Faith Notes for August 10, 2021

First Presbyterian Church of Big Spring

New News:

Choir practice was held Sunday evening. Music and Choir Master Gabe Martinez led five singers through their paces on the opening night and everything went great for the first gathering in a long time. We look forward to great singing and enthusiasm in the pews!

This Sunday we’ll follow the complimentary lectionary readings for the twelfth Sunday of Pentecost. That will include Psalm 34:9-14; Proverbs 9:1-6; John 6:35, 51-58; Ephesians 5: 15 - 20. 

Psalm 34 continues into its middle verses this week. Whereas the first eight verses expressed praise, verses 9-14 give the listener a lesson on reverence. These verses also demonstrate a difference between a life lived wisely by the counsel of God and a life apart from God. One can be a hungry young lion scavenging unsuccessfully on a seeker of God and peace who lacks no good thing. 

In the Bible, Wisdom is a woman. But so is her evil twin Folly. Our reading from Proverbs this week focuses on Wisdom, but Folly is lurking. Wisdom has built her house at the beginning of time when the earth was supported by seven pillars and now she is throwing a banquet. The invitation list includes those willing to be devoted to her like attendants might be devoted to a goddess in a temple. However, devotion to Wisdom is mature and imparts knowledge. People who read the rest of this Proverb will learn that Folly is loud, ignorant, and teaches deceit.

This week in John 6, we hear a dispute that some people even raise today: How can Jesus give us His actual body to eat? Greek language at the time of Jesus had two words for body. One is soma and the other is sarx. They are not interchangeable. Sarx conveys the idea of flesh, particularly mortal flesh and all the vulnerabilities and negative inclinations that come with mortality. Soma is a body without those vulnerabilities and inclinations. Here, sarx is used and that means that it is the mortal flesh of Jesus that is offered in Eucharist, complete with every rotting molecule. That’s the body that came from God bearing light and love and life. That is the body that was crucified. That is the body that is offered at the table of Christ. But resurrection and new life give us new somabodies purged of fleshly temptations and instincts.

This week’s Ephesians passage was written to strengthen Christians, make them more resolute in how they practice faith. It also harkens back to the wisdom teaching of both the Proverbs and Psalm texts for this Sunday. Be careful how you live. Live wisely and not foolishly. Can you hear Wisdom whispering in your right ear and Folly whispering in your left? Let Wisdom strengthen you and also let worship strengthen you. Worship is spiritual formation that fills us with the Holy Spirit so that we will be able to go out into the world clear-eyed, grateful, making use of the time we have, and unified in Christ. A good lesson for congregations in our conflicted society.

Calendar of Meetings and Gatherings: 

Women’s Bible Study - August 11 at 10:00am in the church library 
History class- August 11 at noon in the church theater room. 
Lectionary Bible Study - August 11 at 5:00pm in the church library. 
Lunch Bunch- every Thursday at 11:30 am. 
Worship Committee- August 12 at 3:00pm.

 See you in church!

Allen