Pastor Scott's Musings

  Incarnation Session Two Dec 3, 2024   The Christ Hymn (Philippians 2:5-11)   at the name given to Jesus      every knee should bend,      in heaven and on earth and under the earth,  and every tongue should confess      that Jesus Christ is Lord,      to the glory of God the Father Philippians 2:10-11 Christmas is a time of giving. God gave the world the Christ child. Magi from the east brought Mary and Joseph gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Paul’s epistle to the Philippians is often called the Letter of Joy. Paul opens his letter with words of joy. Read Philippians 1:3-6   I thank my God every time I remember you. I always pray with joy in my every prayer for all of you because of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus....

  The Truth ( John 18:33-40 )   Christ Enthroned Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano (c. 1459 – c. 1517) Venice, Italy Why did the king go to the dentist? To get his crown checked.   What is a king’s favorite kind of weather. Reign   Happy Christ the King Sunday! On this day we reflect on the reign of Jesus as King. But exactly how is Jesus King and what does that mean for our lives?   Our reading from John 18 is during Jesus’ hearing before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.   Pilate asked Jesus 3 questions.   1)    Are you the King of the Jews? 2)    What have you done? 3)    What is truth?   Jesus answers with vague indirect responses. That’s on purpose, because John paints a picture of Jesus as the mysterious one descended from heaven.   Pilate views Jesus as an upstart looking to usurp Herod Antipas as ruler over the Jews. It doesn’t occur to him that Jesus might be kin...

Apocalypse (Mark 13:1-8) S o also you, when you see these things happening, know  that he is near, right at the door. Mark 13:29 God spoke to the President of the United States in a dream and told him the world was going to end in 2 weeks. Biden called a press conference immediately and said: “I have two pieces of news, and both are good! First, God exists! And second, I get to be president until the end of the world!” I got spit on by a farm animal once. I threw such a fit, you’d think it was the end of the world, but it was just the alpaca lips.  When we hear the word apocalypse, we automatically think the end of the world. But apocalypse doesn’t mean the end of the world. It means revealing, to lay bare, to open our eyes to the naked truth. Apocalypse means to uncover that which was hidden, or misunderstood. The Greek word apo-cah’-loop-sees appears 18 times in the New Testament. It is sometimes translated as appearance, like the promised return of Christ. Mark 13 is part o...

 Incarnation Session One Nov 19, 2024 The Last Adam When you think of the word incarnation, what comes to mind? Incarnation is the spiritual actualized in this world. Incarnation is central to our understanding of Jesus, He is God in the flesh. He came from the Holy Spirit and was bore by Mary. But there are many appearances of spiritual or divine beings in the Old Testament. These appearances include visiting angels eating, drinking, and even wrestling. The Israelites witnessed the presence of God in smoke and fire. God empowered a donkey to converse with Balaam. And the prophets fell into trances and spoke in tongues while filled with the Spirit of the Lord. The Spirit empowered Samson with great strength to fight Israel’s enemies, the Philistines. The earliest incarnation was God’s Spirit hovering over the dark waters of chaos and speaking light and life into the abyss. God made Adam a living being by breathing the breath of life into a lump of earth formed by God’s hands. Tonig...

Intro to the Bible Class Notes Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105 1) How people think of the Bible ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Antiquated and irrelevant                                                                       Every Word comes from God’s mouth   2) What is the Bible For? All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the person of God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. (1Ti 3:16-17) Do not merely listen to the word, and so de...

  Life Speaks Louder ( John 11:32-44 )   Lazarus, come forth! The angel of death appears before a lawyer and says, "Your time has come." The lawyer starts crying, "But I'm only forty!" The Angel of death says, "Not according to your billable hours."   We’re jumping over to John’s gospel today. Jesus and his disciples came to Jerusalem for Hannukah. The Jewish leaders urged Jesus to tell them if he was the Christ or not. Jesus said, “I’ve already told you,” by the deeds of power he was performing, like restoring the sight of a man born blind or healing a man who was paralyzed for 38 years. Jesus told them they don’t know who he is, because they are not his sheep. His sheep know his voice and follow him. Jesus said John 10:28-30,   I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one will snatch them from my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can snatch them from my Father’s hand. The Father ...