Dangerous Conversations

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?” Genesis 3:1

INTRO: For a couple of years, friends have been telling me about the Los Angeles Book Fair

This year, they let me tag along and it was overwhelming
– a long line of display booths as far as the eye could see, filled with books begging, “Read me”
– I wondered, “Am I in heaven?”
• I didn’t want to miss anything, like a kid who wants to go on every ride at an amusement park in one day
• but decisions must be made – “Is this booth worth it to stop and browse? What if there’s something more interesting in the next booth?”

The sign over one booth read, “Atheists United” — walking past that one was easy
• I thought to myself, “Don’t want to talk with them!”

Some temptations are easy to resist
– but do we always escape them as well as we think?
• as I walked by, curiosity got the best of me and I looked inside
○ what books are they selling? – what does an atheist look like?
(they looked as fervent as any fundamentalist)
– but what about the other authors, the ones I was willing to chat with?
• were they any safer?
• am I safer when I let my guard down, because the person I’m talking with is not an atheist?
○ “Better the devil that you know than the devil you don’t”

This is exactly where we find ourselves in today’s scripture

★ YOU ARE HERE ——–> Genesis 3:1-7

– if there’s anything you get from the passage – it’s that this is our story!
– the man and woman are representatives of humankind
• we are all in the garden – we have all tasted the fruit Continue reading →

God, Humans, and I – Thou Relationships

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven. . . . Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. Genesis 2:4, 7

INTRO: Where we begin reading today is so different from last week, it’s like we’re in a different book

First, there is clear break between verses 3 and 4
– then, a new theme is introduced in verse 4
• “This is the account” – Hebrew: “generations” and usually precedes a genealogy
• this word is used to separate themes in Genesis
– but the most significant difference between chapters 1 and 2 is hidden in the text

To appreciate what happens here, we will get help from a Jewish philosopher
– Martin Buber pointed out a distinction in human relationships
• he described the way a person interacts with an object or thing as an I – It relation
• the way a person interacts with another person is an I – Thou
– the ultimate I – Thou relationship is between a person and God
• I – It is how people relate to God who talk about God, but have not encountered him
• to them he is an “It,” because he is a doctrine, an idea

Looking back at chapter 1, the context is I – It
– Elohim, “God,” is the “I” and creation is the “it”
• even when he speaks to the humans, they’re not yet persons
– but immediately in today’s reading, we meet Yahweh Elohim
• it is still “God,” but now this God has a name, Yahweh
○ he is not “a” god, but “this” particular God
○ he is suddenly personal

Martin Buber, “The It-world hangs together in space and time.
The You-world does not hang together in space and time.”

– Genesis chapter 1 is the creation of the It – world located in space and time
• chapter 2 introduces the person of Yahweh
• what transpires between him and the humans moves beyond space and time Continue reading →

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Genesis 1:1-2

INTRO: I hope you know, our concern here at Reflexion is your spiritual development

That is how Reflexion started
– a handful of us wanted a more authentic experience of God
• something deeper, stronger, more spiritually satisfying
• we found that traveling together, sharing our progress, helped to move each of us forward

Christian spirituality has a definite shape and it is formed by scripture
– not being familiar with the Bible or not knowing how to read is a disadvantage
• it can impede our growth or, in some instances, twist it

Genesis is the entrance to the Scriptures
– it lays a foundation for everything that follows
• so I want to spend a few weeks giving you the opportunity to get acquainted with it

Vv. 1-2, A God’s-eye view of the birth of the universe Continue reading →

INTRO: I would guess that the women who came to the tomb Sunday morning spent a sleepless night, antsy and eager for the sun to rise

Luke says they had already prepared the spices for Jesus’ burial
– which means they had been busy and probably anxious
• they were confident they could give Jesus’ body the care he deserved
• but they worried about the large stone blocking the entrance to his grave
○ like most worries, theirs were unnecessary
○ the “extremely large” stone was already rolled aside
– they were not curious how, they just saw an opportunity and went inside
• they must have been startled and frightened by the presence of a young man sitting inside the tomb

And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.'” Mark 16:6-7

A Jesuit priest showed up one time at my dad’s church with questions
– I was only nineteen or twenty years old, but somehow I was the person he interviewed
• he began:

“I know Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that he came among us, enlightened people to the kingdom of heaven, healed the sick, died on the cross for our sins, then rose from the dead. — So what?” Continue reading →

Jesus In Jerusalem

Hosanna!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD;
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David;
Hosanna in the highest!
Mark 11:1-11

INTRO: Jesus’ grand entrance didn’t require a lot of preparation

He moved a few pieces into place at the last minute, but the other details had already been set up
– for example:
• during Passover, Jerusalem was crammed with people
○ areas around the city were designated for Jewish visitors from various parts of the country
○ space reserved for Galileans was on the Mount of Olives
• the majority of Jesus’ ministry had been in Galilee and most of his followers were from there
○ these were disciples who had seen his miracles (Lk. 19:37)
• another crowd had followed Jesus from nearby Bethany (Lazarus, Jn. 12:17)
• all of these people were present and primed – all they needed was a signal

On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! . . .” (Jn. 12:12)

By the way, you can see how a problem is solved that is frequently raised
– “How could same crowd that shouted ‘Hosanna,’ less than a week later cry, ‘Crucify Him!'”
• it wasn’t the same crowd
– to the city people in Jerusalem, the Galileans were like “hillbillies”
• hardly anyone in Jerusalem even knew about Jesus
○ a few religious leaders knew about him, and they were already hostile
○ but they kept him a carefully guarded secret – they didn’t want him getting any publicity
• so when the shouting began, most people in the city didn’t know what going on

When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds were saying “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee” (Mt. 21:10-11)

It was the Jerusalem crowd, stirred up by their leaders who demanded Jesus’ execution

But this big event, this Palm Sunday parade, had to happen Continue reading →

Easter Preparations

Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant” Mark 10:42

INTRO: Have you ever heard someone say their pastor teaches the Bible verse-by-verse?

It sounds like they’re getting at every morsel of truth
– but verse-by-verse is not necessarily the best way to go thru the Scriptures
• the Bible wasn’t written verse-by-verse — chapters and verses were added much later to make for easy reference
• also, verse-by-verse suggests each verse contains its own message–a tiny capsule of truth
○ but most verses in the Bible are only a fragment of a larger thought — sometimes a phrase within a sentence
– I’ve noticed that those who teach verse-by-verse tend to read a verse or two and then preach a mini-sermon
• we are not really learning from them what the Bible teaches

When we study the Scriptures, we look at an entire thought
– this means, we have to figure out where each thought begins and ends
• sometimes the biblical writers help us – they leave markers
• we have a good example in this passage, which begins and ends with the words “on the road” (vv. 32 & 52)
○ like bookends, this phrase creates an envelope around the text (the literary term is inclusio)

When the markers are this obvious, they reflect something from the message that lies between them
– for example, people didn’t connect with Jesus only in public meetings
• they received training on the road
○ in a synagogue, on a hillside, or by the sea, Jesus delivered his message regarding the kingdom of God
○ on the road, he addressed issues and gave warnings that were practical and of the moment
– this particular road was taking the Lord and his followers to Easter

Jesus was in a mood Continue reading →

Easter Preparations

As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Mark 10:17

INTRO: Easter is only three weeks away and it is much too important a day to let it sneak up on us

So we find chapter 10 in the Gospel of  Mark and catch up with Jesus a few weeks before the cross

If we look close at these six stories, we can discern a pattern in this chapter
– in the first half, two dialogues precede a dramatic, personal encounter with Jesus
• then, the second half repeats the first half — two dialogues followed by a dramatic, personal encounter
• for both individuals, the encounter with Jesus proved to be a moment of crisis – a crucial turning point

The two men could not be more unrelated
– one is healthy, rich, and mobile, while the other is blind, poor, and “stuck”
– Jesus invited the mobile one to follow him, but he did not go
• Jesus did not invite the stuck one to follow him, but he did anyway
– the first one had much to lose – the second had nothing to lose
• but the one thing they shared in common: they both had everything to gain

A brief look at the first two dialogues

Vv. 1-12, People were abusing the divorce clause found in the law
– they used the letter of the law to violate its intent
– Jesus’ explanation to the disciples regarding “divorce and marries another” (vv. 11-12) contains a conditional clause
• one action is undertaken in order to perform a second action
○ in this case, a person divorces a spouse, because he or she wants to be with, and marry, someone else
○ to Jesus, this amounts to legalized adultery
– the point being: Jesus does not put up with our nonsense
• he calls our actions by their real name
○ the people who exploited this loophole in the law were, technically, righteous people, but they were not good people Continue reading →

A Spiritual Mentor encourages to meet God in the Scriptures

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. Hebrews 4:12-13

INTRO: In the New Testament, there are three books that are difficult to follow:

1. Romans, because Paul’s logic is so tricky
2. Hebrews, because it is so deep and relies so heavily on the Old Testament
3. Revelation, because of its obscure symbolism

There are some scary passages in the book of Hebrews
– notice how this chapter begins, “Therefore, let us fear . . .”
• fear what? Missing out on the life God calls us to enjoy with Him
– we’re given an example of people who missed out – Israel (3:16-19)

A Christian might argue, “Well, we have the Scriptures”
– but the writer says, “They had God’s word! At least as much as they needed to reach their destination”

The key word of this passage is “Today”
– Hebrews 3:7 quotes Psalm 95

Today if you hear His voice
Do not harden your hearts . . . (Ps. 95:7)

• the psalm was written 1,000 years earlier prior to this letter and it refers to an event that took place 400 years before the psalm was written
○ so how are we to interpret the word “Today”? Answer: Continue reading →

A Spiritual Mentor helps us reconcile ourselves to life

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. Genesis 3:1

INTRO: There is a subtle but important detail in this story we might easily overlook

“LORD God” translates God’s name, Yahweh, and who he is, Elohim
– that God has a name is critical to the story developing in these first three chapters
• he is not merely a Creator manipulating his creatures
○ e.g., creating a set and then manipulating his “action figures” on it
• he is Person, and confers personhood on humans
– because God is person and humans are persons – relationship exists between them
• so throughout chapter 2, from verse 4 through 22, God is mentioned by name

But when the serpent speaks, he does not refer to Yahweh
– God’s name is left out of this conversation
• but it is picked up again when the narrative resumes in verse 8
• this is a good example of what we’re told about the serpent, he’s “crafty”

This subtle move does two things:

1. it depersonalizes God – Eve forgets that he is loving provider of all that is good
2. it creates a sense of distance between God and the woman
   – she is manipulated into seeing God as over against her
   – for a moment, “God” appears to be far away and unconcerned

I remember, years ago, my mother saying, “Eve’s temptation was discontent”
– from now on, how could Eve be satisfied knowing there was more? Continue reading →

A Spiritual Mentor would encourage a heart examination

You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. Deuteronomy 8 (2)

INTRO: Deuteronomy was Moses’ final gift to Israel

In it, he summarizes their forty years in the desert and all that God revealed to them
– chapter 8 answers the question, “Why were we in desert so long?”
– in his answer, Moses repeats several important words, using them strategically

• Remember – begins and ends this message – it’s the central theme of the chapter
  – in 2, it’s “the journey” they were to remember
  – in v. 18, it is “Yahweh your God” whom they were to remember
  • not merely recall, but constantly be conscious of the LORD
  • remembering the spiritual journey leads to remembering the LORD
• Know (occurs 6 times) – they received an education in the wilderness
• Forget – “Don’t” (11), why they would (14), consequences of (19)
• Heart – there are four concerns in the chapter regarding their hearts
  – let’s take a close look at these Continue reading →