All summer I have been reading from the book of Psalms for my devotions. They are yet another proof that God speaks to us through His Word - - that what was penned by the various Psalmists ca. 1000 years before Jesus was born is relevant today and made real to us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Insights that invite us to His feet to worship. Insights that resonate for where we are. I love God's written Word. It is alive with truth and the opportunity to discover who we are in God's kingdom.
One of the songs in my children's musical is 'You Got Ta Read Da Word'. The repeated message of the song is "You got ta read da Word if you want to grow." It is foundational. I want to keep growing!
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
CREATION - 5774 YEARS AND COUNTING....
The Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanah is a visible reminder of the span of time as recorded since time began being recorded following creation.
Sunday I had the joy of telling the story of Creation and The Fall as recorded in the Bible in Genesis chapters 1, 2 & 3 to the Kindergarten through 5th Grade Kids at my church. It was a lot of territory to cover in 15 - 20 minutes so I didn't go into eras of time that could have been spanned in each 'day' of creation. I believe God's Word - that God created the heavens and the earth, and I don't care if He chose to do it over eons or spoke creation into being eons-old in a single day. The account in Genesis could easily be just face value that God spoke and whatever He spoke came to be. I prefer to think of it precisely that way - - but, as I said, it doesn't matter. What matters is that He did it!
The current focus of the story for me is the difference in how He created all other facets of creation but man. Light from dark. He spoke and it was done. Waters divided. He spoke and it was done. Sun & Moon. Planets. Galaxies. Dry land. Seas. Fish. Sea life. Earth. Plants/trees/vegetation of all sorts. Animals. He spoke and it was done. But He got His hands dirty with man.
Our triune God said, "Let us make man in our image...." Then he took the dust of the earth and formed it into the shape of the very first male. I used to make mud pies. It's dirty business....creative...and very personal. When God had everything shaped just the way He wanted, He blew His breath into the man and man came alive. Adam had a while to name all the animals and have a little 'cave' time; and then God performed the very first surgery. He put Adam to sleep, removed one of his ribs, and used it as the beginning piece for His most beautiful creation: Eve. And God saw that it was very good!
Prepping for that lesson was the first time that the difference in creation between everything else and people struck me so indelibly. I'm glad God got dirty to create us. He can still handle our dirt - - and He sent His Son to prove it!
Sunday I had the joy of telling the story of Creation and The Fall as recorded in the Bible in Genesis chapters 1, 2 & 3 to the Kindergarten through 5th Grade Kids at my church. It was a lot of territory to cover in 15 - 20 minutes so I didn't go into eras of time that could have been spanned in each 'day' of creation. I believe God's Word - that God created the heavens and the earth, and I don't care if He chose to do it over eons or spoke creation into being eons-old in a single day. The account in Genesis could easily be just face value that God spoke and whatever He spoke came to be. I prefer to think of it precisely that way - - but, as I said, it doesn't matter. What matters is that He did it!
The current focus of the story for me is the difference in how He created all other facets of creation but man. Light from dark. He spoke and it was done. Waters divided. He spoke and it was done. Sun & Moon. Planets. Galaxies. Dry land. Seas. Fish. Sea life. Earth. Plants/trees/vegetation of all sorts. Animals. He spoke and it was done. But He got His hands dirty with man.
Our triune God said, "Let us make man in our image...." Then he took the dust of the earth and formed it into the shape of the very first male. I used to make mud pies. It's dirty business....creative...and very personal. When God had everything shaped just the way He wanted, He blew His breath into the man and man came alive. Adam had a while to name all the animals and have a little 'cave' time; and then God performed the very first surgery. He put Adam to sleep, removed one of his ribs, and used it as the beginning piece for His most beautiful creation: Eve. And God saw that it was very good!
Prepping for that lesson was the first time that the difference in creation between everything else and people struck me so indelibly. I'm glad God got dirty to create us. He can still handle our dirt - - and He sent His Son to prove it!
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Rosh Hashanah 5774
Sundown tonight is when Rosh Hashanah begins. Evening at sundown is the beginning of each new day for the Jewish faithful. It was always so, but I didn't pay attention until my first visit to Israel. Their day goes from sundown to sundown - - and any part of a day is considered a day.
This is a little aside - - but knowing that helped me sooooooo much. When preachers talked about Jesus being dead for 3 days, it didn't track. Friday afternoon at 3 p m to Sunday morning before dawn was not 3 days. If the Bible writers couldn't even get that right what else were they wrong about? I knew what God said was always right - - but perhaps man in the middle had muddled it up.... Then I learned that any part of a day was considered a day. I don't know why that one single clarification made such a difference to me - - but it did! Part of Friday + All of Saturday + Part of Sunday = 3 days the way Jews reckoned time.
Of course, learning about the Jewish calendar has also helped me understand things I didn't previously understand. There is so much to discover. Even paying attention to the account of creation in Genesis is clarified....the evening and the morning were the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc., day
When we were in Israel in 2011our guide told us that the Messiah would come at Rosh Hashanah - - and that if Jesus is the Messiah, that is when He will return. It makes each Rosh Hashanah a time of anticipation! Even so, Come, Lord Jesus.
This is a little aside - - but knowing that helped me sooooooo much. When preachers talked about Jesus being dead for 3 days, it didn't track. Friday afternoon at 3 p m to Sunday morning before dawn was not 3 days. If the Bible writers couldn't even get that right what else were they wrong about? I knew what God said was always right - - but perhaps man in the middle had muddled it up.... Then I learned that any part of a day was considered a day. I don't know why that one single clarification made such a difference to me - - but it did! Part of Friday + All of Saturday + Part of Sunday = 3 days the way Jews reckoned time.
Of course, learning about the Jewish calendar has also helped me understand things I didn't previously understand. There is so much to discover. Even paying attention to the account of creation in Genesis is clarified....the evening and the morning were the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc., day
When we were in Israel in 2011our guide told us that the Messiah would come at Rosh Hashanah - - and that if Jesus is the Messiah, that is when He will return. It makes each Rosh Hashanah a time of anticipation! Even so, Come, Lord Jesus.
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