Christ Church Jerusalem

14 July 2019 - Rev. John Howanstine walks us through the familiar parable of the good Samaritan. Jesus is headed to Jerusalem for the final time when he is asked a question: "What do I have to do to have a life worth living?" In his answer, Jesus illustrates that God has show to be a neighbor to us, shown us compassion when we were still his enemies. Jesus calls us to follow him on the road of compassion. Are we instead looking for loop holes? Let us answer the eternal call of God, step in to the story, and let it transform us.

Readings: Deuteronomy 30:9-14; Colossians 1:1-14; Luke 10:25-37

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Rev. Aaron Eime leads us through Acts 10, which introduces the watershed moment of Gentile inclusion into the Jesus movement. Prior to this the mission of the early church had been restricted to the Jewish and Samaritan peoples. The place settings of the event are also of importance. Cornelius, a Roman centurion of an elite Italian unit, was based in Caesarea, the administrative capital of the Roman occupation. He is identified as a godfearer, a Gentile attracted to monotheism who has joined the synagogue. He was a generous supporter of the Jewish people despite being an integral part of the occupation force.

Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/

Peter was residing in Joppa, associated to the tradition of the prophet Jonah. Beginnings and ends always occur in the same place and same manner in the Bible. Jonah was instructed to go to Gentiles and refused. Now Peter receives the same commission and accepts.

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7 July 2019 - Rev. Aaron Eime looks at Jesus sending out the 70 disciples in Luke 10. Jesus sends disciples, apostles (sent ones) ahead of himself to speak for him. Like the 70, we are called to be the voice of the Messiah and to declare the Good News of that Kingdom that proclaims freedom to the captives of sin. Are our lives reflecting the message?

Readings: Psalm 30; Galatians 6:1-16; Luke 10:1-11, 16-20.

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Rev. David Pileggi walks us through Saul's proclaiming the Gospel in Damascus after encountering the risen Jesus Messiah. We'll also look at Peter's ministry on the coast and the raising of Dorcas.

Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/

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30 June 2019 - Rev. Aaron Eime gleans discipleship lessons from the encounter Jesus and his disciples have in Samaria. Disciples are to be students of their master. The text gives us lessons on obedience, mercy, and humility. It also calls us to not hesitate in heeding the call of Jesus.

Readings: 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21; Galatians 5:1, 13-25; Luke 9:51-62

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Acts 9* contains the first of three accounts of Saul's life-changing encounter with the risen Jesus on the way to Damascus. One of the curiosities of Acts is that it records the personal testimony of Saul three times but doesn't record the testimony of any of the other apostles or church leaders. Every historian makes choices on what to include and what to omit. Luke’s motivation for writing that seems to make most sense of his choices is that he was providing historical information and relevant details to aid Paul's defence at his trial in Rome (about 62 AD). Most bibles that include section headings use the phrase “The Conversion of Saul” or something similar to describe the first part of chapter 9. In Israel and in Jewish circles in general the term "conversion" comes with a lot of baggage, so an alternative is worth considering. Luke uses a word meaning conversion in Acts 15:3 when referring to the Gentiles, but Paul doesn’t use that word when he is reflecting on this turning point in his life; he refers to it as a "calling" (Gal 1:15) and an "appointing" (1 Tim 1:12). Study led by Neville Jones.

Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/

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*Friends, we had our recordings and summaries out of sync. So you're seeing Acts 9 again because this recording actually discusses Acts 9. We apologize for the confusion.

23 June 2019 - Rev. Aaron Eime walks us through Jesus delivering the demoniac in Luke 8. Jesus crosses a boundary to deliver a possessed gentile, showing tht God is faithful to both Israel and the nations, just as the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) promised.

Readings: Psalm 22:18-27; Isaiah 65:1-9; Luke 8:26-39

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Dr. Dru Johnson spoke about his latest book: Human Rites: The Power of Rituals, Habits, and Sacraments. What are we doing when we gather around the sacraments — or when we make the same breakfast every morning? Embodying rituals, says Dru Johnson. And until we understand what we’re doing and why, we won’t know how these rituals work, what they mean, or how we might adapt them. In Human Rites Johnson considers the concept of ritual as seen in Scripture and its role in shaping our thinking.

Dru is an associate professor of biblical and theological studies at The King’s College in New York City. Before that, he was a high-school dropout, skinhead, punk rock drummer, combat veteran, IT supervisor, and pastor—all things that he hopes none of his children ever become.

16 June 2019 - On Trinity Sunday, Matthew Dalling ask us "Are we joyful or are we grumpy?" The Bible calls us to a life of joy. The paradox is that this life is full of suffering. We all long for deep joy, but when suffering come, we instead close ourselves off. We rather need to confront suffering and understanding the suffering of Jesus. When we consider the suffering he endured for the joy set before him, we can then learn from him and so merge our joy with his.

Readings: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15

Neville Jones leads us through the story of Philip, one of “the Seven” commissioned to serve the community of believers, who preaches the Gospel in Samaria. There had been centuries of division and mistrust between Jews and Samaritans, but they had much in common. The Samaritan regard for the Torah and their shared history with the Jewish people made Samaria fertile ground for the message of Jesus Messiah. Philip probably started in ancient Shechem, which lay at the foot of their holy mountain Gerizim. He found he had a very attentive audience, helped, of course, by the powerful signs of healing and deliverance. Yet, there came a complication, in the person of Simon the magician. Later, Philip encounters the Ethiopian eunuch, whose story stands in contrast with the situation in Samaria.

Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/

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