2 Chronicles 34: 22-23
22 So Hilkiah and those whom the king had sent went to the prophet Huldah, the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe (who lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter) and spoke to her to that effect. 23She declared to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Tell the man who sent you to me,
There is, of course, a larger story present her that continues after the declaration, "Thus says the Lord..." The prophet Huldah continues that the Lord will send all sorts of calamities upon the people, but because you have had a penitent heart, you and your people will die in peace and not see the distress brought upon the people. Of course that story is important.
However, because it is also important (I think) to see the occasions when women have a voice in scripture, these words come from the Lord's prophet, Huldah, the wife of Shallum, keeper of the wardrobe.
Preach it, Huldah, preach it.
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
ASLC Devotions -- Monday
2 Chronicles 33:12-13
12While [Manasseh] was in distress he entreated the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 13He prayed to him, and God received his entreaty, heard his plea, and restored him again to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord indeed was God.
The earlier verses in chapter 33 tell us that Manasseh ruled for 55 years and that during that time he did much evil. He built altars for foreign gods within the temple of the Lord, and he misled the nations. And when the Lord tells him to stop, he does not heed the advice. Generally, I've discovered, that's a bad idea. So, the story continues that the armies advanced and then there was some distress, which is where these verses pick up.
There are many occasions in our scriptures when God hears the pleas of people who have done evil and restores them. And, like a child who doesn't see the obvious plot, nearly every time I think to myself, "Seriously, God? Did you not just read the same verses that I read? This character Manasseh has been messing with your world for 55 years condensed into 11 verses, and it only takes one entreaty for you to reverse and restore the whole thing? I mean, really, God, where is the justice?"
O, Lord, hear the entreaties of our hearts that have been hardened. Restore us daily to your kingdom. Remind us that you, indeed, are God.
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
12While [Manasseh] was in distress he entreated the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 13He prayed to him, and God received his entreaty, heard his plea, and restored him again to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord indeed was God.
The earlier verses in chapter 33 tell us that Manasseh ruled for 55 years and that during that time he did much evil. He built altars for foreign gods within the temple of the Lord, and he misled the nations. And when the Lord tells him to stop, he does not heed the advice. Generally, I've discovered, that's a bad idea. So, the story continues that the armies advanced and then there was some distress, which is where these verses pick up.
There are many occasions in our scriptures when God hears the pleas of people who have done evil and restores them. And, like a child who doesn't see the obvious plot, nearly every time I think to myself, "Seriously, God? Did you not just read the same verses that I read? This character Manasseh has been messing with your world for 55 years condensed into 11 verses, and it only takes one entreaty for you to reverse and restore the whole thing? I mean, really, God, where is the justice?"
O, Lord, hear the entreaties of our hearts that have been hardened. Restore us daily to your kingdom. Remind us that you, indeed, are God.
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
Friday, August 6, 2010
ASLC Devotions -- Friday
Acts 7:2 Brothers* and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran.
God, the God of glory, the God who created the heavens and the earth, appeared and spoke to Abraham.
Stephen, who's giving a speech I've excerpted here, thinks it's important to point out that God spoke to Abraham when Abraham was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran. I think it's important too. Because God spoke to Abraham when he was a long way from the promised land. God started this whole project with someone who was outside. God didn't wait for Abraham to move before God appeared to him. God likes to start thing with outsiders. God likes to talk to those who are outside what people would normally expect. God seems to prefer to deal with those who are in some way surprising for their involvement. People like you, perhaps!?
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
For more information about all of the ministries of All Saints, visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org To share your story or your responses to this devotional, visit http://aslcdevotions.blogspot.com Worship with us this weekend at 5 pm Saturday or 9 am Sunday.
God, the God of glory, the God who created the heavens and the earth, appeared and spoke to Abraham.
Stephen, who's giving a speech I've excerpted here, thinks it's important to point out that God spoke to Abraham when Abraham was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran. I think it's important too. Because God spoke to Abraham when he was a long way from the promised land. God started this whole project with someone who was outside. God didn't wait for Abraham to move before God appeared to him. God likes to start thing with outsiders. God likes to talk to those who are outside what people would normally expect. God seems to prefer to deal with those who are in some way surprising for their involvement. People like you, perhaps!?
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
For more information about all of the ministries of All Saints, visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org To share your story or your responses to this devotional, visit http://aslcdevotions.blogspot.com Worship with us this weekend at 5 pm Saturday or 9 am Sunday.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
ASLC Devotions -- Thursday
Romans 9:4-5 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah,* who is over all, God blessed for ever.* Amen.
God's promises are always true. God always keeps God's promises. Thousands of years ago, thousands of years before Christ, God promised to Abraham that his descendants would be God's people. God promised that Israel would be God's chosen people, and that God's promises of life and hope would be for them. Those promises still hold true after Christ. Christianity doesn't mean that Jewish people need anything else. They've got the promise. They've got God's presence with them as their God. It was promised by God thousands of years ago and the promise is still alive today.
So why am I telling you this? Why does it matter for most of the people reading this message who are not Jewish. It matters for lots of reasons, for how we Christians relate to our Jewish sisters and brothers. But most of all, it matters because we need to know and to be reminded that God's promises are always true. God always keeps God's promises. Amen.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
For more information about all of the ministries of All Saints, visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org To share your story or your responses to this devotional, visit http://aslcdevotions.blogspot.com Worship with us this weekend at 5 pm Saturday or 9 am Sunday.
God's promises are always true. God always keeps God's promises. Thousands of years ago, thousands of years before Christ, God promised to Abraham that his descendants would be God's people. God promised that Israel would be God's chosen people, and that God's promises of life and hope would be for them. Those promises still hold true after Christ. Christianity doesn't mean that Jewish people need anything else. They've got the promise. They've got God's presence with them as their God. It was promised by God thousands of years ago and the promise is still alive today.
So why am I telling you this? Why does it matter for most of the people reading this message who are not Jewish. It matters for lots of reasons, for how we Christians relate to our Jewish sisters and brothers. But most of all, it matters because we need to know and to be reminded that God's promises are always true. God always keeps God's promises. Amen.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
For more information about all of the ministries of All Saints, visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org To share your story or your responses to this devotional, visit http://aslcdevotions.blogspot.com Worship with us this weekend at 5 pm Saturday or 9 am Sunday.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
ASLC Devotions -- Wednesday
Psalm 127:1 Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labour in vain.
Unless the Lord guards the city,
the guard keeps watch in vain.
I love lists. Give me a good checklist and an hour to work with it and I'm a happy guy. I love to make lists, I love to work lists. I love to make plans, I love to work plans. Good stuff happens when I have a list and when I have a plan. I don't think I'm alone. There's something innate in us humans that causes us to plan. It's one of the gifts of being human. My dog doesn't make many plans. He looks around for food droppings and barks at anything that passes. That's his life, and I don't want it. To be human is to be able to plan and do complex things.
To be human in relationship to God is to be able to plan and do complex things and to know that God might just have a different plan in mind than we do. To be human in relationship to God is to have your daily checklist and to know that God might put a person in your path who wasn't on your list but who needs your help. That's what it means to me to allow the Lord to build the house so I don't build it in vain. I do my plans, I do my lists. And i Know that God's got other lists in mind. I pray that my list looks a little bit like God's list. Then we're really cooking.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
For more information about all of the ministries of All Saints, visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org To share your story or your responses to this devotional, visit http://aslcdevotions.blogspot.com Worship with us this weekend at 5 pm Saturday or 9 am Sunday.
those who build it labour in vain.
Unless the Lord guards the city,
the guard keeps watch in vain.
I love lists. Give me a good checklist and an hour to work with it and I'm a happy guy. I love to make lists, I love to work lists. I love to make plans, I love to work plans. Good stuff happens when I have a list and when I have a plan. I don't think I'm alone. There's something innate in us humans that causes us to plan. It's one of the gifts of being human. My dog doesn't make many plans. He looks around for food droppings and barks at anything that passes. That's his life, and I don't want it. To be human is to be able to plan and do complex things.
To be human in relationship to God is to be able to plan and do complex things and to know that God might just have a different plan in mind than we do. To be human in relationship to God is to have your daily checklist and to know that God might put a person in your path who wasn't on your list but who needs your help. That's what it means to me to allow the Lord to build the house so I don't build it in vain. I do my plans, I do my lists. And i Know that God's got other lists in mind. I pray that my list looks a little bit like God's list. Then we're really cooking.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
For more information about all of the ministries of All Saints, visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org To share your story or your responses to this devotional, visit http://aslcdevotions.blogspot.com Worship with us this weekend at 5 pm Saturday or 9 am Sunday.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
ASLC Devotions -- Tuesday
Ecclesiastes 4:5-6 Fools fold their hands
and consume their own flesh.
Better is a handful with quiet
than two handfuls with toil,
and a chasing after wind.
The writer of Ecclesiastes (possibly Solomon) was not a happy guy: or at least not in a happy mood when he wrote this book. Probably the most common phrase in the whole book is "I saw that this also is vanity and an unhappy business." He basically goes through all the things that people spend their time and their energy on and says that it's a bunch of vanity and chasing after wind. I don't disagree with him, but I kind of just want him to lighten up a little bit.
In the passage above, he's talking about all the time and energy that we humans spend working and trying to get more stuff. He's just said that all work comes from one person's envy of another. We work because we want something that we see someone else has. A promotion, a better office, a car, a vacation home. There's truth to that. Perhaps there's something to the sentiment that "better is a handful of quiet than two handfuls with toil." Maybe we need to learn to rest and be happy with the gifts that God has already given us. Maybe.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
For more information about all of the ministries of All Saints, visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org To share your story or your responses to this devotional, visit http://aslcdevotions.blogspot.com Worship with us this weekend at 5 pm Saturday or 9 am Sunday.
and consume their own flesh.
Better is a handful with quiet
than two handfuls with toil,
and a chasing after wind.
The writer of Ecclesiastes (possibly Solomon) was not a happy guy: or at least not in a happy mood when he wrote this book. Probably the most common phrase in the whole book is "I saw that this also is vanity and an unhappy business." He basically goes through all the things that people spend their time and their energy on and says that it's a bunch of vanity and chasing after wind. I don't disagree with him, but I kind of just want him to lighten up a little bit.
In the passage above, he's talking about all the time and energy that we humans spend working and trying to get more stuff. He's just said that all work comes from one person's envy of another. We work because we want something that we see someone else has. A promotion, a better office, a car, a vacation home. There's truth to that. Perhaps there's something to the sentiment that "better is a handful of quiet than two handfuls with toil." Maybe we need to learn to rest and be happy with the gifts that God has already given us. Maybe.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
For more information about all of the ministries of All Saints, visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org To share your story or your responses to this devotional, visit http://aslcdevotions.blogspot.com Worship with us this weekend at 5 pm Saturday or 9 am Sunday.
Monday, August 2, 2010
ASLC Devotions -- Monday
Ecclesiastes 2:13-14 Then I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness.
The wise have eyes in their head,
but fools walk in darkness.
Yet I perceived that the same fate befalls all of them.
The book of Ecclesiastes is in part kind of a thought experiment about what brings true joy and meaning to life. It's a set of questions that we all deal with through our lives, whether we acknowledge the questions that obviously or not. Sometimes we don't know that we're trying to find joy and meaning in our lives, but if we sit back and think about it, that's really what it's about.
So the writer of Ecclesiastes, traditionally thought to be King Solomon, known as the wisest person in the history of humanity sets out to figure out what is really worth something in life.
And he acknowledges that wisdom is really good. Wisdom is a good thing. If you have to choose between being wise and being a fool, go with being wise. It's kind of like being in the light as opposed to being in the dark.
And yet it's not everything. As he says, "the same fate befalls all of them." The wise still die. The wise still lose things. The wise still experience sadness and loss, just like fools. So wisdom is valuable. But it's not everything. The only thing that brings value and meaning to life is a relationship with the God of the wise and the foolish. In God our lives are wrapped up into meaning and value.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
For more information about all of the ministries of All Saints, visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org To share your story or your responses to this devotional, visit http://aslcdevotions.blogspot.com Worship with us this weekend at 5 pm Saturday or 9 am Sunday.
The wise have eyes in their head,
but fools walk in darkness.
Yet I perceived that the same fate befalls all of them.
The book of Ecclesiastes is in part kind of a thought experiment about what brings true joy and meaning to life. It's a set of questions that we all deal with through our lives, whether we acknowledge the questions that obviously or not. Sometimes we don't know that we're trying to find joy and meaning in our lives, but if we sit back and think about it, that's really what it's about.
So the writer of Ecclesiastes, traditionally thought to be King Solomon, known as the wisest person in the history of humanity sets out to figure out what is really worth something in life.
And he acknowledges that wisdom is really good. Wisdom is a good thing. If you have to choose between being wise and being a fool, go with being wise. It's kind of like being in the light as opposed to being in the dark.
And yet it's not everything. As he says, "the same fate befalls all of them." The wise still die. The wise still lose things. The wise still experience sadness and loss, just like fools. So wisdom is valuable. But it's not everything. The only thing that brings value and meaning to life is a relationship with the God of the wise and the foolish. In God our lives are wrapped up into meaning and value.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
For more information about all of the ministries of All Saints, visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org To share your story or your responses to this devotional, visit http://aslcdevotions.blogspot.com Worship with us this weekend at 5 pm Saturday or 9 am Sunday.
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