correct worship

Good afternoon friends,

Jesus and the Samaritan woman talk about worship, and Jesus tells her that he is the Messiah. He hasn't been that staightforward with anyone else before this point. It's remarkable that Jesus choses someone out Israel for this revelation. God is full of surprises, and the human categories that divide us don't mean anything to God. The passage is also a good reminder that worship is not about how or what we do, but about our spiritual connection with God.

Blessings,
Sam

John 4:19-27

¹⁹The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. ²⁰Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.”   ²¹Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 

²²You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. ²⁴God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 

²⁵The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” ²⁶Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.” ²⁷Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” 

coming soon

Good evening friends,

Today's reading continues the wrap up of Revelation. We've seen the great vision of the new heaven and new earth as God redeems creation. Now the angel of God promises that the end is soon. That's hard to believe, since it's been 2000 years. And yet, any day could be the last. 

God bless,
Sam

Revelation 22:6-12

⁶And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true, for the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.” ⁷“See, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” 

⁸I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me; ⁹but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your comrades the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!” ¹⁰And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. ¹¹Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.” ¹²“See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. 

R rated symbols

Good evening sisters and brothers,

Today's reading is disturbing. There are all kinds of issues here about how John talks about women in general and this symbol in particular. As we talked about on Sunday, the beast is a reference to the Roman Empire. The woman John sees in this vision makes an even more striking reference to Rome by symbolizing Rome with a prostitute called Babylon. The Babylonian Empire destroyed Jerusalem in 587 BC and Rome destroyed the temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD, so the parallel is pretty obvious. The message is that even though the powers of empire and commerce seem unbeatable, even if they do break down the righteous and the faithful, God's love and justice triumph in the end.

God bless,
Sam

Revelation 17:1-6
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great whore who is seated on many waters, ²with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and with the wine of whose fornication the inhabitants of the earth have become drunk.” 

³So he carried me away in the spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. ⁴The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication; ⁵and on her forehead was written a name, a mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of whores and of earth’s abominations.” ⁶And I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the witnesses to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly amazed.

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.

a sealed scroll

Good evening friends,

Yesterday we saw a vision of worship in heaven. Today we see a mysterious scroll sealed with 7 seals. This is an interesting hint about Jesus' role in the book. 

God bless,

Sam

Revelation 5:1-5

Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals; ²and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” ³And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁴And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁵Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

praise in heaven

Good evening friends,

Today's passage is strange, and yet one of the more familiar passages from Revelation. John is invited to a vision of heaven to help him understand the visions he will receive about how God will conclude history. Not only is the vision of heaven striking in itself, it is also the key to understanding the book. In our world many powers claim to be in charge: politicians, bosses, other powerful people, empires, nations. That was true in John's time too, especially the Roman Empire. The truth as the heart of our faith is that it's actually God, and no one else, who sits on the throne. God is on the throne and God is love. That's worth singing praise about.

God bless,
Sam

Revelation 4:1-11

After this I looked, and there in heaven a door stood open! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” ²At once I was in the spirit, and there in heaven stood a throne, with one seated on the throne! ³And the one seated there looks like jasper and carnelian, and around the throne is a rainbow that looks like an emerald. 

⁴Around the throne are twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones are twenty-four elders, dressed in white robes, with golden crowns on their heads. ⁵Coming from the throne are flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and in front of the throne burn seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God; ⁶and in front of the throne there is something like a sea of glass, like crystal.

Around the throne, and on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: ⁷the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with a face like a human face, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle.⁸And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and inside.

Day and night without ceasing they sing, “Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come.” ⁹And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the one who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰the twenty-four elders fall before the one who is seated on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing, ¹¹“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

beginning the end

Good evening brothers and sisters,

Today we start our journey into the Book of Revelation, also know as the Revelation of John since the Apostle John is its author. While the book is unique in the Bible for it's scope of detail for the end of the world, it is part of a wider literature called apocalyptic literature. Apocalyptic literature, including Revelation, is very symbolic and visual. Often symbols are used that seem very hard for us to figure out now, but spoke very clearly to their audience about specific contemporary people or events. 

As symbolic as it is Revelation will not give us a time table for how the end will be. After all, Jesus clearly tells his disciples in the Gospels that no one, not even Jesus knows when the end will come, so there's no point trying to read between the lines for a date. The important message of Revelation is that God's love and justice will win in the end, no matter how strong the forces of evil and empire seem at the moment. There are some challenges in Revelation for sure, but it is also a beautiful and pastoral vision of God finally putting an end to evil and securing permanent, just peace.

God bless,
Sam

Revelation 1:1-2, 9-18

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place; he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, ²who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw…

⁹I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. ¹⁰I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet ¹¹saying, “Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamum, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”

¹²Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³and in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest. ¹⁴His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, ¹⁵his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. ¹⁶In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force. ¹⁷When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he placed his right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, ¹⁸and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades.

enlightened hearts

Good morning friends,
Today's reading is short, and I'd recommend taking a moment to digest between paragraphs. Paul prays for the church that each of the believers would grow in their knowledge of God. As part of that he prays that God's "spirit of revelation" would enlighten their hearts to know the hope of our calling and the greatness of God's power for us. That's a great prayer that I join in enthusiastically for each of us. 


May God bless us with enlightened hearts today and every day,
Sam

Ephesians 1:15-23

¹⁵I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason ¹⁶I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. ¹⁷I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, ¹⁸so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, ¹⁹and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.

²⁰God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. ²²And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, ²³which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

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.

the Lion has conquered

Good evening friends,
Yesterday we started the Book of Revelation with Jesus appearing to John to tell him about what will happen soon. After a short message to each of seven churches in modern day Turkey, John is taken in the Spirit to heaven where he sees God sitting on a throne. Surrounding the throne are four "living creatures" who have several heads, wings and eyes all over. God is also surrounded by 24 elders (think 12 tribes of Israel and 12 apostles) sitting on thrones worshiping God around a sea like glass (remind you of a hymn?) The vision continues with today's reading where God ("the one seated on the throne") has a scroll that John knows must be important. Pay attention to how Revelation talks about conquering and what that might say to Christians about how we think about power.

God bless,
Sam
 

Revelation 5:1-10

Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals; ²and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” ³And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁴And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁵Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

⁶Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne. ⁸When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. ⁹They sing a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation; ¹⁰you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign on earth.”

a revelation from God

Good afternoon sisters and brothers,
Today's reading introduces us to the Book of Revelation, also known as the Revelation of John, because it is a revelation from Jesus to John. The purpose of the revelation is to strengthen John and the church. They faced persecution, and things would likely get worse before they got better. In that situation it was important for God to remind the church that God was in charge. That's the big picture message of Revelation: God's love wins in the end.

Revelation is hard to read because it is a vision. Like dreams, things happen in Revelation that don't make sense. The language is very symbolic and fantastical. Our passage today features Jesus with a sword coming from his mouth. I think the key to reading Revelation is to take it in stride. Don't try to figure out exactly what it "means" but look for the bigger message. While it is at times violent, over all Revelation is a message of hope for the church. We always need that hope, so listen to what the Spirit says to the church.

God bless,
Sam

Revelation 1:1-2, 9-18

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place; he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, ²who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

⁹I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. ¹⁰I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet ¹¹saying, “Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamum, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”

¹²Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³and in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest. ¹⁴His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, ¹⁵his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. ¹⁶In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force. ¹⁷When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he placed his right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, ¹⁸and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades.

Revelation

Good evening friends,
We're reading from Revelation tonight, which is a book many of us don't know well. The book as a whole is a vision given to John from Jesus. In the scene we're reading John is standing in heaven. The vision talks about how Jesus conquers the evil powers of the world through his death on the cross. He also talks about redeeming a people for God through Christ's blood. We share that redemption today. Through Christ's death and resurrection we are set free and redeemed.

God bless,
Sam

Revelation 5: 1-12

5Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals; ²and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” ³And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁴And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.

⁵Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” ⁶Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne. ⁸When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

⁹They sing a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation; ¹⁰you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign on earth.” ¹¹Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, ¹²singing with full voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

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.

Mark's apocalypse

Good morning friends,
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. As we begin the season of Advent we prepare our hearts to receive Christ as a baby in Bethlehem and as our king at the end of time. Today's reading is from Mark chapter 13, which scholars call the "Markan apocalypse" because it is a fairly long section in Mark on the end of time. Apocalypse means revelation and it refers to a whole genre of literature and thinking focused on how God will act decisively to bring history to the right conclusion. This was an important kind of literature in Judaism at this time as the Roman Empire's control made it hard to imagine anything but a radical act of God bringing freedom to Israel. We see this kind of literature in the Old Testament book of Daniel and the book of Revelation. Jesus predicts trouble for the faithful before God's final victory. We too can expect hardship in our walk of faith, but God is always faithful, and in the end his love will triumph.

God bless,
Sam

Mark 13:9-13

⁹“As for yourselves, beware; for they will hand you over to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them. ¹⁰And the good news must first be proclaimed to all nations. ¹¹When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. ¹²Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; ¹³and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

 

warning and praise

Good morning friends,
Today's reading concludes Romans. Paul warns the church that there are people in the church who try to gain from twisting faith, by changing the message to suit their desires. Any idea can be misused by people to gain power and the Christian faith is no exception. We've seen big church pastors use the gospel to get rich; we've seen small church pastors twist the message to justify hatred. Corruption in the church is unfortunately as old as the church. True faith seeks God's will.

Paul also praises God for revealing God's love in Jesus Christ to the whole world. This revelation of the mystery of God is an exciting new phase in human history, a movement Paul is thrilled to be a part of. For all the places where we need to change as a church we ask God's guidance. For the chance to be a part of sharing the joy of God's love we give God glory.

God bless,
Sam

Romans 16:17-27

17I urge you, brothers and sisters, to keep an eye on those who cause dissensions and offenses, in opposition to the teaching that you have learned; avoid them. 18For such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded. 19For while your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, I want you to be wise in what is good and guileless in what is evil. 20The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.


21Timothy, my co-worker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my relatives. 22I Tertius, the writer of this letter, greet you in the Lord. 23Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.


25Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 27to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.

seeking maturity

Good morning sisters and brothers,
This morning we continue our reading from yesterday's service as Paul begins his letter to the Colossians. From my reading it seems that the Christians in Colossae were interested in astrology and angels and heavenly powers. Paul doesn't outright tell them they can't have these kinds of curiosities but he works hard in this letter to make sure their focus is on God through Jesus Christ. Twice in our passage for today Paul refers to the mystery of God, explaining that this mystery has now been revealed to the saints (in other words to his readers). That revealed mystery is Jesus Christ himself, and Christ is the heart of everything Paul preaches.

In addition to his emphasis on Christ as God's revealed mystery Paul also talks a good deal about struggle and suffering in terms of his ministry. This reminds the Colossians of Paul's efforts so they will pay more attention and it reminds them to expect some hardship as part of their discipleship. Wisdom and growth in maturity are the other themes Paul really hammers on in this section. While the mystery of Christ is revealed when we come to faith, our life after that is one of growth. We aren't finished when we accept Christ, so Paul wants to make sure the Colossians don't get too comfortable at their current level but keep making progress towards the goal of full maturity (Christ is our model for what that looks like). All of these hopes Paul has for the Christians of Colossae are good goals for our community as well as we work to gain more spiritual maturity and as we focus on Christ who even now lives in us.

Blessings on your week,
Sam

Colossians 1:24-2:5
24I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. 25I became its servant according to God's commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. 27To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

For I want you to know how much I am struggling for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me face to face. 2I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ himself, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
4I am saying this so that no one may deceive you with plausible arguments. 5For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, and I rejoice to see your morale and the firmness of your faith in Christ.