Day 99
Deuteronomy 11:1-12:32, Luke 12:35-59, Psalm 43:1-5
Although not a lot has happened in the reading, this passage actually marks a momentous point in the life of Israel. They are hearing that they will have a a single place for worship. They have been on the road for nearly 40 years, the tabernacle has gone with them and they have had a bit of leeway about where they worship. What Moses is telling them is that when they get into the promised land they are going to have one place. God will tell them where it is and then they are to set all the holy stuff up there and that is to be the centre of everything worship wise. Now that may not seem like a big deal but hindsight is a wonderful thing, When we look back and see how important the temple was in the history of this nation, then we see how big this really is. It was a central building and when it was destroyed there was uproar. Imagine how a Manchester United fan would feel if Old Trafford went up in smoke, now magnify it by a hundred. This promise was a momentous one.
Then we look at what it is to replace. There is a lot of worship already taking place in the promised land but unfortunately very little of it is aimed at the one true God. So they are to clean things up as they go through the land. Every location set up for worship is to come down for they are to find just the one site. If we bring this in to the modern setting though, it becomes a little scary. If God said to us "tear down and destroy every location where idol worship takes place", we would have to chuck the TV and the computer into the Skip. Old Trafford, the Trafford Centre, the Metro Centre and everywhere like them would come down. Newsagents would have to close along with printing presses that give us the likes of Heat etc. This is a huge commandment, but what is even more scary is that God does want us to challenge idol worship! But where do we start?
The Gospel today gives us stuff that is not so easy to read, like turning families against themselves. This is all about he second coming, when Jesus will come again and he starts with the fact that people need to be prepared - it is no good dozing when the Son of Man might return. Then he goes on to the family division, but first talks about what he has to go through. With everything that is about to happen to Jesus, death, descending into hell and then rising again, he is basically saying that the normal things of life will be turned on their heads, even family unity will go out the window in relation to everything that is to happen to him. As for the second coming, all bets are off, nothing will be the same.
As for "interpreting the times"and the passage about the rain clouds you can find comparisons with today. Jesus was talking about their skilled weather forecasting, how they look at the clouds and know it will rain or be bright. We look at atoms and say one thing or we look at molecules and say something else, yet we "don't know how to interpret the present time". There can be a lot said for the fact that we do not put enough effort into understanding things of faith, but we put so much effort into understanding other things.
Today challenges us to put down our idols, even to try and stop the onslaught of idol worship, and it also speaks to us about being prepared for God, for Christ's coming again. The two fit together like hand and glove, it is whether we are ready to take up the challenge.
Although not a lot has happened in the reading, this passage actually marks a momentous point in the life of Israel. They are hearing that they will have a a single place for worship. They have been on the road for nearly 40 years, the tabernacle has gone with them and they have had a bit of leeway about where they worship. What Moses is telling them is that when they get into the promised land they are going to have one place. God will tell them where it is and then they are to set all the holy stuff up there and that is to be the centre of everything worship wise. Now that may not seem like a big deal but hindsight is a wonderful thing, When we look back and see how important the temple was in the history of this nation, then we see how big this really is. It was a central building and when it was destroyed there was uproar. Imagine how a Manchester United fan would feel if Old Trafford went up in smoke, now magnify it by a hundred. This promise was a momentous one.
Then we look at what it is to replace. There is a lot of worship already taking place in the promised land but unfortunately very little of it is aimed at the one true God. So they are to clean things up as they go through the land. Every location set up for worship is to come down for they are to find just the one site. If we bring this in to the modern setting though, it becomes a little scary. If God said to us "tear down and destroy every location where idol worship takes place", we would have to chuck the TV and the computer into the Skip. Old Trafford, the Trafford Centre, the Metro Centre and everywhere like them would come down. Newsagents would have to close along with printing presses that give us the likes of Heat etc. This is a huge commandment, but what is even more scary is that God does want us to challenge idol worship! But where do we start?
The Gospel today gives us stuff that is not so easy to read, like turning families against themselves. This is all about he second coming, when Jesus will come again and he starts with the fact that people need to be prepared - it is no good dozing when the Son of Man might return. Then he goes on to the family division, but first talks about what he has to go through. With everything that is about to happen to Jesus, death, descending into hell and then rising again, he is basically saying that the normal things of life will be turned on their heads, even family unity will go out the window in relation to everything that is to happen to him. As for the second coming, all bets are off, nothing will be the same.
As for "interpreting the times"and the passage about the rain clouds you can find comparisons with today. Jesus was talking about their skilled weather forecasting, how they look at the clouds and know it will rain or be bright. We look at atoms and say one thing or we look at molecules and say something else, yet we "don't know how to interpret the present time". There can be a lot said for the fact that we do not put enough effort into understanding things of faith, but we put so much effort into understanding other things.
Today challenges us to put down our idols, even to try and stop the onslaught of idol worship, and it also speaks to us about being prepared for God, for Christ's coming again. The two fit together like hand and glove, it is whether we are ready to take up the challenge.
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