Some would say that a frank discussion of human sexuality doesn't belong in church. But as our pastor, Mark Snodgrass, proved yesterday, the topic can be handled with grace, dignity, a bit of humor, and a call to action for the church.
Preaching from 1st Thessalonians 4:1-6, he showed what God's plan is for sex: monogamous relations between a man and a woman. He brought out many good points from Dan Boone's book, A Charitable Discourse. He showed the consequences of not sticking to God's plan: how casual sex is really creating and breaking bonds, with each breaking having an impact on a person's life. It might be possible to suppress those impacts for a time, but not forever.
Mark talked about a friend he was close with who for a time remained a virgin, saving himself for his future wife. But then he had sex with a girlfriend, and it wasn't long before he was hopping from girl to girl, from bed to bed, never fulfilled, each time with a diminished life. Mark told about counseling he and his wife have done with those who succumbed in this area. And he said, "No one has ever said to me 'We're sorry we waited until we were married to have sex,' and I never will. That's the final word on the subject as far as I'm concerned.
I don't watch a lot of network television. I tend to watch news programs, some sports between September and January, some educational programs on the History Channel or A&E, crime show re-runs on Ion Television or Headline News, and once in a while some movie that I've seen before or somehow missed when it was out. Recently, however, I watched a couple of network shows, and was astounded by the commercials for their comedies and other dramas. From these trailers it would appear that the only reasons those shows are on is to present sexual situations. Why would I want to fill my mind with that.
I appreciate Mark's sermon, and his undertaking this series. We also had a great discussion on the sermon in Life Group immediately after. I'll miss next week's, on homosexuality, which I would really like to hear. Maybe, for the first time in my life, I'll download a podcast and hear it that way.
Showing posts with label Bible study. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bible study. Show all posts
Monday, October 22, 2012
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Love your neighbor as yourself
Our Life Group lesson today was from Mark 12:28-34. This is the story of Jesus' encounter in the temple with a teacher of the law. Jesus has just escaped traps set by the Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadduccees, who had hoped to catch him saying something they could use against him. He had the best of it, though, giving apt answers to their duplicitous questions.
Now came the teacher of the law. This was a man whose job was to scrutinize the Law of Moses, and perhaps other of the sacred writings, and find laws that men should follow. They would pass these tidbits on to the Pharisees, who would proclaim them to be things all Jews should follow if they wanted to make it to heaven. His question to Jesus was, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"
Those who heard him might have thought it a strange question. His job was to expand the law, not summarize it or condense it to one easy to follow dictum. I don't know what he expected to accomplish. Did he expect Jesus to avoid the question, saying all the laws were important, or some other answer? Jesus, however, gave him an answer in line with what he asked: Love God with everything you have; and love your neighbor as yourself. One of these he took from Deuteronomy, the other from Leviticus.
Strangely—at least it's strange to me—the teacher of the law agreed with Jesus. He said those two commandments did indeed summarize all the rest, and commended Jesus for speaking wisely. Jesus in turn commended him, and said, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."
The second commandment is giving me reason to think and meditate. What does it mean to love our neighbor as we love ourself? I see two ways the words (an English translation by learned men of the original Greek). One is: Love your neighbor in the same way that you love yourself. That is the traditional interpretation. But a second possible meaning to these words is: Be yourself in loving your neighbor; or, love your neighbor genuinely, honestly. Not falsely or out of true love, because you mean it, not because you have to.
I like both interpretations. I imagine the first is the correct one, while the second is peculiar to the English translation, and that meaning probably isn't there in the Greek. But if the first is correct, we then have to consider what is an implied third important commandment: Love yourself. That flies in the face of Christian humility. We should consider others above ourselves. That's what we are taught. To love ourselves just doesn't sound right.
Yet, it is there, implied in the second great commandment. I don't think this means we should all become narcissists. I think it means we should 1) understand that we are a creation of God; 2) treat this part of God's creation with respect, as something of value; and 3) be satisfied with God's work as represented in us, i.e. realize God didn't make any mistakes when he made us.
That is something I can grasp. By "be satisfied" I don't mean to imply ending all attempts at improving ourselves. Strive for improvement, for God put within you the ability to improve: to learn, to grow, to mature, to move on. That's part of our makeup.
This was a good lesson. It caused me to think about the passage in a way I hadn't before. I like that.
Now came the teacher of the law. This was a man whose job was to scrutinize the Law of Moses, and perhaps other of the sacred writings, and find laws that men should follow. They would pass these tidbits on to the Pharisees, who would proclaim them to be things all Jews should follow if they wanted to make it to heaven. His question to Jesus was, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"
Those who heard him might have thought it a strange question. His job was to expand the law, not summarize it or condense it to one easy to follow dictum. I don't know what he expected to accomplish. Did he expect Jesus to avoid the question, saying all the laws were important, or some other answer? Jesus, however, gave him an answer in line with what he asked: Love God with everything you have; and love your neighbor as yourself. One of these he took from Deuteronomy, the other from Leviticus.
Strangely—at least it's strange to me—the teacher of the law agreed with Jesus. He said those two commandments did indeed summarize all the rest, and commended Jesus for speaking wisely. Jesus in turn commended him, and said, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."
The second commandment is giving me reason to think and meditate. What does it mean to love our neighbor as we love ourself? I see two ways the words (an English translation by learned men of the original Greek). One is: Love your neighbor in the same way that you love yourself. That is the traditional interpretation. But a second possible meaning to these words is: Be yourself in loving your neighbor; or, love your neighbor genuinely, honestly. Not falsely or out of true love, because you mean it, not because you have to.
I like both interpretations. I imagine the first is the correct one, while the second is peculiar to the English translation, and that meaning probably isn't there in the Greek. But if the first is correct, we then have to consider what is an implied third important commandment: Love yourself. That flies in the face of Christian humility. We should consider others above ourselves. That's what we are taught. To love ourselves just doesn't sound right.
Yet, it is there, implied in the second great commandment. I don't think this means we should all become narcissists. I think it means we should 1) understand that we are a creation of God; 2) treat this part of God's creation with respect, as something of value; and 3) be satisfied with God's work as represented in us, i.e. realize God didn't make any mistakes when he made us.
That is something I can grasp. By "be satisfied" I don't mean to imply ending all attempts at improving ourselves. Strive for improvement, for God put within you the ability to improve: to learn, to grow, to mature, to move on. That's part of our makeup.
This was a good lesson. It caused me to think about the passage in a way I hadn't before. I like that.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
What do you want me to do for you?
Our life group lesson today was on Mark 10:46-52, the healing of Bartimaeus. We called him "Bart" in class. We continue our lessons based on the pastor's sermons each week. Since our class meets during the second service, and we've just heard the pastor preach, we have good discussions about it. As a teacher, I have to say this has made my teaching prep a little easier. We have a good group, and knowing they will take the subject and run with it in a wide-ranging discussion, I prepare less than I used to.
Back to Bart. He was on the Jerusalem side of Jericho, blind and begging. Since Passover was about seven days away, the foot traffic from Jericho to Jerusalem would be above normal, so Bart was on station, hoping to receive a little mercy from the pious pilgrims. I suspect the two or three weeks around Passover were to Bart as the Christmas season is to an American merchant: you have to do well then of your business won't survive.
On this particular day, Bart was at his station. He heard greater than usual noise. This wasn't just a pre-Passover travelling parting going by; this was a large crowd. A question to a passer-by gave Bart the answer he needed. It was Jesus of Nazareth, with the usual crowd that hung around him: the Twelve, other disciples, the curious, and some women from Galilee who looked after the needs of the rabbi and his immediate disciples. It might easily have been a hundred people.
Bart must have heard about Jesus. Either earlier that day, or more likely the day before, he had healed a blind man on the other side of Jericho [my interpretation of Luke]. Not too long before he had raised a man from the dead in Bethany, which wasn't all that far away. Bart may have been blind, but he wasn't dead and probably wasn't stupid. He had heard about this miracle-working teacher from up north, and knew what he could do.
So he shouted out into the crowd, which tried to stop him. But he shouted all the more. Somehow Jesus heard him above the noise, called for him, and when the blind man got there said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" Now, maybe to us it was obvious what the man wanted. But he had been shouting, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me." He might have been asking for money, or come to a realization that his soul was not right with God. For whatever reason, Jesus made him state what he wanted before performing the miracle for him.
In class we discussed how Jesus asks the same thing today. What do we want him to do for us? Are our prayers kind of general, or are they specific? Are we persistent in asking, as Bart was? Do we ask despite the ones around us who discourage us, either purposely or unknowingly, from asking? And are we ready to throw off that which slows us down, and run to where Jesus is?
Back to Bart. He was on the Jerusalem side of Jericho, blind and begging. Since Passover was about seven days away, the foot traffic from Jericho to Jerusalem would be above normal, so Bart was on station, hoping to receive a little mercy from the pious pilgrims. I suspect the two or three weeks around Passover were to Bart as the Christmas season is to an American merchant: you have to do well then of your business won't survive.
On this particular day, Bart was at his station. He heard greater than usual noise. This wasn't just a pre-Passover travelling parting going by; this was a large crowd. A question to a passer-by gave Bart the answer he needed. It was Jesus of Nazareth, with the usual crowd that hung around him: the Twelve, other disciples, the curious, and some women from Galilee who looked after the needs of the rabbi and his immediate disciples. It might easily have been a hundred people.
Bart must have heard about Jesus. Either earlier that day, or more likely the day before, he had healed a blind man on the other side of Jericho [my interpretation of Luke]. Not too long before he had raised a man from the dead in Bethany, which wasn't all that far away. Bart may have been blind, but he wasn't dead and probably wasn't stupid. He had heard about this miracle-working teacher from up north, and knew what he could do.
So he shouted out into the crowd, which tried to stop him. But he shouted all the more. Somehow Jesus heard him above the noise, called for him, and when the blind man got there said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" Now, maybe to us it was obvious what the man wanted. But he had been shouting, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me." He might have been asking for money, or come to a realization that his soul was not right with God. For whatever reason, Jesus made him state what he wanted before performing the miracle for him.
In class we discussed how Jesus asks the same thing today. What do we want him to do for us? Are our prayers kind of general, or are they specific? Are we persistent in asking, as Bart was? Do we ask despite the ones around us who discourage us, either purposely or unknowingly, from asking? And are we ready to throw off that which slows us down, and run to where Jesus is?
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Book Review: The Prodigal God
The parable of the prodigal son is a favorite with Christians. What's not to like? A son turns from his sinful life and his father accepts him back with unconditional love. It is taught in Bible studies and preached from the pulpit. This popularity might lead you to think that almost everything that needs to be said about it has been said.
Timothy Keller would disagree. Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, New York City, he has been preaching/teaching this parable for a couple of decades. In 2008 he published The Prodigal God (Dutton; ISBN 978-0-525-95079-0). The basis of the title is that, while the younger son led a wastefully extravagant life, God is extravagant to the extreme in his love and outreach to mankind. "Prodigal" means recklessly extravagant, profuse in giving. We would normally attach this to the younger brother (not the giving part). Subconsciously we would apply this to God as well, but might not think of this often. Keller artfully shows this extravagance by explaining the what the father in the parable endured in his culture.
This small book, just 139 easy to read, small size pages, is a good read by itself. It can also be used as a small group study. A study book is available, as is a high quality video of Keller teaching this in six sessions. If you have an opportunity, do the study with a group. If not, at least read the book. You should learn much and be encouraged in your Christian walk.
Timothy Keller would disagree. Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, New York City, he has been preaching/teaching this parable for a couple of decades. In 2008 he published The Prodigal God (Dutton; ISBN 978-0-525-95079-0). The basis of the title is that, while the younger son led a wastefully extravagant life, God is extravagant to the extreme in his love and outreach to mankind. "Prodigal" means recklessly extravagant, profuse in giving. We would normally attach this to the younger brother (not the giving part). Subconsciously we would apply this to God as well, but might not think of this often. Keller artfully shows this extravagance by explaining the what the father in the parable endured in his culture.
- The affront of his younger son, demanding his inheritance. Normal practice would be to drive the young man out with sticks, but of course the father doesn't.
- The need to sell lands, fields, herds to make the division demanded by the younger son's unreasonable request.
- Running to welcome his son back, to have at most an extra minute with him. A dignified Middle Eastern landowner would never have tossed his dignity aside by hitching up his robe to run in public. Such is this father's love.
- His ignoring the prior affront by unconditionally welcoming back his younger son and restoring him to the family. Such a practice would have opened him to more ridicule from his fellow tribesmen.
- The affront of his older son refusing to come in to the celebration, and the father's going out to reason with his son.
This small book, just 139 easy to read, small size pages, is a good read by itself. It can also be used as a small group study. A study book is available, as is a high quality video of Keller teaching this in six sessions. If you have an opportunity, do the study with a group. If not, at least read the book. You should learn much and be encouraged in your Christian walk.
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