Jim:
1 Samuel 2:1b-10
This text contains what is called the Song of Hannah. A portion of verse 3 says that “by (God) actions are weighed.” The verses that follow go on to show how God reverses the fortunes of the weak and poor, the hungry and needy, with images—pairs and opposites––that show the balances or scales of justice being adjusted in favor of those in need. “The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry are fat with spoil. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also exalts” (verses 4-7). Shirley Guthrie, in his book Christian Doctrine, says that while human justice is often personified by a woman wearing a blindfold, to indicate that justice is blind, there is no such blindness in the case of God. The Song of Hannah rejoices that God is deliberately on the side of the poor and distressed. Actions have been weighed and those who have tended only to their own needs, who have benefited at the expense of others, have seen their lives corrected.
Titus 2:1-10
Luke 1:26-38
While I personally take issue with the words of Titus calling on young women to be submissive to their husbands and for slaves to be submissive to their masters, I take Mary’s words in Luke 1:38 to provide some understanding. “Then Mary said, ‘Here ma I, the servant of the Lord, let it be with me according to your word.’” For me the point is humility before God. Indeed, if the community of faith and each individual in it would “walk humbly” with God (Micah 6)––as Mary is prepared to do––then there would be no need for submission and certainly no place for slavery. The community would become what God intends it to be, mutually beneficial, guided by love, respect, and regard one for another. The balances and scales would be level, and all would live in peace.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
God's Glee
Jim:
Psalm 50
Zephaniah 3:14-20
A portion of verses 17 and 18 in Zephaniah 3 says, “The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival.” What a contrast there is between this image of God and the one of whom Psalm 50 says, “Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me” (verse 8). When the people celebrate it is without real meaning, without real joy. They are simply going through the motions, eager to return to their “normal lives.” By this God is disappointed. But when God celebrates there is joy and exultation, love and compassion. If only our worship of God could contain the same love, joy, and exultation with which God approaches us! How remarkable it is that the Creator of the universe can be imagined to nearly dance with glee!
Titus 1:1-16
Verse 16 speaks to the conflict between what we say and what we do: “They profess to know God, but they deny him by their actions.” This is very much in line with what Zephaniah was warning the people about. It isn’t what you say, the fact that you go through the motions of worship. What God wants are lives filled with faithfulness, with obedience which reaches beyond the worship experience and into the daily life of the believer. In other words, we should “practice what we preach.”
Psalm 50
Zephaniah 3:14-20
A portion of verses 17 and 18 in Zephaniah 3 says, “The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival.” What a contrast there is between this image of God and the one of whom Psalm 50 says, “Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me” (verse 8). When the people celebrate it is without real meaning, without real joy. They are simply going through the motions, eager to return to their “normal lives.” By this God is disappointed. But when God celebrates there is joy and exultation, love and compassion. If only our worship of God could contain the same love, joy, and exultation with which God approaches us! How remarkable it is that the Creator of the universe can be imagined to nearly dance with glee!
Titus 1:1-16
Verse 16 speaks to the conflict between what we say and what we do: “They profess to know God, but they deny him by their actions.” This is very much in line with what Zephaniah was warning the people about. It isn’t what you say, the fact that you go through the motions of worship. What God wants are lives filled with faithfulness, with obedience which reaches beyond the worship experience and into the daily life of the believer. In other words, we should “practice what we preach.”
Monday, December 17, 2007
The House of the Lord
Psalms 122
Verse 1 is something that I seem to remember from my childhood; perhaps as a memory verse in Sunday school. “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” There is no greater joy for the Psalmist than to enter into the presence of God, to join with the community of God’s people in the act of worship and praise.
Zechariah 1:7-17
Verse 16 is a comforting word to the people of God. After years of hardship and the destruction of the temple God speaks of restoration. “Therefore, thus says the Lord, I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion; my house shall be built in it, says the Lord of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.” The house of God, the temple, will stand again as a sign of God’s presence in the midst of God’s people.
Revelation 3:7-13
The members of the church in Philadelphia are commended for their “patient endurance” (verse 20) in the face of opposition. The writer of Revelation then encourages them with these words, “If you conquer, I will make you a pillar in the temple of my God; you will never go out of it.” Eternal joy is characterized as becoming a fixture in the presence of God. There are other uses of this sort of metaphor in scripture. “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” says Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:16. 1 Peter 2:5 says, “…like living stones let yourselves be built into a spiritual house….” The community of faith, then, is the dwelling place of God in the new reality. Just as God appeared to Ezekiel by the River Chebar in Babylon, God now appears to us, dwells with us, in the places where we are.
Verse 1 is something that I seem to remember from my childhood; perhaps as a memory verse in Sunday school. “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” There is no greater joy for the Psalmist than to enter into the presence of God, to join with the community of God’s people in the act of worship and praise.
Zechariah 1:7-17
Verse 16 is a comforting word to the people of God. After years of hardship and the destruction of the temple God speaks of restoration. “Therefore, thus says the Lord, I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion; my house shall be built in it, says the Lord of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.” The house of God, the temple, will stand again as a sign of God’s presence in the midst of God’s people.
Revelation 3:7-13
The members of the church in Philadelphia are commended for their “patient endurance” (verse 20) in the face of opposition. The writer of Revelation then encourages them with these words, “If you conquer, I will make you a pillar in the temple of my God; you will never go out of it.” Eternal joy is characterized as becoming a fixture in the presence of God. There are other uses of this sort of metaphor in scripture. “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” says Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:16. 1 Peter 2:5 says, “…like living stones let yourselves be built into a spiritual house….” The community of faith, then, is the dwelling place of God in the new reality. Just as God appeared to Ezekiel by the River Chebar in Babylon, God now appears to us, dwells with us, in the places where we are.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
God Without Limits
Jim:
Amos 9:1-10
Verse 7 asks an interesting question. “Are you not like the Ethiopians to me, O people of Israel? says the Lord. Did I not bring Israel up from the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Arameans from Kir?” On the one hand, the Oxford Annotated Bible says that this verse indicates that “Israel has no claim to special privilege in the moral realm, for the Lord will destroy every sinful kingdom.” On the other hand, however, does this verse not also show that the divine hand is involved in all the affairs of humanity, not just those of a select people? The God of Israel is not a tribal god, not a totem or good luck charm. God is mighty and everlasting and God’s power transcends national boarders and cultural barriers. God had a role to play in the lives of the Philistines and Arameans. God certainly has a role to play in our world and our lives as well.
Revelation 2:8-17
In the same way that God is Sovereign over all the nations, God is also Sovereign over all of the churches. John records “a word” for the churches in both Smyrna and Pergamum. No one congregation is more dear to God than any other, and no congregation is without God’s provident care, nor God’s judgment as well. I would suggest that the same is true of denominations today. God’s care and judgment are over all forms of the church, whether Protestant, Roman Catholic, or Orthodox.
Matthew 23:13-26
Most of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day likely felt that they lived in a special relationship with God. The words of Jesus in verse 13 would have greatly offended them. “But woe to you, scribes and hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven.” Those whose faith leads them to believe that they know best what God is doing, or that they have a better relationship with God should take note. God may be doing something very different.
Amos 9:1-10
Verse 7 asks an interesting question. “Are you not like the Ethiopians to me, O people of Israel? says the Lord. Did I not bring Israel up from the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Arameans from Kir?” On the one hand, the Oxford Annotated Bible says that this verse indicates that “Israel has no claim to special privilege in the moral realm, for the Lord will destroy every sinful kingdom.” On the other hand, however, does this verse not also show that the divine hand is involved in all the affairs of humanity, not just those of a select people? The God of Israel is not a tribal god, not a totem or good luck charm. God is mighty and everlasting and God’s power transcends national boarders and cultural barriers. God had a role to play in the lives of the Philistines and Arameans. God certainly has a role to play in our world and our lives as well.
Revelation 2:8-17
In the same way that God is Sovereign over all the nations, God is also Sovereign over all of the churches. John records “a word” for the churches in both Smyrna and Pergamum. No one congregation is more dear to God than any other, and no congregation is without God’s provident care, nor God’s judgment as well. I would suggest that the same is true of denominations today. God’s care and judgment are over all forms of the church, whether Protestant, Roman Catholic, or Orthodox.
Matthew 23:13-26
Most of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day likely felt that they lived in a special relationship with God. The words of Jesus in verse 13 would have greatly offended them. “But woe to you, scribes and hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven.” Those whose faith leads them to believe that they know best what God is doing, or that they have a better relationship with God should take note. God may be doing something very different.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Living as God's People
Debbie:
Revelation 1:17-2:7 and Amos 8:1-14 and Matthew 23:1-12
In the revelation of John there is a message for the seven churches, today’s passage is for the church in Ephesus. In those messages, in those proclamations to the church in Ephesus we hear God speaking to us. It is not enough to rely on the past. It is not enough to say who we were as individuals or as a church in the past. Faith is a constant, active, demonstration of our relationship with God. It is always challenging us on. John reminds the church and consequently us of the love they had when they first believed and the works they accomplished when they first believed. In Amos God challenged the people to live out their trust and faith in God, which included how they treated others. “Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land…Surely I will never forget any of their deeds…I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation…” Maybe these are words we don’t want to hear as we sing our Christmas carols or attend Christmas parties, but it is the message that God challenges us with this Advent season and all year, put your faith into practice. The child that you come seeking was poor and his family had no place to be. How we treat the least in society says the most about us. We in the church are called to serve not to be served. Jesus said, “The greatest among you will be your servant.”
Jim:
Amos 8:1-14
I have a question that arises from the reasons for which God declares that “the end has come upon my people Israel” (verse 2). In verses 4 and 6 Amos speaks to those who “trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land…buying the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals….” My question is won’t these same needy, poor people be swept away in the end that God has promised? Won’t they suffer along with the ones God intends to punish? This is causing me some discomfort, I’ll admit. All I can assume is that the plight of the poor and needy will be no worse in the circumstances that God is bringing to bear, or that perhaps they will actually improve. One issue perhaps is whether God is speaking of an ultimate end in which all life will be set right, or an end to Israel in which the nation will cease to exist and the people will be carried into exile. The fact that God also promises a famine of the divine word (verse 11) doesn’t clear things up any for me. Since I believe that God is always on the side of the poor and oppressed and that God takes pity on the least and lost, I will assume that God’s action against Israel as promised to the prophet Amos will in no way make their lives worse and may in fact improve their situation. But I’m still uncomfortable about all of this. (I’d invite anyone who happens to read this today to offer their own opinions on the matter. How will the condition of the needy and poor be any different in “the end” that God is bringing on Israel?)
Revelation 1:17-2:7
On the other hand, the Revelation passage offers comfort to the people of God in the words that John hears. Portions of 1:17-18 read, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever…” God continues to care for the people throughout history. God continues to judge and to offer correction. In other words God keeps the conversation going and in doing so shows mercy and compassion. Christ has been raised to eternal glory, and though we may face hardship because of our faith (as the Ephesians have; see 2:1-3) God continues to watch over us and to be active in our midst.
Matthew 23:1-12
Gandhi is quoted as saying he would have been a Christian if he had ever known one. Had he known the Pharisees of whom Jesus is speaking it wouldn’t have helped. “(B)ut do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.” All of us who strive to live lives of faith should keep this admonition in mind and make sure that we practice what we teach.
Revelation 1:17-2:7 and Amos 8:1-14 and Matthew 23:1-12
In the revelation of John there is a message for the seven churches, today’s passage is for the church in Ephesus. In those messages, in those proclamations to the church in Ephesus we hear God speaking to us. It is not enough to rely on the past. It is not enough to say who we were as individuals or as a church in the past. Faith is a constant, active, demonstration of our relationship with God. It is always challenging us on. John reminds the church and consequently us of the love they had when they first believed and the works they accomplished when they first believed. In Amos God challenged the people to live out their trust and faith in God, which included how they treated others. “Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land…Surely I will never forget any of their deeds…I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation…” Maybe these are words we don’t want to hear as we sing our Christmas carols or attend Christmas parties, but it is the message that God challenges us with this Advent season and all year, put your faith into practice. The child that you come seeking was poor and his family had no place to be. How we treat the least in society says the most about us. We in the church are called to serve not to be served. Jesus said, “The greatest among you will be your servant.”
Jim:
Amos 8:1-14
I have a question that arises from the reasons for which God declares that “the end has come upon my people Israel” (verse 2). In verses 4 and 6 Amos speaks to those who “trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land…buying the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals….” My question is won’t these same needy, poor people be swept away in the end that God has promised? Won’t they suffer along with the ones God intends to punish? This is causing me some discomfort, I’ll admit. All I can assume is that the plight of the poor and needy will be no worse in the circumstances that God is bringing to bear, or that perhaps they will actually improve. One issue perhaps is whether God is speaking of an ultimate end in which all life will be set right, or an end to Israel in which the nation will cease to exist and the people will be carried into exile. The fact that God also promises a famine of the divine word (verse 11) doesn’t clear things up any for me. Since I believe that God is always on the side of the poor and oppressed and that God takes pity on the least and lost, I will assume that God’s action against Israel as promised to the prophet Amos will in no way make their lives worse and may in fact improve their situation. But I’m still uncomfortable about all of this. (I’d invite anyone who happens to read this today to offer their own opinions on the matter. How will the condition of the needy and poor be any different in “the end” that God is bringing on Israel?)
Revelation 1:17-2:7
On the other hand, the Revelation passage offers comfort to the people of God in the words that John hears. Portions of 1:17-18 read, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever…” God continues to care for the people throughout history. God continues to judge and to offer correction. In other words God keeps the conversation going and in doing so shows mercy and compassion. Christ has been raised to eternal glory, and though we may face hardship because of our faith (as the Ephesians have; see 2:1-3) God continues to watch over us and to be active in our midst.
Matthew 23:1-12
Gandhi is quoted as saying he would have been a Christian if he had ever known one. Had he known the Pharisees of whom Jesus is speaking it wouldn’t have helped. “(B)ut do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.” All of us who strive to live lives of faith should keep this admonition in mind and make sure that we practice what we teach.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Being at Odds
Jim and Debbie:
Amos 7:10-17
Revelation 1:9-16
These passages both demonstrate how dangerous the word of God can be. Amos 7:10 tells us how Amazia, the priest in the temple of Bethel—the royal sanctuary for Israel after the division from Judah—took issue with the proclamation of Amos. “Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, ‘Amos has conspired against you in the very center of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words.’” Revelation 1:9 describes the situation that John found himself in. “I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” These men are in trouble with the powers that be because of their devotion to God’s word. Those, then, who expect faithful obedience to God to lead to ease and comfort are likely mistaken. Often faithfulness will put us at odds with the world or with our society. Then we may have to choose where to place our hope and our confidence. Do we choose the path of least resistance in this life, the way that leads to easy acceptance from the world? Or do we remain faithful to God’s will even when it leads us to speak against the powers of the world? Amos and John obviously choose to serve God with as much faithfulness as they could muster, and it got them in trouble. One should never take the word of God lightly.
Psalm 146
Verses 3 and 4 echoes the choices that people of faith are called to make. “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is not help. When their breath departs they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.” Faith leads us to make our decisions based on God’s will, not on the basis of earthly powers, for in the end, only God’s will remains and all the power and might of the earth will be cast away.
Matthew 22:34-46
Of course Jesus was no stranger to controversy. Far from being gentle, meek, and mild, Jesus was forceful and aggressive in asserting the truth of God’s word, especially when it stood in conflict with the perceptions and assumptions of the religious community.
Amos 7:10-17
Revelation 1:9-16
These passages both demonstrate how dangerous the word of God can be. Amos 7:10 tells us how Amazia, the priest in the temple of Bethel—the royal sanctuary for Israel after the division from Judah—took issue with the proclamation of Amos. “Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, ‘Amos has conspired against you in the very center of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words.’” Revelation 1:9 describes the situation that John found himself in. “I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” These men are in trouble with the powers that be because of their devotion to God’s word. Those, then, who expect faithful obedience to God to lead to ease and comfort are likely mistaken. Often faithfulness will put us at odds with the world or with our society. Then we may have to choose where to place our hope and our confidence. Do we choose the path of least resistance in this life, the way that leads to easy acceptance from the world? Or do we remain faithful to God’s will even when it leads us to speak against the powers of the world? Amos and John obviously choose to serve God with as much faithfulness as they could muster, and it got them in trouble. One should never take the word of God lightly.
Psalm 146
Verses 3 and 4 echoes the choices that people of faith are called to make. “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is not help. When their breath departs they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.” Faith leads us to make our decisions based on God’s will, not on the basis of earthly powers, for in the end, only God’s will remains and all the power and might of the earth will be cast away.
Matthew 22:34-46
Of course Jesus was no stranger to controversy. Far from being gentle, meek, and mild, Jesus was forceful and aggressive in asserting the truth of God’s word, especially when it stood in conflict with the perceptions and assumptions of the religious community.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Conversations With God
Jim:
Amos 7:1-9
In the cathedral in Coventry, England there are many beautiful sculptures and works of art. To me one of the more memorable sculptures depicts a city, above which hangs a large plumb line. The work is based on Amos 7:7-8 which reads, “This is what (God) showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. And the Lord said to me, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘A plumb line.’ Then the Lord said, ‘See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by.’” These are words of judgment, of course. God has found human activity to be mired in sin and compared to God’s will to be woefully askew. But grace abounds because God, though angry with the people, is willing to keep a conversation going, to keep talking to the prophet and to the people. God has not gotten so angry as to simply go away, but remains in contact with us. The divine plumb line is the standard that God sets for us to live by, one that would result in grace-filled lives if we would just abide by it. In the mean time God remains involved with us.
Revelation 1:1-8
Another conversation takes place through the words of Revelation, or, to be more precise, many conversations, some of which involve us as participants. Verse 3 says, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the word of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it….” The first conversation will be between God and the writer of Revelation. But there will be countless others to follow: between those who read the book and the Holy Spirit who gives meaning to the words; those who undertake to preach from the book and those to whom they preach; those who share the good news as found in Revelation with those who have not received the word of God; and so forth. Blessings abound through the word of God.
Matthew 22:23-33
A third conversation takes place in our reading from Matthew when a group of Sadducees come to Jesus and challenge him with a question. Jesus responds with such power and clarity that “when the crowd heard it, they were astounded at his teaching” (verse 33). Sadly, given a chance to talk to Jesus, to learn from the Messiah, these Sadducees wanted to try to trap him or to show that he was wrong. Even if they were not convinced he was the Messiah they could see that he taught with authority. Why waste the opportunity? Why not have a serious conversation and learn as much as possible? What about us? Do we have serious conversations with God when we pray? when we read scripture? when we worship? Or do we waste our opportunities? And most importantly, when we converse with God are we paying attention? God is speaking to us, are we listening?
Amos 7:1-9
In the cathedral in Coventry, England there are many beautiful sculptures and works of art. To me one of the more memorable sculptures depicts a city, above which hangs a large plumb line. The work is based on Amos 7:7-8 which reads, “This is what (God) showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. And the Lord said to me, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘A plumb line.’ Then the Lord said, ‘See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by.’” These are words of judgment, of course. God has found human activity to be mired in sin and compared to God’s will to be woefully askew. But grace abounds because God, though angry with the people, is willing to keep a conversation going, to keep talking to the prophet and to the people. God has not gotten so angry as to simply go away, but remains in contact with us. The divine plumb line is the standard that God sets for us to live by, one that would result in grace-filled lives if we would just abide by it. In the mean time God remains involved with us.
Revelation 1:1-8
Another conversation takes place through the words of Revelation, or, to be more precise, many conversations, some of which involve us as participants. Verse 3 says, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the word of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it….” The first conversation will be between God and the writer of Revelation. But there will be countless others to follow: between those who read the book and the Holy Spirit who gives meaning to the words; those who undertake to preach from the book and those to whom they preach; those who share the good news as found in Revelation with those who have not received the word of God; and so forth. Blessings abound through the word of God.
Matthew 22:23-33
A third conversation takes place in our reading from Matthew when a group of Sadducees come to Jesus and challenge him with a question. Jesus responds with such power and clarity that “when the crowd heard it, they were astounded at his teaching” (verse 33). Sadly, given a chance to talk to Jesus, to learn from the Messiah, these Sadducees wanted to try to trap him or to show that he was wrong. Even if they were not convinced he was the Messiah they could see that he taught with authority. Why waste the opportunity? Why not have a serious conversation and learn as much as possible? What about us? Do we have serious conversations with God when we pray? when we read scripture? when we worship? Or do we waste our opportunities? And most importantly, when we converse with God are we paying attention? God is speaking to us, are we listening?
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