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Acts 7:55-60
Aurelius Augustinus was a very unruly young man. He had multiple sexual relationships, one of which produced a child, and while there is some debate as to how much of a carouser he was as a young man, he was not a model Roman or even a nominal Christian. However, after his famous conversion, Augustine would end up becoming one of the great leaders of the faith.
Another one of Christianity's greats also had a less than stellar start. In this passage, as we witness the first Christian martyrdom, we get our first glimpse at a man named Saul, who participated, albeit indirectly, in this killing by holding the coats of those who stoned Stephen (v. 58).
Craig K.
1 Peter 2:2-10
The book Nation by Terry Pratchett is a young adult novel set on a tropical island in the 1800s. A hurricane wipes out the island's entire population, except for one boy on the edge of manhood. The boy is about to give up on life when a ship wrecks on the island's shore, leaving one frightened girl as its only survivor. Alone, the island boy had been just a boy. But with the addition of this single survivor, the boy finds the courage to live on. "One person is nothing," he says. "Two people are a nation." Like the lonely survivors of the novel, God has brought us together out of nothingness to create a nation. "For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them" (Matthew 8:20).
Leah T.
1 Peter 2:2-10
Sarah Palin placed on her website a map indicating the districts where liberal congressman must be removed from office. There was a debate over the targeted districts being marked with the cross hairs or a bull's-eye and whether or not that contributed to the violence. In either case, it was hardly a passive gesture, but it was one that demanded aggressive action.
One of the districts that was targeted was Tucson, where Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords served. Giffords interpreted the markings as a gun-sight. Giffords expressed her concern with such a malicious action when she said upon its posting, "The way that she has it depicted the cross hairs of a gun sight over our district. When people do that, they have got to realize there are consequences to that action." Shortly after that, there was an assassination attempt on Giffords, with Jared Lee Loughner firing a single shot through her skull.
We cannot say that Palin's gun sight map inspired Loughner, but we can say it promoted a culture of violence. In so doing, there was a consequence to Palin's actions.
Peter wrote, "They stumble because they disobey the word." A bull's-eye map is a stone that will cause many to stumble, especially when there were more appropriate map markings that would have been benign in nature but still convey Palin's desired message.
Let us be cautious of our actions, so what we do does not cause another to stumble.
Ron L.
John 14:1-14
It is never easy leaving someone behind. I remember as a young man reading the first part of this passage at my father's funeral. While it is meant to give great comfort, it is also a reminder that there are many times in life when we have to leave a loved one behind.
However, in Jesus' case, he asserted that it was a good thing for him to leave, because with his departure would come the arrival of the Holy Spirit, who would not be bound by the limits of an earthly body, but would rather exist as Spirit, indwelling all who are called by Christ. So, although, as Shakespeare pointed out, "parting is such sweet sorrow," it is a sweet sorrow we all must face as we walk through life.
Craig K.
Aurelius Augustinus was a very unruly young man. He had multiple sexual relationships, one of which produced a child, and while there is some debate as to how much of a carouser he was as a young man, he was not a model Roman or even a nominal Christian. However, after his famous conversion, Augustine would end up becoming one of the great leaders of the faith.
Another one of Christianity's greats also had a less than stellar start. In this passage, as we witness the first Christian martyrdom, we get our first glimpse at a man named Saul, who participated, albeit indirectly, in this killing by holding the coats of those who stoned Stephen (v. 58).
Craig K.
1 Peter 2:2-10
The book Nation by Terry Pratchett is a young adult novel set on a tropical island in the 1800s. A hurricane wipes out the island's entire population, except for one boy on the edge of manhood. The boy is about to give up on life when a ship wrecks on the island's shore, leaving one frightened girl as its only survivor. Alone, the island boy had been just a boy. But with the addition of this single survivor, the boy finds the courage to live on. "One person is nothing," he says. "Two people are a nation." Like the lonely survivors of the novel, God has brought us together out of nothingness to create a nation. "For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them" (Matthew 8:20).
Leah T.
1 Peter 2:2-10
Sarah Palin placed on her website a map indicating the districts where liberal congressman must be removed from office. There was a debate over the targeted districts being marked with the cross hairs or a bull's-eye and whether or not that contributed to the violence. In either case, it was hardly a passive gesture, but it was one that demanded aggressive action.
One of the districts that was targeted was Tucson, where Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords served. Giffords interpreted the markings as a gun-sight. Giffords expressed her concern with such a malicious action when she said upon its posting, "The way that she has it depicted the cross hairs of a gun sight over our district. When people do that, they have got to realize there are consequences to that action." Shortly after that, there was an assassination attempt on Giffords, with Jared Lee Loughner firing a single shot through her skull.
We cannot say that Palin's gun sight map inspired Loughner, but we can say it promoted a culture of violence. In so doing, there was a consequence to Palin's actions.
Peter wrote, "They stumble because they disobey the word." A bull's-eye map is a stone that will cause many to stumble, especially when there were more appropriate map markings that would have been benign in nature but still convey Palin's desired message.
Let us be cautious of our actions, so what we do does not cause another to stumble.
Ron L.
John 14:1-14
It is never easy leaving someone behind. I remember as a young man reading the first part of this passage at my father's funeral. While it is meant to give great comfort, it is also a reminder that there are many times in life when we have to leave a loved one behind.
However, in Jesus' case, he asserted that it was a good thing for him to leave, because with his departure would come the arrival of the Holy Spirit, who would not be bound by the limits of an earthly body, but would rather exist as Spirit, indwelling all who are called by Christ. So, although, as Shakespeare pointed out, "parting is such sweet sorrow," it is a sweet sorrow we all must face as we walk through life.
Craig K.
