Good afternoon friends,

I hope you're staying safe, warm and dry. With the roads and weather as they are, we are canceling supper and scripture tonight. Sorry to do it, but it's better to have everyone safe. Today's reading is kind of a doozy. We've talked about how both the woman and the beast symbolize Rome; but here we see the beast and other powers turn on the woman. I wonder if that suggests that the powers of empire eventually turn on each other? At any rate, here we see the judgment of God happening through human conflict. Empires destroy others and then ultimately destroy themselves. God's call to peace is constant, even when violence surrounds us.

God bless,
Sam

Revelation 17:7-18

⁷But the angel said to me, “Why are you so amazed? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. ⁸The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to ascend from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the inhabitants of the earth, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will be amazed when they see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. 

⁹“This calls for a mind that has wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; also, they are seven kings, ¹⁰of whom five have fallen, one is living, and the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain only a little while. ¹¹As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. ¹²And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. ¹³These are united in yielding their power and authority to the beast;

¹⁴they will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.” 

¹⁵And he said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the whore is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.¹⁶And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the whore; they will make her desolate and naked; they will devour her flesh and burn her up with fire. ¹⁷For God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by agreeing to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled. ¹⁸The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”

ordination and challenging scripture

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Before we dive into our reading, I'd like to share some important Presbyterian news. For 33 years our denomination has been discussing the ordination of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people. For many years the church has had a policy of not ordaining GLBT folks to office as elders, deacons or ministers of word and sacrament. Last summer's general assembly passed an amendment that would open the way to ordain openly gay candidates (amendment 10 A: text of the amendment is here). Last night the 87th presbytery approved this change marking a majority and the adoption of the amendment. I am grateful for this change because it reflects the inclusive spirit we see in Jesus' ministry. At the same time, for many of our churches and for many other Presbyterians this change is not welcome. Please keep our larger church in prayer as we seek to love each other despite our differences. The denominational office sent out an excellent letter on this topic which is linked here.

This is a difficult reading for most of us. What I take away from the passage is that both men and women should treat each other with honor and respect. In the case of people married to someone who doesn't follow Jesus, the way to encourage them in faith is through love and kindness, not harassing them about their faith. The other thing I take away is that all people (not just women) should strive for righteous lives rather than outward beauty and material possessions. When Peter talks about wanting nothing to hinder our prayers, sexism in church and scripture has long hindered many peoples' prayers. The Bible was written in a different time and culture, and we have to take it in that context. But still across thousands of years scripture still speaks a word of grace and truth.
God bless,
Sam



1 Peter 3:1-7

Wives, in the same way, accept the authority of your husbands, so that, even if some of them do not obey the word, they may be won over without a word by their wives’ conduct, 2when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3Do not adorn yourselves outwardly by braiding your hair, and by wearing gold ornaments or fine clothing; 4rather, let your adornment be the inner self with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in God’s sight. 5It was in this way long ago that the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves by accepting the authority of their husbands. 6Thus Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. You have become her daughters as long as you do what is good and never let fears alarm you.



7Husbands, in the same way, show consideration for your wives in your life together, paying honor to the woman as the weaker sex, since they too are also heirs of the gracious gift of life—so that nothing may hinder your prayers.