Thursday, April 13, 2006

Good Morning

 

My internet was down yesterday morning, so I wasn't able to send anything out.

 

Remember that this week we will three worship services -- our two regular services at 8:45A and 11A, and a sunrise service at 6A.  There will be breakfast served after the 6A service.

 

Today is called Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday on the Christian calendar, and is the day that the Last Supper was held.  More information about the derivation of the term Maundy is available at the official online reference site of the LEAP Class - Wikipedia - at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maundy_Thursday

 

Today's Reading:  Revelation 7:13-14, you should read through page 39, stopping at "The Service in the Glory"

 

-- the lessons for today and yesterday are about the robes of those who have come through the Great Tribulation, how they have white robes that have been washed in the blood of the Lamb.

 

-- Barclay makes a very strong and interesting point about a very subtle turn of phrase in this passage -- the idea that the saints are the ones who washed their robes -- the robes weren't washed for them.  It is this idea that we have to reach out and grasp and take hold of the salvation that is offered to us, and Barclay offers up the way we can do that -- through penitence, through faith, and through the means of grace, which in the Methodist tradition, are prayer, reading the Scriptures, hearing the word preached, communion and fasting.

 

-- We'll need to see how Barclay addresses this question -- these saints are described as those who have come through the Great Tribulation, though it seems to me that John has not yet described what most people consider the Great Tribulation.  Seems like a little disconnect in the conventional wisdom on Revelation.  If the book is strictly chronological, it may be that the Great Tribulation was the first six seals, which may be a time we are already going through.  However, from what I can tell, that would be the minority opinion of what this is about.

Today's Scripture (this week, passages from Luke about the Easter story)

 

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."  In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you."

Luke 22:19-20

Today's prayer requests:   Margaret Rose Severance, Brigette's grandmother

She has been on list for a while, as she recovers from her broken leg -- getting around on walker now, but still needs our prayers.

Today's class member prayer:

Matt Rocksvold

Jay