If you've been wondering where I've been the past few weeks, I've been preparing a sermon that I finally delivered yestersday. Once a year all of the interns have to preach. This was my week, and I spoke on 'Creating Unity in Community through Humility.' My text was Philippians 2:1-11. If you'd like to hear it, here's the link.
11 When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. 14 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs? (TNIV) There's an important issue that we need to wrestle with in this passage, and it's the question of whether or not the people from James and the circumcision group are the same group. I am not inclined to think that they are. The ensuing discussion is drawn from Longenecker's commentary pp 73-5
I was wondering what happened to you, and have been largely absent myself (other than some posts that required little thought) for the same reason. So... get back to blogging.
ReplyDeleteYes, there are a few posts that have been burning a hole in the back of my brain, now I think I can get them out. I'm glad I only preach once a year.
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