ISSL Reflections February 25 2024 Habakkuk 2:1–5 Post 1

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I.
While our focus Scripture for this week hears the prophet speak of his waiting for an answer to his complaints, chapter 1 lays out his complaints beginning with,

O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
and you will not listen?
Or cry to you “Violence!”
and you will not save?
Why do you make me see wrongdoing
and look at trouble? (Habakkuk 1:2-3)

As you read the Prophet’s words and The Lord’s reply, can you sense the Prophet’s pain in his waiting?

II.
Habakkuk 2:1-5 (NRSVue)

I will stand at my watchpost
and station myself on the rampart;
I will keep watch to see what he will say to me
and what he will answer concerning my complaint.

Then the Lord answered me and said:
Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets,
so that a runner may read it.
For there is still a vision for the appointed time;
it speaks of the end and does not lie.
If it seems to tarry, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay.
Look at the proud!
Their spirit is not right in them,
but the righteous live by their faithfulness.
Moreover, wealth is treacherous;
the arrogant do not endure.
They open their throats wide as Sheol;
like Death they never have enough.
They gather all nations for themselves
and collect all peoples as their own.

III.
Have you been there? Voicing a complaint, a need, a pain, a cry to God and not sensing God’s attention to you?

What do you do? Walk away thinking you are unheard? Pray more words? Cry more?

Or wait?

This passage from Habakkuk is posted during the season of Lent. A time we mark 40 days of waiting.

How will you wait? What will you do with your waiting time?

Maybe you have already heard the invitation to a “Holy Lent.”

What makes it holy this year?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections February 11 2024 Daniel 3:19–28 Post 3

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VII.
We start with a King who wants obedience and worship given him or responds with certain death to those who disobey.

We then hear a King who acknowledges Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego are “servants of the Most High God…”

And beyond that he confesses,

“Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him.”

What is able to take one on such a path?

VIII.
Daniel 3:19-28 (NRSVue)

Then Nebuchadnezzar was so filled with rage against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face was distorted. He ordered the furnace heated up seven times more than was customary and ordered some of the strongest guards in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. So the men were bound, still wearing their tunics, their trousers, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. Because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace was so overheated, the raging flames killed the men who lifted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. But the three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up quickly. He said to his counselors, “Was it not three men that we threw bound into the fire?” They answered the king, “True, O king.” He replied, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are not hurt, and the fourth has the appearance of a god.” Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men; the hair of their heads was not singed, their tunics were not scorched, and not even the smell of fire came from them. Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king’s command and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.

IX.
To attempt to burn three young men to death in a furnace and then to see four and the “fourth has the appearance of a god” might be enough for one to question either his vision or his sanity.

But Nebuchadnezzar questions his theology.

Take some time to consider your journey of faith (and theologies) and see when an event, a person or an experience challenged you to reconsider your faith, your theology, and your direction in life.

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections February 11 2024 Daniel 3:19–28 Post 2

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IV.
Let’s notice today three sides of this account –

  • King Nebuchadnezzar who wants (actually commands) obedience and worship;
  • The “certain Chaldeans” (Daniel 3:8-9, 12) who denounced the three Jewish men for their failure to obey and worship the King despite their high position in government;
  • Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who chose to remain faithful to their God.

V.
Daniel 3:19-28 (NRSVue)

Then Nebuchadnezzar was so filled with rage against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face was distorted. He ordered the furnace heated up seven times more than was customary and ordered some of the strongest guards in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. So the men were bound, still wearing their tunics, their trousers, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. Because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace was so overheated, the raging flames killed the men who lifted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. But the three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up quickly. He said to his counselors, “Was it not three men that we threw bound into the fire?” They answered the king, “True, O king.” He replied, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are not hurt, and the fourth has the appearance of a god.” Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men; the hair of their heads was not singed, their tunics were not scorched, and not even the smell of fire came from them. Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king’s command and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.

VI.
How do you make decisions on what you think is most important?

Do you consider the consequences? Do you put more weight in consequences or in your belief of rightness/wrongness of actions?

How does faith in God enter into your decisions?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections February 11 2024 Daniel 3:19–28 Post 1

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I.
To understand some of what leads to such rage on the part of King Nebuchadnezzar, let me zero in on a couple of items preceding this week’s focus passage.

King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden statue whose height was sixty cubits and whose width was six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. (Daniel 3:1)

“You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages,that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble, you are to fall down and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. (Daniel 3:4-6)

Accordingly, at this time certain Chaldeans came forward and denounced the Jews.They said to King Nebuchadnezzar … There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men pay no heed to you, O king. They do not serve your gods, and they do not worship the golden statue that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:8-9, 12)

These three men do not obey the King’s command and suffer the consequences.

II.
Daniel 3:19-28 (NRSVue)

Then Nebuchadnezzar was so filled with rage against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face was distorted. He ordered the furnace heated up seven times more than was customary and ordered some of the strongest guards in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. So the men were bound, still wearing their tunics, their trousers, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. Because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace was so overheated, the raging flames killed the men who lifted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. But the three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up quickly. He said to his counselors, “Was it not three men that we threw bound into the fire?” They answered the king, “True, O king.” He replied, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are not hurt, and the fourth has the appearance of a god.” Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men; the hair of their heads was not singed, their tunics were not scorched, and not even the smell of fire came from them. Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king’s command and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.

III.
Who do you notice in this account?

You may want to read it again and make sure you identify all who are spoken of in this account.

What do you think leads them to act as they do?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections February 4 2024 Isaiah 40:12–13, 25–31 Post 3

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VII.
As you spend time once again with the prophet’s words, take note of what he says both about the greatness of God and God’s care for humanity.

Who has measured the waters of the sea in the hollow of his hand
       and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure
       and weighed the mountains in scales
       and the hills in a balance?
Who has directed the spirit of the Lord
       or as his counselor has instructed him?

To whom, then, will you compare me,
       or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high and see:
       Who created these?
He who brings out their host and numbers them,
       calling them all by name;
because he is great in strength,
       mighty in power,
       not one is missing.
Why do you say, O Jacob,
       and assert, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
       and my right is disregarded by my God”?
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
       the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
       his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint
       and strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be weary,
       and the young will fall exhausted,
but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
       they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
       they shall walk and not faint.

IX.
The prophet could not be much more explicit about the greatness, awesomeness and power of God.

Yet he stresses God’s knowledge as much as God’s power.

Then he brings it down to a human level, and speaks of how God imparts strength to humanity.

When have you had occasion to contemplate the wonders of the world?

How do you make the jump from the wonders of the world to God’s interest in and care for you and me?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections February 4 2024 Isaiah 40:12–13, 25–31 Post 2

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IV.
As we turn to these words today, let’s take notice of how the focus passage ends,

He gives power to the faint
       and strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be weary,
       and the young will fall exhausted,
but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
       they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary. (Isaiah 40:29-31)

Read the passage once again, with the above words as background for your reading and meditating.

V.
Isaiah 40:12-13, 25-31 (NRSVue)

Who has measured the waters of the sea in the hollow of his hand
       and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure
       and weighed the mountains in scales
       and the hills in a balance?
Who has directed the spirit of the Lord
       or as his counselor has instructed him?

To whom, then, will you compare me,
       or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high and see:
       Who created these?
He who brings out their host and numbers them,
       calling them all by name;
because he is great in strength,
       mighty in power,
       not one is missing.
Why do you say, O Jacob,
       and assert, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
       and my right is disregarded by my God”?
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
       the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
       his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint
       and strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be weary,
       and the young will fall exhausted,
but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
       they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
       they shall walk and not faint.

VI.
What holds your attention the most in those closing words of this passage?

Maybe God’s gifts to us?

Maybe that we (at any age?) can be “faint … weary … and fall exhausted.”

Or even that “the Lord shall renew their strength”?

Can you recall times when your “… wait for the Lord… “ renewed you, strengthened you, and overcame your weariness so you could “walk and not faint”?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections February 4 2024 Isaiah 40:12–13, 25–31 Post 1

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I.
As you read these words from the Prophet Isaiah give some thought to what Isaiah might want us to notice concerning God.

II.
Isaiah 40:12-13, 25-31 (NRSVue)

Who has measured the waters of the sea in the hollow of his hand
       and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure
       and weighed the mountains in scales
       and the hills in a balance?
Who has directed the spirit of the Lord
       or as his counselor has instructed him?

To whom, then, will you compare me,
       or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high and see:
       Who created these?
He who brings out their host and numbers them,
       calling them all by name;
because he is great in strength,
       mighty in power,
       not one is missing.
Why do you say, O Jacob,
       and assert, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
       and my right is disregarded by my God”?
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
       the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
       his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint
       and strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be weary,
       and the young will fall exhausted,
but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
       they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
       they shall walk and not faint.

III.
What do you think? What should we notice about God as Isaiah begins to describe God?

God’s power? Eternality? God’s unequalness in all of creation? God’s distance from creation? Or maybe, God’s intimate relationship to creation?

What impresses you the most deeply?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections January 28 2024 Romans 12:3–8 Post 3

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VII.
Before reading this passage today, take a few minutes to consider:

“We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us ….”

VIII.
Romans 12:3-8 (NRSVue)

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the encourager, in encouragement; the giver, in sincerity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

IX.
What does Paul have to say about the “body” of Christ?

And note well, he writes, “… individually we are members of one another.”

You could spend some time today (and in the days that follow) considering “the grace given to [you] ….” And considering the “gift” and gifts that God has graced you with.

How will you, as an individual member of the body of Christ, share your giftedness with the body of Christ and perhaps even beyond that body?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections January 28 2024 Romans 12:3–8 Post 2

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IV.
We hear in this passage Paul speak of grace and gifts.

How is grace given expression in one’s giftedness?

V.
Romans 12:3-8 (NRSVue)

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the encourager, in encouragement; the giver, in sincerity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

VI.
Take a few moments to consider the gifts mentioned in this passage: prophecy, ministering, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading and compassion.

Paul claims he has the authority – the grace – to tell his readers they are “not to think of [themselves] more highly than [they] ought…”

How would a lack of humility and sober judgment lead to these gifts being hurtful rather than helpful to the members of the one body?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections January 28 2024 Romans 12:3–8 Post 1

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I.
How does our focus passage begin?

“For by grace …”

As we begin our time with these several sentences, let the lens through which we read these words be, “For by grace …”

Where does “grace” show up in this passage?

II.
Romans 12:3-8 (NRSVue)

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the encourager, in encouragement; the giver, in sincerity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

III.
What did you notice about grace?

The first thing I noticed is “For by the grace given …”

Is it really a gift?

Then I noticed, “… the grace given to me …”

So, the writer presents grace as something “given” to him.

What about you and me? Is grace given to us? Is it a gift you received?

What is your response to gifts generally? What is your response to this gift?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}