HopefulChristian

Reflections: Please read Matthew 5:1-12

            The words in our reading are quite familiar to those of us who have been Bible readers.  This is the section in the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus delivers what has been called his Sermon on the Mount.  Let’s analyze one aspect of this sermon.  Please notice the verb tense that Jesus uses in his statements.

            The verbs in the second half of the beatitudes in verses 3 and 10 are in the present tense: "theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  However, the verbs in the second half of the beatitudes verses 4-9 are in the future tense.
            Elizabeth Shively, Adjunct Professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, points out this interesting intermixing of both present benefits and those to come:

The promise of future vindication does not mean, however, that the focus is entirely future. Jesus insists that God has the final word, bringing assurance into the present. This is why he can say, "Blessed are those who mourn...blessed are the meek...blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness...blessed are the merciful...blessed are the pure in heart...blessed are the peacemakers." Jesus gives his followers eyes to see that the future is certain and this transforms the present.         

·         How do you feel when you read these verses from Matthew?  Do you feel that they directly apply to you, or does Jesus seem to be speaking to people in circumstances different than yours?

·         While we don’t often think about it in our churches, what do you think God’s Kingdom really is and how do you think it does and will impact human life?

·         How does your confidence in God’s future activity inform or affect your life now?

·         How should the promises of Christ affect those who suffer now and how has that moved Christians throughout the ages and around the globe?

Friday night was great fun.  My wife's 'office' all got together to see a dinner/play at Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre in Indianapolis.  I really needed some 'fun' time with adults and it was wonderful to just enjoy an evening out.

And guess what!  Church Basement Ladies 2 is planned for the Boards!  Church trip? 

A Christmas Blessing 

Just as the Christ was born on this day,

May today be, indeed, the first day of the rest of your life.

May your choices be good ones

And may they be born of hope, peace, joy, and love.

May you find those `thin' places

where God, Christ and the Holy Spirit draw close

and where life sparkles like the dew

Yet warms like a great fire on a cold, wintry day.

And may you discover and know that it's true,

 that the Christ-child was born in

the manger of your heart

on this day, for you.

The Blessings of Christmas.... Don

Ephesians 2:19-22

¹⁹ So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, ²⁰ built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. ²¹ In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; ²² in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.

            Ours is a living tradition.  Yes, the institutions of Christianity are surely undergoing change as they are challenged by the values of the world we live in.  However, we truly become a “dwelling place for God” as we faithfully live our communal life together.

            Consider, though, the scripture at Philippians 2:12.  The Apostle Paul advises those sisters and brothers in the faith to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”  While the church, as the household of God, plays an important role in faith formation, it is primarily up to us to develop our spiritual life and to grow to spiritual maturity.  How are we to do this?  We are built up spiritually by regular attendance and participation in the worship services of the church.  We grow spiritually as we take seriously our knowledge of God’s Word, taking seriously those opportunities to study scripture, as well as the writings and interpretations of scripture of the church.  Also, taking opportunities to offer service to others is integral to our Christian life.

            However, central to God’s desire for us as the church is that we learn to live together in peace even as we have different life-experiences and outlooks on life. Please note how Paul concluded a letter to the Christians in Corinth. He wrote, “Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” - 2  Corinthians 13:11.

            As we look towards Christmas, this is a time when I try to take the time to recall and acknowledge my blessings.  One of those wonderful blessings is our church here in Danville.  As I write this (late Sunday night), I recall that I have had the joy of gathering with the church this morning in Sunday School and in Worship, and at the Old-fashioned Hymn Sing (following another fine “church lunch”!)  After “church” I had the privilege of attending a 72^nd Wedding Anniversary gathering for a couple who are long-time members of the church, then visiting with an elderly hospitalized church member/friend, speaking with another hospitalized member/friend in the hospital to offer my support just prior to their going into surgery, and, finally, being with the choir as we practiced for the upcoming performance of the Christmas Cantata.

            We receive a foretaste of the peace of God’s Kingdom in the bounds and activities of the church.  When we truly love one another even with our differences, when we serve and care for those both in and out of our church, and when we share in the experience of the presence of God in our midst, we become a peace-filled church.

            Let us not be afraid to be peaceable.  Let us endeavor to embody Godly wisdom in our lives just as James admonished in his letter at Chapter 3, verse 17, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.”

            “The world is the place where we meet God because it is the place where God meets us in the person of Jesus Christ.  Christ did not merely inhabit human flesh; he became flesh.  He made himself, as God, to be one with humanity in the concrete, historical realities of human life.  Truly, God has entered into the world and it is in the world that Christians must turn to find God.” – From Merton’s Palace of Nowhere by James Finley

God’s blessings - Don

Luke 1:11-13

Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.

            I find it interesting that when an “angel of the Lord” appears in the Gospels the first words out of their mouth are “Do not be afraid.”  Somehow, manifestations of the “realm of God” are a cause of reactive fear in we humans and the angels are compelled to calm us down or reassure us that their visit is “friendly.”

            I wonder what it is that we are afraid of.  Are we afraid that when God’s presence is made manifest to our consciousness God will demand something of us that we do not want to give up?  Are we afraid that we will be bound to act or think in a certain way that may restrict the pursuing of our goals, specifically those having to do with the accumulation of material things?

            Throughout our days, we are surrounded by the presence of God and made manifest in the reality that God has created.  In that presence, God is calling us to a deeper relationship with God and with all that God has created.  God is calling us to living life as God has designed it to be lived; with meaning and purpose, experienced as joyful and satisfying.  Yet, when we hear God calling us, we may hesitate out of fear of what it might mean to answer that call.

            During this Advent season, may you hear the call of God on your life to live more expansively, more lovingly, and to grow in your love of God.  May the coming birth of the Christ lead you to deepen your trust in the God of Glory.

·         Why might the manifestation of an angel of the Lord have been frightening to Zechariah and others mentioned in the Scriptures?

·         How might you react to the appearance of an angel from God?  Is there anything that might be frightening about such a visit?

·         Why would God send an angel to speak to a human?

“Lord, the calendar calls for Christmas.  We have traveled this way before.  During this Advent season we would see what we have never seen before, accept what we have refused to think, and hear what we need to understand.  Be with us in our goings that we may meet you in your coming.  Astonish us until we sing “Glory!” and then enable us to live it out with love and peace.  In the name of your Incarnate Word, even Jesus Christ.  Amen.” – From The Unsettling Season by Donald J. Shelby

Alright!  Here goes another effort at blogging, this time using what seems to be a VERY simple way of creating a Blog via Posterous.com., in case you're interested in creating your own blog.

My problem with blogging is that it has been recommended by "them" that a good blogger posts at least once, maybe twice, a week.  I simply can't imaging having anything to blog about that anybody would even want to read at all, let alone once or twice a week.  I suppose I will just have to build it and see if I show up.

There!  I did it.

I've listed the Daily Bible Readings for this week on the page entitled, Daily Bible Readings.  Clever, huh?

Blessings...