It will be a busy week-end for most of us, thus I have decided to post this week’s blog a bit early. Next Tuesday I will publish the blog for December 27. Merry Christmas and God Bless.

 That is the secular term that we are accustomed to. Included in this season of bright lights and trees, gifts and holiday cheer  lives, some things to note. I started almost by habit to include the opening to read as such…For those of the Christian faith, there are many important events that will occur during this season. Now, I honestly don’t know if this will make sense and it is certainly not intended to offend anyone but the important thing right now is during this season we celebrate the birth of Christ, and I actually believe it’s really a season for all the people. The birth of Jesus Christ was for all the people of the world because Christ was sent to bring salvation to all. There is much in biblical history that leads us to the Good Way.. as we in the Christian community go through this season of Advent, let us look at a couple of more things of note. I would like to take us from the Pew to the city of Jerusalem, and Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’s birth.

At the time of Jesus’ birth, Jerusalem was a bustling, significant city, but we know that Jesus was born in nearby Bethlehem, a smaller town about 6 miles south, which was Joseph’s ancestral home known as David’s town, and prophesies as a Messiah birthplace. There is so much information available today because of the Internet, sometimes we may be repetitious in sharing some of that with you, please excuse us for that. Jerusalem was the capital under Herod the Great, featuring wealthy upper city areas, and crowded lower city markets. Bethlehem was a modest settlement on a trade route, famous as the ancestral home of King David, and were Shepherd’s visited Jesus after his birth. Let’s compare these two cities of note. At the time of the birth of Christ, King Herod had transformed Jerusalem with grand projects, including his magnificent palace in the upper city. Now the city had a wealthy upper class so to speak with villas and and the and the poor crowded lower city was the location of many of the marketplaces and hotels or hostels as they were called back in that day and time. There was a religious center. It was the hub for the Jewish faith with the temple mount as its focal point. When we turn and take a quick look at Bethlehem’s significance, it was a humble town small not a major city like Jerusalem. Bethlehem was the ancestral home of King David making it significant for Joseph’s registration in the Roman census. It was Micah, who prophesies that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, David’s town. (Micah 5:2.) The connection between these two cities were really very simple. Joseph and Mary had traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, not Jerusalem it is recorded that the Wisemen first went to Jerusalem, asking for the new king which we find in the Bible and in the book of Matthew. And now let’s take note of Joseph and Mary’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. 

Historical accounts of the land at that time and the conditions that it put upon people was that it was a difficult and hard trip for the both of them and was estimated to have been a 70 to 90 mile trek. We must be a very careful when we talk about these situations. We really don’t know what the trip was like, but because of historical an archaeological writings, we do know the terrain and the conditions they probably would have faced was as we said,  the distance being about 70 to 90 miles and it’s estimated that it would’ve taken 4 to 5 days potentially a bit longer depending on pace and conditions. Most scholars say it would’ve been about 10 to 20 miles a day under the best circumstances and it’s highly possible that Mary was riding a donkey. In fact it would have been the only way she could’ve done anything like that because of her condition at the time. Joseph walked, at the time most people walked everywhere and they would’ve traveled through varied terrain. It was difficult terrain, plus the fear of bandits, winter conditions which amount  to rain and cold and Mary’s advanced pregnancy made the journey exhausting. Another important note that we do not want to dismiss was the route that they took. The route was from Nazareth in Galilee south to Bethlehem and Judea a journey often described as going up to the hilltop town. One of the reasons was possibly to avoid Samaria due to tensions at the time. After their travel, or journey, whichever word you want to use over some very difficult terrain they arrived in Bethlehem. They found that the city was overcrowded because many travelers had been brought to the city because of the census and they were filling all of the inns and lodging at that time. The term that we’re used to hearing is that there was no room at the Inn. Now there are too distinct opinions of this about where the actual birth took place. Most all accounts relate to Jesus, being born in a stable and placed in a manger. There is another theory or opinion that we can take from Jewish custom at that time in the area that Mary and Joseph reached at the time of Christ birth, we can use the word stable, but add to that the possibility that the stable was actually a cave as the area was one of heavy limestone formations.

I want to include a note about Bethlehem-Judah. The information that I will share with you now is from a website called Bible Hub, please make note of that. Bethlehem.-Judah is often referred to simply as Bethlehem. It is a significant location in biblical history, situated in the territory of Judah, which is approximately 6 miles south of Jerusalem and its name…Bethlehem means House of Bread. Bethlehem.-Judah holds a prominent place in the biblical narrative and it serves as a backdrop for several key events and figures. We know that it is the ancestral home of David. This connection to David establishes Bethlehem as a city of Royal lineage. When we read the book of Ruth, we are provided a very touching narrative set in Bethlehem.-Judah about Ruth a Moabite widow, who returns with her mother-in-law to Bethlehem, where she meets Boaz. You can read about that in the book of Ruth 1: 22 where it is stated. “so Naomi returned from the land of Mohab with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabites’s. They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.” We also note that Rachel’s tomb is there, Rachel was Jacob’s beloved wife and you can read the account in Genesis 35:19. Bethlehem-Judah’s has been continuously inhabited since ancient times and there have been excavations there that have uncovered artifacts and structures that attest to its long history. The city, of course, had a very strategic location because it was near major trade routes, that contributed to its development and it’s significance in the region. The other interesting thing about this area is its cultural and religious impact and its role in biblical history has made it a focal point for Christian pilgrimage. It is here that the church of nativity is built over the traditional site of Jesus’s birth place and it is one of the oldest continuously operating churches in the world. So to  conclude this little deep dive into Bethlehem-Judah, it is a place that is rich in biblical heritage and it’s association with key figures and events has made it a cornerstone of the Judo- Christian history. It’s legacy continues to inspire faith and devotion among believers worldwide.

There are many ways to celebrate the approaching remembrance of the birth of Christ. The verse will be celebrated in many different ways in many different places, but there is one commonality that united all this. Our God, incarnate came among us to bring his love for us and to offer to us the forgiveness of our sins. Through the birth of this child and his pursuit of The Good Way. We thank you very much for joining us in the Pew and we wish for you and yours, a very happy and joyous Advent and Christmas Day.

Life is Good

jk

Within the Christian communities throughout the world for many this is Advent, a time of preparation, expectation and great joy. It is a time within the faith when we speak of the Christmas story. We usually begin the story at really the midway point with these words, “There is born to you this day in the city of Bethlehem” this is the starting point for the greatest story ever told. Today we’re going to take a little time upfront to look at the people, the places, and of course the birth. I guess we should start by first of all sharing that most likely the best Christmas story in the Bible is found in the first two chapters of the books of Luke and Matthew. Luke is often considered the primary source for the familiar nativity elements like the manger the shepherds and the angels while Matthew has a perspective of the wisemen, and Jesus’s Royal lineage. Most of the Christmas narratives are familiar with and will blend details from both of these Bible books creating a richer story from Luke’s humble beginnings and Matthews, theological depth, this according to the author Rachel Wojo in her blog.

Luke’s Gospel chapters 1 and 2, they’ll focus on humility and joy and God’s love of reaching the common people, their key events, such as the Angel Gabriel visits Mary, the journey to Bethlehem, the birth in the manager due to no room at the inn, the Angelica announcement to shepherds and their worship. He creates a special atmosphere in the sense that emphasizes Jesus’  unassuming arrival, he comes as a gift for all people, not just the powerful ones. We read Matthews gospel chapters 1 and two, that focuses on Jesus as the promised Messiah, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy. Joseph’s perspective on Mary’s pregnancy the visit of the Magi from the East their gifts and the flight to Egypt are the key events that Matthew shares with us. You might be tempted to pick the best one. Let’s summarize it this way. Luke provides the core. The heart warming scene of the manger. Matthew adds the royal visitors, and messianic context, making both essential for the complete Christmas story that we cherish so much today. I would like to share with you first of all is a result of a great deal of reading of different articles and blogs and information, quite a large body of it to be very honest with you and much of it is gathered from, others blogs which are really opinions just as a lot of commentaries are opinions of interpretations, so I encourage you to go to your Bible, Read the story and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you to the truth.

If you have read the story before or if you are familiar with it from Sunday school, in Bible studies at your church and other things, you may have read and studied, join us now as we take just a little bit of a deep dive into some of the things that are packed in to this narrative. First, we’re going to look at Joseph. Joseph was the husband of Mary and Mary was the mother of Jesus. What about Joseph? We don’t really know a whole lot, but we know that he was a carpenter from Nazareth a descendent of David and is described in the Bible as a just and righteous man who obediently follows God’s will. Now as best as I can ascertain Nazareth, where they would eventually settle was where Joseph earned his living. One of the odd things about all of this is that wood was very scarce in that part of the world, and most of the people around there during this time were stonemasons, and it was a very very lucrative trade so we can assume that Joseph stayed very busy at his trade and in the later years after the birth of Jesus what little we know about Jesus and his childhood leads us to believe from Jewish customs and practices, that he would have learned his earthly father’s trade. There are some records according to ancient traditions that suggest at the time Joseph married Mary, he was a widower with children. Now according to the Bible, Mary was engaged to Joseph before they lived together, and when he initially learned of the pregnancy he had initially planned to divorce her and to do it quietly. But after the angels message in the dream, he took Mary as his wife. So what exactly was Joseph’s role in Jesus’ life? Well, Joseph served as an earthly father to Jesus, raising him and teaching him his trade as a carpenter which would have at that time been the Jewish custom. Let’s look at some very important folks in this Christmas story. Now there’s lots of information and lots of controversy concerning the “shepherds in the field”. According to some of the things that I’ve been reading many large cities or cities of that time did not allow livestock within the city itself. Now that is disputable, but in the area of Bethlehem and Jerusalem, most sheep were kept outside of the city and in some essence is quite a distance from any settlements of any kind. And there were two kinds of shepherds actually three, but we’ll talk about the first two. There were the hired shepherds and then there were the shepherds that owned their own flocks. The difference in care and concern was much greater by those who owned those flocks. The third group of shepherds I will get to in just a moment. Let’s look at the biblical account if you will please. The shepherd’s primarily refers to the humble sheep shepherds in the bibles nativity story, Luke two is where we’re looking right now. These were the shepherds that were visited by angels, announcing the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, becoming the first witnesses and reporters of the event. This is very significant in the sense. it’s symbolizes God’s message, reaching the marginalized and the lamb of God fulfilling sacrificial, prophecies. They were by most accounts, ordinary people in a low social class who responded with immediate faith and praise going to see the baby and spreading the news a story essential to Christmas and representing Hope humility and the universal call of the gospel so the very first outside of the family of Mary and Joseph to hear the divine news of the Messiah’s birth were the shepherds in the field. Their duties often kept them from regular attendance at the synagogue, and it also hampered them from the traditional prayers and routines of the Jewish faith, just for those reasons they were not particularly looked upon with any favoritism at all by the faithful in the synagogues. But because they were chosen, it made the point that Jesus and the salvation he brought belonged to everyone, they knew what to look for, a baby and swaddling clothes, and they hurried off to Bethlehem. It demonstrated a quick faith coupled with a quick action, unlike the more relaxed seeking of Christ by others, and after seeing Jesus, they returned glorifying and praising God and sharing the amazing news and all who heard it were amazed, turning them into in a sense early evangelists. Now let’s get to that third group, and I must preface this by saying this is considered to be controversial and not accepted in all groups. According to tradition, they were Levitical shepherds in Bethlehem, and it was their job to make certain that the young lambs were swaddled in strips of cloth, often old priestly garments and place them in mangers to keep them pure unblemished and calm for the temple sacrifice. The assumption is that the sheep in and around Bethlehem were temple sheep, and they were being attended by temple shepherds. Now I’ll go over this one more time, even though it’s repetitions. There was an issue of purity for sacrifice so these labs intended for temple sacrifice had to be without a spot or blemish. So by wrapping them is in swaddling it prevented them from injuring themselves are getting dirty in these rock caves where they were born you see the shepherds would keep an eye out for ewes that was ready to give birth, and they would take them to a cave, normally a cave that was kept very clean and they would wrap them when the lamb was born. They would wrap it in swaddling cloth to protect it from any blemishes. This was symbolic and  the shepherds understood this pointed to Jesus as a perfect lamb of God, born in the same manner as the lambs they attended, fulfilling the prophecy, so here one of the differences is of course, the symbolism, but also the effort to make certain that these young lambs were not marked in any way. Some scholars liking this to Mary’s desire to protect the baby Jesus and it was an indication of the love she had for this child. All right, again we will deal with repetition. Please be patient with me. When we look at the Levitical shepherds in the Bible, it was referring to the tradition that the shepherds who visited baby Jesus in Bethlehem again and Luke, were not ordinary, but specifically trained men, tending flocks, raised for temple, sacrifice, ensuring lambs were on blemished. Tradition holds at the shepherds, possibly came from priestly families, and they was swaddled a newborn lambs in cloth, just as Jesus was and place them in mangers to protect them, making the angels he swaddling cloth, uniquely significant to them as they awaited the lamb of God. Now, while the Bible itself does not explicitly call them, Levitical, Jewish tradition links these shepherds near Bethlehem to the temple. Now the wrap up this part of the blog let’s just answer one more question. Why Levitical? Well, that comes from Jewish tradition and it suggests that these weren’t common shepherds but were those associated with the temple, the reason for that assumption is that normal shepherds wouldn’t typically keep flocks so close to town unless they were special, valuable, and temple, bound animals. The connection to the temple makes the appearance of angels to these pacific shepherds, a powerful yet simple account of the coming of the Messiah and the end of animal sacrifices.

We will close the blog today by looking at the place, the place being Bethlehem. Now we’re going to look at the key aspects and characteristics of Bethlehem. It was a small modest village likely with 2000 to 3000 people, it was not a major city. It was located in the fertile Hill country of Judea about 6 miles south of Jerusalem. Now, many of the homes were built into the natural limestone caves, which also served as shelters for animals. The significance tied to in the Old Testament was the fact that it is known as the birthplace of King David (the city of David) and the ancestral home of his family fulfilling the prophecy about the Messiah. It did well in its location because it was an important crossroads city. There was fertile land and they had a rather robust pleasant local economy. We know that Mary and Joseph have traveled there in order to comply with the census that was ordered by Cesar Augustus, which required everyone to register in their ancestral town. Back in the day, because of that law,  there were a lot of people that came into this small town and there were not any any rooms available by the time Mary got there, so it is written that she gave birth in a stable cave where animals were kept. This is another point that we could really delve into, but there isn’t time. So it’s a very humble setting yet divinely ordained. It would be here in a stable cave that Jesus would be born and placed in a manger. So the very last thing we leave you with is that this was a fulfillment of a prophecy which you can find in Micah 5:2.

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s blog as we’ve set the scene for the next few weeks of celebration and preparing ourselves for this most wonderful day. This is probably one of the longest blogs I’ve ever written. To those of you who stayed with it to the very last word, thank you. I do hope it has been helpful and that you will come back and join us in The Pew next week.

Life is Good

jk

 

December 7, 1941, 84 years ago and time has weakened the memory of that day and left it to custom or tradition, both rely on the living. It has been written that history will always be written by the victorious and by the same token, custom and tradition is established, maintained, and preserved by the living. As a nation, we remember Pearl Harbor and it is enshrined as a national holiday of remembrance. The attack on Pearl Harbor killed 2403 US personnel. It included sailors, soldiers civilians and additionally 1178 people were wounded. There were 129 Japanese soldiers killed in the attack. As I remember history or the stories and accounts, I seem to remember that the aircraft carriers which were the main target for the Japanese to attack had all been put out to see and were not in the harbor at the time of the attack. It was a very successful attack and caught the United States completely flat footed, we lost a number of ships as well as people.

After the attack, one particular ship the Arizona was left, resting on the bottom with the deck just awash. In those days and weeks following that attack every effort was made to recover the bodies of the crew and the ship’s records. It finally came to a point where there was nothing else we could do and the further recovery of bodies became fruitless and the number of bodies that we estimate could not be recovered were at least 900 crew and they remained in the ship. There is a memorial there this day, the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. It’s here that we honor the lives lost in the December 7, 1941 attack. It was a pivotal moment in history because it ushered in the United States entry into World War II. It impacted nations and communities worldwide. There were a lot of other things I was going to include in today’s Back Porch, but out of respect for those who died there I will not muddy the water, certainly may they rest in peace and  their families know that there are still those of us alive that thank them for their sacrifice and service.

Kurt

Those of you who have followed the pew over the years may have noticed some subtle difference in the past few weeks. I am trying very hard not to overwhelm you with scriptures, but to share with you, God’s word in a layman’s way. This week our journey continues. Now of whatever faith do you belong to denominational wise? I’m going to start this blog off as we continue our journey by acknowledging the fact that this past Sunday, November 30 was the first day of the Methodist Church year, and it falls on advent the first Sunday. Advent is a four week season before Christmas. It is the Christian season of preparation and anticipation for Christmas that begins on the Sunday closest to November 30 and it lasts until December 24. It is used as a time for spiritual reflection and prayer and celebrating themes of Hope, peace, joy, and love, often symbolized by an advent wreath with four candles. I’m going in this direction because very soon our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be born and with his birth, he begins his own journey of the Good Way. A source for part of what I will share with you today comes from the book by Kathy Lee Gifford with the Rabbi Jason Sobel. It’s a great book. You can find it on Amazon and get more information about it. It is called the “Rock the Road and the Rabbi”. 

This week we’re going to pick up on a new term. It’s not all that unusual and those of you who read the Bible particularly the Christmas story will recognize immediately what it is we will be looking at. Does the term swaddling clothes resonate with any of you? In the Bible story, swaddling clothes are long strips of cloth wrapped around an infant for warmth and security. It is symbolizing Jesus’s humble humanity, maternal care, and vulnerability. There are some other things that are attached to that term, but that’s speculation and opinion and we won’t get into that. Swaddling clothes were used to wrap an infant tightly,  the idea in that day and time and up for a long time was  swaddling helps a baby transition from the womb to the outside world and swaddling clothes are still used today, but with some modifications. The biblical passage that refers to that can be found in Luke 2:7 and reads as follows…and she gave birth to her first born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn…

We’ll give a short recognition to probability or supposition, we can probably assume from the fact that Mary swaddled the baby that she was an attentive and loving mother. We know for a fact, according to scripture that the angel who spoke to the shepherds on the hillside mentioned, swaddling clothes as part of the sign to the shepherds that they had found the Messiah. That can be found in Luke 2:12 now there are naturally some very interesting theories about the detail that Luke goes into about Jesus and swaddling clothes. It would be fair to say that some people have pondered that the swaddling clothes were a foreshadowing kind of a prophetic reference to Jesus’s burial clause. The Greek root word is not in the Bible, describing these swaddling glows and it too means strips of cloth. We also must know that that word, the Greek word is never used in the New Testament to refer to burial cloth. The Bible describes the burial of Jesus with different phrases, and it all that comes down to basically saying wrapped in linen cloth. But like most things this is conjecture supposition or just good old boys pondering the possibility. What we can be sure of is when Jesus came into this world, He had loving parents who sought to meet His every need. Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes, which was a custom of the day and an action that shows the tender care and affection of his mother.

Now I want to add to the blog this week some of the things that are from the book “The Rock, The Road and The Rabbi.” You can Google information about the Rabbi if you choose to. First, we’ll start by going back to the book of Luke 2:4-7. For Jesus it all began in Bethlehem.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem, the town of David, because she belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledge to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her first born, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a major because there was no guest room available for them. 

We have read these verses now for many years over and I’m going to share with you a perspective that maybe you had not thought of. I like the pairing of theological knowledge with the common sense of everyday customs and manners, according to the time frame. Now we’ve heard that Jesus was born in an upstairs room, in stable, and in a cave. The truth is we really don’t know, but we do know that it was in Bethlehem. The Rabbi points out that most likely it was in a cave, and there was a reason for that, of course, we know the reasoning given would be that there was no room in the inn. Now the shepherds and the sheep resigning in that area at that time will not be ordinary, shepherds or ordinary sheep. The shepherds were under the direction of the Temple, and those sheep were used exclusively to supply the temple for the sacrifices to God. We all know that they’re supposed to be without blemish and common sense knowledge tells us that caves some which were cut out of solid rock would be some pretty rough ground. The shepherds would bring the sheep into the cave as they came near to birth, and when that birth occurred, those lambs were wrapped in cloth to protect them from the jagged edges and rough terrain in which they would come up, I guess you might say the shepherd’s version of swaddling cloths. You got to admit that it’s an interesting thought concerning the swaddling cloth. It is from this point that Jesus began his journey on the Good Way. 

Please come back next week here in The Pew and join us as we continue our journey and we take the time to look at these next few weeks before the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Life Is Good

jk

Welcome to you but not necessarily to the back porch, it’s just too cold. I guess what we’re gonna have to look at is maybe putting a wood-burning stove there on that back porch cause I don’t have any intentions of closing it in. Anyway, I’m about the only one here right now everybody’s kinda hunkered down inside. Most southern people don’t have any problem with the fall and really not much problem with the Winters, as they’re usually mild in this area even here on the plateau just outside of Nashville. When the fall gets here for southern folks the low 60s and then into the low 50s that that’s heaven itself and we enjoy every minute of it. The magnificent colors of the trees and for those of us that can get there that fantastic mountain air that just seems to have a different vibe to it than that city stuff. Now I have no absolute idea about what we would’ve talked about tonight except for one subject for sure and that’s the election in my area for the seventh District congressional seat. We’ll get to that in a moment. You know the holiday season used to be a time when   people came together and there was a just a general feeling of kindness and courtesy towards everyone and of course it was always a very special time for families. I remember the older shopping malls before they became shooting galleries, they were usually L shaped U shaped or in some cases they were simply a half circle. The idea was that all of your favorite stores would be there. I kind of referred to them as strip malls, and then somebody came along and decided let’s put an extended roof on this thing make some concourses to travel back-and-forth and add another floor and some escalators and we’ve got a winner, oh, and don’t forget the food court. The strip was gone, and here was the mall in all its glory. Now going to the mall to shop was a family event. They’re all kinds of things there, all kinds of stores and all kinds of people. Now you have to be careful but one of my favorite things to do at the mall was just simply to sit on one of those iron or wood benches and just watch people. I begin to notice over the years, people had a more distressed look on their face. You could see people that there was no doubt that they were sad and weren’t feeling too good about things. Then they were those smiling laughing really enjoy being together and being among people. Whether we admitted or not, man was created to need fellowship. So…. If you enjoy being among people, the mall was a place to be. But then along came the Internet and with it a familiar term, “what can Brown do for you?” We began to hear more and more people share with each other in groups or family gatherings. Oh, it’s so much easier to shop by Internet, and that is what they were doing. The fellowship, the being among people, getting out and enjoying all the different venues that were available were slowly narrowing down to coffee, shops, and donut bars. And then came the hammer, with a weird name and an unbelievable inventory. Amazon,  it was very much like a jungle with all kinds of animals, but the animals turned out to be products, things people were looking for and wanted. Now they were various costs or fees that were associated with this modern day convenience but it wasn’t long before those little blue trucks or big blue trucks with a big smile on the side were running around in everybody’s neighborhood delivering everything you might need and if that wasn’t enough, sometimes you can get it the very next day. All this convenience and all these products all this availability, somewhere in all of that we lost our community. It became rather fashionable to not have to mingle with crowds and quite frankly the uncertainty of your own safety in some places which kept people away. My sister refers to it as “going out there”, there being the Internet. For some of us older folks it’s all really confusing. They’ve got a couple of stores that you even can buy membership, now let’s be honest you have to buy that membership because that’s the only way you can get in the store. It’s a mystery to me. It’s almost like there’s something uplifting or something special about having to pay be among a lot of people.

And now for that other thing that I was suggesting we talk about, actually ponder. There was a special election in the seventh district to fill of vacancy from a resignation of a gentleman from Congress in that district. You had the usual two candidates well a lot more than that, but the two major candidates in the Republican and Democratic party running for that open seat. Nashville, Tennessee, which one of the districts in this congressional district and it’s grown by almost 300 people a day over the past few years and that may sound kind of ridiculous to you, but the figures are government figures if that means anything, and that explosion in population was due to people fleeing some of the more regressive blue states. These folks wanted relief from high taxes, they want better school systems, and they were looking for a cheaper cost of living than what they were accustomed to. The democratic candidate, a lady who would really be classified as a new breed Socialist Democrat was making quite an impact on the election. Now here’s the ponder of the day. As I said earlier, Nashville is in within the seventh district. It is now become a kind of democratic stronghold. In other words it’s gone blue. I am not sure about the actual percentage, but I know it one time while I was watching the returns come in last night. The Democratic candidate at one time had 84% of the vote for that district. Now as some of us old folks here in the south would say “here’s the short of it”. The Republican candidate won the election for that vacant congressional seat but only by 9%. Here again is your Ponder for the day.

 Why would you travel all of the distances that many these folks have traveled only to vote for what you were running from?

Kurt

I had not planned for this, but the truth is as we travel on this road along the good way we’re gonna find some places where it might the best to just stop and reflect a little bit about the journey we’re on. Why don’t we take just a bit of time here and look closely at what the Bible says about healing. I am sure that many of us have been in a church when someone requested that the congregation come together and unite in prayer for a brother or sister who is having some serious life problems. There are many folks within the Christian community that have never experienced a healing service so to say, or have you ever been present for the anointing of oil and other Christian rituals that have been passed down over the years. There are times that there are just services for prayer. To pray for someone’s needs and I’ve known enough times when it is a church wide service. Prayer for healing is a spiritual practice for a person or persons to ask for physical, emotional or spiritual restoration from the divine power. This can usually involve specific prayers for wellness, seeking a shift in mindset towards a more positive and whole person outlook, and trusting in a higher power for strength and guidance.

We acknowledge the different traditions of various prayers and rituals, the common themes such as asking for healing strength, the restoration of joy and the ability to bless and serve others in renewed health. Prayer is a very powerful source of being as close to the Father as we can possibly get. We have prayers for a physical healing, for emotional and spiritual healing, for strength and guidance, maybe a prayer for a shift in the way we live, in our mindset the way we’re looking at things letting go of past mistakes and looking for a better way as we’ve said, looking for the good way. There are some key aspects of prayer and it is the “Pews” view that prayer at its best is a sincere honest and heartfelt conversation with our God. Our prayers should of course, rest on faith and trust. Our traditions, our knowledge have told us that prayers are more effective when offered in faith. It should be a faith that knows God, trust God, and has every confidence that God will hear our prayer. Be aware that a lack of faith can inhibit healing. We have community prayers coming together as a community to provide support, especially when one’s own faith is weak. There a better way to put it simplistically speaking in a secular mode and that is there is always strength in numbers. Our prayers should be seeking divine will. Some suggest praying in accordance with the divine will can be part of a larger process of spiritual transformation. And lastly, that not being an indication of importance, but the exhibition of a trait that we all should try to cultivate. We must understand, patience, and time, some aspects of healing are immediate, while others may take time, as part of the longer journey of transformation. That kind of brings us back to the fact that God may not answer our prayers as we expected, God’s will, and desire may differ from ours.

Now moving along what exactly does the Bible say about healing? I have done my homework all this so to speak I’ve searched for scriptures about healing, and I’ve tried to understand. Sometimes healing doesn’t take place, and that is sometimes seized upon by unbelievers. I think the best way to close this out is to understand God still performs miracles, God still heals people, sickness, disease, pain, and death are still realities in this world. It should be a common understanding among all Christians that until the Lord returns everyone who is alive today will die, and the truth is that includes Christians. The majority of them will die as a result of a physical problem, disease, or sickness, injury, it is not always God’s will to heal us physically. For me as a layman, in the simple view of things, and not from a theological outlook, I’ll bring it down all of it to one thing…Revelation, 21:4 and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

There may be detours, some pauses along the way, but the good way leads us to the promise of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There shall be life, everlasting, promises kept.

Life is Good

jk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes the road to the Good Way seems a bit dark in places and today we want to kind of take time to look at a little bit of Christian terminology to help us understand how to stay on the Good Way. In Christian terminology light is a powerful metaphor, symbolizing God’s nature and presence, as well as spiritual concepts, like truth, goodness, wisdom, and salvation. The absence of that light in our life is referred to in biblical writings as darkness, and it represents sin, evil, ignorance, and spiritual blindness. When we talk about God, we’re talking about something that is inherently, holy and pure, and Jesus as the light of the world. It is that light of the world that dispels that spiritual darkness, and it leads us as believers to live in truth and good works. Now we will break this down a little bit and see if we can better understand that which gives us light as we travel along the road to the Good Way.

There should be in every Christian’s life, the presence of God, his absolute holiness, moral perfection, and and the undeniable quality of knowing everything. As Christians were familiar with the term “the light of the world”… it refers to Jesus, as being the true light that gives light to everyone, meaning he provides spiritual illumination and salvation. There’s plenty of scripture reference to such, we know that believers who follow Jesus will not walk in darkness, but will have the “light of life”. Because of such Christians are called to walk in the light which means living in truth, holiness, and good works. As believers, we are encouraged to let our light shine before others so that our good deeds may be seen. In a simplistic way, we are looking at good versus evil. The Bible consistently contrasts light with darkness. Light represents God’s truth, goodness and life and darkness represents sin, evil, and death. When we hear the terminology telling us the following, “walking with God in the light” it implies a state of fellowship, purity, and a departure from darkness and sin. It also provides for us a well defined path to the “Good Way”.

I had not intended to include the following segment in this blog this week. While it may sound strange to some people, the fact that Christian terminology can be excessive at times and may be a little confusing. So I’m simply going to attach a list that has been gathered from various sources of Christian writings and share with you the terminology that often is used within the Christian community. We can be certain most of us have been exposed to the following theological terms like grace, gospel, salvation… key figures, such as Jesus Christ, the apostles, significant symbols, like the cross and practices such as a baptism and repentance. We find these words are used to discuss the beliefs, stories, and commands central to the Christian faith, which are based and found within the Bible. With that said below is the list.

Key terms and concepts 

• Apostle: A person sent out to preach the gospel. Jesus called twelve apostles to follow him. 
• Baptism: A ceremony involving immersion in water, symbolizing a new Christian life and the washing away of sins. 
• Covenant: A sacred agreement or promise, used throughout the Bible to describe God’s relationship with people. 
• Christ: From the Greek word Christós, meaning “The Anointed One.” It is a title for Jesus, who is also called the Messiah. 
• Cross: The central symbol of Christianity, representing the crucifixion of Jesus. 
• Faith: Belief and trust in God. 
• Forgiveness: The act of pardoning someone for their wrongdoings, which is central to Christian teaching. 
• Gospel: The “good news” about Jesus Christ, especially his life, death, and resurrection. 
• Grace: The unmerited favor and love of God towards people. 
• Heaven and Hell: The afterlife destinations as described in the Bible. 
• Holiness: A state of being set apart for God and of being morally pure. 
• Jesus Christ: The central figure of Christianity, believed to be the Son of God. 
• Justification: The act of being declared righteous in the eyes of God, often through faith in Jesus. 
• Mercy: Compassion shown by God to people. 
• Redemption: The act of being saved from sin through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. 
• Repentance: To turn away from sin and toward God. 
• Salvation: The act of being saved from sin and death through faith in Jesus Christ. 

Thanks for joining us in the pew this week. Please come back next week as we continue moving along the good way.

Life is Good

jk

Seems like I’m always giving a weather report from the back porch and here this evening it’s very pleasant 62° and very little wind at all. Well after we all got chairs or boxes and got seated this evenings Ponder came quickly. We got into a discussion about the holiday season. It’s pretty much upon us now. Next week will be Thanksgiving and we begin to talk about families and get-togethers and things that we’ve become accustomed to over the years that just don’t exist anymore. I think we all have reached a point in our lives where we realize that with age comes a lot of problems, blessings, different things and most of us are able to adjust fairly well to those changes. But there’s one change that takes place that really hits home hard. Tradition… and tonight that will be our Ponder for this evening. Tradition is the handing down of beliefs, customs, and practices from one generation to the next, often by word-of-mouth or practice. It represents a long-standing way of acting within a group or society, the word originates from the Latin word Tradere, meaning to transmit or handover. Now right off we want to eliminate groups, society and our focus will be on family traditions. We’re looking at inherited customs, beliefs, or practices that have been passed down and have a symbolic meeting or a special significance in our families. Of course, now we want to recognize the fact that there are cultural traditions. It’s a process of transmitting, cultural knowledge, stories, and habits from ancestors to descendants, sometimes without written records. And of course, when we get into the religious context we’re talking about the body of doctrines and laws and practices that are believed to have been established by a certain religion by its founders and their followers. What this really comes down to is that it’s about evolution. Many of our traditions are invented overtime and they can involve a whole lot of changes but us old folks we don’t do well with change. Most of us here on the porch agree that we like that turkey out of the oven cooked just like grandma and mom used to do. Oh yes, before I forget it. Don’t forget the heart, gizzard, and the liver and neck, they’re in that little sack hid in the cavity. We like our green beans country style, what we mean by that is a ham hock or some bacon grease boost them up and give them a down-home flavor. I always look forward to that sweet tater casserole. You know the one with marshmallows melted across the top of it. Of course, we always like those mashed potatoes with gravy, lots of gravy, homemade biscuits, some of us remember using a biscuit to sop up some of that gravy. And whatever you do, don’t forget the cranberry sauce. I will guarantee you that sometime later in the day, somebody will be in the kitchen, fixing themselves a turkey and cranberry sandwich. You gotta have plenty of iced tea, southern style, iced tea, lots of sugar. Now I almost forgot that dressing. Making dressing for this particular meal is an art and when you get it just right and you ladle enough gravy on top of it… how does that old saying go… “now you’re cooking”. Of course we don’t want to leave out the dessert. You got to have at least three kinds of pie. Your choice, of course, but mine would be Apple, Pumpkin, and Peach. Now in my family, you would have to also add, ice cream for the apple and homemade whipped cream for the pumpkin and peach. It’s a family tradition.

Somebody in the group brought up Hank Williams Junior, and a song that he had recorded some years back. “ It’s a Family Tradition” which we quickly reminded them that, that wasn’t exactly the type of tradition we were looking for. But in fairness to our friend, we recognize the fact that tradition takes many forms and whatever they may be they’re important to the people that they’ve been passed down to, and who will pass them down in the future. So, I guess at this point is where I write Ponder This…  there is no greaterTradition than the family gathering around the table, giving thanks, and enjoying a fine Thanksgiving Dinner.

Hope you and yours have a good one.

Kurt

I posted a blog some years back 2015 to be exact about the three things in the title above. As we continue traveling the Good Way I would like to take time to look at those three words from a Christian perspective.  Let’s take a closer look at these three things in relation to the Christian perspective.

Starting with Authority, which is the supreme power and right of God to govern all of creation, rooted in his role as the omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent Creator. This authority is considered to be absolute extending over all things, and it is the basis for moral and spiritual order  we face, guiding the lives of believers in forming the source of delegated authority in different aspects of life. Well, that is a lot of big words, but God’s aspect of authority is a very important part of living a faithful life. The very foundation of God’s authority is His act of creation, bringing the Hebrew universe into existence, and He has the ultimate right to rule over it. What is the extent of God’s sovereignty? What scripture tells us and it has been affirmed in psalms, what it means is his kingdom rules overall. It is a recognition that all delegated authority ultimately comes from God. It is the basis for moral spiritual order, guiding believers in their actions and beliefs. This authority of God’s includes the power to judge good and evil to show mercy and judge life and death. God does trust rules of leadership individuals, but their authority is limited in its scope, and it is subordinate to God’s will, and is condemned if abused.

Next, we move onto Accountability. We are speaking of our individual accountability for our actions decisions and thoughts, acknowledging sin and seeking forgiveness and striving to live righteously according to the divine principles. There will come a day when we will have to stand before God and be held accountable for those things which we have or have not done. This type of accountability is seen as a foundational aspect of the relationship between God and humanity, which includes mostly responsibility to live according to God’s will, and the hope of forgiveness and grace. We are each held accountable for our own choices and we can find that in testament versus from the book of Deuteronomy. Being a Christian means that we are willing to acknowledge our   not only just our outward actions, but also our intentions and thoughts. The process of accountability includes recognizing our sins, and seeking gods forgiveness. We are called to live a life that reflects our faith which includes being honest and making commitments and ethical decisions. These things indicate a reflection of our intent and personal commitment to God. Our stewardship of gifts should be faithful and diligent in using our God-given talents and resources that are illustrated in the Bible. This concept of accountability will come about when all individuals independently face divine judgment for their deeds. A closing thought on accountability… accountability is not meant to be born alone it involves relying on divine guidance and strength to live responsibly and make righteous choices.

The last of the three, Responsibility. 

“He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

I believe that there is no simpler way of expressing the responsibility that we have to God then the above verse. We can also enlarge on that a little bit and add that we need to be a soul winner, and we need to continuously give praise and be thankful for God’s great love. We must keep the faith and not allow doubt to cloud our ability to do what we know is right. Continue to be responsible, never be selfish with God… by withholding a share of our wealth from God and we need to serve Jesus and others. In the 15th chapter of  1st Corinthians Paul declares that if we really believe, and if we are truly thankful that our resurrection is sure we should therefore demonstrate our assurance and thankfulness by standing firm and letting nothing move us and always giving ourselves to the full work of the Lord that’s in first Corinthians 15:58 …so what Paul advises us is this, that it is the believers responsibility to stand firm in the faith and give himself completely to the Lord.

Life is Good

jk

The Great Raid… I am 82 years old and my generation is quite familiar with where and how these brave men stood for us and the many storied battles that took place. On this Veterans Day I remember Poland, Hungary. I Remember Dachau, Auschwitz and those camps were only two of some 20 total concentration camps. Dunkirk, the White Cliffs of Dover, London and the blitz then Normandy Beach, Anzio. War and hate knows no boundaries and with that thought along comes the Japanese. Remember Pearl Harbor, the war in the Pacific. General MacArthur and the plight of the Philippines. In all these places, people lost their lives and many of our young man died. And all across Europe and the Pacific American soldiers, men and women died to free others. It has been said that the only thing we ever asked of any of these countries or places was just enough ground to bury our dead. But man’s evil and the war it brings, seems like we never learn its lesson. They didn’t call it a war. they called it a conflict, the Korean conflict. I probably left something out, but then I’m an old man and my memory is not as well as it used to be, but I do remember very well, The Vietnam war. A war that changed a whole generation and called up the very best it had to offer and destroyed them in a political war that gained nothing.

Gleaming white alabaster crosses, marking the places where they lay at last in peace. Granite and stone walls that listed the names of those who died. I wrote this today to remember a battle that many of you don’t know about. It came to life in a book and a film that was made in 2005 called the great raid. The great raid is based on a true story of the January 30,1945 rescue of over 500 allies prisoners of war from the Japanese run Cabanatuan camp in the Philippines. It was led by US Army Rangers and Alamo Scouts, with the crucial support of Filipino guerrillas. It is considered one of the most successful rescue missions in US military history. The mission saved prisoners who had endured the brutal Bataan death march and other atrocities. As I wrote this, I thought about the hundreds of other little battles that occurred during these wars that we know nothing about. Death could be a very lonely thing and I’m not so sure that how you died matters as much as what you die for. With all that’s happening in our nation today I kind of feel like that 101 year-old Englishman who the other day made the statement I don’t think that all of what we went through was worth it. One more thing about my writing this. I never served in the military and having written this tonight and remembering all of these things I feel ashamed. I offer my humble prayer of thanks to those who stood for me. God bless them all.

Kurt