Covenant Orthodox Presbyterian Church Blog

I need to begin this week’s email in rather a different way. Someone pointed out to me that my choice of an illustration in last week’s email was insensitive. They did it in rather an insensitive way, but I believe their main point was essentially correct.  Bigots fall into the biblical category of the fool, and it is healthy and biblical to point out the folly of fools.  Still we must do it being careful not to be offensive ourselves or to make people as uncomfortable as bigots do. I failed to exercise proper caution and sensitivity. I am deeply and genuinely sorry.  This general apology is the best I can do unless some (or all) of you let me know you were personally offended. Then I would welcome the opportunity to apologize personally and seek your forgiveness.

This week’s journey into Matthew’s gospel may look like deja vu to those who have been with us through the series.  You may read the account of Jesus feeding thousands of people and think, “Didn’t we just do this one chapter back?” Well, remember a wise man once said “Deja vu is not what it used to be.”  We all know people who tell us the same story over and over again. Matthew is not one of them. There are many similarities but the differences are critical. In fact, the second miraculous feeding is a continuation of the lesson Jesus was teaching the disciples in his dealing with the Canaanite women we looked at last week.

In the evening service we will find Paul struggling with being down and praising God for helping him get back up.  He also teaches the Corinthians (and us) a very important distinction between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow.  Though they can look very much the same they differ in both cause and effect. Good to know the difference. Sorrow is not just sorrow and can be harmful or, when it is godly, actually helpful.

Don’t be sorry in either way that you missed worship this week! Services at New Hope at 10:45 and 5:30.  Come early and stay late.  See you there.

Jack

Connie and I used to go out from time to time with a large dinner group. There were several real “characters” in the group and one is particular delighted in being provocative. This could be amusing, especially when he was provoking someone else, or it could make everybody uncomfortable.

I imagine we all know someone like this or at least people who can be this way sometimes. People who make us uncomfortable by the way they treat or refer to others. If you are now forming a short list in your mind, I am wondering if Jesus is on it. What?! you ask, no doubt shocked at the mere suggestion. Am I thinking of his calling the religious leaders “hypocrites” or “blind guides” or even “painted tombs”? No. I’m thinking about when a Canaanite woman, desperately seeking help for her daughter came to him and he seemed first to ignore her, then to reject her, and then to call her a dog. Would you have been uncomfortable with that? Are you now? Many people are. I think that is quite understandable. I also think it is wrong. Figuring out why we shouldn’t be offended by Jesus is not so hard, but figuring out how not to be, in this case, is. We will be trying to do that Sunday morning as well as trying to learn something from a woman who had enormous faith and from Jesus.

Later in the day we come to a passage at the end of 2 Cor. 6 that just doesn’t seem to fit in the immediate or broader context. This “don’t be unequally yoked” passage has been used for everything from discouraging mixed marriages to avoiding anyone who, oh say, smokes. Some just ignore it altogether. Usually the truth is somewhere between the extremes. We’ll go looking for it Sunday evening.

Worship, or at least some parts of it, can make people uncomfortable. But it is not really about being comfortable. It is about loving and serving God and loving and serving one another. Opportunities abound! Opportunities this Sunday at 10:45 and 5:30 at New Hope.

See you there?
Jack

The potato chip. Nature’s most nearly perfect food. OK, maybe not but oh so very good. Of course we are told, often in quite stern voices, that they are very bad for us. I still love ‘em. It seems these days that a lot of things that taste great are on the verge of being forbidden. Our society, or at least large parts of it, are moving in two directions I find alarming. One is this move toward new dietary laws. They are pursued by some with a religious zeal that would do a Pharisee proud, although the god served is Good Health. The other is the disregard for language. In marking the passing of George Carlin nearly every story I heard or article I saw mentioned his “Seven Words You Can’t Say on Television”. The bit really isn’t that old and yet, in the age of satellite and cable, seems so antiquated and passé. There are no words you cannot say on cable and fewer and fewer that cannot be uttered on broadcast TV.

Both of these trends run exactly counter to what Jesus taught. He said it really didn’t matter what went into you and it really does matter what comes out. Certainly Christians may say, for reasons of preserving a healthy heart, voluntarily submit to a restrictive diet. But what our Lord is far more concerned with is a healthy heart in the biblical sense. How do we know the condition of our heart? He gives us a great diagnostic tool in the section of Matthew’s Gospel we will be looking at Sunday morning. If you are keeping up with Jeff’s blog from Ireland (http://jromissions.blogspot.com) you will have a good head start on thinking about this.

Sunday evening we will look at the difficulties and trials Paul faced and the attitudes and results of them. Inspired writing and inspiring reading!

Don’t know when you may read this but I’m writing it on the 4th of July. The 232nd anniversary of our independence. They day we celebrate freedom. As Christians we especially celebrate and thank God for the freedom to worship him openly, publicly. We’ll be doing that at New Hope Sunday at 10:45 and 5:30. Hope you can be there.

Jack