Reflexion, A Spiritual Community

Elijah was excited–an energetic excited–an excited he had not allowed himself to indulge until now. The tide was turning. The entire crowd witnessed God’s answer from heaven. They had been won over. They had chanted, “Yehovah, he is God! Yehovah, he is God!” The king was there too. He saw it for himself. Now he also knew who was the real God.Running off to Jezreel was a bold move for Elijah. King Ahab had a palace there, and the royal family used it to retreat from the demanding affairs...

Elijah found King Ahab sitting off by himself still as a statue, staring into nothing, and his face coated in confusion. Ahab wondered, “What just happened? How could it have happened?” His feud with Elijah had ended suddenly in a phenomenon of fire and blood. His army of prophets failed to rouse their Bah-al god, while from the sky Yehovah answered Elijah with a spectacle never before seen. The king was defeated, but it was a strange loss that left him groping for his next move. Elijah...

There must have been court officials who wished they could restrain King Ahab’s poor decisions and thoughtless actions. But those with enough skill in diplomacy to hold a position in the royal court also had enough sense to value their lives. Ahab was too full of himself to take advise from anyone else, let alone, take orders.However, there was that one exception.From the time Elijah first set foot in Israel, the king willingly listened to him and did as he was told. Perhaps Ahab believ...

The village where Elijah had been living was on the Mediterranean coast, so I find it easy to imagine him walking the shoreline, allowing the onshore breeze to be refreshed. He listens to the rhythm of the waves and the squawking seagulls, and opens his heart to receive the moment. Then, hearing something else, he pauses, and shading his eyes from the glare of the sun’s bright reflection glancing off the ripples that stretch to the distant horizon, he looks and he listens. And now, afte...

Picking up from last week, directed by the word of Yehovah, Elijah came to the home of a widow in Sidon, north of Israel’s border. She had helped Elijah when he was hungry and homeless. She let him stay in her home, in the small room upstairs. She hid him from King Ahab’s spies. And, now, this! Her son was struck down with an illness. Was this the reward for her hospitality and kindness.Who is she? What is her name? We were never told, and now it’s buried in a history archeology cannot ...

A crooked king, a wicked queen, and a foreign god. You know this is going to be a great story. That’s because in literature (and storytelling), evil is more entertaining than good. We can predict a good person’s actions–they will be honest, kind, generous, and always choose what is right. The villains, however, are full of surprises. And they typically create the conflict that the heroes must overcome and resolve.There are times when the scoundrels are at their worst, the champions must be al...

This week a nearby church hosted a Vacation Bible SchoolMy fourteen-year-old granddaughter, Adrianna, volunteered to help out- on Friday, a friend sent me a video that she filmed the day before• when I watched it, there was Adrianna on a stage in front of a crowd of kids• she had a Bible in her hand, and from it she read a couple verses from the Psalms◦ then she gave a brief talk, encouraging everyone to trust God’s love and faithfulness- Adrianna was superb – as if she were a professional an...

Once again, John begins to describe an event with “I saw”We are reminded that this entire book is a mystical vision and uses the strange language of images and symbols- however, we could be tempted to read last two chapters differently,• as if John were describing events in a literal future• but when, once again, he says “I saw,” we know this is the same as the rest of the book- so we turn our imaginations toward what he saw;• namely, something that had been predicted in prophecy of IsaiahFor...

When Jesus told the parable of the Prodigal Son,He did not expect anyone to come to him afterward and say,- “Lord, I’d like to visit that family. Where do where they live?”• it was just a story – a made-up story meant to make a point• if all the crowd heard was a heart-warming story, they missed the point- here in Revelation 19, John describes a vision – Satan is imprisoned• then, after 1,000 years he is unleashed on world again◦ if that were meant to be taken literally, it makes no sense to ...

This is a fascinating chapterIt is complex, and it is put together well- the chapter divides into two parts:• in the first half, heaven reverberates with praise• in the second half, Jesus leads heaven’s army in a final battle

I’m going to begin with a quote by St. AugustineIn The City of God he traces two cities through world historyAugustine, “Accordingly, two cities have been formed by two loves: the earthly [city] by the love of self, even to the contempt of God; the heavenly [city] by the love of God, even to the contempt of self. The former, in a word, glories in itself, the latter in the Lord.”- John, the visionary, identifies the heavenly city as Jerusalem and the earthly city Babylon• Babylon is feat...

A few years ago, Barry Liesch, a professor at Biola-Talbot University,- wrote an article on worship in the book of Revelation• he suggested that by using its examples of form, content, and splendor,◦ we might enjoy a more meaningful, intense, and richer worship experience• worship here on earth is already a participation in heaven’s worship◦ our prayers are mixed with the incense that burns in heaven (Rev. 8:3)- it will not always be a feel-good worship (that’s for sure!)• but it would ...

I’ve been feeling that talking about the book of RevelationIs like trying to practice dream interpretation - how do I make sense out of all these foreign signs and symbols?- of course, the bigger question is: what is God’s Spirit trying to communicate to us?

I think most anyone reading Revelation sees that it takes a turn in chapter 13What stays the same: the dragon (Satan) is still here- at least at the start – and he’s continuing his fight against GodWhat changes: the dragon, after being defeated three times in the previous chapter- now scores a significant victory- also, prior to this, his battle has been in the religion arena• he tried to sabotage the life and ministry of Jesus• but now he changes the battlefield and his strategy

Yesterday Barb asked me, “Are you still in Revelation?”In answered with a weary, “Yes”She said, “Oh.” then added, “You’ll probably be in Revelation till the end of the world”One of the challenges of this mystical book is distraction- the shifting scenes, outrageous creatures, and sudden surprises pull my thoughts in different directions• if I blink, my mind turns a corner and I’m on the wrong street- John has left us with more than a book of visions• Revelation is a rich resource for our spir...

We have arrived at the heart of Revelation Not only the middle of the book, but its central message- I’m going to take you backstage and show you my work room• the Bible is many books and among them, different writing styles◦ there are books of history (written more or less like storytelling), poetry, legal codes, prophetic writings, wise sayings, and letters◦ each literary style has its own form, rules, and devices, and that style determines how it is to be read and interpreted• f...

Story of El Sal PrisonThere's something life giving when we choose to be a loving presence. Especially to those whohave been out-casted.I’m addicted to it… but I’m not perfect at it.I have a sneaky suspicion that after I share about this, I’ll be reminded of how great it is to be aloving presence and then I’ll get into my truck outside and start driving…Watch as that just sails away off into the pacific ocean when someone cuts me offYou feel me on that?Wanting to be a loving presence but fall...

I get the feeling that when we read the book of Revelation,We tend to watch each scene unfold from a safe distance- I don’t think it was meant to read this way,• we’re supposed to feel a threatening closeness• we’re drawn into the dream – it’s our collective nightmare- John was certainly more than a spectator• characters approach him, converse with, and engage him◦ in this chapter he’ll be told to take and eat what he has been shown• we do not merely read the Revelation, we encounter it◦ we g...

When my children were small, I’d read to them every nightFirst from a book of fairytales, then from a Bible storybook- we would pray, say goodnight, and turn off the lights• we were careful about the last thing that entered their minds before bed• I doubt we can prevent our kids from having nightmares◦ but we can do things to help them sleep well◦ and we can comfort them after a nightmare- I certainly would have never read from Revelation the last thing before bed!• this makes me wonder why G...

They came on the first day of week, first thing in morningThey knew what spices and ointments to bring,- and knew what they were doing – they had done this before• what they did not know, was that overnight their world had changed• so what they found at the tomb was not what they expected- I love the lines:Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen• they had come to the wrong place, looking for wrong thing◦ they came to a cemetery looking for a dead body◦ but Jes...