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Friday, 19 January 2018
Hebrews 9:24 For the Messiah has entered a Holiest Place which is not man-made and merely a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, in order to appear now on our behalf in the very presence of God.
25 Further, he did not enter heaven to offer himself over and over again, like the cohen hagadol who enters the Holiest Place year after year with blood that is not his own; 26 for then he would have had to suffer death many times — from the founding of the universe on. But as it is, he has appeared once at the end of the ages in order to do away with sin through the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as human beings have to die once, but after this comes judgment, 28 so also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many,[Hebrews 9:28 Isaiah 53:12] will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to deliver those who are eagerly waiting for him.
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“Hindus believe in reincarnation…this essence of God that is placed within us begins its journey as a very simple life form…. through a cycle of deaths and reincarnations we progress up the evolutionary chain…finally, after many lives, we are set free from the cycle of death and reincarnation.” * Christianity does not teach reincarnation. As the letter the Hebrews said plainly, “People are destined to die once.”
• Hebrews did not use the idea of “judgment” to instill fear, as too many Christian preachers have tried to do. Rather, it placed judgment in the context of the message that Christ did not need a repeated cycle to save us. He ‘was offered once to take on himself the sins of many people” (verse 28). What has helped you to internalize the saving power of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, to deliver you from fear of judgment?
• The Hindu view of many cycles seems to reflect a rueful recognition that a human life seldom even approaches a high enough state to accrue all good karma. Christians agree with that, but see the solution differently. “The answer to our problem is not within us but beyond us. We cannot make ourselves holy and forgive our own sins…. We need a Savior.” ** Did you ever see it as up to your own goodness and effort to save yourself? If so, what (if anything) changed that for you?
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, thank you taking the burden of my sins on yourself. Thank you that I need not fear meeting you at the end of my earthly life. Amen.
* Adam Hamilton, Christianity and World Religions. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2005, pp. 41. ** Ibid., p. 44.
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Ginger Rothhaas
Ginger is a graduate of Saint Paul School of Theology. She and her husband Rob have a son, a daughter, and a high energy dog. She loves writing, conversations over coffee, and teaching spiritual classes.
My Hindu friend and I were in the car line yesterday waiting to pick up our kids from school. It was cold, so I asked her to come into my car so we could chat while we waited. I told her my church was studying Hinduism this week and asked her questions about reincarnation and karma. After a few minutes, my daughter climbed in the car and listened in. After the conversation ended, as we were driving away from the school, she asked, “What is a soul and where does it come from?”
I tried to explain this in ten-year-old language. Here is what I said to her:
Remember when you were little and we went to Build-a-Bear? It was like an assembly line where you could create your own stuffed animal.
Early in the process, there was a basket of plastic red, heart shaped objects. I remember you picking up a heart, holding it in your hand, kissing it, and then placing it into the stuffing of the bear you were creating.
Then you watched as your creation was sewn together and you knew that heart was in there and always would be. You gave the bear a special gift inside its body, and because of that you knew it was a stuffed animal full of love.
That is kind of how I picture God creating you. God placed a soul into you similar to how you put the heart into the toy bear.
I can imagine God holding your soul, whispering love into it, explaining the truth of who you are, and then gently laying your soul into mommy’s tummy where you were being knitted together.
(I think she said something like “Knitted is a weird word for that, Mom, but go on.”)
Because God placed your beautiful soul into your body when you were created, you always have a special connection to God from deep inside you. You know you are not alone. You know you are part of something bigger…I hope you especially remember that after a bad day at school. You know you are full of love. You know you were made on purpose with purpose.
Every human has a soul from God. It is the common denominator in all of us. Sometimes people forget that. Your job is to honor the soul inside every person. Usually looking into their eyes gives you a glimpse of their soul.
Every soul is pure love. Sometimes people forget that too.
Some faiths call this a spirit instead of soul. Some faiths have different ideas about where our soul comes from and where it goes when we die. But I think that your beautiful soul came from God and will return to God eventually. The specifics are not as important as you seeing the loving soul in yourself and seeing the loving soul in others.
Then she said, “That was a long answer….can we go to Build-a-Bear again sometime?” Well, I tried.
Ginger RothhaasGinger is a graduate of Saint Paul School of Theology. She and her husband Rob have a son, a daughter, and a high energy dog. She loves writing, conversations over coffee, and teaching spiritual classes.
My Hindu friend and I were in the car line yesterday waiting to pick up our kids from school. It was cold, so I asked her to come into my car so we could chat while we waited. I told her my church was studying Hinduism this week and asked her questions about reincarnation and karma. After a few minutes, my daughter climbed in the car and listened in. After the conversation ended, as we were driving away from the school, she asked, “What is a soul and where does it come from?”
I tried to explain this in ten-year-old language. Here is what I said to her:
Remember when you were little and we went to Build-a-Bear? It was like an assembly line where you could create your own stuffed animal.
Early in the process, there was a basket of plastic red, heart shaped objects. I remember you picking up a heart, holding it in your hand, kissing it, and then placing it into the stuffing of the bear you were creating.
Then you watched as your creation was sewn together and you knew that heart was in there and always would be. You gave the bear a special gift inside its body, and because of that you knew it was a stuffed animal full of love.
That is kind of how I picture God creating you. God placed a soul into you similar to how you put the heart into the toy bear.
I can imagine God holding your soul, whispering love into it, explaining the truth of who you are, and then gently laying your soul into mommy’s tummy where you were being knitted together.
(I think she said something like “Knitted is a weird word for that, Mom, but go on.”)
Because God placed your beautiful soul into your body when you were created, you always have a special connection to God from deep inside you. You know you are not alone. You know you are part of something bigger…I hope you especially remember that after a bad day at school. You know you are full of love. You know you were made on purpose with purpose.
Every human has a soul from God. It is the common denominator in all of us. Sometimes people forget that. Your job is to honor the soul inside every person. Usually looking into their eyes gives you a glimpse of their soul.
Every soul is pure love. Sometimes people forget that too.
Some faiths call this a spirit instead of soul. Some faiths have different ideas about where our soul comes from and where it goes when we die. But I think that your beautiful soul came from God and will return to God eventually. The specifics are not as important as you seeing the loving soul in yourself and seeing the loving soul in others.
Then she said, “That was a long answer….can we go to Build-a-Bear again sometime?” Well, I tried.
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“Where I am you will be too”
Saturday, 20 January 2018
John 14:1 “Don’t let yourselves be disturbed. Trust in God and trust in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many places to live. If there weren’t, I would have told you; because I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 Since I am going and preparing a place for you, I will return to take you with me; so that where I am, you may be also. 4 Furthermore, you know where I’m going; and you know the way there.”
5 T’oma said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you’re going; so how can we know the way?” 6 Yeshua said, “I AM the Way — and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me.
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Unlike Hindus, Christians do not believe that when this life ends (after however many cycles), we are united with the divine Brahman like a drop of water in an ocean. Rather, “we have a chance to see God face-to-face, to be known and to know those who have gone before us.” * In John 13:36, Jesus told his disciples, “Where I am going, you can’t follow me now, but you will follow later.” Jesus’ disciples seem to have been frightened by his talk of going away. So he added, “Don’t be troubled…. My Father’s house has room to spare.” He promised that he would return, and when he did his followers could always be with him. Archeologists say most homes in Galilee were small, with one room, two at most. But Jesus’ comforting image of the afterlife was a huge, warm family home where God always has room to spare.
• Madeleine l’Engle’s A Wind in the Door imagined a setting in which her young hero Meg demanded to know “Where are the ones who saved me?” The answer was, “Where doesn’t matter.” ** When Thomas asked where Jesus was going, Jesus said that he was going “to the Father”—a person, not a place. He emphasized that God, the personal God, was/is completely trustworthy. Our key to being untroubled about what comes after this life is trust. Have you ever struggled with the question of “where” you or a loved one goes after death? What has helped you learn to trust that “safe with God,” wherever that is and however that works, is the ultimate key that Jesus taught us to have peace?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the assurance that there will always be room for me in your Father’s house. Keep my feet steady on the path that leads to that eternal home. Amen.
* Adam Hamilton, Christianity and World Religions. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2005, pp. 46.
** L'Engle, Madeleine, A Wind in the Door (A Wrinkle in Time Quintet Book 2), (p. 185). Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR). Kindle Edition.
Family Activity: The major world religions value serving others as part of their faith. As Christians, with Jesus as our example, we share God’s love by serving others. How does your family work together to serve others? How does each person serve individually? Could you discover and commit to some new ways of serving? Ask an older child or youth to research some ways to volunteer in your area. He or she could explore the church website (www.cor.org, then choose your campus) for service opportunities that fit your family. Also consider brainstorming some less-structured ways to serve others with God’s love such as helping others in your neighborhood or at school. At a family gathering, ask the “researcher” to present these opportunities to the rest of the family. Ask God’s guidance as you discuss the possibilities. Choose one or two ways your family can share God’s love by serving others.
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer
Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer
Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
• Joe Nesselhuf and family on the death of his wife Jolene Nesselhuf, 1/9/18.
• Sue Hess and family on the death of her husband Mike Hess, 1/6/18.
• Elsie Pickett and family on the death of her husband Jim Pickett, 1/5/18.
• Sue Scott and family on the death of her husband Greg Scott, 1/5/18.
• Theresa Hayes and family on the death of her mother Alpha Koonce, 1/5/18.
• Ashly Cooley and family on the death of her grandmother Alpha Koonce, 1/5/18.
• Randall, Fred, and Dave Rock and families on the death of their sister Denise Rock, 1/4/18.
• Shelley Hatton and family on the death of her father Jerry Drews, 1/4/18.
• Ashley Zugelter and family on the death of her husband Allen Zugelter, 1/3/18.
• Clarence and Margo Zugelter and family on the death of their son Allen Zugelter, 1/3/18.
• Kerry and Paula Drake and family on the death of their son-in-law Allen Zugelter, 1/3/18.
• Ed Bokern and family on the death of his brother Bob Bokern, 1/2/18.
• Marcie Jasper-Neal and family on the death of her grandmother Marcene Jasper, 1/2/18.
• Joline Rinard and family on the death of her husband Syd Rinard, 12/31/17
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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