Thursday Theological Threads

  Everything in Psalm 2 can apply to Jesus and his life. In the end, his kingdom will be victorious. Verses 1-6 are threats from the enemies to the kingdom of God. Then, in verses 7-9, we hear the promises made to Jesus. The poem ends with the advice to submit to him. Why does the world rage, and the people plan in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,  "Let us break their bonds apart, and cast their cords away." He who sits in the heavens will laugh; the LORD will have them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them with his fury. Yet I have set my king on my holy hill of Zion. I will announce the LORD's decision: He said, "You are my son. Today I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will give you the world for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth your possession. You will break them with a rod of iron; you will smash them in pieces like ...

Psalm 1 is a preview of the Psalms, showing us the blessing which comes from a godly life. A serious study of Psalms shows us what a godly life entails. Verses 1-3 highlight the happiness of a good person. Then verses 4-5 depict the misery of the wicked. The final verse provides an explanation. Blessed are the ones who do not walk in the way of the ungodly, who do not settle in the way of sinners, who do not sit with the scornful. But their delight is in the law of the LORD, and in this law they meditate day and night. For they will be like a tree planted by the rivers, which bears fruit in the right season; whose leaves will not wither or fade, and whatever they do succeeds. It is not like that for the ungodly: they are like the dust which the wind blows away. Because the ungodly will have no standing in the court of justice, nor will sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD intimately knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will be destroyed. Verse...

 John writes the book of Revelation to people who are suffering. People who are facing the hardest trial they've ever been through. People who feel their lives have become a nightmare. And he offers them a dream. A dream of the heavenly reality. The reality against which everything else must be measured. He offers them a dream. A dream of the heavenly truth. The truth to hold on to. In Revelation 7, John sees a large crowd worshiping God. The angels, the elders, and the mysterious creatures also worship God. Then one of the elders tells John who's in the crowd: "These people have come out of great hardship. They have washed their robes and made them white in the Lamb's blood. This is the reason they are before God's throne. They worship him day and night in his temple, and the one seated on the throne will shelter them. They won't hunger or thirst anymore. No sun or scorching heat will beat down on them, because the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will s...

  Do you ever have a conversation then immediately think, "I wish I would've said that?" I feel that way almost every Sunday. This blog is a place where I share what wasn't said in the sermon. Last week for the Passover story, I asked one of my Jewish friends what she thought happened to the Israelites who didn't put the blood of the lamb on their doorframes. I was surprised when she said she believed God passed over them anyway--but, because they didn't have the faith to take that first step, they didn't have the faith to walk through the Red Sea. This week, we have the story of the golden calf in Genesis 32. What interests me is not what people do but why they do what they do. So, why did the people make a golden calf and worship it? Let's remember, these Israelites are a people who have been slaves for their entire lives. Then they have an epic experience of God delivering them from slavery and oppression. God leads them to the desert and provides ...

Do you ever have a conversation then immediately think, "I wish I would've said that?" I feel that way almost every Sunday. So this blog will be a place where I share things that I didn't say in the sermon. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. spent the last night of his life in room 306 of the Lorraine Motel. Outside that room is a plaque with verses from our story today. Those words are haunting. Joseph also was a dreamer. He dreams of a future where the family has survived and thrived. In the end, God did something with those dreams. But before that happens, Joseph faces tragedy. The Wesleyan Bible Commentary says, "The exact meaning of the Hebrew word translated a coat of many colors  is uncertain. Some translate it 'a long garment with long sleeves.' One scholar finds in ancient clay tablets a clue which suggests that it was something of a ceremonial robe with costly ornaments of gold sewed into it. In any event, it was the distinctive garment of royalty....

Do you ever have a conversation then immediately think, "I wish I would've said that?" I feel that way almost every Sunday. So this blog will be a place where I share things that I wish I would have said or things that were cut from the sermon because of timing or flow or word count. In Genesis 12, the focus moves from God and the world to God and the family of Abraham. The promise God makes to Abraham--to give him a family and land--is foundational to the story of Israel. God is going to bless Abraham and his future family so that they will be a blessing to the world. But Sarah is barren. And that's the tension. How are they going to have a baby? They're old. It seems impossible. God likes to confront the impossible. Genesis 15:1-6  is a story with a sense of non-fulfillment. Abraham has been given a promise, but that promise has not happened yet. God goes to Abraham and says, "Don't be afraid. I'm your shield." Rather than praise, Abraham respo...

  Do you ever have a conversation then immediately think, "I wish I would've said that?" I feel that way almost every Sunday. So this blog will be a place where I share things that I wish I would have said or things that were cut from the sermon because of timing or flow. *Note: I type out a sermon manuscript and I keep my word count to 1500 words. We call Genesis 3:1-8 the fall, but the word "sin" is not in the biblical text. Certainly this story influences what theologians call "original sin," but we cannot base that concept on this story alone. When I was a kid, I used to think Eden was a paradise and Adam and Eve were lounging about in hammocks and eating grapes. Eden is more like a farm. Adam's role is a servant, to serve and keep the garden. In Genesis 2, we see there's a community of people, animals, and the earth. That sounds like a farm to me. As God comes near to create Adam, this feels like foreshadowing of the Incarnation--when God ...