Acts 13:13-52 Old Testament; Our History

Acts 13:13-52 NIV
Every Sunday, the Sunday School Youth assist in leading the prayers of the church. Before we do this, I usually pause during the service to see what they learned during Sunday School. (I don't do children's sermons well - so I don't do them.) This past Sunday, I was just a little surprised when I asked them what they had learned and the response was that they had learning about Absalom. They actually knew the whole story including how he had turned on his father, David. I wondered how many of our adult members knew the story of Absalom. (I didn't ask for a show of hands.) Knowing our history is very important to help us know who we are and where we are going. That history can be found in the pages of Holy Scripture which definitely includes the Old Testament.

Each Sunday we begin the readings from scripture with the old testament. I have been questioned (a few times) about doing things the same old way every single Sunday and have been told that following this order of service tends to be boring. As we read Acts 13 we can see that this order is not exactly something new that the Lutheran church or any other has just made up out of thin air. There is a purpose to it all.

When Paul proclaimed the Good News in the synagogues, he began by reminding the people of their history. He began by reminding them why they need the Good News of Jesus Christ in the first place. We need to be reminded of all that God has done and will do for His people. We need to be reminded of the reasons God sent His Son to be our salvation. We need to remember our history, for it is indeed our history - the history of the church - and so we begin with an old testament reading every Sunday.

God's Peace - Pastor Judy

1 Chronicles 3 - David's Large Family

As I read this list of the descendants of David, I was thinking, "Wow, all those wives and concubines!"  In order to take of all those kids, one would have to have lots of wives.  On the other hand, I've known women to bear close to 2 dozen children and they have done quite well raising them.  In fact, at least the ones I've known, have raised very well adjusted children.  When the family is so large they seem, at least to me, like the young people in the family are closer to each other than in many other families.  They take care of each other with older children looking after and helping to care for the younger. 

In this list of descendents we find one daughter listed.  That would be Tamar.  (see 2 Samuel 13) Remember Tamar's brother Amnon?  He tricked her by being ill into coming to wait on him.  Being his sister, she did and was repaid for her kindness by being raped by Amnon.  David knew about it and was was angry, but didn't do anything.  So after waiting two years, her other brother Absalom had their brother Amnon murdered. That did not turn out so well for this large and prestigious family. 

Today, most of us have much smaller families, but do we know what our sons and daughters are doing?  Do we have sufficient oversight of our children to lead them in the way that they should go.  Do we have sufficient oversight of our children to protect them from harm?  (more on that in chapter 4... )

God's Peace - Judy 

2 Samuel 13 - Consequences Suffered By All

The rape of Tamar, a horrible sin... But, it does not go without consequences. Two years, Tamar's brother Absalom waits to avenge his sister. I'm not sure why he waited. It's not as if he was planning to keep this a secret. If he was, he didn't do a very good job of planning. And one man's lust brings hardship and consequences to his whole family.

Tamar is shamed. She lives a desolate woman in the house of her brother, Absalom. David is angry, but he doesn't do anything about it. Absalom commits murder and ends up running away (for 3 years) to avoid those consequences. David has now lost 2 sons because of Amnon's lust. But, David does nothing. He just sits there missing them.

There are consequences for sin. Our sin affects the people around us, the people whom we love and the people whom we don't love. Today is the Palm Sunday/the Sunday of the Passion. At the beginning of the service we sing Hosannah's and by the end we will have crucified him. It is a reminder that we are sinful beings and that this Jesus, who loved us, was willing to pay the price for our sins. He forgave us and was willing to accept the consequence - the sentence of death - for us - for our sins.

I woke up this morning wondering who I would see participating in the liturgy this morning. I had a nightmare about some lost sheep. I wondered if those sheep who have gone astray have any clue of the consequences of their wandering. I wondered if they understood that Jesus died because they would - we would - all go astray. Jesus paid the penalty, yet, we find ourselves immersed in negative consequences because we have strayed. The Body of Christ given for you has been rejected by those who have strayed... We become as desolate as Tamar... Out of fear, we run like Absalom, not so much from anyone but to the world which has its own set of consequences... And, when we run off, we neglect to hear the story, the promises of what God grace through Jesus Christ, and what is more, our children never hear about how much God loves them. If they hear the stories at all, they hear them through a secular view, not from a scriptural view, not through the lens of the cross. So what consequences do parent expect will come from that? We are saved by faith alone in Christ alone. If our children do not know Christ then in whom do they believe?

Ok, I recognize that I have a definite bias at times.. so I must admit that prior to being a Pastor, my last position was a substance abuse counselor who practiced cognitive behavior therapy (as well as 12-steps) and so sometimes I look at thinks with that bias, especially when it comes to consequences. Could also have something to do with working in a Marine Corps Criminal Investigation Division Office when I was younger, oh yes, there was that time I was a legal yeoman... Have a blessed Sunday. Remember who it is that loves you enough to die for you... Jesus Christ, our Lord and King.

Enough rambling for this morning... See you at Worship!