Hello all,
I decided to look at the scripture texts for the upcoming week, rather than reviewing the texts for the week that past, because this way I engage Christmas texts before I leave for Christmas, rather than afterwards. This means there is some danger of repeat commentary in the sermon-I’m assuming not everyone is reading the blog.
The first text I’d like to look at with you is

Malachi 2:17-3:20

















Malachi is the last book in the Christian bible-the Jewish bible got rearranged a little bit moving into the Christian tradition (there is some thought that the standard interpretation of Malachi forshadowing Jesus is the reason why it ended up right before Matthew rather than the much less prophetic Chronicles).

The title “Malachi” means “God’s Messenger” in Hebrew, so it is unclear if this is the name of a particular prophet, or just a title for this particular reading. The book is usually dated after the return from exile in Babylon, so around 500 BCE, because the book uses the Persian name for a governor in verse 1:8.


The book is a polemic against lax religious practice, particularly on the part of the priests in Israel. There is a sense that despite the return from exile, all is not well, people are not thankful for God’s providence, and worship is fading. This is why it is so often connected with the story of John the Baptist (the theme for Advent 2), who have a similar passion for renewal.

November 29th Sermon

Hello everyone, here is this morning's sermon, my official first content post. 

Before reading further, I invite you to drop down to the opening post of the blog before this and return to the discussion.

There are three scripture passages that this sermon reflects on:

Luke 21:25-36
Jeremiah 33:14-16
and 1 Thessalonians 3:9-1
 
I noticed how each of these scripture texts engages the question of God acting in the world-Jeremiah looking forward to the Messianic kingdom, Luke warning about the ways the world will be transformed before the end of times, and Thessalonians reflecting on our relationships in the here and now before Christ's return.  These were common themes in the Jewish context, as the oppressive power of various empires encouraged people to hope for dramatic transformation of reality.  In our world, there are definitely things we would love to see dramatically transformed, but I spent my time this morning reflecting on what these ancient texts about waiting for God might say about our own disciplines of anticipating and waiting in our own lives.

Here are some questions for reflection that I invite you to share in the comments:
What are you waiting for in your life?
How do you wait? What are your techniques for good waiting? How do you live in the moment when there is so much to anticipate?


I look forward to hearing your reflections!
The text of the sermon is after the jump.


Grace and peace,
Samuel

Welcome!

Hello everyone,
I hope this finds you well. I'm looking forward to regular conversation-I'm committed to posting four times a week for the month of Advent, and I'll try to continue if that feels like a comfortable rhythm.
This is a place for conversation about the Biblical text, other theological and philosophical questions, and some other fun topics.
I invite everyone to participate-both in the comments, and if you have anything you want to get feedback on from the congregation, as a guest blogger.

To comment-click on the 'comments' link underneath the post. Write a comment of your choice, hit the 'post comment' button, and it should show up promptly.

As you comment, please remember the basic rules of online discussion-
1) there is no body language, so you must be extra careful with your tone. Sarcasim is invisible.
2) re-read everything before you post it-make a list, check it twice.
3) be polite and friendly. Greetings and confessions go a long way to preserving dialogue.
4) try to say something substantive-while quick rejoinders have their place, a longer comment is more likely to advance a conversation.

I look forward to this journey with all of you!