Broomfield UMC

Monday Reflection

by Thomas Cross, thomas.cross@broomfieldumc.org

Yesterday was a fascinating day at BUMC! In his message, Ken explored the change in sleep patterns that took place during the Industrial Revolution. Until the time of the Civil War, most people slept in two different cycles. After retiring early, people would awaken in the early morning hours, taking time to reflect on their dreams, read the Scriptures, pray, and enjoy fellowship with family members. After this period of wakefulness, people would go back to sleep. Ken reflected upon Psalm 30, which may have been written in an early morning time of wakefulness. The psalmist reflects on recent events and gives thanks for God’s help. With boldness he then asks God for help with current problems. 

Sunday afternoon, the Star Trek Bible Study watched a classic episode, “Bread and Circuses,” after Liz Law-Evans shared her observations. The episode takes place on a planet the Enterprise visits where the crew finds a modern-day Roman Empire, complete with electricity and television. As the crew investigates, they encounter a non-violent resistance group that decries the brutality of the regime. Eventually the crew discovers that this group is the Christian movement. The episode raises all sorts of questions to ponder. It is one of my personal favorites.

Finally Marty Dormish led the first session of his four-part “Sweep Gospel Series.” He introduced the Sweep Report but devoted most of his time to a Bible study of Mark 1:1. Marty has a gift for presenting biblical context and insights with depth and simplicity. In the space of half an hour, Marty applied the concepts from biblical interpreters like Shane Claiborne and N.T. Wright to a specific passage, showing how Mark’s gospel begins with a bold proclamation that challenged the Roman powers of his own day. If you want to understand Mark, I invite you to join us on Sunday to the “Sweep Gospel” at 4:00pm in BUMC Room 201. I promise you a fascinating and easy-to-understand Bible study!

Random quote of the day: “It’s too bad about life. You get the test first, and then the lesson.” -- Curt from Madison, Wisconsin (quoted by Leeza Parcels)  

Originally posted on the BUMC Blog April 15, 2013.