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Thoughts from students at UF, SFCC, and Kevin Weekly thought (from Romans) 16.1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deaconess of the church at Cen'chre-ae, that you may receive her in the Lord as befits the saints, and help her in whatever she may require from you, for she has been a helper of many and of myself as well. Greet Prisca and Aq'uila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their lives for me, to whom not only I but also all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks; greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epae'netus, who was the first convert in Asia for Christ. Greet Mary, who has worked hard among you. Greet Androni'cus and Ju'nias, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners; they are men of note among the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. Greet Amplia'tus, my beloved in the Lord. Greet Urba'nus, our fellow worker in Christ.. . 16. 25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed and through the prophetic writings is made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith -- to the only wise God be glory for evermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. If you have read Romans before, the list of names in the last chapter may not seem as gripping as earlier chapters. Personally, some of the first scripture I ever identified with was Paul’s expressesion of the inner turmoil of someone struggling against sin in chapter 7; by the time I came to Romans 16, I usually skimmed the names quickly. But then one day I began to see the different types of names he lists some Jewish, some Gentile, some named after Greek gods! I then began to suspect that this chapter might just be an interpretive key to the entire book. It may help if I offer you what a similar list of "siblings in Christ" that Paul would like you to personally greet: Be sure and give warm hello to Shanekqua Williams, Bob Smith, Chen Li, Emeka Apoloba, Jeanfreau Bodreaux, Mohamed Salem.., and please don’t forget Bubba. Romans 16 calls us to allow what God has done in our story to spill over the sides of our soul and transform how we as God’s children relate here and now. If you are in the process of making plans to come to Gainesville for school Summer or Fall 2008, please know that you are welcome to add your name to our already diverse and interesting “list.” May God continue to work in your life and may you allow that work to transform how you relate to others and the how you relate to creation itself.. Weekly thought (from Hosea) 2.14 Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. "In that day," declares the Lord; "you will call me 'my husband'; you will no longer call me 'my master.' What would you see if you looked deeply into the heart of God? The book of Hosea tells us you would see a God who is heartbroken and the only human experience that would come close to communicating his pathos is Hosea marrying a wife who is bound to cheat.. The God spoken of in Hosea loved and loves passionately and when such is not reciprocated, he is hurt deeply. In our class on Sunday morning we discussed that one student of Hosea, Abraham Heschel, thought that Hosea's act of marrying Gomer was not meant as a instructional tool for all Israel to "learn from," but rather as an act of communion with God himself. God wanted one person to be with him and to understand. From this intimate, first hand knowledge of the heart of God, Hosea, himself, was now ready to to communicate what people needed to know most, God's heart. This knowledge is sometimes painfilled, often surprising, and always powerful. Find time to read Hosea, and/or join us for the second half of our discussion this coming Sunday!Weekly thought (from Habakkuk) 1.12 O Lord, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy one, we will not die. O Lord, you have appointed them to execute judgment; O Rock, you have ordained them to punish. Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate the wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? The book of Habakkuk is a great example of what a conversation, and indeed our conversations with God, sounds like. In the beginning chapters Habakkuk questions God and asks him to do something about the evil and wickedness he sees all around him (possibly what he is seeing around him in Israel). God answers and tells Habakkuk what he plans to do, to which the prophet responds with the words written above. Habakkuk can not fathom why God would choose to use the Babylonians; using them is worse than doing nothing at all. The conversation with God in Habakkuk teaches us that often when we want God to do something, what we are really asking is that he do what we want, when we want, and how we want. The challenge with this type of relationship is that it confuses roles of who is and is not God. The rest of this short and powerful book reveals that though his plans are unexpected, though parts of his plans are painful, and though it is likely that God will answer our prayers in ways that we have a problem with, we are better off "allowing" him to be God. We are better off focussing on, in courage, just being his children. He and his work is so amazing, even the scariest days are occasions to prasie him! Weekly thought (from Joel) One thing that that the Lord showed us in the book of Joel this past Sunday morning was that it is appropriate to take destruction, whether it be by locust or armies, not only seriously but also religiously. Though Joel does not comment in detail about the culpability of those under siege, it offers the act of repenting via lamenting in sackcloth and fasting to all as an empowering invitation to welcome God in for the sake of the reconstruction (thanks Paul R. for this term) effort. Whether they "deserved" the locust, the swarms came, but there was also, and more importantly, a God who stood ready to deliver. In an unexpected twist, he could and can still use destruction to refine his people. After this "Day of the Lord" fields will be filled again. God's reconstruction effort, so says Joel, will be so astounding that the scenes in the third and last chapter resemble images of the first garden. Weekly thought (from the book of Isaiah) 1.2 Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth! For the Lord has spoken: “I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner’s manager, but Israel does not understand.” 5.1-7 I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. The he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit. Isaiah 1.1 clues us in that this book has much to do with Judah’s pubic political life. We know from passages in Isaiah, 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, and other prophetic books that one of the prompting circumstances for Isaiah’s prophecy was the political alliance King Ahaz of Judah was making with Assyria in order to insure protection from two hostile countries to the north. Though the slogan “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” has continued to be a standard, though problematic, political policy, the prophet Isaiah takes great exception with Ahaz for this particular move of self-preservation. Whether Isaiah was aware of the political problems such a policy would result in, he reveals a deeper problem with the treaty in the words/metaphors he uses for God in chapter 1 and 5. In other instances, the prophets speaks of God as a Rock, Sovereign, Lord of Hosts, Almighty, and Mighty One, but in Isaiah 1 and 5, the imagery is of a father and beloved companion. The deeper problem with “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” is that this and any other treaty we make in order to ensure our own self preservation, be they with the powers like Assyria or other more personal attempts to control, numb, or God-lessly order our life, all displace our true father and beloved companion. It hurt God that Judah went to Assyria, and it hurts him now, down to the core, when we make treaties with the powers of this world, with the prevailing culture around us, with anyone, infact, other than Him! Jared's thoughts This was written so that we may begin a discussion. Please, would you be willing to meet to talk? Jesus says, in his kingdom, there will be neither rich nor poor. For the rich will give out of their wealth to those in need. This is what I like to call ‘Jesus-nomics’. The concept of Jesus-nomics is simple. If you see a person in need, and you are able to help them, then you should help them; even at your own expense. In fact, we should search out those who need help. To quote John the Baptist, “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same." Although simple, the application of Jesus-nomics is difficult. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:16-18 Everyday our televisions bring us pictures of those in need. Sometimes it’s hurricane victims in nearby states; other times it’s war and famine victims in far off lands. And my friends ask me how a loving God could watch such things and not intervene. My response is that he already intervened through his own Son, and now Christians are called to be the love to the world in the same manner. And their remark in return is that Christians are creating the problems, not solving them. How true. We buy the Nike sneakers and clothes that put children in sweat shops. We consume the oil that fuels mid-eastern wars. And our electric bills are the ones destroying the environment. We have conformed to the buying/collecting/comfort pattern of this world; now may we be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We need our transformative Jesus: who frees us from our slavery to material possessions and worldly comfort to a kingdom of redistributive wealth. Think of communism, except without a greedy leader or lazy followers (the ultimate ends to the utopian ideal). In this kingdom, Jesus is our king who gave his life first and we are his voluntary participates who in turn give our lives as well. Is this impractical? In a land where consuming is the norm, Yes! But when was Jesus ever practical? Jesus, the impractical, is calling us to cross-death. A life of denial to self; which the world cannot understand. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God! If we believed these scriptures, how would our lives change? We would give, and still see need, so we would give again. But need still exists, so we would give again. But then we have nothing left. Keep giving! Is it not the disciples of Jesus who went and sold all they had, even their very homes, and gave to those in need beyond what they were able to give? And when they had nothing left to give, is it not these same people who began to fast multiple days every week, giving the money for their food for a given day to another who was hungry?? Didn’t they share everything??? Praise God for servants such as these. This is the kingdom that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 10, The application of Jesus-nomics is not only difficult, it is powerful. Sermons to accompany the writing: http://www.chapel.duke.edu/worship/sunday/viewsermon.aspx?id=234# http://www.tonycampolo.org/media_archive.php Weekly thought from Lev. 11.43-45 Lev. 11. 43-45: "You shall not make yourselves detestable with any creature that swarms; you shall not defile yourselves with them, and so become unclean. For I am the Lord your God; sanctify yourselves with them, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming creature that moves on the earth. For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt, to be your God; you shall be holy, for I am holy." God had already declared each animal mentioned "good" in Genesis 1, so we know that unclean does not equal bad. In the very next chapter, Jewish women of that day were instructed to go through a special time of purification that would be longer if they had a female child, hence the term "unclean" can also be applied to the most natural/value-nuetral parts of life. Leviticus as a whole and chapter 11 specifically teaches us that it was most important to weave their deliverance story into the small details of their life. It will be very difficult for traveling nomads to eliminate half of the food that they could consume in the wilderness and in the promised land God was leading them towards, but each time they make the decision to do such, they will be reminding themselves "For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt, to be your God; you shall be holy, for I am holy." While it may not be "fair" that chapter 12 instructs a woman and her newborn little girl to go through an extra time of purification, Leviticus is seeking an objective much more powerful than fair. God hopes to make them separate, special, distinct, or holy. And from this place of distinction, God hopes to use them as a priesthood to the entire world. If people of that time keep the Lord's commandments, no little girl growing up among them would have to fear being sexually abused, being sold as a sex slave, or having her worth as a human being reduced to some arbitrary beauty and or body standards. In addition to the above, if such a little girl were born to a family who were poor, she and her family would have a chance to escape the cycle of poverty on the Jubilee year. The world has plenty of fair, now like then, it searches for something holy. When we, whether we are like one of the women and their little baby girls to whom chapter 12 instructs, or whether we are someone giving up our "Christian liberty" to make challenging and demanding faith decisions about food, choose to take up the cross of being holy we join with Jesus. Philippians 2:6-12 Weekly thought from Mario Just One Grant me just one who will exhaust his energy in my service: And I will exhaust my essence toward performing our will; I will live in him if he will live for me. I will thrive in him if he will survive on me. A dual usage is employed here as the Heb. term צַדִיק (TZADDIK) is often translated “righteous person” but more generally means “a just one” regarding one who submits to the rulership of justice in all matters. In this usage, however, singular selection is being expressed (i.e ‘only one’, ‘solamente uno’,רק אחד Weekly thought from Jared As I scrolled through the local paper last week, I saw an ad for a nearby gym. The advertisement read, ‘Get More Attention, Get More Exercise’. This seemingly harmless saying branded itself on my mind because of one word, ‘Attention’.Our society obsesses over ‘attention’. From when we wake up to when we go to sleep, we crave the focus of others. We love honors, awards, interested glances, hugs, applauses, complements; you name it and we like it. But why do we desire attention? Keith Henson, an avid scientist and psychologist, states, ‘Attention is the way social primates measure status. It is highly rewarding because it causes the release of brain chemicals such as dopamine and endorphins.’ In essence, we are addicted to attention. You may be asking, so what if we like attention? Is there any danger in enjoying focus? Essentially there isn’t any danger. In fact, attention is needed for life in newborns and is a natural part of life. But the danger of attention lies in a cycle: that our love of focus leads to attempts to gain more focus. As the advertisement states, ‘Get More Attention, Get More Exercise.’ This action of ‘getting more attention’ is, at its core, selfish. We live to please our desires for focus (even at the expense of others, whether we realize it or not). And these desires are lived out through having fashionable/desirable friends, respected occupations, above average grades, improved resumes, better looks, more memories, and flirting; to name a few. But what if we loved others through giving attention, in the same manner that we love ourselves (even at our own expense)? Instead of choosing friends based on culturally desirable qualities or similarities, we befriend those that need attention the most. We become the rich making friends with the poor, the healthy alongside the sick, and the strong near the weak. Weekly thought from Genesis (4-12)
I love how Genesis boldly hangs the future of all creation, humans, animals, and everything else that walks the face of the earth, on God's favor for one man, Noah. Such seems to be oddly placed hope, but Genesis is speaking of a God whose favor will overwhelm, sustain, literally last longer than any storm, and outlive wickedness itself. You may have come to this website asking questions about who God is or if God is. Genesis has previously shared that we are the reason things have gone wrong but that there is a God who creates in power, who comes close to do such, and he will outlove all that we mess up. Find some time to get to know this God as shown in Genesis soon! God bless you greatly this week and remember you are always welcome on Sunday or Wednesday! Weekly thought from Gensis (1-3)
Among ancient creation stories, Genesis is unique. There is no other opposing deity or force present when God begins to create. If the reader took "water" or "deep" to refer to the chaos waters of the Mesopotamian Creation story of Tiamat and Apsu, again, there is still no explicit mention of any named opponent. There is however, an opponent that arises later in chapter 3. Ancient literature and religions understood there were forces in the world that are larger than us. Our overconfident and simplistic modern thought has little room for such forces, rather we can solve problems with more education, more laws, or more bombs. Ancient people dared to named these forces. Genesis stuns us by naming us as the active opponent to what God creates. Even and Adam's actions will spread chaos. Their son will murder his brother and just a few chapters later in six, humankind, save Noah, had their hearts set on "evil continually." Genesis warns us about underestimating the consequences of our sins, and yet God is not done. He shows the full extent of his power in an act of creation mightier than the largest star or the furthest galaxy, he creates something known as a covenant. Join us next week as we discuss how God will use covenants of commitment to turn the tide! Weekly thought from Matthew (25-26)
On Sundays and Wednesdays we have talked about how Jesus radically expands traditional boundaries of who is now included as family and neighbor. This is quite possibly Jesus’ most challenging teaching, because now, especially for those that call themselves the “people of God,” many new and unexpected siblings have come to sit around God’s table. Even those that we would rather remain as “other,” enemy, silent, or abandoned are now termed sister and brother. But Jesus’ subversion of our status quo goes one step further… Mother Teresa once described that she sometimes saw Jesus’ face looking up towards her as she cared for the dirty and dying in Calcutta. Jesus not only opens the family up but locates himself, in a show of solidarity, on the margins and calls us to come and find him. Come and find him and welcome him back to the table! What a charge, what a calling, what a life! God bless you in your reading of Matthew 27-28 over this Christmas Holiday! Weekly thought from Matthew (25-26)
Part of our reading for this week contains a series of "woes." It is interesting, though interesting is not exactly the word I am searching for.., it is predictably sad that the church and those "evangelist" that you hear from the most spend so much time telling the lost of their problems. Jesus, on the other hand, saves his most pointed and challenging rebuke for those inside the family of God. In chapter 23, Jesus will begin what is sometimes called an apocalyptic utterance of judgment. The hearers and Jewish Christians who first read Matthew would understand that the sins committed by those that the "woes" are directed toward had far reaching consequences. After Jesus describes these sins in 23, he goes on to describe the consequences in 24. Personally I would like to think that my sins either have no consequences to those around me or at least don't extend far. But Jesus loves us enough to tell us the consequences of our actions. He also says in verse .37 that he desires to take us in under his wings like a mother hen trying to protect her chicks from a fire that we ourselves started (or to them the coming destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans). May God bless you greatly with a knowledge of the consequences of sin and Jesus' willingness to save us from those consequences this week! See you in class, come with questions, we will have a great time in Matthew chapters 25 and 26! Weekly thought from Matthew (22-23)
Of all of the metaphors that Jesus could have given the people of God to understand their calling and evaluate their own faithfulness, the kingdom as a royal wedding party, seems an odd choice. I don't know about you but my time amongst God's people has not inclined me to describe our efforts or the churches in which we come together as a party. But Jesus helps us understand that before anything else, we are called to invite the world in to God's house to party. This parable tells us that God takes his parties seriously! By spurning the invitation, those first invited to the party-the people of God, be it Israel or the church, not only "cheat themselves" out of a righteously good and life giving time, but we publicly call into question before all of God's other lost children through out the world whether God's party, his house, his table, and even his Son are worth celebrating. May this week be one in which you party! Reading for next week is 23-24! Weekly thought from Matthew (20-21)
Our reading for this week contains a story with a surprising villain. Farmers are not generally violent. Their life is spent in rituals encouraging and supporting growth, planting, pruning, harvesting, etc.. . There is one thing however that has and still gets farmers mad enough to kill, the loss of their land. With that said, this story is not one in which the landowner takes land away but graciously prepared it to be a great vineyard to lease. The tenant farmers forget that they were called to be stewards not owners, but back to the surprising identity of this villain. This story tells us that the we can forget that we are stewards, not owners, of the vineyard, the promise, the hope an mission of God, and in so doing we are inclined towards violently resisting God. Thinking of such a metaphor helps me to understand that God is not trespassing on my time, hopes, or future, but instead has graciously invited me to join Him in His vineyard. See you in class, come with questions, we will have a great time in Matthew chapters 20 and 21. Weekly thought from Matthew (18-19)
Jesus' words remind us that an understanding of peace that is faithful to his way, and indeed to the entire Bible, must not settle for the simple ending of conflict. While such may be the best the world can offer, it is not, however, the best that He can offer. Even after the gunfire has ceased, after you and your roommate have stopped intentionally leaving dirty dishes in the sink, after all the "conflict" in your life has ceased, if that is all that has happened you have not yet experienced the peace Jesus offers. His peace goes one step further--to reintroductions and reunions, to brothers joining again with brothers, sisters joining again with sisters, and all of us joining together with our father. The best the world has to offer is no one "messing with you," that leaves you all alone; Jesus offers us a seat at the family table. God bless you in your reading of Matthew 18 and 19 this week! |
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