11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
14 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
15 The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him." from 1 Kings 19
What a story!! It is amazing how quickly we forget the faithfulness of God that we have SEEN and EXPERIENCED in the past. Like Elijah, the minute trouble comes, we forget everything we have seen and experienced and take off running for our lives...ready to hide in a cave. Our cave may be alcohol. It may be withdrawal. It may be self-doubt or self-loathing. Why is it that we can't seem to live fully and daily out of a real trust in God. Hasn't he "proven it o'er and o'er."
Sunday we discussed the wilderness of big decisions and how we often flee from God in those times of choosing. We ask for other people's opinions, we research and we wring our hands, but we rarely ever turn to God. What stories do you have to share about God's work in the big decisions you've made in life. Have you ever turned a big decision over to Him? What happened?
Monday, February 25, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Into the Wild
The Temptation of Jesus
1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." 4Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'" 5The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7So if you worship me, it will all be yours." 8Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" 9The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. 10For it is written: " 'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" 12Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’"
13When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
Luke 4:1-13
On Sunday, the first worship service of Lent, we talked about Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness. My focus was on how he faced temptation AND how his wilderness experiences should be a source of strength and hope for us. Having been through the wilderness...having been abandoned by friends...having been scourged and crucified, Jesus endured wilderness experiences that were worse than anything we face. He know what it means to suffer, and He knows what it means to survive AND triumph.
How have times of suffering in your
life affected your faith?
Have they made it stronger?
Have they caused you to question the
existence of God or the providence of God?
1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." 4Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'" 5The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7So if you worship me, it will all be yours." 8Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" 9The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. 10For it is written: " 'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" 12Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’"
13When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
Luke 4:1-13
On Sunday, the first worship service of Lent, we talked about Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness. My focus was on how he faced temptation AND how his wilderness experiences should be a source of strength and hope for us. Having been through the wilderness...having been abandoned by friends...having been scourged and crucified, Jesus endured wilderness experiences that were worse than anything we face. He know what it means to suffer, and He knows what it means to survive AND triumph.
How have times of suffering in your
life affected your faith?
Have they made it stronger?
Have they caused you to question the
existence of God or the providence of God?
Monday, February 4, 2008
EVOLUTION and the Question of Faith Versus Science
"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. John 16:12-15
On Sunday, we discussed evolution and the perceived conflict between science and religion. In preparing for the sermon, I studied this text from John and an article in Time magazine that presents a debate between Richard Dawkins and Francis Collins. While each of these men are renowned scientists, one is a Christian, and one is vehemently opposed to Christianity. Here is a link to that article: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1555132,00.html
In sharing my thoughts on evolution, science and faith, I made several key points:
First, to speak with any intergrity requires each of us to acknowledge the debt we owe to science and the trust we put into science each day. When we crank the car, when we go to the hospital, when we watch TV and when we fly, we rely on science. It is a part of the fabric of our lives. In addition, I think it is a misguided to posit any type of conspiracy in the scientific community. The scientific community is as diverse and fragmented as the culture at large. Within it, there is more competition than cooperation due to the amount of $$ that may follow any given breakthrough. Thus, "science" is not out to accomplish anything other than to understand the material & mechanics of the world around us. (and to monetize those findings whenever possible--usually to fund further research)
Second, while science seeks to answer the "what" and "how" of creation, i.e., what things are made of and how they work, faith is focused on the "who" and "why" of life. Who are we? What, if any, purpose do we have? Who created us? Why are we here? These are questions uniquely unsuited to scientific inquiry. These are metaphysical (or spiritual) questions that the scientific method is ill-equipped to explore. Perhaps then science and faith are perfect companions, each exploring a part of the human existence that the other cannot.
Third, I think there is no reason to see Darwin's theory of natural selection, the basis of evolution theory, as an alternative explanation to the Genesis narrative. Perhaps Genesis explains the "who" and "why" of creation, while science, a gift from God, explores the question of "how" He did it. Maybe God has given us science as a tool to help us know Him better...to deepen our awe at His handiwork. Perhaps, through science, God is "leading us into all truth." I believe that science is His gift to us--His tool freely offered for our use in exploring and appreciating creation.
With regards to the six days of creation referenced in Genesis, I think we have to acknowledge that the "time stamps" in Genesis are somewhat suspect. People are said to live for 150 years or more in a era when the average life span was probably in the mid-thirties. Besides, who would think that an eternal God would measure time as we do in increments of 24 hour days. While certainly possible, that seems unlikely to me.
In the final analysis, I think God could have created in any way He chose. He could have done it instantly. He could have done it over millions of years. I personally think it was over a long period of time as science suggests. If that is the case, our creation mirrors our salvation. It begins with a bang when we accept Christ and continues in a halting yet upward trajectory as we grow in grace and righteousness through the work of the Spirit in us. There is some real symmetry there, huh? We may have been created in the same way--with a God- generated bang followed by a long but halting development as each species naturally selected for stronger and more adaptive traits. To my mind, only an amazing God could create living things that were designed to naturally become stronger, faster & smarter. Beautiful. Then, He comes along and offers that same gift of development and transformation to the minds and souls of His sentient creations. Gorgeous.
Wherever you fall on the evolution question, lets all covenant as one body in Christ to respect each other's views and to declare unto the world that what unites us, i.e., the Lordship of Christ, is so much greater than the things we may disagree on! That is the best witness of all. Moreoveor, I think we can all agree that God has given us an amazing creation to behold, enjoy and protect!
On Sunday, we discussed evolution and the perceived conflict between science and religion. In preparing for the sermon, I studied this text from John and an article in Time magazine that presents a debate between Richard Dawkins and Francis Collins. While each of these men are renowned scientists, one is a Christian, and one is vehemently opposed to Christianity. Here is a link to that article: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1555132,00.html
In sharing my thoughts on evolution, science and faith, I made several key points:
First, to speak with any intergrity requires each of us to acknowledge the debt we owe to science and the trust we put into science each day. When we crank the car, when we go to the hospital, when we watch TV and when we fly, we rely on science. It is a part of the fabric of our lives. In addition, I think it is a misguided to posit any type of conspiracy in the scientific community. The scientific community is as diverse and fragmented as the culture at large. Within it, there is more competition than cooperation due to the amount of $$ that may follow any given breakthrough. Thus, "science" is not out to accomplish anything other than to understand the material & mechanics of the world around us. (and to monetize those findings whenever possible--usually to fund further research)
Second, while science seeks to answer the "what" and "how" of creation, i.e., what things are made of and how they work, faith is focused on the "who" and "why" of life. Who are we? What, if any, purpose do we have? Who created us? Why are we here? These are questions uniquely unsuited to scientific inquiry. These are metaphysical (or spiritual) questions that the scientific method is ill-equipped to explore. Perhaps then science and faith are perfect companions, each exploring a part of the human existence that the other cannot.
Third, I think there is no reason to see Darwin's theory of natural selection, the basis of evolution theory, as an alternative explanation to the Genesis narrative. Perhaps Genesis explains the "who" and "why" of creation, while science, a gift from God, explores the question of "how" He did it. Maybe God has given us science as a tool to help us know Him better...to deepen our awe at His handiwork. Perhaps, through science, God is "leading us into all truth." I believe that science is His gift to us--His tool freely offered for our use in exploring and appreciating creation.
With regards to the six days of creation referenced in Genesis, I think we have to acknowledge that the "time stamps" in Genesis are somewhat suspect. People are said to live for 150 years or more in a era when the average life span was probably in the mid-thirties. Besides, who would think that an eternal God would measure time as we do in increments of 24 hour days. While certainly possible, that seems unlikely to me.
In the final analysis, I think God could have created in any way He chose. He could have done it instantly. He could have done it over millions of years. I personally think it was over a long period of time as science suggests. If that is the case, our creation mirrors our salvation. It begins with a bang when we accept Christ and continues in a halting yet upward trajectory as we grow in grace and righteousness through the work of the Spirit in us. There is some real symmetry there, huh? We may have been created in the same way--with a God- generated bang followed by a long but halting development as each species naturally selected for stronger and more adaptive traits. To my mind, only an amazing God could create living things that were designed to naturally become stronger, faster & smarter. Beautiful. Then, He comes along and offers that same gift of development and transformation to the minds and souls of His sentient creations. Gorgeous.
Wherever you fall on the evolution question, lets all covenant as one body in Christ to respect each other's views and to declare unto the world that what unites us, i.e., the Lordship of Christ, is so much greater than the things we may disagree on! That is the best witness of all. Moreoveor, I think we can all agree that God has given us an amazing creation to behold, enjoy and protect!
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