Sunday Sermon Notes: June 17, 2018

Posted on June 17, 2018 by Don Merritt

Title: Jesus in the Synagogue

Text: Mark 1:21-28

Jesus went to the synagogue at Capernaum and taught there. Mark doesn’t tell us what He taught, just that He did teach; the exact content isn’t the issue in this text, the reaction of the people is the real message. The people were amazed not so much by His content, apparently, but at His manner.

I know a preacher who is more than capable of bringing a brilliant sermon to his group, but as he does so, it is obvious that he is uncomfortable, nervous and insecure.  By the time his people have finished their lunch, they have forgotten what he taught only an hour earlier. Other preachers I know present really weak content with confidence and an air of command that their groups recall and consider greatly inspiring. Jesus had both content and an air of confidence and authority; He really made an impact on the people and that was quite a contrast with what they were used to hearing.

Then there’s this guy…

The guy was possessed by an “impure spirit.” This impure spirit starts talking to Jesus:

“What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

Mark 1:24

Now this is something you don’t see every day! Did you notice that the spirit is the only one in the place who knows who he’s talking to? Oh yes, they know exactly who Jesus is, and they tremble. They also know who indwells you and me, and they tremble!

Jesus responds to the spirit by telling it to be quiet and come out of the man…. and the spirit obeys; authority again.

Before this, the people were amazed, now they are beyond amazed:

The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

Mark 1:27-28

Take a moment and consider the reaction of the people. If you consider these words carefully, you should be more amazed than those people were. Jesus had just taught in the synagogue with authority. Then He was accosted by an impure spirit who recognized Jesus as the “Holy One of God” and Jesus told the spirit to shut up and get lost… and the spirit obeys, and the people say, “What is this? A new Teaching – and with authority!”

The people had heard Jesus teach, and they were impressed by His authority. Then they saw His authority confirmed in a way no one had ever seen before. They also heard the spirit tell exactly who Jesus was, but all they could comprehend was teaching and authority. Doesn’t this remind you of something common in our time?

“Jesus was a great moral teacher, but not the Son of God.”

There is a lesson for us to learn here: Never underestimate the capacity of human beings to miss the obvious. (You may quote me on that!)

Even so, the word spread about Jesus…

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TLP Op-Ed: June16, 2018

Posted on June 16, 2018 by Don Merritt

A Week to Remember

Here we are at the end of an amazing week. The big meeting in Singapore has concluded with an agreement in principle; now the technical people can sit down together and negotiate the terms for a final deal. One would think that this would be good news.

The Inspector General of the Justice Department has come out with his much-anticipated report about the recent investigation into the Clinton email scandal and now we can argue about what it said.

Mr. Trump reports that it proves his innocence: I wasn’t aware that anyone had accused Mr. Trump of having any involvement in Mrs. Clinton’s illegal email servers…

I’m not sure whether this week is more memorable for the substantive things that happened, or for the bizarre atmosphere in which they have taken place. Here are a couple of examples…

The Singapore summit resulted in about as much as any reasonable person could have hoped for. Therefore, it’s being denounced. The very same people who were demanding that Mr. Trump meet with the North Koreans to negotiate instead of threatening, are denouncing Trump for coddling a dictator, for giving legitimacy to a rogue regime. Foreign Policy experts are denouncing an agreement in principle as though it were a final treaty for it’s lack of detail, even though they know full-well what it really is, and other serious people are joining in, also knowing that what they are saying is a complete misrepresentation of the facts.

Even more amazing is the fact that no one in particular seems to care; it’s business as usual.

Then there’s the IG report… Topping the list of bizarre and ridiculous has to be Mr. Trump’s claim that it proves his innocence in the Russian matter. It wasn’t even about the Russian business, that’s a whole different report. Sir, as hard as it is for any of us to believe, not everything in this world is about you.

It seems that over the past couple of days, everyone claims that the Report proves… whatever they want it to prove. I think we all know that can’t be true.

Finally, we have the stories that have been lost in coverage of the 2 “big” stories. The Department of Justice continues to defy requests for clean documents from the relevant Congressional oversight committees, and the former director of the FBI, Mr. Comry, has threatened the committees to avoid being held in contempt of Congress.

“Houston, we have a problem.”

Is there outrage in Congress and the Press about this illegal stonewalling by the FBI and DOJ? No, of course not. There is denunciation of the oversight committees, even on the part of the minority members themselves who claim that Republican majority members of the Committees are engaged in some kind of partisan witch hunt against a Republican-run DOJ.

This week has been nothing, if not surreal.

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TLP Inspiration: June 16, 2018

Posted on June 16, 2018 by Don Merritt

Good Saturday Morning from the Heartland.

Our relationship with Jesus Christ is a merciful one, in fact it is based upon mercy.  Jesus Himself saw to that by going to the cross so that our sins might be forgiven.  He is the one who made it possible for us to draw near to God; to approach His throne.

Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love, 
    for they are from of old.
 Remember not the sins of my youth 
    and my rebellious ways; 
according to your love remember me,
    for you are good, O Lord.

Psalm 25:6-7

In many relationships, we have difficulty approaching others because we have hurt or offended them… how will they react?  In relationship with Jesus, He has already forgiven us; we can approach in praise and thanksgiving.

We may approach Him for His guidance, His mercy and His love… we will truly be missing out if we neglect such a great relationship.

May we never neglect our relationship with Him, that relationship which is so very wonderful merciful.

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Have You Noticed?

Posted on June 15, 2018 by Don Merritt

We’ve made it though our first question in organizing our new church in our Martian colony. I’d like to thank each and every one of you who responded and offered your thoughts about what we need to take with us so that we can have worship services on Sundays. Reading through your responses, I see a definite pattern: We don’t need anything special to worship together each week.

I must admit that I was a little surprised at that; has anyone noticed that if we don’t take anything with us for worship, we’ve chosen a ‘worship style’ by default?

One of you, my former neighbor Rob, asked if we need a clergyman or approval from a church body to establish a new church. A couple of you replied to Rob by saying essentially that we really don’t need any of that and even suggested that this would be an opportunity to return to the way church was “done” (my word) at the beginning and drop some of the baggage we’ve picked up over the centuries.  If that isn’t in line with your thinking, or if you think we need to be following any particular denominational lines that would require authorization, that would be hard to get after the fact.

Pete mentioned music, but no one has suggested we take any musical instruments or anything like that: Are you sure? Hey Pete, you might want to pack some music in your haversack!

If anyone has any further observations, please feel free to chime in!

OK, as we continue our discussion, someone says, “Maybe we should agree what Sunday worship looks like. For example, do we need music? How about Communion? Will there be a sermon or homily? Do we need prayer books? Will our worship be formal and traditional; that might be tough to pull off in that environment since we can’t have anything with an open flame (candles).”

OK colonists, this time you get to go first… What does corporate worship need to look like? Maybe we should take something with us after all…?

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The Moment of Truth has Arrived

Posted on June 15, 2018 by Don Merritt

Song of Songs 8

Ok this is it; how is this story going to end? Will “He” and “She” get together, will they get married, and will they ever even be in the same room? We are about to find out.

“She” speaks:

If only you were to me like a brother,
who was nursed at my mother’s breasts!
Then, if I found you outside,
I would kiss you,
and no one would despise me.
I would lead you
and bring you to my mother’s house—
she who has taught me.
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
the nectar of my pomegranates.
His left arm is under my head
and his right arm embraces me.
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.

Song of Songs 8:1-4

“She” hasn’t spoken quite like this before, has she? Did you catch that; did it sink in? She’s wishing that her beloved was her brother so she could kiss him and not be despised for it! She wants them to be together as brother and sister, apparently because they cannot be together any other way. Then in verse 3 “She” switches from first to second person and describes how they could be in a sort of embrace if they were brother and sister. Then in verse 4 she repeats her warning to the daughters of Jerusalem for the third time, that they should not awaken love until the time is right, and now for the first time it is starting to be clear why “She” is saying this: There is some kind of an impediment to their coming together, at least it is suddenly beginning to look that way.

The friends give an interesting reply that reminds us of an image of her beloved in chapter 1, then “She” seems to remember his response to her in the trees; she wants him to respond to her love. She continues in verses 6-7 talking of the strength of love, even likening it to the strength of death: once you have it, it isn’t going away seems to be the message.

Additionally, there seems to be a developing contrast between the idea of real and earnest love, and those who see “love” as a commodity that can be bought, sold and or traded. In this vein, we come to verses 8-12:

We have a little sister,
and her breasts are not yet grown.
What shall we do for our sister
on the day she is spoken for?
If she is a wall,
we will build towers of silver on her.
If she is a door,
we will enclose her with panels of cedar.

I am a wall,
and my breasts are like towers.
Thus I have become in his eyes
like one bringing contentment.
Solomon had a vineyard in Baal Hamon;
he let out his vineyard to tenants.
Each was to bring for its fruit
a thousand shekels of silver.
But my own vineyard is mine to give;
the thousand shekels are for you, Solomon,
and two hundred are for those who tend its fruit.

Do you recall this from chapter 1?

Do not stare at me because I am dark,
because I am darkened by the sun.
My mother’s sons were angry with me
and made me take care of the vineyards;
my own vineyard I had to neglect (1:6)

“She” has mentioned brothers, and her mother, but has she mentioned her father up to this point?

No, she hasn’t. If there was no father in the picture for whatever reason, who would make the arrangements for her to marry when she came of age? Yep, that’s right: Her older brothers. Now take another look at 8:8-9 and the arranged marriage (or something else more sinister) becomes clearer, particularly if you look at what “She” says right after that beginning with verse 10. Holy heart attack,

“She” can never marry “He” because she’s promised to someone else… in some capacity.

Now enter Solomon: this isn’t the first time that he has entered the picture in a way that keeps the lovebirds apart; remember 3:6 ff. ? Didn’t he come up out of the wilderness and come between the two? Why yes, that’s exactly what happened in her dream. It seems that Solomon has a very special vineyard in Baal Hamon, which means “multitudes.” It represents his household here, in which live not only his many wives but his thousand concubines. As we continue, we see that this vineyard is where “She” has been promised to Solomon for a cash settlement from Solomon to her brothers. Again, recall 1:6 and the role that vineyards play… In both references to vineyards, we see that her “vineyard” has been neglected in favor of those of the men; now “She” asserts that only she can dispose of her “vineyard”, and essentially tells Solomon he can keep his money.

“He” calls out to her; “She” urges him to take her away from this, and the story ends.

Well dear reader, that’s the end of the text, but we still have a lot to talk about. See you next time!

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The Hypothetical Revealed

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Don Merritt

Thank you to everyone who “liked” or commented on yesterday’s introduction of our little experiment and grand adventure. Of the comments from yesterday that I have received so far, 2 liked the idea, two sort of liked the idea, and two didn’t like the idea. Assuming that all 25 “likes” were done after reading, “likes” fell off by about a third of what I normally have for a second post as of this writing, but more comments and likes will probably follow for the rest of today. Anyway, a special “thank you” to everyone who commented: I asked because I wanted to know, so to the ones who didn’t like the idea, an even bigger thank you!

I think there is enough interest to give this a try and the next step is to reveal the hypothetical…

Congratulations!

Out of more than a half-million applicants, you have been selected to be one of the twenty five people selected to be the first human beings to colonize the planet Mars. Your skill, your high character and your sincere dedication to this mission have caused you to stand out from all other applicants; you should be justifiably proud of your accomplishment.

Enclosed herewith, please find your paid airline ticket to Houston, Texas, USA where you will report to the Johnson Space Center for mission orientation, and where you will meet the other 24 dedicated selectees for this historic mission.

I look forward to meeting you in person!

Sincerely,

International Martian Colony Project Director.

So, there you have it, dear reader, you are one of the first 25 humans to colonize the planet Mars in a huge international undertaking to advance the cause of all humanity. When you arrive, you meet all of the bigwigs associated with the Project, not to mention the politicians who want a photo-op with you.

You’re a star!

When all of that is over, you have a chance to get to know your fellow colonists. They’re a fine lot and you begin to relax a bit. As you get to know each one a little better, you discover that there are 12 of you who are Christians in the group, and the one thing you all agree upon is that you will miss worshipping with others on the Lord’s Day each week. Then someone has a bright idea!

Why not start the first ever church on Mars?

The 12 of you sit down to discuss this and you quickly discover that each one of you is from a different background, a different “denomination” if you want to use the term. You have different traditions, different customs… You all realize that you will need to agree on what items you will really need to worship God together each week. Don’t forget, there is very little extra space in your cargo bay!

You go around the table, ideas are tossed out, it’s now your turn: What do you need to worship God together?

We’re all waiting for YOUR ideas!

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Dance of Delight

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Don Merritt

Song of Songs 6:11-7:13

After the second of her dreams, “He” speaks; it would seem that he is going out to inspect a grove of trees when he is overcome by his desire for “She”. His friends chime in; he replies and we are left wondering what they mean by a Shulammite. Then the real action begins:

In 7:1-5 we have him being more personal and intimate than heretofore in his description of her body, mentioning her navel, waist and breasts in particular; he is really getting into her apparently dancing figure. Verse 6 provides a little transition using some of her words about him in describing her, and then we come to 7-9a; look out oh you faint of heart, for here comes the sex…

Your stature is like that of the palm,
and your breasts like clusters of fruit.
I said, “I will climb the palm tree;
I will take hold of its fruit.”
May your breasts be like clusters of grapes on the vine,
the fragrance of your breath like apples,
and your mouth like the best wine.

Where his eyes have gone over her body, “He” is now prepared to take his body, climbing that palm tree that is her body. The clusters of fruit he’s going to take hold of, all that wine he’s going to drink… the only problem is that “She” isn’t actually in the scene. “He” went to inspect the grove of trees; did anybody mention that “She” went along? As has been the case since chapter one, there is plenty of innuendo, but the two aren’t together… or are they?

“She” speaks up:

May the wine go straight to my beloved,
flowing gently over lips and teeth. (7:9b)

If you stop reading right here, they seem to be together, but the address of “She” is only just beginning.

Verses 10 ff. contain a great deal of her expression of devotion and desire to be with her beloved; almost as though “She” wants them to run off together… and that is the problem:

Come, my beloved, let us go to the countryside,
let us spend the night in the villages. (v. 11)

“She” is urging “He” to go off into the countryside with her, but “He” is already there inspecting groves of trees; groves of trees aren’t found in the city; they are not together in this section.

Yes, these two lovebirds really, and I mean really, want to get together, their mutual love is getting to the boiling point, but they haven’t gotten together yet. Gee whiz, as frustrating as this is for those of us who are reading it, I can just imagine how frustrating it is for the two of them.

That brings me to today’s question: Why do you suppose it is that these two haven’t gotten together yet? Hey, there isn’t much time left in the game, we’re well into the fourth quarter already, and there’s still no score!

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Photo of the Week: June 13, 2018

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Don Merritt

Seminary Ridge, Gettysburg, PA.

Believe it or not, this is one of the most critical bits of ground in US history. On the morning of July 1, 1863, US General John Buford’s cavalry brigade dismounted and held off Confederate General Health’s division at the top of this ridge just long enough for US General Reynolds’ First Corps to arrive on the scene and they stopped the enemy advance near the place I took this photo. As more and more Confederates arrived on the field, the US I Corps fell back through the town, but they held them off long enough for the rest of the Union Army to occupy the heights on the other side of Gettysburg where over the next two days the two armies would fight the largest battle ever fought in North America resulting in the defeat of General Lee’s Confederate army.

In spite of the close call, Lee’s defeat at Gettysburg would turn the tide of war, and General Lee would never again mount an offensive.

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Something Different- Your Thoughts Please…

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Don Merritt

Having completed our study of spiritual practices for now, it’s time for another topic to look at. I have been thinking of doing one on worship, more precisely, corporate worship; the worship assembly, Sunday worship… that sort of thing. Normally, I would put the verses of Scripture together, discuss them and the context in which they fall, and then tell you what I think about it.

But that’s what I always do. This time, I’d like you to tell me what you think.

Doesn’t that sound like a lot more fun?

Let’s set up a hypothetical: I’ll set the stage and then throw out some general thoughts and general questions, and you share your ideas with everyone else, and we’ll have a grand old ‘class discussion’ about worship− how does that sound?

Most people who read this are themselves bloggers, so you’ll see right away that this is a risky business, because the series becomes comment-driven. If there aren’t any comments, or only one or two, then our little experiment in blogging won’t last very long. Thus, if this is going to work, we need lots of comments.

Don’t worry, I have no plans to argue with anybody; I won’t reply telling you that you’re crazy or anything like that. Now I might say “Well sallylou76, that’s a really interesting thought. Did you happen to see what jimmyjohn23 said about that? Any thoughts?”

And of course, that means there must be a couple of rules: 1. Please be courteous and polite if you are responding to anyone else’s comment. 2. No profanity!”

OK, I know I didn’t need to tell any of you that, because my awesome readers never do either one of those things.

I think this could not only be a hoot, but very, very interesting because the readership here is quite diverse. We have Seminary professors, pastors/ministers/clergymen, seekers, housewives, professionals, retired, college students, many Christian backgrounds, and many nationalities and cultures represented, and my hope is that we all might pick up a thing or two we hadn’t thought about before.

And as always, you are free to make up your own mind.

So… are you in, would you like to give this a try and chime in to the conversation???

If so, click the “like” or drop me a comment. If not, don’t click the “like” and/or drop me a comment, but please don’t wait too long, I’ll be writing up the first episode tomorrow morning  when I’ll be writing up the hypothetical…

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Dreaming Again

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Don Merritt

Song of Songs 5:2-6:10

As we move into the second half of our adventure, we enter once again into a dream. It’s interesting to note that the last chapter was the man’s affirmation of devotion to the woman, and it was preceded by her dream in chapter 3, thus his affirmation of devotion for “She” is bracketed within her dreams of longing for him. Now that “He” has affirmed his devotion, “She” dreams a much more heightened sense of anticipation.

You might notice for instance, the vision that follows the opening of the dream in this section, as opposed to the vision in chapter 3. (5:9-16; cf. 3:6-11) In chapter 3, her vision turns to an impersonal vision of the king’s process, while here, her vision is of the body of her lover; yes, things between these two have been kicked up a notch or two in intensity.

The opening part of this dream, 5:2-6, is very telling in my view, and raises an interesting question concerning the application of this narrative. Notice that “She” is asleep, but her heart is still “awake”. She hears a knock at the door; it is her beloved calling for her to let him into to her bedchamber: What is her reaction?

She doesn’t want to get up!

Well, after all, she has gotten undressed and washed up, she doesn’t want to put her robe on again in the middle of the night. Now dear reader, it could just be that my perception of this is way too male, but this sounds pretty lame to me… what is she going to need her robe for? “He” has come for amorous purposes just like she wanted. So, “She” delays, but “He” persists and puts his arm through the key hole; her heart pounds and “She” cannot hold out any longer, she goes towards the door, the wetness of myrrh drips from her hand as she opens the latch, but alas, it’s too late, for “He” is gone.

Once again “She” is out in the streets searching for “He” but cannot find him.

“If today you should hear his voice, do not harden your heart…”

Did “She” really harden her heart there for a brief moment or two, was this playfulness on her part as some have written? I’ll let you decide that for yourselves. In any case, “He” is gone. Of course, as we ponder these things, we must bear in mind that this is still a dream.

“She” calls upon the daughters of Jerusalem to help her in her search for her would be lover, but they can’t really see what the big deal is about this guy that they should all be searching the city in the middle of the night, so “She” tells then how awesome “He” is; they ask which way “He” went… That is when we discover that “He” was never missing at all, for “She” has known exactly where he was the whole time. I’m beginning to wonder about this woman!

“He” now speaks, and his address is once again one of devotion, but this time his focus is not just on her beauty but her uniqueness… with a bit of an edge to it. He speaks of her teeth, hair and face, but instead of going on about her body, he declares how different she is from all other women… and those eyes. What is it about her eyes that is so overwhelming that “He” finds them hard to look into? It could simply be his rising emotions, or maybe there’s something else, something more piercing. The text doesn’t really say, so we are left to ponder.

In any case, the “Friends” give his address immediate acclaim and the section closes…

What can we draw from this section? Can we draw any conclusions at all, or is this building to something else? OK, here’s the big question: Are these two kids EVER going to get together?

If we go back to my working theory that “She” represents God’s people and “He” represents God, these questions get really interesting. Think back to the beginning, where “He” was knocking at the door, and “She” had a lame excuse for not letting him in, and then went to the door just a bit too late and “He” was gone… there’s something to mull over. Of here’s another one: Why did “She” run around frantically searching for him, when she knew exactly where he was the whole time?

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see what happens next!

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