Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Starting a Wednesday Bible Preview!
Starting off a little sooner!
One thing that keeps happening is
that, in preparing for the Sermon, there is a lot of Bible prep to begin. What does the passage say? What are the problems with the passage? What other pieces are there in the passage
that may be too much or too outside the mainstream of the Sermon? What if someone wants to take a few more
steps with the Scripture?
So, we
are going to…try something different. On
Wednesday, I am going to upload a video that focuses on the Scripture lesson
for the coming Sunday. It will be
focused on the Bible, not on application or where the Sermon may end up
connecting with the world around us. I
think this is important because I fear all too often, you hear the Scripture on
Sunday morning, have the Sermon time to wrap your head around the wonder of God’s
Holy Word, and then the pastor is asking for money.
Call this the Bible Preview ahead
of the Sermon. I do not intend to make
the Sermon dependent on the Bible Preview, but there will be overlap. The Preview is part of my own work in
preparing for Sunday, for understanding the Bible passage as best as I am
able. Unlike the Sermon, a transcript
will not be uploaded. That is because this
is going to be more freeform, letting the ideas flow. I will have notes prepared, but will not feel
bound to them.
Another way to look at this is to
consider the Bible Nerd released.
Peace,
Pastor Peter
Pastor Peter
Saturday, April 25, 2020
Friday, April 24, 2020
April 26, 2020 Sermon Transcript
Rev. Peter Hofstra
Two guys are sitting in a prison
yard. One asks the other, “Why are you
in here?” The other replies, “I was
going to church.”
That is a political cartoon
commenting on the enforcement of quarantine during these days of Covid 19. We are not done with this pandemic yet, but
people are beginning to clamor that we ‘open up the economy’ once again. And what are they doing? Gathering in large groups, exactly what will
cause this thing to spike once again!
Unless you are from Connecticut.
I watched a protest up there on the news. They were calling for the reopening of the
state as they drove around the state house in protest. Open the economy, but they are staying in
their cars…just in case.
As usual, Christianity is in the
middle of the ongoing political fights.
We, theologically, in this church, are enforcing the rules of the state
of emergency, along with the PCUSA, because we believe it contravenes the love
of neighbor to put them at risk without proper precautions. And yet we are getting painted with the same
broad brushstrokes of ‘betraying our civil liberties’ and being, I kid you not,
‘communist’ in our attitudes because of social distancing and
quarantining.
Our
text this morning is still set on Easter.
Jesus shows himself first to the disciples, then to Thomas, the Doubter,
a week later. The Bible tells us they
saw the holes in his hands, the saw the wound in his side, and they rejoiced
that Jesus was back among them (yes, it is reported that Thomas would not
believe until he put his fingers through those holes and touched the wound, but
it seems that he believed sooner).
If we follow the timeline of
Easter, Jesus is risen indeed. That is
first on the list. He has appeared to
the women and a couple disciples have gone back to, at the very least, see the
empty tomb. Some saw angels. The disciples on their walk to Emmaus have
met up with Jesus-although they didn’t know it-until he broke bread with
them. Now, apparently, they are on their
way back to Jerusalem, where the disciples will reveal that Jesus has seen them
as well. So it looks like they have not
yet arrived.
Is this critical to the
story? Only in so far as we see a
progress of revelation in what is happening.
In his first appearance, Jesus simply affirms the fact that HE IS RISEN
INDEED. On the road to Emmaus, he not
only confirms that, but he lays out for those two disciples how it was
predicted from the very beginning, and he walks them through the Bible to
understand why this is all a part of God’s plan. Now he has appeared to the disciples (minus
Thomas) and laid before them the task that they have to undertake.
The language throughout the
gospel of John is about the flow of divinity from God down to the
disciples. From John 1, where the Word,
Jesus was with God and was God, through his discussions of how “I and the
Father are one”, to this passage where the Father sent Jesus and Jesus is
sending them. John records that they
were blessed with the gift of the Holy Spirit, which, according to John 14, is
whom the Father is going to send to be with them after the Son has gone on to
heaven. Now the extent of their mission
is revealed.
Jesus died for us and rose for
us to save us from our sins. Now the
disciples will have the power to declare sins forgiven or not. They can look to the behavior of “Christians”
and decide who is worthy of what Jesus has shared with the whole world. The very magnitude of that authority and the
potential for its abuse, those implications just blow my mind. Is it any wonder that Jesus tells the
disciples on more than one occasion, judge not, lest ye be judged?
I wonder if Jesus is face palming
right now as he looks at our nation and what we are doing with these
instructions given to the disciples. Is
Jesus looking down on us from on high and thinking to himself, “I came back to
my disciples, resurrected for their sins.
They saw the wounds, they rejoiced.
This is the truth of our faith.
This is what they are called upon to share with the world. And this is how things are playing out in the
United States? The language of faith and
forgiveness and condemnation are now part of the political debate? Again?”
To be fair, this is not new, not
by any stretch of the imagination.
People of faith used political power to get Jesus executed in the first
place.
I guess what is different now is
that usually the toxicity of political infighting that corrupts Christianity is
not so broadly life and death. But right
now, Covid 19 is very much life and death.
everyday behavior.
So here we are, Easter on the
one hand (and we will be in this Season till Pentecost), and politics as usual on
the other. Except that the politics are
jacked up a few notches in their implications due to the pandemic.
What I am struggling with is
seeking renewal in this Holy Season, especially now that we are all effectively
shut in’s when it comes to matters of church, knowing that its going to be
political nonsense infesting everything that is going to be all that most
people hear about Christianity in this time of emergency. What do we do about that?
There is a part of me that wants
to engage with them. Lay out how the
political agenda that surrounds the little touchpoints of Christianity is one
that breeds greed and corruption on a grand scale and how good Christians have
to buy into the whole sordid package to get their voices heard on individual,
targeted social issues. The church has a
blog, we have a voice, we could shake things up some. But honestly, I don’t want to set mired in
the same tar. I would be just one more
voice shouting in the crowd. I don’t
even know who is listening anymore
Ignoring it is another
option. We could gather remotely and
reflect on the wonder of the resurrection of Jesus and simply tune out the news
and the nonsense, let them make their noises, but no bother to us. But how many political talking heads out
there are claiming, essentially, that they are talking for Jesus? That what they say IS the faith? When it is most assuredly NOT the faith. And when I tune out, who is tuning in and
fading away from Jesus all together because the nonsense is just too much to
bear?
Look at what Jesus tells Thomas
at the end there. Thomas has seen the
wounds. He has believed. He has confessed, “My Lord and My God.” Jesus told him, “You have seen and you have
believed. Blessed are those who have not
seen and yet believe.” That includes us.
But to turn this into a fight
about who has the authority to speak for Jesus over matters of sin, in this
time of quarantine, or whenever, it misses the most important message that
Jesus brought to the disciples in this passage, the most important task He
brings to us. He was not out to make
them judges, deciding whose sins were forgiven and whose were not. Their task was not simply as evangelist,
being sent by God to share the Good News of the Gospel. What was the first thing Jesus said when he
greeted the disciples, and the first thing again a week later when Thomas was
with them?
He said “Peace be with
you.”
It is SO easy to mistake that
for a Jesus-ie way of saying Hello. Like
in our culture, a greeting is more often “how are you” or “how is it going”
than simply “hello”.
But Peace is the reason for the
whole Easter mission. Jesus died and
rose that all God’s children might know forgiveness and be at peace in the
knowledge that eternal life was theirs.
And unlike the polarized political fights where each side practically
accuses the other of being in league with Satan, when Jesus gave the apostles
the authority to forgive sin or not, it was to the end of achieving peace, of
granting to those in doubt the sure and certain knowledge of Jesus’ love for
them, and to serve as a reality check for those who continued to defy the law
of loving God and loving neighbor.
What does that mean right
now? What does the peace of Jesus look
like in this pandemic? It means being
safe, first and foremost. That’s why we
have these rules in place. Peace means
taking care of those who have been affected by the pandemic, aid for those who
have lost their jobs. Peace means being
there for those who lose people in this time, especially to the pandemic. It means caring for our neighbors and not
accusing them of being communist because some political cause is trying to take
over the Christian agenda.
What it means is that we
continue to gather, even remotely, to worship the Lord, to look into God’s Holy
Word to find comfort and answers even-maybe especially-in these difficult
times. It means prayer without ceasing
for those in need. It means continuing
the work of our faith community.
Peace is knowing Jesus’ love is
without ceasing. Peace is knowing that
whatever we have done, whatever sin we have committed, Jesus gave himself for
us that we may know forgiveness and eternal life. Peace is knowing that we can come to the
throne of grace whenever we need to in prayer and supplication. Peace is knowing that whatever happens out
there, whatever people are yelling about or protesting over or condemning
others for, peace is knowing the Jesus is in control and will shelter us from
the storm, physical, viral, or political.
Would you join me to say together,
“Peace be with you” Amen.
April 26, 2020 Scripture Lesson
Scripture Lesson April
26, 2020 John
20: 19-31
20:19 When
it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the
house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came
and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."[A]
20:20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.[B]
20:21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."[C]
20:22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.”[D]
20:23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."[E]
20:20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.[B]
20:21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."[C]
20:22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.”[D]
20:23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."[E]
20:24 But
Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when
Jesus came.[F]
20:25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."
20:25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."
20:26 A
week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them.
Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said,
"Peace be with you."
20:27 Then
he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your
hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe."
20:28
Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"
20:29
Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed
are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."[G]
20:30 Now
Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not
written in this book.
20:31 But
these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah,
the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.[H]
[A]
Jesus passes through locked doors to be among the disciples.
[C]
Jesus uses this language a lot through the gospel of John, from Father to Son
to disciples and back again.
[D]
When I read this, I was reminded of God breathing on the dirt from which Adam
was formed, bringing it to life at the beginning of Genesis.
[E]
This is the basis of a theological position called “Apostolic authority”, by
which churches throughout history have claimed Jesus’ authority over people.
[F] He
is known to Sunday School kids everywhere as “Doubting Thomas”. We do NOT know whose Twin he was.
[G] I
have always looked at this verse as referring to the later generations of the
church, like ourselves, who did not have this moment directly. But I also think of the women who came to the
tomb and believed before Jesus appeared to them, as in our Easter Passage.
[H]
This is NOT written as an “unbiased” historical account. John is presenting a historical, faith-based
truth. Jesus is Messiah, Jesus is Son of
God, believing in him we may have life eternal.
Amen.
Rev. Peter Hofstra
April 26, 2020 Order of Worship
First Presbyterian Church
Remote and Mail Order of Worship
April 26, 2020
CALL
TO WORSHIP (In Unison)
Jesus came to His disciples with the sign,
“Peace be with you.” May Jesus renew the
peace in our hearts today. He showed
them his body, wounded for our transgressions and they believed. He has blessed us as those who have not seen
and yet believe. Let us worship the
Living God.
AMEN
Hymn
Today: Christ the Lord Is Risen Today” (To be sung in unison)
Christ the Lord is
Risen Today, Alleluia
Children of the world
and angels say, Alleluia
Raise your joys and
triumphs high, Alleluia
Sing, ye heavens and
earth reply. Alleluia
CONFESSION AND ASSURANCE OF PARDON (In Unison)
Father in heaven, Jesus granted to His
disciples the authority to forgive or to retain the sins of others. We come to You this morning to confess our
sins, in the sure and certain knowledge of the promise of Jesus that they will
be forgiven. None can make us worthy but
You. Please create within us a clean
heart and renew a right spirit within.
Amen.
INVITATION
If you do not know Jesus as Your Lord and
Savior, but You would like to come to Him, or come to Him again, You can do wo
with this simple prayer:
“Dear Lord I need You, please come into my
life today. Amen”
Scripture Lesson
for Today, the Third Sunday of Easter
John 20: 19-31 (Please
take a moment to read it again. It is a
separate enclosure.)
SERMON:
THE OFFERING OF
OUR TITHES & GIFTS
Until we have
other options open to us, please mail your tithes and offerings to:
First Presbyterian Church of Perth Amboy
45 Market St.
Perth Amboy, NJ 08861
Please remember
that the bills of the church do not stop even with this virus.
A PRAYER OF DEDICATION (To be
prayed individually, out loud or in silence):
Father in heaven, from the
bounty You have blessed me with, I give this gift back to You with joy and
thanksgiving to further the work of Your church. Amen.
SONG OF RESPONSE: “He Lives” (In Unison)
I serve a Risen
Savior, He’s in the world today.
I know that He is
living, whatever men may say.
I see His hand of
mercy, I hear His voice of cheer;
And just the time
I need him, He’s always near.
He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today. He walks with me and talks with me along
life’s narrow way.
He lives! He
lives! Salvation to impart! You ask me
how I know he lives? He lives within my
heart.
PRAYERS OF THE
PEOPLE
Pray for us as we continue to curtail our
lives against the virus.
Pray for those in the Middlesex County
nursing homes evacuated due to this virus.
Pray for our brothers and sisters in this
congregation as we continue to worship together.
As you lift each request to God, the
appropriate response is “Lord, Hear My Prayer”
THE LORD’S PRAYER (In Unison)
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom
come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive
us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for Thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
OUR BENEDICTION
AND DEPARTURE (In Unison)
May the Lord
bless us and keep us.
May the Lord
make His face to shine upon us.
May the Lord
lift up His countenance upon us and give us peace.
Amen.
Saturday, April 18, 2020
Friday, April 17, 2020
Order of Worship: April 19, 2020
First Presbyterian Church
Remote and Mail Order of Worship
April 19, 2020
CALL
TO WORSHIP (In Unison)
We gather in
Spirit to worship the Living God. When I
sing, Lord, let me hear the voices of my fellow worshippers. When I pray, Lord, gather our voices together
into one appeal to the throne of grace.
When I contemplate Your Word, open our minds that the truths may
enlighten us and fill us with joy.
Though the doors here on earth may be closed, the gates of heaven are
ever open. Let us worship the Living
God.
AMEN
Hymn
Today: Jesus Loves Me (To be sung in unison)
Jesus loves me, this
I know, for the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong; they are weak but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong; they are weak but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.
CONFESSION AND ASSURANCE OF PARDON (In Unison)
Father in heaven, as Jesus walked with the
disciples to Emmaus, may he walk with us today.
May He remind us that by his death, our sins are forgiven, and by His
resurrection, we are forgiven so that we may freely and completely confess to
You all that we have done and left undone that sin against You or our
neighbor. Fill us always with the power
of Easter. Amen.
INVITATION
If you do not know Jesus as Your Lord and
Savior, but You would like to come to Him, or come to Him again, You can do wo
with this simple prayer:
“Dear Lord I need You, please come into my
life today. Amen”
Scripture Lesson
for Today, the Second Sunday of Easter
Luke 24: 13-35 (Please
take a moment to read it again. It is a
separate enclosure.)
SERMON:
THE OFFERING OF
OUR TITHES & GIFTS
Until we have
other options open to us, please mail your tithes and offerings to:
First Presbyterian Church of Perth Amboy
45 Market St.
Perth Amboy, NJ 08861
Please remember
that the bills of the church do not stop even with this virus.
A PRAYER OF DEDICATION (To be
prayed individually, out loud or in silence):
Father in heaven, from the
bounty You have blessed me with, I give this gift back to You with joy and
thanksgiving to further the work of Your church. Amen.
SONG OF RESPONSE: (In Unison)
Jesus loves me, this
I know; as He loved so long ago;
Taking children on His knee, saying “Let them come to me.”
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.
Taking children on His knee, saying “Let them come to me.”
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Pray for us as we continue to curtail our lives
against the virus.
Pray for those in the Middlesex County
nursing homes evacuated due to this virus.
Pray for our brothers and sisters in this
congregation as we continue to worship together.
As you lift each request to God, the
appropriate response is “Lord, Hear My Prayer”
THE LORD’S PRAYER (In Unison)
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom
come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive
us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for Thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
OUR BENEDICTION
AND DEPARTURE (In Unison)
May the Lord
bless us and keep us.
May the Lord
make His face to shine upon us.
May the Lord
lift up His countenance upon us and give us peace.
Amen.
Scripture and Notes for April 19, 2020: Luke 24: 13-35
Luke 24 April 19, 2020 Scripture
Lesson
I keep looking for the best way to reference notes about the text. Found the “endnote” function in Word this week. Please let me know if this is helpful. The numbers are the verse numbers, the letters are the endnotes.
13Now on that same day[A]
two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from
Jerusalem, 14and talking with
each other about all these things that had happened. 15While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came
near and went with them, 16but their eyes were
kept from recognizing him[B]. 17And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other
while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. 18Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas[C],
answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the
things that have taken place there in these days?” 19He asked them, “What things?” [D] They
replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed
and word before God and all the people, 20and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be
condemned to death and crucified him. 21But we had hoped
that he was the one to redeem Israel[E].
Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took
place. 22Moreover, some
women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23and when they did not find his body there, they came back and
told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was
alive. 24Some of those who
were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they
did not see him.[F]” 25Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are[G],
and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these
things and then enter into his glory?” 27Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he
interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures[H]. 28As they came near the village to which they were going, he
walked ahead as if he were going on. 29But they urged him
strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is
now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed
and broke it, and gave it to them[I]. 31Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he
vanished from their sight. 32They said to each
other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the
road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” 33That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem[J];
and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has
appeared to Simon!” 35Then they told what
had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the
breaking of the bread.
Rev. Peter Hofstra
[A]
This is still Easter Sunday.
[B]
Was it intentional or were they so focused on the knowledge that Jesus was dead
that they did not recognize him?
Remember Mary Magdalene thought it was the gardener when she met Jesus again.
[D]
Jesus is letting them tell their story, as they understand it.
[E]
They kind of got the message that Jesus was preaching.
[F]
The vision of the women is deliberately discounted, which may provoke Jesus’
reaction.
[H] Oh
what a Bible Study that would have been!!
[I]
The connection being made is to Jesus at the Last Supper, where he did this
same thing. The breaking of the bread,
the breaking of the Body, there was the link.
So maybe more than just the twelve were at table with him…
[J] In
Seminary, I did a four week study in Israel.
One story shared there was how a Christian, every Easter, would walk
from Jerusalem to Emmaus and back because it was argued that this could not
have happened. Therefore, the story in
Luke was false.
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