No video of this song, we just have to listen to this one...
Acts 2:21
Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you turn around, needing somebody there
Who can give you love and show you good care
If there's a place inside you that's empty and cold
You may need my love, to have, to hold
Call on me, call on me, call on me, call on me
I'll be by your side to keep you satisfied
I want to keep you satisfied
Call on me, call on me call on me, call on me
I'll be by your side to keep you satisfied
"Call on Me" from Straight Shooter recorded by Bad Company written by Paul Rodgers
The Lord saves. The Lord wants to save. The Lord wants to keep us satisfied. How's that for a thought.
There are many, many days when all evidence points to the contrary. Oh so many days when the world wants to wash over us like a tidal wave coming from the cesspool of sinful life. There are days when the only hope is when the stain and wretch and horror of life only reach chest high. Hope, that's for other people. The love of God? It seems like more of a cosmic punch line than a promise.
Here's the wonder of this piece of scripture, Peter is quoting the prophet Joel. Joel is prophesying end times. Let's talk about a time when people envisioned a tidal wave in a cesspool... But Joel had one piece of Good News, just one--Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Everyone.
There really isn't a time when we turn around when we don't need someone there. If we think there is there are two things going wrong: First we're thinking a little too much of ourselves; Second we don't see far enough ahead. We need love in our lives. We need the love of another. We need the love of the Lord. We need the love of the Lord's people. We need to be the Lord's people loving others. We need to call on the Lord.
The Lord cries "call on me." We need to cry and we need to hear because the answer comes. The Lord wants us to call. The Lord wants to respond. That is the promise of hope.
Showing posts with label Acts 2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Acts 2. Show all posts
Saturday, July 2, 2016
Monday, June 20, 2016
Heere Odda Hilldidda Hildhiruhah
It's not Pentecost, but waste not-want not
Acts 2:1-4
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A bow bow
Heere odda hilldidda hildhiruhah
Juuuyr adda hilldadida jigguwah
Hieere odda hittomamma jizzowazzah
Hoow bawlda hillowowa howahwah
Heere odda hilldeninne hilldennine
Hiiire odda hillimoney hilluwowahwah
Dwiire odda higgunama shuppobup
Deare odda hildumama hithuivha
Peurr onna hillimona hillduwiva
"Rubber Biscuit" by Johnson and Adam R. Levy, recorded by The Blues Brothers on "Briefcase Full of Blues"
Speaking other languages, this is what many consider the primary sign of the Pentecost. Sure enough on the fiftieth day after the Resurrection, the Holy Spirit fell upon their place like a rush of violent wind and divided tongues appeared on them with one tongue resting upon each of them. What a day this must have been.
It must have been a very frightening day. Tornadoes have been vicious this spring all over the Eastern United States. Wild fires have burned enough land in West Texas to be visible from space. People romanticize the Pentecost when it must have been very, very frightening. Wind and fire would have been known to the Hebrews living in the Holy Land and they would have known them as a dangerous combination. Tornadoes, fires, we say how glorious this was, but for the men in the room it must have been a holy terror.
Many today say the benchmark of the Pentecost was the giving of the gift of tongues, the ability to speak in other languages. The purpose of this gift was to allow the disciples to take the Word of God to people from other cultures. It was a spontaneous gift. It was also created so that the person who heard the tongue heard it either as gibberish or in their native language. It was a way to take the word to cultures that had not heard it before.
We are lucky in our time. Because of folks like Wycliffe Bible Translators and the Gideons, the word is being spread to people all over the world in their native tongue. Folks at Google and Microsoft, among many, have software that allows translation the written word (not nuanced, but still translated). In this way, the written word continues to have its own version of the gift of tongues.
In his discourse on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Paul implores us to seek the greater gifts of God. In this respect, as for the gift of tongues perhaps it is best to seek this gift to share the Word of God with other. And given the differences between peoples here at home, perhaps the tongues we need to seek to speak are all in our native tongue. This is how we speak truth to the powerful and the oppressed, to old and young, and to rich and poor.
Acts 2:1-4
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A bow bow
Heere odda hilldidda hildhiruhah
Juuuyr adda hilldadida jigguwah
Hieere odda hittomamma jizzowazzah
Hoow bawlda hillowowa howahwah
Heere odda hilldeninne hilldennine
Hiiire odda hillimoney hilluwowahwah
Dwiire odda higgunama shuppobup
Deare odda hildumama hithuivha
Peurr onna hillimona hillduwiva
"Rubber Biscuit" by Johnson and Adam R. Levy, recorded by The Blues Brothers on "Briefcase Full of Blues"
Speaking other languages, this is what many consider the primary sign of the Pentecost. Sure enough on the fiftieth day after the Resurrection, the Holy Spirit fell upon their place like a rush of violent wind and divided tongues appeared on them with one tongue resting upon each of them. What a day this must have been.
It must have been a very frightening day. Tornadoes have been vicious this spring all over the Eastern United States. Wild fires have burned enough land in West Texas to be visible from space. People romanticize the Pentecost when it must have been very, very frightening. Wind and fire would have been known to the Hebrews living in the Holy Land and they would have known them as a dangerous combination. Tornadoes, fires, we say how glorious this was, but for the men in the room it must have been a holy terror.
Many today say the benchmark of the Pentecost was the giving of the gift of tongues, the ability to speak in other languages. The purpose of this gift was to allow the disciples to take the Word of God to people from other cultures. It was a spontaneous gift. It was also created so that the person who heard the tongue heard it either as gibberish or in their native language. It was a way to take the word to cultures that had not heard it before.
We are lucky in our time. Because of folks like Wycliffe Bible Translators and the Gideons, the word is being spread to people all over the world in their native tongue. Folks at Google and Microsoft, among many, have software that allows translation the written word (not nuanced, but still translated). In this way, the written word continues to have its own version of the gift of tongues.
In his discourse on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Paul implores us to seek the greater gifts of God. In this respect, as for the gift of tongues perhaps it is best to seek this gift to share the Word of God with other. And given the differences between peoples here at home, perhaps the tongues we need to seek to speak are all in our native tongue. This is how we speak truth to the powerful and the oppressed, to old and young, and to rich and poor.
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Dreams I'll Never See?
Acts 2:17 (NRSV)
In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just one more mornin'
I had to wake up with the blues
Pulled myself outta bed, yeah
Put on my walkin' shoes,
Went up on the mountain,
To see what I could see,
The whole world was fallin',
right down in front of me.
Dreams by Gregg Allman from The Allman Brothers Band (1969)
Joseph's dreams were of a future no one could imagine, a time when Israel would be so large and so strong that Egypt would send them to their own land, and it all began with his brothers bowing before him. Acts speaks of the day the Holy Spirit was given to the church by the Lord. This advocate, the one who walks alongside us, was poured out upon all flesh at Pentecost. Since that time, the Lord has promised sons and daughters shall prophesy, and young men shall see visions, and old men shall dream dreams.
What ever could have been in Gregg Allman's dreams in 1969? Speculation can abound from people who were there at the time, and by those who weren't. Still, climbing the mountain just to see what could be seen, this is what we need to do everyday. But the mountain we are called to climb doesn't always require shoes.
We are called to climb the mountain and see what lies ahead of us. We can climb this mountain in prayer, seeking with the eyes of our souls-as well as our soles-to discern the will of God. We climb the mountain with fellow believers in discipleship, doing as we are called to do. We climb the mountain in service, doing as the Lord calls us to do.
Perhaps a part of our frustration is that we will never see God's work done. The Allman Brothers sang, "'Cause I'm hung up on dreams I'll never see." Still, we can live in confidence that as long as our Lord lives-and our Lord lives-these dreams will come to fulfillment. The reason why is that these are not our dreams; they're God's dreams. God has a way. God will see it through.
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