Update November 18th, 2005

Dear Good Shepherd,

Good Morning. This is the first official update since we returned from Texas and it will be the first posted on the web in a week. For some reason we were not able to access the web upload page from Texas. Oh well, information will be updated on the website today and throughout the weekend.

Please keep Anne, Michelle White and me in your prayers this weekend as we attend the diocesan convention in Syracuse. We’ll need them. Pray also for the whole diocese and the bishop.

Weekly Article:

Questions and Answers: The Number Seven

This question was recently sent in by Mr. Ed Habicht.

“I was reading the book of Revelation the other day and everywhere I looked I saw the number seven. Is there anything about “seven“ in the bible?”

Several numbers have special meaning in the bible, as they did in the ancient world. Forty, twelve, and seven each have metaphorical as well as literal meaning. The number seven is probably the most important of these numbers.

To the Jewish people of the Old and New Testament the number seven conveyed the concept of wholeness, fullness, and completion. The link between the number seven and the concept of completeness goes all the way back to the story of creation.

God completed his work of creation on the seventh day. “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because he rested from all the work of creating he had done.” (Genesis 2:2-3)

As time went on seven took on more and more metaphorical significance until it became synonymous with the idea of a blessed completeness.

This does not mean that when you read the number seven in the bible that you should always assume it is being used symbolically or metaphorically. It is usually used both as a metaphor and to convey historically accurate information.

Let me give you an example.

In the book of Revelation, Jesus addresses the seven churches in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) under St. John’s pastoral leadership. These churches were real churches. They weren’t metaphors. And yet, together the trials, sufferings, joys and victories they experience seem to sum up the experience of churches everywhere.

The church in Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6) struggles with unfaithfulness to the law of God in the face of a pagan culture. Jesus urges this church to repent and return to the fold. The church in Sardis, while a real church, is representative of all the churches throughout history that have struggled with compromise and unfaithfulness.

The church in Pergamum (Revelation 2:12-17) by contrast remained faithful throughout an extended period of violent persecution and suffering. Jesus commends them for their perseverance and yet they still tolerate false teachers. Jesus urges this church to repent of this tolerance and stop listening to heresy. The church in Pergamum, while a real, church represents all the churches throughout history that have faced persecution and struggled with heretical leaders and teachers.

Taken together, all churches past and present can locate their own contemporary experiences by analogy in one of the seven churches described in Revelation.

Thus, the number seven is used in this section of revelation both historically: there really were seven churches with these real problems that Jesus addresses; and metaphorically: these churches taken together represent the complete experience of all churches for all time.

Reading further in Revelation you find that John has a vision of Jesus seated on his throne in Heaven surrounded by his disciples, departed believers, and martyrs. John sees seven lamp stands, seven stars, seven scrolls, and later he hears seven trumpets. The use of seven here is much more metaphorical than historical. John really did see these things, but he saw them in an apocalyptic vision. This means that the metaphorical meaning of the number seven ought to take precedence in our interpretation. The sevens represent the fullness of whatever the object in question (a star, lamp stand, trumpet, etc…) symbolizes.

As with all issues of biblical interpretation, the context is the key. What kind of book are you reading? Is it historical narrative like one of the gospels? Is it a record of a prophetic vision like that found in Daniel 7? What is going on in the section of the book you are reading.

The context will tell you which understanding of the number 7 should take precedence.

Take for example the conversation between Jesus and Peter in Matthew 18.

Peter approaches Jesus and asks him, “How many times should I forgive my brother, up to seven times?’ (Matt 18:21)

Peter was probably not using seven in the metaphorical sense. Most likely he literally meant “seven” times. Peter thought that would be more than enough forgiveness.

Here’s Jesus’ answer: “I tell you not seven times, but seventy seven times” (18:22)

Jesus responds to Peter’s literal use with a stronger metaphorical use. Not one seven (7) he says, but two sevens (77).

Jesus was not saying that you should keep a list of someone’s infractions and when they reach 78, stop forgiving.

He was using seven metaphorically.

Forgive completely and wholly and never stop forgiving because no matter how much or how many times you forgive someone, you can never come near forgiving as much as you have been forgiven. (Matt 18:23-35)

As I said above, the key to knowing whether seven is being used metaphorically or literally is the context.

In this section of Matthew, Jesus follows up his response to Peter with a parable intended to convey the infinite mercy and grace of God toward his people (Matt 18:23-35). God forgives believers completely. Thus , in the same way believers should forgive completely (18:35).

The number seven’s metaphorical meaning perfectly fits with this exhortation. Thus, Jesus must have intended his use of the number seven in his reply to Peter to be understood metaphorically, “forgive completely”.

Since Jesus’ was correcting Peter, and not agreeing with him, we can assume also that Peter intended his use of the number seven literally.

It seems complicated, but the more familiar you become with the bible the easier it will become to understand how to use the context to understand when a number is being used metaphorically and when it is being used literally.

Here are the basic metaphorical definitions for the other two numbers I mentioned above:

Twelve: This number is usually representative of the whole people of Israel. It harkens back to the 12 sons of Jacob whose offspring became the 12 tribes of Israel. This is why Jesus chose 12 disciples. to make the point that his ministry represented the restoration of God’s kingdom.

Forty: This number is associated with times of trial and testing. When God sent the great flood, it rained for forty days and forty nights. The people of Israel escaped bondage in Egypt to be tested in the desert for forty years before reaching the promised land. Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights and was tempted by Satan following his baptism during the very earliest period of his public ministry.



Here's the news...


UPDATE CONTENTS
THANKSGIVING
SOUTH SIDE ECUMENICAL COUNCIL’S THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION SERVICE
TOFURKEY
EVANGELISM
THANK YOU ALL
VESTRY MEETING
KRIS KINDLE

FLOWER FUND
WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY

TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY
BEGINNERS BIBLE STUDY
NEW BEGINNERS
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY LIFE
BUFFALO BILLS

NEWS:

THANKSGIVING: There are so very many things to be thankful for this year. I am thankful for you, the people of Good Shepherd, for my home and family, for my but above all I am thankful this year for the gift of Jesus Christ and God’s mercy and grace found in him. I pray that you will take some time this week to remember and be thankful for the power and presence of Jesus Christ in your life and in our life together.

SOUTH SIDE ECUMENICAL COUNCIL’S THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION SERVICE: Will be held at St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church (the large Catholic church just behind Good Shepherd on Livingston street) at 7:00pm on Tuesday, Nov. 22nd. Anne and I and all of the pastors from the participating south side churches will be there. Please come and give your praise and thanksgiving to God with all your Christian brothers and sisters.

TOFURKEY: Has anyone ever tasted Tofurky (tofurkey is a turkey shaped lump of tofu)? This alone is enough to dissuade me from ever becoming a vegetarian.

THERE WILL ONLY BE ONE BIBLE STUDY on Thanksgiving week. The Tuesday morning bible study will meet as usual. ALL of the others will return next week.

DON’T FORGET about EVANGELISM: We're starting to plan for our next evangelism walkabout which has now been scheduled for Saturday December 10th . For those who are new to Good Shepherd, here's how it works. First a team of volunteers makes bread in the church oven. Then another team places the bread in small paper bags along with some information about the church, a bible verse (“I am the bread of life”) and a brochure with the gospel message. Then all the volunteers split up into as many delivery teams as we can (at least two per team) and fan out through the neighborhood knocking on doors and handing out the bags. This makes it very easy to be an evangelist. All you have to do is smile and give away free homemade bread. Last time we delivered bread to 240 homes. This time we hope to double that. If you'd like to volunteer for this project, there will be a sign-up sheet downstairs. Really, I promise, there will be this time :)

THANK YOU ALL: For your open hospitality to Rabbi Ron Goldberg. He enjoyed his last visit at Good Shepherd and said you were all very friendly and gracious.

VESTRY MEETING: There will be a vestry meeting this Sunday after church.

THE KRIS KINDLE name exchange begins this Sunday. I don't know how it works or what will happen, but God does and so does Cookie Finch, so I'm sure it will be sorted out in time.

CHRISTMAS FLOWER FUND FORMS: Will be in the pews this Sunday.

WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY: The Women's Bible Study meets at the regular time and place this Saturday, 10:00am in the parish hall.

TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY: The first class of beginners graduated Tuesday night and they have transitioned into a normal bible study format. If you are looking for a study to join and have already aquired some basic bible skills, this would be a great opportunity for you to join in. WE start with the Gospel of Matthew the Tuesday after Thanksgiving at 7:00pm in the parish hall. Q and A starts at 6:30pm.

THE NEW BEGINNERS BIBLE STUDY: The new Beginners met for the first time this Thursday and had a great time. It is NOT TOO LATE to join this class. But, if you can’t make it this time around, a New Beginners bible study will start afresh in four months, when the current class graduates.

Here is a webpage that provides an overview of the entire beginner's course along with a description of the 7 goals and purposes of the 4 month course. It also provides the reading assignments for each class 4 months running, so if you want to go ahead and start reading you're welcome to go for it.

Remember the New Beginner's series is designed for people with NO experience at all with the bible. You will be taken from the ground up. If you want to know God and experience his Holy Spirit nourishing, guiding, and directing you daily, understanding the bible is the first step. God speaks directly to you through his Word. This series will help you develop an ear to hear his voice.

MARRIAGE & FAMILY LIFE: WE start a new section this Sunday on how to build a Christian Family. Is your family characterized by conflict and chaos or by love, order, and peace? God wants Christian homes to stand out as models to the world and as a place of refuge and strength for families. IF you are starting a family, in a family, or have kids who are starting their families, this section of the course will help you learn the principles involved in building a believing home. It will be based on a book by Douglas Wilson entitled, “Standing on the Promises”. If you have a chance to pick it up, please do. It is a very good and helpful book.

BUFFALO BILLS: Don Dean’s trip to see the Bills is coming up the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I hope you guys will be at the early service before you head out.

GOOD NEWS FOR THE WEEK:
How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. Do good to your servant, and I will live; I will obey your word. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. I am a stranger on earth;
do not hide your commands from me. My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times. (Psalm 119:9-20)


Don't forget to....BRING A FRIEND TO CHURCH!

Daily Schedule for the week of Sunday November 20th, 2005 (Christ the King)

Monday:
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer

Tuesday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
9:00 a.m. Tuesday Morning Bible Study
6:30 p.m. Beginner's Bible Study: (Not meeting this week: Happy Thanksgiving)
7:00 p.m. Southside Ecumenical Council’s Thanksgiving Celebration Service: St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church

Wednesday
No morning prayer”: Happy Thanksgiving

Thursday

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Friday
No morning prayer or bible study: Happy Thanksgiving

Saturday:
No Women’s Bible Study: Happy Thanksgiving

Sunday November 27th: Advent 1 year B
8:00am Holy Communion I and Sermon
9:15 Christian Education for All ages
10:30 am Holy Communion I, Music and Sermon(Guest Preacher Rabbi Ron Goldberg)

God bless you all

Matt+