Job 36 V 26 How great is God--beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out.

One of the great mysteries facing us is the question in how large is the universe and how long has it existed?? Scientists think they are getting close to the answer with the "Big bang theory"; that the universe started in an instant and continues to expand even today. They can date the instant and roll out the clock to give you a timeline, can tell you when according to our clock but not how. The bible tells you how, God simply wished it into existence and formed it to his liking. How great is God that by a simple thought he created all. The bible also describes a timeline that he used to get it done but that time is told in terms of our time so we can understand it, but do we really understand God's time? I think his time and patience are beyond our understanding. We are his children and He loves us, as He loves those who came before us and those who will come after us. In our time here on the earth God lovingly made for us, we are the stewards of his work, the caretakers of what has been given to us by those who came before and charged by God to teach and nurture those who will follow. The constant in all our lives is a loving God existing in His own time reality beyond anything we can hope to understand, and the "now" that we exist in. The past is history, the records left by others are lessons we must struggle to learn from. The future is always ahead of us, sometimes a blink away and sometimes only a dream seen off in the distance. How great is God - He is before the past and beyond the future - He is now and forevermore.

Job 35

Does God care how we live our lives? Is God really impacted by our sins? Elihu doesn't believe so. He tells Job he has spoken like a fool regarding his lot in life. If Elihu is right then why did the Lord send His Son to save us from our own weaknesses? God has heard humanity and Jesus is the answer to that cry.

Job 34

"Should God then reward you on your own terms.." (v33)

I've never thought about it this way.  No, of course God shouldn't reward me on my terms, my terms are the terms of a silly human.  Tonight, my biggest problem was getting a network connection at the Hilton in NYC to respond to some work issues and do my fantasy baseball draft.  I mean, really, its surprising that God listens to us at all!

Job sees God as a means to an end, some sort of success or wealth standard.  If that isn't a named sin, it should be!  What a demeaning way to think of God. But, we all do it at some point, don't we?

Please God, grant me internet access, I am your humble servent!

Job 33

I like how this chapter begins. Eliha lets Job know that they are the same in God's eyes, both sinners in need of forgiveness. One is not above the other and both can learn from one another. Job needs to learn here that no human is above another. We should all consider ourselves equal in God's sight. I think that it is easy to look at others and see their faults and a lot more difficult to see our own faults. We should not put ourselves up on pedistals, we all are human with human failings. No one is free from sin.

I like the idea that God speaks to us through our dreams. There have been times that I have felt Gods speaking to me in dreams. It is much harder to hear God in our daily lives when we are caught up in our busy world. When we are quiet and open to him he can speak to us. It's an interesting thought that God is warning us in our dreams. I think I will look at my nightmares a little different now.

Thinking that there are angels in our midst helping us to keep on the right path is a comforting thought. That little voice that speaks to you when you are doing something wrong, maybe it is an angel. Someone is putting those thoughts in our heads, we know when we are sinning and our inner voice tells us not to but our human nature leads us astray. Thankfully we have a forgiving Father who is looking out for us and our best interest.

'Be silent and I will speak', I think that this is very good advice for us all to take. In my quiet moments I can reflect on my life and listen for God's voice and words of wisdom

Job 32

Normally, I read one chapter of the Bible per day. I've been doing it now for four lectionary cycles. I try to stay in the present, as glimpses of the kingdom of God break into each moment. My mom taught me to ask for daily bread. Bill panned back and gave us a view of what remains in Job. He hit the high beams, while I had mine on dim. To re-cap where we've been so far:
Job is twice tested, his friends sit shiva with him for a week, and then Job cries out.

Eliphaz speaks out. Job replies.

Bildad responds. Job continues.

Zophar gives counsel. Job answers.

Eliphaz attacks again. Job defends himself.

Bildad's attacks again. Job answers.

Zophar attacks. Job responds.

Eliphaz attacks a third time. Job defends himself.

Bildad attacks a third time. Job defends himself.

Feels like a classic Rocky movie. Or the Karate Kid.

Speaking of a kid, now Elihu steps up. We expect Zophar to take another crack at Job, trying to knock him out, prove him wrong about God. But "Job's three friends fell silent. They were talked out, stymied because Job wouldn't budge an inch—wouldn't admit to an ounce of guilt."

This moment in the story reminds me of John 8, "The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders."

Maybe some wisdom does come from life experience. Elihu is a young whippersnapper and angry at that. I'm not looking forward to the next week of his ranting and raving, his series of speeches. I'm waiting for Sunday, when God speaks. There is true wisdom in his words.

Job 31

As the end of the section on Job's call for vindication - his protestations of innocence. I live with children...so I'm naturally inclined to take a "call for vindication" with a big grain of salt. In my life, I hear "I didn't do it" on a daily basis. No one left their books in the middle of the living room floor. No one put staples into the dining room table. No one left the van door open overnight....."I'm innocent, I tell you! I'm inncoent!" So when I see Job's protestations, I'm inclined to be a little skeptical. I know he was a good and righteous man - good enough that he is chosen from all humanity for this strange experiment. But as his list of things he's never done goes on - I find myself saying "Really?!" "If I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless....from my birth I have guided the widow" vv. 17-18 "If I had put my trust in gold, saying 'you are my security'" v. 24 "If I had rejoiced at my enemy's misfortune...I have not invoked a curse against their life" vv. 29-30 (It's hard to pray the Psalms without stumbling into this) I can accept Job as a good and righteous man - but the words in this chapter either make me wonder if he's stretching the truth a bit for affect. Or they make me realise how very far everything I know is from where God wants us to be. Have I lived as a sinner among sinners so much that I cannot even believe such righteousness outside of Christself?

Job 30

As I read Job tonight, I have to admit I feel bad for the guy. Not only is he being made fun of, he feels attacked, he feels God has thrown him into the middle of a storm, and worst of all he feels like God isn't answering him.

It makes me think that even in the middle of the storms we each face in our day to day lives, God is present, even when its perfectly quiet and we hear no response from Him. There are times in life where we feel like God has thrown us directly into the middle of a storm but in those moments of chaos where we are waiting for God to show himself, in those silent moments, God still has His hand upon us and is using the situation for his purpose. There are times where we have to be still and know that He is God (as the Bible verse says). Even in the storms of life where we are getting hit from every angle, those are the very moments when God's presence in our life is at its most profound.

My goal is to remember even in the most chaotic of times, He is God and while I may not have an immediate answer....I am always safe in my Savior's hands.

Job 29

⁴ Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house, ⁵ when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me.

There are days when I nostalgically look back and long for the vigor of youth, when all things seemed possible and everything was new. Life has a way of grinding you down and wearing you out. Day to day we have trials and tribulations, worries and problems, sometimes nothing is easy. Job's problems where far worse that anything I will ever be faced with (I hope!), yet even though in this chapter he is looking back to better days; he is still strong. I know my family who surrounds me, loves me. In their love I see God's love. They give me the ability to face each day, one day at a time, with a strength which is renewed and reinvigorated in my faith that God loves me only as a Father can love his children.

Mark - Job 28

After reading this chapter the words, All glory and honor is yours almighty Father forever and ever, come to mind. God has given us the abilities to become so advanced in worldly things. My boss at work purchased the new I-pad earlier this month and it is a marvel of technology. But is this as great as a sun set? The novelty of this new toy will be replaced by another in short order.
We all have been given gifts from God to use as we choose and it is our choice to praise him for this.

Jordan - Job 27

To this point, Job has been berated by his friends who have the old school thought that Job must have done something wrong to deserve a life such as this.  Job is saying finally and absolutely that he has not done anything to justify his new world of pain and loss. 

I remember the  tsunami in Sri Lanka  that occured the day after Christmas in 2004.  My sister and I were sitting at the breakfast table and she asked outloud "how could God do this?"  Is God just the God of an imperfect world that lives and shifts in such violent ways that we are at nature's mercy?  Or does God really control all of this?  Job is one of those books in the Bible that confuses this for me because, while God didn't do this directly to Job, God did allow the devil to test Job, right?  Was that tsunami in 2004 and the tsunami in Japan just another test?  Or is God watching this from a distance letting life and the earth run its course?

Job 26

I like how this starts with Job being sarcastic to Bildad's advice from the last chapter. Bildad was not help and Job lays it out for him. Job goes on to explain to Bildad that God is in charge of everything. He does not have to put a lot of effort into his work; 'with one breath he clears the sky', but we should be mindful of God's wrath 'Whatever would we do if he ever raised his voice?'

To me this warns us to be mindful of what God wants of us. We are his creation, his children and as such we should listen to our father. We expect this of our children why should we think God expects differently. We should also be an awe of the great power God has. In fact if we really think about his power we should do everything we can do obey his laws. I think the trouble comes from us trying to follow our own paths and not the one God has planned for us.

Job 25

When I read someone talk about how insignificant we are it makes me angry. I don't think that we are that insignificant. God loves us and he put us here for a purpose. Yes everything belongs to God but we are not worms! God did not make us perfect but he did give us a brain to make choices. He just hopes that we make the right ones.

Keeping the Momentum

It is really funny how things seem to work out through fate. Tonight as I was getting ready to blog I thought about blogging about how I was feeling today and some things that happened. Then when I sign on to the blog Matthew asked us to do just that. So here I go.

The other day I was feeling discouraged, weary and just plain worn out. There never seems like there is enough time in my day never mind my week to do the things I feel are important. Sometimes I guess there are just too many things that I think are important and I have to choose. Not my strong suit. So I usually just keep going and trying to do everything.

After my day today I feel reenergized and renewed. Sunday's do that to me more often than not when I spend my time with the teens and also when I attend Sanctuary's service. Tonight I was honored enough to be asked to play with Mark and Emily at service. Something that I had been hoping to do for a while. It was really fun and also nerve wracking. But we did it and I felt energized.

I went from there back to Quincy for a LYFE meeting. We planned events for our famine talked about a few upcoming events and then made paper cranes for Sanctuary. (They are trying to make 1000 paper cranes for their new meeting room.) Each crane includes a written prayer by the person making the crane. Our kids and leaders made 19 cranes tonight with 19 prayers from our church. It feels good to partner with Sanctuary in the building of a new church. The kids have never been to Sanctuary and most have not met Mark but they were eager to help out. It really is amazing what the kids eagerly get involved in and give their all.

On my way home I was reflecting about how energized I was feeling and wondering how I could keep this energy all throughout my week. Sometimes I feel like I live two lives, one church life and one work life. I have been trying to figure out how to incorporate the 2 but maybe I just need to figure out how to keep my momentum going from one Sunday to the next.

More interactive blogging

Chapters 22-24 encapsulate Eliphaz's attack of Job and his response. If you thumb back through the headings, you'll notice this constant pattern: attack, defense, attack, defense. They are wrestling together over this God-sized question of why bad things happen to good people.

Job's friends accuse him of exploiting the poor to gain his riches. Job denies such behavior and says that evil people do these things and should be punished in the way that he is being punished FOR DOING NOTHING.

What if each week, starting tomorrow, one of us blogs our thoughts and everyone else comments on them? If would be more of a discussion than just a bunch of people blogging side by side.

Who would like to blog this week? Who would like to cover the week of Mar 27th? Please respond below and post your blogs before noon if possible, so we have the day to read, reflect, and respond.

Mark - Job 24

Is there any justice on earth and why does God who loves us let terrible things happen? That's what I read in Job's words from this chapter. He goes on and on about the plight of the poverty stricken and how the wicked enjoy life on earth without so much as a care. I called my brother last Thursday to wish him happy birthday. Honestly, it was to rub it in that were not as young as we use to be. I asked about his wife and kids and he told me they were fine but it had been a tough week. Their good friend had finally succumbed to an awful sickness and died at the age of 45 leaving two small children. She wouldn't be around to watch her children grow, to nurture them and protect them. Why her, why not Khadfi or some deviant? Does God know how much her children are going to miss her? She is no longer in pain thankfully but when I think of those children I tear up again. The explanation for why some seem to have it easier than others I can't answer. What's the plan and what part in it does God want me to play?

Mark - Job 23

God's will be done, three simple words that even in his darkest days Job gets. He doesn't know why this is happening but he knows there is a reason. He is terrified, over an over in the the final verses of the reading he uses the t word three times. Job's all consuming darkness is fear but I believe even in that darkness he knows that God is his one true light. Can anyone understand the greatness of God?

What in the world is God up to and how can we help?

If you were with us on Wednesday night at Soup, Song, Story, and Sacrament, you know that churches who are focused on butts in the pews and bucks in the plate are dying.

Today, Job takes a stand. He has treasured God's words and he's sticking with him, no matter how much it costs him.

Me too.

Jordan Krey and I talked with our small Stewardship team about attending this conference called Money Follows Mission months ago. He made the commitment to take off a day of work and pay his registration fee out of his pocket if he had to. A few days ago, his boss said that an important client would be in town and he could not miss work. I'm picking him up in a few hours for today's session.

I wish he had been there to hear Mike Slaughter's talk last night. A quick glance at their web site (www.ginghamsburg.org) shows the following tabs:
Worship Together
Connect in Community
Grow In Christ
Serve Others

How many of us as Lutherans never get past the first or second one? Were we not made for discipleship, stewardship, and mission? Are we just playing church otherwise?

Mike was appointed to Ginghamsburg in 1979 as the first full-time pastor. At the time, the church averaged approximately 90 people in attendance. After a year, they were down to 70, as Mike focused almost exclusively on discipleship, stewardship, and mission. The average church in New England worships 60. He said a lot of things that struck a cord with me. Here are a couple:
"Do you do contemporary or traditional? Who cares?!? Do mission!"
"People aren't looking for meetings, they are looking for meaning."

Last Sunday, his church had over 4,900 people in worship. Every one of their members attends an in-home small group every week in addition to worship. Their Council of 12 meets once a month. It's the only team meeting the church has. Before a person can be on the Council, they need to travel to Darfur in Africa where 22,000 people have clean water, schools, and agriculture because Mike insisted several years ago that "Christmas is not your birthday. Quit acting like it is. It's Jesus' birthday. Honor him." He told his members (who have all taken a 12 week discipleship course before being allowed to join) to give a gift to the Darfur outreach ministry EQUAL to what they spent on Christmas. One gentleman was taking his wife and 5 daughters on a cruise to celebrate his oldest daughter's wedding. His 5th grader spoke with him, "Pastor said..." He wrote out a check for $13,000. They collected over a million about the 5th year into it. In the down economy (all 5 General Motors plants in the area have closed), they gave $700,000 each of the last two years. Most people spend half as much on Christmas and give the other half away.

Money follows mission.

Darfur is a place recovering from genocide. When you go there on a mission trip, it's dangerous. Mike said, "You can't be a leader in our church if you're not willing to risk your life." Their constitution states that after 3 years on Council, you must take at least one year off. People keep taking Mike up on his offer.

What does this mean for Faith and how we will do church in the next months and years? Please join us for Soup, Song, Story, and Sacrament this Wednesday from 6:30-8 pm in the vestry. We'll be talking about why God needs a church.

One last note: A year ago, 25 of us did the 30 Hour Famine for the first time and got our heads and hearts around the notion that now 24,000 kids under the age of 5 starve to death DAILY. We raised $8,000. I would like everyone in the church (and anyone reading this blog) to do two things:
1. Go online (www.faithlutheranquincy.com), click on Giving, and make a donation to one of three causes (e-mail me the amount of your gift and which one you picked at pastor@faithlutheranquincy.com, so that we can route the money in the right direction):
a. World Vision to benefit starving children world-wide
b. Feeding Children International, as we package meals during the event for Interfaith Social Services and the Germantown food shelf, both in Quincy
c. Faith's pillow ministry, as we will hit 10,000 pillows for Quincy Medical Center before the end of the year (our Social Ministry team will be matching the first $200 given...I'd like to have this done Wednesday). This is our other service project during the Famine.

2. Either fast with us for 30 hours (8 am on Fri, Apr 15th-2 pm on Sat, Apr 16th) OR pray for us for one of those 30 hours. Right now, we have 8 fasters and 3 pray-ers signed up. You don't have to live in MA to be one of the pray-ers (or a faster for that matter).

Together, we will change the world. Jesus didn't come to get us into heaven. He came to get heaven into us.

Job 22

"Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you" v21. Pretty profound statement in my eyes. This took me back to last summer and the mission trip we went on. Our speaker talked about giving up things we were struggling with to God to let him deal with them. Initially when I did this it was really easy, more so than I ever expected. However the further away I am from that time the harder it becomes. There are things in my life I want to give to God but find too hard to do. Sometimes it is really easy but sometimes it feels too much like work.

I think I let my daily life get in the way but can't seem to find a way out. Work, Work, home, kids, cleaning, cooking, shopping ...... Where in my day does God fit?

God's work, our hands

"Are any of us strong enough to give God a hand?"

Yes, yes, yes!

God fills us with his holy and life-giving spirit, strengthening us to stay faithful in our love of him and to serve others with compassion...often past the limits of our resources.

God is in charge, is all-knowing, our righteous and merciful judge. We do need to come to terms with him, let him tell us what to do, and take his words to heart.

The number one god (little g) in our American culture is the Almighty dollar. After two months, Faith would be on pace for a $14,000 deficit (we predicted $16,000) IF our giving was as expected. Unfortunately, it's not. My goal for our church is that we continue to grow together spiritually to the point where we are a benevolence machine. We'll cover our bills for heat and staff and then we'll give generously to all in need.

"Relax your grip on your money. God Almighty will be your treasure, more wealth than you can imagine. You'll take delight in God and look to him joyfully, boldly. You'll pray to him and he'll listen; he'll help you do what you've promised."

Lord, we are here to be your kingdom people. More than anything, we want everyone to experience your grace and love and mercy. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done. Use us to do your work.

Mark - Job 22

Eliphaz's words to Job are condemning once again. These men who have come to comfort their down and out friend have only torn his flesh. He judges him and believes he knows the solution to Job's suffering. How many times do I think I have all the answers to other peoples issues?

Jordan - Job 21

Job captures a feeling that every Christian feels at one time or another.  God must be rewarding the sinners and leaving me at the shallow end of the dream pool.  Thats the only way this life could make sense, right?  But when you really think about it, its just not true.  There are many people who seem to be very successful on the outside, but when you dig deep, there are holes in their life.  There are others who seem to have nothing, yet they are truly happy.  And then there are the rest of us!

The point is that God isn't rewarding the bad people and he isn't making the  good people martyrs (Job might be an exception!).  We are all God's children and he has saved us all through his Son!

Heaven and hell

Notice that Job only talks about punishment for the deceased's children, "What do they care what happens to their families after they're safely tucked away in the grave?" Hell doesn't even come up.

I believe my step-dad, Steve, is with God now in heaven. However, his family (my mom and his two daughters) are being torn apart by the girls' greed. My mom and Steve never got married, although they've been together for the past two decades. As the only two legitimate heirs, my step-sisters want more than the 1/3 their dad provided for them in his will. Five days after what would have been their 20th anniversary, my mom has to go to court in order to keep her house and car. She is currently unemployed.

Through trials and testing, we are being shaped into the kind of people that God can work with in this age and the age to come. Others, who we would like to call "wicked" (and not in a good way) are hell-bent on turning away from God and seeing only what's in it for them.

We talked about temptation again last night. While we may be tempted to cash in on things in this brief life, we know that we are actually preparing for eternity with God in his kingdom, which is coming to earth.

It is the child the Father loves that he disciplines. The word disciple comes from the root word discipline or teaching. Jesus came to earth to save us from greed and pride, prejudice and hate, certainly. But he also came to show up how to connect to the Father and live this life of being molded into a God person in the world.

Please join us for worship on Sunday and Soup, Song, Story, and Sacrament in the vestry from 6:30-8 pm on Wednesday. We'll be talking about why God needs a church.

Mark - Job 21

Job believes God is punishing him because of the suffering he is enduring. He can't believe this has happened to him. He wasn't lived a "wicked" life, he worshipped God and yet look at were he is. (v6) Even I am frightened when I see myself. Job took pride in his way of life and all that he had and now believes God for some reason has taken all that away. Our trials in life are not punishment from God for being less than what he expects from us, were human. When I walk through a painful event God is with me and I am stronger because of this. God is to be glorified for all the opportunities he has given me to see him.

Love wins!

I am starting to think differently about heaven and hell. Yesterday, I had to drag my kids into Boston in order to get a copy of Rob Bell's new book, which I'm preaching on this weekend. I'm halfway through the chapter on hell, but I can already see in today's text what Rob is talking about.

Zophar is basically accusing Job of exploiting the poor, never being content, letting his greed drive him. From God and Satan's conversation in the first chapter, we know that this is simply not true.

Zophar is assuming that since Job is being punished that he did something wrong, thus the accusation of the above sins. Job is our oldest Scripture and you can tell that they have no concept of heaven and hell, but we insert it in there, since that seems to be our frame of reference nowadays.

This line is telling, "Life is a complete wipeout for God-denying people, nothing surviving God's wrath."

God is a righteous judge, not allowing exploitation, discontentment, and greed in the age to come. If God-denying people aren't willing to give up these attitudes and behaviors, they will continue to live in the hell they have created for themselves (and others on earth). If they are willing to let go and let God take over, his wrath will consume the whole of their lives, leaving only that which is pure and true.

Rob explains it well, "Paul makes it very clear that we will have our true selves revealed and that once the sins and habits and bigotry and pride and petty jealousies are prohibited and removed, for some there simply won't be much left."

He's referring to this section of 1 Corinthians 3, "You are God's house. Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you'll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won't get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn't, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won't be torn out; you'll survive—but just barely."

I am taking abundant life head on. After I am judged by God, I want to be found worthy of taking on even more responsibility in the kingdom that is to come. On earth as it is in heaven.

Mark - Job 20

Zophar reiterates the wicked life Job must have led to have his current situation. Is this guy suppose to be Job's friend? Those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Does he have any skeletons in his closet? Judging people brings nothing positive. These fellows are just rubbing salt in Job's already gaping wounds.

Adding insult to injury

Job cries out to his friends, "God has come down hard on me! Do you have to be hard on me, too?"

When people suffer, are we quick to point out their faults and judge them or do we surround them with our support, prayers, and love?

The ping ponging arguments back and forth, back and forth make it seem like God needs to be defended.

In the end, God will get the last word. In the meantime, we need to be there for each other. If you have struggled through something, please help someone who is going through it right now.

And may God bless you for it. Tragedy can be redeemed.

Mark - Job 19

Job's anger is all consuming and yet he knows that in the end God has not abandoned him.(v27)Then he will be on my side! Yes, I shall see him, not as a stranger, but as a friend! What a glorious hope! Explanation point after explanation point he yells out that God's love is there for him!

Jordan - Job 18

"When will you end these speeches? Be sensible, and then we can talk." (v2)

 Kübler-Ross model of the 5 stages of grief lists Anger as stage 2.  Is this where Job is?  Bildad seems to think so and if that is the case, he has a long way to go til acceptance with bargaining and depression to look forward to!

Job 19: 25 I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.

In Jobs deepest despair and anger at his friends he cries out with joy that his redeemer lives, that in the end God will stand upon the earth, that he looks forward to the day he will see God with his own eyes.

Daily we should view each crisis, each bump in the road as an opportunity to celebrate that we have been saved by grace and that our redeemer lives. Each waking moment we should do what matters, act with compassion towards each other, care for one another and share what we have been blessed with with others in need.

Not all acts of compassion need to be heroic, grand gestures done in a very public way. To simply reach out to someone who is suffering, to let them know they are not alone and that God loves them is all it takes.

I am the vine...

"You are the branches," Jesus says.

This is my mom's favorite verse from John 15:5. Job's "friend" tells him that "the wicked falter, their branches wither".

Through thick and thin, we need to remain connected to God. We are to abide in him and he in us. That gives us life and vitality.

This is important to remember when we are angry with God. If we disconnect from him, we are cutting off the very branch we are standing on.

Job 18

Bildad is telling Job to stop whining, complaining and judging. It seems that he is asking Job if he thinks he is so important that the world will be changed because of him? Does he think that he should judge others? Only God has that power. He goes on to tell us that God will judge the evil and they will receive their just due. The faithful will be rewarded. Something that came to my mind while reading was that at the time this was written Jesus was just a dream. These people did not have the promise of forgiveness that Jesus gives us. This must have been difficult to live with. If you sinned you did not have God's promise of forgiveness. You had to wait to receive this forgiveness.

How many times do we feel more important than we really are? I think it is just in our human nature and we have to remember that we are pretty insignificant in the big picture. Not to say that we are not important but we should not FEEL important. We are all here for a reason, we are to discover what that reason is and try our best to fulfill that role. Always keeping in mind that we are here to do Gods work.

Mark - Job18

Bildad is a friend of Job's? With friends like him who needs enemies. This chapter portrays God as a tormentor through Bildad's words. Bildad has judged that Job is wicked and this is the reason his life has been set on this path. This couldn't be farther from the truth.

Job 17

You have to feel bad for Job. He is a faithful man, one who endures much hardship but seems to take it all in stride. He believes in Gods plan for his life and he follows his lead. What has brought him to the point of looking forward to the grave? He seems lost in despair. Yet at the end of the passage he speaks about his desires turning night into day. Somewhere he still has some hope. I think his hope lies in the promise of living with God in heaven. He is looking forward to going home and being with his loving father.

Discovering Hope

Job may be on the mat, but he's not down for the count. His spirit is broken, but from brokenness comes healing.

"Principled people hold tight, keep a firm grip on life." Job knows that God is good, all the time. And all the time, God is good.

Life isn't always good...or fair. God is big enough for our personal and societal questions. We can rail against him for "causing" the earthquake and tsunami in Japan...or the equivalent disasters in our life. Or we can acknowledge his goodness and go to him for healing.

Suffering produces endurance. Well, it can. We could turn suffering into bitterness, something that drives us from God.

My mom has suffered through most of her life, but has endured with God's help. Now she has an unshakable character, which will lead her to have hope in this life and the next.

Stay on the path. Join us on this Lenten journey. Together we can develop Godly character...and hope is just around the corner from there.

Mark - Job 17

Job's words are depressing to read. He has surrendered his will to live and awaits death.(v16) No, my hope will go down with me to the grave. We shall rest together in the dust! His earthly world is but a shell and he has nothing left to live for. How I count my blessings daily for all that has been given to me. Would I want to lay down in the dust and wait to die if all that I have was taking from me? Hopefully my journey doesn't follow such a path.

Job 17: 1 My spirit is broken, my days are cut short, the grave awaits me.

What kind of place would have to find yourself in to accept the fact the all that is left for you is the grave? That all you have worked for, struggled to achieve and lusted after no longer has any meaning and for you all is finished. Job's lot is not his making but he has reached a place that he sees nothing, feels nothing and only desires the final call home and God's loving embrace.

In our daily lives it seems that we are driven by our society and peers to achieve. We educate ourselves to get ahead using our passions and gifts that can enrich us and provide us with the resources to put a roof over our heads, food on our tables, clothes for ourselves and our children and things to fill our house and time. Each day filled with activity and action.

To have all that taken from us either suddenly or over a long period of time without knowing why especially if the cause seems to be an "Act of God" like an earthquake and tsunami would test even the best of us. Would we have the strength of Job to not curse God and blame him for all our troubles. For me it would be hard to loose everything I have worked for and find myself on the street, maybe relying on the goodwill of others survive day to day. Would I quietly await the grave, questioning God but never giving up my faith that he still loves me? I hope so but I don't know.

Sackcloth and ashes

"I sewed myself a shroud and wore it like a shirt; I lay facedown in the dirt." By doing this, Job is admitting his sinfulness.

Here is an excerpt from a friend's Ash Wednesday sermon:
Ashes are a rich symbol:
Ashes suggest judgment and God's condemnation of sin.
Ashes remind us of our frailty, our total dependence upon God for life.
We are reminded of the words of the committal in the burial service, "...earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust." Someday, those words will be said over us.
Ashes are a symbol of repentance. When people in the Bible feel sorry for the bad things they have done, they wear sackcloth and ashes, put ashes on their heads, or sit in dust and ashes.
But ashes also represent cleansing and renewal. In the past, ashes were used as a cleansing agent in the absence of soap.
In a way, the ashen cross on our foreheads reminds us of the water of our baptism. When we baptize a child, we also make the mark of the cross on her forehead and say, "You have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever."
The ashes remind us of that seal of the Holy Spirit and that mark of the cross of Christ that is branded on our souls forever.

This is a turning point in the chapter.

So far, a lot of courtroom imagery has been used. God is the only righteous judge. Job is struggling with what precisely he did wrong. Remember the cause and effect beliefs of the Old Testament Hebrew culture. If something bad happens to you, God must be behind it. We now believe that earthquakes and tsunamis are a result of forces in the world that can be better explained by science than coming from the hand of God. I believe God acts through his people in recovery efforts.

In verse one, Job is defending himself. After the sackcloth and ashes bit, he says, "There must be Someone in heaven who knows the truth about me, in highest heaven, some Attorney who can clear my name—My Champion, my Friend, while I'm weeping my eyes out before God. I appeal to the One who represents mortals before God as a neighbor stands up for a neighbor."

That's why the Word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood...

Job 16

I have to admit this passage is pretty confusing. It seems that Job is advising people to stop complaining. He tells them that this will get them nowhere. Then he goes on to say that if he were to complain to God things would not change and it seems they would get worse. Yet through all this Job stays faithful to God, no matter the circumstances. In the end he does not want his suffering to be covered up and he promises to continue to pray for the people.

Throughout these chapters I can't help but wonder about the faith of Job. He seems to go through such turmoil yet continues to be faithful and true to God. Good lessons here.

Mark - Job 16

The phrase, "bad things happen to good people" comes to mind when reading this chapter.(v7)For God has ground me down, and taken away my family, Job has done nothing to deserve what has unfolded. He is in agony over his current state as well he should be but God is not the architect of it. God did not cause the terrible earthquake and tsunami in Japan or any of the other disasters that plague the planet. The gift of life has no quarantees, it is unmerited and given to us for a finite period of time. Having faith that God loves us and has prepared a home for us were there is no pain and tragedy is comforting. But it doesn't take away from the fear of the unknown and the trials that may occur while striving to be a "good" person hear on earth.

Jordan - Job 15

Hard to read a chapter about not venting your anger at God and simultaneously reading about all of the destruction in Japan.  I pray for all of the people affected by the earthquake and tsunami.

You trivialize religion!

This is Eliphaz's attack against Job.

What is more important: faith or religion? Trusting in God or gathering in his name?

Just another way of asking, "Why does God need a church?"

Faith is clearly personal and communal. When we come together for the right reasons, we build up the body, reach outside of ourselves, and help usher in the kingdom. More and more young people have something against "organized religion" these days.

15% of the world is either atheist or agnostic. 29% of 18-29 year old Americans are. We worship 120 on a Sunday. How many of our active members/regular visitors fall within that age group? Can you count them on one hand?

How can we "do church" in such a way that speaks to them and their spiritual hunger and need for a community that's real?

Job 14

This passage was pretty gloomy. There does not seem to be too much hope here. Our days are numbered, God knows how long we will be on earth, it is pre-planned. One gets the feeling that we are less than the plants, they have hope of springing back to life, we do not.

I could not help but think of yesterday and receiving the ashes reminding us of how mortal we are. Then reading this and hearing that God has numbered our days brings it home again. There is not even a happy ending, here anyway.

As Jordan reminds us, there is something to look forward to. Our Father does love us and gave us his son so that we can be redeemed. We can look forward to a ressurection after death. We will have a heavenly home. But while here we do need to remember 'from dust you came and from dust you will return'.

Jordan - Job 14

Yesterday I saw our tulips coming up and my first thought was "I really hope another freeze doesn't come!"  Every year Erin gives me grief because some of our plants bloom early and get hit with a frost.  I then complain throughout the summer that they would have been stronger had that early warm spell and late freeze hadn't messed them up.  I am such a sap when it coms to my garden!

Yet, here in chapter 14, Job talks about the rebirth that plant experience each year.  How jealous we should be that they have this opportunity to try again, over and over.  What Job was missing was the sacrifice that God gave in his son gave in Jesus.  In Jesus, we are given a life wherebwe can try, try and try again!  

This mortal life

On Sunday, I preached, "We are to remember both the dust from which we came and the Spirit that fills us to overflowing."

In this chapter, Job is lamenting the fact that he is human, mortal, that he will have pain and die.

But that's not Ash Wednesday and this life of faith are all about. "This is going to work out for the best." Easter is coming! There are already signs of it. Look at the ground from which we came. Do you see new life?

In the waters of our baptism, we die with Christ and rise up to live for the kingdom of God. We don't need to buy into the consumerism of our culture. Our minds have been transformed. The only thing that matters in the long run is the kingdom, God's love for all of his people.

We are here to live this life together and serve all people. For the next 40 days, we are to pray, fast, and give generously...the whole church together. All that we do is leading up to probably our biggest youth event of the year: On Palm Sunday weekend, 30 of us will be fasting for 30 hours. Sue and her sister and daughter, Karla and two of her friends, Bill's daughter, and I are on board for Apr 15th-16th. While we start fasting at 8 am on Friday, the kids are in school and people are in work for the first 8ish hours. Join us Friday afternoon/evening when you can and then the event ends at about 3 pm on Saturday after our breakfast meal.

I would like every member of Faith to do one or two of the following three things:
1. Fast with us.
2. Give to the cause.
3. Pray during one of the hours we are fasting.

While you can fast OR pray, everyone can give.

Ash Wednesday

I was thinking last night during the service how Matthew must feel as he puts the ashes on the heads of his wife and children. To say to your children 'from ashes you came and to ashes you shall return' must be difficult when doing this to your children.

When I receive the ashes I think of how fragile life really is. We are created by God out of the ground and when we die we will return to the ground. When I think about this fact I feel very humbled and mortal. I also think about what purpose I have here and what I should bbe doing with my life.

I have committed to blogging each day for the next 40 days. Wish me luck.

Jordan - Job 13

"Can I speak with your manager?"

Job doesn't want to waste his time with these guys anymore, he wants to talk the The Man(Woman?) himself.  Sometimes the answers are just not available on earth.

40 days, 40 blogs

I'm taking up DAILY blogging for Lent. Please consider joining me.

I am in between Ash Wednesday services. Our Gospel reading talks about "our Father in secret" who will reward us for our anonymous acts.

Job says something that really reasonates with me, "This is going to work out for the best." But he has had enough of his friends and enough of God's silence and secretiveness. He is begging the Almighty to lay off him a bit and to answer his prayers directly.

In the Old Testament, people (like the prophet Joel in our 1st reading today) spoke of God as the cause of all things...good, bad, and ugly. A contemporary worldview makes room for the power of sin, death, and the devil when things go awry.

God certainly tests us sometimes, but he usually uses a situation that already exists, a stumbling block Satan or a fallen world (or our own sinfulness for that matter) has placed in our path...

"We know that all thing work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose."

It may just take a while...

The Social Network

It seems like our Lenten journey has already begun, being with Job for the last few weeks.

Heidi and I watched The Social Network last night. My mom and I went to The King's Speech on the day it won Best Picture. I was surprised by how many Oscars The Social Network got and it had been sitting on my desk from Netflix for weeks. I was a sociology/anthropology major in college, so it had me at hello.

A Harvard sophomore decided 8 years ago that something like Facebook should exist, just for the elite of that fine Boston school. Once it started to catch on (i.e. immediately), he decided to expand to other colleges across the nation and then around the world. When I got my Facebook account the month before we moved to Quincy, there were 500 million members, representing the 3rd largest "nation" in the world.

Why does our global culture need Facebook? Connections. Mark's best friend and co-founder of Facebook was a business major and saw the potential for advertizing. That wasn't Mark's original intent. Facebook is now worth $25 billion. Mark is the youngest billionaire on the planet. Unfortunately, greed tore their friendship apart.

Job says, "Learn the basics. God is sovereign. He holds all things in his hand. Do you think that you have to grow old before you understand life? True wisdom and real power belong to God; from him we learn how to live, and also what to live for."

Why are we on the planet? To become rich and famous? No. There is a Famous One. We are to connect to him, learn from him, live for him and, along the way, connect to one another.

Welcome to Lent.

Jordan - Job 11

"Yet if you devote your heart to him and stretch out your hands to him, if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then, free of fault, you wil lift up your face you will stand firm and without fear.  You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by." (v13-16)

These words speak for themselves...

Why does God need a church?

Since our Doing What Matters mission area assembly on Saturday, I've been thinking deeply about this question. Job's friends end up being his church. The verse from today that speaks to me is this:
"If you set your heart on God and reach out to him, you'll keep a firm grip on life, guiltless and fearless."

Biblically, there are 5 reasons churches exist:
In the Great Commandment, Jesus says, "'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence. This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: Love others as well as you love yourself." This highlights the importance of worship and serving others. We tie them together every Sunday, "Go in peace to love and serve the Lord." Thanks be to God.

In the Great Commission, the Christ says, "Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you (see above). I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age." In these words, we realize the necessity of learning, fellowship, and evangelism.

Our mission director, Jane, made it clear that just as you can't say yes to everything, we as a church need to have priorities. While we ought to be doing all of these things, we won't be able to do them all well. If you had to put these five activities in order of importance, how would you do it (I have listed them alphabetically, so as to not influence you)?
Evangelism
Fellowship
Learning
Serving others
Worship

Please comment on Faith's Facebook page.

Jordan - Job 8

We are insignificant specs of dust in the great expanse of God's creation, right?  Is this what this chapter is saying?

"Ask the former generation and find out what their ancestors learned,  for we were born only yesterday and know nothing, and our days on earth are but a shadow." (v8-9)

Absolutely not!!!

This chapter reminds us that we are nothing if we do not rely on God.  All the material garbage is a spider web.  Beautiful, yes, but its not going to hold you up.  With God, we are meaningful.  Not just meaningful, but the keepers of creation. 

Laughter and tears

"God will let you laugh again; you'll raise the roof with shouts of joy."

These words give me hope. We read them at Steve's funeral, because he was known by all as a funny guy.

The words that sting are: "Does God mess up? Does God Almighty ever get things backward?"

In Job's case, God allowed this to happen. He didn't stop Satan from messing with Job. God knew that Job would not "curse his name and die," like his wife insisted. God knew that Job would stick with him through thick and thin.

"We take the good days from God—why not also the bad days?"

It gets easier every day, right?

Jordan - Job 7

In Job's words of anguish, what is God thinking?  Job is going back and forth with his friends, but is God listening these words?  Or is God feeling guilty because God knows that Job's afflictions are not natural?  I feel that God must be holding His heart when hearing these words and seeing his wounds, but who knows.

Welcome back Pastor Matthew!!  

Living Job

"Human life is a struggle, isn't it?"

Note to self: Don't start blogging Job on the morning of your step-father's funeral. Sometimes Scripture is just too real.

A few verses give me (and my mom) hope:
"What are mortals anyway, that you bother with them, that you even give them the time of day? That you check up on them every morning, looking in on them to see how they're doing?"

David echoes these very words in Psalm 8 (Job is the oldest Scripture in the Bible). God is always with us.

I found this one in the Beatitudes:
"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you."

Without that embrace, I can't go on.