Buzz King: Grace & Joy thru Scripture

Matthew focuses on Jesus as the Messiah promised in many Old Testament prophesies - and thus seems to be writing for Jews.  Luke focuses on Jesus as a prophet, seeming to address Gentiles.  We look at my Scout Master, who was blind, and who inspired me (many, many years later) to look at the Gospel of Luke and consider Jesus as our Prophet.  On Palm Sunday, we see just why this is so critical to do if we truly want to understand Jesus' special relationship to us as humans.

I once spoke with a young man whose father had been a corrupt Methodist Reverend - a man who treated young women in his congregations as prey.  Before his father was exposed and arrested - when this young man was in high school - the Easter season had been his favorite time of year.  We talked about the Gospel of Luke - and the long walk from Capernaum to Jerusalem.  In this podcast, we look at that 106 mile long walk and what it meant for the destiny of Jesus - and to our destinies.

We look at the sometimes confusing, and historically controversial, core Christian concept of the Trinity.  We we look at how this notion of three Gods in one - but only One God - guides us toward an understanding of the three major gifts that we receive from our God.  Importantly, we look at that incredible gift of Sanctification.

We take a broad look at the three "Synoptic" Gospels, Mark, Matthew, and Luke, and how they portray Jesus as a humble, even meek spiritual Messiah.  We compare this to the sometimes outspoken and vocal Jesus in the Gospel of John who declares himself to the the Light of the World.  Why is Jesus so secretive about who he is in the Synoptic Gospels?  What do we learn from John about the power of the Holy Spirit living within us?

We take a sweeping look at the world of Faith and the history of Faith in the one, loving, and trustworthy God.  We look at the history of the manuscripts of the Bible, from ancient oral traditions to the Dead Sea Scrolls to the written story of Jesus.  We see that an astonishing, true story is told: the two phase revelation of God, first to the Chosen People, the people of the Covenant of Moses, and then, second, to us, through the life of Jesus Christ.  We learn what has changed during these two phases - and very importantly, we learn what has not changed.

We look at a ways in which people have tried to "prove" the Bible, using scientific and historical/archeological techniques, in particular, the Nazareth Inscription, a marble inscription that many say "proves" the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We consider, however, what faith truly is - and the losing battle of trying to defend our faith with science, history, and archeology.  We consider just what it means to "believe" and the impact that it has on us.

We look at a book from the Apocrypha: The Wisdom of Solomon.  While some Christians consider it to be part of the Bible canon, most Protestants are unfamiliar with it.  It was written during the "silent period" between Malachi and the birth of Jesus.  It is beautiful, insightful, and argues that wisdom is critical for deep, true faith.  We see that while faith demands wisdom, faith also leads us to greater wisdom.

We look at the "silent period" between the words of the Prophet Malachi and the life of Jesus.  In particular, we see that a few books that many Christians consider to be "apocryphal", the Maccabee books, give us tremendous insight into what was going on in Jerusalem and surrounding areas during the time of Jesus.  We see Jews fighting Jews because some of them had abandoned their God and become Hellenized.  We consider the New Covenant, with Jesus ordering us to love God and to love others and to no longer be violent - and how this has not come true.  Christians have been very violent over the centuries since the life of Jesus.  Why is this?  How do we change this?

We look at the Old Testament's description of the Afterlife.  We find that it is somewhat different from what we read in the New Testament and from what modern Christians tend to believe.  In particular, just what is Hell?  We look the teachings of Jesus - and just what he says is the requirement for a joyous afterlife spent with God.

As a teenager, I once drove through a tunnel of fire, a very brief one.  We look at the use of natural phenomena, like fire, wind, water, and stars in the Bible, and how they are used to represent the power, pretense, and healing nature of God.  We consider why the Bible is so rich in these metaphors - and why they are so valuable to us today, compared the ancient followers of God and Jesus.

We look at the works of the Sages, the wise Israelite scholars who wrote for a very literate audience.  But the Apostles were not educated people.  At one point, Jesus realizes that since he is about to be gone, and the Apostles will be on their own to spread his Word, it is time to be straightforward and blunt with them.  He conveys a message in simple terms that the Apostles must always remember - and that we must always remember.

We look at the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament, and ask the question: Is this truly the same God?  One seems violent and vindictive.  The other preaches love and peace and total forgiveness.  How do we resolve this seeming conflict?  We discover that it is the same God - but God has different missions in the two Testaments.

Recently, I spoke with a young woman who had survived kidney cancer and who had felt a strong connection with Psalm 16.  We look at this Psalm, verse by verse, seeing what it means.  We learn that there are a couple of surprises in this Psalm.  We also see that Scripture, when it connects with us - and this happens through continuous reading - transforms us.  We feel Christ truly within us.

I met a man whose freshman roommate was from Uganda, and who was a Christian living under the ruthless dictatorship of Idi Amin.  It was this student from Uganda who taught my friend how to truly value the freedom to sing a silly song in the dark on Christmas Eve.  We also hear a beautiful rendition of Silent Night from Musiques Libre de Droit (https://www.musiqueslibrededroit.fr/) from SoundCloud.com: https://soundcloud.com/boo-moo-shoo/silent-night-2.

I had rats as a boy, and one day, my father inadvertantly killed one of them.  The next day was Sunday, and my father was sorry that we would have to go to church - and be in front of God - before he could make things right with me.  We look at the season of Advent, where we await the arrival of Jesus in our lives.  We know that how we treat children, and in fact how we treat all people, gets passed on and on and on.  My father showed me love and he always made things right after he had made a mistake.  He taught me how to pass on the love and the kindness of Jesus.