Before reading this blog today, read the following sections from scripture: (link to online Bible)
Genesis 25:19-34 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Gen%2025&version=31
Genesis 27:1-40 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Gen%2027;&version=31;
This is the story of Jacob and Esau - two brothers. There is so much that we can draw from this story, but one of the main concepts illustrated here is that of the "firstborn."
Since Esau was the eldest son, or firstborn, he was entitled to a special blessing and inheritance from his father. In the ancient Jewish culture this was far more of an honor than simple words and possessions. People were willing to kill, or cheat and deceive their brothers, to get such a blessing. In this particular case, the son who received the blessing would have the Messiah as a descendant. I'd be pretty pumped if my great(38x) grandchild was the savior of the world!
Needless to say it was a great honor to be the firstborn and to receive that blessing. In Colossians 1:18, while speaking of the church(Ἐκκλησία, ekklesia), Paul refers to Christ as the Firstborn: he who has ownership over the church, one who gives blessing to the church and recieves blessing from the same.
How can the church bless Christ?
How has the church been a blessing of Christ to you?
Meditation: The words "church(ekklesia)" and "eclectic(eklektikos/eklegein)" share similar greek roots - how has the varied makeup of the body of Christ impacted the way you view and experience God?
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
...the firstborn from among the dead... Col 1:18b
This small snippit of a a powerful verse can come off sounding like something out of a horror film, but it is part of a message of hope instead. It is part of a full statement where Paul is telling the church in Colossae that Christ is supreme over all rulers, powers and worlds - and the only one to bring life out of nothing and to bring life from death.
To think of Christ as the one who can bring life from death, who can raise us from the dead - both figuratively and literally - is amazing. Amazing simply because no one else can do that, but more amazing is that we can be one with one with him. That we can be healed, restored and assured of eternal life, but also invited to take part in this life giving redemption with Christ in this present world.
What might it look like for us to join with Christ in bringing things back from "the dead?" (example: plots of land, old forests, neighborhoods, relationships...)
What effect might this co-creator/redeemer mindset have on our faith community? our city? our planet?
Only by God's power and invitation is this possible - how can we daily accept that invitation?
Meditation: Romans 8:17
-
This small snippit of a a powerful verse can come off sounding like something out of a horror film, but it is part of a message of hope instead. It is part of a full statement where Paul is telling the church in Colossae that Christ is supreme over all rulers, powers and worlds - and the only one to bring life out of nothing and to bring life from death.
To think of Christ as the one who can bring life from death, who can raise us from the dead - both figuratively and literally - is amazing. Amazing simply because no one else can do that, but more amazing is that we can be one with one with him. That we can be healed, restored and assured of eternal life, but also invited to take part in this life giving redemption with Christ in this present world.
What might it look like for us to join with Christ in bringing things back from "the dead?" (example: plots of land, old forests, neighborhoods, relationships...)
What effect might this co-creator/redeemer mindset have on our faith community? our city? our planet?
Only by God's power and invitation is this possible - how can we daily accept that invitation?
Meditation: Romans 8:17
-
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
...the beginning...
"...I am full of earth
You are heaven's worth
I am stained with dirt, prone to depravity
You are everything that is bright and clean
The antonym for me
You are divinity
But a certain sign of grace is this
From the broken earth flowers come up
Pushing through the dirt..."
This is a verse from David Crowder's song "Wholly Yours." Those last few lines paint such a vivid picture, one that I think we can all relate to. Maybe you are walking by an old abandoned lot, or else where where it would be unexpected to see a beautiful flower popping up through the dirt and nothingness. It resonates with the idea that out of nothing, something beautiful can come.
This idea is so central to the theme of the New Testament and to who Christ is. In Colossians 1:18 Paul states that Christ is the beginning. In John 1, we see this again when he says that "in the beginning was the Word..." The "word" John is referring to is Jesus. There is an undeniable knowledge inside both Paul and John that Christ put everything into motion in the beginning and holds all things together today. The way the texts are written infers that God created out of nothing (ex nihilo, Latin). God is a God who creates and develops, a God of change. Many people can tell of the change that Christ has made in their lives, changes that could not have happened by human power. Things as astounding, if not moreso, than a flower growing out of earthly rubble.
What if we were a people who believed that Christ could change and renew all things? How then would we view broken people? Broken places?
What if one of the chief calls of our faith is to create beautiful things, experiences and relationships alongside our Lord?
You are heaven's worth
I am stained with dirt, prone to depravity
You are everything that is bright and clean
The antonym for me
You are divinity
But a certain sign of grace is this
From the broken earth flowers come up
Pushing through the dirt..."
This is a verse from David Crowder's song "Wholly Yours." Those last few lines paint such a vivid picture, one that I think we can all relate to. Maybe you are walking by an old abandoned lot, or else where where it would be unexpected to see a beautiful flower popping up through the dirt and nothingness. It resonates with the idea that out of nothing, something beautiful can come.
This idea is so central to the theme of the New Testament and to who Christ is. In Colossians 1:18 Paul states that Christ is the beginning. In John 1, we see this again when he says that "in the beginning was the Word..." The "word" John is referring to is Jesus. There is an undeniable knowledge inside both Paul and John that Christ put everything into motion in the beginning and holds all things together today. The way the texts are written infers that God created out of nothing (ex nihilo, Latin). God is a God who creates and develops, a God of change. Many people can tell of the change that Christ has made in their lives, changes that could not have happened by human power. Things as astounding, if not moreso, than a flower growing out of earthly rubble.
What if we were a people who believed that Christ could change and renew all things? How then would we view broken people? Broken places?
What if one of the chief calls of our faith is to create beautiful things, experiences and relationships alongside our Lord?
Thursday, May 21, 2009
a piece of heaven on earth...?
If Christ is the head of the body...the church...
What is the make up of this body?
If one was to find themselves at Hope's service this past Sunday, it was said that the human eye is the complex crown jewel of the human body. So complex is the eye that even our fastest super computers cannot come close to matching its performance! With things like this we realize that the body is made up of so many different and diverse parts with so many different functions...that its mind-blowing.
What is also mind-blowing is that the eye is no more necessary to the body than the heart, or the skin. The beautiful thing about Christ being the head of the body is that He is connected with each and every part of it. No part is more important than another. This body, of course, is the church - both locally and globally. What a unique place - where anyone who walks in the door is as important in Christ's eyes as the one preaching, singing or praying up front.
What kind of impact can that type of a community have on their friends and neighbors?
Are we called, in Christ, to be a place of complete safety - where no one is turned away because we believe and see ourselves all as equals?
Meditation: 1 Corinthians 12:12-14
-
What is the make up of this body?
If one was to find themselves at Hope's service this past Sunday, it was said that the human eye is the complex crown jewel of the human body. So complex is the eye that even our fastest super computers cannot come close to matching its performance! With things like this we realize that the body is made up of so many different and diverse parts with so many different functions...that its mind-blowing.
What is also mind-blowing is that the eye is no more necessary to the body than the heart, or the skin. The beautiful thing about Christ being the head of the body is that He is connected with each and every part of it. No part is more important than another. This body, of course, is the church - both locally and globally. What a unique place - where anyone who walks in the door is as important in Christ's eyes as the one preaching, singing or praying up front.
What kind of impact can that type of a community have on their friends and neighbors?
Are we called, in Christ, to be a place of complete safety - where no one is turned away because we believe and see ourselves all as equals?
Meditation: 1 Corinthians 12:12-14
-
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
a new kind of body...
For years now, people around me have been sold on programs like Weight Watchers, or SlimFast, or buying the latest model BowFlex as soon as the infomercial put up the number. Then there was Billy Blanks and Tae-Bo, then ancient eastern dance fighting workouts and Krav Maga. One day a few weeks ago I was offering bread to a friend, who politely turned it down due to the strict diet regimen of P-90X. We all, whether in or outside of a diet/workout program, long for transformation. A transformation from something that is, into something better, more desirable, more efficient.
But let me tell you, there is no success to be had in the fitness realm if one's mind and heart are not strong enough to conquer the body.
A mind and heart that give direction and hold onto a vision and goal are necessary to achieve much of anything. That's why we have leaders, and boards and people in whom we place trust to steer us in the right direction, be it in a business, church or educational setting.
This is part of the reason Paul states that Christ is the head of the church in Col. 1:18. Christ is the example to follow, the vision caster, the one who lived it first so that we may follow. Christ therefore is the transforming agent who can take people as individuals or communally and change them into something that gives great hope and healing to the world.
How might Christ be changing or challenging you or your family?
Can we trust His vision and direction?
Meditation: Psalm 31
-
But let me tell you, there is no success to be had in the fitness realm if one's mind and heart are not strong enough to conquer the body.
A mind and heart that give direction and hold onto a vision and goal are necessary to achieve much of anything. That's why we have leaders, and boards and people in whom we place trust to steer us in the right direction, be it in a business, church or educational setting.
This is part of the reason Paul states that Christ is the head of the church in Col. 1:18. Christ is the example to follow, the vision caster, the one who lived it first so that we may follow. Christ therefore is the transforming agent who can take people as individuals or communally and change them into something that gives great hope and healing to the world.
How might Christ be changing or challenging you or your family?
Can we trust His vision and direction?
Meditation: Psalm 31
-
Thursday, May 14, 2009
power over the powers...
Let's take a quick look at the power of a name...
In the movie "The Usual Suspects," the name Keyser Soze' is whispered many times in reverence and fear. It seems to hold a certain meaning and power. The same is true in the new Chronicles of Narnia films. "Aslan is on the move," says Mr. Beaver in hushed tones. Aslan's name is whispered so intentionally, it is as if the future of all Narnia hung in the balance...and it did.
We can see here, and in our own experiences that certain names hold power and it is sometimes a risk to even audibly utter them.
In the Old Testament times the name of God, "Yahweh(יַהְוֶה, YHWH)" was held in such regard. It was against Jewish custom to speak the name of Yahweh; even when it was being written it would often be shortened, as to not use the full name. His name was regarded as too sacred for the common tongue to use. Another name of God that held similar power and was never to be spoken was "I AM" (אהיה אשר אהיה, Exodus 3:14). A name encompassing all of God's being, nature and attributes.
Philippians 2:10 shares with us that the name of Jesus also holds this soul-shaking power. A power over things on earth, in heaven and under the earth - power over things visible and invisible. On example of this is found in John 18.
Jesus had been out all night praying in Gethsemane's garden when Judas and the Sanhedrin's soldiers came to arrest him. Jesus asks them who they are looking for, they reply "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus than states "I am he." At this, the soldiers are thrown back by the sheer force of that name (a form of "I AM"). The NIV text almost makes it seem like the soldiers heard this, tiptoed back a few feet and then gently laid down. But, in reading other and primary texts one can see that this is not the case - the soldiers are blown back and thrown to the ground! What power... in a name.
A name that has been given to us to call upon, flee to, stand on and worship. A name and a God who holds power over things we can see and those things we can only feel or sense.
Meditation: Psalm 50:15
-
In the movie "The Usual Suspects," the name Keyser Soze' is whispered many times in reverence and fear. It seems to hold a certain meaning and power. The same is true in the new Chronicles of Narnia films. "Aslan is on the move," says Mr. Beaver in hushed tones. Aslan's name is whispered so intentionally, it is as if the future of all Narnia hung in the balance...and it did.
We can see here, and in our own experiences that certain names hold power and it is sometimes a risk to even audibly utter them.
In the Old Testament times the name of God, "Yahweh(יַהְוֶה, YHWH)" was held in such regard. It was against Jewish custom to speak the name of Yahweh; even when it was being written it would often be shortened, as to not use the full name. His name was regarded as too sacred for the common tongue to use. Another name of God that held similar power and was never to be spoken was "I AM" (אהיה אשר אהיה, Exodus 3:14). A name encompassing all of God's being, nature and attributes.
Philippians 2:10 shares with us that the name of Jesus also holds this soul-shaking power. A power over things on earth, in heaven and under the earth - power over things visible and invisible. On example of this is found in John 18.
Jesus had been out all night praying in Gethsemane's garden when Judas and the Sanhedrin's soldiers came to arrest him. Jesus asks them who they are looking for, they reply "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus than states "I am he." At this, the soldiers are thrown back by the sheer force of that name (a form of "I AM"). The NIV text almost makes it seem like the soldiers heard this, tiptoed back a few feet and then gently laid down. But, in reading other and primary texts one can see that this is not the case - the soldiers are blown back and thrown to the ground! What power... in a name.
A name that has been given to us to call upon, flee to, stand on and worship. A name and a God who holds power over things we can see and those things we can only feel or sense.
Meditation: Psalm 50:15
-
Monday, May 11, 2009
Invisible powers...
Col 1:16 "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him."
...when I was a young kid I would swear to my parents that there was a monster under my bed, and oftentimes a ghost in my closet (if the door was cracked open). I would continually be told that these things were not real and my preschool teachers would roll their eyes and my concerns. But one day, while voicing my plight to my grandfather - he seemed to understand and let me know that it was OK to think there were invisible things in our world (but not hiding in my bedroom).
Strange as it was for me to comprehend the existence of something unseen at such as young age, it was not a stretch for the ancient peoples of Colossae to think of and acknowledge the unseen realm. The original readers of "Colossians" lived in a very spiritually charged world. Whether Roman or subject, Gentile or Jew there was a sense that most all of life had spiritual significance. There was and is a spiritual world. We too, are spiritual beings.
But what do we do with that?
Christ, our king is king of that realm to.
What bearing might that have on our lives?
Meditation verse: Romans 8: 38
...when I was a young kid I would swear to my parents that there was a monster under my bed, and oftentimes a ghost in my closet (if the door was cracked open). I would continually be told that these things were not real and my preschool teachers would roll their eyes and my concerns. But one day, while voicing my plight to my grandfather - he seemed to understand and let me know that it was OK to think there were invisible things in our world (but not hiding in my bedroom).
Strange as it was for me to comprehend the existence of something unseen at such as young age, it was not a stretch for the ancient peoples of Colossae to think of and acknowledge the unseen realm. The original readers of "Colossians" lived in a very spiritually charged world. Whether Roman or subject, Gentile or Jew there was a sense that most all of life had spiritual significance. There was and is a spiritual world. We too, are spiritual beings.
But what do we do with that?
Christ, our king is king of that realm to.
What bearing might that have on our lives?
Meditation verse: Romans 8: 38
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
