NT -- 1 Peter 1:1-12
We begin the letters of Peter today. We are also studying these letters in Presbyterian Women but I have been unimpressed with the study guide thus far.
The apostle Peter wrote these letters himself and if we were reading these in the original Greek, we would see the vast differences between his word choice, style and grammar vs. those who wrote for Paul. Peter was clearly the less educated.
That being said, he uses the same convoluted writing style as Paul which has sentences with multiple clauses, loads of appositives and other stuff, which can be very confusing. My Bible teacher long ago, said that when you don't understand Peter, try to find the simple subject and the simple verb of each sentence and string them along.
To try this, look at vs 3:
"In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of the Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade -- kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time."
Whew!!
Simple subject: he (God)
Simple predicate: has given us new birth
The base line of that whole jumble is that God has given us a new life. And what an incredible gift that is.
Now, I know, the other stuff is important. But the bottom line to Peter is that God has saved us. Glory be!
Next time you find your eyes glazing over with the wordiness, try it.
And since this is Thanksgiving Day in the USA, I would like to thank each of you for your readership. It has kept me on track in the Word, and let's just say -- staying focused is mighty hard for me, especially over a year period.
Grace and Peace to you and yours.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
November 21
OT -- Ezekiel 42:1-43:27
This whole section on the measurements of the temple -- the various gates, porticoes, porches etc -- is taken from 2 Kings. It was meant as a reminder that once men had built the temple and it had immediately been desecrated. Now, God was going to build it and it would be pure.
You can see, reading Ezekiel, why Paul would use the whole imagery of Jesus' being our temple. Yes, the temple was rebuilt and grandly although not as lovely as Solomon's temple. But even that Temple was filled with sin and degradation -- the scene where Jesus drives the moneychangers from the Temple is one of the 7 stories that is in all 4 Gospels. Clearly made a deep, deep impression.
In order to have a pure, holy Temple, well, you need a pure, holy space. And that is only inhabited by pure, holy people, i.e. Jesus.
NT -- James 5:1-20
Many, many times I have heard vs. 12-16. As a matter of fact, it was the NT scripture for Joe B's sermon this past Sunday. Click here if you want to watch it. One of his best yet. To skip straight to the sermon, it is at minute 12.
But back to the scripture. What really interests me is the preceding verses -- 1-11. Full of condemnation of the rich taking advantage on the poor. Gosh, I am getting it at every turn, first from Proverbs yesterday, now this.
Maybe this is a nice way for God to say -- quit my proverbial worrying about money and get on with the business of helping others.
It's juxataposition with the whole 'pray for whatever is happening' in your life is why it struck me this evening.
This is one of the fascinating things that I have found reading the scriptures this year. There are so many favorite quotes and passages that have been lifted straight out of context.
And so many harsh passages that we, who are so incredibly blessed to be Americans, don't want to hear or heed.
Bad enough with the rich young ruler, we definitely don't want the wham over the top of the head by James.
This whole section on the measurements of the temple -- the various gates, porticoes, porches etc -- is taken from 2 Kings. It was meant as a reminder that once men had built the temple and it had immediately been desecrated. Now, God was going to build it and it would be pure.
You can see, reading Ezekiel, why Paul would use the whole imagery of Jesus' being our temple. Yes, the temple was rebuilt and grandly although not as lovely as Solomon's temple. But even that Temple was filled with sin and degradation -- the scene where Jesus drives the moneychangers from the Temple is one of the 7 stories that is in all 4 Gospels. Clearly made a deep, deep impression.
In order to have a pure, holy Temple, well, you need a pure, holy space. And that is only inhabited by pure, holy people, i.e. Jesus.
NT -- James 5:1-20
Many, many times I have heard vs. 12-16. As a matter of fact, it was the NT scripture for Joe B's sermon this past Sunday. Click here if you want to watch it. One of his best yet. To skip straight to the sermon, it is at minute 12.
But back to the scripture. What really interests me is the preceding verses -- 1-11. Full of condemnation of the rich taking advantage on the poor. Gosh, I am getting it at every turn, first from Proverbs yesterday, now this.
Maybe this is a nice way for God to say -- quit my proverbial worrying about money and get on with the business of helping others.
It's juxataposition with the whole 'pray for whatever is happening' in your life is why it struck me this evening.
This is one of the fascinating things that I have found reading the scriptures this year. There are so many favorite quotes and passages that have been lifted straight out of context.
And so many harsh passages that we, who are so incredibly blessed to be Americans, don't want to hear or heed.
Bad enough with the rich young ruler, we definitely don't want the wham over the top of the head by James.
Monday, November 19, 2012
November 20
Proverbs 28:3-5
A ruler who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.
Okay, I have written and re-written this blog post 4 times. I am not sure why I am having a hard time with this because I believe passionately in helping the poor. I have only been penniless for one period in my life but it left an indelible scar on me and I never want to go back to that again. In my twisted karma viewpoint, I think I see helping the poor will prevent that and maybe it will.
But the vast majority of the folks that I have encountered aren't gaming the system. They are just struggling to get by.
Take a phone conversation that I had today with a couple in Louisiana. Their rent on their little government housing unit is 530 a month. When they called me, their power had just been turned off for non-payment and they had received a notice from the property manager who had been letting them pay a little at the time, usually weekly, that they were behind several hundred dollars. I could hear a little one in the background, an adult male and the shaky female that I was talking to.
She didn't think she owed the money but she couldn't find her money order stubs in the dark and she just didn't know what to do. I tried to help but because they had been paying a little and a little and a little, without the stubs I just couldn't help them piece together the money picture. It made me really sad to hear how frightened she was. And I couldn't help her.
It makes me sad and sometimes mad that we live in a country where people have a hard time making ends meet. And I realize that some of that is the people's choices have led to this situation. But there are usually babies and children involved and they didn't have the choice.
I realize I sound like a bleeding heart liberal commie pinko nut (a quote from a recent email from a 'fan'). And sometimes I am. Sometimes I think everyone should require birth control injections to go to high school and we should do whatever we have to do to get folks graduated and into a trade.
Other times, I am firmly in the 'you made your bed and your choices and now you and your kids have to live with the consequences'.
I just wish that there were other options.
A ruler who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.
Okay, I have written and re-written this blog post 4 times. I am not sure why I am having a hard time with this because I believe passionately in helping the poor. I have only been penniless for one period in my life but it left an indelible scar on me and I never want to go back to that again. In my twisted karma viewpoint, I think I see helping the poor will prevent that and maybe it will.
But the vast majority of the folks that I have encountered aren't gaming the system. They are just struggling to get by.
Take a phone conversation that I had today with a couple in Louisiana. Their rent on their little government housing unit is 530 a month. When they called me, their power had just been turned off for non-payment and they had received a notice from the property manager who had been letting them pay a little at the time, usually weekly, that they were behind several hundred dollars. I could hear a little one in the background, an adult male and the shaky female that I was talking to.
She didn't think she owed the money but she couldn't find her money order stubs in the dark and she just didn't know what to do. I tried to help but because they had been paying a little and a little and a little, without the stubs I just couldn't help them piece together the money picture. It made me really sad to hear how frightened she was. And I couldn't help her.
It makes me sad and sometimes mad that we live in a country where people have a hard time making ends meet. And I realize that some of that is the people's choices have led to this situation. But there are usually babies and children involved and they didn't have the choice.
I realize I sound like a bleeding heart liberal commie pinko nut (a quote from a recent email from a 'fan'). And sometimes I am. Sometimes I think everyone should require birth control injections to go to high school and we should do whatever we have to do to get folks graduated and into a trade.
Other times, I am firmly in the 'you made your bed and your choices and now you and your kids have to live with the consequences'.
I just wish that there were other options.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
November 19
NT -- James 2:18-3:18
"Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers because you know that we who teach will be judge more strictly."
I have found this to be true. I have also found that I have become more, not less critical, of bad teachers. This, I really have to watch.
Both of my sons have had excellent teachers, good teachers, so-so and thankfully, a few rotten ones.
Both of them have one rotten one right now. And in both cases, it is their English teacher.
Here is where James would be proud of me. I have held my tongue about both of them.
For one thing, these teachers are not MY teachers. They are Matthew and Cole's. *I* do not have to sit in their class and *I* am not sure just how much is a personality disorder and how much is just plain bad teaching.
Truthfully, it has been fun watching Cole handle this situation. He has matured enough to not take it personally and work as hard as he needs to work to maintain his B which in any other class would give him an A. The very fact that he can distinguish between a good teacher and bad one gives me tremendous hope for the future.
That being said, I still rail against her arbitrariness and harshness when it is sooo not needed, especially since Jr year is so critical. But not to Cole.
As for myself, yes, I am judged fairly regularly for my weaknesses and statements as a Bible teacher. I don't pretend to know it all (especially since I am still using an 8 year old's Jewish commentary for the OT) but what I do know, I know. And I am afraid that here, my mouth gets me into the poison land. When people are wrong or they claim I am wrong, I seldom shut up. This is not a good thing to do in most situations and I really need to work on it more.
Psalm 118
It is funny how relevant 3000 year old scriptures can be.
This afternoon, in a blue mood due to some bad news, I sat on my back porch, watching the pterodactyls in their last evening outside, and I asked God to send me peace because I was afraid. I can't say he did because I realized that it was time to jump up and fix dinner but once over, I sat down to my scripture and here it was:
In my anguish I cried to the Lord,
and he answered by setting me free.
The Lord is with me, I will not be afraid.
vs. 5-6a
Friends, that is some mighty good news. Oh, it didn't take away the problem. It is still there, still looming large. But I am no longer afraid. And I don't know about you but fear always gets in the way of good judgment.
The fact that I asked for help and there it was in my scripture reading for the day fills me with tremendous hope for the future.
May God set you free from whatever you are afraid of.
"Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers because you know that we who teach will be judge more strictly."
I have found this to be true. I have also found that I have become more, not less critical, of bad teachers. This, I really have to watch.
Both of my sons have had excellent teachers, good teachers, so-so and thankfully, a few rotten ones.
Both of them have one rotten one right now. And in both cases, it is their English teacher.
Here is where James would be proud of me. I have held my tongue about both of them.
For one thing, these teachers are not MY teachers. They are Matthew and Cole's. *I* do not have to sit in their class and *I* am not sure just how much is a personality disorder and how much is just plain bad teaching.
Truthfully, it has been fun watching Cole handle this situation. He has matured enough to not take it personally and work as hard as he needs to work to maintain his B which in any other class would give him an A. The very fact that he can distinguish between a good teacher and bad one gives me tremendous hope for the future.
That being said, I still rail against her arbitrariness and harshness when it is sooo not needed, especially since Jr year is so critical. But not to Cole.
As for myself, yes, I am judged fairly regularly for my weaknesses and statements as a Bible teacher. I don't pretend to know it all (especially since I am still using an 8 year old's Jewish commentary for the OT) but what I do know, I know. And I am afraid that here, my mouth gets me into the poison land. When people are wrong or they claim I am wrong, I seldom shut up. This is not a good thing to do in most situations and I really need to work on it more.
Psalm 118
It is funny how relevant 3000 year old scriptures can be.
This afternoon, in a blue mood due to some bad news, I sat on my back porch, watching the pterodactyls in their last evening outside, and I asked God to send me peace because I was afraid. I can't say he did because I realized that it was time to jump up and fix dinner but once over, I sat down to my scripture and here it was:
In my anguish I cried to the Lord,
and he answered by setting me free.
The Lord is with me, I will not be afraid.
vs. 5-6a
Friends, that is some mighty good news. Oh, it didn't take away the problem. It is still there, still looming large. But I am no longer afraid. And I don't know about you but fear always gets in the way of good judgment.
The fact that I asked for help and there it was in my scripture reading for the day fills me with tremendous hope for the future.
May God set you free from whatever you are afraid of.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
November 18
NT -- James 1:19-2:17
vs. 26:If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.
Well, that X's me out then. My mouth continually gets me in trouble. Think , think, think before you speak, Sylvia. It just seems to happen at the worst possible times.
And then, of course, there is the whole cussing problem of which I just will say, I could and should do much better.
This passage also contains a favorite one of mine.
vs. 17 Faith, by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
I went to a funeral today of a lovely, lovely lady. She was 94 and a member of my Sunday School class. Can I say, this? Yes, I will. Her funeral was as lovely as she was.
She had stipulated that she wanted it to last no more than 30 minutes. And that's all it did. Ron preached a mighty fine funeral sermon and as one who has heard 20 or so funeral sermons that he has preached (I am on the bereavement committee and help with the receptions afterwards), it always amazes me that each one is so different.
Her music minister from her former church came and sang -- Amazing Grace and How Great thou Art. Unbelievable.
After a funeral at Mt Vernon, the ladies of the church offer a reception for the family to greet friends. It is one the the nicest things we do, I think, and not just because I work on this committee. It just provides a nice time to visit and speak.
Anyway, the committee was told to expect 35. There were over a hundred people at that funeral.
And why?
Because my sweet lady had always evidenced her strong, strong faith. Quiet, sure of herself and her actions, she continued to study her Bible and come to Sunday School. She never argued. If she spoke, it was sincere, to the point, and always thoughtful. No rambling for her, thank you.
In her youth, she had taught school and Sunday School, herself. As an elderly person, she continued to read devotions and ponder meaning, often using 2 translations to help her understand.
She tried hard not to be troublesome to family, friends and her church. I would say she more than succeeded. She will be sorely missed.
This is a Christian model to emulate. This is a woman to aspire to.
This is faith in action, word, deeds, and thought. James will like having her in his classroom.
Peace and Serenity to each of you.
vs. 26:If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.
Well, that X's me out then. My mouth continually gets me in trouble. Think , think, think before you speak, Sylvia. It just seems to happen at the worst possible times.
And then, of course, there is the whole cussing problem of which I just will say, I could and should do much better.
This passage also contains a favorite one of mine.
vs. 17 Faith, by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
I went to a funeral today of a lovely, lovely lady. She was 94 and a member of my Sunday School class. Can I say, this? Yes, I will. Her funeral was as lovely as she was.
She had stipulated that she wanted it to last no more than 30 minutes. And that's all it did. Ron preached a mighty fine funeral sermon and as one who has heard 20 or so funeral sermons that he has preached (I am on the bereavement committee and help with the receptions afterwards), it always amazes me that each one is so different.
Her music minister from her former church came and sang -- Amazing Grace and How Great thou Art. Unbelievable.
After a funeral at Mt Vernon, the ladies of the church offer a reception for the family to greet friends. It is one the the nicest things we do, I think, and not just because I work on this committee. It just provides a nice time to visit and speak.
Anyway, the committee was told to expect 35. There were over a hundred people at that funeral.
And why?
Because my sweet lady had always evidenced her strong, strong faith. Quiet, sure of herself and her actions, she continued to study her Bible and come to Sunday School. She never argued. If she spoke, it was sincere, to the point, and always thoughtful. No rambling for her, thank you.
In her youth, she had taught school and Sunday School, herself. As an elderly person, she continued to read devotions and ponder meaning, often using 2 translations to help her understand.
She tried hard not to be troublesome to family, friends and her church. I would say she more than succeeded. She will be sorely missed.
This is a Christian model to emulate. This is a woman to aspire to.
This is faith in action, word, deeds, and thought. James will like having her in his classroom.
Peace and Serenity to each of you.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
November 17
NT -- James 1:1-18
Praise the Lord, we made it through Paul's letters!
Today we start James and I refer you to a post made by Inside Nancy's Noodle to open the doors of this book to us.
Click here, then come back.
When Nancy wrote that, much was still remaining of the Presidential race. Now, it is over and the muttering is still going on.
I stand next to this woman at one of my markets and all she wants to talk about is the direct coverup of the problems in Libya.
One of my coworkers has a nephew who sent her an email saying that the David Petraeus affair(s) were part of a Marxist plot.
On my Facebook, there are people on both sides of the political debate calling the other side names and claiming that each are illegitimate or unpatriotic.
I want all of this to stop.
I want to believe that the officials I have helped to elect are doing the best they know how to do to steer this massive ship.
I want to read in the paper and listen on the radio to stuff that is actually TRUE and not half-truths, suppositions and in some cases, outright lies.
If I look at each of those 2 statements through the lens of James, he would point out that the only one who dispenses wisdom is **God** (are you surprised?)and that is who we should be going to for help.
My job is to stand to the side of the mud and try to get as little on me as possible. I suspect that, once again, my mouth will get me in trouble with James.
Praise the Lord, we made it through Paul's letters!
Today we start James and I refer you to a post made by Inside Nancy's Noodle to open the doors of this book to us.
Click here, then come back.
When Nancy wrote that, much was still remaining of the Presidential race. Now, it is over and the muttering is still going on.
I stand next to this woman at one of my markets and all she wants to talk about is the direct coverup of the problems in Libya.
One of my coworkers has a nephew who sent her an email saying that the David Petraeus affair(s) were part of a Marxist plot.
On my Facebook, there are people on both sides of the political debate calling the other side names and claiming that each are illegitimate or unpatriotic.
I want all of this to stop.
I want to believe that the officials I have helped to elect are doing the best they know how to do to steer this massive ship.
I want to read in the paper and listen on the radio to stuff that is actually TRUE and not half-truths, suppositions and in some cases, outright lies.
If I look at each of those 2 statements through the lens of James, he would point out that the only one who dispenses wisdom is **God** (are you surprised?)and that is who we should be going to for help.
My job is to stand to the side of the mud and try to get as little on me as possible. I suspect that, once again, my mouth will get me in trouble with James.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
November 16
Ezekiel 33:1-34:31
The whole sheep discourse made me realize just how much of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel that Jesus used and taught. The Good Shepherd is a direct reference to this passage in 34 and should be read before any teaching on The Good Shepherd of Jesus. As a matter of fact, I am teaching Sunday School this Sunday. I think I will use this....
Hebrews 13:1-25
This part of scripture contains the verse 'Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained strangers'.
This is one of the key verses that Dorothy Day used to transform her life. She is now up for canonization from the Roman Catholic Church.
She certainly made her mark in creating 'houses of hospitality' for the poor and indigent in large cities. Later, her crusade for pacifism and her socialist/communist bent earned her criticsm but she never relented in the work for peace and justice for all especially the lower classes.
In our day, we are taught to fear strangers. I would no more bring someone home with me to dinner than I would invite Martha Stewart. It just isn't done. And if you listen to the radio, with good reason.
That led me to think about ways that I DO entertain strangers and I have to grant -- there aren't many. So, this is clearly an area that I need to work on and pronto!
What about you?
The whole sheep discourse made me realize just how much of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel that Jesus used and taught. The Good Shepherd is a direct reference to this passage in 34 and should be read before any teaching on The Good Shepherd of Jesus. As a matter of fact, I am teaching Sunday School this Sunday. I think I will use this....
Hebrews 13:1-25
This part of scripture contains the verse 'Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained strangers'.
This is one of the key verses that Dorothy Day used to transform her life. She is now up for canonization from the Roman Catholic Church.
She certainly made her mark in creating 'houses of hospitality' for the poor and indigent in large cities. Later, her crusade for pacifism and her socialist/communist bent earned her criticsm but she never relented in the work for peace and justice for all especially the lower classes.
In our day, we are taught to fear strangers. I would no more bring someone home with me to dinner than I would invite Martha Stewart. It just isn't done. And if you listen to the radio, with good reason.
That led me to think about ways that I DO entertain strangers and I have to grant -- there aren't many. So, this is clearly an area that I need to work on and pronto!
What about you?
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