Would we accept Jesus today?

How do we accept Jesus today? 

From the scripture passage for today in verse 11, it states, "He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him."
If Jesus were to walk into our class on Sunday morning, would we welcome him? 
How many times has "Jesus" entered our class over this past year? 
What were their names? How will we be ready this year?


John 1:(1-9), 10-18
1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

1:2 He was in the beginning with God.

1:3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being

1:4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.

1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

1:7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.


1:8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.

1:9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

1:10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.

1:11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.

1:12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God,

1:13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

1:14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.

1:15 (John testified to him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'")

1:16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

1:17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

1:18 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.

Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line

Surely They Are My People...

What does it mean to be the people of God?

The lectionary for this first Sunday following Christmas is  from Isaiah in the Hebrew scriptures. In verse eight of the passage it is God who is to have said, "Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely."

In the weekly Introduction to Juadaism class I am taking at the Reform Congregation Beth Ahabah, in Richmond, Virginia, there has been discussion about what does it mean to be God's people?

Is it a special or unique relationship? Is one favored beyond the "normal"  relationship? What does being the children of God entail? As Christians we see ourselves as uniquely related to Jesus, just as the Jews could sometimes see themselves as uniquely related to Adoni.

When one faces a God that is able to call all creation into himself, how do we distinguish our self as a child of his people?

Isaiah 63:7-9
63:7 I will recount the gracious deeds of the LORD, the praiseworthy acts of the LORD, because of all that the LORD has done for us, and the great favor to the house of Israel that he has shown them according to his mercy, according to the abundance of his steadfast love.

63:8 For he said, "Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely"; and he became their savior

63:9 in all their distress. It was no messenger or angel but his presence that saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line

The Risk in Faith - the Faith in Risk

When making a commitment to life, what risks are involved?

Being mortal, it's a little difficult to know what the future actually holds.

Risking for the larger story. Few people who have not risked have had a meaningful life. It seems to be an integral part of faith - to risk for the purposes of God.
The scripture is replete with those who have risked for God - Abraham, Isaac, Ruth, Esther, Jeremiah.

In our lesson for this Sunday, we look at another person who risked for God, from the book of Matthew, Joseph. The earthly father of Jesus. Just another young Jewish man for most in his day and time who by tradition was a woodworker. Young Joseph found himself in a social and familial dilemma when Mary his betrothed appears to be pregnant, through no apparent doing of his own. What to do?

How does Joseph respond to the risk to his and Mary's dilemma? How is that related to faith in our lives?

Matthew 1:18-25
1:18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

1:19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.

1:20 But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

1:21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

1:22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

1:23 "Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us."

1:24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife,

1:25 but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line

With each child, the world begins anew -The Midrash

The first mitzvah - the first "commandment" - in the Bible is "Be fruitful and multiply," from Genesis 1:28. For Jews, having children is both a religious obligation and the crown of human life, the source of the greatest happiness. The birth of Jewish babies is thus greeted with rituals that are both solemn and joyful.

All parents know that their baby is the center of the universe, a "fact" that is acknowledged by the Jewish view of time. Every Jewish baby is considered a link in the chain that extends back to the birth of Isaac, the first Jewish baby, and extends forward to the day when the world will be peaceful and whole. After all, any baby might grow up to be the Messiah, the person who will lead the world to redemption. The Jewish traditions and rituals...give voice to the powerful feelings that surround the birth of every baby: gratitude, awe, fear, humility, continuity, and hope.
(Anita Diamant, Living a Jewish Life, 2007)

In our Journey lectionary lesson for December 12, we have the verses from Luke 1:1:46b-55, referred to in gospel critique as the poetically beautiful "Magnificat." My soul "magnifies" the Lord states the frail, but blessed mother to be. And in true Jewish tradition, Messianic hopes were there too.

How does Mary express gratitude, awe, fear, humility, continuity, and hope in the light of news brought to her on the wings of a messenger? 

For today, how does this contribute to recognizing each person as an expression of God, as described in the Latin phrase - imagio dei - as we are said to be created.

Luke 1:46b-55
1:46b My soul magnifies the Lord,

1:47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

1:48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

1:49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

1:50 His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

1:51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

1:52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;

1:53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.

1:54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,

1:55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line

How is God bringing a new idea to your life?

Today we look at Isaiah 11:1-10.  

A new growth, a shoot is ascending from an older. The promise of new life continues for the people. Isaiah characterizes this new promise as a spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, along with the spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.

What do these characteristics mean? How is God using these characteristics to bring new life in you today?

What are some of the metaphors you can visualize from the image to the left as they apply to our lesson today?


Isaiah 11:1-10
11:1 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

11:2 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.

11:3 His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear;

11:4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

11:5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

11:6 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.

11:7 The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

11:8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den.

11:9 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

11:10 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.

Walter Morton for Journay Across the Line

It's That Time Again...for Thanks!

1st Thanksgiving (Street Spring School, West Bridgewater, MA)

"Are you ready to eat, pilgrim?" Said the Indian in the glasses.

As the title of this post states, "It's that time again...for Thanks!

If it's true what they told us in school when we first dawned our construction paper hats and feathers, our November tradition came about during a time of emphasis on survival and the attempt to find a way to survive in the new world.

Traditionally this week is presented as a time when we welcomed those of a completely different faith experience and culture. As peoples having to strive in the same environment together they shared together the gifts of what each had grown and cultivated during a harsh fall. What's that got to do with Thanks?

Most contemporary stories that appear about Thanksgiving today are the psycho-social-centrifuge comedies of screen and print where "survival" is considered making it back home without a lay-over at a connecting hub and with our self-identity not suffering too much from the effects of family-lag. What's that got to do with Thanks?

Today's Lectionary scripture is from the Hebrew scriptures' book of the Psalms:

What are you thankful for?

Psalm 100
100:1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.

100:2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing.

100:3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.

100:5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line 

How do we endure?

Chagall's White Crucifixion

In Chagall's White Crucifixion, Jesus is seen suffering on the Cross in the very midst of overwhelming suffering by all the people around him.

Jesus says to God, "father forgive them for they know not what they do." He then promises his two fellow unfortunates that, "today, they will be with him in paradise."

How do we endure the suffering of life until we reach the goal? How did Jesus' defense of those about him, when he said to forgive them, teach us how to endure our suffering until...?

Luke 23:33-43
23:33 When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.

23:34 Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots to divide his clothing.

23:35 And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!"

23:36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine,

23:37 and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!"

23:38 There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews."

23:39 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!"

23:40 But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?

23:41 And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong."

23:42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

23:43 He replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

What is the Purpose of our Living?

A Study in Modernist Space

Some would say that first discerning the purpose for which we live then determines the design and behavior of our living. This interpretation can be seen as truly “modernist” in its emphasis. An approach via a linear or minimalist path is constructed from problem (our purpose?) to its resolution, resulting in our design and behavior. This linear approach has often proved to be both powerful and elegant to us in the modern world.

Regarding behavior, the classical Greeks designed four philosophical constructs or “schools” of thought in which human behavior could be expressed. In tongue in cheek fashion, I have added (in parentheses) what I consider their present-day equivalents.

The Stoic – (Minister)

The Skeptic – (Scientist)

The Epicurean – (Playboy)

The Cynic – (Journalist)

While these schools of thought had existed for some time, they supposedly came to their most influence when the earliest attempts at building a perfect democracy had come to stalemate in Greece. Perhaps it was because democracy was never able to adequately fuse these four concepts. As a result, some in the society returned to the factional nature of these four ideologies or mindsets for the modeling of behavior. Sounds a bit close to home.

Near the end of the Fall of Rome, St. Augustine penned his influential De Civitate Dei, “The City of God.” Here again as with democracy in Greece, the political construct of the time, Rome, had crumbled. Attempting to bring fresh purpose or vision to a people possessed of cynical times, Augustine directed their eyes upward to a time to come in a future city. To some degree, the questions of purpose, design and behavior were directed more toward the future.But, some would say with little emphasis on the problems of the present.

Discussion:

What is the purpose of our living?

How is the purpose, the design and the behavior of our lives linked?

Is it a minimalist linear approach?

How do we avoid returning to factionalist behaviors?

What part as partners with God do we play in fulfilling these passages from  Isaiah?

Isaiah 65:17-25
65:17 For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.

65:18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight.

65:19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress.

65:20 No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.

65:21 They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

65:22 They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

65:23 They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the LORD-- and their descendants as well.

65:24 Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear.

65:25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent--its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD

Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line.

The Good Old Days...

On the way to church...in the good old days

What era do we usually refer to when we say church was at its peak in America?

Are the good days of our church or even our own religious experience stalled in the past? 

Have you ever heard it said, "Oh, if only things were like they were when," or can you joyfully anticipate the best is yet to come and work to make it so.

What about the past is valuable to the future? How do we adapt to make that future possible?
In today's lesson, the minor prophet Haggai tells the Jewish people that while their glory days seem to lay in the past, they are actually in the days to come.

Haggai 1:15b-2:9
1:15 on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month.

2:1 In the second year of King Darius, in the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai, saying:

2:2 Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, and say,

2:3 Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as nothing?

2:4 Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the LORD; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the LORD; work, for I am with you, says the LORD of hosts,

2:5 according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you; do not fear.

2:6 For thus says the LORD of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land;

2:7 and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the LORD of hosts.

2:8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD of hosts.

2:9 The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the LORD of hosts.

Leveling the Scales

Leni Kae Libra with scales

Luke is the great leveler of the Gospel writers. While the Sermon on the Mount is found in Matthew where we are called to a "higher level" of ethical behavior, Luke titles Jesus' major ethical expression the Sermon on the Plain. Luke approaches true ethics as "an equalizer." He wants to bring the scales into balance for all.


In the passages given from the Lectionary for today, we see Luke's example of how one is equalized and becomes an equalizer for others in his community.


Luke 19:1-10
19:1 He entered Jericho and was passing through it.

19:2 A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich.

19:3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature.

19:4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way.

19:5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today."

19:6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him.

19:7 All who saw it began to grumble and said, "He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner."

19:8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much."

19:9 Then Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham.

19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost."

Are there those in your world today for whom you can level the scales? 

What keeps us from doing this?  

Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line

Passing the baton.

How do our lives matter to the next generation?  How do we pass on the baton so the race continues?

Today's lesson, as chosen from 2 Timothy, reflects Paul's feelings at the end of his life. It is traditionally believed that Paul was possibly martyred in Rome. Whatever the case may be, he appears to have felt he had been faithful to his call.  

The night before Martin Luther King was assassinated, King delivered his I've been to the mountain top speech. 

"Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. 

Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!   

And so I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man! Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!!"

  

All religious expressions start out as a cult experience. Some religious expressions make it past their cult stage, most don't. A cult can be defined as a religious expression that finds its full beginning and ending in the time of one lifespan. Every generation has its cults. Think David Koresh and the Branch Davidians,  Jim Jones and Guyana as examples of this type of phenomena. It ended when the life of the leader ended. Their cult expressions died away within one generation.

How do we avoid being a cult and pass on the baton to the next generation?

In the passages from 2 Timothy 4:6-8 and 16-18, we see Pail speaking of the end of his life and how he places it in the context of the larger whole. 

From the passages how did Paul contribute to the next generation? How did Martin Luther King? But most importantly how do we contribute to the continued presence of God in the lives of those to come?

2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

4:6 As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come.

4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

4:8 From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

4:16 At my first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them!

4:17 But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth.

4:18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line 

The Dark Night of the Soul

The dark night of the Soul or Spiritual Crisis.

 From Wikipedia: The concept of "spiritual crisis" has mainly sprung from the work of transpersonal psychologists and psychiatrists whose view of the psyche stretches beyond that of Western psychology. Transpersonalists tend to focus less on psychpathology and more unidirectionally toward enlightenment and ideal mental health (Walsh & Vaughan, 1993). However, this emphasis on spirituality's potentials and health benefits has been criticized.

According to James (1902), a spiritual orientation focusing only on positive themes is incomplete, as it fails to address evil and suffering (Pargament et al., 2004). Scholarly attention to spiritual struggle is therefore timely as it can provide greater balance to the empirical literature and increase understanding of everyday spirituality. Another reason for the study of spiritual crisis is that growth often occurs through suffering (e.g., Tedeschi, Park, & Calhoun, 1998). As such, neglecting problems of suffering might result in neglecting vital sources of spiritual transformation and development (Paloutzian, 2005)


What does it mean to have striven with God and with Humans? And to have prevailed through a dark night?


Genesis 32:22-31
32:22 The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.

32:23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had.

32:24 Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.

32:25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him.

32:26 Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me."

32:27 So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob."

32:28 Then the man said, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed."

32:29 Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him.

32:30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved."

32:31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.

Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line

Should I Shemaiah? or Jeremiah?

 How do we respond to things that are beyond our control? 

Should we go forward, stop, go back? 

In our human experience, what feelings and emotions also come with these decisions?


In today's lesson we look at Israel's capture and captivity in Babylon. From the book of Jeremiah there are clearly two opposing prophetic messages being set in front of the Jewish people as to whether they should establish a meaningful life in Babylon or not. As in the multi-traffic light shown above is the message go or stop??

Jeremiah 29

Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles in Babylon

 

1These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
²This was after King Jeconiah, and the queen mother, the court officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the artisans, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.  
³The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah sent to Babylon to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. It said:  
⁴Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:  
⁵Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce.
⁶Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.
⁷But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
⁸For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let the prophets and the diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream,^{*  
9}for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, says the Lord.
10 For thus says the Lord: Only when Babylon’s seventy years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfil to you my promise and bring you back to this place.  
¹¹For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.
¹²Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you.  
¹³When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart,  
¹⁴I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
15 Because you have said, ‘The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon’—
¹⁶thus says the Lord concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who live in this city, your kinsfolk who did not go out with you into exile:  
¹⁷Thus says the Lord of hosts, I am going to let loose on them sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like rotten figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten.  
¹⁸I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, and will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be an object of cursing, and horror, and hissing, and a derision among all the nations where I have driven them,
¹⁹because they did not heed my words, says the Lord, when I persistently sent to you my servants the prophets, but they^* would not listen, says the Lord.
²⁰But now, all you exiles whom I sent away from Jerusalem  to Babylon, hear the word of the Lord: 
²¹Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying a lie to you in my name: I am going to deliver them into the hand of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, and he shall kill them before your eyes.  
²²And on account of them this curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon: ‘The Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire’,  
²³because they have perpetrated outrage in Israel and have committed adultery with their neighbours’ wives, and have spoken in my name lying words that I did not command them; I am the one who knows and bears witness, says the Lord.

The Letter of Shemaiah

24 To Shemaiah of Nehelam you shall say:  
²⁵Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: In your own name you sent a letter to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests, saying,
²⁶The Lord himself has made you priest instead of the priest Jehoiada, so that there may be officers in the house of the Lord to control any madman who plays the prophet, to put him in the stocks and the collar.
²⁷So now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who plays the prophet for you?  
²⁸For he has actually sent to us in Babylon, saying, ‘It will be a long time; build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat what they produce.’
29 The priest Zephaniah read this letter in the hearing of the prophet Jeremiah.  
³⁰Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah:  
³¹Send to all the exiles, saying, Thus says the Lord concerning Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and has led you to trust in a lie, ³²therefore thus says the Lord: I am going to punish Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants; he shall not have anyone living among this people to see^* the good that I am going to do to my people, says the Lord, for he has spoken rebellion against the Lord.


Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line

Frustration vs Formation

Out of frustration, have you ever prayed to God requesting more patience and then found yourself thrown even further into an arduous and challenging predicament that you must struggle through? 

Many of the experiences of our lives can have meaning and purpose if we desire for them to be so. For our experience is just that: Ours. It shapes and influences each of us in unique ways quite like nothing else. 

It is something we might refer to as formation. 

Our frustrations act out our base desires and expectations regarding how we believe things ought to be.This is as true for us as for the apostles when they asked Jesus to give them more faith. They must have been frustrated with where they were. And as we see, this request bred a Jesus who expressed loudly his own frustration with the apostles as well. 

How was Jesus' answer an answer regarding their formation?

Luke 17:5-10
17:5 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"


17:6 The Lord replied, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.


17:7 "Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here at once and take your place at the table'?


17:8 Would you not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink'?


17:9 Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded?


17:10 So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, 'We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!'"



Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line

Today we're all in the same boat...

The lectionary passages today remind of a story about faith and how it should be acted out.
During the months of early Spring a flash food comes to a small Texas farming community. Livestock, houses, and barns are loosened from their foundations and washed away by the over-bounding currents of furious water. Farm folk are caught upon their roofs as waters suddenly rise and flow. One farmer trapped atop his shed flowing down the current prays to God saying, "I believe in miracles and I know you will save me."

Before the next hour is finished the farmer experiences three incidents. The first, a man on the shore offers to throw him a rope, second, a rescue boat passes by the floating shed and offers help, third, a helicopter flies over and lowers a rescue harness. But each time the farmer refuses. "God will rescue me, I have faith" he states.

But the deluge overcomes him and suddenly he finds himself before his maker. Bewildered, he asks God why he let him perish. God angrily replies that he sent him the rope, the boat and the copter! Didn't the farmer recognize the miracles of this present world?  Dr. Luther Martin King once said about the African-American struggle that "once we all came in separate boats to America, but now here, we are all in the same boat. That very same lifeboat.


Our lesson today is the importance of providing the everyday miracles of that lifeboat today to those who need them.

What could Jesus mean when he said? 'If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"

Luke 16:19-31
16:19 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.

16:20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,

16:21 who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.

16:22 The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.

16:23 In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.

16:24 He called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.'

16:25 But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.

16:26 Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.'

16:27 He said, 'Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house--

16:28 for I have five brothers--that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.'

16:29 Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.'

16:30 He said, 'No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'

16:31 He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"

Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God?

Fire in the Eye

Similar to our verses today is a sermon by the colonial Puritan preacher. Jonathan Edwards, from our country's early days.

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, 1741                                                                                        

For better or worse, the sermon for which Edwards is probably most famous—or infamous—is the one preached to the congregation of Enfield, Massachusetts (later Connecticut) in July 1741. Anthologized in high school and college textbooks, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God represents in many persons’ minds the bleak, cruel, and hell-bent outlook of Edwards and his Puritan predecessors. But of course such a representation is only a caricature, for Sinners, if it represents anything, stands for only a small part of Edwards’s view of the relationship between humankind and God. As a specially crafted awakening sermon, Sinners was aimed at a particularly hard-hearted congregation. But, at the same time, the awakening sermon and all it expressed—the awful weight of sin, the wrath of an infinitely holy God, and the unexpectedness of the moment when God will execute justice—were integral to Edwards’s theology.(Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University) http://edwards.yale.edu/research/major-works/sinners-in-the-hands-of-an-angry-god    

Does God change his mind? 

In the Lectionary session we have today from the book of Exodus 32: 7-14 we see God's angered reaction to the stiff-necked people he has brought out from Egypt. We also see Moses' response to God and how he regards the people of Israel as his responsibility. 

Who are we responsible for? 

Are we ready to speak for them when the need arises?

Exodus 32:7-14
32:7 The LORD said to Moses, "Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely;


32:8 they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!'"


32:9 The LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are.


32:10 Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation."


32:11 But Moses implored the LORD his God, and said, "O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?


32:12 Why should the Egyptians say, 'It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people.


32:13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, 'I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'"


32:14 And the LORD changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.           

Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line

What is the image of Jesus?

Jesus the Jew

Jesus the Christ

Jesus the Conformist

Jesus, the same yesterday, today and forever. What is the image of Jesus? How has Jesus been seen differently at different times in our history, both as a Christian people and in your own personal history?

How do the passages from Hebrews speak to the image of Jesus today?

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
13:1 Let mutual love continue.

13:2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.

13:3 Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured.

13:4 Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers.

13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you."

13:6 So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?"

13:7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

13:15 Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.

13:16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line

What does it mean to find one's voice?

The Prophet Jeremiah
by Andrew Mabanji
"The word is a fire in my heart...I could not keep it in."
Jeremiah 20:9 

In this Sunday’s lectionary lesson, we look at the call of Jeremiah as prophet to his people. Jeremiah had something to say, but it was not always popular, in fact it hardly ever was. Jeremiah suffered injury and was imprisoned by his own because of his pronouncements about impending captivity by the Babylonians.

God’s call to Jeremiah: (from Wikipedia, for more from this article,click here.
“God appointed Jeremiah to confront Judah and Jerusalem for the worship of idols and other violations of the covenant described in Deuteronomy. According to Jeremiah, the LORD declared that the covenant was broken and that God would bring upon Israel and Judah the curses of the covenant. Jeremiah’s job was to explain the reason for the impending disaster (destruction by the Babylonian army and captivity), “And when your people say, 'Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?' you shall say to them, 'As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours…In return for his adherence to God’s disciplines and speaking God’s words, Jeremiah was attacked by his own brothers, beaten and put into the stocks by a priest and false prophet, imprisoned by the king, threatened with death, thrown into a cistern by Judah’s officials, and opposed by a false prophet.Yet God was faithful to rescue Jeremiah from his enemies. For example, when his prophecies regarding the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem were fulfilled by Nebuchadnezzar’s army in 586 BC, Nebuchadnezzar ordered that Jeremiah be freed from prison and treated well.”


Jeremiah 1:4-10

1:4 Now the word of the LORD came to me saying,

1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations."

1:6 Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy."

1:7 But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a boy'; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you,

1:8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD."

1:9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the LORD said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth.

1:10 See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."


How do we find our own voice in this day and age?

Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line

The Present Times...

Cityscape of Manhattan

How do we discern our present times?  
And having once discerned these times, how as individuals can we contribute to the needs of the day? 

In the picture of the cityscape, how is our present time different than when Jesus walked the earth?  What makes it the same? How does each view speak to our call to participate in the world?

In the Lectionary lesson for today, August 15, we look at passages from the book of Luke 12:49-56. Here Jesus speaks of fire and division coming to the people of Israel. What could he be referring to when he speaks of recognizing"the times."

Luke 12:49-56
12:49 "I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

12:50 I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed!

12:51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!

12:52 From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three;

12:53 they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."

12:54 He also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, 'It is going to rain'; and so it happens.

12:55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, 'There will be scorching heat'; and it happens.

12:56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?


Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line

What is the essence of our faith action?

 What happens when God burns away what we have always thought was important to us?  How do we allow God to purge from us that which no longer speaks the love of God to others in our world?
Today we look at verses from the book of Isaiah and see how well they speak to our situation today.



Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
1:1 The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.


1:10 Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!


1:11 What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.


1:12 When you come to appear before me, who asked this from your hand? Trample my courts no more;


1:13 bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation-- I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.


1:14 Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them.


1:15 When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.


1:16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil,


1:17 learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.


1:18 Come now, let us argue it out, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.


1:19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;


1:20 but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

ABRAHAM'S CONCERN...

Concern for the One,
BYU Center for Teaching & Learning

What does it mean to have concern for another human person, especially for those who seem to have beem struck with misfortune through no direct fault of their own?

How do we respond in a world where fortune can have dual results, good or bad? What does it mean to speak up for others, to set our plea before God?

“The Lord did not people the earth with a vibrant orchestra of personalities only to value the piccolos of the world. Every instrument is precious and adds to the complex beauty of the symphony. All of Heavenly Father’s children are different in some degree, yet each has his own beautiful sound that adds depth and richness to the whole.” (Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Concern for the One,” Ensign, May 2008.)


How do we find the worth in each other? In today's lesson from Genesis we look at the story of Abraham's plea for those of the cities of the plain, Sodom and Gomorrah. What is significant about this plea?
Are there differences in how Abraham pleas from how we might today? Where is the concern for the one?
 
Genesis 18:20-32

18:20 Then the LORD said, "How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin!


18:21 I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me; and if not, I will know."


18:22 So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before the LORD.


18:23 Then Abraham came near and said, "Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?


18:24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the place and not forgive it for the fifty righteous who are in it?


18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?"


18:26 And the LORD said, "If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake."


18:27 Abraham answered, "Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.


18:28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?" And he said, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there."


18:29 Again he spoke to him, "Suppose forty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of forty I will not do it."


18:30 Then he said, "Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak. Suppose thirty are found there." He answered, "I will not do it, if I find thirty there."


18:31 He said, "Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it."


18:32 Then he said, "Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there." He answered, "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it."


Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line

What Is Our Focus?

Stereo image by Gary W. Priester, Eyetricks.com

How do we maintain our focus on what is important in our lives?

Are we even looking in the right way to see what is before us?

The image at top right is a stereo image. Relax your eyes on the image and see if you can discern the word "FOCUS" embedded stereo-optically.

The old saying that life happens while we are making other plans or carrying out the daily duties of our lives occurs to us all. How do we maintain a vision of purpose and initiative as we struggle to be all we are supposed to be in God? How do we recognize the opportunity before us to truly live?

But most important, how does this affect what we believe? Can our own beliefs be distractions to true growth in God?

In our lectionary lesson from the Gospel of Luke 10:38-42, we meet Martha, distracted by both the everyday and the routine of her beliefs about what is appropriate in belief and behavior. While the passage is short, the lesson possesses many connotations. To begin, how are we like Martha?

Luke 10:38-42

10:38 Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.


10:39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying.


10:40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me."


10:41 But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things;

10:42 there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."
 
Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line

What must I do...?

"What must I do to inherit eternal life?'"
asks the lawyer of Jesus in Luke's gospel. 




The idea of an afterlife has always been one open to debate. Not everyone in Jesus' time believed in an afterlife. The Saducees, who were the ruling class of priests in Israel did not believe in an afterlife or resurrection to come for those who had died.

In the Greek-Hellenized world, contemporary with Christ, there was belief that the Soul or Psyche, symbolized by the butterfly's metamorphosis from the caterpillar to a winged beauty, represented our own human progression from physical being to a higher spiritual existence to come.

Of course, Christianity is not the only religious expression that purports a life of meaning after this one. There are variations on this theme throughout history as well as across our present day human beliefs, whether we are speaking of a heaven, a hell, or a series of incarnations we must endure to  reach our penultimate existence.

However, whether we speak of the ruling Priestly class of Saducees or the Law interpreting Pharisees (the lawyer in the Lukan passage could easily be a Pharisee) who believed in an afterlife resurrection, for the most part a faithful Jew was occupied with his present day life rather than the one to come.

In fact, even though a Pharisee believed in resurrection into an afterlife, he believed this life was key to his/her inclusion in the next. It was his conduct in this one that affected the next. This interpretation agrees with virtually all religious or philosophical expressions of a life after this one regardless of Jewish, Christian, Hindi, Wicca or other afterlife beliefs.

In the Lukan passages 10:25-37 for our study, we see how Jesus illustrates through the story of the Good Samaritan how this life calls us to live in an eternal manner. How the questions of life and neighbor are both eternal in their significance as they are continually posed to us generation after generation after generation.

Luke 10:25-37

10:25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

10:26 He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?"

10:27 He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."

10:28 And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."

10:29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

10:30 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.

10:31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

10:32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

10:33 But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity.

10:34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

10:35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.'

10:36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?"

10:37 He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."


Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line