The Blessing

On Sunday, we continued our series on Genesis to Revelation by looking at the priestly blessing from Numbers 6:22-27. If you want details on the sermon, go to www.meafordbaptist.ca or www.stephenjbedard.com. The point I want to make here is that God is not only interested in what we can give him. Christianity is not just about rule-following. Of course God does have an interest in how we live our lives and he does expect us to follow his will. But God is also a God of blessing who loves to bless his children. I am not suggesting a health/wealth prosperity gospel that teaches as children of the King we all deserve perfect health and large bank accounts. But in reacting against the prosperity gospel, perhaps we have lost sight of how God wants to bless us. Remember, the Gospel is literally Good News. God has something wonderful for us. It is not just pie in the sky when we die. There are blessings that we enjoy in this life that we need to thank God for them. Read the priestly blessing for yourself and glorify God as the God of blessing.

An Eye For An Eye

Last Sunday we looked at the famous eye for an eye passage from Leviticus 24. This has been seen by many people as a barbaric teaching that encourages vengeance. Ghandi said that an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Some would say that Jesus himself contradicts it in Matthew 5.

I believe this is all based on a misunderstanding of the text. In that culture, it was very easy for a small offence to turn into a blood feud. This passage says that the punishment must be limited to the severity of the crime. In that way, this law was remarkably compassionate. So when Jesus in Matthew 5 reinterprets this passage, he is not contradicting it but strengthening it. He is not taking it from vengeance to compassion but from compassion to greater compassion.

For the next few weeks, this message in text and audio can be found on www.meafordbaptist.ca. Make sure to check out www.stephenjbedard.com as well.

The Name of God

Last week we continued our series on Genesis to Revelation by looking at Exodus 3. We looked at the question of God's name. God's name is not God. That is a title or a description. In Exodus 3, God reveals his name as I Am from which we get YHWH (Yahweh or Jehovah). This speaks of God's eternal nature, the one who exists and who is not dependent on creation, the one who will always be there. In the New Testament there was an additional revelation of the name of God. The baptismal formula is the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We can understand God as Father but his role as Son was surprising. So was the revelation of the Spirit as a person within God and not just a force. In human relationships learning true names speaks of the intimacy of the friendship. As God revealed himself, first as I Am, and then as Father, Son and Spirit, he was taking the steps to create a deeper relationship between humanity and himself.

Pat Robertson Does Not Speak For All Christians

Pat Robertson has a reputation for saying thoughtless things in the midst of suffering. Robertson is now saying that the earthquake in Haiti is the result of Haiti's pact with the devil. You can read about it here. To my non-Christian friends, I want to make it absolutely clear: Pat Robertson does not speak for all Christians. This earthquake is a tragedy and our hearts go out to the victims. The people of Haiti need our compassion and not crazy theories. Pat, please read your Bible and act accordingly!

Finding the Good in the Bad

Last Sunday we started our series on Genesis to Revelation. We began by looking at the story of Joseph from Genesis. Things went horribly bad for Joseph. Joseph was picked on by his brothers, beat up, abandoned by his family, sold into slavery, arrested for something he did not do, forgotten in jail even after someone promised to help him and yet Joseph saw all of this as part of God bringing about something good out of the bad.

The fact is that life is not fair. We have to decide how we are going to respond. There are certain things we can learn from Joseph's experience. If we are to survive our challenges and struggles we must have a relationship with God. Not just a vague notion that he is out there some where but an actual relationship. We must choose to do the right thing even when all our feelings and circumstances say otherwise. We must accept God's timetable. We might not like it but we must accept it. We must not get bitter. It is normal to feel down and discouraged but we must not embrace bitterness. Choose to see the best out of every situation. Finally, we must be willing to respond when God wants to use our suffering to bless others. Do not make others pay for your suffering, let God use you to help others. That is what Joseph did and that is what we must do as well.

For the next few weeks, the text and audio of this message will be on www.meafordbaptist.ca and for the foreseeable future the audio will be on www.stephenjbedard.com.

Jordan Asks Canada to Seize the Dead Sea Scrolls

A few months ago, Amanda and I enjoyed seeing the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. It was an incredible opportunity to see these valuable texts that tell us so much about life and religion in Israel around the time of Jesus. Unfortunately, politics always seems to enter in. The country of Jordan has formally requested that Canada seize the Dead Sea Scrolls before they return to Israel. You can read the story here. It will never happen and I can not see what Jordan would hope to gain be even making such a request.

Autism Clusters

Are certain areas or certain kinds of people more likely have autistic children. This story from CNN suggests so. The study claims that well-educated, white and older parents are more likely to have autistic children. I am only on my fifth university degree, so this has nothing to do with me.

Goals for 2010

I am a strong believer in goal setting. These are not exactly New Year's resolutions but they are close enough. Since I need all the help I can get to keep me accountable, I might as well make them public.

1) Spiritual Goal - To take one day a quarter for prayer, Bible reading and reflection.

2) Physical Goal - To lose weight and reach 165 lbs. (I am currently 179 lbs.)

3) Academic Goals - To have my dissertation proposal accepted, to have two articles published and one book published.

I have some family goals as well, but because of the nature of our family situation, it will be better for me to reveal them after they have been accomplished. I plan to return to this post in one year and check in on how I did. Perhaps I will give a progress report on June 1 to see how things are going.