Gen 8:1-9:17
Today very briefly we will discuss the lesson. We are told that God remembered Noah. This is a Jewish expression. It doesn't mean that God forgot that Noah was floating on the flood waters. It means it was time to do something, so the waters begin receding. Noah sends out a raven, which does not come back, presumably feeding on carrion. He sends out a dove twice. The second time the dove comes back with an olive branch, which shows that plant life is returning to the earth.
God makes a promise, and to confirm it send the rainbow, so that he and we will remember his promise. That promise is that as long as the earth exists, God will never wipe out everything with a flood. We need to take care of what is promised. God does not promise that floods will cease. H merely declares that the entire earth will not be destroyed by flood as long as it exists. At some point, (I think maybe within the lifetime of my children), the earth and heavens will be completely destroyed and there will be a new heaven and a new earth. All mankind will face the Lord Jesus, those who accepted him to eternal bliss and those who did not to eternal judgment. So we need to get ready.
Any time I see a rainbow, I think of the promises of God. God tells Noah and his sons to multiply, but the world is forever changed. Now in addition to fruits nuts and vegetables, man is now permitted to eat meat, although, not with the blood in it, for blood is the life.(we might note that this injunction is one of the very few dietary restrictions placed on Christians as well) This is a huge change, but mankind is still to have dominion over the earth we are still to command the animals. Another rule is given to all man kind. Man is not to be killed because we are made in the image of God. The tanach places real value on man's life. We have a special relationship with God as co creators.
May God bless,
Mar Michael Abportus
Monday, August 17, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Prayer
III Maccabees 2: 1-20
Technically speaking, this book is not part of the Tanach because the Jews do not recognise this book of the Bible, which is recognised by the Eastern Orthodox and the Oriental Orthodox. For those of of you who are not familiar with I and II Maccabees, the four books relate to the event relating to the history of the Jewish people just after the time of Alexander the Great, when Antiochus Epiphanes attempted to force the Jewish people to adopt the pagan Greek religion. Judas Maccabees and his sons lead the rebellion.
Anyway, leading up to this chapter, Ptolemy wants to enter the Holy of Holies, and verse 1-20 are the high priest's prayer. Verses 1-13 describe what God has done for the people. Verses 14-15 relate to God's promises. Verses 16-20 are a confession of sin.
This prayer is very much a model prayer for us. When we begin our prayers, we should begin with what God has done for us, both the miracles in the Bible, our salvation, and the things he has done for us individually. We also need to remember what God has promised us. In addition, we need to be very consious of our sins, and to bear in mind that many of our problems are of our own making because of our sinful nature.
To see this wonderful prayer go to: http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/nets/edition/22-3makk-nets.pdf
Technically speaking, this book is not part of the Tanach because the Jews do not recognise this book of the Bible, which is recognised by the Eastern Orthodox and the Oriental Orthodox. For those of of you who are not familiar with I and II Maccabees, the four books relate to the event relating to the history of the Jewish people just after the time of Alexander the Great, when Antiochus Epiphanes attempted to force the Jewish people to adopt the pagan Greek religion. Judas Maccabees and his sons lead the rebellion.
Anyway, leading up to this chapter, Ptolemy wants to enter the Holy of Holies, and verse 1-20 are the high priest's prayer. Verses 1-13 describe what God has done for the people. Verses 14-15 relate to God's promises. Verses 16-20 are a confession of sin.
This prayer is very much a model prayer for us. When we begin our prayers, we should begin with what God has done for us, both the miracles in the Bible, our salvation, and the things he has done for us individually. We also need to remember what God has promised us. In addition, we need to be very consious of our sins, and to bear in mind that many of our problems are of our own making because of our sinful nature.
To see this wonderful prayer go to: http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/nets/edition/22-3makk-nets.pdf
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Palm Sunday
Isaiah 53:4-12
The Lesson from Isaiah most clearly shows what Jesus has done for us, but let us remember first that Jesus's death and ressurection are based on and shaped by the Passover (which begins this Wednesday night). The ancient church, and most especially Jewish Christians were well aware of this. The Passover Lamb was sacrificed. His blood was spread on the lintels of the door, so that the Angel of Death, seeing the blood would pass over that house. The blood of the lamb gave life, and not one of his bones was broken. Later that day, the Hebrews crossed the Red Sea. There they passed from death unto to life, from slavery to freedom, just as per the Gospel of St. Mark, when we confess and are baptised, we pass from slavery (to sin) to freedom (from sin), and from eternal death, to eternal life.
Now the reading from Isaiah tells us somewhat in more detail: He took our infirmities and carried our sorrows, he was pierced for our iniquities and punished for our transgressions, yet his punishment brought us peace. After his suffering he will see the light of day. H will justify many because he bore our sins.
We often miss the point. The point of the suffering of Jesus was to restore us to right relationship with God, with each other and with nature. When we truly seek those right relationships and allow God to guide us, then we will be better candidates to be the kingdom of heaven. God does not want us just to be saved. He wants us to be transfomed, to truly be made whole. Healing is part of this mission. Look again at Isaiah. He took our infirmities. One translation of this portion of Isaiah translates, "By his stripes, we are healed." Now when God heals us he does not just heal the disease, he heals the person. God doesn't see our cancer or our blood pressure. He sees the spiritual, moral and physical problems that lead up to that cancer. Depending on where you most need wholeness, he might just let you keep that cancer to deal with another area in your life which needs wholness. This is what God wants, true healing and wholeness so we may truly join with him in fellowship. When our bodies are whole, we will be able to do more. When our minds are whole, we will be in right relationship with naure and others. When our spirit is whole, we will be in right relationship with God the Father and will be ready for heaven.
Come join us for Holy Week and Easter.
Mar Michael Abportus, OSL
mjthannisch@sbcglobal.net
832-877-9984
The Lesson from Isaiah most clearly shows what Jesus has done for us, but let us remember first that Jesus's death and ressurection are based on and shaped by the Passover (which begins this Wednesday night). The ancient church, and most especially Jewish Christians were well aware of this. The Passover Lamb was sacrificed. His blood was spread on the lintels of the door, so that the Angel of Death, seeing the blood would pass over that house. The blood of the lamb gave life, and not one of his bones was broken. Later that day, the Hebrews crossed the Red Sea. There they passed from death unto to life, from slavery to freedom, just as per the Gospel of St. Mark, when we confess and are baptised, we pass from slavery (to sin) to freedom (from sin), and from eternal death, to eternal life.
Now the reading from Isaiah tells us somewhat in more detail: He took our infirmities and carried our sorrows, he was pierced for our iniquities and punished for our transgressions, yet his punishment brought us peace. After his suffering he will see the light of day. H will justify many because he bore our sins.
We often miss the point. The point of the suffering of Jesus was to restore us to right relationship with God, with each other and with nature. When we truly seek those right relationships and allow God to guide us, then we will be better candidates to be the kingdom of heaven. God does not want us just to be saved. He wants us to be transfomed, to truly be made whole. Healing is part of this mission. Look again at Isaiah. He took our infirmities. One translation of this portion of Isaiah translates, "By his stripes, we are healed." Now when God heals us he does not just heal the disease, he heals the person. God doesn't see our cancer or our blood pressure. He sees the spiritual, moral and physical problems that lead up to that cancer. Depending on where you most need wholeness, he might just let you keep that cancer to deal with another area in your life which needs wholness. This is what God wants, true healing and wholeness so we may truly join with him in fellowship. When our bodies are whole, we will be able to do more. When our minds are whole, we will be in right relationship with naure and others. When our spirit is whole, we will be in right relationship with God the Father and will be ready for heaven.
Come join us for Holy Week and Easter.
Mar Michael Abportus, OSL
mjthannisch@sbcglobal.net
832-877-9984
Saturday, March 28, 2009
29 March 2009: Five Sunday in Lent
All three of our Tanach lessons express some degree of hope. Our first lesson from Deuteronomy speaks of thanking the Lord, once the people have come into the promised land. The last lesson from Chronicles talks of restoration of the King, and the people tearing down the temple of Ba'al, but our second lesson from Isaia (Isaiah 56:1-57:13) talks of a different kind of hope. The Lord says, "keep judgement, do rightousness" and tells us some of the results. The foreingner and eunuchs will not be rejected. We might recall, that we have read that Eunuch's foreingners and others were not allowed to participate in the worship of Israel, but in today's lesson we learn of a change. To keep judgement, and to do righnteousness stems from a condition of the mind. If we carefully look at Jesus's miracles, many restored people in a broken relationship to worship. Curing the blind, cleansing leapers, etc. not only gave people wellness of body, but wholeness in relationships, especially the relationship with God.
Those who truly obey God from the heart in love and thanfulness will be restored to a true right realtionship with him. This is in contrast with those who worship idols and who have forgotten the covenent. Those who mock God, will be punished and be destroyed.
Le us be careful then not to mock God, but to obey him in spirit and truth. Do you love Yeshual? Then obey him. Do you really love Yeshua? Then be as intent on telling other people about him as you are to espouse the latest fad diet or proclaim your favourite TV show. Are you sure you love him? Then be as joyful in talking about him as you are about your favourite band or sports team. Let us love him in Spirit and truth and learn to gossip the Gospel.
Those who truly obey God from the heart in love and thanfulness will be restored to a true right realtionship with him. This is in contrast with those who worship idols and who have forgotten the covenent. Those who mock God, will be punished and be destroyed.
Le us be careful then not to mock God, but to obey him in spirit and truth. Do you love Yeshual? Then obey him. Do you really love Yeshua? Then be as intent on telling other people about him as you are to espouse the latest fad diet or proclaim your favourite TV show. Are you sure you love him? Then be as joyful in talking about him as you are about your favourite band or sports team. Let us love him in Spirit and truth and learn to gossip the Gospel.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
15 March 2009: 3rd Sunday in Lent
Deuteronomy 24:1-22
Today's lesson is an interestin combination, mostly showing the mercy of the Lord. The lesson starts straight out on marriage. If a man divorces his wife, she marries another, and they divorce, she is not to return to her first husband. It would be detestabel
The second lesson is probably something more applicable today. It basically defines a honeymoon as a year. I think there is great wisdom in this, and it would be wonderful if we could fully apply this to all newly weds, that within reason they should not be separated from each other durnig the first year of mariage so they can truly get to know each other.
Continuining and jumping around a bit, a principle is laid out that if we were to apply it today, life would be much easier for any. We are not to take someone's means of livelihood as a guarantee of a payment. The Israelites were agricultural, and the millstone was necesary to make bread, the staff of life. LIekwise we treat the person we are loaning to with respect. We do not enter his house to collect the surety, we allow him to bring it to us. Even more important, if that surety is something he needs to live, we are not to keep it. The example given is a cloak, with which the poor not only used as a coat in the cold, but as a blanket as well.
We go on, no kidnapping, and listen to what the doctors say about disease, so that it will not spread.
Do not keep back wages. In other words pay your employees on time. Also treat everyone fairly, not only our brothers, but the stranger in the land as well. Each person is to be punished for his own sins. The son is not held responsable for what his father has done, nor is the father held repsonsable for wht the son has done, in ohter words we are to be responsable for our own actions.
The last in practice is maybe the most difficult to apply. A person is only to harvest his field once. Anything he missed is to be left for the poor the widow and the orphan. In other words, we are to help the helpless, but do so in such a way that allows them their dignity. For example, when working with street kids in Honduras, I did not just give them food. I would send them on errands, or even have them help in the kitchen or get coconuts. to allow them to feel that they were earning there own keep.
The lesson today is truly a mixed hodgepodge, but the principles apply even today.
Today's lesson is an interestin combination, mostly showing the mercy of the Lord. The lesson starts straight out on marriage. If a man divorces his wife, she marries another, and they divorce, she is not to return to her first husband. It would be detestabel
The second lesson is probably something more applicable today. It basically defines a honeymoon as a year. I think there is great wisdom in this, and it would be wonderful if we could fully apply this to all newly weds, that within reason they should not be separated from each other durnig the first year of mariage so they can truly get to know each other.
Continuining and jumping around a bit, a principle is laid out that if we were to apply it today, life would be much easier for any. We are not to take someone's means of livelihood as a guarantee of a payment. The Israelites were agricultural, and the millstone was necesary to make bread, the staff of life. LIekwise we treat the person we are loaning to with respect. We do not enter his house to collect the surety, we allow him to bring it to us. Even more important, if that surety is something he needs to live, we are not to keep it. The example given is a cloak, with which the poor not only used as a coat in the cold, but as a blanket as well.
We go on, no kidnapping, and listen to what the doctors say about disease, so that it will not spread.
Do not keep back wages. In other words pay your employees on time. Also treat everyone fairly, not only our brothers, but the stranger in the land as well. Each person is to be punished for his own sins. The son is not held responsable for what his father has done, nor is the father held repsonsable for wht the son has done, in ohter words we are to be responsable for our own actions.
The last in practice is maybe the most difficult to apply. A person is only to harvest his field once. Anything he missed is to be left for the poor the widow and the orphan. In other words, we are to help the helpless, but do so in such a way that allows them their dignity. For example, when working with street kids in Honduras, I did not just give them food. I would send them on errands, or even have them help in the kitchen or get coconuts. to allow them to feel that they were earning there own keep.
The lesson today is truly a mixed hodgepodge, but the principles apply even today.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
1 March 2009: 1st Sunday in Lent
Deuteronomy 21:22-22:30
The Tanach for today has a set of laws some of which apply to us, and some of which apply in principle.
The first is a man hung on a tree is not to be there past sunset because he is cursed. We note in passing, Jesus was cut down from the cross before sunset.
The next is the law of return, and it applies to us even today. If we find our neighbours animal straying, or something belonging to our neighbour, we are to return it to them. This is not always easy to do, but something we strive to do if possible. God will bless us for it.
The next is pretty obvious, no tranvestites. Now some people have held this law to mean woman should not wear pants, but the vagaries of fashion are ever changing and vary from culture to culture. The purpose is not that a woman should not wear pants, nor that a man should not wear a kilt, but that a man should dress as a man and a woman as a woman. God wants no confusion about the sexes.
Maybe some of our game laws derive from the next one, but it is emminently practicle. If we take the eggs, we leave the mother so she can lay more eggs. If this law and the principel behind it were applied everywhere, (and here I am thinking of Central America where a favourite way to eat iguana is stuffed with its own eggs, and iguanas are harder and harder to find) food might not be such a great problem.
The next is common sense. If we build a house with a roof which you can walk up to, it needs a wall. In other words we build things safely.
Ox and donkey ploughing together, but combined with the next, we are not to mix differetn kinds. The same with two different kinds of seed. The tassles were on the outer clothing, and included one blue thread to remind us that we are set apart and are to be holy for the Lord.
The next adresses divorce. We note that while Moses permitted divorce, Jesus told them the permission was because of hard hardedness. The instant adressed here is if a man falsey accused his wife of adulter or not having been a virgin. If he has accused her falsely, he can never abandon her. IF the accuasation is true, then she is to be put to death. The Bible holds marriage and chastity in high regard, standards that we need to return to. Folowing we are again reminded, the punishment for adultery is death. This is followed by practicle matters. A woman taken in the city is guilty of adulter because she didn't call for help. In the country, she may have called but no one could hear so she is innocent. Lastly we are told that if a man has relations with a woman they are to be married, and can never be divorced. Lastly the first of several incest laws, a man is not to marry his father's wife, for that would dishonour his father.
Some of these rules are practical for today, and all have implications for us today. As mentioned above, God is very serious about marriage and sex. It is time for us to return to being serious about it to. One reason God is so concerned about this, is because marriage is an icon of the relationship between God and his people This is repeated over and over in the prophets, God is the faithful husband, Israel is the bride, and in the New Testament, Christ is the bridegroom, the church is the bride. God insists on fidelity in marriage because it demonstrates his faithfulness to his people, and he wants the people to be faithful to him.
I note in passing that the teenage pregnancy rate is growing, and of course it is well known the results that single motherhood had on children. Someone stated on an interview, that abstinance was not very practicle, and that by having a baby she was being forced to be an adult. I find it interesting, that when I was in high school, birth control was not readily available, but we had very few pregnancies. It is sad to day that most kids today do not want to take the repsonsability of waitning to have sex. This is sad in many ways, firstly becasue, the icon of marriage being a relationship of God and his people is rapidly disappearing. It is sasd becaue numerous studies indicate that two virgins have the highest success rate in marriage and the lowest divorce rate. It is sad because the greatest thing one can bring to their marraige parner is their virginity.
Now, sex is important. After all, God made us as sexual beings, but he also established rules for that sexuality. As we ignore those rules, we set the seeds of the destruction of our society.
Mar Michael Abportus
mjthannisch@sbcglobal.net
The Tanach for today has a set of laws some of which apply to us, and some of which apply in principle.
The first is a man hung on a tree is not to be there past sunset because he is cursed. We note in passing, Jesus was cut down from the cross before sunset.
The next is the law of return, and it applies to us even today. If we find our neighbours animal straying, or something belonging to our neighbour, we are to return it to them. This is not always easy to do, but something we strive to do if possible. God will bless us for it.
The next is pretty obvious, no tranvestites. Now some people have held this law to mean woman should not wear pants, but the vagaries of fashion are ever changing and vary from culture to culture. The purpose is not that a woman should not wear pants, nor that a man should not wear a kilt, but that a man should dress as a man and a woman as a woman. God wants no confusion about the sexes.
Maybe some of our game laws derive from the next one, but it is emminently practicle. If we take the eggs, we leave the mother so she can lay more eggs. If this law and the principel behind it were applied everywhere, (and here I am thinking of Central America where a favourite way to eat iguana is stuffed with its own eggs, and iguanas are harder and harder to find) food might not be such a great problem.
The next is common sense. If we build a house with a roof which you can walk up to, it needs a wall. In other words we build things safely.
Ox and donkey ploughing together, but combined with the next, we are not to mix differetn kinds. The same with two different kinds of seed. The tassles were on the outer clothing, and included one blue thread to remind us that we are set apart and are to be holy for the Lord.
The next adresses divorce. We note that while Moses permitted divorce, Jesus told them the permission was because of hard hardedness. The instant adressed here is if a man falsey accused his wife of adulter or not having been a virgin. If he has accused her falsely, he can never abandon her. IF the accuasation is true, then she is to be put to death. The Bible holds marriage and chastity in high regard, standards that we need to return to. Folowing we are again reminded, the punishment for adultery is death. This is followed by practicle matters. A woman taken in the city is guilty of adulter because she didn't call for help. In the country, she may have called but no one could hear so she is innocent. Lastly we are told that if a man has relations with a woman they are to be married, and can never be divorced. Lastly the first of several incest laws, a man is not to marry his father's wife, for that would dishonour his father.
Some of these rules are practical for today, and all have implications for us today. As mentioned above, God is very serious about marriage and sex. It is time for us to return to being serious about it to. One reason God is so concerned about this, is because marriage is an icon of the relationship between God and his people This is repeated over and over in the prophets, God is the faithful husband, Israel is the bride, and in the New Testament, Christ is the bridegroom, the church is the bride. God insists on fidelity in marriage because it demonstrates his faithfulness to his people, and he wants the people to be faithful to him.
I note in passing that the teenage pregnancy rate is growing, and of course it is well known the results that single motherhood had on children. Someone stated on an interview, that abstinance was not very practicle, and that by having a baby she was being forced to be an adult. I find it interesting, that when I was in high school, birth control was not readily available, but we had very few pregnancies. It is sad to day that most kids today do not want to take the repsonsability of waitning to have sex. This is sad in many ways, firstly becasue, the icon of marriage being a relationship of God and his people is rapidly disappearing. It is sasd becaue numerous studies indicate that two virgins have the highest success rate in marriage and the lowest divorce rate. It is sad because the greatest thing one can bring to their marraige parner is their virginity.
Now, sex is important. After all, God made us as sexual beings, but he also established rules for that sexuality. As we ignore those rules, we set the seeds of the destruction of our society.
Mar Michael Abportus
mjthannisch@sbcglobal.net
Sunday, February 22, 2009
22 February 2009
Today we remember when the Father appeared to Moshe and Eliyahu. These experiences are reflected when Moshe and Eliyahu appear to Yeshua when he is transfigured. God tells Kephas, Yakob and Yohanim to listen to Yeshua. When a parent tells the child to listen, he usually means to obey.
As we approach Lent, and Shrove Tuesday, we need to ask ourselves, "Are we obeying Christ?Do we give him time each week? Do we share our treasures, and talents with him? Are we actively inviting people to join the Kingdom? Am I studying the Bible? Are we healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and helping the widow and orphan?" In these last days before Lent, we need to ask ourselves these things. If there is a besetting sin in our lives, we need to go ahead and confess it to a priest and accept our penitence for the time of Lent. We should condider, what we need to do to improve our relationship with Christ. Prayer and fasting should be an important part of our Lenten discipline, fasting not only from foot, but from those things which keep us from advancing the kingdom, no matter what they are.
Join us Tuesday night to forgive one another. Join us Wednesday morning in accepting the ashes of repentance.
As we approach Lent, and Shrove Tuesday, we need to ask ourselves, "Are we obeying Christ?Do we give him time each week? Do we share our treasures, and talents with him? Are we actively inviting people to join the Kingdom? Am I studying the Bible? Are we healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and helping the widow and orphan?" In these last days before Lent, we need to ask ourselves these things. If there is a besetting sin in our lives, we need to go ahead and confess it to a priest and accept our penitence for the time of Lent. We should condider, what we need to do to improve our relationship with Christ. Prayer and fasting should be an important part of our Lenten discipline, fasting not only from foot, but from those things which keep us from advancing the kingdom, no matter what they are.
Join us Tuesday night to forgive one another. Join us Wednesday morning in accepting the ashes of repentance.
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