humbling the arrogant

Good afternoon friends,

Today's reading continues the thought we started yesterday. The idea is that God used the King of Assyria and his army to punish Jerusalem. Assyria, however, gave itself the credit and got arrogant. We need to see ourselves clearly. We are part of the story, but not the center. It is not all about us.

God bless,

Sam

Isaiah 10:12-23

¹²When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he will punish the arrogant boasting of the king of Assyria and his haughty pride. ¹³For he says: “By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I have understanding; I have removed the boundaries of peoples, and have plundered their treasures; like a bull I have brought down those who sat on thrones.¹⁴My hand has found, like a nest, the wealth of the peoples; and as one gathers eggs that have been forsaken, so I have gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved a wing, or opened its mouth, or chirped.” 

¹⁵Shall the ax vaunt itself over the one who wields it, or the saw magnify itself against the one who handles it? As if a rod should raise the one who lifts it up, or as if a staff should lift the one who is not wood! ¹⁶Therefore the Sovereign, the Lord of hosts, will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors, and under his glory a burning will be kindled, like the burning of fire. ¹⁷The light of Israel will become a fire, and his Holy One a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and briers in one day. ¹⁸The glory of his forest and his fruitful land the Lord will destroy, both soul and body, and it will be as when an invalid wastes away. ¹⁹The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few that a child can write them down.

²⁰On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on the one who struck them, but will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. ²¹A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. ²²For though your people Israel were like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. ²³For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in all the earth.

who's using whom?

Good afternoon friends,

First, there is a small but important meeting tonight for some folks in Urban Presbyterians Together, the Rochester church consortium we're most active in. We'll be thinking about how we can strengthen each other for ministry. Please keep this meeting in prayer for God's wisdom and creativity to shine through.

Our reading today is both a critique of the wealthy and powerful of Jerusalem and the beginning of a critique of the King of Assyria. God used the Assyrian Empire to punish Israel and Judah for their injustice. But the Assyrians didn't realize they were God's instrument, so they thought they were really in charge. God says Assyria isn't going to get off the hook either.

God bless,
Sam

Isaiah 10:1-11

10:1 Ah, you who make iniquitous decrees, who write oppressive statutes, ²to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be your spoil, and that you may make the orphans your prey! ³What will you do on the day of punishment, in the calamity that will come from far away? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth, ⁴so as not to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain? For all this his anger has not turned away; his hand is stretched out still.

⁵Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger— the club in their hands is my fury!⁶Against a godless nation I send him, and against the people of my wrath I command him, to take spoil and seize plunder, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. ⁷But this is not what he intends, nor does he have this in mind; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few. ⁸For he says: “Are not my commanders all kings?⁹Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus? ¹⁰As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols whose images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,¹¹shall I not do to Jerusalem and her idols what I have done to Samaria and her images?” 

taxing prayer

Good afternoon friends,
I'm sorry the readings have been so inconsistent this week; it has been a strange week and I haven't been as consistent as I want to be. Today's reading is an important reminder about prayer: good prayer starts with humility. We come to God with out needs and our shortcomings, and God blesses us with love. This parable is short and often told; it's one of Jesus' stories that I think is worth storing on our heart because it's good to think about often.

God bless,
Sam

Luke 8:9-14

⁹He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: ¹⁰“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ ¹³But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

commandments and leadership

Good morning brothers and sisters,
Today after worship some of us will head across the street for lunch and some discussion of our Bible reading. If you've been reading through the Bible, it's a great time to compare notes. If you haven't but are interested in starting the journey, it's a great chance to dive in. After that there is an ecumenical worship service at St. Ambrose celebrating St. Francis of Assisi and blessing pets. If you'd like to celebrate your furry, feathered or scaled friend, bring them on over to the gym at St. Ambrose at 1 for a blessing.

Our reading from Exodus completes the Ten Commandments and shows how visibly impressive the appearance of God was for Israel. Our reading from Matthew tells the parable we'll be discussing in worship today. This is a favorite of mine because it warns us of the danger of believing we own the religious community rather than guiding it on God's behalf. Today in worship we'll listen for God's calling and seek strength at Christ's table for the journey that lies ahead. I hope you'll be there.

Blessings,
Sam

Exodus 20:21-21

12Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 13You shall not murder. 14You shall not commit adultery. 15You shall not steal. 16You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.



18When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, 19and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.” 20Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin.” 21Then the people stood at a distance, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.



*Sunday

Matthew 21:33-46

33“Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. 34When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. 35But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. 37Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ 39So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.



40Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.”



42Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’? 43Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. 44The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”



45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. 46They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

gentleness or a stick

Good morning friends,
Tonight there will be a supper and service for Christian unity at St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church (553 Humboldt St, Humboldt and Floverton). It should be a great service and a wonderful opportunity to meet our neighboring brothers and sisters in Christ. We all share many of the same ministry challenges, so it helps to work together. Also, as some of you know, my grandmother, Tina Land, died on Friday evening. I'll be flying to Durham, NC for the memorial service on Thursday morning and returning Saturday night. I'll be available by phone or email, but if there's anything you'd like to talk about it would be best to give me a call before then. I'd also appreciate your prayer, especially for my mom, my uncle Everett and my grandmother's honorary daughters Kay and Jody.

Gary commented on one of our recent readings that the feeling of that part of Paul's writing was, "Young Jedi, get your act together or I'll whack you with a stick." That feeling is even more applicable today where Paul actually talks about coming to them with a stick if they aren't careful. Notice that Paul isn't just angry; he's worried about the Corinthian church because he thinks of them as his children in Christ. This was probably the church Paul spent the most time with, so when he hears about arrogance and division there, it breaks his heart. I pray we would imitate Paul's passion for Christ and for the church today.


Blessings,
Sam

1 Corinthians 4:14-21

14I am not writing this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. 15For though you might have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers. Indeed, in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16I appeal to you, then, be imitators of me.


17For this reason I sent you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ Jesus, as I teach them everywhere in every church. 18But some of you, thinking that I am not coming to you, have become arrogant. 19But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. 20For the kingdom of God depends not on talk but on power. 21What would you prefer? Am I to come to you with a stick, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?

the arrogant deride me

Good morning friends,
The psalmist talks about being derided by arrogant people but staying firm in God's law. Often when we think about telling a friend about our faith or inviting someone to church we feel self-conscious and uncomfortable. What is it that we worry about? Are we afraid they will say "no"? We know from inviting people over for dinner or a party that people sometimes say "no" and it doesn't do us any harm. Are we afraid they will be offended by being approached about faith? We know how to talk to people and how to make them comfortable in general, don't we? Are we worried they will think we're religious nuts? If they know us already, they already know we are reasonable people. Would it really be a bad thing if they added to that knowledge the knowledge that we are serious about our faith?

There is a sense in our culture that we don't need God. That's what the psalmist means when he talks about the arrogant who insult him. Like the psalmist, let's be less worried about what arrogant people think of us; we can rest on the strength of God's word. On the other hand, and this is the part we often forget, there are lots of people around us who long for the comfort and joy of faith. People who sense that there is something missing in their lives but don't know how to find it. We have found meaning and strength in our faith. Christ's liberating word of love can free our friends and neighbors from the emptiness of a life spend chasing the wrong goals. We have something wonderful to share.

This Saturday there's an exciting conference in Lima called Voice of the Martyrs. Voice of the Martyrs is an organization that supports Christians in parts of the world where they face persecution for their faith. This is an exciting chance to hear from people who literally risk homes and jobs and their lives to share the good news of God's love in Christ. There's more information in Christler Hall and at this link. I know you'll be inspired and challenged by their stories.

God bless,
Sam

Psalm 119:49-56

49Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope.
50This is my comfort in my distress, that your promise gives me life.
51The arrogant utterly deride me, but I do not turn away from your law.
52When I think of your ordinances from of old, I take comfort, O Lord.
53Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked, those who forsake your law.
54Your statutes have been my songs wherever I make my home.
55I remember your name in the night, O Lord, and keep your law.
56This blessing has fallen to me, for I have kept your precepts.