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discoveringthebible · 3 months ago

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2024 Presidential Election

For people who know me, they know my life is an open book. I will freely talk or discuss anything--except politics, unless someone asks me a direct question.

Over the years my politics have changed, as I have learned and grown, not just as a person, but as a Christian.

Yesterday's presidential campaign, no matter who you voted for, was shocking to say the least.

I purposefully have kept Facebook to a minimum today because I don't want to continue the hatred and riff among my friends. They have strong opinions, and I do as well. However, it seems that my Christian friends are the loudest--and maybe not for the best.

In a post-COVID world, patience has been lost; civility has died, and everyone seems to believe in an "us vs. them" mentality, forgetting that we are all human.

We, at least in the United States, don't see people as people. If they don't act like us, if they don't vote like us, if they don't have our religion or if they have a difference in theology or in the Bible, they are less-than.

This mentality breaks my heart.

As a Christian, I try very hard, and pray for God to reveal to me how He sees humanity.

And what has God shown me?

Love.

And what is love?

The Bible speaks much on love, but Jesus summed it up in this way:

This is from Matthew 22 (NRSV)

34: When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35: and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36: "Teacher, which commandments in the law is the greatest?"

37: He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38: This is the greatest and first commandment. 39: And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40: On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

In everything we do as Christians, we must be others-minded, not self-minded. And this includes our politics and to whom we vote for.

For a lot of people, these next four years are going to be scary and anxiety-filled. It will be a time of uncertainty. And there are already people laughing at those whose lives are now at risk. This is a legitimate fear and concern.

As a former Nazarene pastor, and a hopeful Episcopalian Deacon, I am going to continue to pursue love and do my best to pursue love in everything that I do. And to see people as people, regardless of anything that makes us different.

To the Christians who voted for Harris, I am heartbroken with you and I am praying with you. Keep looking toward the Lord. Have faith. Continue in love and equality for all. Continue in kindness. God has not failed you.

To the Christians who voted for Trump, I also pray with you and for you. Remember the marginalized, the orphan, the widow, the disabled, the immigrant, the Queer Community, and the poor, they are people too, who deserve the same rights and privileges you now possess as January comes and the Government turns Republican. Remember God has not exalted Trump, the American voters did. Don't turn Trump into an idol.

Also, to the Trump supporters, remember Micah 6:8 (NRSV) : He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?

Peace, Love and Blessings,

Cody Marie

#2024 presidential election #love #christianity #god #thebible

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discoveringthebible · 27 days ago

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2nd Sunday After Christmas (A few days late)

Collect: (Prayer)

O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who loves and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Old Testament: Jeremiah 31:7-14

Thus says the Lord:

Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, "Save, O Lord, your people, the remnant of Israel."

See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here.

With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, |He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock."

For the Lord has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.

They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall become like a watered garden, and they shall never languish again.

Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry.

I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness over sorrow.

I will give the priests their fill of fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty, says the Lord.

The Psalm: 84:1-8 [9-12]

1: How dear to me is your dwelling, O Lord of hosts! My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.

2: The sparrow has found her a house and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young; by the side of your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.

3: Happy are they who dwell in your house! they will always be praising you.

4: Happy are the people whose strength is in you! whose hearts are set on the pilgrims' way.

5: Those who go through the desolate valley will find it a place of springs, for the early rains have covered it with pools of water.

6: They will climb from height to height, and the God of gods will reveal himself in Zion.

7: Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; hearken, O God of Jacob.

8: Behold our defender, O God; and look upon the face of your Anointed.

[9: For one day in your courts is better than a thousands in my own room, and to stand at the threshold of the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of the wicked.

10: For the Lord God is both sun and shield; he will give grace and glory;

11: No good thing will the Lord withhold from those who walk with integrity.

12: O Lord of hosts, happy are they who put their trust in you!]

The New Testament: Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-19a

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined for us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe.

The Gospel: Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

After the wise men left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herold is about to search for the child, to destroy him." Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remined there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord to the prophet: "Out of Egypt I have called my son."

When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child's life are dead." Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He will be called a Nazorean."

Homily:

In order to understand the Gospel message for today, we really need to look at the entire chapter of Matthew 2. In is in the beginnings parts of this chapter that we learn a little bit more about the wise men, but also about the events that lead up to Joseph taking Jesus and Mary down to Egypt to escape Herod.

Matthew 2: 1-12:

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means the least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel."

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they sent out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star has stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

In most current depictions of the Nativity scene, we have Joseph and Mary, baby/infant Jesus, various animals, like sheep, and camels, shepherds, and the wise men in a manger scene. However, from the description in Matthew 2, these icon depictions are really inaccurate. By the time the Wise men came to Bethlehem in order to worship Jesus, Jesus wasn't a newborn baby any more. According to some Biblical scholars, he could have been as old as 2 years old. While still quite young, he would have been walking and beginning to talk by the time they came to bear gifts.

And the gifts that they brought were significant. Each gift that was brought to Jesus, had purpose. Gold, for obvious reasons, was a currency and would have been very beneficial, especially because after the wise men left, an angel warned Joseph to go to Egypt. Most likely, this gold (we don't know much) would have at least funded their trip down to Egypt, but some believe it could have been enough to fund their entire trip to Egypt, while living there, and back again to Israel. Next, we see Frankincense. While still used today as incense, although not my personal smell preference, it was used as a gift for royalty. And this could have also been used in financing the trip to Egypt. Lastly, we see myrrh, a spice derived from the sap of a Commiphora myrrha tree. Use in the Arabian peninsula and in Africa as medicine, incense and was often used in perfume to mask the scent of decay. It was often used in burials. While symbolic in nature, these gifts were also practical, especially, as Matthew 2:13 begins with "After the wise men left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream..."

Now, this was the second dream Joseph receives from God. Joseph followed the instructions the angel had given to him. And with these new gifts, it would have made it easier for them to leave Bethlehem that they had called home for approximately a year by this point. While the Bible does not say how long they were in Egypt for, it is believed they were there several months, maybe a year. This was not an overnight trip, and there was no indication they knew how long for sure they were going to be there.

According to several historical sources, King Herod died in 4 B.C from an incurable disease. So Jesus was either born in 5 B.C., or even as early as 4 B.C. Herod knew that Rome did not trust his sons before he died, so he split up his kingdom in 3 parts to give each son a piece of his kingdom. Herod Antipas, whom we hear about later in the book of Matthew, was given rule over Galilee and Judea; Herod Philip II received Traconitis; Archelaus received Judea, Samaria, and Idumea. And there was reason for Joseph to be afraid of Herod's Son Archelaus, he was just as ruthless as his father, which was why Mary, Jesus and Joseph ended up in Galilee and the small town of Nazareth.

Have you ever been blessed by someone, to then be able to use that blessing when something came up in life that you didn't expect? The wise men giving Jesus and his family those gifts were needed in their journey to and from Egypt.

It reminds me of a time something happened to me and it came in handy. It was early February 2017, and in my hometown there is an Indian casino. Every once in awhile, my family would go out to eat there and play a little slots. This particular day, my mom and I went out for an early breakfast. While we were playing penny slot machines, she had won a jackpot of over $600. And not even five minutes later, sitting next to her, I won a jackpot of $200. The next day, while we were at the movies, we received a phone call from a family member in Idaho, that my grandma was really sick, and in the hospital and they didn't think she was going to make it. Last minute flights anywhere, but at the time in Idaho, were really, really expensive. But, because of the money we had won at the casino, we were able to not only fly there but to stay in a hotel for a few days while we said goodbye and took care of grandma's final wishes. We would not have been able to do that without that $800 between myself and my mom.

Some Christians who I have told this story saw this as sinful, because the money came from a casino, and in order to win money, I also would have had to bet money.

I have always seen this as a blessing.

It would have been absolutely devastating for my mom if she couldn't have said goodbye to her mother.

When I read the stories in Matthew chapter 2, I am reminded of how how much faith it must have taken Joseph to follow God's instructions through the Angel. Joseph was a very religious man, but had a hard time at first with the miraculous pregnancy of Mary. For him to listen to God, not only to continue in his marriage to Mary, but to also defend her as well as Jesus, know that Jesus wasn't biologically his child would not have been an easy thing to do. But God saw fit in Joseph to make him Jesus' earthly father anyway. Joseph's faith led him and his family into places and situations that were difficult. And sometimes making those decisions at a moment's notice. They escaped Herod by night. I imagine this is how this went:

After a long day of work, while Mary was home taking care of baby Jesus, all he wanted was something to eat and to go to sleep in his bed. And once fed, and in bed and asleep, was when this vision of the Lord came. If that were me, I might have waited until the morning to inform Mary and then leave toward Egypt, or I might have even ignored the entire situation, who knows.

But not Joseph. He had enough faith to get up and leave, right then and there, in the middle of the night, to ensure the safety of Jesus, as well as Mary and himself. Maybe the gifts made it easier for him, we don't know, but I would have a hard time just uprooting my family over a dream.

It actually was not uncommon for Jews and those with Jewish ancestry to travel to Egypt, because there were groups of Jews living in different cities all across that country. However, I am sure the big question in his mind was, "How long do we have to be here for?" He knew until Herod's death, but how long was that going to take?

Sometimes I wish I had Joseph's faith. To follow God, no questions asked. Some people would call that blind faith. But I find that an oxymoron. To have faith, you have to be blind. Knowledge is the opposite of faith.

As we begin 2025, I have thought about a lot of things that I would like to accomplish, as well as sticking to my resolutions. But something that I would like to grow in, is my faith. I feel like over the years, I have lost that childlike faith that we are called to have, and I want to get back to that. I want to be in a place what if or when God says, "Go." I'll say, "Yup!" And pack my bags and go.

While I have been focusing on Joseph, the wisemen had to have had faith of some kind too. We don't know much about them, or even what country they are from, but they knew enough based upon Astrology that the prophesized Messiah had come. Humanity had waited over 700 years from when Jesus was predicted to when he was born. 700 years was a long time. 700 years ago was 1325. That is a long time to wait for the Messiah.

As we enter a new year on the Gregorian calendar, let us have faith like Joseph. Let us have the faith and boldness of the wise men who didn't fall for King Herod. Let us have the faith and trust of Mary and Jesus, as they followed Joseph's lead from his vision from God.

As we get going in this new year, let us be more bold, more open to what it is that God has for us and how we can shape and form our lives in a way that is honoring God, and to be a blessing to God's creation.

Peace, Love and Blessings,

Cody Marie

#thebible #christianity #god #ministry #jesuschrist #Christmas #love #jesus

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