I loved when the Star Trek movie franchise was revived some years back, and I was eager to go see this third one since its release. And while I am not disappointed, I am certain that I preferred the other two to this one. I had gotten used to the brilliant dialog, the thoughtful development of each of the characters, the fine balance of space and time relative to the insatiable spirit of adventure and discovery, and the many perils of exploration. And while this latest offering had all of the above, it still didn’t completely meet, let alone exceed the bar set by the previous ones. Capt. Kirk and Spock and Bones and Scottie, and a few newbies were all in fine form, and even whilst traversing through space into other universes, the common qualities of the human condition including joy, pain, sadness, and even ennui were in full display by the crew of the USS Starship Enterprise.
The one complaint that I doubt I shall ever have is find anything wrong at all with Chris Pine’s Capt. Kirk. So supremely confident and beautiful is he, that he can almost do no wrong. Well, you know what I mean. LOLOL. And I suppose this might be the first time I am incorporating this lofty colloquialism into a serious piece of writing. Which isn’t all that serious. But then again, it was never supposed to be.
Bottom line: not a bad use of your time or money. A thumbs-up.
Ezra continues his account in the first person of making the long journey back to Jerusalem, and there is a detailed account of the gold and silver that he carries back and entrusts to the priests for use in the Temple. Furthermore, there is the account of a grand celebration within the Temple, most likely a reference to the observance of Passover.
The next chapter is devoted to Ezra’s great prayer and lament concerning the intermarriage of the Jewish people with the many natives. It seems like Ezra is making too much of a big deal of this, but that is how the Jewish people were expected to practice their faith in that day. It was the old covenant that God had made with Moses that included the stipulation that intermarriage was prohibited.
All this will soon change, as we well know. Another devout Jew by the name of Paul will come along in the next six hundred years or so, and will point to another Jew by the name of Jesus who defied every possible commandment of the old covenant, and it this Jew’s doings that Paul will reference in advocating that a separation between Jew and non-Jew was no longer necessary.
And speaking of Paul, we turn now to our reading in I Corinthians, and find Paul offering some very specific advice to the early Christians in Corinth: get your house in order, he is saying, i.e., the church being the house. While Paul is not advocating judging anyone outside the church for deviant behaviors, he is quite clear about judging and uprooting those within the church who are engaged in such behaviors.
Paul does not mince words in identifying these behaviors, and in instructing them to take the necessary action. He says, 6 Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
And in case this was still not sufficiently clear, he goes on to say this:12What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”
Turning now to our reading in the psalms, we find David, the psalmist, crying out to God for help. There is a total and utter trust in God’s provision and deliverance. David says,
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. 4 Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge. 5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
deliver me, LORD, my faithful God.
Finally, a verse from the book of Proverbs in which Solomon, the wise king of Israel, offers some food for thought:
2 A person may think their own ways are right, but the LORD weighs the heart.
May God bless the reading and reflection of His Word.
We continue in the book of Ezra, and following the first six chapters, it appears that this seventh chapter is a retelling of the same story of the Persian kings allowing the Jewish people to return to their homeland of Judah and rebuild the Temple. Not only were the people allowed to return, but the Persian kings also provided the resources for this big restoration project.
In this retelling, Ezra identifies himself as the direct descendant of Moses from the priestly tribe of Levi, and recounts the history of his people—from captivity and exile into their homeland, to the rebuilding and restoration of the glory of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Turning now to our reading in Paul’s first letter of Corinthians, we find Paul talking about the nature of true apostleship. Paul advises against being too hasty to render judgment upon one another, and says this: 5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.
Paul goes on to tell the young church in Corinth that he will be visiting them soon, but first he commends to them Timothy, a young man who has evidently trained and traveled with Paul, and it is this young man who will visit the Christian Corinthians before Paul’s visit.
Turning now to our psalm of the day, we find one in which David, the psalmist, is offering up unabashed praise for God’s mercies. May it be that like David, we also would be reminded of God’s goodness, and be quick to offer similar praise:
4 Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people;
praise his holy name. 5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
And again, David says,
11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
LORD my God, I will praise you forever.
Finally, one verse from the book of Proverbs, in which Solomon, the wise king of Israel, is pointing out the difference between the young and old:
29 The glory of young men is their strength,
gray hair the splendor of the old.
May God bless the reading and reflection of His Word.
