Tag: christianity

God’s Power in the Margins

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Every society on earth has always had groups of people in the social margins; people who are relegated to the edges of the larger community. It’s a tragic symptom of living in this broken world, the ease with which we dehumanize others by categorizing them as unwanted or undesirable, or unuseful.

Which is why Jesus’ ministry is so arresting, simply because the majority of his messianic work was done with and for those who were designated as the outcasts of his time. When the Kingdom of Heaven began its invasion of this world, it wasn’t focused in on the elites and powerful of Rome or even Israel. It was laser focused on the most vulnerable among us – revealing the heart of God and the nature of His healing work in this world.

This Sunday we’ll be reading Matthew 8:1-17 in our ongoing study of this Gospel. Chapters 8 and 9 of Matthew are arranged around two sets of three miracles, bridged by sayings of Jesus. This framework is meant to put the authority of Jesus on display after he had revealed his authority to teach in the Sermon on the Mount.

V1-4 is the account of Jesus healing a leper. The Torah had very specific instructions on identifying skin diseases, and what to do if one was diagnosed on a person. It’s clear that a person’s life would be miserable with that affliction, especially on a social level – they would be mandatorily outcast. Does the leper demand a healing from Jesus? Why do you think he phrased his inquiry the way he did? What is the first thing Matthew describes Jesus doing, even before declaring him healed? What might a human touch have meant to someone who had been labeled as “untouchable”? What do we learn about the nature of our mission, as Jesus’ representatives, from that?

V 5-13 tells us about a request from a Roman officer. Rome was the occupying force in Israel – they were seen as the enemy, the oppressors of the Jewish people. I can’t think of someone who would be more likely to be ostracized by the larger community than man who represented the Roman army. How resistant did Jesus seem to answer this man’s request? What might have been the thoughts of the people around Jesus when this gentile soldier made this request? The officer gives Jesus a way out of coming into his house, and Jesus commends his faith. Faith in what, do you suppose?

The last part of this section details Jesus’ healing of Peter’s mother-in-law from a fever. Women rarely took center stage in recorded events in the ancient world. This is highlighted in the Gospels for a reason. What was her response when she was healed, what did she do (hint: the words “a meal” are not in the Greek – she got up and diakoneō him)?

I’m really excited to get into this text together – I hope you can join us this Sunday at 10 AM!

A Deeper Devotion

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One of the things that has accompanied the rise of the internet and our online connections via social media is an ever-increasing angst over social comparisons – something that has been ringing alarm bells for mental health professionals. The other side of that tends to be the phenomena of “virtue signaling”; expressing opinions or making posts that intimate that a person is deeply concerned and doing something about whatever the latest problem or injustice happens to be (which usually involves posting something or changing a profile picture). Not every accusation of virtue signaling is correct – but there is a very real temptation to try and look a certain way in how we present ourselves online.

Of course, this sort of posery isn’t limited to social media – it saturates politics and workplaces and is present even in family dynamics – but one place that always has a bumper-crop of people trying to look better than they really are is in the realm of religion and the church.

Jesus is going to deal with religious posing in the text we’ll be reading this Sunday as we continue our study in Matthew. We’ll be reading Matt 6:1-18.

Jesus addresses three areas of spiritual devotion and highlights the temptations we face when setting out to put them into practice. He’ll talk about giving, fasting and praying. We’ll sort of jumble up the text on Sunday so as to keep all the themes together (making it easier for a simple-minded teacher to work his way through).

If you were to summarize Jesus’ warnings about giving, fasting and praying , what would you write? Who is supposed to be our primary concern when it comes to these acts of devotion? Why do you think we are so tempted to put the focus somewhere else?

When we look at how Jesus taught us to pray – who are we addressing our prayers to? What title does Jesus give to God? How might we read that differently from God’s other titles, such as Lord or King? How might our trust in a loving, parental Creator help curb our desire for human approval?

There’s a lot we’ll be unpacking in this section – I hope you can join us this Sunday at 10 AM as we dig into the center of the center of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount!

A Deeper Righteousness

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We’re going to be continuing our study in Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount this Sunday – we’ll be reading chapter 5:17-48. So far, Jesus has been turning popular concepts on their heads, pointing to the stuff we normally try to avoid in life and saying that is where the good life is found. In the text we’ll read this Sunday, Jesus will drive this idea home through a series of contrasts.

Jesus begins this next section making it clear that he’s not starting some new religion, and he’s not just trying to contradict the Old Testament Law, but his intention is to fulfill it. His coming on the scene is a continuation of the story that was developed in the Old Testament and he is the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham and David.

While he intends to fulfill the law, he also warns that our righteousness has to exceed that of the Pharisees. What do you believe he means by that? How do we apply that in our present world and time? If adhering to a moral code doesn’t produce righteousness, what do you think will?

Jesus has something else he wants to make clear: the deeper intention behind the Law of Moses. So from v21-48 he presents what have become known as the antitheses’ of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus reveals a contrast by putting two different ideas side by side. It will be in the form of “You’ve heard it said…but I say…”.

He will cover themes of murder, lust, adultery, oaths and how to treat our enemies. What is the common thread that you notice to all these themes? Jesus is describing real righteousness that is more than the outward expression of the Pharisees – so how do you think real righteousness is expressed, based on the themes Jesus presents?

When Jesus tells us to present the other side of our face when struck on one side, do you believe he’s telling an abused wife somewhere to just take it? If not, then what would be a good way to understand the nature of Christ’s instructions here? What difference do you think there is between self-defense and retaliation and revenge?

What Jesus is describing is certainly no way to get ahead in this world. We know the rules of this world. If getting ahead in this world isn’t on Jesus’ agenda, what benefit do you think living out this kind of righteousness accomplishes?

This is going to be a challenging study – Hope you can join us this Sunday as we explore the Sermon on the Mount more deeply.

Who is Living the Good Life?

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Have you ever looked at someone’s life—on social media or even in real life—and thought, “I wish I had what they have”?

Maybe it’s their home, their family, their vacations, or just the way their life seems so perfectly put together. It’s easy to compare, especially when all we’re seeing are the highlight reels. Social media filters out the grey areas, the struggles, and the sadness, leaving us longing for a version of life that’s curated—not complete.

I know people have looked at my life before and glamorized it without knowing the full story. They see the joyful moments but not the hard-fought battles behind them. That’s the illusion many of us live with in this digital age.

It’s normal to desire a good life. But what’s fascinating is how different “the good life” looks for each person. For me, it might include regular trips to the beach; for someone else, the beach might be the last place they’d want to go. That’s because a good life is subjective—it depends on the eye of the beholder.

This Sunday, we’re exploring what Jesus called “the good life” in the Sermon on the Mount, reading Matthew 5:1-16.
 In most Bible translations, we read the word blessed—“Blessed are the poor in spirit…,” and so on. But if we look deeper, starting with the Hebrew context and moving forward, we find that it could also be paraphrased as, “You have a good life when…”

And that’s powerful. Because the kind of life Jesus describes is radically different from what the world calls “good.” It challenges our assumptions, it reshapes our values, and it continues to change lives 2,000 years after it was spoken.Join us this Sunday at 10:00AM as we dive into the Beatitudes and discover how Jesus’ words still speak into our world—and our hearts—today.

God’s Kingdom Revealed

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We recently redid our kitchen – well, we hired someone to redo our kitchen. I remember all the planning and sketches Robbie and I did as we thought up our new space. Then the construction began and the project began to take shape – and it’s quite exhilarating to see a project we’d imagined for so long start to take shape in reality. This Sunday we’ll be reading the last part of Matthew chapter 4 , where Jesus begins his public ministry and we begin to see what the Kingdom of God is like in practice.

In v15-16, Matthew identifies Jesus’ work as a fulfillment of a prophecy given by Isaiah, 600 years earlier. Light dawning on people living in darkness is how the action of the kingdom of God is described. What is your impression of this metaphor? What do you think it means, and how does that inform your understanding of God’s purposes for humanity?

We then read about Jesus’ first disciples. We’ll be unpacking the dynamic of rabbis and talmidim (disciples) on Sunday morning – but succinctly put: if these guys were working in the family fishing business, it was because they didn’t measure up for normal rabbinical activities. Yet Jesus chooses these fishermen to be his close associates who will set out to imitate him. What does that tell us about God’s rule in action? Who is it open to, and what action does he call his disciples to (v19)?

V23-25 provide a summary of the excitement that was building around Jesus. What is it that he is becoming famous and sought out for? What is this revealing about God’s reign in practice – what is the mission of God’s kingdom? In all three of these examples, what is it about this that makes it good news?

Looking forward to this study! Happy Father’s day in advance – I hope you can join us!

Preparing the Way

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Remember how, before Hurricane Michael, when the storm season came around we only gave it our mild interest. Post-Michael, I haven’t yet met someone who doesn’t follow Mike’s Spaghetti models with grave intentionality between June and November. Experience and expectation really goes a long way in shaping our responses to the warnings we get from NOAA.

As we continue our study in Matthew this week we’ll be reading chapter 3.  We’re going to be introduced to a human GFS model – John the Baptist, who will be announcing the arrival of the Messiah and the launch of God’s kingdom invasion.

As you read John’s message, what does his major theme seem to be? What is he calling people to do? What do you think his instructions meant to a Jewish person living in the first century? What does that mean to us, as 21st Century Americans? What sort of radical changes have taken place in your life as a result of embracing the Good News of Jesus?

The Pharisees and Sadducees show up too, and John doesn’t give them the greeting they are accustomed to. What does he seem to highlight as the problem with these religious leaders? Why does he call them “the offspring of snakes”? Thinking back through the Biblical narrative, do you remember a forecast of “the offspring of the serpent” bruising someone’s heel? There’s going to be a lot to unpack in this section that I’m really excited about!

When Jesus shows up he does something that surprises everyone, including John. He gets in line for his turn to be baptized. John is nonplussed. “You’re the Messiah, come to save us from sin…I need to be baptized by you…what do YOU need to repent of?” It’s a puzzling scene to this day. Jesus said he needed to do it to, in the Greek, “fulfill all righteousness”. In other words – the righteousness, the setting things right that God intends comes through a Messiah who stands in the river with humanity, identifying with them, protecting them in their corrupted, vulnerable state. What does this tell us about what it means to “fulfill righteousness”?

I’m so stoked to dig into this text – Hope to see you Sunday!

The Cost of Idolatry

Rob Woodrum2 Comments

This Sunday we’ll be digging into the first chapter of Micah, the Minor Prophet. We’ve stated before that this book, like all the works of the Old Testament Prophets, contains some difficult and harsh words. I will again be reminding us that we must read any of these prophecies through the lens of the revelation of who God is in Jesus. We’ll talk some about how we go about applying these Scriptures as well.

As you read through this opening chapter, you’ll notice that great, cosmic imagery is employed to reinforce just how serious the situation is. Imagine the opening like a trial, where God calls witnesses to hear his complaint about how his covenant people have been using the freedom they had.

The list of complaints will be extensive as the book goes on – but in the opening salvo, we have a description of high places in Jerusalem. That is our clue that identifies idolatry as the first issue God brings into focus. We’ll talk about idolatry on Sunday – what it means and how it can affect us, even in a modern age where it’s unlikely anyone is bowing down to a carved statue somewhere.

Idolatry is a big issue in the Scriptures – a main source of trouble all through the history of God’s people. If you’ve ever been near a church, you’ve likely heard sermons on this problem before. What’s your natural reaction to hearing that we may have idols still lurking in our lives? If you are warned to get rid of an idol, no matter what form it may take, do you feel encouraged, condemned or something in between?

What if the cure for idolatry wasn’t about getting our act together or trying to be a better Christian? What if it were something deeper, something we need to realize about our identity? I’m persuaded that the first chapter of Micah gives us a clue as to how God can cure “the incurable plague” that has often hounded his beloved people. I hope you can join us as we consider this on Sunday – I think it will be a great encouragement to us all!

Am I good enough for God to use?

Rob WoodrumLeave a comment

The Bible gives examples of all sorts of people God uses to carry out His divine plan. Studying these different stories and people can lead us to question whether we are as great as these examples or possibly good enough for God to use.

Last Sunday, we completed our study in Corinthians and learned about the hot mess church. Before moving on to the next book study we will spend a few weeks on topical studies like this one. This week, we will examine the types of people that God works through and discover what that means for each one of us today.

The main example we will examine is Esther. Being familiar with her story and this book of the Bible will help us compare her story not only with others in the Bible but also with our own. I highly encourage you to read through the story of Esther in the Bible. Also, if you get the chance, I also encourage you to watch the Bible project video linked below that summarizes it beautifully.

We hope to see you this Sunday at 10:00AM as we study this topic and scripture together.

Resurrection; The Substance of Salvation

Rob WoodrumLeave a comment

We’ll be returning to our study of 1 Corinthians after taking two weeks away from it for the holidays. We’ll be reading 1 Cor 15:35-58 – Paul’s concluding thoughts concerning the doctrine of the resurrection.

In the first part of chapter 15, Paul was corrective in his discussion about the resurrection – pointing out how intimately Jesus’ resurrection was tied to our own stories. In Paul’s thinking, Jesus’ experience was a model for what God intended to do for all of his people, hence, the general resurrection was a mandatory belief.

I do find it fascinating how very little time or thought our modern, Western church gives to this idea. N.T. Wright wrote a very insightful book on this topic, called “Surprised by Hope”, which I highly recommend reading.

For the last half of the chapter, Paul points both to nature and the Biblical narrative to make his case for the holistic nature of the resurrection. I really like his argument as it touches nature. What are we witnessing every spring as winter recedes? If God is the author of reality as we perceive it, what might he be trying to tell us in this cycle of seasons?

Going to the biblical narrative, Paul asserts a new Adamic role for Jesus. His logic seems to be, if we all face the certainty of death through Adam’s sin, doesn’t it stand to reason that we all get in on Christ’s resurrection life through Him?

As Paul has elaborated on this subject, has it influenced how you perceive an afterlife with God? Paul finishes on a high note, in v55 he rewords a prophetic poem from Hosea 13, flipping the meaning of that oracle into a forecast of triumph for God’s people. How can we start incorporating a more robust hope for resurrection into our faith worldview?

I’m really stoked about getting into this section of 1 Corinthians – I hope you’re able to join us this Sunday at 10 AM!

Resurrection; The Sum of all Hope

Rob WoodrumLeave a comment

I know, I know….you’re thinking: “Rob! It’s almost Christmas, not Easter!” I realize that. But I would also argue that the themes of Easter should be something that resonates with followers of Jesus no matter what time of year it is. As we’re going to be reading in our text this Sunday, the resurrection of Jesus is the very heart of our faith and hope. We’ll be continuing our study in 1 Corinthians this Sunday, reading chapter 15, verses 1-34.

I’ll warn you right off, this is a fairly complex and dense bit of theology that Paul delves into as he comes to the close of his letter. It might behoove you to read the passage in a few different translations – but especially take a look at Eugene Peterson’s “The Message” version – because while it may overly simplify some of the concepts Paul is advocating, it most certainly provides a readable overview of this thoughts.

As you read it over, how important does the resurrection of God’s people seem to be for Paul? Does it match your own passion for that subject? If not, why might that be? How much space does the resurrection of the saints take up in your spiritual worldview? Clearly, for Paul, everything hinged on that idea.

Paul indelibly tethers Christ’s experiences to the future plans for His followers. In Paul’s thinking, our beliefs about what happened in the past have a profound effect on our present and our future when it comes to the resurrection. I’ll be honest, the string of Paul’s logic feels so foreign to me as someone who has grown up in the Evangelical church. Our matrix has always been: “Believe on Jesus and you will go to heaven when you die and avoid eternal punishment in hell.” It just feels like that reasoning couldn’t be further from Paul’s thinking about mortality and eschatology. In fact, how many times does Paul reference “going to heaven or hell” in his presentation of the central core of the Gospel?

That’s really something to ponder for a bit. The more I ponder it, the more I start to ask, “What have we been thinking?”

If you’re really interesting in tackling a big topic, I hope you’ll join us this Sunday at 10 am as we dig deeply into Scripture.