Musing – What is the purpose of marriage?...and an announcement!

Hebraic Musing – What is the purpose of marriage?...and an announcement!

Why am I so anxious to re-marry after having lost my wife to the Perfect Husband earlier this year?

This announcement is a preface to this Musing.  Irene and I will be married October 13th at First Baptist Church of Downers Grove, IL. We were sweethearts at J.S.Morton High School in Cicero, IL, 58 years ago. We lost track of each other for 57 years and meanwhile we each have had awesome marriages. Alas we both had our loved ones go home to the Lord early this year. Irene found my e-address in the alumni directory, sent me a 'what's happening' e-mail and it quickly became obvious that God has arranged this wedding in His perfect timing. I am trying to find an adjective stronger than 'incredible' because there is even more to this incredulous story.

The challenge we both faced is the issue of loneliness. What is the cure for loneliness?  Jesus said “Be servant of all” in Mark 9:35.   Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

I am struck by Jesus’ admonition to serve one another and this all had to do with the question of who would be greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Since marriage is all about sharing (a lesson we were supposed to learn in kindergarten), I wonder if sharing could be the cure for loneliness?  Rabbi Eckstein summarized a rabbinical midrash from Rabbi Haim(1):

Many years ago, someone wrote a cute, but telling, version of heaven and hell. The Lord shows a man hell. The man sees a room where a group of people sit around a huge pot of stew, but everyone is famished. Each person has a spoon, but none of them have elbows, making it impossible to get the soup into their mouths. The suffering is horrible.
Next, God shows the man heaven. The room is exactly the same – big pot of stew, plenty of spoons, and no elbows. But here, the people are well fed and happy.
“I don’t understand,” the man says to the Lord. “Why are they happy here when everyone in the other room was miserable”?
The Lord smiles and says, “Because here, they have learned to feed each other”.

Q. - So why am I anxious to re-marry?
A. - I need to share my life; and I am thrilled at the opportunity to serve someone as close as a spouse.

Point to ponder

Why does sharing make us feel so good?

Shalom                                                                                    September 25, 2012

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd

Musing - Should Christians Observe Yom Kippur?

Hebraic Musing - Should Christians Observe Yom Kippur?

(Because Yom Kippur begins Tuesday evening, Sept. 25^th this year, I am reprinting this ‘insight’ from “Hebraic Insights” book, page 170. Timely?)

On the tenth day of Tishri at sunset starts the highest holy day the Jews celebrate. Even the casual Jew will acknowledge Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) just like a nominal Christian will celebrate Christmas or go to church on Easter. Why is Yom Kippur so important?

This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must  deny yourselves [fast] and  not do any work [observe a Sabbath rest]—whether native-born or an alien living among you (That’s us!)—because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins. It is a sabbath of rest, and you must  deny yourselves; it is a  lasting ordinance . . . This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites (Lev 16: 29-34 NIV).

While my stomach churns from the mandated twenty-four hour fast and other deprivations while praying and searching my soul, this is why and what I ponder:

1. Why? Because Adonai said so. Or because Daddy said to do it.

2. Symbolically, there will be no eating or drinking or sex or finery in death, and Yom Kippur is about sampling a form of death, the wages of sin, so that when we are allowed to live life again, it will taste even sweeter. Fasting does produce a mental clarity, despite the headache and rumblings in the stomach.

3. Erev Yom Kippur, sunset the evening before, starts with a prayer of confession. Although Yeshua has atoned for my sins, there are some things for me to consider. This is akin to the confessions I did in my younger days on Saturday before receiving Jesus during Communion at Sunday Mass. I am sensing a need for more confession time and a renewal of something I once had in my younger days.

What kind of sins do the Jews confess in their Yom Kippur liturgy? They go through the same ones covered by the sacrificial offerings made for sin and guilt and trespass as prescribed in Leviticus 4-6:

1. Sins against God—intentional and unintentional; guilt of the people; done private or communally. These were atoned by the slaughter of innocent, unblemished animals by the high priest.

2. Thoughtless sins against fellow man or community—atoned by sacrifice of a lamb and so forth.

3. Unintentional violations or sins against God’s holy things—atoned by giving an animal of like value to the priest, plus making restitution, plus paying twenty percent.

4. Unintentional violations or sins against God’s commands—even if I don’t know I am responsible. What transgressions are we responsible for?

5. Intentional sins against others or the Lord’s holy tithe—This atonement has four steps: (1) confession; (2) restitution; (3) add one-fifth (a double tithe!); (4) give an animal or silver offering to the priest. Notice that there is no blood sacrifice required. Read Leviticus 5.  Does Yeshua’s sacrificial death and blood atone for intentional sins for which restitution has not been made?

Jews and Christians are often thought to be on opposing sides of the question of grace and good works. At the end of Yom Kippur, having prayed for mercy and forgiveness, Jews finally throw themselves totally on the mercy of the Judge. Martin Luther ignited the Reformation movement with his sola gratia, by grace alone. In the end, Jews are trusting on that same hope.

Point to Ponder

Do Christians tend to ignore the importance of good works,
while Jews are not giving adequate recognition to their dependence on grace?

L'Shanah Tovah y’all                                                                                      September 18, 2012   

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd

Musing - What was Your Dream?

Hebraic Musing - What was Your Dream?

The prophet Haggai lived in a time when Jews that had been in exile had returned to Jerusalem and had built nice homes for themselves. Remember that they had left their jobs, wealth and friends in Babylon because of their deep desire to honor Almighty God by restoring Jerusalem and the temple.

Is that like us?  When we were youngsters, in life or in the Lord, we had worthy dreams and aspirations to solve world hunger, feed the poor, evangelize the world and serve the Lord with all our might. Then we married, started raising children, bought a large house, pushed our careers in order to make the big bucks and bought more 'toys' to enjoy.

But what happened to the worthy dreams we had years ago? Now the children are grown, the house is bigger than we need and we feel guilty about the time and money we waste on things like TV, sports and other expensive entertainments. Is this similar to the Jews who started enjoying their rebuilt live in Israel or Jerusalem? Is this the situation Haggai was pointing out when he said “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” — Haggai 1:4

We have all had the lofty goals to serve the Lord, but in various way we lose focus. I have to ask myself, what is keeping me from re-focusing on the things that are really important, like re-building the temple, or whatever that means in my life?

In summary - Here’s the message of the prophet Haggai –

Don’t forget the dreams that you once had
when the time come that you finally get the chance to pursue them!

Points to ponder

What was my original dream to serve the Lord?

How am I being distracted from focusing on fulfilling that dream?

Shalom                                                                                            September 11, 2012

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd