Sunday night recap

This is a real quick rundown on the day. Robyn and I have been watching the HBO miniseries John Adams on DVD on Sunday nights, and I want to catch as much of the movie as we can before it gets too late.

Today was quite cold. Tonight the temperature at the church was minus 8. But one thing I love about Alaska is that very rarely does the weather keep people at home. Whether it's bitter cold or driving snow, Alaskans just go about their daily routines. So we had the usual attendance at church.

Today we formally bid farewell to a special family who is moving to Jordan (the country, not the small town in eastern Montana where my dad was born!). They will be missed, especially by our children who have gotten to be good friends with their kids.

In Sunday School we discussed God's covenant with Noah (Gen. 8:20-9:17). We were reminded of how profound the difference is between the world view of one who accepts the Scripture as God's Word, and one who does not. For example, Genesis 9:6 grounds capital punishment for murder in the truth that man is created in the image of God. If a person does not regard Genesis as speaking with any sort of authority in regards to a contemporary issue like the death penalty, and if he does not believe man is made in God's image, then he may object to the idea of capital punishment. He may do this on the grounds that it is just another form of killing, or that it doesn't "work" (i.e., it does not deter other would-be murderers), or for some other reason. But if a Christian enters into debate with him on this issue, they will simply talk past each other because the real issue is not the death penalty itself but the authority and veracity of Scripture.

This holds true for a whole host of other hot-button issues, including abortion, homosexual marriage, and population control. Just below the surface in so many of these controversial subjects are two profoundly different, even antithetical, understandings of God, man and the world.

So much for a short rundown. I preached from Matthew 21 this morning, on the parable of the tenants, and from Romans 8:12-17 this evening, on our being children of God and joint-heirs with Christ by virtue of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Now - movie time!