God thinks people were one of his better ideas (and that's saying something!)

Lamentations 4:1-5:22
Hebrews 2:1-18
Psalm 103:1-22
Proverbs 26:23

I love Psalm 103.  It is one of my favourite parts in the Bible because it gives us a picture of God as someone who is wholeheartedly in favour of people.

In this poem you get at one and the same time  -

i) the greatness of God, "The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything"
ii) the frailty of humanity, "we are only dust.  15 Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die.  16 The wind blows, and we are gone — as though we had never been here"
and then
iii) God's attitude towards us, "his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. 12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. 13 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him."

So if you ever have a down day and think that you are terrible and useless, if you think that you are sin ridden and worthless then have a read of Psalm 103 and find out what God really thinks of you.

Weakness and forgiveness

Jeremiah 48:1-49:22
2 Timothy 4:1-22
Psalm 95:1-96:13
Proverbs 26:9-12

In the 2 Timothy passage we see Paul in a moment of moving weakness and humility.  I don’t know if I would have liked Paul had I met him personally.  He seems to have had one of those abrupt sort of personalities that told things as they are and was not afraid to lose friends in doing so.  We see this by how he faces down Peter in front of the church over eating with people who are not Jews (Paul, like Jesus, was for, Peter, unlike Jesus, was against).  There is another telling incident in Acts 15 when Paul hastily judges Mark (later to become the writer of Mark’s Gospel) because he failed them and ran away from them on a previous missionary journey.

He falls out with Barnabus on this one.  Barnabus takes Mark away with him and Paul storms off on his own.  The work of both men seems to have been blessed by God as they went their separate ways but how much more productive would it have been had they worked together?  Paul, just like Barnabus it seems, was a stubborn and pig-headed man.  But here we see him toward the end of his life.  He is an old man and in need.  He could be railing against the world and everyone who has failed him in the past but instead there are one or two beautiful moments in this letter.  He writes this to Timothy...

 ⁹Do your best to come to me quickly, ¹⁰for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. ¹¹Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. ¹²I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. ¹³When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.

Who does he ask for?  Mark, “Because he is helpful to me in my ministry.”  We don’t know when the healing happened or who said sorry to who but far from holding a grudge Paul now calls for help from a man that previously he wouldn’t even go on mission work with.  How long do we hold grudges for?  All too often in life people hold them until the grave.  Jesus gave us a very stern warning about that kind of thing in his teaching about prayer, he said, “14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14-15

The amazing disappearing blog!

Jeremiah 44:24-47:7

2 Timothy 2:22-3:17

Psalm 94:1-23

Proverbs 26:6-8

There have been no blog posts for the last few days as we have been travelling through Scotland and have had fairly erratic internet access. The flat we are now staying in is probably the only internet dead-zone in the whole of Leslie.

"Pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.

 23 Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. 24 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people."

This advice from Paul seems so obvious that it barely seems to be worth saying. But what he is speaking about is the effect that being a Christian, dedicating your life to being a follower of Jesus should have on you. You should change and become a much nicer person.

Jesus said the same sort of thing, "by their fruit will you know them." I read a passage like the one in 2 Timothy and think, how much has all this changed me? Does it continue to change me? A faith that didn't change people from the inside out wouldn't be worth following.

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This post took forever to put together on my phone so expect few enough posts over the next week and then come Monday normal service should resume.

Dear Paul - Part 5

Following hot on the heals of part 4 here is part 5 -

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How should I deal with these differences in age in the church?  When I first came here I was not conscious of this at all for you had always treated me with respect despite the difference in age between us.  Here in Ephesus however things are different, I feel self conscious in the houses with young women (it feels like their fathers are always trying to marry them off to me!) and I feel a new self consciousness amongst the older men after some of the comments that have been made about my age.  Should I be bolder in my teaching and rebuking of them?  Would that earn me better respect?

While we are on the subject of older people I feel that I need some advice about our work scheme for the widows.  It has been going well here but with the recent plagues and the high death rate among the men it is becoming a little unmanageable.  We followed the example of the Antioch church and recruited older widows to look after people in the congregation in return for a small pension and a vow that they would dedicate themselves purely to the work of the church in prayer and service.

Until the recent spate of deaths that has worked well but now we have so many younger widows among us this current way of doing things seems unsustainable.   How should we treat these younger widows?  How should we decide who to give money to and who is genuinely in need?

We have little enough money as it is, although people do give generously, it breaks my heart sometimes to see the slaves give a tenth of what little they have for the work of the church.  What money we have goes toward helping those who are poor, those who are sick and the refugees.  We are also considering setting aside some of our elders from their everyday work and paying them so that they might do pastoral and preaching work full time.  What do you think of this?  Also should these men be more accountable to the other elders as they are taking money from the church in the way the widows are?

To help us afford this I have been living as simply as possible and taking as little money from the church as I can.  I am abstaining even from wine and other alcoholic drinks, some of the older men here disapprove of them anyway and it keeps them quiet, but the local water does not seem to agree with me.  Maybe a bit more physical training will help this weak constitution of mine!

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1 Timothy 5

Advice About Widows, Elders and Slaves

 ¹Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, ²older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. ³Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. ⁴But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. ⁵The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. ⁶But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. ⁷Give the people these instructions, too, so that no one may be open to blame. ⁸If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
 ⁹No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband,^[a] 10and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.
 ¹¹As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. ¹²Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. ¹³Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to. ¹⁴So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. ¹⁵Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.
 ¹⁶If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need.
 ¹⁷The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.¹⁸For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,"^[b] and "The worker deserves his wages."^[c] 19Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. ²⁰Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning.
 ²¹I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.
 ²²Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
 ²³Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.
 ²⁴The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. ²⁵In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden.

Footnotes:

1. 1 Timothy 5:9 Or has had but one husband
2. 1 Timothy 5:18 Deut. 25:4
3. 1 Timothy 5:18 Luke 10:7

Dear Paul - Part 4

This is going up a day that as I was on the move or in meetings for 13 straight hours yesterday.  It's been great to slow down today and read up on Sunday's sermon and be in the one place for more than an hour.  Here's part 4 -

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I have written to you before about what I see as a worrying trend among some of the Christians here toward separating themselves off from the outside world.  Despite the large Jewish community in Ephesus it can be almost impossible to buy meat here that hasn’t been offered up in a temple of some sort or killed in a ritualistic way.  This is less of a problem for those who live outside of the city or the very rich who can keep their own animals but for the trading classes and the few slaves who have the money to eat meat this can be a big issue.

I know that your teaching is clear on this that “to the pure all things are pure” and that our role is to be in the world as our Lord Jesus was but I find it almost impossible to argue against this trend. Those who tell all Christians to stay separate from the outside world and away from people who are not Christians in their day to day dealings and social life do what they do to help people remain holy.  I want my people to be holy but does that mean we have to stay apart from the non-Christian people we live and work alongside?

I think I could stand up against their arguments better if I did not feel so much like a child before them.  One of the louder advocates for Christians keeping to themselves even said to my face that he would not accept teaching from his own infant child and so he would not accept teaching from a boy like me!  It hurt.  It feels sometimes as though they are looking down on me because of how my young appearance.

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1 Timothy chapter 4 for comparison.  Thanks for those who have emailed comments.  Feel free to post them on the blog as they have all been worth general reading.

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 ¹The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. ²Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. ³They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. ⁴For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, ⁵because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

 ⁶If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. ⁷Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. ⁸For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
 ⁹This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance ¹⁰(and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.
 ¹¹Command and teach these things. ¹²Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. ¹³Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. ¹⁴Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
 ¹⁵Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. ¹⁶Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Dear Paul Part 3

Jeremiah 31:27-32:44
1 Timothy 3:1-16
Psalm 88:1-18
Proverbs 25:20-22

If you are wondering what on earth the following letter is all about then please click here

Some chapters like the one in 1 Timothy here will present a little bit of a challenge for a commentary of this sort in that it is blindingly obvious what Paul is being asked about here and so any kind of long-winded question is going to look false.  But here goes for part 3

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As you have said before, people in churches complain less about their leaders and those in authority when they are close to them and come from their own fellowship and so I want to try to revitalise the local leadership here and take the burden of responsibility off my own shoulders a little.  What types of leadership would you propose for us here in Ephesus?  I remember you telling me that in the Jerusalem church and in your own church in Antioch they had elders who looked after the pastoral and preaching work of the congregation and deacons who looked after the practical and charitable work of the church.  Should we employ that model here?

Have you any guidelines that would help about who should be an elder or a deacon?  Quite often there are gifted speakers and gifted organisers within the community here but their own moral life does not live up to their gifting.  Should I appoint such flawed men and women as leaders in the hope that their moral life will improve with the responsibilities of leadership?  Also some people here appear to be gifted but are extremely busy.  I have one businessman who seems run ragged with the demands of keeping his three wives and their unnumbered children fed and clothed.  No doubt he has the organisational skills needed but is it worth appointing a person who simply will not have the time?  Finally (in this section) is there any specific advice you would give for appointing female deacons?

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As usual 1 Timothy 3 for comparision

1 Timothy 3

Leaders in the Church

 ¹ This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be an elder,^[a] he desires an honorable position.” ² So an elder must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife.^[b] He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach. ³ He must not be a heavy drinker^[c] or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money. ⁴ He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. ⁵ For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church? ⁶ An elder must not be a new believer, because he might become proud, and the devil would cause him to fall.^{[d] 7} Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the devil’s trap.
 ⁸ In the same way, deacons must be well respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers or dishonest with money. ⁹ They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience. ¹⁰ Before they are appointed as deacons, let them be closely examined. If they pass the test, then let them serve as deacons.
 ¹¹ In the same way, their wives^[e] must be respected and must not slander others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do.
 ¹² A deacon must be faithful to his wife, and he must manage his children and household well. ¹³ Those who do well as deacons will be rewarded with respect from others and will have increased confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.

The Truths of Our Faith

 ¹⁴ I am writing these things to you now, even though I hope to be with you soon, ¹⁵ so that if I am delayed, you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth. ¹⁶ Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith^[f]:
   Christ^[g] was revealed in a human body
      and vindicated by the Spirit.^[h]
   He was seen by angels
      and announced to the nations.
   He was believed in throughout the world
      and taken to heaven in glory.

Footnotes:

1. 1 Timothy 3:1 Or an overseer, or a bishop; also in 3:2, 6.
2. 1 Timothy 3:2 Or must have only one wife, or must be married only once; Greek reads must be the husband of one wife; also in 3:12.
3. 1 Timothy 3:3 Greek must not drink too much wine; similarly in 3:8.
4. 1 Timothy 3:6 Or he might fall into the same judgment as the devil.
5. 1 Timothy 3:11 Or the women deacons. The Greek word can be translated women or wives.
6. 1 Timothy 3:16 Or of godliness.
7. 1 Timothy 3:16 Greek He who; other manuscripts read God.
8. 1 Timothy 3:16 Or in his spirit.

Dear Paul part 2

Jeremiah 30:1-31:26
1 Timothy 2:1-15
Psalm 87:1-7
Proverbs 25:18-19

OK, here's the Dear Paul commentary on 1 Timothy Chapter 2

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I think my personal concerns about my own authority and my right to be the pastor of these people has been reflected in a general lack of respect for authority within the congregation itself.  Once or twice when someone has prayed for the Roman Governor or the Emperor in our meetings there have been unhelpful remarks made by people to the effect that there is no point in praying for someone so obviously lost in sin as they are.

Not only is this personally worrying (it wouldn't be the first time that we have had Imperial spies in our midst reporting on what we are doing) but it also seems to weaken the power of the Gospel to change anyone, even Caesar himself.  What advice would you give for how to pray for our leaders in our meetings and is it right to pray for men who are as obviously sinful as the Governor?

By the way, the presence of the Governor's palace in our city is having it's effect in more ways than one.  As you well know we are a very mixed church with some noble gentile women worshipping alongside traders and slaves of every nationality.  This harmony has been a little stretched of late, especially by the fashions of the noble women.  Some of our people have barely enough to eat while a few of our women arrive with ten years wages of gold in their hair.  Some arrive in clothes that barely cover their nakedness because of poverty while some do the same because of the latest Roman fashions!

To be fair almost all of these women come to our meetings to learn but a few seem unable to do anything else but gossip at the back.  One particular woman is the main ringleader in this and she talks while at the same time plaguing her husband (and therefore everyone else!) with questions about things she has missed.  Have you ever encountered this and what do you do in this regard?  I do feel very sorry for her however, she is in the middle of a very difficult and troublesome pregnancy, please pray for her that she would be kept safe in the coming months.

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Chapter 2 for comparison

Instructions on Worship

 ¹I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— ²for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ³This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. ⁵For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time. ⁷And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles.  ⁸I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.
 ⁹I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, ¹⁰but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.
 ¹¹A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. ¹²I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. ¹³For Adam was formed first, then Eve. ¹⁴And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. ¹⁵But women^[a] will be saved^[b] through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.

Footnotes:

1. 1 Timothy 2:15 Greek she
2. 1 Timothy 2:15 Or restored

This has been a difficult chapter because verses 11-15 are so controversial and the translation of then varies so widely with the more "conservative" versions of the Bible in English being the least literal.  (How ironic is that!)   Taking the chapter as a whole it seems to be about authority and how it should operate within the church and between the church and wider society.  Taken literally 11-15 seem to be about one particular woman in Timothy's church rather than women in general.  I think some kind of footnote would be required to show that there is disagreement over this passage.

Dear Paul - an idea for a new type of commentary

Jeremiah 28:1-29:32
1 Timothy 1:1-20
Psalm 86:1-17
Proverbs 25:17

OK, I know from the stats that there are one or two people who actually read this stuff I have been putting up here, so I want to ask you all about an idea for a book that I have had for a while now related to Paul's letters.  Most of his letters seem to be in response to a letter or message sent by someone else to him to complain about something or tell him about a worrying situation, etc.  What we have in Paul's letters are often the replies that he gave but we do not have the original letter sent by the people in Corinth or Ephesus or wherever.

Normal commentaries on Paul's letters go through what he says line by line and by some very clever detective work piece together the original concerns of Paul's readers so that they can then go on to cast light on some of the trickier things that someone like Paul comes out with.  The problem is that commentaries are often dry, dull and textbook-like rather than having the flow and immediacy of a letter.

Get to the point William...

The point is, what if you did all the detective work and then used your imagination to make up a letter as an introduction to Paul's letter that would help a reader understand some of the trickier things that Paul is saying and why he is saying them?  Do you think that would help or would it only confuse the situation more?  The imaginary letters could be called "Dear Paul" and be full of the questions that Paul seems to be answering in his very real replies.

Here's a first draft for 1 Timothy chapter 1 (and not a very well written one at that) of the kind of thing I mean.  It is an imaginary letter from the young church leader Timothy, he was half Jewish with a Greek father and a Jewish mother and seemed to struggle quite a bit in his work.  What do you think?  Answers on a postcard please to...

Dear Paul

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.  Greetings from the church in Ephesus. 

I thank God for you in my prayers every day because you have been like a father to me in the faith.  My mother and grandmother send you their greetings also, they have been a great help to me here since they joined me last summer. 

Despite their help I have to confess that I still miss your wise advice, especially when it comes to dealing with matters of authority and leadership here in the church.  I will be honest with you, there are times when I feel out of my depth here as a church leader and I have been tempted more than once to leave and return home.  Only your urging while we were in Macedonia that I should stay has kept me here.

I think the main issue for me is the feeling that compared to many of the other Jewish teachers here I feel like I am spiritually very poor and very immature.  I have neither their ready familiarity with the Law nor the sound family background of some of the more aggressive Jewish teachers.

They can recite the Law of Moses to support every one of their arguments in a way I could never do and they continual remind me that my father was a gentile, telling all who will listen that I was born in sin.  To tell the truth, compared to them, I feel sinful, do you think God can still use a man as sinful as me in this work?


Here is the text of chapter 1 for comparison.



 1 This letter is from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, appointed by the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus, who gives us hope.
 2 I am writing to Timothy, my true son in the faith.

   May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.

 3 When I left for Macedonia, I urged you to stay there in Ephesus and stop those whose teaching is contrary to the truth. 4 Don’t let them waste their time in endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees. These things only lead to meaningless speculations,[a] which don’t help people live a life of faith in God.[b]
 5 The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. 6 But some people have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions. 7 They want to be known as teachers of the law of Moses, but they don’t know what they are talking about, even though they speak so confidently.

 8 We know that the law is good when used correctly. 9 For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders. 10 The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders,[c] liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching 11 that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God.

 12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, 13 even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. 14 Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus.

 15 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. 16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.

 18 Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles. 19 Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. 20 Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples. I threw them out and handed them over to Satan so they might learn not to blaspheme God.

Jeremiah and Jesus

Jeremiah 26:1-27:22
2 Thessalonians 3:1-18
Psalm 85:1-13
Proverbs 25:16


Jeremiah 26 makes for strange reading as a Christian.  There are so many parallels between what Jeremiah and Uriah went through at the hands of the Israeli leadership and what Jesus and John the Baptist went through.


Both Jesus and Jeremiah are brought before the elders on a charge of saying that the temple will be torn down.  In both cases it is the mob who seem to be dictating the course and direction of justice rather than the principles of God's law.  In both cases a fellow prophet has been judicially murdered by the king - Uriah (how ironic is his name...) and John the Baptist.  The words of the officials in Jeremiah's day echo those of Pilate, "This man does not deserve death."


The big difference between the two comes with the "wise old men" and in particular Ahikam son of Shaphan who decide that Kings come and go but God and his word stays the same.  The were able to recall what had happened in the time of Hezekiah when Micah prophesied in the way that Jeremiah had done and the people responded in a completely different way.  


This took real guts.  One of the priests at a recent conference I was at spoke about the church's struggle against governments for the liberation of the poor and politically oppressed and he spoke in a simple and unemotional way about how six of his fellow seminarians from his year in Maynooth had been martyred for standing up to dictatorial regimes on behalf of the people.


I think it was his very calm and measured way of speaking that struck me the most.  "It was the Gospel, it is offensive to people in power, and you could expect to die for it.  That's all, where's the shock in that?" he seemed to say by his demeanour and tone of voice.  Jeremiah faced a kangaroo court over his loyalty to God, Jesus was executed for speaking truth to power just as Uriah and John had been before him.  That Jeremiah went free simply shows that God had plans for him to work another day and to keep bringing the message of God to the people of Judah again and again whether his words would be accepted or violently opposed.

Subliminal Psalms

Jeremiah 23:21-25:38

2 Thessalonians 2:1-17

Psalm 84:1-12

Proverbs 25:15

Some parts of the Bible seem to have made their way into our consciousness in much the same way that a catchy pop song ends up going round and round in your head. Psalm 84 is just one of those passages. It's a part of our cultural background music in the church.

I can't remember hearing (or preaching) a sermon on it, I don't think I've discussed it in a small group but still I know it well, I've sung countless songs based on it and if you asked me to list some psalms it would certainly be in the top ten.

Maybe it's the Disney-esque imagery of the birds finding a home in God's house or the reassuring words about those who make their pilgrimage in tears arriving with joy or maybe even the affirmation that it's better to be on the fringes of the Kingdom of God than to be the ruler of an earthly kingdom and not know him.

Either way it is a favourite. I'll finish with a link to a particularly good version of it. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIq1j59R6tI

Two sides of the same bad penny

Jeremiah 22:1-23:20

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

Psalm 83:1-18

Proverbs 25:11-14

Some disputes just get boring after a while. Over on Wikipedia there is an infuriatingly dull argument going on as to whether CS Lewis was an Irish writer or a British writer. The answer for anyone who comes (as I do) from.Lewis's homeland is quite simply, he is both.

But still there are people who keep arguing on and on about how he can't be British because he was born in Ireland and others who say he can't be Irish because he fought in the British Army and was not a Roman Catholic. Lewis thought of himself as both and saw no contradiction between the two.

An equally boring dispute is between those who see being a follower of Jesus as being about social justice and those who see following Jesus as being about saving souls.

The answer is both.

That however doesn't stop people from sounding off on either side. Liberal Christians (and other justice centred groups) criticise some people for being so heavenly minded that they are no earthly use or of being enslaved to the propaganda of right wing political groups. Evangelicals (and other "it's all about heaven" groups like conservative Roman Catholics) accuse anyone who even mentions social justice of heresy and diluting the faith.

Jeremiah tells us today that both groups are wrong. You could get confused reading this section about the sins of Judah. At one point he says the big sin of Judah is lack of social justice, using slaves and not paying workmen what they are due. In almost the next breath the big sin of Judah is Idolatry and worshipping other Gods. Which is right?

The answer is both.

Idolatry and social injustice are two sides of the one coin. Where social injustice exists it shows that people are so wrapped up in their own idolatry of money that they are ignoring God and their fellow human beings.

Where people are busy worshipping idols you can be certain that their false religion will be assuring them that poverty is always the fault of poor people. It's their bad Karma, the caste they were born into, it's their own fault for being too stupid, feckless, drunk or irreligious, god doesn't like them, etc. Idolatry finds excuses to keep poor people poor and our kind of people rich.

Is following Jesus about salvation or social justice?

According to Jeremiah?

The answer is both.

Prophets are down

Jeremiah 19:1-21:14

1 Thessalonians 5:4-28

Psalm 82:1-8

Proverbs 25:9-10

A cheesy title but a serious point. In this passage there is the most amazing outburst on the part of Jeremiah. He curses the day he was born, wishes he had died in the womb and generally demonstrates every sign of being seriously depressed.

It could not have been easy at all to bring the message of judgement that Jeremiah had to bring to Judah. He is having to stand up to just about everyone here, including the religious people who should be on God's side but are not.

God, give me the strength to do what Jeremiah did! He stood up against everyone, even his own will so that he would be faithful to God.

Where do I start?

Jeremiah 16:16-18:23

1 Thessalonians 4:1-5:3

Psalm 81:1-16

Proverbs 25:6-8

Over the last few weeks while I've been blogging about the one year bible there have been days when one idea has jumped out of the text at me from one passage, there have been days when all of the passages seemed to be saying the same thing and there have been days when not very much jumped out and I was left scratching my head for ideas.

Today has been a bit mad though, there are literally half a dozen different and really good ideas that could come from each of the passages.  From Jeremiah you could comment on the contrast (probably deliberate) between his negative use of fishing for men and Jesus positive use of it. You could talk about the iconic passage of Jeremiah and the potter.

In Thessalonians you could talk about Paul telling the Thessalonians to calm down about the return of Jesus and get on with living quietly in this world as a witness to their neighbours. In sharp contrast to modern Christian culture's sky-gazing mentality and its love for those horrible Left Behind books. You could talk about Paul's incredibly comforting words about death and resurrection.

The Psalm is a great celebration of exuberance in worship and the parallels between the Proverb and many of Jesus sayings on humility could lead into quite a discussion of the much under appreciated influence of the book of Proverbs on Jesus teaching.

Phew! All that and more in 15 minutes of the Bible! What a book, you could almost think it was inspired...

When even God gives up

Jeremiah 14:11-16:15
1 Thessalonians 2:9-3:13
Psalm 80:1-19
Proverbs 25:1-5


Jeremiah 14:11-12 is, to say the least, a little bit shocking, "Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for these people anymore. 12 When they fast, I will pay no attention. When they present their burnt offerings and grain offerings to me, I will not accept them. Instead, I will devour them with war, famine, and disease.”  God basically says to Jeremiah, "I'm not going to listen to these people's prayers anymore and don't you bother praying for them either!"  How bad does it have to get for even God to give up on a nation or group of people?  


Given the amount of pretty seriously pleading that happens in the rest of Jeremiah as God more or less begs his people to return to him then it must take quite a lot.  God describes himself in Exodus as visiting the sins of the fathers to the second and third generation of those who hate him but being faithful to thousands of generations of those who love him.  In other words his anger is easily turned away by even the smallest genuine act of repentance and faithful love.


What happened in Jeremiah's day however was the culmination of generation after generation of people turning away from God until finally God says, "OK, if you don;t want me then I'm not going to bother any more."  That would be bearable if it were a person or if God were simply one God amongst many but when he is the one who guides all history and the very source of life and happiness then it's probably not a good idea to tell him to go away too many times.


God is patient, he works with us time and time again as we fail him either accidentally or deliberately.  He does not have a three strikes and you're out policy.  But there is such a thing as taking this for granted.  This is awkward territory for Christian understandings of God because we would always affirm that no-one is beyond God's grace until the moment that they die but there do seem to be moments in the Bible when individuals and groups of people push that grace too far.  It is very rare and if we are even slightly remorseful for our sin then it isn't likely to happen to us but there are some times when even God gives up.

Questions that wont go away

Jeremiah 12:1-14:10
1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:8
Psalm 79:1-13
Proverbs 24:30-34


The Guardian columnist Jon Ronson wrote this in an article about his experience of going on an Alpha Course.



"Then it's on to the small group. I am in Nicky's group: typically, it consists of around 10 agnostics, some from the City, some from the dot.com world, some professional sportspeople, strangers gathered together in a small room in the basement. We sit in a circle. I wonder what will happen to us in the weeks ahead. For now, we verbalise our doubts. We gang up on Nicky and his helpers: his wife, Pippa, an investment banker called James and his doctor wife, Julia, all ex-agnostics who found Christ on Alpha. We ask them antagonistic questions. "If there's a God, why is there so much suffering?" And: "What about those people who have never heard of Jesus? Are you saying that all other religions are damned?"


Nicky just smiles and says, "What do the other people here think?"  At the end of the night, Nicky hands out some pamphlets he's written called (such is the predictability of agnostics) Why Does God Allow Suffering? (answer: nobody really knows) and What About Other Religions?"


Don't worry Jon, it's not just Agnostics who are predictable.  We all have the same sorts of questions and frankly we always have had them.  The start of the Jeremiah passage makes this clear.


     Lord, you always give me justice
      when I bring a case before you.
   So let me bring you this complaint:
   Why are the wicked so prosperous?
      Why are evil people so happy?


Straight to the point from Jeremiah there.  Some questions never go away.  God gives Jeremiah something of an answer by later turning the question back round on him later and saying, "What are you and all the so-called good people of Judah doing about it?" but even then there's not really a complete answer.  Most of the time when this question is asked in the Bible the people who ask it do not get a straightforward, reasoned out answer in five simple points but what they do  get is either contentment that it will work out in the end, the strength to keep on fighting against the wicked or the assurance that God is with them in all that they are going through.


Maybe that's all that we need, or maybe that's really what we are looking for, the reassurance that God sees and knows what is happening.


God, evil and selfish people always seem to get the big jobs and drive the big cars, do you see it all?  Are you doing anything about it?  A simple yes would suffice...