A lover of light

Grace Noll Crowell's poem, "Jan Vermeer" (Dutch painter, 1632-75), begins with these two lines:

A lover of light, he ever sought to hold
The sunshine quivering on a window ledge

The opening lines seem strongest in the poem. I like those.

A modest little commentary on 1 Thessalonians 1

I started today a short commentary on 1 Thessalonians, following that Daily Bible Reading schedule for slow readers, remember? Not having anyone to finish up the year for us in The Fellowship Room, I'm doing the last two weeks myself. The idea of these comments are to encourage us in the reading of Scripture. My base text was the NET Bible. Comments are by paragraph, of which there are three in this chapter, which has only 10 verses. Not much for a single day's reading, is it?

Nice Hair, Bloody Knee - another step in the Journey, though a false one

My "Journey" entry today is, "Nice Hair, Bloody Knee." With three astounding cultural insights. Well, slightly interesting, maybe? At least, you get the exchange rate of the day.

I think I may have been inspired by a print mag, a "journal of personal narrative," which arrived in the mail today. Well, motivated. "Inspired" may be a strong word for my entry, which doesn't quite count as an essay. In the journal is a quote of mine chosen by the editor, among several which she chooses, something about light, to grace the top of each page.

Read what happened on The Day of Atonement | The Preacher's Files

The tenth day of the seventh month of Israel’s calendar marked a day unlike any other (see Leviticus 16).  To the spiritually minded in Israel it was a day to be prepared for and longed for.  It was a day of approach to God; indeed more closely than any other day of the year.  It was the day the high priest and his family, the tabernacle itself, and the congregation were cleansed.  It was the day that the high priest made atonement for the people of Israel.  It was a day of great danger for the high priest, entering, as he did, into the holy of holies.  It was a rite full of meaning for the children of Israel.  It spoke of God’s desire to commune with His people. It spoke of God’s mercy and grace in making a way for Israel to approach God.  It has great meaning for Christians as we consider that which is equivalent to the Day of Atonement in the New Covenant.
via preachersfiles.com

Eddie has a good description of what was involved for the Jews on the Day of Atonement. Ought to make us appreciate even more the sacrifice of Christ. Click on the link above for his whole article.

Why Are We Christians? | by David Hersey

There are a lot of reasons why I became a Christian but the main one which drove me above all the rest is that I recognize that we are living in a material world that could only have gotten here as a result of the will, actions and purpose of a creator.  In short, I recognize and acknowledge that there is a creator God who is powerful enough and intelligent enough to bring about what we can see in the observable universe.  It's a big and complex universe we live in so the creator has to be bigger and more powerful than our universe and He has to possess the intelligence to accomplish it.  With this acknowledgement of a creator naturally comes the realization that there was intent and purpose connected to this creation.  In short, what does our creator expect out of His creation?  The writer of Revelation penned this in chapter 4:11, "...thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."  Isaiah wrote in 43:7, "Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him."  Yes God has expectations of His creation and according to Isaiah's inspired words, mankind figures prominently in God's purpose. 
via granbychurchofchrist.org

Ralph P. Martin wrote that Paul's theology can be summarized in the concept of reconciliation. Getting back to God. David remind us that God created us for a purpose, to live with him, and he has overcome the sin which claimed us and brought us back to himself.

Walter Scott: "the derangement of the order"

From Wm. Baxter's Life of the Elder Walter Scott: This pioneer, says the author, argued "that the derangement of the [divine] order would be the destruction of the plan, ..."

That reminded me of the words on the Brazilian flag that I've used to good effect, "Order and Progress." We must follow God's order, in order to make spiritual progress.

Big day for Mike and Mary Hughes, just off the plane from the US

We've had a great day with Mike and Mary Hughes. Their plane was an hour late coming in to Guarulhos/São Paulo, and they took a while coming out of baggage claim, immigration, and customs. We brought them home for a quick shower, then carted them off to Taubaté, a 45-minute drive from here, at the Aviation Club, where brethren there had reserved a space for a fellowship and BBQ for the saints. So we had:
  • a barbecue, Brazilian-style, for which we were quite late;
  • a baptism, Vagner's girlfriend Barbara, whom Paula had studied with;
  • a birthday cake, four people with birthdays;
  • a Christmas party, what Mike called "Dirty Santa" exchange of gifts; and
  • a military tour, by a brother, of the Army's helicopters stationed in Taubaté.
We arrived at the Aviation Club a bit before 3 p.m., and all this happened before 6:30 p.m., when we left to return home. Mike and Mary were great sports, and kept up their energy during the whole day.

Tomorrow, we hope to make all three congregations in our area, with Mike speaking, and lunch at Ricardo's house, with many leftovers from the BBQ. Maybe on Monday we'll give Mike and Mary a rest.