I blog religion and theology on this site, The Master’s Table. My Other Blog is filled with YouTube clips, funny pictures and random entries on life, sports, television shows I’m watching and the weather. (Everybody blogs about the weather…)
I occasionally join Mike F. and Joe Derbes in a group project titled Life in Mordor. My latest contribution is The Gospel According to Allegory. Check out some Mike and Joe stuff while you’re there; comments and link love would be greatly appreciated.
If you’re a follower, online or in real life, you know how I feel about the Old Testament: everything is a metaphor. The nation of Israel, sacrificial system, temple, alter, high priest, exodus from Egypt, brass serpent, passover, circumcision, etc. are all symbolic of what Christ does in the New Testament. You’ve probably heard me say (or at least read) that Moses leading the Hebrews through the wilderness is a portrait of Jesus leading us through this present wilderness. They were marching toward the “promised land” and so are we. Abraham was willing to offer his son Isaac… you get the point. Is there an analogy left that I could possibly make? Why yes, yes there is.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. –1 Peter 2:9
We – all Christians – are priests. Continue reading
God created the heavens and earth in six days, made man in his own image, and on the seventh day Genesis 2 says he rested. He blessed the seventh day, made it holy, and rested. Everything but man was spoken into existence. He is infinite, almighty God; did one week of talking a lot really wear him out?
In the first place, the text doesn’t say he collapsed from exhaustion. There is a difference between dropping dead and taking a break. Rest is a gift. Recall that when criticized for breaking the Sabbath by doing good works Jesus points out that “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (ref) One need not be on the verge of collapse to rest, but that’s still not even the point.
God did not rest because he was tired. God leads by example. Continue reading
I’m a Trekkie. I don’t think it’s ever come up here before, but I make no apologies for being a big fan. I don’t have a Star Fleet uniform or anything, but do enjoy most of the series. The original Star Trek aired on NBC from 1966 – 69. That series made social and political commentary, sometimes dealing with very controversial issues, but in a sci-fi setting. Gene Roddenberry wanted to share his vision for a better world, a world of peace and racial equality, not just entertain an audience. There was always a “moral of the story” but some people were so entertained they were unaware of being educated.
Each Trek series has at least one character wrestling with the idea of being human. Continue reading
There are 360 degrees in a complete circle. Relating your conclusion to the introduction when making a speech is a good way to tie everything up neatly. If you finish your career the way you started, or move back home after relocating many times, we say you have come “full circle.” Jesus begins and ends his ministry on earth the same way – sharing the Gospel. Continue reading
Paul wrote to the Corinthians “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (1 Cor 1:18, KJV)
This is one of those occasions where I prefer the King James translation. The ESV uses word of the cross instead of preaching, and chooses folly over foolishness. The meaning is unchanged. For those of us that have been Christians for many years, or perhaps in church our whole lives, we worship at the foot of the cross. We sing hymns about the cross, decorate our churches with images of the cross; we glory in the crucified savoir. Paul reminds us to never loose sight of the fact that to the world, to the unsaved, to those hearing the gospel for the first time – it sounds foolish. Continue reading
This isn’t really about how to mix Christianity with patriotism. There are plenty of people already doing that. But if you’re a follower, either online or in real life, you know that’s one of those things that makes me a little nervous. I’ve been an American since birth and a Christian since age 12, but one is not synonymous with the other. I get a little weird when Christians quote those Old Testament land promises God gave the Jews and act like those are about us. A literal kingdom with borders and a king on the throne – that’s what God was doing then. The kingdom he is building now is bigger than any one nation or one people. We don’t live in a “Christian nation” either, and on that point I run the risk of starting a war of rhetoric. We live in a free nation in which many people choose to practice Christianity without fear; but many choose not to as well. The melting pot of many cultures, languages, races and religions is an essential part of our national identity. We are not a Christian nation for instance the way Iran or Afghanistan are Muslim nations. These are sermons I’ve preached before and I don’t want to get too distract before saying
However… Continue reading
In the first Psalm, David contrasts the ways of the righteous and the wicked. In the first chapter of Proverbs, Solomon does the same thing between the wise and the foolish. He goes on to encourage his sons (and by extension all readers) to pursue wisdom.
David was a poet and a musician. He not only wrote songs and played instruments, but he made trumpets for the temple musicians. In Biblical times the Psalms were sung. Think of this book as their hymnal. Solomon was David’s son, and world renown for his wisdom. The book of Proverbs is a collection of wisdom sayings, some perhaps written by Solomon himself and others collected. In both cases, righteousness and wisdom must be pursued. One must seek after them, like walking down a path. There is more than one path, and we must think about which we are choosing. Continue reading
Happy Mother’s Day
I talked to my mother yesterday, but will not see her on this Mother’s Day. She called to say my card arrived and that she enjoyed the Easter pics of her granddaughter. Her birthday is in a couple of weeks, and we’ll get there in plenty of time for that.
Here’s the Mother’s Day sermon I posted 2 years ago.
Last year I did Instead of a Mother’s Day sermon.
The latter is certainly not “light” on theology. I will preach a variation of that post this morning. Here’s a funny video for moms. Enjoy your day 🙂
Jesus is often referred to as “braking bread.” He blessed bread and broke it at the feeding of the five thousand, and again for the four thousand. He broke bread at the Last Supper, and finally in one of the post-resurrection appearances. That’s when they recognized him, as he broke bread, then he vanished from their sight!
So what’s up with breaking bread? Hebrews in the Old Testament had swords and daggers, and we know there were skilled craftsmen in Israel. Jesus himself was a carpenter; obviously they had the ability to slice bread. It’s not that Jews couldn’t slice bread, they simply did not slice their bread. Thanks was given to God before food was eaten, and bread was probably offered at every meal. There may not be a command from God to not cut through bread, but there actually were rules about cutting stones for the alter of sacrifice. The Temple was made of all sorts of carefully worked materials, but the alter was put together with stones that no tool had worked. Beams, doors, cup, bowls, candle holders, et. al. were cut, carved, beaten into shape, etc. But the alter was carefully fitted together using stones in their “original” God-given shape. Breaking bread, especially right after thanking God for it, reminded the Jews were their meals really came from. It would have been disrespectful to cut their bread with tools.
Our communion wafers are uniform in shape and size; they come out of the box that way. They go together well with the little 3 oz plastic cups we use. The bread and the cup remind us that Jesus’ body was broken and his blood spilled. The symbol would work just as well with Oreo’s and Kool-Aid. But if you really want a feel for the disciples at that first last supper, try baking a loaf and passing it around. Each believer could tear off their own piece. You could go the distance and dip your bread into wine grape juice rather than sipping it. Just remember what is important – Jesus body was broken. What we need is a savior.
The Master's Table 