Reflexion, A Spiritual Community

Intro: Last week God gave Joel an announcement to deliver The Lord had summoned the nations to appear in his court specifically, kingdoms that attacked and plundered Judah now, Joel’s prophecies close with the court proceedings does it ever feel satisfying to you when justice is served? there are certain crimes, so deceitful and cruel, ◦ that when criminals are caught, it triggers specific reactio...

In our passage, there will be two parts to Joel’s prophecy He first delivers a brief message regarding his people – a promise - but then his word turns to a threat on “all the nations” • specifically those that have ransacked Judah and Jerusalem • these two parts of the message are connected: ◦ God, helping his people, entails harming their enemies - do we need to be upset, that to restore his peo...

This is one of the most remarkable passages in all the Bible For me, it is second only to John’s introduction of Jesus “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:1 and 14) - what makes this prophecy given to...

Thirty years ago Reba McEntire released a song, “If I Had Only Known” It is a typically “country” tear jerker If I had only known It was the last walk in the rain I’d keep you out for hours in the storm I would hold your hand Like a life line to my heart Underneath the thunder we’d be warm If I had only known It was our last walk in the rain If I had only known I’d never hear your voice again I’d...

Have you ever received an Amber Alert on cell your phone? It’s so loud and annoying, there’s no way you can ignore it - this is the sort of attention-getter Joel calls for in verse 1 “Blow the ram’s horn in Zion,  sound the alarm on my holy mountain” • sentinels were posted on Jerusalem’s walls, ◦ and Joel tells them to sound the shofar and alert the people ◦ because a massive, hostile army was ap...

 Friday our nation observed the tragedies of “9/11" and those we lost Many of us remember the very moment when we first heart of it - for several hours we could hardly breathe • we watched endless reruns of two airliners, smashing into the iconic “Twin Towers” in New York City ◦ we didn’t want to see it, but we couldn’t look away ◦ we could not avoid the reality of it • and each time we looke...

I’m not going to give a Labor Day talk, but that’s where we’ll start Last year I felt it was important that I read Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations – Smith is sometimes referred to as the Father of Capitalism • he explored the principles of economics that caused some systems of flourish and others to flounder – one concern was the ways that governments interfered with industries and commerce • b...

The Book of Isaiah begins with God’s frustration over Israel; for instance: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me . . . . Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evil doers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged” (Isa. 1:2-4) Then in chapter 6, Isaiah...

Sharing on oppressed lives of Latin Americans

Psalm 25 This psalm does not track a central theme What I mean, is that we cannot say, “This is a psalm of praise,” - or “Psalm of confession,” or “thanksgiving psalm,” or “supplication psalm” • this doesn’t mean the structure of the poem is random, ◦ only that it doesn’t tell a story or develop a specific point • nevertheless, there is a pattern to the psalm, ◦ but we don’t find it arranged in an...

The last two weeks I’ve been encouraging you to listen for God’s voice Now, today, using this spectacular episode of Isaiah’s life is neither practical nor fair – he was chosen by God to be a prophet, • and the prophet’s calling is in most instances very dramatic ◦ e.g., Moses and the mysterious flames; Ezekiel’s fantastic vision, impossible to imagine • so if there’s a legitimate reason for us to...

About six years before my dad died, For some reason, that I don’t remember, - I got the idea that it was really important for him to tell his life’s story • there were already a lot of fictional stories regarding his life, ◦ and how he came to be the founder of a new church movement • I suppose, that as his son, it was important to me, ◦ that people learned how God worked in his life to make him t...

What are we witnessing in this archetypal story? First, why do I refer to the story as “archetypal”? – archetypes have to do with basic themes planted in the human mind • familiar themes are revealed in the heroes, heroines, and villains of fables, myths, and fairytales ◦ these characters represent specific qualities that define human persons and their behavior ◦ including: virtuous, courageous, c...

 Romans 14 • A deep story describes a collective, emotionally rooted narrative that individuals and groups use to make sense of their lives and the world, prioritizing feelings and metaphors over cold facts or moral judgments. • The concept was developed by Arlie Russell Hochschild, a sociologist and we will talk about her more in a bit. • Today we will be considering how competing "deep stor...