Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Good Morning! 

 

Unit 26, Going on to Perfection

 

Focus Scripture for the Week:  

 

1 Timothy 6:11-12

 

But as for you . . . pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness.  Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called.

 

Today's Scriptures:   2 Corinthians 2:12-17

 

Today's Discussion:

 

-- the connection between today's scripture and this week's lesson topic is a bit murky, it seems to me.

 

-- that said, there is a very interesting turn of phrase in this passage from Paul, where he is using the idea of fragrance to make a point about our Christian witness.  He is building this thought from a practice of the Roman victory parade.  When there was a victory parade (triumphal procession, in Paul's words) incense was burned at some point along the route, or at the front of the procession.  So not only did the observers of the parade see and hear the sounds of triumph, but there was a smell that was associated with that thought as well.

 

-- however, also in the procession were slaves and prisoners from the captured lands that the Romans were celebrating victory over, and to these people, the smell of incense was not of victory, but of slavery and death.

 

-- there is something about this reference that reminds of one of the more famous scenes in cinema -- a scene from Apocalyse Now, where Robert Duvall makes the observation that he loves "the smell of napalm in the morning.  It smells like victory" -- when there are many others to whom the smell of napalm reminded of nothing but death and destruction.

 

-- the point that Paul is making with this example is that people will react differently to our witness and our message -- to some, it will have the fragrence of life -- to others, it smells foul.  Why people would react differently; or more specifically, why they would react so negatively to the message is mystery.  But it is probably tied up in the idea of what their situation in life is.  Just as the same aroma triggered a different reaction from the Roman general and the slaves in his victory parade because of their perspective, it may be that people who react negatively to the message do so because it may threaten their position.  For instance, I could see someone who was a star in Hollywood reacting very negatively to the Christian message, because to follow Christ could be counter to everything about their lives, and it would put them at odds with the entire culture of the place.

 

-- I have a visual image of some young star or starlet (insert whatever name you know), hearing the message, and wrinkling their nose and making a face as they hear and understand what kind of changes that accepting Christ would mean in their life, as if they had gotten a whiff of an aroma as if something had died -- not realizing that the death they were smelling was their own.

 

Question for Sunday:

 

--  a chance for you to be a bit poetic -- what does salvation smell like?  what is the aroma of love, of heaven?

 

Today's prayer request:  Hurricane Wilma victims

 

Once again, we have a hurricane doing major damage in the U.S.   There are a lot of people in south Florida and in the Yucatan that are having a very hard time.  We need to remember them.

 

Today's class member prayer: 

 

Valerie Waters

 

Have a great day.

 

Jay