ it symbolizes our initiation into Jesus
◦ and baptism is also associated with a believer’s first (real) prayer
. . . look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying . . . . Then [Saul] rose and was baptized (Acts 9:11-18; cf. Acts 19:5-6)
Last week, Naomi set the plot in action
- we could say that her maneuvering was relational; she was working with people
• this week, Boaz sets the plot in action, and his maneuvering is legal; he is using the law
- moving through the interaction that takes place in this scene,
• is an important factor that we could miss in all the action
• that is, the reality and depth of Boaz’s devotion to Ruth
◦ last week, Ruth asked Boaz, Spread your wings over [me]
◦ that is what Boaz does in this episode
Intro: This past week was about getting things done
Not everything on my to-do list–not even one, one-hundredth
- one appointment was scheduled several weeks ago
• another one that I had to plan and prepare myself to complete
◦ I’ll have more to say about this later
• my point is that in our day-to-day passage through life,
◦ I am no different than you
◦ we all have to deal with schedules and appointments and getting things done
- the Book of Proverbs offers us a guide to wise decisions and actions
• the philosophy behind the Proverbs is simple:
◦ God is the source of all wisdom – so reverence him
◦ use common sense
◦ integrity will serve you and your community better than duplicity
◦ when stuck, be creative (but stick to the path of the righteous)
◦ ask for help – seek the counsel of wise people
• it is wisdom to plan and prepare for the future
Ruth Chapter 2
Intro: In the apartment complex where my son Scotty lives,
There’s an old vending machine where residents can buy sodas
- Calum was six the first time I bought him a cola drink from it
• we inserted the money, he pressed button, machine rumbled,
◦ and a can of soda dropped into the slot at the bottom
• then before we could insert more money, the machine rumbled again and another soda dropped down
◦ as I was worrying about how we could return the drink we had not purchased,
◦ Calum exclaimed, “Oh! It’s my lucky day.”
- that could be the title for this chapter
• it’s a lucky day for all three of the main characters
• at first, people are just doing ordinary things, but
◦ before day ends, something extraordinary has happened
In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons Ruth 1:1
Intro: With these words, we walk through a gate and into what may be the most enchanting story in all of scripture
- but because it took place long ago and in a strange culture far away,
• we need some help orienting ourselves
• when, where, what, and who occur in the first verse and set the tone and create atmosphere
- notice that a solid connection is made with the days of the Judges
• not long after Israel entered the land, they lost their identity
◦ they could not maintain loyalty to Yahweh for very long
◦ even their God-appointed leaders made serious blunders
• it was a period of religious confusion and ludicrous politics
◦ the last story is so bizarre it is unpleasant even to read
◦ a simple explanation is given several times and at end of the book of Judges:
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Jdg. 21:25 – not a good thing, as in De. 12:8)
How did we wind up in Genesis this morning?
Many preachers have their sermons lined up for the whole year
- I’ve never been that organized or thought that far ahead
• it’s when I finish a series of talks that I think about what’s next
• usually that has a lot to do with what is pulling on my heart in that particular moment
- so we’re in Genesis, because it provides a seed for my talk
• I’m not sure what’s next – I’m thinking, the Book of Ruth
• that’s because it beautifully illustrates what I will try to explain
Whenever you come to instructions in the Bible,
Remind yourself, “I don’t have to do this alone”
- God made us to become these new persons that we are
• and we have to do some of the repairs and maintenance
• however, he doesn’t expect us to do even that part on our own
◦ we can trust Jesus – his burden is light and his yoke is easy
- we’ve learned what to take off (old self with its vices)
• and what to put on (new self and its virtues)
• Paul now tells us what we are to take in
Peter is celebrating Jesus’ resurrection
His first line is praise to God (the English Standard Version adds an exclamation mark)
- his specific point is what Jesus’ resurrection means for us
• I’ve been reading in Acts this week and this is the same message Peter and the apostles preached there
• Jesus Christ had been raised from the dead
◦ and doing so, he opened a new way to know God and be right him
◦ Peter preached this in his first sermon, and every speech afterward
The story of Palm Sunday is told in all four gospels
John’s account is the most streamlined, Luke’s account is the most dramatic
- that is where Jesus warns that if the crowd remained silent, the rocks would cry out
• but prior to any gospel, there was a message hidden the Psalms
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
This is the LORD’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day that the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Save us, we pray, O LORD!
Preparing this talk was difficult
Not because there is nothing to say about love
- we could line the freeway from here to San Diego with books and papers written on love
• clinical studies, philosophical essays, poetic explorations,
◦ not to mention all the books by religious authors
• but all this information has made little impact on our nation
- maybe it was just a tough week week for me – too much exposure to sorrow,
• but it feels like love has reached an all-time low in the world
Before fire engines, cities relied on the "bucket brigade"
Volunteers would rush to the scene of a fire and form a human chain
- beginning at a source of water–a well, river, or pond if close by–,
• draw water, and hand the bucket to the first person in the chain
◦ then the bucket would be passed from person to person until poured on the fire
◦ empty buckets would be returned down the chain, filled and passed again
• imagine, that the buckets stopped moving and no empties were returned
◦ someone runs down line to find the problem – and comes to two men just standing there
“I’m not passing the bucket to him. He’s a cheat!”
“I’m not taking a bucket from him. He’s a fraud!”
- in the meantime, the schoolhouse burns down
• if you’re in brigade, no matter what, don’t break the chain!
I remember reading through Colossians many years ago
- in the first chapter, I came across a “power verse”
• what I mean, is a verse that makes a prayer for, or a promise of spiritual energy
◦ for instance, this is what Jesus did for his disciples:
[Jesus] called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases (Lk. 9:1)
Or, . . . you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8)
The first detail to notice, is where we find meekness on list
Meekness is hiding behind humility
- we wonder, was it even necessary to include meekness in addition to humility?
• if we were to be honest, we don’t take meekness seriously
◦ it is a virtue no one wants – like patience or submission
• we read that Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek”
◦ but it doesn’t leave a strong impression on us
◦ it is not as compelling as poor in spirit or mourn
- meek doesn’t draw attention to itself – doesn’t make headlines
• no one asks meek for the next dance
• we want to be the opposite of meek
◦ we're convinced that “You don’t get anywhere if you let people walk all over you”
Working our way down this list of virtues we come to humility
When I began thinking about this talk,
- it occurred to me you don’t need this message – look where we are
• this is not the hot spot on Sunday mornings–
◦ the place to be seen – you can’t brag about being here
We are working our way through Paul’s virtue list here in Colossians 3
But this morning it is difficult to not be distracted by war in Ukraine
- millions of desperate prayers are reaching out to God to bring an end to it
• we’ve seen heartbreaking images and also steadfast bravery
• last week our theme was compassionate hearts
◦ and by your response to that talk, I know you are in pain for the many victims of this conflict
Two weeks ago I read a list of character qualities in Colossians chapter 3
Although it seems like Paul rattles them off,
- each one requires years of devoted practice to embody them fully
• I said then, it would be good for us to meditate on the qualities in that list
• I realize it would be very good for me – and we’ll start today
- so why are we in Matthew this morning and not Colossians?
• because Paul frames the list within a specific context
◦ before the character qualities, he produced a list of vices
◦ regarding those vices, Paul says,
now you must put them all away . . . seeing you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator (Col. 3:5-10)
◦ then he begins the list of virtues with,
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved . . . (v. 12)
◦ the context, then, has to do with this allusion to putting off and putting on
The heading of this psalm tells us it was composed by David
I usually try to ignore the Psalm headings
- if David wrote it, we’re tempted to locate an event in his life's story that "explains" it
(for instance, explains the theme and mood of the psalm)
• Bible teachers who do not “get” poetry or do not like poetry frequently look for connections outside the psalm itself
◦ as though, if we do not know context, we can not know the poem's meaning
◦ but poems carry their own meaning, and their context is normal life
• the psalms are general enough to fit everyone’s experience
◦ we must let them speak for themselves regardless of the author
- the “poet” who penned Psalm 25 was in trouble -- he faced:
• the threat of many enemies whose hatred was violent
• he suffered emotional distress and physical affliction
• his guilty conscience told him he did not deserve help
◦ he needed something more than “religion” could provide
◦ he needed the assurance of a special closeness with God
Occasionally Paul will share these rare gems
Brief statements, packed with profound concepts
- for instance, he has introduced the Colossians to a mystery (cf. Col. 1:25-29)
• everything about our transcendent God is mystery and hidden
◦ some things have been revealed
. . . the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints (Col. 1:26)
◦ the ultimate revelation of God is Jesus Christ – and that revelation keeps unfolding more truth
• the Colossians could reach the “riches” of God’s self-revelation
◦ they just needed encouragement to become fully familiar with him
- this was not an individual quest or project
• it was the journey of the entire community
• so one of the conditions was that their hearts were knitted together in love
I lost two companions this month
I did not know them personally, so I can’t say they were my “friends”
- I’ve known them only through their writings
• when I became interested in contemplative prayer, Thich Nhat Hanh introduced me to mindful meditation
• Jim Forest, an Orthodox Christian writer, helped to broaden my spiritual growth, and enhanced my understanding of icons
◦ these men knew, respected, and appreciated each other – they were friends
◦ so I enjoy their friendship vicariously
- the theme of my talks is intimacy, and today I will go over intimacy between close friends
• I can only share a few ideas
• a thorough exploration of friendship would require a whole series of talks in itself
When we read the Psalms, we are in the realm of sacred poetry
Poetry begins in the heart and it speaks to the heart
- we can analyze a poem – take it into the lab and dissect it
• but if we go too far, we kill the specimen
• in our first encounter with a poem we need to hear it--that’s all
◦ listen to the music of its rhythm
◦ feel the effect of its words and images
- what I feel in this poem is contentment
• here is a poet who accepts himself as he is
my heart is not lifted up
◦ in the Old Testament, a heart lifted up is conceited, full of itself
my eyes are not raised too high
◦ eyes looking downward is a gesture of humility
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me
• he does not grasp at things beyond his reach
◦ this reminds me of a classic Eastwood line,
“A man’s got to know his limitations”
Intro: Awhile back I read The Healing Power of Emotion
An anthology of essays written by specialists in the fields of neuroscience and applied psychology
- afterward, I read several books by the authors of those essays
• one author was Sue Johnson, who pioneered Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
◦ in Hold Me Tight, she explains research behind EFT and provides lots of examples of how it works in therapy
• it turned out that Johnson has a Christian friend, Ken Sanderfer, who is also a therapist
◦ he suggested that she write a book specifically for Christians
Sue Johnson, “This made perfect sense. As Kenny and I placed the science of EFT alongside the ancient wisdom of the Christian Scriptures, clear and consistent parallels between EFT and biblical teachings about divine love and God’s teachings about human love leapt out at us.”
- I read that book too – Created for Connection
• and that brings me to the point of why I have told you all of this
◦ I am "borrowing" the title of her book for my next few
Ken Sanderfer, “I don’t believe the Bible was ever intended to be a marriage book, but it is a beautiful love story—a story about a God in pursuit of His bride. We are the bride of Christ. God created us to have a relationship with Him and with others. . . . Our relationship with God is essential to how we connect with others, and our view of God is influenced by our lifelong interactions with others.”
• we will consider our close relationships in the light of the Scriptures
◦ we’ll work our way through our various friendships towards intimate closeness with God
Years ago, I saw a news clip featuring Salvador Dali
The flamboyant surrealist artist, with his trademark handlebar mustache,
- he was famous for his painted landscapes with melting watches
• he had alerted the press that he was working on another masterpiece
◦ and he was going to complete it in front of a live audience
• the day came, and a crowd gathered and the cameras were rolling
- Dali arrived with his usual air of self-importance
• he dabbed his brush in a smudge of white paint,
◦ climbed a step-ladder, and with theatrical flourish,
◦ added to the portrait of a woman, a dot on the pupil of eye
• that was it – the painting was finished
Intro: Reading this old familiar story,
I am surprised by how little information we are actually given
- Matthew provides us bare details without embellishment
• we are not the first to recognize its streamlined quality
• over time, various storytellers added their own finishing touch
◦ it’s like an undecorated Christmas tree that looks too plain
◦ so tradition has added lots of ornaments
- for instance, we’ve been told there were three magi (the Bible does not say how many)
• some storytellers went so far as to give them names
◦ we imagine the magi came with a caravan of camels, voila! we have camels
◦ the magi are pictured in nativity scenes, though they arrived much later
• these decorations do not change the story,
◦ they are a poetic attempt to make it more visual
I won’t say this episode within the Christmas story has been neglected,
But it doesn’t get as much attention as the more familiar scenes
- it unfolds in a warm and intimate atmosphere
• the two women are relatives–both received a miracle
◦ both have been surprised by unexpected pregnancies
• we have no details of their time together, only their greetings,
◦ and each greeting is an eruption of joy and wonder
- Elizabeth’s greeting hints at the mystery Mary carries in her womb
And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (v. 43)
• Mary’s response is nothing less than an inspired song,
◦ like one of the Psalms in the Hebrew Scriptures
• you know you’ve caught the mood of this story if when reading it you smile
I know — this is a strange place to stop reading
These few verses are a small piece of story surrounding Jesus’ birth,
- many big things take place in this long chapter,
• so it is easy to skim this short scene and get to the action
• but I think it may do us some good to linger here awhile
The last chapter of 1 Corinthians is not as interesting as rest of the letter
It is mostly business – like when we were of age and our parents left for a week vacation
- they instructed us, “Don’t forget to feed the dog, water the plants, bring in the mail, and put out the trash”
• so here: Paul's last-minute instructions include fund-raising for Jerusalem, his own itinerary, Timothy’s visit, Apollos would not be visiting them, and various greetings
• we are looking for a precious gem here or there
◦ same sort of spiritual insights we have found shining through Paul's ordinary language
- from the start, we’ve listened to Paul as our Spirit-teacher
• like the Corinthians, we become preoccupied with our culture and church issues
◦ in response, Paul has taught them to learn to use their new eyes and ears
◦ to deepen their new awareness of God, who is present at all times and in all situations
• that is why I have called our perusal of 1 Corinthians "A Primer In Things Unseen"
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal (2 Cor. 4:16-18)
Intro: You have heard something about the Jesus’ Movement
But a few years prior, there was another religious explosion
- it began with a husband and wife – John and Joan Baker
• a Christian couple who were Episcopalians
◦ they heard Pentecostal preacher teach on the baptism in the Spirit and speaking in tongues
◦ they wanted to have that experience – and they did!
• they told their Episcopalian pastor and he went to his colleague, Dennis Bennett
◦ they had little knowledge, and no experience of these things
◦ both priests also experienced the infusion of Spirit and speaking tongues
- this was the humble birth of the Charismatic Movement
• it spread rapidly through mainline churches and the Roman Catholic Church
◦ many of these people had not known an experience of God like this was possible
◦ the excitement was palpable and contagious
• but it also rattled a lot of people and religious hierarchies
In chapter 12, Paul told the Corinthians they were body of Christ
That they should not be surprised at the diversity within the church
- they were not all the same, because they were not supposed to be same
• each person had his and her own place
• the body is a living example of diversity within unity
- after listing a variety of gifted people, Paul says,
And I will show you a still more excellent way (1 Cor. 12:31)
• chapter 13 is the more excellent way for us to be the body of Christ
In the 1960's, the Roman Catholic Church began a project of renovation
According to a friend of mine who is a priest,
“Vatican II, opened windows to allow fresh air to enter the church”
- in hindsight, we could say they missed a few dark corners
(but perhaps the changes made then set in motion the way that the Roman Catholic Church handles those things today)
• by the 1970's, the Evangelical movement was placed under the microscope
◦ in 1970 Larry Richards published A New Face for the Church
◦ in 1975 Howard Snyder, published The Problem of Wine Skins
(religious systems that have become so rigid they are unable to accommodate the Holy Spirit)
• they argued that the biblical design was more relational and less institutional
- the church has always had its critics
• but also, it has always had its problems
◦ and it will always have problems, because the church is human
Intro: Most of us, when reading Bible, will get lost on occasion
When that happens, we can stop and ask two questions:
- “Where am I?” and “What is going on here?”
• “Where am I?” is the big picture question – it takes us to the central theme of book
◦ you look at the whole map, then locate a general area on it
• “What is going on here?” is the here and now question
◦ if book were a wheel, "where" is the hub and "what" is a specific point on the rim
◦ this is sometimes called the “hermeneutical circle”
(and we keep moving back and forth on it, hub to rim and rim to hub; general theme to specific points and specific points back to the general theme)
- so where are we? In chapter 11, Paul moves to the next issue he needs to address
• the overall topic in next four chapters is their Christian meetings
◦ Paul writes "when you come together" repeatedly – vv. 17, 18, 20, 33; 14:26
• in this chapter, he gives his approval and disapproval
◦ v. 2, "Now I commend you," and in v. 17, "I do not commend you"
◦ I read from the second section – the disapproval section
Paul has been circling the same issue since chapter 8
Is it okay for Christians to eat food that has been devoted to an idol?
– Paul has two answers, one rational and other relational
• rational: idols have no meaning for us, so food is food
• relational: some Christians are convinced that food presented to an idol is contaminated
◦ take their concerns seriously and don’t “offend” them
◦ at times love requires us to act contrary to reason or our rights
– why did Paul give so much space to this issue?
• I suspect that he anticipated a negative reaction from the Corinthians
◦ he knew they were intelligent and enjoyed a good argument
(they had written him regarding a number of controversies among themselves)
◦ and he knew how difficult it would be for them to put others first
• some of them would think, “It doesn’t make sense for those overly scrupulous believers to worry about idols and non-existent deities. Maybe they just need to grow up!”
◦ so he labored to help them get a new perspective
Intro: Are you like me, when it comes to reading the Bible?
I will come to a sentence and immediately my attention drops off – for instance:
The sons of Abraham: Isaac and Ishmael. These are their genealogies: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth, and Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam . . . (the list goes on – 1 Chr. 1:28-31)
- yes, it is still scripture, but it doesn’t interest me
• that happens when I read this first line in chapter 8
Now concerning food offered to idols
◦ I’ve never done this, have never been tempted to do this, have never even thought of it
• it would be easy to write-off the whole chapter and move on
◦ but that would be a mistake – I’d lose valuable insights
- this was a very real and practical concern for the Corinthians
• but it is not a cause of concern for us
◦ we do have our own situations that raise the same question
◦ “Is it alright for Christians to practice yoga?” “. . . to dance?”
• so the way Paul addresses their situation is relevant for ours
If you have ever read this chapter and felt frustrated, you’re not alone
A few verses in it make good sense and are immediately helpful
- but the rest is strange, confusing, or upsetting
• this chapter is the reason some people give up on Paul
• but you and I cannot give up on him
◦ his spiritual insight has been too helpful to walk away now
- so we take a deep breath, cool our heals, and pray
• we ask God’s Spirit to walk us through the rough spots
• in time, it will make sense
Tracking how Paul was guiding these Christians to the mind of Christ
- but when I came to this chapter, I felt disappointed
• here, the subjects he addresses are so “unspiritual,” so this-worldly
• a civil court, wrongdoers, and curbing sexual appetite
- but then I noticed a revelation underneath the text
• you know how a card might come with a sticker you have to peel off,
◦ and when you do, you find a code?
• looking underneath the text helped make sense of what’s on surface
Paul is considered Christianity’s first and foremost theologian
What is not always recognized–and is an embarrassment to some pastors–, Paul was also a mystic
- this was Albert Schweitzer's assessment in his work The Mysticism of Paul the Apostle
Schweitzer, “. . . when all is said and done, Pauline personal religion is in its fundamental character mystical. . . . its own essential life lies in the mystical."
"Paul is therefore a mystic.”
• I see this too – how could Paul not be a mystic, given his conversion encounter with Jesus Christ?
◦ his letters are as mystical as they are theological
◦ he fills them with the message of what had been revealed to him
- this is why Paul can guide Corinthians into a deeper experience of God
• they had a certain kind of religious experience and spiritual knowledge,
◦ but still, Paul could not address them as spiritual people (1 Cor. 3:1)
• what they needed was not more information or new information
◦ but a new awareness, a new consciousness of God
◦ he opens some of those doors for them in this chapter
I’m sure most of you know the history of my dad’s ministry
The explosive growth of a small congregation into mega-church overnight
- hippies poured into it from the streets, turning from drugs to Jesus
• during that time of the “Jesus Movement,” several strange spin-offs appeared
• cults and individuals who alleged they had been in Satanic cults
- one young man gained notoriety for supposedly being a former Satanist
• he claimed that his directors used him to infiltrate Calvary Chapel and attract hippies
◦ he also said that the church of Satan funneled money through him to start Maranatha! Music
◦ some churches were happy to hear his message
• mostly those who doubted Jesus' love for hippie freaks
Is there a foreign country you’ve always wanted to visit?
Russia was never on my bucket list – it seemed dark and foreboding
- a man I kept running into at conferences pressured me to visit orphanages in Russia
• one morning I felt like God told me, “Do this”
• so twenty years ago this summer, I made my first trip
- a small part of my experience was what I expected
• but there was a great deal more I had not anticipated
◦ mile after mile of incredible natural beauty
• but most of all, underneath language and cultural differences,
◦ Russian men and women were like us
◦ the have the same dreams, the same love of poetry and music, the same national pride
My wife, Barb, and I were told something lives in our home,
Something bad – and invisible to humans
- so a guy came to our home with a small electronic device
• it could supposedly detect the invisible presence
• we had to take his word for it -- I had no idea how his gizmo worked
- this was not a "haunting," and the technician was not a psychic
• we had water damage to our home and it had to be treated for mold
• the mold detector collected and measured spores in the air
Wednesday night, this was the first verse we read in our Lexio Divina meeting
Immediately I knew I would be reading it today, because of what had been on my mind
- Jesus gave people what they needed
• he gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf
◦ health to the lame and to the lepers
◦ he gave hope and forgiveness to the sinners
• and to everyone, Jesus gave parables
With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything (Mk. 4:33-34)
- Jesus used parables to introduce people to kingdom of God
• in John’s gospel, Jesus used "hard sayings" (Jn. 6:60)
• why did Jesus use these obscure ways to deliver his message?
◦ because he spoke of things outside their everyday world
◦ a reality that none of them had ever experienced
They had to learn a new way to think
The Bible begins at the beginning – the story of creation
It is important that we read this passage as a story and not as a scientific account
(I do not have a problem with people trying to harmonize it with science, but that was not how Genesis was written nor how it was meant to be read)
- stories have a plot, characters, setting and mood
• in this story, the universe does not merely exist by itself
◦ it has an Architect, a Creator – and he has a purpose for it
• each new addition as it unfolds, is inspected and approved
◦ once the project is complete, all of it is very good
- the goodness of the created world is repeated and celebrated in the Old Testament
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Intro: These verses come at end of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians
For a voice declares from Dan
and proclaims trouble from Mount Zion.
Warn the nations that he is coming;
announce to Jerusalem,
“Besiegers come from a distant land;
they shout against the cities of Judah.
Like keepers of a field are they against her all around,
because she has rebelled against me, declares the LORD.
Your ways and your deeds
have brought this upon you.
This is your doom, and it is bitter;
it has reached your very heart.”
When I first started reading all the way through the Bible,
I would dread coming to the Book of Job
- it seemed like I always got more depressed reading it, or bad things would happen
• but as I came to a better understanding of Job, I began to enjoy reading it
• I see Job as the hero of all who suffer–innocently
- Job stood up for himself – against his friends – against his culture
• he even stood up to God – of course, he didn’t win that one
◦ but he didn’t lose either
• his complaint here: “What’s the point of making and caring for me, just to tear me apart?”
◦ note the poetic description of his fetal gestation in verse 11
Jesus is doing something rather dramatic in this passage
Look at the verbs! He busies himself with the menial task of a slave
- Jesus is teaching his disciple through a living parable
• he’s not telling a story this time – not explaining a truth
• he is acting out a lesson
- in the Synoptic gospels, Jesus explains the difference of how hierarchy is ordered in his kingdom
You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mk. 10:44-45)
• so here, Jesus shows them what that means
◦ you can be sure, Peter wasn’t only disciple that felt the impact of this lesson
• they would never forget the night Jesus washed their feet
e Arlington National Cemetery began as a solution to a problem
- after the Civil War, cemeteries ran out of space for all the remains of dead soldiers
• Arlington was offered for those who could not afford a proper burial anywhere else
• it also provided space for the remains of more than 2000 unidentified soldiers
- a friend who flew helicopters in Vietnam was nearly shot down when evacuating soldiers from a "hot spot"
• he told me, that when it seemed he was going to die, his last thoughts were of relationships
• that’s why there’s a Memorial Day,
◦ so that we don’t forget those whose last thoughts were of us
Ezekiel’s vision took him to a cemetery of sorts
- only without any graves – just a desert valley strewn with bones
It’s not enough to give you the context, so–a brief explanation
- Nehemiah had taken charge of a massive project,
• rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and the spiritual renewal of the people
• for the renewal to occur they had to break with their past
◦ so he arranges a day for this long prayer, which is a confession of Israel's sins
◦ it recounts a history of unfaithfulness
- the prayer tells a story, and like all stories, it’s build around a plot
• it’s easy to find the plot of a story, because it always involves a conflict
◦ some sort of tension and struggle takes place, creating suspense
• the conflict here is between a good God and his rebellious people
Intro: If you’re familiar the with gospels, what you see here instantly,
This is a strange healing miracle
- more attention is given to Jesus’ “method” than any prior healing
• and, he has never before this instance included spitting
◦ we’re going to have to revisit these things in a moment
• for now we are only interested in the fact, this man deaf
◦ and that most likely explains speech impediment (my friends)
- we are examining parts of this human body that is “fearfully and wonderfully”
• today we’re going to see what the Scriptures say about our ears
Paul will tell his story of this encounter two other times in the book of Acts
And he will share a condensed version of it again with the Galatians
• in 1 Corinthians he will argue,
Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? (1 Cor. 9:1)
• that was the day Jesus stopped Paul in his tracks and turned him around
- but if not for his eyes, there would be no story
• if you look for visual clues in the story, words and sentences pop out
a light shone; others were hearing the voice but seeing no one;
getting up although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing;
he was without sight; Ananias was given a vision in which he was told him to look for Saul;
Jesus told Ananias, behold, Saul too had seen a vision;
Ananias went to so he could regain his sight;
Jesus was going to show Saul how much he would suffer;
Jesus had appeared to Saul—and so on
(notice also the similarity of Saul's experience and what happened on his first mission (Acts 13:11)
Years ago there was a billboard on PCH in Newport Beach
On it, was printed a giant photo of an Orangutan’s face
- the caption read, “Face it, you belong in the San Diego Zoo”
• someone had climbed up there and with a spray can written between Face it– and–you belong
◦ a girl’s name–so it read, “Face it, Judy, you belong in the San Diego Zoo”
• this is one of the ways we use face as a figure of speech
- other figures include, when we:
• “face the music” -- we have to take responsibility for our actions
• take something “at face value” -- we accept it as it appears
• “lose face” -- we have lost the respect of others, so we then try to “save face”
• do an “about face” -- we make a quick 180 degree turn
• we use the word “surface,” – the visible outer layer of a thing
◦ frequently the Bible uses face for a surface:
◦ “the face of the deep,” “face of all the earth,” “the face of the ground”
Our lives would be radically different if we could see through God’s eyes!
- nothing in the world would worry or frighten us
• not one particle of beauty would escape our attention
• every single human person on the planet would be beautiful
◦ and you would see that nothing in the universe is more valuable than yourself
- this is what Jesus was trying to get his disciples to understand
• he was sending them on their first solo mission
◦ his instructions included preparing them for rejection
and if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that . . . town (v. 14)
“. . . if we would pay more attention to those bodies as we live them from the inside, instead of thinking of them only as we see them from the outside, we would know more about ourselves than we now do.”
“The body speaks clearly to those who know how to listen” “The multifaceted language of the body depicts a lifetime of joys, sorrows, and challenges, revealed in patterns of tension, movement, gestures, posture, breath, rhythm, prosody, facial expression, sensation, physiological arousal, gait, and other action sequences.”
- I’ve quoted first a pastor and professor of theology, Arthur Vogel
• and second a psychotherapist researcher and clinician, Pat Ogden
- it takes science a little while to catch up with scripture
• I’m not entirely joking when I say that
It occurs to me how little preparation went into this parade
- Jesus did not send two months in advance an event team,
• to pull permits, gather resources, and begin advertising
◦ he simply arrived–and from there it was all spontaneous
• so how did it turn into such a big deal?
◦ it was Jesus himself–his person and mighty works he had done
- from another point of view, this event had been 1000 years in the making
• the script was written and choreographed in Psalm 118:19-28
Intro: Are you ready for another dose of our morning meds?
Our meditation medication relieves a common disorder
- spiritual somnambulism–sleepwalking through life
Anthony de Mello begins his book Awareness, “Spirituality means waking up. Most people, even though they don’t know it, are asleep. They’re born asleep, they live asleep, they marry in their sleep, they breed children in their sleep, they die in their sleep without ever waking up. They never understand the loveliness and the beauty of this thing we call human existence.”
• waking up was one of my morning meds last week
Because last week seems to me like it was two years ago,
- let me remind you that I am sharing with you my morning meds
• that is, various "meditations" from my past readings of scripture
• the passage I want to focus on comes at the end of this chapter in Luke
◦ however, this chapter is a masterpiece
◦ and it begins with this strange parable
- did Jesus really teach this? did he actually congratulate the dishonest manager?
• NO! it was not Jesus who commended him,
◦ but a character in the story—the master; his boss
• and no there's reason to think the manager’s actions pleased his boss
◦ in fact, this very behavior is what got him fired
◦ but the boss was impressed by his clever scheme
We’re going to begin a new series of talks–but not today
In the meantime, I’m going to share some of my “meds” with you
– by “meds,” I mean meditations from my daily Bible reading
• obviously, what I share is going to be personal and not profound
◦ these are the sort of thoughts God uses, to encourage me or wake me up
• that is why we find ourselves in Luke’s Gospel this morning
There were a few events in Jesus life, that were unique
His baptism, the temptations, transfiguration, and his crucifixion and resurrection
– each of these events happened one time only
• everything else happened repeatedly
◦ his travels, his teaching, the miracles, his bouts with pious critics, etc.
• but the one-time events are significant not only for their uniqueness
◦ they were also turning points in his life and ministry
– every time we return to the temptations, we can find something new
• the story is so rich, it offers many possible interpretations
• one of my favorite ways to read it is from its supernatural perspective
◦ God’s Spirit was with Jesus in the wilderness, and the devil was there too
◦ this was a confrontation of cosmic proportions
We have been on an eight week excursion in the sacred writings
I thought it would be good today to return to where we began
– Paul encourages Timothy to continue in what he had learned and believed
• his spiritual education was rooted in the sacred writings
◦ “sacred,” because they come from God and reveal God
◦ “sacred,” because All Scripture is breathed out by God
• what I want to emphasize in this talk: the sacred writings are profitable
◦ for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness
◦ and by the sacred writings we are fully equipped for every good work
– one difficulty we have with scripture is that we do not know how to read the sacred writings
• reading other writings we question, we argue, we disagree with the author
◦ it’s okay to read Bible that way when we’re studying it
• but as sacred writings, we must suspend judgment
◦ we accept these writings exactly as they are, letting God speak to us
◦ but having said that, a mere reading of the sacred writings is not the endgame
Intro: Before jumping into my talk, I'll give you the backstory to this verse
Jesus’ apostles were putting down roots in Jerusalem
- this made sense, because Jerusalem was the hub of Israel’s faith for centuries
• but settling there was not what Jesus told them they would be doing
◦ they would be going into all the world with gospel (Acts 1:8)
• so the challenge was how to get them out of Jerusalem and into their mission?
And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. (Acts 8:1)
- Philip, the main character in episode, fled to Samaria
• he began sharing his faith with the Samaritans and soon crowds were coming to hear him
◦ that brought the apostles Peter and John out of Jerusalem to Samaria
• that’s when God abruptly sent Philip after this one person
Intro: Some of what I have to say will sound like a repetition of last week
I’m okay with that – we need to have it reinforced for us to own it
- my intention is to build on what we went over last week
• our Scriptures are sacred writings,
◦ but we don’t know how to read sacred writings
• we have learned that we read sacred writings"
◦ with reverence, receptivity and responsiveness, and self-reflection
◦ last week, we read the sacred writings with the Spirit of God
- today we learn to read the sacred writings Spirit-to-spirit
• so we are moving into a deeper place than last week
◦ we are entering a deeper place in God and in what happens in ourselves
Three weeks ago I said we read sacred writings with reverence
- since then, have you noticed more opportunities to experience reverence?
• every day brings us a sacred gift – it comes to us on tip-toe
◦ in our busy days, it is too easy to miss
◦ however, if we monitor our inner radar, we’ll hear a ping and find the blip
Three weeks ago you joined me on this journey of discovery
We began by recognizing our Scriptures as are sacred writings
– then we asked, How are we supposed to read sacred writings?
• sacred does not mean they are merely “religious”
• rather, they have a divine, other-worldly origin and quality
◦ they reveal truth otherwise hidden from human minds
– there is another uncanny feature to the sacred writings;
• as we read the ancient texts, God speaks directly to us
◦ as if they were written for us and meant to be heard here and now
◦ it is like hearing Jesus read from Isaiah and then telling us,
Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing
◦ this is how New Testament writers read the Hebrew Scriptures
Have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
Intro: In the world of literature, it is not unusual to find,
An author’s most treasured insights aren’t in the books they wrote
- but in letters to their friends, students, colleagues, or admirers
• frequently their letters provide the most practical and helpful advice
◦ they reveal what inspired them, kept them going,
◦ and their personal sources of insight and understanding
• in his letters to Timothy, Paul shares wise counsel with his protégé
◦ we’re fortunate to have access to this personal correspondence
- believers who love the Bible, love this passage
• here, Paul tells Timothy to continue on the path he has traveled
◦ he refers specifically to his spiritual education from others and scripture
• in verse 16, Paul makes clearest statement on inspiration of the Scriptures that is to be found in all of the New Testament
◦ it is breathed out by God – and as such, all Scripture . . . is profitable
This year, 2020, was already old by June
Few people will regret seeing it in the rearview mirror
– of course, some of our past is carried into the future
• but crossing the threshold of a new year is our chance to pause and think
• what do we want to take with us? and what do we want to leave here?
Imagine you woke up this morning, got your coffee, sat down,
– and instead of saying,
“Okay, Lord, I’ve got all these things to do, please help me,”
• you prayed, “Lord, what do You want to do today”
• and suppose he said, “Let’s take a walk. Follow me”
– that’s what we’re going to do
• were going to walk with Jesus through a few episodes in Mark’s gospel
• as we do, his wisdom, personal power, kindness, and beauty will emerge
◦ and we’ll see again why we love him
We are in the third week of the season of Advent
We’ve been preparing ourselves to welcome Jesus on Christmas morning
– it’s not that he hasn’t been with us, but we need reminders rituals
• they allow us to participate in events that transcends history
– we began by focusing attention on Jesus then on opening to mystery
• there is a mystery behind all reality – even yourself, myself, our pets, etc.
◦ the mystery must be encountered, because it’s so wonderful
• if you’ve been looking for mystery this past week,
◦ but each day turned out the same old thing, like the day before,
◦ then we need to have a talk about waking up
Today is the second Sunday of Advent
This is the season for preparing ourselves for Christmas
– last Sunday our preparation consists of contemplating Jesus
– today, we will be concerned with opening our hearts and minds to mystery
• some may find it too difficult to open their minds,
◦ so at least let’s open our hearts
Biblical mystery does not refer to a difficult mental challenge
I am going to read Psalm 118 to you
But first, I’ll say something about this poem
– it was written by one person
• that’s obvious from the singular personal pronoun in first 24 verses
• we’ll hear other voices — perhaps a priest giving a benediction
◦ and the poet will speak for the whole congregation of worshipers
◦ but he will return to his own voice at the end of the psalm
– the reason I’m pointing this out,
• is because many biblical scholars now see it as a liturgical composition
◦ that is to say, an outline for a service of worship in the temple
• but even if the poem became that, it began with one person,
◦ who went through a terrifying ordeal
◦ then after God brought him through it he was inspired to give thanks
Each time heading out the door I quickly ran through our checklist:
- "Do you have your homework? Your thermos? Your mask?"
• I read these last few verses of Hebrews as a checklist
• these verses are the finishing touches to a amazing document
◦ for the writer, these words were as important as everything else
- when we began our study, I explained the value of Hebrews
• in the gospels, Jesus reveals God – in Hebrews, God reveals Jesus
no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him (Mt. 11:27)
• the writer began this message
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son (Heb. 1:1-2)
◦ we’ve learned many of the ways God has spoken through Jesus
◦ we’ve also learned that he still speaks to us through Jesus
Intro: Last week we stopped at verse 8,
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever
Rather than treat that statement as belonging to a separate section,
- I see it more as the center point on which the chapter pivots
• retracing our steps through Hebrews, we Jesus at the heart of it
◦ in 2:9 we don’t see our place in world as God intended,
but we see Jesus crowned with glory and honor
◦ in 3:1 we are told to consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession
◦ in 4:14 we have a great high priest . . . Jesus the Son of God
◦ in the summary of Hebrews up to chapter 8, we read, Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven . . .
◦ in 12:2 we are looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith
- in light of all this, what does it mean to us that Jesus is the same?
• Yesterday: that is, his earthly life, the people he touched, all that he said and did
• Today: he is with us “always” (Mt. 28:2) -- and especially in worship, prayer, and meditation
• Forever: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also (Jn. 14:3)
◦ the future he promises to us gives the Christian life its meaning
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:11-14)
Listen — Give — Forgive — Remember — Consider — Imitate
I lost a few years of my life in conferences, seminars, and, forums
What I took away from each one was–a notebook
– and those notebooks mostly sat on shelves collecting dust
• after taking in all the information in first twelve chapters of Hebrews,
◦ we need clarity on how to turn these ideas into actions
• in chapter 13 the writer revisits themes in his book,
◦ and supplying simple instructions for incorporating them into our lives
Luke T. Johnson, “Virtually everything said here echoes earlier passages in which the author praises what his hearers are doing or exhorts them to do. Indeed, the several references to memory in this section suggest that the hearers are already well aware of their obligations.”
The writer of Hebrews is finished with his athletic analogies
– in a letter that has alternated between revelation and warning
• we come to the last big warning
• but we are also brought back to Jesus–dramatically
◦ the entire letter has been an adventure in knowing Jesus in a new way
Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer (2 Cor. 5:16)
Once again – what is our writer up to?
He has given us an athletic metaphor,
– and reminded us of the importance of training
• the serious athlete must learn discipline
• learning discipline requires athletes to endure their training
◦ endure those cravings to eat something they know should not
◦ endure getting out of bed in the morning or off the couch to workout
– the beauty of discipline is that once you learn it,
• you can use it to give structure to your whole life
◦ not a rigid structure, imposed on you by someone else,
◦ but you can structure the life you desire to live
• the writer’s main idea: we use discipline to structure our spiritual lives
Do you know what I mean by “starting blocks”?
You would if you ran track in high school
– blocks are placed on a track provide stable brace for the runners’ feet
• Olympic athletes spend time at the blocks, testing and adjusting them
◦ because that first push-off is critical to a fast start
• part of their workout is practicing their starts
– the writer of Hebrews is not telling us to settle into the starting blocks
• instead, the race has already begun
• like a good coach, he is telling us how to run the race
Intro: How would you respond if I said, “Show me your faith”?
Actually, I’m not the one who said it and that’s not whole sentence
Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works (Jas. 2:18)
- you cannot do it – you cannot give evidence of faith apart from action
- this entire chapter has explored faith's law of cause and effect
• we've heard one story after another of people whose actions were motivated by faith
◦ now he says, “There's no time for all the other stories I could tell”
• so he summarizes all the volumes he could have written
◦ enclosing them in bookends on either side--i.e., through faith (vv. 33 & 39)
If we could read this chapter like the original readers,
We would see this verse had been sneaking up on them
– thumbing through Israel’s history, the writer cites examples of faith
• there’s a similar historical review in Acts chapter 7
◦ but there, Stephen uses Israel’s history to make a different point
• Stephen lists the regular heroes found in the Old Testament
◦ Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David provided spiritual leadership for Israel
◦ and also a theological foundation for the people
– so reading this list in Hebrews we can anticipate who will come next
• in v. 29, the people crossed Red Sea–we know that would relate to Moses
• v. 30, the walls of Jericho fell down–we know that would relate to Joshua
◦ only Joshua is conspicuously absent from this list
Intro: Hebrews chapter 11 can be summed up in two words: By faith
The six verses we dive into today share a sub-theme, which is death
- not in a dark context, but rather in the light of faith and hope
• faith is not short-sighted – it can see a future beyond end of my life
• the big idea in these verses is that faith owns the future
For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ’s and Christ is God’s (1 Cor. 4:21-23)
- this passage takes us to one of the most bizarre stories in the Scriptures
In the verses we’ll cover today, faith looks much like a moving van
– the journey of faith is no vacation, but an indefinite homelessness
• with all of the stress that entails
• faith looks like an endless series of transitions
– this past week, I was counting for a friend all the schools I attended through the twelfth grade
• three elementary schools, three junior high, and two high schools
◦ being the new kid was no fun
• Abraham’s nomadic adventures were no fun for him either
Three of the verses we will read begin, By faith
– two times it refers to the husband’s faith and once to the wife
Jesus stressed it, pointing out instances of little faith and great faith
- Paul practically wore out the word faith
(faith appears almost forty times alone in his letter to the Romans)
• but the writer of Hebrews gives the fullest explanation of faith
• beginning in chapter 10, he reminded us of God's declaration,
my righteous one shall live by faith (Heb. 10:38)
◦ then he defined faith in chapter 11 verse 1:
Faith is resting in the assurance that we will receive the things we hope for, the certainty of having things that are now invisible (my paraphrase)
◦ he follows that with numerous examples of others who lived by faith
- like I said last week, this is a magnificent chapter
• it would be hard to find a chapter that is more helpful than this
• from all these examples we learn that
Faith finds God, while unbelief gropes in the dark, and finds nothing
Hebrews 11 is one of the magnificent passages in the Bible
It is right up there with Psalm 23, The Lord’s Prayer, and 1 Corinthians 13
- we won’t just step into Hebrews 11 – we need a running start
• last week’s passage culminated in two statements
◦ a line from the OT: my righteous one shall live by faith
◦ a line from writer: we are those who have faith
• it’s a fair question to ask, What does faith do for us?
◦ how does it make my life different from anyone else who is without faith?
◦ What is faith and what does it look like?
- Hebrews 11 gives us answers to these questions
• first, faith is defined – not with a dictionary type of definition
◦ but by explaining what faith does for us and how it challenges us
◦ then it shows us faith in living examples
The passage we are looking into this morning, Is as terrible as last week’s passage was wonderful
I have found last Sunday’s reminder to be very helpful this week
– I’ve survived and thrived on moments of “drawing near”
– but now we come to this:
For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:26-31
The writer of Hebrews has been commenting on the “new covenant”
The first half of chapter ten is a continuation and conclusion of this theme
– he explains how God writes his will into our hearts and minds
• in order to clarify the way Jesus works on the inside of our lives,
• our writer has enumerated contrasts between the old and new covenants
◦ more contrasts appear here, all the way to verse 18
– again, he refers to the old as having only a shadowy existence
• I’m fascinated by this language that he uses:
◦ copy, shadow, pattern, symbol, earthly (versus heavenly)
◦ what seems real to us is a mere silhouette of reality
• a shadow entails a light source – a physical object – and a surface
◦ the physical object prevents light from reaching a specific area of the surface (of the ground, floor, wall, or whatever the surface may be)
When we began our study in the Book of Hebrews, do you remember me telling you that I love this book?
That is because it is all about Jesus
- to me, it is like a fifth gospel, but it is different in this respect:
• the other four gospels follow Jesus from a human perspective
◦ we read about him from our view on earth
◦ Hebrews follows him from heaven’s perspective
• it’s as if we watch Jesus through the eyes of God’s angels
The “first covenant” was supported by worship
We have seen that in Jesus we have a better covenant (Heb. 8:6)
– and this is the new covenant (Heb. 8:13) of Jeremiah’s prophecy
• the first covenant refers to the one God forged with Israel at Mount Sinai
• remember, the purpose of God’s law and Israel’s worship
◦ it was to maintain their covenant relationship with God
A renewal of vows mirrors one of most important themes in scripture
- God’s covenant
• there is a major division in the Christian Bible
◦ one part is the Old Testament (covenant) and the other part is the New
◦ our Bibles are one story told in two parts and both of them having to do with covenants
The writer of Hebrews is going to argue a crucial difference
- the difference between copy and original, between shadow and substance
We all know someone–or we have been that someone–who powers through relationships, dating person after person looking for a perfect match. Not long after moving to Dana Point, I met a young man who fit that exact profile. I could not help but think of him when a few years later, reading St.
Augustine’s Confessions I came across this line, “I searched about for something to love, in love with loving . . . .”
I heard a psychiatrist once say, “Being in love is a powerful drug.” That sounds right to me, because I’m sure some people are addicted to the neurochemicals our brains produce that are associated with being in love.
Are you familiar with the name Dietrich Bonhoeffer?
He was a twentieth century martyr – imprisoned for opposing Hitler
– he gave a great deal of thought to what it means to be a Christian
• also, to what a true church, not compromised by the world would look like
• one conclusion he drew was that a Christian meditates on the Scriptures
◦ that got him asking questions like:
◦ “Why do I meditate?” “How do I meditate?”
If I were to write a paper on current societal pressures I would title it, “Inadvertent Torture”
- no one intended to torture US citizens, it just happened
• first, we spend most of our days stuck in these boxes (our homes)
• then, two television and social media are dominated by two issues:
◦ a controversial pandemic and the eruption of racial tension
◦ our nation is sharply divided on both of these issues
This week I was reading in the Book of Romans
In chapter 12, Paul listed ways to live in community with each other
– I was doing fine until I reached verse 12:
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer
• I am not by nature a joyful person – I lived many years under a cloud
◦ I hate to admit this, but for me hope doesn’t come easily either
◦ there have been a couple of hopes in this life that I’ve had to give up
• waking up to these issues and admitting them,
◦ reminds me that I can change
◦ and that is what God wants for me
We left off last week with the writer complaining (or scolding)
He had much more to say about Jesus in his role of a priest,
- but it would be too difficult to explain it all to them
• they had become lazy listeners
◦ as a result, they were not ready to go further or deeper
• but the truth is, the writer must have believed they were ready,
◦ because after this chapter he continues with his previous subject
◦ the one that he said would be "hard to explain"
- experienced public speakers can see what the writer is doing
• he wants to make sure he has their attention
◦ so he shocks them
◦ and he does this with what William Barclay described as
“one of the most terrible passages in scripture.”
’m going to begin with a personal reflection
You won’t see the connection at first, but it will make sense later
– Friday I was reading in the Book of Acts
• Paul was under house arrest in Rome
◦ but he was given freedom to entertain visitors
◦ when people came, Paul’s spent his time
trying to convince them about Jesus, and so he,
welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance (Acts 28:23 and 31)
– if you were going to have a conversation with Paul,
• you were going to hear about Jesus
◦ he never forgot their first encounter or what Jesus did for him
◦ for those who listened, his enthusiasm was contagious
• his drive to have a closer relationship with never diminished
Wednesday evening, our meditation was in Luke, chapter 9
Speculation was growing regarding Jesus
– he was a spiritual leader, but what kind of leader?
• 2,000 years later theologians and anthropologists are still asking
• where did Jesus fit in his culture’s conceptual framework
◦ a prophet, a Rabbi, a sage, a healer, a mystic?
– there is not one label that captures all that he is
• even for believers: he is our Lord, Savior, Messiah
◦ Hebrews has already referred to him as
God’s Son, the pioneer of our salvation, and an apostle
◦ each is an attempt to get to at an important truth
• the writer of Hebrew’s special interest is, Jesus our great high priest
This week it occurred to me, it might be good to stop here
To not go any further in Hebrews
– until our experience catches up with what we’ve learned
• for instance, we learned about an constant inner peace
◦ a Sabbath rest that doesn’t depend on our circumstances
◦ we can enter God’s rest in bad times as well as good times
• and our Sabbath rest is not limited to one day a week
One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. (Ro. 14:5)
On our Facebook page where the video of my talk last week was posted, Bill Livingston commented, “When seven days are holy you’ve entered his rest.”
◦ God’s will is that we always find rest in him
– so the question is, have we enjoyed that Sabbath rest this past week?
• have we been going there with our anxious thoughts?
◦ with our troubled hearts? with our anger and disappointments?
Hebrews chapter 4 is like a mixed-green salad
It has four different types of lettuce:
Let us fear (v. 1)
Let us strive (v. 11)
Let us hold fast (v. 14)
Let us draw near (v. 16)
Since our text begins with a quote from Psalm 95, let’s go there first
The psalm begins with a call to worship
Oh come, let us sing to the LORD;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! (Ps. 95:1-2)
Next, the psalm tells us why we worship For the LORD is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land (Ps. 95:3-5)
Is there anything in the Bible you wish were not there?
I may be hypersensitive to manipulation
– a by-product of growing up in my religious subculture
• a typical statement would be,
“If you love the Lord, then raise your hands”
◦ the peer pressure was intense
◦ what would the others think if I didn’t raise my hands?
• so whenever I hear an “if,”
◦ I assume someone is trying to coerce or manipulate me
“If you’re a good Christian boy, empty the trash”
“If you’re a real Christian, donate money to our missionaries”
◦ my immediate reaction is to resist
– there is an “if” in this passage
In every news source, the Coronavirus dominates the headlines
Some of us are obsessed with following the most recent statistics
– how many new cases in Europe, the US, in New York
• how many deaths in Orange County as it creeps closer to our street?
– it seems we have to navigate our way between two extremes
• Jesus described both in his end-of-the-world sermons
◦ those like Chicken Little, who believe the sky is falling
people fainting with fear and with foreboding over what is coming (Lk. 21:26)
◦ others like ostriches, with their heads in the sand
For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, util the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them away (Mt. 24:37-39)
• I doubt this virus will be the end of the world
◦ however, we are living in a time of global crisis
We have seen that there is an overall structure to whole book
It is a wave-like pattern that alternates between revelation and warning
– the first revelation came in chapter 1,
• and now in chapter 2 we have the first warning
◦ the warning sections can be severe
◦ but the writer also softens them softened with encouragements
I am going to begin with the verses we covered last week, only this will be my own “interpretive paraphrase” of the first four verses of Hebrews.
God spoke in the past and God has spoken in our time.
There are differences in how he spoke then and now.
In the past he spoke
• many times in many ways
• to our ancestors in the faith
• through the prophets
The author of Hebrews is a credible guide
– he is an excellent resource for those of us who are always longing to live closer to God
• Hebrews takes us on an adventure of discovering Jesus
◦ it unfolds the mystery of his person
• in Hebrews we look at Jesus through a different lens than other New Testament books
◦ in the gospels, Jesus reveals God; in Hebrews, God reveals Jesus
. . . no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him (Mt. 11:27)
◦ other than the gospels, no other New Testament book holds such a sustained focus on Jesus all the way through
The introduction to Hebrews is not quiet music and soft lights
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If a woman conceives and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days. As at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. And on the eight day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Then she shall continue for thirty-three days in the blood of her purifying. She shall not touch anything holy, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed. Leviticus 12:1-4
We will skim through the details of this chapter,
– but first, we want to mark the key words: “to make a distinction”
• our ability to distinguish one thing from another is serious business
◦ in the extreme, it can be difference between life and death
◦ for instance, when picking berries for a pie, it’s best to know which ones are wholesome and which ones are poison
• chapter 11 has to do with making distinctions
For some time I’ve wanted to walk us through the Book of Hebrews
When we come to it, you will discover why it is so extraordinary
- but the same reasons that make it extraordinary,
• also make it difficult to comprehend
• it's content, style and logic are sometimes difficult for us to follow
- Hebrews is built on stories and symbols from the Hebrew Scriptures
• we need to be familiar with that background to grasp its message
• so we are going to spend the next three weeks in Leviticus
◦ if we were in junior high school, I’d hear a lot of groans right now
◦ but we’re adults – so we're silently planning to be somewhere else
for the next three weeks
The bit of dialogue I read doesn’t mean anything right now,
– but it will after I bring you up to speed
• the subject of biography is Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham
• his story unfolds as one long and complex road trip
◦ it will eventually bring him before Egyptian Pharaoh
◦ when Jacob was asked his age, he characterizes his life as a journey
The days of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning (Ge. 47:9)
– what drove his journey forward
• is that he was repeatedly running from one person or another
Can we take moment to think about why we’re here?
What does it mean to say we are Christians?
– we believe that “all this”–oceans, mountains, planets, nebula–
• all of it came from somewhere – from Someone
◦ a Creator infinitely intelligent and infinitely powerful
• yet the Creator is not in the universe like any other created object
– Jesus drops a line here that gives me the chills:
your Father who is in secret (v. 6)
Intro: Anyone who knows anything about the Bible, has heard of the
Ten Commandments
Israel had been a slave people before God rescued them
– now they were just beginning to know their God
• they needed to know how to order their lives in his sight
• at their work, in their families, in society, and in the world
– above all, they had to know how to live in relationship with God
• so it is this comes first on the list of commandments
This passage seemed fitting at this time
– there are only a couple of days left in this year, and then, 2020
• no one can say what will happen in the next twelve months,
• but we can be sure it will not be boring
– we spent the past four weeks of Advent preparing for Jesus
• now that Christmas has come, and Jesus is here,
◦ let’s use this year to deepen our relationship with him
◦ to love him more, trust him more, and render better service to him and others
It seems to me that the traditional Advent themes are jumbled
The first Sunday is hope, then the second, third, and fourth are faith, joy and peace
– if I had lived in the 4th century–and anyone had asked me
• I would have suggested that we put faith first
◦ faith is what enables us to hope
◦ so hope would be the theme of the second Sunday
• then, feeling secure about the future, we would be at peace
◦ and that, I think, is when we are most likely to feel joy
– one other Advent theme that integrates and completes the others
• love–and we save that for Christmas Eve
• but since we are following the ancient tradition,
◦ the arrival of Jesus into our world is God’s gift of peace
I’m going to begin by asking you two questions
First, What makes you feel happy?
– take a moment and give this some thought
Second, What makes you feel joy?
– again, take a moment with this question
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophets:
Should we celebrate Christmas?
- irritable Christians who write blogs or post on social media,
• remind us that it’s not likely Jesus was born in December
◦ that the “church” took over a pagan holiday,
◦ and to this day much of the Christmas celebration is still pagan (1)
• if that’s so, should we not celebrate the birth of Jesus?
◦ not return to the old, old narrative of announcements, angels, stable, shepherds, star and magi?
◦ should we, like the Gospels of Mark and John skip over all that?
There are Christians whose interpretation of this is rigidly literal
– they will tell parents who have lost a child,
• even if it feels wrong or is difficult to do, they must give thanks
• “It’s what the Bible says, so that’s what you must do”
– since this is their belief,
• they have to somehow justify this practice
◦ the authoritarians might say, “God moves in mysterious ways”
◦ the rationalists might say, “Giving thanks changes your perspective”
Romans 1:18-23Paul has a lot to say about giving thanks in his letters
– in fact, he sums up God’s will for us with these basic practices:
. . . always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thes. 5:15-18)
Psalm 118 opens with a chorus that has a long history
We first hear it immediately following a big event
– the day King David brought the ark of the covenant into his city
• the ark was the heartbeat of Israel’s religion and relationship with God
• David wanted to place it at the geographical center of nation
– he invited all Israel to participate in the procession
Thirteen years ago, I stopped going to church
That summer, our church was listed in a survey of Christian ministers
– we rated among forty of the most creative and influential in the U.S.
• but I was broken, burned-out, feeling alone and like a failure
– Barbara was with me and helpful through a slow process of healing
• conversations with Fr. Romuald steered me closer to Jesus
• Barb and I spent Sunday on long walks
◦ we were refreshed as we followed a trail near the ocean
– towards the end of 2006, I found myself missing my church friends
• people, who for thirty years had been my life
◦ a few of them had written to say, missed my teaching
• a year later, I began sending a handful of people Reflections
(personal meditations from my daily reading in the Scriptures)
◦ two years later, Reflexion began with meetings in our home
I haven’t prepared a sermon today or a Bible study
What I have is more like a personal meditation
– a thought, not so much for the analytical mind,
• as for the thirsty, needy soul
– depth psychology tells us that the thoughts that move us most,
• that motivate and influence us,
◦ are not our most logical or even conscious thoughts
◦ but stories, symbols and images in our unconscious
• for instance, what stirs a patriotic heart
◦ is not an essay on the philosophical government of democracy
◦ but seeing the American flag raised and hearing “The Star Spangled Banner”
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
First, God tells Israel to make for themselves a new heart and spirit
- then later, he says he will give them a new heart and spirit
• which is it? Do create the new self we are to become or does God?
◦ asking the question this way suggests an apparent contradiction
◦ it assumes that the situation must be either this or that
• either we are the active agents for change or God is the active agent
- the right question to ask:
Several times in the last few weeks I have quoted Johann Hari
Hari is an author and journalist who struggled with depression
– eventually he realized antidepressants weren’t helping him
• so he began researching other options and interviewing experts
• he found anxiety and depression have less to do with a chemical imbalance in the brain (as pharmaceutical companies have told us)
◦ and more to do with environmental factors and lost connections
– the first half of his book explores how we have been cut off from:
• meaningful work
God wanted Israel to find him; he was even willing to help them find him
– but no one was looking for him
• he reached out to them, but no one stretched out their hands to him
• he was that close to them, and they were oblivious to him
For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? (De. 4:7)
– “Here I am” is a familiar phrase in the Scriptures
• Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Samuel, Isaiah spoke this phrase
We began with the word repent – a second thought, change of mind
- this means we change the organ of thought: the brain
• we change how brain cells connect with other brain cells
◦ we rewire neurons to form new thoughts, feelings, actions
• we are re-writing the brain’s owner’s manual
Paul describes a frustrating struggle, a losing battle with himself
– suppose he wanted his readers to feel that frustration for themselves
• if so, Dr. Seuss could not have done a better job of creating confusion
• however, my guess is that Paul wrote it in a state of frustration
– early on, he had put every effort into living a sinless life
• but every time he thought he had achieved it,
◦ a new sin sprouted in some area of his life
• if he spent his entire time with nothing other than God’s law,
◦ even the law introduced him to sins he had not known existed
I have been mulling over something this past school year
Two days a week I drove three of my grandchildren to school
– two of them attend school in what I refer to as a new suburbia
• the residents are almost exclusively young families
◦ everything is new – new expensive houses and condos
◦ and new apartments, a few of which are low-rent properties
• none of the houses, condos or apartments have much yard space
– there’s an obvious cultural distinction of two classes in new suburbia
• the basis for it is monetary – those with affluence put it on display
◦ the vehicles in line to drop off kids tell a story
◦ some drive the “family car” or truck, others drive expensive SUVs
• this is elementary school!
◦ yet kids coast in on electric bikes or mini-scooters
◦ or parents bring them in over-priced golf-carts
Imagine this . . .
While you’re at work, out shopping, or on vacation
– a family parks a moving in front of your home
• they break into, and unload used, worthless furnishings inside
• then they redecorate your home with their junk
◦ and to make matters worse, they glue or nail everything in place
– ridiculous, right?
• but all of us have allowed others to do that with our brains
• by words, actions, and attitudes, others have dumped their junk on us
◦ tainting our sense of self and outlook on life
This short psalm tells a story
It is about a person who was abused as a child
– yet the child became an adult without being defined by abuse
• at least, that’s how the first line reads
◦ but the second line corrects our understanding,
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the prophet’s call was an important event
Each of the three major prophets tell elaborate stories of their initiation
– typical features of a prophetic call include:
• a God-encounter
• instructions regarding their ministry and message
• a warning of what they are up against
• an attempt on the prophet’s part to dodge the call
◦ they argue their disqualification
• God rejects their disqualification and “qualifies” them
• they then receive their first vision, word, or revelation
– Jeremiah begins with the story of his call and apprenticeship
Last week we learned what neuroscience has taught us about repentance
– at a practical, biological level repentance means changing our brains
• the brain is control center for all the activity of the mind and body
• how do we repent? How are we changed, transformed?
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Ro. 12:2)
We began two weeks ago with the first word of Jesus’ message:
“Repent” – a change of mind that leads to change of everything
– the Bible uses other words for change: turn, convert, transform
• I’ve tried to point out, that this means changing our brains
• brain activity that has become automatic and unconscious
– Paul has an interesting way of illustrating this change, he says,
put off your old self and put on the new self
50 days after the resurrection the apostles are waiting to be equipped, empowered - day of Pentecost
This one last time, I will remind you what we’ve been tracking
– John wrote a gospel that’s very different from the Synoptic gospels
• the other three follow the same outline, tell the same stories
• John is surprising in how much he leaves out and what he puts in
– during Jesus’ life the disciples did not always understand him
• some times he said things that:
◦ had to do with the future
◦ contradicted what they had been taught
◦ contained spiritual truth that the rational mind cannot discover
• they heard his teaching and at times thought they understood him,
◦ but there were often deeper meanings that they missed
Way back at the beginning of John’s narrative of Jesus’ ministry, when John the Baptist first saw Jesus, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God. who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29)
John’s source for the image of the lamb was the sacrificial worship of Israel
– this symbol was embedded in Israel’s collective memory
• the offering of a lamb provided atonement for Israel’s sin
• “atone” means to cover
– when it came to sin, God had his people covered
Again early in Jesus’ ministry, Nicodemus came to him for a nighttime chat
– during their interview Jesus told him,
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life (Jn. 3:14-15)
Last week we jumped to the end of John’s gospel, because it was Easter Sunday
– today we return to night of Jesus’ arrest prior to his crucifixion
• think of what we are doing this way:
◦ some films include flashbacks to events that occurred prior to the current period
◦ flashbacks supply explanations or fill in important details
• so this week and next, will be like flashbacks for us
◦ scenes of events leading up to Jesus’ resurrection
– the “Church Calendar” is an ancient tradition
• it divides the year into seasons attached to specific events
◦ it also provides daily scripture reading to keep those events in mind
• according to the Church Calendar Easter is not a day but a season
◦ it goes from Easter Sunday up to Pentecost Sunday
◦ so it is fitting to return to the cross and resurrection during this “season”
Here in the last chapter of John, we find an interesting correlation
– in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, at beginning of Jesus’ ministry,
• he encounters four fishermen whom he calls to follow him
◦ Andrew and Peter are casting their net into the water
◦ James and John are in their boat mending their nets
• the Gospel of Luke tells us Jesus saw two empty boats by the shore
◦ he explains that the fishermen were washing their nets Jesus stepped into a boat that happened to belong to Peter from there he taught the people crowded on the shore
◦ after dismissing the crowd, Jesus said to Peter, “Let’s fish!”
And Simon answered him, Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! (Lk. 5:4-5)
Did you know Gospel of Mark does not have proper ending?
Women came to Jesus’ tomb, the body was gone, but an angel met them there and instructed them to go tell his disciples that he had risen. Then the last words of Mark’s gospel are:
they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid (Mk. 16:8)
– Christian scribes must have found this disturbing, so they made up endings
• it’s odd that Mark would leave his story hanging that way,
• because his gospel really is a masterpiece
◦ in way he used literary tools that were available to him
◦ in fact, Matthew and Luke borrowed Mark’s basic outline
and retold some of his stories exactly as Mark had written them
– perhaps the abrupt ending is evidence of his genius
• the story of Jesus does not end with his resurrection
◦ it goes on – and will go on forever
◦ that’s similar to way John ends his gospel
But just before reaching the end, there is this amazing crescendo!
– Jesus goes to the grave of a dead man and calls him back to life
– this is one of those points where John’s story differs from the Synoptic gospels
• Matthew, Mark and Luke say nothing about Lazarus’ resurrection
• in Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus’ ministry comes to an end
◦ but in John’s gospel, it is only Jesus’ public ministry that comes to an end
◦ he still has a lot more to give his disciples before leaving them (chs. 13-17)
In spite of the different direction John goes,
– the way his story overlaps with the Synoptic gospels is recognizable
• for example:
◦ Martha and Mary, whom we met in Luke, enter the story
◦ the story of a woman who poured perfume on Jesus occurs here
(as we find in Matthew and Mark)
◦ John also records Jesus grand entrance into Jerusalem
◦ Jesus quotes Isaiah 6:9-10, as he did in Matthew
(and partially in Mark and Luke)
Let’s review important terms Jesus has used
– first, there is the living water
• he offered it to the Samaritan woman (Jn. 4:10)
• he also offered it to everyone in the temple (Jn. 7:37-38)
– next, Jesus said, I am the bread of life (Jn. 6:35)
– more recently he said, I am the light of the world
• and he promised to those who followed him the light of life (Jn. 8:12)
Notice how these same themes appear in Psalm 36
How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light do we see light (vv. 7-9)
This is not only metaphorical poetry
– it is mystical verse
– it describes seeing light within light
Intro: It is not easy to follow the thread of John chapter 7
So I will begin with a quick synopsis of what is here:
– in Galilee, Jesus’ brothers told him he should “make an appearance” in Judea
• if he wanted public recognition, he should show himself to the world
◦ apparently they assumed that he wanted a measure of fame
• this was not friendly advice, For not even his brothers believed in him
◦ Jesus answered, it was not his time
◦ kairos — the right moment (appointed time)
– later, Jesus went to Judea, not publicly but in private
– before showing up in the temple, people were already talking about him
– half-way through the feast, Jesus went into temple and began teaching
• as always, the impression he made was uncanny
◦ some in the crowd wanted to know how he knew so much
(not being “lettered”–i.e., not having a formal education)
◦ Jesus’ answer was that the teaching wasn’t his – he had been sent
– verse 19 is where it becomes tricky–Jesus starts talking about Moses
This is the only miracle Jesus performed that is reported in all four gospels
In Matthew, Mark, and John this miracle is immediately followed by another–when Jesus walked on water
– Mark adds an intriguing footnote to that event regarding the disciples:
And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened (Mk. 6:51-52)
• he indicates that something was revealed in the miracle of the loaves and fish
◦ but the disciples missed it, and that was because their hearts were hardened
• in other words, their minds were set in mode of thinking
◦ and that meant the miracle could not penetrate their hearts
– this inability to understand is exactly what John addresses in his gospel
• therefore, the miracle of the loaves becomes an opportunity
◦ Jesus uses it for an extended session of interactive teaching
◦ as Jesus taught, the crowd became increasingly frustrated, until
After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him (v. 66)
John adds another feature to the story–Jesus “tested” Philip
– after a quick calculation, Philip decided providing food for everyone could not be done
• they did not have the resources
– but Jesus not only tested Philip, he went on to test the crowd
• the whole chapter is one test after another
• Jesus used impossibilities to stretch them into faith
Last week a friend asked why we read passages from two gospels each week
We are tracking comparisons and contrasts between John and Synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark & Luke)
– John wrote long after the Synoptics had been in circulation
• he was at a different stage of spiritual insight than when he walked with Jesus
• so what he provides is like a spiritual commentary on the other gospels
◦ he provides missing pieces in their understanding and fills in some of the blanks
– today’s reading have to do with two men miraculously healed
• they did not suffer from the same condition, but both were incapacitated
◦ and in both situations Jesus was attacked for healing them
• but unlike Mark’s gospel, John used the healing as an opportunity
◦ John provides a deeper insight into Jesus’ heart and mind
Last Sunday, several people thanked me for asking Jake to speak
What I noticed afterward, was not what I learned, but what I felt
– a fresh awareness of how present God is to us
• two specific moments stand out when Jake explained:
◦ “it’s not about leaving our physical world or our bodies, but the veil is lifted”
and
◦ “the Psalms teach us how to talk to our nephesh [soul]”
Much of Jesus’ teaching remained a mystery for his disciples
– during the time they were with him, they did not understand him
• but after his resurrection, it all began to come together
◦ what the Scriptures said about Jesus and what he taught them (Lk. 24:44-45)
◦ and it all came pretty quickly (cf. Acts 2:16-21, 25-28, 34-35, etc.)
• John wrote in two time-frames:
◦ first, within the period of Jesus’ ministry
◦ and then years later, when he had eyes to see and ears to hear (Mk. 8:17-21)
There is no way to learn without getting on a bike and trying
– that’s because our brains have to adapt to a new experience, that of balancing while on a bike
• new connections have to made between brain cells
◦ these connections have to be integrated in different areas of the brain
• balancing on a bike cannot be learned in a class or from a book or instructor
◦ to ask, “Please tell me how to do this” is a waste of time
◦ you have to keep trying until your body learns it–until it feels balance
• once you learn, your body never forgets
– this is how I see the story of Nicodemus
• he wants Jesus to teach him how to ride a bike
◦ but he wants to learn while sitting in a room alone with Jesus
• the Lord tells him, “Just get on the bike, Nick!”
◦ but Nicodemus keeps saying, “Yes, Jesus, but then how do I ride it?”
◦ this illustrates a central problem the Pharisees had with Jesus
Once again I ask myself, how will I approach this familiar story?
It won’t hurt if we start right here and now, in our own world
– soon we’ll visit Mary and Joseph
• but we’re 2000 years and a world away from them
• why do we even bother with a story so old and distant?
◦ it is because we know this story was written for us
– and that raises another question – Why did Luke tell the story of Jesus?
• I’m convinced it was because he wanted us to know Jesus
◦ and Luke knew this story is for everyone
◦ it is just as the angel told the shepherds,
First, I want to point out some interesting features of this story
What I mean, is the way Luke puts it together
– for example, Mary asks a question that divides Gabriel’s message in two
• the first part in verses 30-33, he tells her what was going to happen
• the second part in verses 34-37, he tells her how it will happen
– both messages began with what would happen to her – “YOU”
• then he explained what the child would become – “HE”
• finally, Gabriel tagged something extra to end of messages
◦ he informed Mary of Elizabeth’s pregnancy
◦ this was to emphasize a specific point to reassure Mary
I did not know until recently that Christmas invitation cards are big business
There are invitations to visit the home of a family member or friend,
– invitations to Christmas dinners, office parties, fund-raisers, and so on
• some of us get so many invitations this time of year,
◦ we have to decide which ones to decline
• others of us may wish we had that problem
– right now, I have three Christmas invitations in mind
• they are different types of events — all three are doable
◦ but might be good to decide which one gets most of our energy
• they are:
But there will be no more room for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious by the way of the sea on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.
The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
I have been reading Resilience by Rick Hanson
I don’t like it – the same way I don’t like taking medicine when sick
– he said all the same things in a previous book I read
• but I’m someone who needs to be reminded to do the work
• so it’s okay that I’m going over these things again
– “resilience” is the ability to recover quickly, to bounce back from negative emotions
• one chapter in his book is devoted to gratitude
Most everyone wants to know the future
It holds a fascination for us that is hard to escape
– fortune telling is an ancient practice that continues today
• people still turn to psychics, horoscopes, palm reading, fortune cookies
• for Evangelical Christians, the fascination centers on biblical prophecy
◦ people have come up with all sorts of calculations to pinpoint specific events
– Jesus made references to future events from time to time,
• but only once did he go deep into it like he does in this chapter
◦ notice, he didn’t hype his teaching
In chapter 5, A man begged Jesus to heal his daughter,
In chapter 6 Jesus is teaching in the countryside,
In chapter 7, the Pharisees called out the disciples for a purity violation,
In chapter 8 Jesus fed another large crowd
Every Christian I know loves the Psalms, and each person has her or his own reasons. Some of the psalms provide us with reassuring comfort and security, knowing that our God cares for his weak and wounded children and that he is a rock and fortress in times of distress. Other songs inspire us to worship God and provides us with words that help us give expression to our praise and gratitude. There are psalms in which we discover an empathetic poet, one that is familiar with our griefs and feelings of despair (and even depression!). Then there are those raw and violent prayers that call for God’s judgment on the wicked, the cheats, the oppressors, and others who have slandered or betrayed us. Even with all of this we are only scratching the surface of what we find in the Psalms.
I wasn’t here last Sunday – spoke to a church in Bellflower
After I spoke, a woman told me how much she appreciated me being there
– I told her that I enjoyed being with them, because I loved them
• she said, “We know”
◦ that surprised me
• I had not mentioned my concern for them, that I could not sleep Saturday night,
◦ and that I got up at 3:00 am to rework the message I had prepared
– I guess people can tell when they are loved
• but I cannot and learning I’m loved usually comes as a surprise
It may not seem like it at first, but this story’s about Jesus’ love for you
I had a few extra hours with my grandson, Calum, this week He could not go to school, because he was running a temperature – I get nervous about fevers – two of our sons, when very small, had febrile seizures • so it makes sense to me that parents wanted Jesus to touch their children • what doesn’t make sense is that the disciples would block them – Jesus’ message, from his first spoken words in chapter 1, • has been the kingdom of God (Mk. 1:15) • now he places children in the center of God’s kingdom ◦ it belongs to them, ◦ and the only way to enter the kingdom is to receive it as a child
I love the Bible and appreciate its diversity of styles (especially its poems and stories)
James, however, is not one of my favorite books – there were followers of Jesus who believed, • to be a true Christian a person had to be Jewish (cf. Acts 15:1) ◦ this was the dominant opinion in Jerusalem ◦ those who held to it included some Christian leaders • the apostles, Peter and Paul did not agree with them ◦ they believed Gentiles could know God in their own culture and context ◦ and apart from fulfilling all the requirements of the law
Hebrews is a complex book
It requires a good knowledge of the Old Testament, or else it’s easy to get lost – but Hebrews is well worth the effort to work our way through it • for me, it is like reading a fifth gospel • only it brings out the meaning of Jesus and his ministry – from the first three verses of the introduction, we know its message • Jesus is God’s final word to humankind ◦ in Jesus we learn everything we need to know about God
At first it looks like this chapter is going to be about Jesus
His compassion and his close connection with sinners – a connection that was very offensive to the religious people in the crowd • but Jesus tells three stories that introduces a different theme • the chapter isn’t about the scandal of Jesus’ ministry ◦ it’s about people who are unable to rejoice with Jesus in his work
How did we get started and where are we going? – the first question is easy to answer • in 2004 I visited a friend who had sequestered himself in a monastery ◦ while there, I met a monk whose spiritual depth and insight left a deep impression on me ◦ I continued to visit him for the next two years • he introduced me to contemplative spirituality ◦ simply put: contemplative spirituality is real-life Christianity – the challenge is, we have to live in reality – that’s all there is • but many people feel they cannot live in reality ◦ so we have created unrealistic forms of religion ◦ some that are unrealistically miraculous, others are all in the head, and others that treat Jesus like an imaginary friend • contemplative spirituality is the real experience of God ◦ a real hope that doesn’t require the world to be good or people to be nice, or miracles every day
Jesus had announced to his disciples that he was going away
He would soon leave them and the world of humans – and return to his Father – the dimension of God’s reality (cf. Jn. 8:21-23) • the disciples have completed their journey with him • but he is not abandoning them – they won’t be orphans ◦ their discipleship will continue ◦ from now on, it would be directed by the Spirit – so Jesus is preparing them for his departure • however, he could only tell them what they were able to comprehend ◦ that means, he could not provide many specific details • as a result, they were confused and had lots of questions ◦ their conversation that impossible night goes on for three more chapters ◦ and includes the longest recorded prayer of Jesus
This last week I had a conversation with a young woman
Afterward, I was impressed by her sincerity and compassion – she had been trying to explain her beliefs to her roommates • for awhile they had listened, but then began to raise objections • so she warned them, that we are living in the “end times!” ◦ and whoever doesn’t believe in Jesus will go to hell ◦ that pretty much ended their talk – to her credit, she was very receptive when I suggested she try a different strategy
Does John give us a clue that of something special in this chapter?
In the stories of Jesus, episodes are marked by a scene changes – for instance, there is usually a shift: • in time — After these things • place — Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea – here we find both in the first verse, so now the story gets underway • but then John inserts a notation regarding Passover ◦ Passover would typically indicate time (spring) or place (Jerusalem) ◦ but here it doesn’t seem relevant to anything
Last week Moses asked God for the ultimate experience
Show me your glory – Let me look at you; see you as you are – he knew the truest way to know someone was to experience that person • Moses’ request was denied • nevertheless, God gave Moses all he had to give at that time ◦ and all that Moses was able to take without being obliterated
from the burning bush on, God has been revealing himself • if that was like sunrise, the light has been getting brighter • now it is so bright as blind ◦ my fear has to do with my inadequacy to present a revelation this awesome ◦ I want you to experience the fullness of what transpires in this passage – there are some big ideas here, but those are not all we are meant to see • people tell stories in order to share their experience • so, probably, it is best if we try to feel our way through these verses
Our story today begins with an example of creativity gone bad – this episode is a mirror image of the previous seven chapters • it runs parallel to God’s instructions for the sacred tent ◦ only what is produced here is a grotesque distortion • the resources that were to be used for God’s tent– ◦ including the sacred objects, sacrifices, and service of its artisans and priests ◦ gets hijacked by patchwork cult – we can explore this episode using a key marker • when the word “this” is used in a dismissive way ◦ for example, the way the Israelites refer to this Moses in verse 1 ◦ “this” creates distance from a person (like when a mother refers to her child as “this son of yours . . . .”) • when we come to these markers, they will indicate a change of attitude
Moses had climbed Mount Sinai and disappeared into a cloud on the summit – God invited Moses into his presence to assign Israel a task • he gave Moses instructions for constructing a sacred tent • God’s intention was to live among his people – the last two concerns addressed here are:
Assigning a work crew for this extensive project Another reminder regarding the Sabbath
Today we’ll run through God’s instructions for preparing his priests to serve in his tent – a special class of ministers were needed to maintain the tent and perform its services • these chapters have to do mostly with their clothing and ordination • glorious and beautiful – tells us something about worship ◦ glory refers to God’s radiant presence ◦ beauty refers to what is proportionate and visually appealing – making sacred garments for the priests required talented people • “skilled” translates a Hebrew word meaning “wise of heart” • a kind of practical wisdom that is developed through practice ◦ people who have perfected their craft
God introduces it by telling Moses to request donations from the people – “offering” refers to a specific sacrifice and how it was presented • it was “lifted” or “raised up” in the hands of the priest • so, giving was considered an act of worship, and the gift was considered sacred – one condition to their giving was that their hearts had to be moved to do so • this had to be something they wanted to do ◦ it has to do with the nature of the sacred tent ◦ they had to value their participation, and it had to be personal • what they provided were raw materials
The chapters I asked you to read comprise the covenant-making ritual
We want to link the idea of God’s “covenant” with “relationship” – there were other “social covenants”: political, commercial and relational • beneath the political and commercial covenants was a basic lack of trust ◦ in these contexts, covenants, contracts and treaties acted as guarantees • one of loveliest relational covenants was that of Jonathan and David
1-2 Gateway to the Big Ten
What is the rationale behind the Ten commandments? – first, their God is–I am Yahweh your God–and second, what he’s done–rescued you • he doesn’t follow this with description of his nature or a list of his attributes ◦ the Christian church has constructed a super-rational theology ◦ by extracting concepts from scripture and arranging them in categories • that is not how theology emerges in the Scriptures – the Bible isn’t an encyclopedia–“Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About God” • nor does it concern itself with abstract concepts ◦ God’s self-revelations come through interactions with him
Going through life with God, Abraham learned Yahweh was El Shaddai (the Almighty God), El Elyon (God Most High), Jireh (Provider). These revelations came to him in the course of his life through both his circumstances and his personal encounters with Yahweh.
• God does not reveal his essence; that is, what he is in himself ◦ he reveals to us what we need to know about him, who he is to us
Before we jump into the story, here’s what you need to know
This is one of the most significant chapters in the Bible – it does not reveal a whole lot about God, • but the information it does reveal is essential • God reveals himself–that is, his person–to Israel ◦ he also reveals who they will become ◦ Israel identity is derived from Yahweh and their relationship with him – this chapter is a turning point • it lays the foundation for all that will follow from this moment on • Israel is given a new experience of Yahweh ◦ a new revelation and a new relationship ◦ the course of their lives will be sent in a new direction
God sponsored Israel’s spiritual health with three prominent resources:
Prophecy, worship and wisdom – think: Isaiah, Psalms and Proverbs – in this chapter we come across two of those resources • but there’s an unusual twist • the person who officiates worship and gives wise counsel is not Moses ◦ in fact, this person is not even an Israelite ◦ he is Moses’ Midianite father-in-law, Jethro
Intro: Why are fastest speed limits in California and Arizona posted on our desert freeways?
Most travelers try to get through desert as fast as possible – I would remind my children, we made desert journeys with out air-conditioning • my parents reminded us of horse-drawn covered wagons ◦ not that they ever traveled that way, but to give us perspective ◦ it didn’t work • we also learned that high temperatures made for short fuses – I bring this up so that we can feel some sympathy for the Israelites • their trek thru the wilderness led from one hardship to another • their worst times, however, resulted when they lost sight of God
In some ways, our spiritual journey parallels their travels – the Apostle Paul made this point in 1 Corinthians • and that will be how we approach Exodus chapter 17 today – there were two common experiences on this desert journey: 1. Going through periods of dryness 2. Coming under attack
I will sing to the LORD for he has triumphed gloriously; he has hurled both horse and rider into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise him— my father’s God, and I will exalt him! Exodus 15:1-2
Intro: These verses begin Israel’s first psalm of praise
However, it will be a long time before music becomes regular feature of their worship – I am going to run through what follows quickly and then return to this song
If you desire God, many religious experts tell us to learn more and do more – are you reading your Bible enough? studying your Bible enough? is your doctrine sound? • praying enough? going to church enough? volunteering? (are you helping in the nursery?) ◦ are you tithing? supporting missions and other religious organizations? ◦ are sold out enough? (100% isn’t enough, you must be a fictitious 110% sold out) • the implicit promise: learn and do all this and you will be rewarded with an intimate knowledge of God ◦ but that never happens – there’s always one more thing to learn or to do ◦ this is the reason thousands of evangelicals are disenchanted, burned out – what you seldom hear, from the experts is Be still and know that I am God • or Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today • we do hear this, however, from Moses in this climactic moment of Exodus
After ten chapters of conflict and suspense, we come to the final showdown – but instead of rushing into it, the action is interrupted with an interlude (Ex. 12:43-13:16, which highlights Passover, the feast of unleavened bread and the dedication of firstborn males) • this is hard on us Attention Deficit readers • we feel bogged down with this “boring” stuff – but the magic of Exodus is, that it is not merely telling a story • it’s helping us to write a story – our own stories • or perhaps more accurately, to re-write our personal narratives
Intro: People were constantly coming to Jesus for a miracle
Some of them hoped he would heal them – others begged him to heal a friend, a servant, a child • in this same chapter a group of Jewish elders argued on behalf of a Roman officer,
If anyone deserves your help, he does, for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us (vv. 4-5)
• when John describes first miracle Jesus performed in Cana, ◦ it is as if his mother Mary practically had to coerce him to intervene – however, when Jesus saw this widow, no one had to ask for his help • his own heart compelled him to go to her ◦ he did not need to hear her story ◦ she did not need endorsements • he could see her desolation ◦ and his heart would not allow him to leave her in that condition ◦ he was right there, he had to do something
While the Israelites were still in the land of Egypt, the LORD gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron: “From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you. Announce to the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice, one animal for each household. If a family is too small to eat a whole animal, let them share with another family in the neighborhood. Divide the animal according to the size of each family and ow much they can eat. The animal you select must be a one-year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no defects.
ntro: At this point in the story, Israel is not yet a nation
They are a slave people – their identity is tied to Egypt – oppressed and exploited, they cried out for relief • Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, has heard them ◦ he has stepped into the world to rescue them • at first he sent a request to Pharaoh to release them to him ◦ but Pharaoh responded by tightening his grip on his slaves – now God has launched an assault on Egypt; the infamous plagues • the first few plagues were annoying, the next were painful ◦ we observe this increase in magnitude and danger • preparing Pharaoh for the worst, God reveals his purpose:
to spread my fame throughout the earth Robert Alter points out, “The Exodus story is conceived as an establishing of the credentials of the God of Israel for all humankind.”
◦ of course, the story is more than Yahweh making his name known to the world ◦ the primary theme of Exodus is a complete salvation (“complete” is not only out of, but is also into– i.e., a fuller, richer life and a better place in life)
The showdown begins
The story of the plagues is told in cycles – specific themes (even exact phrases) are repeated
Examples include: Let my people go, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, Pharaoh refused to listen, the Egyptian magicians did same with their magic arts, then they will know I am Yahweh/I will show them that I am Yahweh
• also is also a pattern that links the first nine plagues
The Nile water is turned to blood — Moses confronts Pharaoh in the morning The frogs fill the land — Moses appears before Pharaoh (presumably in the royal courts) Gnats infest the land — Moses does not meet Pharaoh and there is no warning
Flies infest the land — Moses confronts Pharaoh in the morning An epidemic kills Egypt’s livestock — Moses appears before Pharaoh An epidemic of boils infects humans — Moses does not meet Pharaoh and there is no warning
Hail destroys Egypt’s crops — Moses confronts Pharaoh in the morning Locusts destroys Egypt’s crops — Moses appears before Pharaoh Darkness envelopes the land — Moses does not meet Pharaoh and there is no warning
Intro: This chapter breaks the flow of the story
The scene changes, the pace slows down and the camera moves in for a close-up – we left Moses and Israel last week in a state of emergency • the initial excitement over being rescued has evaporated • instead of being freed, their oppression has been intensified ◦ Israel new-found hope is crushed and Moses is ready to walk away – in spite of all this, God’s plan is still moving forward (his enthusiasm and energy has not dwindled) • but now we pause, so God can breathe life back into his people • and from this break in the narrative we learn something ◦ namely, what our souls need when discouraged, run down, drained and oppressed
1-5 Moses and Aaron have their first audience with Pharaoh
In the message they delivered, they made slight modifications in the script they were given – it was reasonable for Pharaoh to ask, Who is Yahweh? • if Moses had just learned God’s name, we cannot expect Pharaoh to have known it ◦ Egypt had its own plethora of deities ◦ the Pharaoh himself was considered a deity • I imagine Pharaoh thinking: “Now these Israelites are inventing new gods just to get a few days off.” – why should Pharaoh concern himself with Israel’s God? • if the best he could produce was a slave people, ◦ then he must be a weak god – a minor deity • Pharaoh felt no threat in defying Yahweh
We pick up where we left off last week
God is recruiting Moses for his life’s mission and Moses is trying to dodge it – the two most serious issues have been settled already: • who is Moses? ◦ God’s answer was (basically), That is irrelevant for now ◦ Moses will discover his true self by doing God’s will • who is (this) God? the answer is, Yahweh, the eternal “I AM” ◦ the One who is everywhere and always present to his people – but Moses isn’t ready to move out just yet • he is still raising objections
In the Book of Exodus, Moses has two extended dialogues with God
And both are radiant with profound revelations of God
how comfort tempts us to settle in – the plot in today’s episode is keeping Moses alive • suspense is raised at his birth and resolved three months later • then, in his early adulthood, suspense rises when his life is again in jeopardy ◦ it is resolved when Moses finds a home in the Sinai Peninsula and settles down
Recently, an idea has been nagging at me
Namely, that I should be taking you through the Old Testament (maybe not the whole thing) – the New Testament (NT) presents itself as a continuation of the Old Testament (OT) • there are parts of NT we cannot understand with out OT (e.g., the Book of Hebrews) • besides that, there is the explicit statement of Jesus
I had a hard time pulling myself together this morning
I’ll just say, yesterday was tough – lingering emotional residue from yesterday – stumbling around in the dark, my first thought was that I did not want to be here • that I’d rather find a quiet spot near the ocean • and just sit with Jesus for awhile ◦ that I could really use his company and his strength and wisdom – but when my brain started waking up, • I knew this was exactly where I wanted to be and needed to be
We have some unfinished business before exiting 2017
We have come to the end of the Sermon On the Mount – the question raised in this last lesson is, What will we do with the Sermon? • Jesus says, “Build something on it. Construct a life” • by the way, it’s never too late to do this – Jesus presents two options, using a recognizable pattern • namely, contrasting characters in the Old Testament wisdom writings
Something ordinary was going on in Bethlehem
A woman was giving birth to her first child – a son – she is young, she has made a long journey, and she is far from home • now she caresses and nurtures this new life – I wonder if she is holding on to her awareness of the supernatural presence • or is she preoccupied with exhaustion, busyness, and the ordinariness of it all? • has she momentarily forgotten the angel and what he said? ◦ I wonder if she could use a reminder right about now?