Reflexion, A Spiritual Community

Every Christian I know loves the Psalms, and each person has her or his own reasons. Some of the psalms provide us with reassuring comfort and security, knowing that our God cares for his weak and wounded children and that he is a rock and fortress in times of distress. Other songs inspire us to worship God and provides us with words that help us give expression to our praise and gratitude. There...

 I wasn’t here last Sunday – spoke to a church in Bellflower After I spoke, a woman told me how much she appreciated me being there – I told her that I enjoyed being with them, because I loved them • she said, “We know” ◦ that surprised me • I had not mentioned my concern for them, that I could not sleep Saturday night, ◦ and that I got up at 3:00 am to rework the message I had prepared – I guess...

I had a few extra hours with my grandson, Calum, this week He could not go to school, because he was running a temperature – I get nervous about fevers – two of our sons, when very small, had febrile seizures • so it makes sense to me that parents wanted Jesus to touch their children • what doesn’t make sense is that the disciples would block them – Jesus’ message, from his first spoken words in c...

I love the Bible and appreciate its diversity of styles (especially its poems and stories) James, however, is not one of my favorite books – there were followers of Jesus who believed, • to be a true Christian a person had to be Jewish (cf. Acts 15:1) ◦ this was the dominant opinion in Jerusalem ◦ those who held to it included some Christian leaders • the apostles, Peter and Paul did not agree wit...

Hebrews is a complex book It requires a good knowledge of the Old Testament, or else it’s easy to get lost – but Hebrews is well worth the effort to work our way through it • for me, it is like reading a fifth gospel • only it brings out the meaning of Jesus and his ministry – from the first three verses of the introduction, we know its message • Jesus is God’s final word to humankind ◦ in Jesus w...

At first it looks like this chapter is going to be about Jesus His compassion and his close connection with sinners – a connection that was very offensive to the religious people in the crowd • but Jesus tells three stories that introduces a different theme • the chapter isn’t about the scandal of Jesus’ ministry ◦ it’s about people who are unable to rejoice with Jesus in his work

How did we get started and where are we going? – the first question is easy to answer • in 2004 I visited a friend who had sequestered himself in a monastery ◦ while there, I met a monk whose spiritual depth and insight left a deep impression on me ◦ I continued to visit him for the next two years • he introduced me to contemplative spirituality ◦ simply put: contemplative spirituality is real-lif...

Jesus had announced to his disciples that he was going away He would soon leave them and the world of humans – and return to his Father – the dimension of God’s reality (cf. Jn. 8:21-23) • the disciples have completed their journey with him • but he is not abandoning them – they won’t be orphans ◦ their discipleship will continue ◦ from now on, it would be directed by the Spirit – so Jesus is prep...

This last week I had a conversation with a young woman Afterward, I was impressed by her sincerity and compassion – she had been trying to explain her beliefs to her roommates • for awhile they had listened, but then began to raise objections • so she warned them, that we are living in the “end times!” ◦ and whoever doesn’t believe in Jesus will go to hell ◦ that pretty much ended their talk – to...

Does John give us a clue that of something special in this chapter? In the stories of Jesus, episodes are marked by a scene changes – for instance, there is usually a shift: • in time — After these things • place — Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea – here we find both in the first verse, so now the story gets underway • but then John inserts a notation regarding Passover ◦ Passover woul...

Last week Moses asked God for the ultimate experience Show me your glory – Let me look at you; see you as you are – he knew the truest way to know someone was to experience that person • Moses’ request was denied • nevertheless, God gave Moses all he had to give at that time ◦ and all that Moses was able to take without being obliterated

from the burning bush on, God has been revealing himself • if that was like sunrise, the light has been getting brighter • now it is so bright as blind ◦ my fear has to do with my inadequacy to present a revelation this awesome ◦ I want you to experience the fullness of what transpires in this passage – there are some big ideas here, but those are not all we are meant to see • people tell stories...

Our story today begins with an example of creativity gone bad – this episode is a mirror image of the previous seven chapters • it runs parallel to God’s instructions for the sacred tent ◦ only what is produced here is a grotesque distortion • the resources that were to be used for God’s tent– ◦ including the sacred objects, sacrifices, and service of its artisans and priests ◦ gets hijacked by pa...

Moses had climbed Mount Sinai and disappeared into a cloud on the summit – God invited Moses into his presence to assign Israel a task • he gave Moses instructions for constructing a sacred tent • God’s intention was to live among his people – the last two concerns addressed here are: Assigning a work crew for this extensive project Another reminder regarding the Sabbath

Today we’ll run through God’s instructions for preparing his priests to serve in his tent – a special class of ministers were needed to maintain the tent and perform its services • these chapters have to do mostly with their clothing and ordination • glorious and beautiful – tells us something about worship ◦ glory refers to God’s radiant presence ◦ beauty refers to what is proportionate and visua...

God introduces it by telling Moses to request donations from the people – “offering” refers to a specific sacrifice and how it was presented • it was “lifted” or “raised up” in the hands of the priest • so, giving was considered an act of worship, and the gift was considered sacred – one condition to their giving was that their hearts had to be moved to do so • this had to be something they wanted...

The chapters I asked you to read comprise the covenant-making ritual We want to link the idea of God’s “covenant” with “relationship” – there were other “social covenants”: political, commercial and relational • beneath the political and commercial covenants was a basic lack of trust ◦ in these contexts, covenants, contracts and treaties acted as guarantees • one of loveliest relational covenants...

1-2 Gateway to the Big Ten What is the rationale behind the Ten commandments? – first, their God is–I am Yahweh your God–and second, what he’s done–rescued you • he doesn’t follow this with description of his nature or a list of his attributes ◦ the Christian church has constructed a super-rational theology ◦ by extracting concepts from scripture and arranging them in categories • that is not how...

Before we jump into the story, here’s what you need to know This is one of the most significant chapters in the Bible – it does not reveal a whole lot about God, • but the information it does reveal is essential • God reveals himself–that is, his person–to Israel ◦ he also reveals who they will become ◦ Israel identity is derived from Yahweh and their relationship with him – this chapter is a turn...

God sponsored Israel’s spiritual health with three prominent resources: Prophecy, worship and wisdom – think: Isaiah, Psalms and Proverbs – in this chapter we come across two of those resources • but there’s an unusual twist • the person who officiates worship and gives wise counsel is not Moses ◦ in fact, this person is not even an Israelite ◦ he is Moses’ Midianite father-in-law, Jethro

Intro: Why are fastest speed limits in California and Arizona posted on our desert freeways? Most travelers try to get through desert as fast as possible – I would remind my children, we made desert journeys with out air-conditioning • my parents reminded us of horse-drawn covered wagons ◦ not that they ever traveled that way, but to give us perspective ◦ it didn’t work • we also learned that high...

I will sing to the LORD for he has triumphed gloriously; he has hurled both horse and rider into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise him— my father’s God, and I will exalt him! Exodus 15:1-2 Intro: These verses begin Israel’s first psalm of praise However, it will be a long time before music becomes regular feature of their worsh...