SOZO - True Freedom
March 16, 2025Pastor Cleve Masten presented today's message, "SOZO - True Freedom." A video of today's message is here on YouTube.
First of all... Cleve mentioned a program called Malachi Dads. For more on that, visit their website at Lifeline Global: Malachi Dads. Malachi 4:6a, "And he [Elijah] will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers." Repeated in Luke 1:17, "And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous - to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
In both the Greek of the New Testament and the Hebrew of the Old Testament, the words for guard/prison/etc. convey more meaning than might be expected. I'll use one set of words to demonstrate: mish-MAHR (Hebrew, מִשְׁמָר) and foo-lak-ay' (Greek, φυλακή).
Foo-lak-ay' is the 2nd term for "prison" in Acts 5:19 that Pastor Cleve quoted. Mish-MAHR is its Hebrew equivalent and is used, for instance, in Genesis 40:3 to describe where Joseph, the baker, and the wine steward were imprisoned ("in custody"). Both words can mean both physical prisons as well as the act of guarding or watching over someone or something. In both Jewish and early Christian thought, the terms included a spiritual alertness or readiness to "lean into" (as Cleve put it) or "be ready for" the coming of the Messiah. Strong's Concordance goes on to say this about mish-MAHR: "In ancient Israel, the concept of guarding was integral to both religious and societal structures. The Levites, for example, were tasked with guarding the tabernacle and later the temple, ensuring that sacred spaces were protected. The idea of watchfulness extended to various aspects of life, including the protection of cities, the safeguarding of individuals, and the maintenance of moral and spiritual vigilance."
Cleve mentioned that "God wants us to thrive." Interestingly, Psalm 1, which alludes to the meaning of "TimberCreek" ("like a tree planted by streams of water"), talks of a thriving life and where it's found.And how's this for thriving: "But the Lord's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage. 'He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, the Lord alone guided him, no foreign god was with him. He made him ride on the high places of the land, and he ate the produce of the field, and he suckled him with honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock.'" (Deuteronomy 32:9-13 ESV)
Bonus
Purim, Pi, and Patrick
It was a "3-P" weekend! I talked a bit about Purim in a Bonus last week. I flew a Pi Flag on Pi Day (3.14). And I flew the Flag of Ireland on St. Patrick's Day.
As for St. Patrick's Day, I think I've mentioned before that I did a presentation about St. Patrick years ago at our church in California. See Saint Patrick Hears the Call: the Voice of the Irish.
We covered all three topics at our Family Dinner this past weekend. We had Irish stew (St. Patrick's Day) for the meal with pie (Pi Day!) for dessert. As for Purim, we did part of a typical Jewish Purim celebration. We read the Purim story, and every time the name Haman (the bad guy) was mentioned, we shot toy guns at a target of Haman on the board. This was in lieu of the more traditional noisemakers to "drown out his name" each time it's said in the story. It was a bunch of fun and got the point across. Oh, and a little wine, too, so we "can't tell the difference" between "blessed is Mordechai" and "cursed is Haman." The story is in the Book of Esther. Purim refers to the casting of lots (purim, plural of pur ("lot"), ala "throwing dice") by Haman to determine the best day to attack the Jews (see Esther 3:7). God turned the tide on Haman and that is what Purim celebrates.
See a few pics.
Bonus2
Tomb of King Thutmose II Recently Confirmed
King Thutmose II was the 4th pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt. His reign is thought to have been in the 1400s BCE. The tomb was discovered a few years ago but was only confirmed to be his earlier this year. His was the last tomb from the 18th Dynasty to be discovered. This is the first royal burial site unearthed since King Tut's tomb in 1922.Photo at right: Tomb entrance. Credit: The New Kingdom Research Foundation.
The tomb is located about 1.5 miles west of the Valley of the Kings in Egypt.
There were virtually no artifacts in this tomb as it was flooded very shortly after being built and the contents were moved to a different location (which is being excavated now).
See this article: Last Missing Tomb from Egypt’s 18th Dynasty Discovered.
The Biblical time period that correlates with the reign of King Thutmose II is debated. Could be anywhere from soon after Joseph's death to a few hundred years after the Exodus (into the period of the Biblical Judges).
Overview of the site (credit: The New Kingdom Research Foundation).
Bonus3
The Last Supper (2025 Movie)
Lynn and I saw the new movie The Last Supper this past weekend (released 3/14/25). Here are some first, big-picture impressions. There's a brief opening scene about the feeding of the 5,000, but then the movie goes directly to Holy Week and stays there but for another little bit afterward at the end. If you're a believer and are somewhat familiar with the story, you'll probably enjoy this relatively new take. If it's all new to you, you may not get much out of it. The main focus is on Peter and Judas, Jesus comes in third. Jesus' lines are almost all direct Biblical quotes; I enjoyed that. It's certainly less bloody than The Passion or even Jesus Christ Superstar, but it's not blood-free. In nearly every key scene my mind was almost always filling with Superstar music. It is a bit more kid-friendly as most reviewers suggest, but they also correctly point out that there is a dark, satanic part (and the aforementioned bloody parts) that may not set well with the younger ones (it's rated PG-13). It's also probably too slow for most kids.Here's the movie's website: TheLastSupper.movie.
One website mentioned that the movie was filmed "entirely on authentic locations of the Holy Land and the Middle East, this is the most elaborate and extensive film ever made on the Last Supper." (latestfilmlist.blogspot.com)
Rotten Tomatoes has it at 83% currently. Most reviews seem to end up at "OK, but..." in one manner or another.
My favorite part was simultaneously following the family's Passover Seder happening downstairs while the "last supper" scene was going on in the upper room above. The movie would bounce back and forth between the two scenes. I found that fascinating.
One of the more powerful lines was delivered by one of the disciples to Peter after the Crucifixion. "He gave everything, Peter, for you."
One reviewer correctly pointed out that the movie ends with a great setup for a sequel about the Book of Acts.
Here are a couple reviews:
- 'The Last Supper' Has Its Moments, But A Reminder Why Faith-Based Films Need Criticism
- Parents' Guide to The Last Supper. "Parents need to know that The Last Supper is a slow, low-budget drama about the life of Jesus and his disciples in Jesus' final days of ministry, death, and resurrection. While the movie has moments of bloody violence—including multiple crucifixion scenes—overall it's a few levels below that of The Passion of the Christ, and the story's focus is less on the crucifixion and more on the disciples, tensions, and events leading up to Jesus' betrayal. Expect hand-to-hand fighting (including an ear being removed) and suicide by hanging."
- The Last Supper (Christian Movie Review). "The Last Supper offers a decent but unexceptional adaptation of the greatest story ever told; the film isn’t groundbreaking, but it should satisfy audiences looking for a new cinematic way to meditate on the familiar gospel story this Easter season."