Words of Welcome

  Mark 9:38-50 It seems as if scandals are breaking out all around us. Since scandal sells, not only will the media share the news, but the news gets amplified on social media. We eat it up because inquiring minds love juicy gossip. Unfortunately, scandalous news can create distrust and make us cynical about the way the world works. Cynicism also contributes to the growing courseness of our society. It seems that we’ve become numb to the way words and actions affect others.  When adults act without regard to the well-being others, they influence the way children behave. Sometimes adults forget that children are watching and listening to us. What they see and hear conveys certain messages about what is appropriate behavior. If they hear adults, especially politicians, belittle others, they will follow suit.  Over the last few weeks we’ve spent time in the Gospel of Mark. We’ve seen that Jesus’ disciples didn’t understand his mission. Since they envisioned Jesus leadi...

    Mark 9:30-37 Muhammad Ali famously claimed he was the greatest. He said, “It’s hard to be humble when you’re as great as I am.” Now, Ali was a showman and that was part of his act. Politicians have been known to say something similar. You might hear them claim that only they can fix what’s wrong with our society. If you vote for someone else, the world might come to an end. Apparently, this messaging works because politicians keep making the claims, and people keep voting for them.  While people keep claiming greatness, I’m not sure God is impressed with these claims. Consider for a moment this word from the Wisdom of Solomon: “For the Lord of all will not stand in awe of anyone or show deference to greatness, because he himself made both small and great, and he takes thought for all alike.” ( Wisdom of Solomon 6:7 ). This morning we once again hear Jesus define his messianic calling in terms of his suffering and death, followed by his resurrection. His disciple...

  Mark 8:27-38 Jesus asked his disciples an important question: “Who do you say that I am?” It’s a question he asks us as well.  This is a perennial question partly because we know so little about the historical Jesus. Mark wrote the earliest gospel. It appeared sometime around the year 70, which is pretty close to Jesus’ own lifetime, but it left many questions unanswered. So, down through history people have gone on quests for the historical Jesus and written creeds to define the identity of Jesus. Is Jesus human, divine, or both? Mark doesn’t answer all of these questions, but he does invite us to join him on a journey of faith.  This morning’s reading from Mark 8 takes us to the region of Caesarea Philippi. This is another predominantly Gentile region well known for its pagan temples, including temples erected by Herod and his sons to honor the Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius.  While they were traveling north, after Jesus asked his disciples who the ...

  Mark 7:24-37 Before we headed to Northminister last Sunday for our joint service, we spent time in John 6 . In John 6 we heard Jesus offer himself as the bread of life. This morning we heard a word of wisdom from Proverbs 22: “Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor” ( Prov. 22:9 ). Bread also figures in our Gospel reading from Mark 7. So, what’s with all this talk of bread? Could this talk of bread have spiritual implications? Mark 7 opens with Jesus having a conversation with a group of religious leaders about the religious importance of washing one’s hands before eating. This topic came up because Jesus’ disciples had neglected this religious rite. The issue isn’t hygiene but what tradition says about what it means to be clean or unclean in the eyes of God. According to Jesus, what makes us clean or unclean aren’t external things but what goes on in the heart ( Mk. 7:1-23 ). After Jesus had that discussion with the religious leaders, ...

  John 6:56-69 Last Sunday I shared a word from John Calvin, who wrote about the connection between Jesus’ declaration that he was the Bread of Life and the Lord’s Supper. He wrote:  [T]he Lord intended, by calling himself the “bread of life” (John 6:51), to teach not only that salvation for us rests on faith in his death and resurrection, but also that, by true partaking of him, his life passes into us and is made ours—just as bread when taken as food imparts vigor to the body.   [John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, IV:17.5].    I invite you to keep these words in mind as we dive into the reading for today from John 6, which continues the discussion from last Sunday. To set the stage, I invite you to envision Jesus teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. He’s telling them that he is the bread from heaven. He also tells the congregation that those who partake of his flesh as true food and his blood as true drink will abide in him, and he w...

John 6:51-58 Welcome to the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John. This morning we jump right into the middle of a long and complicated story that began with Jesus feeding the 5000 but has taken some interesting twists and turns. So, this morning we’re doing something similar to jumping into the middle of a TV series that’s been on for several weeks and we don’t have a clue as to what is happening. Therefore, I need to catch you up with the story. According to John, after Jesus fed the 5000 the crowd tried to make him their king, but he slipped away to a quiet place where he could pray. Then, when evening came, he took a stroll across the lake toward his home base in Capernaum. But, first, he caught up with the boat carrying his disciples across the lake. The next day the crowd gathered once more in Capernaum hoping Jesus would give them more bread. That leads to a conversation about bread from heaven. You know, like the manna Moses provided, or, rather, God provided in the wildernes...

  Ephesians 4:25-5:2 We return this morning to the letter to the Ephesian church. Earlier we heard the author, whether it’s Paul or someone else, talk about Jesus tearing down the walls of hostility. Then we heard him call on the Ephesians to “lead a life worthy of our calling” and to “make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” This morning Paul calls on the Ephesians to imitate God by walking “in love, as Christ has loved us.”  The messages we’ve been hearing focus on what it means to be a follower of Jesus. First and foremost, that means walking in love, which involves our behavior. Last week we heard Paul call on us to live our lives “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.” In speaking of these virtues, we see parallels with the fruit of the Spirit that Paul speaks of in the Galatian letter. According to Paul, the fruit of the Spirit includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, ...