In spite of my usual inability to spell the name correctly without looking it up, Deuteronomy is one of my favorite books in the Bible.  Moses retells the story of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers in a bit of a swan son.  Moses led the people out of Egypt, was given the Law and after the Lord’s command to enter Canaan was rejected by the people, they cruised around in the desert for 40 years.  Now across the Jordan from Jericho, they are ready to cross over finally.  But Moses can’t go and so he gives them a recap of all that they have seen and done and what the Lord requires of them.  Deuteronomy is a great piece of writing, though it does end with Moses’ death.

Vicar Lance

I just finished reading Songs the other day and I’ve been thinking about it.  It doesn’t seem to be a book we discuss a great deal and I’ve often wondered why.  Certainly it isn’t a text we preach on often!

 I suspect that most of us are a bit, oh not embarassed, but hesitant to show our feelings like Solomon and his bride do.  I mean, they really lay it out for each other.  Solomon waits all the way until the 8th verse of the first chapter to lift up his bride!  “…Most beautiful among women, …”  No time wasted there in holding her up as the most beautiful of women.  And his bride responds just as quickly in chapter two.

I wonder what relationships between couples would look like if we spoke to our significant others the same way?  Perhaps some of us do.  Solomon and his bride, while using language 3,000 years old, really hold each other up as the best in the world.  They leave each other no question of how they feel about each other.  That is the message of Songs!

 Vicar Lance

On Sunday we will be finished with our Lenten journey (or perhaps truly beginning?) and so our daily reads from ‘40 Days of Spiritual Renewal’ will end as well.  I hope your weekly and daily reading has been a blessing to you.

 I intend to continue posting to this blog occasionally and I invite each of you to do the same.  All of you are ‘authors’ in the blog system and so you can click on the ‘New Post’ link in the lower left hand corner to post your own thoughts.  I use the ‘read through the Bible in a year’ guide that Pr Fred put together a few years back.  There are copies in the Welcome Center if you’d care to follow along.  There are any number of guides, both printed and online, that can help you with a daily reading program so feel free to use whatever format works for you.

One thing that is useful for people looking for information is if you categorize your new post.  You might have noticed that my posts (generally…) have a ‘Bible’ note at the top (or perhaps ‘Admin’ like this one) and occasionally a tag at the bottom.  These are used for indexing and searching.  When you are on the create a new post, you can click on the category on the right and also you can type in a ‘tag’ at the bottom.  I generally try to tag a post with the book of the Bible I’m referring to.

 If you have any questions, please email me at lferguson@st-timothys.com.  Thanks for your continuing participation!

Vicar Lance

Wednesday, March 19

Luke 23:1-26 Psalm 95

Maundy Thursday, March 20

Luke 23:27-56 Psalm 116:5-19

Good Friday, March 21

Luke 24:1-27 Psalm 22:1-23

Saturday, March 22

Luke 24:28-53 Psalm 101

The Road to Emmaus  - Luke 24:13-53

 As we journey in Holy Week, pondering the events 2000 years ago, we are pointed to the joy of a Risen Christ.  The actions of many play out in horrific ways, and yet we know how the Easter story ends.  Or do we?  Perhaps it is better said to say we know how the Easter story is a beginning?

 1) Cleopas summarized the Easter story to the stranger.  What is your version of the Easter events?

2) Cleopas and his friend don’t recognize Jesus.  What to you make of this lack of recognition?

3) Jesus responded by saying, “O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe that all that the prophets have spoken.”  Why are the men foolish?  Why slow of heart to believe?  What tone of voice to you imagine Jesus used when he said these words? (Suggestion - read the text out loud and listen how it sounds to you)

4) “Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”  If a stranger who knew very little of the faith asked you to summarize the essentials of the Christian faith, what would you say?

5) Normally, the host (Cleopas) would break the bread.  What are we to learn from the fact that here Jesus breaks the bread?

6) The final moment of recognition takes place in the breaking of the bread.  What is the gospel writer telling us?

7) Put the following in your own words: “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?”  Have you ever had an experience where “your heart burned within you?”

 Blessings on your Easter journey!

Wednesday, March 12

Luke 20:1-19 Psalm 84

Thursday, March 13

Luke 20:20-47 Psalm 87

Friday, March 14

Luke 21:1-19 Psalm 88

Saturday, March 15

Luke 21:20-33 Psalm 90

Monday, March 17 (St Patrick’s Day! Erin Go Bragh!)

Luke 22:1-35 Psalm 91

Tuesday, March 18

Luke 22:36-71 Psalm 92

Luke 19:1-10 - Zacchaeus climbing the sycamore tree.  A short tax-collector simply wanting to see Jesus and so he climbs a sycamore tree so that he can see Jesus when he passes by.  Of all trees to climb, the sycamore would not be high on the list as it has a rough and scaly bark.  And yet Zaccheus sees that it is worth the effort.

1) How do you explain the change that takes place in the life of Zacchaeus?   (”…half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it four-fold.”)

2) Jesus said, “I have come to seek and save the lost.”  What are some of the examples from the life of Jesus of his seeking and saving lost persons?  If St Timothys adopted these words as a mission statement, what would change?

3) What is repentence?  This is a joyful story about repentence.  Do you normally link joyful and repentence?  Under what circumstances can it be joyful?

4) Who are the tax collectors in today’s society?  (Susie asks the question last week, as well.  Any responses?)  How do we reach these folks?

5) Zacchaeus makes restitution for his past misdeeds.  In the Twelve Step program of Alcoholics Anonymous steps 8 and 9 speak of restitution.  Step 8: Make a list of all persons we had harmed, and become willing to make amends to them all.  Step 9: Make direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.  Discuss some circumstances in the life of faith when it is appropriate to make restitution.

God bless your Lenten journey!

Wednesday 3/5

Luke 17:1-19 Psalm 72

Thursday 3/6

Luke 17:20-37 Psalm 74

Friday 3/7

Luke 18:1-30 Psalm 75

Saturday 3/8

Luke 18:31-43 Psalm 81

Monday 3/10

Luke 19:1-27 Psalm 82

Tuesday 3/11

Luke 19:28-48 Psalm 83

“There was a rich man and a poor man…”  How often do we run into this dynamic.  Lazarus (the poor man) and the rich man coexist for years.  In the end, the poor man stands with Abraham while the rich man stands across the abyss.  Not a fun prospect!

 1) Who is Lazarus in our world?  Who is the rich man?

2) The parable suggests that the positions of the two men on earth are reversed for them in the ‘afterlife’.  Is the reversal the point of the story?  If yes, what do we do about it?  If no, what is the point of the reversal?  What is the major point of the reversal?

3) Read Luke 6:20-26, Mark 12:42 and Matthew 25:31-46 (the parable of the sheep and the goats).  What does Jesus say to us about the poor?  What does this mean in YOUR life?  What does this mean for the life of St Timothys?

4) The parable seems skeptical about the ability of miracles to produce faith.  What impact does a miracle have on your faith?

5) One translation says: “If they don’t listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced, even if someone rises from the dead.”  The Cotton Patch translation (not my favorite but…..) says: “They have the Bible and the preachers…”  How do people come to faith?  How do Moses and the Prophets or the Bible and the preachers reach people of no faith today?  (I’m very interested in your feedback on THIS one!)

Wednesday 2/27

Luke 13:1-30 Psalm 51

Thursday 2/28

Luke 13:31-14:11 Psalm 62

Friday 2/29 (Happy Leap Year!)

Luke 14:12-35 Psalm 66

Saturday 3/1 (Yay March!)

Luke 15:1-32 Psalm 67

Monday 3/3

Luke 16:1-18 Psalm 70

Tuesday 3/4

Luke 16:19-31 Psalm 71