Blasphemy?

Good morning sisters and brothers,

If you're looking for some great weekend activities, I've got two for you. On Friday beginning at 6:30 pm Laurelton is hosting a free movie night at the church. It will be really relaxed with a double feature and some snacks. Saturday from 5-7pm Calvary St. Andrews is hosting a Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser. Pasta, bread, salad and dessert will be $7 for adults with a special kids price for kids 11 and under. There's take out available, but you need to reserve that ahead. Both events should be lots of fun.

Today's reading we see religious leaders asking Jesus to be clear about who he is and then trying to stone Jesus when he answers that he comes from God. Their concern is blasphemy. We'll see how Jesus responds to the charge.

God bless,
Sam

John 10:22-42

²²At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. ²⁴So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” ²⁵Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; ²⁶but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. ²⁷My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. ³⁰The Father and I are one.”

³¹The Jews took up stones again to stone him. ³²Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” ³³The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God.” ³⁴Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? ³⁵If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’ —and the scripture cannot be annulled— ³⁶can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? ³⁷If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. ³⁸But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”

³⁹Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands.⁴⁰He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. ⁴¹Many came to him, and they were saying, “John performed no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” ⁴²And many believed in him there.

in and out

Good night brothers and sisters,
We've heard some of the arguments for and against gentile inclusion. Here we hear the closing arguments and James's decision. How can we make sure to include all people today?

God bless,
Sam

Acts 15:12-21

12 The whole assembly kept silence, and listened to Barnabas and Paul as they told of all the signs and wonders that God had done through them among the Gentiles. ¹³After they finished speaking, James replied, ‘My brothers, listen to me. ¹⁴Simeon has related how God first looked favourably on the Gentiles, to take from among them a people for his name. ¹⁵This agrees with the words of the prophets, as it is written,
¹⁶ “After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen;
   from its ruins I will rebuild it,
     and I will set it up,
¹⁷ so that all other peoples may seek the Lord—
   even all the Gentiles over whom my name has been called.
     Thus says the Lord, who has been making these things ¹⁸known from long ago.”

¹⁹Therefore I have reached the decision that we should not trouble those Gentiles who are turning to God, ²⁰but we should write to them to abstain only from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from whatever has been strangled and from blood. ²¹For in every city, for generations past, Moses has had those who proclaim him, for he has been read aloud every sabbath in the synagogues.’

church decisions

 Good afternoon friends,
Today's reading shows us that not everything was smooth sailing in the church. Christianity was still a movement within Judaism, so many leaders in the church believed following Jesus required following all the Jewish traditions. This is the first example of the leadership of the church gathering to figure something out. Like then, figuring out conflict and controversy requires listening to each other and to God.

Blessings on your Saturday,
Sam

Acts 15:1-11

Then certain individuals came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’ ²And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question with the apostles and the elders. ³So they were sent on their way by the church, and as they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, they reported the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the believers. ⁴When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. ⁵But some believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and said, ‘It is necessary for them to be circumcised and ordered to keep the law of Moses.’

6 The apostles and the elders met together to consider this matter. ⁷After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, ‘My brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that I should be the one through whom the Gentiles would hear the message of the good news and become believers. ⁸And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us; ⁹and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us. ¹⁰Now therefore why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? ¹¹On the contrary, we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.’

sharing change

Good afternoon friends,
I hope you have a chance to enjoy this beautiful and fresh afternoon. Summer is such a great gift. Today we see the follow up on Peter's meeting with Cornelius. Peter's behavior was shocking to other people in the community, and they let him know. At the same time, the Spirit's fingerprints are all over this, so as soon as they hear his story he can see that it is from God. That's really the key to change in the church: we need to discern where God is calling us. It's not always as clear as it is in this case, but we are disciples, so our job is to follow. That means not being so excited about doing something different that we forget to listen to God, and not so attached to the way we did things before or do things now that we forget to listen.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 11:1-18

Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. ²So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, ³saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?”

⁴Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, ⁵“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. ⁶As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. ⁷I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ ⁸But I replied, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ ⁹But a second time the voice answered from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ ¹⁰This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven.

¹¹At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. ¹²The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. ¹³He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; ¹⁴he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.’

¹⁵And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. ¹⁶And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁷If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” ¹⁸When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”

A new king and true vision

Good morning friends,
Our first reading completes the story of the man born blind but healed by Jesus' love. The Pharisees began by investigating the miracle, but they finish by closing their minds and driving the man out from the synagogue. The man is not intimidated, but keeps telling his story honestly. It's interesting too that Jesus, who has been absent since healing the man, comes to find him only after his expulsion from the synagogue. Our Lord really has a thing for outcasts; I pray we would learn that too.

Our second reading tells the beginning of the story of King David. The Prophet Samuel anointed Saul as king years earlier, but Saul turned away from God and was rejected. God then seeks a new king who will follow him.

Blessings on your Lord's Day,
Sam

John 9:18-41

18The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”


24So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” 25He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” 30The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. 32Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.

35Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” 37Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” 38He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. 39Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” 40Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” 41Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”


*Sunday

1 Samuel 16:1-13

1The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ 3Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.” 4Samuel did what the LORD commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5He said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.


6When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the LORD.” 7But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” 8Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” 9Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” 10Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen any of these.” 11Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” 12He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The LORD said, “Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.” 13Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.

whose authority

Good morning friends,
Luke has already told us that the religious leaders are trying to trip Jesus up and find a way to kill him. He knows that he is going to be arrested and executed, but he's also trying to be somewhat careful, it seems. The leaders ask who gave him the authority for his miracles and teaching. They are trying to get him to say something that will clearly be considered blasphemy. Jesus turns things around on them by asking about John's baptism, whether it was from God or from human origin. The leaders don't try to figure out what the true answer is to that question; they just try to figure out what answer will serve their purpose.

That's really the problem and the reason Jesus' discussion with the leaders won't go anywhere; they are not willing to learn or be changed. They have already decided what they believe and anything that doesn't fit their expectations will be rejected. Last night at the Boulevard we were reading one of my favorite stories about close-mindedness versus openmindedness: John chapter 9. In the story Jesus heals a man born blind. The religious leaders interrogate the man about what has happened and in the end they kick him out of the synagogue. They can't face the evidence in front of them: Jesus has done something amazing by the power of God. The passages question to us is are we blind or do we see what's in front of us. When Jesus calls do we answer and accept the fact that we don't understand everything or do we ignore the calling because it doesn't fit our expectations?

May we always seek the truth even when it challenges us.

God bless,
Sam

Luke 20: 1-8

One day, as he was teaching the people in the temple and telling the good news, the chief priests and the scribes came with the elders 2and said to him, “Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?” 3He answered them, “I will also ask you a question, and you tell me: 4Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” 5They discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ 6But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people will stone us; for they are convinced that John was a prophet.” 7So they answered that they did not know where it came from. 8Then Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

disagreeing gently

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Here as in a few of the other passages we've read from the letters to Timothy Paul urges Timothy to avoid foolish controversy. This is such timely advise to the church since many of our denominations are stuck in controversy. The challenge is knowing how to avoid controversy while promoting the truth and standing up for justice. Many of the controversies that divide the church have to do with important questions that we can't just ignore. At the same time we can honestly try to listen to people with whom we disagree and present our side with humility and the gentleness Paul urges. In that way the disagreement can be seen clearly and without letting it tear people apart.

When we disagree gently we can also keep the focus on the fact that we agree much more than we disagree. That lets us keep the church's ministry the priority while figuring out questions on which there is controversy in the background with the assumption that we are all trying to be faithful. As we pray for the wholeness of Christ's church we move forward in witness to God's love that conquers death and human squabbling.

God bless,
Sam

2 Timothy 2:16-26

16Avoid profane chatter, for it will lead people into more and more impiety, 17and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18who have swerved from the truth by claiming that the resurrection has already taken place. They are upsetting the faith of some.

19But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who calls on the name of the Lord turn away from wickedness.” 20In a large house there are utensils not only of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for special use, some for ordinary. 21All who cleanse themselves of the things I have mentioned will become special utensils, dedicated and useful to the owner of the house, ready for every good work.

22Shun youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23Have nothing to do with stupid and senseless controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient, 25correcting opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth, 26and that they may escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

marriage and food

Good morning friends,
In our passage for today Paul reminds Timothy that controversy in church will test the church and its leaders. He points to false teachings, citing those who "forbid marriage and demand abstinence from certain kinds of foods." The food issue probably refers to people who continued to follow the Law of Moses, keeping kosher as part of their Christian faith. Paul consistently rejects this standpoint, though often he counsels the church not to worry if some people in the church continue to keep those regulations.

Paul's teaching on marriage is interesting. In First Corinthians he lifts up some of the difficulties of making Christ the center of one's life if one is married: "The single woman worries about God, how to please God; but the married woman worries about how to please her husband." Even though he sees the virtue in remaining single he also knows it is not everyone's calling, and he sees that marriage can strengthen faith as well. He speaks out strongly here and elsewhere against leaders who forbid marriage. Paul also encourages Timothy and reminds him (and us) that leaders in the church need to make sure they are well nourished by God's word. We all need that nourishment to stay strong in our faith. So savor the word and give thanks for God's gifts.

God bless,
Sam


1 Timothy 4:1-6
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will renounce the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared with a hot iron. 3They forbid marriage and demand abstinence from foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, provided it is received with thanksgiving; 5for it is sanctified by God’s word and by prayer.
6If you put these instructions before the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound teaching that you have followed.