The last several years of the Northern Kingdom were a chain of disasters. (Remember, it is only after the fall of the Northern Kingdom that we refer to the whole nation as Israel. Up until now, only the Northern Kingdom is called Israel while the Southern Kingdom is called Judah.) Here is the list of kings of Israel in those final days: Zechariah reigned six months and was assassinated. Shallum reigned for six months and was assassinated. Menachem reigned ten years but what is recorded as a summary of his time is that he attacked a city and ripped open all the pregnant women. He is also the first to…

It is 413 years from the death of Solomon to the fall of Jerusalem and our text for today is just around 120 years after Solomon’s death. While many of the kings are direct descendants of previous kings, the history of Judah is filled with assassinations, coups, attempted coups, insurrections and illegitimate rulers. It’s a mess. From Solomon to the fall of Jerusalem there are only a handful of kings about which Scripture says they followed the ways of David instead of the ways of Jeroboam. The story we are in this morning is no exception. It is complicated and tragic. There are two accounts. One is in 2 Kings…

Following the story in 2 King’s 5 of Elisha’s curing Naaman, the commander of the king of Aram’s army, of leprosy is the story of Gehazi, the servant of Elisha. I’ve known people who had such discernment and sensitivity they could instantly know when things were not going well or someone was shading the truth or telling a lie. My mother was that way. I don’t know how she knew but she could look at me and instantly know something was not right. Of course, the odds were in her favor.I had another friend who after I told them I was fine would always say, “Yes, but tell me how…

Every prophet lives in a context. Some, like Nathan, are only called on one time to correct a king who is a man after God’s own heart. Others, like Jeremiah, are called to serve when a whole nation is on the brink of disaster and his whole life is given over to conflict, persecution, hatred, obstruction and then an unknown death. Like the book of Hebrews says, “Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated – the…

Partly as a response to the division of the country and the crisis of loyalty caused by the Civil War, Francis Bellamy, the son of a Baptist minister, was given the assignment in 1892 to write a Pledge of Allegiance to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the New World. It was very simple: “I pledge allegiance to my flag and the Republic for which it stands—one Nation indivisible—with liberty and justice for all.” Years later, it was amended to include “the United States of America” in 1923 and then as a result of lobbying by the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization, President Eisenhower approved…

My travel agent informed me this week that for people my age to rent a car in Ireland we must now provide proof that we are not only fully insured but a statement from our doctor that we are healthy enough to drive. I believe I have graduated to a different status in life. I am now elderly. Elderly is better than simply old. Elderly means exactly that. It means I have the opportunity now of being an elder and that is so different from merely being old. An elder can choose to be wise and of use in unique ways. I can resist being old but I can embrace…

This is our last week in Thessalonians. Next week we will start the new series on 1 and 2 Kings. Paul rarely uses the word “command” in his letters. More often than not he will use “urge” as he does in Romans 12 and Ephesians 4. Sometimes, he uses the word “appeal” as in 1 Corinthians 1 and 2 Corinthians 10. Now and then he will actually use the word “plead” as he does in Galatians 4 and then in a couple of places he uses the word for “advice”. In fact, in two places he actually says “I have no command from the Lord” and “I am not commanding…

This is our next to last lesson in the two letters to the Thessalonians.  Paul has finished correcting some of the rumors that had been flying around the church about the end times and all of the speculation which was unhealthy and unhelpful. He has told them how thankful he is for them and how they are to stand firm and hold on to the teachings he passed on to them. Then, he underscores that by saying not only does he want to encourage them himself but he is asking that God the Father and Christ himself will encourage their hearts. Their encouragement is so much better than even the…

This will be our last Sunday in 1 Thessalonians. I suppose the whole book could be summed up in the phrase found in chapter 2 verse 12: “live lives worthy of God.”  The balance of Paul’s letter is about doing just that.  Turn from idols to serve the living and true God; become a fellowship from which the Gospel rings out; stand firm in the Lord; be self-controlled; be holy; lead a quiet life; work; earn the respect of outsiders; live in the light; build up each other. These are the characteristics of living lives worthy of God. But here at the close, Paul wants to give final and concrete…

FOMO or the fear of missing out is not something new. It’s been around for thousands of years. In fact, it was one of the issues Paul addresses here in Thessalonians. For many in the early church there were two false teachings that were playing on the fears and insecurities of the new believers. The first was that Paul had sent around a letter saying that the day of the Lord had already come and anyone still left had been left behind. Of course, were that true then Paul himself as the author of the letter would have been left behind or perhaps had someone send it after he had…