December - 1st Advent

I'm sorry that I haven't been on top of this the past 2 months! This is becoming more of a seasonal thing... I've just been so swamped with work and school, I haven't had a chance to really sit down and write these discussions. If you would like to do a discussion for a month, please let me know and we'll work something out! Any kind of participation is accepted!

This week, our church has changed its colors to purple. Traditionally, purple is the primary color of Advent, symbolizing repentance and fasting. Purple is also the color of royalty and reception of the coming King, celebrated during Advent. There are 4 readings for this first week that are related to the lectionary: Matthew 24:36-44, Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 122, and Romans 13:11-14. We will focus on the Gospel of Matthew for this discussion.

Matthew 26:36 presents us with Jesus telling his disciples that neither angels nor ordinary people, including himself, know the timing of His Return, or Second Coming; only the Father knows such things. This should tell us not to focus on timing, but human flaw has us speculating. And yet, there are differences between having a great expectations, trusting that God's word is true, and making calculations which involves human speculation. Jesus does not encourage the latter, even as he instills in his disciples the "Blessed Hope" that he will return one day to raise the quick and dead, as the creeds affirm.

Verses 37-38 draws an analogy that suggests that the days of Christ's return will be more like the days of Noah when the flood came. This analogy suggests that judgment will come in a form of an event which will catch the unprepared by surprise. When Jesus returns, many will be taken away in judgment, but some will be left behind. Jesus is not suggesting that those taken away are more fortunate than those "left behind"; on the contrary, those taken away are taken away from judgment, while those left behind are wiping their brows, thankful that they have survived "the Great and terrible Day of the Lord."

The prudential advice, based on the predictions in verses 36-41, is that the faithful must stay vigilant and awake, knowing that Christ will return, regardless of the unknown timing. The phrase "the hour" is a reference to the timing, It is not suggesting that the timing of Christ's return can be known in advance, but that the specific day or hour is obscure. God reveals just enough about the future to give us hope., but not so much that we do not have to live and walk by faith day after day. We have assurance about the things hoped for, and conviction about things not yet seen, but what we do not have is a timetable in the Scriptures, nor would that have been very helpful to the faithful anyway. The person who knows for sure he will die in two days may well do all sorts of things out of character because he has a firm deadline before him and throws caution to the wind. Likewise, even a Christian person who knows Christ will certainly not return in his lifetime may well be tempted to throw caution and his morals to the wind.

The analogy of Christ's return being like a thief in the night is an important one, and we find it is used in other Scripture, such as 1 Thessalonians 5:2. The imagery itself implies an arrival at an unexpected or surprising time, hence the exhortation to stay awake. As verse 44 says, he will come at an unexpected time.

In the days before cell phones (BC, as it could be referred to...) and text message, friends used to write letters or dial landlines to tell us they were coming for a visit. Since friends might sometimes stop at various places along the way, we were not always certain of when they would arrive. This meant that we had to always be awake and ready to welcome them. It was the certainty of the coming, not the timing that motivated this behavior of being ready at any moment.

What experience in your life can you relate to this story? Of a certainty of coming, but not of timing? What have you learned from this story? How has your faith pushed you through difficult times of waiting or struggling?

Can you share an experience where you may have questioned your faith? Are you still questioning it?

October

11.23 - November didn't happen either... I plan on doing a lesson for the Advent Sundays leading up to Christmas. Hopefully this plan will stick! Thanks!

11.3 - Sorry! October just didn't  happen... I am in the process of getting November done and sent out.

October's post is coming soon! I will try and get it up before this Sunday, so those who will be at church on Sunday will have some questions to discuss.

Sorry for the delay!
- Whitney

September: Joshua 1-14

I hope your September is starting off well! We are blessed with fantastic weather in the Bay Area and I hope the weather is just as nice where ever you may be.

This month's discussion will focus on Joshua 1-14. If you have a chance, sit and read these chapters and think about what the lesson could be before responding to the discussion.

In Joshua 5, the passage uses the concept of circumcision to remind Israelites that they are different than others, and God made them that way. Circumcision was used as a permanent reminder to the men of Israel of the covenant between God and God's people. Of course, this is a very powerful act, and because Joshua circumcises the entire tribe of Israel, the name of the place has become "hill of foreskins". Kinda gross. This reminder is definitely an effective one, and keeps God's people in check. Based on the ideology of circumcision, what do you use as an effective, if not permanent, reminder of the covenant between you and God?

Joshua 7 reminds us that sin affects those around us. In the 21st century, many of us consider sin as something that is individual and personal - the consequences only affect ourselves. The story of Achan's sin is troubling but eye-opening. Because of his decision to steal treasures from Jericho, 36 men died, and all of his family and livestock were stoned and burned. This story reminds Israelites that sins affect a whole body of people, and that they must not be selfish. Why would God allow such harsh punishment to those around Achan who had nothing to do with Achan's decision to sin? Have you ever known about sins or mistakes in which you felt had nothing to do with you, but were affected by?

Joshua 10-14 is a complicated passage that shows us what happens when people of God blindly follows his promises. Israelites took over several pieces of land that had belonged to other groups of people. Even though God had promised this land to the Israelites - going all the way back to the time of Abraham - but the result looks like a genocide; but is this a victory in combat, or a complete destruction of an entire nation? Throughout the centuries, scriptures like this have been used to justify great sins of the church and of politicians. During the Crusades, thousands of Arabs were slaughtered by Christian knights in an effort to do what Joshua did: purify the promised land. During the Spanish Inquisition, Christians killed countless Jews and Muslins to 'purify' Spain. Most wars have been fought in the name of God and various scriptures. When South Africa was struggling with Apartheid and violence was erupting in the streets, Methodist Bishop Peter Storey said, "God help us to say to each other each day: 'We need not, we should not, we dare not, shed each others' blood. It has happened already, Jesus did it for us. Whatever blood was needed for the mending of all our wrongs has been shed already.'" What wars or acts of violence have taken place in your lifetime that have been justified with the reason, "God wants us to do this"? When, if ever, does God call us to use violence?

Please discuss these scriptures, answer the questions, and/or discuss other parts of the scripture that I did not cover. Sorry if it's really long! All of this is covered this whole month by the Youth Group, going through it week by week. The next update will be emailed and posted the beginning of October.

Thanks for reading and God bless!