What is it with these people (BCP)

Has any people ever heard the voice of a god speaking out of a fire, as you have heard, and lived? Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by terrifying displays of power, as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?

Over and over and over again the people turn from their God. Over and over and over again they get enamored with a shiny calf.
Over and over and over again they fail to live up to God's call which
over and over and over again leads to problems in judges, in kings, in syncrtistic worship.

Over and over and over again I turn away from God.
Over and over and over agian I get enamored with the empty boxes on my to-do list.
Over and over and over again I fail to live up to God's call which
over and over and over again leads to problems in relationships, in time-management, in practices.

This part of the book of Deuteronomy sounds like something I should try to memorize. It seems like if I had this as a mantra defining the beat of my life I might not do these things over and over and over again. I might listen to God. I might do the things that He has asked me to do. I might live into the covenant.

In Honor of Philip (BCP)

There are few stories in the Bible that I find cooler than Philip and the Eunuch. And how appropriate on this feast day of Philip and James the less!

Being in OT this year has opened my eyes to a lot of things that I had never before thought of or heard. Philip didn't have the great benefit of Stephen Cook as his OT professor. No. Instead, Philip drew on his experience with the risen Jesus of Nazareth to unpack the ancient Hebrew Scripture.

"Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,

and like a lamb silent before its shearer,

so he does not open his mouth.

In his humiliation justice was denied him.

Who can describe his generation?

For his life is taken away from the earth."

The suffering servant passages in II-Isaiah are amazing in the light of 750 years of history between when they were uttered and when they came to fulfillment in Christ Jesus. I know I'm all over the place tonight, but all that aside what is really fascinating to me is the way in which Philip trusts the Spirit. An angel appears to him first and says "go" and he goes. Then the Spirit commands him to go over to an Ethiopian chariot, and he goes. Then, one can only assume that the Spirit opens the Scriputres to Philip and allows him to speak, and he speaks. Then Philip is called upon to baptize (without formal training "gasp") and he baptizes the man. Still again, the Spirit snatches up ol' Philip and upon his arrival at the new place, Philip goes on proclaiming the Good News.

Wow, what faith!