Articles
Growing in the Word
An editorial comment in my Bible calls psalm 119, “A love poem to God’s Law” (Oh, how I love your law! - vs 97). Imagine! Falling in love with a set of laws! True, the psalmist reveres God himself as the lawgiver and appreciates the certainty, guidance and structure that following these laws gives him in life, but falling in love with the laws themselves seems a little strange.
Two Things I Ask of You
During our Philippians study last week, an interesting passage from Proverbs came to my mind: ‘Two things I ask of you; don’t deny them to me before I die: Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor wealth; feed me with the food I need. Otherwise, I might have too much and deny you, saying, “Who is the Lord?” or I might have nothing and steal, profaning the name of my God.’ (Proverbs 30:7-9)
How Long, O LORD?
David asked this question in Psalm 13, describing his angst at not only wrestling with worries and heartbreak, but his sorrow over his enemies who rejoiced over his fallen state.
“But One Thing I ____”
In his personal testimony to his beloved friends in the church at Philippi (Phil, 3:7-16) Paul summed up the goal of his life with two little Greek words, en de (3:13). But he does not complete the sentence. It is as if he was saying to those friends who knew him well, you fill in the blank. But one thing I [Paul] ____. Paul follows his testimony with an urgent admonition (3:17), Brothers and sister join together in imitating me and scope out those who walk according to this pattern (my paraphrase). It is your turn, you fill in the blank, But one thing I ____. All those plurals in this admonition suggest that the whole church is to fill in the blank, But one thing we ____.
Johnny Is as Johnny Does
here is something about a name, even the name Johnny. In our family room there is a prominent picture of my oldest sibling, John Hickman Yoakum. Johnny as we often called him is smiling and strumming a rhythm guitar which he learned to play by listening to Johnny Cash records. The picture dates to an era when television viewers heard Ed McMahon cry out “Here’s Johnny!”
On Jewish Hospitality
For the Pharisee to invite Jesus to a meal at his house (Luke 7:36) was not unusual. Jewish tradition held that welcoming strangers to ones home was akin to welcoming the presence of the Lord himself. After all, was that not how Abraham received the blessing of the Lord, by entertaining three strangers (Genesis 18)? It would be especially prestigious to have a well-known scholar at your table, even one as controversial as this Nazarene. Such a gesture would absolve a man of his obligation to make the daily sacrifice, according to tradition.
Don’t Be Afraid, but Trust in the Lord
It’s a scary world we live in! Danger is all around us. Mass shootings at schools, shopping malls, workplaces, and dance studios are becoming a common occurrence. As I contemplate the imminent causes of fear in this generation, I think about these menacing threats and how they have affected the precariousness of life; nothing seems “safe” anymore.
On Walking Worthily of...
Good morning church, lets go for a walk together. Before we the Storrs Road church go for our walk, I ask us to look at, think about, and be challenged by Paul’s exhortations to the church in Thessalonica to walk worthily of God (1 Thess. 2:12), to the church in Philippi to walk worthily of the gospel (Phil. 1:27), to the church in Ephesus to walk worthily of their calling (Eph. 4:1), and to the Colossian church to walk in a manner worthily of Christ Jesus the Lord (Col. 1:10; 2:6).
On Being Partners Together in the Gospel
Hey partners, lets do it. What do you mean by “partnership”? And what is “it” that we are to be doing? As we hear the Philippian letter “partnership” is heard at the beginning (1:5, 1:7) and ending (4:14, 4:15) of Paul’s very personal communique from a Roman prison cell to the congregation (all the saints) in a very Roman city. What did partnership mean then and there and what does it mean here and now?
Life is Not an Iffy Matter
Many of us live a “what If” life or an “if only” life. Looking back, we ask, “what if this had happened or not happened?” In personal reflections, we think of situations and say, “If only I done this or not done that life would now be different.” It is very difficult to live such an iffy live, full of contingencies and unknowns. The popular 2010 movie, What If, and its recent resurgence suggests that many people are concerned about their “What If” and “If Only” existence.
The “Three ‘R’s” for SRCC in 2023: Review, Reflect, and Resolve
In American educational colloquialism the “Three ‘R’s” are “Reading, ‘Riting, & ‘Rithmetic.” I have adapted that idea to SRCC, Storrs Road Church of Christ. In our text for today, Philippians 1:1-11. Paul remembers (3-6), reflects (7-8), and resolves (9-11). Let us follow his example.
The Messiah
“Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” (Lk. 2.29-32)
The Messianic Feast
“On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.” (Isa. 25.6)
“For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgment against themselves.” (1Cor. 11.29)
The Will of God
“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Jer. 31.33
“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matt. 11.30
On Being Servants of a Servant God
A servant who really serves is wonderfully helpful. But some self-proclaimed servants do not serve. Consider this “parable.” Look at the back of one of your credit cards: “for service call 1-800-etc.” Have you tried to call? When I called the number on one card (V) I got through and talked to a real person who was very helpful. When I called the number on another card (M) I only heard a computerized voice that said, “Sorry you are not recognized, please call again. Goodbye.” Totally frustrated after calling repeatedly for two days I transferred my business account on card M to card V. For several months thereafter I received letters about my failure to pay signed, “Sincerely” with a note, “contact us at the phone number below.” All my attempts to talk to someone at that customer service number only gave me that computerized voice again!
Love and Justice
“For I the LORD love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.” Isa. 61.8
“Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 1Jn. 4.8
One Degree of Glory to Another
“But the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” (Hab. 2.14)
“And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.” (2Cor. 3.18)
God’s Restoration
“But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” (Hab. 2.20)
“Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” (Ps. 46.10)
On Being Pilgrims
“Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” (Mt. 13.52)