COVID and Christ Prayer / Reflection

 In our Sunday service, a member of our church led our prayers using a COVID acrostic, which she has kindly allowed me to share. 

Let us use COVID the term we have come to fear to point us to the fear of, (trust In) God.

C            Covid 19 is contagious, cruel and crushing

BUT       Christ is compassionate, kind and committed to bringing those who believe to eternal life. Thank you for this assurance Father. Etch these words into our hearts, Father, “This is the will of my father that everyone who looks on the son and believes in him should have eternal life. “

O           Covid is overwhelming – many of us have felt this – we cry out to you Father, with the Psalmist, How long, O Lord, how long?

BUT       Father you tell believers that you overshadow us like an eagle hovering over its nest because we are your treasured possession.

Father, help us to hang on to that in times of despair when it does not feel like that.

V            Covid is a virulent virus

BUT       thank you for Jesus the victor over sin and death and hell.

Vaccines can give a measure of hope

Victorious Jesus is our certain hope in life and death.

I             Covid is an invisible enemy .

              BUT       thank you Lord that Jesus can be our invincible friend.

What a message for this world. Open the eyes of family and friends to see this truth.

D            Covid is deadly and dangerous .

              BUT       Christ is death defeating.  Father we pray as the apostle Paul did for the Ephesians “I pray for you constantly asking Gog to give you wisdom to see clearly and really understand who Christ is and all that he has done for you.“

Father continue to teach us to cry out to you, trusting in your unfailing love.

Not included Sunday as I thought it was getting a bit long.

 

ONE       The one points us to Jesus Christ. Father thank you that you so loved the world that you gave your one and only son That whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

NINE      is a square number. Squares and cubes point us back to the Holy of Holies in the Temple and forward to the New Jerusalem. “The city was laid out like a square as long as it was wide “

May this glorious hope drive us to cry out to you and lead us to trust you the sovereign God.

 

 

 

A comparison of Covid and Christ from the prayer.

Covid	Christ
contagious, cruel and crushing	compassionate, kind and committed to his people
overwhelming	overshadows us like an eagle over its nest.
virulent virus	victor over sin and death and hell.
invisible enemy	invincible friend
deadly and dangerous	death defeating
1            The one points us to Jesus Christ. God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
9            A square number. Squares and cubes point us back to the Holy of Holies in the Temple and forward to the New Jerusalem. “The city was laid out like a square as long as it was wide “

 

 

The Old Testament, the afterlife and resurrection

 In my undergraduate degree, there was a bit of discussion of the hope of the afterlife in the Old Testament. It seems that in some passages that hope is somewhat shadowy or undefined. 

Yet a few passages do seem to envisage a general resurrection. 

We know from the New Testament that there was some division amongst the parties in Judaism at the time of Jesus: the Pharisees believed in a resurrection; the Sadducees did not. 

But the resurrection is central to the Apostolic preaching. And their claim is that their preaching is the authentic fulfilment of the Old Testament. Acts 2, for example, sees resurrection promised to God's Holy One in Psalm 16.

In Luke 24, Jesus insists that the Scriptures said that the Christ must suffer and enter into his glory. It is written, even, that the Christ must rise on the third day. 

In Acts 23 and 24, are particularly emphatic that resurrection is the hope of Israel.

If we are to read the Old Testament with Jesus and the Apostles, then, we must read it in such a way that the resurrection is clearly the answer. 

Perhaps this begins to make sense when we remember that in Genesis 3, death is the great consequence and curse of sin. Death echoes through the genealogies of Genesis 5. We need a son of Adam and Eve who will crush the serpent's head and undo death.

Acts 24 handout / headings / outline

 You may wish to look away now if you are joining us tomorrow. Or you hay find this helpful. 

God willing, the service will be live here at 11am: 

https://www.facebook.com/WarbletonParishChurch

And afterwards here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPBFrhqP5nL6QnmkZKfP5yw

And the sermon here:

https://www.warbletonchurch.org.uk/sermons-talks/

Acts 24: Paul’s Message / Mission / Christ is…

(1) BENEFICIAL: The Christian revolution is good for society (v5)

(2) BIBLICAL: The fulfilment of the Scriptural hope of the resurrection (vv14-21)

(3) URGENT: Don’t delay faith in Christ Jesus / gospel mission until it seems “convenient” (vv22-end) 

I am thinking of mentioning this book: Tom Holland, Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind

I recommend the book with caution. It repeats some liberal views about the history of the Bible, where I think the evangelical / traditional case is more convincing. 

Readers may also be interested in this review by Tim Keller: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/dominion-christian-revolution-tom-holland/ 

Hands - Face - Space

Generations will never forget the mantra HANDS – FACE – SPACE. These three simple words can not only help to keep us safe; we can also use them to think about God and the Christian message.

 

Christians traditionally believe, as the Church of England puts it, that “There is but one living and true Gid, everlasting, without body [or] parts”. For all our bearded old man images of him, God does not literally have hands or a face.

 

But the Bible often uses picture language to speak of God. He is a rock. Or like a mother hen gathering up her chicks under her wings. And he is frequently described in human terms.

 

Jesus, God the Risen Conquering Son, is now seated in honour and glory at the right HAND of God the Father. The arm of the Lord is not too short to save and he promises his people pleasures at his right hand for ever.

 

The Bible often speaks of God’s FACE turned towards his people in blessing or turned away in judgement. This is the language of personal relationship: we know God’s smile or his frown. In Jesus Christ we see the face of God: God revealed and made known, the perfect and true image and representation of God. And the ultimate hope of all who trust in Jesus is to see God face to face.

 

As a Spirit, God does not occupy SPACE. But he is the infinite Lord of time and space, present to all those who are mingling freely or socially isolated. The shielding can know God as their shield always, where ever they are. Jesus left his social bubble, the eternal Triune life of heaven, to come to our space, this wonderful yet fallen world, to the manger in Bethlehem. He died on a cruel Roman cross it to abolish the social distance which our sin has caused between us and God. Covid restrictions or not, he calls on us to embrace him.

 

So for your sake and for the sake of others, stick to HANDS, FACE, SPACE. But let it drive you into the arms of God too that you might know his smile.

The Quiet Time v The Daily Office - spirituality and formation

 

The Quiet Time

My evangelical corner of the church has been very keen on the “Quiet Time” as long as I can remember. This is a daily period of Bible reading and extemporary prayer. The morning is often recommended. Perhaps 20 minutes would be considered devout. A prayer list or diary might be used. Likely there might be some notes: Scripture Union Daily Bread or Every Day With Jesus, when I was younger, or Explore in my current circles. Or perhaps Search The Scriptures or Carson’s, For the Love of God. A reading plan such as McCheyene's might be followed.

This quiet time might be a little Bible study. Perhaps the aim is to receive a particular blessing. Is there something here I can hold on to and take into the day? The more diligent may jot down a note. If it is thought about, likely there is a conscious desire to know and love God better and for personal holiness, for a closer walk with Jesus and a changed heart and life. The aim may even to be to meet Jesus in the Scriptures!

I wonder if anyone has seen any work or done any thinking about the spirituality and culture formed by the Quiet Time? And how might this compare to the Daily Office?

The Daily Office

This is the pattern of Morning and Evening Prayer which clergy are required to provide in their parishes. How many do so and how many people gather with them is hard to say. A significant regular congregation in the parish church morning and evening would be very unusual, I imagine. It may of course be supplemented by other devotional practices. Some could be saying Morning and Evening Prayer in the church *and* having their own quiet time at home, but my sense is that this would probably be unusual.

There will be quite a lot of repetition in the Daily Office. It is basically Bible readings and prayers. Depending on how it is done, there would be some kind of introduction, one or more Psalms and canticles, an Old Testament reading, a New Testament reading, probably a mix of extemporary and set prayers (perhaps using a cycle or list of topics etc.) for the world and the church, the Collect, the Lord’s Prayer and a blessing or ending. There may be times of silence for reflection on the readings and for personal prayer.

(The Book of Common Prayer and Common Worship forms can easily be seen on the Church of England website).  

Comparisons

Practice varies so much it is hard to generalise but:

The twice a day nature of Morning and Evening Prayer must make a difference, especially if a deliberate attempt is made to make the two services different. For example, Morning Prayer might focus more on intercessions; evening prayer might involve more confession, thanksgiving and quiet or prayer for individuals. If the evangelical is to include different elements, likely they come in one main Quiet Time, perhaps with a handy mnemonic such as ACTS to encourage different types of prayer – adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication.

Evangelicals certainly commend habit but the aim of having a quiet time each morning is rather different from advertising Morning and Evening Prayer on the church notice board for 8am and 5:30pm. This may be a help to getting it done, but it may also feel like a treadmill and a tyranny. One issue is how well routine and spirituality cohere and this may vary from person to person.

The evangelical might typically focus more on understanding and or feeling. There is more of an emphasis, likely, on engaging with the Bible rather than simply saying Morning and Evening Prayer. Probably there is more likely to be some kind of explanation or study aid alongside the text in the Quiet Time. In the Daily Office the texts likely stand alone and must speak for themselves or not. How much time is spent thinking and praying about them will vary.

Probably the Quiet Time has more flexibility and spontaneity. Ringing the changes might even be recommended whereas some especially value the unchanging nature of the Daily Office. Think of C. S. Lewis’ claim that changing the liturgy gets in the way of praying it as we cope with the novelty.  

Depending on the Bible reading scheme, the Daily Office probably contains significantly more scripture from a variety of places and leads to some bible memorisation (e.g. of the Benedictus and Magnificat, which would often be said every day).

The Daily Office is in principle more communal and ecumenical. Many (not just my own local church or tribe or chums) will be saying these same words, reading these same passages.

The Daily Office has something or a public, representative and parochial spirit to it. The Quiet Time is likely to be much more personal, individualistic or private. The focus may be more on me and my family and our local church’s concerns / missionaries we have chosen to support.

The Daily Office probably engages much more with the church year.

An Ocean Of Grace - Introduction

 You're invited to read Tim Chester's book, An Ocean of Grace: A Journey to Easter with Great Voices from the Past (Good Book Company, 2021) with me and some others from church this Lent. 

https://www.thegoodbook.co.uk/an-ocean-of-grace

Please feel free to comment / share what you're learning or thinking about. 

Here are some jottings arising from the introduction (which I may revise / expand on in the future):

 

Read the Introduction (p7ff)

 

Some questions for reflection

 

Think about Hebrews 12:1-2.

 

Are you conscious of any sins or other distractions that keep you from running the Christian race with perseverance?

 

What helps you / might help you to fix your eyes on Jesus?

 

Pray that this book and our engagement with it might help us to follow Jesus more faithfully.

 

Are there any witnesses who have gone before us, either biblical or post-biblical, who especially encourage you to follow Jesus? How? Why? What is it about Jesus that these witnesses have especially highlighted for you?

 

(When I was a youth the 19^th Century Baptist preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon was important to me. I learned a love of Scripture and its authority from him. And The Doctrines of Grace or the Five Points of Calvinism TULIP – Google will know more about them. He preached to the heart in a way that some contemporary conservative evangelicals can fail to do.

 

C. S. Lewis helped me to see the rationality and appeal of the Christian faith.

 

John Calvin has also mattered to me.

 

For an Anglican, Bishop J. C. Ryle.

 

John Owen and Jonathan Edwards are probably the greatest British and American theologians who have ever lived.

 

There are probably many others I’d like to know better: Augustine of Hippo, Martin Luther, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Herman Bavinck.

 

It would be good to add some women to the list too.

 

And as evangelicals perhaps we tend to neglect the period from Augustine to Luther. It would be good to know more about Bernard of Clairvaux or Thomas Aquinas, for example.) 

 

Do you think its appropriate to have Christian heroes and heroines? Can you see any dangers in this?

 

(Do you ever fall into the trap of fascination with the witness and failure to focus on Jesus? What would the witness make of that?)

 

Could you read something by or about a Christian from the past which might help you? Maybe study one of the Bible characters mentioned in Hebrews 11. Or buy a Christian biography. E.g., https://www.10ofthose.com/uk/products/christian-life/biography

 

You might like to adopt a Christian from the past and try to get to know their witness to Jesus better.

 

How can we too be witnesses to Jesus Christ? Is there someone you could encourage?

 

A prayer:

 

Father God, thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ, the pioneer and perfector of our faith.

 

And for all the Christian witnesses who have gone before us.

 

Help us as we read this book and reflect on it to be encouraged by their voices urging us on.

 

May we throw off all that hinders and the sin which entangles us and run with perseverance the race which is marked out for us.

 

Show us afresh the faithfulness of Jesus Christ and fix our eyes ever on him and his victory we pray.

 

Grant us perseverance in him and bless our witness to a watching world.

 

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

 

Suggested hymn: By Faith We See The Hand of God https://www.stuarttownend.co.uk/song/by-faith/ 

Psalm 34 Questions, Notes, Headings / Outlines etc.

Some notes from / for our midweek meeting: 

PSALM 34

 

Questions:

 

If you got your highlighter pen out, what repeated words or ideas would you notice in this Psalm?

 

Can you spot a turning point / change / shift in the Psalm?

 

What does the Psalmist do and what does he want us to do (vv1-3)?

What was the Psalmist’s experience? What is the story behind / recounted in this Psalm?

How are his experience and ours connected?

What’s the relationship between what God has done for David and us?

When does the Psalmist want us to praise God (v1)?

What reasons / encouragements does the Psalm give us to do that?

What are the ultimate destinies of the believer and the wicked?

 

Looking at the whole Psalm, what does the Psalmist want his hearers / readers to do and why / how?

Who is the kind of person the LORD helps? What different ways is this person described?

What promises or warnings does the Psalm contain?

How does the Psalm persuade / encourage us?

 

What does this Psalm tell us about the experience of the believer?

To what extent might it involve trouble / suffering?

(see v19-20). Does the Lord always deliver his people? When? How?

 

What do people glory / boast in?

What are we tempted to glory / boast in?

Why should we glory in the Lord (v2)?

What would we normally think of boasting? What is this boasting? Is it a good thing?

 

Do you think it helps to praise God together (v3)? Why?

 

Look at vv6 and 7. According to them, who saves / delivers?

 

What is / isn’t meant by fear of the LORD (v9)?

 

What’s the point being made in v10: “The lions may grow weak and hungry”?

 

Do you think v10 is true?!

Is a Rolls Royce a good thing?

I lack one! Does that mean I don’t seek the LORD or that God’s promise has failed?

 

Vv15-16. The children will cry out that God has no body and no parts (Article 1 of the 39 Articles of Religion), so what are we to make of these expressions?

 

Who are the wicked / righteous in this Psalm / the Psalms?

Are we righteous? In what sense? How? etc.

 

Likely there’s a kind of justice in v21a. What? Why?

 

How might the Psalm be read as said / prayed / sung by Christ?

 

What difference does it make to read the Psalm as a New Testament believer?

 

Can you sum up the Psalm in a sentence?

What response do you think the Psalmist is hoping for?

How could this Psalm shape our praise / prayers / thinking / living?

 

Notes:

 

The hymn, Through All The Changing Scenes of Life (1696 New Version by Nahum Tate and Nicholas Brady), is based on vv1-10 Psalm.

https://www.jubilate.co.uk/songs/through_all_the_changing_scenes_of_life_jubilate_version

 

See Expositor’s Bible for links with Psalms 31-34: the blessing, the eye of Yahweh, around / surround, refuge / protection, hope, trust, the godly (p323f)

 

an individual thanksgiving / testimony Psalm for public use (barely addressed to God, more to listeners) – tora (instruction) has taken over from toda (thanksgiving)

 

The second half of the Psalm is in the style of the wisdom books

 

A glowing Psalm marked with relief and gratitude (? For a miraculous ? escape) – an invitation to share the singer’s joy and learn from his experience

 

Headings in the Psalms apparently part of the original texts (unlike all the other headings in our English Bibles)

Historical setting: 1 Samuel 21:10-15 – David’s life was in danger – fleeing from Saul and not finding the refuge he hoped for with Abimelech, the Philistine King of Gath, called Achish in 1 Samuel. Maybe Achish is his personal name and Abimelech his throne name cf. Edward VII, Bertie; George VI, Albert. Perhaps a deliberate echo of Abimelech King of Gerar whom Abraham and Isaac also attempted to deceive because of their fear (Gen 20; 26)

 

David escapes by using this ruse

 

Heading – ta’am often used for tasting food – sense – changed his taste / sense / put aside common sense / feigned madness / pretended to be insane – cf. v8, “taste”

 

A somewhat broken acrostic poem (cf. Psalms 9-10; 25; 111; 112; 119; 145), the 22 verses begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

The last verse doesn’t begin with a successive letter but with an extra pe

The other exception is waw, the sixth letter, which is missing as in Ps 25 (v5 - unless v6b in the MT supplies it)

Does this stress the broken verse, v5?

Life is somewhat “broken” / uneven / unexpected.

Possibly in this broken form the beginning middle and end of the Psalm are meant to spell out ‘lp, learn / teach

We can’t be certain why the Psalm is broken. Evidently the compiler of the Psalms didn’t think he should “correct” it.

 

The A to Z format perhaps attempts to impose some kind of order on disordered life

 

Form & spontaneity – fixed liturgy can be helpful and authentic etc.

 

In the Psalms, words of praise don’t come from those who have known only blessings.

Those who praise God know suffering.

They praise God not because of native optimism but because of real deliverance.

Experience of suffering and deliverance can lead to praise and trust for the Psalmist and his hearers (maybe even for us if we learn from his experience rather than just from our own).

 

We might be tempted to hide our faces from God (when suffering and downcast etc.), but the Psalmist says look to God in faith and you will be radiant.

 

Cf. 1 Peter 2 and 3

 

Singing then sermon: the Psalm celebrates the blessings of those who fear the Lord and then explains what that fear means. (Wilcock)

 

The Psalmist comforts us with the comfort he himself has received from God (cf. 2 Cor 1:3-4)

 

These verses alternate between personal testimony (vv1-2a, 4, 6) and calls to praise.

 

V1 – Bless – cf. the Beatitudes – thematic links with this Psalm? - the poor persecuted who will see God, hunger, peace etc.

 

Vv1-3: I will extol / bless, praise, boast; Let us rejoice, glorify / make great, exalt / raise up

Vv4-7 – continued alternation between the one and the many, specific testimony (v4, v6) to general exhortation (v5, 7)

 

See Wilcock p115: he perhaps goes a bit far in finding an intriguing pattern here, the rhythm of the furiant, familiar to lovers of Czech music such as the Zither Carol!

 

V1 – at all times = at every time – cf. 1 Thess 5:18; Rom 8:28, 37

 

V2 – this kind of boasting doesn’t imply arrogance but the expression of joyful confidence

 

V2 – afflicted / Motyer: downtrodden / Kidner: humble – perhaps suggests oppression they need to be delivered from cf. 2 Cor 11:30-33

 

Vv1-2: I have reason to praise him; join me! Vv4-5: This was my experience; it can be yours!

 

V3 - extol (glorify) and exalt both spacial, enlarge (make much of, big up) and lift up

 

V4 – serious purposeful seeking not lost / confused wondering / wandering – not as if God or his location are unknown!

 

V4 – fears, a strong word akin to terror / horrors / dread, not the same word as the reverential fear of vv7, 9

 

V5 – From shame to shining - radiant / shine / beaming! – as in Is 60:5, a mother’s face lighting up at the sight of children she had long given up as lost – radiance implies delight, glory, transformation (Ex 34:29; 2 Cor 3:18)

 

V6 – poor / weak / helpless

 

Vv7-22: the first half dominated by imperatives; the second half entirely statements

 

V7 – The Angel of Yahweh (malak, aide) – more than 50X in OT - sometimes seems to be identical to Yahweh and distinct from him – see Genesis 16; Ex 33:2-3; often taken to be the pre-incarnate Son / a preview of Jesus. He is presumably the commander of an ample host cf. 2 Kings 6:17

 

V8, v22, “take refuge in him” repeated

 

V8 – see Heb 6:5; 1 Peter 2:3 – Kidner: “this tasting should be more than a casual sampling”

 

V8 – taste – as in the heading

 

V8 – lit. do not be ashamed, an imperative to express a future certainty, certainly will not be ashamed

 

V9b – S. Columba had been copying out the Psalms on Iona when he died. These were the last words he wrote (Wilcock).

 

Vv9-10 – David’s need for defence and supplies in 1 Sam 21 may be reflected in the Psalm

 

V10 – kephiyr – often translated young lion, that is, a lion in its prime – a lion suggests fierce strength, self-sufficiency etc. - Youth and vigour are no defence against disaster.

 

V11 – the fear of God – what is it? What is it not? How would it show itself?

 

V11 – peace, wholeness, shalom

 

Vv11-22 – Kidner: “The lessons of this part of the psalm are chiefly that the true good is to be in concord with God.”

 

V12 – Don’t all people in their right mind desire life and good days?

 

Good things (vv10, 12) come from Yahweh who is good (v8) to those who do good (v14)

To enjoy a good life (v12) you must lead a good life (vv13-14). The good you enjoy must go hand in hand with the good you do. If you desire good; do good!

The serpent’s lie was that sin is the way to the good life. Remember the forbidden fruit looked good.

 

Vv12-16 – 1 Peter 3:10-12; cf. v13 and 1 Pt 2:1, 22

 

Vv15-22 – notice the stress on all as in vv1-6: rescue from all troubles (vv17-18); protecting all bones (v20); vindicating all those who take refuge (v22) – The Psalm offers a vision of total praise / reverence and protection / deliverance (appropriate to the A to Z).

 

Vv15-16 begin to teach the fear of the LORD (v12)

 

(vv17-18 – see Motyer on interpreting the verbs here: cry and deliver are in the perfect tense – do they suggest fixed attitudes, calling for a present tense translation or some notable past event? Save is imperfect – frequentative, what is customarily the case)

 

V18 – As it happens, we are studying Psalm 34, just after looking at Ruth. Psalm 18v34 says that Yahweh is near (qarobh) the broken-hearted. Motyer points out that this word is used of the next of kin in Ruth 2:20; 3:12, the one whose right it is to take on himself as his own the needs of his troubled relative. How wonderful that the LORD himself should do this for his people!

 

V17, 19 – possibly (deliverance from trouble) by death!?

 

V18 recognises that the believer can be broken and crushed by life, so for all the promises of this Psalm, this is not how we might imagine victorious Christian living

 

Vv18, 20 – word play on broken

 

V20 – none of Jesus bones broken – John 19:36 and Ex 12:46 – Kirkpatrick: “The promise to the righteous man found an unexpectedly literal realization in the passion of the perfectly Righteous One.”

Jesus the speaker of this Psalm – the righteous one / true believer – great king David’s greater son

 

V21 – Motyer: “Here again is the ‘boomerang’ nature of sin: it always infects us with the seeds of its own destruction.”

 

Vv21, 22 – condemned – made to bear their guilt – No condemnation in Christ (Romans 8:1)

 

Kidner: “The Christian can echo the jubilant spirit of the psalm with added gratitude, knowing the unimaginable cost of 22a and the unbounded scope of 22b.”

 

Riches can sometimes be found in dark mines.

 

OUTLINES / HEADINGS:

 

Godlingay:

 

Deliverance by Yhwh and Reverence for Yhwh

 

Kidner:

 

Thank God!

Vv1-10: Rejoice with me!

Vv11-22: Learn from me

 

Wilcock:

 

(1) The Lord to praised (vv1-3)

(2) The Lord of one and all (vv4-7)

(3) The Lord to be trusted (vv8-10)

(4) What the Lord requires (vv11-14)

(5) What the Lord does (vv15-18)

(6) What the Lord promises (vv19-22)

 

Expositor’s Bible:

 

Wise Counsel for the Poor of Heart

I. Thanksgiving for God’s Goodness and Justice (vv1-7)

A Individual and communal praise (vv1-3)

B Individual and communal experiences (vv4-7)

II. In Praise of Wisdom (vv8-22)

A Exhortation to Wisdom (vv8-14)

B The Rewards of Wisdom (vv15-22)

 

Motyer:

 

Vv1-2: introduction: Yahweh is to be praised in every circumstance

Vv11-12 mark the transition from testimony to teaching, drawing lessons from what is known of Yahweh

Vv21-22: conclusion: Yahweh who ransoms, and the security of those who take refuge

(vv3-10 and 13-20 balance testimony with matching truths)

 

A1. Framework: shared testimony (vv1-2)

B1. Full deliverance (vv3-4)

C1: Look and be saved (vv5-6)

D1: The camping angel (vv7-8)

E1: Fearing Yahweh, finding provision (vv9-10)

A2: Framework: shared teaching (vv11-12)

E2: The mark of a God-fearing life (vv13-14)

D2: The nearness of Yahweh (vv15-16)

C2: Cry out and be saved (vv17-18)

B2: Full deliverance (vv19-20)

A2: Framework (3): shared security (vv21-22)

 

Wilson, NIV application commentary

 

Invocation to Praise Yahweh (along with the Psalmist) (vv1-3)

Personal testimony of deliverance (and confidence) (vv4-7)

Proverbial instruction (encouraging faithful reliance on Yahweh) (vv8-22)

 

C of E deployment and employment

 The future of the C of E - or possible lack of it - has broken through to the secular media this week. 

By nature, most of us probably love a moan from time to time. And in my experience Clergy Chapters are not immune from this. Sometimes there are a couple of especially grumpy cynical clergy who can barely agree that it is a nice day, especially if the Bishop says so. I have sometimes even feared becoming one of them. 

Clergy and parishioners alike like to moan about "The Diocese". It is hard to buy into the fact that in a sense *we* are the diocese. The parish, in my view at least, is the heart and front line of the diocese. We are, or could be, represented at all the various levels of deanery and diocesan synod, boards and committees, if we stood for election and turned up over the years. But it is easy for us to feel, as one of our local bishops used to put it, that the Diocese is a far away and disembodied tax collecting entity. 

And it is easy for the clergy to criticise the senior staff, the bishops and the archdeacons. It is not always obvious to us what they do all day, but we also worry they are likely to be far too busy for us. We want them to support and encourage us and know us, but we can be very resistant to new initiatives or anything which seems like interference. Like a policeman knocking on the door, Archdeacons may need to take to warning clergy they phone up that everything is okay: my phone call doesn't mean someone has died, or there is a safeguarding crisis, or that you have been subject to a complaint under the Clergy Discipline Measure. At least not necessarily!  

Historically speaking, the number of bishops and archdeacons has grown relative to the number of parish clergy. But it is still pretty impossible for the senior clergy to have effective pastoral or supervisory relationships with all their remote working parochial and other colleagues. 

So many of the parish clergy would like more input of just the sort they want from the bishops and archdeacons, when they want it, but if we had to choose between parochial clergy and senior staff, we don't want the front line (or at least not me or my friends) cut. Maybe we can think of someone in some other corner of the diocese we imagine might be a bit of a lazy so and so! 

There is also that odd and neglected C of E strata: the deanery. We have not really worked out what it is for, but we know that co-operation has long been the order of the day. How often churches find things they can really do better together which they can't do alone is hard to say. There is perhaps a case for some pooling if, e.g. a church wants to run some kind of debt advice service or group for those with addiction issues, but lacks a critical mass or a sufficient team. 

The Rural or Area Dean is an odd hybrid creature. She has her own parish or parishes (which might give her more than a full time job) but she is also the Bishop's Officer in deanery (of say 10 or 20 clergy) and their shop steward - a kind of two way spokeswoman and a friend / point of contact. 

In some places there has been a move towards full time rural deans. Myself I am not convinced this is an extra layer of management we really need. Or at least, if we are going to have full time Rural Deans or Assistant Archdeacons or whatever, they would need much more clout. A chat and advice from the Rural Dean is often welcome, but it is very clear (for good and ill) that he doesn't count as The Diocese: he can't cut the mustard like a Mitre could. 

No silver bullet or brilliant master plan is clear to me. 

In many places many clergy and churches will try to do more with less. In some places this will be fine, others will stagger on. We need a bit of space, of room in the system, slack or at least ability to adjust to the unexpected run of funerals or pastoral issues. It is no good saying to parishioners, "I'm sorry: I can't come to your relative's bedside or talk to you about your struggling marriage because I am already at full capacity with all the services and groups and admin and...." Sometimes less is more and we need to be crystal clear on our core business and our unique contribution. Social work and heritage projects and a million other things might be good and worthwhile, but we are here to do God! 

The welfare and well being of clergy and people really must be a priority. We all know that over worked and discouraged people are not likely to attract others or engender positive change and growth. We must find ways for refreshment and re-energisation. These must come in the final analysis from Christ in the power of the Spirit. It is the deep resources of Scripture, Sacrament and Prayer which will be the engine of the church - not a new organisational plan - and we must prioritise these things. The first question to the clergy must be, "Have you been praying and reading your Bible? And are you meeting Jesus there in a way which enables your ministry?" If anyone is so run ragged they can't do this for 20 minutes a day, something has to change fast. 

For me, parish life remains where it is at. It is the last thing I want to see cut. And, perhaps sadly, clergy need to be resourced, encouraged and helped to lead themselves. The Diocese needs to stress days off and leave and a week a year for a properly funded retreat, conference, course or equivalent. Clergy themselves need to think about practices and networks of support which will work for them. They are much more likely to participate in and benefit from things which they have deliberately bought into rather than edicts from the diocese which say "you must attend our Study Day or you will be on the naughty step!". This can seem like yet another demand, grump, grump, grump, and is not always received on the ground as the life-giving gift it is perhaps hoped to be.  

Life is sometimes tough and ministry is not easy, but it is joyful servant hearted leaders and their communities that will shine like lights in our needy world. The way we are the best clergy we can be is to seek joy and life and peace in Christ and to serve out of our sense of love and acceptance. We have the best good news in the world ever and in our right minds we would be bursting to share it. We can't always run on empty, or even on hand to mouth or second hand blessings. We must have some overflow of our own hearts, as the Spirit bubbles up within us, to share with others. 

Yes, we must debate plans and strategies. Perhaps we need some cuts in some places. But let us seek God afresh for our own souls and for the soul of the dear old C of E. 

Four Reminders for those Tempted to Compare Themselves to Mozart

Mozart died at the age of 35, amongst other things having composed over 600 works. He was an early- and over- achiever! 

 For those who are tempted to compare themselves to Mozart:

(1) Compare with care!

Of course you are not Mozart and your circumstances are rather different. 

You ought to compare yourself to Christ, but not because you are thinking of taking over as Messiah! 

Look at the spotless Son of God and you will see your sin afresh and how far short of True Humanity you fall.

Do you really need to compare yourself to others? 

You don't have all the facts. 

There is a danger of unwarranted pride or despair. 

 To his own master each person stands or falls. 

God wants a faithful you, not another Mozart or Mike or Mary.

(2) Satisfactory is satisfactory

Godly mediocrity is good. 

Likely to excel at something you will have to neglect other things. 

Good enough can be great. 

Sometimes surviving is a triumph. 

(3) The goal is godliness

The great aim is actually not Mozart-like musical glory or triumph in some other field. 

Seek first the kingdom of God. 

Love God and love your neighbour. Repeat! Glory! 

(4) The power of plodding 

You may not have the genius of Mozart but you may well have another 35 years or more. Or maybe by the grace of God you might have a year, or five or ten. You probably can't do much today, but in that time you could probably do more than you imagine. 

Ten or twenty or forty minutes or an hour a day used intelligently will add up. 

You could learn to play the piano, or get some Greek under your belt or read War and Peace. 

Why not begin today and do a little? Plod a few steps and in a couple of years you will have walked miles. 

Acts 23 Handout

 God willing there are going to be some PowerPoint slides, but for those who would prefer a handout:

 

THE UNSTOPPABLE MISSION AND MESSAGE OF GOD

(Acts 23)

 

The agenda of Acts 1:8

 

This story so far Acts 21ff- the attack on Paul in Jerusalem etc.

 

·       Like Jesus, Paul is innocent and unjustly persecuted

 

·       Like Jesus, Paul courageously does the will of God despite suffering

 

·       Like Jesus, Paul’s mission is unstoppable

 

Ø  Will you believe Paul’s message of resurrection hope in Jesus?

 

Ø  Will you play your part in the mission of Paul and Jesus and God to take this good news to all the nations (with courage, even if it means suffering)?

Service here 11am Sunday: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPBFrhqP5nL6QnmkZKfP5yw

Sermons here eventually: https://www.warbletonchurch.org.uk/sermons-talks/

Ruth 4 and Summary Bible Study Questions and Notes

For our churches midweek meeting on Wed 3rd Feb at 7:30pm via Zoom. No preparation required! 

QUESTIONS:

 

Re-cap:

 

Can you briefly re-tell the story so far?

 

Hosea 9:1 – To the people of Israel: “you have been unfaithful to your God; you love the wages of a prostitute at every threshing floor” – cf. prostitution and idolatry

 

What was the new issue / problem introduced last time?

 

Chapter 4:

 

What happens the day after the night before and why?

 

Do you know what the town gate was like / what its significance was? (v1)

(What bodily postures are mentioned in chapters 3 and 4 and why?)

What role do the elders and witnesses (vv9-11, 3 times) play here?

 

V1 – “the kinsman-redeemer he [Boaz] had mentioned came along” - another coincidence? – cf. 2:4 – “as it turned out she found herself working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech”, lo and behold, it just so happened! What have we learnt to make of co-incidences in this book?

 

Can you guess at why the other kinsman redeemer is never named?

 

Do you find it surprising that Naomi has a piece of land to sell (v3)? Why? What might be going on here? Cf. 2 Kings 8:1-6 – maybe a parallel situation of a woman going away because of a famine and returning, struggling to make use of the land which belonged to her

 

How does Boaz deal with the situation in a wise / clever way?

Do you think he is honourable or crafty or…?

(Do you think he embodies Matthew 10:16)

 

Why is the nearer kinsman redeemer interested then not interested?

Why might the redemption be costly? Do a cost / benefit analysis!

(What if only Naomi were involved? But what about with Ruth? Who does the redeemer have to feed and look after? What does he get out of it?)

How do the two potential kinsman redeemers compare?

Remember how Orpah acted. Do you think the other kinsman redeemer is doing similarly or is he being especially wicked?

Can you think of times when Christian service is costly or when faith contrasts with sight, hopeful trust in God with apparently prudent pragmatism?

 

What were Rachel and Leah (the wives of Israel / Jacob – Genesis 29ff) like? (v11)

How would they contrast with Ruth’s present situation?

What’s the relevance of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah? (v12) – see Genesis 38

Is there any similarity between Judah and Tamar and Boaz and Ruth? Any difference?

(Tamar is married to Judah’s son Er, who the LORD puts to death. Onan, Judah’s son, failed to do his duty to Tamar and Judah didn’t deal with it satisfactorily so she went back to her father’s house. Later Tamar tricked Judah into fathering her child.)

 

Did Boaz become “famous in Bethlehem”? How? Why?

How did he become great?

How would you describe his greatness?

 

Why might Boaz and Ruth be thought unlikely parents?

(We might think of other unlikely births in the Bible!)

 

Why does marriage / a child matter so much in the book of Ruth? How do they relate to the promises of God?

 

Why is the claim in v17 that Ruth is worth more than seven sons so extraordinary in this context?

 

Can you spot any similarities or differences between chapter 1 and chapter 4?

 

What if we called this the book of Naomi?

Her story is emphasised at the beginning and end of the book and at various points.

What if you re-told the story as the story of Naomi what would it be?

 

In what senses might Jesus be seen as like Boaz, or vice versa?

In what ways could Jesus be called our kinsman / guardian redeemer?

 

So, sum up. How does salvation, blessing, restoration, fullness, sweetness, transformation come about in this book?

 

What is the particular thing about Ruth which is stressed in the book? Ruth the ….. ? Why does that matter? What would you make of that? Think of the applications / implications / what it hints at.

 

What’s the climax / ending of the book? Do you find that surprising / significant?

(How do the very first and last verses of the book contribute to its meaning in the context of the whole historical story of the Bible?)

 

What have you learnt / been reminded of by the book of Ruth as a whole?

(What have you found striking / interesting?)

What does it tell us about God and his purposes?

In what ways might God be considered the main character of this book or not?

(The only explicit actions of God in the book are 1v6, providing food in Israel, and 4v13, enabling Ruth to conceive)

What has God used to achieve his purposes?

How does Christ fulfil the book of Ruth?

 

How have you experienced the loyal loving-kindness of God or of others?

How could you show this loyal loving-kindness to others?

 

How would you sum up the message of the book of Ruth in a sentence?

 

We have traced the theme of emptiness and fullness in Ruth. What do these NT texts have to say about fullness? Col 1:19; 2:9, 10; Jn 1:14, 16; 10:10

 

NOTES:

 

Chapter 4 (Christopher Ash’s outline): Costly redemption & unfolding hope

Legal decision (vv1-11a): Blessing comes only through costly redemption

A series of blessings (vv11b-17):

(a)   Blessings from the patriarchal on Ruth, Boaz and their offspring – vv11-12

(b)   Blessings in the intimate present - v13

(c)   Blessings of hope for the future – v14ff

A pointer to the future (vv18-21):

These blessings anticipate a greater fullness to come in Christ

 

Town gate (v1) – a kind of plaza inside the city walls where legal decisions were made, public business was done – Gen 23:10-18; 34:20; Dt 22:24 esp. 25:7; 2 Sam 19:8; 1 Kings 22:10; esp. 2:21; 3:2f

 

On levirate marriage see Gen 38; Dt 25:5-10

 

In chapter 3 there was a certain amount of lying down; now there is some sitting down to do serious legal business

 

V3 – maybe Naomi wasn’t able to work her land for some reason – had someone moved in to take it over?

 

V5 – acquire – really means take under your wings of protection and provision to care for her and look after her – Ex 15:13, 16

 

V7 – represents stepping into the shoes of another?

 

V11 – house = family / dynasty

 

V14 – cf. 1:19 for this chorus of women, where they say “Can this be Naomi?” on her return to Bethlehem

 

V15 – He (the child) will “renew” your life – lit. cause to return, an echo of the theme of chapter 1 – contrast 1v21

 

V15 – the only use of the word “love” in the book – maybe surprisingly the love of Ruth for Naomi – this seems important in the book whereas we might find it overshadowed by the love between Ruth and Boaz

 

V16 the child / lad – also in 1:5, where Naomi’s two lads died – a poignant and lovely inclusion

 

Ash: We might call this whole story from first-fruits to fullness

 

A parent burying a child is one of the saddest things; and the birth of a child is one of the happiest and most hopeful – from death to life; from emptiness, devastation and despair to fullness, joy and hope.

 

Another inclusion – from the days of the Judges (1v1) with their chaos to the blessings of the days of David (the very last verse)

 

The book of Ruth begins and ends with a flurry of names

 

Chapters one and four both have a day of decision in which one decided no and another decides yes (cf. Ruth & Orpah and the two potential kinsman redeemers)

 

NIV Proclamation Bible – one sentence summaries of each book: The Lord is committed to his people even in the darkest days, and will preserve his plan of salvation through a godly king [David / the Messiah], for both Jews and Gentiles. Through his kind and surprising providence God preserves the integrity of the family of Bethlehem from which the future king would arise. (Daniel Bock)

 

Covenant righteousness – Hesed, loving kindness, covenant loyalty in the Lord (2:20) and Ruth (3:10)

 

Light and hope in dark times

 

See NIV Proclamation Bible for the structure of the whole book of Ruth in 5 Acts + Epilogue – each act in a different location

Moab – crisis in the royal line

Field in Bethlehem – a ray of hope

Threshing floor – complication

City Gate – solution

Home of Boaz – guarantee

Family tree (conclusion)

 

Ruth the only woman in the entire Hebrew Bible explicitly called a woman of noble character (3:11), an embayment of Prov 31!

 

The genealogy of Christ – Matthew 1:5; Luke 3:31-33

 

Ash: in some ways we live at the end of chapter 3 as we await the Wedding Supper of the Lamb

There are many blessings to the Christian life, but God doesn’t promise plenty, marriage and fertility