***Mark 15***
I looked up the definition of forsaken this morning. To forsake means "to leave someone who needs or counts on you."
To be in a time of desparate of need and have everybody your counting on abandon you.
That is how Jesus felt while the nails were tearing his body and he was struggling to breathe. This was something Jesus had to do on his own... no help was coming from anyone.
Have you ever felt abandoned? Ever felt alone? It's a terrible feeling... it makes every challenge more daunting, it strips us of hope.
But an important thing happened when Jesus died... the curtain of the temple was torn in 2.
That curtain was supposedly the divided between where we live and where God lives. In his lonely, painful death, Jesus opened the door for God to come out of the temple and be with us wherever we are.
The promise then is this, we are never forsaken. Although we may feel that way sometimes, God promises to be with us at all times, from now until eternity.
Somedays it is hard to see God though.
Last night one of our presenters was talking about how good it was to see the sun... she lives in Chicago and it has been cloudy for a loooong time... and she forgot about the sun.
God is like the sun, always there, always providing light and warmth. But sometimes our lives are so clouded with junk that we can not see the sun, we can not feel it's warmth or see it's light.
In those times we need to pray for better weather... or go to where the sun is shining brightest.
***Mark 16***
"When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, the did not believe."
Well we are finished with Mark. I don't about you but I think this is a fascinating story... and what an ending. It reads like something that C. S. Lewis might come up with.
The end is what is so hard to believe. Miracles are one thing, but to be dead, and then to be alive again is impossible.
It's almost impossible to believe. Death is permanent.
But that's why this story is so beatiful.
God is able to take the darkest day in human history (Good Friday) and turn it in to the most beautiful day in human history (Easter Sunday).
God is able to take the permanent (death) and make it temporary.
And this is not just for Jesus, but for everyone that believes. Our deaths are not permanent, they are just a passing through to a better life.
Believe in the resurrection... believe that Jesus was resurrected... believe that you will be resurrected.
See you Tuesday!
Friday, February 25, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Mark 13 & 14
How is everyone doing? Are we moving too fast? Too slow? Let me know. Tomorrow we will have read through, and struggled with the whole Gospel of Mark. Next week we jump to the Old Testament to Ecclesiastes.
***Mark 13***
I shutter every time I read this chapter. As a pastor, I have to make sure that I do not become a false prophet. I think it would be really easy to preach the gospel according to Nick.
People say nice things to me... I believe them... Pride swells up... Money comes... and all of a sudden... BAM! I am preaching a message to maintain my popularity instead of telling people about Jesus.
We like it when people say what we want to hear, and we don't like it when people say what we don't want to hear... even if it is the truth.
The Jewish people did not like what the prophets had to say, so they persecuted them. They didn't like what Jesus had to say, so they crucified him.
If what Jesus had to say got him killed, and I am called to preach the same message, shouldn't I be offending someone? One of my favorite professors, Dr. Calvin Booth used to say "be weary when all men speak well of you."
I realize that many of you will never preach a sermon, but you will probably hear me preach. I ask you to keep me honest. Keep me focused on the task.
The task is this, according to William Barclay: "Our job is not to change Christianity to suit people, but change people to suit Christianity."
***Mark 14***
My favorite part of this chapter is verses 51-52... Go read them again. If you aren't reading along in bible (Tara*) the next part is going to make no sense to you. The only reasonable explanation for these verses is that the young man was Mark, and he witnessed what he was writing about. I wonder why Mel left this part of the Passion of Christ?
Chapter 14 is full of important stories and theology, but there is one thing that stands out to me this morning. Love is defined in chapter 14.
We are told of Jesus' time of prayer in the garden. In his prayer time he asks for there to be another way. Jesus does not want to be whipped and nailed to a cross. Jesus does not want to die for you and I. Jesus wants to go to plan B.
But love wins. Jesus loved his Father and Jesus loved you and I enough to do that which he did not want to. He gave his life out of love.
That is what love is. We can tell people that we love them, but we do not show them love until we do something that we don't want to do... for them.
I know my parents love my sisters and I because of all the time they dedicated to our interests growing up. They coached baseball, basketball, soccer, dance and softball. Time wasn't all they sacrificed, and they are still sacrificing.
I know my grandmother loved me because whenever we spent time together we did what I wanted to do. Sometimes she would sit at the driving range and watch me hit golf balls... poorly! And then she'd lie and tell me that I was great.
I know my wife loves me because of a thousand things, I know my sisters love me, I know my cousins (I am writing this from my cousin's couch in sunny Orlando), aunts and uncles love me, I know my friends love me, and I know God loves me. They have each done things they haven't wanted to do for me.
I am blessed. I only hope that I can learn to love as God loves.
*Tara is my sister, and yes, I am making fun of her.
******ANNOUNCEMENT******
Mission Developer training begins in a couple hours and goes through Saturday, which may effect tomorrow's blog. I will try to get it posted in the morning, but it may be late afternoon.
***Mark 13***
I shutter every time I read this chapter. As a pastor, I have to make sure that I do not become a false prophet. I think it would be really easy to preach the gospel according to Nick.
People say nice things to me... I believe them... Pride swells up... Money comes... and all of a sudden... BAM! I am preaching a message to maintain my popularity instead of telling people about Jesus.
We like it when people say what we want to hear, and we don't like it when people say what we don't want to hear... even if it is the truth.
The Jewish people did not like what the prophets had to say, so they persecuted them. They didn't like what Jesus had to say, so they crucified him.
If what Jesus had to say got him killed, and I am called to preach the same message, shouldn't I be offending someone? One of my favorite professors, Dr. Calvin Booth used to say "be weary when all men speak well of you."
I realize that many of you will never preach a sermon, but you will probably hear me preach. I ask you to keep me honest. Keep me focused on the task.
The task is this, according to William Barclay: "Our job is not to change Christianity to suit people, but change people to suit Christianity."
***Mark 14***
My favorite part of this chapter is verses 51-52... Go read them again. If you aren't reading along in bible (Tara*) the next part is going to make no sense to you. The only reasonable explanation for these verses is that the young man was Mark, and he witnessed what he was writing about. I wonder why Mel left this part of the Passion of Christ?
Chapter 14 is full of important stories and theology, but there is one thing that stands out to me this morning. Love is defined in chapter 14.
We are told of Jesus' time of prayer in the garden. In his prayer time he asks for there to be another way. Jesus does not want to be whipped and nailed to a cross. Jesus does not want to die for you and I. Jesus wants to go to plan B.
But love wins. Jesus loved his Father and Jesus loved you and I enough to do that which he did not want to. He gave his life out of love.
That is what love is. We can tell people that we love them, but we do not show them love until we do something that we don't want to do... for them.
I know my parents love my sisters and I because of all the time they dedicated to our interests growing up. They coached baseball, basketball, soccer, dance and softball. Time wasn't all they sacrificed, and they are still sacrificing.
I know my grandmother loved me because whenever we spent time together we did what I wanted to do. Sometimes she would sit at the driving range and watch me hit golf balls... poorly! And then she'd lie and tell me that I was great.
I know my wife loves me because of a thousand things, I know my sisters love me, I know my cousins (I am writing this from my cousin's couch in sunny Orlando), aunts and uncles love me, I know my friends love me, and I know God loves me. They have each done things they haven't wanted to do for me.
I am blessed. I only hope that I can learn to love as God loves.
*Tara is my sister, and yes, I am making fun of her.
******ANNOUNCEMENT******
Mission Developer training begins in a couple hours and goes through Saturday, which may effect tomorrow's blog. I will try to get it posted in the morning, but it may be late afternoon.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Mark 11 & 12
***Mark 11***
What did the fig tree ever do to Jesus?
This is a weird story. Jesus never performs a miracle for his own sake. He doesn't turn stone to bread when he is hungry and he doesn't save himself from the cross... so why does he curse the fig tree? It doesn't make sense.
This must be a parable which is lived out. From a distance Jesus can see leaves on the tree, but when he gets to the tree there is no fruit. Because there is no fruit, because the tree is not what it appeared to be (leaves no fruit) Jesus curses the tree.
In Matthew 7 Jesus says that "by their fruit you will recognize them."
Those Jesus came to save appear to be holy, they are a tree with leaves, but in reality they are more concerned with their power and status than they are with what God is doing, they bear no fruit.
They were so blinded by their own selfish desires that they could not see God standing in front of them... that is their curse. Instead, they treat Jesus like an enemy and nail him to a tree.
As Christians, the most inportant thing we can do is be who we say we are. Ghandi once said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians, your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
What good is having a Jesus fish on the back of your car if you cut people and give them the finger? What good is reading the bible if you ignore what it says? What good is a tree without fruit?
Lord, help us to bear fruit, help us to be the people you have called us to be. Amen.
***Mark 12***
Money, money, money...
2,000 years ago money was a sign of dominion. When a king conquered a new land, the king's money became the only money that was good. The person that you were ruled by was the same smiling face on all of your coins.
God did not create money, human beings did. In God's economy there was no need for money, everyone had what they needed. But human's felt a need for money so that they could barter, and then money started to become more than just something to barter with but something to save and collect.
I am reminded of one of my favorite cartoons, Ducktales. Uncle Scrooge McDuck is a character that has a building where he stores all of his gold coins, he loved his coins and he loved to swim in his coins... Growing up I always wanted to swim in a million dollars worth of quarters, but I realized that quarters are solid and it would hurt to jump into a pile of them.
Today our money no longer belongs to a king but to a nation. We have pictures of great men on our money and in small words we write "In God We Trust." But money is neither about America or God... Money itself has become king. Whoever has the most money has the most power. And it is in money that we as a nation really trust.
God is not really interested in all that... God is interested in what God created, you and I. God wants our hearts, not our wallets. God wants us to be in a loving relationship with us, and will do anything to make it happen, even send His only begotten Son.
As we grow in relationship with God our priorities change; the way we treat money, the way treat each other, and the way we treat the earth.
Change us Lord.
What did the fig tree ever do to Jesus?
This is a weird story. Jesus never performs a miracle for his own sake. He doesn't turn stone to bread when he is hungry and he doesn't save himself from the cross... so why does he curse the fig tree? It doesn't make sense.
This must be a parable which is lived out. From a distance Jesus can see leaves on the tree, but when he gets to the tree there is no fruit. Because there is no fruit, because the tree is not what it appeared to be (leaves no fruit) Jesus curses the tree.
In Matthew 7 Jesus says that "by their fruit you will recognize them."
Those Jesus came to save appear to be holy, they are a tree with leaves, but in reality they are more concerned with their power and status than they are with what God is doing, they bear no fruit.
They were so blinded by their own selfish desires that they could not see God standing in front of them... that is their curse. Instead, they treat Jesus like an enemy and nail him to a tree.
As Christians, the most inportant thing we can do is be who we say we are. Ghandi once said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians, your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
What good is having a Jesus fish on the back of your car if you cut people and give them the finger? What good is reading the bible if you ignore what it says? What good is a tree without fruit?
Lord, help us to bear fruit, help us to be the people you have called us to be. Amen.
***Mark 12***
Money, money, money...
2,000 years ago money was a sign of dominion. When a king conquered a new land, the king's money became the only money that was good. The person that you were ruled by was the same smiling face on all of your coins.
God did not create money, human beings did. In God's economy there was no need for money, everyone had what they needed. But human's felt a need for money so that they could barter, and then money started to become more than just something to barter with but something to save and collect.
I am reminded of one of my favorite cartoons, Ducktales. Uncle Scrooge McDuck is a character that has a building where he stores all of his gold coins, he loved his coins and he loved to swim in his coins... Growing up I always wanted to swim in a million dollars worth of quarters, but I realized that quarters are solid and it would hurt to jump into a pile of them.
Today our money no longer belongs to a king but to a nation. We have pictures of great men on our money and in small words we write "In God We Trust." But money is neither about America or God... Money itself has become king. Whoever has the most money has the most power. And it is in money that we as a nation really trust.
God is not really interested in all that... God is interested in what God created, you and I. God wants our hearts, not our wallets. God wants us to be in a loving relationship with us, and will do anything to make it happen, even send His only begotten Son.
As we grow in relationship with God our priorities change; the way we treat money, the way treat each other, and the way we treat the earth.
Change us Lord.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Mark 9 & 10
***Mark 9***
The ultimate mountain-top experience.
Peter, James and John are lucky. They witness what no one else has ever witnessed on this earth... Jesus, Moses and Elijah together. Moses and Elijah were pillars of the Jewish faith, and for Jesus to be with them, means Jesus must be the Messiah. Up until now the disciples have seen Jesus perform miracles and teach parables... but they hadn't seen anything like this. Their faith must have been at an all-time high, no wonder Peter wanted to make dwellings and stay there.
And then... they hear the voice of God. Remember the paragraph before, where Peter rebukes Jesus? God has something to say to Peter, "This is my son, listen to him!" I imagine that at that moment Peter realized that Jesus knew more than he did... I imagine Peter cried out "I believe, help my unbelief." How could one not believe after witnessing such things?
But unfortunately they could not stay on the mountain; they had to go back to the group, back to everyday life.
I think most of us have had mountain-top experiences. Moments where God felt so close that we could hear his voice. Places where God seemed more real than any other place we have ever been to. For me that place is Stony Lake Lutheran Camp, for you it may have been a retreat, or a camp, or a worship service... And like the disciples we had to leave that place and go back to everyday life. We had to come down from the mountain. And as we journey further and further from the mountain, it fades in the rearview and soon we forget what it felt like.
It must have been hard for the disciples to see these things and not be able to tell anyone about it. In Mark, Jesus is always telling people to not to say anything about him until after the resurrection. The best way to remember what the mountain felt like is to tell others the story... tell others what it felt like to feel God so close. Luckily for us we live after the resurrection and can tell our story every day. The more we tell our mountian-top story the closer God feels. Remember, if you feel far from God, only one of you moved, and it wasn't God.
[*Sidenote* Most scholars believe that Mark was written during the Roman rule and Mark didn't want the Romans to think that Jesus was a political figure trying to overthrow them. If he kept everything a secret then he was no threat to the Romans, and neither are his followers. Matthew and Luke however were written after the fall of Jerusalem, so they didn't have to worry about the Romans.]
***Mark 10***
Children are wonderful.
Especially when they are at the age where they haven't yet learned all the dumb things the world teaches them. They haven't yet learned that money and posessions are the goal of life. (it's no mistake that the story immediately following this one is about the man who refused to sell all he had) They haven't yet learned that men are better than women, that whites are better than blacks and mexicans, that gay people are less worthy of love than straight people and that mentally impaired people should be put somewhere for society to forget about.
Children are innocent, they are pure... until we corrupt them. And it seems that we have been corrupting them earlier and earlier. Have you seen the video games they play now? The movies that are made for them? The TV shows? Have you ever watched Tom and Jerry? Cartoon violence is still violence.
Is it impossible to receive the Kingdom of God like a child... which is why God sacrificed his child. So that those who can't fit through the eye of a needle still have hope. So that those who have been corrupted by our society can hold on to God's everlasting love and know that a better life awaits.
The ultimate mountain-top experience.
Peter, James and John are lucky. They witness what no one else has ever witnessed on this earth... Jesus, Moses and Elijah together. Moses and Elijah were pillars of the Jewish faith, and for Jesus to be with them, means Jesus must be the Messiah. Up until now the disciples have seen Jesus perform miracles and teach parables... but they hadn't seen anything like this. Their faith must have been at an all-time high, no wonder Peter wanted to make dwellings and stay there.
And then... they hear the voice of God. Remember the paragraph before, where Peter rebukes Jesus? God has something to say to Peter, "This is my son, listen to him!" I imagine that at that moment Peter realized that Jesus knew more than he did... I imagine Peter cried out "I believe, help my unbelief." How could one not believe after witnessing such things?
But unfortunately they could not stay on the mountain; they had to go back to the group, back to everyday life.
I think most of us have had mountain-top experiences. Moments where God felt so close that we could hear his voice. Places where God seemed more real than any other place we have ever been to. For me that place is Stony Lake Lutheran Camp, for you it may have been a retreat, or a camp, or a worship service... And like the disciples we had to leave that place and go back to everyday life. We had to come down from the mountain. And as we journey further and further from the mountain, it fades in the rearview and soon we forget what it felt like.
It must have been hard for the disciples to see these things and not be able to tell anyone about it. In Mark, Jesus is always telling people to not to say anything about him until after the resurrection. The best way to remember what the mountain felt like is to tell others the story... tell others what it felt like to feel God so close. Luckily for us we live after the resurrection and can tell our story every day. The more we tell our mountian-top story the closer God feels. Remember, if you feel far from God, only one of you moved, and it wasn't God.
[*Sidenote* Most scholars believe that Mark was written during the Roman rule and Mark didn't want the Romans to think that Jesus was a political figure trying to overthrow them. If he kept everything a secret then he was no threat to the Romans, and neither are his followers. Matthew and Luke however were written after the fall of Jerusalem, so they didn't have to worry about the Romans.]
***Mark 10***
Children are wonderful.
Especially when they are at the age where they haven't yet learned all the dumb things the world teaches them. They haven't yet learned that money and posessions are the goal of life. (it's no mistake that the story immediately following this one is about the man who refused to sell all he had) They haven't yet learned that men are better than women, that whites are better than blacks and mexicans, that gay people are less worthy of love than straight people and that mentally impaired people should be put somewhere for society to forget about.
Children are innocent, they are pure... until we corrupt them. And it seems that we have been corrupting them earlier and earlier. Have you seen the video games they play now? The movies that are made for them? The TV shows? Have you ever watched Tom and Jerry? Cartoon violence is still violence.
Is it impossible to receive the Kingdom of God like a child... which is why God sacrificed his child. So that those who can't fit through the eye of a needle still have hope. So that those who have been corrupted by our society can hold on to God's everlasting love and know that a better life awaits.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Mark 7 & 8
***Mark 7***
I love the gospel of Mark... In Mark, Jesus is more human than in the other gospels. He sometimes comes across as a little cranky... a little mean. How else can you explain him telling a woman that she is a dog?
Truth be told, in their culture she was the lowest member of society. Back then women had very few rights, plus she was a gentile. The Jews despised the gentiles and wanted them out of their promised land. Still, it doesn't sound like something we would expect Jesus to say.
If Jesus called me a dog to my face, I'm sure I might have something not so polite to say back. I think my pride would take over. I'm not saying I'd punch Jesus, but I would let him know I didn't appreciate it. I imagine most of you would do the same.
But she was desperate, she was there for her daughter, pride had gone out the window a long time ago. She was at the point of begging. She accepted the insult and accepted her role in life, which means she accepted the fact that she was a dog. In that moment, she understood what faith is.
Martin Luther's last written words were "We are beggars, this is true." She was a beggar, you are a beggar, I am a beggar... begging for undeserved mercy, grace, and love from Jesus. Jesus didn't owe her anything and he doesn't owe us anything. Yet he gives, and gives, and gives.
God does not want us to be like the hand-washing Jews, thinking that we are deserving... God wants us to understand who we are, so that we can understand who God is. God is love. No matter how clean our hands are we will never earn that love, it must be a gift, and it is meant to be accepted like a beggar receiving a piece of bread... it is the most important gift we will ever receive.
***Mark 8***
Oh Peter!
The disciples had a rough chapter in Mark 8... bless their hearts, but they come across as real amateurs. (I have been told that in Texas you can say whatever you want about someone as long as you say "bless their heart" before or after you tear them apart)
First of all, when Jesus feeds 4,000, the disciples are concerned about where they will find enough food to feed the people. Do they not remember that 2 chapters ago Jesus fed 5,000 people with less? No matter how many times Jesus performs miracles in front of them, they never really get it... the never trust Jesus to perform the next miracle.
Then Peter, right after he proclaims Jesus to be the Messiah, just when he thinks he understands... blows it.
Peter proclaims Jesus to be God and then proceeds to tell God what to do. Jesus' response is interesting, he calls Peter "Satan."
Have you ever told God to do something? Have you ever said "God damn..."? Have you ever though that you knew what God should do? or how God feels? Have you seen the Christians with signs that say "God hates gays?" Did you hear the Christians who said that "New Orleans got what it deserved?"
Remember what the devil did in the garden? He talked Adam and Eve into eating off of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The work of Satan is make you think that you know what God should do and what God should not do. Is to make you think that you know who is good and who is evil. That's what Peter did and that's what we do.
Learn from the mistakes of the disciples... let God be God and instead of worrying about everyone else, just trust that he can feed you.
************We are halfway through Mark and on break until Tuesday*****************
I love the gospel of Mark... In Mark, Jesus is more human than in the other gospels. He sometimes comes across as a little cranky... a little mean. How else can you explain him telling a woman that she is a dog?
Truth be told, in their culture she was the lowest member of society. Back then women had very few rights, plus she was a gentile. The Jews despised the gentiles and wanted them out of their promised land. Still, it doesn't sound like something we would expect Jesus to say.
If Jesus called me a dog to my face, I'm sure I might have something not so polite to say back. I think my pride would take over. I'm not saying I'd punch Jesus, but I would let him know I didn't appreciate it. I imagine most of you would do the same.
But she was desperate, she was there for her daughter, pride had gone out the window a long time ago. She was at the point of begging. She accepted the insult and accepted her role in life, which means she accepted the fact that she was a dog. In that moment, she understood what faith is.
Martin Luther's last written words were "We are beggars, this is true." She was a beggar, you are a beggar, I am a beggar... begging for undeserved mercy, grace, and love from Jesus. Jesus didn't owe her anything and he doesn't owe us anything. Yet he gives, and gives, and gives.
God does not want us to be like the hand-washing Jews, thinking that we are deserving... God wants us to understand who we are, so that we can understand who God is. God is love. No matter how clean our hands are we will never earn that love, it must be a gift, and it is meant to be accepted like a beggar receiving a piece of bread... it is the most important gift we will ever receive.
***Mark 8***
Oh Peter!
The disciples had a rough chapter in Mark 8... bless their hearts, but they come across as real amateurs. (I have been told that in Texas you can say whatever you want about someone as long as you say "bless their heart" before or after you tear them apart)
First of all, when Jesus feeds 4,000, the disciples are concerned about where they will find enough food to feed the people. Do they not remember that 2 chapters ago Jesus fed 5,000 people with less? No matter how many times Jesus performs miracles in front of them, they never really get it... the never trust Jesus to perform the next miracle.
Then Peter, right after he proclaims Jesus to be the Messiah, just when he thinks he understands... blows it.
Peter proclaims Jesus to be God and then proceeds to tell God what to do. Jesus' response is interesting, he calls Peter "Satan."
Have you ever told God to do something? Have you ever said "God damn..."? Have you ever though that you knew what God should do? or how God feels? Have you seen the Christians with signs that say "God hates gays?" Did you hear the Christians who said that "New Orleans got what it deserved?"
Remember what the devil did in the garden? He talked Adam and Eve into eating off of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The work of Satan is make you think that you know what God should do and what God should not do. Is to make you think that you know who is good and who is evil. That's what Peter did and that's what we do.
Learn from the mistakes of the disciples... let God be God and instead of worrying about everyone else, just trust that he can feed you.
************We are halfway through Mark and on break until Tuesday*****************
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Mark 5 & 6
***Mark 5***
What about the poor pigs? 2,000 pigs run into the lake and are drowned. I wonder if PETA would have a problem with Jesus. More importantly than the pigs, what about the guy who owned the pigs, the guy that bought those pigs with the hope to make a living. His whole livelihood went into the lake and was drowned. No wonder the people of the region wanted Jesus to leave.
It's a great story of good versus evil. Jesus encounters a legion of demons, thousands vs. 1... and Jesus wins. Jesus wins, evil loses, the man wins his freedom, the pigs lose their lives, and somewhere in town a man loses his investment. The interesting part of the story is that the demons ask to go into the pigs, Jesus could have sent them straight back to hell, but he allows them to go into the pigs.
Jesus has a list of priorities that rule his life. I don't think that earthly wealth is near the top of his list. I don't think he wanted it himself and I don't think he ever thought about it for others. Instead, I think that love and compassion were at the top of his list... even when it came to demons. Jesus must have know how terrible a place hell is, and he showed compassion on the demons. He didn't allow them to enter into another human, but they could enter into the pigs.
If Jesus had compassion for these demons, imagine the compassion he has for you and I. He sacrificed pigs for demons, he sacrificed himself for us.
***Mark 6***
Wow Mark moves fast! Chapter 6 is loaded with important stories. John the Baptist beheaded as a party favor (apparently they didn't play charades back then), the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus walking on water. But what stands out to me is verses 5 and 6. He was unable to perform miracles because of their lack of faith.
These people know Jesus. The have watched him grow up, they know that he makes furniture. They refer to him as the son of Mary... not the son of Joseph, they may not have known that he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, but they know he isn't Joseph's son. And now, the kid from down the block has come back claiming to be a prophet. (I guess Jesus thought they were more likely to believe he was a prophet than they were to believe he was the Messiah)
Their lack of faith should not be a surprise. But what is a surprise... Jesus could not perform miracles because of their lack of faith.
It's easy to argue that if we want God to perform a miracle, we just have to believe that God can and will do it. I've even heard churchy people say that if God isn't healing you it's because you don't have enough faith. Bologna!
Truth is, God heals some people and not others, that we can not control. What we can control is our relationship with God. We shouldn't wait until we get sick to start asking if we have enough faith... we can pray for more faith right now, and everyday for the rest of our lives.
And who knows, maybe God will do something amazing for us, or through us.
What about the poor pigs? 2,000 pigs run into the lake and are drowned. I wonder if PETA would have a problem with Jesus. More importantly than the pigs, what about the guy who owned the pigs, the guy that bought those pigs with the hope to make a living. His whole livelihood went into the lake and was drowned. No wonder the people of the region wanted Jesus to leave.
It's a great story of good versus evil. Jesus encounters a legion of demons, thousands vs. 1... and Jesus wins. Jesus wins, evil loses, the man wins his freedom, the pigs lose their lives, and somewhere in town a man loses his investment. The interesting part of the story is that the demons ask to go into the pigs, Jesus could have sent them straight back to hell, but he allows them to go into the pigs.
Jesus has a list of priorities that rule his life. I don't think that earthly wealth is near the top of his list. I don't think he wanted it himself and I don't think he ever thought about it for others. Instead, I think that love and compassion were at the top of his list... even when it came to demons. Jesus must have know how terrible a place hell is, and he showed compassion on the demons. He didn't allow them to enter into another human, but they could enter into the pigs.
If Jesus had compassion for these demons, imagine the compassion he has for you and I. He sacrificed pigs for demons, he sacrificed himself for us.
***Mark 6***
Wow Mark moves fast! Chapter 6 is loaded with important stories. John the Baptist beheaded as a party favor (apparently they didn't play charades back then), the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus walking on water. But what stands out to me is verses 5 and 6. He was unable to perform miracles because of their lack of faith.
These people know Jesus. The have watched him grow up, they know that he makes furniture. They refer to him as the son of Mary... not the son of Joseph, they may not have known that he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, but they know he isn't Joseph's son. And now, the kid from down the block has come back claiming to be a prophet. (I guess Jesus thought they were more likely to believe he was a prophet than they were to believe he was the Messiah)
Their lack of faith should not be a surprise. But what is a surprise... Jesus could not perform miracles because of their lack of faith.
It's easy to argue that if we want God to perform a miracle, we just have to believe that God can and will do it. I've even heard churchy people say that if God isn't healing you it's because you don't have enough faith. Bologna!
Truth is, God heals some people and not others, that we can not control. What we can control is our relationship with God. We shouldn't wait until we get sick to start asking if we have enough faith... we can pray for more faith right now, and everyday for the rest of our lives.
And who knows, maybe God will do something amazing for us, or through us.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Mark 3 & 4
***Mark 3***
Once upon a time there was a man named Jesus. Jesus was a nice young man, he took over his father's busines as a carpenter and was supporting his family. Then one day, he goes off to be baptized and then disappears for 40 days. When he comes back he says that he is done being a carpenter and instead chooses to roam the countryside, claiming to be the Son of God. Along the way he gets into fights with all the religious leaders, but he picks up a few followers, mostly common people.
Pretend for a minute this happened today, and Jesus wasn't a carpenter but say he is a farmer. His father died young and Jesus took over the farm to support his mother and younger siblings. And then Jesus leaves it all behind... If we heard that story we might think he was just a little crazy. Which is what the people who knew Jesus prior to his baptism think... he must have gone mad!
Even his family comes to get him. This is interesting... the text says his mother was there, well she is the one who conceived by the Holy Spirit, and who was a witness to all the miracles that lead to his birth and life. And here she is, with his brothers trying to get him to stop what he's doing.
His mother, his brothers and all the people that knew him prior to his baptism were allowing the world to blind them from the truth.
The teachers of the law, those who were supposed to be the closest to God because they knew how to live right, were staring God in the face... he was standing right in front of them, and they said he was the devil. Don't miss the power of this point. One can not be more blind than to have God stand right in front of you and mistake him for Satan.
They were blinded from the truth.
What truth are we allowing the world to blind us from?
Lord, help us see the truth, help us see through your eyes. Amen.
***Mark 4 ***
Yesterday Abiding Grace turned 6 months old. Our first worship service was on August 15th... a morning of many questions. We didn't know how many chairs to set up, which way to set them up, if we would get enough offerings to pay the rent... we had no idea what was going to happen... but we knew God was doing something.
The parable of the Growing Seed is a comforting lesson. The man scatters seeds and leaves them, he can not make the seed turn in to a plant, only God can do that. All the man can do is go about his business while God works. If the man would try to take over and force things, he would just be getting in the way of what God is doing.
The same is true for the gospel. All we can do is plant seeds for God to work with, we can not force anything. I know we all know people that we want a better life for. We want them to know Jesus, we them to come to church, we want them to... All we can do is the plant the seed through love, and we have to trust God to the hard work.
It's hard trusting God to do the work... but when the leaders of Abiding Grace and I look back on the past 6 months and all that we have accomplished. When we see the gymnasium, the space that we wondered if we can afford, packed every Sunday. We realize that only God could do this. We have come a long way, because we have let God lead the way.
God does work. God makes people grow. God makes churches grow. God answers our prayers. And while we should celebrate everything that God does, we can not stop planting seeds. There is much more work to do.
Once upon a time there was a man named Jesus. Jesus was a nice young man, he took over his father's busines as a carpenter and was supporting his family. Then one day, he goes off to be baptized and then disappears for 40 days. When he comes back he says that he is done being a carpenter and instead chooses to roam the countryside, claiming to be the Son of God. Along the way he gets into fights with all the religious leaders, but he picks up a few followers, mostly common people.
Pretend for a minute this happened today, and Jesus wasn't a carpenter but say he is a farmer. His father died young and Jesus took over the farm to support his mother and younger siblings. And then Jesus leaves it all behind... If we heard that story we might think he was just a little crazy. Which is what the people who knew Jesus prior to his baptism think... he must have gone mad!
Even his family comes to get him. This is interesting... the text says his mother was there, well she is the one who conceived by the Holy Spirit, and who was a witness to all the miracles that lead to his birth and life. And here she is, with his brothers trying to get him to stop what he's doing.
His mother, his brothers and all the people that knew him prior to his baptism were allowing the world to blind them from the truth.
The teachers of the law, those who were supposed to be the closest to God because they knew how to live right, were staring God in the face... he was standing right in front of them, and they said he was the devil. Don't miss the power of this point. One can not be more blind than to have God stand right in front of you and mistake him for Satan.
They were blinded from the truth.
What truth are we allowing the world to blind us from?
Lord, help us see the truth, help us see through your eyes. Amen.
***Mark 4 ***
Yesterday Abiding Grace turned 6 months old. Our first worship service was on August 15th... a morning of many questions. We didn't know how many chairs to set up, which way to set them up, if we would get enough offerings to pay the rent... we had no idea what was going to happen... but we knew God was doing something.
The parable of the Growing Seed is a comforting lesson. The man scatters seeds and leaves them, he can not make the seed turn in to a plant, only God can do that. All the man can do is go about his business while God works. If the man would try to take over and force things, he would just be getting in the way of what God is doing.
The same is true for the gospel. All we can do is plant seeds for God to work with, we can not force anything. I know we all know people that we want a better life for. We want them to know Jesus, we them to come to church, we want them to... All we can do is the plant the seed through love, and we have to trust God to the hard work.
It's hard trusting God to do the work... but when the leaders of Abiding Grace and I look back on the past 6 months and all that we have accomplished. When we see the gymnasium, the space that we wondered if we can afford, packed every Sunday. We realize that only God could do this. We have come a long way, because we have let God lead the way.
God does work. God makes people grow. God makes churches grow. God answers our prayers. And while we should celebrate everything that God does, we can not stop planting seeds. There is much more work to do.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Mark 1 & 2
Mark 1 "O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, where for art thout my Christmas tree?"
Before I write about what Mark says, it'sd important to note what mark doesn't say... he doesn't mention the birth of Jesus. The Christmas story is nowhere to be found. If Mark was the only gospel we had, winter would be even more depressing!
So why doesn't Mark include the Christmas story? It it because he didn't know it? I doubt it. Mark's gospel was written somewhere between 60-70AD, 30 years after the crucifixion. Matthew and Luke were written in the 80's, or 20 years later. They both have the Christmas story, and they were written hundreds of miles apart from each other (which is like thousands of miles apart today, maybe millions, remember no cars, computers etc.). So the Christmas story must have been known by all Christians, neither Matthew or Luke made it up. The answer is... it just wasn't important to Mark, not important enough to be in his gospel anyway.
Why isn't it important to Mark? Good question, thanks for asking!
Mark believes that Jesus' life as the Messiah doesn't start until he is baptized. That's why his gospel starts with his baptism. Matthew and Luke would argue that his life as Messiah started at his birth, while John, which was written in the early 100's would say that it started at the beginning of time, he writes "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and Word was God... and the Word became flesh and dwelled among us."
Mark believed that baptism has the power to change who we are. Jesus was changed when the Spirit descended upon him and we are changed when the Spirit descends upon us. I think a useful analogy here would be that of a butterfly. A butterfly goes through many stages before it actually becomes a butterfly. The stage right before butterfly is caterpillar. It's almost as if Mark thinks that before Jesus was baptized he was a caterpillar, and during his baptism he turned into a butterfly, and the butterfly Jesus is the only Jesus worth writing about.
Baptism is the same for us. After we are baptized we are changed, we are given new life. Martin Luther believed that our baptism is the start of our eternal lufe, and so we are currently living in the midst of two life spans. One is eternal and the other not so much. We are caterpillars and butterflies at the same time. The problem is that we spend our lives focusing on the caterpillar, and ignore the butterfly in us. We spend so much time and effort being a child of this world that we forget we are children of God. I think that we need to learn from Mark, and focus on being butterflies and try each day to lose our caterpillar shell. Our births are not important, our eternal life is.
Mark 2 "Up on the housetop click, click, click..." (it's not my intention to title every blog after Christmas carols, that's just how it has worked out so far!)
There have been few things that I have wanted so bad that I would have gone on top of the roof and forced my way in for. I have wanted many things in my life, a Nintendo, a driver's license, a letter jacket in high school, but nothing enough to get on a roof! Maybe it's because I'm afraid of heights...
But these men didn't want anything for themselves; they wanted healing for their friend. I have some really good friends, friends I would do anything for, but I don't think going on the roof and forcing my way in would ever even cross my mind. What an act of faith by this man's friends.
And what is Jesus response? He forgives the sins of the man on the mat, not the sins of the men who brought him in through the roof!
First of all, understand the power of Jesus' statement. This is the first time in human history that a man (Jesus) was forgiving another man (guy on mat) for sins he committed against still another man (all the people that he was mean to in his whole life). Jesus was either a total lunatic or he was the Messiah.
Secondly, I think this story teaches us a lot about friendship. Imagine the friends that came in through the roof, they were taking a great risk. Imagine having people come in through your roof, I bet you wouldn't be happy. You might have them arrested or take matters into your own hands. They were willing to risk it all for their friend... and there was no guarantee that their friend was going to get anything for their trouble. They just had faith.
Sometimes it is hard to put ourselves at risk for our friends, especially when there are no guarantees that our friend will benefit from our actions. I have been blessed in my life to have wonderful friends, friends that have been there for me at my worst and friends that have been there for me at my best. I hope that I can be that good of a friend to them.
I hope that if they needed me to get on a roof and force my way in to save them that I would. You know, now that I am thinking about it, I am sure I have friends I would get on a roof to save them, but would I do what it really takes to save them, am I courageous enough to tell them about Jesus?
Before I write about what Mark says, it'sd important to note what mark doesn't say... he doesn't mention the birth of Jesus. The Christmas story is nowhere to be found. If Mark was the only gospel we had, winter would be even more depressing!
So why doesn't Mark include the Christmas story? It it because he didn't know it? I doubt it. Mark's gospel was written somewhere between 60-70AD, 30 years after the crucifixion. Matthew and Luke were written in the 80's, or 20 years later. They both have the Christmas story, and they were written hundreds of miles apart from each other (which is like thousands of miles apart today, maybe millions, remember no cars, computers etc.). So the Christmas story must have been known by all Christians, neither Matthew or Luke made it up. The answer is... it just wasn't important to Mark, not important enough to be in his gospel anyway.
Why isn't it important to Mark? Good question, thanks for asking!
Mark believes that Jesus' life as the Messiah doesn't start until he is baptized. That's why his gospel starts with his baptism. Matthew and Luke would argue that his life as Messiah started at his birth, while John, which was written in the early 100's would say that it started at the beginning of time, he writes "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and Word was God... and the Word became flesh and dwelled among us."
Mark believed that baptism has the power to change who we are. Jesus was changed when the Spirit descended upon him and we are changed when the Spirit descends upon us. I think a useful analogy here would be that of a butterfly. A butterfly goes through many stages before it actually becomes a butterfly. The stage right before butterfly is caterpillar. It's almost as if Mark thinks that before Jesus was baptized he was a caterpillar, and during his baptism he turned into a butterfly, and the butterfly Jesus is the only Jesus worth writing about.
Baptism is the same for us. After we are baptized we are changed, we are given new life. Martin Luther believed that our baptism is the start of our eternal lufe, and so we are currently living in the midst of two life spans. One is eternal and the other not so much. We are caterpillars and butterflies at the same time. The problem is that we spend our lives focusing on the caterpillar, and ignore the butterfly in us. We spend so much time and effort being a child of this world that we forget we are children of God. I think that we need to learn from Mark, and focus on being butterflies and try each day to lose our caterpillar shell. Our births are not important, our eternal life is.
Mark 2 "Up on the housetop click, click, click..." (it's not my intention to title every blog after Christmas carols, that's just how it has worked out so far!)
There have been few things that I have wanted so bad that I would have gone on top of the roof and forced my way in for. I have wanted many things in my life, a Nintendo, a driver's license, a letter jacket in high school, but nothing enough to get on a roof! Maybe it's because I'm afraid of heights...
But these men didn't want anything for themselves; they wanted healing for their friend. I have some really good friends, friends I would do anything for, but I don't think going on the roof and forcing my way in would ever even cross my mind. What an act of faith by this man's friends.
And what is Jesus response? He forgives the sins of the man on the mat, not the sins of the men who brought him in through the roof!
First of all, understand the power of Jesus' statement. This is the first time in human history that a man (Jesus) was forgiving another man (guy on mat) for sins he committed against still another man (all the people that he was mean to in his whole life). Jesus was either a total lunatic or he was the Messiah.
Secondly, I think this story teaches us a lot about friendship. Imagine the friends that came in through the roof, they were taking a great risk. Imagine having people come in through your roof, I bet you wouldn't be happy. You might have them arrested or take matters into your own hands. They were willing to risk it all for their friend... and there was no guarantee that their friend was going to get anything for their trouble. They just had faith.
Sometimes it is hard to put ourselves at risk for our friends, especially when there are no guarantees that our friend will benefit from our actions. I have been blessed in my life to have wonderful friends, friends that have been there for me at my worst and friends that have been there for me at my best. I hope that I can be that good of a friend to them.
I hope that if they needed me to get on a roof and force my way in to save them that I would. You know, now that I am thinking about it, I am sure I have friends I would get on a roof to save them, but would I do what it really takes to save them, am I courageous enough to tell them about Jesus?
Friday, February 11, 2011
Here we go!
I always thought about having a blog... I thought it was really cool when Doogie Howser had his computer diary 20 years ago, but wasn't sure if anybody would care what I thought. I'm still not sure, but I finally feel like I have something worthwhile to talk about (God) and I feel like I have enough knowledge (M-Div) to not sound like a total idiot.
I have seen a few different charts, which, if followed will assist in reading the whole bible in a year. Setting a goal to read the bible is a great idea, but I wonder if just making a goal to finish is what we are supposed to be doing.
For a long time I have had a love/hate relationship with working out... I hate it when I'm doing it, but when I'm not, I wish I were working out. I have always looked at working out as something to help me reach a goal, and after I reach that goal then I can stop. A friend of mine told me that I must start to look at working at as a part of life, not just something which is started and stopped, but something that just needs to be done, like breathing... I'm still working on it!
So back to the bible. I have decided that instead of going off of a chart, I am just going to pick a book, start at the beginning and read it until it ends. When I'm done with that book, I will pick another one.(Revelation will be last) I am going to read 2-3 chapters, 4 days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday) and blog about what I have read... When I finish the whole bible, I'm going to start over and do it again. As our lives change, so does our understanding of God's word. I'm guessing it will take around 2 years to get through the bible, but it will take a life time to try and understand God's grace.
I invite you to join me on this journey, to read with me, to ask questions, to wrestle with the challenging texts and to let God's love rain down on you and soak you to the soul, and to let God's love reign in your lives. (see how I used rain and reign? pretty clever huh?)
*Disclaimer #1 - I have never been told that I am a great writer, and I don't pretend to be. I'm just going to write what I think... God doesn't expect perfect grammar when we pray, and I am not turning this in to any professor.
*Disclaimer #2 - I probably will talk about sports and movies a lot... and my beautiful wife.
That's all I got for now, have a great weekend, the blog officially starts on Tuesday with Mark 1-2!
I have seen a few different charts, which, if followed will assist in reading the whole bible in a year. Setting a goal to read the bible is a great idea, but I wonder if just making a goal to finish is what we are supposed to be doing.
For a long time I have had a love/hate relationship with working out... I hate it when I'm doing it, but when I'm not, I wish I were working out. I have always looked at working out as something to help me reach a goal, and after I reach that goal then I can stop. A friend of mine told me that I must start to look at working at as a part of life, not just something which is started and stopped, but something that just needs to be done, like breathing... I'm still working on it!
So back to the bible. I have decided that instead of going off of a chart, I am just going to pick a book, start at the beginning and read it until it ends. When I'm done with that book, I will pick another one.(Revelation will be last) I am going to read 2-3 chapters, 4 days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday) and blog about what I have read... When I finish the whole bible, I'm going to start over and do it again. As our lives change, so does our understanding of God's word. I'm guessing it will take around 2 years to get through the bible, but it will take a life time to try and understand God's grace.
I invite you to join me on this journey, to read with me, to ask questions, to wrestle with the challenging texts and to let God's love rain down on you and soak you to the soul, and to let God's love reign in your lives. (see how I used rain and reign? pretty clever huh?)
*Disclaimer #1 - I have never been told that I am a great writer, and I don't pretend to be. I'm just going to write what I think... God doesn't expect perfect grammar when we pray, and I am not turning this in to any professor.
*Disclaimer #2 - I probably will talk about sports and movies a lot... and my beautiful wife.
That's all I got for now, have a great weekend, the blog officially starts on Tuesday with Mark 1-2!
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