Readings for: 
Tuesday, September 3: Ezekiel 16 – 17
Wednesday, September 4: Ezekiel 18 – 20

Now that we are a week into our reading through Ezekiel, I thought rather than ramble on, we’d turn our attention to our friends at thebibleproject.com and see what they have to say about the these visions and the words of the prophet.

Readings for the next few days: 
Thursday, September 5: Ezekiel 21 – 22
Friday, September 6: Ezekiel 23 – 24
Saturday, September 7: Ezekiel 25 – 27
Sunday, September 8: Ezekiel 28 – 30

Readings for: 
Saturday, August 31: Ezekiel 5 – 8
Sunday, September 1: Ezekiel 9 -12
Monday, September 2: Ezekiel 13 – 15

Greetings and welcome back after celebrating Labor Day weekend. I pray that you made the best of it, with whatever you did. Our family took in a triple feature at our local drive in movie theater. It was great for just the four of us to enjoy, but I will be honest, I don’t recover from a 3 a.m. bedtime very easily. Maybe that has something to do with celebrating my 44th birthday over the weekend as well. Funny thing was I woke up that morning, asked Alexa what time it was, and she said: “It is 4:44 a.m.” “Great,” I though, and now I’m 44. Not sure what type of omen that brings.

Shifting into Ezekiel and his omens (I mean prophecies) these are challenging readings. Not in the hard to read, but hard to digest. Little did I know or remember, Ezekiel’s visions continue. From the vision of heaven described in the first chapter, Ezekiel’s vision returns in chapters 8-11, where similar themes occur of the wheel within the wheel. However, this vision isn’t quite as kind. After being pulled by the hair into to heaven (8:3) Ezekiel is transported to the gates of court of Jerusalem where he witness the “vile abominations” that have been taking place in Jerusalem. With such great news witnessed by Ezekiel, one can connect the dots and realize that emanate destruction is soon at hand for Jerusalem, and we need to turn no farther than looking back at the story of the kings, or the earlier prophets we have read.

One particular passage struck me as I read:

“Go through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of those who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.”
(Ezekiel 9:4)

As I read these words, I remembered two things. 1) My own baptism. 2) Ash Wednesday. In baptism these words are echoed as a small cross is drawn upon our forehead: “Child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the Cross of Christ forever.” Marked and Sealed! A powerful witness of whose we are and to whom we belong. Sadly that same cross becomes visable only once a year as ash is dusted upon our head, “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Here our sinful selves are revealed, yet with joy and thanksgiving the waters of baptism and the love of God is deep and wide!

This gift of grace and love is the same gift that is poured out on the faithful few the Ezekiel is prophesying to. These words couldn’t say it better:

Thus says the Lord God: I will gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.  When they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations.  I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them; I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,  so that they may follow my statutes and keep my ordinances and obey them. Then they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
(Ezekiel 11:17-20)

Peace,
Pastor Bailey

Readings for the next few days: 
Tuesday, September 3: Ezekiel 16 – 17
Wednesday, September 4: Ezekiel 18 – 20
Thursday, September 5: Ezekiel 21 – 22
Friday, September 6: Ezekiel 23 – 24

Readings for: 
Friday, August 30: Ezekiel 1 – 4

As we journey into the 26th Book of the Bible we find ourselves contemplating the words of Ezekiel. Who was Ezekiel and what was the importance of his writing? These might be two questions to start off with as we begin our readings for the next week.

To answer this we don’t have to look too far, as Ezekiel tells us that he is 30 years old, living in exile on the Chebar River in Babylon. He is the son of a priest and has been living in exile for five years. All of this comes as introductory material just before Ezekiel has his vision of heaven. Now fair warning, this vision isn’t for the faint of heart. To some it might seem quite frightening being greeted by a eight winged creature with four faces and seeing a rolling wheel within a wheel. Rereading this text (its been a while) kind of shattered that old Sunday School Song, “Ezekiel saw the wheel, way up in the middle of the air.”

⁵ In the middle of it was something like four living creatures. This was their appearance: they were of human form. ⁶ Each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf’s foot; and they sparkled like burnished bronze. ⁸ Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: ⁹ their wings touched one another; each of them moved straight ahead, without turning as they moved. ¹⁰ As for the appearance of their faces: the four had the face of a human being, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of an ox on the left side, and the face of an eagle; ¹¹ such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies.
Ezekiel 1:5-11 NRSV

Interesting to note after reading this description of heaven is that the Four Gospels and/or their authors are each represented by one of the faces greeting Ezekiel. Matthew is represented by the Man, Mark by the Lion, Luke by the Calf, and John by the Eagle.  While I can’t tell you why and how those symbols were chosen for the Gospels, it does seem to be a wonderful parallel between the vision that Ezekiel was having and the new life proclaimed in the Gospels. In both we find our Alpha and Omega, our beginning and our end, and the promise of new life that comes though God. This fact, provides us another key understanding of Ezekiel. He is proclaiming restoration and hope to the Exiles. New life is coming even while they are at the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. Together lets read on!

Peace,
Pastor Bailey

Readings for the next few days: 
Saturday, August 31: Ezekiel 5 – 8
Sunday, September 1: Ezekiel 9 -12
Monday, September 2: Ezekiel 13 – 15
Tuesday, September 3: Ezekiel 16 – 17

Readings for: 
Wednesday, August 28: Lamentations 1 – 2
Thursday, August 29: Lamentations 3 – 5

We shift from Jeremiah to Lamentations, a short five chapter book of the Old Testament. While I say we shift from Jeremiah to Lamentations, that might not be the case. Even though Lamentations has no known author, many believe these may be the writings of Jeremiah. Either way, these five poems are five laments for the hardship that Jerusalem and the people of God face as the city is destroyed and the people are lead of to Exile.

Before I leave you to your readings, one interesting tidbit that is lost in our own translation is that each of these 22 verses. One for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. I looked through a variety of translations to find an English equivalent, and couldn’t find one to share or recommend. However, keep that in mind as you read, the Poet who crafted these, did so with care and precision to retell their story in a methodical way to respect their tradition and the language of the people.

Lastly before we go, let’s check in with thebibleproject.com to hear their explaination of Lamentations. Then I’ll get back to you as we move into Ezekiel.

Peace,
Pastor Bailey

Readings for the next few days: 
Friday, August 30: Ezekiel 1 – 4
Saturday, August 31: Ezekiel 5 – 8
Sunday, September 1: Ezekiel 9 -12
Monday, September 2: Ezekiel 13 – 15

Readings for: 
Monday, August 26: Jeremiah 49 – 50
Tuesday, August 27:  Jeremiah 50 – 52

Our reading through Jeremiah has come to a close! Thanks be to God for that!! I was honestly relieved when I finished the last few verses, although I will admit that I appreciated the historical narrative that was weaved into the last several chapters. For me, it helped to put everything in its historical context. Which leaves me a mental note . . . next time we do this, we are going to try and weave the story together. For example, we’ll read a part from Kings or Chronicles and then follow up with the appropriate \readings from one of the Prophets. But that’s next time . . .

One other quick note, did you notice how the demeanor toward Babylon changed? Many times throughout Jeremiah Babylon was praised for being the aggressor nation soon to purge Israel for their sins. Then, after the exile, a warning is given to Babylon that their destruction will soon be at hand. Why? Same answer we’ve seen before . . . not following the ways and will of God.

So we know the outcome, but we haven’t had all the dots yet connected. What is going to happen to God’s chosen people while in Exile? Lets read on to find out!!

Peace,
Pastor Bailey

Readings for the next few days: 
Wednesday, August 28: Lamentations 1 – 2
Thursday, August 29: Lamentations 3 – 5
Friday, August 30: Ezekiel 1 – 4
Saturday, August 31: Ezekiel 5 – 8

Readings for: 
Tuesday, August 20:  Jeremiah 30 – 31
Wednesday, August 21: Jeremiah 32 – 34
Thursday, August 22: Jeremiah 35 – 37
Friday, August 23: Jeremiah 38 – 41
Saturday, August 24: Jeremiah 42 – 45
Sunday, August 25: Jeremiah 56 – 48

Sometimes life just gets in the way! I can’t believe that I’ve set this aside for six days without sharing any thoughts with you. Could it be that I was in a dark place for a few of those days? Maybe. Could it be that the start of the school year for our two boys put things on a side track? Perhaps. Could it be that the start of the school year put one of our boys in his own dark spot. Again, maybe. Did gathering with family and friends to celebrate my Parent’s 50th Wedding Anniversary over the weekend take precedence? Absolutely. And . . . did the undertones of Jeremiah have anything else to do with not wanting to write? Without a doubt. So my apologies! Prayers for our family, for the dark cloud over some occasions, for the joyous celebrations of others. Either way pray for our family.

So the dark cloud over Jeremiah . . . more likely the dark cloud over the Jews still in Jerusalem at the time. Destruction, terror, and devastation is coming at the hand of Babylon. We’d have to turn back to 2 Kings 24 to get the historical story of Nebuchadnezzar, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. It all gets a bit confusing as we read Jeremiah. Some actions are taking place in Babylon, some in Jerusalem, and some in Egypt. Then add to that, the fact that there were two different attacks on Jerusalem by Babylon, I had failed to remember that. One where Jeohiakim was killed and Jehoiachin was appointed as king before being exiled to Babylon. Then another, about ten years later, when Zedekiah was taken captive and Jerusalem finally fell. Now we have two kings, one in Jerusalem, one in Babylon, and both fearing for their lives and the lives of the people. As ugly as that sounds, we weren’t the ones living it.

Meanwhile, Jeremiah has a constant voice, which may seem a bit unusual at times:

• You (the people) have sinned and strayed from God’s ways.
• You will be captured and exiled to Babylon, and by the way . . . this is a good thing!
• If you allow yourselves to be exiled you will live.
• Eventually all will be restored.
• However, if you remain in Jerusalem, you will die and all will be destroyed.
• If you flee to Egypt, you will die.
• If you go anywhere else, you will die.
• Also, a side note from Jeremiah addressed to Egypt, the Philistines, and Moab you are about to be destroyed too.

The good news? Well its there, sometimes a bit overcast by all the doom and gloom, but its still there. God will remember the chosen people, and out of the exile all things will be restored. Obviously we know how that turns out from the stories of Nehemiah and Ezra, where the temple is rebuilt and the city walls restored. Obvously, we know the rest of the story as Jerusalem once again becomes great and a new king takes the throne. While maybe not fully recognized as king, this is the king of Kings who takes on the cross so that we may all be restored.

In the end, this gray cloud in the story of Ancient Israel provides the silver lining that guarantees new life for you and me. Still . . . weathering the storm of the gray cloud stinks while you are in it.

Peace,
Pastor Bailey

Readings for the next few days: 
Monday, August 26: Jeremiah 49 – 50
Tuesday, August 27:  Jeremiah 50 – 52
Wednesday, August 28: Lamentations 1 – 2
Thursday, August 29: Lamentations 3 – 5

Readings for: 
Monday, August 19:  Jeremiah 26 – 29

I turned to the Twibble for a good chuckle as we continue to journey through Jeremiah. Four chapters in just a few words, as written by Jana Riess:

Chapter 26: Jer receives a Mafia death threat for being such a party pooper. Jer: “Go ahead. Make. My. Day.” Freaked-out mob backs off.

Chapter 27: Bible politics Q: “Should we rebel against Babylon?” A: “Not if you value your city, temple, and necks.” Hindsight’s a . . . “

Chapter 28: Jer and Hananiah in death match! But don’t bet on Han here. No one ever profits from betting against a prophet.

Chapter 29: Jer to exiles: “Marry locals and enjoy the hanging gardens in Babylon, cause you’ll be there 70 years!” This advice is not popular.

Couldnt’ have seaid it better, so we’ll leave it at that for today.

Peace,
Pastor Bailey

Readings for the next few days: 
Tuesday, August 20:  Jeremiah 30 – 31
Wednesday, August 21: Jeremiah 32 – 34
Thursday, August 22: Jeremiah 35 – 37
Friday, August 23: Jeremiah 38 – 41

Readings for the next few days: 
Saturday, August 17:  Jeremiah 18 – 22  
Sunday, August 18: Jeremiah 23 – 25

I don’t know what it is about Jeremiah, but I am having the hardest time staying engaged and connected with these readings. Maybe it is the post vacation blues, or the exhaustion that seems to have set in now that all my travels are over for the Summer. Maybe it is the bleak message that Jeremiah has to share over and over again. Unfortunate, and truthful, this has been the closest that I’ve been to saying, “I’m done, gave it my best shot, time to move on.” Then I think, we’ve made it this far, we can do this . . . and so here we are.

While I lament, I try and recall what things may have been like for Jeremiah. Can you imagine having the calling to warn the people of Jerusalem time and time again that devastation and hardship is soon to come? Sound pretty depressing. Even as challenging as it has been to keep reading for the past week, the scale of Jeremiah’s task and calling come to life in verse 25:3, “For twenty-three years . . . I have spoken persistently to you.” Imagine . . . 23 years with one message, you have sinned, you will be punished, Jerusalem will be destroyed, but a remnant will carry on. There isn’t much joy in that (unless you are one of the lucky few as part of those who remain).

Even as Jeremiah speaks difficult words to hear, they have consequence, personally for him. Chapter 20:1-6 give us just a glimpse of his suffering as Jeremiah finds himself placed in the stocks near the Benjamin Gate. The shame! The example! Yet, it doesn’t deter Jeremiah from proclaiming the Word of God. Of course, Jeremiah’s suffering is nothing compared to what the Jesus experienced on the the Cross. Just as Jeremiah continued on, and Jesus went willingly, so to ought we to do the same. Suffer through (yes even the long somewhat boring readings) for the sake of the Gospel, so that we might be a living breathing message of the hope and love that is found in Christ.

Peace,
Pastor Bailey

Readings for the next few days: 
Monday, August 19:  Jeremiah 26 – 29
Tuesday, August 20:  Jeremiah 30 – 31
Wednesday, August 21: Jeremiah 32 – 34
Thursday, August 22: Jeremiah 35 – 37

Readings for: 
Tuesday, August 13: Jeremiah 4 – 6
Wednesday, August 14: Jeremiah 7 – 9 
Thursday, August 15: Jeremiah 10 – 13
Friday, August 16: Jeremiah 14 – 17

While you were hopefully busy reading Jeremiah, Wendy and I took the boys on a quick end of the summer get away. Don’t worry, I kept up with my faithful reading, I just decided to put the blog away for a few days and enjoy some time with the family!

Together we ventured off to Canada’s Wonderland. Being roller coaster junkies, it was great, and I think we all may have a favorite new coaster . . . Leviathan. 306 feet, 92 mph, in the rain. What a rush! If you are into that kind of thing, I’d recommend it. Then on on our way home we made a day of Niagara Falls. I’m always fascinated by the Falls. A true display of God’s majesty and wonder on display, and living reminder for the over of abundance of grace poured out at baptism. Always a blessing.

So while I unpack and try to get organized for Sunday Worship, I’m going to leave you with thebibleproject.com and their explanation of Jeremiah. Hopefully it will help to explain some of the prophet’s words the dire message he seems to bring to the people of Jerusalem.

Readings for the next few days: 
Saturday, August 17:  Jeremiah 18 – 22  
Sunday, August 18: Jeremiah 23 – 25
Monday, August 19:  Jeremiah 26 – 29
Tuesday, August 20:  Jeremiah 30 – 31

Readings for the next few days: 
Monday, August 12: Jeremiah 1 – 3

As we turn from Isaiah to Jeremiah, there was one noteworthy similarity to the beginning of both of their ministry. Essentially . . . their mouths were touched. Think back to Isaiah chapter 6, when he had the vision of heaven. What happened? The Seraph flew and touched a live coal to his lips, and he was made clean. While nothing quite so grand happens to Jeremiah, there was a similar moment in the first chapter. “Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, ‘Now I have put my words in your mouth.'” (Jeremiah 1:9)

While this may not be so grand as Isaiah’s vision, I find this to be a humbling empowering reminder of what is means to be a voice for God. To speak boldly, purely, sternly when needed, but always mindful of the call which was given to us at baptism. This reminds me of the words of St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.”

Remember you may be the only bible that some people ever encounter. Live your faith!!

Peace,
Pastor Bailey

Readings for the next few days: 
Tuesday, August 13: Jeremiah 4 – 6
Wednesday, August 14: Jeremiah 7 – 9 
Thursday, August 15: Jeremiah 10 – 13
Friday, August 16: Jeremiah 14 – 17