Month: August 2015

Text: Mark 7:14-23
Date: Pentecost XIV + Proper 17 + 8/30/15

Last week at the beginning of Mark chapter 7 we heard the exchange between the officials from Jerusalem accusing Jesus’ disciples (and therefore Jesus Himself) of lawlessness, violating the rules and traditions of the elders concerning the ceremonial washing of hands before a meal. Jesus countered by labeling them hypocrites and legalists. In our discussion of the way of the Law and the way of the Gospel we ended with the observation that love is the fulfilling of the law. Today in the second half of chapter 7 Jesus turns from addressing the merely man-made religious traditions to the divine Law of God itself as summarized in the Ten Commandments. We discover that not only is love the fulfilling of the Law but that the love of Christ is actually the goal and end of the Law! Continue reading “My Heart Thy Royal Throne”

 

Text: Mark 7:1-13
Date: Pentecost XIII + Proper 16 + 9/23/15

Today St. Mark begins to describe the increasing hostility to Jesus by the official Jewish leadership which, of course, will culminate in our Lord’s crucifixion and death. In this confrontation by the high ranking Pharisees and selected scribes from Jerusalem Jesus refers to our Old Testament reading from Isaiah 29. In this word of the Lord we heard God’s accusation, saying, “You turn things upside down!” This, of course, is the habit of the rest of the world of spiritually blind sinners separated from the truth of God. This is why when Jesus delivers His Sermon on the Mount and specifically the Beatitudes that His words sound upside down to us! We refer to this classically as the confusion of Law and Gospel. The Law suggests a person is saved “only if,” only if you do the right works and lead the right kind of moral life. The Gospel on the other hand says clearly that salvation is, nevertheless, the free gift of God to all who will receive it. Continue reading “The Wor(l)d Upside Down”

Text: John 6:51-69
Date: Pentecost XII + Proper 15B + 8/16/15

There was just something in the way He spoke that drew us to Himself. Then there were the amazing healings. But even more amazing He fed us out in the middle of nowhere. I tasted the bread and the fish that He gave to His assistants to distribute to us sitting on the green grass. Then He disappeared for a time. We figured out that He took a boat to the other side of the lake. So I got into one of the boats while others ran around to the other side on land. Continue reading “You Will Live Forever”

Text: John 6:35-51
Date: Pentecost XI + Proper 14B + 8/9/15

They followed Jesus who healed them, who miraculously fed them and who was teaching them many things. They followed Him but they would not believe Him. Last week in John 6 we learned that our true, real and deepest need is not as much for food, clothing, shelter and health for this life but for an answer to sin and death and our eternal destiny. Today Jesus tells us about His mission of salvation with the goal of the resurrection of the body and the life of the world to come. But it’s not enough just to know about Him and His mission merely intellectually. A person must come to the point of believing in and trusting Him for Who He is and what He has done. Continue reading “Living Bread from Heaven”

Text: John 6:22-35
Date: Pentecost X + Proper 13B + 8/2/15

We have been following Jesus in Mark’s Gospel as the crowds followed Him around the Sea of Galilee. The people witnessed our Lord healing many sick people. While He taught them many things He also miraculously fed the 5,000 from just a few loaves of bread and some fish. Then we heard about Jesus walking on the sea to His distressed disciples and finally arriving on the other shore. St. John in his Gospel relates those same things but today he fills in some further words and teaching of Jesus to those who were following Him that are not mentioned in the other accounts. Continue reading “Miraculous Bread”