Friday, March 3, 2006

Good Morning

 

Don't forget about the ASP lunch and dessert auction on this Sunday.

 

Today's Reading:  Revelation 4:6b-8; read pages 175 - 178 in Barclay; (two sections) stop at "God the Lord and Creator"

 

-- doing these two sections lets us finish the commentary on this particular verse.

 

-- the first of the two sections today talk about what might the four creatures symbolize, and goes through a number of schemes that Christian thinkers over the years have developed to tie the four creatures to the four gospels.

 

-- I think that those work at some level, but I think to a certain extent, those are symbolic meanings that were fitted after the fact.  There is, implicit in these explanations, the idea of trying to figure what John meant when he created these creatures.  As we discussed yesterday, the way that Revelation reads, John didn't make these creatures up, they are not a product of his imagination -- this is an account of what he said he saw in his vision.

 

-- That said, it is entirely possible that the four creatures were created by God as the lion, the oz, etc for the reasons given -- to serve as symbolic reminders of those qualities.

 

-- The second section for today talks about the hymn of the creatures, which is captured in our hymn "Holy, Holy, Holy" as we discussed the other day.

 

-- The thing that I took away from this section is the idea that Barclay mentioned -- the first audience for this writing were Christians who were being persecuted by the most powerful empire the world had ever known.  The idea that you worshiped a God that was more powerful than that empire -- one that you could depend on, that was everlasting -- was comfort and encourgement to those Christians, and all of us who have followed them.

 

Today's Scripture (from the Ash Wednesday lectionary)

 

Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you.  Many will come in my name, claiming, "I am he," and will deceive many.

 

Mark 13:5-6

 

Today's prayer requests:   Kathy Nabkel, Valerie's aunt

 

Kathy lives in San Francisco, and is having major surgery today for endometrial cancer that was discovered about 10 days ago.  Need to remember her and her family, and pray that things go well with her surgery.

Today's class member prayer:

Jay Waters

Have a great day.

Jay