Welcome to the St. Martin's Prime Timers Adult Bible Fellowship.
Each Sunday we meet in the Payne Education Center, rooms 207-209,
from 10:10 to 10:50. No ABF classes will meet next week due to
Easter, but come on down and catch us the week after. We've got
fresh coffee and snacks waiting just for you.
Prime Timer Good News!
For $1 you can bring your good news to
the Prime Timers. Max Kech spent time last year at the
Amistad Mission in
Bolivia. The Prime Timers dollars added up and we donated $451 to
the Mission.
For news on
the kids click on the photo!
The Light of the World
Our teacher today was Chris Hershberger. As it was Palm Sunday our
class was somewhat smaller than usual, but Chris made up for it with
an excellent lesson. Since most of our members missed it, we are
printing Chris's notes here in their entirety. I hope our extended
web family enjoys it as well.
Today is SUNDAY OF THE PASSION or Palm
Sunday, and the Bible reading in your chairs describes the events
that transpired as Jesus entered Jerusalem. I believe that the
reading in our services today conveys much more eloquently than I
can, the drama associated with the last week of Jesus’ life. The
central message of today’s lesson is that Jesus entered Jerusalem
and was recognized by his followers as a King, or Messiah (in their
minds perhaps to overthrow the Roman Empire), and therefore they lay
down palm branches and clothing before him as he rode into town on a
donkey.
In the present time, we also recognize Jesus as a King, but for a
different reason. To me, it is because the primary focus of Jesus’
ministry on earth was love. Consequently, I have taken the liberty
to base my remarks today on the lesson that was scheduled for
March 18th.
To me, John’s first epistle conveys that we must understand the love
of God and Jesus and translate their love into the dealings we have
with other people in our lives.
Earlier in my career, I was fortunate to live for 3½ years in
London. Hanging in St. Paul’s Cathedral is one of three paintings by
Holmann Hunt entitled The Light of the World. I am certain that many
of you have seen copies of this painting, in which Jesus is
standing, at night, outside of a door, covered with brambles and
ivy, tapping to seek admission.
In my interpretation of the painting, there are several noteworthy
details:
-
There is no door knob or handle on the
outside – the door can only be opened from the inside to
let Jesus in
-
Jesus is standing in front of the door
at night – More often than not, Jesus will come in the
darkness of our trials and tribulations and offer us his love
-
There is a quietness or peacefulness in
the scene – this contrasts with the haste and horror that
are often the central concerns in our lives
-
Jesus appears to be tapping on
the door – He is not pounding with his fist, while yelling
“HEY - LET ME IN”. In other words, by tapping, Jesus lets us
know that he is available, but we must act to let him in.
-
There is a glow, emanating from Jesus
and His lantern – this, to me, portrays the love that Jesus
wishes us to reflect
-
Jesus appears to
be listening, to determine if there is a response to his tapping
– He appears to be waiting to hear any sign of an
invitation to come in.
Hunt’s
inspiration for this painting was Revelation 3:20 (NIV translation)
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice
and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me.”
So, what does Holmann Hunt’s painting The Light of the World have to
do with our reading from
1 John 4:7-21?
First, I believe that John’s letter instructs us to
love, as God loves – in accordance with God’s good purposes for
other people, not in accordance with our interpretation of their
worthiness or unworthiness. Those who love in this way show
themselves to be “children of God”, or, to put it another way, have
opened the door and let God’s and Jesus’ love into their lives.
Second, because of the love God demonstrates to
each of us, individually, and the resulting value He places on each
of us, we should reflect that love on others, rather than conveying
our own self-centered evaluations of each other.
Third, God’s love for us achieves its goal within
us when we love one another out of the love we have received from
Him and out of His love that we recognize that others have also
received.
Fourth, some of us are inclined to think that it is
easier to love an invisible God, rather than the very visible, but
disagreeable sister or brother who irritates us in some way. We
think it might be easier to love God, but if we do not have the
heart to love the person in front of us as she or he is, how can we
presume to love the God who is inaccessible to all of our senses? In
essence, there is no love for God without loving God’s own.
Fifth, if we believe that we need specific help to
love certain people, as God loves, we have God’s assurance that God
will hear our prayers in this regard and will provide us the
wherewithal to reflect his love through us.
In summary, as the self-centered creatures that we know we are, as
we start out on our journey of transformation into Christ-likeness,
we need to move away from seeing other people in relation to what
they can do for us, how they impede us, how they impact our lives,
how they match up to our expectations and desires for them, and move
toward seeing them as they are in God’s love for them. As we do this
more and more, we are more able to truly love them and not the
projections of our own agendas that they represent. And, naturally,
this opens us up to truly love God, as God is, not as the projection
of our own design for God.
As Jesus said “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your mind”. This is the first and great
commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as
yourself”.
I encourage you to answer the tapping at your door and to let God
and Jesus into your lives so that you may reflect their love to
other people whose paths you might cross.
What thoughts do you have about loving people with whom you come
into contact?
Prime Timers Contact
names and numbers
Mentor
Rev. B. Massey Gentry
mgentry@stmartinsepiscopal.org
Leaders
Anne Berry
832/251-8868 H
atberry@proctor-law.com
Max Kech
713/802-0690 H
maxkech2003@yahoo.com
Marty Smith
713/464-6737 H
martys@houston.rr.com
Teachers
Richard Cruse
Chris Hershberger
Pete Seale
Ben Welmaker
bhwjr@flash.net
Outreach (inviting and
welcoming new members)
Anne Berry
832/251-8868 H
atberry@proctor-law.com
Elizabeth Sleeper
jsleeperjr@houston.rr.com
Caring (prayers,
follow-up w/class members who have been ill or have other needs)
Max Kech
713/802-0690 H
maxkech2003@yahoo.com
Click
here for a print friendly version of this page!
|
|
The famous painting of Jesus by William Holman Hunt entitled The Light
of the World. It was presented to St. Paul's Cathedral in London in
1853. Chris Hershberger's lesson today centered on this painting. You
can click on these photos for a better view. Use your browsers "back"
button to return here.
The Altar in the St. Martin's New Church for Palm Sunday. The color is
oxblood, symbolizing Jesus' blood on the cross.
The St. Martin's New Church is an impressive place to be. Why don't you
come and see it Easter Sunday?
The new Cloister Garden at St. Martin's.
St. Martin's from the Balcony.
St Paul's Cathedral in London.
Built in the 17th century it is the fourth cathedral on that site.
The Lesson for Sunday, April 8th is titled "Discovering Resurrection"
Key Verses: Revelation 1:17-18
Focus of the Lesson: People long to hear good
news, especially if it transforms their lives for the better. What
transforming good news do we have to celebrate this Easter? John's
account of the resurrection tells us that Jesus has conquered sin and
death on our behalf, and the personal witness in Revelation attests to
the ongoing presence of the resurrected Lord in the lives of believers.
The reading is John 20:11-16, 30-31; Revelation 1:12, 17-18. This text
is from the New
Revised Standard Version (NRSV).
Background Scripture:
John 20:1-18, 30-31;
Revelation 1:9-20
11But Mary stood weeping
outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb;
12and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus
had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13They
said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have
taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’ 14When
she had said this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but
she did not know that it was Jesus. 15Jesus said to her,
‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ Supposing him to
be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away,
tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ 16Jesus
said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’
(which means Teacher).
30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his
disciples, which are not written in this book. 31But 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.
Revelation 1:12, 17-18
12Then I turned to see whose
voice it was that spoke to me,
17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he
placed his right hand on me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the first
and the last, 18and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am
alive for ever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades.
NRSV
|