An older man in our church
suffers from Alzheimer’s and although names of people are difficult for him to
remember, he is cheerful and faithful in attendance. Jim’s progressive disease has
not stopped him from serving communion. I marvel that even in infirmity not
only is there a desire to serve, but God has a place for us to serve. Mary and
Joseph took the infant Jesus to the temple where Simeon, a righteous and devout
man, blessed the Child. There was also a prophetess, Anna who was widowed after
seven years of marriage and was now very old at age eighty–four.
“She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and
praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave
thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the
redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:37b-38 NIV).
1 comment:
Gail;
-----Paul tells us that before the foundation of the earth, God knew Jesus would be sacrificed. I have no Biblical basis to believe that God knew this immediately as Lucifer very firstly sinned. It just makes sense to me that the all knowing God of unlimited abilities would know the response to anything as it yet is happening.
-----I like to ponder love. I like to pull things down off the high pedestals upon which man has elevated them and view them from the practical plains in which God meant them to operate. Love is no magic, though it can feel that way. Yet love is not about feelings, though it is meant to produce them as well.
-----My philosophy of material existence sees two fundamental properties at the basic root of all matter, which I refer to as “truth” and “love”. For anything to have material form it must be what it is -true- which of course is simply the first principle of science -the identity principal: everything is what it is. This is what makes the state of being a reality. But now that we have stuff being, another property is necessary, a property of process rather than one of being, a property about interaction.
-----The Bible proclaims in several places that the foundation of the earth will never pass away. Paul tells us in I Corinthians 13 that love shall never end. Although the conceptual connection is tidy, it isn’t why I chose “love” as a term for that second, fundamental property. For matter to form things, it must interact. We can not imagine the physical universe existing in any state other than the second law of thermodynamics: that everything works towards its lowest state of being. That means everything interacts towards existing devoid of energy and interaction. Sounds like outer darkness to me. Sounds like something’s broken. And this is precisely what Paul says in Romans 8 about the creation being subjected in bondage to decay. When Adam and Eve disregarded God’s principle of obedience for Satan’s principle of self gratification, the very delicate principle of “love” became the ruthless second law of thermodynamics -the law of elevated self.
-----But the law of elevated self is the law of elevated others twisted and stood upon its head. The law of elevated others is hard for us to imagine, because it is the direct opposite of the second law of thermodynamics. Instead of everything seeking its lowest state of being which affects chaos, everything seeks its highest state of being which affects harmony. Instead of everything causing random effects upon their surroundings in a subjection to decay, everything causes synchronous effects upon their surroundings in an upbuilding towards ever higher states of harmony and purpose (both being aspects opposite of chaos.)
-----I can imagine that when Satan thus introduced elevation of self, God figured in mind a place of ruination by self elevation into which God would throw His principle of lowering self for the elevation of others -The Lamb slain. Then after The Lamb returns as The Lion to establish His rule over all the earth, the distorted, twisted physical existence will flee from the face of the Judge, and the original foundation of the earth -the physical existence founded with the principle opposite of the second law of thermodynamics- will continue forever in a process of perpetually elevating and building up unto ever higher and higher states of His glory.
-----All of this is only what I imagine His Word is meaning. It isn’t meant for anyone to believe. But I share it because the mere thought of it makes me cuckoo for His love, that which upholds and builds up everything good and right and joyfully peaceful.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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