Friday Faithfuls 2 - 1 Thessalonians

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

This week's selection is 100% based on the season.  I did not grow up in a liturgical tradition; Advent wasn't on my radar at all.  When I married a Methodist, Advent became part of my vocabulary, but I still thought it was all about preparing for the baby.  It wasn't until I read Madeleine L'Engle's book The Irrational Season that I discovered that Advent is an eschatological season, preparing for the coming of the Messiah...both the first and second comings. 

You will hear people argue that the word 'rapture' doesn't occur anywhere in Scripture, so people who are looking for such a thing are clearly misguided.

But I would say that the word 'Advent' doesn't appear in Scripture, either (at least, it is not listed in my Exhaustive NIV Concordance).  Advent is a word we have used to describe a scriptural concept:  the expectation of and preparation for the coming of Messiah.  Likewise, 'rapture' is a word used to refer to a concept Paul clearly details:

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And so we will be with the Lord forever. -- 1 Thess. 4:16-17, NIV 84

However, I would also point out that the scholars of the day completely missed the first coming of Messiah.  They had studied the scriptures and the prophecies and they really believed they had it figured out;  they knew what was going to happen.  So when it didn't happen the way they expected...they missed it.  I'm not so sure this 'catching up' is a 'missable' event, in that sense, but I do think that we tend to interpret prophecy according to what we know.   Problem is, there is a lot of stuff we don't know that affects that interpretation; things that make sense in hindsight but were totally unexpected at the moment. I believe Paul wrote the truth...we will be all caught up, in some fashion.  But it might be in a way that we don't expect now...that, in hindsight millenia from now, we will see was exactly right.

And...even the unexpectedness of it is repeated in prophecies.  Jesus said it would be unexpected; Paul says it will be unexpected.  We just think we have figured out what the unexpected aspects of it will be.  But...I bet we don't.  Not entirely.  I kinda think the second coming of Messiah will be the same sort of surprise as the first one.  Not exactly what we...expected.

So maybe the theme statement of Advent should be the phrase that was the motto for our children's ministry at church for years:

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED.

Friday Faithfuls 2 - Colossians

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

The weekly skim is becoming well, sorta weekly during the holiday season, lol!  But we have arrived at Colossians today, and the passage that caught me on my read through is probably because of the season we're in...

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers of authorities; all things were created by him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. -- Col. 1: 15-18, NIV 84

Think about his passage when we are singing about the baby in the manger...who has the supremacy in EVERYTHING. It's pretty staggering to think about what he actually did to come and dwell among us.

Friday Faithfuls Two: Philippians

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Philippians, y'all.  Paul writing to some of the people he knew well, who had become believers because of his ministry and who had supported him when no one else did.

He loved these folks.

And, because I was specifically reminded of this passage at last night's choir practice, it kind of explains why it seemed highlighted. And the fact that it was the theme passage, repeated almost weekly, of the girls' ministry program I worked in for ten years.  

So... a passage with history, that was highlighted this week.  Yeah.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy --  think about such things. Phil. 4:8, NIV84.

The power of positive thinking, eh?  Paul, writing while imprisoned y'all, writes that folks should think about things that are true, noble, right pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and/or praiseworthy.  That takes some real discipline.

There are times when it's oddly satisfying to wallow in the unfairness, in the victimhood, in the entitlement...kind of like picking at a scab.  It doesn't do any good at all, and can, in fact, make things worse, but there's that weird perverse appetite for such things.

Paul, however, offers an option. An out.  Instead of thinking about all the yuck, think about all the good.  

Picking at a scab keeps it from healing...and can even allow infection to fester.  Focusing on resentment and envy and disappointment and the like can do a similar thing to the spirit.

Actually, the whole book of Philippians talks about keeping a good attitude.  That's just kind of a practical snippet.  It's only 4 chapters...give it a read through whenever you feel like the ol' attitude is beginning to sag.

And think on those things.