Scripture Text (NRSV)
2:21 Do not fear, O soil; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done
great things!
2:22 Do not fear, you animals of the field, for the pastures of the
wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit, the fig tree and vine
give their full yield.
2:23 O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the LORD your God; for
he has given the early rain for your vindication, he has poured down
for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as before.
2:24 The threshing floors shall be full of grain, the vats shall
overflow with wine and oil.
2:25 I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has
eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which
I sent against you.
2:26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of
the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people
shall never again be put to shame.
2:27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I, the
LORD, am your God and there is no other. And my people shall never
again be put to shame.
Comments:
The prophecy of Joel comes from the period of 500 to 350 B.C. He views
a locust plague that ravaged the country as God's judgment on the
people, whom he then calls to repentance. Today's reading points
beyond the judgment of the Day of the Lord, when the Lord will repay
"the years that the swarming locust has eaten."
I'll be preaching on this text at an interfaith Thanksgiving service
on Nov. 23 -- truly interfaith, with Protestant, RC, Jewish, Muslim,
Bahai and other communities represented. Any thoughts on how, in such
a situation, one might address verse 27 ... "I the Lord am your God,
and there is no other." (I'm UCC ... and have been given the
encouraged to speak from my own perspective, but respectfully of the
others present naturally...)
Squeeze
Not to be closed-minded, but where in the Bible does it say to be
tolerant of other gods? There is but one God. There is but one way,
Jesus Christ. If we don't believe this, then why be a Christian? PH in
OH
Squeeze - I appreciate your dilemma. Here's some input from my
personal perspective:
I came to a conclusion that I was a little tired of being a good
little polite Christian. I preach what I know to be true. The way I
see it, if others are allowed to be who they are, then you are, too.
Granted, this isn't a platform to stand up and slam the other
religions. Nonetheless, you are a Christian. It doesn't sound like
anyone's going to have a problem with your being Christian, so they
know up front that you proclaim a Judeo-Christian message.
I have an devotion and an article I wrote that I entitled, "Why I Put
a Jesus Fish on My Car." and the answer is that I have a non-Christian
friend who bristles at many expressions of the Christian faith and she
once told me as a compliment, "At least you don't have a Jesus fish on
your car." I decided if I couldn't tastefully acknowledge who I am and
what I know, then it's the same as being ashamed of who I am and what
I know ... (and we know the Scripture on that).
Acknowledging who we are and what we believe does not have to mean
cornering someone and metaphorically slapping them around with a
Bible.
Just some input from Sally in GA
Dear Squeeze, Blessings on you as minister to the faithful this
Sunday. As a fellow UCCer, I applaud you and encourage you, yes to
speak from your perspective. I also believe that God doesn't care what
name we call him/her so that if we use, Allah, Yahweh, Abba or any
other of the 101 names for God -God is available, present and
responsive to us. All religions (except Buddhism and atheism)
acknowledge that persons are to place their devotion to "God" above
any other attention-grabbing seduction the world has to offer. It is
from our Creator that we are blessed and provided for and we are to
rejoice and acknowledge God's role in our life above all others.
Blessings to you. RevS. in CA
Dear Squeeze, Blessings on you as you minister to the faithful this
Sunday. As a fellow UCCer, I applaud you and encourage you, yes to
speak from your perspective. I also believe that God doesn't care what
name we call him/her so that if we use, Allah, Yahweh, Abba or any
other of the 101 names for God -God is available, present and
responsive to us. All religions (except Buddhism and atheism)
acknowledge that persons are to place their devotion to "God" above
any other attention-grabbing seduction the world has to offer. It is
from our Creator that we are blessed and provided for and we are to
rejoice and acknowledge God's role in our life above all others.
Blessings to you. RevS. in CA
Hello Squeeze. As one who believes that the doctrine of the Trinity
accurately reflects what the Bible says about God, and since other
religions do not describe their god in the same way the doctrine of
the Trinity does, I would conclude that they are not talking about the
same God. I realize that there are dangers in that kind of thinking
(for instance, what do I do with the Jews, and I recognize that not
all Christians accept the doctrine of the Trinity, etc.) Anyway, from
my perspective, I am awfully glad I'm not in your shoes! I respect
your courage! But if I had to, I think I would use "I Statements." You
know, "I'm a Christian. I see things from a Christian perspective.
This is what I believe..." That allows me to be faithful to what I
believe (even gently confrontational if need be) without having to be
"politically correct." Please keep in mind that the snow we have here
in Minnesota may have frozen a portion of my brain. LB in MN
