Monday, March 27, 2006

Good Morning

 

- Back from spring break and ready to go.

 

-- We are going to have a Sunday School Class meal a week from today, April 3, at 6P at the home of Ron and Michelle Ray.  All you need to bring is a dessert and your soft drinks.  We just need to let Michelle know whose coming -- email her at mray@vulc.com by Thursday to let her know, and to get directions.

 

Today's Reading:  Revelation 6:9-11; Pages 11-13 in Barclay, stop at "The Cry of the Martyrs"

 

-- first of two sections on his passage.

 

-- as mentioned yesterday, the thing that immediately came to mind reading this one was the story of the Afghan man who was on trial for converting to Christianity (Abdul Rahman), who was in danger of being executed for converting to Christianity.  The charges have been dropped, but the concern is that he might be killed after he is released by hard-line Muslims who believe strongly that the death sentence is justified.

 

-- The idea of souls beneath an altar is frankly creepy to me, but I'm trying not to be influenced by my own cultural references and ideas of things like Halloween, etc.  Obviously, given how these people had died -- for their witness for Christ -- this is an honored position.  But on the other hand, they want to be avenged, as noted from their cry, and the idea of the agitated and disturbed soul is not, to me, consistent with my understanding of a heavenly soul at rest. These souls are not at rest, and actually, in the scripture, are told to rest a little while more.  There is more on this thought in the next section of our study.

 

-- in John's writing, he said that when the fifth seal was opened, he saw these souls beneath the altar -- you just wonder what it is he saw -- he didn't see the martyrs, he saw their souls.  Interesting to imagine.

 

Today's Scripture (from Bobby's sermon on Sunday)

 

Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.

John 3:20-21

Today's prayer requests:   Dr Page

Dr. Page is Ron and Brad's finance teacher at Auburn, who has lymphoma, and is not doing well.  We need to remember him as he struggles with the disease and the treatment.

Today's class member prayer:

Wes Russell

Jay