New Testament 101: Thessalonians
Well, we are almost at the end of our summer mini-bible study. But we are still in the letters of Paul (those written by him and those written in the style of Paul)
Paul started the church in Thessalonica (2: 13, 14) while working hard to support himself (2: 9). In this important city of northern Greece, many of the followers had worshiped idols before becoming Christians (1: 9). But they were faithful to the Lord and, because of them, the Lord’s message had spread everywhere in that region (1:8).
This letter may have been the first one that Paul wrote.
Some people in Thessalonica began to oppose Paul, and he had to escape to Athens. But he sent his young friend Timothy to find out how the Christians were doing. When Timothy returned, he gave Paul good reports of their faith and love (3: 6-10).
The church itself had problems. Some of its members had quit working, since they thought that the Lord would soon return (4: 11, 12). Others were worried because their relatives and friends had already died before Christ’s return. Sol Paul tried to explain to them more clearly what would happen when the Lord returns (4: 13-15) and then told them how they should live in the meanwhile (5: 1-11).
Paul’s final instructions are well worth remembering:
Always be joyful and never stop praying. Whatever happens, keep
thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do.
(5:16-18)
A Quick Look at This Letter
1. Greetings (1: 1-3)
2. The Thessalonians’ Faith and Example (1: 4-3:13)
3. A Life That Pleases God (4: 1-12)
4. What to Expect When the Lord Returns (4: 13-5:11)
5. Final Instructions and Greetings (5: 112-18)
Beryl
[Images: The Cathedral of Hagia Sophia in Thessaloniki, Greece. One of the oldest churches in the city still standing today, this building was constructed in the 8th Century, but there has been a church in this place since the 3rd century.]
SouthWest Service for Sunday, August 23rd
The service will be available to view here as of Sunday morning.
New Testament 101: Colossians
And the letters go on….
Colossae was an important city in western Asia Minor, about 100 miles east of the port city of Ephesus.
Paul had never been to Colossae, but he was pleased to learn that the Christians there were strong in their faith (1:3-7, 2:6-7). They had heard the good news from a man named Epaphras who had lived there (1:7, 4:12—13) but was in jail with Paul (Philemon 23) at the time that Paul wrote this letter (1:14, 4: 3, 10, 18).
Many of the church members in Colossae were Gentiles (1:27) and some of them were influenced by strange religious ideas and practices (2: 16-23). They thought that to obey God fully they must give up certain physical desires and worship angels and other spiritual powers. But Paul wanted them to know that Christ was with God in heaven, ruling over all powers in the universe (3:1). And so, their worship should be directed to Christ.
Paul quotes a beautiful hymn that explains who Christ is:
Christ is exactly like God,
Who cannot be seen.
He is the first-born son,
Superior to all creation.
God himself was pleased
To live fully in his Son.
And God was pleased
For him to make peace
By sacrificing his blood on the cross.
(1:15, 19, 20a)
A Quick Look At This Letter
1. Greetings (1: 1,2)
2. A Prayer of Thanks (1: 3-8)
3. The Person and Work of Christ (1: 9-2:19)
4. A New Life with Christ (2:20-4:6)
5. Final Greetings (4:7-18)
Beryl
Order of Service for August 23, 2020
SouthWest service for August 16, 2020
Watch the service here on Sunday morning.
New Testament 101: Philippians
Paul wrote this letter from jail (1.7) to thank the Lord’s followers at Philippi for helping him with their gifts and prayers. (1:5, 4:10-19). He hopes to be set free, so that he can continue preaching the good news (3: 17-19). But he knows that he might be put to death (1: 21, 2: 17, 3: 10).
The city of Philippi is in the part of northern Greece known as Macedonia. It was at Philippi that Paul had entered Europe for the first time, and there he preached the good news and began a Church (Acts 16). He now warns the Christians as Philippi that they may have to suffer, just as Christ suffered and Paul is now suffering. If this happens, the Philippians should count it a blessing that comes from having faith in Christ (1: 28-30).
There were problems in the church at Philippi because some of the members claimed that people must obey the law of Moses or they could not be saved. But Paul has no patience with such members and warns the church “Watch out for those people who behave like dogs!” (3: 2-11).
This letter is also filled with joy. Even in jail, Paul is happy because he has discovered how to make the best of a bad situation and because he remembers all the kindness shown to him by people in the church at Philippi. Paul reminds them that God’s people are to live in harmony (2:2, 4:2, 3) and to think the same way that Christ Jesus did:
Christ was truly God.
But he did not try to remain equal with God.
He gave up everything and became a slave,
when he became like one of us. (2: 6-7)
A quick look at this letter:
1. Greetings and a Prayer (1: 1-11)
2. What Life Means to Paul (1: 12-30)
3. Christ’s Example of True Humility (2: 1-18)
4. News About Paul’s Friends (2: 19-30)
5. Being Acceptable to God (3: 1-4, 9)
6. Paul Thanks the Philippians (4: 10-20)
7. Final Greetings (4: 21-23)
Beryl
Note from Nora: A Time for Listening
When we fail to recognize that our acceptance of inequality is a form of racism, we fail to live up to our basic Christian commitments.
Some people have questioned the phrase, Black Lives Matter with the retort, “all lives matter.” But that misses the point.
The need is to proclaim what is not apparent in the way our society works. The way our society works reflects a reality that White people’s lives matter the most. That White people are the norm. We might feel inclined to defend the principles of our democracy and our justice system, which lift up fairness and equality to all. Well, except maybe those who fall under the application of the Indian Act. But it isn’t enough to look at the intent: full analysis requires looking at the outcomes too.
To mention just a couple of statistics: 27 percent of Black children live in low-income situations, compared to 14 percent for the rest of the population. And incarceration rates are significantly higher, with Black people making up 8.6 percent of prison inmates while they are only 3 percent of the overall population.
The statistical imbalances are also there for Indigenous Canadians. Our journey towards reconciliation in Canada reflects a different – but in some ways similar – need to address a colonial past that has left many biases built into our systems of government, of justice, of education… and yes, even of church. A whole set of systems that have benefited White people, whether we knew it or not, has at the same time, disadvantaged others.
What does this mean for us as Christians?
Isn’t it obvious? We follow Jesus, who saw through the false distinctions of the social norms of his time, and lifted up the essential humanity – and godliness – of everyone.
We profess to a faith based on compassion, on the simple direction that we are to love others as ourselves.
When we fail to recognize that our acceptance of inequality in our society, of inequities in our society, is a form of racism, we fail to live up to our basic Christian commitments.
These days the social isolation requirements of the pandemic have most of us living very insular lives. We hardly see anyone beyond our own households. Hard as this is for everyone, the reality is that the impacts of COVID-19 are not evenly distributed across all racial groups. Nothing in the pandemic response singled out racial differences, but the differences are there in the results. Although the general statistical reporting on the pandemic in Canada has not included a race based component, analysis of the Toronto neighbourhoods most affected by COVID-19 shows that these are also the neighbourhoods with a greater proportion of Black residents. It’s a good example of how pre-existing social inequities provide the foundation for even greater disparities in times of crisis.
Many people may feel overwhelmed by the weight of all this, and be wondering what they can offer that would make a difference. This isn’t a time when everyone needs to have all the answers. It may be that the best approach is to begin by listening, by caring, by hearing what is asked for. If you haven’t yet seen the worship service led by the Black Clergy Network of our church recently, I recommend checking it out on YouTube as a good place to start your listening.
We also need to act, in big ways and small, but for those of us whose life experiences have not included being the target of anti-Black racism or any form of racism, we need to bring an element of humility into our impulse to name the solutions.
A colleague shared a video that I thought offered that reminder quite graciously, which you can find here, in case you want to watch it too.
Peace and grace to you.
Nora
— Nora Sanders is General Secretary of The United Church of Canada.
The Dog Days
The phrase “in the dog days of summer“ popped into my head and I found myself wondering, what exactly does this mean? It seemed to me there was a connection to Sirius, “the dog star” but were there specific dates that constituted the dog days? I looked it up.
It seems that the Greeks and Romans connected the dog star, which is visible in the Northern hemisphere for most of the summer, with “heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs and bad luck”! Although I have yet to spot any mad dogs, otherwise it sure sounds to me like we are in the dog days.
Sirius is so bright that the ancient Romans thought it radiated extra heat toward Earth. During the summer, when Sirius rises and sets with the Sun, they thought Sirius added heat to the Sun's heat to cause hotter summer temperatures.
For the ancient Romans, the dog days of summer occurred from about July 24 to around August 24. Over time, though, the constellations have drifted somewhat. Today, The Old Farmer's Almanac lists the traditional timing of the dog days of summer as being July 3 until August 11.
It’s hard to get anything done on this weather. We move slowly through the humid air and our thoughts seem muddled. It’s a perfect time to go on vacation, to lie in a hammock with a cool drink, swim in a lake or ocean. Unfortunately, many of us will not have the opportunity to go anywhere on vacation this summer of Covid-19.
Pastor Beryl had been hoping to take a vacation in August but instead, she spent this week on a study leave, attending online classes and writing papers, and will take an at-home vacation the next two weeks. Her contract is for half-time ministry, and yet she has been preparing pre-recorded services every week since the pandemic began. We will miss those services for the next couple of weeks, but we wish Beryl some well-earned rest and relaxation.
This Sunday, why not try out an online service from somewhere else in our Region or anywhere in Canada? With churches still closed across the country, there are a slew of virtual services to choose from.
Wyman United in Hudson and three other United churches are sharing worship over Zoom for the rest of the summer. This week’s service features Rev. Mark Hammond of Montreal West United and can be joined using this link: https://zoom.us/j/4939842064. You shouldn’t need a password but if asked for one it is 458.
Laurentian Area Ministries are also offering Zoom services every week in French (10:00) and English (10:30). Find out more on their page here.
St. James United in downtown Montreal streams live on Facebook Sunday at 11am.
Or,
Go to this interactive map from Nakonha:ka Regional Council for other suggestions.
Wherever you’re spending these dog days, I hope you get a chance to, as the prophet Nat King Cole sang:
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Those days of soda and pretzels and beer
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Dust off the sun and moon and sing a song of cheer!
Amy
UNE NOUVELLE ÉGLISE VIRTUELLE : L’ÉGLISE SAINTE-CLAIRE
Lancée pendant la période de la pandémie COVID-19, l’Église SainteClaire est quelque chose de complètement nouveau : une communauté
francophone d’exploration de la foi et de la spiritualité entièrement en ligne. Décrite comme « une paroisse francophone ouverte et inclusive sur Internet pour les gens de toutes origines, orientations et genres » et guidée par le pasteur Stéphane Vermette, le premier culte dans l’espace virtuelle a eu lieu le 24 mars 2020. Les cultes hebdomadaires sont offerts les dimanches soirs à 19 h 30 sur Zoom et sont diffusés simultanément sur Facebook Live ici.
Lire un article dans Aujourd’hui Credo ici.