Kvetching in Yiddish loosely translates as \u201ccomplaining\u201d; however, there is a positive element. A good kvetch bears one\u2019s soul and it conveys heart-wrenching pain and frustration; but, there is hope. One trusts that the kvetch will be heard and honored.<\/p>\n\n
Moses is in a dire position. The survival of a people depends on Moses\u2019 leadership. With all of his soul and might, he kvetches to God and asks for supernatural intercession and reassurance. Moses might have feared speaking so liberally with God after God\u2019s reaction to the Golden Calf. Instead, the language Moses uses is daring and intimate. But like many other petitions we find in the Bible, Moses still appeals to God\u2019s powerful role in the universe. In other words, Moses acknowledges both God\u2019s imminence and transcendence. Moses seems fully aware that nothing is worth doing without God\u2019s presence, yet God\u2019s presence can also be dangerous (verse 20). This interaction models a relationship that invites us to be direct, needy and honest with God. This interaction shows us the importance of being sincere.<\/p>\n\n
Psalm 99<\/strong><\/p>\n\n God has an intimate relationship with Zion and its people. Moreover, it is a saving relationship. In fact, God\u2019s holiness seems inescapably intertwined with creation. God has the ability to manifest in Zion, in people, and in Jesus. God\u2019s direct involvement with creation demonstrates God\u2019s power. God\u2019s imminence testifies to God\u2019s ability to love and to love better than anyone else could express. Sometimes in church, we sing songs about how much we love God, while in reality, our love is very meager. God\u2019s love is infinitely impressive. This is why the psalmist enthusiastically praises God and refers to God\u2019s intervention in Exodus.<\/p>\n\n But the end of the psalm presents an obstacle. Verse 8 tells us that God is both forgiving and \u201can avenger of their wrongdoings.\u201d God \u201cloves justice\u201d (verse 4), but this apparently does not dissuade God from working with the unjust. While there is tension, the same tension is found in the cross: how does God hold us accountable while forgiving us?<\/p>\n\n The Thessalonians are praised for their exemplary faith. They have joy in the midst of their suffering. This testifies to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. God is working through Paul\u2019s ministry team and they have inspired some Thessalonians. Now, the Thessalonians are inspiring Paul; and in return, Paul\u2019s exhorts them. There is so much love flowing back and forth. People are genuinely happy for one another\u2019s spiritual advancements. People are invigorated by God\u2019s presence in each others\u2019 lives. Jesus is the source of their deep connection and closeness.<\/p>\n\n Paul refers to the receivers of the letter as \u201cbrothers.\u201d Even though there is persecution, even though families are being severed, the family lingo employed here compensates for these losses. Paul uses language such as \u201cour God.\u201d God does not belong to him. The gospel does not belong to him. It is for Paul to preach. Salvation is for all.<\/p>\n\n In this famous passage, Caesar\u2019s image is on a coin, but God\u2019s imprint is on people. This is one way to sum up Jesus\u2019 clever response to the Pharisees who are trying to trick him. Even though they attempt to manipulate Jesus, Jesus shows everyone that he is in control. He confronts the popular Pharisees and then he does a couple interesting things. One, Jesus affirms their Jewish doctrine. Jesus does not theologically disagree with them. The law is a manifestation of God\u2019s goodness, therefore Jesus is never against the law itself. The second interesting move that Jesus makes is that his response goes beyond the Pharisees\u2019 question. Jesus does not give us concrete boundaries as to how to spend our money, but he gives us an important truth, God permeates all aspects of life. What a beautiful freedom and burden it is to be left individually responsible to figure out what it means to give what belongs to God to God. It is up to us to discern the distinction between what is for and of God, and what is not.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Exodus 33:12-23 How can we have an honest, yet reverent, relationship with God? Kvetching in Yiddish loosely translates as \u201ccomplaining\u201d; however, there is a positive element. A good kvetch bears one\u2019s soul and it conveys heart-wrenching pain and frustration; but, there is hope. One trusts that the kvetch will be heard and honored. Moses is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":201221,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[23,52,33,3],"tags":[110],"class_list":["post-766588","bible_study","type-bible_study","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible-studies","category-sermons-that-work","category-the-season-after-pentecost","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-proper-24a"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":23,"label":"Bible Studies"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":33,"label":"The Season After Pentecost"},{"value":3,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":110,"label":"Proper 24A"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/766588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bible_study"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/766588\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":952244,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/766588\/revisions\/952244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=766588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=766588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=766588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n\t
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
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Matthew 22:15-22<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
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