Texts:
Joshua 4-5
Luke 21
Aug 29, 2009
Texts:
Deuteronomy 33 and 34
Luke 20
Kay Hamilton showed me this cartoon. It seems a fitting way to end the book of Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy 33 and 34
Luke 20
Kay Hamilton showed me this cartoon. It seems a fitting way to end the book of Deuteronomy.
Aug 28, 2009
Texts: Deuteronomy 31 and 32 Luke 19 Deuteronomy:
The story of Moses is coming to a close. What do you think of the song that Moses sings to the people in chapter 32? What I noticed was the connection between being comfortable and serving false gods. God predicts that the people who are following God now, in the wilderness, will turn away once they grow fat from living in comfort. See any connections, 21st century America?
This picture is looking over the Promised Land from Mt. Nebo in modern day Jordan. The closest Moses got to the Promised Land.
Luke:
I love the Zacheus story, but I confess I'm never comfortable with the parable of the mean man and his money. Especially Luke's version of it.
And by the end of this chapter, we are entering Holy Week.
The story of Moses is coming to a close. What do you think of the song that Moses sings to the people in chapter 32? What I noticed was the connection between being comfortable and serving false gods. God predicts that the people who are following God now, in the wilderness, will turn away once they grow fat from living in comfort. See any connections, 21st century America?
This picture is looking over the Promised Land from Mt. Nebo in modern day Jordan. The closest Moses got to the Promised Land.Luke:
I love the Zacheus story, but I confess I'm never comfortable with the parable of the mean man and his money. Especially Luke's version of it.
And by the end of this chapter, we are entering Holy Week.
Aug 27, 2009
Texts:
Deuteronomy 29 and 30
Psalm 36
Deuteronomy:
We likely hear these chapters and notice the "bad news". There is plenty of it--promises of curses and all sorts of "blotting out" if people do not obey the commands of God and live into the Covenant. But hear the good news as well.
When this story was written down, the people were in exile. They'd lost whatever they'd had, including their home land. How would these verses seem to you in that context?
30:4 "Even if you are exiled to the ends of the world, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there he will bring you back."
And remember how back in Leviticus, I preached about how Leviticus and Deuteronomy have very different understandings of holiness? You can see it in 30:11-14. Leviticus had the "trickle down" model of holiness. Deuteronomy, on the other hand, has holiness connected with the covenant. So you have all you need to be holy if you obey the commandments and keep the Covenant. "No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe." (30:14).
Psalm:
The psalms can give me whiplash sometimes. Verses 1-4 are a "wisdom" type psalm, talking about the wicked and their behavior. But at verse 5, it shifts to being a psalm in praise of God.
I do like the imagery in this psalm. How often do you think about "taking refuge in the shadow of God's wings"? (verse 7) Is that a visual image for you, or only a metaphoric one?
Deuteronomy 29 and 30
Psalm 36
Deuteronomy:
We likely hear these chapters and notice the "bad news". There is plenty of it--promises of curses and all sorts of "blotting out" if people do not obey the commands of God and live into the Covenant. But hear the good news as well.
When this story was written down, the people were in exile. They'd lost whatever they'd had, including their home land. How would these verses seem to you in that context?
30:4 "Even if you are exiled to the ends of the world, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there he will bring you back."
And remember how back in Leviticus, I preached about how Leviticus and Deuteronomy have very different understandings of holiness? You can see it in 30:11-14. Leviticus had the "trickle down" model of holiness. Deuteronomy, on the other hand, has holiness connected with the covenant. So you have all you need to be holy if you obey the commandments and keep the Covenant. "No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe." (30:14).
Psalm:
The psalms can give me whiplash sometimes. Verses 1-4 are a "wisdom" type psalm, talking about the wicked and their behavior. But at verse 5, it shifts to being a psalm in praise of God.
I do like the imagery in this psalm. How often do you think about "taking refuge in the shadow of God's wings"? (verse 7) Is that a visual image for you, or only a metaphoric one?
Aug 26, 2009
Texts:
Deuteronomy 27 and 28
Luke 18
Deuteronomy:
Well, wow. What an interesting section. This passage is considered to be very old material--Levi is still counted as a tribe and the house of Joseph has not yet been divided--and it has parallels in Leviticus and in other ancient cultures. A public listing of curses and blessings would have been common when agreements (or covenants) were sealed. Scholars aren't sure what happened to the list of blessings.
The covenant ceremony was to take place in Schechem, the city between Mt Ebal and Mt Gerazim. The location of Schechem today would be the city of Nablus.
Luke:
I love the parable in which Jesus compares our constant praying to an annoying woman who won't leave the judge alone. If an unjust judge answers her concern just to shut her up, won't God grant justice to those who cry to him? I love it that we are given permission to ask, again and again and again, for our prayers to be answered.
There are a lot of stewardship issues in this chapter. Any thoughts?
Deuteronomy 27 and 28
Luke 18
Deuteronomy:
Well, wow. What an interesting section. This passage is considered to be very old material--Levi is still counted as a tribe and the house of Joseph has not yet been divided--and it has parallels in Leviticus and in other ancient cultures. A public listing of curses and blessings would have been common when agreements (or covenants) were sealed. Scholars aren't sure what happened to the list of blessings.
The covenant ceremony was to take place in Schechem, the city between Mt Ebal and Mt Gerazim. The location of Schechem today would be the city of Nablus.
Luke:
I love the parable in which Jesus compares our constant praying to an annoying woman who won't leave the judge alone. If an unjust judge answers her concern just to shut her up, won't God grant justice to those who cry to him? I love it that we are given permission to ask, again and again and again, for our prayers to be answered.
There are a lot of stewardship issues in this chapter. Any thoughts?
Aug 25, 2009
Texts:
Deuteronomy 25 and 26
Luke 17
Deuteronomy:
Whenever people tell me they take the Bible literally, I wonder if they obey Deut 25. Are you really going to marry your sister in law when your brother dies?
In chapter 26, "a wandering Aramean" is a code for Jacob. And notice, again and again, how they are reminded of the exodus when being directed. The exodus is the narrative of the Hebrew people.
Luke:
What does faith the size of a mustard seed mean to you? Mustard seeds are very small. Grow into big plants. So, on one level, I do hear Jesus saying that with even a little faith, you can do great things. But reading the request the disciples made of him, "Increase our faith!", makes me wonder if Jesus was saying, "you're asking me the wrong question." Maybe we shouldn't be asking for our faith to be increased. Perhaps we should just get busy with the faith we already have, and quit waiting around for the "perfect" amount of faith.
And compare Luke's "Son of Man" discourse with that in Matthew 24. What do you notice?
Deuteronomy 25 and 26
Luke 17
Deuteronomy:
Whenever people tell me they take the Bible literally, I wonder if they obey Deut 25. Are you really going to marry your sister in law when your brother dies?
In chapter 26, "a wandering Aramean" is a code for Jacob. And notice, again and again, how they are reminded of the exodus when being directed. The exodus is the narrative of the Hebrew people.
Luke:
What does faith the size of a mustard seed mean to you? Mustard seeds are very small. Grow into big plants. So, on one level, I do hear Jesus saying that with even a little faith, you can do great things. But reading the request the disciples made of him, "Increase our faith!", makes me wonder if Jesus was saying, "you're asking me the wrong question." Maybe we shouldn't be asking for our faith to be increased. Perhaps we should just get busy with the faith we already have, and quit waiting around for the "perfect" amount of faith.
And compare Luke's "Son of Man" discourse with that in Matthew 24. What do you notice?
Aug 21, 2009
Texts:
Deuteronomy 17 and 18
Luke 14
Deuteronomy:
Do you ever wonder if the line between "soothsaying" (which is forbidden) and "prophesying" (which is not) was a fine line? The Old Testament prophets were not fortune tellers like Nostradamus, making predictions about the future. They were speaking about the events of the day and casting the consequences of those events into the future. But I wonder, if for the average person in Jericho, if it was difficult to discern between the two sometimes.
Luke:
Does the wedding dinner story in Luke 14 bother anyone else? Does Jesus tell people to sit in the lowest seat so they may be invited "up" and given public honor? I know honor and shame were much bigger parts of his culture than they are in mine, but really? Couldn't he have said, "sit at the lowest seats so that you can sith with people you wouldn't otherwise meet?" Luke's stories don't always sit right with me.
Deuteronomy 17 and 18
Luke 14
Deuteronomy:
Do you ever wonder if the line between "soothsaying" (which is forbidden) and "prophesying" (which is not) was a fine line? The Old Testament prophets were not fortune tellers like Nostradamus, making predictions about the future. They were speaking about the events of the day and casting the consequences of those events into the future. But I wonder, if for the average person in Jericho, if it was difficult to discern between the two sometimes.
Luke:
Does the wedding dinner story in Luke 14 bother anyone else? Does Jesus tell people to sit in the lowest seat so they may be invited "up" and given public honor? I know honor and shame were much bigger parts of his culture than they are in mine, but really? Couldn't he have said, "sit at the lowest seats so that you can sith with people you wouldn't otherwise meet?" Luke's stories don't always sit right with me.
Aug 19, 2009
Texts:
Deuteronomy 12-14
Luke 13
Deuteronomy:
Roman temple ruins near the Ommayad Mosque in Damascus.
The Israelites are commanded to tear down the holy places of the gods of the lands they are occupying. But when I was in the Holy Land in 2006, what was apparent to me was that the holy places stayed the same. Archaeologists would find a mosque, over a byzantine church, over a synagogue, over a temple to Jupiter, over a temple to Ba'al. The "owners" of the sites changed, but the holiness of the place stayed the same.
This picture above shows that Roman ruins at Ba'albek in Lebanon were re-fashioned for Islamic construction.
And the Dome of the Rock (Muslim) is built on top of the ruins of Solomon's temple in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is perhaps the clearest illustration of holy places remaining holy, today with disastrous results.
Do we have "holy" places that remain holy in our lives?
And the penalty for people who try to lure you into worshipping false gods is.....drum roll please....DEATH BY STONING!!! Perhaps we are our brothers keepers after all. Worshipping false gods is bad. Leading others to do it is worse. Discuss.
14:19--I am glad to hear that winged insects are unclean and that I shouldn't eat them. What a relief!
Luke:
Which of the "kingdom" comparisons in this passage to you like the most? The least?
Deuteronomy 12-14
Luke 13
Deuteronomy:
Roman temple ruins near the Ommayad Mosque in Damascus.The Israelites are commanded to tear down the holy places of the gods of the lands they are occupying. But when I was in the Holy Land in 2006, what was apparent to me was that the holy places stayed the same. Archaeologists would find a mosque, over a byzantine church, over a synagogue, over a temple to Jupiter, over a temple to Ba'al. The "owners" of the sites changed, but the holiness of the place stayed the same.
This picture above shows that Roman ruins at Ba'albek in Lebanon were re-fashioned for Islamic construction.
And the Dome of the Rock (Muslim) is built on top of the ruins of Solomon's temple in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is perhaps the clearest illustration of holy places remaining holy, today with disastrous results.
Do we have "holy" places that remain holy in our lives?
And the penalty for people who try to lure you into worshipping false gods is.....drum roll please....DEATH BY STONING!!! Perhaps we are our brothers keepers after all. Worshipping false gods is bad. Leading others to do it is worse. Discuss.
14:19--I am glad to hear that winged insects are unclean and that I shouldn't eat them. What a relief!
Luke:
Which of the "kingdom" comparisons in this passage to you like the most? The least?
Aug 18, 2009
Texts:
Deuteronomy 10 and 11
Luke 12
Deuteronomy:
How do you compare Micah 6:8 with Deut 10:12? In both verses, the author asks the people, "what does the Lord require of you?" How different do you see the answers?
And in 11:18, they restate the instructions about teaching the commandments to the children and writing them on the doorposts of the houses. How could you better participate in teaching the children? Either at church or in your family?
Luke:
There is something "true" in this chapter. The crowd tramples on one another, which must have been the reality anytime thousands of people started following Jesus around. And then Jesus' words. They aren't very, well, polished and politically correct. This is Jesus on a bit of a rant. He barely takes a breath. Like he's running out of time and perhaps, patience.
I'm sort of wondering what the people were thinking when they interrupted him to ask their questions. In v 13, someone asks Jesus to take sides in an inheritance dispute. And then in v 41, Peter asks him what he's talking about, or to whom is he speaking. I can almost see the look in Jesus' eyes at both of those questions. "Really? You want to ask me this right now? Really?"
In verse 35, Jesus tells the parable of the bridesmaids and the lamps in a way that suggests it is a story that the crowd would already have known. Do you see that too?
Deuteronomy 10 and 11
Luke 12
Deuteronomy:
How do you compare Micah 6:8 with Deut 10:12? In both verses, the author asks the people, "what does the Lord require of you?" How different do you see the answers?
And in 11:18, they restate the instructions about teaching the commandments to the children and writing them on the doorposts of the houses. How could you better participate in teaching the children? Either at church or in your family?
Luke:
There is something "true" in this chapter. The crowd tramples on one another, which must have been the reality anytime thousands of people started following Jesus around. And then Jesus' words. They aren't very, well, polished and politically correct. This is Jesus on a bit of a rant. He barely takes a breath. Like he's running out of time and perhaps, patience.
I'm sort of wondering what the people were thinking when they interrupted him to ask their questions. In v 13, someone asks Jesus to take sides in an inheritance dispute. And then in v 41, Peter asks him what he's talking about, or to whom is he speaking. I can almost see the look in Jesus' eyes at both of those questions. "Really? You want to ask me this right now? Really?"
In verse 35, Jesus tells the parable of the bridesmaids and the lamps in a way that suggests it is a story that the crowd would already have known. Do you see that too?
Aug 13, 2009
Texts:
Numbers 36
Deuteronomy 1
Psalm 32
Numbers ends with a clarification about inheritance. Personally, it seems to be an odd ending for a story. In any case, while daughters can inherit their father's lands (in the absence of brothers to inherit), they cannot marry outside of their clans. This keeps the land from leaving the tribe and being given to another tribe.
Deuteronomy:
In some ways it looks as if Deuteronomy begins right where Numbers leaves off. But this book is written by a later voice. The Deuteronomist is not just restating things. He reinterprets them, using addresses by Moses to the people.
"Deuteronomy" comes from the Latin for "second law", which is unfortunately a bad rendering of a Hebrew phrase. In the Hebrew Scriptures, this book is called "Devarim" (the words) and that title comes from the opening lines, "These are the words that Moses spoke....".
Psalms:
Use this psalm as a prayer. Which line of this psalm speaks to you today?
Numbers 36
Deuteronomy 1
Psalm 32
Numbers ends with a clarification about inheritance. Personally, it seems to be an odd ending for a story. In any case, while daughters can inherit their father's lands (in the absence of brothers to inherit), they cannot marry outside of their clans. This keeps the land from leaving the tribe and being given to another tribe.
Deuteronomy:
In some ways it looks as if Deuteronomy begins right where Numbers leaves off. But this book is written by a later voice. The Deuteronomist is not just restating things. He reinterprets them, using addresses by Moses to the people.
"Deuteronomy" comes from the Latin for "second law", which is unfortunately a bad rendering of a Hebrew phrase. In the Hebrew Scriptures, this book is called "Devarim" (the words) and that title comes from the opening lines, "These are the words that Moses spoke....".
Psalms:
Use this psalm as a prayer. Which line of this psalm speaks to you today?
Aug 12, 2009
Texts:
Numbers 34 and 35
Luke 8
Numbers:
See the map from yesterday's post if you want to know more about the borders of the Promised Land that Moses sets out in chapter 34.
But what did you think of the "cities of refuge" idea? If someone kills someone unintentionally, they may flee to one of the cities of refuge, where the congregation will decide whether or not the death penalty applies. We'll see it in slightly different form when the Deuteronomist tells about it.
Think about the word "sanctuary". In addition to being a place of worship, "sanctuary" also can mean providing someone safety. We see it even today, in movies, at least, where people will flee into churches to escape bad guys. But we see it today, in real life, when churches provide sanctuary from deportation to people who are undocumented and in this country.
Luke:
Once again, Jesus is busy!
Notice that women are specifically named as people traveling with Jesus.
And note the parallels between the healing of Jairus' daughter and the woman with the hemorrhages. Why are these stories tied together so closely, do you think?
Numbers 34 and 35
Luke 8
Numbers:
See the map from yesterday's post if you want to know more about the borders of the Promised Land that Moses sets out in chapter 34.
But what did you think of the "cities of refuge" idea? If someone kills someone unintentionally, they may flee to one of the cities of refuge, where the congregation will decide whether or not the death penalty applies. We'll see it in slightly different form when the Deuteronomist tells about it.
Think about the word "sanctuary". In addition to being a place of worship, "sanctuary" also can mean providing someone safety. We see it even today, in movies, at least, where people will flee into churches to escape bad guys. But we see it today, in real life, when churches provide sanctuary from deportation to people who are undocumented and in this country.
Luke:
Once again, Jesus is busy!
Notice that women are specifically named as people traveling with Jesus.
And note the parallels between the healing of Jairus' daughter and the woman with the hemorrhages. Why are these stories tied together so closely, do you think?
Aug 11, 2009
Texts:
Numbers 32 and 33
Luke 7
Numbers:
These chapters are more meaningful if you have some sense of the geography. (If you click on the map below, it will enlarge the map on a different page.)
Crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land was no small feat. And the Eastern side of the Jordan River is beautiful. What is today Southern Syria and Northern Jordan is beautiful land. Remembering that these were not city folks. They were rural people. Their connection to the land, their need of the land, is different than mine is.
Luke:
Chapter 7 is chock full of stories! Luke does not waste any words. Jesus is back in Capernaum. Healing a Centurion's slave (at the request of the Jewish leaders, no less), bringing a widow's son back from death, and addressing the questions of John the Baptist's followers.
What do you make of verse 35? "Wisdom is vindicated by all her children". Compare it to Matt 11:19.
And then there is a great story about hospitality. Yay Luke. Nice chapter.
Numbers 32 and 33
Luke 7
Numbers:
These chapters are more meaningful if you have some sense of the geography. (If you click on the map below, it will enlarge the map on a different page.)
Crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land was no small feat. And the Eastern side of the Jordan River is beautiful. What is today Southern Syria and Northern Jordan is beautiful land. Remembering that these were not city folks. They were rural people. Their connection to the land, their need of the land, is different than mine is.
Luke:
Chapter 7 is chock full of stories! Luke does not waste any words. Jesus is back in Capernaum. Healing a Centurion's slave (at the request of the Jewish leaders, no less), bringing a widow's son back from death, and addressing the questions of John the Baptist's followers.
What do you make of verse 35? "Wisdom is vindicated by all her children". Compare it to Matt 11:19.
And then there is a great story about hospitality. Yay Luke. Nice chapter.
Aug 10, 2009
Texts:
Numbers 30 and 31
Luke 6
Numbers:
Boy was it a mistake to read the Bible before I ate breakfast.
In chapter 30, even though the restrictions against women seem harsh to our 21st century ears, do note that women were given the right to make oaths and vows. Yes, their fathers or husbands could invalidate them at the time they were given, but still. Baby steps, people. Baby steps.
But chapter 31, where Moses commands the Israelites to demolish the midianites, I just want to close the book. People have used texts like these to justify all sorts of subsequent wars--for a recent example: Defense Secretary Rumsfeld 'decorated' the plans for the Iraq invasion with biblical texts--but you will not hear that from me.
Luke:
Listen in this text for just how angry Jesus makes the officials. And compare Luke's "sermon on the mount" with the one in Matthew. Which one do you prefer?
Numbers 30 and 31
Luke 6
Numbers:
Boy was it a mistake to read the Bible before I ate breakfast.
In chapter 30, even though the restrictions against women seem harsh to our 21st century ears, do note that women were given the right to make oaths and vows. Yes, their fathers or husbands could invalidate them at the time they were given, but still. Baby steps, people. Baby steps.
But chapter 31, where Moses commands the Israelites to demolish the midianites, I just want to close the book. People have used texts like these to justify all sorts of subsequent wars--for a recent example: Defense Secretary Rumsfeld 'decorated' the plans for the Iraq invasion with biblical texts--but you will not hear that from me.
Luke:
Listen in this text for just how angry Jesus makes the officials. And compare Luke's "sermon on the mount" with the one in Matthew. Which one do you prefer?
Aug 9, 2009
Texts:
Numbers 28 and 29
Psalm 31
I confess. I'm having some weariness. Or perhaps it is thankfulness. I'm weary of reading of burnt offerings. And I'm thankful that my religious practices don't have to include them.
Psalms:
I'm still enjoying a peaceful and joyful feeling that I got in worship today. Cassie's piano solo was beautiful and humbling. And Mark's arrangement of Psalm 139 that he wrote because I love that psalm, humbled me and brought joy to my soul. Randy,Mark, and Jill did such a great job on that psalm. I'm not sure I'll ever look at a psalm the same way again. I loved the music he put with it. It really brought out new things for me.
Numbers 28 and 29
Psalm 31
I confess. I'm having some weariness. Or perhaps it is thankfulness. I'm weary of reading of burnt offerings. And I'm thankful that my religious practices don't have to include them.
Psalms:
I'm still enjoying a peaceful and joyful feeling that I got in worship today. Cassie's piano solo was beautiful and humbling. And Mark's arrangement of Psalm 139 that he wrote because I love that psalm, humbled me and brought joy to my soul. Randy,Mark, and Jill did such a great job on that psalm. I'm not sure I'll ever look at a psalm the same way again. I loved the music he put with it. It really brought out new things for me.
Aug 8, 2009
Texts:
Numbers 26 and 27
Luke 5
Numbers:
Here's another census. 600,000 Israelites. That would be like taking the entire Treasure Valley on a march across the desert wilderness. Notice that Korah, the person who argued for the "priesthood of all believers" unsuccessfully a few chapters ago is mentioned again. Just in case anyone was getting ideas about interpreting holiness differently.
Chapter 27 is interesting. Don't let it get lost in the midst of the lists. Some daughters come to Moses, arguing that just because their father died, and had no sons, his name shouldn't be lost. So Moses takes their case before God and God sets down some rules to allow for inheritance if you don't have sons. This is a pretty radical set of guidelines for their day.
In a world where women most definitely did NOT inherit, and had no voice in any part of their lives, women were set to inherit their father's lands ahead of the brothers or other male members of the father's extended family. One small step for women's rights!
Luke:
Chapter 5 opens up on Lake Gennesaret, which is another name for the Sea of Galilee.
Notice how much Luke mentions Jesus' ministry of healing. And notice the connection between healing and "your sins are forgiven". Do we separate illness from sin today?
Numbers 26 and 27
Luke 5
Numbers:
Here's another census. 600,000 Israelites. That would be like taking the entire Treasure Valley on a march across the desert wilderness. Notice that Korah, the person who argued for the "priesthood of all believers" unsuccessfully a few chapters ago is mentioned again. Just in case anyone was getting ideas about interpreting holiness differently.
Chapter 27 is interesting. Don't let it get lost in the midst of the lists. Some daughters come to Moses, arguing that just because their father died, and had no sons, his name shouldn't be lost. So Moses takes their case before God and God sets down some rules to allow for inheritance if you don't have sons. This is a pretty radical set of guidelines for their day.
In a world where women most definitely did NOT inherit, and had no voice in any part of their lives, women were set to inherit their father's lands ahead of the brothers or other male members of the father's extended family. One small step for women's rights!
Luke:
Chapter 5 opens up on Lake Gennesaret, which is another name for the Sea of Galilee.
Notice how much Luke mentions Jesus' ministry of healing. And notice the connection between healing and "your sins are forgiven". Do we separate illness from sin today?
Aug 7, 2009
Texts:
Numbers 24 and 25
Luke 4
Numbers:
Chapter 24 concludes the Balaam narrative, reminding us that it is fruitless to seek to curse people God has blessed. Does the church today still try to do that?
In chapter 25, the people start "mingling" with the neighbors. Worse than the sexual behavior is the fact that they start worshiping the neighbor's gods too. What do you think of this gruesome story?
Luke 4 should serve as a reminder to those who want to argue that the Gospel promises us either prosperity or an easy life. Because as soon as Jesus is baptized, God's own son in whom God is well pleased, he is tempted by the devil. There is no correlation between baptism and an easy life.
He then goes on a preaching tour and is praised by everyone. Even in Nazareth, his hometown. Until he mentions that he's not coming to bring good things just to his hometown. It reminds me of a member of congress telling their constituents that they are voting for a lot of programs for every community but theirs.
When Jesus discloses the radical nature of the inclusion of people into God's grace, that's when they want to throw him off the cliff. So he leaves Nazareth and walks down the hill to Capernaum. Capernaum is on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The picture below is the ruins of what has traditionally been called Peter's House. There is a church built over the ruins. Whether or not it was Peter's house, it is the ruins of a house from that era. You can also see the ruins of the synagogue from Jesus' day.
In Capernaum, they were amazed at his teaching, at his authority, and at his ability to heal and cast out demons. What amazes us today?
Numbers 24 and 25
Luke 4
Numbers:
Chapter 24 concludes the Balaam narrative, reminding us that it is fruitless to seek to curse people God has blessed. Does the church today still try to do that?
In chapter 25, the people start "mingling" with the neighbors. Worse than the sexual behavior is the fact that they start worshiping the neighbor's gods too. What do you think of this gruesome story?
Luke 4 should serve as a reminder to those who want to argue that the Gospel promises us either prosperity or an easy life. Because as soon as Jesus is baptized, God's own son in whom God is well pleased, he is tempted by the devil. There is no correlation between baptism and an easy life.
He then goes on a preaching tour and is praised by everyone. Even in Nazareth, his hometown. Until he mentions that he's not coming to bring good things just to his hometown. It reminds me of a member of congress telling their constituents that they are voting for a lot of programs for every community but theirs.
When Jesus discloses the radical nature of the inclusion of people into God's grace, that's when they want to throw him off the cliff. So he leaves Nazareth and walks down the hill to Capernaum. Capernaum is on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The picture below is the ruins of what has traditionally been called Peter's House. There is a church built over the ruins. Whether or not it was Peter's house, it is the ruins of a house from that era. You can also see the ruins of the synagogue from Jesus' day.
In Capernaum, they were amazed at his teaching, at his authority, and at his ability to heal and cast out demons. What amazes us today?
Aug 6, 2009
Texts:
Numbers 22 and 23
Psalm 30
In Numbers, the Israelites are now camped in a gorgeous spot in Moab, which is modern day Jordan.
Isn't it beautiful? So, they are on the Eastern side of the Jordan River. But the Moabites aren't thrilled about having the Hebrew people on their side of the river, especially after what they just did to Bashan. So the king of Moab tells Balaam to go an curse them.
Balaam says he'll only do what God tells him to do. And again, and again, and again, the King of Moab keeps trying to find a way to curse the Israelites.
Make sure your kids read this chapter. Where else will they see a talking donkey? What did you get out of the story of Balaam and his talking donkey?
Psalm:
Are the words of this psalm comforting or discomforting for you?
Numbers 22 and 23
Psalm 30
In Numbers, the Israelites are now camped in a gorgeous spot in Moab, which is modern day Jordan.
Isn't it beautiful? So, they are on the Eastern side of the Jordan River. But the Moabites aren't thrilled about having the Hebrew people on their side of the river, especially after what they just did to Bashan. So the king of Moab tells Balaam to go an curse them.Balaam says he'll only do what God tells him to do. And again, and again, and again, the King of Moab keeps trying to find a way to curse the Israelites.
Make sure your kids read this chapter. Where else will they see a talking donkey? What did you get out of the story of Balaam and his talking donkey?
Psalm:
Are the words of this psalm comforting or discomforting for you?
Aug 5, 2009
Texts:
Numbers 20-21
Luke 3
Numbers:
The Israelites are still complaining (which should give us hope, really). This time it is about a lack of water. So God commands Aaron and Moses to take their staff, hit a rock, and command the rock to yield its water.
How obvious does God have to be for us to see God's presence?
Apparently even the sight of water flowing from a rock wasn't enough, because they complain in the next chapter as well. And God sends serpents and a number of the Israelites die.
Luke:
The text returns to John, son of Zechariah, preaching in the wilderness. Read the story of John as if he were the pastor of a church. Do you think people would still flock to a church today in which a preacher preached the message he preached? Has the church sought to be popular at the expense of the message?
And what do you think about the description of Jesus' genealogy in Luke?
Numbers 20-21
Luke 3
Numbers:
The Israelites are still complaining (which should give us hope, really). This time it is about a lack of water. So God commands Aaron and Moses to take their staff, hit a rock, and command the rock to yield its water.
How obvious does God have to be for us to see God's presence?
Apparently even the sight of water flowing from a rock wasn't enough, because they complain in the next chapter as well. And God sends serpents and a number of the Israelites die.
Luke:
The text returns to John, son of Zechariah, preaching in the wilderness. Read the story of John as if he were the pastor of a church. Do you think people would still flock to a church today in which a preacher preached the message he preached? Has the church sought to be popular at the expense of the message?
And what do you think about the description of Jesus' genealogy in Luke?
Aug. 4, 2009
Texts:
Numbers 17-19
Luke 2
Numbers:
Chapter 19 describes the sacrifice of the red heifer. The requirements for this animal are so restrictive as to make it a very rare event. Jewish traditions say that this sacrifice was successfully carried out only 8 or 9 times from the time of Moses to the destruction of the second temple.
There is a reference to a red heifer in Daniel as well. And some ancient texts that didn't make the canon of scripture refer to Jesus as the red heifer and associate its sacrifice with his second coming.
Today, there is a movement within Judaism to locate a red heifer in order to bring about a new temple in Jerusalem. And, in an odd confluence, some fundamentalist Christians are actively trying to breed red heifers so that the sacrifice can happen in Jerusalem, thus bringing about Christ's second coming.
For more information, there is an article at wikipedia about the red heifer. This article is more trustworthy than some other websites about the red heifer.
Luke:
This is the text we hear in worship on Christmas Eve. What did you hear differently when reading it in August?
Numbers 17-19
Luke 2
Numbers:
Chapter 19 describes the sacrifice of the red heifer. The requirements for this animal are so restrictive as to make it a very rare event. Jewish traditions say that this sacrifice was successfully carried out only 8 or 9 times from the time of Moses to the destruction of the second temple.
There is a reference to a red heifer in Daniel as well. And some ancient texts that didn't make the canon of scripture refer to Jesus as the red heifer and associate its sacrifice with his second coming.
Today, there is a movement within Judaism to locate a red heifer in order to bring about a new temple in Jerusalem. And, in an odd confluence, some fundamentalist Christians are actively trying to breed red heifers so that the sacrifice can happen in Jerusalem, thus bringing about Christ's second coming.
For more information, there is an article at wikipedia about the red heifer. This article is more trustworthy than some other websites about the red heifer.
Luke:
This is the text we hear in worship on Christmas Eve. What did you hear differently when reading it in August?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
