Thursday, June 23, 2005

Good Morning!

Just fyi, I'm pretty sure I will be away this Sunday as well.

The new unit for this week is Unit 8 , Reaching Out to the Poor

Focus Scripture for the Week: Leviticus 19:10

You shall not strip you vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the Lord your God.

Today's scripture: Luke 6:17-26

-- this passage is from what is called the Sermon on the Plain, because of where Luke describes it taking place. It appears to be Luke's version of Matthew's account of the Sermon on the Mount. But note that they are probably not accounts of the very same sermon -- they are likely either two different sermons, or slightly different summaries of Jesus's teachings over a number of sermons. There are some differences from Matthew's and Luke's sermons.

-- one difference between the two is in the verse we have for today. In Matthew, he says "blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." In our reading from Luke, it simply says, "blessed are you who are poor . . ."

-- Matthew's version also doesn't have verses 24-26, the "woe to you who are rich . . ." Since we are focused this week on the poor, let's just focus on verses 20 and 24

-- I'm not sure I understand what is meant in these verses. I'm not sure that I see in these verses a direct call to reach out to the poor. I think that for the unit we are studying this week, verse 24 is the key verse for us to focus on. What I see in that verse is a warning about misplaced priorities. What v.24 is saying is that money -- being wealthy -- can create misplaced priorities. I think that it is talking about choices -- if you are rich, if you have laid up treasures here on earth, you have chosen to keep your money for your own comfort and fulfillment now. If you have made that decision, then that is all of the comfort you will receive out of this life -- you have opted out of what God's plan is for your comfort and fulfillment by trying to provide your own.

-- and obviously, if you are rich, and you want to make a change in your life as a result of verse 24, then the most likely thing that you would do is to give some of your wealth to those less fortunate. So, in somewhat of a roundabout way, verse 24 is giving us motivation to reach out to the poor by warning us that keeping it for ourselves will not give us the lasting comfort and security that we seek.

Today's prayer request: Natalee Holloway and her family.

We are more than three weeks into this, and still no resolution. Her mother, in particular, has been under tremendous strain - not just from the disappearance, but from the constant media pressure. Pray for Natalee's safe return, and for continued strength for her family and friends.

Today's class member prayer:

April Walker

Have a great day.

Jay