OT -- Job 40:1-42:17
And so we end Job. How do you feel about it now? Me, I am dissatisfied as always. Partly because, okay, so Job got a lot more animals and had a bunch more children. With another wife, I am sure as there is no way his previous wife could have borne that many more children that late in life.
But more children do not replace the ones Satan killed. Full of years, who cares?
And God DID NOT answer Job. Gosh darn it, I want an answer. Why do you (God) allow bad things to happen to people? And don't give me this nonsense about you creating the world. Of course you did. That is not an answer.
I think, and this is just me, that the true answer is that we are not big enough to see the whole picture. And death is definitely part of that picture.
Do you remember the movie "Death takes a Holiday"? It was made in 1934, remade in 1971 as a TV movie (I saw that one first) and then again a year ago as "Meet Joe Black" with Brad Pitt. Missed that one.
The premise of the movie is that Death is an emissary from God and is necessary on multiple levels, regardless of his (Death)feelings for individual people, places and times. Death, literally, cannot be stopped or the world as we know it ceases to be.
And I am not just talking about the dying who want to be released. I am talking about how precious life is if we know the end could be any time, any place. Without that possibility, yes, I waste oh so precious time.
People have pondered the meaning of Job since before there were written scrolls of Job. This is another one for the long list to talk to God about when I finally get my opportunity.
College Football starts tomorrow for Matthew -- he is videotaping The Blue Hose in their home opener. Whoever you pull for, may the game be fun, fair, and full of video moments.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Thursday, August 30, 2012
August 31
Friends,
If you have been following the blog all year, it is time to celebrate. We are 2/3 of the way done. AND, this is happening on a Blue Moon.
Do you know what a blue moon is?
A blue moon is the second full moon in a calendar month. It is exceedingly rare. As a matter of fact, another one is not scheduled until July, 2015. Not that we will make it there as the calendar ends in December, 2012.
OOOPS!
Wrong blog.
This is not the world-ending, apocalypse happening blog. You will have to search elsewhere for that one.
As a matter of fact, our OT (Job 37:1-39:30) has much to say about that very subject. Think God planned that?
"What is the way to the abode of light?
And where does darkness reside?
Can you take me to their places?
Do you know the paths to their dwellings?"
and here is another that speaks to something else I have been thinking about all day:
"Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?
Do you count the months till they bear?
Do you know the time they give birth?"
God is not mocking Job. He is stomping his silly, contentious arguments straight into the ground. It is like worrying about those two little pennies you dropped into the street while you are throwing hundred dollar bills into the air.
What is man that God should be concerned about his ups and downs.
And yet he is.
Back to the birth thing. Did you know that marsupial animals (kangaroo, platypus, koala bears) give birth to offspring that are not capable of living out in the open air? The infants are born and then manage to crawl up the fur of their mothers and into a pouch where they live for a period of time until they are weaned and able to reasonably fend for themselves.
(Just as a gross thing, yes, they do poop in the pouches. The roos live in the pouch for 7-8 months. I have no idea how a kangaroo cleans herself. You don't want to know all the ooky things I think about...)
Humans and other primates give birth to babies who are not mobile. Dogs and cats are typically born blind.
Sharks and other invertebrates lay eggs and when the embryo is large enough to fend for itself, it hatches.
The incident rate of birth failure -- i.e. animals being born before their species determined growth rate for birth is less than 20%. And most of those are birth defects that render the animal incapable of completing development. Less than 20%. I find that incredible when you consider the vast number of species, each with their individual growth rates and specifics.
Life is incredibly complex. Our world is incredibly complex. Is it any wonder that God answers Job as He does? What I find the most incredible thing of all, is that God wants to have a relationship with us.
I mean, I am busy. I know how hard it is to keep up with friends, family and loved ones. Imagine how busy God is. And yet, He wants to stay in touch with us.
Make time to today to thank God for all the wonders in YOUR life. Think you don't have any? Look down at your hands. Do you have 10 fingers? That, in and of itself is an amazing feat. Sorry if some of them are swollen and bent. Life is tough. But those 10 fingers make you the incredible human that you are.
Grace and Peace to each of you. And for goodness sake, go look at your Blue Moon.
If you have been following the blog all year, it is time to celebrate. We are 2/3 of the way done. AND, this is happening on a Blue Moon.
Do you know what a blue moon is?
A blue moon is the second full moon in a calendar month. It is exceedingly rare. As a matter of fact, another one is not scheduled until July, 2015. Not that we will make it there as the calendar ends in December, 2012.
OOOPS!
Wrong blog.
This is not the world-ending, apocalypse happening blog. You will have to search elsewhere for that one.
As a matter of fact, our OT (Job 37:1-39:30) has much to say about that very subject. Think God planned that?
"What is the way to the abode of light?
And where does darkness reside?
Can you take me to their places?
Do you know the paths to their dwellings?"
and here is another that speaks to something else I have been thinking about all day:
"Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?
Do you count the months till they bear?
Do you know the time they give birth?"
God is not mocking Job. He is stomping his silly, contentious arguments straight into the ground. It is like worrying about those two little pennies you dropped into the street while you are throwing hundred dollar bills into the air.
What is man that God should be concerned about his ups and downs.
And yet he is.
Back to the birth thing. Did you know that marsupial animals (kangaroo, platypus, koala bears) give birth to offspring that are not capable of living out in the open air? The infants are born and then manage to crawl up the fur of their mothers and into a pouch where they live for a period of time until they are weaned and able to reasonably fend for themselves.
(Just as a gross thing, yes, they do poop in the pouches. The roos live in the pouch for 7-8 months. I have no idea how a kangaroo cleans herself. You don't want to know all the ooky things I think about...)
Humans and other primates give birth to babies who are not mobile. Dogs and cats are typically born blind.
Sharks and other invertebrates lay eggs and when the embryo is large enough to fend for itself, it hatches.
The incident rate of birth failure -- i.e. animals being born before their species determined growth rate for birth is less than 20%. And most of those are birth defects that render the animal incapable of completing development. Less than 20%. I find that incredible when you consider the vast number of species, each with their individual growth rates and specifics.
Life is incredibly complex. Our world is incredibly complex. Is it any wonder that God answers Job as He does? What I find the most incredible thing of all, is that God wants to have a relationship with us.
I mean, I am busy. I know how hard it is to keep up with friends, family and loved ones. Imagine how busy God is. And yet, He wants to stay in touch with us.
Make time to today to thank God for all the wonders in YOUR life. Think you don't have any? Look down at your hands. Do you have 10 fingers? That, in and of itself is an amazing feat. Sorry if some of them are swollen and bent. Life is tough. But those 10 fingers make you the incredible human that you are.
Grace and Peace to each of you. And for goodness sake, go look at your Blue Moon.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
August 30
NT -- 2 Corinthians 4:1-12
Can you tell the difference in the writing style between 1st and 2nd Corinthians? The person that Paul is dictating his letter to is different. Sosthenes is named the scribe in 1st Corinthians and Timothy is named the scribe in 2nd.
I personally find Timothy's style easier to read and less long winded. I imagine it was hard to edit Paul but every scribe had to or the readers would have complained about bad grammar, dangling thoughts, etc. Not in the way our English teachers do today but letter writing for others is a skill that requires a delicate balance between communicating what the sender says and what they MEAN. Much like our texting or emailing that has no emoticons so we have no idea if the sender is JK (just kidding) or LOL (laughing out loud) or LMAO (laughing their *ss off).
In this selection of 2 Corinthians, I love the comparisions that are made:
hard pressed but not crushed
perplexed but not in despair
persecuted but not abandoned
struck down but not destroyed
I think Paul/Timothy wanted it made very clear that while things weren't great, they were far from being in a pit.
And the very next time I am challenged by a situation and feeling like venting, I am going to yank out my index card and see where I fall in the comparisons.
Today, at the Driver's License place, I was perplexed but not in despair. For all my Georgia women readers, when you go to get your license renewed, and you WILL have to go as it is a fancy/dancy new license, be sure you take your Marriage Certificate or whatever legal document you have to show why the name on your birth certificate is not the one on your social security card. Yes, I know I had to bring it when I changed my name after I married Don, but that is not good enough. And while I had a really nice window person who let me slide by with a copy, most of them are asking for originals. And in 15 minutes -- shortest time EVER at the DDS -- I had my new license. It did require 2 trips. Thus the perplex. And $32. Maybe that is persecution?
I joke but I can so see how Government red tape can crush someone or throw them into a despair. I escaped and in 2-4 weeks will have a new, security feature loaded license. I will not be posting a picture of it. Like all licenses, the picture is bad.
Can you tell the difference in the writing style between 1st and 2nd Corinthians? The person that Paul is dictating his letter to is different. Sosthenes is named the scribe in 1st Corinthians and Timothy is named the scribe in 2nd.
I personally find Timothy's style easier to read and less long winded. I imagine it was hard to edit Paul but every scribe had to or the readers would have complained about bad grammar, dangling thoughts, etc. Not in the way our English teachers do today but letter writing for others is a skill that requires a delicate balance between communicating what the sender says and what they MEAN. Much like our texting or emailing that has no emoticons so we have no idea if the sender is JK (just kidding) or LOL (laughing out loud) or LMAO (laughing their *ss off).
In this selection of 2 Corinthians, I love the comparisions that are made:
hard pressed but not crushed
perplexed but not in despair
persecuted but not abandoned
struck down but not destroyed
I think Paul/Timothy wanted it made very clear that while things weren't great, they were far from being in a pit.
And the very next time I am challenged by a situation and feeling like venting, I am going to yank out my index card and see where I fall in the comparisons.
Today, at the Driver's License place, I was perplexed but not in despair. For all my Georgia women readers, when you go to get your license renewed, and you WILL have to go as it is a fancy/dancy new license, be sure you take your Marriage Certificate or whatever legal document you have to show why the name on your birth certificate is not the one on your social security card. Yes, I know I had to bring it when I changed my name after I married Don, but that is not good enough. And while I had a really nice window person who let me slide by with a copy, most of them are asking for originals. And in 15 minutes -- shortest time EVER at the DDS -- I had my new license. It did require 2 trips. Thus the perplex. And $32. Maybe that is persecution?
I joke but I can so see how Government red tape can crush someone or throw them into a despair. I escaped and in 2-4 weeks will have a new, security feature loaded license. I will not be posting a picture of it. Like all licenses, the picture is bad.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
August 29
OT --Job 31:1-33:33
"If I, ...If I, ...If I, ..." See, Job can say these thing -- If I have walked in falsehood, If my heart has been enticed by a woman, If I have denied the desires of the poor."
I cannot.
I know that so many, many times I have done badly. And this is why the character of Job intrigues me so much. I don't think that he is being boastful. I just think he is simply good. And has his rules and regulations and follows them. Now, this is a very Jewish philosophy. It doesn't matter so much the 'intent', it matters the action. Even if you diet because you are going to your high school reunion and you want to show up your ex-boyfriend, the diet is a good thing. Well, as long as you follow it. Christians, now they care about intent and intent is the main thing.
This is how the Young Ruler of the Jesus parable can honest and truly say he has followed all the commandments all his life. He probably did. And how Jesus can look him in the eye and say "You lack one thing". And this is why *I*, of lifelong Protestant work ethic guilt can say: I have done badly when in reality, I have been really, for the most part, pretty good. Both of us are being true to our traditions and both of us are trapped.
Come on, God, answer Job quickly before both of us slide into that pit.
"If I, ...If I, ...If I, ..." See, Job can say these thing -- If I have walked in falsehood, If my heart has been enticed by a woman, If I have denied the desires of the poor."
I cannot.
I know that so many, many times I have done badly. And this is why the character of Job intrigues me so much. I don't think that he is being boastful. I just think he is simply good. And has his rules and regulations and follows them. Now, this is a very Jewish philosophy. It doesn't matter so much the 'intent', it matters the action. Even if you diet because you are going to your high school reunion and you want to show up your ex-boyfriend, the diet is a good thing. Well, as long as you follow it. Christians, now they care about intent and intent is the main thing.
This is how the Young Ruler of the Jesus parable can honest and truly say he has followed all the commandments all his life. He probably did. And how Jesus can look him in the eye and say "You lack one thing". And this is why *I*, of lifelong Protestant work ethic guilt can say: I have done badly when in reality, I have been really, for the most part, pretty good. Both of us are being true to our traditions and both of us are trapped.
Come on, God, answer Job quickly before both of us slide into that pit.
Monday, August 27, 2012
August 28
Proverbs: 22:7
The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
There is a whole internet community devoted to totally eliminating your debt. Dave Ramsey is my favorite but there are so many other ones. Mary Hunt is another favorite. Read the banner on her website: "Debt has become the American way. So has denial. And super-high debt levels paired with serious denial is becoming almost ubiquitous. While not all debt situations reach critical levels, when they do, the response must be equally severe."
But the question is, why? Oh, I get the whole concept that times are tough. But Clark Howard has been the staple on Atlanta radio for almost 20!! years. Good times, bad times.
And it seems, just like dieting, that once you get out of debt or at least make a good dent, you slide right back in, with a fancy new car or a hot tub or child who wants to go to a chic-chic poo-poo college.
Why?
And why was Solomon, of all people, advising his sons on debt? Mr. I want the biggest, finest palace not just for me but also for Pharaoh's daughter, my wife.
People think credit is a recent thing but it is not. Prior to charge cards, the debt master of choice in the lower income levels was the pawn shop. Ever read O.Henry's masterpiece, The Gift of the Magi? Where did the young man get his money? Pawn shop.
And why was the colony of Australia even created? The debtor prison for Great Britain was overrun with blokes and the cost was too high to keep them. Cheaper to ship them off to Australia than pay the guards.
So many great folks (Light Horse Henry Lee, a Revolutionary War general and the father of Robert E Lee, Robert Morris, a signer of the Declaration of Independence) were imprisoned in America as a result of the debt that in 1833 a federal law was put into place eliminating imprisonment for federal debts. Of course, that has since been amended as you can go to prison for non-payment of income taxes. But the REASON for the law was not justice, it was EXPENSE!
In previous cultures like Greece and Rome, you could sell yourself, your wives and your children for loans or repayment of loans. And this was a common practice!
So, back to our Proverb for today. Why would this make the cut?
I think, and this is just me, that it is very hard to live within your means, no matter what your income or social level. It is so very hard not to compete with siblings, friends, next door neighbors, work mates.
And Solomon, man of a thousand wives, knew this first hand. If you never get started in the debt world, you never get addicted. And no one owns you.
So, I ask you, Do you have a comfortable debt level, personally? How about your business world? And what about on a city, state or national level. Do you have tolerances or feel it should be on a cash only basis?
And if you are uncomfortable with personal or business level, are there steps you can take (Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps!)to bring those levels back into line even if that means signing a non-compete agreement.
Blessings and peace to each of you as ponder this touchy subject.
The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
There is a whole internet community devoted to totally eliminating your debt. Dave Ramsey is my favorite but there are so many other ones. Mary Hunt is another favorite. Read the banner on her website: "Debt has become the American way. So has denial. And super-high debt levels paired with serious denial is becoming almost ubiquitous. While not all debt situations reach critical levels, when they do, the response must be equally severe."
But the question is, why? Oh, I get the whole concept that times are tough. But Clark Howard has been the staple on Atlanta radio for almost 20!! years. Good times, bad times.
And it seems, just like dieting, that once you get out of debt or at least make a good dent, you slide right back in, with a fancy new car or a hot tub or child who wants to go to a chic-chic poo-poo college.
Why?
And why was Solomon, of all people, advising his sons on debt? Mr. I want the biggest, finest palace not just for me but also for Pharaoh's daughter, my wife.
People think credit is a recent thing but it is not. Prior to charge cards, the debt master of choice in the lower income levels was the pawn shop. Ever read O.Henry's masterpiece, The Gift of the Magi? Where did the young man get his money? Pawn shop.
And why was the colony of Australia even created? The debtor prison for Great Britain was overrun with blokes and the cost was too high to keep them. Cheaper to ship them off to Australia than pay the guards.
So many great folks (Light Horse Henry Lee, a Revolutionary War general and the father of Robert E Lee, Robert Morris, a signer of the Declaration of Independence) were imprisoned in America as a result of the debt that in 1833 a federal law was put into place eliminating imprisonment for federal debts. Of course, that has since been amended as you can go to prison for non-payment of income taxes. But the REASON for the law was not justice, it was EXPENSE!
In previous cultures like Greece and Rome, you could sell yourself, your wives and your children for loans or repayment of loans. And this was a common practice!
So, back to our Proverb for today. Why would this make the cut?
I think, and this is just me, that it is very hard to live within your means, no matter what your income or social level. It is so very hard not to compete with siblings, friends, next door neighbors, work mates.
And Solomon, man of a thousand wives, knew this first hand. If you never get started in the debt world, you never get addicted. And no one owns you.
So, I ask you, Do you have a comfortable debt level, personally? How about your business world? And what about on a city, state or national level. Do you have tolerances or feel it should be on a cash only basis?
And if you are uncomfortable with personal or business level, are there steps you can take (Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps!)to bring those levels back into line even if that means signing a non-compete agreement.
Blessings and peace to each of you as ponder this touchy subject.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
August 26
NT -- 2 Corinthians 1:1-11
There are differing views on the time difference between 1st and 2nd Corinthians but at least a year has gone by, possibly 3. Paul has been to Corinth in between the letters at least once and possibly twice. The first time was for a several month duration, the second time probably for much shorter. It is also speculated that there was another circulated letter that went to the Corinthians in between the 1st and the 2nd.
Part of my problem in reading Paul's letters is his inability to render his thoughts conscisely. One of my readers sent me the link to this website which puts his letters in a much more visual fashion. It also gives headings. Okay, sometimes I have no idea of what Paul is talking about, so this is very helpful to at least have a head's up.
See if this doesn't help you in the reading of 2nd Corinthians.
JOb 20:1-22:30
This section of Job is classic philosophy -- why do the wicked prosper? Zophar's position is that they don't. God will eventually punish them, i.e. how he has punished Job. Job's is that the wicked and the righteous both die and both are eaten with worms. I am not sure whose philosophy is ickier.
But let's take a look at each position:
If you are wicked and you prosper, does that mean that God DOESN'T punish you? If you are righteous and you DON'T prosper does that mean God DOESN'T reward you?
We could also look at the reverse. If you are wicked and you don't prosper, does that mean God has punished you? If you are righteous and you do prosper, does that mean God has rewarded you?
See, I don't think you can pick one or the other. And I truly think for most of us, wickedness is a degree, not an absolute. I thank God for this, but I don't think I have actually met a truly evil person face to face. I know they exist. You cannot pick up a paper, watch CNN, or listen to the radio without knowing that.
Most of us seem to be some shade of one or the other. Oh, I have met people who cheated, lied, stole. I have even had some dealings with at least two murderers. And while I haven't killed anyone that I know of, I have done my share and more of the lying, cheating, stealing.
And for me, the greatest thing of all about my belief in God is that He still wants to have a relationship with me. Evil, blackhearted me.
We are soon to get to God's oration regarding this relationship with Job but for me, the bottom line is not about prospering or punishing, it is about remaining in relationship to God. And that is where Job has drifted and where Eliaphaz, Zophar, and Bildad have gotten it wrong.
May your Sunday be filled with grace, beauty, light, and time spent in worship of God.
There are differing views on the time difference between 1st and 2nd Corinthians but at least a year has gone by, possibly 3. Paul has been to Corinth in between the letters at least once and possibly twice. The first time was for a several month duration, the second time probably for much shorter. It is also speculated that there was another circulated letter that went to the Corinthians in between the 1st and the 2nd.
Part of my problem in reading Paul's letters is his inability to render his thoughts conscisely. One of my readers sent me the link to this website which puts his letters in a much more visual fashion. It also gives headings. Okay, sometimes I have no idea of what Paul is talking about, so this is very helpful to at least have a head's up.
See if this doesn't help you in the reading of 2nd Corinthians.
JOb 20:1-22:30
This section of Job is classic philosophy -- why do the wicked prosper? Zophar's position is that they don't. God will eventually punish them, i.e. how he has punished Job. Job's is that the wicked and the righteous both die and both are eaten with worms. I am not sure whose philosophy is ickier.
But let's take a look at each position:
If you are wicked and you prosper, does that mean that God DOESN'T punish you? If you are righteous and you DON'T prosper does that mean God DOESN'T reward you?
We could also look at the reverse. If you are wicked and you don't prosper, does that mean God has punished you? If you are righteous and you do prosper, does that mean God has rewarded you?
See, I don't think you can pick one or the other. And I truly think for most of us, wickedness is a degree, not an absolute. I thank God for this, but I don't think I have actually met a truly evil person face to face. I know they exist. You cannot pick up a paper, watch CNN, or listen to the radio without knowing that.
Most of us seem to be some shade of one or the other. Oh, I have met people who cheated, lied, stole. I have even had some dealings with at least two murderers. And while I haven't killed anyone that I know of, I have done my share and more of the lying, cheating, stealing.
And for me, the greatest thing of all about my belief in God is that He still wants to have a relationship with me. Evil, blackhearted me.
We are soon to get to God's oration regarding this relationship with Job but for me, the bottom line is not about prospering or punishing, it is about remaining in relationship to God. And that is where Job has drifted and where Eliaphaz, Zophar, and Bildad have gotten it wrong.
May your Sunday be filled with grace, beauty, light, and time spent in worship of God.
Friday, August 24, 2012
August 25
NT- 1st Corinthians 16:1-24
So, Paul leaves to the last the bit about money. He isn't shy about telling them to collect and how to do it but clearly does not want to hear all the yammering about pulling the funds together.
These funds went with Paul and Timothy to Jerusalem to help the 'home church' that was in desperate need. Corinth was a wealthy port city while Jerusalem really was an occupied backwater.
In my Bible, I have written beside verse 21 'Paul wrote this?' My study Bible says that Paul dictated most of the letter to Sosthenes (see chapter 1:1) but this was his way of signing it and endorsing what was in it as his own beliefs.
Proverbs 22:1
A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than gold or silver.
The conversation at dinner tonight was about Lance Armstrong. Click here to read the USA Today article about his awful day. I should say that I have no horse in this race -- I do not follow any athletics much less cycling. But it does say something about our obsession with winning that athletes would dope, would help others dope, and that we have whole agencies funded just to catch these sophisticated cheats. JUST TO WIN.
If Solomon was telling his sons this, clearly, there were folks that he knew, that ran around him, who also cheated and lied to get ahead. He didn't want his boys to be that kind of man.
I don't want my children to be that kind of person either.
Unfortunately, Solomon left the kingdom to Rehoboam who stuck it to the people and split the kingdom. Rehoboam was listening to young men who just wanted to win (gain riches) at any cost, regardless of how others saw them.
Psalm 40
This is one of my all time favorite psalms. Click here to go back to the post I wrote about it when it came up the first time around.
Have a lovely Saturday.
So, Paul leaves to the last the bit about money. He isn't shy about telling them to collect and how to do it but clearly does not want to hear all the yammering about pulling the funds together.
These funds went with Paul and Timothy to Jerusalem to help the 'home church' that was in desperate need. Corinth was a wealthy port city while Jerusalem really was an occupied backwater.
In my Bible, I have written beside verse 21 'Paul wrote this?' My study Bible says that Paul dictated most of the letter to Sosthenes (see chapter 1:1) but this was his way of signing it and endorsing what was in it as his own beliefs.
Proverbs 22:1
A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than gold or silver.
The conversation at dinner tonight was about Lance Armstrong. Click here to read the USA Today article about his awful day. I should say that I have no horse in this race -- I do not follow any athletics much less cycling. But it does say something about our obsession with winning that athletes would dope, would help others dope, and that we have whole agencies funded just to catch these sophisticated cheats. JUST TO WIN.
If Solomon was telling his sons this, clearly, there were folks that he knew, that ran around him, who also cheated and lied to get ahead. He didn't want his boys to be that kind of man.
I don't want my children to be that kind of person either.
Unfortunately, Solomon left the kingdom to Rehoboam who stuck it to the people and split the kingdom. Rehoboam was listening to young men who just wanted to win (gain riches) at any cost, regardless of how others saw them.
Psalm 40
This is one of my all time favorite psalms. Click here to go back to the post I wrote about it when it came up the first time around.
Have a lovely Saturday.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
August 24
OT -- Job 12:1-15:35
Oh, this wrenched my soul. "If only you would hide me in the grave and conceal me till your anger has passed."
Twice, I have sat beside the bed of someone who begged to die.
I didn't have an answer on either of those days and I do not have an answer now.
I do have my own end of life documents drawn up but in a recent discussion with my doctor, he told me that if any one in my family challenges those documents, they will not hold up. And my mother is opposed to my choices.
In Job's case, he thinks his problems are the result of God's anger to him. And there are people today who think the same thing. Oh, I shouldn't have done that, I should have done more, etc., etc. And of course, Eliphaz agrees with Job. "Your sin prompts your mouth".
One thing to remember is that the ancient Israelites from the time of Moses until the Exile did not have disease in the Holy Land. Any illness, sores, plagues, etc. were a direct judgment from God that the people were not following him. It was a curse.
Job is written as poetry and is one of the oldest parts of the Bible. Most scholars date it at least Mosaic possibly older due to the original Hebrew. The view of God is definitely one of intimacy. Job plays the role of priests in his family (offering sacrifices for his children's partying) and he lived longer than 100 years making his life span around those of the patriarchs.
But regardless of the age of the book, much has not changed in attitudes since Job. We still speak of 'why did I "deserve" to get XYZ disease?'. Or he/she is such a 'good person'. This should not have happened to them.
I heard those words at church on Sunday.
Job's friends are alive and well at Mt Vernon Presbyterian AND I suspect, most churches, schools, and workplaces.
Careful, careful, careful on words that we speak 'in comfort'.
NT -- 1st Corinthians 15:29-58
And lest we Christians get snarky about 'those Mormons, their weird underwear and cultist practices', what was ole Paul and his Corinthians doing in baptism? That's right. Baptizing the living for the dead. Don't forget, Christianity was once a cult of Judaism.
OH, now I've brought the house down on myself. But I have learned a lot from a really cool blog -- Ask Mormon Girl
I got a little heat earlier in the week from someone who occasionally pops into my blog. He said it was okay to quote his email,
"You know, I have a hard time deciding if you are a Christian with issues or a Christian want-to-be. I think the problem is, YOU don't know which category you belong in."
In all fairness, I think he hit the nail on the head. But I think these same sort of people inhabited Paul's Corinthian church as well. "But someone will ask, How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come." I can so see myself asking that same sort of question to my Sunday School teacher Belle DuPont before she threw me out of 5th grade Sunday School for the heresy of thinking the Bible may have been written as an explanation of visitation from aliens.
And rather than respond like Paul "How foolish!", I would just rather have been told, 'we don't know.' No one, not even a brash 11 year old wants to be told they are foolish. Much less a grown up.
I've got news for Paul. At the time he wrote the Letter to the Corinthians, HE didn't know about resurrected bodies. To his credit, I am sure he does now.
Proverbs 21:30-31
I am changing the banner of my blog to today's proverb:
"There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord."
Should be on the top of every day's planner.
Much love, honor, and perseverance to you.
Oh, this wrenched my soul. "If only you would hide me in the grave and conceal me till your anger has passed."
Twice, I have sat beside the bed of someone who begged to die.
I didn't have an answer on either of those days and I do not have an answer now.
I do have my own end of life documents drawn up but in a recent discussion with my doctor, he told me that if any one in my family challenges those documents, they will not hold up. And my mother is opposed to my choices.
In Job's case, he thinks his problems are the result of God's anger to him. And there are people today who think the same thing. Oh, I shouldn't have done that, I should have done more, etc., etc. And of course, Eliphaz agrees with Job. "Your sin prompts your mouth".
One thing to remember is that the ancient Israelites from the time of Moses until the Exile did not have disease in the Holy Land. Any illness, sores, plagues, etc. were a direct judgment from God that the people were not following him. It was a curse.
Job is written as poetry and is one of the oldest parts of the Bible. Most scholars date it at least Mosaic possibly older due to the original Hebrew. The view of God is definitely one of intimacy. Job plays the role of priests in his family (offering sacrifices for his children's partying) and he lived longer than 100 years making his life span around those of the patriarchs.
But regardless of the age of the book, much has not changed in attitudes since Job. We still speak of 'why did I "deserve" to get XYZ disease?'. Or he/she is such a 'good person'. This should not have happened to them.
I heard those words at church on Sunday.
Job's friends are alive and well at Mt Vernon Presbyterian AND I suspect, most churches, schools, and workplaces.
Careful, careful, careful on words that we speak 'in comfort'.
NT -- 1st Corinthians 15:29-58
And lest we Christians get snarky about 'those Mormons, their weird underwear and cultist practices', what was ole Paul and his Corinthians doing in baptism? That's right. Baptizing the living for the dead. Don't forget, Christianity was once a cult of Judaism.
OH, now I've brought the house down on myself. But I have learned a lot from a really cool blog -- Ask Mormon Girl
I got a little heat earlier in the week from someone who occasionally pops into my blog. He said it was okay to quote his email,
"You know, I have a hard time deciding if you are a Christian with issues or a Christian want-to-be. I think the problem is, YOU don't know which category you belong in."
In all fairness, I think he hit the nail on the head. But I think these same sort of people inhabited Paul's Corinthian church as well. "But someone will ask, How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come." I can so see myself asking that same sort of question to my Sunday School teacher Belle DuPont before she threw me out of 5th grade Sunday School for the heresy of thinking the Bible may have been written as an explanation of visitation from aliens.
And rather than respond like Paul "How foolish!", I would just rather have been told, 'we don't know.' No one, not even a brash 11 year old wants to be told they are foolish. Much less a grown up.
I've got news for Paul. At the time he wrote the Letter to the Corinthians, HE didn't know about resurrected bodies. To his credit, I am sure he does now.
Proverbs 21:30-31
I am changing the banner of my blog to today's proverb:
"There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord."
Should be on the top of every day's planner.
Much love, honor, and perseverance to you.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
August 23
NT -- 1st Corinthians 15:1-28
This is passage is the very crux of our gospel. Can you believe in Jesus and not in the resurrection? It will not come as any surprise to anyone who has read me for very long that I waffle around on this one. I know. I should be certain. But I am not.
That being said, I currently am in one of those stages where I DO believe. Maybe at some point, these will cease being stages and will be permanent. This is to be hoped for. For now, I will just muddle on through.
But when YOU read these words of Paul, "But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised."
what do you think about?
Is this a comfort to you or a conundrum? I actually have one friend who says she puts this and all others just like it, including the actual resurrection scene with Mary Magdalene in her box, lids it, and moves on to 'better church work'.
Clearly, Paul had both kinds -- the ones who were certain and the 'losers' like me who aren't in the church in Corinth. Nowadays, the uncertain among us keep quiet if we go to church. Apparently, this was not the case in Corinth. And apparently, they were vocal in their opposition to this 'spiritual truth' of the resurrection.
Paul gives them the body slam "For he (Jesus) must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet," and then pulls out all the stops about why he is willing to give up his life for Jesus (that is in tomorrow's scripture. I cheated.).
Go check out this website and see what this lady's answers are to the truth of the resurrection.
As for me and my fellow doubters, have compassion on us. Most of us long for certainty, yes, even the certainty of Paul. And if you are like me in that arena, know you are not alone.
OT -- Job 8:1-11:20
Oh, oh, oh, poor Job. He is trying so hard to die. And to say that he has no rights to question and/or stand before God with his questions. I have no idea what his friends were trying to convince Job of, because they should have sympathized with him. JOb is in deep distress. You don't point and prod at folks who have lost everything. You sit with them. Hold their hand. Don't tell them that they MUST have done something wrong. Who cares why? Job is a broken, beaten man.
This section of Job really gets to me. As someone who has sat by the dying or the chronic pain sufferer, I tell you, I could not say anything like this. Could you?
Well, I will say, when Nathan died, more than one "friend" told me and I am sure they also told this to my parents, that God just wanted one more angel. Or 'this is God's will'. Now, both of those may be true, although it would be a hard stretch to call Nathan an angel. But no matter what. Those statements are not helpful.
And that is what his friends are -- not helpful. Don't worry. They get zapped in the end.
And our Psalm today (38) speaks to the sufferer as well. And just like in the Job situation, really, the only one to help, to heal, to care, is God.
May we always know that God is there for us, in suffering and in joy.
This is passage is the very crux of our gospel. Can you believe in Jesus and not in the resurrection? It will not come as any surprise to anyone who has read me for very long that I waffle around on this one. I know. I should be certain. But I am not.
That being said, I currently am in one of those stages where I DO believe. Maybe at some point, these will cease being stages and will be permanent. This is to be hoped for. For now, I will just muddle on through.
But when YOU read these words of Paul, "But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised."
what do you think about?
Is this a comfort to you or a conundrum? I actually have one friend who says she puts this and all others just like it, including the actual resurrection scene with Mary Magdalene in her box, lids it, and moves on to 'better church work'.
Clearly, Paul had both kinds -- the ones who were certain and the 'losers' like me who aren't in the church in Corinth. Nowadays, the uncertain among us keep quiet if we go to church. Apparently, this was not the case in Corinth. And apparently, they were vocal in their opposition to this 'spiritual truth' of the resurrection.
Paul gives them the body slam "For he (Jesus) must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet," and then pulls out all the stops about why he is willing to give up his life for Jesus (that is in tomorrow's scripture. I cheated.).
Go check out this website and see what this lady's answers are to the truth of the resurrection.
As for me and my fellow doubters, have compassion on us. Most of us long for certainty, yes, even the certainty of Paul. And if you are like me in that arena, know you are not alone.
OT -- Job 8:1-11:20
Oh, oh, oh, poor Job. He is trying so hard to die. And to say that he has no rights to question and/or stand before God with his questions. I have no idea what his friends were trying to convince Job of, because they should have sympathized with him. JOb is in deep distress. You don't point and prod at folks who have lost everything. You sit with them. Hold their hand. Don't tell them that they MUST have done something wrong. Who cares why? Job is a broken, beaten man.
This section of Job really gets to me. As someone who has sat by the dying or the chronic pain sufferer, I tell you, I could not say anything like this. Could you?
Well, I will say, when Nathan died, more than one "friend" told me and I am sure they also told this to my parents, that God just wanted one more angel. Or 'this is God's will'. Now, both of those may be true, although it would be a hard stretch to call Nathan an angel. But no matter what. Those statements are not helpful.
And that is what his friends are -- not helpful. Don't worry. They get zapped in the end.
And our Psalm today (38) speaks to the sufferer as well. And just like in the Job situation, really, the only one to help, to heal, to care, is God.
May we always know that God is there for us, in suffering and in joy.
Monday, August 20, 2012
August 21
Proverbs 21:25-26
The sluggard's craving will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work. All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing.
Last Friday, after I had worked at NAMOC for 6 hours, I hopped into my car, drove to Sandy Springs and worked for 3 hours making cheese with my friend Susan at CalyRoad. Sometime during those hours, a man stopped in, asked to buy some cheese with a debit card and wanted to add $10 onto to so he could buy some gas/Marta tokens/some other something. We use Square to process our cards and his was declined.
He was embarrassed. I reached into my apron and gave him the $10. He said he would pay it back. I hope so for his sake, not for mine.
I tell this story because in Proverbs time, it was all about the body and what it could pull from the land. If you worked hard, consistently, day in and day out, your family wouldn't starve. you might be hungry. But you wouldn't starve.
Today, it is about the mind. Now, I have no idea if this man was intelligent or not. But what he was, was flat broke. Broke enough to try and use a debit card without $17.49 in an account.
Does this mean that Proverbs doesn't speak to us today? I am not sure. I didn't give without sparing. I only gave him $10 and I had $20 in my apron.
And does that make him a sluggard? I am not sure it is my call to judge.
I have a good friend who is a Youth Minister in MidTown. Early on, he decided that he was always going to carry McDonald's money in his pockets. Not a day goes by that he isn't approached by panhandlers. He wanted to have a good solid plan in hand as to what he was going to do. He didn't want to give money since so many were already intoxicated and he felt like he couldn't live his faith if he didn't give. So, he settled on McBucks.
When my boys started riding Marta (Atlanta's rapid transit trains), they were 11 and 9. I rode with them the first 3 months. We saw lots of homeless, some punks and a few thugs. I also saw a stabbing. We practiced dealing with beggars, 'sorry, I don't have anything to give', changing cars when you felt threatened, even the all time low point, pressing the call button for the conductor (me with the stabbing).
Both of them are practiced and can tell a 'real' need from a drink need. Both have bought someone food and a Marta token. They have a discerning heart.
Me, not so much. I spend entirely too much time analyzing the situation.
What about you? Do automatically think 'sluggard' when asked for money? Have you ever had to ask for money? What do you do about 'giving without sparing'?
OT -- Job 1:1-3:26
Please click here to read Nancy's Noodle to set you up for the Job reading. She does a great job.
The sluggard's craving will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work. All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing.
Last Friday, after I had worked at NAMOC for 6 hours, I hopped into my car, drove to Sandy Springs and worked for 3 hours making cheese with my friend Susan at CalyRoad. Sometime during those hours, a man stopped in, asked to buy some cheese with a debit card and wanted to add $10 onto to so he could buy some gas/Marta tokens/some other something. We use Square to process our cards and his was declined.
He was embarrassed. I reached into my apron and gave him the $10. He said he would pay it back. I hope so for his sake, not for mine.
I tell this story because in Proverbs time, it was all about the body and what it could pull from the land. If you worked hard, consistently, day in and day out, your family wouldn't starve. you might be hungry. But you wouldn't starve.
Today, it is about the mind. Now, I have no idea if this man was intelligent or not. But what he was, was flat broke. Broke enough to try and use a debit card without $17.49 in an account.
Does this mean that Proverbs doesn't speak to us today? I am not sure. I didn't give without sparing. I only gave him $10 and I had $20 in my apron.
And does that make him a sluggard? I am not sure it is my call to judge.
I have a good friend who is a Youth Minister in MidTown. Early on, he decided that he was always going to carry McDonald's money in his pockets. Not a day goes by that he isn't approached by panhandlers. He wanted to have a good solid plan in hand as to what he was going to do. He didn't want to give money since so many were already intoxicated and he felt like he couldn't live his faith if he didn't give. So, he settled on McBucks.
When my boys started riding Marta (Atlanta's rapid transit trains), they were 11 and 9. I rode with them the first 3 months. We saw lots of homeless, some punks and a few thugs. I also saw a stabbing. We practiced dealing with beggars, 'sorry, I don't have anything to give', changing cars when you felt threatened, even the all time low point, pressing the call button for the conductor (me with the stabbing).
Both of them are practiced and can tell a 'real' need from a drink need. Both have bought someone food and a Marta token. They have a discerning heart.
Me, not so much. I spend entirely too much time analyzing the situation.
What about you? Do automatically think 'sluggard' when asked for money? Have you ever had to ask for money? What do you do about 'giving without sparing'?
OT -- Job 1:1-3:26
Please click here to read Nancy's Noodle to set you up for the Job reading. She does a great job.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
August 20
OT -- Esther 8:1-10:3
One last note about Esther. Her 'real' name was Hadassah. The largest Jewish women organization in the world is named for her. The organization is very active in promoting education and especially health concerns. It established the first modern hospital in Jerusalem in the early 1900s and has continued to operate medical clinics and hospitals worldwide.
On a local level, the women's groups at local synagogues are usually Hadassah affiliated although this is not always the case, especially among more Orthodox synagogues.
Want to know more? Click here for the website.
1st Corinthians 12:27-13:13
The love passage.
Check out this video with the passage in song.
click here if your email does not support YouTube
One last note about Esther. Her 'real' name was Hadassah. The largest Jewish women organization in the world is named for her. The organization is very active in promoting education and especially health concerns. It established the first modern hospital in Jerusalem in the early 1900s and has continued to operate medical clinics and hospitals worldwide.
On a local level, the women's groups at local synagogues are usually Hadassah affiliated although this is not always the case, especially among more Orthodox synagogues.
Want to know more? Click here for the website.
1st Corinthians 12:27-13:13
The love passage.
Check out this video with the passage in song.
click here if your email does not support YouTube
Saturday, August 18, 2012
August 19
OT -- Esther 4:1-7:10
There are two great lines in the scripture for today.
The first is an injunction that Mordecai gives to Esther: "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"
And the second is her response: "And if I perish, I perish."
Both of these are such great words of wisdom to each of us. We have no idea why we are put in such places. You just don't know when what you do can save the world. After all, Esther may or may not have wanted to win that beauty contest. She may have already had a boyfriend or picked out a man to marry. And let's face it, Xerxes may have been king, but what a weakling. He also does not appear to be exactly the brightest crayon in the box.
1. He got mad because he was drunk and wanted his queen to come and dance for him in front of all his guests. When she had the same guests in her quarters. And remember what dancing was like in this century and what the goals were. In front of drunk men.
2. Then he listened to all his advisers and threw her out and moped around for a month. To cheer himself up, he has a parade of beauties. These beauties don't go home after they have made their appearance. I will leave it to your imagination why.
3. His butt is saved by someone but he forgets about them, instead elevating a crazy man to the highest position. When that crazy man wants to kill a whole group of people because one person (think how much cheaper it would have been to kill HIM alone), Xerxes not only approves it but he PAYS for it.
I could go on, but you get the drift. And there is more, yes, more to come.
So, here is our beauty, Esther, with this not-so-smart king, putting her life on the line. And how does she do it? By using her God-given talent. Her looks.
Another lesson for us. Just because WE think a gift is not the best one or the right one, does not mean that God cannot use it. After all, who gave Esther that great beauty and kindness anyway? Something to think about when the 3 AMs strike and I start to say, "if only my children were such and so." or "I wish that this situation wasn't happening to me." This may be just the character test (remember, 'if I perish, I perish') that is being called for.
Of course, our heroine triumphs and the evil Haman is not only hanged on the gallows he had created, but disgraced by having to parade his arch-nemesis Mordecai in the streets beforehand.
Lest you think this is some sort of fairy tale where everyone lives happily ever after, it is not.
The royal line does not go through Esther. It goes through Vashti, the original non-dancing queen. There is a brief mention of Esther in the court records of Persia but Vashti is the one who remains royal consort and whose son inherits. Esther is not recorded as having borne any children.
And while the Jews were saved from annihilation, they still had to fight for their lives and this cycle of antisemitism continues to this day. And this is why Purim is such a joyful holiday and another lesson for us. Because we need to celebrate the victories at hand. The sweet times. Next week, we may be fighting for our lives. We will deal with that battle then.
Click here if your email does not support YouTube.
NT -- 1st Corinthians 12:1-26
This has always been an intriguing scripture for me. Long ago, I took a spiritual gift inventory and mine came up prophesy. Now, prophesy in the Bible is not the same as Gypsy prophesying. I have absolutely no gift for seeing the future. Otherwise, my 401k would not be less than the amount I have actually put in it.
No, Bible prophesy is seeing something that is wrong and calling attention to it to resolve it for justice. A Know-it-all. Yeah, I think that inventory pegged me pretty well.
Are you curious about YOUR spiritual gift?
Take this one for youth. It is shorter than the one for adults and you know, I never grew out of the 14 year old age range.
When I took it a few minutes ago, it said my number one spiritual gift was ----
TEACHING. Are you surprised?
What about yours? Did it surprise you?
spiritual gift inventory
Grace and peace to you all.
There are two great lines in the scripture for today.
The first is an injunction that Mordecai gives to Esther: "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"
And the second is her response: "And if I perish, I perish."
Both of these are such great words of wisdom to each of us. We have no idea why we are put in such places. You just don't know when what you do can save the world. After all, Esther may or may not have wanted to win that beauty contest. She may have already had a boyfriend or picked out a man to marry. And let's face it, Xerxes may have been king, but what a weakling. He also does not appear to be exactly the brightest crayon in the box.
1. He got mad because he was drunk and wanted his queen to come and dance for him in front of all his guests. When she had the same guests in her quarters. And remember what dancing was like in this century and what the goals were. In front of drunk men.
2. Then he listened to all his advisers and threw her out and moped around for a month. To cheer himself up, he has a parade of beauties. These beauties don't go home after they have made their appearance. I will leave it to your imagination why.
3. His butt is saved by someone but he forgets about them, instead elevating a crazy man to the highest position. When that crazy man wants to kill a whole group of people because one person (think how much cheaper it would have been to kill HIM alone), Xerxes not only approves it but he PAYS for it.
I could go on, but you get the drift. And there is more, yes, more to come.
So, here is our beauty, Esther, with this not-so-smart king, putting her life on the line. And how does she do it? By using her God-given talent. Her looks.
Another lesson for us. Just because WE think a gift is not the best one or the right one, does not mean that God cannot use it. After all, who gave Esther that great beauty and kindness anyway? Something to think about when the 3 AMs strike and I start to say, "if only my children were such and so." or "I wish that this situation wasn't happening to me." This may be just the character test (remember, 'if I perish, I perish') that is being called for.
Of course, our heroine triumphs and the evil Haman is not only hanged on the gallows he had created, but disgraced by having to parade his arch-nemesis Mordecai in the streets beforehand.
Lest you think this is some sort of fairy tale where everyone lives happily ever after, it is not.
The royal line does not go through Esther. It goes through Vashti, the original non-dancing queen. There is a brief mention of Esther in the court records of Persia but Vashti is the one who remains royal consort and whose son inherits. Esther is not recorded as having borne any children.
And while the Jews were saved from annihilation, they still had to fight for their lives and this cycle of antisemitism continues to this day. And this is why Purim is such a joyful holiday and another lesson for us. Because we need to celebrate the victories at hand. The sweet times. Next week, we may be fighting for our lives. We will deal with that battle then.
Click here if your email does not support YouTube.
NT -- 1st Corinthians 12:1-26
This has always been an intriguing scripture for me. Long ago, I took a spiritual gift inventory and mine came up prophesy. Now, prophesy in the Bible is not the same as Gypsy prophesying. I have absolutely no gift for seeing the future. Otherwise, my 401k would not be less than the amount I have actually put in it.
No, Bible prophesy is seeing something that is wrong and calling attention to it to resolve it for justice. A Know-it-all. Yeah, I think that inventory pegged me pretty well.
Are you curious about YOUR spiritual gift?
Take this one for youth. It is shorter than the one for adults and you know, I never grew out of the 14 year old age range.
When I took it a few minutes ago, it said my number one spiritual gift was ----
TEACHING. Are you surprised?
What about yours? Did it surprise you?
spiritual gift inventory
Grace and peace to you all.
Friday, August 17, 2012
august 18
Just a personal note -- I am in the August edition of Presbyterians Today with this blog! If you are here because of that publicity, welcome and you might want to go to the very first post in December 2011 since it explains the 'rules and regulations'. But then, jump right in where we are now. Don't attempt to catch up. You can read Matthew and Genesis next January!
OT -- Esther 1:1-3:15
Esther, my favorite book in the whole Bible.
Sort of weird book to be a favorite.
But I have always loved it since I discovered it in my first 'read thru the Bible in a year' when I was 14. Yes, I have attempted this before. But every time I would get to an icky place, I would simply skip over it. I distinctly remember getting to Esther just before school let out in early June and this is middle August. You can see how much Bible I skipped.
Esther almost did not make it into the Protestant Bible. It was deeply disliked by Martin Luther and John Calvin had no use for it whatsoever.
But I love it. I love it because it clearly shows that God can take whatever your gift -- even if is only being pretty -- and use it for His glory.
Let's dive into it.
The story of Esther is the story of Purim, one of the holidays that are celebrated in mid October by the Jewish people. It is the story of how one man, Haman, hated one Jew, Mordecai, so much that he (Haman) decided to kill all Jews. Being the 2nd in command of the King of Persia, Haman had a brief chat with the king and thus sets into motion our story.
There are plot twists. In order for our beautiful heroine to get there, the King, Xerxes, has to get rid of his current queen, Vashti, and select our girl from the runway of virgins that are paraded for him for his benefit.
The back story on the runway is just as fascinating. Apparently, Esther is not only beautiful, but she is sweet and good and gets the head eunuch Hegai, on her side. Hegai, being the insider that he is, knows all the king's proclivities and dolls his girl up nice and pretty just the way the king likes them. And she wins the contest, becomes queen and without acknowledging her religion (apparently, that was not pillow talk for a king) helps save his life by reporting an assassination plot that her uncle had overheard.
All of this happens in 3 chapters! What's not to love?
NT -- 1st Corinthians 11:17-34
I had forgotten that our oh, so famous words of institution for the Lord's Supper came immediately after Paul chastises the Corinthians for their worship services that 'do more harm than good'. Wow!
And another church doctrine is immediately following "a man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup." Confessional. And in some cases by someone other than himself.
Proverbs 21:19-20
Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife.
Well, now we have a desert. A few days ago, it was the edge of the roof. I am not sure if the writer of Proverbs was experiencing marital discord at this particular junction or if this was accidental.
In any respects, quarreling spouses do play havoc on home life.
May your home be peaceful.
OT -- Esther 1:1-3:15
Esther, my favorite book in the whole Bible.
Sort of weird book to be a favorite.
But I have always loved it since I discovered it in my first 'read thru the Bible in a year' when I was 14. Yes, I have attempted this before. But every time I would get to an icky place, I would simply skip over it. I distinctly remember getting to Esther just before school let out in early June and this is middle August. You can see how much Bible I skipped.
Esther almost did not make it into the Protestant Bible. It was deeply disliked by Martin Luther and John Calvin had no use for it whatsoever.
But I love it. I love it because it clearly shows that God can take whatever your gift -- even if is only being pretty -- and use it for His glory.
Let's dive into it.
The story of Esther is the story of Purim, one of the holidays that are celebrated in mid October by the Jewish people. It is the story of how one man, Haman, hated one Jew, Mordecai, so much that he (Haman) decided to kill all Jews. Being the 2nd in command of the King of Persia, Haman had a brief chat with the king and thus sets into motion our story.
There are plot twists. In order for our beautiful heroine to get there, the King, Xerxes, has to get rid of his current queen, Vashti, and select our girl from the runway of virgins that are paraded for him for his benefit.
The back story on the runway is just as fascinating. Apparently, Esther is not only beautiful, but she is sweet and good and gets the head eunuch Hegai, on her side. Hegai, being the insider that he is, knows all the king's proclivities and dolls his girl up nice and pretty just the way the king likes them. And she wins the contest, becomes queen and without acknowledging her religion (apparently, that was not pillow talk for a king) helps save his life by reporting an assassination plot that her uncle had overheard.
All of this happens in 3 chapters! What's not to love?
NT -- 1st Corinthians 11:17-34
I had forgotten that our oh, so famous words of institution for the Lord's Supper came immediately after Paul chastises the Corinthians for their worship services that 'do more harm than good'. Wow!
And another church doctrine is immediately following "a man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup." Confessional. And in some cases by someone other than himself.
Proverbs 21:19-20
Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife.
Well, now we have a desert. A few days ago, it was the edge of the roof. I am not sure if the writer of Proverbs was experiencing marital discord at this particular junction or if this was accidental.
In any respects, quarreling spouses do play havoc on home life.
May your home be peaceful.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
August 17
OT -- Nehemiah 12:27-13:31
Remember Nehemiah, O God for the following sins he fixed:
1. Nobody was bringing offerings to the Temple and the priests had all gone home. He threw out the foreigner who had taken up residence and called the priests back to the Temple and exacted a Temple tax a.k.a a tithe
2. Nobody was keeping the Sabbath and they were selling on the Sabbath. Nehemiah put guards (doesn't sound like they got a Sabbath, but who is counting?) on the gates and said he would beat them up if he caught them again selling on the Sabbath.
3. Men of Judah married foreign women and had babies with them. Nehemiah pulled out their hair, sent away the high born ones and threatened violence if they let their children marry foreigners.
Somehow, in the midst of all the awful things that were happening, these were the corrections that Nehemiah wants God to pat him on the back for. Go Nehemiah.
NT -- 1st Corinthians 11:3-16
This is one of the most inane arguments Paul makes in any of his letters. It is about hair. Please.
Oh. And also how men are the authority over women which is why women have to pray with their heads covered so that God sees the mark that they are under authority.
The next time someone tells me that Paul was not a chauvinist, I am pointing them to these scriptures. And the fact that they come two chapters before the "Love Chapter" is almost ludicrous.
Proverbs 21:17-18
He who loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich.
This is one of the proverbs that the Puritans would have etched over their doors in their homes. A lot of us have Puritan leanings. And that is not necessarily a bad thing. But to not take pleasure at all, is to ignore the beauty and the goodness of life. And wine and good food in moderation are one of life's chief pleasures.
Today, for example, we had green beans right out of the garden, stewed okra with fresh tomatoes and garlic, all grown here, cucumber, onion and tomato salad, ditto and the most amazing honeydew melon I have had in a long time. We shouldn't relish that?
The Good News translation has a different spin on it:
Indulging in luxuries, wine, and good food will never make you wealthy.
That makes me feel better. Indulging seems 'to excess'.
I guess there is a fair balance between 'indulging' and 'relishing'.
May we also know the difference.
Remember Nehemiah, O God for the following sins he fixed:
1. Nobody was bringing offerings to the Temple and the priests had all gone home. He threw out the foreigner who had taken up residence and called the priests back to the Temple and exacted a Temple tax a.k.a a tithe
2. Nobody was keeping the Sabbath and they were selling on the Sabbath. Nehemiah put guards (doesn't sound like they got a Sabbath, but who is counting?) on the gates and said he would beat them up if he caught them again selling on the Sabbath.
3. Men of Judah married foreign women and had babies with them. Nehemiah pulled out their hair, sent away the high born ones and threatened violence if they let their children marry foreigners.
Somehow, in the midst of all the awful things that were happening, these were the corrections that Nehemiah wants God to pat him on the back for. Go Nehemiah.
NT -- 1st Corinthians 11:3-16
This is one of the most inane arguments Paul makes in any of his letters. It is about hair. Please.
Oh. And also how men are the authority over women which is why women have to pray with their heads covered so that God sees the mark that they are under authority.
The next time someone tells me that Paul was not a chauvinist, I am pointing them to these scriptures. And the fact that they come two chapters before the "Love Chapter" is almost ludicrous.
Proverbs 21:17-18
He who loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich.
This is one of the proverbs that the Puritans would have etched over their doors in their homes. A lot of us have Puritan leanings. And that is not necessarily a bad thing. But to not take pleasure at all, is to ignore the beauty and the goodness of life. And wine and good food in moderation are one of life's chief pleasures.
Today, for example, we had green beans right out of the garden, stewed okra with fresh tomatoes and garlic, all grown here, cucumber, onion and tomato salad, ditto and the most amazing honeydew melon I have had in a long time. We shouldn't relish that?
The Good News translation has a different spin on it:
Indulging in luxuries, wine, and good food will never make you wealthy.
That makes me feel better. Indulging seems 'to excess'.
I guess there is a fair balance between 'indulging' and 'relishing'.
May we also know the difference.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
August 16
August 16
Don and I are on our way home from taking Matthew to Presbyterian College. It has been a very long day for both of us – physically and emotionally. Just as we crossed into Georgia, the sun set and I have to say, it was magnificent. Long strings of peach and pink, with beautiful white and gold clouds. And it has constantly changed over the last 30 minutes.
Because of the way my life works, I see a lot of sun rises. I see very few sun sets. And today, I needed this one.
In a sermon once, a preacher said that he asked his congregation where they found God. He was hoping for church. What he got was: the ocean, mountains, wild flowers, baby’s laughter, bubbles, sun rises and sun sets. After thinking this over, he said, well, that blows my sermon so let’s just sit together and pray. His congregants rate that service as one of the best he ever did.
My point is, when you are feeling rumply in your soul as I have been for the past little while – everything from Matthew leaving to working too much and too hard on my body to health crises in dear folk that I love and cherish – we need to find that beauty spot where we already intersect with God so that we can just sit and pray.
Now the gray clouds are here and I can quit being my distracted self and concentrate on the Scripture.
Psalm 34:11-22
Since I am writing this in the car, I can’t tell if I wrote this the last time we read this psalm but this is another of the ‘list’ poems.
“Whoever loves life” (well, isn’t that all of us? Actually, that was a euphemism for the followers of The Lord. This is in direct contrast to the other gods that David was surrounded by like Molech who is the god of death.
This definitely is distracted day.
The list is:
1. Keep your tongue from evil (don’t say mean things even if they are true. Words can wound.)
2. Don’t tell lies.
3. Turn away from evil doing and then actively seek out opportunities to do good
4. Seek peace.
Of the list, the most nebulous to me is number 4. Peace is not the absence of conflict nor is it ‘being nice’. What it is for me is far more ephemeral. And I don’t think that the returnees from Persian exiles would say they had peace either even though they ended up with their ‘ancestral lands’. Don’t forget, these lands had been farmed, herded and tended by the ones left behind for 80 plus years. Only to have the land ‘returned’ to the family of origin.
I am betting there were some pretty unpeaceable folk involved in that transaction same as there are in the Palestinian villages that the Israelis march into and take at Uzi-point today.
I think peace has more to do with fair deal and acknowledgement of rights and PROTECTION of rights. I am not naïve enough to think that it will all work out lovey-dovey but you stand a better chance than the ‘peace’ we have been participating in for the last century.
Don and I are on our way home from taking Matthew to Presbyterian College. It has been a very long day for both of us – physically and emotionally. Just as we crossed into Georgia, the sun set and I have to say, it was magnificent. Long strings of peach and pink, with beautiful white and gold clouds. And it has constantly changed over the last 30 minutes.
Because of the way my life works, I see a lot of sun rises. I see very few sun sets. And today, I needed this one.
In a sermon once, a preacher said that he asked his congregation where they found God. He was hoping for church. What he got was: the ocean, mountains, wild flowers, baby’s laughter, bubbles, sun rises and sun sets. After thinking this over, he said, well, that blows my sermon so let’s just sit together and pray. His congregants rate that service as one of the best he ever did.
My point is, when you are feeling rumply in your soul as I have been for the past little while – everything from Matthew leaving to working too much and too hard on my body to health crises in dear folk that I love and cherish – we need to find that beauty spot where we already intersect with God so that we can just sit and pray.
Now the gray clouds are here and I can quit being my distracted self and concentrate on the Scripture.
Psalm 34:11-22
Since I am writing this in the car, I can’t tell if I wrote this the last time we read this psalm but this is another of the ‘list’ poems.
“Whoever loves life” (well, isn’t that all of us? Actually, that was a euphemism for the followers of The Lord. This is in direct contrast to the other gods that David was surrounded by like Molech who is the god of death.
This definitely is distracted day.
The list is:
1. Keep your tongue from evil (don’t say mean things even if they are true. Words can wound.)
2. Don’t tell lies.
3. Turn away from evil doing and then actively seek out opportunities to do good
4. Seek peace.
Of the list, the most nebulous to me is number 4. Peace is not the absence of conflict nor is it ‘being nice’. What it is for me is far more ephemeral. And I don’t think that the returnees from Persian exiles would say they had peace either even though they ended up with their ‘ancestral lands’. Don’t forget, these lands had been farmed, herded and tended by the ones left behind for 80 plus years. Only to have the land ‘returned’ to the family of origin.
I am betting there were some pretty unpeaceable folk involved in that transaction same as there are in the Palestinian villages that the Israelis march into and take at Uzi-point today.
I think peace has more to do with fair deal and acknowledgement of rights and PROTECTION of rights. I am not naïve enough to think that it will all work out lovey-dovey but you stand a better chance than the ‘peace’ we have been participating in for the last century.
Monday, August 13, 2012
August 14
OT -- Nehemiah 7:61-9:21
In September, Joe B, our pastor is going to be teaching 9 different classes all about what he learned in Nehemiah doing his doctoral dissertation which he finished in May. I do not feel like I can comment on these scriptures without hearing his teaching first.
Don says this is a flat-out cop out. But the truth is, I am utterly disgusted with this section of the Bible. I find it reprehensible how discriminating those fools were and how they treated people who 'couldn't find their lineage'. We haven't gotten there yet, but we will this week, when we revisit ole Ezra's proclamation about the foreign wives and half-breed children.
For all you 70s children, here is a musical rendition of Cher's Half-Breed. That is probably what my problems are. Everything I read is colored by 70s bubble-gum music.
Yesterday, I was listening to a podcast on the Civil War and George McClellan's coup attempt and all I could think of was "Billy, don't be a Hero".
In all seriousness, this is a true problem that still resonates today. I have several girl friends whose parents insisted that they either a)not marry a Jewish boy or b)only marry Jewish boys. And the only particulars are that the religion is paramount.
In our NT scripture, Paul also speaks of this vs: 5 Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas (Peter).
The catch is 'believing wife'.
When I started dating, my dad gave me the lecture about only dating "middle-class, college educated, white, Protestant, Southern men". He thought (and still does) that anything else is asking for trouble. And IT does cause trouble when you have differences in those areas. Poor Don. He isn't Southern. Shouldn't have made the cut.
My problem with the OT and NT scriptures we are currently reading is that these are EXISTING relationships. I don't think it would be unusual for one person to come to Jesus and not the other spouse. Same is true for the Nehemiah folks. They thought that Jewish world was over. How were they to know that Nehemiah would so impress the king of Persia that he would allow him to come back and rebuild?
I have a rabbi friend who emailed me recently to remind me that my hero Rashi thought there was not one extra word in the Torah. He had assumed that that was probably true about my Christian scriptures for me but now slogging through Paul, he is not sure. While I laughed, it is a sore spot for me.
What do you do when you really, really disagree with the Bible?
If it was a little more than 2 centuries ago, I would have been a)burnt at the stake, minimum of branding as a heretic or b)cast out of my community. And that is the model that we have in Nehemiah. Just wait.
But once again, Scripture is there for me. Look at Psalm 33 vs. 20-22:
We wait in hope for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
In Him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in His holy name.
May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord,
even as we put our hope in you.
So, my work today is to keep 'slogging' through Nehemiah, knowing that the end of him is in sight with Esther, my favorite book in the Bible just around the corner.
Paul, not so much. I am afraid that we have him for quite a while. Hopefully, God will illuminate those scriptures for me so that I can quit jousting with a dead dude.
In September, Joe B, our pastor is going to be teaching 9 different classes all about what he learned in Nehemiah doing his doctoral dissertation which he finished in May. I do not feel like I can comment on these scriptures without hearing his teaching first.
Don says this is a flat-out cop out. But the truth is, I am utterly disgusted with this section of the Bible. I find it reprehensible how discriminating those fools were and how they treated people who 'couldn't find their lineage'. We haven't gotten there yet, but we will this week, when we revisit ole Ezra's proclamation about the foreign wives and half-breed children.
For all you 70s children, here is a musical rendition of Cher's Half-Breed. That is probably what my problems are. Everything I read is colored by 70s bubble-gum music.
Yesterday, I was listening to a podcast on the Civil War and George McClellan's coup attempt and all I could think of was "Billy, don't be a Hero".
In all seriousness, this is a true problem that still resonates today. I have several girl friends whose parents insisted that they either a)not marry a Jewish boy or b)only marry Jewish boys. And the only particulars are that the religion is paramount.
In our NT scripture, Paul also speaks of this vs: 5 Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas (Peter).
The catch is 'believing wife'.
When I started dating, my dad gave me the lecture about only dating "middle-class, college educated, white, Protestant, Southern men". He thought (and still does) that anything else is asking for trouble. And IT does cause trouble when you have differences in those areas. Poor Don. He isn't Southern. Shouldn't have made the cut.
My problem with the OT and NT scriptures we are currently reading is that these are EXISTING relationships. I don't think it would be unusual for one person to come to Jesus and not the other spouse. Same is true for the Nehemiah folks. They thought that Jewish world was over. How were they to know that Nehemiah would so impress the king of Persia that he would allow him to come back and rebuild?
I have a rabbi friend who emailed me recently to remind me that my hero Rashi thought there was not one extra word in the Torah. He had assumed that that was probably true about my Christian scriptures for me but now slogging through Paul, he is not sure. While I laughed, it is a sore spot for me.
What do you do when you really, really disagree with the Bible?
If it was a little more than 2 centuries ago, I would have been a)burnt at the stake, minimum of branding as a heretic or b)cast out of my community. And that is the model that we have in Nehemiah. Just wait.
But once again, Scripture is there for me. Look at Psalm 33 vs. 20-22:
We wait in hope for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
In Him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in His holy name.
May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord,
even as we put our hope in you.
So, my work today is to keep 'slogging' through Nehemiah, knowing that the end of him is in sight with Esther, my favorite book in the Bible just around the corner.
Paul, not so much. I am afraid that we have him for quite a while. Hopefully, God will illuminate those scriptures for me so that I can quit jousting with a dead dude.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
August 13
NT -- 1st Corinthians 8:1-13
What is the big deal about food in this section?
Here is Commentary from David Guzik that I found very interesting:
"The meat offered on pagan altars was usually divided up into three portions: one portion was burnt in honor of the god; one portion was given to the worshipper to take home and eat; and the third portion was given to the priest. If the priest didn’t want to eat his portion, he sold it at the temple restaurant or meat market.
i. The meat served and sold at the temple was generally cheaper; and then, as well as now, people loved a bargain (including Christians!).
c. The issue raises many questions: can we eat meat purchased at the temple meat market? What if we are served meat purchased at the temple meat market when we are guests in someone’s home? Can a Christian eat at the restaurant at the pagan temple?
d. We know that we all have knowledge: Instead of talking about food, Paul first talks about the principles of knowledge and love. Christian behavior is founded on love, not knowledge; and the goal of the Christian life is not knowledge, but love.
e. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies: Both knowledge and love have an effect on our lives; both of them make something grow. The difference between puffs up and edifies is striking; it is the difference between a bubble and a building. Some Christians grow, others just swell!
http://www.enduringword.com/commentaries/4608.htm
Primarily the part about puffs up and edifies. Because Matthew is leaving for school on Wednesday, my sermonizing seems to have been turned on in full gear. At one point this past week, I made the 'appropriate' comment that the only person's behavior we can control is ... at which point Matthew broke into my speechifying and said "mine, I know, I know Mom."
It IS hard to know when to preach and when just to do what is right and keep your mouth shut.
Clearly, Paul had a bunch of know-it-alls in this congregation and they weren't being loving and kind to one another.
And the older I get, the more I appreciate 'kind' and the less I appreciate 'knowledge'. Hard to believe that I am in the Paul camp on this one.
Proverbs 21:8-10
Better to live on the corner of a roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
Oh, oh, oh.
Do you argue with your spouse? A lot or a little? In front of your kids or others? Do you fight fair? Do you bring up the past or stay focused on the problem at hand? How long do arguments last? Does resolution mean you have won or that the two of you have quit yelling? Do your arguments ever escalate to physicality?
These are all questions from a booklet that Don and I brought home from the disaster of a trip to Marriage Encounter when Matthew was 15 months old.
At the time, my really good friends had sponsored us and we went to the Friday evening meeting, the Saturday morning session, the Saturday afternoon session and started the Saturday evening. I don't know if you have ever been to a Marriage Encounter weekend or if they still do them this way but ours had a brief (30 minutes or so) reading from one of the leading couples sharing their marital issues, then we broke into two groups with one spouse going back to the room to write and the other to stay in the ballroom to write. Then you were supposed to share this revelation with your spouse.
Okay, either Don and I just had a boring relationship or we had not encountered the storms of life yet. Maybe if we went NOW we would have gotten something out of it but by the time that Saturday afternoon session was over, I was out of my mind.
We snuck out of the hotel, ran for our car and left.
*Don wants me to add that we were not the first to leave. That is really important to him.*
But one thing we did take away from that otherwise ludicrous episode in our marriage was that we don't really fight. I am not sure if we are just passive people or what. I do want to discuss problems but I do not like yelling. And I am really uncomfortable around people who do yell.
Yes, I would be hightailing it to the roof if I had a quarrelsome spouse. Wife or otherwise.
Blessings to you as you start your week.
What is the big deal about food in this section?
Here is Commentary from David Guzik that I found very interesting:
"The meat offered on pagan altars was usually divided up into three portions: one portion was burnt in honor of the god; one portion was given to the worshipper to take home and eat; and the third portion was given to the priest. If the priest didn’t want to eat his portion, he sold it at the temple restaurant or meat market.
i. The meat served and sold at the temple was generally cheaper; and then, as well as now, people loved a bargain (including Christians!).
c. The issue raises many questions: can we eat meat purchased at the temple meat market? What if we are served meat purchased at the temple meat market when we are guests in someone’s home? Can a Christian eat at the restaurant at the pagan temple?
d. We know that we all have knowledge: Instead of talking about food, Paul first talks about the principles of knowledge and love. Christian behavior is founded on love, not knowledge; and the goal of the Christian life is not knowledge, but love.
e. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies: Both knowledge and love have an effect on our lives; both of them make something grow. The difference between puffs up and edifies is striking; it is the difference between a bubble and a building. Some Christians grow, others just swell!
http://www.enduringword.com/commentaries/4608.htm
Primarily the part about puffs up and edifies. Because Matthew is leaving for school on Wednesday, my sermonizing seems to have been turned on in full gear. At one point this past week, I made the 'appropriate' comment that the only person's behavior we can control is ... at which point Matthew broke into my speechifying and said "mine, I know, I know Mom."
It IS hard to know when to preach and when just to do what is right and keep your mouth shut.
Clearly, Paul had a bunch of know-it-alls in this congregation and they weren't being loving and kind to one another.
And the older I get, the more I appreciate 'kind' and the less I appreciate 'knowledge'. Hard to believe that I am in the Paul camp on this one.
Proverbs 21:8-10
Better to live on the corner of a roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
Oh, oh, oh.
Do you argue with your spouse? A lot or a little? In front of your kids or others? Do you fight fair? Do you bring up the past or stay focused on the problem at hand? How long do arguments last? Does resolution mean you have won or that the two of you have quit yelling? Do your arguments ever escalate to physicality?
These are all questions from a booklet that Don and I brought home from the disaster of a trip to Marriage Encounter when Matthew was 15 months old.
At the time, my really good friends had sponsored us and we went to the Friday evening meeting, the Saturday morning session, the Saturday afternoon session and started the Saturday evening. I don't know if you have ever been to a Marriage Encounter weekend or if they still do them this way but ours had a brief (30 minutes or so) reading from one of the leading couples sharing their marital issues, then we broke into two groups with one spouse going back to the room to write and the other to stay in the ballroom to write. Then you were supposed to share this revelation with your spouse.
Okay, either Don and I just had a boring relationship or we had not encountered the storms of life yet. Maybe if we went NOW we would have gotten something out of it but by the time that Saturday afternoon session was over, I was out of my mind.
We snuck out of the hotel, ran for our car and left.
*Don wants me to add that we were not the first to leave. That is really important to him.*
But one thing we did take away from that otherwise ludicrous episode in our marriage was that we don't really fight. I am not sure if we are just passive people or what. I do want to discuss problems but I do not like yelling. And I am really uncomfortable around people who do yell.
Yes, I would be hightailing it to the roof if I had a quarrelsome spouse. Wife or otherwise.
Blessings to you as you start your week.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
August 12
Psalm 32
One of the many things about the Catholic Church that I love (don't look shocked, I know it sounds like I despise all things about them but I don't), is confession. We don't have the Confessional Booth in the Presbyterian Church but I can tell you, we need one.
Unconfessed sins weigh thousands of pounds. I pull mine behind me like a half-full cotton tote sack. One of the few memorable sermons by my childhood preacher Bill Newton was about laying your tote sack down at the feet of Jesus. Great image, but not one I practice.
Psalm 32 talks exactly about this practice of withholding the sins from God. The psalmist says 'my bones wasted away'.
Until recently, the accepted view on ulcers was that stress and highly spiced foods caused massive secretions of stomach acid which caused the bleeding ulcers. Now, the prevailing diagnosis is a virus. But is is certainly true that stress and unhappiness cause upset stomachs, heartburn, diarrhea and yes, wasting away or in my case, bulking up.
Why confess? If God is all-knowing, why do we have to tell him when we have sinned? Surely, he already knows.
Psalm 32 has an answer for that. Confession is the method by which we learn 'direction'. 'Horses and mules have no understanding.' In order to understand which ways we are to go (The Lord's way, hopefully), we must admit that what we did in the past was wrong and ask to be forgiven. God does forgive and we (hopefully) learn to do better.
So why do we need a Confessional booth? Like so many things, I think it comes down to ritual and routine. In order to take communion in the Catholic Church (assuming you are Catholic), you first must confess. You come into a quiet space, you acknowledge your guilt, sometimes receive a penance (this is for us, my Catholic friends tell me. Not for God. *We* need to do the prayers or the redemptive parts) and then you can receive Christ in the form of communion.
One of my girl friends who is Catholic says that the Confessional booth of her childhood had a distinct smell to it and when she smells that smell, she immediately feels guilty and thinks she needs to drop to her knees and do several Hail Marys. But even the smell (in her case, paste wax) is probably calculated.
But I am not Catholic and I don't have access to a booth. What I do have access to is God through prayer. I think I need to spend a little more time saying what I have done wrong and a whole lot less time asking for things.
And Psalm 32 has an answer for that as well.
'Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.'
Grace and Peace to each of you.
One of the many things about the Catholic Church that I love (don't look shocked, I know it sounds like I despise all things about them but I don't), is confession. We don't have the Confessional Booth in the Presbyterian Church but I can tell you, we need one.
Unconfessed sins weigh thousands of pounds. I pull mine behind me like a half-full cotton tote sack. One of the few memorable sermons by my childhood preacher Bill Newton was about laying your tote sack down at the feet of Jesus. Great image, but not one I practice.
Psalm 32 talks exactly about this practice of withholding the sins from God. The psalmist says 'my bones wasted away'.
Until recently, the accepted view on ulcers was that stress and highly spiced foods caused massive secretions of stomach acid which caused the bleeding ulcers. Now, the prevailing diagnosis is a virus. But is is certainly true that stress and unhappiness cause upset stomachs, heartburn, diarrhea and yes, wasting away or in my case, bulking up.
Why confess? If God is all-knowing, why do we have to tell him when we have sinned? Surely, he already knows.
Psalm 32 has an answer for that. Confession is the method by which we learn 'direction'. 'Horses and mules have no understanding.' In order to understand which ways we are to go (The Lord's way, hopefully), we must admit that what we did in the past was wrong and ask to be forgiven. God does forgive and we (hopefully) learn to do better.
So why do we need a Confessional booth? Like so many things, I think it comes down to ritual and routine. In order to take communion in the Catholic Church (assuming you are Catholic), you first must confess. You come into a quiet space, you acknowledge your guilt, sometimes receive a penance (this is for us, my Catholic friends tell me. Not for God. *We* need to do the prayers or the redemptive parts) and then you can receive Christ in the form of communion.
One of my girl friends who is Catholic says that the Confessional booth of her childhood had a distinct smell to it and when she smells that smell, she immediately feels guilty and thinks she needs to drop to her knees and do several Hail Marys. But even the smell (in her case, paste wax) is probably calculated.
But I am not Catholic and I don't have access to a booth. What I do have access to is God through prayer. I think I need to spend a little more time saying what I have done wrong and a whole lot less time asking for things.
And Psalm 32 has an answer for that as well.
'Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.'
Grace and Peace to each of you.
Friday, August 10, 2012
August 11
NT -- 1st Corinthians 7:1-24
Paul, Paul, Paul.
You can't say "not I, but the Lord" about divorce but then bloop over the circumcision part. Circumcision is such an enormous, enormous part of being Jewish. I would venture to guess that this is a deal breaker with Jews. No circumcision, not in a relationship with God.
And the scriptures that Paul quotes is Mosaic. Straight out of Deuteronomy.
But, other than that, I have other issues with Paul over this passage.
What an arrogant S.O.B. the man must have been. Who would have wanted to have been his friend? "I wish that all men were as I am." Give me a break.
I am surrounded by men. I have always worked with a predominantly male bunch of guys. My children are men. Heck, even my dog and cat are male.
I do not know of ANY males that don't think constantly of sex.
Paul is such an idiot about this whole thing. The Catholic Church is an idiot about the whole sex thing. Only for keeping you from Satan. Only for procreation. Only if you can't control yourself should you marry. Kiss my you-know-what.
And sex is the only reason for getting married?
I listened to an amazing Fresh Air today that pitted the Bishop in charge of reforming the vast majority of Catholic nuns. "The Vatican recently announced that it would completely make over the Leadership Conference of Women Religious because of its "radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith." Sister Pat Farrell, who heads the organization, says many of the charges are unsubstantiated."
Go here to listen to an abbreviated interview with the nun in charge and an interview with the Bishop in charge of reforming her and her compatriots. I don't envy his task, let me say. She is a formidable opponent and furthermore, she is right.
Her stance is exactly and diametrically opposed to Paul's. I would love to hear Sister Pat teach on 1st Corinthians.
Whew! Yesterday Ezra, today 1st Corinthians. And a whole week of Cole's school. I am exhausted! I am hopeful for a lovely, lovely psalm to send me off to dreamworld!
Paul, Paul, Paul.
You can't say "not I, but the Lord" about divorce but then bloop over the circumcision part. Circumcision is such an enormous, enormous part of being Jewish. I would venture to guess that this is a deal breaker with Jews. No circumcision, not in a relationship with God.
And the scriptures that Paul quotes is Mosaic. Straight out of Deuteronomy.
But, other than that, I have other issues with Paul over this passage.
What an arrogant S.O.B. the man must have been. Who would have wanted to have been his friend? "I wish that all men were as I am." Give me a break.
I am surrounded by men. I have always worked with a predominantly male bunch of guys. My children are men. Heck, even my dog and cat are male.
I do not know of ANY males that don't think constantly of sex.
Paul is such an idiot about this whole thing. The Catholic Church is an idiot about the whole sex thing. Only for keeping you from Satan. Only for procreation. Only if you can't control yourself should you marry. Kiss my you-know-what.
And sex is the only reason for getting married?
I listened to an amazing Fresh Air today that pitted the Bishop in charge of reforming the vast majority of Catholic nuns. "The Vatican recently announced that it would completely make over the Leadership Conference of Women Religious because of its "radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith." Sister Pat Farrell, who heads the organization, says many of the charges are unsubstantiated."
Go here to listen to an abbreviated interview with the nun in charge and an interview with the Bishop in charge of reforming her and her compatriots. I don't envy his task, let me say. She is a formidable opponent and furthermore, she is right.
Her stance is exactly and diametrically opposed to Paul's. I would love to hear Sister Pat teach on 1st Corinthians.
Whew! Yesterday Ezra, today 1st Corinthians. And a whole week of Cole's school. I am exhausted! I am hopeful for a lovely, lovely psalm to send me off to dreamworld!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
August 10
Sorry about this week. Cole started school on Monday and Matthew is very busy getting ready to leave next Wednesday for college. Add to that the general chaos that is my life and things get squirrelly. I will try to do better.
OT -- Ezra 10:1-44
While I knew about this pitiful part of Jewish history, I did not realize just how hard it would hit me. The basic story is that when Ezra and his band of priestly yahoos show up in Jerusalem to finish the Temple and really bring back the 'true worship' of the Lord, Ezra discovers that the previously returned Exiles and the ones left behind had intermarried with 'foreign women'. An abomination. So awful that Ezra rips his clothes and quits eating in the rain.
To placate him, the priests come up with the plan to 'separate the wives and children from the Jewish men'.
Here is my problem with this whole scenario. The women and especially the children probably had NOTHING to do with the marriage. Marriage in Ezra times was a strictly financial or lustful transaction and women had very little if any to say about it.
A woman who was 'separated' from her husband was worthless and useless. Probably penniless as well. Her family was not likely to take her back because how would they get rid of her then?
And the children! Who made those beings? Not the women by themselves.
Now, I am not a total jerk. I get the whole thing about God telling Moses not to let the men intermarry with the Canaanites. I also get the idea that women are the ones who pass on religion in the homes. It was true then and I think it is true now. If the mother doesn't go to church, it is really hard for the kids to go.
But once the marriage has happened, once the children have been born, there really is no going back. You just have deal with the consequences. And I recognize that the consequences are not good.
But to leave the women. To leave the children is utterly despicable in my mind. And makes me HATE this so-called High Priest Ezra. And to couch it in terms of 'God made me do it or He will bring destruction on us' is hideous.
Feel differently? Feel free to comment or email.
OT -- Ezra 10:1-44
While I knew about this pitiful part of Jewish history, I did not realize just how hard it would hit me. The basic story is that when Ezra and his band of priestly yahoos show up in Jerusalem to finish the Temple and really bring back the 'true worship' of the Lord, Ezra discovers that the previously returned Exiles and the ones left behind had intermarried with 'foreign women'. An abomination. So awful that Ezra rips his clothes and quits eating in the rain.
To placate him, the priests come up with the plan to 'separate the wives and children from the Jewish men'.
Here is my problem with this whole scenario. The women and especially the children probably had NOTHING to do with the marriage. Marriage in Ezra times was a strictly financial or lustful transaction and women had very little if any to say about it.
A woman who was 'separated' from her husband was worthless and useless. Probably penniless as well. Her family was not likely to take her back because how would they get rid of her then?
And the children! Who made those beings? Not the women by themselves.
Now, I am not a total jerk. I get the whole thing about God telling Moses not to let the men intermarry with the Canaanites. I also get the idea that women are the ones who pass on religion in the homes. It was true then and I think it is true now. If the mother doesn't go to church, it is really hard for the kids to go.
But once the marriage has happened, once the children have been born, there really is no going back. You just have deal with the consequences. And I recognize that the consequences are not good.
But to leave the women. To leave the children is utterly despicable in my mind. And makes me HATE this so-called High Priest Ezra. And to couch it in terms of 'God made me do it or He will bring destruction on us' is hideous.
Feel differently? Feel free to comment or email.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
August 8
OT -- Ezra 7:1-8:20
Our introduction to Ezra is through his lineage, clearly establishing him as a direct descendant of Aaron, Moses' brother and the start of the priestly line. A scholar, he was hand picked by Artaxerxes to lead a group of Exiles back to finish out the Temple and reestablish the sacrifices and worship of God in Jerusalem. Persian kings weren't Jewish. But they respected and allowed conquered peoples' religions even to the point of non-taxation and tolerance.
Ezra calls for returnees and discovers that no priests took up the challenge. So, he directly summons them and off they go. It was a 4 month journey from Babylon to Jerusalem. It was also fraught with danger -- both human and non-human varieties.
If Ezra is like any of the scholars I know, he probably was not in the greatest of shape and this will be arduous for him but I guess that is for tomorrow.
Proverbs 20:28-30
The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old.
Well, I have to admit it. I color my hair. This proverb is not my fave.
And the one that follows:
Blows and wounds cleanse away evil, and beatings purge the inmost being.
Well, that makes me absolutely ill.
I must be tired. Perhaps this will look different in the morning.
Our introduction to Ezra is through his lineage, clearly establishing him as a direct descendant of Aaron, Moses' brother and the start of the priestly line. A scholar, he was hand picked by Artaxerxes to lead a group of Exiles back to finish out the Temple and reestablish the sacrifices and worship of God in Jerusalem. Persian kings weren't Jewish. But they respected and allowed conquered peoples' religions even to the point of non-taxation and tolerance.
Ezra calls for returnees and discovers that no priests took up the challenge. So, he directly summons them and off they go. It was a 4 month journey from Babylon to Jerusalem. It was also fraught with danger -- both human and non-human varieties.
If Ezra is like any of the scholars I know, he probably was not in the greatest of shape and this will be arduous for him but I guess that is for tomorrow.
Proverbs 20:28-30
The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old.
Well, I have to admit it. I color my hair. This proverb is not my fave.
And the one that follows:
Blows and wounds cleanse away evil, and beatings purge the inmost being.
Well, that makes me absolutely ill.
I must be tired. Perhaps this will look different in the morning.
Monday, August 6, 2012
August 7
NT -- 1st Corinthians 3:5-23
One of my modern Christian heroes is Anne Graham Lotz. Long ago, I saw an interview with her that asked her what on earth she could contribute that her dad, Billy Graham and her brother Franklin, (the heir apparent at the time), had not said or done.
Anne laughed and said, "My dad and Franklin are obstetricians. They deliver Christians. I am a pediatrician. I grow them up."
Here is a fabulous video of Anne talking about her Biblical hero, Abraham. Who is also very much a part of this scripture.
Click here if your email does not support YouTube.
When I read this scripture, I thought of Anne Lotz. Paul may have delivered the church to Corinth but Apollos grew them up. The congregation has no idea who to turn to for allegiance.
In reality, the allegiance is owed to neither human but God. Anne clearly knows that she is also 'not a grandchild' of God but must enter fully into the faith as her own person. As must we all.
OT -- Ezra 5:1-6:22
Well, what do you know? A little bureaucratic wrangling in ancient Persia. Nothing, and I do mean nothing, has changed in 2700 years.
Somebody doesn't like what you are doing and so they sue for work stoppage. Then, you counter sue saying you have rights.
My real question, though, is why did it matter to Mr. Trans-Euphrates governor that the returned Exiles were building a Temple. Nobody asked him to pay for it. That is, until the paper was discovered and then, stupid man, you are on the hook for feeding, clothing and paying for all the materials for the Temple. Should have left well-enough alone.
And so the work goes on.
Today on the radio was a newspot for church that was struck by lightning weekend before last. It was a 109 year old sanctuary and it burned to the ground in under an hour.
The pastor was on the news saying that they were going to rebuild the church exactly as it had been.
Now, he did not ask for my opinion but here it is. A 109 year old church was built for 149 year olds. Not 19 year olds.
I don't see many 149 year olds running around Canton. But I see a heck of a lot of 19 years olds, all driving big trucks, every time I go up there.
Why would you build a church back 'exactly like it was'?
This is also what the Exiles did. They intended to build that Temple 'exactly like it was'. Only, they weren't Solomon and they didn't have Daddy David's ginormous stockpile of gold, silver, plate, cedars and workmen. And in the end, it will be the lack of workmen that bring reality bumping into our main man Ezra who finally shows up in chapter 7 tomorrow. Stop. Don't read ahead.
Same Bible time, Same Bible channel.
One of my modern Christian heroes is Anne Graham Lotz. Long ago, I saw an interview with her that asked her what on earth she could contribute that her dad, Billy Graham and her brother Franklin, (the heir apparent at the time), had not said or done.
Anne laughed and said, "My dad and Franklin are obstetricians. They deliver Christians. I am a pediatrician. I grow them up."
Here is a fabulous video of Anne talking about her Biblical hero, Abraham. Who is also very much a part of this scripture.
Click here if your email does not support YouTube.
When I read this scripture, I thought of Anne Lotz. Paul may have delivered the church to Corinth but Apollos grew them up. The congregation has no idea who to turn to for allegiance.
In reality, the allegiance is owed to neither human but God. Anne clearly knows that she is also 'not a grandchild' of God but must enter fully into the faith as her own person. As must we all.
OT -- Ezra 5:1-6:22
Well, what do you know? A little bureaucratic wrangling in ancient Persia. Nothing, and I do mean nothing, has changed in 2700 years.
Somebody doesn't like what you are doing and so they sue for work stoppage. Then, you counter sue saying you have rights.
My real question, though, is why did it matter to Mr. Trans-Euphrates governor that the returned Exiles were building a Temple. Nobody asked him to pay for it. That is, until the paper was discovered and then, stupid man, you are on the hook for feeding, clothing and paying for all the materials for the Temple. Should have left well-enough alone.
And so the work goes on.
Today on the radio was a newspot for church that was struck by lightning weekend before last. It was a 109 year old sanctuary and it burned to the ground in under an hour.
The pastor was on the news saying that they were going to rebuild the church exactly as it had been.
Now, he did not ask for my opinion but here it is. A 109 year old church was built for 149 year olds. Not 19 year olds.
I don't see many 149 year olds running around Canton. But I see a heck of a lot of 19 years olds, all driving big trucks, every time I go up there.
Why would you build a church back 'exactly like it was'?
This is also what the Exiles did. They intended to build that Temple 'exactly like it was'. Only, they weren't Solomon and they didn't have Daddy David's ginormous stockpile of gold, silver, plate, cedars and workmen. And in the end, it will be the lack of workmen that bring reality bumping into our main man Ezra who finally shows up in chapter 7 tomorrow. Stop. Don't read ahead.
Same Bible time, Same Bible channel.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
August 5
OT -- Ezra 1:1-2:70
The book of Ezra originally also included the book of Nehemiah. This is the story of the return of the Exiles from captivity, the rebuilding of the Temple and rebuilding of the Jewish culture in Jerusalem.
It is important to remember that not everyone was taken into captivity. There was a significant number of folks who were left behind and for the most part, these were the uneducated, the rural folks, the ones who had no goods or education that Nebuchadnezzar wanted.
Naturally, when the Exiles returned, there was conflict between the ones left behind the returnees. Also squabbles over who owns what and who is in charge.
Another important thing to remember is that not everyone returned. Who would want to leave the richest city in the world for a desolate backwater rubble strewn spot? Many did not. This is what is known as the First Diaspora. The Second Diaspora happens when Jerusalem and the Second Temple are destroyed in AD 70 by the Romans.
In the Apocrypha, there are 3 other books that are attributed to Ezra -- 1st, 2nd and 3rd Esdras.
1st Esdras is actually almost exactly the same as our Ezra with additions to chapters and corrections in the king order. 2nd Esdras is a visionary, apocalyptic book. 2nd Esdras is my choice for extra-curricular reading. Click here to go read it.
Our scripture today begins in a typical scribely manner. Counts of the men, silver, items with a bare mention of the women who also came along.
Proverbs 20:22-23
Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!" Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.
Ah, but not in my time frame.
It is really hard to wait for the Lord to wreck vengeance. As a matter of fact, I truly don't think he does. What if the one who did me wrong asks pardon of God? Doesn't he forgive them too? Why should he be involved in getting even?
It has taken me 50 years to understand the whole system of FAIR.
I want it to be FAIR.
It is not FAIR.
As Captain Picard would say as a Borg, "resistance is futile."
And to resist the lure of trying to make things FAIR is hard.
Lately, I have been trying to settle for KIND.
What about you? Do you still struggle with 'get even' or are you past that in your maturity?
Much peace to you as we begin a new week. Hopefully, you will begin it in the Word.
The book of Ezra originally also included the book of Nehemiah. This is the story of the return of the Exiles from captivity, the rebuilding of the Temple and rebuilding of the Jewish culture in Jerusalem.
It is important to remember that not everyone was taken into captivity. There was a significant number of folks who were left behind and for the most part, these were the uneducated, the rural folks, the ones who had no goods or education that Nebuchadnezzar wanted.
Naturally, when the Exiles returned, there was conflict between the ones left behind the returnees. Also squabbles over who owns what and who is in charge.
Another important thing to remember is that not everyone returned. Who would want to leave the richest city in the world for a desolate backwater rubble strewn spot? Many did not. This is what is known as the First Diaspora. The Second Diaspora happens when Jerusalem and the Second Temple are destroyed in AD 70 by the Romans.
In the Apocrypha, there are 3 other books that are attributed to Ezra -- 1st, 2nd and 3rd Esdras.
1st Esdras is actually almost exactly the same as our Ezra with additions to chapters and corrections in the king order. 2nd Esdras is a visionary, apocalyptic book. 2nd Esdras is my choice for extra-curricular reading. Click here to go read it.
Our scripture today begins in a typical scribely manner. Counts of the men, silver, items with a bare mention of the women who also came along.
Proverbs 20:22-23
Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!" Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.
Ah, but not in my time frame.
It is really hard to wait for the Lord to wreck vengeance. As a matter of fact, I truly don't think he does. What if the one who did me wrong asks pardon of God? Doesn't he forgive them too? Why should he be involved in getting even?
It has taken me 50 years to understand the whole system of FAIR.
I want it to be FAIR.
It is not FAIR.
As Captain Picard would say as a Borg, "resistance is futile."
And to resist the lure of trying to make things FAIR is hard.
Lately, I have been trying to settle for KIND.
What about you? Do you still struggle with 'get even' or are you past that in your maturity?
Much peace to you as we begin a new week. Hopefully, you will begin it in the Word.
Friday, August 3, 2012
August 4
OT -- 2 Chronicles 35:1-36:23
This is the funny thing about the way we read the Bible. It is not in order. I am a little on the OCD side. I like things to line up and to go in a fairly straight order. But Chronicles skips right on over all the enslavement and history in Babylon and takes us straight to Cyrus, the Persian. We have Ezra and Nehemiah, both from the post-exile period, Esther, also set in Persia and then we move back to Job. And then forward ahead to Ecclesiastes, probably if not actually written by Solomon, then written by one of his wisdom teachers. We are all over the place with the timeline.
But to the reading for today. I read an interesting Midrash about Josiah that you can click here to read. It compared Josiah to Ahab, the king of Israel who was just awful. Josiah was a really wonderful man according to Chronicles, almost as good as the uber-awesome Hezekiah. But both he and Ahab died the same death -- shot through by an archer. See what you think about God's justice according to this rabbi.
And just one other thing about reading the Old Testament. I have been offered to participate in Daf Yomi, the seven year cycle of Talmud study. The last cycle just finished this week and the new one starts this weekend after the Sabbath. If you think that our reading the Bible in a Year is hard work, well, this is an incredible commitment. But you would study with serious rabbi scholars who know so very much about the Torah/Talmud. Internet help and loads of interviews and 'talks'.
I declined the offer until I finished this but you may want to pick up your marbles and go play with real scholars. Check out their website.
NT -- 1st Corinthians 1:1-17
Corinth is located in the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece. Click here to read the fascinating history of Corinth in Wikipedia. For our purposes, Corinth was rebuilt by Julius Caesar and was a bustling metropolis in the Roman Empire due to its location and very active port.
Paul spent at least 2 significant periods here -- the first 18 months when he established the church, and the second a 3 month period after the letter we are reading was written. It is also possible that he visited a third time.
My notes from my Bible survey course indicate that there was at least one other 'Letter to the Corinthians' that Paul wrote, possibly two. 2 Corinthians references these in at least 2 passages. These letters did not survive antiquity. It would be really interesting to read them and see what he wrote.
Many people count Corinthians as their favorite by Paul and it is especially quoted heavily in regards to Chapter 13, also known as the 'Love' Chapter.
We can expect frank, chastising talk by Paul since he is writing because he has heard of dissension and discord in the church that he so dearly loved.
And so the letter begins -- with a whirling, almost scathing commentary hitting on the baptism quarrel. Paul is not quoting Matthew 28 because Matthew had yet to be written, but he surely is on the same page -- disciples are what counts, not who and when you were baptized.
For our times, Paul writes to hold the church together. And in a world where division results in people either a)leaving the church and going somewhere else or nowhere else or b)splitting the church and part going away and part staying, there is much for us to learn and hear.
Right now, the divisive issue in our denomination is homosexuality. When I was a child, it was women preachers. Before I was a Presbyterian, it was women elders, before that, the Civil Rights movement. Although the actual conflict changes, the divisions and the battle lines do not. Paul is aware of this and seeks to reach out and pull both back into relationship.
I want you to watch this 2 minute video/commercial for Notre Dame University featuring John Paul Lederach, a Mennonite professor who is a professional peacemaker.
Click here if your email does not support video.
On Being did a great show on him in February. Click here to listen.
So what does a Mennonite professor who specializes in resolving armed conflict have to do with church conflict? I would say that they all come from that same place -- "I am convinced of my beliefs/needs/wants and I will do whatever I have to/want to/need to to assure that I will come out on top."
The problem with that statement is that in order for me to win, someone else must lose. And thus starts the escalation that ends in division.
Go listen. See what you think. Does he live in the same world I do?
This is the funny thing about the way we read the Bible. It is not in order. I am a little on the OCD side. I like things to line up and to go in a fairly straight order. But Chronicles skips right on over all the enslavement and history in Babylon and takes us straight to Cyrus, the Persian. We have Ezra and Nehemiah, both from the post-exile period, Esther, also set in Persia and then we move back to Job. And then forward ahead to Ecclesiastes, probably if not actually written by Solomon, then written by one of his wisdom teachers. We are all over the place with the timeline.
But to the reading for today. I read an interesting Midrash about Josiah that you can click here to read. It compared Josiah to Ahab, the king of Israel who was just awful. Josiah was a really wonderful man according to Chronicles, almost as good as the uber-awesome Hezekiah. But both he and Ahab died the same death -- shot through by an archer. See what you think about God's justice according to this rabbi.
And just one other thing about reading the Old Testament. I have been offered to participate in Daf Yomi, the seven year cycle of Talmud study. The last cycle just finished this week and the new one starts this weekend after the Sabbath. If you think that our reading the Bible in a Year is hard work, well, this is an incredible commitment. But you would study with serious rabbi scholars who know so very much about the Torah/Talmud. Internet help and loads of interviews and 'talks'.
I declined the offer until I finished this but you may want to pick up your marbles and go play with real scholars. Check out their website.
NT -- 1st Corinthians 1:1-17
Corinth is located in the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece. Click here to read the fascinating history of Corinth in Wikipedia. For our purposes, Corinth was rebuilt by Julius Caesar and was a bustling metropolis in the Roman Empire due to its location and very active port.
Paul spent at least 2 significant periods here -- the first 18 months when he established the church, and the second a 3 month period after the letter we are reading was written. It is also possible that he visited a third time.
My notes from my Bible survey course indicate that there was at least one other 'Letter to the Corinthians' that Paul wrote, possibly two. 2 Corinthians references these in at least 2 passages. These letters did not survive antiquity. It would be really interesting to read them and see what he wrote.
Many people count Corinthians as their favorite by Paul and it is especially quoted heavily in regards to Chapter 13, also known as the 'Love' Chapter.
We can expect frank, chastising talk by Paul since he is writing because he has heard of dissension and discord in the church that he so dearly loved.
And so the letter begins -- with a whirling, almost scathing commentary hitting on the baptism quarrel. Paul is not quoting Matthew 28 because Matthew had yet to be written, but he surely is on the same page -- disciples are what counts, not who and when you were baptized.
For our times, Paul writes to hold the church together. And in a world where division results in people either a)leaving the church and going somewhere else or nowhere else or b)splitting the church and part going away and part staying, there is much for us to learn and hear.
Right now, the divisive issue in our denomination is homosexuality. When I was a child, it was women preachers. Before I was a Presbyterian, it was women elders, before that, the Civil Rights movement. Although the actual conflict changes, the divisions and the battle lines do not. Paul is aware of this and seeks to reach out and pull both back into relationship.
I want you to watch this 2 minute video/commercial for Notre Dame University featuring John Paul Lederach, a Mennonite professor who is a professional peacemaker.
Click here if your email does not support video.
On Being did a great show on him in February. Click here to listen.
So what does a Mennonite professor who specializes in resolving armed conflict have to do with church conflict? I would say that they all come from that same place -- "I am convinced of my beliefs/needs/wants and I will do whatever I have to/want to/need to to assure that I will come out on top."
The problem with that statement is that in order for me to win, someone else must lose. And thus starts the escalation that ends in division.
Go listen. See what you think. Does he live in the same world I do?
Thursday, August 2, 2012
August 3
OT -- 2 Chronicles 33:14-34:33
Do you believe in Fate? Coincidences? Guardian Angels?
When we read the story of Josiah, you have to wonder about the causes for his religiosity. Look at verse 3, "In the eighth year of his reign (he would have been 16), while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David."
Okay, somebody or something prompted this. He either had an encounter with a priest of God or teacher of the Faith. 16 years olds (I can say this with absolute assurance having one myself, currently) are not driven to the Book. They are driven by other things and let's leave it at that.
And Josiah did it with fervor. Sustained fervor.
So, was this a guardian angel? Or chance encounter?
I have to think not.
This episode in Chronicles is much more fleshed out than the one in Kings. We have the whole episode with the female prophet and the whole doomsday prophesy. Remember, Chronicles was written AFTER the return of the exiles.
And then the whole thing about discovering the Book of the Law. At best, the most the Book of the Law was missing is 98 years. Hezekiah ruled for 25 years, Manassah for 55 and the whole Book revival happened in Josiah's 18th year. Hezekiah celebrated the uber Passover. I am assuming that he did repeat it and it probably didn't happen in Year One so the time is probably shorter.
Was this the wakeup call to spur Josiah into ever more reforms of the Faith? Another chance encounter or another guardian angel?
What about you? Do you have faith encounters that are just random or is it by Design?
Romans 16:8-27
I love that Paul has all these real people greeted in this letter. I am sure that he meant for this letter to be circulated around; it has such an air of sermonish about it. But the people and the REASONS that he greets them "Rufus and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too." (but he couldn't give her name!!!!) makes me really like him even though he has seriously gotten on my nerves.
Maybe I will like Corinthians better.
Do you believe in Fate? Coincidences? Guardian Angels?
When we read the story of Josiah, you have to wonder about the causes for his religiosity. Look at verse 3, "In the eighth year of his reign (he would have been 16), while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David."
Okay, somebody or something prompted this. He either had an encounter with a priest of God or teacher of the Faith. 16 years olds (I can say this with absolute assurance having one myself, currently) are not driven to the Book. They are driven by other things and let's leave it at that.
And Josiah did it with fervor. Sustained fervor.
So, was this a guardian angel? Or chance encounter?
I have to think not.
This episode in Chronicles is much more fleshed out than the one in Kings. We have the whole episode with the female prophet and the whole doomsday prophesy. Remember, Chronicles was written AFTER the return of the exiles.
And then the whole thing about discovering the Book of the Law. At best, the most the Book of the Law was missing is 98 years. Hezekiah ruled for 25 years, Manassah for 55 and the whole Book revival happened in Josiah's 18th year. Hezekiah celebrated the uber Passover. I am assuming that he did repeat it and it probably didn't happen in Year One so the time is probably shorter.
Was this the wakeup call to spur Josiah into ever more reforms of the Faith? Another chance encounter or another guardian angel?
What about you? Do you have faith encounters that are just random or is it by Design?
Romans 16:8-27
I love that Paul has all these real people greeted in this letter. I am sure that he meant for this letter to be circulated around; it has such an air of sermonish about it. But the people and the REASONS that he greets them "Rufus and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too." (but he couldn't give her name!!!!) makes me really like him even though he has seriously gotten on my nerves.
Maybe I will like Corinthians better.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
August 2
Proverbs 20:16-18
"Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger, hold it in pledge if he does it for a wayward woman. Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man but he ends up with a mouth full of gravel. Make plans by seeking advice, if you wage war, obtain guidance."
At first glance, these do not seem to have anything to do with one another. Yet all three of the commentaries that I read on these verses lump them together as encounters with weak, foolish men.
The fool who pledges for a wayward (or promiscuous)woman deserves to have his cloak taken and held from him. This is in direct violation of the Exodus 22:26 ruling that if you take a man's cloak, you should return it by sundown. Who would pledge for a wayward woman?
Similarly, when a fool has defrauded someone and enriched himself, it should come as no surprise that there will be a consequence and it is not likely to be a good one.
And the last one is a backward slap to those who would just make war without consulting their advisors. Something our kings that we have been reading about here in 2 Chronicles seem to do a lot. (Except uber perfect Hezekiah.)
The very premise of these three verses are that weak, foolish men are dangers to themselves and others. They cause problems for the society and problems for the wise man. Avoid them if possible and when not, take extra precautions.
"Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger, hold it in pledge if he does it for a wayward woman. Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man but he ends up with a mouth full of gravel. Make plans by seeking advice, if you wage war, obtain guidance."
At first glance, these do not seem to have anything to do with one another. Yet all three of the commentaries that I read on these verses lump them together as encounters with weak, foolish men.
The fool who pledges for a wayward (or promiscuous)woman deserves to have his cloak taken and held from him. This is in direct violation of the Exodus 22:26 ruling that if you take a man's cloak, you should return it by sundown. Who would pledge for a wayward woman?
Similarly, when a fool has defrauded someone and enriched himself, it should come as no surprise that there will be a consequence and it is not likely to be a good one.
And the last one is a backward slap to those who would just make war without consulting their advisors. Something our kings that we have been reading about here in 2 Chronicles seem to do a lot. (Except uber perfect Hezekiah.)
The very premise of these three verses are that weak, foolish men are dangers to themselves and others. They cause problems for the society and problems for the wise man. Avoid them if possible and when not, take extra precautions.
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