Sermon for February 21st, 2016 - Revision history

Iraneal at 06:44, 21 February 2016

2016-02-21T06:44:21Z

Iraneal at 06:42, 21 February 2016

2016-02-21T06:42:35Z

Iraneal at 06:39, 21 February 2016

2016-02-21T06:39:39Z

Iraneal at 06:38, 21 February 2016

2016-02-21T06:38:55Z

Iraneal at 06:06, 21 February 2016

2016-02-21T06:06:41Z

Iraneal at 05:47, 21 February 2016

2016-02-21T05:47:31Z

Iraneal at 03:05, 21 February 2016

2016-02-21T03:05:29Z

Iraneal at 00:17, 21 February 2016

2016-02-21T00:17:25Z

Iraneal at 00:15, 21 February 2016

2016-02-21T00:15:40Z

Iraneal at 22:15, 20 February 2016

2016-02-20T22:15:15Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:44, 21 February 2016
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	I think Job gets it right here in today's scripture passage. In exasperation, he finally just checks out of the whole inside outside beauty game. And when he stops worrying about how others see him--good, bad, beautiful, ugly, right, wrong--that's when his eyes are opened to the beauty all around him. That's when he sees God. That's when his life is truly transformed.		I think Job gets it right here in today's scripture passage. In exasperation, he finally just checks out of the whole inside outside beauty game. And when he stops worrying about how others see him--good, bad, beautiful, ugly, right, wrong--that's when his eyes are opened to the beauty all around him. That's when he sees God. That's when his life is truly transformed.

−	Incidentally, at the end of the story, God restores Job's fortunes. He gets his land back, his animals, his wealth, his children. Interestingly enough, we don't read anything about his appearance being restored. If it were so, you'd think it would be mentioned. I wonder...but, in the end, I suppose it doesn't really matter, does it? It doesn't seem to have mattered to Job. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. May each of you behold something beautiful today.	+	Incidentally, at the end of the story, God restores Job's fortunes. He gets his land back, his animals, his wealth, his children. Interestingly enough, we don't read anything about his appearance being restored. If it were so, you'd think it would be mentioned. I wonder...but, in the end, I suppose it doesn't really matter, does it? It doesn't seem to have mattered to Job in the end. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. May each of you behold something beautiful today.

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 *Never purchase beauty products in a hardware store.
 *Never let your frog outdress you.
-*Beauty is in the eye of the eye of the beholder, so it may be neccessary from time to time to give a stupid, misinformed beholder a black eye.
+*Beauty is in the eye of the eye of the beholder, so it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid, misinformed beholder a black eye.
-In many ancient texts, there is an idea--sometimes stated, sometimes implied--that outward appearance is somehow connected to inward condition.  If you are a good person and do good things, your outward appearance will reflect that.  If you are an evil person and do evil things (or have evil thoughts) that too will manifest itself outwardly.  Fairy tales reflect this too.  Whenever Pinnochio tells a lie, his nose grows longer.  When the arrogant prince mistreats a witch in disguise, she turns him into an ugly beast or frog.  In fact, witches, and evil monsters of all sorts, are by nature...ugly.  Heroes and heroines, whether its poor Cinderella or powerful Hercules are, by nature...attractive.  There is something simple and appealing in this.  In fact, with few exceptions, you'll find the same thing in modern films and television shows, too.  Our stories reflect the deep truth of what we really believe, even if we loudly deny it outwardly.  Psychologists and marketers have demonstrated in countless studies that all of us instinctively trust more those we perceive to be attractive, and trust less those who are aesthetically...less fortunate.
+In many ancient texts, there is an idea--sometimes stated, sometimes implied--that outward appearance is somehow connected to inward condition.  If you are a good person and do good things, your outward appearance will reflect that.  If you are an evil person and do evil things (or have evil thoughts) that, too, will manifest itself outwardly.  Fairy tales reflect this too.  Whenever Pinocchio tells a lie, his nose grows longer.  When the arrogant prince mistreats a witch in disguise, she turns him into an ugly beast or frog.  In fact, witches, and evil monsters of all sorts, are by nature...ugly.  Heroes and heroines, whether its poor Cinderella or powerful Hercules are, by nature...attractive.  There is something simple and appealing in this.  In fact, with few exceptions, you'll find the same thing in modern films and television shows, too.  Our stories reflect the deep truth of what we really believe, even if we loudly deny it outwardly.  Psychologists and marketers have demonstrated in countless studies that all of us instinctively trust more those we perceive to be attractive, and trust less those who are aesthetically...less fortunate.
-The Bible is not immune to this kind of thinking. The Book of Proverbs in particular implies that good and evil manifest themselves externally.  Those who are rich, healthy, and happy are that way because they are righteous, hard working, and wise.  Those who are impoverished, sick, and unhappy are that way because they are lazy, wicked, and foolish.
+The Bible is not immune to this kind of thinking. The Book of Proverbs in particular implies that good and evil manifest themselves externally.  Those who are rich, healthy, and happy are that way because they are righteous, hard-working, and wise.  Those who are impoverished, sick, and unhappy are that way because they are lazy, wicked, and foolish.
 The book of Job, however, argues against that kind of thinking.  The entire premise of Job is: There's this guy named Job, who is described by the narrator AND by God to be righteous, blameless, and good...and yet he becomes poor, destitute, and unhappy.  And in chapter two, we read that with God's blessing, Satan inflicts "loathsome sores on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head."  In other words, he makes Job's outward appearance revolting, loathsome.  It's so bad that when Job's three friends arrive to comfort him, they don't even recognize him.  In today's scripture passage, Job describes his appearance this way:
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 Incidentally, that expression, "by the skin of my teeth" originally comes from the book of Job.  We use it to mean "barely" but I think Job means that he has, in fact, NOT escaped.  After all, teeth don't have skin.
-Job goes on to say,  "Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has touched me! 22Why do you, like God, pursue me, never satisfied with my flesh?"
+Job goes on to say,  "Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has touched me! Why do you, like God, pursue me, never satisfied with my flesh?"
 Never satisfied with my flesh, my outward appearance.  In other words, Job knows he is ugly.  Loathsome.  But his friends, since they are excellent theologians who have read the book of Proverbs, try to convince Job that he looks that way because he must have done something wrong! "The root of the matter," they say, "is found IN him."

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 *Never purchase beauty products in a hardware store.
 *Never let your frog outdress you.
-*Beauty is in the eye of the eye of the beholder and it may be neccessary from time to time to give a stupid, misinformed beholder a black eye.
+*Beauty is in the eye of the eye of the beholder, so it may be neccessary from time to time to give a stupid, misinformed beholder a black eye.
 In many ancient texts, there is an idea--sometimes stated, sometimes implied--that outward appearance is somehow connected to inward condition.  If you are a good person and do good things, your outward appearance will reflect that.  If you are an evil person and do evil things (or have evil thoughts) that too will manifest itself outwardly.  Fairy tales reflect this too.  Whenever Pinnochio tells a lie, his nose grows longer.  When the arrogant prince mistreats a witch in disguise, she turns him into an ugly beast or frog.  In fact, witches, and evil monsters of all sorts, are by nature...ugly.  Heroes and heroines, whether its poor Cinderella or powerful Hercules are, by nature...attractive.  There is something simple and appealing in this.  In fact, with few exceptions, you'll find the same thing in modern films and television shows, too.  Our stories reflect the deep truth of what we really believe, even if we loudly deny it outwardly.  Psychologists and marketers have demonstrated in countless studies that all of us instinctively trust more those we perceive to be attractive, and trust less those who are aesthetically...less fortunate.

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 Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  And Job says, "I want to behold something beautiful.  I want to see God."
-Job gets his wish.  In chapter 38, God shows up.  Up to this point, Job has been questioning God, but now God asks a series of questions to Job.  Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? When the morning stars sang together, and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy? Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, so that a flood of waters may cover you? Can you send forth lightnings, so that they may go and say to you, ‘Here we are’? Who has put wisdom in the inward parts, or given understanding to the mind?
+Job gets his wish.  In chapter 38, God shows up.  Up to this point, Job has been questioning God, but now God asks a series of questions to Job.  Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? When the morning stars sang together, and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy? Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, so that a flood of waters may cover you? Can you send forth lightnings, so that they may go and say to you, ‘Here we are’? Who has put wisdom in the inward parts, or given understanding to the mind? Can you hunt on behalf of the lioness, as the ox plows the earth? Can you run beyond the horses? Can you soar above the birds?
-Many people interpret these questions as God putting Job in his place: "Who are you to question me?  Sit down and shut up, you puny mortal!" I find this interpretation a bit harsh. Job's loss and his suffering are real, and his questioning of God flow from that experience. God knows this. God knows Job. God loves Job. And Job has said, "I want to behold something beautiful.  I want to see God."
+Many people interpret these questions as God putting Job in his place: "Who are you to question me?  Sit down and shut up, you puny mortal!" I find this interpretation a bit harsh. Job's loss and his suffering are real, and his questioning of God flow from that experience. God knows this. God knows Job. God loves Job. And Job has said, "I want to behold something beautiful.  After all this pain, I NEED to see something beautiful.  I want to see you, God."
-So God calls his attention to some pretty beautiful things, some cosmic things, some simple things, the things that are all around us all the time.  I'm fascinated by this idea:
+So God calls his attention to some pretty beautiful things, some cosmic things, some simple things, nature and life and the things the world is made of.  Job wants to see God on his side, and God, in essence says, "Not only am I on your side, I'm all around you, all the time. Isn't it...beautiful?"

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:06, 21 February 2016
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	No. Job says, "Look, my outward appearance is toast. It's gone forever. I'm never gonna be beautiful again." Job doesn't want God or his Redeemer to see him...he doesn't care about that. He says, "then in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another."		No. Job says, "Look, my outward appearance is toast. It's gone forever. I'm never gonna be beautiful again." Job doesn't want God or his Redeemer to see him...he doesn't care about that. He says, "then in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another."

		+	Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And Job says, "I want to behold something beautiful. I want to see God."

		+	Job gets his wish. In chapter 38, God shows up. Up to this point, Job has been questioning God, but now God asks a series of questions to Job. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? When the morning stars sang together, and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy? Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, so that a flood of waters may cover you? Can you send forth lightnings, so that they may go and say to you, ‘Here we are’? Who has put wisdom in the inward parts, or given understanding to the mind?

−	~~People~~ are ~~like stained - glass windows. They sparkle~~ and ~~shine when the sun is out~~, ~~but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is~~ a ~~light~~ from ~~within~~. ~~--Elisabeth Kubler Ross~~	+	Many people interpret these questions as God putting Job in his place: "Who are you to question me? Sit down and shut up, you puny mortal!" I find this interpretation a bit harsh. Job's loss and his suffering are real, and his questioning of God flow from that experience. God knows this. God knows Job. God loves Job. And Job has said, "I want to behold something beautiful. I want to see God."
		+
		+	So God calls his attention to some pretty beautiful things, some cosmic things, some simple things, the things that are all around us all the time. I'm fascinated by this idea:

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 In many ancient texts, there is an idea--sometimes stated, sometimes implied--that outward appearance is somehow connected to inward condition.  If you are a good person and do good things, your outward appearance will reflect that.  If you are an evil person and do evil things (or have evil thoughts) that too will manifest itself outwardly.  Fairy tales reflect this too.  Whenever Pinnochio tells a lie, his nose grows longer.  When the arrogant prince mistreats a witch in disguise, she turns him into an ugly beast or frog.  In fact, witches, and evil monsters of all sorts, are by nature...ugly.  Heroes and heroines, whether its poor Cinderella or powerful Hercules are, by nature...attractive.  There is something simple and appealing in this.  In fact, with few exceptions, you'll find the same thing in modern films and television shows, too.  Our stories reflect the deep truth of what we really believe, even if we loudly deny it outwardly.  Psychologists and marketers have demonstrated in countless studies that all of us instinctively trust more those we perceive to be attractive, and trust less those who are aesthetically...less fortunate.
-The Hebrew word for beauty, or beautiful, יָפָה (yafa) only appears once in the book of Job, at the very end of the book, in reference to Job's daughters, who are described as the most beautiful in all the land.  And yet, the idea of beauty--the outward, aesthetic appearance of a person, place or thing--runs throughout the book.
+The Bible is not immune to this kind of thinking. The Book of Proverbs in particular implies that good and evil manifest themselves externally.  Those who are rich, healthy, and happy are that way because they are righteous, hard working, and wise.  Those who are impoverished, sick, and unhappy are that way because they are lazy, wicked, and foolish.
 People are like stained - glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within. --Elisabeth Kubler Ross

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 ==Beauty in the Book of Job==
-The Hebrew word for beauty, or beautiful, יָפָה (yafa) only appears once in the book of Job, at the very end of the book, in reference to Job's daughters, who are described as the most beautiful in all the land.  And yet, the idea of beauty--people or things that are aesthetically attractive, runs throughout the book.
+English poet Thomas Overbury coined the expression that "Beauty is only skin deep."
-Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  Beauty is only skin deep.  As beautiful as the day is long.
 People are like stained - glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within. --Elisabeth Kubler Ross

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:15, 20 February 2016
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	==Beauty in the Book of Job==		==Beauty in the Book of Job==
		+
		+	The Hebrew word for beauty, or beautiful, יָפָה (yafa) only appears once in the book of Job, at the very end of the book, in reference to Job's daughters, who are described as the most beautiful in all the land. And yet, the idea of beauty--people or things that are aesthetically attractive, runs throughout the book.
		+
		+	Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Beauty is only skin deep. As beautiful as the day is long.
		+
		+
		+	People are like stained - glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within. --Elisabeth Kubler Ross