Happy Reformation Day (Oct 31)

Happy Reformation Day!

October 31st is tha anniversary of Martin Luther nailing up his 95 Thesis. Here they are if you would like to read them in Latin or in English: Amore et studio elucidande veritas hec subscripta disputabuntur Wittenberge, Presidente R.P. Martino Lutter, Artium et S. Theologie Magistro eiusdemque ibidem lectore Ordinario. Quare petit, ut qui non possunt verbis presentes nobiscum disceptare agant id literis absentes. In nomine domini nostri Hiesu Christi. Amen.

Read more: http://www.luther.de/en/95th-lat.html

Out of love for the truth and from desire to elucidate it, the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, and ordinary lecturer therein at Wittenberg, intends to defend the following statements and to dispute on them in that place. Therefore he asks that those who cannot be present and dispute with him orally shall do so in their absence by letter. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Read more: http://www.luther.de/en/95thesen.html

The Salvation Army and Elections

I was just visiting Danielle Strickland's (Australia TSA Social Justice Director) blog (http://www.armybarmyremix.blogspot.com/).

We already pointed out some resources they had for the upcoming election down under. This website is a great idea: http://www.australiavotes.org/ - it includes BOTH what the parties think AND how your individual MPs voted. This is great. Every democracy needs a resource like this and every Christian should use it! - in my humble opinion. - mr

The most dangerous religion...

"Isn't it brilliant that they have persuaded Christian moms and dads to finance the destruction of their own beliefs and values? Who said atheists aren't clever?" - Dinesh D'Souza

(Hat tip to Army barmy)

read about the atheist indoctrination project: http://townhall.com/columnists/DineshDSouza/2007/10/22/the_atheist_indoctrination_project

If there is a less open-minded religion than atheism, I don't know what it is. It should send up red flags that this is the only religion in our country (and not only in our country - the above article is not from Canada) claiming that it should have exclusive access to the publicly funded school system. Why do they use these tactics? My only guess is that deep down most religiously active atheists know that they are wrong - otherwise they would not try to exclude other religion expression from discussion, debate, public schools, public office, and public ceremonies. (remember Swiss Air? Remember the Atheist-led witch hunts in Ontario city council meetings, remember the reports of their persecution of Christians in the BC school system - if there was any merit to atheism, they wouldn't try to silence their opponents in this way, would they?)

This is the first time I have been exposed to this author. I think his detractors (if you read some of the responses to this article and others by D'Souza) help to prove the intolerance and close-mindedness of many of the adherents to the atheist religion...

If you (dis)agree, let me know?

The Reformation: Ulrich Zwingli

Ulrich Zwingli was the leader of the fledgling reformation in Zurich. In 1519 he became the people's priest at the Great Minster Church in Zurich. Helaunched the reformation not by posting theses, as Luther did, but by preaching biblical sermons from the pulpit. While Luther allowed what the Bible did not prohibit, Zwingli prohibited what the Bible did not specifically prescribe. He stressed the ability of common people to interpret the Bible for themselves and taught the memorial view of the Lord's Supper. Called for a return to the Apostolic Church described in the New Testament.

Read more: http://www.educ.msu.edu/homepages/laurence/reformation/Zwingli/Zwingli.Htm

Vacation

We have been visiting some friends here leading up to Reformation Day. I trust that everything went great in Nipawin and Tisdale. Both Susan and I have had quite bad colds. We have all had a good time seeing old friends. Rebecca, well enjoying meeting all kinds of new friends in Saskatchewan, has definitely missed some of her Winnipeg friends too - so have we. As far as a vacation is concerned, of course, I have been wrestling with 2 texts: John 15 for Nov 11 and now 1 Cor 15 for a memorial of one of our friends who was promoted to glory in Nipawin. Here are some pictures of our vacation:

The funeral will be on the afternoon we return. PTL, I could stay here with the girls until then. Any insights on 1 Cor 15 would be greatly appreciated too...

In the lead up to Reformation Day...

In the lead up to Reformation Day, here is some good info about Martin Luther:

http://www.educ.msu.edu/homepages/laurence/reformation/Luther/Luther.htm

On our own...

Pertaining to Abner and Joab and the temptation for us to take matters into our own hands, for a NT reference to this theme, remember what Jesus said to Peter when he tried to do things on his own?

"Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." (Mark 8:33)

Does this rebuke apply us at times?

Verse in context:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%208:25-35;&version=31;

A good idea from JUSTsalvos.com
(http://justsalvos.com/)

WWJV - hoW Would Jesus Vote?

As the Australian election day is drawing nearer (like our own Saskatchewan one) TSA Australia has developed a series of key election statements that it maintains will contribute to achieving a fair and just society for all Australians...

Check out the Army Federal Election Guides for Australia - a lot of the issues will apply to us as well. This is a good idea. It is probably one we should do here as well...

Make sure you register an informed vote:
Click here. (it's a PDF file)

DR Was goes to school..

Comics: www.sheepspeak.com/drwas.htm / Scriptures: www.havelock-viha.com/journal.htm / Contact: drwas@sheepspeak.com

Politics, War, the Constitution, Poverty, Agriculture, and Covenant

Politics and War

As you know, we have been studying covenant and have begun to look at 2 Samuel leading up to the Davidic covenant of 2 Samuel 7 (very important - we'll chat later about that).

As we began our study of 2 Samuel, I was struck by something that has come up in our Bible studies. David, who was fulfilling (in our context) the role of the official opposition or the 'government in waiting' - never spoke poorly of the ruling party. He never maligned the leader who was 'the Lord's anointed' ruler. When others came to him extending to David what they thought was the good news of the ruling party's defeat (so that David could now rule), he did not celebrate, rather he mourned; he did not reward the messengers, rather he had them executed (2 Sam 1-5). David instead waited upon the Lord and sought His direction (2 Sam 2:1-7) as to how to act.

I find this particularly interesting as we gear up for a provincial election here because so many of us, I think, are tempted to fall into the sin that David avoided by keeping his eyes focused on the Lord. I think it would do us well not to speak bad of our leaders (whomever they may be), instead we should pray that they would follow the Lord's leading.

Agriculture and Poverty

In a few of the recent issues of one of the Biblical Journals that I have read recently, there has been a lot of discussion about contextual Bible study. The discussions have not been so much about the context in which the Biblical texts were written, as they have been discussion about the Biblical texts in the context of which they are presently read.

I thought about this. There is a great richness to reading the Biblical text in different settings. The knowledge I gained from reading the 'gospel to the poor' with my friends in 'North America's poorest postal code' was a blessing; this blessing has been added upon in our present context (rural Saskatchewan) as we were reading through that gospel which is set in an agricultural society.

Covenant and the Constitution

I think we can learn a lot from studying the Bible in various settings with various different people. I have also been thinking that Canada has a neat perspective to add to the study of 'covenant'. You see the Biblical covenant of Isaac and Jacob and Moses relate to the Abrahamic covenant. And the Davidic covenant is directly tied to the Mosaic one. The covenant of blessing to the nations is not static. There were many covenantal talks over a long period of time and at various times Israel's leaders (mis)interpreted it in different or even conflicting ways (conditional vs. unconditional, temporal vs. spiritual, national vs. international, election for elections sake vs. election for a commission,...). I think there are many ways that the Canadian lens and experience of our perpetual constitutional talks and our attempts to reconcile Canada through them can add a richness to our understanding of the Lord's covenantal talks with humankind and the reconciliation he offers to us.

thoughts? blog@sheepspeak.com

Sarah-Grace

Sarah-Grace started soccer (she loves it!) and she lost her first tooth...these two events are completely unrelated...

A couple of offerings for you...

Thank you again to all those who offer me feedback on the e-version of my Sunday teaching: I have posted two new ones on our sermons page (http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/): 2 Samuel 1-5: Divided House, Covenant: a three legged race (very short).

AA

I was speaking with a friend today who has been clean, sober, and involved with AA for many years. We were talking about the Lord and the spiritual aspects of AA when he volunteered:

There are times when people are skeptical at first about asking the Lord for help, I just tell them, "You've been doing so well on your own so far..."

- good point.

DR Was

October 19
Job 5 and Psalm 108 and Acts 10-11

Comics: www.sheepspeak.com/drwas.htm

Scriptures: www.havelock-viha.com/journal.htm

Abner and Joab

Abner comes up with this masterful political and military coup idea to betray his King and secure power and glory for himself; however, in relying on himself rather than God, he makes a serious mistake: He forgets about Joab.

Now Joab, as we will find out (as we continue to read in 2 Samuel) is, from time to time, David’s right hand man. He is with David from near the beginning (cf. 2 Samuel 23; 1 Chronicles 2:16). Joab is the one who cares enough to rescue David from his self-indulgence at home (with Bathsheba) so that David -not Joab- may be remembered for conquering Jerusalem (2 Samuel 12:26-28). He is the one who tries to stop David from sinning against God and causing the death of many people in the process (2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21). He is the one who, in our text for Sunday (2 Samuel 2-3) is shown as out-manoeuvring and defeating Abner in battle (2 Samuel 2:17-28) and he is the one who is loyal enough to David to carry out David’s own murderous deeds for him (Uriah: 2 Samuel 11:16-17).

And Abner – acting on his own - forgets about Joab. And Joab - acting on his own - kills Abner, And Solomon - acting a generation later - kills Joab.

The OT tells us a lot of stories to illustrate the perils of acting on our own strength rather than relying on God, we would do well, I think, to heed them.

Abner

I have been reading about Joab, Abner, and David in preparation for this week's sermons and Bible studies. These guys... Abner, of course, was more of a politician than a general. He couldn't win a war under Saul or when he was propping up Ishbaal; he did however manage to gain control of the mechanisms of government. Realising that gaining control of a country you are in the process of destroying with war that you provoked (by installing a puppet regime) is not as sweet a deal as it sounds - he turns traitor. He takes all his power and influence and hands it over to the people who has been warring against his own country...

In the end he is murdered by a man whose younger brother he killed. Abner...

Uniform from Salvationist.ca

As one who has only started wearing his uniform regularly since CFOT, I must say that it is certainly an effective evangelsistic tool. Take a look at this take on the uniform from from http://www.salvationist.ca/ :

Is Our Uniform A Bother?
October 11, 2007 at 6:00 am
By Captain Jim McGeeCaptain Jim McGee serves in the Elizabeth City, North Carolina corps.

“Isn’t that uniform a bother to you, with people always coming up to you?” my brother asked as we walked into a McDonald’s. Next thing I knew, a woman stopped me to ask where to find help with a utility bill.

After directing her to the right place for assistance, the words “the uniform a bother?” echoed in my mind and I thought about the previous week. (Read more)

Thanksgiving in Saskatchewan

We had a wonderful season of offering thanksgiving to the Lord almighty this past weekend. Below are a couple of pictures of some of the hard work the people did decorating the Corps. Diane and her kids spent hours and did an amazing job with this and setting up for the community meal here in Nipawin. Vera did a great job in Tisdale.

Nipawin
Tisdale
Nipawin
There were 130 or so people who joined us for our community feast - we had people from many different ages, cultures, and socio-economic backgrounds join together in a meal offered in Thanks to the Lord Almighty.
We also had the opportunity to pray as a community for a boy who was lost - but now he is found. Praise the Lord. We donated our left-overs to the search crews.

Look Ma, no Snow!

Daily Rations with a Smile

"Love your anenamies"

October 11
Nehemiah 5-6 and Psalm 146 and Luke 24

Comics: www.sheepspeak.com/drwas.htm / Scriptures: www.havelock-viha.com/journal.htm / contact: drwas@sheepspeak.com

Covenant (more)

The Three-legged race.

The three-legged race is always a fun one to watch at the fair. Perhaps you have noticed that some people seem to do it with ease whereas many others tend to fall down and trip all over each other. I have seen dads tied to their kids who have simply picked them up and run with them without breaking the tie that binds.

It is a lot of fun but you’ll notice that the team that wins moves in sink with each other so that with every stride they are matching their partner. When you have two independently minded people however (like siblings often) you see two people going nowhere other than to a pile-up on the ground.

Over these weeks we have been and will be looking at covenants in our Bible studies and sermon series. The thing about covenants – as we discussed on Sunday – the word itself refers to being bound, tied, or shackled together, not unlike the three-legged race.

We in the Salvation Army are a covenanted people. Our soldiers pledge to uphold our doctrine and, among other things, abstain from all that can enslave the mind, body, and soul. Our officers covenant to make soul-winning a primary focus of our lives. We are bound to this. And as Christians in general we are yoked together with Christ.

In this, I think we need to remember that it is difficult to move, let alone win the race, when the one you are yoked together with is going in the other direction; ...BUT when you are following in a proper covenant, the Lord’s yoke is easy! And really what can we accomplish on our own that isn’t accomplished much more easily and effectively when we were shackled to the LORD!

Genesis 15:7-21: Covenant, When God is Bound...

This scripture passage may seem a bit of a stretch for Thanksgiving but hey, Abram does carve the meat for the Lord...

Read our on-line sermons at: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/ - I appreciate any feedback at blog@sheepspeak.com ; don't hold back (I know some of you don't already...)

Happy Thanksgiving!

This blog is a re-run from previous years, but giving thanks to the Lord never gets old:

Canadian Parliament: Thanksgiving would be "a day of general thanksgiving to almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed." http://www.kidzworld.com/site/p2614.htm

Canadian Thanksgiving:The origins of Canadian Thanksgiving are more closely connected to the traditions of Europe than of the United States. Long before Europeans settled in North America, festivals of thanks and celebrations of harvest took place in Europe in the month of October. The very first Thanksgiving celebration in North America took place in Canada when Martin Frobisher, an explorer from England, arrived in Newfoundland in 1578. He wanted to give thanks for his safe arrival to the New World. That means the first Thanksgiving in Canada was celebrated 43 years before the pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts!

For a few hundred years, Thanksgiving was celebrated in either late October or early November, before it was declared a national holiday in 1879. It was then, that November 6th was set aside as the official Thanksgiving holiday. But then on January 31, 1957, Canadian Parliament announced that on the second Monday in October, Thanksgiving would be "a day of general thanksgiving to almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed."

Thanksgiving was moved to the second Monday in October because after the World Wars, Remembrance Day (November 11th) and Thanksgiving kept falling in the same week.Another reason for Canadian Thanksgiving arriving earlier than its American counterpart is that Canada is geographically further north than the United States, causing the Canadian harvest season to arrive earlier than the American harvest season. And since Thanksgiving for Canadians is more about giving thanks to the Lord for the harvest season than the arrival of pilgrims, it makes sense to celebrate the holiday in October.

Please remember to offer thanksgiving to almighty God this weekend for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed.

Covenant

We are beginning our series on covenant at Nipawin and Tisdale this week. We have already started looking at Genesis 12 (and made reference to the Noah covenant) and God's promise to Abram that all nations of the earth would be blessed through him. This Sunday we will be looking at Genesis 15:7-16:3, When God is Bound, to die.

If you would like to do some pre-reading, we have an article, Covenant, from the Journal of Aggressive Christianity available on-line at: http://www.sheepspeak.com/Michael_Ramsay_JAC.htm#Berit[h]].

We have a paper, Berit[h], that was presented to Booth College on-line at: http://www.sheepspeak.com/Word_Studies_Michael_Ramsay.htm#berit[h].

One thought re: covenant:

There is much discussion about the promise to Abraham that his descendants shall occupy the promised land. The Holiness Code in Leviticus (esp. Lev 25), as well as the prophecy of Amos (esp. 3-4) and numerous other portions of scripture testify that yes indeed the Lord was faithful in fulfilling this agreement that they should come to occupy the land (Joshua sees this fulfilled) but as the covenantal talks are re-opened with future generations who are looking for a permanent territorial blessing for their offspring, it is granted to them albeit with conditions (pertaining to caring for the poor and the land, etc.) which they do not necessarily fulfill (cf. Gen 18:19; 26:5; Amos 3:1-2; Lev 25:2; 26:34-35; cf. also N.T. Wright, "Romans and the Theology of Paul," Pauline Theology, Volume III, ed. David M. Hay & E. Elizabeth Johnson, (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1995). The author of Hebrews certainly seems to see a spiritual rather than a physical interpretation to this passage (cf. Heb 11:8-16; 13:14) and it is significant that Christ is seen as the heir/fulfillment to this blessing.

The blessing to the nations (12:3) that was offered through Abraham still stands to this day and it has been fulfilled through Jesus. Remember too that the Messianic prophecies to David are not tied to the physical land (2 Samuel 7) and -of course- are ultimately fulfilled in Christ as well. We should neither forget of God that he can raise up decedents of Abraham from stones if need be (cf. Matthew 3:9, Luke 3:8; John 8:31-41; Hebrews 11:8-12). and indeed he does graft all the nations into the promises of Abraham (cf. Matthew 3:9, Luke 3:8, John 8, Romans 11). It is also interesting in this passage that God promises on his own life that Abraham's decedents will receive this land; Abraham's decedents are unfaithful and they still come to occupy the land. Then as the inheritors of the promise they choose to continue in disobedience, God ultimately does pay with His life (through his son, Jesus Christ) for 'all the nations of the earth'.

Even when we a re faithless, God is faithful

Any insights on this bit is greatly appreciated at blog@sheepspeak.com

Luke-Acts

Luke 16:1-13 - Sudden Death Overtime / Luke 8:1-18 - The Jesus Show / Luke 4 - Jesus' Forty Days

Susan preached a great sermon on Acts 26, to close our series the other night.

If you would like to view and of my offerings for Luke-Acts, they are on-line now; I invite your continued feedback as we continue to learn together. I am hoping to put audio of mine (and maybe Susan's too, if she'll let me) on-line soon - we almost have the technology...

Click on the picts to read my mind's thoughts.

Acts 2: Scene 1 / Acts 10 and 11: Chocolate Cake / Acts 15:1-19: The Chihuahua Barks Again / Acts 23: 1-11: Punch in the Mouth

All of my post commisioning articles are available at: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/

Compliment

Preacher: why doesn't anyone compliment my sermons anymore?
Congregant: you know what I liked about your sermon - it was short.

The other day a friend of mine in the ministry in the North East here was telling me that no one ever compliments their sermons any more and they were starting to get down on themselves a little bit. I offered a few words of encouragement (because this person really is a powerful speaker who the Lord uses effectively to evoke thoughtful emotion in those present).

The other evening I was there to witness the Lord's answer to my friend's comments. After a very good sermon, one of the congregation came forward to talk to the preacher and said, "you know what I like about your sermon - it was very short." We -all who were within hearing range- laughed.

You see, he was sincere. That was a strength of that particular sermon. The point was
made quick, easy, and early and did not need to be belaboured. But it was also good for my friend and all of us that we were able to laugh at the compliment received so quickly after it was requested.