Judges 4:1-7 Christians...
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Judges 4:1-7
Christians have tended to approach "salvation" as either a big game or a long season, each yielding a final score. In the big game, victory comes down to a few crucial moments with maybe a sprint at the end. In the long season, we work out our salvation one inning at a time, with the standings always in view.
Either way, we contemplate victory and use sports images like training, coaching, and rules to understand achieving it. We equip ourselves -- knowledge, holiness, right opinion, appropriate companions -- in order to handle the crucial live-performance moments. We obey the rules to avoid disqualification.
Rarely does it occur to us that being "saved" might mean something other than victory in a contest. We hear the question Jesus was asked one way: What will it take to win the big one? Will only a few win the prize? Who will those few be?
Jesus didn't talk much about salvation, especially in its eschatological sense as eternal victory. On the one occasion when he is quoted using the word "salvation," he seemed to mean the here-and-now presence of God's kingdom, not an eternal prize. He used "save" to indicate safety, as in being saved from a storm, or to mean keep, as in not trying to save one's life.
The church would talk about victory and prizes, at least partly because it was in the business of deciding who won. But Jesus himself seemed to view life as neither big game nor long season, but as a journey in which God would be steadfast companion and the aim was oneness with God.
(From Tom Ehrich, "On a Journey" meditation for August 16, 2004, www.onajour-ney.org)
Judges 4:1-7
When Megan was a young girl, she would watch her mother share Jesus with just about everyone she met. Her mother was always looking for opportunities to talk about her faith, whether it was someone in line at a store or a stranger at the mall. Megan recalls the time her mother picked up a teenage girl who was hitchhiking. Her mother took the girl where she wanted to go, all the while talking to her about Jesus.
Megan's mother died during Megan's first year at college. "Mom taught me so much about sharing Christ with others," she recalls. Her mother just loved people.
Following her mother's example, Megan shares her faith with others at the university. She joined a campus ministry and volunteered to talk with students who were going through difficult times. Her faith in Jesus played a vital role in her life so that she was not afraid to share with others.
"There are times it's easy for me to think I'm not all that significant -- just an unimportant face in the crowd," Megan says, "but then God uses me to change a life! It's pretty amazing."
God raises up the right people at the right time. In very uncertain times, God called Deborah.
Judges 4:1-7
French mathematician, Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), once said, "Reason commands us far more imperiously than a master. When we disobey the latter we are punished, when we disobey the former we are fools."
The children of Israel proved to be fools when they disobeyed God, the ultimate master, and were punished by being defeated by the Canaanites. However, Israel then proved to be wise by calling upon God in repentance and were subsequently saved.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
I walk in the mornings near the hospital. Sometimes I walk early and sometimes a little later. In my various times beside the hospital's parking lot, I've noticed a pattern. Cars that arrive ten to fifteen minutes before 7 a.m. drive fairly slowly into the lot. Cars that arrive five minutes before 7 a.m. arrive faster, and those at two minutes before 7 a.m. often rush recklessly into the lot. The pattern is repeated for the 8 a.m. shift: slower before the hour and faster the nearer people are to being late for work.
Early Christians lived with a sense of time running out. They saw evidence that the world was passing away. The clock was ticking down to zero. The world didn't end exactly as they expected, but their advice for how to live in this soon-ending world is still valid. They didn't become more reckless but more faithful in living for Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
A man was walking down the road when he came upon a half-completed cathedral. People all around were working at various tasks. The traveler walked up to the first man he saw. "What are you doing?" he asked. "I am coloring stained glass," the man said irritably and went back to his labor. The traveler came upon a second man. "What are you doing?" he asked. "I am cutting stone," the man said. The traveler came upon a third man, very close to the cathedral. "What are you doing?" he asked. "I am checking the mortar," he said. The traveler stepped through the empty doorway and looked around at the finished portion of the cathedral, where he saw a woman with a broom. "What are you doing?" he asked. The woman smiled and swept another pile of dust. "I am building a cathedral." Whether building a cathedral or building up our brothers and sisters, our every action, no matter how trivial, is contributing to a greater purpose.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
If we take Paul literally and never close our eyes to sleep, soon we would not notice anything at all, not even the return of Christ. In order to "stay awake" and be alert, our bodies need to get enough sleep for healthy living.
If Paul is responding to questions raised by the Thessalonians, they must have been obsessed with fear and hope concerning the impending return of Christ. How does this become relevant to the modern-day pew warmers who never give it a second thought, except maybe on those Sundays when they hear about it in church?
I like to think of Christ as already being in our midst, and Paul's exhortation to be awake and aware is about noticing the work of God through Christ that happens all around us every day, often in the most unlikely people and places. Seeing the hand of God in ordinary day-to-day activities is being reminded of the eternal presence of the holy.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
As Pam was going through her mother's desk she happened upon a notebook full of names. Her mother, Julie, had taught Sunday school for as long as anyone could remember. When Julie was asked how many years she taught she would shrug her shoulders unsure of exactly how long she had been teaching children, it was at least fifty years.
The notebook contained the names of all the children she had taught. Stuffed within the passage of that notebook were letters from her former students, thanking her for the positive impact she made on their lives. At various times in her students' lives Julie would send cards, with personal notes of encouragement. Some would write back thanking her for being such a positive example in their lives. Pam spent the better part of an afternoon reading the letters and notes people sent to her mother.
It was that afternoon that Pam resolved to follow her mother's example and send cards of encouragement to young people in their church and neighborhood. Pam never realized the impact her mother made on so many people in her lifetime. Pam hoped that she, too, could touch many lives with her words.
The apostle Paul reminds us of the power and importance of encouragement, "Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing."
Matthew 25:14-30
Because the pie was "limited" and already distributed, an increase in the share of one person automatically meant a loss for someone else. Honorable people, therefore, did not try to get more, and those who did were automatically considered thieves. Noblemen avoided such accusations of getting rich at the expense of others by having their affairs handled by slaves. Such behavior could be condoned in slaves, since slaves were without honor anyway.
The third slave buried his master's money to ensure that it remained intact. This, of course, was the honorable thing for a freeman to do; was it honorable behavior for a slave? Later rabbinic customary law provided that since burying a pledge or deposit was the safest way to care for someone else's money, if a loss occurred, the one burying money had no responsibility.
(From Bruce Malina and Richard Rohrbaug describing the "limited good" economic theory -- based on the assumption that there was only so much wealth in the world, and an economy could not grow -- commonly held by Jesus and his contemporaries, in Social-Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels, Fortress Press, p. 149)
Matthew 25:14-30
Matt and Keri shared with the congregation their experience with tithing, giving 10% of their income to church. Keri told how tithing forced them to think about the use of money and how all they received has been entrusted to them by God. Tithing made them spend money more wisely, with less waste and fewer impulsive purchases. They viewed each dollar as having a mission. Further she shared that tithing had broken the sense of panic, worry, desperation, and fear that had driven many of their financial decisions in the past.
Matt described how conversations they had about priorities, family spending, and saving patterns had enriched their relationship. He said that their commitment to tithing "forced significant discussions about their goals and values as a family that they would never have had otherwise."
As they concluded their talk they told how tithing strengthened their commitment to the church. They became more involved and interested in their church than ever before. They began praying for the people, the ministries, and the outreach of the church with a renewed sense of passion.
In telling the parable of the talent, Jesus raises the issue of how we use what we have been entrusted with. Do we use our many blessings to help others or do we, like the third servant, bury them in the ground where they are of no use to anyone?
Matthew 25:14-30
In an article for Timesonline, September 30, 2007, Sir Peter Lampl documents how British children of poorer families are not encouraged by their parents or their teachers to enroll in university education and very rarely to try for Oxford or other top level universities. In fact, children of parents in lower paying jobs often leave school by age sixteen to enter the work force. On the other hand, children of the upper classes are expected to apply to top level institutions. Lampl laments this waste of talent and suggests that it is one of the reasons for the decline of social mobility in Britain today.
For whatever reason, it appears the children from poorer families are burying their intellectual talents in the ground.
Christians have tended to approach "salvation" as either a big game or a long season, each yielding a final score. In the big game, victory comes down to a few crucial moments with maybe a sprint at the end. In the long season, we work out our salvation one inning at a time, with the standings always in view.
Either way, we contemplate victory and use sports images like training, coaching, and rules to understand achieving it. We equip ourselves -- knowledge, holiness, right opinion, appropriate companions -- in order to handle the crucial live-performance moments. We obey the rules to avoid disqualification.
Rarely does it occur to us that being "saved" might mean something other than victory in a contest. We hear the question Jesus was asked one way: What will it take to win the big one? Will only a few win the prize? Who will those few be?
Jesus didn't talk much about salvation, especially in its eschatological sense as eternal victory. On the one occasion when he is quoted using the word "salvation," he seemed to mean the here-and-now presence of God's kingdom, not an eternal prize. He used "save" to indicate safety, as in being saved from a storm, or to mean keep, as in not trying to save one's life.
The church would talk about victory and prizes, at least partly because it was in the business of deciding who won. But Jesus himself seemed to view life as neither big game nor long season, but as a journey in which God would be steadfast companion and the aim was oneness with God.
(From Tom Ehrich, "On a Journey" meditation for August 16, 2004, www.onajour-ney.org)
Judges 4:1-7
When Megan was a young girl, she would watch her mother share Jesus with just about everyone she met. Her mother was always looking for opportunities to talk about her faith, whether it was someone in line at a store or a stranger at the mall. Megan recalls the time her mother picked up a teenage girl who was hitchhiking. Her mother took the girl where she wanted to go, all the while talking to her about Jesus.
Megan's mother died during Megan's first year at college. "Mom taught me so much about sharing Christ with others," she recalls. Her mother just loved people.
Following her mother's example, Megan shares her faith with others at the university. She joined a campus ministry and volunteered to talk with students who were going through difficult times. Her faith in Jesus played a vital role in her life so that she was not afraid to share with others.
"There are times it's easy for me to think I'm not all that significant -- just an unimportant face in the crowd," Megan says, "but then God uses me to change a life! It's pretty amazing."
God raises up the right people at the right time. In very uncertain times, God called Deborah.
Judges 4:1-7
French mathematician, Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), once said, "Reason commands us far more imperiously than a master. When we disobey the latter we are punished, when we disobey the former we are fools."
The children of Israel proved to be fools when they disobeyed God, the ultimate master, and were punished by being defeated by the Canaanites. However, Israel then proved to be wise by calling upon God in repentance and were subsequently saved.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
I walk in the mornings near the hospital. Sometimes I walk early and sometimes a little later. In my various times beside the hospital's parking lot, I've noticed a pattern. Cars that arrive ten to fifteen minutes before 7 a.m. drive fairly slowly into the lot. Cars that arrive five minutes before 7 a.m. arrive faster, and those at two minutes before 7 a.m. often rush recklessly into the lot. The pattern is repeated for the 8 a.m. shift: slower before the hour and faster the nearer people are to being late for work.
Early Christians lived with a sense of time running out. They saw evidence that the world was passing away. The clock was ticking down to zero. The world didn't end exactly as they expected, but their advice for how to live in this soon-ending world is still valid. They didn't become more reckless but more faithful in living for Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
A man was walking down the road when he came upon a half-completed cathedral. People all around were working at various tasks. The traveler walked up to the first man he saw. "What are you doing?" he asked. "I am coloring stained glass," the man said irritably and went back to his labor. The traveler came upon a second man. "What are you doing?" he asked. "I am cutting stone," the man said. The traveler came upon a third man, very close to the cathedral. "What are you doing?" he asked. "I am checking the mortar," he said. The traveler stepped through the empty doorway and looked around at the finished portion of the cathedral, where he saw a woman with a broom. "What are you doing?" he asked. The woman smiled and swept another pile of dust. "I am building a cathedral." Whether building a cathedral or building up our brothers and sisters, our every action, no matter how trivial, is contributing to a greater purpose.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
If we take Paul literally and never close our eyes to sleep, soon we would not notice anything at all, not even the return of Christ. In order to "stay awake" and be alert, our bodies need to get enough sleep for healthy living.
If Paul is responding to questions raised by the Thessalonians, they must have been obsessed with fear and hope concerning the impending return of Christ. How does this become relevant to the modern-day pew warmers who never give it a second thought, except maybe on those Sundays when they hear about it in church?
I like to think of Christ as already being in our midst, and Paul's exhortation to be awake and aware is about noticing the work of God through Christ that happens all around us every day, often in the most unlikely people and places. Seeing the hand of God in ordinary day-to-day activities is being reminded of the eternal presence of the holy.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
As Pam was going through her mother's desk she happened upon a notebook full of names. Her mother, Julie, had taught Sunday school for as long as anyone could remember. When Julie was asked how many years she taught she would shrug her shoulders unsure of exactly how long she had been teaching children, it was at least fifty years.
The notebook contained the names of all the children she had taught. Stuffed within the passage of that notebook were letters from her former students, thanking her for the positive impact she made on their lives. At various times in her students' lives Julie would send cards, with personal notes of encouragement. Some would write back thanking her for being such a positive example in their lives. Pam spent the better part of an afternoon reading the letters and notes people sent to her mother.
It was that afternoon that Pam resolved to follow her mother's example and send cards of encouragement to young people in their church and neighborhood. Pam never realized the impact her mother made on so many people in her lifetime. Pam hoped that she, too, could touch many lives with her words.
The apostle Paul reminds us of the power and importance of encouragement, "Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing."
Matthew 25:14-30
Because the pie was "limited" and already distributed, an increase in the share of one person automatically meant a loss for someone else. Honorable people, therefore, did not try to get more, and those who did were automatically considered thieves. Noblemen avoided such accusations of getting rich at the expense of others by having their affairs handled by slaves. Such behavior could be condoned in slaves, since slaves were without honor anyway.
The third slave buried his master's money to ensure that it remained intact. This, of course, was the honorable thing for a freeman to do; was it honorable behavior for a slave? Later rabbinic customary law provided that since burying a pledge or deposit was the safest way to care for someone else's money, if a loss occurred, the one burying money had no responsibility.
(From Bruce Malina and Richard Rohrbaug describing the "limited good" economic theory -- based on the assumption that there was only so much wealth in the world, and an economy could not grow -- commonly held by Jesus and his contemporaries, in Social-Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels, Fortress Press, p. 149)
Matthew 25:14-30
Matt and Keri shared with the congregation their experience with tithing, giving 10% of their income to church. Keri told how tithing forced them to think about the use of money and how all they received has been entrusted to them by God. Tithing made them spend money more wisely, with less waste and fewer impulsive purchases. They viewed each dollar as having a mission. Further she shared that tithing had broken the sense of panic, worry, desperation, and fear that had driven many of their financial decisions in the past.
Matt described how conversations they had about priorities, family spending, and saving patterns had enriched their relationship. He said that their commitment to tithing "forced significant discussions about their goals and values as a family that they would never have had otherwise."
As they concluded their talk they told how tithing strengthened their commitment to the church. They became more involved and interested in their church than ever before. They began praying for the people, the ministries, and the outreach of the church with a renewed sense of passion.
In telling the parable of the talent, Jesus raises the issue of how we use what we have been entrusted with. Do we use our many blessings to help others or do we, like the third servant, bury them in the ground where they are of no use to anyone?
Matthew 25:14-30
In an article for Timesonline, September 30, 2007, Sir Peter Lampl documents how British children of poorer families are not encouraged by their parents or their teachers to enroll in university education and very rarely to try for Oxford or other top level universities. In fact, children of parents in lower paying jobs often leave school by age sixteen to enter the work force. On the other hand, children of the upper classes are expected to apply to top level institutions. Lampl laments this waste of talent and suggests that it is one of the reasons for the decline of social mobility in Britain today.
For whatever reason, it appears the children from poorer families are burying their intellectual talents in the ground.
