As we take this week to reflect on what we have learned so far in Daniel, Psalm 137 comes to my mind. It helps us to remember that it wasn’t just Daniel and his friends who were taken into exile away from all they knew and loved. In fact, we get a glimpse here of the daily life and struggles God’s people had as they learned to adjust to their new reality.
This Sunday we are going to look at an incident that is all too relevant and painful. In an effort to be obedient to God and His commands, three young men find that their lives are in danger. Make the right decision, and you live. Make the wrong decision, well, you die. But what happens if the right decision is the one the world thinks is wrong? Can we stand at moments like that? This weekend we will find out how we can.
This week we get to look at the dream of the king and see just how Daniel interprets it. Along with this, we have that mysterious stone cut with human hands which destroys all other kingdoms. We will see who that is, how that worked and continues to work within God’s sovereign hand on history.
As we continue in Daniel this week, we find he is challenged right away to define what lines he will cross and what ones he will not. The instance of turning down the King’s food and drink reveals the character of these young men, and we discover that when we seek to honor God and His holiness, things tend to work out in the end.
This week we are going to re-visit in a way our vision, where we are and have journeyed since January 8 of this year. God has done and continues to do amazing things here at the Rock. My hope and focus is always to make much of Jesus and engage the world in which He has set us down.
This week at COTR, we will finish up our mini-series on Jonah. Last week, we looked at "typecast" - how our opinions and stereotypes can cause us to unfairly judge and treat other people. This week, I want to give us all a chance to draw a line in the sand, and leave at the altar our tendency to do this.
This week and next we will be taking a look through the book of Jonah. Jonah had a difficult time knowing how to treat others that not only did not look, act, or believe like he did, but also had a hard time not placing them into the category of unworthy. This led to all sorts of problems and issues for him! As we look at Jonah, we will also look at ourselves. How are we like him, and unlike him? What can we do to protect ourselves from stereotyping others? We will look together.