Timothy Good

May 20, 2013

Original post at http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/WUYV/~3/5zGxqcpJsV8/psalmic-poetry-eighth-opus-dei.html

"Yet you have made them a little lower than God?"

God, brilliant Lord,
yours is a household name.

Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you;
toddlers shout the songs
That drown out enemy talk,
and silence atheist babble.

I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous,
your handmade sky-jewelry,
Moon and stars mounted in their settings.
Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,
Why do you bother with us?
Why take a second look our way?

Yet we’ve so narrowly missed being gods,
bright with Eden’s dawn light.
You put us in charge of your handcrafted world,
repeated to us your Genesis-charge,
Made us lords of sheep and cattle,
even animals out in the wild,
Birds flying and fish swimming,
whales singing in the ocean deeps.

God, brilliant Lord,
your name echoes around the world.

(The Message)

Meditations:

Is "God" a household name in my home?
What is the power of children, and what can we learn from them?
Does God only care for big "important" things?
"Missed being gods" sounds like the serpent's refrain with Adam and Eve. How does this compare to the New Revised Standard Version's "Yet you have made them a little lower than God?"
Think about God's role as our Lord, and compare it to ours as "lords of Creation" - is being a lord a privilege or an obligation?

Permanent link to this article: http://methoblog.com/3_0/2013/05/psalmic-poetry-the-eighth-opus-dei/

May 17 2013

The Naked Alien: Show Us!

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May 17, 2013

Original post at http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/WUYV/~3/jG5kvMoaK1c/show-us.html

Philip said to his Rabbi: "Show us your father, and we'll believe you!"

Jesus replied: "How long have we been together now Phil? You've seen me almost every day, and yet you still don't know me? When you look at me, you see the father - so why do you demand I show Him to you? Don't you believe that the son and the father are one? The words you hear are the father's words, not my own alone. Believe that we are one; but if you can't believe what I say, believe what I do! Truth be told, those who believe in me will not be able to do as I do... You'll be able to do even greater things! It will happen because I will reunite with my Father; just ask us in my name and I will help you.

If you love me, feed my sheep.

I will ask God to send you his spirit to be in you as it is in me. It will come to you and you will welcome it because you will recognize its voice."

(Retelling of John 14:8-17)

Permanent link to this article: http://methoblog.com/3_0/2013/05/show-us/

May 15 2013

The Naked Alien: We All Spoke Pangean -

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May 15, 2013

Original post at http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/WUYV/~3/f-KjpNMeKOU/we-all-spoke-pangean.html

We all spoke the Mother-Tongue, and we all thought The Thought: we would build the first City on Terra and create a mighty rocket-ship to assault Heaven! We were tired of suffering and being pushed around - it was our turn! We wanted progress.

The Lord saw our mighty projects and knew our plans for galactic dominion. He saw too our lack of diversity, and found it bad. He thought: "They have no one to tell them that their group-think is off-track. Their ability to spread evil will know no bounds." And so, He touched us...

All of a sudden we lost the Mother-Tongue! Some groups spoke one language, while other groups their own. We became afraid; were those "others" plotting against us? We fled our shining City on the plain. We abandoned our great works. We left our plans un-launched, like the rocket in its berth. We spread far and wide on the pneuma wind.

(Retelling of Genesis 11:1-9)

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Permanent link to this article: http://methoblog.com/3_0/2013/05/we-all-spoke-pangean/

May 13 2013

The Naked Alien: Acts 2:1-21; Blood Red Wine of Pentecost -

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May 13, 2013

Original post at http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/WUYV/~3/P3MD0Ph1mm0/acts-21-21-blood-red-wine-of-pentecost.html

There's always somebody...

A card in the crowd hears the anti-babel of the disciples speaking in tongues and sees the hearers listening in ears, and shouts: "They're filled with new wine!"

She or he gets the short term satisfaction of the crowd's snickers and guffaws, but little did they know how right they were!

The disciples came to Jesus as old wine-skins, not able to understand or hold the new wine of Jesus' teachings. His words could not grow and ferment within them. But then he bled and died - the blood red wine of the new covenant shed for their sake, and for the sake of many. They died with him. They died to the flesh of their old skins. They were reborn as new wine-skins. And when the Holy Spirit filled them with the Cana wedding wine of Pentecost, they understood. They became able to grow.

What about me? What about my congregation, my denomination, and the Church-at-large: old wine-skins or new?

Permanent link to this article: http://methoblog.com/3_0/2013/05/acts-21-21-blood-red-wine-of-pentecost/

May 10 2013

The Naked Alien: The Lord’s Prayer -

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May 10, 2013

Original post at http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/WUYV/~3/Xh4lre4B40w/the-lords-prayer.html

(Tissot)

"I ask You not for the sake of these gathered around Me, but for all those who will some day believe in Us through their words. I ask that all may become as one with each other and with Us; just as We are One. The world will know Us by them.

As You have anointed Me with power and authority, so have I anointed them so that they will be one and One. Let the world will know Us by them, and know that I love them as dearly and deeply as You love Me.

Abba, I hope that all who have been given to Me will come to live with Me, and see Me in My home.

Righteous One, the world knows little of the Truth of You, but I know You - these friends that I am sending out know that We are One and know You by knowing Me. As We know and love them, let them know and love Us. As We love each other, I pray that they love each other."

(John 17:20-26 retold)

Permanent link to this article: http://methoblog.com/3_0/2013/05/the-lords-prayer/

May 08 2013

The Naked Alien: When Already?

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May 8, 2013

Original post at http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/WUYV/~3/IWCzhHsaXLw/when-already.html

(art by Van Gogh)

“Yes, I’m on my way! I’ll be there soon! I’m bringing my payroll with me. I’ll pay all people in full for their life’s work. I’m A to Z, the First and the Final, Beginning and Conclusion.

“How blessed are those who wash their robes! The Tree of Life is theirs for good, and they’ll walk through the gates to the City. But outside for good are the filthy curs: sorcerers, fornicators, murderers, idolaters—all who love and live lies.

“I, Jesus, sent my Angel to testify to these things for the churches. I’m the Root and Branch of David, the Bright Morning Star.”

     “Come!” say the Spirit and the Bride.
     Whoever hears, echo, “Come!”
     Is anyone thirsty? Come!
     All who will, come and drink,
     Drink freely of the Water of Life!

I give fair warning to all who hear the words of the prophecy of this book: If you add to the words of this prophecy, God will add to your life the disasters written in this book; if you subtract from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will subtract your part from the Tree of Life and the Holy City that are written in this book.

He who testifies to all these things says it again: “I’m on my way! I’ll be there soon!”

Yes! Come, Master Jesus!

The grace of the Master Jesus be with all of you. Oh, Yes!

(Revelation 22:12-21; The Message)

Meditations:

When is "soon"?
Will we be judged by "their life's works" or faith (washed in the blood)?
Does "pay" refer to eternal life, or some reward in eternal life?
The Church is the Bride - do we say come to the thirstiest, or to those already sated?
What is the difference between "adding" and "interpreting"?