Sunset photo

This was the sunset one recent evening.The colors were spectacular. This photo was taken from my back porch, (NO filters or photoshop!)

Sermon Together for All Time

Audio link: (opens Soundcloud online) Sermon-together-for-all-time

February 5, 2017 Together for All Time Pastor Carol P. Taylor

Jeremiah 31

“The days are coming,” declares the  Lord,
        “when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
        and with the people of Judah.
32  It will not be like the covenant
        I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
        to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
        though I was a husband  to them,”
declares the  Lord.
33  “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
        after that time,” declares the  Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
        and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
        and they will be my people.
34  No longer will they teach  their neighbor,
        or say to one another, ‘Know the  Lord,’
because they will all know  me,
        from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the  Lord.
“For I will forgive  their wickedness
        and will remember their sins  no more.”

Jeremiah, known as the weeping prophet, was quite young when called, prophesied at the beginning of the Babylonian Exile. He foretold and then witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.. remember the people believed that God actually lived in the Temple...so when it was destroyed, God had no home. God was no longer with them, or so they believed. Jeremiah was called to remind them that God was indeed with them even though the temple was gone and the people were in doubt and fear and so falling away from their beliefs and worship.

God's promise so important, it was given to Jeremiah AND to the prophet Ezekiel several years later! I will be their God, and they will be my people.

This prophecy was for the people living in exile, yet it is also a prophecy of a future time, when these promises would be fulfilled once and for all!

He uses imagery of marriage, the people being the bride! The covenant is a marriage of God and God's people-but not a legal contract. It is a a contract of the heart!

But, as happens so often when times are hard, the people fell away, fearing that they had been deserted by God.

There is a lot of use of marriage and wedding imagery in the Bible. The symbolism of marriage and of the wedding, is something that people across generations can identify with! The 'marriage' the covenant of God and God's people is an ideal, that is often not realized. Just as any relationship between two people has it ups and downs and challenges, the covenant between us and God has it's ups and down. WE have ups and downs. As Jeremiah promised- God is always here for us.

In the Bible in Revelation, the vision of heaven is of the New Jerusalem, the city...(the home of THE PEOPLE OF GOD!) as a 'bride adorned for her husband!”

in the Gospels, several time Jesus refers to himself as the bridegroom. ..and he spoke of heaven being a wedding banquet! When we are all finally united with God, through Jesus, it will be a huge celebration!

And since his disciples and followers didn't quite get it... finally on the evening before he was arrested. He told them 'This is my body given for you” “this is the blood of the new covenant!” This story is told in the 3 synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke. John, written many years later, told other parts of that story. He told of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples, at the last supper, and then telling them I am the vine you are the branches, abide in me and I will abide in you. The story was also told by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the church in Corinth... from 1 Corinthians, chapter 11, (part of this will sound very familiar!)

1 Corinthians 1123 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. (may God add a blessing to this reading of His holy word. Amen)  

We read the bible, we pray, we come to worship, we take communion, regularly, over and over, because we fail over and over. Once we have prayed and taken communion, it's not a one and done... because we will mess up again. As our lesson reminds us, we may even mess up DURING the communion, if we are not sincere about it!

Because WE, limited, finite, imperfect human beings can not fathom the unlimited, infinite, perfection that is God. Even though we have Jesus to show us―The Son of God, who gave up heaven to be with us, to be like us, we still can not quite imagine the perfection of God.  We can only see partially... as though we are looking at one facet of a beautiful diamond! We were created in the image in God...but we are not God. We are individual children of God, one facet of God. I think God just loves diversity. On our travels, Martin and I remark on the variety of nature, how many different kinds of trees, birds, in creation! God must just love diversity, he made so much of it! We are God's children, each of us an image, one facet of God. Each of us, every human is one of God's children and God loves every single one! 

So why does Jesus call this a new covenant? Does it replace the old covenant? Does it throw out “They will be my people and I will be their God!?” no not at all. This is not new in the sense of wiping out the old, it's a fulfillment of the original! It's bringing the covenant to its completion! All the stories of Abraham, Moses, and Jeremiah were steps along the road, part of the process! Now it is finished! “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

Let me give you an example... I know someone who is doing some remodeling. When the work is completely done, they won't be living in a NEW house. They didn't bulldoze part of the house and start over! But they will have some rooms that are new..rooms that are better than ever, done to their specifications, fulfilling the promise that those rooms had before, but only now are just as they hoped!!

So too is the New covenant with Jesus. Jesus over and over in the Gospels used metaphors that people could understand, I am the bread of Life, I am the Good shepherd, I am the Light of the World! Jesus came to be with everyone, even regular people..not kings and governors, but ordinary folks living ordinary lives! And on the last night of his life as a human, he said “This is my Body given for you...” We are to take in Jesus..in communion... to be part of ourselves... to internalize that love.

Since Jesus was known to dine with 'tax collectors and sinners' (as we heard this past Sunday) and welcomed all to the table, not just at the Last Supper, but all thru the Gospels, we who profess to be His followers, must do the same. Just as our church has open table for Communion, our doors must be open to one and all. and so too must all kinds of 'doors' of our homes, places of worship, and our nation. Most of all, the doors of our HEARTS!

Speaker at a Presbyterian mission event...Rev. Jon Brown, pastor of  Old Bergen Church  in Jersey City, New Jersey―a union church of the Reformed Church in America and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) ―at Thursday’s worship service of the  Association of Presbyterian Church Educators  (APCE) annual event meeting Jan. 25-28 in Denver, Colorado, this week.

Using the example of his daughter’s kindergarten assessment, he relayed the story of one of the questions asked of her, “What do you do when you want to go into a room that is dark?” His daughter replied, to the amazement of the instructor, “You hold someone’s hand.”

“The teacher looked at the booklet, flipped to the back, back up to the front, then she looked across the room and said to me, ‘It’s not in the book but it’s the best answer I’ve heard all day,’” Brown said.

“What do you do when you want to go into someplace that is dark? You hold someone’s hand,” he said. “That is what we do as the people of God. That is what we do as people of faith. Some people call it covenant. Some people call it community. Some people call it relationship or trust. It is how the church demonstrates to the world that God is with us in the chaos. We hold someone’s hand.”

After a mosque in the small town of Victoria, Texas,  burned to the ground  last weekend, the local Jewish and Christian communities there have come together to help those affected.

Members of the B’Nai Israel temple gave the keys to their synagogue to the Muslim community so they would have a place to worship,  USA Today  reports, and four churches in the town also offered space for the mosque's Muslim congregation to hold services, according to  NPR.

Children from the local Catholic school in Victoria also visited the mosque on Wednesday, forming what the Islamic Center called a "human chain of love and peace,"The students also presented the Muslim community with a tree.

"The tree will be planted in the grounds of our new mosque & prominently displayed to remind us of this beautiful moment," the post reads. "This is the spirit of love where the cross hugs the crescent."

Some call it covenant. Some call it community. Some call it relationship or trust

God says I Love You. “I will be their God and they will be my people!” “I am with you always, even to the end of time”!

This is why we worship together. Why we do mission and outreach together, helping the organizations that help our neighbors in need... we do it together. As individuals, as a church, with other churches and other organizations. Jesus said where 2 or 3 are gathered together in my name, I am there with them. When we hold someone's hand...Jesus is with us. God's son, God's own self, came to earth to be with us in every way possible! And then after his death and resurrection, gave us the Holy Spirit to empower us to truly be together with God and all of God's children for all time!

May it be so today, tomorrow and always. Amen.

Five memories or events from 2016

5 memories or events from 2016.

The highlight of the year for me was spending 2 nights at Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Hubby and I had a hotel room on the 16^th floor overlooking the falls, and I took a LOT of photos. Rainbows moving over the falls all afternoon, sunrise, sunset, a thunderstorm and the colored lights on the falls at night. And there's a small window you can open, to hear the falls during the night as we fell asleep. (and the trucks and buses in the morning...I closed that window pretty early!)

That trip was also our first time crossing an international border, so we had to get passports! We stopped at Port Huron, Michigan, dipped toes into Lake Huron, as we hadn't been to that Great Lake before. The border crossings were very smooth, just time consuming because of traffic backups. We knew that was likely. Funny, in the line to cross back into US, (into Detroit) the faster access line was moving more slowly than the line we were in!

This summer I also chaired our local Book Bag Bash, an event with a non-profit organization and several churches in which we give out backpacks filled with school supplies to needy families. There's also a free lunch, games, bounce houses--it's a few hours of fun for families. We began this at my church in 2012, giving out 162 backpacks the first year. We now host it at a city park, as we have outgrown the church grounds! This year, with 12 churches and about 75 volunteers, we gave 764 filled book bags. I have chaired this event from the beginning and have now 'retired' from it. We have an excellent team who will conduct it very well. And I may drop by to take photos ;)

My photography hobby has mushroomed. For a few years, I've managed the church Facebook page, and photo posts do very well there. The church secretary likes photos for the newsletter too.
 My personal photos of nature scenes are also well received. Many of us find a sense of God or higher power in Nature. To take a walk and get some good photos is so relaxing.

The negativity and divisiveness of the national news and election has been deeply distressing for me as well as many of us. For a few years I have worked with other pastors & churches, especially the African-American churches in town, to have community services. These have been well attended and received. We will be planning our Lenten series very soon and I look forward to helping in some way to bridge the divides in our city. We all have a lot more in common than we realize and we must learn to seek and celebrate the commonalities.

How good and pleasant it is

when God’s people live together in unity! –Psalm 133:1 NIV

Good Friday Community service at United Church of Beloit. \

The Manger and the Cross

This week, midway through Advent, I'm leading a Bible study of prophecies of Jesus' birth, and editing a booklet of devotions for the Lenten season! The booklet is titled “What Wondrous Love is This”. As I was working on it, I was reminded of another time I read through Christmas and Good Friday texts all in the same day.

Several years ago, I was reading through the birth narratives for a Bible study. I'd been asked what is the significance of the baby Jesus being wrapped in swaddling clothes. I explained that is a sign that the baby Jesus was well cared for. Even though Mary didn't have a midwife or female relatives to help, she and Joseph knew what to do for the infant! Later that day, to write a devotion for a Lenten publication, I read the Good Friday story. And was struck by parallels in the texts.

In Luke chapter 2: “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger,...”

in Luke 23:{Joseph of Arimathea}asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock,..”

The baby Jesus was born to go to the Cross. The shadow of the cross lies over the manger. On the Silent Night, Holy Night of Christmas, we are just beginning to learn "What Wondrous Love is This!"

Holy God, as we prepare for the upcoming holidays, help us to always remember You first, to remember both the manger and the cross! That You chose to come from Heaven for both, purely out of love. Help us to revel in YOUR love, and share it with all we meet, this Christmas and always. In Jesus' Name, Amen.  

The Thrill of Hope & Expectation

Nov. 27, 2016 The Thrill of Hope and Expectation Pastor Carol P. Taylor

Psalm 122
122:1 I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD!"
122:2 Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.
122:3 Jerusalem built as a city that is bound firmly together.
122:4 To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
122:5 For there the thrones for judgment were set up, the thrones of the house of David.
122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you.
122:7 Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers."
122:8 For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, "Peace be within you."
122:9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.

Romans 13:11-14
13:11 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers;
13:12 the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light;
13:13 let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy.
13:14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

How was your Thanksgiving?

It's the first Sunday of Advent.

So what does that mean?! Advent is the season of waiting- of expectation, before the birth of Jesus. In the early church it was a season very much like Lent. It was a time to repent, to be in prayer and even fasting to prepare for the new birth! In the last century or so advent has less of a focus on repentance, as our culture is more focused on the commercial aspects of the holiday.

Our scripture lessons today are from the lectionary..the three year plan for churches to use in worship and study. There is for every Sunday and Christian holiday an old testament lesson, a Psalm, a Gospel lesson and a reading from one of the Epistles (or letters) the lectionary texts for these first weeks of advent are challenging! The gospel lesson for today is Jesus speaking about the end times-the rapture! Not exactly warm, fuzzy, “sip hot cocoa and cuddle a puppy” texts are they?

Because Advent is a season to remind us to turn BACK to Jesus, to wait in expectation! There's a tension here of the secular and of the scriptures telling us to put God and Godly things first. And I have to admit, I struggle with this as much as anyone. I have cards to send, gifts to get and wrap, menu to plan...and work to do and we have to do some car repairs... just all the stuff of life. All of which CAN take our minds off Jesus and the reason we do all this Holiday stuff in the first place!

So let's look at our texts.

The Romans text―we see contrasts here, night and day, light and dark, wake and -sleep. Night is nearly over....people walking in darkness have seen a great light is the prophecy from Isaiah.

13:12 The night is far gone. The “light of the world” has come, and we must prepare for the Second Advent of Christ and the age to come.

let us put on. The use of the metaphor “armor of light” stresses that developing positive spiritual graces, is essential to spiritual growth and well-being.

13:13 Paul’s warning against a sinful life-style strikingly includes not only the traditional sins of the flesh (“orgies and drunkenness . . . sexual immorality and sensuality”) but also insidious vices  (“quarreling and jealousy”). these can destroy families...and churches! 

13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ. A further exposition of what it means to “put on the armor of light” (v. 12), showing that those who are in Christ must live consistently with their new status (Eph. 4:1). wrap yourself in Jesus' Love!

SO we're to get ourselves ready, for the new birth, for the coming again of the Baby Jesus. We need to put things in order!

"What does it mean to “get your house in order” for the coming of the Lord? Can we ever be perfectly ready for Christ’s return?" (from Feasting on the Word, edited by Kimberly Bracken Long)

When we entertain guests in our home or office, typically we tidy up the space to make it more welcoming and presentable. Most usually this involves cleaning, perhaps some sprucing up with a few special touches or decorations. We prepare. But what do we tidy when it comes to welcoming the Lord Jesus? How may we be prepared for His coming, and in what ways do we spruce up our minds, hearts, and our souls to welcome Him in? --to tell that beautiful story, to celebrate again His birth!!

Our Psalm is one of the “psalms of ascent”.. these were sung as people ascended... actually walking uphill to Jerusalem to worship! The Psalmist, King David, is proclaiming his love of the city, which was the cultural center, the center of government, and also the worship center. No matter where the Hebrew people lived, Jerusalem was their spiritual home. And they returned to Jerusalem several times a year to celebrate certain feasts.

When he sang “pray for the peace of Jerusalem”, he was praying for the Shalom, God's perfect peace, to reign in their home. The Hebrew people were singing literally for the peace, protection, joy, wholeness of life to be in and throughout their city, their home and by extension--their lives!

so hope and home.... the home idea is that home is safety & security.

We too can pray for the peace of the city. For Jerusalem, named City of Peace, and is one of the more war torn cities of all time.

We can pray for the peace of other cities... for our centers of government, Washington DC, and Madison. For cities that are in terrible need, whether of jobs, like Detroit, cities grieving like Chattanooga. And we pray for Beloit and the surrounding areas. When we pray for our cities and for our church, we are praying for our ‘home’, not just the buildings in which we live, work and worship, but for the whole community. For the leaders, for those who work to protect us, for those who clean up after us! For the children and their teachers, for everyone!

Spending time in prayer and devotional time is a powerful tool to help our faith life. Even a few minutes a day more than usual will help us be more centered and able to focus on the 'reason for the season!”

Music helps us set the mood and helps tell the story. Don't you just love Christmas music? And there are so many songs that tell stories. The little Drummer Boy... And some that don't tell the story, but are just lovely, like the The Christmas Song..and some that are really fun―like Feliz Navidad.

Our Advent series is about some of the favorite Christmas Carols. The Thrill of Hope, is of course from O Holy Night. I found the story of the hymn...

In the year 1847, a man named Placide Cappeau was the commissioner/inspector of wines in a small town in France. Known to be an avid poet, Placide was approached by a priest to compose a poem for a Christmas service in Paris.

Initially, Cappeau. After reading the Gospel of Luke for inspiration, he envisioned what it might have been like to have been in Bethlehem to witness the birth of Jesus. From there, he penned the now famous words to “Cantique de Noel”, or O Holy Night.

Upon delivering the poem in Paris, Cappeau determined that “Cantique de Noel” would be even more powerful if set to music. For help, he turned to well known composer Adolphe Charles Adams. At first, Adams was reluctant to participate. As a Jew, the celebration of the Christian savior did not appeal to him. Still, something about the words of the poem inspired him, and thus he endeavored to compose an original score unlike anything that had been heard before. It only took Adams three weeks to complete the work, and it was immediately performed at a Christmas Eve mass.

Churches across France embraced this amazing new hymn and it became a popular staple for choirs to sing at Christmas time. However, Cappeau eventually left the Catholic church. This information, combined with news that the music was written by a Jewish man, caused the Catholic hierarchy of France to ban the singing of “Cantique de Noel”, claiming it was too secular. It baffles the mind how the worshipful lyrics to this song could ever be considered secular, but the church had spoken, and the song was no longer part of traditional services.

This did not silence the song forever. Common folk continued to embrace it, and refused to let the church bury it. They continued to sing “Cantique de Noel” in their homes and in social gatherings. O Holy Night had gone from a mainstream hymn to an underground hit. About ten years after the official attempt to bury the song by the Church in France, “Cantique de Noel” found its way to the ears of an obscure American writer, named John Sullivan Dwight.

Dwight instantly felt moved by the lyrics and the grand, soaring score. He determined that American audiences had to hear it. Dwight felt that the song was the perfect marriage between the Good News of the Gospel, and the freedom that Jesus represented. An ardent abolitionist, Dwight was overcome with the power of a particular verse:

“Truly he taught us to love one another; his law is love and his gospel is peace.

Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother;

and in his name all oppression shall cease.”

Dwight translated the lyrics of “Cantique de Noel” into English, renaming it O Holy Night, and published it in a magazine. The song found an audience in the American north, where it was celebrated as an anthem of freedom.

Meanwhile, the song continued to be celebrated by the common people in France and various parts of Europe.

In 1906, the only type of radios that existed were wireless transmitters that picked up code. On Christmas Eve of that year, a 33-year-old university professor named Reginald Fessenden was tinkering in his office and proceeded to do something that had never been done before. He broadcast a human voice across the airwaves. Speaking into a microphone he’d rigged, Fessenden read Luke Chapter 2 from his Bible. As he uttered the words, “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed…” amazed radio operators on ships and over wireless code transmitters heard the Gospel being read through their speakers. Those who heard those first words over the radio recall that they thought they were witnessing a miracle.

Meanwhile, Fessenden had no idea who, if anyone, was hearing his broadcast. After completing his reading from the Gospel of Luke, he picked up his violin, sat close to his microphone, and played the familiar music to O Holy Night – making it the first song to ever be played over the airwaves.

Since 1847, when a poet in France was inspired by Luke’s Gospel,

O Holy Night is a song that has managed to unite common people across France, inspire Americans as it highlighted the sin of slavery, and break ground as the first song ever to be broadcast through a medium that would eventually spread the Gospel all over the world. Perhaps it was a miracle!

We're praying for home/city/country/world that all oppression shall cease!

This is one of the more profound ways we pray. By rolling up our sleeves. By helping our church, and organizations. By respecting those who have differing beliefs.

we help make our community better By spending time with others, even those who are different! Worshiping together, working together side by side. This is how we can help bring about the peace of God.

Many of us were blessed to be at the Community Thanksgiving service this past week. Pastor Kenda spoke about learning to give thanks even if we are having a terrible, horrible, no good, very very bad day! We collected an offering to divide between Caritas and Hands of faith. Because on the eve of thanksgiving, just as during Lent, we are mindful of those who do not have enough to eat or a place to sleep. And we want to help those agencies who are working with these families. We volunteer our time as well as giving our money.

We will have more of these community services! Because God is not just in the Temple in Jerusalem, not just here in UCB. No, God is outside in the community, in our neighbors, in the hungry child, in the lonely. We will bring the thrill of hope and the expectation of the story of baby Jesus, by helping and living out our faith.  

Fall Photos

The Autumn Leaves....

Photos

Well, blogging every day has not worked well has it?! ::laughing:: This is who I am!! I was just telling someone that one of my struggles is that my schedule is so irregular--and prone to interruption! It doesn't take much to derail even the best of intentions.

But this week I have been able to snag a few nice photos.

topic: Dressing Up!

Missed the Friday Five post until late, so it's Saturday Six

1) Is dressing up fun for you, or a source of dread?
2) Whatever the occasion, is it all about the accessories, or the essence of the garment/ensemble itself?
3) Shoes. Discuss!
4) What's the dressiest thing in your closet that you would wear again?
5) Mornings at home: are you a pj lounger, or are you dressed first thing?

Adding #6, When you get home from work, lounge clothes or stay in work wear?

I used to dislike dressing up, my lifestyle didn't demand it often. I joked about 'dressing up' meaning to throw on a black blazer with my jeans! Then I became a Pastor and now wear more dressy clothes on a regular basis! 

2, accessories! I have a lot of scarves, many are gifts. It started out as a way to make a limited wardrobe look professional. Now I sometimes choose a scarf to wear and then build the outfit!

3-shoes... foot problems have drastically limited my ability to wear pretty shoes. But I have a few pairs that I can get by with for a Sunday morning or an event!

4. dressiest thing I'd wear again-- a red/black print dress that I wore when hubby and I went put for our wedding anniversary. Most of my clothes are “church” wear. This is definitely a “date” dress.

5. Mornings I am a PJ lounger. If i dress as soon as I get up, then spill coffee or get cat hair on myself, I'd have to change! (and both of those are very likely to happen)

6. for the same reason, I change into pj pants or sweats when I get home from work, even if I have something later on. When home, I am COMFY.

The beauty of Autumn

NaBloPoMo

NaBloPoMo stands for "National Blog Posting Month." The goal of NaBloPoMo is for participants to write a post a day for an entire month. It grew out of NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. Since I couldn't write decent fiction if my life depended on it, I choose to blog :) 

Today is November 1, and oddly for the Midwest, it is 74 degrees F outside! I am in shorts, tee shirt and sandals and LOVING it! We do tend to get a warm day or two, usually the end of October. We've had a couple Halloween nights that were quite comfy. (We've also had snow and sleet on past Halloweens!) It is predicted to be cooler, 60s, the rest of the week. That's still warm for this time of year!

Yesterday and today I got some photos of some of the late Fall color.  

Review of the new CEB Women's Bible

One day there was a blurb online about a new Bible for women. This was on www.revgalblogpals.org. RevGalBlogPals (RGBP) is comprised of a diverse group of women in ministry. I've followed the blog off and on for years, and belong to the Facebook group. When I saw the story about a new women's Bible, I admit my first reaction was "ho hum". However, when I read the website promo, I was enthused! Every editor and commentator is a woman. They are from a variety of backgrounds and denominations, and many are ordained clergy. This Bible is the CEB Women's Bible, published by Abingdon Press.

Among the features of this study Bible are: introductions to every book of the Bible, maps, profiles of women, & sidebars within the chapters to add clarity and food for thought. There's an index to every woman in the Bible, named or unnamed. There are questions for reflection and discussion, which I find useful for small group study or for stimulating thought when preparing to write a devotion or sermon. (or blog post!)

There are also suggested bible reading plans. There is a 30 day “overview plan”; 90 days through the New Testament; and one year through the Bible plan.

One of my favorite stories is in John chapter 4, the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. In small groups over the years, we've discussed this story, and struggled with the traditional interpretations, which seemed so derogatory of the woman. In our study, we've remarked on her openness with Jesus about her lifestyle and how quickly she asks about the proper way to worship. The sidebar “portrait” in the CEB Women's Bible compares her with Nicodemus, who comes to Jesus in the darkness of nighttime. This woman encounters Jesus in broad daylight, showing she has nothing to hide. The sidebar portrait also points out the depth of their theological conversation. We are asked to consider what might be our “water jar” that we can leave behind so as to better testify what Jesus has done in our lives.

The Common English Bible translation (or paraphrase) is a newer version. It uses “ordinary” language to be accessible to most readers. For my personal Bible reading, I use the NRSV and the newer English Standard Version. But I do encourage the use of different translations and paraphrases in our small group studies to enhance comprehension and discussion. The accessibility of this version will be an asset in these groups.

I enthusiastically endorse this Bible for personal reading, study, and use in discussion groups. I look forward to many years of using my copy for all these purposes! This Bible would also make a nice gift.

http://www.commonenglishbible.com/womensbible

I received a free copy of the CEB Women's Bible in exchange for a fair review.

Blog post with Autumn photos

Haven't been keeping up well with blogging. It's one of the things that gets shoved to the back burner, so to speak. But NaBloPoMo is coming, National Blog Post Month, which is November. It's a take-off on NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. Folks write every single day during November to get a novel written in 30 days! Those of us who are not fiction writers can blog instead.

My blog posts will often include photographs. I suspect that will not surprise anyone who knows me :) I love to take photos and to get some nice nature shots is relaxing and rewarding for me. To notice and record the beauty of nature, even in ordinary moments, a single leaf or flower, a bird soaring, or the patterns of tree leaves against the sky, is a way for me to experience and share the joy and wonder of creation. I take other photos too, including around our church activities.

Just yesterday I got a message on my phone while I was driving, between errands. I stopped at a park to make the return phone call. Didn't intend to take any pics. But as I was pulling out of the parking lot, I noticed an alignment of colorful trees in front of the historic old water tower. I parked again, grabbed the camera, and got some nice shots. Then I walked around for about 15 min or so, getting other pics of the autumn beauty. It was relaxing and fed my soul. Some photographers who are believers in God say that they do not “take” photographs, but rather they “receive” them. I don't use that verbiage, but I believe that sometimes I'm led to stop and take photos.  

Late summer, early autumn photos

Today is the Autumn Equinox. Most of us love the colors of Fall, and here in the Midwest, some trees are beginning to show good color, although 'peak color' will be in several weeks.  I was at a friend's home the other day and took some photos of her garden. This is a Monarch butterfly in a bed of Zinnias. 

I forget the name of this plant, but isn't it pretty against the vivid blue sky?

(no filters or photoshop!)

Another morning was foggy early, but it dissipated pretty fast once the sun was up and warming things! These photos were taken at a park by the river in our town.

The variety of beauty in nature never ceases to amaze me! 

Thank you for joining me for a moment to enjoy some of it.

All the photos and writings on this blog are my own.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 

3.0 United States License.

More Wine Please! (a sermon on John 2:1-11)

September 4, 2016        More Wine, Please! 

Love is not self-seeking 1 Corinthians 13:5b

John 2 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Changes Water Into Wine

2  On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee.  Jesus’ mother  was there,  2  and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.  3  When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

4  “Woman,  why do you involve me?”  Jesus replied.  “My hour  has not yet come.”

5  His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6  Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing,  each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

7  Jesus said to the servants,  “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

8  Then he told them,  “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so,  9  and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.  He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside  10  and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

11  What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory;  and his disciples believed in him.

We're continuing our series on the Practice of Love. The love portrayed in the Love Chapter, 1 Corinthians 13 is the love of God, a love that is essential, effective and eternal!

Love is not selfish...self-seeking, again we are to always put others ahead of ourselves. We honor others, being patient, kind and compassionate...that is one of the biggest keys to sharing love...putting yourself in the other's place.

Jesus is our model for this! He put others first, was compassionate, having such deep concern for others that he felt it deep inside! Yet he did it in a healthy way! He did take time for himself...he went off early in the morning to pray. He enjoyed a good meal with friends...in fact he enjoyed so much he was accused of being a drunk and a glutton!

Our gospel lesson is a familiar story! In fact there are jokes about it... there's the story of the minister who was stopped by a police officer for driving erratically. “I have to ask, have you been drinking?” “Nothing but water!” well I can smell wine and there's an empty bottle on the floor there...' Oh my goodness, He's done it again!”

This is the first miracle of Jesus. John's gospel calls these miracles 'Signs' and he tells these stories, along with Jesus' 'I Am statements” through which Jesus glory -the glory of God -is revealed, that we may believe!

John is telling the stories of these signs to establish the identity of Jesus as the Messiah, the one from God, who IS God, he was with God in the beginning...

the word here used for sign means a the sign or distinguishing mark by which something is known; (2) a miracle, (3) a portent or harbinger.

In the Hebrew Bible, what we know as the Old Testament, the word “Sign” means the same thing, with a visual imagery association of the mark left by a hand or fingers...like a print in the sand...a hand print or fingerprints. John uses these Signs as a means to show the disciples' belief in Jesus and to help our belief and knowledge of Jesus the Son of God!

This is the wedding in Cana. Cana was a few miles, about a day's travel from Nazareth. In Galilee. There are some scholars who believe that the wedding was likely a family member...some relation of Jesus and his mother. The reason for this is that Jesus' disciples, who he has just started with, are also invited. It's got to be a fairly close relationship with the wedding couple for their families to have invited the 12 also! This makes sense to me, as it was Jesus Mother who gets the ball rolling. She comes to him and says they have no more wine. Now, was she saying “hey can you do something?” or was she saying, “oh my goodness, what a disaster” it would almost be scandalous to run out of wine at a wedding feast! Was she saying, well, time to go home? Or was she saying those fishermen friends of yours drank up all the wine?

Jesus answer, 'Woman, why do you involve me? --this sounds harsh to us! Let me clarify, Woman, here is a perfectly respectful form of address. It's as though he said Ma'am. He said repeatedly in Johns gospel, my hour has not yet come. Only in John chapter 17, his prayer just before his arrest, does he say “the hour has come” So when Jesus said “Woman why do you involve me? My hour has not yet come!” he may have been asking her sincerely, he may have been teasing her a bit!

And Mary says to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you” She may have been expecting them to make a quick trip to the next farm or vineyard to purchase some wine! Galilee was a wine-producing area! So they probably could have got more somewhat easily.

Jesus tells the servants to fill the six stone water jars. These are HUGE jars, they would have been filled by carrying smaller jars of water from a well to the big jars. The Jewish tradition was that one washed upon entering the banquet area. That there were six large jars indicated that this was a large gathering and also that the host family were well-off.

This is a story showing Jesus is indeed the One, the messiah, the son of God. It is also a story about God providing well, and with abundance! Not only was there suddenly more wine, but it was excellent wine! And there was a LOT of it! Enough to keep the celebration going for a long time. This is not to say that it is drunkeness is ok.. Jewish tradition actually is strongly against drinking to excess. Despite the rituals of the wine at sabbath and seder dinners, or perhaps because of it... wine is part of the meal, not a forbidden fruit, to be enjoyed but not abused!

There is more to the story. One of the ways we Practice love and do not live & act selfishly, is to step back a bit, think of the big picture. Imagine yourself IN the shoes of the other person. Which is what I think Jesus mother did here. She knew what a social disaster it would be for the host family. Jesus asked her why are you worried...and she was indeed not thinking of herself but of this family.

Symbolism in this story...marriage.. a covenant! A covenant is a binding agreement. The bible is the story of God's people forming a covenant to be in relationship with God. Then breaking that covenant, falling away, crying out to God in despair, and rejoining with God to covenant all over again. And God covenants with US promising that even when things are bad, God is always with us and that one day will be the perfect peace of God...

Jeremiah-- “The days are coming,” declares the  Lord,
        “when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
        and with the people of Judah.
32  It will not be like the covenant
        I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
        to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
        though I was a husband  to  them,”
declares the  Lord.
33  “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
        after that time,” declares the  Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
        and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
        and they will be my people.

The Banquet, is the symbol of the ultimate triumph of God!

the feast at the end of times, (I Isaiah 25:6

The LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow,

both the prophets Joel and Amos spoke of new wine flowing after God triumphs and all of his people are freed.

these are prophecies from the time of the Babyloian Exile, but Hebrew people of Jesus time believed there would be an overthrow of the Roman oppression and there would then be a celebration!

And there are words of prophecy and comfort from even earlier times... from Jesus' ancestor David...You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup runneth over.

#6 the 6 days of creation, on the 6^th day humankind was created. Humans were told to work 6 days and rest on the seventh. 7 is a complete week, a number that signifies perfection or completeness. So six is a number that is incomplete or imperfect. This marriage was incomplete in some way....until Jesus :)

The stone jars symbolize old rituals. The ways of the Jewish people of the time were caught up in a lot of rituals that had lost their meaning.

The water is used for cleansing and purification –there was a LOT of it. When Jesus said to the servants fill the jars, they filled them to the brim! --although I am sure the servants were a bit confused as to Jesus saying fill the water jars, when the problem was there was no wine! But they did as Jesus asked! They followed directions well! Big jars, filled to the brim. Perhaps the servants thought they would then be sent to obtain more wine, while the party-goers washed up again!

But Jesus had a different idea.

I love that there is mention that the servants knew where this new wine came from. Jesus doesn't say Mother, watch this, nor does he tell the family, or the Master of the Banquet....he just does his work quietly and only the servants really see it! The Bible is full of folks in the lower echelons of society being the first to witness God's miracles, including the shepherds in the birth story! All through the gospels ordinary people and everyday aspects of life are the vessels to show the extraordinary love and provision of God.

In John's gospel Jesus uses symbolism – he refers to himself as the Bread of Life, the Good Shepherd, the Light of the world, among others. He used phrases of the necessities of life to describe himself! He also said he would give Living Water to whomever believed. In John 7 “ Jesus stood and said in a loud voice,  “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.  38  Whoever believes  in me, as Scripture has said,  rivers of living water  will flow from within them.” Jesus proclaimed himself as a source of Living water...water that is clean, vibrant, safe and nourishing, even healing!

So Jesus took jars filled to the brim with water and turned them into an abundance of excellent wine.

He took an occasion of a covenant to show his excellent and abundant love. He showed that there was a new way of life and love. He would later say “ this cup is new covenant in my blood, shed for the forgiveness of sins”. He went to the Cross, purely out of love....taking on the sins of every single human being. The living water that Jesus gave became the cup of redemption. This is the most incredible, and most unselfish act of all time. The Love of God, the perfect, patient, faithful unselfish love we aspire to, was Jesus Christ. We know this, we are about to celebrate it ourselves.

Let us pray: Holy God, we thank you for showing us the perfect love described in Your Word, by sending Jesus, the embodiment of Your Love. Help us to always live in His unselfish love. Amen

this is an olive wood carving of the "Last Supper" on the communion table at our church.