Year of the Bible

2010-09-04T13:17:00.000-05:00

A faith that changes us.

Isaiah 1:10-17 (From The Message)

Is. 1:10 "Listen to my Message, you Sodom-schooled leaders.

Receive God's revelation, you Gomorrah-schooled people.

Is. 1:11 "Why this frenzy of sacrifices?" GOD'S asking.

"Don't you think I've had my fill of burnt sacrifices, rams and plump grain-fed calves?

Don't you think I've had my fill of blood from bulls, lambs, and goats?

12 When you come before me,who ever gave you the idea of acting like this,

Running here and there, doing this and that—all this sheer commotion in the place provided for worship?

Is. 1:13 "Quit your worship charades.

I can't stand your trivial religious games:

Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings—

meetings, meetings, meetings—I can't stand one more!

14 Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them! You've worn me out!

I'm sick of your religion, religion, religion,while you go right on sinning.

15 When you put on your next prayer-performance,I'll be looking the other way.

No matter how long or loud or often you pray, I'll not be listening.

And do you know why? Because you've been tearing people to pieces, and your hands are bloody.

16 Go home and wash up. Clean up your act.

Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings so I don't have to look at them any longer.

Say no to wrong.

17 Learn to do good.

Work for justice. Help the down-and-out. Stand up for the homeless.

Go to bat for the defenseless.

Meetings, meetings, meetings… I think we can all relate to frustration of meetings. From many years in the corporate world, often meetings were scheduled with details, or training, or numbers, or the next new best idea. How many times would we get to the next meeting and talk about the same problems, or just go through the motions. But often what was needed was the time to visit people…customers, the place where the rubber hits the road. This is what Isaiah is sharing with us…God's frustration in continued meetings. Meetings with ideas, maybe saying the right things, or sharing the "right rituals", kinda' going through the motions. What God is asking for is action, the kind of faith that changes us. God doesn't have a problem with worship. God is angry with the hypocrisy of saying the right things in worship, but then not putting these ideas into practice.

Martin Luther shares the paradox that we are justified by faith alone and how this works with a responsibility to care for our neighbor. This paradox he shares from reading 1 Corinth. 9:19 : "A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none"; and "A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all". Luther was struggling with his new revelation that we are saved by grace alone while witnessing all of the rules that "religion" had set in place. Luther writes, "Good works do not make a good person, but a good person does good works; evil works do not make a wicked person, but a wicked person does evil works". This is fully dependent on motive. Understanding that righteousness is found through faith, a believer is therefore motivated through faith to do good works. It is through this that works come as a result of faith. It is from the eyes of faith that we love our neighbors as Christ taught us with no self-motive, but the genuine intent on fully helping our neighbor. In our good health and abundance, it is our responsibility in faith to financially support and provide care for those in need as Luther states, "bearing one another's burdens and so fulfilling the law of Christ" Motivation is measured by whether this comes from the freedom of God's grace absent from personal gain. It is on the basis of the name Christian that Christ dwells within us that we care for our neighbor without condition or without judgment, whether friend or foe, whether thankful or thankless.

2010-09-02T11:50:00.000-05:00

Song of Songs. 7,8
Ps. 99-101

"Do not stir up or awaken love until it is ready"

This appears three times in Song of Songs (2:7, 3:5, and 8:4).

Going back to the post from Tuesday, from an understanding of a love poem between two lovers, the poem is saying take it slow. Be patient with love and build a strong foundation. As the poetry reads from highly sensuous and builds through consummation, this speaks of taking time to build a love that will last. This will help kindle the relationship God had in mind back in the garden. This establishes the kind of love that when offered "all the wealth of one's house it would be utterly scorned" (8:7). We are reminded of an untamed love that is beautiful between two people, but be patient for the right person, and with the right person, wait until love is ready. Wait, and build a friendship, a companionship where the maturity grows from the description of the little sister to a wall...like towers.

As allegory, this works with the same parallel. We all share different stories in coming to Christ. Many share that moment and remember the date. Many others grew up nurtured from birth in the church. Our love in Christ is one that continually needs to be nurtured. We do this by daily being in Scripture, in prayer, meditation. Also, importantly we do this is a community of faith. We are all stronger together as a community. We are more complete with the many gifts that complement us as a body of faith. All of this is necessary in establishing what we were made for, and that is a relationship with God.

Blessings, Rob

2010-09-01T22:42:00.000-05:00

1 Timothy 1-4

Pig, or not a pig... that is the question? At least that is where we often get hung up on some of the difficult passages from Paul's writing as it pertains to women. Isolated by itself, the following is very difficult within our culture today: "Let a woman learn in silence with full submission. I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent. For Adam was formed first, the Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing, provided they continue in faith and love and holiness, with modesty."

First, this is a letter. We are only hearing one side of the conversation, only half of the conversation. This helps open a window to what may be going on through the other side of the letter, but we only hear one voice. Have you ever walked in and caught something controversial said, but only heard one part of the conversation? It is also important to note that Paul was usually responding to problems within the church.

Second, we have a cultural divide. Traditions, dress, mannerisms, and even gender roles even today are different throughout the many cultures in our diverse world. Lets take this idea, and then go back 1950 years ago when this letter was written. We need to be sensitive the cultural roles play into this.

Third, we know from many of Paul's other letters that he is radically inclusive with women in leadership roles in the Church. We know Paul did not forbid women from teaching as we see in the following: Paul often has great praise and worked closely with Priscilla who taught Apollos, the great preacher. (Acts 18:24-26). Many other women are recognized by Paul with positions of responsibility. This includes Phoebe (Romans 16:1), Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa and Persis (Romans 16:6, 12), and Euodia and Syntyche (Philippians 4:2). In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul writes that women pray and prophecy in church.

All this said, it is most important to look at the greater context of what Paul is saying. This is in our Holy Scripture. We can dry to dodge it, or ignore it. We can also look at the Scholars who may through a detailed analysis support that someone else other than Paul may have said this. But back to the earlier statement, this is in our Scripture, so we need to look at it with humility and gain a better understanding of what it is saying.

To look specifically at today's reading, chapter 1 opens us to the problem Paul is writing about. "Some people have deviated from these and turned to meaningless talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make assertions..." (1 Tim 1: 6-7)

Then, after the tough verses discussed earlier, Paul is talking about leadership in the church. What we understand going on in Ephesus at this time is there were many false teachers. Paul is addressing the problems, building the leadership, and in training is saying not to put anyone into leadership that doesn't have the the proper training. He discussed the importance for elders and deacons, that they have it together, because leadership requires discipline and credibility. Paul cares so much about building the church and the body of faith, that he really places emphasis on what he says to Timothy in having faith and good conscience. From this perspective, we gain an understanding from a time where culturally, men were the ones educated. Women from Ephesus are receiving training, but are not yet in a position to be teaching until they have the knowledge and experience.

1 Timothy has so much to say to us today. As we are seeing the diminishing influence of the church today in our culture, Paul provides us a great testament. He writes to encourage Timothy, "For to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe. These are the things you must insit on and teach. Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift that is in you... pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers." Paul is providing encouragement in this time surrounded with false teaching.

As our nominating committee is seeking those called to serve as elders and deacons, we see from Paul the importance of this on nurturing and leadership for within our church home and our community. We are fortunate to have so many blessings within our congregation in both men and women. To witness today, the influence of Virgie, and the number of lives she has touched by loving her church. To see the example of John, caring so deeply for everyone else. We are blessed, and when we have these kind of examples to compare to Paul's writing, it all makes greater sense. We are so thankful for all in our church family.

Blessings, Rob

2010-08-31T12:29:00.000-05:00

Song of Solomon 1-4, 1 Timothy 1-4

Wow, what a week to be the guest blogger. We have Song of Solomon and Timothy. Today we will catch up on Song of Solomon and tomorrow will focus on Timothy.

My first response, and how I begin is wow... an uncomfortable book today within a Bible Study and can you imagine...worship! Why is this? Song of Solomon is a book of love poems...very sensual, descriptive love poems. So why is this difficult, and really, to be able to express the kind of love that is shared with us, isn't it the most amazing, descriptive, emotional love that we find in Scripture. Reading commentaries, many scholars argue that this is a book of of secular love poetry that made it into our canon by accepting the parallel that this is analogous to God's love for Israel, which later then is shared with the concept of Christ's love for the Church. Or is this simply love poetry expressing a deep sensual love between two people?

Some excerpts:
"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine, your anointing oils are fragrant, your name is perfume poured out; therefore the maidens love you... How beautiful you are, my love, how very beautiful! Your eyes are doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats, moving down the slopes of Gilead. Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes that have come up from the washing...Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle, that feed among the lilies...You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you, Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind! Blow upon my garden that its fragrance may be wafted abroad. Let my beloved come to his garden and eat its choicest fruits."

Back to the questions: Allegory of love between God and Israel? Or raw sensuous love between lovers?

My answer is...Yes!

Allegorically speaking, reading this as I was discussing blogging about this with a friend of mine) makes you blush, makes us vulnerable. The poetry paints a physical, but even more more, a spiritually deep love where we say yes. In studying Song of Solomon in my Old Testament class, our professor helped show us how these poems take us back to the Garden of Eden. It moves us from after the fall (read Genesis 3:15-18), and back into the garden, lost in love- in deep adoration, mutually between two lovers (play Journey or Air Supply Song here). This combines a deep intimacy within two lovers that make us crave a deep physical and spiritual love, a kind of love we seek with a partner, and even deeper, a connection with something much greater, the kind of love that connects us with God.

Yesterday, I shared fellowship at the table with my father and grandfather. We had three generations talking about television today compared with the early shows my grandfather loved. He shared how funny at the time I Love Lucy was, and my Dad shared how shocking Elvis was when he was on the first Ed Sullivan Show. That in the home, this wasn't allowed, but as soon as he was in the car, all the kids were singing Elvis songs. Today, I shared with reality television and sitcoms, so much seams to have to be shocking, to the extend of out-shocking what has ever been done before. My dad laughed and said that it sounds like I am getting old. Why do I share this...

I share this because too often we are caught in the shocking. I worry with our youth today on where the line is between love and lust, the physical and the spiritual. We as a Church need to look at the kind of love modeled in Song of Solomon. To look at it as raw sensuous love between lovers... we need to talk about this, and celebrate the kind of love two people can (and should) share with each other. The Church too often, whether it done overtly, or through the absence by not discussing, sends a message that sex is bad. Reading and discussing Song of Solomon can help us dispel this and show how beautiful a relationship is between lovers. By talking about this, we can respond to the other messages being shared through media, internet, and pressures that are real to our children. This helps share a difference between true love that is to be celebrated, and unhealthy relationships that tempt us in.

On even a deeper level, we need to allow ourselves to be vulnerable to the love of God and the love of Jesus Christ. This is a love that changes us, helps us enter into a relationship that is fuller. The kind of relationship that sheds the legalism and allows and instead helps us connect in conversation. This is also the kind of love that helps us fulfill loving God with all our heart, mind, and soul, and love our neighbor.

Meanwhile, I am going to borrow "Your hair is like a flock of goats, moving down the slopes of Gilead. Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes that have come up from the washing" for the next card I write to my wife...

Blessings, Rob

August 26

2010-08-26T09:36:00.001-05:00

Ecclesiastes 6, 7
Psalm 95, 96

So many thoughts again this day while reading Ecclesiastes, but this one in particular stood out to me, “In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: a righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.” From an earthly perspective, this is hard to accept. We like the bad guys to get zapped. We like it when crime does not pay and the wicked are caught red-handed and made to pay for what they have done. Like the Psalm we read earlier this week, Psalm 94, we hear the wicked say "The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed."

If our perspective were only bound in time – birth, life, and then death was the end of a person’s existence, we might have to conclude that we agree with those who said that. Some wicked people really do seem to flourish – they have big houses, drive really nice cars, have important jobs and influence a lot of people. Yesterday while listening to Dr. David Jeremiah on the radio, I heard him say, “Believers have superficial difficulties and central happiness, while non-believers have superficial happiness and central difficulties.” I have observed this to be true – for all the houses, cars, jobs and influence the wicked obtain, do any of them have central happiness? Each person must ultimately face death and each person must ultimately understand that, whatever one had on earth, it must be left behind and, as the writer of Ecclesiastes says, “Who knows whether he will be a wise man, or a fool?”

It is only the peace that passes all understanding that guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus that gives us central happiness and contentment, knowing that this world and this life is not the end of us. God does see and has paid heed to what has been done and each of us must someday meet Him. Will it be joyfully, thankfully, running to meet Him, or fearfully, dragging our feet?

Psalm 95 uses an image of God’s people common in scripture; we are people of his pasture, the flock under His care. My husband maintains that God created sheep purely as an object lesson for us. Sheep are not the…sharpest animals in the pasture. As most of us know, sheep will wander aimlessly, even off a cliff, if they are not carefully fenced in and given direction. It doesn’t take much of a stretch of the imagination to understand that that is exactly what we do so often in life.

In the context of Psalm 95, we are said to be the sheep under His care – it is that idea of His daily guidance and provision for us; watching over us that helps us understand how much God cares about us. The writer of the Psalms tells us if we hear the voice of our Shepherd, we should not harden our hearts, but should listen to it, remembering that the Shepherd wants only the very best for His sheep.

August 25

2010-08-25T09:16:00.001-05:00

Ecclesiastes 4, 5
2 Thessalonians 3

There are so many themes in today’s chapters of Ecclesiastes that it was hard to choose what to write about. This verse, “As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?” reminded me of a few weeks ago when I was in my Adult Sunday School class at my church. Someone made the comment, in the context of talking about the “stuff” we have and the stuff we want that when you look at any garbage dump in any given area, there are items in there that once were the latest and best – the brand new shiny car that someone had once saved for years to purchase, now a rusted-out hulk; the latest and best computer (16 MB! Wow!), now discarded. Anything we set our hearts on in this world ultimately comes to an end. That’s why antiques are so valuable – hardly any material goods survive the wear and tear of time.

This is not at all to say that wanting something new is wrong, nor is it ungodly to enjoy what we have been blessed with. The writer of Ecclesiastes goes on to say, “when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God.” That is the right attitude about “stuff” isn’t it? That we enjoy what we have, recognizing that it is God’s hand that has given it to us – to accept what we have and be content with it rather than forever wanting more; understanding that our true treasure lies in heaven, “where moth and rust do not destroy” (Matthew 6:20). Praise God!

In his closing words to the Thessalonians, Paul talks about the importance of work. He urges the Thessalonians to keep working and not to allow any of their fellow believers to be idle. I wonder if, in context of the previous chapter in which Paul assured them that they had not missed out on Christ’s return, if some of the believers in Thessalonica had become discouraged and stopped working – does anyone know? Comment below.

Whatever the context, Paul makes it plain that while we are earth, we are to be busy with the work God has given us to do. Going back to today’s reading from Ecclesiastes, the writer says, “Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot.” Further, Paul says in Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” I am ready to work for the Lord today – how about you?

August 24

2010-08-24T09:01:00.000-05:00

Ecclesiastes 1-3
2 Thessalonians 2

“Meaningless!” declares the writer of Ecclesiastes as I begin my morning reading, “Everything is meaningless! ... What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” These words were written well over 2,000 years ago, and nothing has changed, has it? We have new technology that allows us to view almost the entire world at any given time. Is there any question for which you can’t “Google” an answer? In fact, I Googled the question of how long ago Ecclesiastes was written. Yet all of this technology allows us to view a world that is essentially unchanged because human nature is unchanged.

We have read quite a bit of the Old Testament by now, over half-way through the Year of the Bible. We have read about wars and jealousy and dirty dealing and sexual sin and murder and heartbreak. The circumstances of each of these incidences might have been different - the people dressed differently, spoke different languages and had different customs than we do, but their experiences of life and their thoughts and feelings – their humanity, are as familiar to us as the stories we hear on the nightly news.

When I hear people speak of “the good old days”, I wonder, really, how good were they? Some areas of life might have been better, but the writer of Ecclesiastes says that a world apart from God is, in fact, meaningless and there is nothing new with humanity. For every great thing about the good old days, we can find something that wasn’t so great. What do you think?

In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul writes that he doesn’t want the Thessalonians to become upset thinking they have somehow missed Christ’s return. Apparently, some people had even sent them letters in Paul’s name telling them this. What a rotten thing to do. Going along with the previous theme from Ecclesiastes, nothing is new under the sun – how often have we heard someone today saying something false about Jesus’ return? Matthew Henry, in his commentary, writes, “False doctrines are like the winds that toss the water to and fro; and they unsettle the minds of men, which are as unstable as water.” Satan loves for us to get all upset about things like this. The most important thing to remember is that no matter how many lies are told about the day of Christ’s return, Christ will return and that is the heart of the matter. I am content to leave the timing in God’s hands.

August 23

2010-08-23T08:35:00.001-05:00

Proverbs 31
Psalm 94

Proverbs 31 has long been one of my favorite passages to read. The woman described in this reading is amazing indeed. She takes care of her family, she carries out a successful business, she is respected and loved by her husband and children. At the conclusion, the writer says, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” Out of all the things this woman has done, this is the real heart of the matter because I think it gives the reason she lives her life the way she - she loves the LORD. She realizes that charm and beauty are fleeting; it is only what is done for God that endures. As mothers, our words and actions can be a reflection of God’s love for our children, or they can cause immeasurable harm. Recently a friend of mine told of an elderly acquaintance of hers who doesn’t want anything to do with God or church. He told her his mother had “forced” church on him in childhood and, once he left home, he refused to have anything more to do with church or God. It’s sad because, no doubt, this mother meant well - it is, perhaps, the difference between pushing your children to Christ and leading your children to Christ. The woman in Proverbs 31 sets a godly example for her children. Her love and care for her household are a reflection of God’s love and care for His children.

Psalm 94 speaks of the arrogance of the wicked - after outlining some of the many horrible things the wicked do the writer says, “They (the wicked) say, ‘The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed.’” It may seem like that to them as they “get away” with horrible deed after terrible action, but as the writer points out God, who created the eye, does see and God, who made the ear, does hear. Let no one fool himself that God is not aware of what is going on in His world. Even the most wicked person can repent and be forgiven, but first that person must recognize that God does see and hear what has been done.

August 22

2010-08-22T07:40:00.001-05:00

Proverbs 29, 30
2 Thessalonians 1

Proverbs 29 and 30 contain the writing of Agur son of Jakeh who closes with these words:
"If you have played the fool and exalted yourself, or if you have planned evil, clap your hand over your mouth! For as churning the milk produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife."

Most of us, I imagine, don't really "plan evil" but I wonder how much pain we end up inflicting anyway with just our words? Gossip can destroy reputations, cause pain to families, and stress to individuals. What if, instead of passing on something that we know is not going to lift up anyone else, we clapped our hands over our mouths instead?

I try to ask myself, before I pass along anything I've heard, "What is my purpose in passing this on?" Sometimes there are legitimate reasons to talk about other people such as when our girls come to talk to me when they are worried about their friends. They aren't seeking to pass on gossip about these friends but are looking for some wisdom in how to deal with something the friends may be saying or doing. I think most of us, if we are honest, do know the difference between talking about someone in the context of seeking help for that person and talking about someone because, well, it can make us feel temporarily better to feel superior to someone else. Lord, remind me to clap my hands over my mouth before I say something hurtful!

How do you struggle with this?

In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul begins with words of encouragement – he tells them how he thanks God daily for them and how he boasts about their perseverance in the face of persecution and trials. He reminds them that those who persecute God's people have a Day of Judgment coming. It is so hard to remember this sometimes. Evil really does seem to triumph. Greedy people grab and get and glory in their grabbing and getting. We have to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and on the scope of eternity – all of these things, gossip and lies and evildoers will have to face God and explain how they chose to live their lives. Each day of our lives is a precious gift. Let's not waste it on fretting about evil people but, like the Thessalonians, persevere and keep the faith that God knows what is happening and will bring to justice those who do evil.

August 21

2010-08-21T15:41:00.001-05:00

Proverbs 27, 28
I Thessalonians 5

Today's reading from Proverbs begins with this caution, "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." A few weeks ago, I thought I had my week planned out. On Monday I would do this, on Tuesday, I would do that and on Wednesday, another thing. As it turned out, none of what I had so carefully planned worked out. Circumstances are often beyond our control. Plans change, people make promises that aren't kept, and sometimes a natural disaster gets in the way. What comforts me is that my circumstances are never beyond God's control. I used to get angry, frustrated and upset when my plans changed. Then, one year, when I was so upset that circumstances had prevented us from going somewhere we'd planned to go, I later learned if we had gone, we would have driven right into the path of a tornado. That really made me think and from that point on, I can't say that I have never been upset by a change in plans, but I have always tried to remember that even though it seems frustrating, God has it under control.
How do you handle times when things seem out of control?

In Thessalonians, Paul uses the contrast of day and night to show the differences between a believer and a non-believer in his or her approach to Jesus' return. Having said that the day of the Lord will "come like a thief in the night", he goes on to say "you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet." What a great picture of the happiness and security we feel when we think about Jesus' return – we can wear that hope of salvation as a helmet to protect us from the arrows shot at us by the world which scoffs at the idea that he is coming again.
Does this encourage you?

Seeds of Hope

2010-08-14T11:20:00.001-05:00

This year at Mountain T.O.P. we focused on the living Spirit of our Father. How alive and present God is in His world. How deep within us all, lives the Spirit. Ready to bear fruit of the kingdom. Ready to unlock heaven on Earth. Ready to sow seeds of hope.

Proverbs 13:12 says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." In other words, Hope put off, postponed, left on the back burner, makes the heart sick. Makes the heart ache. Makes the heart unhealthy.

Most of the time when talking about hope, we look towards what will happen when we spread it. Hope will offer peace. Hope will allow someone to see they are loved by God. Hope will remind us that suffering is never the end. Hope will point us to the kingdom. Hope will offer us trust, courage and strength.

But what happens if we don't spread hope?

Proverbs 13:23 says, "A poor man's field may produce abundant food, but injustice sweeps it away."

Working with the "poor" living in the seven counties of Mountain T.O.P.'s service area often brings injustice to light. If God wanted a world where the lion laid with the lamb, then He did not intend for a family to go without a home for months, or a young girl to be deprived of an education. As we offer reflections of His heart, we strive to destroy the weeds of injustice. Rather, we strive to paint the image of justice. Where the hungry are fed, the sick are looked after, and the homeless are clothed.

A month ago I went to the local "Back to School Bash" for residents of Grundy County, the third "poorest" county in the state of Tennessee. Several organizations shared their information with locals while providing school supplies to families who cannot afford them. Directly across from my booth sat Serenity Pointe (http://www.serenitypointe.org/about.html), giving out free clothes for those who needed new ones.

As people sorted through clothes, I noticed a little girl in front of me. She had a bright yellow dress on and beautiful brown hair neatly combed into two pigtails. She couldn't have been more than six years old. She moved a few items of clothes over, sifting slowly as her little hands didn't offer much strength. At some point, I became distracted by someone arriving at my booth, so my attention was taken from her for a minute or so. But when I had the chance to look back, I saw her holding up a new dress with a huge smile on her face. It brought such joy to my eyes to watch her twirl in excitement.

Shortly after though, I was hit with an unexpected emotion. A few tears welled in my eyes as I thought beyond the dress. I thought about all the money we used to spend on new clothes for High School. How no one at my high school would have dreamed of picking up used clothing for the new school year. How actually, I was pretty blind to those who did went without new clothes around me. (Now please don't get me wrong, I have nothing against used clothes... I love thrift store shopping...) The point being, she had no option. If I want nice clothes, I can go buy them. If I want to shop at a thrift store, I can do that too. But others in this county, in this state, in this country, in this world, are not afforded those opportunities. And we could argue all day as to whose fault that is or why, but at the end of the day that doesn't matter to me because this question prevails:

What would God's picture of justice look like?

"He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God." Proverbs 14:31

Though at times we cannot see the fruit of our labor, let us remember that every tiny seed of hope we plant in the life of someone else will become a tree of life. May we join with Paul in praying, "May God open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let you conversation be always full of grace.." Col. 4:3-6

Amen.

--
Samantha Tashman
Mountain T.O.P.
Program Manager—Recruiting and Public Awareness
(931) 692-3999
www.mountain-top.org

"From the moment a soul has the grace to know God, she must seek." -Mother Teresa

Mountain T.O.P. is an interdenominational Christian Mission affiliated with the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church, dedicated to rural life ministry in the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee.

August 13th response

2010-08-13T07:44:00.001-05:00

Proverbs 11&12, Colossians 3
I used to think of Proverbs as a list of fortune cookie one-liners. It was a place I could go to find tag lines that I often didn't understand. As I have grown older, the advice and lessons found in these two chapters have come to life.
I would like to think that most people question their purpose on this earth at some point in their lives. That is why simply opening my bible this morning was so powerful. I always find hope and comfort in the Word. There are two main paths to choose from in these scriptures and in this life: the path of righteousness and the path of wickedness. Any person who has accepted Christ into his or her heart has felt the call to live a righteous life. Jesus said "Be holy because I am holy" (1Peter 1:16). It doesn't get much clearer than that. We have knowledge of God's love, Jesus' sacrifice and the presence of the Holy Spirit with us. Because of this knowledge, we must live differently. Clothe yourself in humility. We cannot succeed if we try to do it alone, and we aren't supposed to. To call on God and others for help and strength is a blessing. Another lesson that jumped out at me was to speak and work with intention. My grandfather instilled in me as a young man a value that is echoed in Col. 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord." Remember this scripture as you move through your day and see if you don't end with a smile on your face.
Lastly, when interacting with others, remember the simple truth that we are all going to the same place. This has helped me embrace every interaction with people I meet. I think to myself, "I will see this face again one day". We are all in this together. Pray today that God will help us love each other well. To God be the glory!

Cry with Moses

2010-08-12T07:29:00.001-05:00

Proverbs 9, 10
Psalm 90

Psalm 90 is a prayer of Moses, a Man of God. Moses writes in verse 1 & 2, "Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world from everlasting to everlasting you are God".

What is a dwelling place? It's a place where we live. A place where our heart resides. I think of my dwelling place as the place where I am loved, supported, safe, comforted, stretched, challenged. It's the place I can be myself. My dwelling place brings out the best that is in me, it's the place I can be vulnerable. Sometimes I've wondered where my dwelling place will be for the night. When I moved from Oklahoma to Tennessee in 2007 I didn't know where I was going to live for the first 2 weeks. I was buying a house but couldn't close on it for another 2 weeks. I had all of my belonging in a Budget moving truck driving into town still not knowing where or if I was going to be able to move into my house 2 weeks early. I kept praying for God to show me where to go, I had faith that my dwelling place would be shown to me. Moses is calling God our dwelling place. Acts 17:28 says "For in him we live and move and have our being". God exists as a home for his people. God is our dwelling place.

God is also the God of creation. Moses said "before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world." Before all this, God was! God was before any mountain was formed. He was before any thought of land and sea. God was!!! I don't know about you but I love nature. I love everything about it, all the extremes. I love watching a trickling creek or the ocean waves crashing on rocks. I love watching the fall leaves drift to the ground. Watching the snow drift along the road or seeing animal prints in the fresh snow in the forest, it all amazes me. God was before all of the nature that amazes me. God was!!!

"from everlasting to everlasting you are God". Before the beginning and after the ending - you are God. I love how the Message translation says "From 'once upon a time' to 'kingdom come' - you are God."

He is the God of history. He is the God of creation. But beyond all that, He is the God of eternity. He is above and beyond His creation. God is our dwelling place. God has been a dwelling place throughout all generations. Since before time began, God was!

Moses understood the facts about God. When I think about that I can't help but cry with him, "Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations."

Amen

Where is Wisdom?

2010-08-11T07:15:00.001-05:00

Prov 7 & 8
Col 2

Rules have a good place in our lives. I grew up in a house that had rules. Be home by 10pm. No snacking before dinner. Make your bed. No talking on the phone late at night. Do your homework before you play.

I can remember the time in my life when I began the role of setting rules for myself. Rules can easily be the things by which we define ourselves. They are also the means by which we define ourselves as "free". And that can get confusing. It's not that rules are bad; they give us healthy boundaries in which to roam. But rules can't be the end.

"And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness" (Col 2.6-7, NLT).

Paul was writing to a church who was defining themselves by religious rules, trying to make their rules their faith. We who are Christ followers live by his new life, not by our old set of rules. We can't make a new life by following old rules. The only way we make a new life is to "follow him," to "let [our] roots grow down into him, and let [our] lives be built on him."

Paul's warning in verses 8-10 can only be combated by one thing: wisdom. Leaving the old set of rules behind leaves a void that can only be filled by God's wisdom. It is a valuable thing talked about many places in the Bible. Proverbs is just one of those places.

"I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment.
I know where to discover knowledge and discernment" (Prov 8.12, NLT)

Prov 7 gives us a clear picture of living life without wisdom. And if adultery is just a form of idolatry, then we can all substitute anything we idolize for the immoral woman in Prov 7. Without wisdom the things we idolize certainly do seduce us, pierce our hearts, cost us many things, even our own lives. Without wisdom we have no ability to leave our set of rules behind and accept our new life in Christ. Or, if we try, we find that we are constantly forcing Christ's new life to live by our set of old rules.

Conquering our evil selves is only possible through living each day, each moment at the side of our Savior. This is Paul's reassurance to us in Col 2.20: "You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world?" Christ has offered us new life, so we must live it!

Prayer: Creator God, you have offered me new life through the sacrifice of your only Son. Help me to live out that new life with courage and wisdom, knowing that your Holy Spirit is always available to guide my steps. Amen.

--
Julie Duncan
Mountain T.O.P.
Program Manager - Ministry Logistics
931.692.3999
www.mountain-top.org

Mountain T.O.P. is an Interdenominational Christian Mission, affiliated with the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church, dedicated to rural life ministry in the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee.
----

blog for August 10th

2010-08-09T23:41:00.001-05:00

Proverbs 5,6

Colossians 1

I've read that Paul had somewhat of a pattern in his letters: a greeting, a prayer, some doctrine and a practical application of how Christians should live. In the beginning of his letter "to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse" (1:2), Paul reminds us whose we are. He writes, "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation - if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel" (1:21-23).

In the most current season of my spiritual life, I've been reminded of the beautiful gift of reconciliation. To be reconciled is to reunite, bring (back) together (again), restore friendly relations between, make peace between; pacify, appease, placate, mollify; formal conciliate.

The passage above tells us that we are reconciled to God because of Christ's sufferings. Christ reunites us with God. He brings us back. He is the bridge that closes the gap between us and our Father. The beautiful dove of peace. The restorer. The redeemer.

There are days, sometimes weeks, sometimes years, when we cannot fathom the love and forgiveness of God. Times when we can't see beyond our own shame, guilt, and embarrassment because of our former "evil behavior." But here, we are reminded of the new covenant poured out for us as an offering of love... The act of Christ done in order to save us from ourselves....

Today, try and see the sacrifice in a new light...

Instead of dwelling on the past, spend today receiving the love of Christ.

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!" Isaiah 43:18-19

Samantha Tashman

Program Manager - Recruiting and Public Awareness

Blog

2010-08-09T11:38:00.001-05:00

Proverbs 3, 4
Psalm 89

After reading these three chapters, the one main thing that is sticking out at me is that trust in the Lord is what offers us the wisdom to do what He wants us to do. We do not gain wisdom of the Kingdom just by becoming older. Many people think that a wise person must be old, but that is not true. A wise person must be open to hearing God in their everyday life, and following what they hear.

Prov. 4:20-22 really drives home that point. We, as Christians, receive life from the word of God. It gives us something to live for. It gives us the purpose that we need in our lives to feel accomplished and useful. It is when we lose that useful feeling and forget about the purpose of our life that we start to stray away from God and stop listening to Him. That is why it is very important to be open to listening daily. Whatever way you listen best, or even trying different ways to listen to God. We just need to be open to God. He is the one that will fill us with life and the wisdom we need to live a life that best glorifies Him.

We need to listen and follow. He will always be with us. Even when we are having trouble feeling Him right there with us when we are doing what He has called us to do. He will never leave us. Listen, gain wisdom, and live for Him.

--
Bo Myers
Ministry Intern
Mountain T.O.P.
(931) 692-3999
mountain-top.org

"In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead"
-1 Peter 1:3

August 8

2010-08-08T08:47:00.000-05:00

August 8

Prov 1, 2/Phil 4

Good Friends,

What a privilege it is for us to join this endeavor. It was a great joy to see your church at Mountain TOP this summer at Cumberland Pines. The presence of your youth was a great gift to the families in our service area. Today we send our summer staff home to the valley below where they will continue to share stories of hope from the summer. This was Mountain TOP's 35^th year of ministry and it was an incredible success made possible by churches like yours!

Today we begin a journey through Proverbs. We all seek wisdom for living a healthy fulfilling life. The lessons in this book can do that for us. Proverbs was originally intended to provide the Israelites with "instructions" or wisdom for Godly living. These instructions, while very specific to a culture and a time long ago, remain very relevant to us today. It is interesting to me how many unbelievers in the secular world cite lessons from Proverbs as a guide for living not knowing they come from the very same Bible that they don't believe.

The beginning of Proverbs 1 provides for us the purpose and intent for all the Proverbs following. We note that the instructions are addressed to a son from his father and mother. The advice is intended to guide a young man in his transition from youth to adulthood. Those lessons are still applicable to us whether we are young or old. We are constantly going through transitions and need guidance to work our way through them.

The wise accept the knowledge from their elders, the foolish despise wisdom and discipline. God is challenging us to learn from those that have gone before us so as to not make the mistakes of the past. We are warned that nothing good or positive comes from rejecting wisdom. On the contrary, the result will be disaster and calamity!

In Proverbs 2 we are told of the moral benefits of wisdom. When we accept the wisdom then we will understand and fear the Lord and will find the knowledge of God. The result is God becomes very personal to us. This personal relationship with God allows our heart to be filled with God. This up-close and in-depth knowledge of God keeps us from doing unpleasant things and falling away from the righteous path. Rejecting this wisdom results in us taking the other path and experiencing the unpleasant. Today we would call this presence the Holy Spirit filling and guiding our lives.

Enjoy the rest of your journey through the first several chapters of Proverbs with the Support Staff of Mountain TOP. We hope you will be as blessed as we have preparing these blog posts for you.

Grace & Hope,

Rev. Ed Simmons

Executive Director – Mountain T.O.P.

August 7

2010-08-07T08:24:00.000-05:00

Job 41-42; Phil. 3

"All's well that end's well," they say. And all appears to end well in Job. But I have to wonder whether Job's original seven sons and three daughters would have agreed. Their lives were cut short in order for God to allow Satan to conduct his little test of Job. They would probably take little consolation in the knowledge that their father now had 10 new children to replace them.

But that's not the point, of course. This is an elaborate story (perhaps based on an ancient tradition of a person who was righteous, yet suffered grievously). It is intended by some sages in Israel to tackle the question of the links between good and being blessed and evil and being cursed. The ultimate point is that there are no clear links. The right thing to do is (1) to praise God, recognizing the power and mystery of the Lord of the universe, and (2) to live like Job did, remaining righteous regardless of circumstances.

I guess that means we are to be, like Job, "good for nothing." That doesn't necessarily mean that we will end up blessed so abundantly, as Job was. But it does mean that we are to live righteous, holy lives just because it's the right thing to do, not because we'll get something out of it.

Just a quick note on Philippians 3: I'm struck by how much Paul talks about progressing in his faith. The righteousness we were talking about in Job sounds somewhat static...just be righteous and stay that way. Paul is emphasizing a first-century "continuous improvement." Now we can overdo that, too, but it's a good reminder for us to keep striving to grow in our faith and to come closer to Christ in our daily living.

Well, this week is over already. It's been a pleasure writing this blog and I hope it's been useful to you. Blessings to everyone at Williamsburg Church as you keep reading through "The Year of the Bible"! There will be plenty (more) times when Paul's phrase "forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on" (vss. 13-14) may be useful to you as you finish reading through the Bible this year!

Jim

August 6

2010-08-06T06:39:00.001-05:00

Job 39-40; Phil. 2

Two days ago, we started reading Paul's letter to the Philippians. There's a verse in that chapter that serves as a kind of principle for much of what he wants to get across to his friends in Philippi: "Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ" (vs. 27). That's a theme that comes back again and again not only in this letter, but in all his letters.

For Paul, the kind of life we live is highly important for what it means to be believers in Jesus Christ. That's why, here in chapter 2, he talks about "working out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (vs. 12). When I was nearing the end of my high school years, I was feeling a tug to the ministry. As part of that (or the reverse, perhaps), I was becoming fascinated by theology. Our Church School teacher taught a few classes on predestination - still a good Presbyterian topic in those days - and I remember that he pointed to this verse as proof that the doctrine was obviously wrong.

As I read more on the topic later, I noticed that advocates of predestination would point to the next verse in defense of their own position: "for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." That last phrase, "God's good pleasure" has always been popular among supporters of predestination. So both sides had something they could appeal to in these two verses.

What strikes me now, though, is that these verses aren't actually talking about the question of predestination at all. Paul is writing to people who are already disciples of Christ, and they have already been "obeying" - making progress in their Christian lives (vs. 12). Paul is appealing to them to keep it up, or even to work harder. As they do that, they can remember that God underlies the whole process, and it is God's action that will give them success.

If you think about it, isn't that how we experience the Christian life too? We examine ourselves and discover areas of our lives that need some improvement. We determine to make some changes (especially at New Year's!), and then we set out to become better than we have been. Yet, all the while, we also pray to God for guidance, for discipline, for support, for improvement, etc. In short, we "work out our own salvation," knowing that "God is at work in us."

Back to the verse I started with for just a second. What will it mean to live a life "worthy of the gospel of Christ"? Oh, it's pretty easy. We just need to be humble (vs. 3). Most everything else will follow from that. And how can we be humble? Oh, that's pretty easy too. We just need to have the mind of Christ (vs. 5) and follow his model (vss. 6-11)!

Jim

August 5

2010-08-05T06:23:00.001-05:00

Job 37-38; Psalm 88

Elihu is closing his lengthy speech - finally! - with images of the mysteries of the natural world, especially the storms that come upon the earth, and then God - finally! - speaks..."out of the whirlwind." In other words, God not only created, but is active in, the natural wonders that are so far beyond our understanding. This is no deistic God that meets Job (and rules our world), one who sets things in motion and then sits back while they take their more-or-less mechanical course. The Lord is intimately involved with the creation and, therefore, with all human life as well.

The Psalmist knows this too. The lament in Ps. 88 comes from someone who is struggling, ill, and facing imminent death. He knows that God is present, but the Lord has "hidden his face" (vs. 14). Now, you might say that it doesn't much matter that God is present, if the Almighty is going to allow all this suffering. The answer, I suppose, is that at least you can appeal for help (like the Psalmist - and Job! - does) if God is available, whereas a deistic Lord wouldn't even be in the neighborhood.

There is one thread in the Psalmist's plea that I find humorous. In vs. 10, the writer asks, "Do the shades [the dead] rise up to praise you?" These words are similar to the ones in Psalm 30:9: "What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you?" What I hear in these words is a subtle sort of manipulation. A couple days ago, I heard one of our grandchildren say, when he wasn't getting his way, "I might as well go to my room; no one likes me."

It was late afternoon, and he's a child. My wife recalled last evening that, when our children were very young, her mother had said that the most difficult time for children was late afternoon - they're tired from the long day, and they're getting hungry. In any case, his little ploy sounded similar to many maneuvers I've heard from my own children (and I'm sure my parents also heard...from my sister, at least). It's the wise parent who learns to recognize manipulation early on.

Well, Ps. 30 certainly sounds to me like only slightly veiled manipulation. Psalm 88 is more subtle, but I find the comments a bit humorous, because they are so much like what I have done much too often (and you, too perhaps?) not only in the face of serious difficulties, but in rather minor inconveniences. "Help, God." "Please, Lord." "Don't let that happen, God." "If you do this, Lord, I'll...."

Any such bargaining with God is likely to be unsuccessful. After all, God doesn't need anything from us. Not only that, but we don't have much of a bargaining position in the first place. As Job hears right away when the Lord speaks, "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?" (38:4)

Jim

August 4

2010-08-04T07:22:00.000-05:00

Job 35-36; Phil. 1

Years ago, I was at a retreat where the topic of the Bible study portion was Philippians. The teacher called the letter "an epistle of joy." (Many others have called it that too.) At the time, I decided to highlight the words "joy," "glad," and "rejoice" in the letter. If you try that, you'll find there are lots of them. There are four in this first chapter alone.

But it's not just the number of times the words appear; it's the whole atmosphere of the letter. It seems like warmth and gladness just jump off the page as you read it. So, after all the reading we've been doing in Job, where the complaint is about the suffering of the righteous, we land here in the letter to the Philippians, where Paul is in prison, and there's the possibility that he will be executed. Still, he tells the Philippian Christians to rejoice...and he does too.

Fortunately, it doesn't sound like Paul's circumstances as a prisoner are too onerous. He's probably under house arrest. If you remember back to Acts 16, when Paul first visited Philippi, you'll recall that he ended up in prison there too. Paul and Silas had met Lydia there, and they had been preaching in the town. After Paul exorcises a slave girl, her owners create an uproar, and Paul and Silas end up being beaten and thrown into prison. What did they do there that night? They started singing hymns to God. So this theme of joy already fits with Paul's attitude when he was in Philippi himself.

Now, probably a couple visits and a decade or so later, Paul feels close to this small congregation. He is thankful for his relation to them, and he rejoices in their concern for him. As we said, he writes this while in prison, but he actually takes it a bit futher: "Rejoice," he tells them and us, "Regardless of circumstances." To illustrate this, he can go so far as to say that even though some of his "enemies" are rejoicing too - in his imprisonment! - he's still glad that they are preaching Christ (vss. 15-18).

The moral of the story, then, is pretty clear: So much has been given to us that we can have joy regardless of our situation and sufferings. (Actually, there's a touch of this thought in Job 35:9-11, too, if you want to check it out.)

Jim

August 3

2010-08-03T06:59:00.000-05:00

Job 33-34; Luke 24

For a moment there, it sounded like Elihu might be on the right track. He tells Job that he too, is just "a piece of clay" (33:6). Then he gets to the heart of the whole issue: "God is greater than any mortal" (12). So why does Job (or anyone else...us!) try to "contend against God" (13)?

That's pretty much what God is going to say to Job at the end of the book. Elihu is close to the "right answer" here, which is to say, the recognition that there is no right answer. We'll need to return to that thought in the last chapters of the book. But here, notice how quickly Elihu goes back to blaming Job for his troubles: "Who is there like Job, who drinks up scoffing like water?" (34:7) He turns Job into an exceedingly wicked person. Job must be that, of course, because God always repays a person according to his/her deeds (11).

We've seen already that this doctrine doesn't work, but the young Elihu, in spite of his frustration with the older friends, is now spouting the same viewpoint that they did. It's clear that this doctrine is mistaken, because we see the righteous suffer too often, and the wicked enjoy good things too regularly. But let's look at it from a different angle for a moment. Would we really want God to repay human beings consistently according to their (our!) deeds? After all, Job may have been supremely righteous, but I don't want to say that about myself. Do you?

Aren't we rather glad that, as the Psalm yesterday put it, "You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" (86:15)? The Bible doesn't give us an answer as to why the righteous suffer in what appear to be unfair ways, but it does tell us what God is going to do because of our shortcomings and failures...God is going to allow Jesus to die on a cross and rise from the dead! Notice what Jesus tells his disciples in this last chapter of Luke's Gospel that we read today. Christ's suffering is allowed so that all nations could receive repentance and forgiveness (vs. 47). That doesn't exactly answer the traditional "problem of evil," but it does give us another perspective to look at it, and it can give us the same kind of great joy the disciples experienced as they went to the temple daily, praising and blessing God (vs. 53).

One other thought jumps out at me here. Job (and us, oftentimes?) wonders how God can allow the righteous to suffer. Doesn't God understand that this is unfair? To which, the Lord of heaven and earth might respond, "Ah, I think I do have some idea...It was my own innocent and pure Son who died on that cross."

Jim

August 2

2010-08-02T20:21:00.000-05:00

Job 31-32

We're coming to the end of Job's protestations of his innocence now, and he ends in chapter 31 by listing a whole series of things and saying to each: "If I did this, then judge me." He's being ironic, because he means to say, "I'm not guilty of any of these, so what I'm suffering is unjust."

Job's three friends have been arguing the opposite, of course. I was looking in my file folders and found a Peanuts cartoon I cut out years ago. (I won't tell you when - I'm shocked at the copyright date in the fine print!) Lucy is standing face to face with Snoopy and bawling him out. "You know why your doghouse burned down? Because you SINNED, that's why!" Then she faces us while speaking to him: "You're being punished for something you did wrong! That's the way these things always work!" In the third panel, Snoopy responds with a huge, "BLEAH!" Lucy tumbles over; and the fourth panel shows our favorite little dog saying (with a rather self-satisfied look): "Her kind deserves to be bleahed."

Well, the friends have finished bawling Job out, and Job has given his final "Bleah." You would think that would be the end of it, but in chapter 32 one more speaker enters the dialogue. His name is Elihu, and we're told that he is younger than the rest. He says he waited, because they were older...and therefore wiser (That's what the culture taught!), but now he sees that "It is not the old that are wise, nor the aged that understand what is right" (vss. 9-10).

In the next five chapters, we'll see what Elihu has to add. But I'm struck by this statement about the older and wiser. It seems like an admission by the sages who wrote the book...that the sages aren't always so wise either! It's a kind of skepticism that will come back in Ecclesiastes in full bloom. The "wise men" are reaching a stage in Israel's history where they realize that the earlier, easier assumptions about God, the world, and human life may be more complex than they thought. Are we reaching the same stage in our own culture now too?

I think, for example, of the anti-institutionalism these days. Much of it is due to skepticism about our leaders - in government, in business, in churches, everywhere. So many leaders have "fallen," and so often we read of corruption. Or our own country itself, which has been "number one" for so long. Our pride, our self-satisfaction and self-gratification, our greed, our "I want it now" mentality...is all that and more (and we all seem to participate in it subtly and unconsciously) gradually leading us to the end of our leadership in the world? In fact, is the next great power - China - perhaps already looming on the horizon?

And what about European/American (= Western) Christianity? My major areas of study have been "systematic theology" and "historical theology." The coursework and readings related almost totally to the big names in the West. Think of Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Barth, etc. They are wonderful thinkers, and deep believers in Christ, to be sure, but the whole organization of coursework was rather parochial, really. After all, the Eastern Orthodox Church has a 2000-year history of its own, and there were some rich theologians writing in the 20th century too. But now, we're beginning to talk about global theology - Christians in other countries may have original insights that we need to hear and learn from. I can't help wondering, when someone studies "historical theology" in the 36th century (!), what countries and cultures the primary theologians and Biblical scholars will come from.

Which is to say, how central are we, really, to God's plan to bring the divine Kingdom of Christ to fullness in (and beyond) this world? We would at least be wise to be humble...which is what I think God is going to tell Job in a few chapters!

Jim

FW: Sunday, August 1

2010-08-02T20:18:00.000-05:00

Hello All,

It's a pleasure to join you this week as your guest blogger for The Year of the Bible. I want to say a couple things in advance. It's over 20 years ago now that I first put together this program for Westminster Presbyterian Church in Upper St. Clair (Pittsburgh), PA. It was because people received the program so well, including some from other congregations who wanted to join, that I decided to write it up for general use. Never did I dream that, over two decades later, congregations like yours would still be doing the program. Not only that, but I couldn't have guessed that someday (now!) folks would be blogging about their thoughts on the readings. After all, back then we all would have asked, "What's a 'blog'?!" I'm still not sure, really, so I hope what you get this week at least approximates a blog!

Also, I'm pleased to be doing this with First Presbyterian Church in Williamsburg for another reason: I finished my graduate studies in theology just up the road, at the University of Iowa. That's a nice added touch to this invitation to join you for the week. I'm sure that some of what I was taught at UI made its way into the Participant's Book that you are using.

We've had some heavy-duty passages recently (Job, especially), and they continue this week, so let's get to them. In case you need the list, here's what we're reading this week:

August 1: Job 29, 30/Luke 23
August 2: Job 31, 32/Ps. 86, 87
August 3: Job 33, 34/Luke 24
August 4: Job 35, 36/Phil. 1
August 5: Job 37, 38/Ps. 88
August 6: Job 39, 40/Phil. 2
August 7: Job 41, 42/Phil. 3

Job 29 picks up in the midst of Job's final defense in response to his friends' accusations that he has surely sinned to bring such calamities on himself. For many chapters now, we've been reading the speeches of Job's friends, and then his refutations of them. This cycle of speeches reminds me of some discussions (better: arguments!) I've been in when both sides have just kept repeating the same arguments over and over again with different words. The argument never goes anywhere, and nobody seems to learn anything or understand any better. Job's friends never get beyond their inherited belief that the righteous will always enjoy God's favor, and the wicked will "get it" - sooner rather than later! (That's Israel's traditional theology, by the way, called the "two ways" doctrine.) Job knows, of course, that the facts in his case don't fit the doctrine, so he won't confess to any trumped up charges of sins and transgressions on his own part.

With 2000+ years experience since the book was written, we know that the two ways doctrine just doesn't work. We've seen proof of that all through history, and most of us have seen it in our own lives too. So Job's friends, in spite of their dogmatic certainty, are obviously wrong. But it strikes me that Job isn't entirely blameless either. As the book has gone on, it seems like he has become more adamant about his own goodness. Notice here how he says that, in his "autumn" years (29:4), the prime of life, everyone - both young and old, princes and nobles - stood in awe of him. The rest of the chapter paints a graphic picture of Job as supremely wise, compassionate, righteous and powerful. Then, chapter 30 opens with Job's complaint that now younger men are mocking him. And here's the point: they are the sons of men that Job disdained!

I'm pretty sure the writers of Job thought that this comment helped to show his exceeding righteousness, but it sounds pretty prideful to me. A few days ago, there was an article in the local Pittsburgh Post-Gazette pointing out that the largest under-represented group in American private colleges is rural, white, and mid-western. If this is true, it suggests an upper-class disdain for lower classes that sounds a lot like what we read in Job 30!

As far as the mocking itself goes, Jesus is experiencing that very thing in his trial and crucifixion that we read about in Luke 23 today. He's from Galilee; he's poor; he's uneducated; and he has (they think) called himself a king, and the Christ. But now he's in chains and facing a death sentence. Good grounds to mock him, don't you think? And while Jesus is in torment on the cross, the rulers scoff at him, the soldiers make fun of him, Pilate ridicules him with the title over his head, and one of the criminals on another cross derides him.

In the midst of all that noise, I'm struck that one of the criminals confesses faith in Jesus, a centurion recognizes his innocence, and a council member quietly buries him. I wonder which parts of this story the Jerusalem Post-Gazette would have reported the next day. And...which parts do we hold close to our own hearts?

Jim Davison

(Rev.) James E. Davison, Ph.D.
Director of Continuing Education
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
616 North Highland Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
412-924-1346
www.pts.edu/continuing-education

July 30 & 31

2010-07-30T16:22:00.001-05:00

July 30, 2010

Each month church women's organization around the globe take up an offering called "The Least Coin." I used to think that this offering was uniquely Presbyterian but now that I serve a UCC and PC(USA) federated congregation I learned that this is not the case. It appears to be a ministry of Church Women United, an interdenominational organization founded in 1941 and support by 70 plus denominations. The name of this special monthly offering, The Least Coin" comes from Luke 21, the story of when Jesus and the disciples were watching people put their gifts in the Temple treasury His eye caught a poor widow who emptied her purse by dropping in two small copper coins--the smallest monetary denomination of the time and region. He drew his disciples attention to the woman and said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on." (21: 1-4) (The implication of Jesus' words is that she gave all that she had to live on for that day.) In honor of her women take out the "least coin" in their monetary denomination and offer it (usually people put in more than the least, but that is a different story). The irony is that they only take the story at face value and do not take on the spirit of the teaching!

One of the things that I talk about with couples who are getting married is finances. I tell them that money is never the real issue in a marriage, it is only a symptom of the real issue. Money and possessions represent power in our world. Jesus was aware of this because he spent more time talking about the power of money and possessions than he did any other subject including prayer. To Jesus money and possessions were spiritual barometers of a person's health. The story of the least coin is not really about money. It is about trust. Who do we trust, really trust in life? Earlier in Luke's gospel Jesus told the story of a man often referred to as "The Rich Fool." It was about a man whose barns were full and who faced a bumper harvest. He asked himself what he should do and came up with the brilliant idea "I will build bigger barns!" The man was a rich fool because rather than seeing his surplus as a tool to do Kingdom work, he thought his surplus would provide with with more security! The unfortunate and unforeseen circumstance of Jesus' story lies in the fact that the man died before the "bigger barns" were constructed.

When the children of Israel were journeying to the Promised Land they experienced a time of Divine blessing--"manna from heaven." They didn't have to do anything to receive the manna but they could not "put back" extra manna for a rainy day. Unfortunately that is exactly what more than a few tried to do, to very bad results.

The story of the Widow's Offering is a story of trust or more specifically, trust in God. Do we really believe the words of the Doxology--Praise God from Whom all blessings flow or to we trust ourselves and our own wit? This passage is not about a vow of poverty but it does raise the question "how much is enough?" The woman cast her lot, so to speak, with God's providential care. There is no indication that she went without food because of her generosity, not that her children (if she had any) went hungry. But she knew that she was more than what she had. She was a Child of God and as a Child of God she lived as generously as her Father. The question before us is this, can we go and do likewise?

July 31--Luke 22

The plot thickens. Before this chapter is finished Jesus will be betrayed, arrested and denied. In the midst of all of this, though, we have the institution of the Lord's Supper. The thing that I find most interesting in the story of the "Last Supper" is that Jesus "offers" the elements to all 12 of the disciples--even to the one who was to betray him! This is truly a sign of unmerited grace--divine and holy grace. After Jesus passed the Cup and the Bread to the disciples he observes that the one who will betray him is at Table with him, indeed, the betrayer's hand is on the Table! Not only that, but all of the disciples begin to question one another as to who it is, indicating that each one of them is capable of betrayal! Out of this questioning a dispute arises among the disciples as to which one of the was "the greatest." Peter may have been the presumed favorite one to the title of "Greatest", after all he was "the rock upon which the Church would be built" but Jesus quickly puts him in his place that saying that before the cock crows Peter will deny knowing Jesus three times! Jesus also indicates that greatness in God's Kingdom is not found in position but in service. In John's gospel Jesus gives a "living testimony" by washes each of the disciples' feet and telling them that they too must put on a servant's towel and serve.

One of the hallmarks of the Presbyterian Church (USA) is the acknowledgment that we are "saved to serve." (Book of Order, G-2.0500a) A living congregation is a serving congregation; serving one another, their community, their nation and the world! If our servanthood stops at any one of these layers we cease to grow and we become stagnate. So, for me, the question in this reading is "Am I growing in my service to God's Kingdom or have I "settled" into a comfort zone?

July 29

2010-07-29T07:13:00.001-05:00

salm 85

The 85th Psalm is a prayer recalling God's past forgiveness. It marvels at many of God's attributes. "Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people..." The "peace" referred to is not necessarily an absence of war but freedom from internal turmoil. I recall the story of a king who awarded a prize for the greatest piece of artwork symbolizing "peace." Artists from throughout his realm presented marvelous works of art. The king narrowed his selection down to two pieces. One was a pastoral scene with a field of grain, blue skies, beautiful clouds. You could almost feel the gentle summer breeze as you studied the painting. The other work of art was also a painting but unlike the first one it was of a rocky coastline with angry crashing stormy waves, and dark lightening streaked skies.In the corner of the picture about midway down a steep cliff was a small outcropping containing a scraggy little tree. If you looked at the tree closely you saw that nestled in its branches as a tiny bird's nest. Sitting on the nest was a mother bird, hunkered down on her eggs. She was unaffected by storm swirling around her. It was the second painting that the king declared the winter because he understood that true peace is not the absence of storms but contentment in the midst of swirling turmoil.

Verses 10 and 11 celebrate the coming together of holy love and faithfulness, righteousness and peace, faithfulness and righteousness. They are God's promises that are fulfilled when peace reigns in our hearts. How do we recognize this peace? One way may be by keeping a "thanks" journal. At either the beginning or the end of a day, reflect upon and give thanks for at least 5 things for which you are thankful, for instances of God's grace in your life. It will open your eyes to God's work in your life and in this world.

July 26 - 28

2010-07-28T08:03:00.001-05:00

The Psalms are the prayers of the soul-spirit. I've always found them difficult because, I believe, they are too honest. Every human emotion--EVERY human emotion--is reflected in at least one of the Psalms.

A few months ago I attended a continuing education event led by John Bell of the Iona Community in Scotland. He focused on the Psalms and said something that made me rethink my approach to them. He noted that they are a good discipline to "pray through" and that if a particular Psalm does not "speak" to us at the moment, try to reflect upon a time in our lives when we felt what the Psalm is expressing. If we cannot do that, then use the Psalm as a vehicle to pray for those to whom the Psalm does speak to at this time.

The 83rd and 84th Psalms are as different as night and day. The 83rd is a "national" psalm. It was written at a time of perceived national threat. It asks God to intervene on behalf of the nation. Its passion is evident in the strong language and naming of names. You may or may not be able to identify with this psalm.

The 84th Psalm reflects the joy of worship. It marvels at both the majesty of God and the Almighty's Providential care of creation. The reference to "the valley of Baca" is an unknown place but it seems to be a dry and arid region on the way to Jerusalem. This, I believe, can also be an arid place in our soul. In verses 8 and 9 we are reminded to pray for our national leaders. If it is not in your present prayer habit, I encourage you to pray for the President of the United States, your Governor, Mayor and all elected-appointed officials. I believe that the apostle Paul's advice to pray for rulers is born, at least partly, from his familiarity of this Psalm as a worship tool. It is something that we do every time we worship in the congregation that I currently serve.

July 27--Luke 19

As we saw in chapter 18, chapter 19 is full of places to stop and ponder. It begins with one of Luke's best known stories. It is so well known that there is even a children's song about it, the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus. As I read this story within the context of the gospel I am struck that it is an example of the Good Shepherd looking for one of the Kingdom's lost sheep (see chapter 15: 1-7). Was it an accident that Jesus called to Zacchaeus? I don't think so. I do not believe that Luke constructed his gospel with anything left to chance or accident. It is tightly written. In Jesus call to Zacchaeus, by name no less, we are reminded that God comes to us, calling each one of us by name. You may have never thought of this before, but the gospels it is not God or Jesus that is lost, it is us! Jesus' call to Zacchaeus is a sign of shear unmerited grace. For Presbyterians familiar with TULIP it is "unconditional election." In other words, God chose-saves us not because of who we are but because of Whose we are! Zacchaeus responded to the call by scrambling down the tree and submitting himself to discipleship. A part of his discipleship was to make a generous offering to the work of the Kingdom as well as restitution to anyone he wronged. Jesus declares his response as evidence of the presence of the Kingdom of God. A question for us to consider, has our response to the Kingdom's calling, to Jesus calling us by name affected our generosity? Do we give out a spirit of abundance or scarcity?

The second story is a parable. In it we are reminded that everything that we have--everything--ultimately belongs to God. We are only stewards of this world. God asks--requires us--to use a portion of our resources to do the work of the Kingdom. It even means that we take risks--for the sake of the Kingdom. Playing it safe, holding on to what we have, only brings judgement upon us.

The third story is remembered every "Palm Sunday." A part of the story that we seldom reflect upon on that day (verses 41 following) is when Jesus weeps over the city of Jerusalem because they do not recognize when the Kingdom of God is in their midst. I believe that God weeps whenever we act as if our main purpose is life is to do everything but the work of the Kingdom. God weeps whenever we fail to recognize the Divine's call in our lives. God weeps when we get angry at being challenged to do Kingdom work.

The fourth story--the cleansing of the Temple--reminds us that religion can become corrupt, especially when it ceases to do Kingdom work.

Please note that these last three stories build upon the unfaithful servant. We will profit to spend several days asking God to speak to us through this chapter.

July 28--Luke 20

This chapter begins with the authority of Jesus being questioned. So many times we are tempted to ignore of dismiss the challenge that Jesus presents by engaging in "theological" discussions. Jesus decided not to engage in the debate. Instead he responded with a parable of servants who killed the master's son saying to themselves that if the son is dead, the vineyard will be theirs! Sheer foolishness. Yet, don't we often respond to the Son's words in terms of how it is too costly to us?

I have a personal footnote to add. The congregation that I serve is currently partnering with an organization called "Cornerstone" based in Kampala, Uganda. Together we are establishing a home for street boys in Mombasa, Kenya. Their name, Cornerstone" is found not only in this text but in Psalm 11:22, Acts 4:11 and I Peter 2:7 (Actually, they claim that I Peter 2:7 is the source of their name.) The world's rejected are the cornerstone's of God's Kingdom. If we stop and think about this, we realize our view of reality is skewed when seen from a heavenly standpoint.

Chapter 20 also deals with paying taxes. I am sure that you have heard many sermons on this little exchange between Jesus and his questioners. I will not rehash an old sermon but I am struck by how taxes have become an anathema in our time. I find it interesting that Jesus did not say that taxes were bad or that people should find any and all means of avoiding them. He acknowledged that they were a reality. Ultimately, everything will pass except one thing, God's Kingdom.

The chapter ends with Jesus warning his listeners-readers of "religious-pious" people who talk a good talk but do not walk the walk. In other words, we need to be careful so that we do not become so heavenly minded that we are of no earthly good!

July 25

2010-07-27T19:15:00.001-05:00

July 25--Luke 18

If we try to read the Bible as if it is an assignment we risk rushing the Holy Spirit as it tries to speak to us. The 18th chapter of Luke's gospel could be studied for a full week and its depths still would not be fully plumbed. Having said that, I encourage you to read the chapter with a prayerful spirit, asking God to speak to you that which you need to hear.

Luke 18 begins with lessons on prayer. So often this passage is misunderstood and God is misrepresented. It is easy to read the first eight verses and come away with the belief that we need to be persistent in order to get God's attention. That is not, though, what the text is about. It is not a allegory but a parable. In telling the parable Jesus is using something called a "study in contrasts." He reveals this in verses 7 and 8. Unlike the widow who does not have a relationship with the unjust judge, we have arelationship with God through Christ. Unlike the unjust judge who cares for no one, God is a God of perfect love, and as I John reminds us, perfect love casts out fear. God loves us. God wants to be in a relationship with us. The study in contrast is this--if an unjust judge who cares for no one can be persuaded to do the right thing, how much more willing is God who loves you? In other words, we never need to doubt that God hears our prayers and is responsive to us. (Of course, just because God hears and is responsive does NOT mean that God can be our cosmic "Santa Claus"--but that is a different lesson.)

The second lesson on prayer reminds us that, in the words of those great theologians the Berenstain Bears, we aren't "such a much." In other words, we ought to leave the judging to God. Prayer is an act of humility. God does not "grade on the curve." The error of the Pharisee (the one that Jesus' listeners would called "religious" and "truly pious") was that he couldn't see his own "sin"--the log in his own eye--because he was so focused on the speck in the eye of "the tax collector." In prayer we invite God to help us in self-examination, to acknowledge that we are spiritually broken and in need to healing. As we are reminded in II Corinthians, God's strength is made perfect in our weakness. The more that we can empty ourselves of pride, the more room there is for God in our lives.

2010-07-24T05:39:00.001-05:00

July 24

Job 11 and 12/Luke 17

Zophar, the third and last of Job's friends to speak, stridently and brashly attacks Job's most recent speech, insisting that Job's position cannot be defended nor excused. He responds to Job's assertion that he cannot be vindicated by God on an unlevel playing field, arguing that anyone who is merely "full of talk" cannot and should not receive vindication. Indeed, he goes on more directly to label Job a liar, questioning Job's righteousness, and asserting that God should intervene directly to condemn Job's sinfulness so that everyone would know the true Job. After all, God knows vain, wicked, foolish men when God sees them.

A closer look at the text reveals that the two men are talking past each other in a significant way here. Job's position throughout his argument has been that he is righteous in the sense that he has been and continues to be pure in conduct. In short, he has not done anything wrong. Zophar, on the other hand, does not focus on Job's experience nor his behavior in this sense, but rather on the incorrectness of Job's doctrine. Job is an unrighteous liar who should not be vindicated, in Zophar's estimation, because of what he says (remember he doesn't buy the formulaic explanation for his situation that his friends have been offering) and thus apparently believes, because the doctrinal basis of his speeches is faulty.

Thus, Job should confess his sinful error, restrain his speech and amend his belief, so that God, portrayed here as a kind of itinerant judge traveling the countryside to correct error and dispense judgment, might forgive him. He should "direct his heart rightly" (verse 13)—a phrase used in ancient Jewish tradition to describe a formal meditative preparation for prayer—in his approach to God, knowing that if he does so there is hope and safety.

After the last of his friends has spoken, Job can restrain his sarcasm no longer. In Chapter 12, he addresses his friends and will conclude his response in Chapter 13 with a direct response to God. In Job's view, all of his friends' advisory speeches amount to nothing more than superficial, simplistic, irrelevant rhetoric, foolish speech that he asserts kills wisdom. Wisdom for him comes from experience, not from sayings and formulas. He reminds them that he, too, possesses deep understanding and is not a simpleton that they need to lecture. He returns to his original assertion, that his righteousness avails him nothing since God seems to favor the wicked. In other words, his experience shows that the formulaic categories are not dependable. The good do not always prosper, and the bad do not always suffer. Job believes that somewhere there is a more ultimate, complex kind of justice that will explain his situation and exonerate him. He just doesn't know what it looks like or where to find it.

Zophar has asked that God's wisdom be directly revealed to Job, but Job responds that one need only look to nature for a clear revelation that God is the one responsible for what is happening, and in verse 9, Job makes this statement explicit by referring to the deity by name as Lord, a prelude to his direct request in Chapter 13.

The last half of this chapter contains a parody of a psalm or hymn to God's power, most closely to Psalm 107. In the original psalm, the chosen people give thanks for God's power to save, provide for, heal, and deliver them from exile. They mark God's power even to reverse the natural order to accomplish this end—which is God's clear intention. In Job's parody, there is no natural order; God's wisdom, strength, counsel and understanding are used without rhyme or reason without a preserving intention to tear down, withhold, imprison, deprive, and strip away from both the just and unjust with both positive and negative results.

In Chapter 17, Luke focuses on God's kingdom. As in the last part of the passage from Job, this chapter addresses the ordering of God's kingdom and God's power. Jesus is passing between Samaria and Galilee, moving westward toward Jerusalem and his ultimate destiny. Jesus opens the chapter by highlighting the peril of causing temptation, followed by sayings concerning forgiveness and faith, and the obligation to obedience as a duty to be fulfilled and not an occasion for reward. These elements form a kind of primer on the essential elements of God's kingdom.

The miracle through which Jesus cleanses the ten lepers foregrounds Jesus' divine power, reminding the reader/listener to honor God's power. In Luke, it is the responses to the miracles that Jesus works rather than the miracle itself that becomes important. Here only the Samaritan leper, a foreigner, offers thanks. This concrete example precedes a long discourse in which Jesus declares the kingdom's availability. While the questioners in this section assume a kingdom that will bring material and political benefits, Jesus shifts the emphasis from this kind of future expectation to the concrete, observable presence of God's kingdom in his own ministry.

Starting with verse 22, Jesus marks the events associated with the day of the Son of Man, the Kingdom's future manifestation. As we might imagine, the questioners want more specifics. They want to know where the Messiah and his people will be located. Instead of answering the where question, Jesus answers the when and how questions, which he deems to be more essential. The coming will be sudden and discernable, so the questioners should always be prepared.

· How do we understand God's justice in our world today? Does the working of this kind of justice matter anymore?

· How do we see God's intention revealed in God's creation?

· Presbyterians do not often focus specifically on the Second Coming in the ways that other more fundamental denominations or fellowships do. How does the prospect of the Second Coming influence our understanding of and approach to mission and ministry in our daily lives?

---------------------------------------------

Since this is my last blog entry, I want to express appreciation to all the folks at the Williamsburg church for the invitation to be a part of this incredible experience. It has been an honor and a joy. I look forward to reading the coming blogs in the days and months ahead.

Grace and peace,

Rebecca Blair, Stated Clerk

2010-07-23T05:29:00.001-05:00

July 23

Job 9 and 10/Luke 16

It is curious and perhaps fitting that Job's suffering is occasioned by the deal between the Accuser and God, for accusation forms the center of poetic dialogue here. Accusing Job of not properly seeking out God or expressing remorse for his misdeeds, Job's friends doggedly believe that Job's suffering is somehow deserved as an expression of God's justice. And the more his friends stridently declare this position, the more Job vocally accuses God. His response to Bildad in Chapter 9 begins with his assertion that even if he were to approach God seeking vindication, the playing field on which he would contend with God is not level since God possesses ultimate power and advantage.

Returning to the earlier observation from Eliphaz that no human can be righteous, Job asserts here that no human can be just—in other words, that no human can be declared innocent before God. Indeed, Job 's response contains several verses of poetic idioms (including a second reference to God's power over Rahab, the mythological sea monster who represents cosmic chaos), figures of speech to describe the might and splendor of God's power within God's creation. In verse 15, Job laments that "though [he] is innocent, [he] cannot answer" God because God would not listen, and justice becomes perverted when the innocent victim must plead for mercy with a wrongful accuser. In fact, much more is at stake here than we may imagine since, as we have seen in the formulaic understandings of justice held by Job's friends, the universe for ancient Israelites is clear delineated to mark the righteous and the wicked, those who deserve suffering and those who deserve prosperity. Job's claim that God destroys both wicked AND righteous human beings blurs these categories and denies that such a clear, grand moral order even exists.

In Chapter 10, Job continues his forthright argument, which his friends regard as blasphemous, by declaring that he "will say to God, Do not condemn me; let me know why you contend against me" (verse 2). He is deeply distressed that God would oppress him, one of God's human creations, when God knows that Job is not guilty and that there is no one more powerful to contend with God in order to save Job. Job again lays out his case using legal form and poetic language. God has created him and cared for his spirit, yet now God perversely watches him and "bold as a lion" hunts Job. And so Job stops asking, "Why?" or even "Why me?" at the end of this chapter, asking God instead to simply let him alone that he may die in a little peace. Stephen Mitchell comments on Job's response, observing that while probably blasphemous, his words are honest and true, expressing a deeper innocence and uprightness that God notes and approves at the end of the narrative in the epilogue.

· Is Job acting faithfully here in the midst of his torment?

Luke, Chapter 16 also addresses human fortune, both in the literal and figurative senses. The first half of the chapter discusses actual monetary wealth as Jesus offers the parable of the dishonest manager, followed by a series of sayings concerning wealth and faithfulness, to offer a lesson on stewardship. We may wonder why Jesus chooses an obviously dishonest person to feature in a story about stewardship, especially one who takes it upon himself to slash the bills of his master's creditors and is commended for his shrewdness. What point can Jesus be trying to make here?

On the surface, it looks as if Jesus is applauding the self-serving fraud that the manager has committed. He knows he will be put out of his job, so he ingratiates himself with his master's debtors by slashing their bills so that they will welcome him in their homes. Yet, it is not fraud itself, but the manager's foresight and perseverance that Jesus wants us to note. Those in the world, like this manager, choose unworthy goals to pursue, but they pursue them with care, shrewdness, and commitment. In contrast, "children of light," those who are spiritually enlightened may understand that they are merely stewards of all that God has provided, but, Jesus cautions, they need to take a lesson from those of the world as to HOW they steward God's provisions. Jesus advises the children of light to learn this wisdom from the children of darkness, those concerned only with worldly pursuits, so that those who have received true riches in the form of spiritual blessings may more carefully and earnestly steward this more worthy treasure of which they have been given charge.

Jesus also adds an important footnote, lest we try to have it both ways. We must choose. Either our focus is on earthly mammon (Semitic for "that in which one fully trusts) or upon our trust in God. In the last half of this chapter, Jesus emphasizes this choice through a parable contrasting earthly and spiritual fortunes. Both an unnamed rich man and a poor man named Lazarus, who begs at the rich man's gate, die. The rich man is buried while the poor man is carried away by angels. The rich man ends up in Hades, experiencing torment, not because he is especially evil and not because he has deliberately treated anyone cruelly or abusively, but rather because he is indifferent to the needs of the world around him, represented by Lazarus at his gate. Without fully realizing it, he has made a choice—a choice that cannot be altered after the fact, but one which can be crucially and beneficially informed by reading and understanding God's word.

· How might we be more shrewd stewards of what God has provided?

· What in our worlds absorbs most of our time and attention? How can we be wise stewards who make good choices within the context of today's world?

2010-07-23T05:27:00.001-05:00

July 22

Job 9 and 10/Luke 16

· Is Job acting faithfully here in the midst of his torment?

· How might we be more shrewd stewards of what God has provided?

· What in our worlds absorbs most of our time and attention? How can we be wise stewards who make good choices within the context of today's world?

2010-07-22T05:28:00.001-05:00

July 22

Job 7 and 8/Psalms 81 and 82

Job the human being emerges even more clearly in the first six verses of Chapter 7 as his emotions rise to the surface. He emphatically insists that he cannot be patient because the strand of his life is finite. He endures emptiness and misery day after day as he feels the thread of his life (tiqwah—Hebrew for both "thread" and "hope") running out.

As he moves to address God directly in verse 7, we can see under his language an alternate logic beginning to take shape. Whereas his friends repeat the conventional reasoning that since God is just and suffering comes from God, the person experiencing the suffering must be guilty of sin in equal measure to the suffering meted out, Job starts in the same place, but shifts the reasoning to focus on God's justice. His reasoning proceeds in this way: Suffering comes from God. I am upright and innocent of any sin or wrongdoing to warrant suffering. Therefore, God is unjust.

In directly addressing God, whom he still deeply loves and whom he still believes is wise and all-knowing, Job points up, first, that human life is both brief and finite, and, second, that he is not a grand, cosmically evil entity like the Sea or the Dragon and thus does not merit the intensity of force that God is employing against him. Finally, in an ironic parody of Psalm 8, he flips the idea of human insignificance in the psalm ("What are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?) to ask God why he is the subject of God's daily focus despite his human insignificance and why God's care is not manifested by God's pardon of whatever Job's transgression may be.

In Chapter 8, we meet the second of Job's friends, Bildad the Shuhite, who introduces a narrative pattern in which speeches begin with a criticism of the previous speaker's words, a common pattern in ancient wisdom literature that creates a kind of debate or dialogue. Bildad continues to uphold conventional orthodoxy, questioning how God could possibly pervert justice and asking Job if he has considered that his children may have committed some offenses against God (which he has in chapter 1, verse 5) for which he is being punished. He situates authority in the past, in the "bygone generations" and "ancestors" he mentions in verses 8 and 9 while Job relies on the authority of his own experience, an experience that Bildad dismisses as too recent to be of any weight or worth. True to his perspective, Bildad ends his speech with a number of traditional sayings employing plant metaphors to illustrate cause and effect for those who are righteous versus those who are wicked, ending with the general platitude that "God will not reject a blameless person, nor take the hand of evildoers" (verse 20), a view that assumes that God will use God's power responsibly and fairly.

· But what if God does not do so?

· Is it even possible for God to be unfair?

One example of the ancient authority that Bildad speaks of is found in Psalm 81, a hymn of praise composed for the celebration of the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles described in Deuteronomy 16: 13-15. This feast, also called Sukkot and celebrated in late September or early October, begins at the full moon and lasts for seven days with the first one or two days devoted to festivals of prayer. Families build sukkot (Hebrew for "booths") in which they live and sometimes sleep during this week. The sukkah is intended to remind the Jewish people of the fragile dwellings in which the ancient Israelite people lived during their 40 years in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt.

This prayer is part of the larger prayer festival in which the covenant with God, referred to here as God's "statute with Israel" and "ordinance of the God of Jacob" (verse 4) expresses gratitude for God's deliverance of God's chosen people from slavery and oppression in Egypt, and, in God's voice, reminds them to heed the First Commandment (You shall have no other Gods before me); that God will nurture them continually because they are God's people; and that they are, as Moses had said, a "stiff-necked" people, but that if they would be obedient, God would provide victory over their enemies and an abundant harvest of crops.

In this psalm the major focus is placed upon fidelity and obedience to God as the essential covenantal terms to merit God's blessing. Just as Job's friends have asserted, God's chosen people bring about their own sufferings and difficulties by the disobedience and lack of faithfulness to the covenant made with God.

Psalm 82 specifies this theme even more by exhorting judges to dispense justice fairly and equitably to the weak, the orphan, the lowly, the destitute, and the needy. This psalm expresses a prophetic vision of the divine judge, like those found in I Kings 22 and Isaiah 6, a vision of a heavenly trial in which deities subordinate to God are sentenced to death and descend to Sheol because of judicial improprieties or their inability to ensure justice to the needy. The prophetic voice in this psalm concludes with a prayer that God, acting ultimately as the sole judge, will provide justice among the nations.

These two psalms raise some interesting questions in relation to the story of Job as it has unfolded thus far:

· If God prioritizes fidelity and obedience as essential aspects, then why does God cause suffering to the one human whom God acknowledges is most faithful and obedient?

· How does the exhortation in Psalm 82 to judge fairly and equitably apply to Job's case? Is Job receiving a raw deal here?

2010-07-21T05:22:00.001-05:00

July 21

Job 5 and 6/Luke 15

Now that Eliphaz has begun offering advice, he warms to the task, confidently launching into a disquisition on the principle of divine judgment. He cautions Job to avoid rage against God and the heavenly council, noting that "surely vexation kills the fool" (verse 2) and listing all of the terrible consequences (including, rather insensitively, the crushing of one's children) of such an action. Still convinced that Job has provoked God's wrath, Eliphaz asserts that affliction such as Job's does not come by chance, from fate, or even ultimately from God. Rather, it is, at its source, the product of our own sinfulness since "human beings are born to trouble just as sparks fly upward" (verse 7). And Eliphaz even constructs a great play on words here that echoes Genesis, Chapter 3 when he says that trouble does not originate from the ground (Hebrew adamah), but from mortals (Hebrew adam).

He still holds onto the tried and true formula to explain Job's circumstance: One's suffering in life is in proportion to one's sin. Suffering is dispensed by God. God is just. Therefore, Job must be guilty of a great and grievous sin. So, he advises Job to put his case before God since God does infinitely marvelous things, which he proceeds to list, just for emphasis. Great advice—except Eliphaz misses an essential human element here: Job's pain. Perhaps we have all had—or maybe we have been—friends of this sort, friends who are so wrapped up in explaining how the suffering friend got into this fix or what the hurting friend should do next that they talk right past the friend, forgetting to closely look and carefully listen in order to understand the deeper dimensions and possibilities present in the situation, to be completely present with the other person.

But—maybe Eliphaz isn't really speaking to Job here at all. Maybe he is speaking to his own fears. What if Job IS innocent? How could he (and other humans, for that matter) make sense of God and God's justice then? It's much safer to believe in the simpler version of divine justice that works similarly to Newton's Third Law of Motion (to every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction) within a world of hopelessly sinful humans and a tyrannical God who cannot trust even the angels. So to end his part of the debate, he challenges Job to justify himself.

In Chapter 6, Job responds by asserting that the degree of his suffering far outweighs any sin he may have committed. As he begins to speak, we witness his change from a symbolic, archetypal figure (the righteous and prosperous man who has lost his possessions as well as his children) to a real human being. He makes clear that he knows his suffering comes from God. In fact, he goes on to explain that he is consoled to know that even though he suffers greatly, he has not concealed the fact that his suffering comes from God (verse 10). Yet, he is also keenly aware of his human weakness—his is a body of clay, not stone or bronze—and so why should he be patient, since he, a mere human, cannot stand against the power of God? His only desire is that God would put him out of his misery quickly.

The divine aspects of his condition clearly explained as he understands them, he turns in verse 14 to the responses of his friends, declaring that his friends are treacherous because they have withheld kindness. They have not asked about or listened to his pain or his need, but instead Eliphaz has offered unrequested, impertinent, superficial advice, in his view, that amounts to a moral betrayal. Challenging his friends in return, he asserts, "Teach me, and I will be silent; make me understand how I have gone wrong. . . .Turn now, my vindication is at stake. Is there any wrong on my tongue?" (verses 24-30).

As we turn from the point in Job's story where all seems lost, in Luke, chapter 15, we find three parables of that which is lost and found: the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the parable of the lost prodigal son. The form of these three linked stories is the exemplary parable, or example story, a story like that of the Good Samaritan that addresses an essential question of how we are in human relationship with one another. In this instance, the question that forms the underlying assumption or warrant for the parables stems from the Pharisees grumbling in verse 2: "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them." So—the question becomes: How are we, or how should we be, in relationship to sinners? As is the case in the Job story above, the central issue here also turns on genuine listening and attention to others. Only here such listening becomes an essential practice of discipleship.

The underlying issue that Jesus is addressing is not the state of lostness per se or how something or someone got to be lost, but rather what is worth finding. In contrast to the Pharisees and scribes who believe that sinners and tax collectors deserve no attention, no welcome, no finding, these parables argue that what is lost is at risk, what is lost must be searched for diligently, and what is lost must be celebrated when it is found because the finding represents the restoration of wholeness and workings of grace. Notice here that Jesus talks about finding, and thus about discipleship, not in the context of justice and equity, but rather in the context of grace. The shepherd leaves the ninety-nine sheep to search for the missing one, the women turns her attention away from the nine silver coins on the table to find the lost tenth one, and the father turns his attention from the son who has not disobeyed to celebrate the return of his prodigal brother. In each of these instances, the parable discusses not only the relationship between God and the individual, but also the relationship between the individual and the larger community. Jesus rejects the formulaic, strict justice of the God that Eliphaz describes in Job for the God of grace, the God of potential, the God of love.

· As Christians, how can we make sense of the injustice we find in the world? After all, if God is the sovereign God in whom we trust and believe, shouldn't God fix injustice?

· As disciples charged with finding what is lost so that it may be restored to wholeness, what is our responsibility to that which is not lost---to the ninety-nine sheep while we pursue the one who is missing?

2010-07-20T05:16:00.001-05:00

July 20

Job 3 and 4/Luke 14

As we left Job, his friends had gathered to grieve with him over his physical affliction, certain that he had kindled God's wrath by some wrongdoing. With Chapter 3, we plunge into the poetic dialogue that forms the actual narrative. Here we see Job beginning to lose patience. In his physical agony, he laments that he was ever born—a very specific lament. His is a passionate formal curse lamenting not his conception, but the very fact that he has been brought into the world, a world containing inexplicable sorrow such as he is now experiencing, through birth. Thus, he is not cursing God for giving him life, but rather the disorder and suffering of his worldly experience. Yet, even this fiery response may well represent a quarrel with the God of nature as well as Job's despising the dignity of our essential being as humans. Indeed, the very cosmos—day and night, clouds, stars—all is cursed into gloom and deep darkness as he imagines the rest and peace, the freedom from temptation, trouble, or imprisonment his body would have experienced had the day and night shut down his mother's womb, in other words, had he died during the birth process. In his misery, he expresses the first of a number of philosophical questions that relate to his story. "Why is light given to one in misery and life to the bitter in soul?" he asks in verse 20, followed by the question in verse 23: "Why is light given to one who cannot see the way, whom God has fenced in?" In short, he appears to be asking why God would give us that which we cannot always fully use or enjoy. Of course, in asking such questions, Job risks appearing ungrateful for what God has provided.

Poor Job! His situation moves his friend, Eliphaz, to speak tentatively and carefully in Chapter 4. After all, his friends in their silence must have been wondering, could Job be a hypocrite? So when he speaks, Eliphaz reminds Job that he himself has served as a model and support for others, and that perhaps he should not allow his physical suffering to skew his perspective, but rather should follow the wise counsel that he (good and upright Job) has offered to others. After all, Eliphaz reasons, "Is not your fear of God your confidence, and the integrity of your ways your hope?" (verse 6). Eliphaz here relies upon moral certainties, presuming Job's acceptance of the principle of just divine retribution for "who that was innocent ever perished or where were the upright cut off?" (verse 7). Since Job must have offended God in some way, his friend reasons, his only positive course of action is to acknowledge God's power to reprove God's creation, including humans, but also to heal their wounds.

Eliphaz is also the mystic in the group of friends, and so he can't help but relate a vision he has experienced during the night that he thinks might prove helpful to Job. The spirit form that brushes past Eliphaz and stands before him offers two more, presumably divine, philosophical questions: "Can mortals be righteous before God?" and "Can human beings be pure before their Maker?" (verse 17). In short, since God even "charges his angels with error," (verse 18), how much more prone to error must humans, created a little less than the angels, be? So, they perish or are destroyed both day and night and "they die devoid of wisdom" (verse 21). So much for friendly, helpful support and comfort!

As we shall see as Job's story progresses, his friends are of little help because their understanding of his situation is obscured by their moral orthodoxy, by their narrow focus on a formulaic notion of God and God's working in the world. The Pharisees and lawyers in Luke 14 also hold such a legalistic view, inviting Jesus to the large extra Sabbath meal served right after worship, so they could entrap him. The biblical text notes that they were "watching him," and the verb used indicates a sinister kind of espionage.

Since spectators were often present to witness large meals such as this one, the presence of the man with dropsy, what we would now call edema, is not unusual. What is unusual is Jesus' response, since upon his seeing the man he addresses the thoughts and intentions, the planned entrapments for him, of his legalistic hosts, asking if it is lawful to cure people on the Sabbath—a question that voices a moral dilemma since the Pharisees and lawyers could not reply in the affirmative since that would undo the legalistic trap that they had prepared for Jesus. Nor could they reply in the negative since the law clearly does not condemn acts of mercy. Wisely, they remain silent observers of Jesus' act of healing here.

Addressing their superior attitude further, Jesus comments upon the presumption and arrogance of those in authority by immediately offering a parable on humility followed by one about guests invited to a great dinner who spurn the hospitality of their host, finding an array of worldly affairs to attend to as reasons for not attending. In both parables, he chastises those who believe it's all about themselves. He bridges these two stories with the advice, starting in verse 12, not to invite to meals exclusively those guests who can repay the invitation in kind, but also those in need of the meal who cannot repay this gesture of hospitality.

Resonating throughout this chapter is the theme of the nature and cost of discipleship, which is not dependent upon or tied to worldly power or position, but rather rests upon our willingness to heed God's call to meet our fellow human beings in their humanness and care for them despite the costs, a call that involves the cost of leaving behind possessions and persons whom we care about—parents, siblings, spouses, and children, even our very selves.

Jesus here provides one more metaphor in verse 34: "Salt is good; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?" Since ancient salt was not pure sodium chloride, the other materials present in the salt could frequently spoil, causing the salt to lose its integrity. It is just such a potential loss of integrity that prompted theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer to write The Cost of Discipleship, a book that reminds us that easy Christianity in which God is not sovereign and Jesus is not lord, and cheap grace—empty religious practice and the expectation of salvation without discipleship—are not adequate responses to God's call.

· What is the nature and cost of discipleship in today's postmodern world immersed in rapid snippets of communication via social media and concern for surface appearances?

· Can humans be righteous enough before God? Does righteousness matter?