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May 6, 2007 "Finding Community" |
Its the St. Martin's Prime Timers Adult Bible Fellowship Web Page. Welcome!
Sunday from 10:10 to 10:50am you can find us in the Payne Education Center, rooms 207-209. Prime Timers is geared towards people aged fifty to sixty-four, people in the prime of life. We always welcome new members and whatever your age you are invited!
Pete Seale guided us through the book of Revelation during April. Ben Welmaker begins a month as our teacher during May.
The Seal, The Trial, The Promise = Security
Pete Seale took us on a journey through the seventh chapter of Revelation. Revelation is a particularly difficult book of the Bible and Pete suggests a guide in William Barclays book "The Revelation of John."
Last week we explored Chapter Five of Revelation. This week we jump to Chapter Seven, with its talk of the end times and how only those with a "seal" will be saved. Pete brought some context by reading some of the events in Chapter Six.
Revelation 6:1-8: Then I saw the Lamb
open one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living
creatures call out, as with a voice of thunder, ‘Come!’
2I looked, and there was a white horse! Its rider
had a bow; a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering and
to conquer.
3When he opened the second seal, I
heard the second living creature call out, ‘Come!’ 4And
out came another horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to take
peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another;
and he was given a great sword.
5When he opened the third seal, I heard
the third living creature call out, ‘Come!’ I looked, and there was
a black horse! Its rider held a pair of scales in his hand,
6and I heard what seemed to be a voice in
the midst of the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for
a day’s pay, and three quarts of barley for a day’s pay, but do not
damage the olive oil and the wine!’
7When he opened the fourth seal, I
heard the voice of the fourth living creature call out, ‘Come!’
8I looked and there was a pale green horse!
Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed with him; they were
given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword,
famine, and pestilence, and by the wild animals of the earth.
In today's world of commerce, politics, social interaction and power we often think that if we are a good person then everything will be ok. The Book of Revelation disputes this and challenges many of our rationalizations. We take comfort that the grace of God is given to us, but Revelation brings back some of the Old Testament fire and brimstone. If you don't get the "seal" of God you will be destroyed at the end times.
The white horse stands for conquest in war. When a Roman general celebrated a triumph he paraded through the streets in a chariot pulled by white horses. John is using symbols that the people of his time would understand. Yet the bow and white horses also recall the Parthians, the scourge of Rome, who rode white horses and were the most famous bowmen in the world. John is equating terrible times with militaristic conquest, or war.
The blood red horse is taking peace from the earth. The times of Revelation were ones of strife tearing the world apart. Man against man, nation against nation in a chaos of tragic destruction. Jewish pictures of the end times always include the complete disintegration of all human relationships. When there is strife between people against people, nation against nation and hatreds based on class, society is hastening its end.
The black horse represents famine, very severe and causing great hardship, but not desperate enough to kill. Once again John is using images familiar to the people of his time. Poverty in the midst of the wealth and luxury of the ruling class can lead to an uprising by the people. Remember John is talking about signs of the end and not the end itself.
The pale horse represents death and destruction. John is recalling an Old Testament image of what happens when people disobey God's command-ments. Wild beasts will take their children and destroy their cattle. The sword will avenge their breaches of the covenant. Pestilence will pursue them in the cities. They will break the staff of bread and eat but not be satisfied. Truly a sign of very bad times indeed.
We all need to strive for God to "have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in thy will, and walk in thy ways, to the glory of thy Name. Amen." Pete identified Revelation as difficult reading. The four horses describe the strife that we symbolically go through in our lives. The promise of Jesus is that following his path leads to security and peace.
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
You can click on these photos for a better view. Use your browsers "back" button to return here.
Jacobello Alberegno, Vision of St. John the Evangelist, 1360-90. Tempera
on panel, at the
Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice
Albrecht Dürer, The Revelation of St John: 4. The Four Riders of the
Apocalypse 1497-98
Woodcut, at the Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Kunsthalle, Karlsruhe.
Facundus, The Four Horsement, 1047, illumination on parchment, at the Biblioteca Nacional in Madrid, Spain.
The Lesson for Sunday, May 6th is titled "Finding Community"
Key Verse: Revelation 19:6
Focus of the Lesson: Most people want to belong to a community that adds meaning to their life. What community can provide this for us? The description of the marriage feast of the Lamb and his bride in Revelation 19 illustrates that the church is a holy community in which we can find the ultimate meaning for our lives.
The reading is Revelation 19:5-10. This text is from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).
Background Scripture: Revelation 19
5And from the throne came a voice saying,
‘Praise our God,
all you his servants,
and all who fear him,
small and great.’
6Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunder-peals, crying out,
‘Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
7Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready;
8to her it has been granted to be clothed
with fine linen, bright and pure’—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
9And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are true words of God.’ 10Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am a fellow-servant with you and your comrades who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.’
NRSV
Pictures by Great Masters are courtesy of the Web Gallery of Art.
717 Sage Road | Houston, Texas 77056-2199 | (713) 621-3040 | (713) 622-5701 Fax