I brought back some pictures from Cambridge last weekend. Above City Hall in Central Square it says,
God has given commandments unto men. From these commandment men have framed laws by which to be governed. It is honorable and praiseworthy to serve the people by administering these laws faithfully. If the laws are not enforced the people are not well governed.
More common, perhaps, is blasphemy such as the interesting example of
taking God's name in vain at the Sheraton Commander, where I stayed. One striking thing about this is that I doubt the hotel would display something like this if anyone in their marketing department thought that the religion had survived in the modern world.
On the other hand, a more familiar idea in Cambridge is "Capitalism Kills," here seen in a subway grafitti attack on Starbucks.
I did visit the main used bookstore in Central Square, where I bought two books on Japan, some science fiction, and some Dilberts. There's another used bookstore, called "Hopewell," I think, on Mass Ave between Central and Harvard squares, but I didn't have time to stop.
I did stop to take pictures of two beautiful views of Central Square (not a contradiction in terms, a A beautiful modern building and a scene I call "Verticality at Central Square".
I went to church at Christ the King Presbyterian Church in Central Square and heard Pastor Downs preach on the following passage, The Sending of the Seventy, from the book of Luke.
13
Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if
the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which
have been done in you, they had a great while ago
repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it shall be
more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for
you. 15 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven,
shalt be thrust down to hell. 16 He that heareth you heareth
me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that
despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.
18 And he said
unto them,
Luke 10:1 After these things the Lord appointed other
seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face
into every city and place, whither he himself would come. 2
Therefore said he unto them,
The boldfaced passage makes for an obvious warning to Harvard, Boston, and people like me and Pastor Downs.
The harvest truly is great, but
the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the
harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
3 Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among
wolves. 4 Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and
salute no man by the way. 5 And into whatsoever house ye
enter, first say, Peace be to this house. 6 And if the son of
peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall
turn to you again. 7 And in the same house remain, eating
and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is
worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. 8 And into
whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such
things as are set before you: 9 And heal the sick that are
therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come
nigh unto you. 10 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and
they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of
the same, and say, 11 Even the very dust of your city,
which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you:
notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God
is come nigh unto you. 12 But I say unto you, that it shall be
more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.
17 And the
seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the
devils are subject unto us through thy name.
I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 19
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and
scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing
shall by any means hurt you. 20 Notwithstanding in this
rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather
rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
21 In
that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said,
I thank thee, O
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these
things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them
unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy
sight. 22 All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no
man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the
Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal
him.
23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said
privately,
Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye
see: 24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have
desired to see those things which ye see, and have not
seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and
have not heard them.
I learned that the number "seventy" is an allusion to Genesis 10, the Book of Nations, where 70 countries descending from Noah are listed. This contrasts with just a little earlier in Luke, where just the 12 Apostles are sent out-- 12 being the number of Tribes of Israel. It is also noteworthy that th Parable of the Good Samaritan (on which I blogged jkljkj), another lesson on Jew vs. Non-Jew, follows immediately after the passage above. And, by coincidence, I was just reading a French book with the title drawn from " I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven," and I was just reading FF Bruce on The New Testament documents quoting "All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him" as a prime example of a passage in the style of the book of John found in the middle of the book of Luke.
It's a hopeful sign that we see CTK Presbyterian in Cambridge, inhabiting the old Congregational church in Central Square. I wonder if there are any surviving Puritan churches? Park Street Church in Boston comes to mind. But more common is the fate of the First Church of Cambridge, founded in 1630 or so. It went Unitarian around 1820, and now finds its mission to be the promotion of sodomy.
[in full at 04.03.17a.htm . Erasmusen@yahoo.com. ]
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