Preacher talked about how grotesque we might find the blood on the lintels business, but I wish he'd addressed the considerably more grotesque and problematic intention of God to murder every first born child in Egypt to get at the Pharaoh.
I didn't listen, too about U2, Cold Chisel and Midnight Oil and trying make a spiritual meaning in song of their 'songs'. Hope my face didn't say bored!!
I didn't listen, too about U2, Cold Chisel and Midnight Oil and trying make a spiritual meaning in song of their 'songs'. Hope my face didn't say bored!!
Familiar of course with U2 who often used overtly spiritual themes in their songs. Not so familiar with the other two but they look like my sort of thing so thanks for the tips!
I didn't listen, too about U2, Cold Chisel and Midnight Oil and trying make a spiritual meaning in song of their 'songs'. Hope my face didn't say bored!!
Familiar of course with U2 who often used overtly spiritual themes in their songs. Not so familiar with the other two but they look like my sort of thing so thanks for the tips!
We were being urged to get out there and tell people the truth whether they like it or not! The preacher chose the readings, which were from Exodus 20 and Roma s 5, but half way through his sermon he read about Jesus sending out the 12 from Matthew. It wasn’t a bad sermon, until he started to equate ‘the truth’ with morality….
The story of Abraham. God took Abraham and Sarah on a journey which changed them, even down to their names being changed. How do we want to transform and change?
Our sermon thh go us morning (away from home) wasn’t great. The preacher recapped his series on the Lord’s Prayer which was OK, but getting on to the doxology he managed to imply fairly strongly that its omission from modern translations was due to higher criticism and the work of atheist theologians - during the course of which he made reference to his own higher degree in theology.
I was already struggling because he had in my view mis-divided the petitions in the prayer. But his confusing textual criticism with higher criticism, and his suggestion that the omission of the doxology was due some kind of atheist imposition on the true biblical text really turned me off.
To be fair, I think he probably did say something about praising God, and hymn choices and prayers reflected that. However, that “signal“ was lost for me in the amount of extraneous “noise“.
The Bible is more than a book: it is Words from God
The Spirit breathed the words of God out.
These were written down in the book we call the Bible.
The documents we have are a reliable guide to what was originally written down
We can relate to the content of these books. because the Bible isn't an instruction manual, it is a story in which we can find our part.
I went back to our old church this morning where they continue their slow grind through detailed look at the Gospel of Matthew.
In Matthew 12:22-29, the man is not delivered of a demon but healed. Jesus' kingdom is in direct opposition to Satan's kingdom and Satan is a defeated foe. Jesus dealt with the demonic simply and quietly; he always wants us to be set free and will make all things new.
The Bible is more than a book: it is truth we can trust.
A few stats about manuscripts and comparisons with the numbers from ancient books
Transmission, selction of the canon.
A few comments on the external witnesses: Cyrus cylinder, Lakshish panels, some obelisk somewhere. Jesus attested in Josephus and Tacitus.
Internal consistency despite having been written by over 40 people in a wide geographical area over thousands of years. Dead sea scrolls confirming the accuracy of transmission.
But more importantly, the words of God which we can build our lives on
Jesus knew the scriptures, put himself under their authority and obeyed them.
We should do the same.
This will be useful to us in overcoming temptation
Jesus died and rose to save Christians, too--that is, God's gracious forgiveness extends to Christian fuck-ups like us, too, even when we feel horrible because we think we should be "doing better" after fifty years in the faith, and we're still struggling. God doesn't put those expectations on us, and he's not surprised, either-- he just goes right on loving and forgiving and picking us up again. There's room at the cross for all of us, new converts or struggling long-time believers.
Returned to the RCL at my home church. Considered what Jesus meant when he said his yoke was light.
Buggered if I know. Everything else he said was about crosses and counting the cost before you even start.
Unless Mr Cheesy, erstwhile of this parish, was right, and there are in fact two gospels. One to the poor, in the easy yoke and the Magnificat, and one for the rich, in the rich young ruler, taking up crosses, and the Magnificat again. And Dives and Lazarus of course - Lazarus gets in just be being poor; Dives doesn't because he did feck all about it.
In Genesis 14, King Melchizedek the king of Salem (which means "peace") gave out bread and wine, recognising his role as priest and as an echo of Jesus giving out bread and wine.
Paul could write to Timothy and tell him that the OLD Testament could bring him salvation because the whole narrative arc pointed to the coming Messiah. Paul had explained this many times in the synagogues when Timothy was with this.
More than this it shows us how to live, because it is words that God has breathed out.
The big question for us is not whether we still believe the Bible, but whether we still use it.
The wheat and the weeds are to be found within the church, as well as outside.
God gives us all time to repent and change our ways.
I felt this was stretching the analogy, as surely weeds can’t change into wheat or vice versa?
The preacher spoke about pupils in a school, some working hard and doing well, others messing about and underachieving, but they are not to be separated or judged until exam results are finally known.
Reference was also made to the penitent thief, given a reprieve right at the last minute.
The hymn after the sermon was There’s a wideness in God’s mercy.
We got the wheat and the weeds too, but with reference to how we shouldn't judge people (trying to do God's job) and instead need to show patience and mercy.
We had the wheat and the tares, so I agonised out loud a bit about the implied existence of the reprobate before pivoting to the Epistle from Romans emphasising the redemption of all creation and the value of hope.
Paul was responding to questions that had been asked and recommended an ascetic lifestyle because Jesus' return was expected imminently. Men and women have equal rights over their bodies, shocking for his readers to hear, and Jesus blessed a marriage with his generous provision of wine. Jesus spoke much more about the poor than about sex.
[tangent] It was my first experience of doing a reading at our new church and I was delighted to be asked to join the rota - several people commented with sympathy on how the passage was a bit of a baptism by fire! [/tangent]
The Book of Proverbs is designed to instruct the uncommitted and the wise to put themselves under the authority of God so that they learn how to behave in ways that are Right, Just and Fair.
The example given shows us that we need discernment to see whether the means we are using to obtain our desires are compatible with God's wisdom.
I preached on the parable of the master of the house bringing out old and new treasure (mostly because that was the bit of the readings with which I was unfamiliar so took a chance that others in the congregation would be too)
Pastor began his sermon talking about the first time his wife made fresh bread for them and how it brought out memories of his grandmother baking bread for when they would visit. Moved on to talking about how grace abounds in unseen ways.
An interesting take on the parable of the pearl of great price - the preacher postulated Christ as the merchant giving his all to obtain the pearl, and us (his followers) as the prize...
I've heard this interpretation before - some 18 years ago, at a small-town church in SW France, with a young Vietnamese (?) priest speaking French slowly enough for me to catch his drift!
The only bit I can recall 22 hours later is the one sentence comment on the Gospel reading.
The feeding of the 5000. Our challenge today is to be aware of what needs God wants to use us to meet.
As for the other 12 minutes’ worth?
Matthew wrote of the feeding of the 5,000 to challenge the world of power, sex and intrigue. Jesus offers an alternative, a generous spirit, a rule of love and abundant generosity.
It was a Breakfast Church service so the talk is always quite brief. The reference was to the narrative in Genesis 18:16-33 about Abraham's conversation with God about whether Sodom and Gomorrah would be spared if there were 50, 40, 30, 20 or 10 righteous people found there. Do things live up to our expectations? Do we live up to God's expectations?
A Gentile woman begs a Jewish rabbi for help. She recognises gender and race divides and speaks across them: her confidence in Jesus and her love for her child outweigh the situation. Jesus says what he does to turn the Pharisees' prejudice against them. God is not the property of one person or one set of beliefs, but works in all cultures.
What character is God building in us through our relationships?
God wants us to be humble, to give and take correction, to speak gently and to learn self-control.
But the good news is that what Proverbs describes, Christ embodies and the Spirit enables.
"Who do you say I am?" Jesus asked his disciples, and chose to ask the question in a place a long journey from Galilee, away from the listening ears of the scribes and Pharisees. Others, the disciples say, associate Jesus with the wild and outspoken prophets, but Peter's declaration is a divinely inspired confession on which truth Jesus will build his church and he blesses Peter and gives him a new purpose. Peter at other times also gets it wrong - truth is held in fallible human hands. We can say, in the ongoing offering of our lives, that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of the living God, and the church holds the keys to healing, hope and forgiveness.
August is the season of minimal church. Music team down to two, maybe three, but no preaching, just a testimony. Usually how someone came to Jesus or how He came to them. Today’s was the parable of the lost sheep who didn’t know she was lost, but it worked out nicely and her and her at-the-time Buddhist partner.
Thirty years ago our church used to shut in August because "everyone was away". Since then we have gradually increased the number of services, First to just two Sundays, then to every Sunday, and eventually to a full programme.
Today, choir at almost full strength. Total attendance in the middle of our usual (non-holiday season) numbers (as it has been for the last two weeks), Many unfamiliar faces - we seem to have new people almost every week. Some are just visiting (being a city centre church makes it easier for people to find us). Others are coming for the first time (and many of them seem to come back for more each week).
Sermon on the Gospel reading: Matthew 19:16-26, particularly "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
We can consider her to be a graduate of the School of Proverbs, someone who has studied them and learnt their lessons.
Someone who is active (even though we don't need to do works to be saved, because salvation is by grace alone) and not a sluggard.
Someone who looks after the poor and is generous
Someone we should aspire to be.
1 Corinthians 15:50-58 but based mainly around the Nintendo game The Legend of Zelda, The Ocarina of Time, terrible things can happen, the darkness is great, but we have hope and can take that to a world in need.
How Peter is a good example of saint and sinner at the same time--confessing Jesus as messiah and then being told he is no better than Satan.
Our sermon was also about this. The point being that Peter was speaking about earthly concerns. He did not want Jesus to be crucified. While Jesus was focused on God's plan and knew that he had to be.
Therefore, we ought not to focus too much on earthly concerns, but consider God's purpose for us and our duty to Him.
The tension between “Hold fast that which is good” (in the epistle) and not knowing when to let go - i.e. Peter wanting to hold onto the good bits of being a disciple of Jesus and not wanting to hear about the impending crucifixion. Is God calling you to hold on or to let go?
The congregation is in transition, so the sermon was about the Israelites in the wilderness. Today's episode included a comparison of the imperatives of the Ten Commandments and Pharaoh's rule over the enslaved people. The minister did a very good imitation of trump as the irrational, power-crazed Pharaoh.
Comments
Preacher talked about how grotesque we might find the blood on the lintels business, but I wish he'd addressed the considerably more grotesque and problematic intention of God to murder every first born child in Egypt to get at the Pharaoh.
Familiar of course with U2 who often used overtly spiritual themes in their songs. Not so familiar with the other two but they look like my sort of thing so thanks for the tips!
I recall midnight oil being good
God speaks to us:
I was already struggling because he had in my view mis-divided the petitions in the prayer. But his confusing textual criticism with higher criticism, and his suggestion that the omission of the doxology was due some kind of atheist imposition on the true biblical text really turned me off.
The Bible is more than a book: it is Words from God
The Spirit breathed the words of God out.
These were written down in the book we call the Bible.
The documents we have are a reliable guide to what was originally written down
We can relate to the content of these books. because the Bible isn't an instruction manual, it is a story in which we can find our part.
In Matthew 12:22-29, the man is not delivered of a demon but healed. Jesus' kingdom is in direct opposition to Satan's kingdom and Satan is a defeated foe. Jesus dealt with the demonic simply and quietly; he always wants us to be set free and will make all things new.
The Bible is more than a book: it is truth we can trust.
A few stats about manuscripts and comparisons with the numbers from ancient books
Transmission, selction of the canon.
A few comments on the external witnesses: Cyrus cylinder, Lakshish panels, some obelisk somewhere. Jesus attested in Josephus and Tacitus.
Internal consistency despite having been written by over 40 people in a wide geographical area over thousands of years. Dead sea scrolls confirming the accuracy of transmission.
But more importantly, the words of God which we can build our lives on
More than a Book : Words that Lead
Jesus knew the scriptures, put himself under their authority and obeyed them.
We should do the same.
This will be useful to us in overcoming temptation
Buggered if I know. Everything else he said was about crosses and counting the cost before you even start.
Unless Mr Cheesy, erstwhile of this parish, was right, and there are in fact two gospels. One to the poor, in the easy yoke and the Magnificat, and one for the rich, in the rich young ruler, taking up crosses, and the Magnificat again. And Dives and Lazarus of course - Lazarus gets in just be being poor; Dives doesn't because he did feck all about it.
(Ours was a short family service this morning.)
God has made his Word clear enough for anyone to understand, including the child and the simpleton.
Yes, some of it is hard (but therefore not all) and you should let the Bible interpret itself
The Holy Spirit brings understanding as we think about the meaning
Scripture is sufficient for all our needs:
Paul could write to Timothy and tell him that the OLD Testament could bring him salvation because the whole narrative arc pointed to the coming Messiah. Paul had explained this many times in the synagogues when Timothy was with this.
More than this it shows us how to live, because it is words that God has breathed out.
The big question for us is not whether we still believe the Bible, but whether we still use it.
The wheat and the weeds are to be found within the church, as well as outside.
God gives us all time to repent and change our ways.
I felt this was stretching the analogy, as surely weeds can’t change into wheat or vice versa?
The preacher spoke about pupils in a school, some working hard and doing well, others messing about and underachieving, but they are not to be separated or judged until exam results are finally known.
Reference was also made to the penitent thief, given a reprieve right at the last minute.
The hymn after the sermon was There’s a wideness in God’s mercy.
Paul was responding to questions that had been asked and recommended an ascetic lifestyle because Jesus' return was expected imminently. Men and women have equal rights over their bodies, shocking for his readers to hear, and Jesus blessed a marriage with his generous provision of wine. Jesus spoke much more about the poor than about sex.
[tangent] It was my first experience of doing a reading at our new church and I was delighted to be asked to join the rota - several people commented with sympathy on how the passage was a bit of a baptism by fire! [/tangent]
The Book of Proverbs is designed to instruct the uncommitted and the wise to put themselves under the authority of God so that they learn how to behave in ways that are Right, Just and Fair.
The example given shows us that we need discernment to see whether the means we are using to obtain our desires are compatible with God's wisdom.
I've heard this interpretation before - some 18 years ago, at a small-town church in SW France, with a young Vietnamese (?) priest speaking French slowly enough for me to catch his drift!
(Although the preacher started at 3:1, because he thought the passage should be divided differently)
Lady Wisdom is the opposite of Dame Folly: we have choices too make in life.
It's all about the Golden Rule: Loving your neighbour as yourself, always seeking to act rightly, justly and fairly
The feeding of the 5000. Our challenge today is to be aware of what needs God wants to use us to meet.
As for the other 12 minutes’ worth?
We should be careful with what we say, because this can hurt people
We should be honest in our work
We should follow God in all our ways
A Gentile woman begs a Jewish rabbi for help. She recognises gender and race divides and speaks across them: her confidence in Jesus and her love for her child outweigh the situation. Jesus says what he does to turn the Pharisees' prejudice against them. God is not the property of one person or one set of beliefs, but works in all cultures.
What character is God building in us through our relationships?
God wants us to be humble, to give and take correction, to speak gently and to learn self-control.
But the good news is that what Proverbs describes, Christ embodies and the Spirit enables.
Thirty years ago our church used to shut in August because "everyone was away". Since then we have gradually increased the number of services, First to just two Sundays, then to every Sunday, and eventually to a full programme.
Today, choir at almost full strength. Total attendance in the middle of our usual (non-holiday season) numbers (as it has been for the last two weeks), Many unfamiliar faces - we seem to have new people almost every week. Some are just visiting (being a city centre church makes it easier for people to find us). Others are coming for the first time (and many of them seem to come back for more each week).
Sermon on the Gospel reading: Matthew 19:16-26, particularly "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
The Wife of Noble Character:
We can consider her to be a graduate of the School of Proverbs, someone who has studied them and learnt their lessons.
Someone who is active (even though we don't need to do works to be saved, because salvation is by grace alone) and not a sluggard.
Someone who looks after the poor and is generous
Someone we should aspire to be.
Our sermon was also about this. The point being that Peter was speaking about earthly concerns. He did not want Jesus to be crucified. While Jesus was focused on God's plan and knew that he had to be.
Therefore, we ought not to focus too much on earthly concerns, but consider God's purpose for us and our duty to Him.