The Ninth of Av on the Jewish calendar is a day of fasting and mourning in Judaism....maybe the saddest day of all on the Jewish calendar. Both the first and the second temples were destroyed on that date, and along with a slew of other disasters that occurred on the Ninth of Av over many many hundreds of year, it points to what may be the saddest day of the year for them. Jews know this day as Tisha B' Av. It occurs on a different day of the Gregorian calendar every year and this year....2017.....Tisha B' Av begins at sunset on July 31st and ends at nightfall on August 1st. If you are interested you can Google either the ninth of Av or Tisha B' Av for the history behind the fast day, and the current observations of it that are required.
In America we tend to pick a day....such as Memorial Day....to honor a certain group of Americans....in this case those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country. In the following post of mine from last June, I looked to a certain day of the week.....every week. Every Lord's Day I'm hoping that God might, through His Holy Spirit, move mightily in the pulpits all across America. It hasn't happened yet and similar to as described in the following post where the Jews had the rallying cry of.....'Next year in Jerusalem'......I've labelled my hope as......
Next Lord's Day At The Foot Of The Cross
"Next year in Jerusalem!" It may have been a rallying cry at one time but today its meaning depends on what Jewish person you poll on the subject. The phrase is still repeated in ceremony two times a year at Passover and Yom Kippur. Even after researching it I still don't have a handle on the importance of these words to the Jewish community. I bring this up because I do understand incorporating a saying into your life that has great meaning....even if only to you.
If the American people are ever to awaken to our predicament and our culpability in that predicament I would think that it would have to begin on a certain day. Even if it would turn out to be a long process it would still have to have a beginning. Would it be in response to an event? Would the American people be shocked into submission to the God they acknowledge but keep at arms length? If so it should not be a day that we would forward to.
Or would God have mercy upon us and awaken our pulpits that have lain dormant for so long? Would pastors put aside the church growth mentality and preach the Christ of the book of Hebrews, and the salvation of the book of Romans, and the worship of the Psalms, and the judgment of Revelation? Would the Holy Spirit then work through these pastors on our cold hearts? Would we then respond? Would I then respond?
As this world hurries to judgment and another Lord's Day passes with no sign of a quickening of the church I sometimes say to myself.....maybe....maybe it will be....next Lord's Day at the foot of the cross.
In America we tend to pick a day....such as Memorial Day....to honor a certain group of Americans....in this case those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country. In the following post of mine from last June, I looked to a certain day of the week.....every week. Every Lord's Day I'm hoping that God might, through His Holy Spirit, move mightily in the pulpits all across America. It hasn't happened yet and similar to as described in the following post where the Jews had the rallying cry of.....'Next year in Jerusalem'......I've labelled my hope as......
Next Lord's Day At The Foot Of The Cross
"Next year in Jerusalem!" It may have been a rallying cry at one time but today its meaning depends on what Jewish person you poll on the subject. The phrase is still repeated in ceremony two times a year at Passover and Yom Kippur. Even after researching it I still don't have a handle on the importance of these words to the Jewish community. I bring this up because I do understand incorporating a saying into your life that has great meaning....even if only to you.
If the American people are ever to awaken to our predicament and our culpability in that predicament I would think that it would have to begin on a certain day. Even if it would turn out to be a long process it would still have to have a beginning. Would it be in response to an event? Would the American people be shocked into submission to the God they acknowledge but keep at arms length? If so it should not be a day that we would forward to.
Or would God have mercy upon us and awaken our pulpits that have lain dormant for so long? Would pastors put aside the church growth mentality and preach the Christ of the book of Hebrews, and the salvation of the book of Romans, and the worship of the Psalms, and the judgment of Revelation? Would the Holy Spirit then work through these pastors on our cold hearts? Would we then respond? Would I then respond?
As this world hurries to judgment and another Lord's Day passes with no sign of a quickening of the church I sometimes say to myself.....maybe....maybe it will be....next Lord's Day at the foot of the cross.
