[Mcgregorpage] McGregorPage #632, Pentecost 24, 10/26/08

[rmcgregoralbq at aol.com]

To unsubscribe simply send an email to mcgregorpage-unsubscribe at intenex.net. (no text needed)

Pentecost 24, October 26, 2008

Deuteronomy 34:1 12
Psalm 90:1 6, 13 17 
1 Thessalonians 2:1 8
Matthew 22:34 46


A Peek At The Future

At the end of Moses' faithful life, God gave him a peek at the future.  His vision was perfect, the Scripture says.  He was able to see all the way to the Mediterranean.  In fact, it says he was in perfect health, which causes one to wonder what he died of.  And, since he was the greatest of prophets, why they forgot where they buried him. "Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord's command." (Deuteronomy 34:5)   Jesus died in perfect health, (at the Lord's command?) and no one remembered where he was buried either.  Is it possible that God also gave Jesus a peek at the future, if not from the cross, from the ascension?  And if so, was it a peek at the Mediterranean or at Paul bringing the good news to Thessalonica or at all the children of the Gospel who, because of the faithfulness of Jesus, would come to embrace the single righteousness, to love God and neighbor?  

A part of the vision of the pioneers and perfectors of our faith is a just society.  "You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor."  (Leviticus 19:15)  The consummation of God's promise to Israel is not just conceived in ter
ms of the possession of the land (Deuteronomy 34), but in terms of a righteous community, a holy community (Leviticus).  This holiness is synonymous with being filled with the Holy Spirit.  Justice that is equal for rich and poor alike emerges from the same Holy Spirit as does speaking in tongues or any of the other gifts.  There is but one Holy Spirit and one righteousness.  To love God and to love neighbor are forever bound together in the nature of the Holy one of Israel.  Therefore the one who campaigns for human rights has half a vision, and the one who turns to worship God has half a vision, but the one who does both has seen what God showed to Moses, the future for which Christ gave his life, holy community. 

We live toward a vision of holy community.  Its geography is the earth and its power is the presence of God.  Joshua crossed the Jordan River with that vision before him and the Spirit of God within him.  The disciples of Jesus departed Jerusalem after Pentecost filled with the Spirit of God and following the vision of a holy community.  Living toward this vision starts at home.  We must study justice, especially distributive justice, to know it.  We must commit to justice to will it.  We must pray for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to do it.  The vision doesn't stop at home or at church.  The vision is nothing less than the human community being the holy community.  It is a time when "the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of 
the Lord and of His Christ." This is the peace we seek.


May these thoughts strengthen you. 
 
An Open Letter to Fellow Pastors 
>From Roland McGregor, United Methodist Pastor 
(an e-mail service) 
 
[See Web Page address below for a Children’s Message coordinated with these lections.] 
 
http://www.webspawner.com/users/ChildPage/ 
 
Multiple Sermon Starter Essays are available at 
http://www.webspawner.com/users/McGregorPage/ 
 
Children’s Sermons coordinated with McGregorPage  available free to your email inbox 
To subscribe, write the word SUBSCRIBE in the Subject line and send it to childpage-request at intenex.net. 
 
To unsubscribe simply send an email to mcgregorpage-unsubscribe at intenex.net. (no text needed)
 
You may contact the author at RMcGregorAlbq at AOL.COM. 
 
  --Copyright 2008, Roland McGregor, all rights reserved— 
You have permission to share this material with any individual provided that you include the source with e-mail address.