Being Selfless and Obedient

For April 1, 2012


All Scriptures are from The Message Version

This post is intended to help the reader personalize the words and thoughts in the scriptures. It works well if shared between two or more people as a conversation but there is much to be gained by just considering the questions for yourself. Commentaries for the lectionary scripture can be found on Textweek through this link http://www.textweek.com/pauline/phil2.htm

Some churches celebrate this day as Palm Sunday, the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem to begin his final week before the crucifixion, and others as Passion Sunday the beginning of Jesus’ trials and suffering through those final days. You can read all of the events of that last week in the Passion Sunday Lectionary scripture Matthew 26:14-27:66. But today we will look at the Passion Sunday Lectionary scripture by Paul in his letter to the church at Philippi which urges upon them humility and love of one another. He uses the example of Christ and sacrifice he made for (others/us) as their example. But for some first thoughts on the nature of Christ from the gospel of John, chapter 1 which announces Jesus' mixture of divinity and humanness:

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

• Without getting into deep theological ideas what do these two scriptures tell us about Jesus (the Word)? How is his divinity described, what is role did he play in creation? Is any of this new to you? What questions does it raise in your mind?
• The second scripture tells us that Jesus became flesh and dwelled among us? What was his behavior, what kind of a human presence was he. How would you describe the Jesus who dwelt with us to a friend?
• In some ways are Christians similar to Jesus as we are humans in whom God’s Spirit dwells? How does you spiritual nature impact the way you live and act? Do you wish for growth of the spiritual in the midst of your humanness? What might help us grow spiritually, what has helped you grow?

The church an Philippi was one of Paul’s favorites, they had been strong spiritual and at times material supporters of his ministry. He writes urging them to be a loving community using words like these:

Philippians 2:1-4 If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life... then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends… Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

• What does Paul want the Philippians to have as a goal for their behavior? Is acting this way typical human nature or something else? It is not unusual for us to observe people who do not live this way in the secular world but what examples do you have examples when congregational life ran counter to this plea? On the other hand when have you experienced people in a faith community acting toward you in this way? What seemed to be the spiritual condition of the community when either behavior seemed to be most visible?

Philippians 2:5-8 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

• How does Paul characterize Jesus in what is probably a hymn from the earliest days of the Christian faith? How does he contrast the status of Christ in the divine realm and as a human? How are the divine and human Jesus described? What words are used to describe the way he lived and died?
• Do you feel that there are times when you acted in a selfless and obedient (to God) way? What were the circumstances and what led you to respond in this fashion? Are there times when you weren’t, what caused you to focus on yourself instead?
• Does this description of Jesus’ behavior inspire you to be more selfless and obedient or does it not hit home today? What other words would you use to describe the nature of Jesus as you think about the crucifixion? Are there things that you want to incorporate in your life as you think about it?

Paul encourages the church to adopt a Christ like behavior:

12-13 … Better yet, redouble your efforts. Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. That energy is God's energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure.

• What words describe the kind of life Paul is urging us to adopt? Is this way of life passive? Is it a natural part of normal human behavior? What does it take for us to break away from our usual patterns of living and take on something new?
• What are we equipped with if we redouble our efforts? What can we count on as we seek spiritual growth? How has God been present in your faith journey as you grew and matured?
• Have you experience any spiritual growth during this season of Lent? As you reflect on the crucifixion what meaning does it have for you on this Palm Sunday? What words come to you mind as you look ahead to Jesus on the cross? What will you add to the spiritual food that you take with you on your faith journey?

Closing Prayer

Take Lord my sense of self and let it vanish utterly. Take Lord, my life and live through me. Between Thee and me, my God, there is no longer room for I and mine. Amen.

Tukaram. The Oxford Book of Prayer

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Matthew 28:1-10 or Isaiah 25:6-9, I Corinthians 15:1-11 or Acts 10:34-43, Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24, John 20:1-18 or Mark 16:1-8

Trusting God's Promise

For March 4, 2012

All Scriptures are from The Message Version

It is helpful to use this blog as a discussion starter for two or more people but it will also stimulate lots of thought if used by one reader. The material is used by a Sunday Study Group at Hamilton Christian Church in St. Louis, Missouri. Commentaries for these scriptures can be found on Textweek.com through this link http://www.textweek.com/pauline/rom4b.htm

For the theologically oriented reader this scripture is an important part of Paul’s explanation of how and why gentiles who did not observe the Jewish Law would be granted salvation. A good deal of Paul’s thinking in the letter to the church in Rome is devoted to this topic. He as a formerly firmly committed adherent of the law who has had a vivid discernment experience on the road to Damascus with a new understanding of just who has access to God’s favor and a charge from God to take the message of salvation to the gentiles. But this blog is not for theological explorations (see the commentaries), it is instead to focus on What Does It Mean To Me!!! So let’s explore today’s scripture with that goal in mind.

Paul uses Abraham and Sarah as examples for us of the real basis for a fruitful relationship with God. Throughout scripture Abraham is held up as both the father of the chosen people (Israel) and as a vivid example of both what faith is and what comes from living a faithful life. First let’s look at the Abraham’s relationship with God for some practical ideas:

Romans 4:13-15 That famous promise God gave Abraham—that he and his children would possess the earth—was not given because of something Abraham did or would do. It was based on God's decision to put everything together for him, which Abraham then entered when he believed. If those who get what God gives them only get it by doing everything they are told to do and filling out all the right forms properly signed, that eliminates personal trust completely and turns the promise into an ironclad contract! That's not a holy promise; that's a business deal. A contract drawn up by a hard-nosed lawyer and with plenty of fine print only makes sure that you will never be able to collect. But if there is no contract in the first place, simply a promise—and God's promise at that—you can't break it.

• For a fuller background on the scripture you can read Genesis 15-18 but the essence are these words to the 99 year old man with no male heir in chapter 15:

4 Then GOD's Message came: "Don't worry, he won't be your heir; a son from your body will be your heir." 5 Then he took him outside and said, "Look at the sky. Count the stars. Can you do it? Count your descendants! You're going to have a big family, Abram!" 6 And he believed! Believed GOD! God declared him "Set-Right-with-God." 7 GOD continued, "I'm the same GOD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldees and gave you this land to own."

• How do you think that this interaction between Abraham and God took place? Did Abraham hear God’s voice and engage God in a conversation? How does God engage us today, what is your experience with discernment of God’s will for you in a particular situation or for general direction in your life? Is the communication crystal clear and without question? How much trial and error with renewed prayer is involved? What are some ways in which we can strengthen the quality of our connection to God’s presence in our daily lives?
• Paul talks about the fallacy of trying to be right with God based on doing what we are told and filling out the right forms instead of trusting; what does that really mean for us and our relationship with God? How important does this seem to say religious practices and the right beliefs are to our relationship with God? Maybe some lyrics from Eric Bibb’s If Our Hearts Ain’t In It might give us some ideas:

Go to church 7 days a week,

Read your bible three hours a day,

Say a 1000 Hail Mary’s, rush to confession every time you stray,

We can fall down onto our knees,

And call the archangels by name,

But if our heats ain’t in it, ain’t nothing much is going to change.

• What was God’s promise to Abraham and what made the promise real, caused the promise to be fulfilled? What does Paul tell us caused God make the promise to Abraham? Did Abraham make a request of God which was then fulfilled.
• What do you think might have been some of the reasons that God decided to do this? Was Abraham part of a bigger plan? Did God have confidence that Abraham would be faithful? Can we really know how and why God reaches out to humanity as a whole and us as individuals? How do you feel about the fact that the unknowable architect of an infinite creation wants to establish a relationship with that creation (us)?
• Paul tells us that there is a difference between trust in God and a business deal, a contract. What does that mean to you? Will we get guarantees and details from God or general direction and the need to stay connected to God as we move in the direction he sends us? Again what is your experience in faithful response? Is being faithful a guarantee of easily accomplished tasks with no problems and complications?

More from Paul on the promises:

16 This is why the fulfillment of God's promise depends entirely on trusting God and his way, and then simply embracing him and what he does. God's promise arrives as pure gift. That's the only way everyone can be sure to get in on it, those who keep the religious traditions and those who have never heard of them. For Abraham is father of us all. He is not our racial father—that's reading the story backward. He is our faith father.
17-18 We call Abraham "father" not because he got God's attention by living like a saint, but because God made something out of Abraham when he was a nobody. Isn't that what we've always read in Scripture, God saying to Abraham, "I set you up as father of many peoples"? Abraham was first named "father" and then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing. When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples. God himself said to him, "You're going to have a big family, Abraham!"

• What does Paul remind us of again as he begins this section of his letter? When you think of the words “God’s promise” what do they mean to you. What promise(s) do you feel have been made to you that you take with you on your faith journey? What does Paul say we must do to make the promises real – does he think that embracing them is hard? What is your experience; is discerning and embracing the promises of our faith easy or are there complications?
• Paul describes Abraham, what caused him to become our spiritual father, what seemed to be his qualifications? What was the only way in which Abraham would be able to take on his role as “father”? Does it seem that he had spent long hours attempting to discern what God had in mind for him? Why do you think that he was so willing and ready to respond?
• Paul cites two proofs of what only God can do – raise the dead and with a word make something from nothing – what do you think he is referring to? What are some things you would cite as those which only God can do? Is it easy to take them for granted?

Paul"s final thoughts:
19-25 Abraham didn't focus on his own impotence and say, "It's hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child." Nor did he survey Sarah's decades of infertility and give up. He didn't tiptoe around God's promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said. That's why it is said, "Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right." But it's not just Abraham; it's also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless. The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God.

• Paul tells us that Abraham put aside all of the very practical reasons that the promise could not possibly be fulfilled and accepted it as being valid. Is it wrong to raise questions and be conscious of the roadblocks that will have to be overcome when responding to something our faith calls us to do? How does Paul say we should handle those difficulties?
• Think of situations that can be uncomfortable for you (hospital calls, intervening in personal conflict, shedding an addiction, apologizing, taking on a project, you name it) and those times that you responded; what role did your spirituality play in taking it on and in dealing with the difficulties?
• What about the basis of our faith, should we feel we cannot ask questions for fear of being skeptical? How do you deal with questions, where do you go and what do you do to deal with them.
• What is Paul’s guarantee in the final sentence? What meaning does being right with God have for your life? Is it freeing, empowering, mysterious, questionable, joyous??? What words would you use to describe or explain it to someone? What words and thoughts would you use to express these feelings in a prayer conversation with God?

Closing Litany – Psalm 22

Here's the story I'll tell my friends when they come to worship,

and punctuate it with Hallelujahs:

Shout Hallelujah, you God-worshipers;

give glory, you sons of Jacob;

adore him, you daughters of Israel.

He has never let you down,

never looked the other way

when you were being kicked around.

He has never wandered off to do his own thing;

he has been right there, listening.

Amen

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Exodus 20:1-17, Psalm 19, 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, John 2:13-22

Please comment by clicking on the word comments in the sentence “Posted by John at XXXX “ at the bottom of the page

Paul's Motivation

For February 5, 2012

All Scriptures are from The Message Version
It is helpful to use this blog as a discussion starter for two or more people but it will also stimulate some thoughts if used by one reader. The material is used by a Sunday Study Group at Hamilton Christian Church in St. Louis, Missouri. Commentaries for these scriptures can be found on Textweek.com through this link
http://www.textweek.com/pauline/1cor9a.htm

Paul spent most of his ministry in some sort of conflict. He raised the ire of both Jews and pagans as he preached the gospel message, argued with other Christians about the Jewish dietary laws and the need to be circumcised, and suffered personal criticism from members of the congregations he help found. In this section of the letter he is dealing with discord among members of the Corinthian Church, urging them to avoid practices, in this case dietary, which might offend others. He uses his own example of not accepting financial support from the congregation for his work even though he strongly supports the obligation they have to do it for others:
1 Corinthians 9:16- 18 If I proclaim the Message, it's not to get something out of it for myself. I'm compelled to do it, and doomed if I don't! If this was my own idea of just another way to make a living, I'd expect some pay. But since it's not my idea but something solemnly entrusted to me, why would I expect to get paid? So am I getting anything out of it? Yes, as a matter of fact: the pleasure of proclaiming the Message at no cost to you. You don't even have to pay my expenses!

• Here Paul speaks about his motivation for proclaiming the gospel. What words stand out for you and what are the feelings and emotions behind his ministry? He is even more blunt in 1 Corinthians 9:1-2:

Haven't I been given a job to do? Wasn't I commissioned to this work in a face-to-face meeting with Jesus, our Master? Aren't you yourselves proof of the good work that I've done for the Master? Even if no one else admits the authority of my commission, you can't deny it. Why, my work with you is living proof of my authority!

• Where is Paul coming from in this argument? What is the essence of his view of the work he is doing in bringing the gospel message to Corinth? How do you picture Paul as he dictates these words to his secretary – demeanor, attitude, voice? Do you see the powerful feelings that are behind his long and demanding journeys to spread The Message?
• Do you react to his assertions? Would you have liked to be around him for any period of time?
• Do you feel all Christians have an obligation to share the gospel message with others? Paul felt personally called to do it, should we? What do you understand to be the gospel message we are to share? Have you ever done it? If so how did it work out?
• What do you think that people really might want to hear from us about our faith life? Will they necessarily immediately relate to the Good News or is hearing about other aspects of our faith journey a better path for building understanding among non-believers?
• We have all had the gospel message shared by someone with us, apparently effectively. What made the Christian faith something you wanted to commit to? Have there been persons who shared the message with you that you that was offensive or in some way made you uneasy? Is it bad to be made uneasy?
• What would have happened if you had not had the message shared with you? Would your life have been different? How so?

Paul continues with some comments about of his approach to sharing The Message:

1 Corinthians 9:19-23 Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn't take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I've become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn't just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!

• What is Paul’s strategy to effectively share the gospel message? What does he really mean by this description of his approach to others? Does it involve any compromises? If so do you think that ends justify the means?
• Do you think that this is good advice for us as individuals? What are some of the plusses and minuses of taking this kind of approach? Did Jesus take this approach through the sometimes questionable (in the minds of his contemporaries) character of the company he chose to keep? Can you think of any examples of people who have chosen to minister to those who might be looked down upon?
• What is your response to the word evangelism? Does it have a positive or negative connotation to you? What is behind the feelings you have about this word? What has motivated you to share your faith in the past? What inhibits you?
• Where did the power behind Paul’s work come from? Do you think that that power and a similar call to share our faith comes to us from the same place?

Closing Prayer

Holy one, who makes all things possible, empower us so that we are truly feel free to share the story of our faith with those who need to hear it. Amen

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Mark 1:40-45, 2 Kings 5:1-14, Psalm 30, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Please comment by clicking on the word comments in the sentence “Posted by John at XXXX “ at the bottom of the page

We Plan – God Laughs

For January 1, 2012
All Scriptures are from The Message Version

It is helpful to use this blog as a discussion starter for two or more people but it will also stimulate some thoughts if used by one reader.  The material is used by a Sunday Study Group at Hamilton Christian Church in St. Louis, Missouri.

An old Yiddish proverb – “We Plan – God Laughs” and Robert Burns’ “The best laid plans of mice and men/often go awry” both speak to the uncertainty inherent in the next year, the next month, even the next hour. The new year is a traditional time of evaluation and goal setting for many, but to what end, with what purpose will we build our to do lists and with what tools will we work?

First some reflection on your personal life:
• What are you really looking forward to this year, what are you excited about?

• What is the biggest challenge you are facing this year, what wears on you?


• What resources will you use to prepare for them? How will your faith life impact your preparations, where do you find strength and insight?


And some reflections on your faith community:


• What are you looking forward to seeing in the life of your community this year?


• What is the biggest challenge you are facing as a community this year?


• What strengths do we have and what spiritual resources can we rely upon as a faith community as we begin 2012?


We Plan – God Laughs - What meaning do those words have for you? As people of faith we count on God’s presence in our lives, do you think that God is cynical about our plans or is it something else? There are many scriptures which speak to planning, as you look at those below consider:


• Should we expend the energy to plan ahead? If so what are some essential things we need to include in the process? What do we need have as foundations to build our plans upon?


• How would you characterize God’s presence as we look into our individual and congregational futures – what should we be confident about?


Matthew 6:30-33 "If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.


Luke 12:16-19 Then he told them this story: "The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. He talked to himself: 'What can I do? My barn isn't big enough for this harvest.' Then he said, 'Here's what I'll do: I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I'll gather in all my grain and goods, and I'll say to myself, Self, you've done well! You've got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!' 20"Just then God showed up and said, 'Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods—who gets it?' 21"That's what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God."


God Plans
There is a conviction by many that God has a plan for our lives, what is your response to this theology? How do we discover what the plan might be? Is this a comforting thought for you? Are there events in your life that make you question the reality of this idea?


Paul’s thoughts on planning:
Romans 12:1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.


• As you look at these words what must we do to know what God wants for us? What must we give up and what must we take up?


• How practical are these words for you, what questions do they raise?


• Will this way of living happen overnight? What will we have to practice letting go of and what must we learn to rely upon?


My Plans
After contemplating these ideas what are some plans you have for 2012:

Closing Prayer

O, Holy Spirit, giver of light and life, impart to us thoughts higher than our own, and prayers better than our own, and powers beyond our own, that we may spend and be spent in the ways of love and goodness, after the image of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
                                                                                        Eric Milner-White, Oxford Book of Prayer


Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Mark 1:4-11, Acts 19:1-7, Psalm 29, Genesis 1:1-5


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What is Salvation?

For 8/7/2011
Romans 10:8-17 From The Message Version

Today Paul gives us the ‘core’ of his preaching; what is salvation and what needs to be done for those who do not know about it. Paul’s writing can be difficult to follow but these paraphrases from The Message offer a perspective that reads differently than the conventional texts which supplements the other translations.

Define salvation, how would you explain it to someone who does not have a church background? Has your understanding of it changed over time?

Romans 10:8-10 It's the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God—"Jesus is my Master"—embracing, body and soul, God's work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That's it. You're not "doing" anything; you're simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That's salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: "God has set everything right between him and me!"

• How does Paul describe salvation? What are the components? What is our role and what is God’s? Where is Jesus in our path to salvation?
• A core of this scripture is “God doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead.” How does salvation raise us from the dead? What do we learn from the resurrection that might apply to our own salvation? Can you explain how we are different before and after salvation?
• What must we affirm to receive salvation? What did you affirm when you verbalized your commitment?
• What allows “God to go to work”? What happens as a result of God’s action? How do you feel about the reality that our faith sets things right with God and how important is this to you as you live your daily life?
• For Paul this reality changed his life and became the focus, direction and in a very real sense brought him the strength to be able to do what he did. What should we expect to occur because of a sound relationship with God? How would you imagine your life if this was not a reality to you?

11-13Scripture reassures us, "No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it." It's exactly the same no matter what a person's religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. "Everyone who calls, 'Help, God!' gets help."

This scripture comes in the midst of Paul’s struggle to explain the fate of the Jews now that Christ is a reality. It is tied to and refers to the prior scripture about salvation.

• What is the assurance that flows from this scripture? Who should feel assured? Who should not?
• Look back at our discussion on salvation, must a person meet these criteria before God will act in “the in same incredibly generous way” for them? Do you think that God ignores the calls for help from those who do not express a faith in Christ?
• The scripture refers to trusting God – trusting that God will respond to our faith – in terms of salvation. But after salvation what should we be trusting that God will be and do on our behalf? What does it take on our part to be able to build confidence that these things will occur?
• Have you ever chosen to make a decision or respond in a way that reflects confidence that God is present with you?

14-17But how can people call for help if they don't know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven't heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it? That's why Scripture exclaims,
A sight to take your breath away!
Grand processions of people
telling all the good things of God!
But not everybody is ready for this, ready to see and hear and act. Isaiah asked what we all ask at one time or another: "Does anyone care, God? Is anyone listening and believing a word of it?" The point is: Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ's Word is preached, there's nothing to listen to.

• Sum up the main points of this scripture; what is Paul urging upon us? Are there things that you agree with or have questions about it?
• Paul lived out this scripture, it became the focus of his life which he zealously pursued until his death. But what does it mean for me today with my responsibilities and problems, what should be expected of me?
• What is your reaction to ‘how can they know’ – what level of priority should we place on giving others the salvation message? How do you feel about the responsibility he seems to place upon us?
• What frustration does this diligent proclaimer of the word seem to incur? Can you relate to it and does it impact your actively taking on the telling of the salvation story yourself?
• So what have you learned today? What are you taking home after discussing Paul’s message this morning?

Closing Prayer
Almighty God, who has poured upon us the new light of Jesus, grant us that the same light ignited in our hearts might shine forth in our lives. We pray that the life of Christ within us turns all our fears to freedom helping us live for others. Amen.


Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Genesis 45:1-15 or Isaiah 56:1, 6-8, Psalm 133 or Psalm 67, Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32, Matthew 15:(10-20), 21-28

Encouragement While We Wait

For July 24, 2011
Scriptures are from The Message

Last week we ended by reading Paul’s observation in Romans 8:15-25 that we live in a very imperfect world and hope/wish for/anticipate the time when God’s new creation would be born and all of the bad stuff would be removed from world. He made references to the variety of emotions and physical pain of child birth as an analogy, and we see that idea again today. One vision of this new creation comes from Isaiah 65:17-25 – Look ahead with joy. Anticipate what I'm creating… No more sounds of weeping in the city, no cries of anguish… Today Paul tells us that in the midst of all the imperfections of our present world and our personal tragedies and disappointments – God is with us!

Romans 8:26-28 Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

• What is the Spirit’s role in our prayer life? What problems are overcome through this presence? Do we need to have a “correct” form and format for our prayers?
• Can we be praying without even being aware of it? What examples does he give of “non-prayer” prayers? What are your thoughts about this and can you relate to it?
• Describe the depth of knowledge the Spirit has of us. What is done because of that knowledge? What does being kept “present before God” mean to you?
• What part of our lives is “worked into something good” by God? What meaning does this have for you as you travel through your faith journey? What does it tell us about the place Paul thinks that the focus should be for our lives? What will happen to our other priorities if our focus is on loving God?
• Read the following thoughts on prayer – what is your reaction?
The first real step on the road to prayer is to recognize that none of us knows how to pray as we ought. Prayer isn’t rooted in a how but a who. There is no special kit we need buy. Prayer is a life of relationship we live into. As we bring our desires to God, we find the Spirit takes our prayers… (and) our feeble, clumsy, inarticulate prayers are cleansed, (and presented to God).
Trygve David Johnson, chaplain of Hope College in Holland, Michigan.

Romans 8:31-39 (Part 1) So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us?
• Summarize the good news in this scripture, why should we be encouraged? What proof do we have that God is on our side?
• So what do you think? What does Paul mean writing, “With God on our side… how can we lose?” What won’t be lost? As we live our lives are there things that will in fact be lost? How do you resolve this seeming conflict between the promise and reality?
• Similarly, what is meant by God will ‘gladly and freely’ do anything for us? What does that mean as we suffer with the inevitable trials and tragedies of life? What does God give us during those times, what have you experienced during those times, and what did God give you?
• What are some things we know about the nature of Jesus’ love for us? How would you summarize your understanding of that love? What are some ways in which it was demonstrated?
• Who can in fact drive a wedge between Christ and ourselves? Who is the only person who has that power? Even if we separate ourselves from Christ is his love for us diminished or withdrawn?

Paul is not being glib or superficial with the following words; he has experienced all of these things and more in his ministry as he traveled throughout modern day Turkey and Greece and ended with what many believe was execution in Rome. Remember that as you read them.

Romans 8:31-39 (Part 2) There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:
They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We're sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.
• What has been your experience of the effect of hard times on your faith? Did it strengthen or weaken? Did ever have a feeling that you were separated from God while undergoing life’s trials?
• What do you think about this observation:
I count at least twenty demons that threaten to undo us mentioned by Paul—suffering, weakness, frustration, bondage to decay, ignorance, trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword, death, life, angels, demons, powers, the present, the future, heights, depths, and as if that were not enough, "anything else in all creation." None of these can separate you from God's love. You can personalize your own list, too: parents, children, your boss, employees, colleagues, foolish choices, bedeviling sins, public failure, private disappointments, anxieties, school, a bad business deal, and on it goes.
Reflections By Dan Clendenin
• Paul remains unfazed by all of his trials, what does that say about him as a person, his spirituality, the focus of his life? Is it possible for us to even approach his level of devotion and focus? Do you think that God makes allowances for our human shortcomings?
• Where are you as you think about what Paul wrote? What encourages you and what questions do you have?

Closing Litany (From Psalm 105)
Thank God! Pray to him by name!
Tell everyone you meet what he has done!
Honor his holy name with Hallelujahs,
you who seek God. Live a happy life!
Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works;
be alert for signs of his presence.
Remember the world of wonders he has made,
Hallelujah!

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Genesis 32:22-31 or Isaiah 55:1-5, Psalm 17:1-7, 15 or Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21, Romans 9:1-5, Matthew 14:13-21

Our Human Nature Versus Our Spiritual Nature

For 7/13/2011

In Romans 7 Paul laid out a dilemma, that we want to do what is right but something in us causes us to fall short. He ends by saying, “He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.” Today’s scripture builds on that idea.
Paul uses strong words and images to make his points reflecting both his passion and as a way to penetrate into our thinking. Remember as a Pharisee he is an expert on the real world of living by the letter of the law, knowing it, knowing it’s interpretation, knowing how to apply it to all facets of life.

1-2With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.
3-4God went for the jugular when he sent his own Son. He didn't deal with the problem as something remote and unimportant. In his Son, Jesus, he personally took on the human condition, entered the disordered mess of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all. The law code, weakened as it always was by fractured human nature, could never have done that. The law always ended up being used as a Band-Aid on sin instead of a deep healing of it. And now what the law code asked for but we couldn't deliver is accomplished as we, instead of redoubling our own efforts, simply embrace what the Spirit is doing in us.

· Paul speaks to us about the solution to the dilemma of living as spiritual people. What must we do to avoid that ‘low-lying black cloud”? Do the words “Christ’s being-here-for-us” have meaning for you?
· Paul speaks of a new power; for review what was the old power? What is the imagery used to illustrate the freedom Christ and the Spirit of Life bring? Can you think of any examples of this “new power” “clearing the air” in your experience?
· What are we freed from and what practical meaning does it have for you? Do you feel that your faith has ever freed you from anything? Are there things that you would like to be freed from?
· What important about the way in which God dealt with humanities’ problem? What does sending Jesus say about God’s approach to dealing with the human condition? How do you feel about that fact?
· We have not overcome the “disordered mess of struggling humanity” as a whole? Why is this? What is keeping God’s good intentions from becoming a reality? Can we be part of the solution – how?
· Is the “deep healing” of the problems of the human condition complex? How do we “embrace what the Spirit is doing in us”? What has to happen in order for this to occur?

Paul with more words on God’s intentions for us:

9-11But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won't know what we're talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells—even though you still experience all the limitations of sin—you yourself experience life on God's terms. It stands to reason, doesn't it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he'll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's!

· The first idea is for God to take up “residence in your life”. Have you ever had anyone do this for you? What was it like, what role did that person take, did it change your behavior? What meaning does Paul intend in these words for our understanding of what a faith life is like?
· What is it clear doesn’t change, if God is in residence does the pull of sin go away? What is different then? What does “experiencing life on God’s terms” mean to you? Whose terms are we experiencing it on if we don’t do this? Practically what difference does God’s presence make when we face the challenges of life? Would we deal with others or handle issues differently?
· The last section speaks to a new life with God’s presence. When you think about Jesus’ resurrection what are the implications of God “bringing you alive to himself”? Have you ever experienced something that made a real difference in your life? Something that changed the way in which you comprehend things, priorities, or sense of your abilities or skills? Can our faith change us in this way?
· How about God living and breathing in us? How does that imagery strike you? Does it come with any reservations? What is the promise for us with that new life within us?
· Paul wrote about this change in many different ways. One was in the letter to the Galatians:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

This seems like good news to me.

Closing Litany (from Psalm 139)
LORD, you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Next Week’s Scriptures: Genesis 28:10-19a, Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24, Romans 8:12-25, Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

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Right Living and Pleasing God

For 7/3/2011

Paul’s letter to the church in Rome can be very difficult to follow but contains the most complete recording of his theology as it had evolved over his life. Today’s scripture comes after a difficult discussion of the Jewish law and why it is both holy and a problem. Before Paul’s encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus he was a devout Pharisee, a Jewish sect which sought to live in complete observance of the Jewish Law. Their life centered around knowing every detail of the Jewish Law including all of its interpretations, i.e. what specifically constitutes working on the Sabbath. You can almost sense his struggle to come to terms with his radically different understanding of the role of the Law as something both holy and now irrelevant as you read Romans 7. This may seem only of academic interest but it raises question for us in our times.

Paul and the Law:

Romans 7:6 But now that we're no longer shackled to that domineering mate of sin, and out from under all those oppressive regulations and fine print, we're free to live a new life in the freedom of God. 7 But I can hear you say, "If the law code was as bad as all that, it's no better than sin itself." That's certainly not true. The law code had a perfectly legitimate function. Without its clear guidelines for right and wrong, moral behavior would be mostly guesswork. Apart from the succinct, surgical command, "You shall not covet," I could have dressed covetousness up to look like a virtue and ruined my life with it.

· What problem did Paul have with the law?
· What does he now see as the purpose for the law? Is a moral structure with do’s and don’ts important to us for right living?
· Where did your understanding of right living come from? How much of it developed as a part of your Christian faith?
· What do you feel are the consequences for living outside of your understanding of proper behavior? What do you feel badly or worry about when the inevitable shortcomings occur? Has any consideration of your relationship with God ever occurred.

The following from Paul by C. K. Barrett might help us understand some of Paul’s concerns about relying on the law for a right relationship with God:

Law is in essence religion and religion is a specific way of dealing with the supernatural. It may leave man confident that the supernatural is being kept firmly in its place, that God personifying the supernatural – is being properly handled by the appropriate procedures and will do no harm or even make impossible demands …
· What is your reaction to his observation of a reliance on proper behavior as the basis for a right relationship with God?

In spite of the awareness he has of good and bad living Paul writes of the frustration that he experiences trying to be true to it:

Romans 7:21-23 It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.
24I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question?
25The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.
· What has Paul discovered about himself? Can you relate to this sense of frustration? Paul says that “Parts of me covertly rebel”, are there basic flaws in human nature that cause this to happen?
· In verse 24 Paul says that he is “at the end of my rope.” How important does it appear that inappropriate behavior affects him? Are there particular shortcomings that you carry with you and give you this kind of angst?
· This scripture is the point of departure for Paul to living a spiritual life with God’s saving grace. Has your faith life helped you deal with the “contradictions” he speaks of? Do you think that guilt can be proportional to our desire to serve God?
· What did Jesus do to “set things right”? How are our shortcomings dealt with now? Paul gives us a hint in Galatians 2:21:

I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

Honoring the Law is was not restricted to the Jews of Paul’s time, early on in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus gives us his teaching on the law:

Matthew 5:17-18"Don't suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures— either God's Law or the Prophets. I'm not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. God's Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God's Law will be alive and working.
· Jesus seems to place heavy emphasis on compliance with the Law. Does this seem to contradict Paul’s ideas we discussed above? Can you see why the Jerusalem Christian converts might place a strong emphasis on continuing to live in compliance with the Law?
· Jesus tells us he came to complete the Law, what do you think that he meant by that? What might have been missing before Jesus came? Does this make any sense to you?

Maybe a final word from Paul might help:

Romans 12:1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
· Where does our understanding of and ability to live in accordance with God’s will come from?
· What have you learned from this, what questions do you have?

Closing Litany

For it is by grace we are saved through faith, it is not our own doing. It is God’s gift, not a reward for work done. We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the life of good deeds which God designed for us. Amen From Ephesians 2:8-10

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Genesis 25:19-34 or Isaiah 55:10-13, Psalm 119:105-112 or Psalm 65:(1-8), 9-13, Romans 8:1-11, Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

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How to become Wise

For January 30, 2010

All scriptures are from The Message.

Everyone values wisdom and knowledge as they lay the foundations for success in the secular world. In Corinthians Paul gives us what seems to be illogical, that for a full and happy life, for a meaningful relationship with God worldly wisdom can become a stumbling block. Paul was not anti-intellectual and we should bear some things about him in mind as we read from 1 Corinthians:
· He was literate in spite of the fact that only two of ten people of his time could read.
· He was multi-lingual in Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew and probably Latin.
· Probably received training in Greek philosophy and rhetoric.
· According to Acts he received rabbinical training with a greatly respected teacher and religious scholar.

I Corinthians 1:18-21 The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. It's written, I'll turn conventional wisdom on its head, I'll expose so-called experts as crackpots.So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn't God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.

· How would you define wisdom? What causes you consider someone wise? Where does this wisdom come from? Can someone be wise without having an advanced university education?

· How much has the conventional wisdom about science and our world changed in the past 2000 years? Consider that at one time the earth was believed to be the center of the solar system/universe by respected intellectuals. What have we learned about the wisdom of the world that now seems foolish in the financial crisis that we are currently facing? Did that wisdom cause many to act in ways which were harmful to themselves and others? Does humankind have a long history of “conventional wisdom” being “turned on its head” and “experts” being discredited?

· On the other hand how much change has taken place in the gospel message we know today? Why do you think that it remains essentially unchanged?

· How would you present the gospel message if you were asked to give a three minute summary to someone? In what ways can that message seem to be foolish to a non-believer? What would you expect your non-Christian friends to have difficulty accepting?

· The scripture says that the Message “points to Christ on the Cross”, what does that mean to you? Is the gospel message the destination or is it a path to be traveled to the destination?

· The scripture talks about coming “to know God.” What does knowing God mean to you? Is it something we learn and become an expert on, perhaps ready to take a written test? How did you grow in your sense of walking a faith journey with God? What keeps us on the path and what can cause us to lose our way?

Now back to Corinthians
1Corinthians 1: 22-25While Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical wisdom, we go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified. Jews treat this like an anti-miracle—and Greeks pass it off as absurd. But to us who are personally called by God himself—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God's ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one. Human wisdom is so tinny, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can't begin to compete with God's "weakness."

· Paul seems to speak against acquiring proof and human wisdom as a way to know God. Instead he might point us to this scripture from Psalm 19 which speaks to the blessings of coming to know God:

9 The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together. The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road. The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy. The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes. God's reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee. The decisions of God are accurate down to the nth degree. 10 God's Word is better than a diamond, better than a diamond set between emeralds. You'll like it better than strawberries in spring, better than red, ripe strawberries

How would you describe the blessings of your relationship with God? Which of those in the Psalm have you experienced and what would you add to the list?

· Is there a difference between knowing about a person and having a relationship with him/her? How has your opinion of a close friend changed over time? How have you changed because of that relationship? Paul might use this as a way for us to understand "knowing God", how closely does our relationship with God resemble that of a good friend.

These two scriptures speak to the path to a relationship with God:

Proverbs 1:7 Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning.

Jeremiah 31:33 This is the brand-new covenant that I will make with Israel when the time comes. I will put my law within them—write it on their hearts!—and be their God. And they will be my people. They will no longer go around setting up schools to teach each other about God. They'll know me firsthand, the dull and the bright, the smart and the slow. I'll wipe the slate clean for each of them. I'll forget they ever sinned!"

What do these scriptures seem to say about coming to know God? How is God’s wisdom written on our hearts?

· Jesus was with his disciples throughout his three years of teaching and miracles. They could turn to him with question and learn from his actions and teaching (like us they struggled from time to time). We don’t have his physical presence with us but he promised a gift then which extends to us some 2000 years later:

John 14:15-17"If you love me, show it by doing what I've told you. I will talk to the Father, and he'll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can't take him in because it doesn't have eyes to see him, doesn't know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!

May we all be blessed with the knowledge of this presence!

Closing Prayer
O God, teach us to delight in your law and us it to guide us in your way of life. We give thanks to you through Jesus the Christ who came to show us that way. Amen.

Next Week’s Scriptures: Matthew 5:13-20, 1 Corinthians 2:1-12, (13-16), Psalm 112:1-9, (10), Isaiah 58:1-9a, (9b-12)

My God, Not Another Meeting

For 10/31/2010

Life is composed of the meaningful and also of the trivial. Unfortunately the trivial and routine can conspire to drive out the meaningful by dominating our time and energy. The same can be true of our spiritual lives if we lose focus and find ourselves occupied by the form of congregational life while missing its real substance. The writer of Isaiah 1 expresses what might be God’s (and possibly our own) frustration with what can become routine in congregational life:

Isaiah 1:13-17"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!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.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.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. Learn to do good. Work for justice. Help the down-and-out. Stand up for the homeless. Go to bat for the defenseless.

· Isaiah first expresses great frustration with meetings, what do you think are some root causes for this complaint. Are meetings necessarily a bad thing, when have they seemed productive or unproductive to you? When do you think that God, possibly as opposed to ourselves, might think that a meeting was worthwhile? What are some crucial elements in meeting together that Isaiah might find makes such a gathering meaningful?

· The next source of frustration is religion, religion, religion. How do you interpret this criticism, what might be some specifics about “religion” that upset God? What are some specifics that either upset you or make you uncomfortable about congregational “religious” life?

· Isaiah next tells us that because of the transgressions that our prayers will not be heard. Do you think that our prayers can be ignored? What other meaning might “not be listening” have? in John’s gospel Jesus teaches the disciples about the need to integrate the Spirit’s presence in our activities if they are to be meaningful with the following:

But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon.

Does this add anything to your thoughts on meaningful prayer and congregational life? How would you incorporate this teaching into the activities and programs of your congregation?

· What is the essence of God’s instructions in the last section of this scripture? What is the nature of a meaningful response in living as God would have us? How do we translate these instructions into the priorities and activities of the congregation? Can you make any connection between Isaiah’s words and Jesus’ teaching in John’s gospel above?

A second Lectionary scripture for today is a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to a congregation he for which he has great admiration and love. In it he talks about his prayers for them:

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 Because we know that this extraordinary day is just ahead, we pray for you all the time—pray that our God will make you fit for what he's called you to be, pray that he'll fill your good ideas and acts of faith with his own energy so that it all amounts to something. If your life honors the name of Jesus, he will honor you. Grace is behind and through all of this, our God giving himself freely, the Master, Jesus Christ, giving himself freely.

· What are the two specifics that Paul prays for in the life of the church at Thessalonica? What are some ideas that can be taken from these words and incorporate into our congregational life?

· How do you interpret the concept of a congregation being made “fit for what he’s called you to be”? Do you think that each congregation has a different calling? What are some examples that you can think of?

· According to Paul what must we as humans do and then where must the spiritual enter in order for us to be “fit”? Has our congregation taken any steps in this direction? What more might we do?

· Paul begins a teaching with “If your life honors..,” What do you take from this? How might we have a sense that Jesus is ‘honoring’ what we do as a congregation? What should we be looking for?

· ‘Freely’ is used twice in the final sentence. What does Paul want us to understand about the support system and the power of Jesus’ example our faith brings to us in being “what he’s called you to be.” What do you think that we can do to better tap into this gracious presence in our congregational life?

Closing Prayer

O God, we are bound by old habits and customs that are so much a part of our life that we lose sight of the new life you have called us to live. Give us the wisdom and courage to break with the past and be about your work. Amen.


Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Haggai 1:15b-2:9 or Job 19:23-27a, Psalm 145:1-5, 17-21 or Psalm 98 or Psalm 17:1-9, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17, Luke 20:27-38

Remember

For 10/10/2010

One of the major focal points of today’s scripture is summarized in the word REMEMBER. One way to understand where the writer is heading is to think of our own experiences:

• Think of a favorite person in your past life with whom you no longer have contact; someone who has had an important influence upon you. When you remember that person what comes to mind? What words or phrases would you use to describe the person? Does the relationship have any influence on the way in which you live your life?

• Are there secular, inanimate influences that impact the way in which we live our lives and hold a priority for our time and attention? It could include being a sports fan, our jobs, hobbys, etc.

The writer of 2 Timothy records these words as the Apostle Paul’s reflections on remembrance of Jesus:

2 Timothy 2:8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David—that is my gospel, 9for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. 10Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
11The saying is sure: If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us;
13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.
14 Remind them of this, and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening. 15Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth. 16Avoid profane chatter, for it will lead people into more and more impiety,

• The scripture begins with Remember Jesus Christ. Write down some words or phrases that would use to describe him. Are there questions about him that arise in your remembering?

• How does the writer of 2 Timothy tell us Paul remembers? What is important to him as he remembers? What should happen as a result of our remembering Jesus? Do these reflections add anything to your written thoughts?

• How has Jesus affected the way you live your life? Are there specific things about him and his presence with us that has influenced you? Add any ideas to your written reflections.

• Paul encountered many hardships doing his evangelistic work, read his account of some of them below:

2Corinthians 11:23-27I've worked much harder, been jailed more often, beaten up more times than I can count, and at death's door time after time. I've been flogged five times with the Jews' thirty-nine lashes, beaten by Roman rods three times, pummeled with rocks once. I've been shipwrecked three times, and immersed in the open sea for a night and a day. In hard traveling year in and year out, I've had to ford rivers, fend off robbers, struggle with friends, struggle with foes. I've been at risk in the city, at risk in the country, endangered by desert sun and sea storm, and betrayed by those I thought were my brothers. I've known drudgery and hard labor, many a long and lonely night without sleep, many a missed meal, blasted by the cold, naked to the weather.

Some have reacted to the words above as Paul trying to puff himself up or brag. Paul was constantly defending himself from the assaults of detractors, many of whom cited the difficulties that they had endured? Regardless we can see that the work he did and travels he undertook in those primitive times would have to be motivated by very intense sense of duty. What might you write down as the unexpected both good and bad things happened to you as your acted on the gospel message?

2 Corinthians 11:11The saying is sure: If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
12 if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he will also deny us;
13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.
14 Remind them of this, and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening. 15Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth. 16Avoid profane chatter, for it will lead people into more and more impiety,

• What is your reaction to the ancient litany or hymn in verses 11-13? How do you interpret each verse? Does it raise questions? Should it?

• What is the essence of Paul’s advice in verses 14-16 of 2 Timothy above? Have you experienced any of the wrangling and distraction he warns against? How should we handle it when confronted with it?

Closing Prayer

Lord, may I see you in me also
May I prepare the way for you
May I thank you for all that should fall to my lot
Gracious God, keep me in your love.
Amen

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Jeremiah 31:27-34 or Genesis 32:22-31, Psalm 119:97-104 or Psalm 121, 2 Timothy 3:14 - 4:5, Luke 18:1-8

Faith meets real life

For September 26, 2010

Today we look at the final piece of advice the writer of 1 Timothy gives in Paul’s name to Timothy but really intends for people like you and me. He speaks to the benefits of a life of faith and warns against listening to alleged religious leaders who will lead Timothy, and certainly us, down the wrong path.

Before reading the scripture take a moment to reflect on the benefits in your life from walking a life of faith, as imperfect as our steps on that walk may be. How have you been blessed and what do you think has changed in the things that are important to you in the way in which you live and priorities you set daily?

1 Timothy 6
6-8A devout life does bring wealth, but it's the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that's enough.
9-10But if it's only money these leaders are after, they'll self-destruct in no time. Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after.
11-12But you, Timothy, man of God: Run for your life from all this. Pursue a righteous life—a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, courtesy. Run hard and fast in the faith. Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses.

· What does the writer tell us we should and should not expect from a devout life? Are there religious leaders who declare that a devout life will bring material wealth? Are there other things/benefits that religious leaders promise that you feel are misleading?

· Have you experienced the rich simplicity of being yourself before God? This speaks to a very different idea of wealth. What must go and what must we develop in order to reach this kind of relationship with God? Can you think of anyone who would be an example for you of living this way?

· We know that we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless; the problem is living the in-between. Do you think that the writer would find fault with working to have the resources to feed and clothe ourselves and our family? What is the point of departure; how do we know when we are losing our way and straying off the path of a spiritual journey? Do we have to be below some level of wealth or possessions to be ourselves with God?

· How does the writer describe the downside of living with a lust for money? Does your life’s experience confirm this observation? Has losing footing in the faith ever happened to you or someone you know of?

· The writer tells us what to run from but also what to run to, a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, courtesy. What practical advice might you give someone about finding these things based on your spiritual journey? What questions do you have about how to incorporate them into your life?

· What does the writer say we should seize? What advice would you give someone about seeking both these blessings and at the same time dealing with the realities of providing the material things we need?

· What does the writer’s use of the word seize and run hard and fast in the faith say about the nature of our competing priorities in life? Is seeking the path to a faith filled life easy? What are some things that have energized your faith journey?

1 Timothy 6
13-16I'm charging you before the life-giving God and before Christ, who took his stand before Pontius Pilate and didn't give an inch: Keep this command to the letter, and don't slack off. Our Master, Jesus Christ, is on his way. He'll show up right on time, his arrival guaranteed by the Blessed and Undisputed Ruler, High King, High God. He's the only one death can't touch, his light so bright no one can get close. He's never been seen by human eyes—human eyes can't take him in! Honor to him, and eternal rule! Oh, yes.
17-19Tell those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they'll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.

· What do you think is the point of the writer’s illustration of Christ before Pilate? Do you see Jesus’ life as one of running hard and fast in the faith? What have you taken from his life and incorporated into your spiritual journey?

· The writer gives us his testimony about Jesus, who he is the promise of his return. How do you understand the relationship between God’s work in Jesus and you own life. In one group several images of Christ were discussed:

Christ as sacrifice for our sins
Christ as victory thru his resurrection
Christ brings us God’s forgiveness for our sins
Christ as liberation and reconnection – thru our baptism and birth in the Spirit
Christ as a moral example
Christ as a sign of God’s love

· Verses 17-19 seem to say that it is OK to be rich under certain conditions. First, what is your definition of rich? When do we enter that realm? Do you in any way consider yourself rich? Can we be rich in things other than material wealth that we should not hoard?

· Two of the richest men in the world have donated the bulk of their wealth to the Gates Foundation (Bill Gates and Warren Buffet). Bill Gates has also called upon the very wealthy, particularly in our country, to pledge a percentage of their personal wealth to worthy causes. What do you think motivates them, what had to happen to essentially give away almost everything that their business careers has brought to them?

· What examples inspire you in the choices you make in managing your material possessions? Do you think that you spiritual journey has changed your thinking about this important facet of our life and living?

Closing Litany

Don't put your life in the hands of experts
who know nothing of life, of salvation life.

Mere humans don't have what it takes;
when they die, their projects die with them.

Instead, get help from the God of Jacob,
put your hope in God and know real blessing!

God's in charge—always.
Zion's God is God for good!

Hallelujah!



Next Week’s Scriptures: Luke 17:5-10, 2 Timothy 1:1-14, Psalm 137 or Psalm 37:1-9, Lamentations 1:1-6; Lamentations 3:19-26

First Priority - Prayer

For September 19, 2010

It is helpful to use this blog as a discussion starter for two or more people but it will also stimulate some thoughts if used by one reader.  The material is used by a Sunday Study Group at Hamilton Christian Church in St. Louis, Missouri. 

The letters to Timothy were probably written after Paul’s lifetime by someone who was familiar with his teachings. It was written at a time in which the faithful had come to terms with the fact that Jesus’ return was not imminent. They formed faith communities which would have had questions and sought guidance for their life together their relationship with the world in which they lived. This scripture contains some advice typical of that found in the two letters: It was also a time with many different interpretations of Christ; who he was and what his presence meant, all competing to be the mainstream Christian theology.

1 Timothy 2
1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.
4-7He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we've learned: that there's one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us—Jesus, who offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free. Eventually the news is going to get out. This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth.

Prayer

· How important does prayer seem to be to the writer? What is your personal experience; how important has prayer been to your faith journey? If prayer brings so many benefits why does it seem that we need to be encouraged to pray; what keeps it from being self evident and contagious?

Martha Grace Reese has written in Unbinding the Gospel:

After years of talking with pastors and laypeople in churches that are thriving and churches that are failing, I am clear that the only way to do ministry successfully, to lead a church or to live a life in today’s United States is to pray deeply. We must hand ourselves over to God in clear-headed, accountable, non-naïve prayer. We need to rely as much on God for pragmatic guidance as we can stand! Without God vividly in the mix, we drift, life declines.

· What is your reaction to her conclusion? How do you feel about the role of prayer in our faith community’s life? Do you feel that we have grown in the past year in relying on prayer? How? What else should we be doing?

· Do you think that these words can also apply to our personal prayer life? Is it really natural to rely as much on God for pragmatic guidance as we can stand?

· How do you feel about praying with others? Is this something we should strive for in our personal and congregational prayer lives?

Pray For Everyone You Know

· What person has given you the most personal grief in the recent past? How do you feel about praying for them and what would you pray for?

· What group or groups do you feel most threaten us as a country? What might we pray for them and ourselves?

· What is the purpose of praying for everyone? Could it be the first words from verses 4-7, “He wants not only us but everyone saved”? How should this impact the nature of our prayers?

Pray For Our Rulers

· What was the environment for Christians at the time; what percentage of the population were they, how were they treated, what influence did they have in society? What role did the people have in the selection and influence on their rulers and governments?

· Based on the above realities what reason is given for praying for their leadership; what does the writer want for them?

· What should we include in our prayers for the government in today’s reality? How should a spiritual person connect with the politics and policies of governing the country? Should we be seeking going quietly about our business or something else? Should one of our prayers be for Christian leadership or something else?

Salvation

· One of the major reasons for prayer is seeking salvation for all, what are some of the reasons scripture and sermons say we should be seeking salvation? What has been your experience with personal salvation; what have you connected with as benefits during your faith journey?

· What do you think is behind it all, why does God provide for and desire that all find salvation?

· What is the path to salvation given to us by the writer? If you were to describe your path to salvation what words would you use and what has helped you move closer to God?

· Should we pray for people who are devoted to God through another faith? Should we be concerned about them? In the end who sets the terms of any individual’s salvation and what should our role be in supporting other seekers?

Closing Prayer

O Holy Spirit impart to us thoughts higher than our own, and prayers better than our own, and powers beyond our own, that we may spend and be spent in the ways of love and goodness. Amen. Eric Milner-White

Next Week’s Scriptures: Jeremiah 32:1-3, 6-15, Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16. 1 Timothy 6:6-19, Luke 16:19-31

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