New Frame of Reference

http://www.frankfortyotb.blogspot.com/
Check out the church site too!
http://www.frankfortpresbychurch.com/

"Year of the Bible" Q&As and Pastor's Reflection

And here's the question of the day:
Ezekiel compares Israel’s mother to what? (Ezek 19)

And here's the reflection of the day:
1 Peter 1:6-7 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith-- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

I try to keep my antennae up during these "Year of the Bible" readings for something that would be good to reflect on or to preach on. I especially take note when I see the words "trial" or "grief" or "difficulty." When people are going through trials or grief or difficulty they are most open to hearing God's Word of hope. So I try to keep a list of comforting Scriptures passages I can pull out at a moment's notice.

So of course 1 Peter 1 caught my attention right away with the phrase "may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials." (That's a goldmine for the keywords I read for!)

What I like most about this passage is the way it provides a frame of reference for the trials. It tells us the kinds of things we need to think about in the non-difficult times. So often we get sucked down so far into our pain that we lose perspective. But this passage teaches us to find purpose in our pain. These are the kinds of things we need to reflect on in between the painful times . . . or even to help us to reflect back over a painful time.

Ultimately, our pain can strengthen our faith, though that's something we probably only think about AFTER the pain has passed. And if we do it right, our increased faith should result in bringing praise and glory and honor to Jesus.

If we can keep these things in mind the next time we run into "trials" or "difficulty," then I think it will help us to find purpose in our pain and help us to cope. It takes the focus off our own our misery and puts it on God. And it will help us to achieve our main purpose in life: to glorify God with our whole lives!

I made them laugh. I made them cry. No, really. They cried.

www.frankfortyotb.blogspot.com

Check out the church site too!
www.frankfortpresbychurch.com

"Year of the Bible" Q&As and Pastor's Reflection
(See, I'm catching up! We have questions AND a reflection this week. Can't remember the last time I had those done by my Sunday deadline!)

Here's the question of the day:
Tuesday: What is faith? (Hebrews 11)

And here's the answer to yesterday's question:
What does the Sovereign Lord, the one who gathers the exiles of Israel, declare? (Isaiah 56)
Isaiah 56:8 8 The Sovereign LORD declares-- he who gathers the exiles of Israel: "I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered."

And here's the reflection of the day:
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Heb 11:1)

Pardon me for wandering down the path of nostalgia, but that is where I am heading this morning in Hebrews 11.

This passage was the text of my first sermon waaaaay back when I was a senior in high school. It was youth Sunday and the seniors traditionally took charge of the sermon portion of the service. I can't even remember now how many others of us preached, I just know that was my debut in the pulpit.

I made them laugh. I made them cry. No, really. They cried. Several of the older ladies came up to me after the sermon and told me they cried. I was surprised, to say the least. (I don't think any of my other sermons have had that effect!)

To this day, I still don't exactly understand what happened during that sermon. I didn't think it was especially profound or even terribly moving. What does an 18 year old know about preaching a sermon??

I just looked at Hebrews 11, thought about that definition of "faith" and tried to find a place in my life that I saw my own faith in action.

Faith happened on the stage of my high school auditorium with a girl named Heather. Heather was developmentally delayed, lagging behind the rest of us. I never had a chance to interact with her before we started spring musical practices. We were both in the chorus, and in the times between when we were onstage, Heather needed someone to occupy her time. And so I became that occupation.

It didn't occur to me until later how grateful the adults involved in the musical must have been to me because normally, Heather would have attached herself to them. Instead, I occupied her during the down times and made sure she entered and exited the stage at the right time.

Faith for me was being sure that God wanted me to be nice to Heather, even when I wanted to spend time with my other friends. Faith for me was being certain that God had put Heather in my life, and even if I didn't understand the reason, He still wanted me to be kind to her.

To this day, I don't know exactly what the purpose of our 3 month relationship together on the stage was all about. All I know is that I still get postcards from Heather when her family goes on vacation, which I recognize by her childlike handwriting. And just this morning, one of the emails waiting for me was from Heather, a forward she sent along because it made her happy and she wanted to make others happy too.

Faith is doing something we know is right even if we do not understand why.

www.frankfortyotb.blogspot.com

Check out the church site too!
www.frankfortpresbychurch.com

Here's the question and answer from Tuesday:
What kind of people does the author of 2 Thessalonians warn them against, in the name of Jesus Christ? (2 Thess 3)
2 Thessalonians 3:6 6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.

And from Wednesday:
What does “ascribe” mean? What is to be ascribed to God? (Ps 96)
"ascribe" is "to attribute or think of as belonging, as a quality or characteristic;" “They ascribed courage to me for something I did out of sheer panic.” Psalm 96:7-8 7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. 8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts.

And here's the question of the day:
Who shares a common destiny, according to Ecclesiastes 9?

And here's the reflection of the day:
This letter to Timothy is known as a Pauline (of or belonging to Paul) pastoral epistle. It is traditionally thought to be a letter from Paul to Timothy, his young protege, who seems to have been left behind in Ephesus while Paul moved on to Macedonia.

This letter is intended to reassure Timothy, who may be a little anxious at being on his own, while his mentor has kept on the move. Timothy is stationed in Ephesus for a distinct purpose, which Paul cites in verse 3: ". . . stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies."

At this point in history, Christianity is still taking shape. Paul has been there and preached, but the doctrine and the beliefs are not yet totally formed. If anything, Christianity was probably seen as an upstart, rebellious religious movement worthy only of suspicion. Traditionally we ascribe veracity and veneration to those religions with long and storied traditions. But this particular Jesus movement, which came to be known as Christianity, was in its infancy stages and its form and function were still quite amorphous and loose.

It is actually one of many religious options available to people. There were even other "Jesus sects" that sounded an awful lot like Christianity but varied in one way or another--their pick of the litter, one might say. People had their choice of religious groups to join.

Hmm. . . . Does history seem to be repeating itself here?

Generations later, Christianity is more fully formed in terms of its beliefs and doctrines. But those beliefs and doctrines are still shifting, aren't they? From the left to the right, conservatives to liberals, you can find a "Christian" church to match just about any set of beliefs--which is a wonderful testament to the motley crue which makes up the Body of Christ.

But. . . that brings us back to Timothy, marooned in Ephesus, left to defend the faith, trying to prevent and even correct the "false doctrines" of the would-be "teachers of the law."

We're not all called to be Paul, but I think there is a little bit of Timothy inside each one of us. And it is up to us to know our faith--to know that "sound doctrine conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God" (verses 10-11) which has been entrusted to us. And it is up to us to defend the faith against the "lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious" (verse 9).

Back to the Grind

I'm ba-ack! And it's time to get blogging again. Hold on to your hats. . . here we go!

Here's the question and answer from Monday:
If the disciples are quiet, what will shout out instead? (Luke 19)
Luke 19:40 40 "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

And here's the question and answer from Tuesday:
Who is Job’s complaint directed toward? (Job 21)
Job 21:3-4 Bear with me while I speak, and after I have spoken, mock on. 4 "Is my complaint directed to man? Why should I not be impatient?

And here's the question of the day:
What does God promise to his people, his saints? (Psalm 85)

And here's the reflection of the day:
I just spent 15 minutes trying to come up with another way to rephrase a sentence. I came up empty. So, I'm just going to copy and paste it here instead:

In other words, Psalm 85, especially vv. 8-13, captures the reality that Christians already know and experience in Jesus Christ, but that exists amid the ongoing brokenness of the world and the sinfulness of persons and of our society. (J. CLINTON McCANN, JR. NIB Commentary on Psalms)

Psalm 85 is one of our Year of the Bible readings for today. (The others are from Job and I'm just not feeling up to tackling him today. So he will wait.) So, in case you don't have your Bible close at hand, here are the verses that quote is referring to:

Psalm 85:8-13
8 I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints-- but let them not return to folly. 9 Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. 10 Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. 11 Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. 12 The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. 13 Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.

Peace, love, faithfulness. . . sounds a little like the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23), doesn't it? Galatians goes on to tell us that "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires" (Gal 5:25). Christians who have been crucified with Christ know what true peace, love, faithfulness are because they are righteous--they are in right relationship with God.

The way of life Psalm 85 is talking about--what it is characterized by--is how the Hebrew poets recognized a special way of life in relationship with God. Christians further define that as life in Christ. A life lived in Christ is a live full of forgiveness and hope and joy. . . life lived in "the reality that Christians already know and experience in Jesus Christ."

In this way, we know what awaits us after death. In this way, we have a foretaste of the kingdom of God. But it is only a taste because "that [reality] exists amid the ongoing brokenness of the world and the sinfulness of persons and of our society."

"Thus, as Mays points out: “The vision has an eschatological reach. It needs the coming of God himself to realize it fully (vv. 9, 13). The psalm therefore is a judgment on any easy satisfaction with life under the conditions created by human character and a summons to look for and pray for the time and life created by the character of God.” (McCann)

God is the missing piece in the puzzle. And we look forward to the time when God will end the brokenness and sinfulness of this world, replacing it with peace and righteousness. Mays, in the above quote, pushes us to resist "easy satisfaction" with a life lived according to the world's standards.

Ah, there's the rub, as Shakespeare would say. "Easy satisfaction" is so, well, easy and comfortable. And easy, don't you think? What methods do you try to avoid "easy satisfaction" in your life? How is your life being created by the character of God?

Let me know!
Allison

Jesus Says, "Don't Get Caught with Your Pants Down"

Hello, again! Glad you stopped by today!


Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Mon, Apr 27: What does Samuel call upon the Lord to send down that made all the people stand in awe of the Lord and of Samuel? (I Sam 12)
1 Samuel 12:18 18 Then Samuel called upon the LORD, and that same day the LORD sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the LORD and of Samuel.

And here's the question of the day:
Tues, Apr 28: What did Saul do that grieved God and Samuel so much? (I Sam 15)


And here's the reflection of the day:
Today, I've decided to tackle Mark 13, the kind of chapter that creates a multitude of emotions in Christians (and even in non-Christians, if they stop to think about such things). Any time our thoughts turn toward "the end"--whether it's the end of the world or just the end of our individual lives--we are filled with both fear and excitement: fear because we don't exactly to know what "the end" is going to be like and excitement because what we do know about heaven sounds like paradise. These are the things we think about when we attend funerals and celebrate the anniversary of the passing of a loved one and even when we experience a new birth. Most of us would probably be surprised at just how often we consider "the end."

For all this thinking about "end of days" (again either the end of the world or just our own personal end), we seem to have lost the sense of watchfulness that Mark talks about at the end of this chapter. Jesus cautions us to be watchful, but that was two millennia ago. Do we still have to be watchful today?

Pheme Perkins, author of the Mark commentary in the New International Bible Commentary series, uses the following illustration in terms of watchfulness:

". . . many Christians today assume that the word about watchfulness has no significance for them. Yet we all know that human life is fleeting. A young man was murdered on the streets of a large city merely for asking some youths why they were verbally tormenting an elderly man. The young man’s fiancée discovers that her whole world has dissolved. Fortunately, the last words they had exchanged concerned love and their hopes for the future. A young woman went to pick up her infant from his nap and discovered that he had died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Unfortunately, her last interaction with the baby had been one of anger and frustration over the child’s fussing and crying. Both women are in terrible pain. They have been stripped of what they love most in the whole world. But the young mother has to face the nagging regret that she did not show her baby the love she feels for him in the last hours she spent with him. On a personal level, such stories remind us that we should be watchful as Christians."

Jesus says, "Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come." It's true, we do not know when "that day" will come, nor do we know when "our day" will come.

Now, you may think this is a rather macabre topic of discussion. But it doesn't have to be. This kind of conversation is more about how we choose to LIVE, than what it will be like to die. Look at it from this angle: what better way to evaluate how well we are pleasing God by living as His faithful disciples, then to consider more carefully our words and actions in every situation?

May I make a suggestion? Early Christians practiced a spiritual discipline called "examen." It is a time, at the end of the day, when they assessed how their behavior of the day (from the time your foot hits the floor in the AM til they were tucked at night) and whether it reflected positively or negatively what is expected of all Christians. It's a very helpful practice in watchfulness. Once one is in the habit of reviewing and evaluating one's day in light of God's commandments, one is better able to follow God's commandments as the time goes by.

Perkins remarks, "Being a faithful Christian does not just 'happen' like crabgrass or dandelions popping up in the lawn. It requires the care, attention, and cultivation of an expert gardener." I would say that being "watchful" doesn't just happen like crabgrass or dandelions either. Faithfulness and watchfulness come with intentionality and steadiness.

Jesus cautions us to be "Be alert! Be on guard." But I don't think He means He wants us to always be looking to the sky for a sign of the end of days. He just doesn't want us, as the saying goes, to get caught with our pants down, when He comes again. Just love your God, love your neighbor, and spread the Good News. Focus on these things, and you'll be fine, whenever the end might come!

Have a splendid day!
Allison

Ambiguity

Well, it's Maundy Thursday. I hope you will be able to visit a local congregation this evening!

Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Weds, Apr 8 Why was there so much fuss and commotion when the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar when they returned to their side of the Jordan River? (Josh 22)
Joshua 22:16 6 "The whole assembly of the LORD says: 'How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the LORD and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now? Joshua 22:29 29 "Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD and turn away from him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings and sacrifices, other than the altar of the LORD our God that stands before his tabernacle." Joshua 22:34 34 And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us that the LORD is God.

And here's the question of the day:
Thurs, Apr 9 Why was all that was written in the past recorded in Scripture? (Rom 15)


And here's the reflection of the day:
If I was going to choose one word to describe Psalm 39, I would choose "ambiguity." There is a blatant tension in this whole psalm--a tension between silence and speech and between hope and despair. The psalmist is worn down and desperate, yet clings to hope.

Taken all together, it might seem that the psalmist resigns himself to the futility of living. However, Psalm 39 should be read as a profession of faith; a statement of persevering in hope in what seems like a hopeless world.

Certainly we are each a finite creature, "a mere phantom" hustling and bustling about, seemingly living in vain. But our lowly status as "phantoms" does not mean that we are without significance in the grand scheme of things. This Psalmist continues to speak to God and for God; he is a partner WITH God in his mission and ministry.

And the psalmist speaks his way into hope. He doesn't just give up and throw in the towel when life becomes difficult. He persists in speaking to and for God and finds himself, amazing, still with hope to hold on to.

Psalm 39 is an excellent model for those who struggle, who may even feel ignored or abandoned by God. It is a model for clinging to the faith, as one walks through the valley of the shadow of death or job loss or divorce or debt or whatever the difficult circumstances might be for you.

It's not a Psalm I have considered in light of Holy Week, but could not the words of this psalm be the words of Jesus' disciples during those long three days?

"My hope is in you. . . . Hear my prayer, O Lord, listen to my cry for help. . . ."

Persevere in the faith!
Allison

"Here comes the sun. . ."

Yeah for a sunny Thursday!


Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Weds, Apr 1 Where does the salvation of the righteous come from? (Ps 37)
Psalm 37:39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

And here's the question of the day:
Thurs, Apr 2 What did the Israelites (finally) stop eating after coming into the Promised Land? (Josh 5)


And here's the reflection of the day:
In the reading from Joshua 4, we see Joshua--the new, young punk who has replaced the wise and seasoned Moses--beginning to emerge at Israel's new leader. What God does for the Israelites as they cross the Jordan River is both to increase their reverence for Him AS WELL AS to "exalt Joshua in the sight of all Israel" so that they would revere "him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses" (4:14).

The most interesting part (in my opinion) of this passage is the stones that each representative of the 12 tribes are supposed to carry to the camp and set them up as a memorial of how the waters of the river Jordan ceased so that the Ark of the Covenant and the Israelites passed by. It is to serve as a reminder--an object that a child might ask a parent about.

What sorts of memorials do you have hanging around your house? What sorts of things do kids (or even grown ups) ask about when they see them?

In my house, there's lots of clutter to look at--some meaningful clutter (like the cross on the wall given to me by the leader of a trip to Greece or the small statue of a Vietnamese woman from a friend who served as a missionary in Vietnam) and some meaningless clutter (that I really should just get rid of one of these days).

How do you remember the tremendous things God has done in your life? How do you keep those things in the forefront of your mind? How do you keep from forgetting God's faithfulness to you?

That is what the Israelites were most concerned with--or maybe what God was most concerned for the Israelites about: that they not forget WHO they are and WHOSE they are. Hence, the importance of the Exodus story which we hear repeated over and over again, and things like this stone memorial. These are the things which are meant to endure for generations, stories to be handed down from parent to child.

That's how to keep the faith alive--passing down the stories. That was a main concern of Deuteronomy and is a similar concern of Joshua. And it is a concern of Jerome Creach, who dedicated his commentary on Joshua to his own children.

How do you keep the story alive?

Allison

Sunny Wednesday Part 2

Wow! "Here comes the sun, do-do-do-do. . . "

Went into the church (basement) for Bible Study and a meeting and came out to sun, not rain!

Reflection of the Day:
Rahab (Josh 2) has to be one of the most fascinating characters we have come across so far in the Year of the Bible. She may be one of the most fascinating characters in all of the Bible.

We had a lively discussion at Bible Study about this passage, including all the, uh, shall we say sexual innuendo that fills this passage. But that's not what I wanted to talk about here.

I wonder how we Christians (and Jews too) feel having Rahab as such a heroine of the faith. She is known for her cunning and wit, her powers of deception and misdirection. Not the usual characteristics that biblical characters are lauded for, right?

Yet Hebrews includes her in the "Faith Hall of Fame" in chapter 11 and James calls her righteous "for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction" (James 2:25). Rahab is even included in Jesus' genealogy in Matthew 1.

Another fascinating aspect of her character, as we read in Joshua 2, is something Jerome Creach points out in his commentary on Joshua. Creach points out the similarities between "the wife of noble character" (Prov 31:10ff) and Rahab the prostitute, particularly in the details of the crimson thread and flax on the roof (presumably used for making clothes for her household in both cases).

Though Rahab uses rather unorthodox means, at the heart of her intent is to provide for her family, to ensure their deliverance in the face of the invading Israelites. I can't say that I blame her.

Allison

"Now we've come. . . to the end of the road. . . "

Oh, Boyz-2-Men, how I loved thee, back in the day.

Well, we've come to the end of the road in Acts. It's kind of disappointing, don't you think? I love hearing about the missionary journeys that Paul takes and the situations he encounters along the way. But Romans is right around the corner and that is another fascinating book of the Bible to read.

But, first things first. . .

Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Wed, Mar 18: Based on Psalm 33, what do you think it means to fear the Lord?
There's not necessarily a write or wrong answer, but according to the Psalm, to "fear" God is to revere and to love:
Psalm 33:8 8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him.
Psalm 33:20 20 We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. 21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. 22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.

And here's the question of the day:
Thur, Mar 19: Why did the people on the island of Malta think Paul was a god? (Acts 28)


And here's the reflection of the day:
We've reached the end of the road in Acts. Seems an apt way to phrase that--Acts is full of roads Paul walked along and seas across which Paul sailed. He went so many places, preached to so many people, and he healed so many diseased-ridden bodies.

How could Luke possibly end this tremendous story? What could possibly be the ending of such a tremendous journey? It if were a movie today, there would be fireworks and standing ovations and a ship sailing off into the sunset with Paul at the helm, sailing for a tropical island where everyone was a believer and there was no more evangelizing to be done because he had done it all.

But that's not Luke's style. We think the story of the legendary Paul deserves a Hollywood ending. But Luke knows that would simply distract from the story--the story of God.

Robert Wall included this as the conclusion to his commentary on Acts:
Paul “welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God . . . with all boldness” (28:30-31 NRSV). The final sentence of Acts is a summary, not a climax. Paul is simply being Paul, ever faithful to his prophetic vocation. But this is Luke’s point. His conclusion does not intend to contribute new information to his biography of Paul or to frustrate his readers by leaving out important information.

The ending to Acts does what good endings to excellent stories must always do: facilitate a transition that moves readers from the narrative world to their own considerably more complicated real worlds. These parting images of Paul linger on in our collective imagination to stimulate further reflection on what it means to continue what Paul began to do and to say in Rome. We are his successors. While times and places will continue to change, the church’s prophetic calling is to “proclaim the kingdom of God and teach about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness.” The church must simply be the church.

What do you think of this? Tell me!

Allison

Better late than never, right?

Hello! Hope I didn't miss too many people this morning. Wednesdays are Bible Study days and I'm always studying up until the last minute even in the "wee small hours of the morning," hence why my posts are usually late on Wednesdays.

However, this morning I slept through my alarm. So not only did I not get my extra studying in but I didn't blog either. And yet, Bible Study was great--better than some of the times I had my act together. Isn't the Holy Spirit, funny? Hmmm. . . .


Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Tues, Mar 17: Who spoke out of the fire on the mountain? (Dt 4)
Deuteronomy 4:11-12 1 You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. 12 Then the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice.

And here's the question of the day:
Wed, Mar 18: Based on Psalm 33, what do you think it means to fear the Lord?


And here's the reflection of the day:
Throughout the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible), we hear Moses, speaking for God, admonishing the Israelites "to fear God, to revere God's name, and to offer service and gifts" at the appropriate time. These are the principles which informed their worship and their faith.

But here in Deuteronomy 6, there's a new concept into their worship. It's a demand really, if you want to be honest. It's a love demand. Israel is to love God.

Now, it's a funny thing to try to love "a power that may hurl one swiftly to destruction and may take away everything that one possesses" (Clements, NIB Commentary). In fact, God is love-ly: "God becomes the supreme expression of love, motivating, inspiring, and making possible a deeper understanding of the nature of love in the lives of human beings."

Love lies at the heart of worship. Love is the leaven of faith. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart. . . "

It's easy to get lost in the rules and regulations of the Law. But at the center of the Law is love. The reason for the rules and the regulations is love--God's love for us AND our love for God. Two greatest commandments: love God and love thy neighbor.

Have a love-ly day!
Allison

Hello, Saturday!

Good morning/ afternoon/ evening to you! Glad you stopped by today.

Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Fri, March 13: What did Moses give to the “Gadites, the Reubenites and the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph”? (Num 32)
Numbers 32:33 3 Then Moses gave to the Gadites, the Reubenites and the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan-- the whole land with its cities and the territory around them.

And here's the question of the day:
Sat, March 14: How many towns in all, should be given to the Levites? (Num 35)

And here's the reflection of the day:
In Acts 25 we pick up again in the middle of Paul's trial proceedings, proceedings which seem fairly long and drawn out. Not much "due process" going on here, I must say.

But it seems to be of Paul's own actions that things are dragging on and on. He's moved from judge to judge, court to court. No one seems sure of what he actually did wrong, yet he has angered so many people, he can't just be freed. (Sounds a little bit like Jesus' trial, doesn't it?)

We might assume that Paul's request for a change of venue in Rome and a different magistrate (this time the emperor) is simply a way for him to get a fair trial, away from Festus and his ulterior motives. BUT, if you look at the last couple chapters of Acts a bit more closely, you remember Acts 23:11: The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."

So, Paul's decision to use his Roman citizenship to his advantage is not because he is concerned about winning his trial; it is because he know the Lord has plans for him to go to Rome. This makes it a theological point, rather than a legal maneuver. As one commentary says, "Rome is the city of Paul's destiny because it is in the script of God's plan of salvation" (NIB Commentary on Acts).

Paul's life story is the story of a faithful God and a faithful servant. Ours can be that kind of story too. When our personal decisions are given divine importance and seen as a part of God's plan for our lives, our story becomes the story of a faithful God and a faithful servant. When the actions we take--or choose NOT to take--and the words we say--or do NOT say--are considered in light of the plans God has for each one of us, our story becomes the story of a faithful God and a faithful servant. If we can see our lives as a part of God's story, we realize that there are no inconsequential decisions or meaningless interactions.

No matter how trivial we think the moment is, it is a chance to be a part of God's plan of salvation in the world.

Keep your eyes open for "trivial" moments today!
Allison

Lucky Eutychus

Hello, weekend! And hello to you too. Glad you stopped by. You've made it another week through the Bible. Congratulations!


Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Fri, Mar 6: Which leader of one of the 12 tribes of Israel owned the staff which “budded, blossomed and produced almonds?” (Num 17)
Numbers 17:8 8 The next day Moses entered the Tent of the Testimony and saw that Aaron's staff, which represented the house of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds.

And here's the question of the day:
Sat, Mar 7: What was made out of bronze and put up on a pole? (Num 21) Bonus Point: What organization used this image as their symbol?


And here's the reflection of the day:
Do you think of Sunday as the first day of the week or the last day? Do you know what I mean? Does Sunday begin a new week or does it finish the week off?

As a pastor, Sunday feels like the last day of the week for me. All week long, all I do leads up to worship on Sunday. Maybe for you, it feels like the end of the week too. It feels like a final day of rest, especially if you have to go to work on Monday. Others may feel like Sunday is the beginning of the week, that worship marks the beginning of the new week and provides energy for the new week.

During Creation, God worked for six days and on the seventh, he rested. God created the Sabbath, a day that was holy, a day set apart for God. All through Leviticus and Numbers, we hear about the festival and holy days. And the Sabbath is always one of them. To this day it is still a deeply beloved tradition in the Jewish tradition.

In Acts 20, we see the first reference to sabbath in the Christian church. In verse 7 it refers to "the first day of the week" where they gathered to "break bread" and "hold a discussion with" the congregation in Troas. This is the first time sabbath is referred to in the New Testament. And it seems that Sabbath is meant to be seen as the first day of the week, not the last.

It is meant to be a continuing memorial of Jesus' resurrection and his appearances to the disciples. In fact, you can find parallels with resurrection throughout the story: gathering, teaching, and breaking bread and fellowshipping over a common meal.

Perhaps the most overt reference to resurrection is with poor Eutychus, whose name ironically means "lucky." Eutychus is part of the congregation gathered to hear Paul teach. They've eaten and Paul is speaking for a long time. Imagine it: a stuffy room filled with people, long past bedtime. Anybody could fall asleep. It is unfortunate that Eutychus chose to sit, rather precariously, on the sill of an open window. He dozes off for a bit and falls to the ground.

It's a comical scene really. How many of us have dozed off during church? How many of us have gotten caught, either by the person we're sitting with or the even the pastor?! And how many of us have a private little giggle when we read about Eutychus and his ill-chosen seat?

Well, Eutychus' story takes a turn for the worse when he is "picked up dead." Paul (perhaps feeling a little guilty for not being the most exciting preacher/teacher in the world) rushes down the stairs to him, announcing, "Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him" (v10).

Here is another resurrection reference; though he is dead, he will be alive. And this continues the healing-teaching cycle that Paul is so concerned about.

Paul is the broker of God's life-giving power and miracles. But the point is not to dwell on the miracle; the point is that Paul resumed the preaching and teaching. Miracle and teaching go hand in hand. Paul even downplays the miracle by returning to teaching right away. The message is the center of the story, the center of the faith.

It is easy to get distracted by good works and looking for miracles, but what sustains us, what gives us life and breath and faith is the Word.


Have a good day!
Allison

You Can Do Magic. . . Or Can You?

Hello! Thanks for stopping by.

I reflected on the passage from Acts 19 and thought this would be an appropriate video to get us started off today.



Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
In Psalm 29, what one word appears in 10 of the 11 verses? (Hint: not “the”!)
"Lord"

And here's the question of the day:
Fri, Mar 6: Which leader of one of the 12 tribes of Israel owned the staff which “budded, blossomed and produced almonds?” (Num 17)

And here's the reflection of the day:
In today's passage of Acts, we see another misuse of power. The life-changing power of the gospel--the power that Paul had--is not magic. It is not magic or sorcery. God's power is not a commodity for Paul to dispense in order to manipulate human life. Instead, it is a mark of his spiritual authority, given to Paul, by God. Paul's uses this power on his missionary journeys in order to show that power comes not from ourselves but is given by God.

As Christians, who are prone to talking about our faith, we must be careful when we speak of God's power, particularly related to healing and wholeness. God's power is determined by our dependence on Jesus, not on ourselves. God gives his power to us in order to serve God's purposes, not our own.

Paul did all he could to teach that the power to heal came from God, not from him. Without proper teaching, the passing around of handkerchiefs and aprons that touched him can sound a lot like superstition. And it certainly seems that the seven sons of Sceva were possibly misusing God's power in their attempts at healing.

And some people seem to have learned their lesson, as scrolls of sorcery were destroyed and confessions of "evil deeds" were made public. Paul must have been doing something right because people were beginning to confess their sin and "the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power."

Can you say the same about your church or yourself? Are we doing a good job about teaching the source of power or do people in our congregations think of, say, baptism or communion, as lucky charms?

Have a great day!
Allison

Wednesday Part 2

And here's today's reflection. . .

The beginning of Psalm 22 is probably very familiar to you. Verses from this psalm are quoted throughout the Passion story.

It's not really a psalm full of pretty language. Actually, it's gritty. It really gets to the guts of a situation--the author spreads out his complaint before God like a dinner table. Every gripe, every concern, every pain, every bit of desperation is exposed. This psalm really plumbs the depths of human suffering, articulating each pain and wound.

Yet it also reaches to the very heights of personal faith. While expressing pain and devastation in one breath, the psalmist praises God to the heavens and invites others to join with him. And it ends up seeming a little moody, a little schizophrenic in character, wildly swinging from one extreme emotion to another.

I certainly don't identify well with going from doubt to faith in such a rapid swing. My faith is more of a slow serious of peaks and troughs, not a frantic zig-zag like the psalmist's faith seems to be. Which makes me ask the question, how can someone possibly go from one kind of agony that Jesus suffered to extolling God's virtue within one, little psalm?

So, I turned to one of my trusty commentaries (a pastor's best friend!) and did a little digging. The New Interpreter's Bible Commentary suggests that, instead of thinking the psalmist's imagination has run away with him, this psalm has an eschatological character--and by that, I mean "it portrays what God intends for the world." It affirms God's reign in all times and all places, even when it seems like He doesn't. Does that make sense? The psalmist's passion for God isn't misguided; rather, it's a challenge for us, a call to us to enter the reign of God.

When Jesus uses this psalm from the cross, we see the fulfillment of Israel's history and the arrival of the Messiah. So it makes perfect sense to use Psalm 22 in the midst of the Passion. Psalm 22 "interprets Jesus' passion and resurrection as a summons to the world. . . to believe in the reign of the Lord."

So, it would seem Psalm 22 is to be a model for us, an example of what our faith should be like--what our faith could really be like. The kind of faith which doesn't falter when it meets a challenge or a question; the kind of faith which continually trusts in God and encourages others to do so too, even when life is the pits, even when you're hanging on the cross or when it just feels like it.

Allison

Catching Up!

I'm sorry I missed yesterday. A carload of us left directly after Church for a viewing. When we finally got home, I chose to go to sleep rather than blog. My sincerest apologies for those who have been waiting with bated breath for another post! (Or maybe you just want to know the answers to the questions!)

So, here's the info from yesterday. I'll do another post for today:

Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Sat, Feb. 7- Who said I am innocent of this man’s blood?
Exodus 30:1, “Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense.”

And here's the question of the day:
Sun, Feb. 8- What was the altar for burning incense made from?

And here's the sermon from Sunday morning:

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
Please pray with me: Gracious God, Still our minds and quiet our worries; open our ears and hearts so that we might truly hear your Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING Matthew 25:1-13
"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.

5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 "At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
7 "Then all the bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' 9 "'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'

10 "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The bridesmaids who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 11 "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' 12 "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' 13 "Therefore be prepared, because you do not know the day or the hour.

The grass withers and the flower fades, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.

INTRODUCTION
Did you know a black bear can sleep for up to four months during the winter, without ever waking up to eat, drink, or go to the bathroom. Some of us would like to just make it through one night without needing to get up. Four whole months! While they are hibernating, a black bear’s heart rate can drop to six beats per minute. Yet, they can still burn 4000 calories per day!

They get a four month break, and when they wake up, black bears are just about as strong as they were when they went to sleep four months earlier. I’m a big fan of napping—not for months at a time, mind you. But an hour or two is great. Besides going to church and watching football games, napping is my favorite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon. There is nothing like a little nap to rejuvenate my spirit.

MOVE #1
There’s a whole lot of napping going on in our passage from Matthew today. It was part of the wedding tradition in biblical times that, on the day of the wedding, the wedding party would gather at the bride’s house and then, once the groom arrived, they would process to his family’s house for the wedding banquet.

So the bridesmaids are gathered at the bride’s house, waiting for the groom to show up. But there’s been a delay. It doesn’t tell us what happened, but we know that it’s long enough that the bridesmaids decide a little power nap is in order. All ten bridesmaids became tired and fell asleep.

Next thing they know, the groom has arrived, and it is time for the wedding banquet to begin. All of the bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps—but not all of them were prepared for such a long wait for the groom.

The five foolish bridesmaids ask the five wise bridesmaids to share their oil with them. But the wise ones refuse to share their oil, explaining that there may not be enough for all of them. So, the foolish ones go off in search of some place to buy oil. While they are gone, the groom arrives, the wise ones are invited in to the wedding banquet, and the foolish ones are left out in the cold.

MOVE #2
There’s a lot of stuff in this story that doesn’t really add up, does it? When we read this story at Bible Study, I asked if anyone had any initial thoughts about the story. One person said she felt sorry for the foolish bridesmaids, and it didn’t seem fair that they got left out. And someone else mentioned that it seemed to teach a bad lesson about not sharing.

It seems there is more than meets the eye in this story, as is so often the case when Jesus starts to fell a story. So, as Maria Von Trapp says, “Let’s start at the beginning, a very good place to start. . . .”

In verse 1, it says, “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like. . .” That means, this is a story about heaven, not life on earth. And if it’s a story about heaven, chances are it’s a story about. . . judgment—it’s a story about who makes it into the kingdom and who doesn’t. It’s not something we like to talk about, that whole heaven and hell thing, but it appears to be unavoidable, this morning at least.

And in a story like this, each thing or person stands for something else. Jesus is the groom and we are the wedding party. And heaven is the wedding banquet at the groom’s house.
The oil seems to be the key—the five who had enough oil are welcomed into the kingdom but the five who don’t have enough—they are left out in the cold. But what does the oil stand for? Why are only five bridesmaids prepared with enough “oil”? And why didn’t they share their oil?

MOVE #3
I said earlier that this story is about judgment: about who gets in to heaven and who doesn’t. So, what do you need to get to heaven? Faith in Jesus Christ and bearing good fruit, right? They go hand in hand. So the oil that keeps their lamps burning is faith AND works.

So, the five wise bridesmaids are prepared. They are prepared to wait for Christ to come again—they have brought plenty of faith and works with them. They are the faithful disciples, doing their duty at the appropriate times and places. They are watching and waiting for Christ’s return—like we talk about during Advent—and they’re not just sitting on their hands until that time comes. They are living out their faith each day.

But the five foolish bridesmaids—well, they had some faith and some good works, but not enough. The groom’s return was near and they were scrambling to find more oil for their lamps—more faith and works. But there were none to be found. It was too late. They were not prepared, and they were not included in the wedding banquet.

The five wise ones couldn’t share their oil with the foolish ones because they couldn’t give their faith and good works to them. Each bridesmaid needed to make sure she was prepared to wait for the groom to come. And some just never got around to preparing.

CONCLUSION
I know this isn’t the happiest of sermons you’ve probably heard me preach, but it is one that we all need hear. This story is a warning to us—to all Christians: we do not know when Christ will come again, so we need to be ready. We need to make sure that our wicks are trimmed and that we have plenty of oil for the duration. And though we can’t give our faith and good works to our friends and family, we should be concerned that they are prepared too.

And if we can do this—if we can be prepared and if we know that our friends and family are prepared too—THEN we can sleep peacefully and without that panicky, last-minute running around the foolish bridesmaids did. We can even nap each and every day without fear of waking to find that we’re short on oil and we are left out of the wedding banquet.

But we have to be ready—each day we need to work on getting to know God better—not just knowing things about God, but really getting to know him better. And we need to be practicing the Fruit of the Spirit and the Beatitudes. We’re getting ready—we are preparing—for heaven.
Let’s take a lesson from the black bear who can sleep four whole months and wake up just as strong and prepared as when he first went to sleep—we need to be ready to wake up prepared to go.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

My Time Management is Improving!

Wow! My time mangement is improving! I managed to post a Year of the Bible reflection and now I'm posting my sermon from this morning too. Just a little side note: we ordained and installed new elders this morning, so my sermon is leading up to that moment. I also used "The Message" version of the Bible.

INTRODUCTION
My seventh grade English teacher came up with a very clever assignment for our class. She was trying to teach us about creative writing—like writing stories. Well, when someone tells you that you HAVE to write a story, suddenly you can’t think of anything to say. Too much pressure.

So, she started out with something easy. She asked us to write excuses for why we didn’t do our homework. Clever, right? You can be VERY creative when you come up with excuses, and it didn’t really feel like you were under a lot of pressure.

I think the best one I came up with was that my mom was warming up some sweet potato baby food in the microwave and it exploded. We were out of paper towels, so she had to use my homework to clean it up.

I was looking for some other excuses you could use to NOT turn in your homework. I found a cartoon of Garfield saying, “I can’t do homework for medical reasons. It makes me sick.” Somebody else suggested, “I made a paper plane out of it and it got hijacked.” One my sister might hear in one of her math classes is this: “I have a solar powered calculator and it was cloudy.” But I think my favorite excuse for not turning in homework is a twist on the old “my dog ate it” line. This one says, “I can’t turn my homework in because my dog ate it. Seriously, look, I brought a stool sample in to show you.”

MOVE #1
But you know, it’s not just kids who come up with good excuses. Grown-ups are pretty good at coming up with excuses too. Take Moses for example. God had a job for Moses—even appeared to him in the burning bush so Moses would have no doubt that it really was God talking to him—but Moses had a million excuses to get out of doing the job.

God says, “I’m sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the People of Israel, out of Egypt.” And Moses answers, “But why me? What makes you think that I could ever go to Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?” Can’t you just hear the whine that must have been in his voice?

God answers his excuse saying, “I’ll be with you. Don’t worry about it.” And once again Moses opens his big mouth and says, “Well, what if they ask who sent me? What should I say then?” And God has answer for that excuse too: “Tell them ‘I Am’ sent you.”

Moses comes up with another excuse saying, “They won’t trust me, Lord. They won’t listen to a word I say. They’re going to say, ‘God? Appear to a guy like him? Never!’” And God answers this excuse by giving him miraculous signs to do to prove that God is with him.

When that doesn’t work, Moses tries one more time to come up with an excuse that will get him out of the job God has in mind for him: “Master, please, I don’t talk well. I’ve never been good with words, neither before or after you spoke to me. I stutter and stammer. . . . Oh, Master, please! Send somebody else!” At this point God is a little angry and a little tired of all the excuses Moses is coming up with. But once again he gives an answer the last of the excuses from Moses: “Don’t you have a brother, Aaron the Levite? He’s good with words. I know he is. He speaks very well. . . . I’ll be right there with you as you speak and with him as he speaks, teaching you step by step. He will speak to the people for you.”

So, one by one, God answers every excuse Moses can come up with—eight of them in all. There is no changing God’s mind here. This says a lot about God’s character: He is persistent but patient, understanding but firm. He recognizes all the concerns that Moses has but constantly reassures him that he will not be walking this road alone; God will be with him each step of the way.

MOVE #2
God understands that we all have our insecurities and flaws. Probably God knows those things about us too well. He knows how we let our insecurities and flaws get in the way of ministry. God knows we all have our own flimsy excuses for why we, like Moses, can’t do the job God has for us: we’re too young or too old; we’re too busy or we don’t feel well enough; we’re not smart enough or we’re not good enough or we’re not worthy enough or we don’t have enough faith; we can’t pray out loud, we can’t speak in front of people, and we’re afraid we don’t know enough about the Bible. We’re full of excuses about why God should pick someone else for the job.

But deep down inside, we know these are just flimsy excuses we hold on for dear life to because we’re afraid. We’re afraid of what might happen if we let God have his way in our lives.
If we were standing in Moses’ place in front of the burning bush, we would probably try to slip away, hoping God wouldn’t notice. We know God would have an answer for every excuse we could come up with and that would leave us with no choice but to obey.

There comes a time when every Christian finds themselves in front of the burning bush. There comes a time when every Christian finds themselves taking their shoes off and coming face to face with God. God has a particular task in mind for each one of us, and sooner or later, we’re going to have to decide what we want to do about it. It’s a huge moment—it’s a huge decision. At that moment God will strip away all our excuses and say, “I know you’re afraid, but I’ll be with you every step of the way. Do you trust me?” And then it’s time for us to decide.

CONCLUSION
Now, I don’t know how the Nominating Committee feels about being compared to the burning bush, but that’s kind of what they are. God uses the Nominating Committee to help identify leaders for his church. They accepted their task of prayerful discernment and did the job God called them to do. And we are very grateful to them because they did a good job.

So now it is time to recognize some folks who faced the burning bush, who gave God all the excuses they could think of, and who finally decided to let go of their fear and to trust God. Would Patty Ferris, Craig Sinclair, and Larry Zellers please come forward for the Ordination and Installation of Elders?

BENEDICTION
Next time you see a burning bush, don’t walk on by. Stop, look, and listen to what God is calling you to do. Let go of your fear and trust God. He will be with you each step of the way.

Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Super Bowl Sunday

Good morning/afternoon/evening! Can you believe Super Bowl coverage started at 7:00AM this morning on local Pittsburgh channels?! Mind you I bleed black-n-gold, but even I think that's RIDICULOUS. 12 hours? Seriously.


At any rate, here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Sat, Jan 31: Fill in the blanks: "Woe to you, teachers of the ___ and _________, you ___________!” (Mt 23)
Matthew 23:23 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!

And here's the question of the day:
Sun, Feb. 01: Moses and the Israelites do what when they realize the waters have swept away the Egyptians who were chasing them? (Ex 15)


And here's the reflection of the day:
Anyone who has been part of a church for any period of time understands the mood swing of the Israelites in Exodus 15. Moses led the people out of Egypt, the Red Sea has come crashing down on their Egyptian pursuers, and now they are free. The singing and the dancing begin. The celebration and worship of God go on and on and on. Then, three short days later, the Israelites turn back into petulant children and are complaining again.

We've all seen this happen in churches: the church enjoys a time of almost ethereal blessing and then we come back down to earth with a thud. Things are going great and then something goes wrong; it's bound to happen because that's just the way life is.

In our individual walks of faith we see this happen. For every mountaintop experience there is a valley on each side, right? We can go from tremendous spiritual high to a low very quickly. And sometimes the valleys seem like they last forever. Just ask the Israelites about all their years of wandering!

The important thing to remember, on the mountains and in the valleys, is that God is always with us. God will always provide for us. It's easy to look down on the Israelites; hindsight is 20/20, right? But when we're in their shoes, I think we grumble just as much as they do. That is when we need to remember that we know the end of their story. We need to remember that we know about the manna, the pillar of fire, the staff, and the rock. God always provides for us. We just need to hang on and wait.

Here we go, Steelers, here we go!
Allison

"'Cause You Had a Bad Day"

Good morning! (or afternoon or evening. . .) I'm glad you dropped by today!


Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Weds, Jan. 28: What does the fool say in his heart? (Ps 14)
Psalm 14:1 The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.

And here's the question of the day:
Thurs, Jan. 29: Jesus tells the disciple a story about a father and two sons. Which son did what the father wanted? (Matt 21)


And here's the reflection of the day:
"'Cause You Had a Bad Day"
On a recent season of "American Idol," they used a song by Daniel Powter to play when those who were voted off the show were leaving. (Here's the link if you'd like to see the video: http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos/--14168054) Part of the chorus is this: "You had a bad day, the camera don't lie, You're coming back down and you really don't mind, You had a bad day, You had a bad day." You know what a bad day is like: everything that can go wrong does go wrong and a foul mood descends over you and beats your spirit down to a pulp. That's what this song is about. And as I was reading the little episode of Jesus and the fig tree, that's the song that popped into my mind! (Matt 21:18-22)

It seems like Jesus was having a bad day when He ran into that poor, unsuspecting little fig tree. He was hungry and it had no figs. So He made it wither, never to bear fruit again.

Seems pretty shocking, doesn't it? Nonsensical even. We know there's a reason for everything Jesus says and does, but this is likely to stump us for a while. But friends, this is where the beauty of the Year of the Bible comes in. The answer to what is going on in this little passage isn't found in the passage; it's found in the verses surrounding the text. And since we are reading it straight through each book of the Bible, we have all the pieces we need to finish putting this puzzle together. So let's get to it!

This isn't the first display of Jesus', umm, shall we say "spiritedness," in Matthew 21, is it? Starting in verse 10, Jesus "cleanses" the temple, driving out "all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves." Jesus does this not because he is upset by the business itself (animals for sacrifice during worship were mandated)--really it's the location of the business that bothered him. They brought commerce into the house of worship, making the house of prayer a "den of robbers" (cf Jer 7:9-11). They have ruined the sanctity of the temple, and this is a foreshadowing that God's judgment on Israel will include the destruction of the temple.

Verse 22 is the link between these two passages: "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Those who had been frequenting the temple, and engaging in business with the money changers, were short on faith in God which is a prerequisite of effective prayer. They had more faith in the sacrifices they were making than in the God they were sacrificing to. In the withered fig tree passage, Jesus says, ". . . if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to the mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done" (v21).

So Jesus and the withered tree in verse 19 is really trying to tell us two things: first, it implicitly represents the judgment of God's unfruitful (unfaithful) people; and second, at the same time, it represents the power of prayer. Jesus is using the tree as an example, a lesson for the disciples (and us!) to learn. It actually has nothing to do with being hungry or having a bad day. It was about what Jesus was always about: teaching people who God is and what faith is about. Consequently, this is what we should always be about: getting to know God better and sharing what we know with others.

When it comes to faith and prayer, it's important to remember four things (well, I'm sure there's more than four but these are the four I'm going to mention :0) . . .
1. Just because we pray with great frequency and fervor doesn't mean we're going to get a "Yes" from God. All of our prayers should be subject to Matthew 26:39 where Jesus himself says, "Not my will but thine be done."
2. You don't need to have perfect faith for your prayers to be acceptable to God. Faith grows step by step, sometimes over a lifetime.
3. Ordinary Christians can move mountains. You may think it's the Billy Grahams or Joel Osteens or Joyce Meyers of the world who move mountains; but it's not just them. It's the rest of us too. When we are brought to our knees by impossible circumstances and find the strength to persevere through prayer, we can do things we never thought we could--for with God, all things are possible! (Matt 19:26).
4. And finally, "And if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing" (I Cor 13:2).

Does that make sense? Leave me a comment and let me know!
Allison

PS Mark's gospel also contains this story but in a slightly different order within the chapter. Five bonus points (like the points on "Whose Line is It Anyway?"!) if you read and compare and contrast Matthew's version with Mark's in 11:12-25. Does the interpretation seem the same?

PPS I would like to thank Douglas R.A. Hare and his commentary on the gospel of Matthew for his help in figuring all this out!

Excuses, Excuses Part II

Good morning! Happy Tuesday!

I will confess that I am a little behind in my reading. And today is the day that I'm going to catch up. So, don't feel bad if you fall behind too. You'll find time to catch up. In my Year of the Bible book, I mark off the chapters I've read. That way, when I get a chance, I go back and look at the ones I missed and read those. Just a tip from someone who is always a day late and a dollar short!

Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Mon, Jan 26: Peter asks Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me?” Jesus tells a parable as part of his answer. At the end of the story, what does the master do to the servant? (Matt 18)
Matthew 18:31-34 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. 32 "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

And here's today's question of the day:
Tues, Jan. 27: What is Moses disappointed about at the end of Exodus 5?

Remember, these answers are just what was in my mind as I was writing the question. It doesn't mean I'm right and you're wrong. I'd be interested in hearing from you if you disagree with me!

And here's today's reflection:
Excuses, Excuses Part II
I mentioned yesterday that someone told me she reads ahead because some parts of Genesis were so interesting. Well, now we're into the Exodus story and this is a serious page turner. It's one I can't stop reading.

As I read Exodus 5 and 6 this morning, I thought about what I wrote about excuses yesterday. Finally Moses gets up the courage to do what God is asking him to do and look what happens: his first mission is a failure. Not only does Pharaoh NOT let the Israelites being held in slavery go, but he INCREASES work associated with the brick production. And Moses is disappointed and maybe even a little bit angry. Exodus 5:22-23 Moses returned to the LORD and said, "O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all."

Things are not exactly going according to plan. Well, things aren't going according to Moses' plan at least. God hasn't given Moses all the details of His plan yet. But to Moses, he thinks he has done all God has asked him to and that God has let him down. In fact, if you didn't know the end of the story, it kinda looks like God set Moses up to fail, doesn't it? But God is not done yet. God's plan is much bigger than Moses realizes.

So it would seem that God is not a fan of taking shortcuts. He is not content to do things the easy way. And that is difficult for us to understand. How many times have we found ourselves in this situation? We finally put aside our excuses and say "Yes" to whatever it is God is calling us to do, and then BAM, on our first mission, we get shot down. We finally take that leap of faith, and just like Moses, we are disappointed when our situations don't change instantly.

We give up a lot more easily than God does. And praise the Lord for His mercy and patience with us!! You probably know the end of this story--you know God does deliver the Israelites from slavery eventually, BUT Moses and Aaron must endure a lot of disappointment and failure before Pharaoh changes his mind.

And this reminds me of the Canaanite woman from Sunday's sermon. She is a lesson in perseverance of faith. Even though in the disciples' eyes she was worthless because she broke all the rules, she knew God played by a different set of rules. She was persistent and her faith was rewarded.

When we take the leap of faith and it seems like we're failing, we need to be persistent. God's plan is always bigger than we can see. We can't give up just because we fail the first time. That is probably not the end of God's plan. There's still more to come. So, let me encourage you if you feel like you leapt out in faith and fallen flat. God is not done with you yet, just like He isn't finished with Moses yet in Exodus 6. God is just getting started with Moses--and he's just getting started with you and me. Don't give up now!

Keep the faith!
Allison

PS If you need some extra encouragement, just peek ahead in the Exodus story and see what God does through Moses. God wants to work through you too!

It's Friday!!

Good morning! The sun is shining and the weekend is close enough that you can smell it. Enjoy it!


Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Thurs, Jan. 22: When Jesus asks, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” what are the disciples’ answers? Who does Jesus say he is? (Matt 16)
Matthew 16:14 14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
Matthew 16:16 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

And here's today's question of the day:
Fri, Jan. 23: What did Joseph try to do as Israel was blessing his sons Ephraim and Manasseh? (Gen 48)


And here's the reflection of the day:
Another Kind of Test
Testing seems to be the theme of the week in our readings, doesn't it? But here we find a different kind of test. In this text, the Pharisees and Sadducees "came to Jesus and tested him" (Mt 16:1).

Now, it is proper for God to test us--in order to build up our faith. And the Bible tells us it is proper to test prophets in order to determine if they are true prophets or false prophets.

But, WE are not to put God to the test. Over and over again, the Bible warns us about putting God to the test. You should remember earlier in Matthew reading about Satan tempting Jesus in the desert. Tempting is the same as testing. And in that case, Jesus cites Deut. 6:16, saying, "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah."

But no one is to test God. By testing Jesus, the Pharisees and Sadducees are exposing their own lack of faith. Here the Pharisees and Sadducees are taking on the role of Satan; they are acting as an opponent of Jesus. As one commentary I read said they are, "seeking the heavenly ratification of his ministry that would render faith unnecessary" (Matthew, Interpretation, p 183.)

The disciples are warned against sign-seeking like the Pharisees and Sadducees. It seems that seeking a sign is similar to lacking faith, the chapter's theme which is reflected in the disciples' anxiety about not having enough bread. Jesus reminds them of how he has provided in the past, yet they still worry.

Instead of demanding signs, Jesus tells them they must remember. The disciples have seen the evidence for themselves--they have personal experience with God's provision. The disciples must REMEMBER God's provision and let that memory erase their anxieties.

Something for us think about today. . . do we remember God's provision or do our anxieties erase our memories?

Have a splendid day!
Allison