Romans 15-16, Luke 1
Romans 15 - Paul is planning to take a collection back to Jerusalem. When people know you are supporting their "cause", they are more likely to be supportive and interested in what is going on. Paul wants the support of the disciples left in Jerusalem. He wants Jews and Gentiles to realize that those who believe in the resurrected Jesus as the Messiah are ONE body.
What are we doing as a church, as individuals, to send the message that the church of Jesus Christ is ONE body, ONE family, and that if one suffers, all suffer?
Chapter 16 - Paul is covering all the bases by mentioning the names of all of his supporters.
Luke 1 - This account of the good news begins in the temple - to a cynical priest who is arguing with an angel! Luke's message helps us to see that God's work is with ordinary people. First we see an old priest and his wife are blessed with a child, and then an unmarried young girl is also blessed with being the mother of God's son. Is the last scenario scandalous? I think the message is that God's favor is not necessarily prosperity or comfort!
Luke's gospel focuses on fear (Luke 1:30), joy (Luke 1:44, 47, 58), and peace (Luke 1:79).
So - is reading through the New Testament helping you live your life differently?
Luke ch 3... am i the only one who counted the generations from Christ to Adam? 76. A surprisingly small number. I am a Christian whom God has also blessed to be a scientist (geology). I have always found after continued prayer and study that what some see as science contradicting scripture, I see, in fact, as confirming it (apart from miracles, which by definition are God's mystery). So not to shake up the apple cart with heavy discussions, but this is one of those times where I will anticipate a lot of prayer... when was the first "human" borne of God's creation? These are tough questions to address in this day of reason, from the perspective of a trained scientist, a Christian, and a mother of an 8-yr old boy. Of course there is an answer grounded in faith, which is to say that, "the bible says... and we will just accept it as so". Only that I have never beleived that God desires for our acceptance without question and wonder; I truly beleive His desire is that we work for understanding rooted in faith and the knowledge he gives us. I've always thought He gives us tools to gain the understanding(s) of his creation in due time (i.e., when we are wise enough to yield these tools and have actually worked to earn the knowledge). So my question at large is... how do you reconcile 76 generations between Christ and Adam, when the human race is tens to hundreds of thousands of years old?
ReplyDeleteMethusaleh lived to be 969. I think God's days and our days are different. There are 2 creation stories, one in Gen. 1 and one in Genesis 2. The earth was cleaner and healthier and I believe people just lived longer.
ReplyDeleteAlso after having visited the caves in France where the Cro-magnon man was found, I wondered if France might not have been part of Eden. We don't know the whereabouts of the Pishon and Gihon Rivers. The Gihon is thought to maybe have been in Ethiopia. The Pishon was said to flow around the whole land of Havilah. After seeing the landscape of France and how the geography was formed by rivers, and seeing all the caves where people lived for centuries, I just can imagine Adam and Eve living in that area. Genesis 2:11-12 says that in the land of Havilah there is gold, "and the gold of the land is good." When you drive through the countryside of France today you will see brilliant yellow canola fields. Canola is being looked at as a possible alternative fuel source.
ReplyDeleteHope that helps with your inquistive 8 year old.
I love these kinds of deep discussions. When it comes to the high tech generation, Genesis hits a big sour note for most people. 3 things to think of when it comes to justifying what the Bible says about creation: 1) God can only speak to you in terms and metaphors you understand at the time. 2) The story was told long before it was ever written down. 3) Creation can be viewed as God giving us the ability to be conscious of His world.
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