judging to allow life

Good evening sisters and brothers,

I want to start by extending a special invitation to worship on Sunday. We'll supplement our wonderful choir with an additional lovely voice and with two solo offerings by guest soloist, Madeline Cain. Madeline is in the final semester of her opera performance masters program at the University of Maryland.  She serves as a soloist and section-leader at Emmanuel Church in Alexandria, VA throughout the school year. From the little bit I heard of Madeline's voice at rehearsal on Wednesday, you're in for a treat. 

Our reading today is the "judgy" part of our passage. Jesus says that God has given the power and responsibility to judge all people (like the creed says, the living and the dead). We often think of judgment as bad or scary. This passage, and the healing story we read the last two days as its context, remind us that Jesus judges in order to bring life. Human pride, selfishness and rules (in this case, rigid religious rules) often get in the way of the just, peaceful life God intends. God's judgment stops human evil to allow true flourishing.

God bless,
Sam

John 5:19-29

¹⁹Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise.²⁰The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished.²¹Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes. 

²²The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, ²³so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. ²⁴Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life. 

²⁵“Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. ²⁶For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself; ²⁷and he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.²⁸Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice ²⁹and will come out—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. 

wisdom

Good evening friends,

First, a couple of announcements. One, on Saturday after the cafe we'll have a group singing Christmas carols in the neighborhood. It should be a lot of fun and is open to everyone. Come for breakfast, bring a friend and share the joy of song at 11 on Saturday. Two, next Saturday and Sunday (12/21 and 22) from 6:30-8:30 pm we'll host the living nativity. We need all kinds of characters, so come on in and see the Christmas story from a whole new angle.

Our reading for today is a collection of sayings about wisdom and foolishness. While not accurate in every case, it is pretty insightful.

Blessings,
Sam

Proverbs 13:1-16

A wise child loves discipline,
but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
²From the fruit of their words good persons eat good things,
but the desire of the treacherous is for wrongdoing.
³Those who guard their mouths preserve their lives;
those who open wide their lips come to ruin.
⁴The appetite of the lazy craves, and gets nothing,
while the appetite of the diligent is richly supplied.
⁵The righteous hate falsehood,
but the wicked act shamefully and disgracefully.
⁶Righteousness guards one whose way is upright,
but sin overthrows the wicked.
⁷Some pretend to be rich, yet have nothing;
others pretend to be poor, yet have great wealth.
⁸Wealth is a ransom for a person’s life,
but the poor get no threats.
⁹The light of the righteous rejoices,
but the lamp of the wicked goes out.
¹⁰By insolence the heedless make strife,
but wisdom is with those who take advice.
¹¹Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle,
but those who gather little by little will increase it.
¹²Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
¹³Those who despise the word bring destruction on themselves,
but those who respect the commandment will be rewarded.
¹⁴The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
so that one may avoid the snares of death.
¹⁵Good sense wins favor,
but the way of the faithless is their ruin.
¹⁶The clever do all things intelligently,
but the fool displays folly.

Go tell it!

Good afternoon sisters and brothers,
Laurelton will be hosting our living nativity on Saturday and Sunday from 6-7:30 pm both nights. We could use more people who want to dress up, so if you're interested, it's a cool way to see the story of Christ's birth in a different way. The costumes are at the church so all you need is something warm to wear. Come and bring a friend to see the story of Christmas.
 


Today's reading finishes the section from yesterday where God announces Israel's redemption through the prophet. Today, God sends Jerusalem up the mountain to share the good news. I wonder if this is where the Christmas song God Tell it on the Mountain comes from. In any event, this is a song of praise for God's power and love.

Blessings on your weekend,
Sam


Isaiah 40:9-17
⁹Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” ¹⁰See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. ¹¹He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.


¹²Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? ¹³Who has directed the spirit of the Lord, or as his counselor has instructed him? ¹⁴Whom did he consult for his enlightenment, and who taught him the path of justice? Who taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? ¹⁵Even the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as dust on the scales; see, he takes up the isles like fine dust. ¹⁶Lebanon would not provide fuel enough, nor are its animals enough for a burnt offering. ¹⁷All the nations are as nothing before him; they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.