Some Questions:

• ​What does Gabriel say to relieve Mary's fear?
• Why is Mary confused?
• Why does the angel address Mary as "favored one"?
• Who "sent" Gabriel?
• Is Joseph's descendancy from David significant?
• What is the significance of Mary being identified as a virgin?

Let's Think:
It should be understood that this named angel - Gabriel - is dispatched from Almighty God for the purpose of communicating with Mary.  Mary is considered to be favored (or favorite) of God, and there is great care on the author's part to identify Joseph as being in the lineage of David.  It almost sounds as if Gabriel is excited as he says, "Greetings, favored one!"

It's difficult to imagine standing in Mary's place.  The passage notes that Mary is perplexed and is pondering the angel's greeting when Gabriel instructs her not to be afraid.  He tells her she has "found favor" with God, implying that if she was not a favored one, Mary might have a reason to fear.

Matthew's primary readership for his account of the Gospel are the Jews.  They would have been aware of Messianic prophecy involving the birth of a coming Savior.  Specifically, they should be looking for a virgin birth with the child being an heir to the David's throne.  Even though verses 26-30 only tell of the greeting shared between Mary and Gabriel, there is depth here as prophecy is in the process of being fulfilled.

Before we get into this lesson, let us work through the 1783 Newburgh Conspiracy scenario in George Washington's Mount Vernon's Be Washington!  At this link, select Single Player and the Newburgh Conspiracy scenario, then follow directions in the simulation.

The soldiers suspected that when the war ended, there would be no chance they would be paid for their service. They thought they could keep Congress to their obligations as long as the standing army still existed.  This moment in our history is known as the Newburgh Conspiracy.  When George Washington heard this was happening, he masterfully showed up to the meeting with a prepared speech.  Primary documents describe this event.

In 2018, I had the privilege of visiting George Washington's Mount Vernon for a summer residency and teacher institute.  The lead scholar for the institute was Dr. Bill Fowler, professor at Northeastern University in Boston, and former director of the Massachusetts Historical Society.  He described the moment in which Washington made his speech.  He also demonstrated the way Washington ended his speech by reading a letter from Joseph Jones ensuring everyone that Congress would live up to its responsibilities to them.  To read the letter, the commander-in-chief took his new glasses out of his coat and stated, "Gentlemen, you must forgive me.  My hair has grown gray and my eyes have grown dim in the service of my country."  It is said that there was not a dry eye in the house.

Almost immediately, the group agreed to follow Washington's advice and allow the new government to fulfill its mission.

So how important is it to you that the Bible can be proven true?  Do you believe there is irrefutable evidence to its validity?  Is proof something that strengthens your personal faith in the existence of God?

Should faith alone be enough to drive you to drive you to your knees?  Is "blind" faith a stronger kind of faith?  If so, then why did God provide so much evidence?

• ​Behavior problems multiply.  Some schools regularly track behavior data, but specifically limit those reports to office referrals.  They do not take into account that some teachers prefer to take care of discipline in their classrooms without involving a principal.  They also don't account for the ineffectiveness of some principals (How could they?).  Some teachers like to establish a paper trail on students, strictly adhering to the process of a three strikes, you're out policy, while others see value in helping students through their issues with more of a coaching model.  Still, in this point, we have to discuss the principal's support for the classroom teacher. If the principal is too busy taking care of district oversight, policing employees, crunching testing data, and attending meetings in another building, the undergirding support for a struggling teacher with a severe discipline issue will suffer.  Teachers become disgruntled when they perceive that the principal does not understand, does not know how to solve a problem, or refuses to get involved.  

​

• Educator turnover increases.  We're seeing this issue pop up across the nation.  Not only do people not want to teach due to the low pay, but they also see the writing on the wall as far as politics and social justice issues that loom.  These things are no longer just on the horizon; they are in the front yard and on the playground.  When teachers are constantly in danger of being sued for manufactured injustices, why would they want to be teachers?  When teachers are being flooded with a barrage of time-sucking requirements that do nothing to benefit students and the community, they could do something much less stressful.  When teachers have to take the blame for the system's failure, it quickly becomes time to go:  time to retire, time to move, time to seek another career.  No one needs the type of stress that comes from working hard (and working smart) and still being blamed for failure.  If the system is losing teachers, and few are in the wings to replace them, the system needs to look at the system and see where the system is failing.

• No matter what, teachers believe the grass is greener elsewhere.  It's pretty easy to see that the grass can be greener.  Do you wonder how it feels to see students that you taught in the second grade graduate from high school and fall into jobs that pay more than yours?  On one hand, it can be a source of pride as you were a part of the machine that got them there, but on the other hand, all of your hard work, inspiring countless students to success, prestige, and high-paying careers can be a downer.  In decades of teaching, the teacher can only earn a certain position on the pay scale, and it's the same position that others share:  it doesn't matter how effective the teacher is or how lousy, the pay is the same.  There is no compensation for excellence and very little accolades to show for it.  Unless a teacher can discount some of the feelings that go along with these things, the grass will always be greener elsewhere.  What are the people in charge of the educational system doing to make sure there is a balance between the compensations for effectiveness and the feelings of inferiority that sometimes accompanies success?

 

• Employees are only allowed to use the district talking points.  Zip it!  If you can't support the company line, there's the door.  One superintendent literally told reporters that he could always find other teachers to replace his employees that didn't agree with him:  that didn't set well with "his" employees.  Any time the my-way-or-the-highway line is pulled out, you know something must be wrong.  Not only that, but how is anyone supposed to believe or trust what a teacher says if the teacher is never allowed to take any line other than the company line.  This crack is going to lead straight into the next one which addresses dissent from the company line.  This whole speak-with-one-voice approach should never be the set policy.  If you want me to agree with you, then you're just going to need to win me over to what you're saying.  Make me want to stand with you instead of trying to intimidate me into being your zombie/slave.

 

• Dissent is waved off.  And while we're on the subject, can you not accept that your ideas may not be the best ideas?  I'm talking to you, bosses and legislators.  Can you not accept that your ideas may lead to the cliff?  Can you not see that your ideas might be improved?  If only you had an army of people who could help you find the best solutions rather than jamming things down the soldiers' throats!  Do you mean to tell me that I can't disagree when I see you leading me into a mine field?  Is that how you intend to win battles?  I refuse to be the blind following the blind, placing my faith is a person who walks around with his fingers in his ears. Nor will I simply stick my wet finger into the air to see from which direction the wind in blowing on a particular day; in other words, I don't just operate my classroom on popular opinion.  No, in the interest of helping us all conquer another hill, I don't think I can just bite my tongue and become sycophantic.  Whenever you try to squash my voice and remove my freedom of speech - even in the interest of the company - that's a sign that something is wrong in said company.

Well, there you have them, just five more warning signs that the educational system is cracking.  What's it going to take for just one school board, one superintendent, one principal, or one state legislature or educational department to say, "That's enough!  We've played with this system for too long and received minimal successes, and now it's time to overhaul things or raze it all and start over"?  It could get interesting.

A group of people from church met for a little field trip to the Freedom of Flight Museum, located on the grounds at the Joplin Regional Airport.  Mr. Coit and Mr. Trumbly deliver a thorough explanation of all things aeronautical at the museum.  The old control tower at the airport is a part of the museum, and it's always fun to watch planes take off and land while listening to the controllers in the newer tower across the field.

A couple of simulators invite guests to sit in the cockpit and fiddle with the countless, unknown controls.  Lots of artifacts are on display in the museum, including all sorts of missiles, jet parts, schematics, ejection seats, parachutes, and more tedious parts than a regular person can comprehend.

Sometimes, when we go to the movies or as we watch a show on TV, we are transported into the plot.  Directors understand that their selection of background music can change and enhance a scene.

Now it is time to turn it around.  This time, the music comes first.  Do not watch the video; instead, let the music lead your imagination.  As it plays, allow it to transport you into a scene that has yet to be written.  Then, write the scene.  Use all the visual imagery you can muster in your writing.  At the end, you will share your writing.  Will it stand on its own, without the music in the background?

Some Questions:

• How many months passed before Elizabeth conceives?
• Why does Elizabeth seclude herself?
• What is Elizabeth's thinking during this strange turn of events?

Let's Think:
Elizabeth must have thought Zechariah was crazy at first.  He's too old.  She's too old.  And yet, he came home with news about an angel.  I wonder if his wife understood what he was signing and writing to her (Remember, he couldn't speak.).  Did she believe her husband's news?  For some reason, Elizabeth hides out for five months.  Perhaps it was the custom.  I have to wonder if that was the first or the last part of her pregnancy.  It almost sounds like Elizabeth regrets the prayers to have a child.

That is, it sounds like that until next verse:  in verse 25, she makes it clear that she feels blessed by God that He has chosen her to be a vessel for the forerunner of the Savior.  In fact, until now, she says, she has been disgraced in the minds of society because of her inability to conceive and bear a child.

The Big Questions
​
Our focus for this study hinges on answering these two big questions.  The goal is to get closer to the answers each week in our class.

​Introductory Questions:

Of course, we don't have the original texts of Scripture.  Those writings were preserved in ancient times by various methods.  The Book of the Law, for example, traveled inside the Ark of the Covenant (Deuteronomy 31:9, 24).  The Old Testament grew gradually as inspired writers recorded history and prophecy.  Incredibly, according to Lightfoot, "The Jewish authority, Josephus, sad that no book was added to the Hebrew Scriptures after the time of Malachi.

The New Testament came about in much the same way, over a short period of time (AD 50-100).  The letters, written by inspired men, were passed from church to church to be read in assemblies.  More information about all of this is shared within the text of How We Got the Bible​.

The preservation of such is an incredible process.  If the materials could not be protected and preserved, at least the words could be.  

Our book has something to say about how our Bible is arranged and in what languages it is presented, mentioning that in regards to the Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible groups books differently than that with which we are accustomed, but the text is all the same:

• Law:  Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
• Prophets:
  • Former Prophets:  Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings
  • Latter Prophets:  Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Book of the Twelve (what we more commonly know as the twelve minor prophets)
• Writings:  Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and 1 and 2 Chronicles

Likewise, the New Testament is also grouped into three sections:

• History
• Doctrine
• Prophecy

Refer to the book for more details.

We heard samples of the three languages in which the original text was presented.  Lightfoot has some things to say about those three languages on pages 27-29, providing more information about which sections are written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.

Their notes, known as colophons, tell something about their work.  Sometimes, the scribe would include his name, the location of his work, and the date.  Lightfoot's book mentions a scribe telling of the completion of a manuscript and adding the commentary, "with great sweat and toil".  Others, the book reports, exclaim, "The end of the book - thanks be to God!"

So how important is it to you that the Bible can be proven true?  Do you believe there is irrefutable evidence to its validity?  Is proof something that strengthens your personal faith in the existence of God?

Should faith alone be enough to drive you to drive you to your knees?  Is "blind" faith a stronger kind of faith?  If so, then why did God provide so much evidence?

A crack in the boat allows water in and eventually the boat sinks.  It can be a slow process that people don't notice, but it can also allow enough water into the boat to cause people to panic and evacuate.  In education, that leak seems to constantly cycle.  We just can't seem to learn from our mistakes and misguided leadership in history, so we repeat the same issues and programs.  Millions/ billions/trillions of dollars are spent to fix the problems, then millions/billions/trillions are spent to re-implement the same wolfy programs in new, shiny sheepy clothing.

Here is another few signs that we can observe right now.  Let's emphasize this:  these things are listed here as a warning that they could happen, but that they are occurring in the present.

• Test scores become the goal.  Yep, it's a classic tale.  Standardized testing is a window into a kid's life during a single day or a single week.  It is not a complete picture.  The fact is, some kids don't see any use in a test, and they don't do their best.  I don't care how much you want to compare Missouri scores to other states or US scores to other nations, the comparison is NOT apples to apples.  In fact, you shouldn't even contrast local scores with other local scores without also considering unique local issues and obstacles.  In addition, let's put in a measurement of student joy.  How much do your students enjoy learning?  How motivated are your pupils?  How much do they initiate and pursue their own studies?  Do they have intelligence beyond the items tested on a standardized test?  The bottom line is that we can (and should) still administer standardized testing - there is value there - but we should also consider some other evaluations - non-standardized even.

• Teachers go shallow (skim the surface) to keep up.  Here's a byproduct of standards and district pacing guides.  For decades, teachers have moved on and moved on just to get to everything before the year runs out.  In most instances, that's not the teachers faults, but the curriculum designers and the bosses who have such pride in their own choices that they fail grandly to see that their expectation of getting to everything necessarily dictates that nothing gets covered deeply.  As long as we're skipping rocks, those students never get to see beneath the surface.

• Students do not experience the joy of learning.  Mentioned above, students must be encouraged by the joy of learning.  If they don't feel themselves getting smarter, stronger, faster, etc., my students will resent having to attend at all.  They'll fight and rebel against any attempt to get them to learn.  In short, they become the enemy of the system.  Is that the intention?  No.  But it is the result far too often.  Friends, before we can throw them into the deep water, we have to teach them to swim.  If they're afraid of the water, they're never going to take off their floaties.  Teachers must be allowed the freedom to develop a family in the classroom - an atmosphere where students are free to be vulnerable and express themselves.  The joy of learning should be one of the first things school boards look at.  That doesn't mean that classes party all the time and do crafts and games that have no meaning.  It doesn't mean that teachers throw out a bag of free time or allow learning to go unchecked.  It does mean that the class remains engaged, that the class is compelled to be curious, and that the class wrestles with the material to internalize it and own it.  That will never happen if the teacher is constantly squelched in her efforts to develop strong relationships and culture.

​

• Teachers do not have a passion for teaching.  Look around in the local school and see if the teachers are loving their jobs or if they are just going through the motions.  I've been pushed to the point that I wanted out, and that's what I hear from many that I talk to.  I'll ask them how things are going, and they'll respond, "Well, it's different," meaning that some changes have been made that make them uncomfortable - things that make them reduce their day to coming to work and going back home at the end of the day.  They only want to do the required minimum, because they are no longer motivated to be creative or devote any extra time to a job for which they used to have a passion.  I remember getting to that point myself, finally telling myself and others that all I could do was my best, and if that wasn't good enough, I wouldn't lose any sleep over failing to live up to what somebody else thought I should be doing.  Teachers inherently want to please people and solve problems, but when their own hands are tied, they just aren't much use in helping out.

• Teachers no longer want to go the extra mile.  That means teachers no longer do activities or projects that catch the media's attention and lend some positive public relations to the school or district.  It means they no longer want to develop killer presentations for the material or encourage students to produce displays that knock the socks off of the standards.  When teachers are squelched and lose their passion, they begin to teach straight from the script they find in the teachers edition of a textbook.  They find substandard materials online and no longer devote any extra time to developing the things that will bring their students into a positive attitude of learning.  Let me ensure you, teachers and students suffer greatly when the bosses and legislators are constantly looking over their shoulders with mistrust.  When administrators and members of Congress refuse to see past the noses on their own faces - and legislate with that limited point of view - no classroom under their care can ever escape the blur.

It's a horrible shame to run teachers out of the system and then lament the fact that there is a shortage of teachers.  Good grief!  It's not hard to motivate this section of our society.  They made the decision to teach, wanting to do their parts to benefit the community.  Teachers don't want low test scores.  Teachers don't want to defy their bosses.  But they also want their students to experience the joy of being in their presence and improving their skills.  Some teachers know how to do that for kids, and they should never be punished for doing it - even when it means that they are doing things that are different from the norm.  Hold them accountable, but don't limit them.

Do we continue to drive nails into the hands and feet of Jesus Christ?  Or are we celebrating the richness and fullness of living within His resurrection?  One day, each of us will stand before Him in judgment.  Will we, as the people in Acts 3:11, be full of amazement, or will we already know what Christ has done for us?  Will we already believe in the power He holds?  Will we have taken the steps to live in Him?

After healing the lame man, the apostle, Peter, addresses those people in Acts 3, asking, "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this…?"  He continues his response to the people, fundamentally convicting them of driving the very nails that were put into their Savior’s hands and feet.

He says, "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered up, and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him.  But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead…" (emphasis added).

I ask again, have our sins, our actions, and our thoughts convicted us?  Because of our sins and unrighteous thoughts and actions, Christ’s burden on the cross is made even heavier.

We are thankful to God Almighty for the sacrifice of His beloved Son!  But we are also thankful for the resurrection of His Son!  It is through His death, burial, and resurrection that we, too have hope of eternal life.

In verse 19, Peter says, "Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…" In verse 38 of the previous chapter, Peter even better defined repentance as including more than simply becoming a good person.  He says, "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…"

If you have not taken these steps, or if you continue to drive nails into the cross, you stand convicted by Jesus Christ.​

Of course, as mentioned, my goal was to find the tabernacle, and I finally did.  No one was in or around the area, especially in the off-season, but the tabernacle is along one of the hiking trails, so I ventured inside.  The measurements are right, although the materials, design, and construction of the facility is not accurate according to the descriptions given to Moses toward the end of the Old Testament book of Exodus.

The items in the tabernacle walls might need some explanation for people who are not familiar with their descriptions in Exodus.  For those of us who have studied, the things in the tabernacle are pretty much in the correct locations.  It is interesting to see them in their positions and ready for reverent attention by the priests.  Even the Holy of Holies is here, complete with the Ark of the Covenant.  There is a dark window to look into this very special room into which only the high priest would be allowed to enter.

Because of a recent visit to Virginia, where I observed the making of bricks in the tradition of the early American Colonies, another plot of land also drew my attention.  This was supposed to be a re-creation of the Israelite task of making bricks while they were enslaved in Egypt in the times of pharaohs.  The layout of brick frames and clay bricks in this area was very similar to what I saw in Colonial Williamsburg, though the bricks here were much larger.

This area on the Passion Play property is normally not open to the general public unless one has a ticket for their Holy Land tour.  While it is accessible by walking the hilly miles-long trails, it is not something one normally just happens across.  To me, it was a peaceful repose from the aerobic exercise of the hikes, but it still felt like I wasn't supposed to be there.  Hiking up one more mild hill, I came to a gate across the paved road, and I worked my way around the gate to see the sign on the other side that announces that, unless ticketed, no one is supposed to go beyond that point.  Obviously, the trails extend into that area, and the trails are free, so it wasn't as if I was trespassing, but it still felt a little naughty and adventurous to exit the trail in that manner.

Is it true that having two opposing teeth was a requirement to be a soldier in the Continental Army?
​It sure helps when ripping open the cartridge before plunging it into the barrel of a musket.

Here are some photos of the Old Courthouse in St. Louis, Missouri, where Dred and Harriet Scott's original case was placed before the state's Supreme Court.  Here, visitors can see the staircase that the Scotts climbed and the courtroom where their case was tried.

Originally Posted July 29, 2020

​It can be controversial - that's true - but that's not our fault.  Teaching the facts of history does not mean that we are complicit in the actions of historical figures.  The facts are the facts.  Sometimes they implicate people, and sometimes they simply demonstrate the flaws in humanity.  Life happens, resulting in good and evil consequences. Educators aren't always obliged to take sides, but to show the causes and effects of the choices made in the past. Please don't shy away from the controversial:  that may just be the spice of the lesson.  It may get an unlikely student to sit up and pay attention.

OK.  This one is blatantly untrue.  If you believe kids are bored by the subject, you haven't been in our classroom to see my students have mature conversations about some very serious subjects in colonial and American history. Sure, you can stick to the biased and bland presentation of a textbook (Blah.), but the magic happens when the teacher brings it to life.  Many teachers would be surprised to see ten-year-olds longing for more of a subject that the teachers themselves are bored with.  Please do not project your own dysfunction in history education onto your pupils.

Some Questions:

• Why do people wait for Zechariah?  What is delaying him?
• How do the people know he saw a vision?
• Was the angel real or just a vision (hallucination)?
• What does Zechariah do before going home to his wife?

Let's Think:
Zechariah probably doesn't get enough credit from us today.  He is a devout priest for the Lord, and his service is important.  Zechariah does not take his duties as priest lightly, and we have proof to back that up.

Yes, he has just left the temple after having an impromptu meeting with a messenger of the Lord.  He must be positively overwhelmed, but now he has to face people who are waiting for him on the outside.  There's simply no other way for him:  he can't sneak out, and he can't just sit tight and outwait the crowd.  He must face them, and in his current state, being unable to talk due to his slip-up in the previous verses, his explanation about the angel has to be a difficult piece of information for the folks to digest.

Is he being punished for something?  The people must wonder if their devout and dedicated priest has done something to warrant heavenly consequences.  He can only perform charades for them which must be frustrating for everyone involved.  One word.  Two syllables.  Sounds like crangel?

Still, the folks know that he has seen a vision.  In fact, that vision was a real angel standing before him.  It is not something that Zechariah imagines, and that's confirmed when what the angel says actually happens some time in the future.

Important to note is that Zechariah doesn't just run home to wife Elizabeth to tell her the news.  No, he still performs his priestly duties before he goes home, leaving me to wonder if someone else might have gotten to her first and spilled the beans.  How much of the angel encounter did Zechariah share with the people anyway?  It was awfully big news to keep bottled up.

Some people find it hard to see addiction before it begins.  Maybe they just don't believe it would ever happen to them.  This video illustrates addiction from beginning to a possible end.

Many of my reflections might be repetitions of the actual reports that I have already made.  If you missed any of those, you can always find them toward the bottom of my Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute page.  If I hadn't already reported about them, I would have to reflect on my experiences at the capitol, where I really allowed myself to get into characters in interactive presentations of the Virginia General Assembly of the 1770s, including my portrayal of Patrick Henry and my own invented character of Edward Pigg.  These experiences involved getting me unbridled, and I loved it!  Getting fully into character and pouring everything into those roles was absolutely rewarding in ways that are perhaps indescribable.

I would also have to repeat my report about brickmaking and receiving a genuine brick fragment from our leader. The fact that the fragment is from Martha Washington's first husbands estate in Williamsburg astounds me, and I shall cherish it.

For my final personal reflection on the institute, I'm going to go in a slightly different direction; in all of my previous reflections, I have referred to things I saw, experiences I had, or moments I shared with other human beings, but for this one, I want to relate something I brought with me.

On the last day, our leaders offered a time for people to share their feelings and ideas with the group.  It was a time when people said their goodbyes to the group and expressed their appreciation.  One of my new friends shared that she was very blessed to have attended the institute with such gentlemen - men who held doors for the ladies and treated the ladies with respect in every way.

I was one of four men in the group.  In elementary schools, male teachers are always outnumbered by ladies.  For my 32 years of experience teaching in public schools, I have always worked in a female-dominated setting.  At any rate, for many years now, I have subscribed to old school values of chivalry and proper etiquette.  I was certainly aware of my minority status and my traditional values while on this trip.

I began at the beginning by being the man who opened the door and held it open for all of the ladies when we entered and exited buildings.  At first they were surprised, then appreciative.  One of my new friends expressed how appreciative that there was a gentleman at the institute.  I made it a point to tell her that I was happy to serve as long as they would accept my traditional values.  I continued in this, allowing the ladies to go through buffet lines first and the like, until I noticed one of the other men stepping up his game as well.  I smiled to myself when he did, knowing that my influence had made a difference.  He probably wasn't accustomed to taking such a conscious role in those kinds of acts, but I think he enjoyed the appreciation of the ladies, both younger and older.

For me, right or wrong, I developed a sense of great satisfaction that I was being recognized for my chivalry, but perhaps even more so that I had a direct influence on another grown man.  One does not always get to see his positive influence on other people, and I couldn't help but feel a bit of joy on multiple occasions during the week.

So I loved when the "gentlemen" were recognized and applauded on that last day.  It was wonderfully rewarded for just being myself.

Remember this point from a couple of lessons back?

Much of the archaeological evidence has been revealed in the past 50 years.  Is it a coincidence that the tablets, cylinders, stelae, steps, engravings, relief carvings, and murals were done on materials that would withstand the passing of time AND that modern technology is just recently bringing these items into the light and confirming that they are authentic?  Might the dual timing a part of the Providence of God at a time when people are more skeptical of faith and in need of more physical evidence?

How do we go from stone to paper?  Let's go to the book to review these points along a timeline.

​Books like Matthew, Luke, or Acts would be this long, requiring them to be contained in separate scrolls. The video (left) demonstrates similar scrolls (from the Old Testament) in use in the Jewish community.

It is fairly easy for us to understand how a codex came about from this.  To form a codex, sheets of papyri or parchment were stacked and stitched together on one side.  These bound codices were more like our modern books.  They are easier to carry, and more could be contained in one volume.

Neil Lightfoot wrote, "It has been said that the inventor of the codex belongs with other nameless benefactors of mankind such as the inventor of the wheel and the devisor of the alphabet."  Then, he also observed, "More and more it seems that the codex may very well be a Christian innovation.  If not, we know at least that Christians were the first to make extensive use of the codex."

The Big Questions

Our focus for this study hinges on answering these two big questions.  The goal is to get closer to the answers each week in our class.

Does God Communicate with Us Outside of the Bible?

We contend that the Bible and everything it contains is supported by:

Mealtimes during the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute were always different.  I never knew where and with whom I would be sitting.  In one of our last meals together, it worked out that I was at a table with all of the younger teachers.  Strangely enough, it was an all new group for me, and I realized I was the elder in the situation.

This group was really talking about their plans for the new school year, and one in particular was lamenting the approach that her administration took in observations.  It really sounded like an adversarial relationship between teachers and administrators, one in which everybody had to be on their toes and looking over their shoulders for the next shoe to drop.

I related that to a time during my teaching career when I felt the same way.  Even superintendents, curriculum advisors, and principals from other schools in the district would drop in unannounced to observe in classrooms. Not only this, but they would "quiz" random students about what they were learning and why.  Not ever knowing what they were looking for, I didn't like trying to play their game soon decided to turn to the offense.

I turned the tables.  Instead of waiting for the bosses to attack my students, I sicced the students on the bosses. No longer would they wait to be asked what are you learning? or, why are you learning this?  From that point on, they would be the first to speak.  We practiced and practiced for the inevitable, and by the time an assistant superintendent came into the classroom, they were ready.  As she approached a table, students stood to greet her.  They shook her hand and with established eye contact, they asked her to have a seat.  They asked, "Would you like to see what we're working on?" they asked.  The AS was shocked beyond belief.  Before she left the school building, she spoke to the principal about what she had just witnessed in Room 404.

Not only was this a good offensive strategy for alleviating the stress of unwanted and overbearing observations, but it was what was best for the students.  The skills they learned in this project are valuable skills that they could use in regular life.  These were grown-up skills that emphasized conversation and professional talents.

The younger teachers at CWTI appeared to love the idea of going on offense, and they looked forward to using it in their own classrooms in the fall.  It was an unexpected moment when we could relate to each other outside of the history of the area.  I loved that they were so receptive to my suggestions.

Some questions:

• Is Zechariah's question a rude one?  Does it demonstrate a lack of faith?  Why or why not?
• Must age be an excuse for not following God's plans?  Explain.
• Who sent Gabriel on this mission to Zechariah?  Did Zechariah know that before he was told?
• Why does Gabriel call this "good news"?
• Explain the importance of being silent.  When should a Christian be silent?

Let's Think:
Because of his unbelief, Zechariah will be mute for a little while.  That must have been a real blow to this priest.  He's going to have some to think about the time when an angel of the Lord spoke to him directly and yet he did not believe what the angel said.  In spite of Zechariah's unbelief, however, the angel says God's plan will go as intended.  Nothing takes away God's ability to work.

Not only was Zechariah lacking faith in what Gabriel told him, but he seems to be making excuses.  Does he or does he not want to have a son?  He has asked for one, but now that the baby is coming, Zechariah seems to be rescinding his request.  Is he really ready, at his age, to raise a child?  Is his wife ready for that as well?

In many cases, especially in the Old Testament, the angel of the Lord is listed just like that - the angel of the Lord - but in this account the angel is identified by name - Gabriel.  We think that the original text often indicates that the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament could be Jesus Himself (which changes how we view those texts).  Zechariah does not have a line-of-sight on the Messiah, but he still has one of those eye-opening experiences that just makes you want to shout to the world.  (Oh yeah, he can't talk.)