Every two years at SOTH members of the congregation are nominated and elected to serve as officers of the church. In general, these lay leaders’ collective responsibility is to “endeavor to coordinate the functions, plans, and activities of the Congregation in all its parts for the total furtherance of the work of Christ's Kingdom in our midst.” 

Since our current church officers were installed in June 2006, it is now time for us to elect officers for the 2008 – 2010 term.   The nomination process has been completed (mostly) and slate of nominees are...

In accordance with Church By-Laws, Communicant Members of the congregation may submit additional names for inclusion in the list.  Any additional names must be submitted before May 9th.

Our election meeting will be held on Tuesday May 20th, 7:30PM.  Please come and attend.

Blessings!

If you are following The Plan  you should have completed 1 Samuel and several of the Davidic Psalms.

The reading plan that we are following works through the Bible chronologically.   (Most people are surprised when they learn that the Bible isn't organized chronologically in the first place!).  This causes some confusion as we follow the plan - because we jump around in different books to preserve the chronology of the stories.  But one of the really interesting things to me about reading through the Bible chronologically is that the reading plan attempts to place the various Psalms in the context of the events in which they were written.  Granted this isn't a perfect science, but for me reading the Psalms in this way is a much richer experience. 

Hopefully this is true for you as well!

So where are we?

The Israelites, having been freed from slavery in Egypt, led through the Wilderness, and occupied the Promised Land (rather poorly I might add), asks for a King to rule over them.  Despite warnings from Samuel, they were granted a King - and Saul was anointed.   But Saul was unfaithful to God's commands.  And since God was one of the only things Saul had going for him, his kingship and life quickly spin out of control. 

As this is happening, David is becoming more and more powerful, and loses favor with Saul.  Why?

Maybe it was pride:

    “Saul has slain his thousands,
      And David his ten thousands.”

But probably this explains it all - "Now Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him." 

Saul goes about attempting to Kill David - first through a dowry for his Daughter ("one hundred foreskins of the Philistines"), but that doesn't work, so Saul does a lot of spear throwing and hunting David down.  He even has those that help David killed - like the Priests of the temple after Doeg the Edomite rats out Ahimelech for giving David Goliath's sword (yes, that Goliath).   Of course, the King's servants won't kill the priests, so Doeg does it for him.     

So Saul has some serious issues.   He is afraid of those that are blessed by God.  (If you are in this situation, some serious soul-searching and repentant prayer is in order).   He deals with anger by throwing his spear - at David as well as his own son - Jonathan.   And he slaughters God's servants.  Then when the climactic battle looms, he does not seek God's counsel, but the counsel of a "medium" - the Witch of Endor (Ch 28).  

Now this raises some interesting questions.  Is it really possible for humans to summon spirits using magic?  Does the Witch actually posses this power?   Good questions that I can't answer - here is one commentary.  But Saul shows complete contempt for God with this act.   Complete contempt.

David, for his part, spends his time running from Saul and trying to stay alive.  We read of this great relationship between David and Jonathan.  We read of David on the run - among the Philistines no less.  And while under the protection of the King of Gath he raids neighboring villages and tracking down the Amelikites that burned Ziklag.  And despite two opportunities David does not kill Saul.  "I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD’s anointed." 

The book ends with the death of Saul and his three sons, including Jonathan.

No wonder David's psalms plea for deliverance so often.   Like in Psalm 59:

Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
         Defend me from those who rise up against me.
Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,
         And save me from bloodthirsty men

But mostly, these psalms sing of David's complete trust and dependence on God - a righteous and merciful God.  For his safety, for his deliverance, for his whole life.

I will bless the LORD at all times;
         His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Blessings!

Keep Reading!

Pray!

If you are following The Plan you should be through 1 Samuel 17.

Let's review a bit:  the Israelites have been led out of Egypt to the Land of Canaan.  Once there, despite some fairly easy to understand instructions, they failed to drive the Canaanite's (and others) from the land and fully claim their inheritance.   They are led by judges with varying degrees of success (and failure).  Enter the Book of Samuel.

Hannah gives birth to Samuel over some steep odds, takes him to Shiloh, and fulfills her promise to set him aside for the Lord (as a Nazirite).  This makes Samson and Samuel our only two Nazarites mentioned in the Bible so far.  She has one of the great prayers of the Bible in Ch.2, which includes this - "The LORD brings death and makes alive;  he brings down to the grave and raises up."  I like that "raises up" part.

The sons of Eli are running wild, abusing their position and "treating the Lord's offering with contempt."  Eli admonishes them with this - "If a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?" but they don't listen and he doesn't really do anything else to stop them as they defile the temple.   The Lord speaks to Eli and says "Why do you honor your sons more than me."  Good question for Eli.  Good question for all of us.

Then the Philistine capture the Ark.  Let me say that again - THE PHILISTINES CAPTURE THE ARK OF THE COVENANT!  Oops. Now, perhaps you are thinking that you have had a bad day today - or yesterday - or some other day this week.   But you haven't.    Not unless you have allowed what you hold most holy and sacred to fall into the hands of the Philistines.   Eli's sons are killed in the battle and when Eli hears the news he falls out of his chair (literally) and breaks his neck.  BTW, the Ark is returned to Israel after the Philistines suffer from its possession.

And then, Israel asks for a king. 

Samuel is instructed to warn the Israelites what a King would mean (he would reign over you, take your sons and daughters, etc...).   Despite the warning they say,  "No!" they said. "We want a king over us."  So it goes...

Samuel anoints Saul as King.  The Bible actually records three difference accounts of this happening (ch9:17-10:8, ch 10:17-25, ch 11:14-15).  The first is private, the second is public, and the third is his installation at Gilgal.

As usual, things seem to go well at first.  The "spirit of God took control of him," and Saul set about doing what the various Judges could not - clearing the land of the Philistines, Canaanite's, Amelikites, Ammonites and various other *ites.  "Wherever he turned he caused havoc." 

But Saul lets being King go to his head a bit.  He decides to present offerings on his schedule, not Samuel's (which is God's).   But Jonathon's faithfulness and courage prevail.   And when Saul hears the command to "attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys," he decides there is some room for interpretation in this command, brings back as booty the best livestock and even King Agag of the Amelikites.  Samuel denounces Saul for not obeying God's command and to correct the error he "hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord at Gilgal."  So even for Samuel, if you wanted something done right you had to do it yourself. 

Then we are introduced to David, whom Samuel annoints and we read one of the most famous stories in the whole Bible - David vs. Goliath.  Now there is a lot to be said for this account (ch17, BTW).  But I like this part:  As Goliath is taunting Israel, David says,  "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

David gets it- that is, he understands.  And much of the next month we will be reading about David - a man after God's own heart.

Interesting.  The Israelites forsake God in the wilderness and ask to inherit the land they were promised.  God leads them into the land (well the second generation anyway) and they forsake God anyway.  They ask God to raise up leaders (Judges) from time to time, which He does.  And they forsake Him.   Now they ask for a King.  All throughout this history, God's commandments are clear to them and God remains faithful to them.   If they would simply obey those commandments then there would be no need for the promised land, judges, or a king. The have everything they need.  But they don't obey.  They lose faith.   They turn away from God and even worship the Baal's and Ashtoreths.  So maybe its not that simple. Not for them.  Not for us.   Maybe our sinful,  fallen nature prevents us from reconciling with God and living in obedience and humility before Him. 

Maybe we need something extraordinary to happen. 

But first, we will be taught this same lesson one more time - in epic proportions.

Blessings.

Keep Reading.

Pray.

 

If you are following The Plan you should have completed the Book of Ruth.  (You should have completed it a few days a go, but alas, I am behind blogging once again).

What a difference!  We just completed reading through Joshua and Judges - and the Lord's anger burning against the Israelites over their disobedience and unfaithfulness...and then we read the Book of Ruth.

According to one resource the Book of Ruth "tells nothing either of cleanliness or of uncleanliness, neither of prohibition or permission. For what purpose then was it written? To teach how great is the reward of those who do deeds of kindness."

How refreshing.  No mass violence - like putting entire cities to the sword.  No personal violence - like driving tent pegs through Sisera's temple.  Just a story of people in this time of great turbulence acting with kindness and compassion towards one another.  Ruth stands in stark contrast to the books preceding it.

No wonder it is one of the most read and most loved books in the Bible.   Just a few comments:

There is the great statement of faith from Ruth (a Moabite women) to Naomi :  "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."

It is interesting that Ruth is a Moabite who essentially converts – “your God will be my God.”  It reminds me of the story in Act (Ch.10) about  Cornelius – who become the first non-Jew gentile to convert to Christ.  Not sure why, but it does.

In Bible commentaries, there is much made about the concept of the “Kinsman-redeemer” in the Book of Ruth, as well as the concept of Hesed, which means “loving kindness.”  Look them up – interesting reading.

And of course, we get the family lineage from Boaz to David.   And David is an ancestor of Jesus Christ, which makes Ruth (a Moabite!) a forebear of Jesus and one of only four women mentioned in the lineage of Jesus.

Boaz, father of Obed

Obed, father of Jesse

Jesse, father of David

David, ancestor of Mary

Mary, mother of Jesus

Blessings.

Keep Reading.

Pray.

I am pleased to announce that the sale of House #2 has been finalized.

As many of you know, our Congregation adopted a 3 year financial plan in December - part of that plan called for selling one of our properties, which we refer to as "House #2."  While this was a difficult decision, the conditions that made the purchase of House #2 an important investment for SOTH in the past have changed, and it is no longer seen as playing a significant role in our future mission and ministry work.  Because of this, the Church Council voted unanimously to suggest the sale of house #2 to the congregation, which approved the sale in our December 2007 meeting.   This is a significant step in our 3 year mission plan, and the quick sale of the house in a challenging market is the result of a tremendous effort by the church staff.

Blessings!

If you are following The Plan you should have completed the Book of Judges.

So there I was, sipping my morning coffee, starting my daily reading, and wondering to myself, "How come no one names their daughters Jael anymore?"  Then I got to Judges (Ch.4) and this - "But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died."

And so goes the Book of Judges.   Where the Book of Joshua had the epic sweep of conquest, the Book of Judges treats its violence much more personally - more Tarentino than Spielberg.

It starts off well enough, with the tribes of Judah and Joseph picking up where Joshua left off - driving the Canaanite's out of their territories.  But the rest had problems - in particular,  Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan. 

Naturally, this angers God (after all, what was the exodus all about?  The 40 years in the wilderness?  The covenant with Israel?)  The Angel of the Lord appears and says, "I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I swore to give to your forefathers. I said, 'I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.' Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this? 3 Now therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you."

Yet, we shouldn't be surprised by this.  Remember back in Deuteronomy?  God commands Moses to write a poem foretelling this rebellion, saying to Moses  "You are going to rest with your fathers, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them. On that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters and difficulties will come upon them, and on that day they will ask, 'Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is not with us?"

So as we think back on Judges, remember this phrase - "The anger of the LORD burned against Israel..."

Who were these Judges? (There were 12 of them .... hmmmm).  What did they do?  

The book ends with the story of Micah the priest, the tribe of Dan moving north to occupy some land, and the horrible story of a brutal rape of a travelers daughter at the hands of the tribe of Benjamin - a story with overtones of Sodom and Gomorrah and complete indifference towards suffering, and then the tribes almost exterminate the tribe of Benjamin because of it.

So despite "judges" rising up and leading Israel from time to time, this is a story of ongoing obedience and disobedience to God by the Israelites.  It's easy for us to focus on this waywardness and condemn them.  But really the story here is about God's faithfulness to his people.  His ongoing devotion and righteousness towards a rebellious, murderous, lying, cheating, collection of brigands, thieves, and murderers.  

We should remember this - because "they" are us.   Kinda harsh, but true.  Maybe we aren't murderers and rapists, but we are condemed by our sinfulness to a constant  state of rebellion against God.   What the Isrealites during the time of Judges deserved (and got) was God's wrath.  It is what we all deserve.  Except in our case Jesus stands in for us and his sacrifice washes away our rebellion and sin. 

Even during the time of the Judeges, God did not abandon his people.   (Do you really think he would abandon you?)  When they cry out for relief, he grants it.   When they are in anguish, he soothes them.  And when they cry out for a leader, he builds one up.   Which brings us to the last lines of Judges - "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit."

On to Samuel... and what may come of this King business.

Blessings.

Keep Reading.

Pray.