July 11

Nehemiah 7 and 8; Luke 8

 

Hey, it's a census! (Kind of appropriate for this year, I guess.) Good luck to you if you actually read all of these names in Nehemiah. But, do not let that discourage you. Keep reading. The information about the festival of the booths is interesting. This is kind of like a harvest festival or a celebration of this rebirth of the nation of Israel after their exile in Babylon. So, imagine that on either Thanksgiving or the Fourth of July, we had the tradition of building little reminders fo the way our ancestors first lived when they moved to this country. In your front yard or on your deck you might build a little soddy or a miniature log cabin to remind yourself to be thankful for what you have and to remember the hardships that our ancestors went through to get us to this place.

But this was not just a national holiday. For the people we read about in Ezra and Nehemiah, there was no separation of the national from the religious. So, their thankfulness was for all that God had done for them.

I don't know if you are familiar with the lectionary--it is a series of readings for each Sunday. They are from the Old and New Testament and usually have some kind of thematic connection. These readings in the Year of the Bible do not seem to be joined together that way, but are instead a list in order of the books through which you are reading. But, it is interesting to see how what may be the most familiar part of the Luke 8 passage has a link to these chapters of Nehemiah and the ones that follow.

You no doubt know the parable of the sower. It is a story Jesus told about a person who is broadcasting seed. The seed is all the same. But, whether or not it grows depends on the kind of soil on which it lands. Only a fourth of the seed in the parable actually takes root and grows. It is a parable about how the good news of the gospel does not always take root and grow in a person.

In these chapters of Nehemiah, the people celebrate their freedom and return to Jerusalem and listen to the law of God throughout their celebrations. But, as we will see, they are the like the various soils in the parable. The enthusiasm will only last so long and soon they will be back to their old ways.

You might want to think about these questions.

 

Think about how your family celebrated Thanksgiving last year. Was God at the center of the celebration? (If not, exactly who were you thanking?)

 

Although soil cannot really prepare itself to receive a seed, we can certainly prepare ourselves to receive the good news of God's love. What kind of preparation do you make before Bible study to be open to the leading of the Spirit? (Is the tv on while you are reading this? Do you have another website open at the same time? Are you worrying about what to make for dinner?) What one change might you make that would "clear the way" a little more for God's Spirit to fill you more fully?