Thursday 23 February 2012

One week more...

...before I stand behind that pulpit. *Dread, dread*

I have not even started with my expository sermon. Still going through the details of Galatians 4:1-11 and looking at those strong Greek words the Apostle Paul used. Nepios, stoicheia, huiothesia, etc, etc. I do think that the Apostle was an amazing prophetic writer. It was certainly no child's play to formulate the inspired Word of God into epistles relevant to the original readers' background, maturity and situation - and yet Paul, by the grace of God, did so profoundly well. The literary and rhetorical devices he had employed, the strategic structure of the passages he had constructed and the messages of God he had cleverly weaved in without compromising their integrity... Studying the significance of every detail in the original context brings one to travel back in time... walk in the shoes of the original readers... feel God's love and anguish through Paul's own love and anguish... and see how the messages for them still relevantly apply for us today. Biblical interpretation, while sometimes tedious and difficult, is to be a beautiful process of not merely getting to know God's Word ~ but ultimately, knowing God. The God who is the same yesterday, today and forevermore. The God who still works powerfully in our daily lives as He did in the ancient times. The Giver of the Word meant to be the bread of life. Psalm 1 says that blessed is he who meditates on God's Word day and night. Blessed. He is like a tree planted by a river, which bears fruit in season and whose leaves never wither. Just by meditating on God's powerful Word, one is blessed. Imagine what Biblical Interpretation does for the soul of the earnest interpreter who wants to grow deep in God!

Well, then... hopefully I am the earnest interpreter who wants to grow deep in God - and am not doing BI just for the sake of getting 2 credits. Amen.

Anyway... I'm much better today, praise God. I even treated myself to Subway's for lunch - and a cup of Qbean's Almond Soymilk with pearls after lunch. No post-meal pains despite some nausea before lunch. It is indeed wonderful that I now have my appetite back - life seems a whole lot more interesting when my appetite's good! *Grin* My hubby thinks that it's because my mouth is back to being on the go ~ moving. He always says this to pull my leg: "You are the happiest when your mouth is moving (the munching kind), right?"

Yeah, I've always liked eating (even though eating still terrifies me sometimes) - and I think I will always like eating.

Before you think that in this blog-post there is a pro-gluttony agenda (and propaganda), I'm going off to work on my interpretation project!

No comments: