Today’s Reflection:
There is a divine initiative in our every encounter with God. Even before we knew our Creator, God loved us. Even before we turned to look toward God, God was moving toward us.[Rueben P. Job, Norman Shawchuck, and John S. Mogabgab, A Guide to Prayer for All Who Walk with God]
From page 22 of A Guide to Prayer for All Who Walk with God by Rueben P. Job, Norman Shawchuck, and John S. Mogabgab. Copyright © 2013 by Upper Room Books. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question:
Where do you see God moving toward you?
Today’s Scripture:
The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it.[Zephaniah 3:17-18, NRSV]
This Week: pray for college students.
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Did You Know?:
In need of prayer? The Upper Room Living Prayer Center is a 7-day-a-week intercessory prayer ministry staffed by trained volunteers, call 1-800-251-2468 or visit The Living Prayer Center web site.
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This week we remember: Thomas Merton (December 10).
Merton, born in Prades, France, on January 31, 1915, was the son of Ruth Jenkins (American) and Owen Merton (New Zealander), who were artists. Shortly after his birth, his parents moved to New York to escape World War I. ... At a young age, Merton expressed an interest in spiritual things, but unfortunately neither of his parents provided him with any religious formation. After his mother died when he was six, Merton, a lonely child, traveled with his father in the United States, Bermuda, France, and England. When Merton was fifteen, his father died, intensifying his loneliness, lack of continuity, and need for belonging. As a teen he lived an undisciplined, sensual, and restless life. Although he had received an academic scholarship to Cambridge, he did not apply himself. Due to poor grades and an "unfortunate incident" with a young woman, the uncle who served as his guardian sent him back to New York. When he entered Columbia University, his life began to change.
At Columbia, Merton read Etienne Gilson's The Spirit of Medieval Philosophy, which revolutionized his understanding of God. ... Also while at Columbia, Merton experienced conversion and was baptized into the Catholic Church. [In 1941] he applied and was accepted by the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance and entered Our Lady of Gethsemani in Kentucky.
At first Merton saw the monastery as a sanctuary where he could disappear from the world. However, he soon discovered that Merton the writer had followed him into the cloister. Fortunately the abbot recognized Merton's literary gifts, and by 1948 The Seven Storey Mountain was a best-seller. During his lifetime, Merton wrote eight volumes of poetry; six hundred articles; and over sixty books, several published posthumously. He wrote devotional meditations, theological essays, personal journals, social criticism, and studies of Eastern spirituality. His books include Contemplative Prayer, New Seeds of Contemplation, The Ascent to Truth, The Wisdom of the Desert, The Sign of Jonas, Seeds of Destruction, Mystics and Zen Masters, and Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander.
If a writing career was unconventional for a monk, Merton's involvement with social issues was even more unusual. From the monastery he wrote about the threat of nuclear war, opposition to American involvement in Vietnam, and civil rights. ... His interest in Eastern spirituality, particularly Buddhism, influenced his decision to attend an East-West monastic conference in Bangkok, Thailand. During this trip Merton was accidentally electrocuted. He died on December 10, 1968, the twenty-seventh anniversary of his entry to Gethsemani. Thomas Merton was a prophetic voice who continues to guide the hearts of those pursuing the interior life, seeking the center of their "true selves," and discovering Christ's mysteriously transforming love.
If Thomas Merton had taken the Spiritual Types Test, he probably would have been a Mystic. Merton is remembered on December 10.
[Excerpted with permission from the entry on Thomas Merton by Amy Sturdivant Jennings, from The Upper Room Dictionary of Christian Spiritual Formation, edited by Keith Beasley-Topliffe. Copyright © 2003 by Upper Room Books®. All rights reserved.]
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Sunday, 13 December 2015
Sunday, 13 December 2015
Lectionary Readings:
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Zephaniah 3:14-20
Isaiah 12:2-6
Philippians 4:4-7
Luke 3:7-18
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Zephaniah 3:14-20
Isaiah 12:2-6
Philippians 4:4-7
Luke 3:7-18
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Lectionary Scriptures:
Zephaniah 3:14 Sing, daughter of Tziyon!
Shout, Isra’el!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
daughter of Yerushalayim!
15 Adonai has removed the judgments against you,
he has expelled your enemy;
the king of Isra’el, Adonai,
is right there with you.
You no longer need to fear
that anything bad will happen.
16 On that day, it will be said
to Yerushalayim,
“Do not fear, Tziyon!
don’t let your hands droop down.
17 Adonai your God is right there with you,
as a mighty savior.
He will rejoice over you and be glad,
he will be silent in his love,
he will shout over you with joy.”
18 “I will gather those of yours
who grieve over the appointed feasts
and bear the burden of reproach
[because they cannot keep them].
19 When that time comes, I will deal
with all those who oppress you.
I will save her who is lame,
gather her who was driven away,
and make them whose shame spread over the earth
the object of praise and renown.
20 When that time comes, I will bring you in;
when that time comes, I will gather you
and make you the object of fame and praise
among all the peoples of the earth —
when I restore your fortunes
before your very eyes,” says Adonai.
Isaiah 12:Zephaniah 3:14 Sing, daughter of Tziyon!
Shout, Isra’el!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
daughter of Yerushalayim!
15 Adonai has removed the judgments against you,
he has expelled your enemy;
the king of Isra’el, Adonai,
is right there with you.
You no longer need to fear
that anything bad will happen.
16 On that day, it will be said
to Yerushalayim,
“Do not fear, Tziyon!
don’t let your hands droop down.
17 Adonai your God is right there with you,
as a mighty savior.
He will rejoice over you and be glad,
he will be silent in his love,
he will shout over you with joy.”
18 “I will gather those of yours
who grieve over the appointed feasts
and bear the burden of reproach
[because they cannot keep them].
19 When that time comes, I will deal
with all those who oppress you.
I will save her who is lame,
gather her who was driven away,
and make them whose shame spread over the earth
the object of praise and renown.
20 When that time comes, I will bring you in;
when that time comes, I will gather you
and make you the object of fame and praise
among all the peoples of the earth —
when I restore your fortunes
before your very eyes,” says Adonai.
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in union with the Lord always! I will say it again: rejoice! 5 Let everyone see how reasonable and gentle you are. The Lord is near! 6 Don’t worry about anything; on the contrary, make your requests known to God by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving. 7 Then God’s shalom, passing all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with the Messiah Yeshua.
Luke 3:7 Therefore, Yochanan said to the crowds who came out to be immersed by him, “You snakes! Who warned you to escape the coming punishment? 8 If you have really turned from your sins, produce fruit that will prove it! And don’t start saying to yourselves, ‘Avraham is our father’! For I tell you that God can raise up for Avraham sons from these stones! 9 Already the axe is at the root of the trees, ready to strike; every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown in the fire!”
Luke 3:7 Therefore, Yochanan said to the crowds who came out to be immersed by him, “You snakes! Who warned you to escape the coming punishment? 8 If you have really turned from your sins, produce fruit that will prove it! And don’t start saying to yourselves, ‘Avraham is our father’! For I tell you that God can raise up for Avraham sons from these stones! 9 Already the axe is at the root of the trees, ready to strike; every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown in the fire!”
10 The crowds asked Yochanan, “So then, what should we do?” 11 He answered, “Whoever has two coats should share with somebody who has none, and whoever has food should do the same.” 12 Tax-collectors also came to be immersed; and they asked him, “Rabbi, what should we do?” 13 “Collect no more than the government assesses,” he told them. 14 Some soldiers asked him, “What about us? What should we do?” To them he said, “Don’t intimidate anyone, don’t accuse people falsely, and be satisfied with your pay.”
15 The people were in a state of great expectancy, and everyone was wondering whether perhaps Yochanan himself might be the Messiah; 16 so Yochanan answered them all, “I am immersing you in water, but he who is coming is more powerful than I — I’m not worthy to untie his sandals! He will immerse you in the Ruach HaKodesh and in fire. 17 He has with him his winnowing fork to clear out his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the straw with unquenchable fire!”
18 And with many other warnings besides these he announced the Good News to the people.
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John Wesley's Note-Commentary for
Zephaniah 3:14-20
Verse 15
[15] The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.
Taken away — Abolished, and put an end to the judgments thy sins brought upon thee.
Thine enemy — The Babylonian.
Is in the midst — He is returned to redeem and govern thee.
Any more — While thy carriage is as becomes my presence with thee, thou shalt neither fear, nor feel the like evils.
Verse 18
[18] I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden.
Sorrowful — That mourn their distance from the solemn worship of God.
Who are of thee — Thy children.
Reproach — The taunts of their enemies.
Verse 19
[19] Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.
Undo — I will break their power and dissolve their kingdom.
That halteth — Who is in trouble and ready to fall.
Driven out — Into remote countries.
Verse 20
[20] At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.
A praise — So the universal church of the first-born will be, in the great day. And then the Israel of God be made a name and a praise to all eternity.
Isaiah 12:2-6
Verse 2
[2] Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
God — My salvation hath not been brought to pass by man, but by the almighty power of God.
Verse 3
[3] Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
With joy — Your thirsty souls shall be filled with Divine graces and comforts, which you may draw from God, in the use of gospel-ordinances.
Philippians 4:4-7
Verse 5
[5] Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
Let your gentleness — Yieldingness, sweetness of temper, the result of joy in the Lord.
Be known — By your whole behaviour.
To all men — Good and bad, gentle and froward. Those of the roughest tempers are good natured to some, from natural sympathy and various motives; a Christian, to all.
The Lord — The judge, the rewarder, the avenger.
Is at hand — Standeth at the door.
Verse 6
[6] Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Be anxiously careful for nothing - If men are not gentle towards you, yet neither on this, nor any other account, be careful, but pray. Carefulness and prayer cannot stand together.
In every thing — Great and small.
Let your requests be made known — They who by a preposterous shame or distrustful modesty, cover, stifle, or keep in their desires, as if they were either too small or too great, must be racked with care; from which they are entirely delivered, who pour them out with a free and filial confidence.
To God — It is not always proper to disclose them to men.
By supplication — Which is the enlarging upon and pressing our petition.
With thanksgiving — The surest mark of a soul free from care, and of prayer joined with true resignation. This is always followed by peace. Peace and thanksgiving are both coupled together, Colossians 3:15.
Verse 7
[7] And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
And the peace of God — That calm, heavenly repose, that tranquility of spirit, which God only can give.
Which surpasseth all understanding — Which none can comprehend, save he that receiveth it.
Shall keep — Shall guard, as a garrison does a city.
Your hearts — Your affections.
Your minds — Your understandings, and all the various workings of them; through the Spirit and power of Christ Jesus, in the knowledge and love of God. Without a guard set on these likewise, the purity and vigour of our affections cannot long be preserved.
Luke 3:7-18
Verse 8
[8] Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
Say not within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father — That is, trust not in your being members of the visible Church, or in any external privileges whatsoever: for God now requires a change of heart; and that without delay.
Verse 10
[10] And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
He answereth — It is not properly John, but the Holy Ghost, who teaches us in the following answers, how to come ourselves, and how to instruct other penitent sinners to come to Christ, that he may give them rest. The sum of all this is, Cease to do evil, learn to do well. These are the fruits worthy of repentance.
The Upper Room Ministries
PO Box 340004
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-0004, United States
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Sermon Story "" by Gary Lee Parker for Sunday, 13 December 2015 with Scripture Text Zephaniah 3:14 Sing, daughter of Tziyon!
Shout, Isra’el!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
daughter of Yerushalayim!
15 Adonai has removed the judgments against you,
he has expelled your enemy;
the king of Isra’el, Adonai,
is right there with you.
You no longer need to fear
that anything bad will happen.
16 On that day, it will be said
to Yerushalayim,
“Do not fear, Tziyon!
don’t let your hands droop down.
17 Adonai your God is right there with you,
as a mighty savior.
He will rejoice over you and be glad,
he will be silent in his love,
he will shout over you with joy.”
18 “I will gather those of yours
who grieve over the appointed feasts
and bear the burden of reproach
[because they cannot keep them].
19 When that time comes, I will deal
with all those who oppress you.
I will save her who is lame,
gather her who was driven away,
and make them whose shame spread over the earth
the object of praise and renown.
20 When that time comes, I will bring you in;
when that time comes, I will gather you
and make you the object of fame and praise
among all the peoples of the earth —
when I restore your fortunes
before your very eyes,” says Adonai.
Isaiah 12:2-6;
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As we read from this prophetic Book known as Zephaniah, we learn of a positive prophesy that God has forgiven Israel for their sins and they will be looked upon as bleed of God. As we reflect upon this passage of Scripture, we are remined of two things. The first is that God sent His Son as the Messiah of Israel and secondly the people of Israel have gone through centuries of oppression and hatred since this prophecy. In reality, even after the Messiah came to redeem all Israel and all nations, the people of God have still gone through periods of oppresion of hatred for those who alk in the footsteps of the Messiah. We eve see today around the world where people are still imprisoned, killed, or even denied their politcal rights because of their faith in God. We see people who are poor be shut out of the political processes as well as people who are different cultures or even different sexuaal orientation or people who are differently abled. We seek today to bring a better hospitality to all people no matter who they may be wheterh they have a different ability than other people or who are leaving their homeland for political or economic reasons. Yet, the church is filled with people who proclaim closed doors rather than the hospitality God is calling His people to live out in His holiness, love, peace, and mercy. We realilze that too often our ancestors or even we have sinned against God who have not showed true Godly love and hospitality to other people who are different than we are. We take this time as we partake of the Body and Blood of Jesus through the Holy Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist to seek God's abililty to be truly loving and hospitable to all other people, We come at this time to receive from God what He desires to give us singing the Hymn "Zephaniah 3:17"
1. The Lord your God is in your midst;
A warrior who saves.
He will exalt over you with joy.
He will renew your in His love.
He will rejoice over you
Chorus:
With shouts of joy,
With shouts of joy,
With shouts of joy,
With shouts of joy,
With shouts of joy,
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Gary Lee Parker
4147 Idaho Street, Apt. 1
San Diego, California 92104-1844, United States
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