The End of Times

My dad taught me to love old school science fiction at a young age.  I love Kurt Vonnegut.  I read Stranger in a Strange Land in middle school (yes its a million pages, I know!).  I just recently finished all three of the books in the Hunger Games Trilogy in 36 hours (and yes, I did work and eat in that time period--although I did not in fact do much sleeping!)  The Book of Eli and I Am Legend are amazing recent movies about the End of Times.  I love pictures of fantasy and seeing how artists and writers talk about the Apocalypse.


However, when they do the same things in Biblical Literature--Ezekiel, Daniel, Revelation--it makes me a little more nervous.  I've often wondered why.  Maybe because it seems more and less real all at once.  Maybe because I've struggled to figure out how these stories affect my faith.  Maybe because as much as I like to imagine the Apocalypse, I know that I don't want to be around Earth when the end of times come.


So, reading Daniel always comes to me with trepidation.  Both Mary and Lindsay point out that there might be some reference to Jesus in verses 13 and 14, but that any comparison seems much more conjecture than say Isaiah 53.  This is Daniel's picture of the end of times.  With beasts and kings and fire.  I took a lot of peace in verse 15 when Daniel himself talked about being uncomfortable with his visions.  And everytime I read that verse, I am thankful to God that I am not burdened with the responsibility of sharing visions like Daniel.


What I think I came away from this week was a sense of wanting to make the world better.  A sense of wanting to shine God's light in the darkest places.  Its clear that we live in a broken world.  Where disease and anger and hate often win over love and healing and peace.  So, maybe the Day of the Lord is coming.  Maybe we are "doomed".  I don't know.  What I do  know is that I want to fight for God.  Fight to shine light in the darkest places.  Fight for Truth and beauty and God's love.  I want to fight.  For, I still believe in hope and love and resurrection.  One of Jesus' final lessons to us is that its NEVER over until God says it is.  That the dead can live and the blind can see and the leprous can be made clean!  Maybe Daniel's visions will come to pass--but I'm going to keep fighting to bring love and God to this broken world.  And I pray that you all will join me!


Blessings!

Pastor Emily  

The Day of the Lord

Daniel is one of our best examples of Biblical Apocryphal literature.  Bored already?

So, the Ancient Jews believed in a "Day of the Lord".  A day when God would come in judgement--striking His foes down and saving His people.  Daniel shows visions of such a day.  As you read, remember this context.  Also remember we are reading a TINY piece of a much larger book.

Remember, this would be the stuff that was half belief and half legend.  Something told by campfires and talked about in hushed whispers in the exile.  

Read Daniel 7:9-14 several times.  Then read the entire chapter.

1) How does the small selection point to Jesus.  

2) If you were an Ancient Jew, what kind of Messiah would you be looking for?

3) How does reading the larger selection change your mind or views?

4) What part of the reading stuck out to you?

Can't wait to hear your thoughts!

Blessings!
Emily  

Jeremiah 23, revisited

So, for a moment of honesty.

Its hard to write this second post when no one comments.  I try to write them off of what you say, and when you don't comment, its hard. So, between Trunk or Treat and other things, I didn't get to this last week.

Sorry.

But, back to the study--we have some new folks following along, and I am excited for them to join us!

What were your thoughts on Jeremiah 23?  Like Becky, I saw only one verse that spoke to Jesus specifically.  And yes, Jesus was from the line of David, but this passage seemed to point more to a military king and presence than to the Jesus I know.

To me, this is the clearest example of a prophesy that meant something to the Ancient Jews that seems to point less to Jesus.

What do you think?

Blessings!
Emily

Jeremiah 23

Please Read Jeremiah 23 this week! 

Lets see what God is saying to us!

1) What would you think the ancient Jews would have thought about this prophesy?
2) What do you see that points to Jesus?
3) What is speaking to you out of this?

Blessings!
Pastor Emily

Our God suffers.....

My Dad loves to ask the question, "Which holiday is more important--Easter or Christmas?"  Now, its not about the Bunny vs. Santa.  Its a question, of which of God's acts touches you more--the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross followed by the saving miracle of resurrection or the Incarnation--God being with us in flesh.

I love that question, and my answer always surprises people.  To me, the part of Christianity that boggles my mind is that God CHOSE to come and be with us.  To walk with us.  To be a part of this broken world.  In my logic (as flawed as it is), without Christmas--without Christ being PART of our world, there would be no Easter.  To me, there must have been as much pain in the stable that night--in Christ being "separated" from God--in Jesus coming to be born in a stable--than there was on the cross.  Maybe its just my poetic license.  I don't know.

But as I read Isaiah 53, I see Jesus.  I see Jesus like me.  When I hurt--when someone hurts my feelings, when I am sick, when I have tough choices to make, I turn here. 

v.4-5
Surely he has bourne our infirmities and carried our diseases, yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.  But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.

When I don't feel good enough, when I feel like everyone else is prettier, more eloquent, smarter, richer, I turn here.  

v. 2b
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.  He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; as one from form others hide their faces.  He was despised, and we held him of no account.

And when I suffer, I remember he suffered first.  Yet he did not open his mouth.  When I think there is no hope and all is dark, I remember that out of his anguish he shall see light.  And when I wonder if all my sacrifices are worth anything in the end, I remember that therefore I will allot him a portion with the great and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out himself to death and was numbered with the transgressors.

I love this picture of a God who loves me enough to suffer.  A God who suffers with me, for me, and in spite of me.  Who suffers because I suffer and who suffers from my hand.  This is the picture of God's strength and love that is bigger than I can ever imagine.  I am so thankful.  So thankful.

Amen.

The Suffering Servant!

I am sure I say this a lot (well, I know I do!), but Isaiah 53 is one of my favorite pieces of scripture.  This is odd, because it is kind of violent.  It is not a pretty picture.  But it speaks so much to my vision of God.  And of love.  Please read Isiaah 52:13-Isaiah 53:12 carefully.  Several times.  I'm not going to give a specific details, just read it.  To yourself.  Aloud.  To someone else.  Pray about it.  Pray the scripture.  Do what you need to do to inhale this passage and let it speak to you.

Then think about these questions:

1) What would thie passage mean to a Jew in Exile? 
2) What points to Jesus?
3) What does this passage mean to you today?
4) What does this passage say about God?

The questions are simple, I look forward to hearing your responses!

Blessings!

Pastor Emily

Christmas is coming!

I can’t read this passage without thinking of Christmas.  It almost smells of Silent Night and Candles and candy canes and evergreen trees.  Doesn’t it?  We can almost recite the passage together:

A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

The gospels tell us that Jesus came from David.  The Jews believed that too.

This next part is beautifully poetic,

The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

But I’m not sure that it fits with my theology.  Jesus WAS God, it wasn’t that the Spirit of God RESTED on him.  But as I read and pray more over these words, I realize a few things.  First of all, the Spirit of the Lord did rest in a human body.  The spirit of wisdom, understanding, power, might, and knowledge did come into human form.  Through Mary!  So, yes, this points to Jesus too! 

He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear;

but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

YES!  I bet to ancient ears, this rang true.  They were the poor, they were the meek!  They were in exile.  They wanted a savior to raise them up.

But to my ears, I think of Matthew 5.  The poor will no longer be the lowest class—but the exalted.  That’s the promise of Christ.  The poor will be rich.  The meek will be raised up!  How are we helping that promise of Christ?  Even more—are we like the ancient Jews assuming that we are the poor?  Or are we looking for the poor to love?

he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

This seemed to point to a righteous warrior.  But, Jesus kills the wicked in different ways—Jesus kills the wicked INSIDE of us.  He vanquishes the demons!  And he was righteous and faithful!  He IS righteous and faithful!  He will always be righteous and faithful!

The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.

Then comes the section of backwardness.  The backwardness of God—That the wolf and the lamb, the leopard and the baby goat, the calf and the lion, the child leading.  See, Jesus triumphed through suffering and death.  Jesus was made to lie down with the enemy.  But, he was not a young child to lead them…So, although I see the pointing to Jesus, I also see parts that aren’t exactly in line.

Then, skipping to the next session, comes:

On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

The entire last section points to the warrior.  To the messiah conquering enemies.  To the lands of Judah and Ephraim working together.  To Israel being back in power and the enemies in the dust.

I can work to make this make sense and point to Jesus, but I’m not sure I’m convinced the argument is a good or fair one.  Jesus will conquer all enemies, but not the way this last section seems to indicate.

This section came at the right time for the weather to get crisper didn’t it?  It just makes me start to think of all the great festivities that are coming!

Blessings!
Pastor Emily