Christ Church Jerusalem

7 March 2021 - Third Sunday in Lent - As we consider Jesus' cleansing of the temple, Rev. David Pileggi cautions us not to dismiss the temple as unimportant or merely a picture fulfilled in Jesus. The temple was a divine institution where heaven met earth, where God came down to dwell among his people. Jesus was zealous for this special place and is similarly passionate for the holiness of the Church. If we are the royal priesthood, we also should have a love and passion for the holiness of God's people and for our witness in the world.

Readings: 1 Kings 8:1-21; John 2:13-23

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28 February 2021 - Second Sunday in Lent - In the the second week of Lent, Deacon Aaron Eime reminds us that we practice spiritual disciplines -- like fasting and alms giving -- to get more of God. When we give, God gives us himself and his blessings. Yet, this getting of blessings creates a tension so that we struggle to give more. So in our giving, Jesus invites us to suffer with him in the way of the cross. The paradox is that when we give our lives away in this way, we gain Jesus and resurrection life.

Readings: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16; Psalm 22:22-30; Mark 8:31-38

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This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem

Music credit: The Train in the Darkness by MusicLFiles

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7240-the-train-in-the-darkness

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Sharon Alley discusses humor and irony in the book of Esther. As many might know, Esther is the only book of the Bible where God is not mentioned by name. Sharon helps us unpack this nuanced book further and shows us how, through different elements, we can see the footprint of God's redemptive work in Esther.

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Chapter 28 continues the pattern of blessing and extreme curses that has been prevalent throughout the Torah. Other nations had covenants that included blessings and curses as well. The difference with the Torah is the covenant is not between a human king and his people but with God and Man. Because Hebrew has no punctuation in its sentence structure, Moses uses a double sh’ma (that is he says the word twice) to give the word emphasis. Moses wants Israel to fully hear and obey the commands of the Lord.

Led by Aaron Eime.

Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/ ‎

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21 February 2021 - First Sunday in Lent - As we begin Lent, we remember that the Spirit of God thrust Jesus into the wilderness to test him. This is a real test of Jesus' trust and of his identity affirmed by the voice of God at the Jordan. God tests the righteous, Rev. David Pileggi tells us, to show us who we really are. Satan and the world want us to fail. God wants us to succeed and sends us into times of testing to learn to trust that he is sufficient.

Readings: Deuteronomy 8:1-18; Psalm 11; Mark 1:9-15

Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/

This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem

Music credit: The Train in the Darkness by MusicLFiles

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7240-the-train-in-the-darkness

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Moses breaks his monologue to speak together with the elders of Israel, known in modern orthodox circles as the Sanhedrin, traditionally numbering 70 elders. Moses instructs the people to perform a very specific ceremony once they have crossed the Jordan on the mountains of Ebal and Gerizim. Part of this ceremony involved the construction of an altar and the establishment of pillars of stones that were then plastered and written on. What exactly was written on these monument stones is unclear. Opinions range from the entire Torah to the Decalogue. Joshua 4:9 testifies that Israel did indeed follow this practice of setting up stones as a symbolic witness of the covenant. The ceremony involved dividing the tribes between the mountains and declaring blessings from Gerizim and curses from Ebal. The altar and sacrifices are done on Mount Ebal, the mountain of the curses, and not on the mountain of blessing. In our discussions on why this might be the case, we ponder the connection between the Curse and the need for sacrifice to deal with the consequences of the Curse.

Led by Aaron Eime.

Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/ ‎

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14 February 2021 - Last Sunday of Epiphany - The Rev. David Pileggi says Christians have bought into the lie that the Gospel is about us or that the goal of life is happiness. The Gospels is not about us but about God's holiness, and the goal of life is to grow in holiness. God allows us glimpses of his holiness, his goodness, as he invites us near. The Transfiguration is one of these glimpses of God's glory. Let us draw near with awe and respect and accept God's invitation to become holy as he is holy.

Readings: 2 Kings 2:1-12; Exodus 24; Mark 9:2-9

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This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem

Much of the Torah regarding the sacrificial system, tithing and festivals in the calendar are portrayed from the perspective of the priests. The roles and duties of the Cohenim and Leviim are usually prominent. What Moses now presents is a rare glimpse into the liturgy of the Israelite worshipper. Once the land has been conquered and settled, which apparently took 14 years to achieve, then a portion of the fruits of each year's harvest was to be taken to the "place that the Lord will choose." This becomes known as the First Fruits and was selected from the 7 species of wheat, barley, grapes, olives, pomegranates, figs and dates. Livestock is not included in this command of bikkurim (derived from the same root as bekhor, that is

"firstborn"). Interestingly the text says the Lord will choose a place for His Name to dwell. It is not written that the Lord will choose a place for His Temple or His Tabernacle, rather for His Name.

Led by Aaron Eime.

Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/ ‎

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7 February 2021 - Fifth Sunday of Epiphany - The Kingdom of God, which is here but not yet, can be hard to explain. The Rev. David Pileggi tells us that Kingdom of God is not just about Jesus or about God's power breaking into our lives in healing and salvation. The Kingdom of God is about a people who make Jesus King. King Jesus, who has begun the attack on death, commissions his disciples to be partners in bringing the Kingdom's message of victorious life to others through compassion and teaching. This sermon is dedicated to the memory of Dwight Pryor, founder of The Center for Judaic-Christian Studies.

Readings: Isaiah 40:21-31; 1 Corinthians 9:16-23; Mark 1:29-39

Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/

This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem

The Torah is timeless. Indeed the Word of God is new and fresh every morning. Deuteronomy 25 brings many commandments that simply cannot be done in today's society as literally dictated by Moses, yet the Spirit of the Torah remains on our hearts to this day. Many of the commandments in the chapter pertain to fairness, that is, the fair treatment through criminal justice, domestic animals, widows and the potential unborn generations, fair weights and honest business dealings and justice for Amalek (whoever and whatever he is!).

Led by Aaron Eime.

Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/ ‎

Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/