Christ Church Jerusalem

4 October 2020 - The Torah commands the people of Israel to celebrate the Feasts of the Lord. Tabernacles, like the other two pilgrimage Feasts, is to be celebrated in holiness: no work, going to the Temple, and bringing gifts to the Lord. However, at Tabernacles God also commands His people to be joyful, says Rev. David Pileggi. Do we find it difficult to be joyful? Are we afraid of joy or perhap...

Sukkot is the last of the three pilgrimage festivals. In Leviticus 23:42-43 God commands: "You shall live in booths for seven days ... so that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt." God's redeeming power is shown in the Passover. His provision and covenant are celebrated at Shavuot. Sukkot is the culmination of redem...

Slavery was common practice in antiquity and is an unfortunate practice that continues to this day, with an estimated 40 million people suffering under the condition of slavery. The national history of the Jewish people involves being a nation of slaves to the Pharaohs of Egypt. With our present day morality and abhorrence of the concept of slaves, we ask the question why does the Bible not abolis...

27 Sept 2020 - The Judean exiles in Babylon complained that God was not fair since they were being punished for the sins of their fathers. But God rejects this notion. Through Ezekiel He makes it clear that they are reaping the consequences of their own sin, which ultimately brings death. In order to live, repentance is required. Not surprisingly, in the chaos of the world that we find ourselves i...

Rituals, Atonements, Forgiveness and Repentance. If Jesus is our atoning sacrifice, why did the Messiah come at Passover and not on the Day of Atonement? Yom Kippur is called the most sacred of days in Jewish tradition. In the Bible it is named as Yom HaKippurim; it's in plural, literally the Day of Atonements. How many atonements are there? Join Aaron Eime for a discussion on these questions and...

The forgiveness and cancelling of debts was common and widespread in the Ancient Middle East but was almost exclusively the prerogative of the ruling monarch. In preparation for a just society reflecting the character of the God, Moses takes that exclusive power away from kings and puts it in the hands of everyone. The notion being, if this is important to God, it is now important to you. Led by A...

20 Sept 2020 - Is God fair? Jesus tells us the Parable of the Vineyard Workers to clarify the matter for us. Join Rev. David Pileggi as he explores this short story about God's grace and how we should respond to it. Readings: Jonah 3:10-4:11; Matthew 20:1-16 Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is al...

What does the sound of the Shofar signify? How should we relate to this feast as Christians? Join Aaron Eime and discover the biblical roots of the Feast of Trumpets. Unlike all other feasts, the Feast of Trumpets has no explanation in the Bible. Come learn how we understand the importance of this feast despite the lack of divine instruction. Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you wit...

Moses knows idolatry will be a temptation as the people of Israel transition from the nomadic desert life to settled agrarian life. The pagan customs of the Canaanites will tempt Israel, and Moses is knows that morality and ethics could collapse when they move from a place of weakness to a place of power. Led by Aaron Eime. Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/...

13 Sept 2020 - The apostle Peter asked Jesus, "How many times should we forgive?” The answer came in a simple but dramatic parable about a servant who received much mercy but refused to extend it to another. Why is it essential to imitate God in His goodness from the heart? What are the barriers that keep us from growing into His likeness? Readings: Genesis 50:15-21; Romans 14:1-12; Matthew 18:21-...

Moses spends a great deal of this chapter on dietary rules of clean and unclean foods. "Clean" and "unclean" are not the best translations of tahor and tahmeh. A better rendering would be "pure" and "impure." To put this discussion in context, for most of the ancient cultures of the world, eating had both a social and a religious significance and meaning. Ancient cultures dwelt on mythologies of h...

6 Sept 2020 - How the followers of Jesus address sin within the Christian community affects people inside and outside the Church. Deacon Aaron Eime tell us that, when the Church properly addresses sin, it publicly reflects the holiness of God to the outside world and inwardly restores purity and defends the Church against sin. If we truly believe that God is present within the Christian community,...

Moses continues to spell out in detail the different ways the Israelites might be enticed to worship other gods. Because Idolatry threatened the very existence of Israel, it had to be totally purged from the community. Idolatry was already ingrained in the national story of Israel since the Exodus from Egypt. The 10 Commandments explicitly forbids the worship of any god other than God. The nation...

The size shape and extent of the borders of ancient Israel have never been truly defined and agreed upon. Even here God says through Moses that when the territory of Israel’s conquest has been enlarged, without defining what extent that has been enlarged to, then certain dietary rules are to be enacted, notably those regarding the consuming of sacrificial and non-sacrificial meat! With no offence...

30 Aug 2020 - Rev. David Pileggi picks up where we left off last week and continues to expand on Jesus' favorite title, Son of Man. Who is the Son of Man? The Son of Man is someone who enters into human life and gets involved with humanity with all its problems. The Son of Man also suffers and, like Abel, dies unjustly but is vindicated by God. Jesus calls us to imitate him and get sacrificially i...

Moses sets before the Israelites clear instructions to follow the decrees and laws of God once they have possessed and inhabited the Land of Canaan. Israel is to follow the Torah in the Land. Interestingly the Torah calls for festivals to remember the Exodus from Egypt (Pesach) and the wandering in the wilderness (Sukkot) and the giving of the Torah (Shavuot). Yet there is no festival to remember...

‘Do not do as we do today’ -- this verse seems to imply that, despite having the Tabernacle, a system of priests and Levite attendants with detailed laws governing sacrifices as well as a visible cloud appearance signifying God’s real presence within the Israelite camp, that each Israelite seems to have worshiped as they pleased. This might explain the context behind the rebellion of Korah! Real w...

Deuteronomy 11:13-21 contains the second portion the Sh’ma, again encouraging the believer to remain faithful to the faithful King of the Universe, to love God with both heart and soul. Should the believer do so then God promises to send rain from Heaven to nourish the Land. Future prosperity is dependent on the morality of the Israelites. It is a good thing to be dependent on the Lord. Dependency...

23 Aug 2020 - Neville Jones has us consider Jesus' preferred title, Son of Man, and Peter's epiphany of Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God. In a place with a long history of idolatry, God the Father revealed to Peter the powerful truth on which God builds his community. Jesus very quickly affirms Peter's confession not far from a location dubbed the Gates of Hades. There, Jesus declares that the...

"Be holy as I am holy," God tells Israel. However, holiness and distinction are not the goal. Rev. David Pileggi reminds us that Israel's call to holiness is for the sake of the nations. God's intention for human society is mutual love and service. Instead, we tend to split into groups of us and them, which results in self-satisfaction, self-righteousness, and domination. Paul knows that when the...

Love is not a matter left to impulse or feelings. Love is actually a commandment from God. We are to love God irrespective of personal emotional feelings that hinge on chemical reactions or human relationships. Love is a choice and not relegated to whether we had too much chocolate or had a fight with work colleagues. This command from the lips of Moses also reveals what God really wants from us:...

There are many things to fear in our time: disease, civil unrest, and a culture that would woo our children away from Jesus. Canon Daryl Fenton reminds us that cultivating trust in the Lord is the best rememdy for fear. Rather than allowing our present circumstances to spark fear, we must push through in faithfulness to the God we love and who loves us. Living a life of faithfulness and pray makes...

In this week's gospel portion, Jesus gives thanks for the bread and fish and then tells his disciples to feed the hungry crowd. Today, we often overlook the importance of food in the Bible. Rev. David Pileggi reminds us that food is an essential part of Biblical worship. Our sharing table fellowship builds Jesus-centered communities of compassion, mercy and forgiveness. Readings: Genesis 32:22-31;...

On the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, Jews around the world remember and mourn the destruction of both temples. This fast day begins a season of repentance in Judaism. Deacon Aaron Eime looks at this day of mourning and has us consider how unholy behavior affects our relationship with God. Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchj...

Jesus’ understanding of the in-breaking power and presence of God is rich and multi-faceted. Simply using bullet points, charts, or systematic theology does not enable us to fully understand and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven that we hear about so often on the lips of Jesus. In order to herald the redeeming work of God in our midst, Jesus uses short stories about yeast, or seeds, or a net. Join...