Today is Father's Day. A day when we honor those who are our fathers, or who fill that role.
We also, on this Sunday, as always, honor and worship our Heavenly Father. This Father, like our earthly fathers, has a deep abiding love for His children, who are all of the people of the earth. However, our Heavenly Father loves us so much that He was willing to send His only son. John 3:16.
The Gospel of John has beend dated to approximately 90 to 100 AD, well after most of Christ's initial band of followers were dead. Unlike the other three gospels, John is written to a different audience. John appears to be written more as an evangelic gospel, intended for the greek-speaking jews. In it, the ethos and theology differs considerably from the other gospels, and the Gospel according to John contains no parables or other more simplistic teaching tools.
Nevertheless, John contains some of the most important passages, including one of my favorites which favorites contained John 3:16, which in a nutshell, clarifies the entire basis of Christianity.
On this Father's Day, let us give thanks to God for His gift to the world, Jesus Christ, our Lord!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Friday, June 6, 2008
Friday Thoughts
This Sunday's lectionary is Matthew 9:9-13. In it, Jesus calls Matthew to his service. Matthew, a tax collector, is sitting at his table when he is approached by Our Lord. With a few simple words, "Follow me", Matthew left his table and took up a whole new life as a follower of Christ.
As we are sitting in our offices, our homes, with our friends, who of us would uproot everything we have, leave all the we had behind, to listen to the words "Follow me"? Think about it for a moment. Matthew was leaving behind a lucerative business. Tax collectors, although they were despised (after all, don't many Americans despise the IRS and many of its employees?), were private businessmen who had entered into a contract with the Roman and Jewish authorities of the period to collect tax. Essentially, the tax collector collected tax and from the amount collected, had to pay the appropriate authorities the tax. Yes... the methods employed were sometimes brutal and insensitive. However, Matthew's alleged sins are nowhere recounted. In fact, many believe he was labeled a sinner merely because he conducted a lawful occupation under contract to the Roman administration.
Matthew put all of this aside to follow Jesus. He followed Christ throughout his ministry, and indeed, one of the Gospels is attributed to Matthew. The example we can learn from this is that as Christ calls us to follow him, we each must listen for the call and heed that call. It is through this following of Christ, and the belief in His sacrifice for us, that truly, we will enjoy eternal life.
As we are sitting in our offices, our homes, with our friends, who of us would uproot everything we have, leave all the we had behind, to listen to the words "Follow me"? Think about it for a moment. Matthew was leaving behind a lucerative business. Tax collectors, although they were despised (after all, don't many Americans despise the IRS and many of its employees?), were private businessmen who had entered into a contract with the Roman and Jewish authorities of the period to collect tax. Essentially, the tax collector collected tax and from the amount collected, had to pay the appropriate authorities the tax. Yes... the methods employed were sometimes brutal and insensitive. However, Matthew's alleged sins are nowhere recounted. In fact, many believe he was labeled a sinner merely because he conducted a lawful occupation under contract to the Roman administration.
Matthew put all of this aside to follow Jesus. He followed Christ throughout his ministry, and indeed, one of the Gospels is attributed to Matthew. The example we can learn from this is that as Christ calls us to follow him, we each must listen for the call and heed that call. It is through this following of Christ, and the belief in His sacrifice for us, that truly, we will enjoy eternal life.
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