Christ Church Jerusalem

22 November 2020 - On Christ the King Sunday, Deacon Aaron Eime tells us that the good shepherd is both king and judge. Judgment is a part of the messianic age in which all things that are wrong will be made right, and we are not excluded from that process. Our obligation to God is be holy like him, to imitate His character and behavior. We are not excluded from the coming judgment. The good news,...

Moses has been the teacher, guider and lawgiver of Israel since the Exodus from Egypt. The Israelites have known no other leader. Moses however, will not be joining Israel as they cross the Jordan, and the people of Israel may have expressed anxiety as to their future rulers. God has indicated that He will chose future kings over Israel, and He has already chosen priests. Now Moses says that the L...

15 November 2020 - Rev. John Howanstine reminds us that the Church proclaims in the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed that Messiah Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead. We rejoice that He has placed his Cross between His judgment and our souls. Now redeemed from sin and death and made heirs in Him of everlasting life, when He comes again in power and great triumph to judge the...

The tribe of Levi was given no territorial allotment, except several cities of refuge spread throughout the Land of Israel and across the Jordan. With limited access to farming land, the refuge cities will produce some light industry and some agriculture but not much. The Levites must be sustained by their fellow Israelites. How will this be done? Through the tithe paid by the other tribes, as not...

8 November 2020 - The eternal perspective is an anchor of the Christian worldview, says Canon Daryl Fenton. A disciple of Jesus lives in that eternal perspective, knowing that there will be an end to moral time. For those of us who have chosen to follow Jesus, our mortal journey is about learning to be like him and accomplishing his purposes on earth. We are to be his hands and feet, bringing just...

As Sir Winston Churchill once said of democracy, 'Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or allwise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.… ‘ and as Mark Twain would quip, ‘If voting made any differenc...

1 November 2020 - The Feast of All Saints is the perfect opportunity to be reminded of the biblical nature of holiness, vindicating some points of both Roman Catholic and Protestant views. This feast day, says Rev. David Pileggi, also allows us to express our gratitude for those who have gone before us and have shown us how to live faithfully in troubled times – in war, persecution, epidemics, or...

Idolatry was the ancient bugbear that constantly vexed the people of Israel. In Israel’s sacred history they had left Mesopotamia (the great eastern empire) and its gods, through the family of Abraham, and they had left Egypt(the great western empire)and its gods, guided by Moses. Israel is placed in the centre of these two great powers, revealing the true monotheistic God of the Universe to the G...

25 October 2020 - The severe critique that Jesus unleashes on the Pharisees in Matthew 23 is often seen out of context, says Rev. David Pileggi. Jesus himself was close to world of the Pharisees, following many of their customs. (He was an itinerant teacher, raised up disciples, was obedient to Torah, believed in eternal life, and more.) We forget, or may not realize, that this discourse was an in...

18 October 2020 - The world is full of images and false advertising. Much of what is presented to us through the media, film and television is rarely accurate. So what of the image of God? Is the image that the world has of God a true reflection of His character? Rev. Aaron Eime reminds us we are called to follow the Lord and to imitate Him. The role of the believer is to present the true characte...

God is the master of time. He exists outside of it and dwells within it. His involvement in His creation occurs at specific times, and God has provided a sacred calendar to record sacred time. Moses, however, focuses his speech to Israel towards the three pilgrimage festivals, seemly downplaying the other Feasts of the Lord. In this portion Moses expounds on Shavuot (Weeks/Pentacost) and Sukkot (B...

11 Oct 2020 - The Bible often uses the imagery of a feast or banquet to describe God's care and provision for His people. However, in the texts assigned tor this Sunday, we see that God not only wants to bless us, but He invites us into an inter-active relationship of trust and transformation. And that requires a response to His goodness. Sermon by Rev. David Pileggi. Readings: Exodus 32:1-14, Isa...

Moses describes the three pilgrim festivals, all rooted in the agricultural cycle, that required travelling to the Temple. It appears that these pilgrimage festivals were of more importance to the ancient Israelites, perhaps because of the actual existence of a physical Temple. Moses does not mention the other four feasts of the Lord. In discussion we mentioned that one reason could be that these...

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,...