Engaging Scripture

There are loads of laws in the Old Testament.  Some of them are really bizarre, and for the most part Christians don’t follow them.  We like the 10 Commandments though.  So we say “Jesus came to fulfill the Law” and happily decide we don’t have to obey the weird commands like not eating shellfish, not getting tattoos, or having to build parapets around our roofs.  But, we still say the 10 Commandments are binding.  Why those 10, but not the others?

In preparation for our Church Has Left The Building Sunday on October 7, we’re taking a break from our Minor Prophets series, and I’m starting a sermon mini-series that will look into the mission of God.  Our first step is to attempt an the question, “Are we allowed to leave the building on a Sunday?”  Don’t we have to sit in pews, sing songs, hear sermons, and do all that other churchy stuff?  Isn’t that what keeping the Sabbath is all about (see #4 of the 10 Commandments)?  At the root of this discussion is learning how New Testament disciples of Jesus should interact with all those Old Testament Laws that God gave to Israel.  There are numerous responses, and I have found Dave Dorsey’s to be superior.  I encourage you to read his article, and then lets’ discuss!

How did you react when you heard about Harold Camping’s prophecy that the end of the world was going to be on a specific date last year?  There were loads of interesting responses.  Some people cashed in their life savings and signed up to travel cross-country telling people to beware.  Some people ignored it completely.  Some were captivated by the ample news coverage.  Some people were confused.  Others had a lot of fun teaching us a new word: rapture-bomb.  I downloaded an old REM favorite and played it a couple times: It’s the End of the World as we know it and I feel fine.

I’ll admit having a creepy feeling that day.  So maybe I didn’t feel 100% fine.  Actually, many of us don’t.  In preparation for Worship in the Park, and our study of book of Joel, I encourage you to read it.  Post your thoughts and comments here.  Joel has some surprising things to say about The End.  How does it make you feel?

If God asked you to start dating and marry someone who, guaranteed, would commit adultery, would you do it?

Maybe the better question is why would God ask that?

Read Hosea and then let’s discuss this further.  What happens when we read Hosea’s story is that we put ourselves in Hosea’s shoes.  We feel his pain.  It hurts bad when someone betrays your love, leaving you with raging emotions and unanswered questions.  While God certainly wants us to see that pain, which is really his pain, his message to Hosea is that we should put ourselves in Gomer’s, Hosea’s wife’s, shoes.  We are the adulterous ones.

Have you committed adultery against God?  Have you attempted to find satisfaction in lesser things?

Does God feel distant? Have you wondered if he has abandoned you? Or maybe you’ve abandoned him? It’s a common experience, that inward fear that you and God aren’t doing so well. Why does this happen? Why do we allow ourselves to get to that point?

As we prepare to start a new series this weekend, I hope you’ll take time to think about these questions and discuss them here.

The new series is the 12 Minor Prophets, those short books with the funny names at the end of the Old Testament. We’re going to study one per week, and rather than going verse-by-verse through each book (some are over 10 chapters long!), we’re going to take a wide-angle approach, looking for themes, seeking the heart of God.

So as you discuss the questions above, also take time to read the book of Hosea, a surprising and beautiful message from God.

Is there something that you are waiting for?  What is it, and how long have you been waiting?

Are you going through something difficult that doesn’t seem to end?

I was in seminary for 8 years, and that seemed like a long time.  For the first 4-5 years it seemed like there was no end in sight.  Ever been there?  Know what I’m talking about?

Would you be willing to talk about it here?  If so, comment below.  Then read James 5:7-12 in preparation for this Sunday.

So to continue where we left off, you are rich, and you are not paying your workers fair wages!  Yes, you.

Take a look at the tag on the shirt you are wearing right now.  Where was it made?  What is the name of the person who made it?  Chances are they were not paid fairly.  How about the toaster you used this morning?  If it wasn’t made here in the USA, it is highly likely the worker was not paid fairly, might have been a child, might have been a slave.  Is that okay with you?

Maybe you’ll consider reading what James had to say in James 5:1-6.  Then continue the discussion here.  What can we do about this?

Thanks to my friend Rich Peachey, here’s a strikingly visual way to see how rich you are.  Check out the Global Rich List!  All you do is key in your income, and click “show me the money”, and the site quickly shows you where you rank. 

I know almost no one who would say “Yes, I am rich.”

Here’s a fact: the US Census reports that the average income in the USA between 2006-2010 was $52,000. Some of you might read that number and think to yourself, I would be loaded if I had that much.  Others would not be able to stay afloat.

Rich is relative.

So how do we decide who are the haves and the have nots?  ((But hold up a second…why are we even talking about this?  Well, the next section of James is about rich people.  Brace yourselves by reading James 5:1-6 ahead of time.  He’s let some strong words fly already, and this passage might feel like a flamethrower in the face.  James talks about it, so we’re going to talk about it, melting flesh included.  Now back to the question…))

Check out this thought-provoking article using recent world stats.  Who are the haves and have nots?  I think you’ll be able to decide for yourselves.  Take note of the comparison between the poor in the USA and the rich in India.

Before we come to hear this teaching from James to the rich it is vital that we make the leap from seeing ourselves as just barely making it America to seeing ourselves as wealthy by world standards.   So read the article and let’s discuss: are we rich?

Did you ever wish God would visit you, in the body of Morgan Freeman, and tell you what he wants you to do?

Like this.

I have wished for that, even the Morgan Freeman part.  But it has never happened.  Well, not quite like that.

Does God still speak?  In this past week’s sermon James talked about how our plans for the future should be “God-willing”.  Makes you think, “Thank you very much, James, for making my life more confusing.”   How many of you have wondered how we find out what God wills if he rarely visits us like he does with Evan Baxter?  We had a great sermon discussion about this on Sunday, so let’s continue it here.

Over the last few weeks on Facebook people have been posting errant pictures from the movie Back to the Future.  The occasion is the so-called “Future Day”, the date that Doc types into the time machine, when he goes to the future.  As a kid I was, and as an adult I still am, fascinated by the various conceptions of the future we find in literature and film.  Flying cars, light sabers, time travel.  What are you waiting for in the future?  By asking that question, I’m not just referring to technology.  Perhaps you’re waiting for a dream to come to fruition.   Maybe a relationship to blossom.  Maybe a pain to be healed.  Let’s discuss!