a battle and a thousand years

Good afternoon brothers and sisters,

In the evangelical tradition there is a debate about whether the thousand years John talks about comes before or after Christ's return. The whole concept is kind of odd. I wonder why Satan is locked up for a thousand years and then released, but that's how John sees it. It's interesting too because once again we see the forces of political power join Satan against God, but God is victorious in the end. No matter what happens or what the future looks like, God is with us and love will win.

God bless,
Sam

Revelation 20:1-6

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. ²He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, ³and threw him into the pit, and locked and sealed it over him, so that he would deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let out for a little while. 

⁴Then I saw thrones, and those seated on them were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. ⁵(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. ⁶Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him a thousand years. 

locusts

Good evening friends,

Today we remember Martin Luther King, Jr. and all his work for justice. Like most important work, King was the voice, but the power came from the community that supported him. Together, following God's calling, we can still do great things for justice.

Today's reading is an example of the challenging judgment language of Revelation. It's not entirely clear how these "woes" fit together, but with them, God is inviting people to repent and bringing the world as we know it to an end.

God bless,
Sam

Revelation 9:1-12

And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit; ²he opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. 

³Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given authority like the authority of scorpions of the earth. ⁴They were told not to damage the grass of the earth or any green growth or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵They were allowed to torture them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torture was like the torture of a scorpion when it stings someone. ⁶And in those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them. 

⁷In appearance the locusts were like horses equipped for battle. On their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, ⁸their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth;⁹they had scales like iron breastplates, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. ¹⁰They have tails like scorpions, with stingers, and in their tails is their power to harm people for five months. ¹¹They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.¹²The first woe has passed. There are still two woes to come.

watch out

Good morning friends,

In today's reading Peter encourages other believers. He recognizes that many of them face persecution, so he writes to remind them that they are not alone. The power of evil in the world is strong, but it will not have the last word.

God bless,
Sam

1 Peter 5:6-11

⁶Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. ⁷Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.  ⁸Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. ⁹Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. ¹⁰And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. ¹¹To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.

Satan's second move

Hi friends,
Today's reading we see Satan make his next move. Job's friends come to comfort him as well. Once thing that's fun about Job is that there are lots of suggestions and plays on words. Here, for instance, notice the narrator says, "Job did not sin with his lips," but leaves open the possibility that Job sinned in his heart.

God bless,
Sam

Job 2:7-13

⁷So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and inflicted loathsome sores on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. ⁸Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and sat among the ashes. ⁹Then his wife said to him, “Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God, and die.” ¹⁰But he said to her, “You speak as any foolish woman would speak. Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

¹¹Now when Job’s three friends heard of all these troubles that had come upon him, each of them set out from his home—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They met together to go and console and comfort him. ¹²When they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him, and they raised their voices and wept aloud; they tore their robes and threw dust in the air upon their heads. ¹³They sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.

round 2

Good afternoon sisters and brothers,
We read earlier this week how Satan challenged Job to a bet. In round one, God allowed Satan to wipe out Job's property and family. Despite that, Job continued to worship God. Satan isn't discouraged, but challenges God again. He says property doesn't matter much in the end, but if God attacks Job's health, Job will curse him. Satan never gives up.
God bless,
Sam

Job 2:1-6

One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. ²The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” ³The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil. He still persists in his integrity, although you incited me against him, to destroy him for no reason.”

⁴Then Satan answered the Lord, “Skin for skin! All that people have they will give to save their lives. ⁵But stretch out your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” ⁶The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, he is in your power; only spare his life.”

Satan's first move

Good evening friends,
Our story picks up steam here. In yesterday's reading we saw Satan basically challenge God to a bet. Satan alleged that Job worshiped God only because God had been so good to Job. Satan says if God "stretches out his hand" meaning taking Job's prosperity away, Job will curse God. God then allows Satan to attack Job's possessions, but not to hurt Job himself. It's interesting that in this case, children count as possessions. The whole scenario is quite troubling, but it does set up a good story.

For the record, I don't think God actually acts like this.

God bless,
Sam

Job 1: 13-22

¹³One day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the eldest brother’s house, ¹⁴a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were feeding beside them, ¹⁵and the Sabeans fell on them and carried them off, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you.”

¹⁶While he was still speaking, another came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁷While he was still speaking, another came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three columns, made a raid on the camels and carried them off, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you.”

¹⁸While he was still speaking, another came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house, ¹⁹and suddenly a great wind came across the desert, struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; I alone have escaped to tell you.”

²⁰Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell on the ground and worshiped. ²¹He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” ²²In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong-doing.

intro to Job

Good evening friends,
Today's reading we start looking at the Book of Job, our sermon focus for last week and this week. It's a fascinating, troubling and beautiful book, so I'll just let the story speak for itself.

God bless,
Sam

Job 1:1-12

There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. ²There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. ³He had seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and very many servants; so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.

⁴His sons used to go and hold feasts in one another’s houses in turn; and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵And when the feast days had run their course, Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” This is what Job always did.

⁶One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. ⁷The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” ⁸The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil.”

⁹Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? ¹⁰Have you not put a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” ¹²The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, all that he has is in your power; only do not stretch out your hand against him!” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

the armor of God

Good morning brothers and sisters,
Today's reading is a favorite image for many Christians, and quite unfamiliar for others. Paul talks about prayer and the Christian life more generally in terms of putting on the armor of God. The idea is that our life of faith can be a struggle. We're always surrounded by temptation to do what is easy instead of what is faithful. Sin, selfishness and the devil himself try to knock us off our path. In all our challenges we reach out to God for help, and we strengthen ourselves with God's word and with spiritual preparation. Notice how much attention Paul gives to prayer and how he asks the church to support him in prayer so he can speak boldly. We are all in it together.

God bless,
Sam

Ephesians 6:10-20

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. ¹¹Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹²For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 

¹⁴Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. ¹⁵As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. ¹⁶With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. ¹⁹Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

a dragon and a beast

Good morning brothers and sisters,
We read about the great serpent/dragon/Satan yesterday. Today we see that the dragon is working with another evil beast who rises up from the water. This beast symbolizes Rome, the power that threatened the church at that point. The passage talks about a head that had received a mortal wound but been healed. The Emperor Nero was an especially wicked ruler who killed himself. One of his successors shared many of Nero's qualities and was sometimes seen as Nero reborn. We see in this passage that the beast, Rome, is given power to oppress the church, but that power won't last always. Since then the church has faced other times of oppression, and we can expect that we will again. But God is faithful and one day God will conquer every evil power and all injustice.

God bless,
Sam

Revelation 12:18-13:9

(12:18) Then the dragon took his stand on the sand of the seashore. (13:1) And I saw a beast rising out of the sea having ten horns and seven heads; and on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were blasphemous names. ²And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And the dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority. ³One of its heads seemed to have received a death-blow, but its mortal wound had been healed. In amazement the whole earth followed the beast. ⁴They worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”

⁵The beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. ⁶It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. ⁷Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. It was given authority over every tribe and people and language and nation, ⁸and all the inhabitants of the earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slaughtered.

another view of Christmas

Good evening friends,
Today's reading is the Christmas story from a cosmic perspective. We see portents (signs) of Mary giving birth to Jesus and we see how much of a threat to Satan that is. Satan tries to kill Jesus at birth and tries to take over heaven. But Michael, the archangel defeats Satan in heaven, and God protects Mary and Jesus on earth. That leaves Satan with no target but the church on earth. The lesson to take away from this story is that the power of evil is going to persecute the church, but in the end, God's victory is sure. Notice again that the church conquers Satan by testifying to Christ, even when it means risking our life.

God bless,
Sam

Revelation 12:1-12, 17

A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. ²She was pregnant and was crying out in birthpangs, in the agony of giving birth. ³Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. ⁴His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. ⁵And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne; ⁶and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, so that there she can be nourished for one thousand two hundred sixty days.

⁷And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, ⁸but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. ⁹The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. ¹⁰Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming, “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Messiah, for the accuser of our comrades has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. ¹¹But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not cling to life even in the face of death.

¹²Rejoice then, you heavens and those who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you with great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”…  ¹⁷Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.

a house divided

Good morning friends,
Today's reading brings us to the start of Jesus' conflict with the religious leaders. The religious leaders try to account for the power Jesus has, so they accuse him of being in league with demonic powers. Jesus also reminds us that in even family is less important than faith. This is a passage to chew on, for sure.

God bless,
Sam

Mark 3:20-35

²⁰and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. ²¹When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind.’ ²²And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.’

²³And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? ²⁴If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. ²⁶And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. ²⁷But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered. 

28 ‘Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; ²⁹but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin’— ³⁰for they had said, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’ 

31 Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. ³²A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, ‘Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.’ ³³And he replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ ³⁴And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’

a baby and a dragon

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today's reading is a little off the beaten path for many of us as it comes from Revelation. Revelation is a strange book, but it's strange in some logical ways. Revelation is an example of apocalyptic literature: literature that speaks about God's power and love in dramatic ways, especially in revealing how that power will overcome seemingly impossible odds. Apocalyptic literature is usually written when God's people are in situations so challenging that it's hard to imagine God's will working through the everyday world.

In the case of Revelation the overwhelming challenge to God's people was the power of the Roman Empire, which demanded not only political allegiance, but often sought to claim people's worship as well. Apocalyptic literature is highly symbolic so the group for which it is written can understand while the threatening outside power is left in the dark. Today's passage is an apocalyptic retelling of the birth of Jesus. The dragon stands for Satan, but is also closely related to Rome. For Christians Jesus' birth is a defining moment in the constant struggle between God and the powers of hatred and evil. I like this passage because it reminds us that Jesus' birth is powerful by stripping away the familiarity that sometimes threatens to domesticate God's amazing story.

God bless,
Sam

Revelation 12:1-6

A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. ²She was pregnant and was crying out in birthpangs, in the agony of giving birth. ³Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. ⁴His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth.

Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. ⁵And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne; ⁶and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, so that there she can be nourished for one thousand two hundred sixty days.

demons, speaking and judgment

Good morning brothers and sisters,
When Jesus expels a demon from a man the religious leaders accuse him of using Satan's power to do it. Jesus replies that Satan can't cast out demons because that would mean his kingdom was divided. Instead, like an invader tying up a strong man to rob his house, Jesus binds Satan and frees those in chains by the power of God. He also warns the leaders and the crowd that what comes out of our mouths is a sign of what is in our hearts. That's a haunting reminder that what we say to others matters.

Blessings on your ministry today,
Sam

Matthew 12:22-37

22Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see. 23All the crowds were amazed and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons.” 25He knew what they were thinking and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.



29Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered. 30Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.


33“Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. 34You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure. 36I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; 37for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

temptation

Good morning brothers and sisters,
First, I'd like you to keep Ted Miller's family in your prayers. Ted's funeral will be held today at Laurelton at 2 pm. I'm sure the family would appreciate your support today and in the weeks to come. I'd also like you to keep our presbytery in prayer as we meet today to discuss, among other things, an amendment to the constitution that would encourage better examinations of candidates for ministry and make it easier for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people God calls to ministry to be ordained. I pray we would consider these matters with love for each other.

Our story for this morning is about Jesus' temptation by Satan. Right after he was baptized and heard God's voice declaring him the son of God, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. He faces some interesting temptations relating to material needs, ministry and power. Do you find yourself facing similar temptations ever? How can Jesus' response to Satan help you stay faithful in the face of temptation?

God bless,
Sam

Matthew 4: 1-11

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”


5Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” 7Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” 11Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.