Mark 6:7-13

“He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.” vs. 7

Jesus practiced what he preached. When he was rejected by the people of Nazareth he intensified his outreach and sent out his disciples to mirror his mission and his message in other villages of Galilee. He had known there would be setbacks, but he also knew that there were hundreds of hurting, needy people who were hungry for the gospel, and who were yearning for change. It’s a good reminder for us in these post-COVID times. Some congregations have had some real setbacks in recent months, and more than a few are battling for survival. They’ve lost members and are having significant financial issues…it may even feel as though all the spiritual energy has departed. There are places where tensions about regulations and restrictions have erupted into serious divisions. Pastors and congregational leaders are discouraged…they wonder if what is happening is an indicator of the increasing irrelevance of the church. Of course that’s not true! Even if some doors close, hundreds more are being opened. As we look around we can’t help but notice the hunger for meaning and purpose amid the turmoil of the times. People are searching for significance, and the good news of Jesus will never be out of date. What’s called for is a redoubling of outreach, not to restore the church of the past, but to invent ever more imaginative ways to go with the gospel. Our mission is at hand!

Thought for the Day: How’s my congregation doing? How can I help?

Mark 6:1-6

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.’” vs. 4

The people who thought they knew Jesus the best, the people of his own home town, took offense at his words when he returned to Nazareth during his Galilean mission. It isn’t that they weren’t impressed–they thought he was astounding and that his wisdom was unparalleled. Jesus wasn’t surprised by the rejection–it was what prophets had come to expect. The only prophet anyone had listened to in Israel’s history was Jonah and he had been preaching to Assyrians. It’s just difficult to hear a word from the Lord when it comes from someone you know well. The familiarity blocks our ears–and it’s really sad. Often the prophetic word that comes from a spouse or a family member is totally ignored, even when what they have to say is exactly what we need to hear. Somehow we can’t imagine that a person we’ve actually lived with, who knows all of our weaknesses, can offer wisdom that could change our lives. What a blessing it is when the day comes that our ears are opened to their intervention! There were a few people in Nazareth who did listen to Jesus in spite of their familiarity, and the text tells us that they were healed. That’s how it is when prophets come home–when we finally decide to listen, lives can be changed. Just because we know someone well doesn’t mean they can’t be trusted.

Thought for the Day: Why does familiarity breed contempt?

2 Corinthians 12:8-10

“Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” vss. 8-9

We don’t know what Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” might have been, though there’s certainly been plenty of speculation. Obviously it was something that bothered him and that he believed hampered his ministry–he let the Lord know that he wanted it gone. The answer that he got is profound. Grace is sufficient–power is made perfect in weakness. So instead of trying to hide his weaknesses, he gladly boasted about them. Would that many of us could get that through our thick skulls. We spend so much time denying and covering up that we lose all perspective of who we really are. People don’t care if we’re not perfect–in fact, they’re glad we’re not! It makes them feel better about themselves! So what if we’re not smart or pretty or athletic? What counts in life is rejoicing in the successes of others, and looking for ways to lift them up. The less we try to show off, the easier it is for Christ to show up in us. And, contrary to Paul, it really isn’t necessary to boast about our weaknesses–that can get old in a hurry!  

Thought for the Day: What things do I boast about?

2 Corinthians 12:2-7a

“But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me,” vs. 6

It was not uncommon for people in Paul’s day to experience heavenly journeys. Often such persons claimed to have had great mysteries explained, which they then passed on to their followers. Paul tells the Corinthians that he has had such an experience–he’d been caught up into the third heaven and had heard things that mortals were not allowed to repeat. But he doesn’t consider that such an experience is worth bragging about. It would only prove to be a barrier between himself and those he was trying to reach. Paul knew a great truth–people connect, not on the basis of spiritual strengths but on the level of their common weaknesses. There is nothing that turns us off faster than to be in the presence of someone enthralled with their own spiritual abilities or gifts. The more they talk about themselves and their accomplishments the less they have to say to us. The most effective proclaimers of the gospel will be humble persons willing to share their own struggles. In their vulnerability they become relatable, and their message of grace is received with gladness. There just isn’t any room in a community of faith for braggarts!

Thoughts for the Day: With whom do I share my vulnerabilities?

Psalm 123

“To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!” vs. 1

The words of the psalmist are familiar–we’re accustomed to thinking of God as being “up there” someplace. We even talk about praying to the “Man Upstairs” and wondering if “He’s” been watching everything that we’ve been doing. While we can appreciate the psalmist’s piety and even emulate his cry for divine mercy, the imagery is unfortunate. It’s simply not true that God is enthroned somewhere in the heavens waiting to throw a crumb or two in our direction when we’re in need. God is where we are, within and around us. God is more than a heavenly being, God is the universe, and even more than that. And when we are in tune with the Universe we sense God’s presence in nature, other people, and most unexpectedly, in ourselves. God permeates all that is! What a humbling and beautiful thought, and perhaps this is what the psalmist was getting at. With such a God, there is no point in our waltzing around this earth as though we are in charge. In fact such a notion is a mockery. We are humans, possessors of the divine image, and servants of one another. And with our divine hands and feet we can bring amazing love and light to every other creature on the globe. God is more than we can even imagine, full of grace and steadfast love, and we rejoice in all of our benefits.

Thought for the Day: Why do some use masculine imagery for God?

Ezekiel 2:3-5

“The descendants are impudent and stubborn. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’” vs. 4

Ezekiel’s call was to be a prophet to the rebellious nation of Israel and he believed that he spoke for God as he addressed them. He wouldn’t be just expressing his opinions in his sermons, he would be the voice of God! That’s an audacious claim, and we can be fairly confident that many refused to listen. That’s what happens when prophets come among us with their claims to speak for God. We’re by nature skeptical–and that’s a good thing. Most of those preachers and evangelists are just spouting their own opinions, and we’re better off to ignore them, and not give them the time of day. The problem is that not all of them are charlatans, and if we close our ears to them all, we run the risk of missing the voice of God. So how can we tell when a person is authentic? The surest way is to apply the Jesus test–is what we’re hearing in line with the message of grace and truth that came with the Incarnate Word. If it is, we’d be wise to pay attention. God does still speak to us through people, and we do need to be called from our stubborn and rebellious ways. So when we hear a jarring word, whether it’s from the pulpit or our spouse, it’s always a time for reflection. 

Thought for the Day: When have I heard the word of the Lord?

Ezekiel 2:1-3

“He said to me: O mortal, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you.” vs. 1 

UFO enthusiasts believe that the vision described by Ezekiel in chapter one of his book is the account of his encounter with an alien spacecraft around the year 597 BCE. Of course that’s not how Ezekiel interpreted it–for him it was an encounter with the Lord, an experience that changed his life. Whatever it was that he saw and heard, he believed that it was a direct call from God to be a prophet to his people during the time of their captivity. In that moment he was filled with a spirit that gave him words that Israel needed to hear to maintain their identity as God’s chosen ones. Ezekiel wasn’t the first to have such an experience and he certainly wasn’t the last. Surrounded as we are by the Divine Presence it’s not unusual for people to feel the Spirit pushing and prodding them into speech or action on behalf of others. It could even happen as the result of a dream or a vision. While it’s notoriously difficult to interpret those spiritual impulses they will always be in line with God’s infinite desire for justice, peace, and mercy. Often we’ll be tempted to ignore those calls in favor of self-interest, but God doesn’t give up. We’ll probably never see a UFO but we will certainly feel the Spirit urging us to act in love for the sake of the needy and the hurting.

Thought for the Day: When have I felt the urging of the Spirit?

Mark 5:35-43

“When he had entered, he said to them, ‘Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.’” vs. 39

What Jesus said to the mourners at the synagogue leader’s home was crazy–and they knew it! That’s why they laughed at him! They knew the difference between death and sleep, and so do we. That’s why we mourn when someone dies–it’s the natural thing to do. Of course Jesus paid no attention, went into the child’s room, took her by the hand, and told her to get up. It was truly amazing for everyone who saw it–and ultimately the triumph of life over death became the central message of the gospel. It’s not that the natural processes of nature have been overturned. It’s still crazy to say that a dead person is only sleeping, but we’ve embraced the craziness and regularly hold celebrations of life for those who have died. And we’re not just memorializing a life well lived, we’re also celebrating the new life that is ours in Christ. Some continue to say that such a notion is laughable–in their minds dead is dead, and that’s the end of the story. Imagine their amazement when they come to the end of their lives and discover that there’s something more. And it’s even better than the resuscitation that Mark describes. What awaits is nothing less than resurrection, a new existence in a new creation! A new cosmic presence that transcends all understanding!

Thought for the Day: How will the new life be different?

Mark 5:21-34

“She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, ‘If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.’” vss.27-28

The woman’s condition made her ritually impure so she had a dual purpose in seeking out Jesus. She hoped that if she touched his clothes she would be both healed and cleansed. In our world we think of healing primarily in physical terms. We seek out physicians, often paying enormous sums and enduring countless tests, hoping that whatever is wrong with our bodies can be fixed. And, thanks be to God, because of wonderful medical advances and the skills of our doctors, physical healing often takes place. But sometimes there’s more healing that needs to be done! Like the woman we have a sense of our own impurity that keeps us from being fully ourselves and living freely as a child of God. It’s like a spiritual disease, contagious and deadly, that we pick up from our associations with those religious people who wield shame as a weapon in their battle with sin. Sometimes it’s parents, sometimes preachers, but the result is the same. We slink through life carrying a burden of guilt and shame and wondering if God can ever love us. The good news is that Jesus, full of the indwelling Spirit, had a heart for the impure and the outcast, and spent his life reaching out with grace and forgiveness. In his presence we are cleansed and made whole, and our healing is complete.

Thought for the Day: How has shame touched my life?

2 Corinthians 8:11-15

“I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need…” vss. 13-14a

It seems that some people in the Corinthian congregation were reluctant to share their hard-earned money with the needy folks in Jerusalem. Such feelings are quite common, even in the family of faith. And the more material goods we’ve managed to accumulate the more difficult the sharing becomes. Paul understood this–but he believed in balance. Since the Corinthians had abundant resources they should be glad to share generously. While his words are logical and make perfect sense, there are many in our day who would disagree. They’ve gotten used to the lack of economic balance and prefer a system that allows wealth to flow from the poor to the rich, but not the other way around. As followers of Jesus, living within that system, we are the beneficiaries, and as a result, have amazing resources to share with the poor and needy. And many are doing exactly that! They’re using their abundance and generously giving to a whole variety of worthy causes. And as disasters become even more frequent in this changing world, their sharing opportunities will continue. Instead of moaning about being asked to give, they rejoice in being able to reflect the generosity of Jesus. In the process they learn the truth of Paul’s words: “The one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”

Thought for the Day: How do I decide where to do my giving?