tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76061941232226501572024-02-20T07:11:48.633-05:00Journey With JesusFollowing Him Into the World That God ImaginesBobby Nemethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09211180066640576739noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7606194123222650157.post-74805742378527032932016-02-24T10:00:00.000-05:002016-02-24T13:07:19.960-05:00Wednesday Writings - Good and Very Good<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
my time formerly as a Discipleship Pastor and currently as the Discipleship Coordinator of my church I have
done a lot of reflecting and teaching on various parts of the Scripture.
During those times I have sought not simply to bridge the world of the academy
to the church, but to take that one step further and gleam those thoughts into devotional material that would go beyond the classroom. On Wednesdays I will be posting excerpts and
drafts from things I have already written, with minor tweaks. Hope you enjoy!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth...God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And
there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.<br />
(Gen 1:1, 31)</span></i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There
are many stories out there in competition for our interest, to become a part of
our worldview, the foundational set of beliefs we hold about reality which help
us make sense of how we live, move and have our being. The creation story
in Genesis is one such story in this competition for centuries. It forces
us to ask the questions: who really made the universe, how did it come into
being, how did humans get here, and is there any significance to this? Is
the world some meaningless void that appeared by chance and now we are simply
moving around trying to give significance to an existence that is absurd and
without purpose, or is there some reason, order, and intellect to this
universe, a story perhaps to make sense of it all? Is there some master
plan that we are a part of, like a play where the first few acts have been laid
out for us but we are left to improvise the rest? If so, how might we
know whether some scenes are better than others? The answers your give to
these questions are the first steps to the beginning of your journey.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My
suggestion is that we begin where the Bible begins that, “in the beginning God
created the Heavens and the Earth” and He called them <i>good</i>. It is
the belief that God has set all things in order and put them in their proper
place: fish in the water, cattle on the land and stars in the heavens.
Each thing is where it ought to be. It is the belief that he
created humanity in his image and likeness to watch over or rule his creation,
to reflect who he is, and when he was finished he called all of it <i>very good</i>.
Once we accept this twin belief, that God is the <i>orderer</i> and <i>creator</i>
of the universe then we can begin to understand the foundation of Jesus'
worldview.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Now,
if God has created the universe and set it in order, giving each thing he
created its own place, and humanity a task, we must assume then that we have a
purpose and there is a task for us, there is a story then that we can look at
to make sense of it all. Essentially, we are not here by chance.
However, more than that, we also know that we are created in the image and
likeness of God, meaning that in order to understand ourselves we must
understand the God in who's image and likeness we are made. Therefore,
the drama of scripture, the story of God and his creation, has something to
teach us not only about us but about God as well. We have the ability not
only to know good, what it is and why God called creation it, but we can known
something about the very one who called creation good in the first place.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Moving Forward</span></i></b></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1. How does your belief in God affect your
outlook on the world around you? Does it change the way you think, act,
and live?</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2. If God is the
creator and orderer of the universe, what has he created you for and where
has he ordered you to be?</span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></span></span><br />
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Bobby Nemethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09211180066640576739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7606194123222650157.post-76701861746781239052016-02-20T18:20:00.000-05:002016-02-21T00:20:10.829-05:00Revelations from Revelation - Look Up!Life is full of tragedy and moments that don't seem to make sense. This past week I heard the news about the tragic funeral of a young man, near my age, who was killed in an accident. That weekend he was planning to propose to his girlfriend. In an instant the celebratory sound of wedding bells would be replaced by ominous toll of the funeral bell. In an instant tragedy redirected the gaze of his loved ones from the future towards the present. Tragedy, trial, and tribulation have a way of redirecting our gaze. It is during these moments of fear and anxiety that Jesus directs his church to turn their eyes in a different direction.<br />
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As the early church in the late first century was beginning to face persecution for their faith, which John describes as tribulation (1:9) Jesus attempts to reorient their focus. He begins with an invocation of blessing whose source is none other than the Triune God in all their heavenly glory. He begins with YHWH (who is and who was and who is to come), the seven Spirits, and from Jesus Christ. Here They are equally joined together as the fount of the river called "grace and peace."<br />
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Yet, something is different because John decides to expand one figure above the rest, namely Jesus. In verses 5-6 we are told he is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. During a time when the early Christians in Asia Minor were threatened to give up their faith, bend to the whim of the culture, or perhaps be threatened with death by the social and political powers, Jesus comes to them and declares that it is he who is in charge and not the so called rulers. Therefore, like Him, they would need to remain strong. They would need to cling to their witness, but how? In the face of so much potential fear and pain, what encouragement could they have?<br />
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John continues in verses 12-18, where Jesus is lifted up in all His magisterial glory, described as YHWH. In fact, as John turns to look on him, the very sight of him is so overwhelming that John fell at His feet as if he had died. Then in full resurrection power, He raises John up and declares that He is the one over all things, holding the power over Death and Hades itself. In one swift descriptive move John disarms the only thing that the powers (namely Rome) who held them in bondage could threaten them with, death. As the one who overcame death, and conquered the grave [Hades], Jesus encourages his followers to do something unnatural. Instead of looking around at the circumstances, Jesus invites them to change the direction of their gaze upward, above all the threats, toward Jesus to see Him as the victorious one.<br />
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Life can be downright difficult at times, and it is so easy to look at and name all the things that are going on around us. But in the midst of adversity and tribulation the book of Revelation encourages us to do one thing first, look up. <br />
<br />Bobby Nemethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09211180066640576739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7606194123222650157.post-39549120648072841502016-02-19T12:23:00.004-05:002016-02-20T19:01:04.119-05:00What's the Problem with Grace?<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515noacnv-L._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515noacnv-L._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" height="200" title="" width="130" /></div>
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In his book Paul and the Gift, professor John Barclay does something that needed to be done a long time ago, set the idea of a gift, or GRACE, within its social-historical setting. Why is this important, because all of us tend to use the word within our own modern contemporary thought-world. However, we know that each culture has customs that are different from the others, and we need explanations of those customs in their cultural situatedness in order to grasp their intended meaning. Otherwise we aren't communicating.</div>
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Let me give you a real world example of this from American to European culture (at least some of the Europeans that I have encountered). When it is someone's birthday in America and you are going out to dinner with them, the friends usually chip in and pay for the person who's birthday it is. However, some of my European friends tell me that on their birthday they have to pay the entire check, for everyone. The same invitation in two different contemporary cultures takes on a different meaning based on cultural expectation. </div>
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So when Paul uses the word gift [grace], his original hearers understood it to mean something which was probably different than how we understand it today. Therefore, Professor Barclay has done us all a service with his book, by helping us go back into their world to understand the meaning of gift. However, this book was written for the specialist in mind, and would put most people to sleep. Therefore, I heartily encourage you to take the time to <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-212639123/4-interview-with-john-barclay">listen to this podcast</a> where he talks about his book and some of the issues surrounding it. I know it helped me.</div>
Bobby Nemethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09211180066640576739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7606194123222650157.post-80844689419144246962016-02-15T23:26:00.002-05:002016-02-21T00:11:34.976-05:00Revelations from Revelation - Part 1Currently I am teaching a Sunday morning Bible Study at my church
through the book of Revelation. While many cannot be there for all the
exegetical gymnastics I am performing at least everyone can certainly
benefit from some of the ideas and thoughts I am tumbling through. In
this series I will be relaying some of those thoughts and ideas that I have skimmed off the top. I
hope they enrich your reading of the Bible. <br />
<br />
John begins his letter to the churches in Asia Minor with a declaration about the source of his information, particularly that it is not from himself, but is a "Revelation of [from] Jesus Christ." Whatever involvement John has in relaying this revelation (passively or creatively) John's claim is that he is not the source of this river. Rather, John claims that he is just in the flow of things because he says that he was in the Spirit (1:10). It is from that posture that he received something from Jesus, which was given to Him by God, and it was signified (that is
communicated through the use of symbols) to John by an angel.<br />
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Revelation then, invites its audience into a world to see things from God's perspectives, or more precisely from John's vision of God's perspective. This invitation is not to be shunned, as many have done (myself included), but welcomed because a double blessing is proclaimed on both, the reader to the congregations, and those congregations who hear it. These prophetic words were intended to speak powerfully to their audience, as their meaning had direct significance to their current situation for John declares "that the time is near."<br />
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So where does that leave us? Though the impact of these words were directly for their 1st century audience, that does not mean that they cannot, and will not find significance for us today. In fact, I believe that much of what John says will be important for us to hear. Yet, something is required of us first. Like John, we need to be open to the journey, taking the posture of humility by being in the Spirit in order to hear a word from God. This means being people of prayer, the word and worship.<br />
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So my challenge to everyone who begins the journey of this book (or any book in the Bible for that matter) is to pray that the you will have the posture required "to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches."<br />
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Looking forward to our next steps together.<br />
<br />Bobby Nemethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09211180066640576739noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7606194123222650157.post-69145881217014697242013-01-30T17:13:00.000-05:002013-01-30T17:19:40.898-05:00Reflection on Christian Hope<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;">This is a short sermon I gave last night during a Grief Share meeting. It was a reflection on Christian Hope. I you enjoy it and find it encouraging. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;">There
are probably few events that shape the lives of people, more
powerfully, than the loss of a loved one. This past week I was
reminded of the sting of death, when someone I know, posted a Happy
Birthday to their loved one on Facebook who passed away some time
ago. I know that they still feels that sting of that death and the
empty place in their heart every year during those little moments
that bring this person into the front of their memory. Being a
pastor, I was invited to speak at that funeral, read some scriptures,
and say a prayer. It was a difficult and reflective time for myself
and I can still hardly imagine what they was going through. I knew
that no amount of words or encouragement would be able to console
them in that moment because of the loss that they felt in their
hearts. My only hope is that my prayers for them and the words that
I spoke might somehow help to reorient the pain and see the light
that is on the other side.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"> The
sting of death is a double edged sword. In some sense it can be a
freeing and liberating moment where the pains of this world are left
behind and the hopes of </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><i>life
after death </i></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;">are
welcomed and embraced. I have known this to be the case with more
than a few people in my life who have been battling with terminal
illnesses and debilitating diseases. They become tired and weary
from the battles that they are waging with their diseases, and death
seems to be a release from that pain when the hope of healing has all
but vanished from their hearts. Though the families and the one's
who love them so dearly are left with a sense of brokenness and
doubt, these people want to feel the warm embrace of their Father in
Heaven and be welcomed into the arm's of the Lord. They like the
Apostle Paul felt, “</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><i>For
to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain...My desire is to depart
and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the
flesh is more necessary on your account.”</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><i> </i></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"> Death for some can be the
end of the battle, the victory that they had been waiting for, as
they embrace their release from this world. Peter Jackson in the
Lord of the Rings, eloquently places these thoughts in the words of
Gandalf while he is talking with Pippin. Pippin says to Gandalf, “I
didn't think it would end this way. To which Gandalf replies, “End?
No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path... One
that we all must take.” We can say in the end that death for the
Christian is the embrace of God and the beginning of the journey into
“eternal life.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"> Though there is another
side of the sword of death, it is a bitter ripping apart, a crippling
experience. This path leaves us with heavy hearts, great sadness,
and a deep dissatisfaction. In these moments, we are left with, long
sighs and questions of “why does it have to be this way? Why do
they have to leave us.” It is during these troubling times, I
believe that we are invited to look at the twin pictures of the
Easter story. Of the Christ of the Cross and the of the Resurrection
of the Son of God.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"> “Where there is no cross,
there is no Christianity,” one writer put it, reflecting on his
experience after being in a Prison Encampment during WW2. The Cross
of Christianity, stands at the center of the faith, the climatic
moment, when God decisively dealt with the powers of sin and death.
It was their that God, had said that he would become the lamb that
would be slain for the sins of the world so that death would pass
over us. Therefore, sin would lose its hold over humanity, and
through our trusting in him, we would share in his victory and be
brought into a relationship with God once again. One ancient writer
put it, that he “trampled over death by death.” This death
secured for the early Christians a hope, a hope that said, “Whatever,
the world throws at us we can overcome!” The cross was a symbol of
Roman power, and anyone who came against Rome would be executed in
this fashion. And so Jesus turns the symbol of Roman power against
them by turning it into the symbol of our liberation. Thus, our
relationship with him is secured in the present. It is through the
cross and the blood of Jesus that we can approach the Father, and so
we have a great hope that when we die, we will be united with him in
Heaven, and experience the continuation of our present relationship,
in Life after Death.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"> The problem however, still
remains. When we die, Death still wins. Thankfully, the Easter
story does not simply end with the death of Jesus. Rather, it truly
reaches its climax in the resurrection of the Son of God. It is
there, in that moment, that the promises of God break forth, and
cascade down from the future into the present, so that we can
experience the promises of God to his people. While Israel was in
exile, God had spoken words of promise and hope that he would redeem
his people, rescue them from their oppressors, and bring them back
home from their exile. So that they would be his people and he would
be their God. This would be a time of great liberation where sin and
sickness would loose its hold over humanity, God would dwell in their
midst and death would be defeated. Jesus as the Lamb who takes away
the sins of the world, brings us into the this new Exodus. It allows
death to passover us and the Resurrection of Jesus is God saying,
“Yes!” to those promises.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Writing
to the church in Thessalonica, Paul says, </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><i>“But
we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are
asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For
since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through
Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep...For the
Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the
voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And
the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are
left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore
encourage one another with these words.” </i></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">The
church has always believed, and will always believe that the
Resurrection of Jesus means our resurrection. This was the hope of
the Christian faith, that God would reverse death and therefore, we
would be able to live with him forever. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"> Paul
writing to the church at Corinth expounds on these words and says,
“</span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Now
if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you
say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no
resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And
if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your
faith is in vain...and you are still in your sins. Then those also
who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have
hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But
in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of
those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man
has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die,
so also </i></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><i><b>in
Christ</b></i></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><i>
shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the
firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then
comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after
destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must
reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy
to be destroyed is death” </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><i> </i></span><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"> Death
is an enemy! Therefore Christians have and always will believe in
the hope that their IS </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>Life</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><i>after
</i></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Life
after Death! That at his coming we will be raised from the dead;
just as he was and we will experience new life, as Paul continues,
“</span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><i>We
shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound,
and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be
changed...When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the
mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that
is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." "O
death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"
...thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ.”</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><i> </i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><i> </i></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">On
that day when “</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Death
is swallowed up in victory” </span></span></i></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">we
will all sit down at a great feast with one another, a grand party,
with the Lord and all his saints and we will celebrate the salvation
of the Lord. The Prophet Isaiah proclaims, “</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">On
this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of
rich food, a feast of well-aged wine...And...He will swallow up death
forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces...It
will be said on that day, "Behold, this is our God; we have
waited for him, that he might save us...let us be glad and rejoice in
his salvation.</span></span></i></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">"
</span></span></i></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> In
the end their will be a great feast, a great party, and celebration
for what the Lord has done. After seeing the New Heaven and the New
Earth the Apostle John writes</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
"Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell
with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with
them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and
death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying,
nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." </span></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small; text-decoration: none;">
</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"> Ultimately
the Christian Hope is this: that whether in life or in death we will
be with God! Through the Cross of Christ he has tempered the sting
of death, by trampling over death by death. Though we will all face
this fate, we know that because he has overcome and we will overcome
as well. That </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><i>in
Christ </i></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">we
will have just a sliver of victory in death because there will be
</span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Life
after Death.</i></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">
However, through the Resurrection of the Son of God, we know that
the ultimate victory is ours, that Death will be Defeated, the Grave
will be no more, and we shall celebrate that day the salvation of the
Lord. On that day we will experience the </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>Life
</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">after
</span></i></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Life
after Death. W</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">ith
a great feast filled with the best food among friends, family, loved
ones, and people who we don't even know we will celebrate the victory
of our God. So until that day comes, we can all breathe a little
deeper, and sigh with a bit more relief, knowing that our
relationship now with the Lord, secures our relationship with him in
the future and thus our reuniting with our loved one's in the end.
So until that day comes: we wait with expectation, we hope with great
assurance, and trust that the Lord will do what he always promised to
do, “To dwell in our midst, so that he would be our God and we his
people.”</span></span></div>
Bobby Nemethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09211180066640576739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7606194123222650157.post-45547922857956672682013-01-21T09:57:00.001-05:002013-01-21T10:02:42.450-05:00Sermon for the Second Sunday in Epiphany<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><b>Welcome
to the Party: </b><i> John 2:1-11</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><i>Sermon
Delivered at the First United Methodist Church in Freehold, New
Jersey</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><i>January
20, 2013</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><u><b>Introduction</b></u></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> On
Monday, the 21</span></span><sup><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">st</span></span></sup><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
of January the 57</span></span><sup><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">th</span></span></sup><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
Inaugural Ceremonies will take place, on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
and President Barack Obama will be sworn into a Second Term of Office
as the President of the United States of America. This for some will
be a day of great celebration and for others a day of sadness.
Whatever you response is to this day, it is a historic occasion that
will be met with great anticipation and be filled with enormous
amounts of symbolism. The President will be sworn into office not
only on President Abraham Lincoln's Bible but also on Dr. Martin
Luther King's Bible. These symbolic actions are meant to transform
this ceremony and give them even greater historical significance,
they are meant to take us up into a larger historical narrative of
the country and speak in ways that words cannot. I am sure that
these actions in the future will be lauded by historians, saying that
we have entered a New Age, or perhaps a New Dawn broke forth in
American politics, or quite possibly the President himself will draw
on the Lincoln/King narrative in his address and say that he is going
to take a country that is broken and fractured and unite them once
again as these great figures did. Whatever the language that will be
used by either the President or Historians in the future I can assure
you that these symbols are meant to invigorate the event with
monumental meanings.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">In
today's text we find another such inauguration on the 2</span></span><sup><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">nd</span></span></sup><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
Sunday of Epiphany, the Inauguration of the ministry of Jesus. This
story the writer proclaims is meant to show us and reveal something
to us about his nature and his character.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><u><b>What
Does the Text Say</b></u></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Written
near the turn of the 1</span></span></span><sup><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">st</span></span></span></sup><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
century the Gospel according to John is one of the most beautiful
attempts at a theological poetic prose. It attempts to dance between
theology and history in artful way that invites the reader to
transcend the historical perspective and see it from the divine.
Furthermore, the author of this Gospel is extremely helpful because
he gives us his</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
interpretive key for the entire book in order to guide this
transcendence. He writes, “</span></span></span><i>Now
Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which
are not written in this book; </i><i><b>but
these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ
(that is the Messiah of the Jews), the Son of God, and that by
believing you may have life in his name.</b></i><span style="font-style: normal;">”
The key to unlocking the theological nature of John's Gospel is
understanding the signs that Jesus was performing, because they were
recorded that we might </span><i><b>believe</b></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;">
and the first of those signs is presented to us our text in John
2:1-11.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Our
story begins by given us the setting, “</span><i>On
the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee...</i><span style="font-style: normal;">”
Having just been married 3 months ago I understand how weddings can
be and the craziness that involves the nature of these events.
However, Jewish weddings culturally at this time where not just one
day affairs, but were multiple day extravaganzas that could last up
to one week. One scholar writes describing them, “The atmosphere
of this joyous occasion consisted of a procession in which the
bridegroom's friends brought the bride to the groom's house, and that
was followed by a wedding supper that could have lasted as little as
one day but as long as one week. Presents were given and the hosts
were expected to supply plenty of food and wine for the guests.”
So in some respects they are not unlike modern weddings.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"> Secondly, we are introduced
to the characters and the problem of the story, “...The mother of
Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his
disciples. When the wine ran out the mother of Jesus said to him,
'They have no wine'” Jewish weddings were a large family and
friend affair, numbering around 100 guests, with prominent figures
being invited. I believe that Jesus was a young Jewish Rabbi who was
invited shortly afterward because his mother somehow knew the family.
However, because disciples followed their Rabbi everywhere they also
came along with Jesus. Quite possibly, some have suggested it was
because they came with him that they ran out of wine and this is why
Jesus' mother comes to him. Others have suggested that the wine
would be stored near the brides chamber and thus Mary would have
noticed and thought to tell Jesus in order to get him to help
somehow. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Regardless
of the reason why they ran out of wine this was a serious social
problem, the couple and the bridegroom whose family was responsible
for providing the food and drink, could have faced a law suit from
the bride's family because of the shame that would have incurred on
them due to the lapse in hospitality. However, before any else can
find out Mary tells Jesus most likely because she wanted to avoid the
embarrassment and social shame that would have incurred. Upon
hearing of the issue Jesus replied, “</span><i>Woman,
what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.</i><span style="font-style: normal;">”
This exchange between Jesus and his mother has been met with
difficulty among the commentators, and myself. If I talked to my mom
like that she would have smacked me. And I say to all the youth and
children here this is the one time not to follow Jesus' example by
calling your mother Woman and say, “what does this have to do with
me.” </span></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Jesus'
response of </span><i>woman</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
however, is more like saying, “Ma'am or Ms, but still no one, not
even back then called their mother Ma'am and his follow up statement
is the same thing that demons reply to Jesus, “What have you to do
with us, Jesus of Nazareth.” Clearly, there is something combative
going on here between Jesus and his mother. However, Jesus' response
must be coupled with his second thought, “</span><i>My
hour has not yet come.”</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
The phrase </span><i>my
hour </i><span style="font-style: normal;">in
John's Gospel relates directly to mission of the cross where his
Glory and God's glory will be fully revealed when it culminates in
his resurrection and so that time has not yet come, we are only in
the 2</span><sup><span style="font-style: normal;">nd</span></sup><span style="font-style: normal;">
chapter on the </span><i>third
</i><span style="font-style: normal;">day,
yet you ask me for a foretaste of that, for what reason?</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-style: normal;">However,
the text shows the great example of faith, “</span><i>His
mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” </i><span style="font-style: normal;">She
knew the character of her son and she knew that he somehow had the
ability to deal with this situation, despite his apparent
apprehension at first. So the text continues, “</span><i>Now
there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of
purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to
the servants, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled
them up to the brim. And he said to them, "Now draw some out and
take it to the master of the feast." So they took it. When the
master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not
know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water
knew)...”</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"> Certain Jews at the time of
Jesus, believed in washing and cleansing rituals and they were
probably there to aid in that process. Their size is enormous, if we
take the pots being 25 gallons each then we have 150 gallons of
water, that will become wine. If you want to know how much wine that
is, it is 567.8 L or approximately 757 750mL bottles of wine, and not
just any wine but the best wine. This means that a wedding that had
most likely been going on for several days, lets' say 3 days, and the
longest they would last is one week we shall say that there were 3
days left of partying, if they are breaking for the Sabbath.
Therefore, Jesus produced if it was an average wedding of 100 people
about 7.5 bottles of wine per person or 2.5 bottles of wine per
person per day. That is the equivalent, given a 6 fl oz wine glass,
of almost 11 glasses of wine per person per day, for the next three
days. Jesus said, “Welcome to the Party!” It wasn't like a frat
house party where the question is, “Who brought the keg, but this
was who brought the beer truck!” It was a super abundance of wine,
an over indulgence of wine.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Now some might protest, why
would Jesus produce that much alcohol, or possibly he wouldn't have
produced alcohol. The issue in the scripture isn't drinking it is
drunkenness but at this party, Jesus gives the possibility for over
indulgence, and it is up to us to decide what we will do with that,
he is not going to violate our free will. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-style: normal;">The
story continues, </span><i>“The
master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone
serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then
the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” </i><span style="font-style: normal;">Wine
would be diluted by people in the Mediterranean Culture by mixing as
much as 1 part wine to 20 parts water, especially for children but
also in order to stretch it. The exact ratio that was used typically
is unknown. However, a wedding would start with the strong wine and
then move to the more diluted wine. It seems that the Master of the
Feast, who was responsible to control the quality of the wine and its
distribution, was allowing free drinking to go on and they had run
out. So when he received this new he was surprised because he did
not know where it came from and then he congratulates this young man
because as it reads in the Greek, “Everyone serves the good wine,
and when people </span><i>have
become drunk</i><span style="font-style: normal;">,
then the poor wine.” However, in this case you have kept the
undiluted stuff until now! Welcome to the PARTY!</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-style: normal;">The
author goes on to note, “</span><i>This
is the first of his sign, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and
manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.”</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><u><b>What
Does it Mean</b></u></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"> This passage invites us to ask the
question, “How does this reveal that Jesus is the promised Messiah
to Israel and therefore to the World?” </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"> First, it reveals to us the compassion
of God towards his people. This would have been a huge social
embarrassment and would have brought tremendous life long shame to
their marriage. People would have forever remembered them as the
couple who ran out of wine, and not only them but their families
because they were supposed to have provided for this. However, Jesus
saw their need and despite his initial apprehension, he comes to
their aid, he comes to their rescue, when they didn't even realize
they needed it and freed them from their shame. Shame, was the
initial feeling that Adam and Eve felt in the garden when they ate
the fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. However, just as God
covered them in the garden Jesus covers this couples shame, but this
covering exceeds the first covering in that it is not just merely a
blanketing over of the problem. Rather, Jesus brings a super
abundance of the very thing they lacked so that now their shame would
be turned into honor, so that the celebration of their marriage would
be remembered as a great party. So it wasn't before kings or priests
that the first miracle was performed but at a poor village wedding
ceremony.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Secondly,
this is the wine of God's New Age. Jesus places this miracle on a
time table, by saying, “His hour had not yet come.” Jesus knew
that as the Messiah of God his responsibility was to bring into the
present the promised </span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Age
to Come</span></span></i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
If you remember I have talked about this in the past. During the
time of Jesus Jews thought of time in terms of two distinct ages,
there was the </span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Age</span></span></i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
and the </span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Age
to Come</span></span></i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Currently
they were living in the Age which was a time of Evil, Death,
Destruction, Sickness, when the Law was not Obeyed and God was not
known, essentially they believed that they were in a time of exile
from God. However, they also believed there would come a time when
God would fulfill his promises to Israel which he made to them while
they were in exile in Babylon and liberate them completely from their
enemies at their repentance, thus ending the exile. This meant that
God would defeat the powers that were holding them in bondage and
thereby establish himself as King and Lord. This was the Promised
Age to Come a time of Wholeness and Peace where the Shalom of God
rested over the land, it was a time of life where death would be
defeated, that which was laid to waste would be built up again and
become like the Garden of Eden, Sickness would loose its hold over
humanity, the Law would be obeyed because he would write it on our
hearts and God would be known for he would dwell in their midst.
When Jesus preached that this world was breaking into their present,
he said, “The Kingdom of God was at hand.” Because that metaphor
doesn't make a lot of sense for us in our contemporary context, I
say, “This is the World that God imagines coming into our present.”
</span></span></span></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">One
of the controlling images that spoke of this inauguration of the
World that God Imagines was wine, and not just a little wine but wine
in super abundance. One of the central acts of Jesus' ministry was
that he was celebrating this inauguration by eating and drinking with
sinners and tax collectors, which caused the religious elite to say
that he was a drunkard and a glutton. However, they were missing the
point, Jesus was giving a sign in the present that was anticipating
the day when he would as it says in Isaiah, </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">“</span></span></i><i>On
this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of
rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of
aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the
covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over
all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will
wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he
will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. It will
be said on that day, "Behold, this is our God; we have waited
for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for
him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation."</i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
It would be on this day, that </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">mountains
will drip sweet wine and all the hills will flow with it.</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">”
Therefore, Jesus, out of the old system of ritual purification takes
water and transforms it into the wine of the New Age, he makes the
wine of the Kingdom of God, which shows to the people who have eyes
to see and ears to hear that he is the Messiah of God, and the one
who is going to ushering in this promised World that God Imagines.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><u><b>What
Does it Mean to Us</b></u></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">So what does this all mean for us? I
want to invite you to think about two things in closing:</span></span></span><br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">1. God cares about the little things and
the big things. His first miracle wasn't to raise someone from the
dead or regrow a limb but to reveal his glory in removing the shame
of a young couple who didn't even know they were in danger of it. He
came to their rescue when they didn't even ask. I tell you that God
wants to and is willing to come to our rescue, and he is able to do
exceedingly and abundantly more than we could ever dare to ask or
hope for. He has things dreamed for us that we haven't even thought
of, which he is waiting to fulfill.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">2.
God is looking for us to be the people who celebrate the
inauguration of his promised </span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Age
to Come. </span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">He
is looking for us to be a people who can come together and share
feasts that will be a foretaste of the great meal that we will share
with him in the </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Age
to Come.</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
Anything less than a joyous celebration of his inauguration of the
Kingdom is not living up to the potential that he desired for us.
The earliest Christian Gatherings were called </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Agape</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
Feasts, and people literally thought they were having wild parties,
but it was only because they were celebrating the Resurrection, they
were celebrating New Life and we should be celebrating this New Life
in Jesus together. I invite you, to celebrate this inauguration
wherever you go whenever you go in whatever you do, and invite people
to celebrate it with you. I say to you, Welcome to the Party!</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
Bobby Nemethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09211180066640576739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7606194123222650157.post-636118979707543052012-12-18T11:58:00.001-05:002012-12-18T12:00:51.139-05:00Thoughts to Help us Find Hope in the Darkness <div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Since becoming of aware of the
shooting in Newtown, Connecticut I have seen a lot posts coming from
people expressing their solidarity with those who suffered in the
wake of this disaster. I too have even shared a prayerful thought as
I began to reflect on it myself. Now as the initial shock has worn
off I have read some of the commentators, both religious and
political, on the attacks and listened to an Advent Sermon on Joy
shaped by the atrocity. In the season where we celebrate the Lord's
Incarnation, his becoming flesh, I thought it would be helpful to
offer a few framing thoughts for the conversations that will occur in
the days, weeks and months to come.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
First and foremost, in Jesus God has
been revealed to us. So it follows that any questions regarding
theodicy, questions regarding the goodness of God in light of evil,
need to keep that in mind. God's ultimate commitment of his
revelation of love for us is that <b>he literally became one of us.
</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">He put on flesh and reconciled
humanity and divinity in himself, and that relationship is not
divorced in the incarnation, ministry, death, resurrection, ascension
or Second Coming, he is and will always be both Fully Human and Fully
God. Essentially, God so loved the world that he </span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">gave
</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">his
only begotten son...to be united to us forever.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Secondly, where there is no cross
there is no Christianity. The revelation of God in Jesus will always
be cross shaped. Meaning that God does not sit over and above
humanity condemning them, watching passively or even apathetic to
their concerns. Rather, in and for love, he is the God that came to
humanity and suffered <b>with </b><span style="font-weight: normal;">and
</span><b>for </b><span style="font-weight: normal;">humanity.
Therefore, God understands what it is like to lose a son and even
understands the pain and sting of death. However, now through our
faith/fulness in him we can too can say with him, “O death, where
is your sting?”</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Lastly, the hope
of Christianity, the world that God imagines, is already and not yet.
In a world that seems so overcome by darkness we are called to be
the Light and we know that the darkness can not overcome it. We as
Christians through the Holy Spirit have felt, seen and even tasted of
the powers of the age to come. We are co-laborers with God in
bringing about his Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven through
our work and prayers. We are the people who have been transformed,
renewed and revived in the Spirit and that process continues in the
present until the redemption of our bodies at his Second Coming when
he will redeem and reconcile all things to himself. Therefore, in
this Christmas time as we reflect on Hope, Peace, Joy and Love we
must remember to be the embodiment of these things until his coming
and partner with God in the transformation of this world until all
things are made new and God wipes every tear from our eyes because
the last enemy has been defeated, death.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Bobby Nemethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09211180066640576739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7606194123222650157.post-33055245130448708832012-12-11T11:00:00.000-05:002012-12-11T11:00:00.530-05:00Review of The Historical Figure of Jesus – An Outline of Jesus' Life<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>Chapter 2</b> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Sanders
previous chapter began by setting the scope of his project, “...to
lay out, as clearly as possible, what we can know, using the
standard methods of historical research, and to distinguish this from
inferences, labeling them clearly as such (p. 5).” Therefore, we
need to understand the world into which Jesus was born and the
sources of how we can ascertain the information of, “who he was and
what he did.” </span>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> From
here Sanders decides that it is best, “...to begin with a very
brief sketch of his life, which will serve partly as framework and
partly as a launching pad for a fuller account.”(10) His
assumption lies in that, “There are no substantial doubts about the
general course of Jesus' life” when and where he lived,
approximately when and where he died, and the sort of thing that he
did during his public activity.” Essentially, Sanders offers a
list of the key points in the life of Jesus as portrayed in the
Gospels, however he remains agnostic about the resurrection itself.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> After
laying out his framework and overview of the life of Jesus he
continues by discussing dating issues involving the calendar and
dating of historical events surrounding the life of Jesus. He
attempts to quickly elaborate on the various moments of Jesus' life
concluding that his crucifixion happened because they saw him as an
insurrectionist. Furthermore, his disciples claimed to find his tomb
empty and began talking about resurrection experiences. These
experiences convinced his disciples that Jesus was coming again and
that faith in him was pivotal, therefore, they began talking about
him in relationship to God, giving him important titles, i.e.
Messiah.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> He
concludes, “every sentence of this sketch requires explanation, and
we shall examine most of these points in some detail.”(14) This
chapter provides the reader with a scope and sequence that functions
as a key to understand the areas of Jesus' life that are important to
Sanders' study. He does not want to try to delve into speculation
about what could be known about Jesus from obscure ideas, rather he
wishes to look at the data and see what we do know. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Question for Moving
Forward</b></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
How we tell the story
matters. The way that we arrange the events makes a difference in
what is important to us. Think about the way the 4 Gospels choose to
arrange the material from the life of Jesus. In what ways does their arrangement
of the information affect the picture we get of Jesus?</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Bobby Nemethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09211180066640576739noreply@blogger.com0Toms River Township, NJ, USA39.9537358 -74.197945839.8563608 -74.3558743 40.0511108 -74.0400173tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7606194123222650157.post-41702603384242097452012-12-10T10:00:00.000-05:002012-12-10T10:29:12.741-05:00Review of The Historical Figure of Jesus - Introduction<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Chapter 1</b> <br />
<br />
Since being introduced to N. T. Wright during my 2<sup>nd</sup> pastoral position I have become a huge fan of the so called 3<sup>rd</sup> Historical Quest of Jesus. I had begun with reading Wright and his extensive body of literature, then I moved onto Keener and Witherington. However, all the while I kept hearing everyone mention E. P. Sanders and how he was a foundational thinker to this whole movement. Therefore, I decided it was time to read Sanders and so I begin with<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140144994/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0140144994&linkCode=as2&tag=jouwitjes0a-20"> The Historical Figure of Jesus.</a><img alt="" border="0" class="kmiftjauisrqvjfwsgzf" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jouwitjes0a-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0140144994" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Sanders beings his <b>Preface</b> with qualifying what we can know about a figure in the ancient world, “knowledge can at best be partial and that certainty is seldom attained” especially when we are dealing with a figure “in a rather unimportant part of the Roman empire (xiii).” This qualification about knowledge is important and sets the key for the upcoming chapters. Sanders, as far as I have read, tries not to grab at too much information as a historian, rather he tries to make careful considerations based on the data at hand.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
His <b>Introduction</b> starts with the crucifixion of Jesus setting it in a political context, a criminal crucified as King of the Jews, and continues with outlining the task of his work, “...to understand who he (being Jesus) was and what he did (1, parenthesis mine). However, this book is not a theology <i>about Jesus</i>, but will discuss some of the theology <i>of Jesus</i> and his followers who transmitted his ideas. This work then is akin to studying people like Thomas Jefferson or Winston Churchill, but unlike them we do not have as much access to Jesus' direct thoughts and ideas. Therefore, this quest is much closer to finding the historical Alexander the Great, but again we do not have access to Alexander's thoughts and ideas. Whereas we do at least have partial access to the thoughts of Jesus' followers and those who attempted to transmit his ideas. However, these ideas are given to us in a language that Jesus did not speak and were often quoted for the authors own theological purpose.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Finally, in clear terms
Sanders tells us his purpose in this book, “...to lay out, as
clearly as possible, what we can know, using the standard methods of
historical research, and to distinguish this from inferences,
labeling them clearly as such.”(5) This is accomplished by first
looking at the historical, political, and religious context and then
moving onto discussing the sources from where we access information
about Jesus. Therefore, Sanders hopes to convey a historically
accurate picture of what can be known about Jesus given our limited
access to historical and personal information and that the Gospel
writers themselves had “theological convictions and that they may
have revised their accounts to support their theology.”(8)</div>
<br />
Sanders aim then as I read him is to understand Jesus in light of the historical and theological information that we have understanding that the historical information about Jesus is also at the same time theological. Therefore, we can not reach too far in our claims about Jesus historically, but we do have some access to them. This positive view of the Gospels is refreshingly critical in that it makes us reflect on the Gospels not only as historical but also theological in their own right.<br />
<br />
<b>Question for Moving Forward</b><br />
<br />
Does viewing the Gospel writers as being historians and theologians help or hurt the Gospels as accounts of the Life of Jesus? Why or why not?</div>
Bobby Nemethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09211180066640576739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7606194123222650157.post-15391983293723225942012-12-09T11:53:00.000-05:002012-12-09T20:30:58.791-05:00It Has Begun!For sometime now I have wanted to start an official blog, unlike those premature attempts on Myspace and Facebook, where I posted random thoughts about this and that from time to time. No, this time I wanted something different, something where I would really have to be disciplined about it and begin blogging and discussing my ideas with the larger community. Now with so many different blogs out there discussing a wide variety of topics, why another? <br />
<br />
First, this blog is going to be a place where I can share my ideas, my latest theological projects, and my reading lists. It is essentially the place where I can have a public conversation with people. <br />
<br />
Second, it is going to help keep me accountable to reading. The most valuable thing I have taken away from each blog that I have read in the past are the book reviews. Every time I see someone posting on a new, or even perhaps an old book, that they are reading brings me excitement. It helps me to know what is out there, what people are into at the moment, and quite possibly if I have read that book already what they have seen in it that I may not have. This critical engagement with the literature is one of the primary reasons I would like to begin blogging.<br />
<br />
Third, from time to time I get into theological projects. While working through these I mostly have myself and my wife as a dialogue partner. Therefore, as my professor once said, "The goal of school is to make you into better thinkers. Therefore, if you want to become better thinkers you must become better writers because it is in writing that you have to actually organize and work out your thoughts. So I want this to be a place where I can exercise my thoughts in community and dialogue with others so that I can become a better thinker and writer.<br />
<br />
Looking forward to the conversations ahead.Bobby Nemethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09211180066640576739noreply@blogger.com0