Numbers 2 – Honoring our forefathers

Numbers 2:1-2 Now the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2 “The sons of Israel shall camp, each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers’ households; they shall camp around the tent of meeting at a distance.

It’s these first few chapters that give Numbers it’s name. Once you get past this bit, the book is quite interesting.

I will say that we would do well to embrace our forefathers and reflect on their faith (regardless of the faith tradition they came from). Knowledge of those how came before us is a valuable thing. Planting their banner and honoring their standard can be good.

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Fourth Sunday of Lent

Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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Weekly Meanderings

Here’s some stuff I came across this week…

Have a great weekend!

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Numbers 1 – God’s priests

Numbers 1:47-54 The Levites, however, were not numbered among them by their fathers’ tribe. 48 For the LORD had spoken to Moses, saying, 49 “Only the tribe of Levi you shall not number, nor shall you take their census among the sons of Israel. 50 “But you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings and over all that belongs to it. They shall carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it; they shall also camp around the tabernacle. 51 “So when the tabernacle is to set out, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle encamps, the Levites shall set it up. But the layman who comes near shall be put to death. 52 “The sons of Israel shall camp, each man by his own camp, and each man by his own standard, according to their armies. 53 “But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there will be no wrath on the congregation of the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall keep charge of the tabernacle of the testimony.” 54 Thus the sons of Israel did; according to all which the LORD had commanded Moses, so they did.

Honestly, the first several chapters of numbers are boring. Sorry, they are. But if you hold on to about chapter eight, it’s totally worth it. Numbers has some of the coolest stories in the entire Old Testament. But Chapter 1 is a census, and census records are never really thrilling information.

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An Imperfect Attempt at a Crossword Puzzle

This last week I was listening to a podcast about writing crosswords. I thought, how hard can that be? So I sat down and wrote a crossword; it’s harder then you would think.

This first attempt is far from perfect. There are too many forced answers, and the grid is not quite right. But, overall, I am happy with it as a first effort.

Give it a try and let me know what you think. You can click on the image below to open the pdf in another window. I’ll post the answer key next Friday.

Have fun!

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Romans 16 – I walk the line

Romans 16:17-20 Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. 18 For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. 19 For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

If someone is leading away from Christ, do not follow them. Be obedient to God and the grace of Jesus will be on you.

I keep a close watch on this heart of mine
I keep my eyes wide open all the time
I keep the ends out for the tie that binds
Because you’re mine, I walk the line

I find it very, very easy to be true
I find myself alone when each day is through
Yes, I’ll admit that I’m a fool for you
Because you’re mine, I walk the line

As sure as night is dark and day is light
I keep you on my mind both day and night
And happiness I’ve known proves that it’s right
Because you’re mine, I walk the line

You’ve got a way to keep me on your side
You give me cause for love that I can’t hide
For you I know I’d even try to turn the tide
Because you’re mine, I walk the line

I keep a close watch on this heart of mine
I keep my eyes wide open all the time
I keep the ends out for the tie that binds
Because you’re mine, I walk the line

(I Walk the Line by Johnny Cash)

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A Dream Girl by Carl Sandburg

You will come one day in a waver of love,
Tender as dew, impetuous as rain,
The tan of the sun will be on your skin,
The purr of the breeze in your murmuring speech,
You will pose with a hill-flower grace.

You will come, with your slim, expressive arms,
A poise of the head no sculptor has caught
And nuances spoken with shoulder and neck,
Your face in pass-and-repass of moods
As many as skies in delicate change
Of cloud and blue and flimmering sun.

Yet,
You may not come, O girl of a dream,
We may but pass as the world goes by
And take from a look of eyes into eyes,
A film of hope and a memoried day.

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Romans 15 – Bearing the weaknesses of brothers and sisters

Romans 15:1-2,7 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. 2 Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification… 7 Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.

We have a responsibility to look out for those who are being trampled upon, those who are forgotten, those who are in need. Each of us has a responsibility to “bear the weaknesses” of those around us.

Christianity is not an individualist faith. Christianity is not just about my relationship with God. Christianity is about the family of God. I am to care for my brothers and sisters; I am to care for my potential brothers and sisters. More succinctly, I have some responsibility for everyone I meet. I am not ultimately responsible for their choices and circumstances; but, I am responsible for bearing some of their weaknesses.

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Bad Joke of the Week

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Romans 14 – Accept your brother/sister in Christ without passing judgment

Romans 14:1,4,7-8,10 Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions… 4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand… 7 For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; 8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s… 10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.

If you believe Democrats/Republicans are evil, what should your attitude be toward the Democratic/Republican Christian in your church? “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.”

If you are a theologically liberal/conservative Christian, what should your attitude be toward the conservative/liberal Christian in your church? “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.”

If you do not believe women should be in leadership/ministry, what should your attitude be toward a woman who feels God’s call to enter leadership/ministry? “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.”

If you believe homosexuality is a sin, what should your attitude be toward the gay Christians in your church? “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.”

It seems Paul is saying that if we share a faith in Jesus Christ then we are to accept the other’s faith without passing judgment on their opinions.

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The Dead by James Joyce (Part 10 of 10)

He stood, holding her head between his hands. Then, slipping one arm swiftly about her body and drawing her towards him, he said softly:

“Gretta, dear, what are you thinking about?”

She did not answer nor yield wholly to his arm. He said again, softly:

“Tell me what it is, Gretta. I think I know what is the matter. Do I know?”

She did not answer at once. Then she said in an outburst of tears:

“O, I am thinking about that song, The Lass of Aughrim.”

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Romans 13 – Rambling thoughts on Christians and governments

Romans 13:1-2 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.

Is this a command all Christians are to follow? Is it true that God establishes our leaders and authorities? Are Christians forbidden to oppose authority?

Many Christians I know take this passage to be an instruction that Christians are to obey, honor, and serve their government. Many Christians use this passage as a basis for “Just War Theory” and for political activism.

As with any passage of the Bible, we need to be sure we are reading Romans 13:1-2 in context. Paul’s argument here is a continuation of what he began in the previous chapter when he wrote: “Present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Reading Romans 13 in the light of Romans 12 it seems that the correct understanding of 13:1-2 is that we, as Christians, have less interest in the kingdoms of earth than we have in the Kingdom of Heaven. If our rulers are treating us unfairly, so what? We have a God who will car for us. If we have a government that overtaxes us, so what? It was all God’s to begin with. We are not to be conformed by the customs, powers, and authorities of this age.

Rather than being concerned about the rulers and authorities of this age, we are to be concerned with loving God, loving our neighbor, and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I would argue that none of those things can be done through politics and none of those things can be done through government.

Romans 13:1-2 is not a call to blindly support our government; rather, it is a call to let the powers of this earth do their thing. If they are not contradicting Jesus, let them have their way. We are called to work in the service of the Kingdom of Heaven.

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Third Sunday of Lent

Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Weekly Meanderings

Here’s some stuff I came across this week…

Have a great weekend!

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Romans 12 – Diversity in Christ

Romans 12:1-6 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. 4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly

Thank God for the diversity found among those who have faith in Christ. We all think, speak, and act differently. We all have different priorities. We all have different measures of faith.

We need to be grateful for those who have faith in Christ, but are different from us; especially when we disagree. I am thankful for the more conservative members of my Christian family because they ground me in the Bible, in tradition, and in the surety and faithfulness of God. I am thankful for the more liberal members of my Christian family because they pull me out of the church and into the world; they force me to reach into the lives of the poor, the needy, the broken, and to meet their needs. I am thankful for the charismatic members of my Christian family because they draw me out of my self and into the reality of the awesomeness of God. I am thankful we are all different, because God is greater than our differences.

It can be hard to be thankful when you butt heads with a fellow Christian who is of contrary opinion; but, we should be thankful for the diversity we all bring to our Christian family.

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Romans 11 – Mercy for the disobedient

Romans 11:30-33 For just as you [Gentiles] once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so these [Jews] also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. 32 For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all. 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

Mercy is good. Thank God for the mercy he has shown you. Do not be quick to judge what degree of mercy he may show another.

God forgive our disobedience and bring us ever closer to you in all we think, say, and do.

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Touched by An Angel by Maya Angelou

We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.

Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.

We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love’s light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free.

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Romans 10 – Church litmus tests

Romans 10:9-13 if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

Christians can be very good at creating litmus tests. In the past when I have applied for pastoral positions I have always been fascinated by the litmus tests that churches put on their applications.

What is the role of women in church leadership? What is the definition of marriage? Which translation of the Bible do you preach from? Are you reformed? Are you evangelical? How old is the earth?

To some extent we can divide churches into two groups. The first is the boundary based church that defines the theological boundaries within which the church body must remain. The second is the center based church that focuses on moving people closer to Jesus. Neither is in and of itself wrong; both have advantages and disadvantages. I prefer the second.

In my view, most churches spend far too much time setting up boundaries to keep “them” out (or “us” in). We would be far better off if we spent that time and energy pointing people toward Jesus.

If we confess and believe in Jesus as risen Lord we are reunited with God, we are brought into fellowship with God, we are adopted into God’s family, we are redeemed, we are saved, we are a friend of God.

The main thing is to confess and believe in Jesus as risen Lord. Everything else is secondary, and is far less important.

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Bad Joke of the Week

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Romans 9 – Tricky little rock…

Romans 9:30-33 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 just as it is written, “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”

The thing about stumbling blocks is that their not very sneaky. They don’t jump out from a hiding place. They don’t sneak up on you. A stumbling block is out there, in the open, totally obvious, totally available. There’s nothing secretive about a stumbling block.

So why do we stumble over them? Why do we stumble over rocks sitting right in the middle of the road? Usually because we’re too busy looking at something else.

May Jesus grab a hold of your toe and trip you to the ground; and when you get up, take the time to look around and see what made you fall.

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