Dr. Terry Threadwell's Blog

Have you ever notice how many times Paul writes, “making mention of you in our prayers?” He does so In the books of Romans, Ephesians, Colossians (through Philemon) and Thessalonians.  It doesn’t mean that Paul is praying for hours on end, he just might mention them by name as he prays, “Lord, thank you for the brethren in Ephesus, for example, bless them today.”  

My mother once told me how she would wrap me up in a cover when I was a baby; they call it swaddling. Some modern medical studies indicate that swaddling helps babies fall asleep and to remain asleep. As a young child, they would tuck me into bed by lifting the mattress and pulling the sheet in tight, so that I felt safe, secure and couldn’t move.

Prayer functions in the same way, surrounding people in prayer, providing a covering, safety and security as we mention their names before the Lord, recognizing that the Lord has placed them in our hearts and on our minds for a reason.  don’t know about you, but I’ll take all the prayer covering I can get. Today as I sleep, Ann tells me that I cocoon myself in the sheets and blankets. Some things never change.

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (1Th 1:1 NKJ)

How many times have you read one of the epistles of the New Testament, and not given a thought to those introductory remarks? Paul speaks grace and peace; Peter says, “Grace to you and peace be multiplied.” (1Pe 1:1-2 NKJ) In 2 John we find ‘grace, mercy and peace.’ Instead of just looking at these words as just that, try thinking of them as precious gifts, wrapped up and containing something special.  In a sense, that is what the Apostle Paul had in mind.  His opening blessing was bestowing something into the reader’s life.

In our western culture, we seem to have lost the art of polite conversation and in the essence of time keep our conversations brief.  With the advent of texting, words have been reduced to abbreviations such as ‘lol’ as an expressing that something is funny or ‘HBD’ for Happy Birthday.’ Had Paul used a smartphone a text greeting of ‘GP’ for grace and peace just doesn’t seem the same.

In the Islamic culture, Muslims still greet each other with a blessing of peace.  Perhaps we would do well to do the same, after all, we could all do with a deposit of God’s grace, peace, and mercy in our daily lives.  Remember, the words you speak can have life or death.  Use them wisely to deposit something good into somebody’s life. So, may the blessings of God’s grace and peace fill your heart today!

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given, And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. (Isa 9:6-7 NKJ)

Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah. Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah. (Mat 1:9-10 NKJ)

No, I’m not a month late or eleven months too early.  We should read this text more often to remind us what it means to say that Jesus is Lord.

This scripture, in its context, was talking about the birth of Hezekiah.  His father, King Ahaz had done all that was wrong in the eyes of the Lord, and the people were without hope. However, Isaiah comes and brings to the people hope for the future, short term, Hezekiah and long term, Jesus.  Both were of the lineage of David.  The government of both was and will be marked by peace and justice.

In the meantime we should focus on nothing less, ushering in that Kingdom of peace and justice here on earth as it is in heaven.

Thomas Jefferson’s political ideas were largely informed by Roman republican and imperial ideas. Together with the other members of the first Congress sought to create a mixed constitution that balanced monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy. This is why America is not technically a democracy.

They had ideas of what a good empire could be, e.g., Jefferson’s Empire of Liberty — that borrowed from the universal ideals of the Roman Empire. Jefferson also warned that empires could injure freedom if there were not checks and balances.

The dictatorial or absolute rulers who emerged during the Roman civil wars and Roman Empire provided antimodels, examples of the Hell we should never descend into. In the days of Emperor Augustus, the Senate was very powerful and ruled Rome. Augustus was followed by Tiberius who was killed by his nephew, Caligula. Caligula was the first emperor to see himself as a king and eventually as a god. He bought the favor of the Pretorian Guard. When Caligula died, the Senate saw their opportunity to regain power. Unfortunately, the Pretorian Guard appointed Claudius. The Senate would never regain power, and successive emperors would lead the empire to destruction.

Question, President-elect Donald J. Trump seems to see himself as the absolute authority. Will he ignore the power of the Senate and House? Will he buy the military? Is Trump America’s Caligula?

“For I am the LORD, I do not change.” (Mal 3:6 NKJ)

Do you get it? The vineyard of God-of-the-Angel-Armies is the country of Israel. All the men and women of Judah are the garden he was so proud of. He looked for a crop of justice and saw them murdering each other. He looked for a harvest of righteousness and heard only the moans of victims. Doom to you who buy up all the houses and grab all the land for yourselves—Evicting the old owners, posting no trespassing signs, taking over the country, leaving everyone homeless and landless. I overheard God-of-the-Angel-Armies say: “Those mighty houses will end up empty. Those extravagant estates will be deserted. A ten-acre vineyard will produce a pint of wine, a fifty-pound sack of seed, a quart of grain.” (Isa 5:7-10. MSG)

If this truly is the Word of God, then we would all agree that the text in Malachi is a true statement. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

God was looking, is looking and will always be looking for justice and righteousness. The Isaiah text applies to the Isreali government’s dealings with the Palestinians as much as it applies to the bankers of Morgan Stanley and high-interest mortgages.  The day will come when the unjust will suffer the same penalty that they inflicted upon others—God changes not.

What should I think about all your sacrifices? says the LORD. I’m fed up with entirely burned offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts. I don’t want the blood of bulls, lambs, and goats. When you come to appear before me, who asked this from you, this trampling of my temple’s courts? Stop bringing worthless offerings. Your incense repulses me. New moon, sabbath, and the calling of an assembly– I can’t stand wickedness with celebration! I hate your new moons and your festivals. They’ve become a burden that I’m tired of bearing. When you extend your hands, I’ll hide my eyes from you. Even when you pray for a long time, I won’t listen. Your hands are stained with blood. Wash! Be clean! Remove your ugly deeds from my sight. Put an end to such evil; learn to do good. Seek justice: help the oppressed; defend the orphan; plead for the widow. (Isa 1:11-17 CEB)

Love isn’t just a feeling; Love is an action. Yahweh was over Israel, tired of their incessant religious falsehood. To put it in a modern day context, the people of God attended church; they worshiped, prayed, did all the religious things.  From the outside, they appeared to love God. The problem was that they didn’t much care for their neighbors.  After all, they were different. Refugees, immigrants, single moms on welfare, LGBTQ, juveniles, and Muslims. The people in Isaiah may have even been like the Pharisee of Jesus’ day that prayed, “God, I thank you that I’m not like everyone else–crooks, evildoers, adulterers–or even like this tax collector.” (Luk 18:11 CEB)

Such self-righteousness, be it in Isaiah’s time or Jesus’ day or even today, is obnoxious to God. God’s love goes far beyond the four walls of Isaiah’s temple, the synagogue or the church. Fortunately for the people of God, that love gives them the opportunity for change. “Be clean! Remove your ugly deeds from my sight. Put an end to such evil; learn to do good. Seek justice: help the oppressed; defend the orphan; plead for the widow.”

“Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: `When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, `when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, `then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. `He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. (Eze 33:2-5 NKJ)

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Mat 25:37-40 NIV)

As we prepare for 2017, there are so many people anxious, concerned, even fearful of what the future has in store. African Americans are concerned for their children, Muslims, Jews, religious minorities, Latino immigrants and undocumented immigrants, members of the Gay community, the poor, the sick and those in prison.

The biblical watchmen would stand on the walls of a city and warn the people of impending  danger.  When they gave a warning, people outside the city would run inside to find safety.  In Ezekiel, God held the watchmen accountable for the security of the people. Why should we stand up for the people in these groups, because Jesus called us to take care of the ‘least of these’ as though we were ministering to the Lord?

As I look out, I see the forces of bigotry, hypocrisy, racism, homophobia, xenophobia and intolerance.  I need to open the gates of my heart, my home, and the church, so that the least of these can find refuge and safety, after all, it’s what Jesus would have done.

Today is St. Stephen’s Day or to our British and Canadian friends it’s Boxing Day.

Some might remember the old Christmas carol of ‘Good King Wenceslas.’  The carol tells the story of Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia (907-935).  The carol tells the story of the Bohemian king going on a journey and braving harsh winter weather to give alms to a poor peasant on the Feast of Stephen. During the journey, his page is about to give up the struggle against the cold weather but is enabled to continue by following the king’s footprints, step for step, through the deep snow.

The words of Jesus echo throughout the gospels, “come, follow me.” 2017 is just around the corner.  We have no way of knowing what lies ahead. We do know, however,  that when the trials of life become too hard to bear, we just need to walk in the footsteps of Jesus.

But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. (Rev 21:22-24 NKJ)

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. (Rev 22:1-5 NKJ)

Have you ever wondered what it was like in the Garden of Eden? I believe the book of Revelation gives us a glimpse. Man was made in the image and likeness of God. Adam and his wife were image bearers, reflecting the light of the glory of God to all creation as they functioned as priests before God, in a temple not made with human hands. (Rev 21:22) The river brought life wherever it flowed, and the trees bore their fruit, and the leaves were for the healing of the nations. The end of the Book of Revelation is the restoration of the garden, and the restoration of man’s vocation before God.

How, you might ask, could they walk out of the light and into darkness.  Though Adam had everything, human nature will always desire more.  Instead of gaining more, Adam lost what he had.