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Not Against...Just Different! (September 27) 2009-09-21 by Lynn Turner Submit a Question | Submit an Article One of his disciples, John, comes to him and says, “Teacher, we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us.” That’s fascinating to me. Power obsessed leaders so often turn Jesus’ teachings on their head and declare “anyone who is not for us is against us.” But not Jesus. “Whoever is not against us,” said the Master, “is for us.” Interesting. Maybe a sermon this weekend on how we can differ yet sit at the same table of our Lord Christ? But they were afraid to ask...(September 20) 2009-09-18 by Theadora Gabrielson Submit a Question | Submit an Article At a recent retreat the topic of praying for healing with the terminally ill came up. Many participants stated they were uncomfortable praying for something they knew wasn't likely to happen; giving false hope to those who were close to no hope at all. I wonder why we are afraid to ask God for the impossible, afraid to ask him to expalin what appears to be impossible - that he should die and rise again, that he has the power to heal those sick in body and spirit? What was it about this man that they chose to follow, that had shown them nothing but compassion for the 5000 hungry on the hill, the guests at the wedding, the deaf, the unclean, and the blind, that made them afriad to ask? Perhaps it was not about Christ then and it is not about Christ now. Isn't it more about us, and our inability to have faith and believe the impossible, believe that he would find the same compassion for us and those we love that he found for others, believe that he could die and rise again, believe that there is nothing to fear in the asking? What can come out of our questioning? Perhaps a deeper understanding of our faith and a closer relationship with Christ. The disciples never believed that the Messiah words would come to fruition - perhaps because they never asked. Today many do not believe that the sick can be healed - perhaps they never asked. One such child in my name (September 20) 2009-09-17 by Amy Malick Submit a Question | Submit an Article Last Sunday a young woman (I'll call Sue) brought her new baby daughter, "Bessie," to the soup kitchen to introduce her. Sue is a recovering heroin addict who sought treatment when she learned she was pregnant. By her action, Sue gave Bessie a chance for a healthy life because the doctors scheduled a c-section, and pediatricians were on hand to treat Bessie as soon as she was born. The saving action went both ways. "Bessie saved my life," Sue said. "I've been clean 6 months." Sue announced that Bessie is going to be baptized at our church November 8. Sue, who lives at the margins of society, is showing us what Jesus means when he says, "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me." First of all, be servant of all (September 20) 2009-09-17 by Tim Norton Submit a Question | Submit an Article I wonder about the sequence of events in this reading and others like it in Mark and Matthew. Jesus has explained to the disciples the prophecy of his fate several times now: as they traveled to Caesarea Philippi, again at Jesus' transfiguration, and now on the way to Capernaum. Jesus explains what must happen to him and the disciples don't understand. But how could they understand? We, today, think we understand because we have the huge advantages of recorded history and literary education. In Jesus time the disciples could claim neither. What Jesus revealed to them would have made absolutely no common sense to anyone watching and waiting for the popular perception of what the Messiah would be. And we know the crowd of disciples and the core group of apostles were, for the most part, not educated in the written history or teachings of the Jewish faith. What they knew, they learned from religious leaders of the time. Pretty much the same as today. Modeling hope after what they knew of their world, they expected the Messiah, their new king, to be a conqueror, to act like their kings of history like Solomon or David, overthrowing their adversaries; or like Moses did when he led their people to safety away from an oppressive government. Then here comes Jesus, who sweeps them off their feet with words of love and compassion, with teachings of peace and hope and forgiveness, bringing God into the midst of the common people, performing miracle after miracle of feeding, healing, and raising from dead; only to tell them that the next thing he must do is to surrender to the government, their oppressor, allow them to torture and kill him, and in three days he will rise again. I'm quite sure if I were witnessing that in that time and place, with their same background, I would not have heard that last part about rising again, nor would I understand how my Messiah could say that or let it happen. The disciples, instead of receiving and pondering this weighty prophecy Jesus has revealed, fall into a "discussion" of who among them was the greatest. One can draw comparisons easily to our current political and religious institutions. If we're honest, we can see how our own egos react the same way. Some of us aspire to political careers following usually noble and just causes, but once in "office" the temptations of power and influence corrupt our better intentions and cause us to commit the very same wrongs we set out to right. Some of us aspire to religious leadership following noble and just callings, and end up attempting to best one another through interpretation or leadership if we forget from whom that call came. But Jesus, in this passage, does not chastise his followers, but takes advantage of yet another teaching moment. He reminds me that if I want to be a leader, I must first humble myself and become a servant, just as he did. And that to serve a child in his name, is to serve him. Aren’t we, children in the eyes of God, those children he mentions? Here at home, the opportunities are endless, given a horrible economic, social and employment climate. Friends and neighbors are hungry, unemployed, homeless, sick, depressed and anxious. In our local church we are striving to build a new sanctuary to better serve parishoners, while dealing with limited financial resources and trying to still expand our commitment to mission. It is not the popular perception of leadership- that doesn't seem to have changed in all these centuries, but is a challenge based, we hope, on service. What also has not changed in all our years, is that God continues to try to reach us, to teach us, to return us to him. Servants? (September 20) 2009-09-14 by J, winckler Submit a Question | Submit an Article If Jesus was talking to people today, would he think of people like doctors, nurses, firefighters as servants or does he think only of servants as those who are promoting the kingdom of God? Preachers could help us understand "servanthood" in their sermons this weekend. [First Page] [Prev] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 [Next] [Last Page] Login - (This login is for administrators and bloggers. 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