Sandpiper's Thoughts
Friday, February 28, 2025
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Biblical Genre
The New Testament (and the Old Testament as well) contain writing of a wide variety of genres, including narrative text, poetry, parables, prayers, songs, apocalyptic writings, and letters. In addition, in the New Testament, some of the writing records quotes from the Old Testament. Knowing the genre of the writing we are reading can increase our understanding of the text in several ways.
· Knowledge
of the genre can help us understand the purpose of the writing. For example, a
parable would not be used to share historical information, but instead to make
illustrate a point that might be hard to grasp without the illustration the
parable provides. When we know that
purpose of a parable, we can let go of the idea that a historical event is
being shared and instead look for the deeper truth conveyed.
· Another
way knowledge of the genre is helpful is that each genre uses different tools
to convey a point. Apocalyptic writings could use symbolism; knowing that helps
us to understand the message in the text. If we approach Revelation as
narrative text instead of apocalyptic writing, then I think we are bound to
misunderstand what is being written.
T The
genre can also help us to understand the targeted reader of a text. A letter is
written to a person or a group of people.
When we know that, we can take time to learn about the intended audience
of the writing, and this will help us to understand the message and why it was
written.
In
short, I think we get caught up in defending the Bible as true, when what we
should be doing is searching for the truth in it. Genre can help us to find the
truth.
Labels: Reading NT
Monday, February 24, 2025
Miracles
Labels: Miracles, Prevenient Grace
Friday, February 21, 2025
Perspectives: San Antonio
This is San Antonio. Is it wrong of me to feel like the Riverwalk area is kind of like a Disney ride?
Labels: Perspectives
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Old and New Testament
What are your
reflections on the relationship between the Old and New Testaments?
I believe the
relationship between the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament begins with
Jesus. Jesus, his family, his ancestors, and his followers were Jewish. The
Hebrew Scriptures were the holy word for the chosen people. Jesus studied them
and proclaimed from them. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “Do not think
that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish
but to fulfill (Matthew 5:17). The early church looked to the Hebrew Scriptures
with new eyes, searching for passages that foretold the coming of the Messiah,
and how Jesus was the fulfillment of those words. The Gospel of Matthew devotes
time to demonstrating how Jesus was the fulfillment of prophecy. Our beginning
as a Christian Church is rooted in the Hebrew Scripture.
Those of us who are Christian find the revelation of God’s nature and character in both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament. For us, we find a new covenant in the words of the New Testament – a new way to relate to God, new promises of salvation, new revelations of the nature of God. We learn about the grace, love, and forgiveness of God. While we do not follow the laws of the Hebrew Scriptures (Paul saw to that), we are inextricably linked to both Testaments. Our God is the God of both Testaments.
Labels: Reading NT
Monday, February 17, 2025
Go to the Priest
From Adam Hamilton's book, Luke, as Hamilton describes what Jesus told the 10 lepers in Luke 17:
He told them to go find the priest - the biblical requirement for a leper who had been healed. Jesus told them this before they were healed, and the act of going to find the priest would be an act of faith. On the way, they were healed.
Labels: Gospel, Hamilton Luke
Friday, February 14, 2025
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Kyrie Eleison
Kyrie eleison down the road that I must travel
Kyrie eleison through the darkness of the night
Kyrie eleison where I'm going, will you follow?
Kyrie eleison on a highway in the night
Lord have mercy.
I remember those times when that was the only prayer.
When there could be no other prayers.
When even that prayer evaded my mind.
Kyrie eleison.
Lord have mercy.
The Lord is mercy.
Why ask the Lord to have something that the Lord already is?
Lord have mercy?
No. Lord, share yourself with me.
Lord, blanket me in your mercy.
In the times when the spirit prays,
When the holiness in me
groans,
Lord, be who you are.
Be the steadfast pillar you already are.
Show me your mercy.
Show me yourself.
in the darkness,
lead me where I'm going,
down the highway in the night.
Lord, surround me in yourself.
In your mercy.
Lyrics by Richard James Page / John Ross Lang / Steven Park George.
Monday, February 10, 2025
Cleansing Generosity
It would be like, he says, washing the outside of a cup but not the inside. Then he offers this one little line that touches on what we learned in the last chapter, "Give to those in need from the core of who you are and you will be clean all over." (11:41). The act of generosity to the poor actually serves to cleanse our hearts and souls? Yes, in that act we lift up the lowly, we become instruments of God. We deny ourselves and take up our cross.
Labels: generosity, Gospel, Hamilton Luke
Friday, February 07, 2025
Perspectives: Hopeful boxes
I think this image of assembled and empty pizza boxes demonstrates what happens when we are optimistic about the future. They anticipate the sale of many pizzas.
Labels: Perspectives
Wednesday, February 05, 2025
Do we see the women?
- The National Gender Gap widened in 2023 for the fist time in 20 years. Women make 82.7 cents on the dollar compared to men. (link)
- Abortion bans not only remove women's choice regarding their bodies, but they also endanger women's health and harm state economies. Most states with the lowest gross domestic product per capital also have total abortion bans.
- Women experience higher poverty rates than men, women face specific adverse health conditions, and women are under represented in political office (link)
- According to Pew Research, there have been gender gap gains and gaps. Women outnumber men in the U.S. college-educated workforce. While women have increased their presence in almost all of the higher-paying jobs, they are still a minority in many of them. The gender pay gap has remained flat over the last 20 years, and women still lag in leadership positions in business and government. (link)
- In 1994, the Violence against Women act was signed into law (with bipartisan support). This law improved law enforcement response to violence against women and provided critical services to women. Since 2019, it has not been extended due to political disputes (Link)
Labels: Hamilton Luke, Women
Monday, February 03, 2025
Prayer
- We are invited to pray (just see scripture for that one)
- God delights in our "asking."
- The Holy Spirit intercedes for us in our prayer - this indicates how much God wants to connect with us
- We are called to seek, find, knock - constant communion with God
Labels: Prayer