EGUMC Online Bible Study

1 John 1:1-2:2

2009-04-17T22:14:00.005-04:00

Join us for Worship
Next Sunday, April 19
at 8:30 or 10:00 A.M

"Life Together"

In the first letter of John, the writer declares his intention to tell what the early church has experienced; what they have heard and seen and touched "concerning the word of life." They have seen themselves in the light of Christ's presence. Sometimes it has not been pretty because in that light they have seen the shadows in their lives, but it had also revealed the deepest unity of their life together. How is their story our story? How can we experience the presence of the Risen Christ among us?

Please read 1 John 1:1-2:2

From the East Greenwich United Methodist Bulletin 4/12/09

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I John 1:1-2:2

We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us— we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

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Since it has been a quiet week … perhaps as weeks after Easter should be … I thought I would share some quotes from the Wesley Study Bible.

“First John was a significant text for John Wesley’s sermons, especially for those exploring themes of sin, salvation, and repentance. Wesley preached his sermon “The Great Privilege of Those That Are born of God” from 1 John 3:9, “Those who have been born of God do not sin.” For Wesley, those who continually dwell in God’s life, Spirit and grace, and who respond to these gifts of God with continuous praise, love, and prayer will not voluntarily transgress any commandment of God. This does not mean that believers will never sin but that while believers continue in complete fellowship with God, they will not willfully sin. From 1 John and other biblical texts, Wesley lays out his doctrine of Christian perfection in response to theological positions that argue that believers are saved but cannot be completely free from sin until death. … Loving others, as a reflection of the love of God grounds the believers in new life.”

-- From the Wesley Study Bible, page 1519

“How can we say that we love God when we live in and love the darkness? How can we say that we love God when we are leading others into darkness and taking up permanent residency there? How can we say that we love God when we refuse to confess our sins, refuse to forgive others, or refuse to be in fellowship with them because they have sinned against us? Are we afraid of the dark or afraid of the light? Before we can be the light, we mush see the light. God’s light saves, heals, cleanses and restores us despite our brokenness.”

-- From the Wesley Study Bible, page 1520.

“It is possible to live immersed in God’s light (1:7) and with one’s sin removed. This life is one of humble, close, active relationship with God rather than of bold claims of sinlessness. But if believers do sin, then they have Jesus to speak in their favor (2:1)”

-- From the Wesley Study Bible, page 1520.

Easter Meditation

2009-04-17T21:53:00.004-04:00

For those who did not know, Bill asked me to give the sermon for the ecumenical Easter sunrise service last Sunday. Last night at Church Council, he asked that I share my mediation. I preached without notes in front of me, so this isn't line for line what I said, but close enough:

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Sandy Point Beach
6:00 A.M.
Ecumenical service led by Baptist, Lutheran and Methodist churches of East Greenwich.

To get the full effect you should:

1. Print this out
2. Fill your bathtub up with ice cubes
3. Turn on a fan and/or air conditioner
4. Then stand in the ice filled bathtub while you read

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Scripture reading > Mark 16:1-8

16When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" 4When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. 5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you." 8So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

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BEFORE THERE WERE CHRISTIANS

Why are we here today?

It is cold.
It is dark.
It is early.
And we're tired.

In a few hours from now there will be a host of perfectly good churches that will be open with heat, coffee and places to sit.

So why are we here?

The answer is most likely different for each us.

Some are here because of tradition. We come because we always come. This is just where we are on Easter morning.

Some of us came to immerse ourselves in the deep metaphor of Easter – to come out in the midst of darkness and wait for the light to come.

Then there are those of us who may just really like Lent and see this as an opportunity to squeeze in some last minute suffering. [I pointed out that in 32 degree weather with wind-chill off the water, Bill was standing on the beach in a suit without coat, hat or gloves.]

Easter is generally a pleasant event. For some it is part of a three day weekend. As a whole people usually get up at a REASONABLE hour, have a cup of coffee and relax. If you have kids, there is a feeling of fun and excitement in the air as they hunt for eggs.

Then there is a nice breakfast and you head off to church – which is PACKED.

Now a packed church is a give and take situation. On one hand it is always great to have a full church. On the other hand, you walk in to find someone sitting in your regular seat.

But it's Easter … and you're a Christian … so you let it go. :)

There is a unique energy in the air. Hymns are charged with a little power and joy. We even taunt death itself as we sing out, "Where now is thy sting?"

Then you listen to the pastor's sermon … which you hope doesn't go on too long … and you look forward to a nice dinner with friends and family.

Each moment in a modern day Easter celebration seems to be an anticipation of something even better to follow.

However, it wasn't like that on the first Easter and I think we are here to remember the women who set out on that morning.

The names of the women who went to the tomb that morning depend on which Gospel you are reading. The names aren't important but the gospels talk about the women who watched Jesus be crucified on Friday. They spent the day watching him suffer. As the sun set, they watched his body taken down and followed with haste as he was brought to the tomb. They watched as the stone was rolled over the entrance and sealed. Then they hurried home before the sun set.

The Jewish Sabbath lasted from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday. During that time they were forbidden to do any work. For the next 24 hours they remained in prayer and sorrow.

When the sun set on Saturday they gathered up the spices and supplies they would need to prepare the body which was so hastily wrapped and placed on Friday. However, leaving for a tomb in the middle of the night was probably no more appealing than as it is now. Perhaps they forced themselves to sleep. Perhaps they were awake all night. Whatever the case, they left with haste at first light.

They didn't know exactly what they would do when they got there. On the way they discussed how the stone would be moved. Yet still they went, with urgency, compassion and love.

When they arrived, they found the stone moved and the tomb empty.

Now what happens next also depends on what Gospel you happen to be reading. I'll leave it to you to explore on your own. But perhaps more significantly we should ask what happens next for us?

For some of us this is a first stop before we go on to our individual churches later on this morning … each home of faith containing its own denominational flavor.

And denominational flavor is a good thing ...

It gives us a place where we can start to ponder the mystery of God. Our denominations give us different doors in which to enter and begin to wrap our minds around the eternal and the infinite.

Of course we get ourselves in trouble when we see our denominations as endings and not as beginnings. We get ourselves in trouble when we think, "We have found the one true church and everyone else is an idiot!"

At best we can laugh at our differences. At worst people have killed others over thinking differently. It is sad to think that we have such dark moments in human history and that some of that hatred continues today. [As a note, this paragraph didn't make it into the sermon. I had a last minute thought I had already gone in the darkness and I was trying to build it back up toward the light. I leave it here because I think it is something we must still consider.]

We need to think about the rich significance of this being an ecumenical service – led by Methodists, Baptists and Lutherans. Perhaps there are among those gathered here who are Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Congregationalist or Catholic.

I think it is important to reflect on the women who went to the tomb before we go to our homes of denominational differences. I think it is important to come here first because these women came BEFORE there were Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Catholics and Congregationalists … these women came before a time before there were even people known a “Christians.”

The women that morning did not set out to make a faith-based political statement. They were not acting out of a distinctive theology. They were followers of Jesus who observed suffering, spent a day in prayer and then set out with urgency, love and compassion. They knew there would be barriers before them, but still they went.

What would it be like each morning everyone who claimed to be a follower of Jesus woke up, contemplated the suffering in the world and spent time in prayer? What if we didn't worry about the obstacles that might come up? What would the world be like if each day Christians set out in a spirit of prayer, compassion and urgency … just like the women on that first Easter morn.

Amen.

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-Keith

Mark 16:1-8

2009-04-17T21:36:00.004-04:00

Join us for Worship
Next Sunday, April 12
at 8:30 or 10:00 A.M.

"Going Home"

Mark reports that after the Sabbath was over, when the women went to the tomb, they encountered a messenger who told them that Jesus was risen, "just as he told you." And, the messenger explained, "he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him." In other words, Jesus was going home. It is so ordinary. Why not go to the temple or some other holy place? But it is precisely in the ordinary and everyday events of life that Jesus promises to meet his disciples.

Please read Mark 16:1-8

From the East Greenwich United Methodist Church 4-5-09

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Mark 16:1-8

16When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" 4When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. 5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you." 8So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

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Thus ends the oldest of the Gospels. Most Bibles note that this is the ending in the earliest manuscripts of Mark. Later versions included verses 12-20.

Some notes from the New Interpreter' s Study Bible:

"Some of the most ancient authorities bring the book to a close at the end of verse 8. One authority concludes the book with the shorter ending and then concludes with verses 9-20."

The Shorter ending of Mark:

"And all that had been commanded them they told briefly to those around Peter. And afterward Jesus himself sent out through them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation."

"This one verse ended was added to a manuscript of Mark sometime after the 3rd century CE. In one manuscript where it appears, it directly follows 16:8 as the ending of the Gospel; in some manuscripts "the shorter ending" is followed by the "longer ending" and in a few manuscripts the "longer ending" is followed by this "shorter ending." Like the "longer ending," it changes failure into success to end the Gospel on a positive note. It uses language found nowhere else in the gospel of Mark. (sacred and imperishable proclamation, eternal salvation)" - New Interpreter' s Study Bible, page 1884

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The Longer Ending (Mark 16:9-20)

9Now after he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10She went out and told those who had been with him, while they were mourning and weeping. 11But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

12After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.

14Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. 16The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover."

19So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it."

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What does it do to the story if it just ended at this week's reading (verse 8)? Clearly it begs for something more. Jesus went ahead to Galilee, what then? Personally I like the "shorter ending." The "longer ending" gets a little weird for me around verse 18

18they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover."

Where did the whole snake handling and poison drinking thing come from? It just does not seem, as some of my friends like to say, very "Jesusy."

I know it is getting away from this week's passage, but I can't leave it alone.

William Barclay offers: "The Church is a Church of power. We need not take everything literally. We need not think that the Christian is literally to have the power to lift venomous snakes and drink poisonous liquids and take no harm. But at the back of this picturesque language there is the conviction that the Christian is filled with a power to cope and deal with a life that others do not and cannot possess." Barclay's commentary on the Gospel of Mark, page 390.

Neither the New Interpreter' s Bible nor New Interpreter' s Study Bible say anything about this strange portion of the passage (that has really spawned modern day snake handling churches – seriously they handle snakes in church).

I wonder though if it is reference back to the story God casting people out of Eden and saying to the serpent "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head and you will strike his heel." (Gen 3:15)

Perhaps the imagery here is to symbolically offer that, with the Risen Christ, "the snake" can no longer hurt man and that the strife between mankind and God has been mended and are now be let back into the Garden of Eden – a place where God resides with people. Too much of a stretch?

The Wesley Study Bible also offers a interesting comment on verses 14-15:

"14Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation."

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"The imperfections of the disciples do not prevent God's working through them. According to Wesley, God heals us of our imperfections and allows us to work in God's service: "For first, God works; therefore you CAN work. Secondly, God works; therefore you MUST work." (Sermon 85: "On Working Out Our Own Salvation)" – Wesley Study Bible, page 1235.

I think this comes back to the women at the tomb ... they were filled with terror and amazement and said nothing. They went not knowing what they would do when they got there (how they would move the stone) and left not knowing what to do with what they found. Yet still we have Christianity.

We have a two thousand year old tradition of imperfect disciples and yet the Church goes on. Sometimes that seems a miracle in itself.

2009-04-04T15:12:00.001-04:00

Join us for Worship
Next Sunday, April 5
at 8:30 or 10:00 A.M.

“Between a Rock and a Hard Place”

In Israel there are few more sacred places than the Mount of Olives. For Ultra Orthodox Jews, it is the place where the Messiah will appear. And for some Christians, it is the site of the second coming. When Jesus stood there, with the desert behind him, and the city in front of him, he was intentionally claiming his role as the Messiah. What can we learn from this historic moment?

Please read Mark 11:1-11

From the East Greenwich United Methodist Church Bulletin 3/29/09

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Mark 11:1-11

11When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples 2and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. 3If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’” 4They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, 5some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. 7Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. 8Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. 9Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,

“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
10Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

11Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

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I saw this video a few weeks back and have been saving it for this week ....

Marcus Borg: Palm Sunday

http://www.beliefne t.com/Video/ Holidays/ Easter/Marcus- Borg-Palm- Sunday.aspx

John 12:20-33

2009-04-04T14:59:00.003-04:00

Join us for Worship
Next Sunday, March 29
at 8:30 or 10:00 A.M.

"We Would See Jesus"

John writes that during the festival some Greeks came to Phillip and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Years ago it was not uncommon for that sentence to be engraved on the back of the pulpit, where only the preacher could read it, to remind him (preachers were all men in those days) that the task of preaching was to let people see Jesus. It is still a good reminder. But there is more to the text than the request made of Phillip. It is about Jesus' decision to follow the path that leads to the cross.

Please read John 12:20-33

From the East Greenwich United Methodist Bulletin 3/22/09

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John 12:20-33

20Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." 22Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

27"Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—`Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." 29The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." 30Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." 33He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.

Ephesians 2:1-10

2009-03-20T23:00:00.005-04:00

Join us for Worship
Next Sunday, March 22
at 8:30 or 10:00 A.M.

"Just the Way You Are"

In Martin Luther's famous declaration, we are justified by grace through faith. What does that mean for us in practical terms? Paul Tillich translated the biblical language of Paul through the theology of Martin Luther into terms that make sense to modern people. What it means, Tillich argued, is that we are accepted by God even though by every reasonable measure we are unacceptable. This interpretation of Paul's theology is at the center of the benediction I use every Sunday.

From the East Greenwich United Methodist Bulletin 3/15/09

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Ephesians 2:1-10

2You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else.

4But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— 9not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

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Recently I saw a you-tube video which made me think of Bill's benediction. Father Matthew Moretz is an Episcopal priest that has a variety of web videos that are frequently interesting. In this one he outlines the problem of the phrase "Love the sinner and hate the sin." He puts forth you can't really do that because the sin is part of who people are and when you direct your hate against someone's sin you inevitably direct your hate against the person. I think it relates to this passage because it really shows the necessity of loving the person "just the way they are."

http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=8JBYmdjBVag

It is probably not the intellectual message you might hear in a sermon but it is a GREAT video if you like Scrabble and/or monkeys.

Keith

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Hi Friends,

Our Sunday text is about grace. The Torah portion for this week is about Sabbath and the building of the temple. In the commentary I think we can see a connection between keeping Sabbath and resting in God's grace.

Shalom,

Bill

Exodus 35:1–40:38 / Exodus 12:1–20

March 21, 2009 / 25 Adar 5769

This week's commentary was written by Dr. Eitan Fishbane, assistant professor, Department of Jewish Thought, JTS.

"On six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Lord . . ."

So begins the speech of Moses to the Israelites in Parashat Va-yakhel. But the text almost immediately shifts to discuss the intricate details of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and its construction at great length, neglecting any elaboration on the opening commandment. This move leaves the reader wondering why Shabbat was mentioned here at all! Indeed, this strange juxtaposition is remarkably similar to last week's parashah (Ki Tissa). In that case, the Shabbat commandment is placed after remarks about the Mishkan—though there too its mention is brief and seemingly out of place.

Ever attentive to the subtleties of Scripture, the ancient Rabbis naturally were curious as to why the text made such a prominent link between these two commandments. Was the Torah seeking to teach us something implicit by setting the commandments of Shabbat and Mishkan together in the text? Given that the Bible is relatively sparing in its detail about the observance of Shabbat (in contrast to the astounding degree of extrapolation and elaboration in rabbinic law), the ancient Rabbis sought to found their reasoning for the positive and prohibitive Shabbat commandments on this intriguing, if remarkably sparse, biblical evidence.

In building the edifice of Shabbat as we know it, the Sages of the Mishnah and the Talmud argued that the melakhot (labors) that are prohibited on Shabbat derive from the various melakhot that were involved in the construction of the Mishkan and in the ongoing maintenance of its sanctity. This the Rabbis accomplish by linking the use of the word melakhah in Exodus 35:2 (as the prohibited action on Shabbat) to the extensive use of the same word throughout Exodus 35 and 36. The Rabbis themselves were aware of their bold act of interpretive justification for what was to become a massive array of legal arguments about the ritual practice of Shabbat. In the words of the Mishnah in Tractate Hagigah (1:8): "The laws of Shabbat are like mountains hanging by a hair, for they are based on a small amount of Scripture (mikra mu‘at) and there are a great many laws (halakhot merubot)."

This correlation between the Mishkan and Shabbat influenced generations of Jewish teachers, and I suggest that it has something profound to teach us about the spiritual life in our own day.

Abraham Joshua Heschel famously argued that with the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the Jews replaced sacred space with sacred time. "The Sabbaths are our great cathedrals," Heschel said. And even though the holy spaces of synagogue, home, and homeland retain their power as zones of the Divine Presence, it is the cyclical return to Shabbat—the great holy center of our weekly existence-that dominates the Jewish religious imagination and experience.

The melakhot are the behaviors and actions of the six days of the week; they are the ways of being in ordinary time; they must not be reenacted within the boundaries of sacred time. But just as these melakhot are the means by which the ideal sacred space is constructed (the Mishkan), so too are they the tools with which the holiness of time is built.

Let us pause to absorb that paradox.

On Shabbat we are instructed to refrain from all the labors that we perform during the week. We set aside our wallets and our to-do lists; we take a break from our cell phones and the frenzy of our workdays; we breathe deeply from that transformed air of rest. On Shabbat we seek to return to the simplicity of being—we step outside of the hustle of buying and striving, we come home to the peace beyond the roar of the marketplace. And yet, our lives during the six days of the week are critical to the construction of holiness—the work we do in the world is that which prepares us, as individuals and as a community, for the wonder and mystery of Shabbat.

Like the melakhot that built the Mishkan, the labors of ordinary time may themselves be seen as dimensions of a spiritual process, a sacred task and discipline in which the vessel of Shabbat is built in our souls again and again; the melakhot of the workweek are an integrated effort aimed at the tikkun ha-kli (fixing and completing the vessel) of Shabbat. And just as the labors of the Mishkan sought to provide a fitting dwelling place for God in this world, so too are the labors of our workweek aimed at making us (and our community) ready to receive the sublime glow of Shabbat.

All week long we go about the tasks and behaviors of ordinary time. How might we bring a new Shabbat-consciousne ss into that daily life? How might we understand the challenges of work and family as an ongoing process of spiritual development? In what ways do our everyday actions prepare us to come before God on Shabbat?

The Hasidic masters teach us that this vessel of holiness is to be found in our innermost hearts, the sacred place where an enduring spark of Divinity lies beneath the surface of perception. It waits there for us to ignite the devotional fire in our souls, to transform our experience of life as mundane with the flames of spiritual hitlahavutmelakhot of our workweek become not just burdens to be borne, but openings into spiritual discipline; when these labors of the ordinary are infused with a mindfulness of their sacred goal, then we truly prepare the vessel of our hearts to receive the influx of Shabbat and its (the fiery love of God). When the sacred light. As R. Tzadok ha-Kohen of Lublin asserts, if a person prepares the self to serve as a kli mahzik ha-kedushah (a vessel that holds holiness), that person will experience the indwelling of Divine blessing in a fundamentally different way. The life of melakhah thus serves as a mode of spiritual preparation and direction—all week long we must work at constructing the kli of our selves so that Shabbat can be received as the true gift of Presence that it is.

Seen this way, the sacred space of the Mishkan has been internalized as the chamber of Shabbat holiness contained in the human heart and soul. Such is the way that R. Yehudah Aryeh Leib of Ger (the Sefat Emet) transforms the prophecy of Ezekiel regarding the future restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem. This text, drawn from Ezekiel 45 and 46, is the special haftarah for this week-Shabbat ha-Hodesh. This is the Shabbat that anticipates the coming of Rosh Hodesh Nisan, the month in which we will celebrate the holiday of Passover.

Speaking about that reconstructed space, the prophet states (Ezek. 46:1): "Thus says the Lord God: The gate of the inner court (sha‘ar he-hatzer ha-penimit) which faces east shall be closed on the six working days; it shall be opened on the Sabbath day (u-ve-yom ha-shabbat yipateah) and it shall be opened on the day of the new moon (u-ve-yom ha-hodesh yipateah)." The Sefat Emet radically reinterprets the vision of Ezekiel to be a reflection of the inner spiritual life; the Hasidic teacher asserts that this "inner court" is a reference to the innermost point of Divine Light and Presence in the human heart. The sacred space of the envisioned Temple is transferred to the inwardness of the person, and ready access to that sublime place of Divine indwelling is only opened on Shabbat and Rosh Hodesh (the first of the month).

During the six days of ordinary time, we often experience that inner courtyard of the heart as closed and difficult to penetrate; the Sanctuary of our innermost soul is obstructed by the distractions of mundane concerns, by our obsession with the superficialities of materiality, vanity, and excessive pride. It is a struggle to overcome that feeling of distance from the sacred, from the vibrant Presence of God. But it is not insurmountable, and indeed if we seek to cultivate a spiritual consciousness during ordinary time, if we engage in the process of tikkun ha-kliMishkan and the Mikdash of old thereby become the mysterious dimensions of Divine indwelling within us—the human heart is recast as the Temple renewed. (preparing the vessel of our selves to receive the influx of sacred Shabbat energies), then we will be able to open the gates to our inner soul, to transform ourselves into sanctuaries and vessels worthy of the Divine Presence. The

It is in this spirit that we might reinterpret the meaning of Exodus 35:5. Immediately following the brief mention of Shabbat in verses 2 and 3 and the opening remarks about the building of the Mishkan, Moses delivers this command to the people: "Take from among you gifts to the Lord (kehu mei-itkhem terumah); everyone whose heart so moves him (kol nediv libbo)." To be sure, the literal meaning of the text exhorts the Israelites to bring heartfelt gifts to beautify the Mishkan. But let us read this verse as a kind of spiritual direction: kehu mei-itkhem terumah—bring forth the gift of your heart in service to God, lift the essence of your self up (mei-itkhem) in complete devotion. These are the gifts of self that build the Mishkan, and they are also the efforts and labors of the workweek with which we build the vessel of Shabbat. The ordinary actions that we undertake during the week—whether they be efforts to improve our community and society, or whether they be labors to sustain our families—if they are performed with a pure and loving heart, with a wholeness of heart and soul (kol nediv libbo), these make us ready to enter before God in holiness, to receive the kedushah of Shabbat

I Corinthians 1:18-25

2009-03-20T22:34:00.005-04:00

Join us for Worship

Next Sunday, March 15
at 8:30 or 10:00 A.M.

"The Foolishness of God"

"The message of the cross, "writes Paul, "is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." It is classic Pauline theology, a brilliant exposition of God's wisdom revealed in something that appears to be foolishness. Beyond the soaring rhetoric and the intellectual gymnastics, Paul is saying something quite profound about the nature of God and the difficulty of translating God's grace and wisdom into human terms.

Please read I Corinthians 1:18-25

From the East Greenwich United Methodist Bulletin 3-8-09

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I Corinthians 1:18-25

18For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." 20Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. 22For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.

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On 3/14/09 Bill posted to the online study:

Hi All,

This text also comes up in Epiphany. The sermon below is from January of 1996. Since I'm going in a very different direction tomorrow, I thought I would send this out as well.

Bill

“THE FOOLISHNESS OF GOD”

A Sermon by

Rev. Dr. William C. Trench

North United Methodist Church

Manchester, CT

January 28, 1996

“The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,

but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

I Corinthians 1:18

Today is Super Bowl Sunday. Which is a great day for foolishness. I am convinced that Paul would not have thought Christianity was so foolish if he had ever seen the Super Bowl. Did you that the number of people in church this morning will be approximately equal to the number of people watching the Super Bowl this afternoon? That’s true. But you wouldn’t guess that from the television and newspaper coverage. You’d think everybody was watching the Super Bowl.

People will bet about 6 billion dollars on the Super Bowl. That’s the amount they expect to be bet illegally with bookies. It works out to about $24 for every man, woman and child in the United States of America. That is foolishness on a grand scale.

I saw a news report this week, actually it was a promo for an alleged news story, on “Football: America’s New Religion.” And to think Paul was worried that Christianity was foolish. I never saw the report, but I saw the promo on “Good Morning America,” which I do not usually watch. Although, to be honest, if I did watch it, I wouldn’t admit it in public.

I was watching Good Morning America because Elaine’s mother called on Thursday night to tell me that on Friday there would be a segment on Ice Biking which had been filmed at Sewell Pond on Arrowsic Island, which is right next to Georgetown (Maine, where we have a summer place). And that it would feature Davis Carver, a friend, who owns a bike shop in Woolwich and who used to be a legitimate road cyclist but now has fallen away and committed the apostasy of mountain biking. In ice biking, they take mountain bikes and put studs in the tires and then race them on frozen ponds (which some people might think is further evidence that Christianity is not as foolish as Paul thought).

While I was waiting for 35 seconds of Sewell Pond and Davis Carver, and even a brief shot of his bike shop, I saw the promo about “Football: America’s New Religion, and I also saw a feature story on some quints and their parents. The quints are doing great. The camera zoomed in and host Charles Gibson made appropriate cooing sounds, and then he asked for their names. Sarah, Hannah, and Elizabeth were the girls, Jonathan and Joshua were the boys. “I just love the names,” he said, “how did you choose them?”

“The names are all from the Bible,” said the mom, “Sarah, Hannah and Elizabeth were all Godly women who were barren, who couldn’t have children. But they remained faithful, and eventually they were blessed with children.” Then she became too emotional to continue and the dad went on, “Jonathan and Joshua were men,” said the dad, “who were called by God to do things that seemed impossible.”

I love the names, too. Could there possibly be greater evidence of God’s foolishness than Sarah and Hannah and Elizabeth? Who would choose Sarah to be the mother of God’s chosen people? Or Hannah to anoint the kingdom of David? Or Elizabeth to open the New Testament?

Elizabeth has been one of my favorite biblical characters for years. I remember reading about Elizabeth and Zechariah, particularly, eleven years ago during Advent. Their story seemed so poignant, so personally painful.

Elaine and I were married when we were quite young. I was twenty and she was nineteen. But it took us a long time, over ten years, to decide that we wanted to have children. And once we decided, we figured that it would happen right away. But it didn’t. And eventually, we began to think that it never would.

It’s not something you can talk about with very many people. And to be honest, if you do talk with people, even fairly caring people, most of them are amazingly insensitive. Most people simply cannot relate to it.

I found that Advent, eleven years ago, that I could barely read the texts at home or in worship without being overcome with emotion. But those texts took on a whole different character only a few weeks later, when we discovered Elaine was expecting. And then this past Advent, when we lit the Advent wreathe at home, and Carolyn (our daughter) read those texts, we heard them as if for the first time.

How wonderful it is that Luke begins his magnificent Gospel with Zechariah and Elizabeth, two old people hanging around the church. We all know that nothing ever happens with old people hanging around the church. What could be more foolish than Elizabeth and Zechariah stubbornly persisting in foolish prayers for something which is clearly impossible. And then when their prayer is answered, Zechariah cannot believe it! They have been praying for this for twenty years at least, and when in finally happens, Zechariah, the faithful old priest cannot believe it. What an appropriate beginning for the gospel!

Of course, not all prayers are answered, at least not in the way we want.

Recently, Elaine’s Sunday School class was studying prayer. And one of the kids said simply, “I don’t believe in prayer.” After a short pause, the youngster went on, “It doesn’t work! When my hamster was sick, I prayed that he would get better. And he died. So I know that prayer doesn’t work.”

What a painful experience it is for kids to lose a pet! But the thing is, that prayer is not supposed to “work” in any normal sense that things work. If prayer were magic, then we would expect to say the words, the right words, and get the desired result. Magic is supposed to manipulate and control the natural world. But prayer is the very opposite. Prayer is not about control, but about mystery. Prayer is about offering up to God, about letting go.

If prayer worked like magic, then Will Clevenger and Tony Reed and my father-in-law, among others, would still be alive. If prayer worked like magic, then Ben would get better, and Bruce Lane wouldn’t have Alzheimer’s, and Carolyn would have perfect hearing.

But prayer is not supposed to control God, or the natural world. Prayer is founded on the foolish notion that when we give our problems to God we are giving ourselves into the mystery of God’s care, and opening ourselves to God’s amazing grace.

Claire Arnold died this week. We had a wonderful funeral service for her. All four of her sons spoke of their remembrances of “mother.” Three daughters-in- law told how she had been like a mother to them, and a neighbor remembered happy days playing in her kitchen. Did you know that Claire was a welder at Pratt & Whitney?

In the obituary in the paper it listed children and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and then there was this simple line: “predeceased by a grandson, Raymond Arnold.” Five years ago Raymond and his fiancee were murdered by her former boyfriend, who had a history of violence. Maybe you read about it in the paper. Claire’s son, and Raymond’s father, Dave, was asked during the trial if he thought the man who killed his son should get the death penalty. “No,” he said, “that wouldn’t bring Raymond back.” Then he went on to say, of his son’s killer, “I’ve forgiven him.”

I talked with Dave about that, and I told him how proud Claire had been of his generous spirit and his quiet witness. “I gave that to God right away,” he said, “I had to ...” Then he told me that he had tried to reach out to the girl’s parents, who were consumed with bitterness. “I couldn’t live that way,” he said, “I knew that if I didn’t give it to God right away, it would destroy me.”

I remember when Will Clevenger was dying, he told me he was worried that because he was not getting better, some people might be losing faith because their prayers were not “working.” “Tell them that’s not true,” he said, “I know their prayers have helped. I’ve had 2 and a half years. “Most of the time I’ve been fairly healthy. And I’ve had time with Cathy.” You may remember that Cathy was three years old when Will was first diagnosed, and five and a half when he died.

I was, and I am, amazed by his brave strength. I confess, I don’t want to find out whether I could be as strong in that kind of situation. It is foolishness to talk that way, to see good in a situation which clearly is evil. It is foolishness, but to those who are being saved, it is the very power of God.

I have thought many times of a friend in Providence, Audie Jennings, who had breast cancer and two young children. I remember talking with Audie and her husband, Bill. We prayed, and cried, and we even laughed a little. After she was home from the hospital, she stood up in church one Sunday because she wanted to thank people for their support. She said, “You know, this has been a great experience!” And then she laughed at herself for saying something so foolish. Of course, she didn’t mean that it was an experience she would have chosen for herself, or that it was something she would wish on anyone else. But she was convinced that she had been blessed by the support of others, and she felt that she had grown in faith.

Pastor Ben is dying. At least that is what he thinks. And that is what his doctors think. Last Monday morning, when he was still in the hospital, his doctor returned from the weekend and greeted him with surprise. “I didn’t expect you to still be here,” he said, “I thought that you would be in your heavenly home by now!” “Well,” said Ben, with a twinkle in his eye, “I like to keep them guessing.”

Through it all, Ben remains himself. He is relentlessly upbeat and positive. Quent was there when I was visiting on Friday, and Ben went on about how wonderful the nursing home was. “The nurses are so thoughtful and compassionate!” he said. “They come whenever you call, and they never mind doing what needs to be done. And the food is wonderful!”

The nurses may be just as caring as Ben says, but I know that the food is not “wonderful.” It is foolishness to talk that way, isn’t it?

But it is also, in fact, the very power of God.

Matthew 6:19-7:28

2009-03-02T11:23:00.004-05:00

Join us for Worship
Next Sunday, March 8
at 8:30 or 10:00 A.M.

"What Would Jesus Do?"

In this last section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus outlines the basics of his social teachings. The sayings here are more general than what we will find at the end of Mark's gospel, and they are not as obviously political as the teachings recorded by Luke. But they give us a foundation for Christian Social Ethics. He is not just telling us what is right and what is wrong, but how to approach questions of right and wrong. Rather than a list of "do's and don'ts," he gives us
a guide to answering life's most critical questions.

Please read Matthew 6:19-7:28

==============

Matthew 6:19-7:28

19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22"The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; 23but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24"No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31Therefore do not worry, saying, `What will we eat?' or `What will we drink?' or `What will we wear?'

32For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34"So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today.

7"Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. 2For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. 3Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? 4Or how can you say to your
neighbor, `Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while the log is in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye. 6"Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you.

7"Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 8For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 9Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? 10Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? 11If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

12"In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets. 13"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. 14For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it. 15"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? 17In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus you will know them by their fruits.

21"Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22On that day many will say to me, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?' 23Then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.' 24"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. 26And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!" 28Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching,

Matthew 6:1-18

2009-03-02T11:13:00.010-05:00

Join us for Worship
Next Sunday, March 1
at 8:30 or 10:00 A.M.

"What Defines Your Life?"

Disciples are known by the way they live. Jesus looks at three practices that are central to his understanding of discipleship: almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. In each case, he affirms the centrality of the practice while introducing a new methodology and a new meaning. What can Jesus' approach to these ancient disciplines teach us about how we should practice our faith? How can the wisdom of two thousand years ago be relevant for us in our time?

Please read Matthew 6:1-18

From the East Greenwich United Methodist Bulletin 2-22-09

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Matthew 6:1-18

"Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. "So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

"Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

"And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 5:17-20, 43-48

2009-02-16T09:52:00.014-05:00

Join us for Worship
Next Sunday, February 22
at 8:30 or 10:00 A.M.

“In a Perfect World”

Jesus tells his disciples that he did not come to abolish the Torah, he came to fulfill it. He introduces a new method of biblical interpretation, which is deeper and more demanding than anything they have heard before. Then he goes on to explain what that means in six different and highly controversial examples. What can this teach us about our approach to scripture and about the demands that God’s Word puts on our lives?

Please read Matthew 5:17-20, 43-48

From the East Greenwich United Methodist Bulletin 2-15-09

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Bill noted in an email to our online Bible study:

In the description of next week's sermon in the bulletin, I said that Jesus gave six controversial examples of how he would reinterpret the scripture. But if you have read the passage, you may wonder how I ever counted six. The six examples are found in chapter five, but in the Sunday service, we will skip verses 21 to 42.

I have pasted the whole section below.

The examples are:

1. Murder

2. Adultery

3. Divorce

4. Swearing of oaths

5. Retributive Justice

6. Love of enemies

Shalom,

Bill

==================================================================

Matthew 5:17-48

¹⁷“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. ¹⁸For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. ¹⁹Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

²¹“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ ²²But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. ²³So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. ²⁶Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

²⁷“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell. ³¹“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³²But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

³³“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ ³⁴But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, ³⁵or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

³⁸“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; ⁴⁰and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; ⁴¹and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. ⁴²Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.

⁴³“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. ⁴⁶For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? ⁴⁸Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5:1-16

2009-02-16T08:56:00.010-05:00

Join us for Worship
Next Sunday, February 15
at 8:30 or 10:00 A.M.

“Beginning at the Center”

The Sermon on the Mount is at the beginning of Jesus’ teachings in Matthew, but it is also at the center of his message. Over the next four weeks we will look closely at the Sermon on the Mount as a congregational Bible Study that will bring us into the season of Lent. Matthew presents Jesus’ teachings in four parts: Blessings and Sayings, Notes on the Interpretation of Scripture, Discipleship Practices, and Social Ethics. We will begin with the blessings commonly called “The Beatitudes.”

Please read Matthew 5:1-16

From the East Greenwich United Methodist Bulletin 2-8-09

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Matthew 5:1-16

5When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.4“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. 14“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

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The traditional view of the Beatitudes is generally that these are pronouncements of the coming of the Kingdom where there will be an end to suffering and it will be a place where righteousness, mercy, and peace will be valued. It is a message of hope to those who are oppressed. It is a message that this time has come with Jesus and his ministry.

I have often thought that "blessings" meant the presence of God, so if we are looking for God we should look where God "hangs-out" with the poor in spirit, in those who mourn, the meek, the righteous, the merciful, the pure in heart and the peacemakers. In this way it isn't just about waiting for God in the FUTURE it is about God being present NOW.

When reading the New Interpreter's Bible commentary I came across basic idea of the traditional view, but I also found several views that were new to me. I'm sure I have read this commentary before but this time it really stuck me as new and insightful. The original commentary was five pages long. I boiled it down to the parts that I liked.

"Most scholars agree that the core of the beatitudes goes back to the historical Jesus, who reversed the general value system by pronouncing blessing on the poor, the hungry and those who weep." (The New Interpreter's Bible VIII, page 176)

"The many allusions to Isa 61:1-11 in the beatitudes relate them to prophetic speech, and indirectly cast Jesus in the role of "the anointed one" of Isa 61:1. In the narrative context of the Sermon on the Mount, the speaker is more than a prophet, he is the Son of God and Lord of the church, already seen from the post-Easter perspective. The beatitudes, therefore, are not observations about reality that others of lesser insight had simply overlooked, such as the truths of mathematics or logic. They are true on the basis of the authority of the one who speaks." (The New Interpreter's Bible VIII, page 177)

*** I pasted Isa 61:1-11 at the end if you would like to read it.

** This next passage was a new thought for me to consider -- not seeing the beatitudes as individual statements about individual types of people but as talking about a whole group of people ...

"The nine pronouncements are thus not statements about general human virtues" most appear exactly the opposite to common wisdom. Rather, they pronounce blessing on authentic disciples in the Christian community. All the beatitudes apply to one group of people, the real Christians of Matthew's community. They do not describe nine different kinds of good people who get to go to heaven, but are nine declarations about blessedness, contrary to all appearances of the eschatological community living in anticipation of God's reign. Like all else in Matthew, they are oriented to life together in the community of discipleship, not to individual ethics." (The New Interpreter's Bible VIII, page 178)

"In Isa 61:1-11, on which the beatitudes are based, the community laments the desolation of the holy city. This is the community that does not resign itself to the present condition of the world as final, but laments the fact that God's kingdom has not yet come and God's will is not yet done." (The New Interpreter's Bible VIII, page 179)

Here is some interesting commentary on the individual beatitudes (obviously subject to the commentator's interpretation). I thought they were intriguing new ways to look at some of them:

Blessed are the poor ... "not only refers to literal poverty, but also connotes the lack of arrogance and sense of one's own need. Luke's beatitudes emphasizes the literal, economic dimension. Matthew's addition of "in spirit" shifts the emphasis, but does not exclude literal poverty. . . . From the time of the composition of the Psalms, "the poor" had been understood as the characterization of the true people of God, those who know their lives are not in their own control and they are dependent on God. "Poor in Spirit makes this explicit." (The New Interpreter's Bible VIII, page 178)

Blessed are those who mourn . . . "It is not in their mourning as such that persons will receive the eschatological blessing, Matthew here taps into the deep biblical tradition that one of the characteristics of the true people of God is that they lament the present condition of God's people and God's program in the world." (The New Interpreter's Bible VIII, page 178)

Blessed are the meek . . . "Since "meek" and "gentle," is a key Matthean word that characterizes the reversal of this-worldly idea of kingship, Matthew may have formulated this saying himself. "Meekness" is here a synonym for "poor in spirit" It is not a particular attitude one is urged to adopt but characterizes those who are aware of their identity as the oppressed people of God in the world, those who have renounced the violent methods of this-worldly power." (The New Interpreter's Bible VIII, page 179)

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness . . ."persons who hunger and thirst for righteousness are not those who merely long to be personally pious or idealistic dreamers or do-gooders, but, like those of 5:4, they are persons who long for the coming of God's kingdom and the vindication of right, which will come with it, and who on the basis of this hope actively do God's will now." (The New Interpreter's Bible VIII, page 179)

Blessed are the merciful - . . . "Here Matthew uses the word for "mercy" (eleemon) which refers to concrete acts of mercy rather than merely a merciful attitude. As already illustrated by Joseph's actions in the open scene of the Gospel (by accepting a pregnant Mary as his wife), Matthew does not understand "justice" and "mercy" to be alternatives. They key role mercy plays in Matthew's theology is illustrated by his twice adding "I desire mercy, not sacrifice"(from Hos 6:6) to his sources at 9:13 and 12:7. In none of the beatitudes is advice being offered for getting along in this world, where mercy is more likely to be regarded as a sign of weakness than to be rewarded in kind." (The New Interpreter's Bible VIII, page 179)

Blessed are the pure in heart . . . "not merely the avoidance of "impure thoughts," (though that comes up later on) but refers to the single minded devotion to God appropriate for monotheistic faith. Having an "undivided heart" (Psalm 86:11) is the corollary of monotheism, and requires that there be something big enough and good enough to merit one's whole devotion, rather than the functional polytheism of parceling oneself out to a number of loyalties." (The New Interpreter's Bible VIII, page 179)

Blessed are the "peacemakers" . . . "The pre-70 Q community continued Jesus' own anti-militarist preaching. Their discipleship may be reflected in the tradition that the Jewish Christians of Palestine refused to fight in the 66-70 war against Rome. The Roman emperors called themselves "peacemakers" and "Sons of God." "Peacemakers" does not connote a passive attitude, but positive actions for reconciliation. Since military conflict was not directly part of Matthew's situation, he may have applied peacemaking to reconciliation of conflicting religious and cultural groups." (The New Interpreter's Bible VIII, page 180 )

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Isaiah 61:1-11

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; 2to proclaim the year of the Lordâ€™s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3to provide for those who mourn in Zionâ€” to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.

4They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. 5Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, foreigners shall till your land and dress your vines; 6but you shall be called priests of the Lord, you shall be named ministers of our God; you shall enjoy the wealth of the nations, and in their riches you shall glory. 7Because their shame was double, and dishonor was proclaimed as their lot, therefore they shall possess a double portion; everlasting joy shall be theirs. 8For I the Lord love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.

10I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 11For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.

Isaiah 40:21-31

2009-02-01T21:11:00.004-05:00

Join us for Worship
Next Sunday, February 8
at 8:30 or 10:00 A.M.

“When Hope Is All You Have”

What do you do when everything you hold sacred is turned upside down? What do you do when you believe that you are God’s Chosen People and yet your country has been overrun and you have been driven into exile far from the Promised Land? In precisely those circumstances, the Prophets responded with one of Israel’s greatest gifts to the world: the concept of hope. Hope was their response to the theological emergency of exile. What can we learn from them about living with difficulties?

Please read Isaiah 40:21-31

From the East Greenwich United Methodist Bulletin 2/1/09

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Isaiah 40:21-31

²¹Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? ²²It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in; ²³who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing. ²⁴Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows upon them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. ²⁵To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One. ²⁶Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing.

²⁷Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? ²⁸Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. ²⁹He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. ³⁰Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; ³¹but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Mark 1:21-29

2009-01-28T00:33:00.018-05:00

Join us for Worship
Next Sunday, February 1
at 8:30 or 10:00 A.M.

“Angels and Demons”

Demons. Over and over, Mark tells stories of people possessed by demons and how Jesus frees them from their affliction. Since most modern people don't believe in demons, these stories may appear strangely anachronistic. What was really going on? Why are these stories told? How do these strange experiences speak to us?

Please read Mark 1:21-29

From the East Greenwich United Methodist Bulletin 1/25/09

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Mark 1:21-29

21They went to Capernaum ; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 25But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee .

29As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.

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Posted 2/01/09

Sunday 9:00 A.M. Bible Study

I am part of a great Bible study group which meets on Sunday morning from 9:00 A.M.– 10:00 A.M. (before the first service). In the past we have discussed a variety of topics but right now we are focusing our discussions around the weekly scripture readings (i.e the same passages we use for our on-line study). Although I always enjoy our discussions, I thought this week’s was particularly rich.

First a little about our group:

Depending on the number of people we have, we meet either in the junior high room or senior high room in the church’s education wing. The two rooms are right next to each other and we try to keep the doors open so if you are looking for us, just listen for the sound of conversation.

The number of people attending varies from week to week. We usually have at least 5 people participating. Today was a particularly big group of 12. New people are always welcome and we really are an open door group.

Some people, like those us who have to bundle up three small children and then unload them plus their “stuff,” find 9:00 to be a bit of a struggle and tend to run in a little late (though we try … we really, really try to be there on time). We are very thankful for those who provide child care. Rob, who teaches the senior high group, doesn’t get to hear the sermon at the second service so he listens to the sermon at the first service and then leaves that service early to join us around 9:15. If you are someone who usually goes to the 8:30 service (and you don’t want to leave early), you are welcome to come in after the service is over. Some people leave our group early to go to choir practice or to be ushers. Some people come with a spouse. Some people come by themselves. You are welcome to come every week or just on weeks that you feel particularly moved by the reading.

You would think that this is very chaotic with people coming and going. Somehow it isn’t. It’s like riding on a train. There are times when the train stops for a moment to allow people to get on and off, but the train keeps running! There are regular commuters and there are “day trippers.” Some people are chatty. Others just like to sit back and listen. It just works. I don't think you will find another group like it.

As I mentioned, this week I thought we had a particularly great discussion. I couldn’t possibly relate the entire conversation but here are a few highlights:

Tim brought in the two emails Bill posted this week to share and we discussed a little about issues and ideas surrounding them.

We talked about literal evil and the figurative nature of demons.

We discussed that maybe the unclean spirit is just a literary device that fits in with the rest of the identifications and that it is just a symbol of Jesus’ authority.

In discussing Bill’s post about the person with the drinking problem who went to the monk, we talked about that we didn’t always need to “get it” or explain it. Maybe there are literal demons and a literal Satan. Maybe it is all just a metaphor. You don’t have to get it or have all the answers, you just keep following the important stuff. This also related to last week’s discussion of following before understanding. You go where it feels right to go.

There are some people who come to our group discuss the different ideas and different ways to think about the scripture passage. Some people said they come to the group just because it feels good to come. The discussions are interesting but some people come because it just feels right.

There is a distinct possibility that the study of theology was created for an excuse to sit around and drink coffee before church.

An interesting question that came up around why Jesus said “Be quiet ... ” to the unclean spirit. Maybe it was in line with other passages in which Jesus is preserving his identity while he was building up his ministry. Maybe it was a call for the person to quiet his doubts and to open his mind. (The passage “Be still and know I am God” seems to echo that feel).

Who is the “us” in the "Have you come to destroy us” in the passage? Was it the community who were gathered there in the synagogue in Capernaum or was it the “forces of evil” collectively speaking?

The person with the unclean spirit spoke out at the synagogue after Jesus had “taught with authority.” What was the outcry of the unclean spirit in reaction to something that Jesus taught?

Was the outcry of the man with the unclean spirit a matter of immediate intuitive identification of the man, a supernatural identification of the spirit or a specific response to what Jesus said? In the gospels Jesus often turns around people’s understanding of scripture to consider a new way of life, but we don’t know what he says here. Did Jesus provoke the “demon of intolerance” by going against the man's pre-established belief structure? Did Jesus say something outside of the man’s comfort zone of belief or way of life?

I will post the new scripture reading for this week later on tonight. However if you would like to respond to any of the ideas above, please feel free to do so. Also, if you feel so inclined, join us in the junior/senior high room on Sunday mornings. Drop in any time between 9:00-10:00.

Mark 1:14-20

2009-01-28T00:32:00.008-05:00

Join us for Worship
Next Sunday, January 25
at 8:30 or 10:00 A.M.

"Leaving It All Behind"

According to Mark, Jesus' message is very simple. "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news." What is it about that simple message that made it so compelling that James and John would "immediately" leave everything to follow him? How does that message speak to us in our time?

Please read Mark 1:14-20

From the East Greenwich United Methodist Bulletin 1/18/09

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Mark 1:14-20

14Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” 16As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 17And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” 18And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.

I Samuel 3:1-20

2009-01-28T00:31:00.016-05:00

Join Us for Worship
Next Sunday, January 18
at 8:30 or 10:00 AM

“A Voice in the Night”

Samuel is only a little boy when he hears the voice of God. He is “ministering to the Lord under Eli” when he hears a voice. At first he assumes that Eli must be calling to him, but he goes to the old man and finds out that the voice does not belong to Eli, it belongs to God.

And the word he receives is a word of judgment against his mentor. Speaking truth to power is always difficult, and even more so in Samuel’s case. What can the story of Samuel and Eli teach us about the role of the prophet?

Please read I Samuel 3:1-20

From the East Greenwich United Methodist Bulletin 1/11/09

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I Samuel 3:1-20

3Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread. ²At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; ³the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. ⁴Then the Lord called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!” ⁵and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. ⁶The Lord called again, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” ⁷Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. ⁸The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. ⁹Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. ¹⁰Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

¹¹Then the Lord said to Samuel, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. ¹²On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. ¹³For I have told him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. ¹⁴Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering forever.” ¹⁵Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. ¹⁶But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” He said, “Here I am.” ¹⁷Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” ¹⁸So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then he said, “It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.”

¹⁹As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. ²⁰And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord.

Genesis 1:1-5

2009-01-28T00:30:00.005-05:00

Join Us for Worship

Next Sunday, January 11

at 8:30 or 10:00 A.M.

“Darkness and the Face of the Deep”

The images are beyond our imaginations. Spirit on the water, darkness on the face of the deep. Chaos and void, and then light and order, and eventually, life. What does it mean to say that God is creator? How do we make sense of this epic story of our cosmic beginning? And how can this theological perspective be reconciled with modern science?

Please read Genesis 1:1-5

From the East Greenwich United Methodist Bulletin 1/4/09

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Genesis 1:1-5

1In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.

3Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Ephesians 3:1-12

2008-12-30T23:40:00.010-05:00

Next Sunday, January 4

Dr. Trench will preach at

8:30 and 10:00 A.M.

“The Meaning of Life”

The first Sunday of the New Year is a good time to stop and reflect. And no one provides better guidance for our reflections then the Apostle Paul. For Paul, the meaning of life is found in the gift of Christ, “the mystery hidden for all ages in God who created all things.” What does that mean for us as we try to make sense of our own lives?

Please read Ephesians 3:1-12

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Ephesians 3:1-12

3This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— 2for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, 3and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, 4a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. 5In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 6that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. 8Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, 9and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; 10so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.

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Historical Background and Commentary:

The following are excerpts from William Barclay's commentary on The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians:

"When Paul wrote this letter he was in prison in Rome awaiting trial before Nero. . . . It is true that in prison Paul had certain privileges, for he was allowed to stay in the house which he himself had rented, and his friends were allowed access to him; but, even then, night and day he was a prisoner; night and day he was chained by a length of chain to the wrist of the Roman soldier who was his guard, and whose duty it was to see that Paul would never escape. In these circumstances Paul calls himself "the prisoner of Christ." Here is another vivid instance of the fact that the Christian has always a double life and double address. Any ordinary person looking at Paul in prison, would have said that Paul was the prisoner of the Roman government; and so in one sense he was; but Paul never thought of himself as the prisoner of Rome; he always thought of himself as the prisoner of Christ. He did not think of himself arrested by the Roman authorities; he thought of himself as suffering for the sake of Christ. A point of view makes all the difference" (141-142).

"In this section Paul recurs to the thought which is at the very heart of the letter. Into his life there had come the revelation of the great secret of God. That secret was that the love and mercy and the grace of God were meant, not for the Jews alone, but for all mankind. . . . This was a completely new discovery. The basic sin of the ancient world was contempt. The Jews despised the Gentiles who were useless and worthless -- so they thought -- in the sight of God. . . . The Greeks despised the barbarians of other nations -- and to the Greek all other nations were barbarians. As Celsus said when he was attacking the Christians, "the barbarians may have some gift for discovering truth, but it takes a Greek to understand. . . . No one had ever dreamed that God's grace and privileges and love were for all people" (142-144).

The following was posted to the Online Bible study via email by Dr. Rev. William Trench on 12/24/08

2008-12-30T23:39:00.010-05:00

CHRISTMAS WITH THE TRENCHES

You might think this is a Christmas email greeting from the Elaine and Carolyn and Bill. But the Trenches in this story are from World War I. In this issue of the Evangelical Journal, Sojourners, Jim Wallis reflects on the informal Christmas Truce of 1914, when British and German soldiers ventured out into "no man's land" to share Christmas Carols. It's a great story.

Merry Christmas!

Bill

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From SOJOMAIL - A weekly email-zine of spirituality, politics and culture

Christmas in the Trenches

by Jim Wallis

We first published this reflection by Jim Wallis in 2002. It has since become our Christmas tradition, kind of our own Charlie Brown Christmas special, if you will. With the ongoing conflicts raging during each passing year, it remains tragically relevant.

Silent Night, by Stanley Weintraub, is the story of Christmas Eve, 1914, on the World War I battlefield in Flanders. As the German, British, and French troops facing each other were settling in for the night, a young German soldier began to sing "Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht." Others joined in. When they had finished, the British and French responded with other Christmas carols.

Eventually, the men from both sides left their trenches and met in the middle. They shook hands, exchanged gifts, and shared pictures of their families. Informal soccer games began in what had been "no-man's-land. " And a joint service was held to bury the dead of both sides.

The generals, of course, were not pleased with these events. Men who have come to know each other's names and seen each other's families are much less likely to want to kill each other. War seems to require a nameless, faceless enemy.

So, following that magical night the men on both sides spent a few days simply firing aimlessly into the sky. Then the war was back in earnest and continued for three more bloody years. Yet the story of that Christmas Eve lingered - a night when the angels really did sing of peace on earth.

Folksinger John McCutcheon wrote a song about that night in Belgium, titled "Christmas in the Trenches," from the viewpoint of a young British solder. Several poignant verses are:

"The next they sang was 'Stille Nacht,' 'Tis 'Silent Night'," says I.
And in two tongues one song filled up that sky
"There's someone coming towards us!" the front line sentry cried
All sights were fixed on one lone figure coming from their side
His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shone on that plain so bright
As he bravely strode unarmed into the night.

Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man's land
With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand
We shared some secret brandy and we wished each other well
And in a flare-lit soccer game we gave 'em hell.
We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home
These sons and fathers far away from families of their own
Young Sanders played his squeeze box and they had a violin
This curious and unlikely band of men.

Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more
With sad farewells we each began to settle back to war
But the question haunted every heart that lived that wondrous night
"Whose family have I fixed within my sights?"
'Twas Christmas in the trenches, where the frost so bitter hung
The frozen fields of France were warmed as songs of peace were sung
For the walls they'd kept between us to exact the work of war
Had been crumbled and were gone for evermore."

My prayer for the new year is for a nation and world where people can come out of their trenches and together sing their hopes for peace. We here at Sojourners will carry on that mission, and we invite you to continue on the journey with us.

Blessings to you and your families.

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If you would like to read more about The Christmas Truce click here.

Gah!

2008-11-30T23:39:00.005-05:00

Gah! Where did November go?

You may notice that there is a "gap" in the posts here. Most of November and December are missing.

Most messages in our online study are posted via email in Yahoo Groups. I have been archiving them and posting them on this blog so it is easier to read. You can just scroll down rather than clicking on each individual message. Needless to say, I fell behind in my archiving. I decided to just cut my losses and paste the most recent posts and then keep up from here on in (New Year's resolution and all).

Happy reading. Feel free to post a comment to anything you would like.

Keith

"Blessed Are Those Who Feel Guilty"

2008-10-27T15:42:00.000-04:00

"Blessed Are Those Who Feel Guilty"

Jesus was appalled by what he saw as a nationwide shortage of guilt. We have the same shortage, but for a different reason. In Jesus' time there were a significant number of people who took their religious obligations seriously, and met them, and felt very self-satisfied about their obvious righteousness. In our time we have lowered our expectations so that everyone can meet them. As Ralph Sockman pointed out fifty years ago, many people can say, "My conscience is clear" because their heads are empty. Jesus suggests that maybe a little guilt is not a bad thing.

Please read Matthew 23:1-12

From the East Greenwich United Methodist Bulletin 10/26/08

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Matthew 23 (NRSV)

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; 3therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. 4They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. 5They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. 6They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, 7and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. 8But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. 9And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.

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I also included “The Message” to see how Peterson looked at it.

Matthew 23 (The Message)

Religious Fashion Shows

1-3 Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. "The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God's Law. You won't go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don't live it. They don't take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It's all spit-and-polish veneer.

4-7"Instead of giving you God's Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn't think of lifting a finger to help. Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called 'Doctor' and 'Reverend.' 8-10"Don't let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don't set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of 'Father'; you have only one Father, and he's in heaven. And don't let people maneuver you into taking charge of them. There is only one Life-Leader for you and them—Christ.

11-12"Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you'll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you're content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.

Issues and Endorcements

2008-10-27T15:32:00.006-04:00

ORIGINALLY EMAILED TO THE ONLINE BIBLE STUDY 10/24/08

Yesterday I received a fax from "The Judeo-Christian View" asking all churchgoers, synagogue members and religious laity to speak out against Senator Barack Obama because of his supposedly unbiblical views on homosexuality and abortion. The letter asks, "Is your shepherd a man of God . . . or just a holy pontificator . . . a church mouse . . . a WIMP?"

As a pastor, I follow a long tradition of not endorsing political candidates. I don't wear buttons and I don't put stickers on my car. There are three basic reasons for this.

First, and most important, my commitment is to the Kingdom of God. When Jesus was asked about signs of the coming Kingdom, he said, "you cannot say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There it is!' For, in fact the Kingdom of God is already among you." (Luke 17:21) Signs of the Kingdom are around us, among us, and within us. We do well to look for them. But no candidate or party can ever fully embody the Kingdom. In politics we never choose between good and evil; we choose greater goods and lesser evils. When pastors endorse political candidates they may give the impression that they are identifying the candidate or the campaign with the Kingdom of God.

Second, it would be harmful to the life of the congregation. It would be divisive. Some people would feel left out. As sisters and brothers in Christ, we need to maintain our relationships in spite of our differences.

Third, it would be against IRS regulations. Churches and pastors are not allowed to endorse candidates unless they are willing to give up their tax exempt status. Basically, I think that is a good law, although at times it has been used to stifle what I believe is faithfulness to the Gospel.

None of this, however, means that the church should not be a place where we vigorously discuss and debate issues. Stewardship of the environment, economic justice, world peace, immigration, education, poverty, tax policy, and health care (here and around the world), are just a few of the issues that churches and pastors need to address. The Bible has a deep concern for the poor, and strong condemnation for benefiting the rich at the expense of the poor, but that does not mean that there is only one way to address those issues. Translating the love of God and neighbor into a political program is not a simple thing.

The web address pasted below will take you to a blog by Jim Wallis, an Evangelical Christian who is a leader of the Sojourners fellowship.

In it he lists his major concerns in the coming election.

Shalom,

Bill

CLICK HERE FOR SOJOURNERS' WEBSITE

Life Goes On

2008-10-27T15:27:00.002-04:00

“Life Goes On”

At the end of his life, Moses sees the Promised Land but knows that he can never go there. He blesses the people with words that have echoed through funerals and memorial services for generations, The eternal God is your dwelling place and underneath are the everlasting arms. What can Moses teach us about life and death?

From the East Greenwich United Methodist Bulletin 10/19/08

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Deuteronomy 34:1-12

34Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, 2all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, 3the Negeb, and the Plain—that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees—as far as Zoar. 4The Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.”

5Then Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord’s command. 6He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. 7Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. 8The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.

9Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the Lord had commanded Moses. 10Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. 11He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, 12and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

“What Belongs to God”

2008-10-27T15:24:00.000-04:00

Originally posted on the Email Bible Study 10/13/08

“What Belongs to God”

When Jesus was asked about paying taxes to the Emperor, he asked to see a coin. Pointing out the image of Caesar on the coin, he tells them to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, but his next commandment is even more important, “and give to God what belongs to God.” What is it that belongs to God? What does it mean to be faithful stewards of our possessions?

Please read Matthew 22:15-22

From the East Greenwich United Methodist Bulletin 10/12/08

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Matthew 22:15-22

15Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. 16So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. 17Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” 18But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” 21They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

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What do you think?

Fear

2008-10-27T15:14:00.003-04:00

Originally posted to the Email Bible Study 10/11/08

When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain,

the people gathered around Aaron, and said to him,

“Come make gods for us, who shall go before us;

as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt ,

we do not know what has become of him.”

Exodus 32:1

Hi Friends,

Working on the Sunday Sermon, I have been looking at how the people of Israel were afraid, and how that fear led to their idolatry. Moses was gone. They were lost in the wilderness. And they wanted security. I have been thinking about their fear in the wilderness and our fear as the stock market plummets. This line of thought led me to the familiar words of Franklin D. Roosevelt, "we have nothing to fear but fear itself." I wanted to make sure I had the context correct, so I looked up the speech on line. I had never read it through completely. It is remarkable in many ways, not least for its many biblical references. I have pasted it below.

Shalom,

Bill

Inaugural Address March 4, 1933

President Hoover, Mr. Chief Justice, my friends:

This is a day of national consecration. And I am certain that on this day my fellow Americans expect that on my induction into the Presidency, I will address them with a candor and a decision which the present situation of our people impels.

This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure, as it has endured, will revive and will prosper.

So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself -- nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life, a leadership of frankness and of vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. And I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days.

In such a spirit on my part and on yours we face our common difficulties. They concern, thank God, only material things. Values have shrunk to fantastic levels; taxes have risen; our ability to pay has fallen; government of all kinds is faced by serious curtailment of income; the means of exchange are frozen in the currents of trade; the withered leaves of industrial enterprise lie on every side; farmers find no markets for their produce; and the savings of many years in thousands of families are gone. More important, a host of unemployed citizens face the grim problem of existence, and an equally great number toil with little return. Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment.

And yet our distress comes from no failure of substance. We are stricken by no plague of locusts. Compared with the perils which our forefathers conquered, because they believed and were not afraid, we have still much to be thankful for. Nature still offers her bounty and human efforts have multiplied it. Plenty is at our doorstep, but a generous use of it languishes in the very sight of the supply.

Primarily, this is because the rulers of the exchange of mankind's goods have failed, through their own stubbornness and their own incompetence, have admitted their failure, and have abdicated. Practices of the unscrupulous money changers stand indicted in the court of public opinion, rejected by the hearts and minds of men.

True, they have tried. But their efforts have been cast in the pattern of an outworn tradition. Faced by failure of credit, they have proposed only the lending of more money. Stripped of the lure of profit by which to induce our people to follow their false leadership, they have resorted to exhortations, pleading tearfully for restored confidence. They only know the rules of a generation of self-seekers. They have no vision, and when there is no vision the people perish.

Yes, the money changers have fled from their high seats in the temple of our civilization. We may now restore that temple to the ancient truths. The measure of that restoration lies in the extent to which we apply social values more noble than mere monetary profit.

Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. The joy, the moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits. These dark days, my friends, will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves, to our fellow men.

Recognition of that falsity of material wealth as the standard of success goes hand in hand with the abandonment of the false belief that public office and high political position are to be valued only by the standards of pride of place and personal profit; and there must be an end to a conduct in banking and in business which too often has given to a sacred trust the likeness of callous and selfish wrongdoing. Small wonder that confidence languishes, for it thrives only on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection, and on unselfish performance; without them it cannot live.

Restoration calls, however, not for changes in ethics alone. This Nation is asking for action, and action now.

Our greatest primary task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously. It can be accomplished in part by direct recruiting by the Government itself, treating the task as we would treat the emergency of a war, but at the same time, through this employment, accomplishing great -- greatly needed projects to stimulate and reorganize the use of our great natural resources.

Hand in hand with that we must frankly recognize the overbalance of population in our industrial centers and, by engaging on a national scale in a redistribution, endeavor to provide a better use of the land for those best fitted for the land.

Yes, the task can be helped by definite efforts to raise the values of agricultural products, and with this the power to purchase the output of our cities. It can be helped by preventing realistically the tragedy of the growing loss through foreclosure of our small homes and our farms. It can be helped by insistence that the Federal, the State, and the local governments act forthwith on the demand that their cost be drastically reduced. It can be helped by the unifying of relief activities which today are often scattered, uneconomical, unequal. It can be helped by national planning for and supervision of all forms of transportation and of communications and other utilities that have a definitely public character. There are many ways in which it can be helped, but it can never be helped by merely talking about it.

We must act. We must act quickly.

And finally, in our progress towards a resumption of work, we require two safeguards against a return of the evils of the old order. There must be a strict supervision of all banking and credits and investments. There must be an end to speculation with other people's money. And there must be provision for an adequate but sound currency.

These, my friends, are the lines of attack. I shall presently urge upon a new Congress in special session detailed measures for their fulfillment, and I shall seek the immediate assistance of the 48 States.

Through this program of action we address ourselves to putting our own national house in order and making income balance outgo. Our international trade relations, though vastly important, are in point of time, and necessity, secondary to the establishment of a sound national economy. I favor, as a practical policy, the putting of first things first. I shall spare no effort to restore world trade by international economic readjustment; but the emergency at home cannot wait on that accomplishment.

The basic thought that guides these specific means of national recovery is not nationally -- narrowly nationalistic. It is the insistence, as a first consideration, upon the interdependence of the various elements in and parts of the United States of America -- a recognition of the old and permanently important manifestation of the American spirit of the pioneer. It is the way to recovery. It is the immediate way. It is the strongest assurance that recovery will endure.

In the field of world policy, I would dedicate this Nation to the policy of the good neighbor: the neighbor who resolutely respects himself and, because he does so, respects the rights of others; the neighbor who respects his obligations and respects the sanctity of his agreements in and with a world of neighbors.

If I read the temper of our people correctly, we now realize, as we have never realized before, our interdependence on each other; that we can not merely take, but we must give as well; that if we are to go forward, we must move as a trained and loyal army willing to sacrifice for the good of a common discipline, because without such discipline no progress can be made, no leadership becomes effective.

We are, I know, ready and willing to submit our lives and our property to such discipline, because it makes possible a leadership which aims at the larger good. This, I propose to offer, pledging that the larger purposes will bind upon us, bind upon us all as a sacred obligation with a unity of duty hitherto evoked only in times of armed strife.

With this pledge taken, I assume unhesitatingly the leadership of this great army of our people dedicated to a disciplined attack upon our common problems.

Action in this image, action to this end is feasible under the form of government which we have inherited from our ancestors. Our Constitution is so simple, so practical that it is possible always to meet extraordinary needs by changes in emphasis and arrangement without loss of essential form. That is why our constitutional system has proved itself the most superbly enduring political mechanism the modern world has ever seen.

It has met every stress of vast expansion of territory, of foreign wars, of bitter internal strife, of world relations. And it is to be hoped that the normal balance of executive and legislative authority may be wholly equal, wholly adequate to meet the unprecedented task before us. But it may be that an unprecedented demand and need for undelayed action may call for temporary departure from that normal balance of public procedure.

I am prepared under my constitutional duty to recommend the measures that a stricken nation in the midst of a stricken world may require. These measures, or such other measures as the Congress may build out of its experience and wisdom, I shall seek, within my constitutional authority, to bring to speedy adoption.

But, in the event that the Congress shall fail to take one of these two courses, in the event that the national emergency is still critical, I shall not evade the clear course of duty that will then confront me. I shall ask the Congress for the one remaining instrument to meet the crisis -- broad Executive power to wage a war against the emergency, as great as the power that would be given to me if we were in fact invaded by a foreign foe.

For the trust reposed in me, I will return the courage and the devotion that befit the time. I can do no less.

We face the arduous days that lie before us in the warm courage of national unity; with the clear consciousness of seeking old and precious moral values; with the clean satisfaction that comes from the stern performance of duty by old and young alike. We aim at the assurance of a rounded, a permanent national life.

We do not distrust the -- the future of essential democracy. The people of the United States have not failed. In their need they have registered a mandate that they want direct, vigorous action. They have asked for discipline and direction under leadership. They have made me the present instrument of their wishes. In the spirit of the gift I take it.

In this dedication -- In this dedication of a Nation, we humbly ask the blessing of God.

May He protect each and every one of us.

May He guide me in the days to come.

Greed and the Golden Calf

2008-10-27T14:45:00.004-04:00

This is a comment that our pastor, Dr. Rev. Bill Trench posted to our online study group. It was connected to the week we were discussing the Golden Calf, but I thought it deserved its own blog spot posting:

Originally posted in email Bible study on 10/10/08

‘No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. (Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13)

Yesterday the Providence Journal ran a lead editorial arguing that "greed is still good" because it fuels the economy and creates jobs. That is not a surprising statement in a time when the market has become our golden calf.

But one wonders how an idea like that can gain even in a hearing in a nation with so many professed Christians. There are not many places where the biblical word is unequivocal, but this is one of them. Jesus put it memorably and simply: "You cannot serve God and wealth."

Enterprise, vision, perseverance, and hard work create jobs and build the economy. People who do those things should be celebrated. They serve the common good, and as a byproduct they often do very well financially. It is a good thing for the economy and the society to reward such effort.

But greed does not serve the common good. Greed just takes. it takes money and in the process it takes lives and health.

Greed gave us the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, where one hundred and forty-something immigrant women died because the owners had ignored safety regulations and blocked exits. And closer to home, greed gave us the Station Fire. Greed gave us slavery, child labor, sweatshops, and a myriad of unsafe working conditions.

Ironically, the lead editorial this morning is about "China's poisoned children." Obviously, greed gave China poisoned children. Did the same people write both editorials? Do they talk to each other?

Paul wrote to the Galatians, "Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow." (Paul was not talking about economics, but I think it applies.)

Today the richest 1% of the country own 20% of the wealth. The last time the richest Americans had that large a share of the nation's wealth was in 1928. The Bible is clear that a large gap between rich and poor is wrong, and yet our society seems remarkably undisturbed by this. Because we worship the "market" we have excused the bizarre salaries of CEO's and the intense consolidation of wealth.

If it were wrong, then the "Market God" would not let it happen. What this means is that we tend to believe that whatever economic situation exists must be "right." If we worship the market, then in economics there is no gap between "is" and "ought." What is, is by definition what ought to be. And the fact that the Bible has a very different view does not seem to dent our consciousness.

It is difficult to believe that any good could come out of the current economic chaos. But maybe it will remind us that we belong to God and we belong to one another. We have responsibilities to God and to one another. Greed is not good. And the market is not God.

Shalom,

Bill

At the Sign of the Golden Calf

2008-10-05T21:54:00.002-04:00

The story of the Golden Calf is one of the most problematic episodes in the whole Bible. It is a story of backsliding on a cosmic scale and with eternal consequences. But it also points to some basic human issues. What drove the people of Israel to worship idols? How can we make sense of God’s response? What can we learn from this difficult and primitive biblical epic?

Please read Exodus 32:1-14

From the East Greenwich United Methodist Bulletin

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Exodus 32:1-35

32When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2Aaron said to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4He took the gold from them, formed it in a mold, and cast an image of a calf; and they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” 5When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord.” 6They rose early the next day, and offered burnt offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel.

The Lord said to Moses, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; 8they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!

15Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain, carrying the two tablets of the covenant in his hands, tablets that were written on both sides, written on the front and on the back. 16The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved upon the tablets. 17When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.” 18But he said, “It is not the sound made by victors, or the sound made by losers; it is the sound of revelers that I hear.” 19As soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets from his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. 20He took the calf that they had made, burned it with fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it.

21Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?” 22And Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn hot; you know the people, that they are bent on evil. 23They said to me, ‘Make us gods, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 24So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off’; so they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!” 25When Moses saw that the people were running wild (for Aaron had let them run wild, to the derision of their enemies), 26then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Who is on the Lord’s side? Come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. 27He said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side, each of you! Go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill your brother, your friend, and your neighbor.’“ 28The sons of Levi did as Moses commanded, and about three thousand of the people fell on that day. 29Moses said, “Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of a son or a brother, and so have brought a blessing on yourselves this day.”

30On the next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold. 32But now, if you will only forgive their sin—but if not, blot me out of the book that you have written.” 33But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. 34But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; see, my angel shall go in front of you. Nevertheless, when the day comes for punishment, I will punish them for their sin.” 35Then the Lord sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf—the one that Aaron made.

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The Big Ten

2008-10-05T21:06:00.001-04:00

“How You Play the Game”

The Ten Commandments are among the best known passages of scripture. And yet they are also among the most difficult. They are the center of the Torah and they are difficult for the same reasons that the whole Law is difficult. Can we find the narrow way between the smug self-righteousness of those who believe they have fulfilled the Law, and the guilt and despair of those who think they have failed?

From the East Greenwich United Methodist Bulletin 9/28/08

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Exodus 20:1-21

20Then God spoke all these words:

2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt , out of the house of slavery; 3you shall have no other gods before* me.

4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation* of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.

8 Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9For six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.

12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

13 You shall not murder.*

14 You shall not commit adultery.

15 You shall not steal.

16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

18 When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid* and trembled and stood at a distance, 19and said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.’ 20Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin.’ 21Then the people stood at a distance, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

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The Better of Two Bad Sons

2008-09-22T01:15:00.007-04:00

“Believing and Doing”

The chief priests and the elders ask Jesus, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus answers with a question about John the Baptist. And then he tells them a parable of two sons. Both were asked to work in the vineyard by their father. One said he would go, but he didn’t. The other refused, but then he went and worked. And then Jesus asked, “Which one did the will of his father? What does the text teach us about doing God’s work?

Please read Matthew 21:23-32

From the East Greenwich United Methodist Bulletin 9/21/08

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Matthew 21:23-32

23When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” 27So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

28“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. 30The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. 31Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

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Commentary

William Barclay titles this section THE BETTER OF TWO BAD SONS as to opposed to other Bibles that simple say, the Parable of the Two Sons.

“The key to the correct understanding of this parable is that it is not really praising anyone. It is setting before us a picture of two very imperfect sets of people, of whom one set were none the less better than the other. Neither son in the story was the kind of son to bring fully joy to his father. Both were unsatisfactory creatures; but the one who in the end obeyed was incalculably better than the other. The ideal son would be the son who accepted the father’s orders with obedience and with respect, and who unquestioningly and fully carried them out. But there are truths in this parable which go far beyond the situation which it was first spoken.

The parable tells us that there are two very common classes of people in this world. First, there are the people whose profession is much better than their practice. They will promise anything; they will make great protestations of piety and fidelity; but their practice lags far behind their profession. Second there are those whose practice is far better than their profession.. They claim to be tough, hard-boiled, hard-hearted materialists, but somehow they are found out doing kindly and generous things almost in secret, as if they were ashamed of it. They profess to have no interest in Church and in religion, and yet, when it comes to the bit, they live more Christian a lives than many professing Christians. We have all of us met these people, the people whose practice is far away from the almost sanctimonious piety of their profession, and the people whose practice is far ahead of the sometimes cynical, and sometimes almost irreligious, profession which they make. The real point of the parable is that, while the second class are infinitely to be preferred to the first class, neithre class is anything like perfect. The really good man is the man in whom profession and practice meet and match” (Barclay 286-287).

From the New Interpreter’s Bible

The three parables that follow are all directly addressed to the chief priests and elders as a continuation of Jesus’ response to their challenge (cf. 21:28. 33; 22:1; cf Luke 14:15;20:9) …

In addition to illustrating the general Matthean theme that God requires deeds rather than empty words (7:21-23), the specific meaning in the context is that the Jewish leaders originally said yes to the prophetic message from God delivered by John. Matthew has not forgotten that he has pictured the residents of Jerusalem, including the Pharisees and Sadducees, going out to hear John preach (3:5-7a). But the Pharisees and Sadducees did not accept his message and repent. Those who had been saying no to God’s will revealed n the Torah, the tax collectors and prostitutes, changed their mind and accepted their message" (New Interpreter’s Bible 411).

Matthew Henry's Commentary

Who is Matthew Henry?

According to Wikipeida.com (citing the Encyclopedia Britanica as a source):

Matthew Henry (October 18, 1662 – June 22, 1714), was an English non-conformist clergyman. ... in 1687 became minister of a Presbyterian congregation at Chester. ...

Henry's well-known Exposition of the Old and New Testaments (1708-1710) is a commentary of a practical and devotional rather than of a critical kind, covering the whole of the Old Testament, and the Gospels and Acts in the New Testament. After the author's death, the work was finished by a number of ministers, and edited by G Burder and John Hughes in 1811.

Not a work of textual criticism, its attempt at good sense, discrimination, its high moral tone and simple piety with practical application, combined with the well-sustained flow of its English style, made it one of the most popular works of its type. Matthew Henry's six volume Complete Commentary, originally published in 1706, provides an exhaustive verse by verse study of the Bible. His commentaries are still in use to this day.[2]

Henry's commentaries are primarily exegetical, dealing with the scripture text as presented. Henry's prime intention was explanation, not translation or textual research.

His Miscellaneous Writings, including a Life of Mr Philip Henry, The Communicant's Companion, Directions for Daily Communion with God, A Method for Prayer, A Scriptural Catechism, and numerous sermons, were edited in 1809 and in 1830.

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

So this is definitely "old school commentary" but very good.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on Matthew 21:23-32

As Christ instructed his disciples by parables, which made the instructions the more easy, so sometimes he convinced his adversaries by parables, which bring reproofs more close, and make men, or ever they are aware, to reprove themselves. Thus Nathan convinced David by a parable (2 Sam. xxii. 1), and the woman of Tekoa surprised him in like manner, 2 Sam. xiv. 2: Reproving parables are appeals to the offenders themselves, and judge them out of their own mouths. This Christ designs here, as appears by the first words (v. 28), But what think you?

In these verses we have the parable of the two sons sent to work in the vineyard, the scope of which is to show that they who knew not John's baptism to be of God, were shamed even by the publicans and harlots, who knew it, and owned it. Here is,

I. The parable itself, which represents two sorts of persons; some that prove better than they promise, represented by the first of those sons; others that promise better than they prove represented by the second.

1. They had both one and the same father, which signifies that God is a common Father to all mankind. There are favours which all alike receive from him, and obligations which all alike lie under to him; Have we not all one Father? Yes, and yet there is a vast difference between men's characters.

2. They had both the same command given them; Son, go work to-day in my vineyard. Parents should not breed up their children in idleness; nothing is more pleasing, and yet nothing more pernicious, to youth than that. Lam. iii. 27. God sets his children to work, though they are all heirs. This command is given to every one of us. Note, (1.) The work of religion, which we are called to engage in, is vineyard work, creditable, profitable, and pleasant. By the sin of Adam we were turned out to work upon the common, and to eat the herb of the field; but by the grace of our Lord Jesus we are called to work again in the vineyard. (2.) The gospel call to work in the vineyard, requires present obedience; Son, go work to-day, while it is called to-day, because the night comes when no man can work. We were not sent into the world to be idle, nor had we daylight given us to play by; and therefore, if ever we mean to do any thing for God and our souls, why not now? Why not to-day? (3.) The exhortation to go work to-day in the vineyard, speaketh unto us as unto children (Heb. xii. 5); Son, go work. It is the command of a Father, which carries with it both authority and affection, a Father that pities his children, and considers their frame, and will not overtask them (Ps. ciii. 13, 14), a Father that is very tender of his Son that serves him, Mal. iii. 17. If we work in our Father's vineyard, we work for ourselves.

3. Their conduct was very different.

(1.) One of the sons did better than he said, proved better than he promised. His answer was bad, but his actions were good.

[1.] Here is the untoward answer that he gave to his father; he said, flat and plain I will not. See to what a degree of impudence the corrupt nature of man rises, to say, I will not, to the command of a Father; such a command of such a Father; they are impudent children, and stiff-hearted. Those that will not bend, surely they cannot blush; if they had any degree of modesty left them, they could not say, We will not. Jer. ii. 25. Excuses are bad, but downright denials are worse; yet such peremptory refusals do the calls of the gospel often meet with. First, Some love their ease, and will not work; they would live in the world as leviathan in the waters, to play therein (Ps. civ. 26); they do not love working. Secondly, Their hearts are so much upon their own fields, that they are not for working in God's vineyard. They love the business of the world better than the business of their religion. Thus some by the delights of sense, and others by the employments of the world, are kept from doing that great work which they were sent into the world about, and so stand all the day idle.

[2.] Here is the happy change of his mind, and of his way, upon second thought; Afterward he repented, and went. Note, There are many who in the beginning are wicked and wilful, and very unpromising, who afterward repent and mend, and come to something. Some that God hath chosen, are suffered for a great while to run to a great excess of riot; Such were some of you, 1 Cor. vi. 11. These are set forth for patterns of long-suffering, 1 Tim. i. 16. Afterward he repented. Repentance is metanoia—an after-wit: and metameleia—an after-care. Better late than never. Observe, When he repented he went; that was the fruit meet for repentance. The only evidence of our repentance for our former resistance, is, immediately to comply, and set to work; and then what is past, shall be pardoned, and all shall be well. See what a kind Father God is; he resents not the affront of our refusals, as justly he might. He that told his father to his face, that he would not do as he bid him, deserved to be turned out of doors, and disinherited; but our God waits to be gracious, and, not withstanding our former follies, if we repent and mend, will favourably accept of us; blessed be God, we are under a covenant that leaves room for such a repentance.

(2.) The other son said better than he did, promised better than he proved; his answer was good but his actions bad. To him the father said likewise, v. 30. The gospel call, though very different, is, in effect, the same to all, and is carried on with an even tenour. We have all the same commands, engagements, encouragements, though to some they are a savour of life unto life, to others of death unto death. Observe,

[1.] How fairly this other son promised; He said, I go, sir. He gives his father a title of respect, sir. Note, It becomes children to speak respectfully to their parents. It is one branch of that honour which the fifth commandment requires. He professes a ready obedience, I go; not, "I will go by and by," but, "Ready, sir, you may depend upon it, I go just now." This answer we should give from the heart heartily to all the calls and commands of the word of God. See Jer. iii. 22; Ps. xxvii. 8.

[2.] How he failed in the performance; He went not. Note, There are many that give good words, and make fair promises, in religion, and those from some good motions for the present, that rest there, and go no further, and so come to nothing. Saying and doing are two things; and many there are that say, and do not; it is particularly charged upon the Pharisees, ch. xxiii. 3. Many with their mouth show much love, but their heart goes another way. They had a good mind to be religious, but they met with something to be done, that was too hard, or something to be parted with, that was too dear, and so their purposes are to no purpose. Buds and blossoms are not fruit.

II. A general appeal upon the parable; Whether of them twain did the will of his father? v. 31. They both had their faults, one was rude and the other was false, such variety of exercises parents sometimes have in the different humours of their children, and they have need of a great deal of wisdom and grace to know what is the best way of managing them. But the question is, Which was the better of the two, and the less faulty? And it was soon resolved; the first, because his actions were better than his words, and his latter end than his beginning. This they had learned from the common sense of mankind, who would much rather deal with one that will be better than his word, than with one that will be false to his word. And, in the intention of it, they had learned from the account God gives of the rule of his judgment (Ezek. xviii. 21-24), that if the sinner turn from his wickedness, he shall be pardoned; and if the righteous man turn from his righteousness, he shall be rejected. The tenour of the whole scripture gives us to understand that those are accepted as doing their Father's will, who, wherein they have missed it, are sorry for it, and do better.

III. A particular application of it to the matter in hand, v. 31, 32. The primary scope of the parable is, to show how the publicans and harlots, who never talked of the Messiah and his kingdom, yet entertained the doctrine, and submitted to the discipline, of John the Baptist, his forerunner, when the priests and elders, who were big with expectations of the Messiah, and seemed very ready to go into his measures, slighted John the Baptist, and ran counter to the designs of his mission. But it has a further reach; the Gentiles were sometimes disobedient, had been long so, children of disobedience, like the elder son (Tit. iii. 3, 4); yet, when the gospel was preached to them, they became obedient to the faith; whereas the Jews who said, I go, sir, promised fair (Exod. xxiv. 7; Josh. xxiv. 24); yet went not; they did but flatter God with their mouth. Ps. lxxviii. 36.

The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard

2008-09-14T20:13:00.009-04:00

“When We Feel Slighted”

Most people dislike the story of the laborers in the vineyard because it’s so unfair. Those who work for only an hour are paid as much as those who work all day. Where is the justice in that? In the parable, the landowner asks, “Why does it bother you when I am generous with these workers? But like most people, the worker still feels slighted. He feels, as many of us do, that we have endured hard hours in the heat of the day. What can this story teach us about discipleship and grace of God?

Please read: Matthew 20:1-16

From the East Greenwich United Methodist Bulletin 9-14-08

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Matthew 20:1-16

20“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. 3When he went out about nine o”clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; 4and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. 5When he went out again about noon and about three o”clock, he did the same. 6And about five o”clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ 7They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ 8When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ 9When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. 10Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. 11And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, 12saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? 14Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. 15Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 16So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

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THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE PARABLE – IMAGES IN THE TIME OF JESUS

Below is an awesome commentary by William Barclay:

“This parable may sound to us as if it described a purely imaginary situation, but that is far from being the case. Apart from the method of payment the parable describes the kind of thing that frequently happened at certain times in Palestine. In Palestine the grape harvest ripens towards the end of September, and then close on its heels the rains come. If the harvest is not ingathered before the rains break, then it is ruined; and so to get the harvest in is a frantic race against time. Any worker is welcome, even if he can only give an hour to the work.
The pay was perfectly normal; a denarius or drachma was the normal day’s wage for a working ma; and even allowing for the difference in modern standards and in purchasing power, ninepence a day was not a wage which left any margin.

The men who were standing in the market-pace were not street-corner idlers, lazing away their time. In Palestine the market-place was the equivalent of the labour exchange. A man came there first thing in the morning, carrying hi tools, and he waited there until someone came and hired him. The men who stood in the market-place were not gossiping idlers; they wee waiting to work, and the fact that some of them stood until even five o’clock in the evening is proof of how desperately they wanted work.

These men were hired labourers; they were the lowest class of workers, and life for them was always desperately precarious. Slaves and servants were regarded as being at least to some extent attached to the family; they were within the group; their fortunes would vary with the fortunes of the family, but they [the slaves and servants] would never be in any imminent danger of starvation in normal times. It was very different with the hired day-labourers. They were not attached to any group; they were entirely at the mercy of chance employment; they were always living on the semi-starvation lie. As we have seen, the pay was ninepence a day; and, if they were unemployed for one day, the children would have to go hungry at home for no man ever saved much out of ninepence a day. With them, to be unemployed for a day was a disaster.

The hours in the parable are the normal Jewish hours. The Jewish day began at sunise, at 6 a.m., and the hours were counted from then until 6 p.m., when officially the next day began. Counting from 6 a.m. therefore, the third hour is 9 a.m., the sixth hour is twelve midday, and the eleventh hour is 5 p.m.

The picture in this parable is a vivid picture of the kind of thing which could happen in the market-place of any Jewish village or town any day, when the grape harvest was being rushed in before the rains should come"(Barclay 245-246).

WORK AND WAGES IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD

“It is in one sense a warning to the disciples. It is as if Jesus said to them, “You have received the great privilege of coming into the Christian Church and fellowship very early and very soon, right at the beginning. The time will come when, in the later days, others will come in. You must not claim special honor and a special place because you were Christians before they were. All men, no matter when they come, are equally precious and valuable to God.” There are people who think that, because they have been members of a Church or a long time, the Church practically belongs to them, and that they can dictate and control its policy; such people resent what seems to them the intrusion of new blood into a Church, of the rise o a new generation who have different plans and different ways. In the Christian Church seniority does not necessarily mean honour.
…
Surely in it there is the comfort of God. It means that no matter when a man enters the Kingdom, late or soon, in the first flush of youth, in the strength of midday, or when the shadows are lengthening, he is equally dear and precious to God. The Rabbis had a saying, “Some enter the Kingdom in an hour; others hardly enter it in a lifetime.” In the picture o the holy city in the Revelation there are twelve gates. There are gates on the East which is the direction of the dawn, and whereby a man may enter in the glad morning of his days; there are the gates on the West which is the direction of the setting sun, and whereby a man may enter in his age. No matter when a man comes to Christ, he is equally dear to him.
…
There in the market-place in Palestine stood those men still waiting because no one had hired them; in his compassion the master gave them work to do. He could not bear to see them idle, for his heart was touched by the sight of a man with no work to do. Further in strict justice the fewer house a man worked, the less pay he should have received. But the master well knew that ninepence a day was no great wage; he well knew that , if the workman went home with less, there would be a worried wife and hungry children at home and therefore the master went beyond justice and give them more than was their due. As it has been put, this parable states implicitly two great truths which are the very charter of the working man – the right of every man to work, and right of every man to a living wage for his work.

Here also is the generosity of God. These men did not all do the same work; but they did receive the same pay. There are two great lessons here. The first is, as it has been said, “All service ranks the same with God.” It is not the amount of service given, but the love in which it is given which matters. A man out of his plenty may give us a gift of a hundred pounds, and in truth we are grateful; a child may give us a birthday or a Christmas gift which cost only a few pence but which was laboriously and loving saved up for – and that little gift, with no value of its own, touches our heart far more. God does not look on the amount of our service. So long as our service is all we have to give, all service ranks the same with God.

The second lesson is ever greater – it is that all God gives is of grace. We cannot earn what God gives us; we cannot deserve it; we cannot put God in our debt; what God gives to us is given out of the goodness of His heart, out of His grace; what God gives is not pay, but a gift; not a reward, but a grace.

And surely that brings us to the supreme lesson of this parable – the whole point of the work is the spirit in which work is done. The servants in this parable are clearly divided into two classes. The first came to an agreement with the master; they had a contract; they said , “We work, if you give us so much pay.” They worked for pay, and, as their conduct showed, all that thy were concerned with was to get as much as possible about of their work. But in the case of those who were engaged later, there is no word of contract or engagement; all that they waned was the chance to work; they never mentioned a wage or payment or a contract or an agreement; all they wanted was to work, and they would willingly leave the reward to their master.

There is the basic difference. A man is not a Christian, if his first concern is pay. That is what Peter asked: What do we get out of it?” The Christian works for the joy of the working and the joy of serving God and his fellow-men. That is why the first will be last and the last will be first. Many a man in this world, who earned great rewards, will have very low place in the Kingdom, for is sole thought was his rewards; many a man in this world, who, as the world counts reward, is a poor man, will be great in the Kingdom, because he never though tin terms of reward, but worked for the thrill of the working and for the joy of serving. It is the paradox of the Christian life that he who aims at reward loses reward, and he who forgets the reward finds reward" (Barclay 246-248).

The Good Samaritan

2008-09-07T20:24:00.006-04:00

With the arrival of the twins, I am a little behind on my blogging. This was the topic Bill preached on 9/07/08.

'What Do I Have to Do?"

Luke tells the story of a "lawyer" who came to Jesus with the critical question, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus turned the question back and asked him what he thought, what was his reading of the Law? He answered with two passages from the Torah, the "Shema" from Deuteronomy and a verse from Leviticus. "You shall love the LORD, your God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength, and your neighbor as yourself." When Jesus agreed with his answer, he asked, "then who is my neighbor?" That question led to the story we call "The Parable of the Good Samaritan."

The passage is at the center of Jesus' teachings. It gives us an insight into his connection to the rabbinic tradition of his time, as well as an important example of how he pushed beyond that teaching.

Please read Luke 10:25-37

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Luke 10:25-37

25Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” 27He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” 28And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.” 29But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. 31Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ 36Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

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Hi Friends,

A year ago this summer (2007), Kim Wertz preached on the Parable of the Good Samaritan, which was the Lectionary text for that day. I thought it was a great sermon (I was on vacation, but I read it). I asked her for a copy (lost the other one in a computer crash-- don't you hate that?), and I am sending it along because I think it gives a great reflection on the scripture. Even if you heard it in church, it's worth re-reading!

Shalom,
Bill

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But I Already Know What It Means…

Last year I had the opportunity to speak while Pastor Bill was on vacation, and I talked about passion and about rocks. It was an extraordinary experience for me. I had a powerpoint presentation, lots of pictures, and I handed out rocks to everyone in the congregation. The stories worked and the scriptures fit. I don’t know how I ever managed to put it all together, except to say that God was with me!

This year, I’m working with the lectionary text. And I don’t have any bells and whistles. I don’t have a way to make the story come alive. I don’t have any mixed media . . . but believe me, I tried! Because as I’ve worked with the parable of the Good Samaritan, I’ve realized that there’s nothing that I can say that you don’t already know. Churches all over will be hearing and thinking about this same story today, and preachers have tried to figure out what to say and a new way to say it. But I’m really not sure I can convey something completely new to you. I’m not sure I can say something that’s never been said before. And I’m not sure that if I tried to do that – you would find it effective. Rather, I’d like to pose some thoughts and questions so that YOU might find that new insight for yourself. What do YOU think? That’s the way church works for me . . . I listen to the scriptures and stories over and over again, and then one day it seems to make sense. I think that I finally get it. Of course, there’s always something that I still question, so I go back and read again and listen again. And so it is with parables. The lessons are as varied as the people who hear them. As I’ve pondered this text, the most impressive thing that I’ve come away with is that the lessons and the answers are inside all of us. We already know what it’s all about. But do we?

Once, a friend of mine compared the sermons (in general) at churches to Sunday morning pre-game shows. Hours are spent talking about what’s going to happen . . . how the teams will play . . . what the players should do . . . and in the end, we all know what’s going to happen. One team is going to score more points than the other team and in turn, win the game. Easy enough, right? “Well,” my friend said, “isn’t that what church is about? We know what has to be done and we know what we should be doing. We already know what it means. And yet, we come to church week after week to hear it again. Why can’t we get it through our thick skulls?”

I guess I have to agree.

Last week Susan Battista had a wonderful message for us about the mission and vision of our church. She gave us a LOT of things to think about and many different ways to envision “what comes next.” One question that she asked was, “What do you like about yourself?” She shared how it seems so much easier for us to focus on what we DON’T like about ourselves, that when we are asked the question about what we DO like, it’s hard to answer. But, if we really think about it, we can come up with something and when we share the answers, we find out how interesting and unique we all are. Well I’d like to use the format of that question . . . ‘what do you like about yourself?’ . . . and ask you . . . What do you like about the person sitting in front of you? Or behind you? Or the person that you see walking down Main Street on Tuesday afternoon? Or the person that is in the car in front of you, going much slower than you would like? Or the person who is taking forever in line in front of you at the grocery store? It’s much easier to say what we DON’T like about these people . . . even if it’s not out loud. We pass judgments ALL THE TIME. So in today’s story, there are lots of places to start and lots of places to go, so let’s see where we end up. What do you like about the people in the story? Do you already know what it means?

We start with a group of well educated people who are with Jesus. The lawyer poses a question. WE know that HE knows what he’s talking about. He’s read and studied the scriptures. He knows that you should love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength. And he knows that you should love your neighbor as yourself. But still, he continues. He wants to know more . . . or maybe he wants to show just how much he DOES know. Maybe he wants to find out the least he can get away with. Who is my neighbor can mean who is NOT my neighbor just as much, can’t it? So it’s interesting that Jesus doesn’t just say . . . “well of course, everyone is your neighbor.” He doesn’t do that . . . he tells a story. Isn’t that one of the most frustrating things about the Bible? There’s a TON of great questions . . . and if there were just straightforward answers, we would be all set! Remember when you were in elementary school and you had to learn addition and subtraction? Not easy at first, but definitely do-able. Just when you’re confidence had grown and you could withstand addition and subtraction quizzes from anyone, anytime, anywhere, the teacher introduces the “story problem”. Did you not hate those as a kid? Who cares if Johnny has enough money to buy a 50cent pack of gum if he started with 6quarters and then lost 3 and gave 2 away . . . WHO CARES?? Just ask me what 6-3-2 is and be done with it! But it’s not always that black and white. So back in our story, we have a gathered community, and Jesus has been asked a question, and now WE get the story problem.

There’s a man who is found beaten and left half dead. What do we know about this man? He could have been traveling by himself, but could he also have been traveling with a group and when the robbers attacked . . . the rest of the group scattered? If he was traveling alone, was it because he had left a family behind or because he was traveling back home to be with his family again? Does it make a difference in the story where the man was going or where he came from? Probably not. People are people, and he needed help. Do you think he was able to speak? Was he able to ask for help? Did he want help? We know that he was stripped, so there’s no way to know if he was rich or poor. There was nothing to identify him as part of any ethnic group. He’s completely vulnerable. We’ve all been there . . . completely vulnerable. If you’ve ever had any kind of surgery or medical procedure, or even an Xray, you know that there is nothing more vulnerable than laying on that bed with nothing on you that you own . . . no rings, no watch . . .no identifying article. It’s just you, the attractive hospital gown and a lot of vulnerability. But in the same instant, there’s the potential for incredible trust. You trust the doctors that are about to change something for the better, hopefully. You trust the nurses that are going to get you from point A to point B and make sure that you are comfortable after the procedure. And you trust God, that he will somehow give those people guidance so that everything is successful! So we can identify with our guy because we’ve been there too. I wonder how many times we are moving in one direction, either leaving something behind or anticipating something ahead, that we get abandoned, or stuck, or so discouraged that we just can’t take one more step forward? How do we move on?

Enter two religious men. If you were in need, wouldn’t you think your prayers were answered? But they see the injured man and walk past. The story tells us that the religious men chose to position themselves on the opposite side of the road from the injured man. There’s a lot of speculation about this, and many scholars will say that the priest and the Levite were following the law. If the man were dead, and they had touched him, they would have been made “unclean.” So they were doing what they learned, they were doing as they were told. They were following commandments. Do you think our guy watched them walk past? Do you think he cared about commandments and being unclean as he lay there half dead? Probably not. Probably didn’t even cross his mind. But just because we know this parable as the “Good” Samaritan doesn’t automatically translate to the parable of the “bad” priest. We ASSUME that they did the wrong thing, but Jesus didn’t focus on that. He focused on who did the better thing. I wonder about all the times that we follow the rules, even though we think that there might be another way. Are we glad in the end that we did the ‘right thing’ or do we wish that we would have taken the time to do something different?

There’s an interesting story I found called “The Pit.” It’s about a guy in a pit and the reactions of those who walk past.

The Pit
From: Steve Book (SBook1@Worldnet. att.net)

A man fell into a pit and couldn't get himself out.
A subjective person came along and said, "I feel for you down there."
An objective person walked by and said, "It's logical that someone would fall down there."
A Pharisee said, "Only bad people fall into pits."
A mathematician calculated how he fell into the pit.
A news reporter wanted the exclusive story on the pit.
An IRS agent asked if he was paying taxes on the pit.
A self-pitying person said, "You haven't seen anything until you've seen my pit."
A fire-and-brimstone preacher said, "You deserve your pit."
A Christian Scientist observed, "The pit is just in your mind."
A psychologist noted, "Your mother and father are to blame for your being in that pit."
A self-esteem therapist said, "Believe in yourself and you can get out of that pit."
An optimist said, "Things could be worse."
A pessimist claimed, "Things will get worse."
Jesus, seeing the man, took him by the hand and lifted him out of the pit.

We’ve all been IN the pit and we’ve all been the one looking at someone else in the pit. We have all passed those same judgments on others. But don’t we just want someone to come along, recognize that we’re in need, and quietly, kindly, help us out of the pit?

“A Samaritan, while traveling, came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity.” Luke 10:33 This is the first person who has come close to the man, and he is a Samaritan! The ironic part of the whole story is that the Samaritan is the hero, but he is also considered, by those to whom Jesus is speaking, to be the “bad guy.” They can’t even imagine that a Samaritan would be helpful. It’s completely counter-cultural. But, we know that the Samaritan was “moved with pity.” These words, translated literally, would be “feeling in the bowels.” It’s a gut feeling. The Samaritan sees the wounded man and he feels deep inside that he should stop and do something. Isn’t that the truth? We know when we should do something. We know it deep inside.

So he takes action. He goes to help. He cleans and bandages the wounds, puts the man on his own animal, and takes him to the next town. He then finds a place to stay, continues to care for him, and then asks the innkeeper to continue the care-giving. He gives a significant sum of money with a promise to give more on his way back through. He trusts his gut feeling when he stops to help. He takes a situation where both parties are vulnerable . . . and an incredible amount of trust happens. The wounded man trusts his helper. The helper trusts the innkeeper and the innkeeper trusts that the helper will come back. Have there been times that you have felt very vulnerable and found that the people you were forced to trust most were those whom you felt most distant from?

At the end of the parable, Jesus asks the Lawyer . . . WHAT DO YOU THINK? He doesn’t just say who was a neighbor to the wounded man. He doesn’t say, “See, those Samaritans can do good things.” He asks what the lawyer thinks. And that’s what we’re all asked. What do you think? What do you know deep down inside? What is your gut feeling? The lawyer answers Jesus. And it’s interesting that Jesus doesn’t say . . . ‘you’re right. Now ponder that. Think about it. Figure out how you might try to implement a ‘love your neighbor plan’ into your own life. Come up with ways that you might look for those who need your help. Make a list of areas that you can help and then check your calendar to make sure that there isn’t a conflict. NO… he says, “GO and DO.” He doesn’t say where to go, he doesn’t say what specifically to do. Just go about your life and when something needs to be done, do it. “Go and do likewise.”

As we listen to this scripture, we hear of the helpfulness of strangers. We hear of the compassion that one traveler has for another. We hear of those who walk by, and those who take action. We hear that it’s better to do something than to do nothing. We hear that we don’t have to do it all . . . we just do what we can. After all, the Samaritan did what he could, and then someone else helped.

In the conference room downstairs, there is a quote from John Wesley. It’s an exhausting proposition! You’ve probably read it before . . .

Do all the good you can
By all the means you can
In all the ways you can
In all the places you can
At all the times you can
To all the people you can
As long as ever you can.

It’s a tall order, but we know that’s what we should do. Jesus asks all of us, “What do YOU THINK” . . . and we know the answer. We know it deep down inside. We feel it in our gut. What we constantly work on is how to get that feeling from our gut into our hearts and lived out in our actions.

In the end, I agree with the pre-game show analogy . . . but I also feel like much of what we do in our lives is “Monday Morning Quarterbacking.” We look at someone else and say, “Well, he should obviously have done this.” OR “She should have certainly known what would happen if she did that.” Where does that leave us? Certainly not where we should be. If we move past the pre-game, and forget about looking back on Monday morning, it should leave us playing the game . . . OR . . . living right in the middle of the story. It should keep us mindful of those around us all the time. The story of the Good Samaritan isn’t about some guy who got beat up almost 2,000 years ago. It isn’t about religious people who were worried only about themselves. It isn’t about a gracious innkeeper who accepted a stranger and cared for him. It’s about living our lives and taking action when we see someone in need. It’s about knowing that there are always people around us who need something . . . and knowing that we have something we can give. Maybe it’s an encouraging word, maybe it’s an hour of our time, maybe it’s a meal, maybe it’s as simple as a smile. We’re equipped. We can find the positive. We really do know what it means. Deep down inside we know what we have to do . . . and with God’s help, we might be better able to live in those moments of vulnerability and learn to trust and take care of one another.

Amen

What do you mean when you say, "God?"

2008-09-02T00:29:00.013-04:00

I have been thinking about last week’s scripture and Moses’ inquiry about who God is and God responding “I Am Who I Am.”

Bill discussed a little bit last Sunday about how "I Am Who I Am" was truly a different concept from everything else that was being talked about at the time when it came to gods. Generally people worshiped things (the sun, idols, etc.). But here we have Moses talking to “I Am” – a state of being. It left me thinking though about what we mean when we talk about “God.”

We go to church every Sunday and worship "God." We read about "God" in the Bible and we talk about "God" in Bible study. However, what do we mean when we say “God?” It seems like a term that is used all the time. Sometimes you might hear, “I believe in God” or "God did this" or "God did that." "God was with me" and "Praise God." You might even hear, “I don’t believe in God.” But I don't often hear people say, “What do you mean when you say, 'God? ' "

What would you say?

Maybe, “You know…God.” or perhaps … “You know, the God in the Bible.” But what does that mean?

Some thoughts from A Layman’s Guide to Protestant Theology by William E. Hordern:

“The word “God” cannot be defined exactly, but it is normally used to represent whatever is believed to be the Ultimate, the Source of everything else, the highest of values, the Source of all other values. God is that which is deemed worthy of being the goal and purpose of life”(from the Introduction - xiv)

“A.N Weieman, a leader of one branch of this school [empirical philosophy of religion], asserts that liberal theology wanted to be empirical but allowed religious experience into its though and this opened the door to unempirical subjectivity.

… He asserts that the time has come to quit arguing about the existence of God; God is to be defined so that his existence cannot be denied. Weiman has made several definitions of God, one of which is “God is that character of events to which man must adjust himself in order to attain the highest good and avoid the greatest evils."

Wieman does not believe that we can know about God except by experiment; we must live experimentally to find what values are supported by the universe.

… At first sight it may be asked, What is the difference between Wieman and humanists, since both are naturalist in their philosophy? The difference is that Wieman is trying to find a source outside man which is the basis and background for man’s values. The humanist, on the other hand, believes that values are the concern and product of man alone. Nature, apart from man, is indifferent to value”(89).

Of course Paul Tillich defined God as both “the ultimate,” “the ground of being” and “being itself.”

Yet does that still tell us everything we need to know about God? As much as I am uncomfortable in personifying God into a Zeus-like character where "God" is used as a first name (God R. Father), it doesn't quite feel right to simply express God as simply a force of nature. I don't think God is a "he" or a “she” but I don't think God is an "it" either.

Here is another section from Hordern's Layman's Guide to Protestent Theology:

Immanence and Transcendence

“Immanence implies an idea of God dwelling in the world and working through nature. Extreme immanence is pantheism, which says God is in the world and the world is God. Such pantheism appears in several of the idealistic philosophers but is rare among liberals. Transcendence implies the reality of God apart from the world. Extreme transcendence is found in the Deists, for whom God is separate from the world as the watchmaker is from the watch. It is obvious that fundamentalists emphasize transcendence without completely denying immanence. Its God is distinct from the world, and when he enters the world he comes in the form of miracle and special acts of revelation.

Over against this, liberalism insists upon finding God in the whole of life and not in just a few spectacular events. God’s way of doing things is the way of progressive change and natural law. Liberalism denies some things are caused by natural forces and others by supernatural forces. The liberal sees God working in and through all that happens or is.

Thus the Virgin Birth is important to the fundamentalist as proof that in Christ the supernatural is at work. For the liberal the Virgin Birth is not only unnecessary but an embarrassment, for he finds God at work in the birth of every child” (77).

Hindi for God?

When I think of God I often think back to my college days when I took an Oriental philosophy and religion class. I remember that the concepts I read seemed much larger than the God that was taught to me in a Sunday school class. In church (which I only attended until 5th grade or so) the image of God was that of a powerful being who sat on a throne in the clouds and occasionally popped in to change people's lives.

In contrast, one of the Hindu ideas I liked was the concept of Brahman. Below are some sections from the Wikipedia article on Brahman (granted Wikipedia is not always the most accurate source but I was looking for a template to fill in the words for my vague recollection). To help visualize the link, I wrote “God” instead of Brahman.

To me it sounds very much like Paul Tillich’s idea of God as the ground of being. What do you think?

"God is the unchanging, infinite, immanent, and transcendent reality which is the Divine Ground of all matter, energy, time, space, being, and everything both in and beyond this Universe. The nature of God is described as transpersonal, personal and impersonal by different philosophical schools.

“The Supreme Cosmic Spirit or Absolute Reality called God is said to be eternal, genderless, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and ultimately indescribable in human language. … God [is] the reality behind [our] being and of everything else in this universe.God [is] infinite Being, infinite Consciousness and infinite Bliss [Keith note: I might also add infinite Love]. God is regarded as the source and essence of the material universe.”

“Another way to describe God … is to say, "God is not this.. God is not that.." Until everything in the infinite universe has been eliminated and only God remains -- implying that indeed God in infinite set universes is like the empty set. Thus all and none in one that is not but still is everywhere and nowhere in particular."

“It is said that God cannot be known by material means … God is also not restricted to the usual dimensional perspectives of being … thus [followers of God] do not merely mean to know God, but to realize one's [essence of God], to actually realize that one is and always was of God’s nature.”

“… the liberated soul has realized his identity with God as his true self.”

That isn’t EVERYTHING it says about Brahman, but the above bits really hit home for me when thinking about God.

The Tao of God

I also liked the idea of the Tao in Taoism. Again, I don’t think EVERYTHING in the Tao Te Ching is the same as God. A Taoist would certainly say that the Tao is different than our idea of God. I also don't think that Taoism and Christianity are interchangable nor do I think that the Tao Te Ching is on equal footing with the Bible. However, I think all religions stretch out for the ultimate [the ultimate being God] and I think God responds. We can find truths in various places because God is not limited to just a few places and a few people. I am just using what they say about the Tao and Brahman as spring board for thinking.

“The God that can be talked about is not the true God. The name that can be named is not the eternal Name.” (Tao Te Ching Chapter 1)

** Actually this is very similar to Christian Theologian Emil Bruner, “Theology is an incomplete and finite expression of the paradoxical relationship to God that can never be fully expressed in human terms” (A Layman’s Guide to Protestant Theology, page 119).

I think that is important. When we are talking about God, we aren’t REALLY talking about God, we are talking about our limited understanding of God through limited signs, symbols and words.
“God pours out everything into life. God is a cornucopia that never runs dry.” (Chapter 4)

“God is the deep source of everything.” (Chapter 4)

“God has been shaping things from the first Being, from before the Beginning of Time.” (Chapter 4)

“God is the breath of life that never dies. God is a Mother to All Creation. God is the root and ground of every soul.” (Chapter 6)

** Ok, we say Father instead of Mother, God is neither man nor woman – both titles are obviously metaphors.

“God never ends and God never fails.” (Chapter 6)

What do you think? How would you define God? Is there anything I posted here that you would NOT consider God?

Moses and the Burning Bush

2008-08-24T20:58:00.015-04:00

“Meeting God Again for the First Time”

Moses was tending sheep for his father-in-law on Mount Horeb when God surprised him in a burning bush and called him to go back to Egypt and lead the people of Israel to freedom. The story is filled with wonderful details. It has texture, depth and unexpected insights. Fundamentally, it is an affirmation of who God is and how God works in the world. What can this story teach us about how we can be prepared to meet God in our own lives?

Please read Exodus 3:1-15

From the East Greenwich United Methodist Bulletin 8/24/08

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Exodus 3:1-15

3Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 3Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” 4When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

7Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, 8and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. 10So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

11But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.” 13But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’“ 15God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’: This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations.'

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Study Guides and Commentary

Time

The time of Moses is estimated to be around 1300 BC

(source: The New Interpreter's Study Bible)

Exodus

I was reading The Oxford Companion to the Bible under the Exodus entry and found that "And these are the names" (the opening lines of Exodus) serves as the Hebrew name for Exodus." This struck me strange as I always thought Exodus was derived from a word like "EXIT" due to Moses leading his people out of Egypt.

However:

"The title "Exodus" derives from the Greek Ἔξοδος, Exodos, meaning "departure, out-going," the name given to the book in the Septuagint, a Greek translation of Jewish scriptures made between the 3rd to 1st centuries BC. In Hebrew it is called Shemot (שְׁמוֹת) from the opening phrase Ve-eleh shemot, ואלה שמות, "These are the names", a practice in line with the other four books of the Torah."

(Source: Wikipedia - but it squares with the source of The Oxford Companion to the Bible)

What's in a Name?

God answers, “ ‘Ehyeh-asher-Ehyeh’ – I shall be what I shall be” [or “I am that I am”]. Tell them, ‘Ehyeh sent me to you.’ “

This enigmatic divine name is never again mentioned in the Torah, and during Moses’ forty years as Israel’s leader he never reveals this name to the people.

… What does this puzzling name of God mean? Countless biblical exegetes have written hundreds of thousands of words trying to explicate God’s three-word Hebrew name. The most likely interpretation is that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob reveals himself through His actions: “I shall be as I shall be” means therefore “I shall be as I shall act” (in contradistinction to the “Unmoved Mover,” Aristotle’s description of God). In Exodus 33:19, God will similarly describe Himself through his behavior, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and show compassion to whom I will show compassion.” Alternately, God’s name underscores that a true experience of the divine is very private; God will be what He will be to that person. But He cannot be adequately described to others.

…

Hundreds of years after Moses, Jeremiah also complains to God about the unpleasantness of the prophetic vocation. “I have become a constant laughingstock. Everyone jeers at me.” Jeremiah claims that at one point, he even resolved to prophesy no longer, “But [God’s word] was like a raging fire in my heart, shut up in my bones; I could not hold it in, I was helpless” (Jeremiah 20:7,9).

Although God overcomes each of Moses’ objections, he has good reason to resist the life-transforming mission on which God now sends him. The rest of his life he is plagued by rebellions, doubts, and complaints from the people he serves; he seems to have little, if any, time to devote to his family; and at the end of his life, he is denied the opportunity to march with the Israelites into their new homeland.

But painful as the choice might be for Moses, God surely knows the character of the man He is choosing. To this day, Moses remains the greatest leader, prophet, and personality in Jewish history."

From Biblical Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin