Reflexion, A Spiritual Community

Luke 22:39-46

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, they die in their sleep without ever waking up. They never understand the loveliness and the beaut...

Luke 16

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 actually congratulate the dishonest manager? • NO! it was not Jesus who commended him, ◦ but a character in the s...

Luke 7

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

Luke 4:1-13

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 points in his life and ministry – every time we return to the temptations, we can find something...

2 Timothy 3:14-17

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 this talk: the sacred writings are profitable ◦ for teaching, reproof, correction, and training ...

Acts 8:30

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 Jerusalem and into their mission? And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in...

Reading Scripture Spirit to spirit

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-reflection ◦ last week, we read the sacred writings with the Spirit of God - today we learn to read...

John 16:12-13

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

James 1:24-27

Continuation of reading the bible as sacred text

Luke 4 16-20

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 writings; • as we read the ancient texts, God speaks directly to us ◦ as if they were written f...

Isaiah 66 - Reverence when reading the scripiture

II Timothy 3:14-17

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 Timothy, Paul shares wise counsel with his protégé ◦ we’re fortunate to have access to this pe...

Following Jesus through Mark

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’ve got all these things to do, please help me,” • you prayed, “Lord, what do You want to do t...

Matthew 2:9-11

Mark 13

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. ◦ the mystery must be encountered, because it’s so wonderful • if you’ve been looking for mys...

Biblical Mysteries - 1 Timothy 3:14-16

 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

Hebrews Overview

Psalm 118

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 pointing this out, • is because many biblical scholars now see it as a liturgical composition ◦ tha...

Hebrews 13:20-25

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, Jesus reveals God – in Hebrews, God reveals Jesus no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows ...

Hebrews 13:6-15

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 ◦ in 3:1 we are told to consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession ◦ in 4:1...

Hebrews 13:1-8

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 themes in his book, ◦ and supplying simple instructions for incorporating them into our lives ...

Hebrews 12:18-29

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)

Hebrews 12:12-13

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 that once you learn it, • you can use it to give structure to your whole life ◦ not a rigid struct...

Hebrews 12 Continued

Hebrews 12:1-2

Do you know what I mean by “starting blocks”? You would if you ran track in high school – blocks are placed on a track provide stable brace for the runners’ feet • Olympic athletes spend time at the blocks, testing and adjusting them ◦ because that first push-off is critical to a fast start • part of their workout is practicing their starts – the writer of Hebrews is not telling us to settle into the starting blocks • instead, the race has already begun • like a good coach, he is telling us...

Hebrews 11:32-33

Intro: How would you respond if I said, “Show me your faith”? Actually, I’m not the one who said it and that’s not whole sentence Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works (Jas. 2:18) - you cannot do it – you cannot give evidence of faith apart from action - this entire chapter has explored faith's law of cause and effect • we've heard one story after another of people whose actions were motivated by faith ◦ now he says, “There's no time for all the ...

Hebrews 11:31

If we could read this chapter like the original readers, We would see this verse had been sneaking up on them – thumbing through Israel’s history, the writer cites examples of faith • there’s a similar historical review in Acts chapter 7 ◦ but there, Stephen uses Israel’s history to make a different point • Stephen lists the regular heroes found in the Old Testament ◦ Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David provided spiritual leadership for Israel ◦ and also a theological foundation for the people – ...

Hebrews Continued

Hebrews 11 - Continued

In the verses we’ll cover today, faith looks much like a moving van – the journey of faith is no vacation, but an indefinite homelessness • with all of the stress that entails • faith looks like an endless series of transitions – this past week, I was counting for a friend all the schools I attended through the twelfth grade • three elementary schools, three junior high, and two high schools ◦ being the new kid was no fun • Abraham’s nomadic adventures were no fun for him either Three of th...

Hebrews 11 Continued

Jesus stressed it, pointing out instances of little faith and great faith - Paul practically wore out the word faith (faith appears almost forty times alone in his letter to the Romans) • but the writer of Hebrews gives the fullest explanation of faith • beginning in chapter 10, he reminded us of God's declaration, my righteous one shall live by faith (Heb. 10:38) ◦ then he defined faith in chapter 11 verse 1: Faith is resting in the assurance that we will receive the things we hope for, th...

Hebrews 11

Hebrews 11 is one of the magnificent passages in the Bible It is right up there with Psalm 23, The Lord’s Prayer, and 1 Corinthians 13 - we won’t just step into Hebrews 11 – we need a running start • last week’s passage culminated in two statements ◦ a line from the OT: my righteous one shall live by faith ◦ a line from writer: we are those who have faith • it’s a fair question to ask, What does faith do for us? ◦ how does it make my life different from anyone else who is without faith? ◦ Wh...

Hebrews 11

Hebrews 11 is one of the magnificent passages in the Bible It is right up there with Psalm 23, The Lord’s Prayer, and 1 Corinthians 13 - we won’t just step into Hebrews 11 – we need a running start • last week’s passage culminated in two statements ◦ a line from the OT: my righteous one shall live by faith ◦ a line from writer: we are those who have faith • it’s a fair question to ask, What does faith do for us? ◦ how does it make my life different from anyone else who is without faith? ◦ Wh...

Hebrews 10:26-31

The passage we are looking into this morning, Is as terrible as last week’s passage was wonderful I have found last Sunday’s reminder to be very helpful this week – I’ve survived and thrived on moments of “drawing near” – but now we come to this: For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside th...

Hebrews 10 Part 2

Hebrews 10

The writer of Hebrews has been commenting on the “new covenant” The first half of chapter ten is a continuation and conclusion of this theme – he explains how God writes his will into our hearts and minds • in order to clarify the way Jesus works on the inside of our lives, • our writer has enumerated contrasts between the old and new covenants ◦ more contrasts appear here, all the way to verse 18 – again, he refers to the old as having only a shadowy existence • I’m fascinated by this lang...

Hebrews 9:15-26

When we began our study in the Book of Hebrews, do you remember me telling you that I love this book? That is because it is all about Jesus - to me, it is like a fifth gospel, but it is different in this respect: • the other four gospels follow Jesus from a human perspective ◦ we read about him from our view on earth ◦ Hebrews follows him from heaven’s perspective • it’s as if we watch Jesus through the eyes of God’s angels

Hebrews 9

The “first covenant” was supported by worship We have seen that in Jesus we have a better covenant (Heb. 8:6) – and this is the new covenant (Heb. 8:13) of Jeremiah’s prophecy • the first covenant refers to the one God forged with Israel at Mount Sinai • remember, the purpose of God’s law and Israel’s worship ◦ it was to maintain their covenant relationship with God

Hebrews 8:7-14

A renewal of vows mirrors one of most important themes in scripture - God’s covenant • there is a major division in the Christian Bible ◦ one part is the Old Testament (covenant) and the other part is the New ◦ our Bibles are one story told in two parts and both of them having to do with covenants

Hebrews 8:1-6

The writer of Hebrews is going to argue a crucial difference - the difference between copy and original, between shadow and substance

Hebrews 7:23

We all know someone–or we have been that someone–who powers through relationships, dating person after person looking for a perfect match. Not long after moving to Dana Point, I met a young man who fit that exact profile. I could not help but think of him when a few years later, reading St. Augustine’s Confessions I came across this line, “I searched about for something to love, in love with loving . . . .” I heard a psychiatrist once say, “Being in love is a powerful drug.” That sounds righ...

Hebrews 7:11-23

Are you familiar with the name Dietrich Bonhoeffer? He was a twentieth century martyr – imprisoned for opposing Hitler – he gave a great deal of thought to what it means to be a Christian • also, to what a true church, not compromised by the world would look like • one conclusion he drew was that a Christian meditates on the Scriptures ◦ that got him asking questions like: ◦ “Why do I meditate?” “How do I meditate?”

Hebrews 7:1-3

If I were to write a paper on current societal pressures I would title it, “Inadvertent Torture” - no one intended to torture US citizens, it just happened • first, we spend most of our days stuck in these boxes (our homes) • then, two television and social media are dominated by two issues: ◦ a controversial pandemic and the eruption of racial tension ◦ our nation is sharply divided on both of these issues

Hebrews 7

Hebrews 6:13-15

This week I was reading in the Book of Romans In chapter 12, Paul listed ways to live in community with each other – I was doing fine until I reached verse 12: Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer • I am not by nature a joyful person – I lived many years under a cloud ◦ I hate to admit this, but for me hope doesn’t come easily either ◦ there have been a couple of hopes in this life that I’ve had to give up • waking up to these issues and admitting them, ◦ remind...

Hebrews 6

We left off last week with the writer complaining (or scolding) He had much more to say about Jesus in his role of a priest,      - but it would be too difficult to explain it all to them          • they had become lazy listeners              ◦ as a result, they were not ready to go further or deeper          • but the truth is, the writer must have believed they were ready,              ◦ because after this chapter he continues with his previous subject              ◦ the one that he said w...

Hebres 5:11

’m going to begin with a personal reflection You won’t see the connection at first, but it will make sense later – Friday I was reading in the Book of Acts • Paul was under house arrest in Rome ◦ but he was given freedom to entertain visitors ◦ when people came, Paul’s spent his time trying to convince them about Jesus, and so he, welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance (Acts 28:23 and 31) ...

Hebrews 5:11

’m going to begin with a personal reflection You won’t see the connection at first, but it will make sense later – Friday I was reading in the Book of Acts • Paul was under house arrest in Rome ◦ but he was given freedom to entertain visitors ◦ when people came, Paul’s spent his time trying to convince them about Jesus, and so he, welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance (Acts 28:23 and 31) ...

Hebrews 5:1-4

Wednesday evening, our meditation was in Luke, chapter 9 Speculation was growing regarding Jesus – he was a spiritual leader, but what kind of leader? • 2,000 years later theologians and anthropologists are still asking • where did Jesus fit in his culture’s conceptual framework ◦ a prophet, a Rabbi, a sage, a healer, a mystic? – there is not one label that captures all that he is • even for believers: he is our Lord, Savior, Messiah ◦ Hebrews has already referred to him as God’s Son, the p...

For the word of God is living and active Hebrews 4:12-13

This week it occurred to me, it might be good to stop here To not go any further in Hebrews – until our experience catches up with what we’ve learned • for instance, we learned about an constant inner peace ◦ a Sabbath rest that doesn’t depend on our circumstances ◦ we can enter God’s rest in bad times as well as good times • and our Sabbath rest is not limited to one day a week One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. (Ro. 14:5) On our Facebo...

Hebrews 4