#and I think we Gentiles ought to listen

[blaka-smoko]

hey

you don’t need to repost or reblog that photo/video of Elon Musk doing the Nazi sieg-hail salute at Trump’s inauguration

it happened

you and I both know it happened

don’t let Trump, Musk, the rest of the far-right and their enablers tell you to not believe your own eyes

but you don’t have to keep sharing it

[archaeocommunologist]

imagine posting on the leftist antisemitism tag only to show you're a leftist antisemite. imagine.

The reason principaliteas was getting hate is because they supported peace instead of yelling about killing all the evil baby-murdering Israeli civilians. Not very pro-Palestine of them, since in order for Palestine to be free half of the world's Jews simply must be gotten rid of.

Also you were being absolutely moronic in the comments. "Anyone can know things regardless of their background." imagine telling that to any other minority. Imagine telling a black person calling out racism that, imagine telling a trans person calling out transphobia that. You don't know bigotry better than the victims dumbass.

Whoever you are, and I suspect you're a fan given that this sounds very similar to another ask I received, you should know by this point that I'm not susceptible to this line of argumentation. Anyone can know anything regardless of their background. This is a true statement, and also a good thing.

Compare to your assertion, that only the "victims" of a social system can credibly understand it. This is 1.) very obviously not true, 2.) trivially easy to disprove, and 3.) actively detrimental to good activism. Now, you don't care about any of these things, because the actual purpose of this argument is to use as a cudgel, but I will nevertheless grace you with an explanation.

1.) It just isn't true that the only people who can understand a social system are its victims. This isn't true for antisemitism, it's not true for racism, and it's not true for transphobia, homophobia, and misogyny. This assertion is a corrupted form of the actual insight, which is that it's important to consider the perspectives of people who have direct experience with bigotry. It is important to listen to Jewish perspectives on antisemitism, rather than getting all your information from gentiles. But it doesn't mean that only Jews can understand antisemitism as a social and historical force, and it absolutely does not mean that gentiles need to blindly defer to any particular Jew on the topic.

Also: isn't it funny how you don't apply this exact logic to Palestinians? I mean, logically, as the victims of Zionism, you should be asserting that only Palestinians can understand it, right? If not, why not?

2.) Here, I'll disprove your assertion right now. So as a goy, I need to defer to Jews when it comes to antisemitism and anti-Zionism, right? OK, I pick Meir Kahane. Heck, I pick Netanyahu! After all, they also say that I, as a goy, ought to defer to them when it comes to the meaning of Zionism and antisemitism. Oops, guess I'm a Kahanist now. Am Yisrael Chai!

Obviously, gentiles need to be able to apply critical thinking to Jewish perspectives on antisemitism. We need to develop the capacity for discernment, in order to confront and dismiss the demand from people like Kahane to blindly defer to them based on their identity. You yourself fucking believe this, you just pretend not to when you want to beat somebody about the head.

3.) Maybe I'm biased because of my background in HIV activism and as an HIV+ person, but when I do activism, my goal is to provide people with the tools and understanding to come to the correct political stance on HIV, regardless of their identity. I want HIV-negative people to be able to speak confidently on the history of the AIDS Crisis and on the importance of U=U. Insisting that only HIV+ people have the right to speak is actively detrimental to my political goals. Yes, I think it's important that HIV+ people be able to speak for ourselves too. But that doesn't mean I want to silence HIV-negative people who are working to understand and support us.

You, however, want something different. You are interested in silencing, which is why you insist that only certain people can credibly speak on certain topics. This is also why you insist that I am an antisemite, despite the fact that my views on Zionism are developed in large part by listening to Jewish anti-Zionists. Oh, but of course, they don't count, because they're the wrong kind of Jews. Hypocrite.

Anyway, feel free to come off anon if you tire of this ludicrous game of telephone, and decide to quit being a spinless little coward. Otherwise, get thee gone, and darken my doorway no more.

[sowninchrist]

Calling for the Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge and Revelation🕊️❤️🌱🗡️

Thank You to the Lord for this revelation, He’s always been so good to us to reveal to us why and for what purpose things happen and I’m super grateful to Him for every single person who He has used to teach and to reveal things that are far deeper into the Word. Everything that is done is to the Glory and Honor to the True Living God whom we ought to grow fear of the Lord, for everything He does is Holy and beautiful! May we always go out with the True Wisdom that Jesus is Lord, Savior, He is God in the flesh, He is the Only True God that would do that for us; besides Him there is no god.

Something I loved ever since I came into my walk with Christ was that I got to experience (before congregating into my church) many different christians with many different revelations of the same Word either stay-at-home christians or christians congregating in their small local churches, to this day, I still continue to meet those who stay at home and whilst many are well filled with knowledge, they’ve managed to grow differently from the Word.

This is why it’s very important to discern when a ministry is teaching a doctrine to make sure that it’s God’s doctrine and not a doctrine that they place their culture and moral beliefs into the faith that we’re meant to follow, that being said, I wouldn’t put their thoughts into the Lord’s revelations, but I say this in order for any baby in Christ to be careful when listening to someone who doesn’t agree about going to Church.

Knowing that you need a church not only to have a pastor or apostle is important as well as much as the church also helps you to grow spiritually, but how people confuse the Word of God is astonishing, I recently met someone who is very intellectual concerning the Word, they are very down to earth, but they got a completely different revelation of the Word that sometimes it’s not Godly revelation but assumptions of our own mind, this is why it’s important to discern not just yourself but everyone who preaches, I constantly have to discern if what I’m putting into these beautiful topics that the Lord calls for are not my own assumption of remembering to place it but rather to allow the Holy Spirit to take full control, everything that is done to glorify the Lord should never bring self-glorification, this is one of the things that I recently learnt was not only my own nerves but other preachers’ nerves as well to put out what they think is right when the Lord actually says, “No, I didn’t tell you to place this here.”, so it’s extremely important to have a church that will guide you to Jesus and not to your own imagined-Jesus.

We’re going to go to the foundation of Wisdom, I was reading into Proverbs and once Proverbs chapter 3 came, something from the epistles of Paul just rushed through my memory,

Prov 3:19 NASB, “The Lord founded the earth by wisdom, He established the heavens by understanding.”

Prov 3:20 NASB, “By His knowledge the ocean depths were burst open, And the clouds drip with dew.”

One of the most important basic knowledge everyone needs to know is that Jesus is the foundation of all creation even throughout the OT, and not too long ago there were studies found that there’s a component in the human body that makes us, all put together, or in a Biblical Word, all put together,

Col 1:17 ESV, “And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

For any nonbeliever or curious reader, the Wisdom we mention is Jesus,

1 Cor 1:22-24 NLT, “—It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom.

— So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

— But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the Wisdom of God.”

Christ, being the Messiah, the Chosen One.

The heavens were created by Knowledge,

Matthew 11:25 ESV, “At that time Jesus declared, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;”

Jesus isn’t speaking about the Godly wise and Godly understanding, He’s referring to people who are full of worldly wisdom and worldly understanding, the type that the flesh goes based on human instincts.

Jesus spoke Godly Knowledge, if anyone has ever heard that beautiful saying, “You brought a piece of Heaven to Earth” read Col 1:15-20.

In 1 Cor 12:8-10, we’re told by Paul what the Lord gives us gifts us through His Holy Spirit, and something I always get asked by friends who haven’t received the Lord out of an act of faith but with curiosity , “how do I get the gifts, I read the Bible but I don’t understand it completely.”

Matthew 3:16 ERV, “So Jesus was baptized. As soon as he came up out of the water, the sky opened, and he saw God's Spirit coming down on Him like a dove.”

Once fully accepting the Lord and actually asking for His Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding you receive the Revelation through the Holy Spirit! This is honestly so beautiful because it’s like the Gift is tied beautifully with a bow because you see just how much God loves you with these revelations that He gifts you! Something that I’m astonished about is how God decides to use us, whilst we sin in different mindsets (unintentional or giving into the flesh), He still uses us; that’s just mind-blowing.

The Lord founded the earth by Wisdom, in Genesis, the Lord made us up of dust (Gen 2:7), the human knowledge seeks to make sense of everything but Godly knowledge acknowledges that through the Godly Wisdom we obtain the Godly Understanding as well as the Revelation from the Holy Spirit, and this is the basic Truth, we need the Holy Spirit to receive God’s Wisdom, to receive God’s Understanding, God’s Knowledge, God’s Wisdom and God’s Revelation.

One of the verses that I absolutely love to this day is,

Eph 1:13 ERV, “It is the same with you. You heard the true message, the Good News about the way God saves you. When you heard that Good News, you believed in Christ. And in Christ, God put His special mark on you by giving you the Holy Spirit that He promised.”

How beautiful is that? Now going back to Proverbs 3:20 there is one thing that amazed me whilst digging into this beautiful Word,

Proverbs 3:20 ESV, “by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew.”

^ “and the clouds drop down the dew.” - I love this because I went through the Strong dictionary and found out that dew (H2919 - Tal) actually means; A city that is covered over and made into a mound. as well as, Spot: To be covered with spots. as well as, dew, night mist.

You’re wondering why is this relevant to asking God for His Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, and Revelation?

I love this because in Malachi 3:10 GW it says, “Bring one-tenth of your income into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this way,” says the LORD of Armies. “See if I won’t open the windows of heaven for you and flood you with blessings.”

^ “See if I won’t open the windows of heaven for you and flood you with blessings.”

The beginning of chapter 3 of Proverbs is called “Blessed is the One Who Finds Wisdom”, being obedient towards the Lord and having fear of the Lord for He is great and Holy, no one can match up to who He is! The dew is the blessings, the favor, the prosperity in Christ, it’s the layer that covers a whole land and if you wish to obtain the Knowledge and Wisdom and Understanding as well as the Revelation in order to receive the dew? You start by receiving God’s Wisdom and fully accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

But how do you start to receive God’s Wisdom?

Same Verse, Different Translations:

Proverbs 9:10-12 KJV, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. — For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased. — If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.”

Proverbs 9:10-12 ERV, “Wisdom begins with fear and respect for the LORD. Knowledge of the Holy One leads to understanding. — Wisdom will help you live longer; she will add years to your life. —  If you become wise, it will be for your own good. If you are rude and show no respect, you are the one who will suffer.”

Proverbs 9:10-12 NLT, “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.
    Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment. — Wisdom will multiply your days
    and add years to your life. — If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit.
    If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.”

It all starts by hearing the Truth and receiving Him into your hearts ❤️

Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, He redeemed us and reconciled us with Jehovah, God our Father, whom placed His Holy Spirit within us who is God in Spirit ❤️

BONUS VERSE:

I loved all of the Proverbs that mentions Wisdom being your foundation to the beginning of the Fear of the Lord, but this one just always took a special place in my heart for a specific reason,

Proverbs 1:20-26 ERV,

“20 - Listen! Wisdom is shouting in the streets. She is crying out in the marketplace.”

“21  - She is calling out where the noisy crowd gathers:

“22  - “Fools, how long will you love being ignorant? How long will you make fun of wisdom? How long will you hate knowledge?

“23 -  I wanted to tell you everything I knew and give you all my knowledge, but you didn't listen to my advice and teaching.

“24  - “I tried to help, but you refused to listen. I offered my hand, but you turned away from me.

“25 -  You ignored my advice and refused to be corrected.

“26  - So I will laugh at your troubles and make fun of you when what you fear happens.”

REVELATION:

You need the Fear of the Lord in order to receive the gifts of Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding and Revelation but in order to have Fear of the Lord, you need to be submitted to Him. This is why we know not to lean on our own understanding, because when we acknowledge the Lord before everything, He reveals to us every mystery that He knows to those who have matured in His Holy Presence. God is inviting you to sit down, lay down, prostate before Him and just speak to Him, everything that is in your heart, every curious thing you have, He is waiting to reveal to you His mysteries because He loves you and wants that relationship with you. It’s important to be in a church where they proclaim liberation, the coming of the Lord, the love between one another and actually working to bring unity between the congregation. If the head of the church spews out division you know the sheep by the head and if the head of church speaks unity and love of Christ you know the sheep by the head; the head of my Church is Jesus Christ, let Him be your Church (spiritually) and congregate to one (physically) who helps you grow properly!

if you don’t understand what by spiritually means, there’s a topic called the Church Jesus talked about, just a little digging in the blog and you’ll find it, blessings ❤️

[dailychapel]

Acts 26:1–32 NLT - 1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You may speak in your defense." So Paul, gesturing with his hand, started his defense: 2 "I am fortunate, King Agrippa, that you are the one hearing my defense today against all these accusations made by the Jewish leaders, 3 for I know you are an expert on all Jewish customs and controversies. Now please listen to me patiently! 4 "As the Jewish leaders are well aware, I was given a thorough Jewish training from my earliest childhood among my own people and in Jerusalem. 5 If they would admit it, they know that I have been a member of the Pharisees, the strictest sect of our religion. 6 Now I am on trial because of my hope in the fulfillment of God's promise made to our ancestors. 7 In fact, that is why the twelve tribes of Israel zealously worship God night and day, and they share the same hope I have. Yet, Your Majesty, they accuse me for having this hope! 8 Why does it seem incredible to any of you that God can raise the dead? 9 "I used to believe that I ought to do everything I could to oppose the very name of Jesus the Nazarene. 10 Indeed, I did just that in Jerusalem. Authorized by the leading priests, I caused many believers there to be sent to prison. And I cast my vote against them when they were condemned to death. 11 Many times I had them punished in the synagogues to get them to curse Jesus. I was so violently opposed to them that I even chased them down in foreign cities. 12 "One day I was on such a mission to Damascus, armed with the authority and commission of the leading priests. 13 About noon, Your Majesty, as I was on the road, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions. 14 We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.' 15 "'Who are you, lord?' I asked. "And the Lord replied, 'I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. 16 Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. You are to tell the world what you have seen and what I will show you in the future. 17 And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles 18 to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God's people, who are set apart by faith in me.' 19 "And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven. 20 I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God--and prove they have changed by the good things they do. 21 Some Jews arrested me in the Temple for preaching this, and they tried to kill me. 22 But God has protected me right up to this present time so I can testify to everyone, from the least to the greatest. I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen-- 23 that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, and in this way announce God's light to Jews and Gentiles alike." 24 Suddenly, Festus shouted, "Paul, you are insane. Too much study has made you crazy!" 25 But Paul replied, "I am not insane, Most Excellent Festus. What I am saying is the sober truth. 26 And King Agrippa knows about these things. I speak boldly, for I am sure these events are all familiar to him, for they were not done in a corner! 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do--" 28 Agrippa interrupted him. "Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?" 29 Paul replied, "Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that both you and everyone here in this audience might become the same as I am, except for these chains." 30 Then the king, the governor, Bernice, and all the others stood and left. 31 As they went out, they talked it over and agreed, "This man hasn't done anything to deserve death or imprisonment." 32 And Agrippa said to Festus, "He could have been set free if he hadn't appealed to Caesar."

O Christ, Son of God, for our sake you fasted forty days and allowed yourself to be tempted. Protect us so that we may not be led astray by any temptation. Since man does not live by bread alone, nourish our souls with the heavenly food of your Word; through your mercy, O our God, you are blessed and live and govern all things, now and forever. Amen.

[hiswordsarekisses]

Hunger for growth, ask for growth, seek, abide, and press on to know Him…. And you will grow as He renews your mind with His Word.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matthew‬ ‭5:6‬

Jesus said; “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:1-5

“Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food! For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews‬ ‭5:12-14‬

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14

“So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts. Having lost all sense of shame, they have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity, with a craving for more. But this is not the way you came to know Christ. Surely you heard of Him and were taught in Him—in keeping with the truth that is in Jesus— to put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be renewed in the spirit of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one another. “Be angry, yet do not sin.” Do not let the sun set upon your anger, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need. Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians‬ ‭4:17-32‬

[troybeecham]

Fr. Troy Beecham

Sermon, Proper 24 A, 2020

Matthew 22:15-22

The Pharisees went and plotted to entrap Jesus in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

During the previous several weeks, Jesus was teaching in the Temple. Jewish Temple officials questioned his authority to do “these things”, that is, his authoritative teaching of the Torah and Prophets, as well as his miracles. Jesus declines to answer their repeated questions about where he derives his authority to teach and power to perform miracles. He declines because any answer could only be understood by those with faith, in his Father and in him. Just before this morning’s Gospel reading, we read and explored the parable of the Wedding Feast, a parable which the Pharisees saw as an attack on them given their actions following their interaction with Jesus.

In this Gospel passage, more followers of the Pharisees are joined by Herodians, who were those people who supported the rule of Herod and his successors, the client kings of the Roman Empire. In every other aspect of life, these two communities were enemies, but now they had become united only in their desire to get rid of Jesus because he either threatened to disrupt their corrupt lives, as had John the Baptist, or because he threatened their claim to be the authorities on the interpretation and teaching of the Torah and Prophets.

As they approach him to engage in debate, they use language that gives the appearance of respect for him. The fact is that they were trying to entrap him so that they could denounce him to the Roman and Temple authorities. The question they bring to Jesus in this passage was a subject of great debate in Jewish circles that had religious and civic repercussions: should faithful Jews pay the annual census tax to Rome? The census tax was different from other taxes in that it was a tax that went directly to the emperor’s personal treasury, and had to be paid using a specific coin bearing the image and titles of the emperor. Ordinary taxes are covered in the Torah as a common part of life. Opinions varied at the time depending on whether they were coming from a religious background or a civic. Not only were Pharisees and Herodians present, but interestingly so were Zealots, a militant religious sect who claimed that God’s people should not be subject to pagan Gentiles and who were attempting to raise an armed rebellion against Rome.

As in other such encounters, Jesus sees through their plot; he calls them hypocrites for pretending to respect him but intending to discredit him. It’s an interesting side-note that the Greek word “hypocrite” was the word used for stage actors. Jesus is wise beyond their comprehension, and calls them out for the farce that they have employed to entrap him. And he doesn’t just call them out to shame them but to invite them into true dialogue that has the possibility of leading them to faith. He knows that this is simply stage play pretending to be honest debate with the desire to learn. If Jesus says yes, Jews must pay the census tax, the Zealots and other Jews hostile to Rome, who had been hoping that Jesus would be their Messianic military leader, will turn against him, which in fact they eventually do. If Jesus says no, Jews ought not to pay the emperor’s census tax, he risks being arrested for inciting rebellion against Rome, which was one way for the Pharisees and the Sadducees to get rid of their opponents. It’s a sad reality, then as now, that human politics and the desire for power are as present in secular life as in the Temple or the Church.

Part of the stage acting, for the sake of the common people who would no doubt be intently listening, can be seen in their saying, “for you do not regard people with partiality.” The Greek literally translates as “for you do not look upon the face of a man.” This literal translation is interesting and important because this attempt at entrapment involves the face of the emperor on a coin. Time and again they had tried to entrap him, which was forbidden by the Torah, and they have failed yet again in one of their most devious and coordinated attempts. In fact, it shows up at the trial of Jesus when the Temple authorities and Sanhedrin cite this encounter as indemnification of Jesus to Pilate. When Jesus asks, “Whose head (image) is this, and whose title?” the key issue is that the emperor’s head is inscribed on the coin.

For non-Jews, we may miss the vital connection that Jesus wants us to make: God makes each one of us in His image. This coin may bear Caesar’s image, but you and I bear God’s image. So the question is reframed: what does it mean to render unto the emperor or God? The emperor may get a few of these coins, but God requires us to give ourselves. The ultimate question is who has ultimate sovereignty over us, the emperor or God? For Roman listeners, they hear Jesus say that taxes should be paid. But for some Jewish listeners, who will immediately hear his referring to our being made in the image of God in Genesis 1, this places his religious peers in a bind: are they going to continue in this charade or will they hear the voice of God and repent?

His answer later includes the word “give”, which in Greek can also mean give back or repay. This again redirects their question in a subtle way, taking the encounter from a question about the authority of Rome to the authority of God. Reframing the question again in this manner forced his Jewish peers to accept that there were larger implications to what they thought was a narrow question. For Jews and Christians, we believe ultimately that all we have is given to us by God; all that we are and have comes from God and belongs to God. We owe everything to him. This change of direction in the encounter forces them to remember this, and the teaching that all human authority is, in some manner, appointed or allowed by God. Jesus seems to accept the status quo, including taxes, as the lesser of two evils, either being ruled by Rome or descend into a war that the Jews cannot hope to win. He does not accept the state’s claim to be divine, but teaches that God’s domain is greater than that of the emperor, and that God’s kingdom will come on a day of God’s choosing. (St. Paul later uses similar thought in his Letter to the Romans 13:7 as part of a passage in which Paul says that administrators are sanctioned by God, as does St. Peter in his Letter, 1 Peter 2:17.)

In practical terms, Jesus sidesteps an obvious ploy: he has one of them hold the coin, which had the image of the emperor on one side and on the obverse side of the coin is inscribed Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus, great high priest. Simply touching such a coin was an affront to his fellow monotheistic Jews, and he manages to have them hold the coin rather than touching it himself. Jesus’ wise answer, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s”, and his forcing them to hold the offending coin without realizing what they were doing because their sole focus was on entrapping him rather than seeking wisdom from God, left his interlocutors “amazed”, literally gaping with their mouths wide open in astonishment. The most important question for the Jews, Jesus says, is “Who is really in charge of the world and the human family?”

In the end, this is the question: who is in charge of your life? Yes, we are all subject to the powers of this world for now, and held captive by human greed and desire for the power to rule over others. But only for now. God promises that the age of the world in which we now live, which we must endure with faith, hope, and love, and strive to bring some part of the kingdom of God into being through the Holy Spirit, will come to an end, when God creates a new heaven and earth, a conjoined reality in which there is no evil, suffering, or wickedness. We will finally be free from the spiritual powers of darkness and from our own desires to be gods with the power of life and death over each other in our hands.

That day is coming, says Jesus and the Jewish Prophets. We have only to endure through hope and faith, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Until that day, as St. Paul says, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers”, and “therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” Let us leave behind the course discourse of our time, the falling apart into factions, of desiring to rule over each other, and win no matter the cost. The price for these is too high. Instead, may our words and actions with each other show the truth of the Faith, that God is in control and is working out all things for our mutual good. “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things” and may our words and actions show forth the love of God in Jesus our Savior.

Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

[lawrenceop]

HOMILY for 11th after Pentecost (Dominican rite)

1 Cor 15:1-10; Mark 7:31-37

The Lord has loosened the tongue of the mute man, and he has opened his deaf ears too. From the earliest days, this miracle which Jesus did in the Decapolis, that is, a non-Jewish region among Gentile peoples, has been linked to the Sacrament of Baptism. For through this sacrament, God comes to us; the missionary Church goes throughout the nations of the world, and through the gift of holy Baptism, God opens up men and women to his grace, his friendship, his praise, and thus, indeed, to salvation. Hence, within the rite of Baptism in both old and new forms, the distinctive Aramaic phrase, that is only recorded in today’s Gospel from St Mark, is said: “Ephphatha”, which means “Be opened!”

In the old rite Baptism, this word is said after the priest moistens his fingers with saliva, and places them on the ears and nostrils of the one who is to be baptised. Why the nostrils and not the mouth as Jesus has done in the Gospels? Pope Benedict XVI links it to the deep groan that Jesus makes before he cures the mute and deaf man. In doing so, Jesus is invoking the Holy Spirit, the divine Breath of God whom St Paul says “prays for us with groans too deep for words.” (Rom 8:26) So, Pope Benedict says, “through Baptism, the human person begins, so to speak, to ‘breathe’ the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus had invoked from Father with that deep breath, to heal the deaf and dumb man.” Hence the nostrils are touched and opened, to prepare the one who is to be baptised to breath the Holy Spirit; to live and move and be inspired by the Spirit of God.

In fact a similar act is found in the new rite Baptism even though the word ‘Ephphatha’ is said just after the Baptism has taken place. Here, the priest touches the mouth and ears of the newly-baptised, directly following the actions of Christ in the Gospel, and praying that the newly-baptised will have his ears opened to hear God’s Word, and his tongue loosened to profess the Faith and to give glory to God with one’s words. For, as Pope Benedict XVI says, Christ “became man so that man, made inwardly deaf and dumb by sin, would become able to hear the voice of God, the voice of love speaking to his heart, and learn to speak in the language of love, to communicate with God and with others.” And this communication of love, of course, is inspired by the Holy Spirit.

So, there is no contradiction between the two rites, but they harmoniously express the same end, which is that the baptised Christian should be opened to the divine action of God and should communicate his love, his peace, his Gospel of salvation. Hence St Paul says: “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 12:3b) for it is the Holy Spirit who directs the words of the Christian, and the Holy Spirit who opens our ears and our intellects to hear and to understand the Scriptures.

Therefore, when we consider the actions of Christ in today’s Gospel, and the incorporation of these actions into the Church’s liturgical rites for the Sacrament of Baptism, we realise that our human faculties are given to us for a reason – our hearing and our power of speech is meant to be directed towards our salvation. So, in his letter to the Romans St Paul says: “faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ.” (10:17) Since faith is a divine gift, a theological virtue, we depend on the graced activity of God to open the ears of sinners, to open our own ears, so that we may hear his Word being preached; so that we might arrive at a deeper faith in Christ who is the Word of God, so that we might be attentive and sensitive to those times when God speaks to us through the soft promptings of his Holy Spirit.  For this reason, before I preach a write a sermon, I ask God to open my ears to his Word, but also, just before I deliver the Homily in church, I make this prayer: “Lord open the ears of those who listen that they may hear what you want them to hear, and open my lips to speak what you want me to speak.” Amen.

So, the Holy Spirit must open our ears and our lips for our salvation. It is he who opens our ears to hear him for our power of hearing has been given us so that we can hear the Gospel of salvation. And it is the Holy Spirit also who opens our lips to speak God’s praise and to proclaim the faith, that Jesus is Lord! The Proper chants of today’s Mass thus gives voice to this praise of God, and declares the Lordship of Christ: “I will give praise to him. Unto thee have I cried, O Lord… sing aloud to the God of Jacob, alleluia… I will extol thee, O Lord… I have cried to thee, and thou hast healed me.” Through these chants, which is the voice of the Church at prayer, and thus our voice, the Christian declares, like the man in today’s Gospel, that it is the Lord who has healed us, and so, we praise him, we extol him, we sing aloud to him. For our lips have been loosened. “Ephphatha”, says Jesus, be opened. And so, our tongues have been made to give praise and thanks to God; our tongues have been opened to proclaim the good news of salvation; and our tongues have been loosened to bless God’s holy name.

At this time there has been much concern over the reverent and worthy reception of Holy Communion, and on whether we should receive on the hand or on the tongue. I do not wish to comment on this right now except to note that the most important aspect is our interior disposition. However, as we have been thinking about the tongue, and given the actions of Jesus in today’s Gospel, we should note what Scripture teaches and indeed, warns, concerning the tongue. St James says: “the tongue is a little member and boasts of great things… the tongue is a fire. The tongue is an unrighteous world among our members, staining the whole body… With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brethren, this ought not to be so.” (cf James 3:5-10) Therefore, as we receive the Lord in Holy Communion in our mouths, and on our tongues, let us be chastened by these words of Scripture, and remember what the tongue is for: it is made for blessing.

So, ask the Lord to open our lips to speak well of him and of our neighbour. The tongue is not made for gossip, or insult, or slander, or to speak ill of others. Hence St Paul instructs the Ephesians: “Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear.” (4:29) Thus the Holy Father Pope Francis often decries gossip, for, as he rightly observes, “the person who gossips… destroys with their tongue, they don’t make peace.“ Therefore St James says: “If any one thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this man's religion is vain.” (1:26) As such, my brothers and sisters, let us be extremely vigilant about our speech. The Lord has opened our tongues to speak (and sing!) his praises, and to build up and encourage one another, and to speak the truth in charity. As St James says: “the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits.”

As Christians who have received the grace of Baptism, as God’s beloved children who have been healed and opened to the gift of the Holy Spirit, as disciples and friends of Jesus Christ who acknowledge Jesus to be our Lord, let us therefore be mindful that we use our faculties of hearing and speech to God’s glory; that we hear the voice of love speaking to us, and that we speak in God’s language of love. Then, all who hear us Christians will praise the Lord saying, “he has done all things well! He has made both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.” (Mk 7:27)

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

18th May >> Mass Readings (USA)

Monday, Sixth Week of Eastertide 

    or 

Saint John I, Pope, Martyr.

Monday, Sixth Week of Eastertide

(Liturgical Colour: White)

First Reading

Acts of the Apostles 16:11-15

The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul taught.

We set sail from Troas, making a straight run for Samothrace, and on the next day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, a leading city in that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We spent some time in that city. On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river where we thought there would be a place of prayer. We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there. One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home,” and she prevailed on us.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b

R/ The Lord takes delight in his people.

or

R/ Alleluia.

Sing to the Lord a new song

of praise in the assembly of the faithful.

Let Israel be glad in their maker,

let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.

R/ The Lord takes delight in his people.

or

R/ Alleluia.

Let them praise his name in the festive dance,

let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.

For the Lord loves his people,

and he adorns the lowly with victory.

R/ The Lord takes delight in his people.

or

R/ Alleluia.

Let the faithful exult in glory;

let them sing for joy upon their couches.

Let the high praises of God be in their throats.

This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.

R/ The Lord takes delight in his people.

or

R/ Alleluia.

Gospel Acclamation

John 15:26b, 27a

Alleluia, alleluia.

The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord,

and you also will testify.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

John 15:26-16:4a

The Spirit of truth will testify to me.

Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.

“I have told you this so that you may not fall away. They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me. I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

———————————

Saint John I, Pope, Martyr 

(Liturgical Colour: Red)

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Monday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading

Revelation 3:14b, 20-22

I will dine with him and he with me.

The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the source of God’s creation, says this:

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him and he with me. I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne, as I myself first won the victory and sit with my Father on his throne.

“Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 23:1-3a, 4, 5, 6

R/ The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

In verdant pastures he gives me repose;

Beside restful waters he leads me;

he refreshes my soul.

R/ The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Even though I walk in the dark valley

I fear no evil; for you are at my side

With your rod and your staff

that give me courage.

R/ The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

You spread the table before me

in the sight of my foes;

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

R/ The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Only goodness and kindness follow me

all the days of my life;

And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

for years to come.

R/ The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Gospel Acclamation

John 15:15

Alleluia, alleluia.

I call you my friends, says the Lord,

For I have made known to you all that the Father has told me.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Luke 22:24-30

I confer a kingdom on you, just as my Father has conferred one on me.

An argument broke out among the Apostles about which of them should be regarded as the greatest. Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them and those in authority over them are addressed as ‘Benefactors’; but among you it shall not be so. Rather, let the greatest among you be as the youngest, and the leader as the servant. For who is greater: the one seated at table or the one who serves? Is it not the one seated at table? I am among you as the one who serves. It is you who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer a kingdom on you, just as my Father has conferred one on me, that you may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom; and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[endeavorsreward]

The Soldier and the Dragon (Pt 1)

[In honor of FFVIIR, a tale of Cloud and Ivalice; excerpted from the adaptation project as always. To be released in parts as they’re completed.]

The Felmarian Highlands stretched from the Limberry border to just south of Lesalia and as far west as Mount Bervenia; it was believed that Mesa, the Hero King, established his great city in the shadow of those mountains for their protection in the wake of the great Cataclysm, and as Lesalia grew, the range served always as a protective bulwark for Ivalice’s royal seat. It was from these mountains that the Zeirchele found its origin, and it was said that they offered some of the richest, most beautiful views in all the continent. But the weather at their altitude could be quite perilous—indeed, the southeastern end of the range suffered nearly year-’round snowstorms, which funneled most travelers of the Highlands through the low, bowl-cut valley pass that fed towards Dorter, a circuitous path wide enough for heavy caravans but one which added days to the journey, hemmed in by tall rock faces until they were desposited out nearly in the Zeklaus.

There was, however, a second path. More precarious and thus less traveled, some ways north from Germonique’s Crossing there was a steep slope cut into the mountains that wound halfway up one of the lower peaks before smoothing into a plateau where the rock had been cracked open to allow passage. It was recommended that one only travel the path on birdback, and even then on a greenfeather if you could find one, due to the uneven traversal, and only during calmer weather.

There were four chocobo on that path now, three with paired riders and a fourth laden with gear. They were not greens, however, but pure blackfeather birds, though surprisingly docile; despite their usual station as warbirds, these four seemed to navigate the narrow ridgeline as though they were well-practiced, keeping sure footing the whole climb. The six hume travelers were all in hooded cloaks, layered tunics, and other accoutrement for the cold, but thus far the break in the storms had held.

When the path leveled out, and the rock provided a windbreak, the riders disembarked; the shortest of them opened their cloak slightly to reveal an infant grasping for her collar, well and warm. Another, who moved at a hunch, brushed down the birds as they got some needed rest after the climb.

The band’s leader and his passenger lowered their hoods to reveal Ramza Beoulve and Mustadio Bunansa, their breaths visible and clouding about their faces.

“I told you.” Ramza offered his friend a wry grin.

“When you’re right, you’re right.” Mustadio shook his head. “I owe you five gil. A gentleman always pays his wagers.”

Ramza scrunched up his face. “Am I now to take you for a gentleman?”

“I like to think that the Bunansa name carries with it a certain charm and gentility, yes.” Mustadio grinned, flipping the gilcoin at his friend, who had to throw up his hands to catch it.

“You have that fusil oil you use on the end of your nose.”

Mustadio ignored him, instead walking over to slap the back of the man who was tending to the birds. “Credit where it’s due, my friend, I didn’t think Boco’s unruly progeny could be tamed, yet here we are, freezing to death as we ought.”

Cloud Strife turned to regard Mustadio, his unearthly blue eyes all but glowing from within the shadowed hood. “They just seem to listen to me.”

Mustadio pointed to an errant spike of hair protruding from Cloud’s hood. “I dare say they mistake your plumage for one of their own.”

“Don’t tease him.” Rem Tokimiya sneezed and rubbed at her face with her sleeve. “He’s done ever so well today, he has.”

“Indeed.” Ramza walked over to where Cuthbert and Nicholina were bobbing their child. “How does the little one fare?”

“Just fine.” Cuthbert grinned. “He’s stronger than all of us together.”

Ramza’s face softened. “I’ve no doubt.” He stretched his arms, and then his back, working the kinks out from the day’s ride. The chocobo had held up far better than even he had expected, but even a smooth ride up a mountain face was still just that. “Shall we break for lunch, or travel on?”

Nicholina’s wide-brimmed wizard hat shook back and forth. “From here, the journey is no more than two hours, perhaps three.”

“I know I’d as soon have tables and chairs,” offered Mustadio.

“Mayhap you are of the nobility after all,” Ramza said, to be rewarded with his friend attempting a playful open-handed jab at his ribs.

Cuthbert cleared his throat. “As well, I’d sooner not continue gazing at the miracle.��

“Ah.” And Ramza turned back towards their destination, where the plateau met the mountainside, and a fissure lay open, as though the peak itself had been rent in twain by a blade even larger than Cloud’s gigantic materia blade.

It was said that in the time of the Zodiac Braves, they did travel this mountain pass and come upon the mountain peak as an obstacle; loyal Balias, truest of the Braves, was empowered in his love for Ajora Glabados and split the peak with his bare hand so that they might cross. Ever after, it was said no door or bar could stand before him. The story was apocryphal; not a one of them could ever remember an abuna or confessor citing the tale, and it was not in the scriptures. But after they things they’d already seen, the event now felt less implausible.

“A point well-considered,” Mustadio muttered, pulling his hood back up.

To pass between the riven stone of Splitcrag Pass, they walked their birds. Though in truth they could pass three at a time shoulder-to-shoulder without touching, it felt claustrophobic—once they were between the jutting formations, a sort of optical illusion left them feeling like they tipped instead towards each other, threatening to collapse on top of them. It was perhaps thirty minutes before they were completely clear of the pass, and mounted again; Ramza let Cuthbert and Nicholina take the lead, as she knew the path from here the best.

On the opposite side of Splitcrag Pass, the road was far more traversible; the stone—and later, dirt—had been well worn-down by travelers, and so the birds felt comfortable increasing their pace. Blackbirds loved to run, so they let them kick up some snow as the sloping pathway led into the first clusters of trees they’d seen since ascending from Araguay and the Falls. They were leafless, but they were signs of life, and spirits were buoyed as their path met at last the road from the valley.

It had been safer to take the steep route; Agrias had taken her own contingent west, and Osric’s  was to split from her before Dorter; all of them were trying to stay off the main roads. Ramza had volunteered to take the northern route for the child’s sake; Nicholina and Cuthbert would not be swayed  from her first trip home since the day she’d been taken to the Akademy.

They’d come once more to the Mining Town of Gollund.

***

As they rode down to archway at the town’s entrance, formed from iron rods and piping, where the road gained cobbles and smoothed, Mustadio shivered.

“Do you have need of further heat?” Nicholina’s hand was alight with a soft magick torchfire; she’d been casting intermittently, keeping her hands warm for her child.

“If I wanted to catch flame, I’d experiment with my powders again.” Mustadio shook his head, looking back to where Rem had a similar light dancing in the mountain air—her head was turned away as she let out a damp cough. “Thank goodness you no longer wear the clothes in which we found you!”

“Those are a unifo--” she was brought up short as Cloud suddenly halted their chocobo midstride. “Whoa!” He evidenced no sign of having heard her, swinging one leg over the bird’s lowered neck and hopping to the ground—his eyes fixed on the town before them.

“...I am home,” Nicholina whispered with a strange mix of awe and sadness.

Cloud walked off without a word.

“Cloud!” Ramza hissed. “Don’t wander off!”

“So much for good behavior,” Mustadio sighed as he also climbed free and followed.

Ramza spurred his chocobo forward at a gentle lope. It had been a long while since he’d last come to Gollund; it had been after Lionel, after the group had reformed, when he’d met Orran Durai on the way to Lesalia. It seemed like a lifetime ago, now. He’d not had much chance to explore the town, then.

The Highlands have been the primary source of coal for all of Ivalice for as long as anyone could recall; while oil was becoming a more popular source for heating—for non-magickal heating—in recent years, the kingdom certainly still went through enough of it that Gollund, the largest mining town west of Zelmonia, was a vibrant place, and populous enough as well, given the harsh clime. But it was not a wealthy one. Most of the homes here were “modest” and “humble,” which were words that Ramza had once been taught to use in place of “poor.” The town center was only a spare few buildings—an inn, a market, a couple of homes—in a loose ring around a wooden structure that held the town’s sole water reservoir, which put him in mind of nothing so much as tales of Ajora’s well. It was there that Ramza found Cloud, staring at the water tower with one hand over his shoulder, on the hilt of his blade.

Mustadio had caught up to him, and was attempting to reason with the mysterious swordsman from another world... and attempt which seemed to fail, as Cloud turned and stalked off. “What has happened?”

“He’s in a state.” Mustadio shrugged. “I’m not certain what prompted—hey!” Ramza turned to follow Mustadio’s gaze only to see Cloud throw open the door of one of the houses and enter it.

Cuthbert came up alongside him. “What is he doing?”

“I don’t know.” Ramza waved him off. “We needn’t cause more of a scene than we are already. Take Rem and your family and rent us some rooms, we’ll corral him.” And he followed behind Mustadio into the house.

It was a small cottage, smaller even than the one where they’d holed up during the lost year; there was a wooden table meant to seat four in the center of the space, and he could see a trio of beds off to one far side, an old kettle on the coal stove, a few sprigs of flowers hung on one wall. The only resident, an old woman, was backing away from Cloud in terror, shaking her head.

“I lived in this house until I was fourteen,” he mumbled. “But it all burned down.”

“How could you say such things?” She cowered. “Are you sick?”

“Cloud!” Ramza used his battle voice, the commander voice, the shout that drove their company, and Cloud stiffened to attention.

“Sorry grandmother,” Mustadio whispered as he slowly, gently placed his hands on Cloud’s shoulders. “It was the war, you know?”

Her face softened, though her scowl remained. “Leave my home.”

Cloud let himself be eased back out of the house. Ramza took some gil from his purse and left it on the table, not even looking to see if she accepted.

Outside, Mustadio leaning in, trying to meet him eye to eye. “You can’t just enter someone’s home, yeah?”

“Cloud, you came to us through the orrery.” Ramza endeavored to keep his voice even. If they attracted that sort of attention for long, someone would recognize him for a heretic. “How could you have lived in that cottage as a boy?”

“The Zeno Gias...” Cloud rubbed at his eyes. “I do remember. North of here, the Promised Land.”

Mustadio frowned. “You mean Lesalia?” He looked to Ramza. “Now he thinks he’s King Mesa.”

“Let’s go, Cloud.” He led the man gently towards the inn.

***

The midday meal consisted of a hearty beef stew, and the first fresh bread they’d had in at least a week. Mustadio had a single tankard of warm mead; the rest had water.

When they’d rejoined the group at the inn, they’d rented two rooms, settled in, and had begun to ask Rem why she’d grown so quiet. Ramza had guided Cloud into a chair; he’d looked to the stairs leading to their rooms and pulled Ramza close.

“They’re missing a bed,” he hissed. Ramza gave his shoulder a pat and sat down beside him.

“I suppose it reminds me of my own hometown...” Rem dragged her spoon idly around her bowl. “Machina and I grew up there together.”

“That’s the boy you’ve talked about, right?” Cuthbert dabbed at his mouth. “I hadn’t realized you’d known him for that long.”

“Oh, yes.” Rem smiled sadly. “One day, the army of the White Tiger came... he and I hid together...” She closed her eyes. “He always promised to protect me, he did, even then...” She opened them. “They burnt it all down... there was nothing left.”

Cloud’s face twitched.

“I can’t imagine what it must be like.” Cuthbert looked at his child, dozing in Nicholina’s arms. “No doubt it was the same for Dorothea... you’re strong, to keep going, with those memories.”

“Oh...” She laughed bitterly. “I don’t remember any of them, from back then... just Machina.” She shrugged. “I can’t remember them. At times, it’s like it... it never happened.”

Cloud sucked in on his teeth.

“So,” Mustadio offered after a suitably respectful pause, in which everyone focused on their meal, “what transpires next? We drop off the happy family?”

“I shall be pleased to introduce you,” Nicholina nodded. “Did you see the larger manor towards the back of town? That is my home.”

Cloud began to sweat.

“I shall not be joining you.” Ramza pushed his empty bowl forward. “With the greatest of respects, Nicholina, it is better I keep my distance from your family.”

“Ramza, you are our family.” Cuthbert scowled.

“And that means more than I can say, Cuthbert, truly, but you understand my perspective.” Ramza sighed. “Nicholina’s father need not know of a heretic, lest he be accused of harboring one. It’s quite all right. I shall take this opportunity to visit the tavern; it would be to our benefit to know what word is traveling northward.”

Rem leaned in towards Nicholina. “Are you nervous?”

“No.” She bobbed her child. “Whatever transpires, I am not the child that lived here any longer. I am what was made of me.”

[focusontheeasternlightning-blog]

4 Tips to Magnify God and Serve God’s Will in All Things

By Siyu

Hello brothers and sisters of Spiritual Q&A,

I have a question I’d like to ask. As Christians, we all want to act in accordance with God’s will and honor God as great in all things. However, in real life, when it comes to something, we have a propensity to follow our own wishes and don’t know how to practice to honor God as great. So, I hope you can fellowship about it with me.

Siyu

Hello Siyu,

I’m glad to share some of our understanding and communicate about this question with you. About this aspect, we sum up four points and hope they will be helpful to you.

1. We should put the Lord first in our heart and obey God, not man.

Since we believe in and follow the Lord, we should venerate Him as great and supreme, let Him be in the first place in our heart, and follow His words in all things, instead of listening to people or being restrained by others. It is recorded in the Bible: “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you slew and hanged on a tree. Him has God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God has given to them that obey him” (Acts 5:29-32). From the answer of Peter and the other apostles, it can be seen that no matter how the Pharisees at that time made up rumors about and slandered the Lord Jesus, they didn’t listen to the Pharisees but instead only listened to the Lord and witnessed the gospel of the Lord. While the Jewish people of those days, who believed in God, didn’t have a place for God in their heart. Rather, they looked up to those Pharisees who possessed profound Bible knowledge and thought what those Pharisees said was all correct, so they blindly listened to and obeyed those Pharisees without discernment. In the end, by following those Pharisees, they stepped onto the path of resisting God. Therefore, today when we are faced with some matter, we cannot listen to everything pastors, elders, and preachers say, but we must discern whether their words are in accordance with the Lord’s will and are supported by God’s words. If so, we will obey them, because in doing this we are submitting to God’s will, not man; if not, we cannot obey them. This shows that we have a heart that is obedient to God and that we honor the Lord as great.

2. No matter what trouble and hardship befall us, we must not deny or betray God but do our utmost to maintain God’s work and not compromise with the forces of darkness.

Matthew 5:10-12 states: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” The Lord Jesus’ words tell us that it is meaningful and is commemorated by the Lord to undergo suffering and tribulations to obtain the truth, defend God’s work, and bear witness for God. By doing so, we’ll be blessed by the Lord. So we must possess a will to suffer. No matter how great and rampant Satan’s dark influences are, we must not compromise with them but hold to the principles of the truth and sacrifice everything to defend God’s name and God’s work, making Satan flee with its head in its hands in humiliation. Just as during the agony of Job’s trial, despite losing a mountain of sheep and cattle, his property and his sons and daughters, he didn’t sin with his lips or offend God but continued to praise the name of Jehovah. When his wife acted as Satan to force him and ask him to abandon God and die, he didn’t betray God but reprimanded his wife for being an ignorant and stubborn woman. In such pain and suffering, he overcame Satan’s temptations and bore strong and resounding testimonies. He was the one that feared God and shunned evil, and also the one that honored God as great. The disciples of the Lord Jesus are another example. Faced with the Pharisees’ coercion and the Roman authorities’ persecution, they still spread the Lord Jesus’ name and would rather sacrifice their lives than deny the Lord. Likewise, we’ll encounter the obstruction and coercion of our unbelieving families and the persecution of satanic regimes. When this happens, we also should rely on God’s words to stand firm in our position and not yield to or compromise with satanic forces but stand firm in our testimony for God. As God’s words say: “You must have My courage within you and you must have principles when facing relatives who do not believe. But for My sake, you must also not yield to any of the dark forces. Rely on My wisdom to walk the perfect way; do not allow the conspiracies of Satan to take hold. Put all your efforts into placing your heart before Me.” Only this is being a person that has a place for God in his heart and is a mark of honoring God as great.

3. For us believers in the Lord, satisfying and being loyal to God are our first priority and we should not consider or plan for our own future.

Matthew 6:24 states: “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” We can see from the scripture that the Lord’s demand of us is that we believers serve Him with a single-minded heart and shouldn’t consider or plan for our own future but sacrifice and spend only in order to satisfy Him and be considerate to His will. However, as we believe in and serve the Lord, some of us think about how to earn more money and how to enjoy a better life. So, even though we spend for the Lord, our heart cannot be loyal to Him but is always possessed by money. At this time, we should understand the Lord’s words: “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they? … Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:26, 31-33). Actually, we are lacking in nothing, because what the Lord has bestowed upon us is enough for us to enjoy. From these words of the Lord, we can know the Lord wills us not only to be content with food and clothes, but moreover to focus on pursuing the truth, spread the gospel and witness God, and do out God’s will. It’s like Peter: After accepting the Lord’s commission, he shepherded the Lord’s sheep with all his heart and soul, and he never considered his own future but merely focused on practicing the Lord’s words and shepherding the church according to the Lord’s will. In the end, because of his loyalty to the Lord, he was saved and made into a firstfruit by the Lord. On the contrary, those who pay attention to making money will never gain the truth and life even if they follow the Lord Jesus. Their heart is always possessed by money and they always worry if they spend for the Lord they will suffer from hardship and poverty, with the result that even if they believe in the Lord they cannot be faithful to the Lord or honor Him as great, but rather are loyal to money and consider money very important. At last, they will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Just as the Lord Jesus said: “And again I say to you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24). From this we can see since we believe in God, we should be loyal to God instead of considering or planning for our future and that it is a mark of magnifying God.

4. We should have a God-fearing heart in all things, and humbly seek and not arbitrarily judge or make conclusions on the matters that we cannot understand.

Now it is already the last days. The Lord prophesied that He would come back. So when it comes to the Lord’s arrival, we must have a God-fearing heart and not arbitrarily judge or make conclusions. As we all know, in the Age of Grace, the Jewish believers and the Pharisees serving Jehovah God in the temple all year around longed and waited for the arrival of Messiah. However, because they didn’t have a God-fearing heart at all, when the Lord Jesus came to express words and do the work of redeeming mankind, they made improper judgments and condemned so that they offended God’s disposition and were subjected to punishment. The failure of the Jewish faith teaches us a lesson. With regard to waiting for the Lord’s arrival, we cannot follow in their footsteps. When we hear the news about the Lord’s return, if we don’t see through it, we should have an attitude of seeking, have a God-fearing heart, and not arbitrarily judge or make conclusions. Only thus can we be sure to welcome the Lord’s coming and not lose God’s salvation in the last days. Because the Lord Jesus said: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you: For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).

We practice and enter according to the four aspects above, obeying God, being loyal to Him and fearing Him in all things, and that way we will have direction of actions, gain God’s approval, and honor Him as great.

[pamphletstoinspire]

Sin Matters (Mark 9:38-50)

“There is a crown for those who in times of persecution fight the good fight; there is a crown too for those who in times of peace keep true to their conscience.” – St. Cyprian

Mark 9:38-50: John said to him, ‘Master, we saw a man who is not one of us casting out devils in your name; and because he was not one of us we tried to stop him.’ But Jesus said, ‘You must not stop him: no one who works a miracle in my name is likely to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us. If anyone gives you a cup of water to drink just because you belong to Christ, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward. But anyone who is an obstacle to bring down one of these little ones who have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone round his neck. And if your hand should cause you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life crippled, than to have two hands and go to hell, into the fire that cannot be put out. And if your foot should cause you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life lame, than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye should cause you to sin, tear it out; it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell where their worm does not die nor their fire go out. For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is a good thing, but if salt has become insipid, how can you season it again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.’

Christ the Lord Jesus is generous. The slightest (or mightiest) good deed done for him or for his Kingdom will not go unrewarded. Our King lavishes his blessings on everyone who lets him. We, as his followers, ought to do the same. Unfortunately, many times we, like the apostle John in this passage, are less generous than our Lord, and concern ourselves with hoarding the grace of God, refusing to give freely what we have freely received (cf. Matthew 10:8), or pettily envying the good that others are doing as if it somehow detracted from the good we are doing. But it is not for us to limit the range of divine benevolence; it is for us to extend it.

With some great leaders it is not necessary to take sides, you can just admire from a distance, but Christ leaves no room for neutrality: “Anyone who is not against us is for us.” Sooner or later, everyone must take sides with Christ or against him; since he alone is the everlasting Lord, no other option remains. The choice must be made. Everything else in life comes and goes, but the gaze of Christ is steady: beckoning, inviting, challenging, and hoping that we will give in to the reign of his Divine Heart.

Christ the Teacher St. Mark spared no words. Here, as in many other passages, he sprays his readers with monumental lessons one right after the other, like machine-gun fire. First he specifies the grave responsibility of those who lead others astray by their teaching or bad example – he clearly recognizes that it will occur; otherwise he wouldn’t have been so vehement in his warning. Second, he vividly describes sin as what it really is: an invitation to hell. (Gehenna was the public incinerator on the outskirts of Jerusalem, a valley that had been used for human sacrifice during royal apostasies in Old Testament times. Since then it was considered good only for worthless and rotten refuse, which smoldered stubbornly and refused to be completely burnt up – a striking image for the state of eternal separation of a soul from God, and the unending spiritual frustration such a separation entails.)

The point about sacrificing one’s eye or hand if they cause you to sin in order to avoid sin would have been perfectly understood by his hearers. Eyes and hands don’t cause sin; sin is a decision of the heart to prefer one’s own will against God’s will. It always indicates that we are attached to some good and valued thing (after all, these members of our body are most precious to us) so much that we prefer it to something much better – friendship and communion with God. Thus, at times a certain relationship provides us with comfort or pleasure, even though it leads us to violate God’s commandments. Or perhaps we treasure our reputation or popularity so much that we compromise our Christian values in order to protect it. To give up such obstacles to our friendship with Christ hurts – as if we were cutting off our hand or gouging out our eye. But our Lord teaches us that pain is nothing compared with the sorrow of cutting ourselves off forever from God’s love.

Christ the Friend Real friends tell each other the truth – even when it hurts. Here Christ shows that he is a real friend, making it perfectly clear even for the most obtuse of his listeners that sin is real, hell is real, and unchecked sin leads to hell. These are harsh sounding words for us gentle moderns. And yet, sometimes, modern gentility is a mask for selfish fear: we are afraid to tell our friends the truth about Christ because they might reject us. Christ faced the same fear (Do you think everyone who heard him welcomed his teachings? Certainly not those who crucified him), but he overcame it with the strength of his love. He knows that we need to know the whole story; the truth will set us free – if we let it. He’s hoping that we will.

Christ in My Life We are so used to sin, Lord. It swirls all around us and constantly lulls us into a dangerous mediocrity. You hated sin – you still hate sin, because you know what it does to our souls and to your heart. Teach me to call sin by its true name, first and foremost in my own life. Teach me to hate it out of love for you and your Kingdom. Never let me fear seeking your forgiveness…

You often talked to your followers about rewards. It is no sin to look forward to heaven. You are leading me there. All of earth’s joys are whiffs of heaven. Dear Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross just so we could look forward to eternal life with you in heaven. Thank you for the invitation. I accept: Thy will be done…

I am foolish to be reluctant to bear witness to you with my words and actions. What greater thing could I do for my neighbor than shine a little bit of your light around them, seasoning their life with the salt of your love? I am still attached to others’ opinions of me. Purify my heart, Lord. Give me courage, humility, and zeal. With the love of your heart, inflame my heart…

[carolap53]

Acts 26

26 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.”

So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense: 2 “King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews, 3 and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.

4 “The Jewish people all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. 5 They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest sect of our religion, living as a Pharisee. 6 And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today. 7 This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that these Jews are accusing me. 8 Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?

9 “I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the Lord’s people in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11 Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.

12 “On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. 14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

15 “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’

“ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. 16 ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

19 “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. 20 First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds. 21 That is why some Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. 22 But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen— 23 that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.”

24 At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you insane.”

25 “I am not insane, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable. 26 The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.”

28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”

29 Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”

30 The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them. 31 After they left the room, they began saying to one another, “This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.”

32 Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

New International Version

(NIV)

[ramon-balaguer]

Paul, writing “to all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people” (Romans 1:7), says that his purpose is to preach the gospel, for in it “the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’” (verse 17). He goes on to compare the righteous saints with the unrighteous Gentiles, upon whom the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven. He lists the works of the unrighteous who have incurred God’s wrath and then says that “God gave them over” to three things:

• “God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them” (verse 24, NASB).

• “God gave them over to degrading passions” (verse 26, NASB).

• “God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper” (verse 28, NASB).

Of the most popular English versions in use today, only the New International Version and New American Standard Bible use the phrase God gave them over. Most modern Bible versions say, “God gave them up” (e.g., ESV, NKJV). The Greek word translated “gave over” or “gave up” means “surrendered, yielded up, entrusted, or transmitted.” In this context, it refers to the act of God completely abandoning the unrighteous. As the wicked deserted God, God in turn deserted them, no longer giving them divine direction or restraint, but allowing them to corrupt themselves as they wished. Because they would not honor Him, He let them do what they pleased to dishonor themselves. Being given over or yielded up to one’s sinful desires is a judgment from God.

Who was it that God gave over? The ungodly and unrighteous: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Romans 1:18). These are the godless and wicked, those who reject the truths that God makes plain to them about Himself. They know God exists, and they are “without excuse” in their active suppression of the truth (verse 20). They do not acknowledge or honor God, nor are they grateful to Him. Their thinking becomes futile; they cannot reason, and their hearts become dark, lacking the light of God (verse 21). They claim to be wise but are actually fools (verse 22). They worship the creature rather than God the Creator (verse 23).

What was it God gave them over to? Paul specifies three things to which God surrendered the wicked: 1) “To sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another” (verse 24). Giving their hearts’ sinful desires free rein, the wicked degraded themselves in sexual immorality. 2) “To shameful lusts” (verse 26). Both men and women abandoned the natural sexual functions and committed homosexual acts. 3) “To a depraved mind” (verse 28). The result is that “they do what ought not to be done.” The depraved mind without the light of God will naturally run to evil and, unless divinely checked, will work out the full extent of its depravity.

Why did God give them over? “God gave them over” to these things because of a choice they made to reject the knowledge of God in creation; to refuse to draw obvious conclusions from the evidence all around them of God’s existence and attributes; to decline to give God thanks; and to exchange “the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles” (Romans 1:23). All through history foolish men have attempted to bring God down to their level, portraying Him in various images and worshiping created things rather than the Creator. It’s a direct violation of the first two of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1–5). Their minds rejected the proof they had of the divine nature, so, as a just punishment, God abandoned them to minds incapable of grasping the truth (Romans 1:19–20).

What’s the result of God’s having given them over? “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s Righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:29–32). In the outworking of the depravity of the human heart, the contrast between light and darkness become more apparent: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). As the Gentiles refused to keep God in their knowledge, they committed crimes against reason and against their own welfare, and God gave them over.

This is in fact what we have going on here in the USA and around the world with Socialist or Leftist Liberal movements and the BLM #LHBTTTABCDDFIGNPPQZ (yes, they added another letter D to their madness over the Independence Day weekend with the sin sick daughter of the Democrat mayor of NYC declaring herself Demisexual) and Cancel Culture Community, instead of Connecting Christ to Culture for Community Change as we do in CityLight (Columbia, SC), CityLight Ecumenical Church and the Ecumenical Church.

The sad fact is that sometimes God gives us what we want. God allowed the Israelites who rebelled to reap the natural consequences of their choice: “But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices” (Psalm 81:11–12). In Romans 1, Paul shows how the wicked made a choice to reject God, and that choice set them on a downward spiral of increasing darkness and decreasing hope. As the godless run farther and farther from God, God intervenes less and less. The Spirit’s restraint of Sin is a blessing, and if that restraint is removed, all wickedness follows. Hopefully all those that believe the false doctrine of Once Saved Always Saved have learned a thing or two to remain Holy and not give into sins that eventually can and will separate them from God and His Salvation. Amen 🙌🏼♥️🙏🏼🥰 #REBTD 😇

[wesleyhill]

The Tree, You, and Me

A homily on Ezekiel 38, preached at Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge, Pennsylvania, on June 16, 2021

May I speak in the Name of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Our Old Testament reading this morning from the prophet Ezekiel is (mostly) a magnificent poem, dominated by a single image: the image of a towering Lebanese cedar tree. It has “fair branches,” and it offers “forest shade.” “It towered high,” says this word from the LORD that came to Ezekiel, “above all the trees of the field; its boughs grew large and its branches long, from abundant water in its shoots.”

The description is deliberately exaggerated, and you almost picture an animated cinematic sequence — maybe from a director like Miyazaki — portraying a giant magical tree that grows and grows, reaching its branches all the way into the clouds. “All the birds of the air made their nests in its boughs; under its branches all the animals of the field gave birth to their young: and in its shade all great nations lived.”

So magnificent is this tree that even the trees of Eden could not compete with it for beauty: “The cedars in the garden of God could not rival it, nor the fir trees equal its boughs; the plane trees were as nothing compared with its branches; no tree in the garden of God was like it in beauty. I made it beautiful with its mass of branches, the envy of all the trees of Eden that were in the garden of God.” This is a grandiose vision of a flourishing, triumphant, beautiful tree — a tree that is “proud,” as the oracle goes on to say.

And it is at this point that the scene turns gloomy. If this were portrayed on the silver screen, the cloudy sky that the cedar’s branches are waving proudly in would turn gray and dismal, and the branches themselves would crackle as they shrivel: “thus says the LORD God: Because it towered high and set its top among the clouds, and its heart was proud of its height, I gave it into the hand of the prince of the nations; he has dealt with it as its wickedness deserves. I have cast it out. Foreigners from the most terrible of the nations have cut it down and left it. On the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs lie broken in all the watercourses of the land; and all the peoples of the earth went away from its shade and left it.”

This tree, we learn at the very beginning of our reading (in verse 3), is an image of the proud nation of Assyria, the powerful nation to Israel’s north, whose military conquests became God’s means of punishing His own people for their idolatry. Assyria, like a powerful Lebanese cedar tree, seems vast, mighty, unconquerable. But God decreed for it ruin and devastation, Ezekiel prophesies: “Which among the trees of Eden was like you in glory and in greatness? Now you shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the world below; you shall lie among the uncircumcised, with those who are killed by the sword.”

As with any good cinematic sequence, we may picture the nations of the world sitting safely in their theater seats watching the whole thing unfold in its dramatic arc: first the cedar tree sends out its roots, drinking up nourishment, extending its branches, reaching, reaching, higher and higher, until the clouds dissipate, the soil dries and cracks, and a marauding army comes with its axes and ropes and pulls the whole vaunted thing down, leaving its branches scattered like so many bare bones on the dusty, unmoist ground.

But as the credits roll on this bleak, tragic movie, the spectator hears that this story of judgment and death isn’t just about Assyria up there; it is about the ones watching and taking pleasure in the tree’s downfall, the ones to whom Ezekiel is speaking right now. Specifically, it’s about “Pharaoh king of Egypt and… his hordes” (v. 2), which we would know if we remembered the beginning of our reading. “Mortal,” the LORD said to Ezekiel, “say [this message about Assyria] to Pharaoh.” We might paraphrase the prophet’s message: “Ask not whom the cedar of Lebanon stands for when it falls. It stands for thee.”

Just at the moment when Ezekiel’s listeners — or viewers, to stick with our movie metaphor for a bit longer — might be congratulating themselves on having avoided the judgment on Assyria, the LORD says through His prophet that this image of the felled cedar tree is for them. It is not given so they can gloat over Assyria but so that they can repent themselves.

Robert Alter, the Hebrew Bible translator and scholar, says in his notes on this passage that it is “awkward” to have an oracle about the downfall of Assyria be applied to Pharaoh king of Egypt. But isn’t that the pattern we see throughout Scripture? Just when we think the Bible is setting its judging gaze on someone else over there, it turns and pounces on us too, declaring that we, like our enemies, are also called to account. It’s what Richard Hays has called a “homiletical sting operation,” as when a military unit catches its enemy by surprise. When King David says that the man who stole a poor man’s pet sheep ought to die, Nathan the prophet says to David, “You are the man!” because David is just as guilty; he stole the life of the noble Hittite Uriah. When some of Jesus’ disciples wanted to tally up the sins of some people who apparently had it coming to them because a tower collapsed on top of them and killed them, Jesus responds by saying: “Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.” When the Jewish Christians in Rome want to cheer and clap at the folly of the sins of the Gentiles and the justice of their punishment, Paul says, “You have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another, you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things.” And when Gentile Christians in Rome are tempted to gloat over the judgment on God’s chosen people, Paul disallows it: “Do not become proud, but stand in awe. For if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare you.”

Friends, hear the word of the LORD through the prophet Ezekiel this morning. This oracle about Assyria isn’t just about Assyria; it’s about Pharaoh too. Judgment isn’t just about those people “over there”; it’s about us, here, today. And our only hope of passing through that judgment is not in somehow establishing our own righteousness over against others. It’s about fleeing in trust and hope to the one tree whose branches will never be broken, whose towering height can never be brought low — the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

[rabbits-of-negative-euphoria]

Excommunication in the Protestant Church

@vio1315 leaves the most stimulating comments on my posts and I always think “Oh I’m gonna give this a good long reply” and then life happens and I DON’T which is awful, but henceforth I’m gonna try and keep up with comments, or at least keep the topics at the front of my mind for later

Anyways, on this post, she said:

i’ve never heard the term used outside of catholicism((⚆·̫⚆‧̣̥̇ )) so idk what this is about

Perhaps the best known (to modern Christians) example of excommunication is that of Martin Luther by the Roman Catholic church, and thus, it can be viewed as contrary to protestant denominations more concerned with grace than with consequences. However, the protestant understanding/practice of excommunication originates most clearly from Matthew 18:15-17 (one of the two times Jesus mentions the church), wherein Jesus gives instruction for how his church on earth is to discipline.

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”

In my head, I call it the 3-Step Plan. Each step involves calling the sinner to repentance at different levels of privacy and authority, and we can thus conclude that the only sin which is truly excommunicable is “hard-hearted impenitence,” as John MacArthur puts it.

If the 3-Step Plan fails, Jesus says we are to treat the offending party as “a Gentile and a tax collector” (that is, someone outside of the church who needs to be evangelized). This means that the sinner in question must be removed from church membership and participation in the sacraments. In the words of Tom Ascol, “He should be encouraged to hear the Word of God preached as often as possible. But he should no longer be given the fellowship of a brother.” But what does this look like practically?

In Corinthians 5, Paul writes to the church:

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. [...]

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.  But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” 

And in Romans 16:17:

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

Application will differ from church to church, depending on how closely knit it is, and how committed the congregation is. Because the ultimate goal of excommunication is repentance and subsequent welcoming back into the church, the primary mechanism of excommunication is loss of fellowship and privilege. It must say, “You cannot have your sin and Christ, too.” Therefore, a church with a loosely involved congregation will have to take more drastic measures than a church whose congregation resembles a family. An excommunicant from the latter might be permitted to attend worship (something I don’t personally recommend, having witnessed the fallout of such), whereas an excommunicant from the former could be barred from worship.

In either case, however, Scripture is clear that members are not to have meals with this person, and are to avoid them unless calling them to repentance in love. It is meant to be hard. It should be devastating. But according to 1 Corinthians 5:6 and Galatians 5:9, “a little leaven leavens the whole lump.” The consequences of impenitence in the church are far more gutting and brutal than the impact of excommunication.

There is always the possibility that the person in question will just go to a different church that will welcome them as members, no questions asked, but in a denomination like my own (PCA), excommunication from one congregation is excommunication from the church as a whole. So the person will have to find a different denomination if they want to be a member of the visible church while living in unrepentant sin.

[sipilosopograsya]

SIBLING CHALLENGE

IMPORTANT NOTICE: I know this is quite LATE & medyo long post (mejjj lang naman, mas mahaba pa din ECQ at pasensya ni Mama 😂) I want us (YES US kahit dito man lang magkaroon ng US 😂) to learn something about our life as a PASTOR'S KID a.k.a. PK (sama ko na din Pastor's wife or hubby).

You know, while growing up we struggled a lot finding some reasons that being a PK is good. Bcuz why not? We were born into this way of life & it happened to be our path. So why not try to find a reason na MASAYA AT MAGANDA MAGING PK.

We are identified as "Ay si (my/sibs name) yung anak ni Pastor..." and for me I think that it's normal. That it's fun too. That it's okay. That it's awesome bcuz you are like a "star" being recognized. You have some privileges like mauna ka sa pila pag may pakain si ate member lalo pag birthday ni bebeh niya. (VIP ka ghorl 😂? Tapos lukatam tay nalanlanit nga "steropom" adda papansit ken sweet-taba na) Pag may regalo kay Pastor kahit di sa iyo nakikiregalo ka na din Nakikibukas, nakiki "Papa akin na lang yan" kahit di alam kung saan gagamitin ang kurbata. Syempre, halos lahat ng pacontest pagdating sa BIBLE, MYTHICAL ka boi kasi katabi mo matulog ang BIBLE. Halos unan mo na nga eh. Always present ka sa lahat ng camp, fellowships maski convention ng mga pastors kahit di ka belong makagala ka lang. 😂

But here's the catch. Believe it or not (& this is the reality) there is also an expectation, actually HIGH EXPECTATION from the people around us that as clergy kids we ARE OUGHT TO BE SO HOLY & SO PERFECT. It's like WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO COMMIT MISTAKES (kulang na lang pati sa exams bawal kami magkamali). And of course I am so sure that there are people or church members WHO EXPECTS US TO BE IN THE MINISTRY & some of them might think it should be. That is why sometimes PKs can feel THE PRESSURE. The pressure to always get it right, or be seen to be doing the right thing or acting perfectly or holy.

Kaya pag nagkasala o nagkamali ang mga PKs nakita ko at masakit sa akin kasi we are so quick to judge and just recklessly label PKs "Wala kang kwentang anak ng pastor", "Anak ka pa naman ng pastor.", "Walang kwentang nagsisimba". Sometimes we put them in public embarassment reiterating that they are "Mahina", "Di kayang lumaban." Just because they do not speak up or fight back. Tuwing may umiiyak at nagsusumbong telling that they are "the victim" madalas we are already concluding na "Masama ugali" "Hindi na nahiya" without even listening to the other side of the story.

Now I/we want you to know that it's not bad if we expect that PKs should set a good example. BUT PLEASE, IN CASE THAT THEY COMMIT MISTAKE OR SINFUL ACT, PLEASE REMEMBER, JUST LIKE YOU, PKs ARE A WORK IN PROGRESS TOO. DO NOT EVER CONDEMN THEM OR EVEN DISQUALIFY THEM TO BE PASTOR'S KID. Hindi komo, "ANAK NG PASTOR" hindi na nagkakamali. Hindi na nagkakasala. We should never identify PKs as "PASTOR'S-KID-PERFECT". God made us all different,maaring yung kahinaan mo kalakasan nila or vice versa. Let us stop labelling PKs as "ANAK KA PA NAMAN NG PASTOR" etc. Bcuz they are so much more than that! Lalo na mga toddlers o kaya mga bata na PK pag nakipagrambulan o nakipag agawan ng laruan sa kapwa niya bata sa church sasabihan agad ng "YANG ANAK NI PASTOR PASAWAY DI NA NAHIYA ANAK PA NAMAN NG PASTOR" na parang walang karapatan na mapagdaanan yung ganun na facet ng buhay niya.

✓If they committed a mistake or just in case a sinful act? Then, CORRECT them instead of cursing or throwing hurtful words.

Consider the ff.

RIGHT PERSON (tama ba yung tao na sinasabihan mo? Baka mamaya si ate or kuya member pinagsasabihan mo ng KAMALIAN nila NA WALANG KAALAM-ALAM. WAG NA I-INVOLVE MGA DI NAMAN KASALI, o wag na magtawag ng mga makikinerbyos)

RIGHT PLACE (WAG NAMAN HO SA KUNG SAAN-SAAN KUNG MAARI SA ISANG ROOM NA KAYO LANG O KAYA SA PARSONAGE)

RIGHT TIME (di lang ritemed ang RIGHT, Dapat maski oras din.)

RIGHT WORDS (Humingi ng Wisdom and knowledge Kay Lord ng sa ganun hindi ratattattaat boom booooom lang masabi natin)

If they need to undergo chastening or disciplinary actions then so be it. Do not leave them astray. Help your pastor in guiding them.

"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector."

Matthew 18:15-17

✓ENCOURAGE them instead of embarassing them. Encourage them just like how you encourage your children or fellow Christians.

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."

1 Thessalonians 5:11

✓PRAY FOR THEM TOO! (MADALAS ITONG NAKAKALIGTAAN, tanungin mo mga church members kung pinagpepray ba nila mga PKs or Pastor's Wife/hubby iilan lang ang sasagot ng "Oo"). Hello? They also need our prayers. Just as how much you need it! They also experience being low in faith, depression, anxiety, stress etc. Di sila laging STAY STRONG 💪

"Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out."

Ephesians 6:18

✓How you respect your pastor, RESPECT them too mapa PK man yan o PASTOR'S WIFE/HUBBY. Ishakehand o ibeso mo din sila wag mo nilalagpasan para saan pa at paborito mo kantahin ang "Kumusta ka na? AKO'Y NAGAGALAK NA IKA'Y AKING MAKITA?" kung snob ka naman. I included them kasi meron talagang mga na-eechapwera lalo na kung mababa lang pinagaralan ni Pastor's wife o kaya hindi siya pastor. Regardless of how we perceive other people to be, they are God's creations! Let this sink in.✌️

"Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of the believers, fear God, honor the emperor."

1Peter 2:17

✓PART SILA NG FAMILY or ng CHURCH, THEY ARE "VALUABLE". We can show it by giving them a gift too. Hug them. Tap their shoulders. You can also tell them that "it's okay we got your back." Compliment or appreciate them. REMEMBER THEM ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS, or greet mo din sila tuwing birthday nila O kung ayaw mo niyan tandaan mo there are 5 LOVE LANGUAGES. Mamili ka na dun.

"Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor."

Romans 12:10

Last na ito. They might have imperfections. Sometimes they go through their worse to worst phases in life. There are times they might show their weaknesses too but I am 100% sure they are willing to be changed day by day through God's mercy & grace. Remember to love them just as how God loves you. Remember to forgive them just as how God forgives you. You know JUST LIKE YOUR PASTOR, PKs have their own battles too & so with your Pastor's wife/hubby. Hand in hand help each other for God's glory.

JUST A THOUGHT FROM OUR EXPERIENCES AS PKs. 💖

Love,

Certified PK.