Hello! I'm actually on vacation this week, but that's no reason to stop reading the YOB and blogging, right? I thought so. Here we go. . .

Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Sun, Mar 1: What must a Nazirite abstain from eating and drinking? (Num 6)
Numbers 6:3-4 3 he must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or from other fermented drink. He must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. 4 As long as he is a Nazirite, he must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.

And here's the question of the day:
Mon, Mar 2: What group came to do their work at the Tent of Meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons? (Num 8)

And here's the reflection of the day:

We're going to Acts today, Acts 16 to be exact. It occurs to me that seeing a map of all the places Paul is traveling might be helpful to us. So I found this:

I'll add some other maps for the other missionary journeys in another post. Paul actually goes on three separate missionary journeys, with various accompanying people.

In Acts 16, we meet Timothy for the first time, Paul's partner on this journey. Timothy is a young man from a slightly complicated background. He actually is a perfect example of all of the hullabaloo that just happened at the Jerusalem Council about circumcision. So Timothy becomes a test case. Paul decides, if Timothy's going with him, that he needs to be circumcised "because of the Jews."

So, the spotlight is on Timothy. And he proves to be a good find and, in time, becomes one of the major leaders in the churches that Paul establishes. He is mentioned in several of Paul's letters and is the implied recipient of 1 and 2 Timothy, two of the so-called pastoral letters. (And, among the most important resources for organizing and nurturing a congregation.)

Timothy represents the variety of backgrounds found in Paul's day. Timothy is an uncircumcised believer, the son of a Jewish mother and a Greek father. His identity is Jewish through his mother, but he is the product of a mixed marriage; his birthright as a Jew is uncertain. He had not yet been circumcised--presumably because his Gentile father prevented Timothy from becoming fully Jewish.

So, Paul's decision to circumcise Timothy "because of the Jews who were in those places" (v 3) should be understood as their shared desire to continue good working relations between faithful Jews and Gentiles in the churches he is building. It is Paul's desire to keep the Jewish heritage alive in the new Christian faith so that other Jews, hearing the good news and believing, would be willing to convert.

Timothy is not the most obvious candidate as a missionary partner with Paul. It could be that Paul is less interested in his "religious credentials" and more interested in his mixed background, a very pragmatic solution to some very real problems he'll be facing. Timothy is one who handles the "being Greek" and "being Jewish" tension well, a tension that fills Paul's churches.

Maybe this passage has something to say to us about where we look for leaders in the church. Maybe we need to look for leaders whose personal histories and instincts that are well suited for the tasks at hand--kind of along the lines of the "Nazirite vows" I talked about in yesterday's post.

Just a thought. . .
Allison

Happy Saturday!

Sorry I'm not posting this first thing in the morning. I got up early to run to the store and then got a little busy copying bulletins since our bulletin-copy-er is down with shingles. But I'm here now and reading to reflect.


Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Feb. 27- Who was appointed to priests?
Numbers 3:10, “Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests.”

And here's the question of the day:
Feb. 28- What was the issue surrounding the Council of Jerusalem?


And here's the reflection of the day:
Everything was going to so well for Paul and Barnabas so far. The mission they were on is called the "Mission to the Gentiles" and so far they were having much success, as we have been reading in Acts (with the exception of that whole mistaken for Zeus and Hermes incident in ch 14!).

And then we read the first verse of Acts 15 that "some men" came to Antioch and they were causing trouble. These men were concerned that Paul and Barnabas were preaching to the Gentiles (aka non-Jews) and they were becoming believers. This is not what the men objected to--they knew that God's love applied to all the families on the earth. (Genesis 12:3: I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.")

So they were not opposed to gentiles being brought into the faith; what they objected to was that Paul and Barnabas did not insist that they be circumcised. The men wondered how could these converts be a part of the faith if they did not undergo circumcision, like Jesus himself who went through the ritual. So the men must have thought to themselves, "How dare Paul and Barnabas allow the converts to skip this sacred ritual!?"

Isn't this the way things go in the church? We're bouncing along just fine, everybody's faith is growing and we're all getting along. And someone, inspired by Holy Spirit, comes up with a great idea for the church. He or she is excited and passionate about how this event will bring people closer to God, and enthusiastically brings it to the governing board of the church, where it is promptly shot down for fear that the carpet will get messed up (or some other inane reason).
Suddenly faith is flat and the member is full of disappointment.

This is the situation the disciples find themselves in: things were going great guns and then things fall flat with the resistance from these "men" and the theological summit that happens at Jerusalem to address these issues. This is known as the Jerusalem Council. You can read for yourselves how the Jerusalem Council turns out and what they decide about circumcision with the converts.

One of the most difficult things a church can go through is a dispute over doctrine. This kind of conflict can be seen in most mainline denominations today. Church members can 1) flee from the conflict, stomping off in a huff never to return, 2) duke it out until no one is left standing, or 3) ignore the conflict and hope it goes away.

But these disciples chose a different option: they show how the gospel has given them all they need to work through whatever controversy arises without being destroyed by it. Luke doesn't spend time writing about churches which are too weak and timid to work through the problem; their stories wouldn't give the kind of hope that we have at the end of Acts 15.

So, the next time you are confronted with a controversy at church (or at home or at work or wherever), remember Paul and Barnabas and the Jerusalem Council. Remember that you have the gospel and with it comes the skills necessary to work through any conflict, without the conflict taking over.

Have a great day!
Allison