While God’s words are eternal and unchanging the tools we use to access those words do change, and those changes in technology also bring subtle changes to the practice of worship. When we fail to recognize the impact of such technological change, we run the risk of allowing our tools to dictate our methods. Technology should not dictate our values or our methods. Rather, we must use technology out of our convictions and values.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
The Unchanging in Changing
Labels:
Belief,
Bible,
Christianity,
Church,
Culture,
Dyer,
Faith,
God,
Technology,
Worship
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Who is this God? An Introduction to Genesis
Where you grow up impacts the way you look at the world. Imagine with me if you would that you have been in Egypt for 400 years. You are a community within a community. One of the things that has formed you to this point is you believe in a different God; You’ve been slaves and all of a sudden you are now leaving Egypt and you are out in the wilderness. Moses is leading you. You have a collection of stories that have been verbally passed around for generations. For the first time you are by yourselves as a people and you are engaging with a God personally that you’ve known about mainly through stories. You have a change of environment, a change in position (you are no longer slaves), and you are getting to know again this God who has formed your community.
This provides the backdrop for Genesis. Genesis is a book written to reintroduce to a God they were in relationship with in a whole new way. Through Moses everything was brought together. I think that Moses wrote the first 5 books of the Old Testament. And as you think about what he did, Moses is probably the most logical choice. He was trained in Egypt and trained in the house of Pharaoh. He most likely would have been educated and have the skill of writing. Also, he would have been introduced to the history of Egypt and other nations.
Moses also had many personal experiences with God. When you think about stories of Moses, there are details that Moses would have only known that are included in the writings. Moses probably did use some other sources to assist in his writing. There were also some stories that were passed around verbally that helped shape what we have recorded. If it was Moses that wrote the first 5 books of the Old Testament, then they were probably written around 15 century BC.
Moses was writing to the Israelites as they were on their way to the Promised Land. They had just come out of Egypt and so they are leaving patterns of worship and behavior and they are being introduced to new patterns of worship and behavior in light of their new provision as a people. There was a great need for this introduction. Even as they are in waiting for Moses to come back down from Mt. Sinai what happens? Aaron is asked to make for them an idol and what does he do? He makes them an idol. He is asked to personify God to them. And so, he goes Ok, this is the god that delivered you out of Egypt. While Moses is interacting with the God that did bring them out of Egypt, they are dancing around a lie.
What Aaron gave them was just an object to worship. Moses was about to introduce them to the God that they were in relationship with and how they were to interact with Him. It’s much different to have an object to put affection on verses being in a relationship with the supreme creator of the universe. Genesis is the start to that introduction.
Genesis as a book was to remind them of things that they may have forgotten. It was to help remind them of both the moral nature of their relationship as well as the spiritual nature. It was to remind them of what was required to be in right relationship especially when you put it into context of the first 5 books, you have a lot there about “since you are my people, here is how then you behave.”
One of the things that I think is interesting and the reason I started with the story of “where did you grow up” is because where we grow up so often defines us in ways we really don’t know much about until we experience other cultures. And, I just finished a book called Save Me a Place in Heaven by Jerry Deriso. The book centers on his experience growing up in South Georgia in the 50’s and 60’s. Those events and stories formed his outlook as he grew older and his outlook on his culture today. He wanted people today to have the same experience he had growing up and share in the values that those experiences formed.
Genesis has some of the same feel. The writings were being used to create a sense of time and place to reemphasize values. This helps explain the stories and the genealogies. There is also a wide range of literary devices used to create this feel. Genesis starts with a broad view of the world from the stand point of creation. And from creation, you have a narrowing down of this person called Abraham. And so you have this telescoping down to Abraham and then expansion back out to the twelve tribes.
Because the telescoping nature of the book focuses on Abraham, it is good to ask, “Why is Abraham significant in our understanding of the Bible?” God had a special relationship with Abraham, something very specific. God said that he wanted Abraham’s people to be His people so that through them the world could be blessed. God wanted a special relationship with them so that they could be beneficial to the whole world. We find this idea of God’s interaction with people for the purpose of displaying His character to the whole world so that the whole world can be blessed throughout scripture.
As we come to the Book of Genesis, I am going to focus on what does this passage tell us about this God that we are in relationship with. Because, even though the book was written to the Israelites as they left Egypt, God wrote it with the full accounts of scripture in mind. And he knew that one day, there would be a group sitting in McKinney opening up His word and studying it to find out what’s true because they’ve met Christ and they now have a relationship with Christ. And so He’s got very specific things to say to us about what is true of Him and true of His character that will then define how we should live in light of where we are in our culture. This makes sense because we have a right relationship with God, our job in this culture is to be men and women who live out kingdom values today. And in turn, that helps frame what our community of faith should look like, as well as what our lives and families should look like. My summary for this overview of Genesis is this: God gave us Genesis to help reveal who He is in regards to His plan for His people.
This provides the backdrop for Genesis. Genesis is a book written to reintroduce to a God they were in relationship with in a whole new way. Through Moses everything was brought together. I think that Moses wrote the first 5 books of the Old Testament. And as you think about what he did, Moses is probably the most logical choice. He was trained in Egypt and trained in the house of Pharaoh. He most likely would have been educated and have the skill of writing. Also, he would have been introduced to the history of Egypt and other nations.
Moses also had many personal experiences with God. When you think about stories of Moses, there are details that Moses would have only known that are included in the writings. Moses probably did use some other sources to assist in his writing. There were also some stories that were passed around verbally that helped shape what we have recorded. If it was Moses that wrote the first 5 books of the Old Testament, then they were probably written around 15 century BC.
Moses was writing to the Israelites as they were on their way to the Promised Land. They had just come out of Egypt and so they are leaving patterns of worship and behavior and they are being introduced to new patterns of worship and behavior in light of their new provision as a people. There was a great need for this introduction. Even as they are in waiting for Moses to come back down from Mt. Sinai what happens? Aaron is asked to make for them an idol and what does he do? He makes them an idol. He is asked to personify God to them. And so, he goes Ok, this is the god that delivered you out of Egypt. While Moses is interacting with the God that did bring them out of Egypt, they are dancing around a lie.
What Aaron gave them was just an object to worship. Moses was about to introduce them to the God that they were in relationship with and how they were to interact with Him. It’s much different to have an object to put affection on verses being in a relationship with the supreme creator of the universe. Genesis is the start to that introduction.
Genesis as a book was to remind them of things that they may have forgotten. It was to help remind them of both the moral nature of their relationship as well as the spiritual nature. It was to remind them of what was required to be in right relationship especially when you put it into context of the first 5 books, you have a lot there about “since you are my people, here is how then you behave.”
One of the things that I think is interesting and the reason I started with the story of “where did you grow up” is because where we grow up so often defines us in ways we really don’t know much about until we experience other cultures. And, I just finished a book called Save Me a Place in Heaven by Jerry Deriso. The book centers on his experience growing up in South Georgia in the 50’s and 60’s. Those events and stories formed his outlook as he grew older and his outlook on his culture today. He wanted people today to have the same experience he had growing up and share in the values that those experiences formed.
Genesis has some of the same feel. The writings were being used to create a sense of time and place to reemphasize values. This helps explain the stories and the genealogies. There is also a wide range of literary devices used to create this feel. Genesis starts with a broad view of the world from the stand point of creation. And from creation, you have a narrowing down of this person called Abraham. And so you have this telescoping down to Abraham and then expansion back out to the twelve tribes.
Because the telescoping nature of the book focuses on Abraham, it is good to ask, “Why is Abraham significant in our understanding of the Bible?” God had a special relationship with Abraham, something very specific. God said that he wanted Abraham’s people to be His people so that through them the world could be blessed. God wanted a special relationship with them so that they could be beneficial to the whole world. We find this idea of God’s interaction with people for the purpose of displaying His character to the whole world so that the whole world can be blessed throughout scripture.
As we come to the Book of Genesis, I am going to focus on what does this passage tell us about this God that we are in relationship with. Because, even though the book was written to the Israelites as they left Egypt, God wrote it with the full accounts of scripture in mind. And he knew that one day, there would be a group sitting in McKinney opening up His word and studying it to find out what’s true because they’ve met Christ and they now have a relationship with Christ. And so He’s got very specific things to say to us about what is true of Him and true of His character that will then define how we should live in light of where we are in our culture. This makes sense because we have a right relationship with God, our job in this culture is to be men and women who live out kingdom values today. And in turn, that helps frame what our community of faith should look like, as well as what our lives and families should look like. My summary for this overview of Genesis is this: God gave us Genesis to help reveal who He is in regards to His plan for His people.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Why History Matters
Rather, I would argue that the connection between history and Christianity is essential. Because the Incarnation was nothing less than the entry of God Himself into the stream of human history, it affirms the reality and value of the lived human experience. The Second Person of the Trinity affects our salvation not as an abstraction, but as a human life. In becoming a son, a friend, a teacher, in speaking our language and mourning our dead, God affirmed the temporal and social reality of our being. In entering our history at a specific time, in continuity with a meaningful past, and proclaiming a future of consummation, Christ repudiated the classical understanding of cyclical and ultimately meaningless history and codified the Jewish understanding of history as the story of God and His people, a story with a beginning and an end. Christianity has temporarily in its essence.
Read the rest of the blog here: Why Christian History Matters
Thursday, August 4, 2011
A Frightening God
In reference to Exodus 19:17-20:21:
There are several reasons why the Israelites don't want to be close to God. Yahweh's behavior in this passage is intimidating, with all the lightning, thunder, smoke and explosions (reminiscent of the enchanter Tim in The Holy Grail). Who would want to get close to all that fire and noise?
Yahweh does distance himself here from his people, but he does it for a purpose. He has just delivered them from Egyptian bondage, and lest they think he will protect them no matter how they behave, he wants them to revere him, particularly as he delivers the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:1-17). They need to understand that he is holy, powerful, and concerned about obedience.
But in this incident, even as Yahweh is loud and frightful, he is also near and tangible. At the beginning of the passage, Moses brings the people out of their camp for the purpose of meeting God. God doesn't allow them to come close, but there's a good reason for that: he's trying to protect them from harm.
Labels:
Belief,
Discipleship,
Exodus,
Fear,
God,
Growth,
Lamb,
Motivation,
Relationship
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)