Happy New Year!

We’ve been looking at the story of the Magi or wise men visiting Jesus, now we’ll contast them with the priests and scribes who were present at their meeting with Herod (see yesterday’s Bible reading).

The scribes and priests are also knowledgeable, learned like the Magi.  They are called to advise Herod on this apparent threat to his rule – is a new king of the Jews, or the Messiah, really going to be born?

These experts on the scriptures end up helping him with his plan to have the wise men quietly scout things out for Herod, so he can swoop in and violently remove the threat.

But first, Herod needed to know where in Judea this “king” would be born.  This was a question the priests/scribes could answer immediately – they knew the scriptures, the history and answer that it’s Bethlehem, the city of David.

The priests and scribes had all the information to know the messiah was coming, and coming imminently.  But they did nothing but advise his enemy.

Perhaps in their view, the arrival of the Messiah represents a threat to their power and authority in their culture, and to peace with the Romans.  So they go home…Herod will neutralize threat.  They advise and move on.

Question:  What intellectual risks are involved in following Jesus?  How do you calculate those?

Reminder: We are reading the Bible in sync as one community – so check out today’s reading here.

Reminder: The best way to grow spiritually this year is to join our Christianity 101 in the Cafe Course in Pickering starting January 22nd. Register for you and a friend today!

Read the Bible in Sync Today

Ryan Sim - September 10, 2015

Thursday - Act On It - Structured Rest

Work and Rest

I used to be really good at resting. I rock climbed, mountain biked, went running. I went to movies, read books, relaxed at home. Then I got a job! It became a lot harder when I was no longer a student. Add to that that pressures of family life - marriage and children - and it's even harder to rest at all, much less daily, weekly, yearly and beyond. So how do you carve that out and protect it? We asked Jerry, a friend of RTC and a business owner, how he does it. Be sure to catch his interview on video or audio. For Jerry, maintaining daily, weekly and less frequent rhythms of rest is a witness to others - they know when your store is closed, and it says something about the values of the family behind the business. It also teaches his family what's important to him and his wife. They are not just about money, there is much more to their life. Challenge: Find at least four other people in your line of work, and ask them how they handle their need for rest, leisure and restoration. Ask them how that looks on a weekly basis, and throughout the year. Then ask them to keep you accountable.

From Series: "Work and Rest"

Just in time for summer's blend of work and rest, Redeem the Commute is starting a new series of daily challenges to help busy people restore life to the commuting lifestyle. This seven week series will look at the meaning and purpose of work, rest, and ancient practices that have helped followers of Jesus to keep the two in perspective and balance for centuries.

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