Dear Friends in Christ,
Rather than give you a text to look at this week, I thought I would share my Christmas sermon with you, the fruit of my biblical study.
A blessed Christmastide to you and yours.
+Steven
Glory to God in the highest and peace among those whom he favors.
In the name of God: Father Son and Holy Spirit: Amen
Glory to God in the highest and peace among those whom he favors. We gather again this night to hear the angelic message spoken to the shepherds on the night of our Lord’s birth, a message that led them to the manager in a stable where he lay wrapped in swaddling clothes because there was no room for the child and his parents in the inn. We remind ourselves of this message when we celebrate every festival Eucharist and remember the incarnate one, born of the Virgin Mary, who came and dwelt among us, taught and healed, bled and died, rose and ascended that we might have life, true life abundant life. Glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth.
And yet as I hear and recall that angelic proclamation another song rings in my ears. The third verse of a hymn which begins they cast their nets in Galilee well known to many of us. The peace of God it is no peace but strife closed in the sod, yet Christians pray for just one thing the marvelous peace of God.
These words serve as a backdrop to that angelic message for me this year. This is partly because I am recently back from my own trip to Bethlehem, not to be enrolled, but as part of a group of Christian and Jewish pilgrims that went from Milwaukee to the holy land. My own trip to that little town did not involve an empirical decree or angelic urgency but it was equally compelling and like the shepherds it is one I will never forget.
To travel to Bethlehem from Nazareth today, involves not a straight trek through the Judean wilderness, but a trip east, then south, through Jerusalem to the check point where one stops and leaves behind one’s Israeli guide (modern day citizens of Israel are forbidden to go to Bethlehem) and meets a Palestinian guide who leads you through a security fence that divides Israel and the Palestinian territories to another bus that wends its way through the urban blight that characterizes the modern city to manger square and the Church of the Nativity. Even in the stillness of the Sabbath morning on which I and my fellow travelers went with its paucity of tourists, the city of Bethlehem did not provide a still little landscape of deep and dreamless sleep with silent stars going by. Sadly, the town of our Lord’s birth and even the place where it is believed to have taken place stand as much as a witness to human brokenness and division as they do to the peace of God which passeth all human understanding.
Yet as I look back on it, that is somehow so very appropriate. Then, like now, the land of our Lord’s birth was a land in turmoil. Then, like now, there were wars and fear of war, economic distress, guerilla actions, pain and fear, sorrow and grief. It is to such world that our Savior comes, it is to such a people weary and oppressed, struggling and starving. Hallmark cards, and bucolic renaissance portraits do not need salvation. People do. Real people who hurt, and bleed, and die and struggle, people who suffer, who have lost loved ones to senseless violence, or the ravages of disease, people whom life has not given a fair shake., who are beat down by the changes and chances of this life, who wonder if it is all worth it. We need a savior. We need to know that our hope is not futile and our strivings are not in vain.
And that is God’s good news. To you is born this day, in the city of David a savior which is Christ the Lord.
We gather this night to celebrate that the God who made us from and for love, loves us so much that he sent his Son to be our Savior. The timeless God, before time and forever entered human history in a specific time, in a specific place, in a certain town in a certain country.
Luke the Evangelist wants us to know this truth. That is why he provides us with place, date, and time. He want is to know this is not some ethereal myth but something that took place in real time in a real place with real people. That is why from the earliest days of our faith Christians have prayed as I did at the sites where these events took place. But Luke wants us to know more. He wants us to understand the magnitude of what has happened even though by many it was unnoticed.
And he does it in one simple sentence, “to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Messiah, the Lord.” By this one simple sentence Luke sets forth the apostolic understanding of Jesus. In the city of David, (that is from the line of God’s chosen servant), God’s promised Messiah, the one who will bring restoration, God himself in a human being. The fulfillment of the prayer of the psalmist, Restore us, O Lord God of hosts, show the light of your countenance and we shall be saved.
But there is more. Luke wants us to know not only about the message, and the messengers, but about those who receive it. When we think of shepherds are minds are filled with pastoral images of verdant countryside lush with green and little lambs dotting the landscape. We call to mind a drive in the country or a scene on television from the land down under. For us sheep and shepherds are romantic. For Luke’s hearers shepherds were at the bottom of society. Shepherds were poor and many eked out an existence by means that were less than honorable as petty thieves. He foreshadows here Jesus’ first words in the synagogue at Capernaum on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, “The spirit of the Lord upon me he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.”
That the message first came to the shepherds reminds us that God comes to speak to our poverty, to our brokenness. God cannot enter where there is no room, whether it be an inn or a human heart. God does not come in the comfort of the inn, but in the mess of the stable cave.
And he comes to bring peace, peace beyond our imagination and comprehension. When most of us think of peace we think of peace and quiet or the cessations of hostility. But God’s peace is so much more. It has been described, as the wholeness of life which God grants to persons and societies through a restoring of balance of all the forces of creation. Wholeness and balance when all works in harmony, when pain and sorrow are gone. When walls are torn down and locks and fences and guards are unnecessary. When the sin of the world is redeemed, when the wolf, lies down with the lamb and hurt and destruction are ended forever.
That is God’s will for us and that is his gift that begins this night. It is a gift that waits for us to open it through acts of kindness that show we Christ as entered our lives, through works of mercy that strive to bring about God’s justice for all most especially the poor and hungry.
It is our call to open this gift and give it. For we are the continuation of the angelic proclamation as Christ’s body the Church.
And it can start so simply, just as the incarnation did with a message to a young woman and a birth in a stable. Our sharing in the giving of God’s gist of peace can begin by setting aside a past hurt, striving to mend a broken relationship with family member or friend. By continuing our work as a community to feed the hungry, to share each other’s sorrows and joys.
So let us this night pray that our hearts will prepare him room confident that “where meek souls still receive him still the dear Christ enters in.” Let us commit our hearts to him of whose birth we sing who would not love thee loving us so dearly. And let us like the blessed mother give birth to Christ and his kingdom of peace by our actions of serving him this night and throughout the coming year.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
A
Dear Friends in Christ,
Rather than give you a text to look at this week, I thought I would share my Christmas sermon with you, the fruit of my biblical study.
A blessed Christmastide to you and yours.
+Steven
Glory to God in the highest and peace among those whom he favors.
In the name of God: Father Son and Holy Spirit: Amen
Glory to God in the highest and peace among those whom he favors. We gather again this night to hear the angelic message spoken to the shepherds on the night of our Lord’s birth, a message that led them to the manager in a stable where he lay wrapped in swaddling clothes because there was no room for the child and his parents in the inn. We remind ourselves of this message when we celebrate every festival Eucharist and remember the incarnate one, born of the Virgin Mary, who came and dwelt among us, taught and healed, bled and died, rose and ascended that we might have life, true life abundant life. Glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth.
And yet as I hear and recall that angelic proclamation another song rings in my ears. The third verse of a hymn which begins they cast their nets in Galilee well known to many of us. The peace of God it is no peace but strife closed in the sod, yet Christians pray for just one thing the marvelous peace of God.
These words serve as a backdrop to that angelic message for me this year. This is partly because I am recently back from my own trip to Bethlehem, not to be enrolled, but as part of a group of Christian and Jewish pilgrims that went from Milwaukee to the holy land. My own trip to that little town did not involve an empirical decree or angelic urgency but it was equally compelling and like the shepherds it is one I will never forget.
To travel to Bethlehem from Nazareth today, involves not a straight trek through the Judean wilderness, but a trip east, then south, through Jerusalem to the check point where one stops and leaves behind one’s Israeli guide (modern day citizens of Israel are forbidden to go to Bethlehem) and meets a Palestinian guide who leads you through a security fence that divides Israel and the Palestinian territories to another bus that wends its way through the urban blight that characterizes the modern city to manger square and the Church of the Nativity. Even in the stillness of the Sabbath morning on which I and my fellow travelers went with its paucity of tourists, the city of Bethlehem did not provide a still little landscape of deep and dreamless sleep with silent stars going by. Sadly, the town of our Lord’s birth and even the place where it is believed to have taken place stand as much as a witness to human brokenness and division as they do to the peace of God which passeth all human understanding.
Yet as I look back on it, that is somehow so very appropriate. Then, like now, the land of our Lord’s birth was a land in turmoil. Then, like now, there were wars and fear of war, economic distress, guerilla actions, pain and fear, sorrow and grief. It is to such world that our Savior comes, it is to such a people weary and oppressed, struggling and starving. Hallmark cards, and bucolic renaissance portraits do not need salvation. People do. Real people who hurt, and bleed, and die and struggle, people who suffer, who have lost loved ones to senseless violence, or the ravages of disease, people whom life has not given a fair shake., who are beat down by the changes and chances of this life, who wonder if it is all worth it. We need a savior. We need to know that our hope is not futile and our strivings are not in vain.
And that is God’s good news. To you is born this day, in the city of David a savior which is Christ the Lord.
We gather this night to celebrate that the God who made us from and for love, loves us so much that he sent his Son to be our Savior. The timeless God, before time and forever entered human history in a specific time, in a specific place, in a certain town in a certain country.
Luke the Evangelist wants us to know this truth. That is why he provides us with place, date, and time. He want is to know this is not some ethereal myth but something that took place in real time in a real place with real people. That is why from the earliest days of our faith Christians have prayed as I did at the sites where these events took place. But Luke wants us to know more. He wants us to understand the magnitude of what has happened even though by many it was unnoticed.
And he does it in one simple sentence, “to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Messiah, the Lord.” By this one simple sentence Luke sets forth the apostolic understanding of Jesus. In the city of David, (that is from the line of God’s chosen servant), God’s promised Messiah, the one who will bring restoration, God himself in a human being. The fulfillment of the prayer of the psalmist, Restore us, O Lord God of hosts, show the light of your countenance and we shall be saved.
But there is more. Luke wants us to know not only about the message, and the messengers, but about those who receive it. When we think of shepherds are minds are filled with pastoral images of verdant countryside lush with green and little lambs dotting the landscape. We call to mind a drive in the country or a scene on television from the land down under. For us sheep and shepherds are romantic. For Luke’s hearers shepherds were at the bottom of society. Shepherds were poor and many eked out an existence by means that were less than honorable as petty thieves. He foreshadows here Jesus’ first words in the synagogue at Capernaum on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, “The spirit of the Lord upon me he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.”
That the message first came to the shepherds reminds us that God comes to speak to our poverty, to our brokenness. God cannot enter where there is no room, whether it be an inn or a human heart. God does not come in the comfort of the inn, but in the mess of the stable cave.
And he comes to bring peace, peace beyond our imagination and comprehension. When most of us think of peace we think of peace and quiet or the cessations of hostility. But God’s peace is so much more. It has been described, as the wholeness of life which God grants to persons and societies through a restoring of balance of all the forces of creation. Wholeness and balance when all works in harmony, when pain and sorrow are gone. When walls are torn down and locks and fences and guards are unnecessary. When the sin of the world is redeemed, when the wolf, lies down with the lamb and hurt and destruction are ended forever.
That is God’s will for us and that is his gift that begins this night. It is a gift that waits for us to open it through acts of kindness that show we Christ as entered our lives, through works of mercy that strive to bring about God’s justice for all most especially the poor and hungry.
It is our call to open this gift and give it. For we are the continuation of the angelic proclamation as Christ’s body the Church.
And it can start so simply, just as the incarnation did with a message to a young woman and a birth in a stable. Our sharing in the giving of God’s gist of peace can begin by setting aside a past hurt, striving to mend a broken relationship with family member or friend. By continuing our work as a community to feed the hungry, to share each other’s sorrows and joys.
So let us this night pray that our hearts will prepare him room confident that “where meek souls still receive him still the dear Christ enters in.” Let us commit our hearts to him of whose birth we sing who would not love thee loving us so dearly. And let us like the blessed mother give birth to Christ and his kingdom of peace by our actions of serving him this night and throughout the coming year.
Rather than give you a text to look at this week, I thought I would share my Christmas sermon with you, the fruit of my biblical study.
A blessed Christmastide to you and yours.
+Steven
Glory to God in the highest and peace among those whom he favors.
In the name of God: Father Son and Holy Spirit: Amen
Glory to God in the highest and peace among those whom he favors. We gather again this night to hear the angelic message spoken to the shepherds on the night of our Lord’s birth, a message that led them to the manager in a stable where he lay wrapped in swaddling clothes because there was no room for the child and his parents in the inn. We remind ourselves of this message when we celebrate every festival Eucharist and remember the incarnate one, born of the Virgin Mary, who came and dwelt among us, taught and healed, bled and died, rose and ascended that we might have life, true life abundant life. Glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth.
And yet as I hear and recall that angelic proclamation another song rings in my ears. The third verse of a hymn which begins they cast their nets in Galilee well known to many of us. The peace of God it is no peace but strife closed in the sod, yet Christians pray for just one thing the marvelous peace of God.
These words serve as a backdrop to that angelic message for me this year. This is partly because I am recently back from my own trip to Bethlehem, not to be enrolled, but as part of a group of Christian and Jewish pilgrims that went from Milwaukee to the holy land. My own trip to that little town did not involve an empirical decree or angelic urgency but it was equally compelling and like the shepherds it is one I will never forget.
To travel to Bethlehem from Nazareth today, involves not a straight trek through the Judean wilderness, but a trip east, then south, through Jerusalem to the check point where one stops and leaves behind one’s Israeli guide (modern day citizens of Israel are forbidden to go to Bethlehem) and meets a Palestinian guide who leads you through a security fence that divides Israel and the Palestinian territories to another bus that wends its way through the urban blight that characterizes the modern city to manger square and the Church of the Nativity. Even in the stillness of the Sabbath morning on which I and my fellow travelers went with its paucity of tourists, the city of Bethlehem did not provide a still little landscape of deep and dreamless sleep with silent stars going by. Sadly, the town of our Lord’s birth and even the place where it is believed to have taken place stand as much as a witness to human brokenness and division as they do to the peace of God which passeth all human understanding.
Yet as I look back on it, that is somehow so very appropriate. Then, like now, the land of our Lord’s birth was a land in turmoil. Then, like now, there were wars and fear of war, economic distress, guerilla actions, pain and fear, sorrow and grief. It is to such world that our Savior comes, it is to such a people weary and oppressed, struggling and starving. Hallmark cards, and bucolic renaissance portraits do not need salvation. People do. Real people who hurt, and bleed, and die and struggle, people who suffer, who have lost loved ones to senseless violence, or the ravages of disease, people whom life has not given a fair shake., who are beat down by the changes and chances of this life, who wonder if it is all worth it. We need a savior. We need to know that our hope is not futile and our strivings are not in vain.
And that is God’s good news. To you is born this day, in the city of David a savior which is Christ the Lord.
We gather this night to celebrate that the God who made us from and for love, loves us so much that he sent his Son to be our Savior. The timeless God, before time and forever entered human history in a specific time, in a specific place, in a certain town in a certain country.
Luke the Evangelist wants us to know this truth. That is why he provides us with place, date, and time. He want is to know this is not some ethereal myth but something that took place in real time in a real place with real people. That is why from the earliest days of our faith Christians have prayed as I did at the sites where these events took place. But Luke wants us to know more. He wants us to understand the magnitude of what has happened even though by many it was unnoticed.
And he does it in one simple sentence, “to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Messiah, the Lord.” By this one simple sentence Luke sets forth the apostolic understanding of Jesus. In the city of David, (that is from the line of God’s chosen servant), God’s promised Messiah, the one who will bring restoration, God himself in a human being. The fulfillment of the prayer of the psalmist, Restore us, O Lord God of hosts, show the light of your countenance and we shall be saved.
But there is more. Luke wants us to know not only about the message, and the messengers, but about those who receive it. When we think of shepherds are minds are filled with pastoral images of verdant countryside lush with green and little lambs dotting the landscape. We call to mind a drive in the country or a scene on television from the land down under. For us sheep and shepherds are romantic. For Luke’s hearers shepherds were at the bottom of society. Shepherds were poor and many eked out an existence by means that were less than honorable as petty thieves. He foreshadows here Jesus’ first words in the synagogue at Capernaum on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, “The spirit of the Lord upon me he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.”
That the message first came to the shepherds reminds us that God comes to speak to our poverty, to our brokenness. God cannot enter where there is no room, whether it be an inn or a human heart. God does not come in the comfort of the inn, but in the mess of the stable cave.
And he comes to bring peace, peace beyond our imagination and comprehension. When most of us think of peace we think of peace and quiet or the cessations of hostility. But God’s peace is so much more. It has been described, as the wholeness of life which God grants to persons and societies through a restoring of balance of all the forces of creation. Wholeness and balance when all works in harmony, when pain and sorrow are gone. When walls are torn down and locks and fences and guards are unnecessary. When the sin of the world is redeemed, when the wolf, lies down with the lamb and hurt and destruction are ended forever.
That is God’s will for us and that is his gift that begins this night. It is a gift that waits for us to open it through acts of kindness that show we Christ as entered our lives, through works of mercy that strive to bring about God’s justice for all most especially the poor and hungry.
It is our call to open this gift and give it. For we are the continuation of the angelic proclamation as Christ’s body the Church.
And it can start so simply, just as the incarnation did with a message to a young woman and a birth in a stable. Our sharing in the giving of God’s gist of peace can begin by setting aside a past hurt, striving to mend a broken relationship with family member or friend. By continuing our work as a community to feed the hungry, to share each other’s sorrows and joys.
So let us this night pray that our hearts will prepare him room confident that “where meek souls still receive him still the dear Christ enters in.” Let us commit our hearts to him of whose birth we sing who would not love thee loving us so dearly. And let us like the blessed mother give birth to Christ and his kingdom of peace by our actions of serving him this night and throughout the coming year.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
The Fourth Sunday in Advent
Dear Friends in Christ,
Greetings to you on this fourth Sunday of Advent. As I write the anticipation of Christmas joy draws near. Last night was the first night of the “O antiphons” the antiphons that surround Mary’s song the Magnificat which we sing or say at Evening Prayer. These antiphons are the basis for the much loved Advent hymn. O Come, O Come Emmanuel. That is why a date is placed by each verse of the hymn.
This Sunday in Advent speaks even more deeply to the already but not yet of our Christian life. Our Gospel for this week takes us back to our work on the second Sunday of Advent. Our lesson for this week is Luke 1:39-45 the story known as the Visitation, because it tells of Mary’s visit to her kinswoman Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, following Gabriel’s annunciation to Mary that she would bear the Christ. In Jerusalem there is a church not far from the temple dedicated to this mystery. It is at the visitation that Luke records Mary’s uttering the Magnificat, which we will say together in the Eucharist in place of the psalm (Some congregations may choose to recite Psalm 80:1-7 and add the Magnificat to the Gospel lesson.)
Read Luke 1:39-45.
Why does Luke emphasize that the child leapt in Elizabeth’s womb?
What might he be foreshadowing in our lessons from the two previous weeks?
Elizabeth cries out, “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Where have you heard these words before other than this Gospel?
Why does Elizabeth consider Mary blest?
How is that blessing available to us?
Read Luke 1:46-55 from your bible
Compare it to the Magnificat in the service of Daily Evening Prayer.
What stands out for you in each of these versions?
Do the slight variations between your scripture translation and the BCP (actually ICET- International Consultation on English Texts) help expand your thinking about this passage.
Imagine Mary saying these words.
What imagines come to mind?
Is there a call to you in this song?
How is Mary’s song the song of the Church?
Blessings,
+Steven
Greetings to you on this fourth Sunday of Advent. As I write the anticipation of Christmas joy draws near. Last night was the first night of the “O antiphons” the antiphons that surround Mary’s song the Magnificat which we sing or say at Evening Prayer. These antiphons are the basis for the much loved Advent hymn. O Come, O Come Emmanuel. That is why a date is placed by each verse of the hymn.
This Sunday in Advent speaks even more deeply to the already but not yet of our Christian life. Our Gospel for this week takes us back to our work on the second Sunday of Advent. Our lesson for this week is Luke 1:39-45 the story known as the Visitation, because it tells of Mary’s visit to her kinswoman Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, following Gabriel’s annunciation to Mary that she would bear the Christ. In Jerusalem there is a church not far from the temple dedicated to this mystery. It is at the visitation that Luke records Mary’s uttering the Magnificat, which we will say together in the Eucharist in place of the psalm (Some congregations may choose to recite Psalm 80:1-7 and add the Magnificat to the Gospel lesson.)
Read Luke 1:39-45.
Why does Luke emphasize that the child leapt in Elizabeth’s womb?
What might he be foreshadowing in our lessons from the two previous weeks?
Elizabeth cries out, “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Where have you heard these words before other than this Gospel?
Why does Elizabeth consider Mary blest?
How is that blessing available to us?
Read Luke 1:46-55 from your bible
Compare it to the Magnificat in the service of Daily Evening Prayer.
What stands out for you in each of these versions?
Do the slight variations between your scripture translation and the BCP (actually ICET- International Consultation on English Texts) help expand your thinking about this passage.
Imagine Mary saying these words.
What imagines come to mind?
Is there a call to you in this song?
How is Mary’s song the song of the Church?
Blessings,
+Steven
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Third Sunday in Advent
Dear Friends in Christ,
I am now back from my pilgrimage to Israel and am grateful to all of you for your prayers for safe travel. We made it back without delay on a very snowy day, when delays were common across the counatry. Mitchell Field was clear and we all made it home safely. I look forward to sharing my insights and learning from the trip in this venue and others over the next few months.
For me, the most moving of sites was the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth which according to tradition is built above the site where Mary heard and received the message from Gabriel that she would bear God’s Son. It is truly a holy place and I spent time in prayer for all of you, especially those who are dealing with sickness and disease.
Now that we have an overview of the entire Gospel of Luke and more specifically of the birth narratives of Jesus and John the Baptist we are ready to look at specific passages, what biblical scholars call pericopes. The Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) which we share with many members of our Anglican Communion and other churches appoints Luke 3:7-18 for our Gospel reading this week. It is the continuation of the Gospel lesson for last week. So since we have not spent specific time with either passage lets look at both to them together.
Read Luke 3:1-18.
What do you notice about the beginning of this passage?
How is it similar to the beginning of Luke’s Gospel?
Why does Luke include the names of emperors, governors, and the like?
Read Isaiah 40:3-5
How is it the same as Luke 3:4-6? How is it different?
Re-read Luke 3:7-10.
In a few words, sum up John’s message.
Re-read Luke 3:11-18
What is John saying to his first hearers? Write a brief summary.
What do you think is the Good News for them?
What is the Good News for you in this passage?
I look forward to hearing from you over the next week and hearing your learnings and insights.
Yours in Christ,
+Steven
I am now back from my pilgrimage to Israel and am grateful to all of you for your prayers for safe travel. We made it back without delay on a very snowy day, when delays were common across the counatry. Mitchell Field was clear and we all made it home safely. I look forward to sharing my insights and learning from the trip in this venue and others over the next few months.
For me, the most moving of sites was the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth which according to tradition is built above the site where Mary heard and received the message from Gabriel that she would bear God’s Son. It is truly a holy place and I spent time in prayer for all of you, especially those who are dealing with sickness and disease.
Now that we have an overview of the entire Gospel of Luke and more specifically of the birth narratives of Jesus and John the Baptist we are ready to look at specific passages, what biblical scholars call pericopes. The Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) which we share with many members of our Anglican Communion and other churches appoints Luke 3:7-18 for our Gospel reading this week. It is the continuation of the Gospel lesson for last week. So since we have not spent specific time with either passage lets look at both to them together.
Read Luke 3:1-18.
What do you notice about the beginning of this passage?
How is it similar to the beginning of Luke’s Gospel?
Why does Luke include the names of emperors, governors, and the like?
Read Isaiah 40:3-5
How is it the same as Luke 3:4-6? How is it different?
Re-read Luke 3:7-10.
In a few words, sum up John’s message.
Re-read Luke 3:11-18
What is John saying to his first hearers? Write a brief summary.
What do you think is the Good News for them?
What is the Good News for you in this passage?
I look forward to hearing from you over the next week and hearing your learnings and insights.
Yours in Christ,
+Steven
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Advent 2, 2009
Bible Study with Bishop Miller
The Second Sunday in Advent
December 6, 2009
Dear Friends in Christ,
Thank you for joining me. I hope your reading of Luke's Gospel straight through was helpful for you. What struck me as I read through was Luke's frequent use of the word, once, and that there was much less emphasis on the end of times (apocalypse) than in Matthew or Mark. I am interested to hear what you noticed.
As I told you I am writing this week from where it all took place. I am staying at a kibbutz on the Sea of Galilee, which is home to a museum which houses a boat that dates back to Jesus' time. Today we visited Capernaum where Jesus began preaching and called his first disciples. Tomorrow we will go to Nazareth to visit the Church of the Annunciation the place where Mary heard the message that she would bear God's Son.
I invite you this week to re-read the stories of the birth of John the Baptist and the birth of Jesus. In what ways are they similar and in what ways are they different. You may want to outline the elements of each story side by side to help in your comparison. If you would like compare your notes with a friend and see where you agree and disagree on the outline and what stood out for each one of you.
Let me know what you find. Know, too, that as I visit that holy place I will be saying a prayer for each of you.
Yours in Christ,
The Right Rev. Steven Andrew Miller
The Second Sunday in Advent
December 6, 2009
Dear Friends in Christ,
Thank you for joining me. I hope your reading of Luke's Gospel straight through was helpful for you. What struck me as I read through was Luke's frequent use of the word, once, and that there was much less emphasis on the end of times (apocalypse) than in Matthew or Mark. I am interested to hear what you noticed.
As I told you I am writing this week from where it all took place. I am staying at a kibbutz on the Sea of Galilee, which is home to a museum which houses a boat that dates back to Jesus' time. Today we visited Capernaum where Jesus began preaching and called his first disciples. Tomorrow we will go to Nazareth to visit the Church of the Annunciation the place where Mary heard the message that she would bear God's Son.
I invite you this week to re-read the stories of the birth of John the Baptist and the birth of Jesus. In what ways are they similar and in what ways are they different. You may want to outline the elements of each story side by side to help in your comparison. If you would like compare your notes with a friend and see where you agree and disagree on the outline and what stood out for each one of you.
Let me know what you find. Know, too, that as I visit that holy place I will be saying a prayer for each of you.
Yours in Christ,
The Right Rev. Steven Andrew Miller
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Bible Study with Bishop Miller
Dear Friends,
Welcome to our Diocesan Online Bible Study. I am gratefully you are participating in this feast on the Word of God. Regular disciplined reading of scripture is an essential component of the Christian Life and I am delighted to be walking this journey with you. I can think of no better way to begin this new liturgical year.
Over the next weeks we will be reading and reflecting together on the Gospel of Luke, what Luke is saying to his first hearers and what Luke is saying to us today both as individuals and as the church. As we begin it is important to have a view of the whole of Luke’s Gospel. So what I ask you to do is sit down and read Luke straight through from beginning to end in one sitting. I know it sounds like a lot to ask but trust me it will be a real blessing. Pay attention to the following.
What are the words or phrases that stood out for you?
What words or phrases does Luke use the most?
Is there a particular scene or story that touched your heart?
Did anything surprise you?
Was there a story you expected to read that wasn’t there?
Is there anything else you wish to share?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Next week I’ll be writing from where this all took place. Pray for me as I will for you.
+Steven
Bishop
Welcome to our Diocesan Online Bible Study. I am gratefully you are participating in this feast on the Word of God. Regular disciplined reading of scripture is an essential component of the Christian Life and I am delighted to be walking this journey with you. I can think of no better way to begin this new liturgical year.
Over the next weeks we will be reading and reflecting together on the Gospel of Luke, what Luke is saying to his first hearers and what Luke is saying to us today both as individuals and as the church. As we begin it is important to have a view of the whole of Luke’s Gospel. So what I ask you to do is sit down and read Luke straight through from beginning to end in one sitting. I know it sounds like a lot to ask but trust me it will be a real blessing. Pay attention to the following.
What are the words or phrases that stood out for you?
What words or phrases does Luke use the most?
Is there a particular scene or story that touched your heart?
Did anything surprise you?
Was there a story you expected to read that wasn’t there?
Is there anything else you wish to share?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Next week I’ll be writing from where this all took place. Pray for me as I will for you.
+Steven
Bishop
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