Sheepspeak: sermons, articles, and papers: Cabbagetown

Showing posts with label Cabbagetown. Show all posts

Sunday, January 13, 2019

Joshua 2: Redeemed!

Presented to Alberni Valley Ministries, 13 January 2018 by Captain Michael Ramsay

Over the next few weeks we are looking at Joshua. Last week Tim gave us a brief overview of the book and gave us an introduction to Joshua himself I believe. Today, we are going to look a little bit at the conquest of Jericho and specifically Rahab (Joshua 2&6, Hebrews 11:31, James 2:25).

First, what do we know about Jericho? Jericho was this great fortified city. It was near the Jordan River. There was wonderful farmland all around. Its population was giants! It must have had some special significance for Joshua too. This isn’t the first time that Joshua had been over the Jordan River. Do we remember Joshua’s first encounter with the Promised Land? Remember that Joshua was one of the 12 spies Moses sent to check out Jericho 40 years before and at first how all of them except Caleb came back afraid to claim their inheritance. Joshua then quickly took Caleb’s perspective but the rest of that generation were afraid to enter the Promised Land before it was too late and so God in essence said ‘fine’ and the Hebrews wandered around the desert until everyone in that generation – except Caleb and Joshua - died.

Now in our text today the Hebrews have returned to Jericho and the Promised Land and Joshua is sending out the spies. He picks 2 young men and he sends them out just like Moses had sent him out 40 years before. These two young guys are on their first assignment in all probability and their first time away from their family Israel and their first time in the big city. So these two teenage boys or young twenty-somethings, where do they go when they get to the city? They go see the local prostitute! (Now we don’t know if they went there to give her some business or if they just thought that this would be a good place to blend in while they were spying on the town. We don’t know whether it was their idea or Joshua’s idea that they wind up at the home/business of Rahab the prostitute but here they are at Rahab’s house.

What do we know about Rahab? Every September the Salvation Army highlights those who are trafficked. Many of the people trafficked today in Canada are prostituted. While there is no evidence that Rahab was trafficked: her family was close to her; they lived in the same town as her (Jericho) and she went out of her way to save their lives when the opportunity arose (Joshua 2:12-13, 18; 6:23);[2] she was a prostitute [3] and though Shrine/religious prostitution was not uncommon in that area, we know, because of the specific language used to describe her work, Rahab was not a shrine prostitute. She was a secular prostitute not unlike those in our own time in this country.[4] And prostitutes then, like prostituted peoples today, were often outcasts from society.

It is significant that she is often referred to by her profession but another significant thing about Rahab of course was that she repented of her allegiances - when these young spies showed up at her door she, a probably young, marginalized prostitute was smart enough to see what was happening and she changed to support God (Joshua 2,6) and she was redeemed - James recognizes her for both her faith and her works (James 2:24-26). Rahab was saved and the author of Hebrews even records her as one of the heroes (heroines) of the faith. Hebrews 11:31: “By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.” Rahab, the prostitute, was saved.

Now today when we hear the name Rahab, we often think of this lady whom the LORD used to save the spies and deliver Jericho into the Hebrews’ hands. Does anyone know what the name ‘Rahab’ literally means? It - translated from Hebrew- means ‘fat’, ‘broad’, or ‘large’ and in common usage it refers to ‘fierceness’, ‘insolence’, and ‘pride’.[5] In the Bible, the country of Egypt is sometimes derogatorily referred to as a Rahab. Rahab is an insult word used of one of the Hebrews’ off again / on again enemies, the Egyptians.[6] Egypt - according to Isaiah and according to the Psalms – Egypt is a fat, insolent, Rahab (Psalm 89:10, Isaiah 51:9; cf. Psalm 87:4, Isaiah 30:7). Rahab in our story today was a prostitute. But Rahab is saved and Rahab is redeemed.

Many of you know some of our own personal history. Susan, the girls and I were soldiers with 614 in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside prior to being commissioned as Officers in The Salvation Army. And since then we have served the LORD and the Army in Saskatchewan, in Winnipeg downtown and at Stoney Mountain Penitentiary. And of course we spent the previous few years in downtown Toronto. We made more than a few friends in these environments who –like Rahab- were relegated to the margins of society by circumstances, their choices, and/or someone else’s actions. We had friends in our Bible studies, church services, and/or staying in our very home (we ran a transition residence in Vancouver) who were prostituted peoples, addicted to drugs and alcohol, and suffering everything else common to those environments.

We have had more than one friend, for whom our hearts still break, overdose, convicted of murder, and other such things – some even since knowing the Lord. Sometimes we fall back but even still I have seen God transform many lives: sometimes once, sometimes twice, sometimes thrice, or even more as need be. There are many more people still relegated to the margins of our society even here in our community - they (we) are not unredeemable; they (we) are as ready for redemption as anyone. During the many years we lived and worked in Saskatchewan between Nipawin, Tisdale, Carrot River, Maple Creek and Swift Current, I spent many hours sitting with my friends in the courts, speaking with our friends in the courts, speaking on behalf of friends in the courts, praying with friends in the courts. There are many people we knew there and in Toronto and Vancouver and that we are getting to know even here who wind up on the margins of our society by either circumstances, their choices, and/or someone else’s actions. They can be redeemed. We can be redeemed.

There are many of us in The Salvation Army who at one time or another have found ourselves outcast like Rahab. Rahab in our story today, Rahab was a prostitute. Rahab was a Canaanite. Rahab was marginalized. Rahab was an outcast. And Rahab is saved! And Rahab is redeemed! We can be saved! We can be redeemed!

I have been involved with AA at various times in my life and ministry and at AA we speak about a how a higher power, God, can deliver us. And God can redeem us and God can save us. And God offers salvation not only from alcohol; not only from addiction; not only from a horrible, storied past of abuse and other things; but from all else as well. There is one name by which we all can be saved not only for the here and the now but forever (Acts 4:12). That Name, that One is Jesus. Jesus has died and he rose again from the grave so that we don’t need to be trapped in our addictions; we don’t need to be trapped by our prejudices; we don’t need to be trapped in our sins; we don’t need to be trapped in our struggles. Jesus rose from the grave conquering sin and death so that even those of us most caught by sin and by circumstance can be saved. Rahab was prostituted in a doomed pagan city. Rahab is saved and Rahab is redeemed. We, no matter who we are and what we have had done to us what we have done, we can be saved. We can be redeemed (TSA docs. 6&10).

After Rahab’s faith and deeds were used by God to save the Hebrew spies and deliver Jericho over to the LORD, do you know how the Lord transformed her life? According to Jewish tradition, she became the ancestor of eight priests (Tal Megillah 14b). She is listed as one of four women of surpassing beauty (Tal Megillah 15a; the others were Sarah, Abigail, and Esther).[7] Rahab may mean ‘broad’ but this Rahab is a beauty. The Bible tells us Rahab married Salmon, one of the princes of Judah (Ruth 4:21, 1 Chronicles 2:11, Matthew 1:5). We remember too the wealthy landowner, Boaz, who married the Moabite Ruth of the book of Ruth; this rich, prominent Boaz was Rahab the Canaanite’s son. Ruth was Rahab’s daughter-in-law. Ruth and Boaz had a child, Obed, Rahab’s grandson. His son, Rahab’s great grandson was Jesse and his son, Rahab’s great great grandson... do we know who that was? Who was Jesse’s most famous son? He was King David from whose line is God’s promised Salvation; A Dominion to be established for ever! (Matthew 1:5-6; cf. 2 Samuel 7). This Dominion is of course accomplished through another descendant of Rahab the redeemed prostituted Canaanite – that is Jesus, the Redeemer himself, the Messiah! (cf. Matthew 1:16).

John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life” – and God chose to send His only begotten son through the ancestral line of the redeemed life of Rahab.

Scholar Richard Hess tells us that, “the story of Rahab confirms God’s welcome to all people, whatever their condition. Christ died for all the world and the opportunity is available for all to come to him through faith, even the chief of sinners [like you and like me] (1 Timothy 1:15)...Rahab exhibits faith and understanding of the God who saves her. She becomes part of the family line that leads to the birth of Jesus (Matthew 1:5) and [she is] a model of faith for all Christians” (Hebrews 11:31).[8]

Rahab, who was once a prostituted Canaanite on the margins of society now stands redeemed, saved, holy, cleansed, and as one of the heroes of the faith. You and I here today, no matter what we done, no matter who we have been, no matter what has happened to us, we too can be saved from it all. Jesus died on the cross so that we could die to our sins and He rose from the grave so that we can live out a holy, redeemed life (cf. Romans 10:9-13). It is my prayer that today each of us would - like righteous Rahab - take God up on His offer of His Salvation and of His Redemption.

Let us pray.

Daily blogs at

https://www.facebook.com/Salvogesis/

Friday, June 8, 2018

John 13:21-14:31: Where are you going?

Presented to Warehouse Mission 614 Toronto on 10 June 2018 and Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army on 03 May 2015 by Captain Michael Ramsay

This is the 2018 version, to view the original sermon click here: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2015/05/john-1321-1431-where-are-you-going.html

Recently in The Salvation Army we had move announcement day. All the Officers who, like ourselves, are moving were told we are going to farewell and our farewell service will be in a couple of weeks, on June 24^th. Appropriately enough the scripture we are looking at today has been referred to as 'the farewell discourse’.

In our text today, Judas leaves the room and when he does the eternal moves are announced. Jesus lets his disciples know that very soon – as they knew would happen someday - Jesus is being transferred from his current appointment. He then gives them some instructions about what to do when he leaves and a number of his disciples ask him some questions. They enquire about where he is going and Jesus tells them also about who is coming when he goes. We don’t have time today to get into the details of the one who is coming: the Advocate, the Paraclete, the Helper, and the post-resurrection role of the Holy Spirit but we will address some of the other questions the apostles have about Jesus’ pending move.

Picture this with me. Jesus and his disciples are having their farewell dinner upstairs in a rented room – probably no bigger than this room here where we will be having dinner soon. Jesus has conversations with John and Judas and then Jesus knows, allows; even enables, prompts or provokes Judas to do what he is going to do. This will be Jesus’ last evening with his closest companions in ministry. After Judas leaves, Jesus turns to his friends and he breaks the news to them, among other important things that, v. 33-35: “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Jesus is moving and he tells his disciples what he wants from them when he is gone is that they love each other. And I think this is important. I know that as we are moving this is the same thing we want for all of you: that you love each other. I know that when I see pictures on Facebook, receive emails, or a visit from Toronto here, that will be one of the first things I will ask: how is everyone getting along? Are we still a good little group fighting together for the gospel of Christ? Who has visited someone we haven’t seen in a while here this past week? Have we called them not to lecture them saying, “haven’t seen you in church in a while” but rather to say that we have been praying for you and would like to offer you a word of encouragement. “By this everyone will know you are my disciples”, Jesus says, “if you love one another.” I love you guys and I will miss all of you and there is even more to this command that Jesus has for us to love one another. As part of this same farewell discourse Jesus says that greater love has no one than to lay down his life for his friends. That is what Jesus did for us. That is what the apostles did for him. That is what we must do for each other. Call or visit someone from our flock here this week and spend some time with them – especially someone you haven’t seen in a while. Jesus says, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Simon Peter cues not as much on the instruction to love his comrades and colleagues as the fact that Jesus is leaving. He asks Jesus, in essence, ‘Where are you going? What do you mean that we can’t come with you? Why not? I’d die for you!’ Jesus response to this is really quite interesting; he tells Peter in essence, ‘Really? You’ll die for me? I tell you the truth even before tonight is over you will deny me not once, not twice, but three times. You say you’ll die for me’? This is not the sort of response one expects to give to a grieving person who is coming to terms with the impeding move. It is certainly not the response that we are instructed to give in the ESC courses I have taught. Now, of course, we know that Peter is later repentant of these actions and Jesus, after he rises from the dead, forgives, reaffirms, and/or reinstates Peter and we know that according to tradition Peter is good to his word and God does award him his martyr’s crown. And this exchange isn’t as lacking in pastoral care as it appears. As you read on, verses, 14:1-4, Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many mansions; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

As Peter and the others try to figure out Jesus’ somewhat confusing answer to this simple question, ‘where are you going?’ Thomas tries to help get a clear answer. He re-asks, re-phrases, re-articulates, adds to Peter’s question his own words, Verse 5, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answers, Verse 6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.”

Thomas was trying to help, by rephrasing Peter’s simple question ‘where are you going’? And now Thomas, like Peter, is left to ponder Jesus’ somewhat less straightforward responses. Jesus answer to, ‘how do we get to where you are going?’ is ‘I am the way to where I am going’. This probably isn’t all that helpful for Thomas and Peter.

Jesus does give them some very important information though. He says point plank that the ONLY way to get to God the Father is through Jesus Christ. There is no other way. There is no other truth. Jesus is the only way to life and the only way to the Father. This is important and while Thomas and Peter may not understand this in the moment they do later and we should now, right? Basically in layman’s terms: if your mother, brother, son or daughter do not enter into a relationship through Jesus Christ, they are not going to inherit eternal life with the Father. This is significant. Jesus is telling Thomas, Peter, and the others that there is no other way to be a part of the Kingdom of God than to come through Jesus Christ. So, for us here today, if there is someone you claim to love and you don’t tell them about Jesus, do you really love them? If there is someone you claim to like and you don’t tell them about Jesus, do you really like them? If the only way to not perish is to go through Jesus Christ, and there is someone that you do not loathe and despise, if you do not at least try to introduce someone you know to Jesus, is it not true that in reality you do loathe and despise them? This is what Jesus is saying – salvation is easy. There is only one way but that way is easily accessible. Jesus provided salvation for everyone and if you love Jesus and if you love your friends then you will point them to the way.

Peter’s simple question ‘where are you going?’ still seems unsatisfied though even as Thomas has re-stated it as ‘which way do we go?’ So now Philip takes a crack at getting an answer as he asks for further clarification, Verse 8, “Lord show us the Father and that will be enough.” Jesus’ answers here are hardly any more straightforward and concise but Jesus does give them more important information: Jesus offers them a free introductory course - Trinity 101 [5] - so to speak. Jesus says that he is in the Father and the Father is in him. Jesus speaks about the coming of the Advocate, the Paraclete, the Helper, as well as the post-resurrection role of the Holy Spirit and the importance of obeying Christ.[6] He says that they will know that Jesus is in the Father and that we will be in Him so long as we simply obey His commandments and then He will reveal himself to us as he is in us.

So we are starting to make some ground in the conversation here. Remember that this is after dinner and Judas Iscariot has already left. And this has led to a long conversation as the disciples are repeatedly asking Jesus, ‘where are you going?” So now we have Judas (not Judas Iscariot, the other Judas), as they are starting to understand the answer to ‘where are you going’? He ultimately asks, 14:22, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus then more fully explains to his disciples that He is going away but He will come back (15:28) and when He comes back those who love Him and keep His commands will be eligible to receive that mansion that He has prepared for us (14:2).

So the answer to the question, ‘where is Jesus going?’ After dinner, Jesus and his disciples will leave and then this very night in our text, Jesus will be arrested. He will be tried. Jesus will be executed. Three days later He will rise from the dead and come to his disciples, then later he will ascend to the Father.

That is where Jesus is going now in our text and then sometime very soon now in our world he is coming back and before that happens we will all need to answer a most important question and that question is, where are WE going? Jesus is going to the Father and the ONLY way to the Father is through the Son. Everyone who loves Jesus (as shown by obeying His commands) will go to be with Jesus in our eternal mansion. So the question for us today is not where is Jesus going – we know that - but rather the question for us today is where are WE going?

Let us pray.

www.sheepspeak.com

daily blogs at

www.blogspot.salvogesis.com

---

[1] The Salvation Army, Boundless: the International Bible Reading Challenge (2015). Available on-line: http://www.salvationarmy.org/biblechallenge

[2] Gail R. O’Day, The Gospel of John, The New Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 9, ed Leander E. Keck, et. al. (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995),740 also N.T. Wright, John for Everyone Part 2 (Louisville, Kentucky, USA: WJK, 2004),58.and Colin G. Kruse, John: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 2003 (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 4), S. 292

[3] Cf. Lincoln, 390.

[4] Cf. Gerard Sloyan, John, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, ed. James L. Mays, et. al. (Atlanta, Georgia: John Knox Press, 1988),179.

[5] Cf. Gerard Sloyan, John, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, ed. James L. Mays, et. al. (Atlanta, Georgia: John Knox Press, 1988), 185ff.

[6] Merrill C. Tenney, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:John/Exposition of John/III. The Private Ministry of the Word (13:1-17:26)/B. The Last Discourse (13:31-16:33)/1. Questions and answers (13:31-14:31)/e. The promise of the Spirit (14:16-21), Book Version: 4.0.2

Monday, June 4, 2018

Matthew 5:43-38, 18:1-5 and Hosea 1:21-23: Lessons from Star Wars.

Presented to Warehouse 614, 03 June 2018 and Alberni Valley Ministries, 05 May 2024, by Captain (Major) Michael Ramsay

This is the 2018 Toronto version. To view the 2024 BC version click here:

https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2024/05/matthew-543-38-181-5-and-hosea-121-23.html

Last Sunday after church my daughters and I went to see SOLO. Has everyone who wants to see that movie seen it yet? If you haven’t I may need to remember to give you a couple of spoiler alerts in the sermon here.

My two eldest girls and I have seen most of the newest ones in the theatres. ROUGE 1 was definitely the best of the newest ones but all of them are surprisingly good. I say surprising because I remember watching the prequels. Before I was an Officer, one of the businesses that I ran was publishing the Journal of International Education. One of our sponsors was the IMAX; so we often were able to watch shows fro free on these great big screens. I remember watching the first prequel on the big screen and walking away wondering what just happened. Some things seemed not quite right. I was working in the field of international education at the time and I was even left wondering: was this racist? There have certainly been those who have suggested that Japanese and Jamaicans cultural stereotypes were exploited for the film.

Even given the fact that the original 3 films are classics and all of the latest films have been very good, I still head out to any new Star Wars movie with a little bit of hesitation.

SOLO, however, was a good movie. It can even be seen as a stand alone movie for people who like action-adventure movies, of course. There was one scene in the new movie that stuck in my mind. Han was emigrating from his home planet and a customs official asked him his name and he said, ‘Han’ and then he asked Han who his people were so he could assign him a last name. Hans replied that he didn't have any people; so, after the customs official though for a while, the surname 'Solo' was awarded to him. Thus we have Han Solo.

LESSON 1: WHO ARE MY PEOPLE?

Hosea 1: 21-23

“In that day I will respond,”

declares the Lord—

“I will respond to the skies,

and they will respond to the earth;

22 and the earth will respond to the grain,

the new wine and the olive oil,

and they will respond to Jezreel.

23 I will plant her for myself in the land;

I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’

I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’;

and they will say, ‘You are my God.’”

Who are your people? When I was studying restorative justice at Simon Fraser University, my instructor asked us the same question for one of our papers. I pondered this for a while and wrote a long essay claiming many people as my people: my family, the people I grew up with, those in The Salvation Army, those in the community in which I lived at the time and all the communities in which I had lived previously, people in the courts and the prisons where I have and was ministering at the time, my colleagues, associates, friends, clients, neighbours; anyone I could think of I claimed as my people. And now of course, if I were asked that question today, ‘who are my people?’ the first thing to come to my mind would be all of you. You are my people. You are my friends.

I am your people. Furthermore, as we submit to the Lord, we are all His people. We are part of the family of God. Even if at one point in our lives we were not part of God's family, He wants us to be part of His people and when we accept Him as Father we join his family. When we accept Him as Lord we become one of His people. When this is the case, we are no longer solo but we always have the Lord to turn to and to lean on in times of crisis, Therefore, if you haven't already, I invite you to accept the LORD's invitation to be one of His people today.

When we do become his people, He will transform us from darkness to light, from secrets to honestly and from hatred to love.

LESSON 2: LOVELY LIGHT SABERS

Matthew 5:43-48:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

These days we see a lot of hatred in the news and in social media. People hate this person. People hate that person. People hate this person for hating that person and people hate those people because they all hate these people.

Harbour Light has been showing a number of the original Star Wars films this past moth. The Lieutenants there are big Star Wars fans. Rebecca, Sarah-Grace, Heather and I joined them to watch Star Wars. Heather even dressed up as Darth Vader and the day we joined them fo see a movie was on the ultimate Star Wars day. Do you know when Star Wars Day is every year? May the fourth – May the Fourth be with you.

There is a pivotal moment in the original movie franchise, where Darth Vader is trying to turn Luke from good to bad, from truth to secrecy, from the Light to the Darkness; how does he try to do this? He tries to do this by making him hate. He tells Luke that only his hatred can destroy his enemy: this is a lie of Darth Vader and this is also a lie of our enemy, the Enemy, the devil. In the real world, hate cannot defeat evil; hate can only become evil. Hate is what turns a good person, bad; it is love, Jesus’ love, which redeems us.

Martin Luther King Jr said, “Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.” “Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.” “I have decided to stick to love...Hate is too great a burden to bear.”

‘Do you know what the stupidest expression in the world is?’ - a firefighter once asked me - ‘fight fire with fire;’ ‘you don’t fight fire with fire; that just causes a bigger fire!’ It is the same with hate. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that. If I get drawn into hating someone because they hate something or someone than I have just caused love to shrink and hate to grow. If on the other hand we love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, then even we may be called children of our Father in heaven. If we love more than just those who love us than indeed we may even be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. Therefore let us resolve to love one another and let us wish each other well - even those who may wish us ill.

What does it look like to love our enemies?

LESSON 3: NEW REVISED EDITION

Matthew 18:1-5:

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

Our life can't be edited. It can be changed. I remember watching the original Star Wars in the theatre in 1977. In 1981 one of my friends had this neat new machine: a VCR. It was really quite something. We could actually pause shows and even rewind parts of them and watch them over and over again. I saw Star Wars and The Empire Strikes back more than once or twice.

Many years later, early this century, a friend lent me DVDs of the trilogy. I couldn't believe it. The movies had actually changed! They weren’t the same movies that I saw in 70s and 80s. I was sort of in shock: Why was Jabba the Hutt in Star Wars? Who was this new Darth Vader at the end of Return of the Jedi? I don't remember Storm Troopers on lizards and I am pretty sure that Hans shot first in that very famous bar scene. I asked my friend why the movies were different from when I first saw them; he replied that he hoped that the changes didn't ruin the movies for me.

A while later, when I was able to look on-line for movies, I looked for copies of the Star Wars movies as I would have seen them in the 1970s or 1980s. I couldn't find them anywhere. I tired every way I could think of to find them but I could only find the revised versions of these movies. The originals are forever in my memory and have made an impression on me; the original versions of the movies have left significant impressions on many people. The movies, however, are no longer like that.

This is like our life. There are things that some of us may have done that we wish that we had never done. Maybe our actions have caused someone physical injury that has not healed. Maybe our actions have caused someone emotional or psychological pain that has not healed. Maybe our actions have changed circumstances in such a way as nothing will ever be the same again. There is now a new normal. The repercussions of past actions may stick with us and others like the memory of an original version of a movie or an old song that we cannot find anymore. We cannot change what has happened or how it has affected us.

However, we can be changed so that these things from the past never happen again. God can take all the bad things in our life and make sure that they never replay again. God can change us even more than George Lucas can change his movies. God can forgive our sins, transform our stories, and make us brand new today. He can take out the parts that hurt and hinder us and rewrite our script so that we are a blessing to others. So, to that end today, If there is anything that we want rewritten in our story, if we haven't offered our life up to the Lord for changing yet, I invite us to do so this very day.

Let us pray.

www.sheepspeak.com

daily blogs at

www.blogspot.salvogesis.com

Sunday, May 20, 2018

Mark 11:27-12:12 (Mt 21:31-46): Resentful Tenancy Act

Presented to Warehouse Mission 614 in Toronto, 20 May, 2018; Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 08 March 2015, 25 July 2010; and Nipawin 21 June 2009 by Captain Michael Ramsay

Click here to read the Swift Current version: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2015/03/mark-1127-1212-mt-2131-46-tenant-farmers.html

Click here to read the Nipawin version: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2009/06/matthew-2133-46-john-31617-tenant.html

This is the Toronto version:

When Sarah-Grace was about four she played soccer. I was one of her coaches. We actually won the whole tournament one year. It was good. I`d think of my role, when I was coaching, as more of an encourager than a coach per sae. I`d like to try to rally the troops and cheer the team on - celebrate their successes with them. I find myself often calling out from the sidelines ‘Go so-and-so go!’ ‘Go score a goal!’ or ‘pass to so-and-so, she’s open’ or more commonly, ‘Goalie wake up!’ ‘Goalie, don’t lie on the ground!’ or ‘Goalie, stop talking to your friend and untangle yourself from the net – the ball is coming’… encouragements like that.

I remember this one game. Sarah-Grace made an excellent header. The ball came right to her and she headed it to her teammate – that was really quite something, particularly at this age, so at the break I complimented her on her head ball and she, in front all the parents, told me her secret. She said, ‘Dad, you know how I did the head ball? …I saw the ball coming to me but I forgot to move out of the way’. I like being a dad. It is a lot of fun. And being a coach of your kids’ teams can be fun and it can be a bit of work too.

Here in Mark (cf. Mt 21:31b-46, Lk 20:1-19) we read about an employer who, as Jesus tells us, has a bit of a challenging team working for him. This businessman is in the grape business. He is farmer of sorts and it is recorded in Mark 12:1 that he put a bit of work into his farm. (He must love it!) It says that he plants his vineyard, he puts a wall around it, he builds a pit for a wine press, and he even builds a watchtower (cf. Isa 5:1-7 and Ps 80:6-16). It sounds like it is a pretty good setup that he has here. It says here that he could even afford to go on vacation or a family trip or a business trip of some sort; it says that he had enough time and money that he could leave the vineyard. This is pretty good especially remembering that all this is happening in first century Palestine. It says that he could afford to go away and hire the fields out to some tenant farmers not unlike a number of farmers here in Canada.

Now the absentee landlord’s fields, his vines, are doing pretty well. He is still away doing whatever he is doing – sitting in his big corporate office or on the beach in Florida or wherever it is that the rich folk spend their time when they aren’t at home. The landlord is away and it is time to collect his rent. The harvest is in and he wants his payment so he sends some of his employees up from the big city (or wherever) to collect the rent and it says in Verses 3-5 that the tenant farmers, the fruit pickers, the contractors working the land, want to renegotiate their contract or something like that…it says in Verse 4-5 that they seize his employees, they grab his servants and they beat some severely, wound others and they even kill some. These farmers aren’t very nice to the landlord’s employees at all.

Now when the landlord hears about all this, what does he do? Well, what would you do? What would you do if you owned land and rented out your land for a season and you pay some property management company to go get the rent and they not only don`t get your money but they are beaten and killed? What are you going to do? Call the police, right? Get the authorities. You’re going to want to do something!

What does the landlord do? This landlord just keeps sending more of his own servants; his own employees (12:5). Now I don’t know how keen I would be to head out to collect the rent after hearing what had happened to the others. Nonetheless these employees are good employees. The Landlord sends more and more of them to get the rent from these tenant farmers and just like their predecessors; they are met with resistance, beatings, and death.

I don’t know about you but if I were the employer I would be getting quite upset right now. I have been a landlord before. I know what it is like when your tenants try to pull the ‘midnight move’. I know what it is like when they don’t want to pay their rent. I also used to be a magazine publisher and I know what it is like when your clients give your employees a really bad time and don’t want to pay them – It isn’t good. After all, good help isn’t all that easy to come by – and in our story today the tenant farmers are even killing them off. So what does the landlord do? Does he call the residential tenancy board? Does he call the police or the SWAT team to storm the compound? Does he act like a US President and order a drone attack on the vineyard or an air strike on their families? This landlord is a powerful landlord. He can do the ancient equivalent to all that. He can literally have their heads but what does he do?

Remember that Jesus, God’s son, is telling the story. We read that this landlord is a loving father who has absolute faith in the ability of his son. Verse 6: he says, ‘they will respect my son.’ They don’t. The tenant farmers don’t respect his son. Verse 7: “But the tenants said to one another ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” Verse 8, “So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.”

Jesus stops the story here and he asks those listening to the story, Verse 9, “‘what then will the owner of the vineyard do?’ He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others” He will kill the tenants and give the land to others who will pay the rent and will give him what is due.

Jesus is telling this parable to the Jewish leaders who are in the crowd he is addressing, Mark 11:27: The chief priest, the teachers of the law and the elders of the people - and Matthew 21:41: the Pharisees - have all asked Jesus upon what authority he is doing his ministry.[1] This parable is part of his answer and he tells the elders and he tells the chief priests and he tells the Pharisees who are present – The Matthew version of this story is quite specific – he tells them plainly 21:43

“…the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who would produce its fruit.” Mark 12:12, “Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.”[2]

They knew what he was talking about. Do we know what he is talking about? God, the landlord, sends his prophets, the servants, to check up on the tenants and how they are doing at looking after his vineyard and -as we know- the Israelites and their leaders stoned and even killed many of the prophets of God (cf. 1 Ki 18:4, 13; Jer 26:20-23; 2 Chr 24:21-22; and Matt 23:37; Heb 11:37). God, the landlord, then sends his own son to the people chosen to tend his vineyard and the Israelites and their leaders kill him and because they kill him, those who reject the landlord and his son, those who reject Jesus die outside of the vineyard and the vineyard is given to others.[3]

You and I here today, how are we doing with what God is entrusting us?[4] Do we heed his servants when they are sent with messages or to collect our rent? What do we do when Jesus shows up to tell us what we need to do? Do we obey him? Do we pay our rent?

This is an important question. Jesus is the ultimate authority. He is God’s only begotten son who was killed (and raised from the dead) and if we reject him like many leaders and other Judeans in the first century, we will not have the blessing of remaining in the eternal vineyard; we will die. As this is the case, let us make sure that we submit to our master, that we serve him faithfully now and forever.

There is even more to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We know that God knows that Jesus is going to die before he ever sends him into the world (Cf. Jn 3,15). We know that Jesus’ death is necessary so that anyone can live and have eternal life. We know that He chooses to send His son to die so that we can live. Still some will hear even this story and instead of concentrating on the authority of Jesus and the sacrifice of God they will fixate on the fact that God punishes these farmers and ask how come there is so much death? How come God punishes some people? In our world today we often hear the question, how can a supposedly loving God arbitrarily punish people and even condemn some to Hell?”

He doesn’t. Listen carefully to what I am saying here… Jesus doesn’t condemn people to Hell (Jn 3:17). Hell is real but Jesus does not send people there. Those who are going there, like the tenant farmers in our story today who lose their lives and our removed from the vineyard, they make that decision all on their own. Those who stand condemned, condemn themselves by denying (like the Apostle Paul makes clear in Romans 1 and 2) what is plainly obvious to everyone.[5] I truly believe that God gives us all we need to know in this life from our experiences and even creation itself (cf. Ro 1:18-24) just like he sent more and more servants to give the tenants more and more opportunities to repent and submit to His authority and indeed there will actually still be a time when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Ro 14:11, Phil 2:10) and then some, some who believe in the Lord and obey His commandments will spend eternity with Him in His vineyard and some, some who deny Christ (Mt 10:33) and do not obey His commandments (Jn 14:15), some who simply refuse His love will go off to the hear the weeping and gnashing of teeth (Mt 25:31ff). This is sad.

This is particularly sad because we know that God loves us. John 3:16 says that He loves the entire ‘Kosmos’. He loves us so much that He laid down His life for us (Jn 15). God loves us so much that He sent His only begotten, his only natural, his only sired Son to die so that we may live.

I can’t imagine how much this must hurt God that some of us do actually perish. I am a father. Many of us are parents here. Can you imagine if you send your child and he dies to save others but still they decide to perish anyway?

God sent His Son and His Son died so that we may live but yet some still refuse His love and some still reject His Salvation. God sent Jesus not to condemn us (Jn 3:17) but to save us but some of us refuse to obey Him. Some of us simply refuse to be saved. John 3:18: “Those who believe in Him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already…” of their own accord because, John 3:19, “people loved darkness rather than light.”

This reminds me of some religious leaders (even in our organization!), who try to do things in secret, confidentially, under the cover of darkness rather than in the light.

But today we are each in the vineyard of that parable that Jesus told 2000 years ago. We are in the privileged position of knowing the truth that the religious leaders of Jesus day were. We have access to the light. We have knowledge of our salvation; so, I ask us in our own lives, when Jesus comes back, when God returns to the vineyard will we experience the same fate as the tenant farmers, those religious leaders in Jesus’ day? Will we experience the same fate of those who chose to perish by serving themselves instead of God or will we accept salvation that Jesus provided and live our life tending to his perfect vineyard. He is even now standing at the gate. It is time for us to decide. What will we do? Will we attack, deny, or ignore Him and die; or will we meet him with open arms, welcome him in, and live? It is time to decide.

Let us pray.

www.sheepspeak.com

daily blogs at

www.blogspot.salvogesis.com

---

[1] M. Eugene Boring, Matthew (NIB 8: Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon, 1995), 409: “by adding two additional parables [he incorporates] the woes into the full-blown speech (23:1-25:46).” This parable is not meant to stand in isolation.

[2] Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 14-28. (WBC 33B: Dallas, Texas: Word Books, 1995), 612. The purpose of this series of parables then is “the depiction of the unfaithfulness of the Jewish leaders. It is for this reason Jesus asks the Jewish leaders for their opinion concerning which of these two sons was the faithful one.” The religious leaders’ response in the affirmative to Jesus question is then, through typically parabolic procedure, a self-indictment.

[3] Cf. NT Wright, “The Law in Romans 2,” Paul and the Mosaic Law, ed. James D. G. Dunn (WUNT 89; Tübingen: Mohr-Siebeck, 1996), republished with English translations of German essays (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2001): 136. The equality of the Gentile to the Jew before God, as expressed by Paul in Romans in no way negates the primacy of the Jews (cf. Romans 11:7, 11). Cf. Romans 11:12-13, where it is recorded that it was only “through their stumbling [that] salvation has come to the Gentiles…Now if their stumbling means riches for the world, and if their defeat means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!.”

[4] It is important to note as Douglas J. Moo does that, “contrary to popular Jewish belief, the sins of the Jews will not be treated by God significantly different from those of the Gentiles.” Douglas J. Moo, The Epistle to the Romans (NICNT 6: Grand Rapids, Michigan / Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1996), 126. Cf. also NT Wright, The Letter to the Romans (NIB 10: Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon, 1995), 440

[5] Cf. Michael Ramsay. “Paul and the Human Condition as Reflected in Romans 1:18-32 and 2:1-16”. Available on-line at: http://www.sheepspeak.com/NT_Michael_Ramsay.htm#Paul%20and%20the%20Human%20Condition

Friday, May 11, 2018

Mark 5:21-43: A Woman’s Touch.

Presented to 614 Warehouse Mission, 13 May 2018, Mother’s Day by Captain M Ramsay

For a Mothers’ Day promotion today the Blue Jay are giving away Pillar T-shirts with a Superman cape on them at the game. As cool as that sounded, we didn’t think that would be the best Mothers’ Day present for their mom. Susan is not necessarily the biggest sports fan.

The other day Sarah-Grace and I went to a Blue Jays game. It was a lot of fun. The good guys won. It was exciting. The Blue Jay were behind until their last at bat and then they just came to life. The scored 5 unanswered runs and won the game. It was exciting.

The day we went was the day after the Blue Jay pitcher, Osuna, was arrested and we did not know for what yet. Sarah-Grace and I support the Blue Jays and even before we moved to Toronto one thing Sarah-Grace always knew she wanted to do was to see a game; we don’t, however, know all that much about baseball. With Osuna arrested, we thought that they would be at quite a disadvantage without their pitcher. We especially thought that in the first inning when whomever the Blue Jays had pitching let the first runner score and then loaded the bases – I think maybe even without an out – all in the first half of the first inning. The guy pitching for the Jays seemed to be pitching so badly that everyone at the park would cheer if he even threw a strike! We thought and someone said, ‘wow this guy is so bad! Can someone break Osuna out of jail?’ It was only later in the game we realized that the Jays actually had a lot of pitchers as, I think, they put a new one in every inning down the stretch.

We also found out that the following night was supposed to be a giveaway night and they were going to be giving away free Osuna t-shirts: as he was in custody, someone asked if they were striped t-shirts. Another person asked if they came in prison orange. The truth is they decided not to give away Osuna t-shirts until after that whole mess has a chance to be cleared up – or not as the case may be. That is probably the best choice. We had a lot of fun at the game anyway.

It has been a fun time lately. Last night we had a lot of fun here at the talent show and I think the ladies all had a lot of fun at the women’s breakfast Saturday.

Today’s scripture, however, is about a lady who is not having a lot of fun until she met Jesus, anyway. Picture this scene from Mark 5 with me, as I read it again. Verse 24…:

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.

33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

This lady had been bleeding for twelve years. I’m not a doctor but that can’t be good. I love what the Bible says about the medical care she was getting too: it says, “She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.”

Have we heard that story before? How many people here have suffered under the care of doctors? I can think of one doctor Susan had – I think Susan’s hand still doesn’t work properly. I am only thankful that in Canada, unlike Japan or the USA, medical care won’t cost us all we have to get absolutely no better. This was the lady’s case though. There was no Medicare in Roman Judea.

She had spent all her money and now she was ready to try anything. Can we relate to this desperation at all? I have had friends who were dying of cancer or other diseases, ailments, or causes, who tried everything that they could think of – whether they were covered by medical or not: herbal remedies; drugs: tested or not, legal or not; physiological remedies; psychological remedies; tests done by universities; tests done by companies; studies where you might not even receive the potential drug but may be in the control group that gets a sugar pill; sometimes they fly to other countries where other doctors might try other procedures – at a cost…. This was this ladies plight. After 12 years, “She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.”

It was at this point that she sought out Jesus, Verse 27 on…

When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

Now this is interesting, and I think this is important. This lady isn’t just ‘throwing up a Hail Mary’, as they say. She hasn’t simply run out of every idea and just thought that I will try this too. When we have tried everything to solve a problem and then try one more thing, how much faith do we usually have that that one more thing will work? Not very much usually: Faith for many of us usually works in a diminishing capacity, the less success one has, the less success one expects. Example: we have elections in this country all the time: who thinks with each new election that everything is getting better and better? Not many people; that is why voter turnout is dropping. When we feel frustrated our faith in people or institutions or other usually falters.

This lady however, really believes that Jesus will save her. She has faith. “she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.” She had faith. She was freed.

This week, Susan and I were at the OCE Spiritual Retreat Day. Danielle Strickland was the guest speaker. Danielle and her husband Stephen Court actually send Susan and I into the work. We served with them in Vancouver’s DTES and they were the ones who signed off on us to go to CFOT, seminary, to become Salvation Army Officers.

She told us many interesting things and many very good stories, some of which I have heard before and some of the scenarios we had experienced ourselves, such as three hour prayer shifts on Vancouver’s DTES.

Danielle has also done a lot of work with especially women who were oppressed. She told us also about some men who were involved in activities that led to the oppression of women and how some of them had become oppressed themselves. One observation that she made was that the language of oppression is often lies. People who are oppressing others often lie to others and even themselves. And, she said, the currency of oppression is fear. This really resonated with me because I can think of a person recently who a number of us have experienced his less-than-truthfulness and we observed that this person seemed nervous, fearful, even speaking with us. (This is not to say that everyone nervous around you is lying, or oppressing you, or oppressed; there are lots of reasons to be nervous, this is just to say that God had revealed a real life object lesson to us about someone who seemed caught up in this oppression.) Danielle then said to us Officers that if you are feeling fearful in your agency and have seen a lack of honesty, maybe there is oppression in your organization. She said, Quoting 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…

The lady touched Jesus clothes and, Mark 5:29, ’Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.’ This next part I think is important. Mark 5:20-34:

30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.

There actually are a couple of things here to consider. Jesus asked who touched his clothes. There were lots of people touching his clothes. People were pressing up against him. People wanted to get his attention. People wanted to get his help. People wanted to get his healing. You can probably imagine the incredulousness of the disciples here. This story we are looking at today is actually a part of another story, don’t forget. Jesus is on his way to heal Jairus’ daughter. She is about to die. The disciples could be in a bit of a hurry here. There is a girl who could die if they don’t get there.

Anyone ever been in a hurry? Anyone ever had to wait for someone when you are running late and really just want to get going? Have you ever sat in the car or stood by the door waiting for someone to get their coat, find their shoes or do their hair? Have you ever looked at your watch and wondered why are they making us late? Here the disciples seem to be in a bit of a hurry and all of a sudden Jesus, instead of moving along, stops in the middle of a crowd of people touching him and says, ‘who touched me?’

You can see how the disciples might be a little bit frustrated like a husband or a dad trying to herd hi kids in the car. Hurry up! We’re going to be late. Hurray up! I don’t want to be late. Hurry up! We don’t want to miss it. In this case, hurray up Jesus or the girl we’re racing off to heal will die! And she did, while Jesus stopped to look for one person who touched him while everyone was touching him in the crowd.

People were swarming around and bumping into Jesus and everyone else. One lady, however, this lady, reached out her hand to touch his cloak with the intention to be healed. This was an intentional act to seek healing. The disciples were asking Jesus what He is talking about: all kinds of people are touching you. Jesus though is surveying the crowd; he is looking for who it is that reached out and grabbed hold of the healing spirit of God. The disciples may not have understood but the lady did and she came forward. She was afraid; she had been oppressed with this condition for years. Remember she had spent time and all her money seeking freedom from this oppression. NT Wright reminds us that this story is one of both faith and fear.

This lady was afraid as she looked at our Lord who had just healed her (I don’t want to say by accident but certainly by her reaching out to him). This lady comes forward. She comes clean to the Lord who has just made her clean. The Scriptures say, Verse 33…:

Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

This woman by facing Jesus faced the fear that was oppressing her through her ailment and possibly other ways as well and Jesus drove it from her. 1 John 4:18, “But perfect love drives out fear…” Jesus loves her: she is freed from her suffering. 1 John 4:18, “perfect love drives out fear…” Jesus’ love drove out her fear and Jesus said to her “Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” And she was.

And more than that: the girl who died while Jesus was looking for this lady, Jesus raised her from the dead. He brought her back to life. Nothing is too difficult for God.

Jesus freed the lady in our text today from her fear and her suffering. Jesus can free you from your fear and your suffering. I know there are many people here who are fearful of and suffering from many things. Specifically in the last few weeks, I have heard people express that even some in this organization have apparently, seemingly, possibly been less than open with all of us about what is going to happen. When is River Street going to closed? I don’t know. Who is going to lose or keep their jobs? I don’t know. Which ministries will continue? I don’t know. Will this service continue here on Sundays? I don’t know. I don’t know if anyone knows. If they do know, they have not been clear and they have not been honest; they have preferred darkness to light and lies to truth, fear to faith and oppression to freedom. But even if this is so and the devil is trying to cause the faithful here to hemorrhage, we don’t need to because as we reach out our hands to the Lord like the lady who had been suffering for 12 years did, then God promises that He will turn the darkness to light, the lies to truth, the fear to faith and oppression to freedom.

This is true in all matters in our daily life as well. If there is anything that is oppressing us, the Lord can deliver us. If there is anything at all that is oppressing you and I in our lives here such as the lady in our text today was oppressed, The Lord can deliver us from whatever it is! He is the one who can turn the darkness to light, the lies to truth, the fear to faith and oppression to freedom!

Do you believe this? If so than let us each reach our hand in faith as we pray: Dear God, in my life, please turn the darkness to light, the lies to truth, the fear to faith and oppression to freedom. Please let me experience the perfect love that drives out all fear and the salvation that comes from you alone both for now and forever more. Amen.

Let us go from here in peace and be freed from our suffering because perfect love drives out fear.

www,sheespeak.com

daily blogs at

www.blogspot.salvogesis.com

---

[1] Cf. William Hendriksen, Mark (New Testament Commentary: Baker Academic: Grand Rapids, Michigan: 2007), 203 and NT Wright Mark for Everyone: Chapters 1-8 (Louisville, US: WKJ, 2004)[2] Walter W. Wessel Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Mark/ Book Version: 4.0.2: Mark 30-32[3] NT Wright Mark for Everyone: Chapters 1-8 (Louisville, US: WKJ, 2004)

Sheepspeak: sermons, articles, and papers

Sunday, January 13, 2019

Joshua 2: Redeemed!

Friday, June 8, 2018

John 13:21-14:31: Where are you going?

Monday, June 4, 2018

Matthew 5:43-38, 18:1-5 and Hosea 1:21-23: Lessons from Star Wars.

Sunday, May 20, 2018

Mark 11:27-12:12 (Mt 21:31-46): Resentful Tenancy Act

Friday, May 11, 2018

Mark 5:21-43: A Woman’s Touch.

Contact us

Look at these:

Blog Archive

Labels

Sheepspeak: sermons, articles, and papers

Sunday, January 13, 2019

Joshua 2: Redeemed!

Friday, June 8, 2018

John 13:21-14:31: Where are you going?

Monday, June 4, 2018

Matthew 5:43-38, 18:1-5 and Hosea 1:21-23: Lessons from Star Wars.

Sunday, May 20, 2018

Mark 11:27-12:12 (Mt 21:31-46): Resentful Tenancy Act

Friday, May 11, 2018

Mark 5:21-43: A Woman’s Touch.

Subscribe To Sheepspeak Sermons

Contact us

Look at these:

Blog Archive

Labels