Good morning brothers and sisters,
We saw Moses plead with God for mercy on behalf of Israel, now Moses sees Israel's sin for himself. His anger is understandable, but even so God written word is destroyed in Moses' rage. Jesus warns his hearers that anger is closely related to murder. Anger is part of being human, but a part we need to watch carefully. May we always be angry with injustice, but may we use our anger in just ways.
Blessings on your day,
Sam
Exodus 32:15-20
15Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain, carrying the two tablets of the covenant in his hands, tablets that were written on both sides, written on the front and on the back. 16The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved upon the tablets. 17When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.”18But he said, “It is not the sound made by victors, or the sound made by losers; it is the sound of revelers that I hear.”
19As soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets from his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. 20He took the calf that they had made, burned it with fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it.
Showing posts with label self-control. Show all posts
Showing posts with label self-control. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
not just spectators
Good morning brothers and sisters,
Our last reading from 1 Corinthians ended with Paul saying "I have become all things to all people so that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel so that I might share in its blessings." Today he continues that thought by comparing the life of faith with being a competitive athlete. Like athletes, Christians need constant self-control and training to be successful in our quest to be faithful to God.
After this analogy, Paul describes the people of Israel going through the wilderness. He says they were "Baptized into Moses," referring to passing through the Red Sea. He also mentions that they all were "under the cloud." There he is referring to the cloud of smoke and pillar of fire that was the shape God's presence took during their journey. He also says they all ate the same spiritual food: manna, and drank the same spiritual drink: water from the rock. His point in this is to remind people that simply being part of the community (which for us is also marked by baptism in water and spiritual food and drink, communion) is not enough. We have to strive for righteousness and faithfulness to fulfill our calling. It is a calling full of blessings.
God bless,
Sam
1 Corinthians 9:24- 10:5
24Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. 25Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. 26So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; 27but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.
10:1 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3and all ate the same spiritual food, 4and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness.
Our last reading from 1 Corinthians ended with Paul saying "I have become all things to all people so that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel so that I might share in its blessings." Today he continues that thought by comparing the life of faith with being a competitive athlete. Like athletes, Christians need constant self-control and training to be successful in our quest to be faithful to God.
After this analogy, Paul describes the people of Israel going through the wilderness. He says they were "Baptized into Moses," referring to passing through the Red Sea. He also mentions that they all were "under the cloud." There he is referring to the cloud of smoke and pillar of fire that was the shape God's presence took during their journey. He also says they all ate the same spiritual food: manna, and drank the same spiritual drink: water from the rock. His point in this is to remind people that simply being part of the community (which for us is also marked by baptism in water and spiritual food and drink, communion) is not enough. We have to strive for righteousness and faithfulness to fulfill our calling. It is a calling full of blessings.
God bless,
Sam
1 Corinthians 9:24- 10:5
24Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. 25Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. 26So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; 27but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.
10:1 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3and all ate the same spiritual food, 4and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness.
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