ISSL Reflections July 9 2023 Matthew 12:22–32 Post 1

I.
This week we turn to the Gospel of Matthew as we continue to consider the Kingdom of God.

We hear from the crowd and from the Pharisees as both see Jesus heal a man, and both apparently agree the man is healed, but consider the power to heal comes from very different sources.

How is it possible for two groups (or two persons) to see the same thing, and yet be in such disagreement about what has happened right in front of them?

II.
Matthew 12:22-32 (NRSVue)

Then they brought to him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see. All the crowds were amazed and were saying, “Can this be the Son of David?”

But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this man casts out the demons.”

He knew what they were thinking and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how, then, will his kingdom stand? If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

III.
Is this healing one of the signs of the presence of the Kingdom of God?

The Pharisees claim that “the ruler of the demons” is the power behind the healing. If that is the case, what are they saying about the work of Jesus?

The crowd asks, “Can this be the Son of David?”

I think the crowd deserves some applause for putting the question to one another, to the Pharisees and to themselves. The Pharisees sound very sure of themselves and the crowd seems open to seeking the truth.

Why do you suspect the Pharisees are so sure of themselves?

Probably most of us want to say we would side with the crowd in this confrontation, but what might cause us to take the Pharisees’ point of view?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections July 2 2023 Zechariah 9:9–13, 16–17 Post 3

VII.
As you spend time with the Zechariah’s words today, make sure you notice how God speaks of those “God will save.”

What various ways are they described?

VIII.
Zechariah 9:9-13, 16-17 (NRSVue)

Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
     Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you;
     triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
     on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
     and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
     and he shall command peace to the nations;
his dominion shall be from sea to sea
     and from the River to the ends of the earth.

As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
     I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
     today I declare that I will restore to you double.
For I have bent Judah as my bow;
     I have made Ephraim its arrow.
I will arouse your sons, O Zion,
     against your sons, O Greece,
     and wield you like a warrior’s sword.

On that day the Lord their God will save them,
     for they are the flock of his people,
for like the jewels of a crown
     they shall shine on his land.
For what goodness and beauty are his!
     Grain shall make the young men flourish,
     and new wine the young women.

IX.
What did you hear?

God has a “covenant” with them? They are God’s “flock”? They will “shine on his land”?

What is their worth? They are spoken of as “… like the jewels of a crown.”

If we count ourselves as ones called into God’s Kingdom, might any of these descriptions apply to us?

Which ones do you find difficult to accept for yourself? Why might that be?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections July 2 2023 Zechariah 9:9–13, 16–17 Post 2

IV.
The prophet uses the image of “prisoners” several times.

Notice what he tells us about these “prisoners.”

V.
Zechariah 9:9-13, 16-17 (NRSVue)

Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
     Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you;
     triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
     on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
     and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
     and he shall command peace to the nations;
his dominion shall be from sea to sea
     and from the River to the ends of the earth.

As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
     I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
     today I declare that I will restore to you double.
For I have bent Judah as my bow;
     I have made Ephraim its arrow.
I will arouse your sons, O Zion,
     against your sons, O Greece,
     and wield you like a warrior’s sword.

On that day the Lord their God will save them,
     for they are the flock of his people,
for like the jewels of a crown
     they shall shine on his land.
For what goodness and beauty are his!
     Grain shall make the young men flourish,
     and new wine the young women.

VI.
Does “prisoners of hope” seem an odd expression to you? Does hope free a person or does it imprison them as the prophet seems to suggest?

Can you think of other ways to speak of a “prisoner of hope”?

What would being trapped in a “waterless pit” look like and feel like to you?

Can these “prisoners” sense and believe they can be “the flock of [God’s] people”?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections July 2 2023 Zechariah 9:9–13, 16–17 Post 1

I.
Last week we heard the prophet Zephaniah tell us to sing, shout and rejoice. This week we listen as the prophet Zechariah tells us to rejoice and shout. Why?

Maybe it is because,

… your king comes to you …

How is the king described?

II.
Zechariah 9:9-13, 16-17 (NRSVue)

Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
     Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you;
     triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
     on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
     and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
     and he shall command peace to the nations;
his dominion shall be from sea to sea
     and from the River to the ends of the earth.

As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
     I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
     today I declare that I will restore to you double.
For I have bent Judah as my bow;
     I have made Ephraim its arrow.
I will arouse your sons, O Zion,
     against your sons, O Greece,
     and wield you like a warrior’s sword.

On that day the Lord their God will save them,
     for they are the flock of his people,
for like the jewels of a crown
     they shall shine on his land.
For what goodness and beauty are his!
     Grain shall make the young men flourish,
     and new wine the young women.

III.
I assume you heard the familiar words of a king who comes on a donkey? Familiar to us if we recall Jesus’ “triumphant” entry into Jerusalem which occurred only days before his crucifixion.

What else do you notice about the coming king?

Does he bring peace?

Does he bring freedom? Redemption? What else?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections June 25 2023 Zephaniah 3:14–20 Post 3

VII.
The prophet gives reasons for the people to rejoice and mentions also The Lord rejoicing.

Is joy a two-way relationship?

Today pay attention to how the joy of The Lord is expressed.

VII.
Zephaniah 3:14-20 (NRSVue)

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;
     shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
     O daughter Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
     he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
     you shall fear disaster no more.
On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear, O Zion;
     do not let your hands grow weak.
The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
     a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
     he will renew you in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing
     as on a day of festival.”
I will remove disaster from you,
     so that you will not bear reproach for it.
I will deal with all your oppressors
     at that time.
And I will save the lame
     and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
     and renown in all the earth.
At that time I will bring you home,
     at the time when I gather you;
for I will make you renowned and praised
     among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
     before your eyes, says the Lord.

IX.
Did you notice –

The Lord, your God, is in your midst …
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
     he will renew you in his love…


Do you think that only applies to the prophet’s immediate audience?

Might it apply to those of us, even today, that seek God’s Kingdom?

How do you experience the nearness of God, ie “in your midst”?

What about God’s gladness?

And let’s not forget “his love.”

Do you have cause to rejoice, sing and shout today?

If the answer is “yes,” name what they are. Maybe even give a shout of joy?

If the answer is “no,” name what hinders you from taking notice of “God … in your midst.

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections June 25 2023 Zephaniah 3:14–20 Post 2

IV.
Let’s pay attention to the prophet’s summons to sing and rejoice.

What does the prophet claim is worthy of rejoicing?

V.
Zephaniah 3:14-20 (NRSVue)

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;
     shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
     O daughter Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
     he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
     you shall fear disaster no more.
On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear, O Zion;
     do not let your hands grow weak.
The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
     a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
     he will renew you in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing
     as on a day of festival.”
I will remove disaster from you,
     so that you will not bear reproach for it.
I will deal with all your oppressors
     at that time.
And I will save the lame
     and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
     and renown in all the earth.
At that time I will bring you home,
     at the time when I gather you;
for I will make you renowned and praised
     among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
     before your eyes, says the Lord.

VI.
If the prophet were sitting with you today what might he say?

Would you hear him speaking to you of the need to sing, shout and rejoice?

Could you take him seriously? What is going on in your life worthy of a shout of joy?

Look at the reasons he gives for those in his day to rejoice. What might parallel some of those reasons for you today?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections June 25 2023 Zephaniah 3:14–20 Post 1

I.
In our passage for this week the prophet begins by asking the “daughters … Zion … Israel … Jerusalem” to sing, shout, rejoice and exult wholeheartedly.

Spend some time with the words of the prophet and listen for why the “daughters” should sing, shout, rejoice and exult.

You might even want to make a list of the justification for such singing.

II.
Zephaniah 3:14-20 (NRSVue)

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;
     shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
     O daughter Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
     he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
     you shall fear disaster no more.
On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear, O Zion;
     do not let your hands grow weak.
The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
     a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
     he will renew you in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing
     as on a day of festival.”
I will remove disaster from you,
     so that you will not bear reproach for it.
I will deal with all your oppressors
     at that time.
And I will save the lame
     and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
     and renown in all the earth.
At that time I will bring you home,
     at the time when I gather you;
for I will make you renowned and praised
     among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
     before your eyes, says the Lord.

III.
What rationals did you write down for the people’s rejoicing?

Look over the list you made and name the 3 or 4 most prominent reasons for rejoicing.

Why do you find those reasons the most important?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections June 18 2023 Ezekiel 37:21-28 Post 3

VII.
As you spend time with this text today consider –

“[God] … will gather them from every quarter and bring them to their own land…. and they shall all have one shepherd.”

VIII.
Ezekiel 37:21-28 (NRSVue)

… then say to them, “Thus says the Lord God: I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone and will gather them from every quarter and bring them to their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king shall be king over them all. Never again shall they be two nations, and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms. They shall never again defile themselves with their idols and their detestable things or with any of their transgressions. I will save them from all the apostasies into which they have fallen and will cleanse them. Then they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

“My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall follow my ordinances and be careful to observe my statutes. They shall live in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, in which your ancestors lived; they and their children and their children’s children shall live there forever, and my servant David shall be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them, and I will bless them and multiply them and will set my sanctuary among them forevermore. My dwelling place shall be over them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations shall know that I the Lord sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary is among them forevermore.”

IX.
It seems the text suggests God will bring the covenant people together to the place God has for them.

How often do we follow that path and allow God to draw us to the community (or communities) God creates for us?

I wonder, if more often, we pick the community (communities) to which we want to belong?

If God is to be our one shepherd, maybe we should spend time discerning the place God draws us to.

What community (communities) do you belong to? Why?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections June 18 2023 Ezekiel 37:21-28 Post 2

IV.
As we return to our focus passage, notice –

“My dwelling place shall be over them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

Even though Ezekiel is speaking to Israel, do you think this has any bearing on how you are called to live as a disciple of Jesus?

V.
Ezekiel 37:21-28 (NRSVue)

… then say to them, “Thus says the Lord God: I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone and will gather them from every quarter and bring them to their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king shall be king over them all. Never again shall they be two nations, and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms. They shall never again defile themselves with their idols and their detestable things or with any of their transgressions. I will save them from all the apostasies into which they have fallen and will cleanse them. Then they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

“My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall follow my ordinances and be careful to observe my statutes. They shall live in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, in which your ancestors lived; they and their children and their children’s children shall live there forever, and my servant David shall be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them, and I will bless them and multiply them and will set my sanctuary among them forevermore. My dwelling place shall be over them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations shall know that I the Lord sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary is among them forevermore.”

VI.
First, I guess we have to settle if this is relevant to us in our day, or does it only have bearing for Israel in the time of Ezekiel. So, is it relevant to us?

If so, how?

How do you translate God’s promises to Israel to your life?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections June 18 2023 Ezekiel 37:21-28 Post 1

I.
In every convent there are at least two sides.

As you take time to reflect on this passage, notice the two sides of this covenant – (1) What the prophet speaks of God doing; and (2) what the actions of the people are.

II.
Ezekiel 37:21-28 (NRSVue)

… then say to them, “Thus says the Lord God: I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone and will gather them from every quarter and bring them to their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king shall be king over them all. Never again shall they be two nations, and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms. They shall never again defile themselves with their idols and their detestable things or with any of their transgressions. I will save them from all the apostasies into which they have fallen and will cleanse them. Then they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

“My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall follow my ordinances and be careful to observe my statutes. They shall live in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, in which your ancestors lived; they and their children and their children’s children shall live there forever, and my servant David shall be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them, and I will bless them and multiply them and will set my sanctuary among them forevermore. My dwelling place shall be over them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations shall know that I the Lord sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary is among them forevermore.”

III.
What does the prophet attribute to God?

“… I will take … gather … make them … I will save them from … cleanse them … shall be my people … be their God … make a covenant of peace …”

And what is left to the nation?

“… one nation … never defile themselves … have one shepherd … follow … be careful … live in the land that I gave … the nations shall know … “

What else?

What of the above (or maybe something else in the passage) captures and holds your attention?

How do you think the people should respond to this covenant?

If God were to enter such a covenant with you, how would you react?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}