Reflexion, A Spiritual Community

It occurs to me how little preparation went into this parade - Jesus did not send two months in advance an event team, • to pull permits, gather resources, and begin advertising ◦ he simply arrived–and from there it was all spontaneous • so how did it turn into such a big deal? ◦ it was Jesus himself–his person and mighty works he had done - from another point of view, this event had been 1000 yea...

Intro: Are you ready for another dose of our morning meds? Our meditation medication relieves a common disorder - spiritual somnambulism –sleepwalking through life Anthony de Mello begins his book Awareness, “Spirituality means waking up. Most people, even though they don’t know it, are asleep. They’re born asleep, they live asleep, they marry in their sleep, they breed children in their sleep, th...

Because last week seems to me like it was two years ago, - let me remind you that I am sharing with you my morning meds • that is, various "meditations" from my past readings of scripture • the passage I want to focus on comes at the end of this chapter in Luke ◦ however, this chapter is a masterpiece ◦ and it begins with this strange parable - did Jesus really teach this? did he actuall...

We’re going to begin a new series of talks–but not today In the meantime, I’m going to share some of my “meds” with you – by “meds,” I mean meditations from my daily Bible reading • obviously, what I share is going to be personal and not profound ◦ these are the sort of thoughts God uses, to encourage me or wake me up • that is why we find ourselves in Luke’s Gospel this morning

There were a few events in Jesus life, that were unique His baptism, the temptations, transfiguration, and his crucifixion and resurrection – each of these events happened one time only • everything else happened repeatedly ◦ his travels, his teaching, the miracles, his bouts with pious critics, etc. • but the one-time events are significant not only for their uniqueness ◦ they were also turning p...

We have been on an eight week excursion in the sacred writings I thought it would be good today to return to where we began – Paul encourages Timothy to continue in what he had learned and believed • his spiritual education was rooted in the sacred writings ◦ “sacred,” because they come from God and reveal God ◦ “sacred,” because All Scripture is breathed out by God • what I want to emphasize in t...

Intro: Before jumping into my talk, I'll give you the backstory to this verse Jesus’ apostles were putting down roots in Jerusalem - this made sense, because Jerusalem was the hub of Israel’s faith for centuries • but settling there was not what Jesus told them they would be doing ◦ they would be going into all the world with gospel (Acts 1:8) • so the challenge was how to get them out of Jer...

Intro: Some of what I have to say will sound like a repetition of last week I’m okay with that – we need to have it reinforced for us to own it - my intention is to build on what we went over last week • our Scriptures are sacred writings, ◦ but we don’t know how to read sacred writings • we have learned that we read sacred writings" ◦ with reverence, receptivity and responsiveness, and self-...

Three weeks ago I said we read sacred writings with reverence - since then, have you noticed more opportunities to experience reverence? • every day brings us a sacred gift – it comes to us on tip-toe ◦ in our busy days, it is too easy to miss ◦ however, if we monitor our inner radar, we’ll hear a ping and find the blip

Continuation of reading the bible as sacred text

Three weeks ago you joined me on this journey of discovery We began by recognizing our Scriptures as are sacred writings – then we asked, How are we supposed to read sacred writings? • sacred does not mean they are merely “religious” • rather, they have a divine, other-worldly origin and quality ◦ they reveal truth otherwise hidden from human minds – there is another uncanny feature to the sacred...

Intro: In the world of literature, it is not unusual to find, An author’s most treasured insights aren’t in the books they wrote - but in letters to their friends, students, colleagues, or admirers • frequently their letters provide the most practical and helpful advice ◦ they reveal what inspired them, kept them going, ◦ and their personal sources of insight and understanding • in his letters to...

This year, 2020, was already old by June Few people will regret seeing it in the rearview mirror – of course, some of our past is carried into the future • but crossing the threshold of a new year is our chance to pause and think • what do we want to take with us? and what do we want to leave here? Imagine you woke up this morning, got your coffee, sat down, – and instead of saying, “Okay, Lord, I...

We are in the third week of the season of Advent We’ve been preparing ourselves to welcome Jesus on Christmas morning – it’s not that he hasn’t been with us, but we need reminders rituals • they allow us to participate in events that transcends history – we began by focusing attention on Jesus then on opening to mystery • there is a mystery behind all reality – even yourself, myself, our pets, etc...

 Today is the second Sunday of Advent This is the season for preparing ourselves for Christmas – last Sunday our preparation consists of contemplating Jesus – today, we will be concerned with opening our hearts and minds to mystery • some may find it too difficult to open their minds, ◦ so at least let’s open our hearts Biblical mystery does not refer to a difficult mental challenge

I am going to read Psalm 118 to you But first, I’ll say something about this poem – it was written by one person • that’s obvious from the singular personal pronoun in first 24 verses • we’ll hear other voices — perhaps a priest giving a benediction ◦ and the poet will speak for the whole congregation of worshipers ◦ but he will return to his own voice at the end of the psalm – the reason I’m poin...

Each time heading out the door I quickly ran through our checklist: - "Do you have your homework? Your thermos? Your mask?" • I read these last few verses of Hebrews as a checklist • these verses are the finishing touches to a amazing document ◦ for the writer, these words were as important as everything else - when we began our study, I explained the value of Hebrews • in the gospels, J...

Intro: Last week we stopped at verse 8, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever Rather than treat that statement as belonging to a separate section, - I see it more as the center point on which the chapter pivots • retracing our steps through Hebrews, we Jesus at the heart of it ◦ in 2:9 we don’t see our place in world as God intended, but we see Jesus crowned with glory and honor...

Listen — Give — Forgive  —  Remember — Consider — Imitate I lost a few years of my life in conferences, seminars, and, forums What I took away from each one was–a notebook – and those notebooks mostly sat on shelves collecting dust • after taking in all the information in first twelve chapters of Hebrews, ◦ we need clarity on how to turn these ideas into actions • in chapter 13 the writer revisits...

The writer of Hebrews is finished with his athletic analogies – in a letter that has alternated between revelation and warning • we come to the last big warning • but we are also brought back to Jesus–dramatically ◦ the entire letter has been an adventure in knowing Jesus in a new way Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer (2 Cor. 5:16)

Once again – what is our writer up to? He has given us an athletic metaphor, – and reminded us of the importance of training • the serious athlete must learn discipline • learning discipline requires athletes to endure their training ◦ endure those cravings to eat something they know should not ◦ endure getting out of bed in the morning or off the couch to workout – the beauty of discipline is tha...