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April 22, 2007 "Redeemable" |
Welcome to the St. Martin's Prime Timers Adult Bible Fellowship.
We meet each Sunday in the Payne Education Center, rooms 207-209, from 10:10 to 10:50am. Prime Timers is geared towards people aged fifty to sixty-four, people in the prime of life. We always welcome new members and you are invited, whatever your age!
Prime Timer Good News!
For $1 you can bring your good news to the Prime Timers. Today a new member gave thanks for her first one million dollar real estate sale! Long time member George Laigle contributed a dollar to Henny Penny (the Prime Timers Good News chicken!) for all the cuss words he used filling out his income tax.
Worshiping God Alone
Our readings this Spring are from Revelation and the First Letter of John. Pete Seale guided us through the difficult times this represents. 1 John was most likely written about one hundred years after the death of Jesus, a time when many Christians were "becoming their own idols," losing sight of the true meaning of Jesus' words. 1 John was written to the remaining members of the Johannine community, encouraging them to remain faithful. Many alternative interpretations arose at this time, including the Docetic community, who claimed that Jesus only seemed to be human.
Pete read a series of passages from 1 John.
1 John 2:3-6: Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. 4Whoever says, ‘I have come to know him’, but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; 5but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him: 6whoever says, ‘I abide in him’, ought to walk just as he walked.
1 John 2:15-20: Do not love the world or
the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who
love the world; 16for all that is in
the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride
in riches—comes not from the Father but from the world.
17And the world and its desire are passing away,
but those who do the will of God live for ever.
18Children, it is the last hour! As
you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists
have come. From this we know that it is the last hour.
19They went out from us, but they did not belong
to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with
us. But by going out they made it plain that none of them belongs to
us. 20But you have been anointed by the
Holy One, and all of you have knowledge.
1 John 3:4-9: Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. 7Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8Everyone who commits sin is a child of the devil; for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 9Those who have been born of God do not sin, because God’s seed abides in them; they cannot sin, because they have been born of God.
1 John 4:1-3: Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming; and now it is already in the world.
1 John 4:15-22: God abides in those who
confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God.
16So we have known and believe the love that
God has for us.
God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God
abides in them. 17Love has been
perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of
judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world.
18There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts
out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has
not reached perfection in love. 19We
love because he first loved us. 20Those
who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters, are
liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have
seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. 21The
com-mandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love
their brothers and sisters also.
Pete began his exploration of Revelation by suggesting we read it! After all it is one of the shorter books of the Bible. Revelation was written in code due to the persecutions of Christians, quite severe at this point in history. Roman Emperors were referred to as "My Lord, My God" for instance, so using this phrase in Revelation is a way to avoid scrutiny, while at the same time attacking imperialism. If you haven't read the passage from Revelation in today's lesson, click here. The artwork on the right side of this page is inspired by those words. Pete read more from this Gospel.
Revelation 2:2-6: ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance. I know that you cannot tolerate evildoers; you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them to be false. 3I also know that you are enduring patiently and bearing up for the sake of my name, and that you have not grown weary. 4But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5Remember then from what you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6Yet this is to your credit: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
Revelation 2:9-11: ‘I know your affliction and your poverty, even though you are rich. I know the slander on the part of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Whoever conquers will not be harmed by the second death.
Hopefully these passages from Revelation will whet your appetite for more. Pete described Jesus proclamations to the seven churches introduced by John. Know how many times seven is mentioned in Revelation? Fifty-four times! Seven is also used as a structural device: seven seals, seven proclamations, seven trumpets and seven bowls.
Prime Timers Contact names and numbers
Mentor
Rev. B. Massey Gentry
mgentry@stmartinsepiscopal.org
Leaders
Anne Berry
832/251-8868 H
atberry@proctor-law.com
Max Kech
713/802-0690 H
maxkech2003@yahoo.com
Marty Smith
713/464-6737 H
martys@houston.rr.com
Teachers
Richard Cruse
Chris Hershberger
Pete Seale
Ben Welmaker
bhwjr@flash.net
Outreach (inviting and welcoming new members)
Anne Berry
832/251-8868 H
atberry@proctor-law.com
Elizabeth Sleeper
jsleeperjr@houston.rr.com
Caring (prayers, follow-up w/class members who have been ill or have other needs)
Max Kech
713/802-0690 H
maxkech2003@yahoo.com
You can click on these photos for a better view. Use your browsers "back" button to return here.
The Vision of St. John the Evangelist, by an unknown German Master, around 1450. Oil on oak panel, it is at the Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Cologne, Germany. We are reading Revelation this Spring. Revelation 4:6 "...Around the throne, and on each side of the throne, are four living creatures"
St. John Alterpiece (right wing), by Hans Memling, 1474-79, Oil on oak panel, at Memlingmuseum, Sint-Janshospitaal, Bruges, Belgium.
The Last Judgment, by Jan van Eyck, 1420-25
Oil on wood transferred to canvas, at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
St. John and the Twenty-Four Elders, by Albrecht Durer, 1497-98, Woodcut, at Staatliche Kunsthalle, Karlsruhe, Germany.
The Lesson for Sunday, April 22th is titled "Redeemable"
Key Verse: Revelation 5:13
Focus of the Lesson: Most people want to know that there is a possibility for forgiveness when they do something wrong or make a mistake. What guarantee of forgiveness do we have? Revelation 5 reassures us that the Lamb, who is worthy of our praise, has redeemed us.
The reading is Revelation 5:1-5, 11-14. This text is from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).
Background Scripture: Revelation 5
1Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals; 2and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?’ 3And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. 4And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’
11Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12singing with full voice,
‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered
to receive power and wealth and wisdom
and might
and honour and glory and blessing!’
13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing,
‘To the one seated on the throne and
to the Lamb
be blessing and honour and glory and might
for ever and ever!’
14And the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ And the elders fell down and worshipped.
NRSV
Pictures by Great Masters are courtesy of the Web Gallery of Art.
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