Our yard often gets comments when people come to visit for the first time.  We have several beautiful oaks, each surrounded by a little mulched area for flowers.  But that’s not what brings about the comments.  It’s our “grass”.  It’s not the typical grass or sod lawn, it’s covered in decorative rocks!  I guess the folks who originally built our home did not want to be bothered with mowing the lawn so they went with an extremely maintenance-free ground covering!  We had one tree that received a few comments too.  When we moved in it appeared to be healthy and in good condition.  But one day I noticed some bark starting to peel away from the tree.  Come to find out it was completely hollow inside.  It looked like it was alive, but for all practical purposes, it was dead.  We still don’t know how it continued to produce leaves for as long as it did, but eventually Jeff had to cut it down.
Sardis was a city prone to pride.  It was the first city to mint gold and silver coins. It was famous for its architecture.  The acropolis rose 80 feet above the northern section of the city.  The temple to Artemis equaled the size of the one in Ephesus, but it was never completed.  Sardis also had a Necropolis which bore the name, “The Cemetery of One Thousand Hills” owing to the thousands of burial mounds which were visible on its skyline.  In contrast to the turbulent areas where the churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia were located, the church at Sardis co-existed peacefully with both their pagan and Jewish neighbors.  It appeared that Sardis was destined for a long, wealthy and healthy life as a city.  But Sardis was safe only in appearance.  The great earthquake of 17 A. D. ruined Sardis both financially and physically.  Although Rome sent a huge amount of money for aid, the city never really recovered.  Sardis looked good on the outside but it in every other way it was in decay.  Likewise, the believers in Sardis may have looked strong and healthy on the outside but in Rev. 3:1-6, Jesus sends them a strong message: WAKE UP!
Jesus’ reproof to the church of Sardis contains a variety of local associations.  Many of the prominent local pagan religions focused on the seasons and the renewing of life.  Also, one might see the contrast between the hill of the living (the Acropolis) and the hills of the dead (the Necropolis).  Even the physical appearance of Sardis bore the mark of a city that was once alive but was now dead in that the evidence of the earthquake was never fully removed from its landscape.  The contrasting images of life and death represented the believers of Sardis who appeared alive, but were actually dead (v.1).
Jesus warns the church that He is coming and they must prepare themselves for His return.  Lack of preparation will result in an unexpected visit, like a thief in the night (v.3).  His warning is similar to warnings of other scriptures (Matt. 24:43; Lk. 12:39; 1 Thes. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 16:15).  Sardis had prided itself in the past on the fact that it had never been conquered by war. But twice it had been overtaken by surprise: first by the Persians in 549 B. C., and a second time three centuries later, by the Romans.  Sardis had fallen because it failed to watch its borders adequately.  Now the Christians were being warned not to fall prey to the same kind of complacency.  In contrast to the uncompleted temple to Artemis, Christ exhorts the believers in Sardis to “complete their deeds in the sight of God” (v.2).
In closing a word of encouragement is spoken to those who have “not soiled their clothes” (v.4).  Another local characteristic is pictured here.  A great woolen industry flourished at Sardis.  Those who overcame in Sardis need not fear approaching Christ in soiled clothes, which was an offensive thing in pagan religions.  Instead Christ promises to dress them in white (v.4), that their name will not be erased from the Book of Life (Rev. 20:12-15), and that He will confess the name of the believer before God the Father and His angels (Mt. 10:29-33; Lk. 12:8-9; Rev. 3:5).  In other words their perseverance will keep them spiritually alive.
The question set before us today is “Do we have the appearance of being alive when we’re actually dead?”  The questions Christ asked the believers in Sardis can be posed to us too.  Are we remembering what we have seen and heard in God’s Word (v.3)?  Have we persevered and not become complacent in protecting our “spiritual borders” (v.2)?  In Matthew 25, Jesus tells three sobering parables about His return.  His warning to the church at Sardis reminds us of the first parable- the Parable of the Virgins (Mt. 25:13; Rev. 3:3).  But the other two parables (the Talents and the Sheep and Goats) remind us to pay attention to our actions for they truly represent what we believe about Christ and they stand as a testimony to both God and man as to how we live what we believe.  Let’s make sure we are worthy to receive the rewards (v.4) which Christ has promised to those who are faithful!
Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.                                                                                   
Week of 11/26/2017

            In 1940, after hearing Kate Smith’s rendition of God Bless America one too many times for his taste, folk musician Woody Guthrie sat down in his hotel room in New York City and penned a tune that would eventually become as popular as the song it was a response to.  In its original version, This Land is Your Land contained several verses which were politically charged but when Guthrie went into the recording studio to put the song on vinyl he left them off and for many years the song was recorded without them.  It wasn’t until the 21st century that politically charged recording artists started adding them back in to promote their own viewpoints.  The melody is based loosely on an old gospel hymn recorded by the Carter Family.  The lyrics describe the beauty of the U. S. as it stretches from the east to west coast and from the northern Redwoods to the blue ocean of the Gulf Stream.  I remember singing this song while I was in grammar school.  Back then I was completely unaware of its political overtones, but I was quite familiar with the beautiful land it described.
            The land which God promised to bring Moses and the people of Israel to had a melodious nickname derived from Exodus 3:8.  It is called "The Land of Milk and Honey".  We often associate the phrase milk and honey with the things that are familiar to us.  We hear the word milk and think of cows.  We hear the word honey and think of the sweet bounty of bees.  But if you were to travel about Israel in the days when God spoke these words to the people of Israel (Dt. 11:8-9; 26: 9, 15), you would have a hard time finding cow farms and bee keepers.  Goats were (and in many cases still are) the primary source of milk in Israel and the word most of our translations call honey was a sweet syrupy liquid made from dates.  These two words poetically describe the two general environments in Israel.  The Land of Milk describes the way of life in the southern and eastern regions, and the Land of Honey describes the way of life in the north and west. 
            There are three main characteristics of the Land of Milk: shepherds and herds; wide open space with plenty of room for herds to roam; desert areas such as the Negev (Gen. 13:1), the Wilderness of Paran (Num. 12:16), and the Wilderness of Zin (Num. 27:12-14).  There are three main characteristics of the Land of Honey as well:  farmers, less or no space to roam, and mountains with lots of water.  Life in the Land of Milk is unpredictable because of its low rainfall and sparse population.  It is a silent and lonely place.  Life there is demanding and exhausting.  It drives home the need for community.  Life in the Land of Honey though is quite different.  It is predictable with its cycles of seasons and years.  Because there are many villages and cities in this area, it is noisy and congested.  Life here is manageable and busy.
            When you are reading the Bible stories, it is always a good idea to keep in mind whether it takes place in the Land of Milk or the Land of Honey.  Putting these stories within their regional context helps to drive home their meaning.  When you read about the Red Sea, wadis and cisterns (Gen. 37:18-24), Abraham, Isaac, Jacob or Moses and Mount Sinai (Ex. 19:1-2), think about the Land of Milk.  When you read about The Sea of Galilee (Mt. 4:18), mountains, terrace gardens (Lk. 8:5), the prophets and Jesus, or Mount Zion (1 Ki. 8:1), think of the Land of Honey.              It is still possible to see all the attributes of the Land of Milk and Honey today.  Bedouin still roam with their herds in the Land of Milk.  The Negev is thriving, but there is still a vast amount of land that is undeveloped and breath-taking.  The Land of Honey is still bustling in the cities of Tiberias, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem.
            Sometimes our lives reflect this kind of geographical diversity.  Like the Land of Honey, they can be filled with activity and the daily demands of family, jobs and predictable routines.  We may also have times where life is as unpredictable as living in the Land of Milk.  Dried up resources, the loss of a job or the death of someone we love can make us feel isolated and alone struggling to make ends meet.  It would be easy to think that living in either of these extremes is not good.  However Paul alluded to both of them when he told the Philippians that he had learned to be content with his life no matter what he did or did not have (Phil. 4:11-12).  For Paul times of “Honey” meant he could preach and share the Gospel with more people.  Times of “Milk” offered solitude to hear God’s direction and feel His presence.  These lessons can be learned by us as well.  Where do you find yourself right now?  Are you in a time of “milk” or a time of “honey”?  No matter what your circumstances God has placed you there for a reason and each circumstance gives you an opportunity to draw closer to Him (Heb. 4:16; Js. 4:8).
Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.                                                                                                
Week of 11/19/2017

            I grew up in Caldwell, New Jersey.  At the time it was a typical suburban town with tree-lined streets, several schools, a local diner, a beautiful park and plenty of churches.  Caldwell had a somewhat small presidential claim to fame that is still a source of community pride and that was in a little tiny house, near the center of town, the 22nd (and 24th) president of the United States, Grover Cleveland, was born.  Cleveland only lived in Caldwell for 4 years but to this day Caldwell enjoys its presidential association and the house is still toured by school children each year.
            Nazareth could be the Biblical counterpart to Caldwell although Jesus, its prestigious resident, had nothing to do with presidents and was actually born miles away thanks to a census which compelled His parents to take a temporary leave from their hometown.  Matthew records that Joseph and Mary eventually returned to Nazareth (Mt. 2:23; Lk. 2:39, 51-52) and Jesus grew up there (Lk. 4:16) giving Him the name, Jesus of Nazareth (Mt. 21:11; Mk. 10:47; Jn. 18:5,7; Acts 2:22; 3:6; 10:38).  Neal May wrote, “It was only the fact that Jesus spent the early years of His life in Nazareth that gives the town its status of interest.  Aside from this, it is only mentioned once in Scripture…  The one time it is addressed, aside from the fact that it served as Jesus’ hometown, it is addressed with a noticeably sarcastic tone (Jn. 1:45-46).”  It is not really clear from Scripture why Nazareth was viewed with such disdain in Jesus’ day, but by the time of Constantine (A. D. 324-37) it had become a revered site in Christendom so much so that when Joseph of Tiberius appealed to the emperor for funds to build a church there it was granted.
            So why is Nazareth such a big deal and why do the Gospel writers make a point in telling us Jesus’ association with it?  The answer begins with Isaiah who wrote, “A shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse and a branch from his roots will bear fruit” (Is. 11:1).  Nazareth and the shoot of Is. 11:1 share the same Hebrew root word- and that’s what it means, root!  A netzor is a unique botanical term.  Have you ever seen a gardener trim a bush down to the ground in the Fall and thought, “That’s the end of that bush!” only to see it send up shoots in the Spring?  That’s a netzor.  The plant appears to be dead and suddenly life springs up from its roots.  Nazareth is “Root Town” as my one professor used to say.  But Who is this Root that Isaiah speaks of?  He is a descendant of Jesse according to the prophet and our first thought is that it might be Jesse’s most famous son, David.  But like that flattened bush, David’s descendants all but disappeared when the Southern Kingdom of Judah was carried off into exile (2 Ki. 25:8-21).  However all that changed when an angel appeared to a young woman in Nazareth whose lineage was in the line of David (Lk. 1:26-35; although not mentioned by name, this is Mary’s lineage- compare Mt. 1:1-16 which is Joseph’s) and announced to her that she would bear God’s Son (Lk. 1:26-35).  Likewise, when Jesus’ body was laid in the tomb after His crucifixion, His life appeared to be cut short as well.  But we all know what happened after that (Jn, 20)!
            It appears that when Jesus began His ministry He was not accepted in Nazareth (Lk. 4:16-24).  Perhaps it was due to the familiarity of watching Him grow up but Bible historians have noted that Nazarites had the expectation that the Messiah would come from their midst.  So their disbelief resulted in Jesus’ departure (Mt. 13:53-58).  However by the time that Paul was brought up on charges of insurrection before the Roman governor Felix, Jesus’ followers had become known as “Nazarenes” (Acts 24:1-5).  In spite of His rejection by the people of Nazareth, it is this town Pilate associates with Jesus upon His death (Jn. 19:19-22).  And while its place in Christendom was slow to catch on, today it is visited continuously by Christians from all over the world.
            It has become fashionable to trace one’s roots these days.  Some methods, like DNA testing, make it fairly easy to find out “where you come from”.   But while our genetic make-up can be interesting and revealing the Bible is not really concerned about our genealogical roots.  Rather it is concerned about where our roots take hold.  Paul wrote to the believers in Ephesus (a city many miles from “Root Town”!) that it was his prayer for them to be “rooted and grounded in love” (Eph. 3:17).  The source of that love is Christ’s love which is almost beyond understanding (vv. 18-19).  While there are a number of benefits to knowing your family’s roots, knowing the love of Christ and connecting your roots to Him (like a tree which sends its roots down to a subterranean water source) has eternal benefits (Ps. 1:1-3; Jn. 4:13-14; 7:37-38; 15:5).  Your physical roots may be from Hometown, USA or the country where you live, but where are your spiritual roots?  Be sure they are connected to The Netzor.  His family tree is everlasting.
Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.  
Week of  11/12/2017

            It was a beautiful and warm day.  The sun absolutely glistened off of the sandstone and the sky was a brilliant shade of blue.  The bus brought us to what looked like the opening of a wide canyon but as we walked along the path toward our destination, the “walls” began to close in on us.  Most of us were unaccustomed to this kind of landscape.  At first it was more desert-like but as we went further into the canyon more vegetation appeared.  Water appeared to collect at the center and there were even more plants alongside it.  And when we walked in the shade of those limestone walls, that sunny warm day we experienced in the beginning all but disappeared!  Finally we stopped and Dr. Widbin explained that we were not in a canyon at all, but the Wadi Avdat (wah-dee ahv-daht).  Wadiis are a unique geological feature in Israel and this one is one of its most scenic. 
            "What's a wadi?" you ask.  As described before wadiis are like gorges, but not as wide.  They were carved out of the limestone in the wilderness area in the same way the Colorado River carved out the Grand Canyon.  A wadi’s most appealing feature, for those that have water, is the area in the center where the water flows.  In fact that area is actually what is being referred to in Ps. 23:2.  It is often translated as “green pastures”, but the Hebrew word there is specifically the one for this well-watered green area where plants are able to grow.  They make a perfect grazing spot for hungry and thirsty sheep.  But, shepherds who raise their flocks in these areas of Israel must know the layout of a wadi inside and out, because although they are a great water source, they are also dangerous.  Rain can cause flash flooding in a wadi, so it is wiser to get your water and leave, rather than make yourself comfortable and stay.
            Jesus had this geographical characteristic in mind when He told the parable of the two builders in Luke 6:46-49.  Maybe you remember singing this as a child:  "The wise man built his house upon the rock...".  It's not necessarily convenient to build on the top of those tall rock walls.  It would be far more pleasant to build down in the gorge, next to the water source.   It’s so much easier when you don't have to lug those big water urns up and down the path.  It's not so stressful and much more comfortable.  And think about all the time you save in not having to haul your water around!  But, Jesus warns, building in the sand, is unsafe!  Wadiis are notorious for flash floods that often come without warning as rain from miles above where you are can rush through them like the way rain pours through a gutter.  When the rains come down in a wadi (and they will), if you’ve built your house in the bottom of the wadi, it will most certainly wash away.
            Wadis hold a great spiritual lesson for us (which is why Jesus used them as an example!).  It's tempting for us to "build our lives" in the conveniences of the world.  We are bombarded with advertisements that tell us we deserve it and how much we will miss out on if we don’t have THIS or THAT.  We come to believe that life should be easy and comfortable and we put all our energy into accomplishing that way of life. We’ll finance, work overtime, get the best education for a better paying job, whatever it takes to achieve the “Dream”.  The trouble is, putting trust in the comforts of this world, and doing whatever it takes to get them, is like building a house in the bottom of a wadi.   Our world looks good, but it’s dangerous; because when storms come rushing into our little world, the sandy foundation upon which it is built gets washed away in those rushing torrents of water.  And in this day and age people are facing more and more uncertainty about what the future may hold and there are no guarantees that anything will last.  Still, many of us continue to build in the bottom of a wadi.
            But if the bottom of a wadi is not where a believer should build, where should we build?  Jesus says in verse 47 that those who come to Him, hear His words, and act on them have built their life on the rock- those tall sides of the wadi that are flood-free.  Jesus tells us in this parable that the rock is God’s Word.  If we are letting the Bible guide us in the way we live and what we believe, when the storms of life come (and they will come), we will be able to withstand the tempest.  It is certainly more popular to build on worldly things.  It's easier, more comfortable.  But it's unstable.  Today's fads are tomorrow's history lessons.  The latest trends are forgotten tomorrow when the "next big thing" becomes news.  So, why build on this shifting sand?  Build your life on God's Word so that you will stand firm when storms come your way (Proverbs 3:1-8; Colossians 3:2).
Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.                                                                                                      Week of 11/5/2017