Tag Archives: Bible

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 11:33 am on November 29, 2024
Tags: Bible, exodus, , , moses   

November 29, 2024 – Saint of the Day – Saint Saturninus, Martyr

November 29, 2024 – Saint of the Day – Saint Saturninus, Martyr

Companion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity—who are the patron saints of mothers; expectant mothers; butchers; and ranchers. He is the first bishop of Toulouse, France.

“Moses was shepherding the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the west end of the wilderness and came to the mountain of God, Horeb. The angel of God appeared to him in flames of fire blazing out of the middle of a bush. He looked. The bush was blazing away but it didn’t burn up.Moses said, “What’s going on here? I can’t believe this! Amazing! Why doesn’t the bush burn up?” God saw that he had stopped to look. God called to him from out of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” He said, “Yes? I’m right here!” God said, “Don’t come any closer. Remove your sandals from your feet. You’re standing on holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father: The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face, afraid to look at God. God said, “I’ve taken a good, long look at the affliction of my people in Egypt. I’ve heard their cries for deliverance from their slave masters; I know all about their pain. And now I have come down to help them, pry them loose from the grip of Egypt, get them out of that country and bring them to a good land with wide-open spaces, a land lush with milk and honey, the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. “The Israelite cry for help has come to me, and I’ve seen for myself how cruelly they’re being treated by the Egyptians. It’s time for you to go back: I’m sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the People of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 Moses answered God, “But why me? What makes you think that I could ever go to Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?” Exodus 3:1-11

“The Second theme of the Exodus: God chose a leader. Moses was called, along with his brother Aaron and sister Miriam, to tell the people that God was now at last coming to their rescue. Moses then, at God’s behest, led the people out of slavery into freedom.” (“Re-Living the Exodus”,  Simply Jesus,  N. T. Wright, p. 64)

Leaders are so important in our lives: especially the leaders of world, the country, and our communities. Moses was an unlikely leader chosen by G-d. In fact, Moses tried valiantly to convince G-d that he was the wrong person. He did not believe that G-d had the right person to lead the people out of Egypt, coming up with at least five reasons why he was not “the guy”. We still believe that G-d is in the processes we use to elect and choose our leaders today. In the church, when we are electing a Bishop, or other leaders in the Synod, we pray before each election—invoking the Holy Spirit to lead us in our decision-making process. When we go forward to elect our governmental leaders, we should invoke the same Holy Spirit in our decision-making process. Look at what the writer of Timothy says:

“The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.” (1 Timothy 2:1-3)

If you do not believe that prayer is effective and powerful, then it won’t be. But if you pray knowing that your prayers are heard, then those prayers will have more power than you can imagine.

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on January 7, 2016
Tags: Bible   

Translations, Oh The Translations — Rev. David J. Schreffler

                   January 7, 2016

If you “Google” translations of the bible, you may find there are more than one hundred different translations to choose from. I am not sure you will find one hundred selections at your local book store, but a bible reading “App” like “BibleGateway” will give you many, many options. So, which one should you choose? That is your preference, and why it is exciting that there are more than one hundred options to choose from. For, what sounds good to you may not sound good to someone else, but we each need to find what feeds us individually. I always blanch at the thought that so many believers think that the King James Version is the “only” acceptable and true translation to read or study. During my Seminary years I learned that the King James Version (KJV, c. 1611 CE) was translated from the best known manuscripts of their time. But since then, better and older manuscripts have been discovered – but this reality must be accepted, or not.

The question then remains “Which translation?” I have my own favorites. For example, I like the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) which is recommended by the Revised Common Lectionary, a three year cycle of readings used by churches like the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). But, sometimes I like the older translation that predates the NRSV, the Revised Standard Version or (RSV). The New International Version (NIV) is good, and faithful to the Greek language. I also like the New English Translation (NET) and the Contemporary English Version (CEV). And, of course, if you want something called a transliteration, or a paraphrase bible, you could read The Message by Eugene Peterson.

So, what have we learned today? It is simple, if not complex in many ways, but find the translation of the bible that speaks to you – and allows G-d to speak directly to you.
Pastor Dave