The One Year Bible- May 16th

Tom and Jerry, Super man and Lex Luthor, USC and UCLA, Coke and Pepsi, Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant, APPLE and Microsoft,; these are just a few of the great antagonistic relationships in pop culture. We all know a great rivalry when we see it; you have the “good” guy and the “bad” guy. You have drama, intrigue, verbal exchanges, misunderstandings and bad blood. One of the best rivalries in literature is found in 1 Samuel. We all know about David and Goliath but a much greater story is David versus Saul. This story has more twists and turns than an episode of General Hospital. There is deception and mistrust, attempted murder and slander. But once again it all points to our need for God and salvation through Jesus Christ. Samuel warned the people that having a king would bring hardship and pain but the people insisted on their own way. This story should serve as an example of God’s patience and mercy; for Jesus came to die for Saul and for David and for us as well. In this twisted tale we see David as the good guy but soon he will be the foil in another story unfit for the family channel. The good news is that in his patience God forgives us and loves us, even as we are mired in our own sin. As you read this tragic story, don’t forget that it serves a purpose to point us to Christ. On to the study…

Vicar Seth’s Thoughts

The Old Testament
We focused this week on the beginnings of the monarchy in Israel. God had finally allowed an earthy king but He said that it would be filled with some unexpected problems. The people still insisted and there were troubles. Saul was a man who had no equal. He was a head taller than the others and was good looking too.. Samuel reminds the people of what will happen to them under a king and gives them this warning, “But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, you and your king.” (1 Samuel 12:25 ESV) For those of you who remember the story this is exactly what happened. Many generations later the people were taken into exile and swept away. Only a remnant survived. Chapter thirteen begins a regular pattern that we will see when the Kings are discussed. “Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty-two years.” (1 Samuel 13:1). The Hebrew text is rather vague here. It is unclear as to how old Saul was from this text or exactly how long he reigned (If you are reading the ESV you may have noticed the note in the text describing this). The one thing to note is the pattern. We will see this same pattern when each King is introduced. “X was Y years old when he became king, and he reigned for Z years." Saul seems to be doing OK until he gets a bit impatient. Saul ended up sacrificing a burnt offering himself without Samuel or a priest there, big mistake. Samuel tells Saul how foolish a thing he has done and then he drops the bomb, “But now your kingdom must end, for the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart.” Wasn’t it just a few verses ago that Saul was anointed king? The kingdom talk is about his line or family. And a few chapters later, “So because you have rejected the command of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.” God has decided to have the monarchy go to a different family, because of Saul’s sin. Now Saul will still to be king for a while and God will use him but the days of his kingdom are numbered. This will be different (and I am getting ahead of myself a bit) with David’s kingdom. God will promise that the kingdom of David will last forever. This will come to pass because Jesus will come from the line of David and fulfill this promise, as he is a king today and forever. After Samuel anoints David as the new king, a strange turn of events puts the old king and the new king in close quarters. A tormenting spirit filled Saul with depression and fear and he needed some comfort. The ESV translates it as an “evil” spirit and this is accurate to the Hebrew but we need to understand that this was not “evil” in the sense of being from the devil. Nothing “evil” comes from God. The idea here is that it tormented Saul to the point of frustration. One way that Saul dealt with this is to have music played in his presence. David ends up being the one to play his harp in the king’s presence and to be his armor bearer. This is no coincidence. Saul and David will have a long a tension filled relationship. The best word for it is “DRAMA”. Those of you with teenagers or remember those days know what I mean. Saul acts rather childish and the rest of his life is filled with drama. After the familiar story of David and Goliath we read that Saul and David returns victoriously to Israel and the people chant, “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands!” This really gets Saul’s feathers ruffled. “And Saul eyed David from that day on..” (1 Samuel 18:9 ESV) This was the beginning of some violent interactions between David and Saul. I think Saul goes a bit nuts in his obsession with David and even lies on the ground naked all day once. One other great storyline is that of David and Jonathan. They became the closest of friends. They watched out for each other and I believe that their relationship can be a model for us today. Two other things caught my eye in my reading this week. Fist of all when Saul sends his men to David’s house to kill him he escapes and his wife tells them he is sick and in bed. In reality David is not in bed but it is a pillow with goats hair on top. This rouse gave David enough time to escape. Here I thought that the guys who escaped from Alcatraz had a new way of deceiving the guards and David did the same thing years earlier. This coming week we will get a description of the kind of people who were hanging out with David in the caves. The ESV describes them like this, “And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul gathered to him. And he became captain over them” (1 Samuel 22:2). Sounds a bit like the “sinners and tax collectors” that Jesus hung around with! It was really just a rag tag bunch of misfits.

The New Testament
John has an amazing way with words, even after it is translated into English. We read the account in chapter eight that is not in many of the Greek manuscripts. Why was it not there? It is hard to be certain, but I love the story that the section contains. The woman who was caught in adultery is guilty. By the law she is condemned to die. It is a powerful scene. Mel Gibson uses this scene in The Passion of the Christ and it is amazing. I wonder what Jesus was writing in dirt. Could it be that he was writing the sins of each of the people who had rocks in their hands? Whatever it was, the people left. I wonder how they felt? Were they convicted of their own sins or were they mad that they did not get to do what they wanted. At any rate it is a great story. Did you notice the “I Am” statements this week? The “I Am” statements in 8:24 & 28 occur in a section where people were trying to figure out who Jesus was. “Listen Up People!!! He is telling YOU!!” When he says “I Am” that is your clue. He says it again in verse 58. I guess I would have to put myself in their position. Would I be able to figure it out? I don’t know. I might be one of those who thought Jesus was a crazy guy. We also read some of the “I Am” metaphors. In chapter 8 Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12 ESV) He uses the same metaphor again in chapter 9:5. The “I Am” statements keep flying out of Jesus’ mouth in. Jesus says “I am the gate” meaning that he is the only way into heaven. There is no other way for salvation. It is by him and through him that we are saved and enter the safety of the heavenly sheep pen. He also says, “I am the good shepherd”. Is he really a good shepherd? He leaves all the other sheep unprotected to look for one lost one. But that is the point. Jesus will do anything, even give up his own life in order to save the sheep. He knows all of the sheep and will sacrifice his life for each and every one of them. Jesus also spends a lot of time trying to show the relationship he has with the father. The disciples just don’t seem to get it. Jesus says that he and the father are one, and that he is doing the work of the father. These statements are found only in John. He uses them to give an analogy for the reader; to help us understand who Jesus is. They are wonderful statements that I am convinced Jesus said. Some believe that John was putting words into Jesus’ mouth in order to make a literary point. I disagree. I think Jesus knew what he was doing when John remembered these statements as he wrote his Gospel.

Bits and Pieces
We will move on to the book of 2 Samuel this week. It is basically the continuation of the same story but here are the vital stats of the book:

PURPOSES: To Record the history of David's reign; to demonstrate effective leadership under God; to reveal that one person can make a difference; to show the personal qualities that please God; the depict David as an ideal leader of an imperfect kingdom, and to foreshadow Christ, who will be the ideal leader of a new and perfect kingdom.

AUTHOR: Unknown; some have suggested that Nathan's son Zabud may have been the author; the book also includes writings from Nathan and Gad

SETTING: The land of Israel under David's rule

KEY VERSE: "And David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel" (5:12)

SPECIAL FEATURES: This book was named after the prophet who anointed David and guided him in living for God.

Have a wonderful week!!!

The Bethany Bullet-Tuesday, May 13, 2008

The book of Esther has been loved and also debated for many years. Some even doubt that it should be in the Bible, and it is true that there is no mention of the name of the Lord in its pages, but His fingerprints are all over the story.

There is no doubt that the story of Esther is a story of God and how He works in history. Esther gives us a great example of how God uses people to bring about his good and gracious will.

Esther was an insignificant Jewish girl, living in exile in a foreign land. She was elevated to the position of First Lady in the mighty Persian Empire. Her story is one of courage and service, even in the face of danger. Esther is a hero because she bloomed where she was planted. She did not try to be something she wasn’t, or do something she was incapable of doing.

There was an interesting string of events that brought Esther to her position:

• The previous Queen had been banished.
• Esther was chosen out of many to be the next queen.
• Mordecai discovers a plot to kill the King.
• The King has insomnia and remembers Mordecai.
• A decree of death is given from the evil Haman.

Some would see these events as coincidences but I see them as the fingerprints of a God who would bring about His plan of salvation. Mordecai seems to agree as he encourages Esther with these words, “Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this.”

God had a plan for Esther and in a classic reversal of fortune story we see an exile become queen, we see a “regular” at the kings gate become the kings right hand man and the man who held power in the kingdom suddenly is found facing the gallows that he himself had built.

Of course, the ultimate reversal of fortune comes in the person of Christ, who humbled himself and took the very form of a servant so that we might be exalted and have a right relationship with God once again. As Jesus took upon himself the sin of the world—our fortunes were changed. As he hung upon the cross we found favor with God. This was no coincidence. This was a well thought out plan. It was a plan that had roots at the foundation of the world.

You may be thinking, what does this have to do with me? I firmly believe that we all have been placed in the positions we find ourselves, for a reason. It is not some accident or coincidence that you live when you live and do what you do. In fact I would say that you have been placed in your current situation for such a time as this!

Esther was called to bring about salvation for her people. What purpose have you been called to?

As Paul writes in Romans: We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. (Romans 12:6-7)

We all have a calling. We all have been prepared to do what God wants us to do. You may think to yourself, “What does God want to do with me?” But I am here to tell you that like Esther we all have been put in positions to use what we have been given. But at times we need the encouragement to step into that moment and do what is right. Our sinful nature tells us all the things that can go wrong in being an ambassador for Christ.

Jesus, in speaking of the signs of the end of the age says: But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. This will result in your being witnesses to them. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life. (Luke 21:12-19)

Even in the midst of persecution, we have been called to stand up for Jesus. Esther’s service to her Lord and her courage to act in the midst of great pressure makes her a hero we can look up to today. In the spirit of Mother’s Day we look to Esther for an example of a courageous leader. In the spirit of Pentecost we look to Esther as one who serves others with a message of good news.

If you think that you are insignificant. If you think you are just a small fish in a big pond, remember the reversal of fortunes of Esther. If you think that God can’t use you, remember Esther. If you think that you could never do anything important in life, or that you are being persecuted, think of Esther. Then think of Jesus who reversed the fortunes of the world and bought us all with the price of his blood. Let me encourage you today if you will permit me to play the role of Mordecai and say “Perhaps you have been called for such a time as this!”

The One Year Bible- May 9th

Congratulations on finishing more than one-third of the Bible! I hope the past four months have been a blessing to you because they sure have been good for me. It was 2005 when I started to read the Bible in a year and I have done it every year since. It is a big task but one thing that always helps it to celebrate milestones. So celebrate today as we continue the journey. On to the study...

Vicar Seth’s Thoughts

The Old Testament
The book of Judges ends just as it began, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.” (Judges 21:25 NIV) Remember the point of the book is that God loves his people and will find ways to save them. Even after some good stories, the problems still remain. People still sin, but God still loves them. The book of Ruth comes in next and at first seems a bit out of place. There are a few wonderful gems found in this small book. First of all we have a story of faithfulness. Ruth was faithful to her mother-in-law Naomi. She cared for her and wanted to be with her. On one level Ruth serves as a role model for faithfulness. The other neat thing is this idea of a “kinsman or family redeemer” (Ruth 2:20). In Israel, a kinsman redeemer was a person who would marry a widowed relative so the family land could stay with the family. It was an important position because land was so important to the people. The only way a widow could keep her land and possessions in the family was to be redeemed or bought back by a close relative. This redeemer would pay for the land and then he would be able to claim it as his own. This same idea is brought up again when Jesus is called the Redeemer in the New Testament. Jesus bought us back at the price of his own life so that we might be his own. I hope you see how the Bible is a book with one main story. The last big thing in the book of Ruth is the fact that Ruth and Boaz are the great-grandparents of King David. Genealogies are very important for the Jewish people; we saw that in the Gospels and in Numbers. It is important to note that Ruth was not an Israelite. She was from Moab, but her great-grandson became the most famous King of Israel, not to mention a distant relative to Jesus (See Matthew 1:5). The book of 1 Samuel begins with the story of his mother Hannah. She was so distraught that she did not have any children. This was a big disgrace to an Israelite. She cried out to God and God heard her prayer. She gave birth to Samuel but gave him up to the Lord. Samuel served the Lord with Eli and one night God called him. Many think it is funny for Samuel to serve with the priests and not know the Lord. Once again we have a language problem here. The word that we translate as “know” has a much greater and deeper connotation than the simple English word. The word means to know intimately, to know everything about someone or something, to have a close and personal relationship with. We find this same word used in the Old Testament for example “Adam knew his wife and she became pregnant.” I am sure that Samuel knew of the Lord, in fact I would guess that he knew some history of the Lord’s action in the world but he really did not “know” the Lord...yet. Not that we have time here but I just love the story of when the Ark is taken and it is placed in the temple of Dagon. When the citizens of Ashdod went in the temple the next day, their god Dagon had fallen, face down on the floor next to the ark. The next night the image of Dagon gets all broken up. There must have been some sort of fight in the middle of the night. That is a very funny story. Then with the gifts of gold rats and tumors....what a great sense of humor our God has. More about Samuel and Saul next week.

The New Testament
The Gospel of John is a great read. I hope you have seen how it is very different than the other three Gospels. John has a very different writing style and it is evident in his use of the phrase “I Am”. Lets go back to the Old Testament to get some perspective. In Exodus 3 we read about Moses’ encounter with the burning bush. God asks Moses to be his mouthpiece and to lead the people out of slavery in Egypt. Moses doubts that the people will listen to him and he says, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God or your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God then says to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM as sent me to you.’” The Hebrew name that was given was YAHWEH. This is God’s personal name. This name was the mark of the one true God; the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jesus uses this name on several occasions written down by John. Most of the time when Jesus uses this name he does so on purpose and to prove a point. The first is in John 4:26. “Then Jesus declared, ‘I who speak to you am he.’” It is hard to pick out in the NIV but it is there in the Greek. Jesus is talking with the woman at the well and she had just said that she knows that the Messiah is coming. Jesus doesn’t just say that he is the Messiah, he uses the personal name of God to do so! No wonder the woman left her water jar and ran off to tell the others about Jesus. The next time Jesus uses this name is in chapter six. The disciples were out on a boat in the middle of the lake when a storm came up. The wind was blowing, and the waters were rough and the disciples were scared. Jesus comes walking on the water out to them and says, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Again it is a bit obscure in the NIV but trust me it is in the Greek. Jesus uses the personal name of God. The NLT says, “Don’t be afraid, I am here!” This is a bit clearer. Just a few verses later, Jesus uses the name again. “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35) This is the first of the seven “I Am” metaphors in the Gospel of John. It is very interesting that each time Jesus uses the phrase “I Am...” which is also the personal name for God. It is no coincidence that Jesus uses this phrase when talking about himself for he is God in the flesh. We will see these “I Am” statements again (8:12, 8:24, 8:28, 8:58, 10:7, 10:11, 11:25, 14:6, 15:1, 18:5). Look for these as we continue to read. They are so powerful and I will most likely talk about them as they come up again.

Have a great week and let me know if you have any questions.

The Bethany Bullet-Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Read John 17

This section of Scripture is known as, Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer.

One of the most famous Seinfeld episodes has Jerry and George, sitting in the usual booth at the diner, catching someone eavesdropping on their conversation. They quickly decide to tell outlandish, wild and untrue things just to tweak the eavesdropper. Of course, little do they know that she is a reporter and soon everything they have said will be in print.

In His prayer Jesus speaks just loud enough to His Father that those nearby are able to eavesdrop on this conversation. Jesus however knows full well that His prayer will be overheard, recorded and reported for generations to read and re-read. The question is, does Jesus too tweak the “eavesdropper?” After all, He prays that we might be united, joyful and together.

Jesus prays that we might be one. Got to wonder if that is a bit of a put on don’t you? There are hundreds of denominations in the Christian church. In our church body alone we can’t agree on which hymnal is the best. In our congregation alone we are united on whether kneeling or walking through communion is the way to go. Is Jesus putting us on? There are two answers here. The first truth is that Jesus does long for the day when the church is one: one in faith and doctrine. The second truth is that unity does not equal uniformity! Our oneness flows from our faith in Christ and His gift of grace and mercy not that we do the same thing and share the same opinion on all matters. This is not a joke but a blessed truth the church is ONE.

Jesus prays that we might be joyful. That should be simple to accomplish! The Bruins win the Pac-Ten this season, the Halo’s face the D-backs in the World Series, my candidate gets elected and home prices fall to the point that we can pick one up dimes to dollars. That would make anyone happy; unless they are a Trojan fans, root for the Yanks and Dodgers, or are backing a different candidate and already own a home and don’t want to see its value fall any further. Jesus however, isn’t pulling one over on us; He does desire that we are JOYFUL. Happiness is based upon emotion and experience; Joy is based upon conviction and confidence. He prays that we might have the joy that comes from the certainty that we are His and therefore heaven is ours.

Finally, Jesus prays that we all might be together. It would seem that this is the prayer that doesn’t quite fit the pattern. Surely, if He wanted us together He could simply return and make it so. Why the delay? Does He mean what He prays? Perhaps He doesn’t love us quite as much as He claims. Jesus’ delay in returning is not due to a lack of love but an abundance of it. His love for all—for all to come to be united with Him; His church through faith and thus be filled with the joy of conviction and confidence that belongs to the people of God that will one-day result in heavenly togetherness is at the heart of His delay in returning and at the heart of His prayer. He prayed just loud enough for us to listen in, and for us to pray ourselves and through His blessing become part of the answer as well.

The One Year Bible- May 2nd

As you heard me say before, “I love the book of Judges”. I have always thought they should make this into a movie. Who wouldn’t want to see the left handed Ehud taking care of the Eglon who was taking care of business on the “throne”, or Samson killing 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey or tying 300 pairs of foxes together, lighting them on fire and setting them loose in the fields? And you can’t forget Gideon and the testing of God and the defeat of the Midionites with just 300 men. I think this would be a good task for Peter Jackson of Lord of the Rings fame or maybe even George Lucas, but I digress...... On to the study.....

Vicar Seth’s Thoughts:

The Old Testament

I hope you are enjoying the book of Judges as much as I am. Some people get depressed when they read the book because it looks as if the people just don’t get it. They always seem to do evil in the eyes of the Lord and they get handed over to some group and they suffer. But I don’t think that is the point. The point of the book is that God takes care of his people. He loves them so much and he will do anything to save them. We still don’t get the point today. Thank God for sending Jesus to save us. I want to spend some time talking about Gideon and Samson today. First of all the book of Judges spends more time on these two guys then the others. An angel who seeks him out chooses Gideon. A bit of knowledge would help here. Gideon is hiding. How do I know that? He is in the bottom of a winepress (think big barrel) threshing wheat to hide it from the Midianites. The angel comes to him and calls him a “Mighty Hero”. Of course Gideon tries to talk his way out of it (sounds like Moses). Gideon asks for a sign and he hurries home to get an offering. The angel then burns up the offering and Gideon believes that it was an angel from the Lord. End of story right....not so fast. Gideon seems to be convinced but he tests his appointment two more times with God. Again the point here is not to show how untrusting Gideon was, but to show how patient God is, he patient with us in all things. The rest of the story continues on this theme. God delivers the people with only 300 men so the people would not brag that they did it all themselves. One of the other problems the people get into is that they want an earthly king. They ask Gideon to be their ruler and they have problems. After Gideon died one of his sons Abimelech tried to be the king. This only leads to problems because God is the only king the people need. The people loose sight of this and the cycle continues. Eventually God will allow a king but we are getting ahead of ourselves. Samson is another judge that makes for good Sunday school stories. His great strength makes him a good hero. But as you read the story you find out that Samson has some personality issues. He has problems with women and his temper (good movie material). Eventually he is humbled and matures and God uses him to exact some judgment on the Philistines. At the center, these stories are about the mercy of God. He continued to show the people mercy when they did not deserve it. He shows it to us today as well.

The New Testament

We finished up the Gospel of Luke with the familiar story of the passion. The one thing that jumped out at me was in chapter 24. Jesus was walking on the road to Emmaus with some of the disciples and Jesus takes them to task about believing that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus seems a but impatient but in verse 27 it says, “The Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” What a great teacher. He knew that they still did not get it but he proceeded to teach them. His patience is amazing. In our readings for tomorrow (May 3^rd), Nicodemus comes (at night because he didn’t want others to know he was there) to meet with Jesus. During their discussion Jesus mentions a story from the Old Testament. We read this story back in March. The people did not do what God said and he sent snakes into the camp. Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole and the people were saved. Jesus takes this story and gives some new meaning to it. “And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.” And right after this is the famous John 3:16. You can’t tell me that the Bible is not one story!!

Bits And Pieces:

We will finish the book of Judges this week and read whole the book of Ruth. Here are the vital stats for the book of Ruth:

Purpose: To show how three people remained strong in character and true to God even when the society around them was collapsing

Author: Unknown. Some think it was Samuel, but internal evidence suggest that it was written after Samuel’s death.

Date Written: Sometime after the period of the Judges (1375-1050 B.C.)

Setting: A dark time in Israel’s history when people lived to please themselves, not God.

Key Verse: “But Ruth replied, ‘Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.’” (Ruth 1:16)

Key People: Ruth, Naomi, Boaz

Key Places: Moab, Bethlehem

We will also start the book of 1 Samuel. Here are the vital stats for this book:

Purpose: To record the life of Samuel, Israel’s last judge; the reign and decline of Saul, the first king; and the choice and preparation of David, Israel’s greatest king.

Author Most likely Samuel himself

Setting: The book begins in the days of the judges and describes Israel’s transition from a theocracy (let by God) to a monarchy (led by a king)

Key Verses: “And the LORD told him, ‘Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king....Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do’” (8:7,9)

Key People: Eli, Hannah, Samuel, Saul, Jonathan, David

The Bethany Bullet-Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Christ Encounter: A mini-miracle
Text: John 21:1-14

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The pastor was an avid fisherman, but he hadn't fished in months. One perfect Sunday morning he just couldn't resist. He called up the Vicar and claimed he had laryngitis or something. The pastor then took his boat and headed out to his favorite spot. The hook hadn't been in the water five minutes before he got a strike, and landed the biggest fish he had ever caught - although he had seen bigger ones. A half hour later, he caught the biggest fish he had ever seen. Another forty-five minutes later he landed a fish that broke the lake record. All this time St. Peter and God have been watching the pastor from heaven. St. Peter turned to God, and said, "How can you reward this pastor? He lied. He let down his congregation." God smiled at St. Peter, and replied, "I'm punishing him." St. Peter‘s confused…so God continues, "Well, after he finishes, who can he tell his story to?"

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We have all heard or told “fish stories” in our lives. Fishing is one of those activities that people do that is relaxing; it is comforting to get away from it all. In the middle of a stressful week some people start thinking of how they can get away.

In the context of John 21:1-14 we know that it has been a rough couple of weeks for the disciples. The ups, downs, and ups again have taken their toll: a joyous entrance into town, an intimate meal with their rabbi, anguish in the garden, raw emotion at the cross, confusion at the empty tomb, fear in a locked room, exhilaration at seeing their friend alive, doubt in the truth, and a sense of peace breathed upon them.

But after all of these encounters some of the disciples wanted things to get back to normal, it seemed like they want to get away from it all. From the Gospel lesson, John 21: 3, "I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. It could have been years since they had gotten into the boat to cast their nets for fish. They had been fishing for men but now things seemed uncertain and they needed some comfort; a place that was “normal”, somewhere that was routine.

They had been in a boat before…for many years, before knowing Jesus, it had been to make a living. But since encountering Christ they had also battled the wind & waves and saw their Lord still the storm with a word. They had seen him walk on water. They had traveled to the other side of the lake with him to cure hundreds, cast out legions, and feed thousands. Now they were tired, the sun had come up and they hear a voice from the shore asking how they did. "Friends, haven't you any fish?" "No," they answered. He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some."

What was this guy talking about? You don’t catch fish after the sun comes up everyone knows that! But for some reason they listen and they are surprised by a wonderful miracle! It might have been a mini-miracle but it was a mega-catch. They had so many fish in the net they could hardly bring it on deck.

It is John who looks to the shore again and realizes that it was Jesus. Immediately, Peter puts his shirt back on, jumps into the water, and has an encounter with the Lord. Jesus was there busy making breakfast for his friends. He had a fire going and fish cooking, he had bread for them as well. In the midst of an ordinary day, Jesus does the extraordinary. Fishing was comfortable, breakfast was routine but in the middle of it all, Jesus provides a remarkable catch of fish and once again shows his majesty to his followers.

An encounter with Christ is never ordinary, but at times we all retreat to the comfortable. At times we miss the extraordinary acts of Jesus. We are fearful of the unexpected and we crave the routine. We get comfortable with Christ. Perhaps there is a bit of Peter in all of us. I am sure there are times where you have tried to get away from the pressure, tried to get things back to normal in your life. Especially when things have gone wrong or after times of stress.

• Watching the markets collapse
• Dealing with a budget crisis
• Getting a pink slip
• Hearing the test results
• Coming home from the funeral

But when we retreat to “the comfortable” we can loose sight of the extraordinary. It is easy to become blind to the blessings and miracles that happen all around us. When the stress is up to our neck we find that Jesus is ready to have an encounter with us that will bring us back to him.

Jesus was born into an ordinary family, living ordinary lives. He called ordinary men, in ordinary jobs to follow him. He used ordinary things, said ordinary words, traveled in ordinary ways, and slept in ordinary places. From ordinary beginnings comes the most extraordinary event the world has ever seen. In the midst of the ordinary, Jesus shows his extraordinary love. His simple life of love culminates on a cross and an empty tomb. He surprised his followers with a mega-miracle that not only changes their lives but also changed the world.

Where are the mini-miracles in your life?

• We can see the miracle of new birth, and of rebirth in the waters of baptism.
• We can see the excitement of a child who hears about Jesus for the first time.
• We have an encounter with Christ in ordinary bread and wine.
• We experience the forgiveness that comes through His Word. We see broken relationships, mended.
• We see peace that comes to people and places that only know suffering and strife.
• We stand in amazement at the abundant blessings we have been given and we are moved to use the things we have in service to the Kingdom.

Because of the mega-miracle of Easter we are able to encounter countless mini-miracles every day.

You may think you are just going out fishing, but don’t be surprised if Jesus greets you with a miracle and breakfast to boot. This won’t be some fish story, and you can be proud to tell the world of how you have encountered Christ. So…Lets Go Fishin’!

FROM THE CHIMES:

Stimulating Stewardship

When was the last time you heard those two words used in tandem? Unfortunately, stimulating and stewardship don’t often go together in our vocabulary or our thinking. That needs to change in the church. If the church is to conduct a mission and fund a ministry that changes the world one life, one heart, at a time. Unbelievably, unexpectedly, the government is currently giving the people of God a chance to learn this lesson or continue to live it out, as the case may be.

The vast majority of us will soon be receiving, if you haven’t already, a stimulus check from the government. The word, stimulate means to rouse, stir or invigorate. The stimulus package is designed to rouse, stir and invigorate the economy. Regardless of how you view this politically, I would suggest that we could all rejoice in this spiritually! This stimulus check has the opportunity to rouse a response within the people of God by returning a proportionate gift to the Lord, to stir in us a desire to give back to God a first fruit gift from the resources He provides us, be they through our employer or our government.

It isn’t often that something beginning in the state and world of laws (what Luther calls, “the left hand kingdom”) has the chance of invigorating the church and realm of the Gospel (what Luther calls, “the right hand kingdom”) in such a way as to teach us and direct us into a spiritual discipline that is God-pleasing. The spiritual discipline, and Bethany Blueprint point, of proportionate giving can be learned, lived out, or acted upon again through this stimulus check. Wouldn’t it be just like God to use this opportunity to continue for some and begin for others a rousing, stirring, invigorating even stimulating life of financial stewardship?

If so, that means this is more than a chance to merely consider the spiritual disciple of proportionate giving, but rather a chance to act upon the opportunity and engage in this spiritual discipline by returning to the Lord a proportionate gift. A Biblical example of proportionate giving that has been practiced in the lives of the saints in Scripture and history is a tithe or ten percent.

Who would have thought it, the state stimulating stewardship in the church? Exciting to think about isn’t it!

The One Year Bible- April 25th

When I was in college I worked at Arrowhead Lutheran Camp for many summers as a counselor. Right out of college I was hired to be the program director at the camp. I was just a young kid but I had quite a bit of experience at working with children. As a counselor I always struggled with finding ways to get my campers to go to sleep. Some other counselors told ghost stories or scary tales but those freaked me out too much. Quite by accident one night I began to read stories from the book of Judges. I started with Gideon. That took about two nights then I went to Ehud, Samson, Deborah and others. My young boys really enjoyed the blood and guts stories that weren’t too scary. I liked them because they also taught that God was in control. Some people have a tough time with the book of Judges because of its violent nature and that is fine, but if you look at the stories through the eyes of a 10-year-old boy you might get some understanding. The key thing to remember is that God has mercy on his people and shows his love to them by sending a judge. Not a judge that comes to condemn, but one that comes to save. Sounds kind of like Jesus doesn’t it? On to the study for this week……

Vicar Seth’s Thoughts

The Old Testament
As I have alluded to in the opening the book of Judges is all about God’s mercy. It seems like it is about his wrath with some blood and guts thrown in for good measure but when you really look at it you see a familiar pattern emerge with all the judges. We see this same pattern when Jesus is sent as the final Judge. Why was it necessary for the Judges to come anyway? Didn’t the people promise that they would be faithful to God? What happened to the promises they made? In the first part of the book we get the answer. “The LORD was with the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill country, but they were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had iron chariots.” (Judges 1:19 NIV) The story was the same with the other tribes. Reading a bit further, “The tribe of Manasseah failed to drive out the people….” Then the tribe of Ephraim failed, then Zebulen failed, then Asher failed, then Naphtali. Then Yahweh (LORD in all caps) sent his angel (some think this may be the pre-incarnate Christ) to talk to the people. Judgment was to be upon the people. “Now therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.” (Judges 2:3 NIV) This sums up the problems that the people will encounter the rest of the Old Testament. The people living in the land and their gods will cause major problems for the people. Remember this as we read the rest of the story this year. But the LORD (Yahweh) in his infinite mercy shows love to the people and sends help. The account of each Judge has a similar pattern. It usually begins with, The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, He turned them over to their enemies for so many years. Then the LORD raised up a Judge. The people followed this Judge and were saved. The land had peace for so many years. The Judge dies and the people return to their old ways and do evil in the eyes of the LORD. Get familiar with this pattern. This is some foreshadowing of the New Testament story of Jesus. We don’t have time to discuss each Judge (we will spend more time with Gideon next week) in detail so let me give you some highlights. Ehud is my favorite. He is left-handed. Why does the writer of Judges tell us this? He was able to smuggle his dagger into the presence of the king because, being left-handed he drew it from his right side. Most people carry their dagger or sword on the left side because they are right handed. Ehud was able to get close to the king and kill him because he was left-handed. You see, God uses all things for his good purposes. I also think it is funny that Ehud escapes through the outhouse in the kings chambers and the attendants are so embarrassed to disturb the king when he is in the bathroom. Some commentators even suggest that the king was actually sitting on “the throne” (the one in the bathroom) when Ehud stabs him (you see why young boys like this story?). The account of Deborah is good to show that God works through women as well. God raised her up as a Judge and she led the people in battle. In the story it was another woman, Jael, who took care of the evil Sisera. Talk about girl power (both the boys and some of the girls like this story). The story of Gideon is a bit longer and has some interesting insights for us. We will talk about him next week.

The New Testament

In our readings for this week we begin the story of the Passion. Luke makes an interesting comment about all the praise that Jesus is receiving on Palm Sunday. Some of the Pharisees tried to get Jesus to stop the celebration and Jesus says, “If they keep quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” (Luke 19:40) This is an amazing statement. We have read in the Psalms that all creation praises the Lord, but here is proof that it can happen. Can you imagine if no one would praise God and then the rocks start to cry out? What a sight that would be!

Luke does a good job keeping the action moving in the story but there are some rather significant things to see when you dig a bit deeper. Tomorrow we will read the scene where Jesus is before the High Priest. When Jesus is asked point blank if he is the son of God he says, “I am”. OK you say? No big deal? But, the words Jesus used are very important. When he says “I am” not only is he answering in the affirmative, he also is using the name God used when talking to Moses in the burning bush. Remember that God said his name was, “I am”. No wonder the High Priest and the others wanted Jesus dead after he had said this. Jesus goes in there and uses the name of God that the Jews to this day will not even use! Jesus was saying in no uncertain terms that he was the Christ, the promised Messiah. When we get to the Gospel of John we will see seven big “I am” statements from Jesus. Remember them when you read and pour into them the Old Testament meanings.

Bits and Pieces

We will finish the Gospel of Luke this week and we will start the Gospel of John. As a quick note, the first four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) are grouped together and are referred to as the synoptic Gospels. The basically have the same form and tell the same story. They probably leaned on one another for source material. John is its own animal all together. John is the only Gospel that mentions three different Passover celebrations, which is where we get the three-year ministry of Jesus. John does not have a standard birth story. John begins with creation, but more on all this next week. John also makes heavy use of metaphor. We will see Jesus referred to as the door, the lamb, the good shepherd, the gate, the way the truth the life, and others. Here are the vital stats for the book of John:

Purpose: To prove conclusively that Jesus is the Son of God and that all who believe in him will have eternal life.

Author: It is never actually mentioned but most agree that it is John the apostle, son of Zebedee, brother of James, called a “Son of Thunder”

To Whom Written: New Christians and searching Non-Christians

Date Written: Probably between A.D. 85-90

Setting: Written after the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and before John’s exile to the island of Patmos

Key Verses: “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:30-31

Key People: Jesus, John the Baptist, the disciples, Mary, Martha, Lazarus, Jesus’ mother, Pilate, Mary Magdalene

Key Places: Judean countryside, Samaria, Galilee, Bethany, Jerusalem

Special Features: of the eight miracles recorded, six are unique (among the Gospels) to John, as is the “Upper Room Discourse” (chs. 14-17). Over 90 percent of John is unique to his Gospel. John does not contain a genealogy or any record of Jesus’ birth, childhood, temptation, transfiguration, appointment of the disciples, nor any account of Jesus’ parables, ascension, or Great Commission.

Have a wonderful week!!!