A Look at the Book – Luke Daily(ish) Reflection # 3 July 24, 2009
Posted by Stephen in ::A Look at the Book, ::Community Life, ::Discipleship.add a comment
Luke 1: 57-80
Zechariah, John’s father, sings a great song of hope, a song which has come down to us through the centuries. It is interesting to note that the hope of salvation he speaks of is both spiritual and practical. God will ‘deliver us from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us,’ and give his people ‘the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God.’ God wants to work on the external circumstances and the internal brokenness. As we sing our song of hope, we need to sing about the world and our heart, our society and our sin, justice and forgiveness.
As I read this passage, I’m again struck by the weight of the calling which is placed on people in these early stories of Luke. Zechariah is told that his elderly wife is going to have a baby who will announce the salvation of Israel. Mary is called to carry the Son of God, and now Zechariah is placing an enormous weight of expectation on his little baby: ‘You will be called a prophet of the Most High.’ Is it possible that those watching John grow up could have forgotten these words? I think about all the words that are applied throughout the Bible to us – Christians. We are called to be peacemakers, salt and light, to take up our cross, and many other things. If we were born into Christian families, we have to decide, as John must have – am I going to take on these things that are said about me?
A Look at the Book – Luke Daily(ish) Reflection # 2 July 17, 2009
Posted by Stephen in ::A Look at the Book, ::Community Life, ::Discipleship.2 comments
Luke 1: 39-56
Mary’s words here are known as the Magnificat. It is worth remembering that Mary is a very young woman at this point – a teenager – but she displays here a deep knowledge about the ways of God. She knows that her ‘humble state’ is not just coincidental to the fact that she was chosen to bear God: it’s one of the reasons she was chosen in the first place. It’s the way God has always worked through history: taking the powerful off their thrones, lifting up the humble, sending the rich away, feeding the hungry. Choosing a poor Jewish girl seems strange, but no stranger than the rest of the history of salvation.
A couple of things strike me: One, what does this mean for Christians in politics? Are we supposed to be seeking the thrones of power? And two, God ‘sends the rich away empty’ . . . Am I rich?
A Look at the Book – Luke Daily(ish) Reflection # 1 July 14, 2009
Posted by Stephen in ::A Look at the Book.add a comment
Luke 1:1-38 The start of the Gospel according to Luke is no Christmas card scene – we have two people called by God and both of them scared. Zechariah is ‘gripped by fear’ and Mary is ‘greatly troubled.’ The angel has to tell them both not to be afraid – easier said than done, I imagine. To be called into the unknown is a cause for concern. Think about Mary. Looking at the angel she must have known that whatever happened her life was never going to be the same again. Before she had no power – her class, her race, her gender, her age all counted against her. Now suddenly, ‘The power of the Most High will overshadow you.’ You’re going to have a baby. That baby will be called the Son of God. The angel waited for an answer. I believe the fate of the universe rested in her at that point. There is no indication that she hesitated, but could you blame her if she did? ‘I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.’ I doubt anyone can be comfortable about a call from God. And all of us are called. Let’s pray that with Mary we can say Yes – remembering that we’re also called to bring Christ into the world.
A Look at the Book – Gospel of Luke (reLoaded) July 12, 2009
Posted by Stephen in ::A Look at the Book, ::Discipleship.add a comment
Well it’s gospel time again. This month, the book is the Gospel of Luke. I have used the same book mark as the one we used last year, except I have changed the monthly prayer. I want to encourage everyone to read the book through the eyes of the central figure, Jesus. Imagine what our lives would look like if we went about our day to day activities, seeking opportunity to heal and bring peace in the the same way our Lord did? Get the bookmark from here … md-a-look-at-the-book-bookmark-luke2.
A Look at the Book: Romans June 16, 2009
Posted by jaminbenny in ::A Look at the Book, ::Gathering Info.add a comment
For those of you who missed / lost /can’t find it… here’s the book mark for this month:
Book: Romans
Theme: Justice
Start reading…. in eager anticipation of 28th…[Bring it on, Scott + Dusk!]
A look at the book – Philippians (Or everything you wanted to know about mutilation) November 6, 2008
Posted by Stephen in ::A Look at the Book, ::Discipleship, ::Practices.add a comment
Novembers book of the month is Philippians. For a long time, people have thought that it was Paul going the Jews. However, recent scholarship sheds some really good light on who he really is having a go at, and it makes so much more sense for us today! Download it and give it a read to discover everything you wanted to know about mutilation! md-a-look-at-the-book-bookmark-philippians
By the way, here is a link to one of the articles I used to compile this months bookmark if you are interested. “Paul’s Gospel and Caesar’s Empire“.
