The Hermeneutics of Christian Zionism Critiqued - Stephen Sizer

Due to their incorrect interpretation of scripture, Christian Zionists incorrectly set the current nation state of Israel and the Jewish people apart from and above other peoples in the Middle East and all of humanity, when in reality all peoples are fully and coequally human and loved in the the eyes of God.

Christian Zionism encourages the continued military and economic funding of Israel by the United States, identifies with right-wing Israelis who resist negotiating land for peace, reinforces Israel's apartheid policies, and sanctifies the illegal settlement and absorption of the Occupied Territories into the State of Israel.

The most basic hermeneutical error which Christian Zionists consistently repeat is thinking that the Old Covenant before Jesus applies to the current nation state of Israel.

Due to their incorrect interpretation of scripture, Christian Zionists incorrectly set the current nation state of Israel and the Jewish people apart from and above other peoples in the Middle East and all of humanity, when in reality all peoples are fully and coequally human and loved in the the eyes of God.

The reality is that Biblical prophecy is invariably conditional rather than fatalistic. The Christian Zionist's particular reading of both history and contemporary events - determined by the dubious exegesis of highly selective biblical texts as well as their theological presuppositions - is therefore fatalistic. 

The full piece is available here

Benediction: We Each Have Our Own Role To Play In God's Redemption Plan (based on Ephesians 4:10-13)

As followers of Christ and as members of the family of humankind, we are called to bring God's kingdom to life here on earth as it is in heaven. God is the source of all of the different gifts which we've been given to do that work.

Each of us, in our everyday lives and in our own unique ways, have a part to play in God's redemption plan. So let's make sure to be on the lookout for real life opportunities to bring out the best in everyone and everything.

Benediction: Living Into Our Need For Community Like Jesus Did (based on Genesis 1:26 and John 14:7)

We have been hardwired by God to live in meaningful connection with each other.  Jesus modeled this during his time on earth.

So with Christ as our example, may God's Spirit move us towards ever deeper and richer relationships and community. Within them, may we experience God's love, joy, peace, grace, and hope.

Benediction: Loving Each Other In Community (based on Romans 12:10-13)

We are called to love each other in ways that bring out the best in us and the best in everything. We can be confident in the wisdom of living this way because Jesus modeled how to do it during his time on earth.

Jesus served others enthusiastically, prioritized and welcomed people who society had marginalized, and was patient with those who were struggling. Jesus gave his time and energy in humble service without any ulterior motive of trying to get something in return. Jesus saw relationship and community as transformational, not transactional.

May Jesus’ example be the one that we follow in our everyday lives.

Benediction: The Good Shepherd's Abundant Life (based on John 10:10)

May the peace of Jesus go with us now to wherever life takes us. May it guide us through the times of wilderness and storm.  May it accompany us in times of contentment and calm.

Let's allow it to cause abundant life to grow within us, and let's share that abundant life with all as we strive to do God’s work of bringing out the very best in everyone and everything.

Benediction: Not Growing Weary In Doing Good (based on Galatians 6:9-10)

In our everyday lives, may we never grow tired of doing what is right. May we seek justice for all of God’s children and follow Jesus’ example of welcoming everyone.

May we not grow weary of pouring out hope and peace as we seek to nurture The Spirit’s seeds of life and love.

Benediction: Speaking Truth and Listening Openly (based on Ephesians 4:25)

As we live our everyday lives in God's world, may we speak truth so that our words can be a source of grace to all who hear them.  Likewise, may we listen with open minds and receptive hearts so that what we hear can be a source of grace to us.

Jesus Is Our Example

 

Benediction: Notice God's Spirit At Work (based on Isaiah 30:21)

May we always be paying attention so that we take notice as God’s spirit works within and around us. May we seek out all of the everyday grace and guidance available to us in this world which God created, called good, and dwells within each and every part of.

Benediction: Recognizing Christ In All (based on Matthew 25:31-46)

adapted from Commission & Benediction

by Nathan Nettleton

As followers of Christ, our mission is to help to bring God's kingdom here and now on earth as it is in heaven.

The way to do this is to live as Christ lived. So as we go now to our corners of the world, may we embrace the hope to which God has called us. May we recognize Christ in every single person, and as Christ has been gracious to us, may we be gracious to those in need.

Benediction: Being Aware of God In Each and Every Thing (based on Romans 13:10)

As we go, may we remember to be on the lookout for Divine Nudges voice in this world which God created and called “good.”

May our minds be open to the vast expanse of God’s love. May God’s Spirit help us to allow that love to mold and shape who we are.  May our eyes be open to see God’s fingerprints in each and every thing that surrounds us, so that every part of our lives will be worship.

Hope and Steadfast Love: Jodi Koeman at CRC Office of Social Justice

Preparing for Christ means hoping and loving. 

We need love in order to live a life that embraces people – no matter who they are, what they look like, where they’ve come from, or how “perfect” or broken they are – and that seeks their flourishing along with all of creation and God’s creatures.

Preparing for Christ means hoping and loving. While our “souls wait for the Lord,” may we actively prepare for Christ by radically loving the world as God loves.

The full article is available here

Benediction: Unexpected Joy In Everyday Situations (based on Lamentations 3:22-23)

May we be both humble recipients and generous givers of grace so that we might find unexpected joy in everyday situations.

Benediction: From Broken Patterns To Transformative Relationship (based on Proverbs 19:20)

In place of the unhelpful patterns and mindsets which we sometimes get used to living within, God invites us into transformative relationship; both with God and with one another.

So may always be on the lookout for opportunities to join along in that connectedness and community. This how we can become human together and fully reflect the image of God.

Benediction: The Infinite Goodness Of God Is Meant To Be Shared (based on Ephesians 3:18)

The bottomless depth of God's mercy, the infinite expanse of God's grace, and the endless wellspring of God's love: all of these are available to us as we join in God's work of restoring all of creation to thriving life.

May we bring hope and light to our corners of this world which God created and called “good.”

Behold God In Everything - Juliana of Norwich

 

Benediction: God, The Life-Giving Trinity (based on Ephesians 2:22)

The incarnate words that God speaks are the life and sustenance of all things. The life that Jesus gives is the re-creation and renewed birth of all things. The Spirit which dwells within all of us is the inspiration for curiosity, seeking, and wisdom.

May we grow in awareness of how there are opportunities all around us do the work of our life-giving, life-restoring, and life-fulfilling God. May abundant life and grace flow out from us as we work to bring out the best in everyone and everything.

Benediction: Worship God In Hope (based on Luke 3:6)

based on Seasoned Justice by Reformed Worship

As we go from here back to where we live our everyday lives, may we all share God's love! God’s handiwork comes in many different colors, sizes, shapes and cultures. May we all proclaim God's peace!

May our hearts be filled with God’s grace and our hands be busy doing God's work. Now and with each new day, may we worship God in hope!

Benediction: Being The Hands and Feet of God To The World (based on 1 Corinthians 12:27)

As we go now to be God's presence in the world, may our eyes be open so that we see the world as God sees it. As we go now to be Christ's hands and feet in the world, may our hearts be open to both give and receive.  As we go now to be the Spirit's hope for the world, may our minds be open so that we welcome all as having been wonderfully created in the Divine Image. 

An Unorganized Religion - Wendell Berry

 

Benediction: Wrestling With Our Struggles Is The Way To Growth (based on Genesis 32:22-32)

May we hold onto the hope of God’s love even in the midst of struggle. When times of struggle inevitably come our way, may they help to knock loose the anything within us which has gotten stuck or has become stagnant.

May we always seeking to more fully become who we've been designed to be; people who both reflect and put into action the boundless love, compassion, and grace of God. 

Benediction - Growing Towards What We Are Designed To Be (based on Romans 13:10)

God desires to help all of us to continue growing towards becoming the loving, giving, and life-filled people which we are designed to be. As recipients of God's bottomless grace, may we be grace-givers in this world which God created and calls "good."

Benediction: God, Make Us Human Together in Goodness (based on Genesis 1:31)

In our everyday lives in God's world, may we look for the divine spark which is present in everyone and everything. May that awareness of the inherent dignity and worth of all cause compassion to move within us and grace to flow outward from us.

May God's love help to make us human together, by which we will be a true reflection of God's infinite diversity, beauty, goodness, and grace.

Lost In Meaning: Meaning in Leviticus 18:22

A careful philological, literary analysis of the original Hebrew in Leviticus 18:22 seems to show a condemnation of rape and incest.

It turns out that the original Hebrew language in Leviticus 18:22 is more ambiguous than the traditional English translation.

The addition of propositions by English translators alters the verse’s meaning and presupposes a comparison between a “normal” action and a “deviant” action.

The other occurrence of the Hebrew word miškevē in scripture is in Genesis 49:4. That verse explicitly refers the deviant nature of the incestuous activity of Reuben with his father’s concubine, Bilhah.

This understanding of Genesis 49:4 helps Leviticus 18:22 makes sense in the context of its chapter. A large portion of Leviticus 18 proscribes the divine condemnation of incest.  

While Leviticus 18 focuses on the forbidden sexual relationships, Leviticus 20 focuses on the punishment for participating in such relationships. The laws are reordered in Leviticus 20 to emphasize consequences of deviant relationships. The miškevē iššâ is an act that is punished identically to other acts that are clearly incestuous.

The full article is available here

The 1946 Mistranslation That Introduced The Word "Homosexual" To The Bible - The Forge Online

The Greek word arsenokoitai shows up in several different verse in the Bible, but it wasn't until 1946 that it was mistranslated to mean "homosexual."

For most of European history, most translations properly understood Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, 1 Timothy 1:10 and 1 Corinthians 6:9 to be discussing "boy molesters" based on the original Greek word arsenokoitai (for example, the 1674 Swedish translation and the 1830 Norwegian translation). 

The verses were meant to address and ancient world practice in which young boys (8-12 years old) were coupled by older men. Ancient Greek documents show us how even parents utilized that abusive practice to help their sons advance in society. 


The Greek word arsenokoitai shows up in several different verse in the Bible, but it wasn't until 1946 that it was mistranslated to mean "homosexual." The Revised Standard Version made an honest mistake in mistranslating. 

Had it instead taken the time to do the proper research into the historical contextualization, we would have a more accurate translation.  We could have avoided the horrible damage that was done from pulpits all across the U.S. church. Sadly, modern biblical commentaries have adjusted to accommodate the mistranslation.

Interestingly, the German Bible didn't include the word "homosexual" until 1983 thanks to a U.S. company, Biblica, paid for a new translation and influenced it. 

The full article is available here