Reflexion, A Spiritual Community

Here we are, after several weeks, at the end of Jude

There’s not another letter in the New Testament exactly like it
- a small bit of 2 Peter incorporates some of the same lines
• but the overall structure and content of Jude are unusual,
◦ and his quotations from two non-biblical books is unique
• but coming to the end, he closes with a familiar prayer
◦ it’s not his exact words that are familiar, but how...

My friend, Clint Freeman, sent me an article this week

It has to do with Artificial Intelligence and I added it to my “weird news” file
Darin White, “Four in ten Gen-Z and millennial adults say spiritual advice from AI is just as trustworthy as advice from a pastor. One-third of teenagers have talked to an AI companion rather than a human being about serious, personal issues. Thirty-nine percent of Gen Z would s...

A couple weeks ago I got a phone call

The number looked familiar, so I answered – “Hello”
- a man’s voice asked, “Is this Charles?”
• at that point it was obvious he didn’t know me
• so I said, “Maybe”
- there are too many scams running in our world for me to take chances
• if you respond to a text or call, a fake offer, a warning,
◦ or a simple “click&rdq...

 I have been reading a book by Bill Elliot, who is a therapist

But it’s not about psychology – it has the unlikely title, Falling Into the Face of God
– it’s an autobiography of sorts
• Bill felt called by God’s Spirit to go to the Judean desert
• and , to spend forty days there like Jesus, only without fasting
– on day 17, he was meditating on Jesus’ temptation in the wilde...

 We’re going to reenact the story
- this is what Jesus meant for us to do
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Cor. 11:26)
• in this ritual, there is the potential of a profound encounter
• he has given us something:
◦ for our eyes to see
◦ for our ears to hear
◦ for our hands to touch
◦ for our mouths to taste

There have been songs, that I loved the first time I heard them

There are others that I had to hear several times to appreciate
- but the ones that I've loved at first sight had two qualities:
• the sound of music (instruments and vocals) and the lyrics
◦ psychologists refer to this response to music as “emotional resonance”
◦ the sound waves and meaning of the music find a string that vibrates deep in the so...

On the days I spend with three of my grandchildren,
I sometimes say to my thirteen year old grandson,

“I’m going for a walk, do you want to go with me?”
- he has never said, “Sure, Grandpa, let’s go” – never
• and I know why – he’s convinced it won’t be fun
◦ he’d have to get unnecessary exercise, and
◦ it’d be difficult to stay on trail with eyes...

Prior to this moment, Abram was merely a name on a list

Now he becomes a person; he’s given an identity
- he emerges from the genealogy into space and time
• he has a history and he is given a destiny
where he is from and where he is going is what has defined him
◦ where he is from: “your birthplace and your father’s house”
◦ where he is going: “to the land that I will show you&rd...

What was the primary responsibility Jesus gave to Peter?
- if you’re not sure, then listen to what I’m about to read,
• because Jesus makes Peter’s assignment absolutely clear

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.&rdqu...

I am going to take a risk this morning

Aside from whatever ways I’m supposed to help others,
- my own life in God has been driven by one passion
• that is, to experience everything Jesus promised his disciples
• my primary rationale is to take Jesus at his word
◦ to be more specific:
- what is on the table for me is not that I work miracles
• at least, not extraordinary miracles, I’m okay with ordinary ...

Every week I spend two days in Scotty’s home

I’ve been doing this for years–making meals for my grandchildren:
- one breakfast for Calum (and afternoon snacks), one lunch for Adrianna, and three dinners
• I’m still taking two of them to and from school
• in the lull, while they’re at school, I’ve been taking walks around the undeveloped land near their neighborhood
◦ it’s been a...

 We’re told this large crowd “had come to the feast”

I take that to mean they were not locals, but most likely from the Galilee region where they had followed Jesus' ministry
- being visitors to Jerusalem, they “camped” on the mountains around the city
• and especially the Mount of Olives,
◦ staying in tents, a lean-to, or sleeping under the open sky
- a rumor shuttled through the crowd...

Passage: Galatians 5
The Big Question:
When did faith become more about the lines we draw than the love we live?

We all do the internal calculus:
• Can I be friends with someone who voted differently?
• Can I worship with people who read scripture differently?
• Can I belong here with my doubts, questions, and messy parts?
• Can I still call myself a Christian if I don’t fit the mold?

“For freedom Christ...

Samuel enters the Scriptures during a chaotic period of history

The best way to understand it, is found in a line repeated in Judges
“In those days there was no king in Israel” (Jdg. 18:1 and 19:1)
- and again at the very end of Judges, with an added explanation
“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Jdg. 21:25)
- I have a friend who wrote a book ...

This morning, we’re going to explore a crucial question:

What are we doing here, for heaven’s sake?
- answers are scattered through the New Testament,
• and it's the focus of Paul’s entire first letter to Timothy
• he intended to go over this in person
◦ but here he provides only a summary statement

Paul explains how we “ought to behave”

“Ought” is not one of my favorite words
-...

 I’m not convinced we’ve ever truly understood Jesus

At least not as deeply or fully as he intended
- not “as deeply,” because we tend to stay on the surface
• we read the words and verses without penetrating their depth
• we grab at interpretations that make immediate sense
◦ and we settle for simplistic "commentary" explanations
- I don’t think Jesus taught in riddles – somet...

 I’ll finish reading the verse in a moment, but first we will pause here
- every morning when I open my Bible, I don’t jump into it
• but at the entrance to the Scriptures, I take a moment to slow my breath, and focus my attention
◦ I bring awareness to God’s presence and let myself hear him say,
“at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you to speak to ...

Friday morning, near the end of a long walk,I passed by a mother and her toddler son
- he was on a small four-wheel bike, perfectly fitted to him
• he was poised to move from asphalt to a dirt slope
◦ I said, “Looks like you’re about to go off-roading,”
◦ more for his mom’s sake than his
• he looked at me with the most engaging smile
◦ it was the loveliest moment of my morning
- I kept w...

As we make our way back into Hosea this morning,

Let’s remember the passion running through the entire book
- it isn’t what we’re likely to feel when reading the bare words
• what it sounds like, is the ranting of an enraged deity
◦ but that is not the correct tone of voice
• if God were like one of the pagan deities of mid mid-east or Greece,
◦ he wouldn’t bother to rage at his rebellious peop...